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In this study, we used density functional theory to examine how the wide band gap optoelectronic properties of pure, silver-, and cadmium-doped LaAl[O.sub.3] perovskites changed. Structural, electrical, elastic, and mechanical properties were calculated using generalized gradient approximation. Silver and cadmium incorporated at Al site demonstrated a decreasing trend in the band gap. Both impurities showed the reduction in band gap from 2.98 to 0.468 eV and from 2.98 to 2.0238 eV. The density of states was examined for pristine and doped structures to understand behavioral change of LaAl[O.sub.3]. It was observed that p states in upper valance band and d states in lower conduction band were contributing toward the reduction of band gap. Elastic properties were computed. Elastic parameters were used to calculate Born's stability and it is predicted that the material is stable mechanically for both pristine and doped forms. Mechanical properties were also predicted and brittle nature was found for both pristine and doped materials. Optical responses such as dielectric function, absorption, and refractive index were also predicted. The impurity inclusion in pristine structure not only reduces the bad gap but also alters the optical behavior. Absorption edge shifted toward lower energy shows a clear redshift, whereas refractive index also reduces from 2.4 to 1.9, making the material more transparent. The absorption spectrum as well as electronic band gap makes this material more useful for solar cell application as well as photocatalytic applications. Key words: band structure, density of states, optical properties, refractive index, elastic and mechanical properties, 1. Introduction To solve a variety of challenges, including the use of power and energy, scientists are developing new strategies and insights. Different theoretical and experimental methods have been established [...]

Objective: To assess the impact of fibroids on pregnancy outcome. Study Design: A retrospective descriptive study. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at department of Obstetrics & Gynecology during a period of 2 years from 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2018. Materials and Methods: All pregnant patients with fibroids > 3cm either diagnosed during antenatal period or incidentally during cesarean section were included in this study. Data regarding obstetrical outcome was extracted from the maternity ward record. Maternal age, parity, obstetrical complications, mode of delivery and indications for caesarean section were noted. Neonatal outcomes were ascertained from the maternity record and chart review. Results were summarized as %age, average and presented as tables using MS Excel version 13. Results: During the study period 38 pregnant women with fibroid are included in the study. Major proportion of patients with fibroid were in age group of 30-35 years. Obstetrical complications observed were; placental abruption (5.26%), PPH (15.78%), Obstructed labor (5.26%), prolonged labor (28.94%), abdominal pain (10.52%), preterm labor (2.63%) and malpresentation (2.63%). Miscarriages during early 2 trimester were recorded in (5.26%) cases. Caesarean section was required in 69.44% cases. One lady ended up in Cesarean Hysterectomy due to intractable bleeding during c/section. During the course of pregnancy (21.05%) women with fibroid uterus remained asymptomatic. Fetal outcome was good with (88.88 %) alive babies, (5.55%) NND,(2.77%) IUD and (2.77%) neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission were recorded. Conclusion: Pregnancies with fibroids are associated with increased risk of fetomaternal complications. Pregnant women with myoma may have frequent antenatal visits in a consultant led clinic and well defined care pathways. Significant number of still birth due to placental abruption associated with large myoma may warrant elective caesarean section at relatively earlier gestational age.

Objective: To determine the risk factors, fetal outcome and maternal outcome of placental abruption. Study Design: Retrospective observational study Place and Duration of Study: January 2017 to June 2018, Gynaecology Department, Bolan medical complex Quetta. Materials and Methods: During the study, 189 patients with placental abruption Data wes collected from records of labor room, obstetrical ward and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. All diagnosed placental abruption cases were included in this study. The clinical data of the patients presented with placental abruption in our facility was reviewed and the fetomaternal outcome was analyzed. Information collected from record included demographics, parity, gestational age, HB% at arrival and risk factors for placental abruption. Data was analyzed using MS Excel version 13 and results were presented as averages and percentages. Results: During study period 189 cases of placental abruption were recorded. Grandmultiparity (94.17%) and Anemia (83.59%) were identified as major risk factors for placental abruption. The frequency of PIH as a risk factor for placental abruption was recorded in (8.9%) cases and history of trauma was noted in [2.6%] cases. Maternal deaths were found to be (2.11%) and the women undergone surgical intervention were (15.87%) with (14.28%) developed PPH. Only (28.57%) fetuses survived in this study population. Intrauterine death was diagnosed at arrival in (60.84%) cases. Early neonatal deaths were recorded in (13.22%) cases. Conclusion: Abruption is a frequent and major cause of maternal morbidity and perinatal mortality. Anemia and grand multiparty are identified as major risk factors. The frequency of PIH and Trauma as a risk factor for placenta abruption is found lower than expectation.

In this study, we used density functional theory to examine how the wide band gap optoelectronic properties of pure, silver-, and cadmium-doped LaAlO3 perovskites changed. Structural, electrical, elastic, and mechanical properties were calculated using generalized gradient approximation. Silver and cadmium incorporated at Al site demonstrated a decreasing trend in the band gap. Both impurities showed the reduction in band gap from 2.98 to 0.468 eV and from 2.98 to 2.0238 eV. The density of states was examined for pristine and doped structures to understand behavioral change of LaAlO3. It was observed that p states in upper valance band and d states in lower conduction band were contributing toward the reduction of band gap. Elastic properties were computed. Elastic parameters were used to calculate Born's stability and it is predicted that the material is stable mechanically for both pristine and doped forms. Mechanical properties were also predicted and brittle nature was found for both pristine and doped materials. Optical responses such as dielectric function, absorption, and refractive index were also predicted. The impurity inclusion in pristine structure not only reduces the bad gap but also alters the optical behavior. Absorption edge shifted toward lower energy shows a clear redshift, whereas refractive index also reduces from 2.4 to 1.9, making the material more transparent. The absorption spectrum as well as electronic band gap makes this material more useful for solar cell application as well as photocatalytic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Minerals play a dynamic role in plant growth and development. However, most of these mineral nutrients are unavailable to plants due to their presence in fixed forms, which causes significant losses in crop production. An effective strategy to overcome this challenge is using mineral solubilizing bacteria, which can convert insoluble forms of minerals into soluble ones that plants can quickly assimilate, thus enhancing their availability in nutrient-depleted soils. The main objective of the present study was to isolate and characterize mineral solubilizing rhizobacteria and to assess their plant growth-promoting potential for Rhodes grass. Twenty-five rhizobacterial strains were isolated on a nutrient agar medium. They were characterized for solubilization of insoluble minerals (phosphate, potassium, zinc, and manganese), indole acetic acid production, enzymatic activities, and various morphological traits. The selected strains were also evaluated for their potential to promote the growth of Rhodes grass seedlings. Among tested strains, eight strains demonstrated strong qualitative and quantitative solubilization of insoluble phosphate. Strain MS2 reported the highest phosphate solubilization index, phosphate solubilization efficiency, available phosphorus concentration, and reduction in medium pH. Among tested strains, 75% were positive for zinc and manganese solubilization, and 37.5% were positive for potassium solubilization. Strain MS2 demonstrated the highest quantitative manganese solubilization, while strains MS7 and SM4 reported the highest solubilization of zinc and potassium through acidifying their respective media. The strain SM4 demonstrated the most increased IAA production in the presence and absence of L-tryptophan. The majority of strains were positive for various enzymes, including urease, catalase protease, and amylase activities. However, these strains were negative for coagulase activity except strains SM7 and MS7. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing, six strains, namely, SM2, SM4, SM5, MS1, MS2, and MS4, were identified as Bacillus cereus, while strains SM7 and MS7 were identified as Staphylococcus saprophyticus and Staphylococcus haemolyticus. These strains significantly improved growth attributes of Rhodes grass, such as root length, shoot length, and root and shoot fresh and dry biomasses compared to the uninoculated control group. The present study highlights the significance of mineral solubilizing and enzyme-producing rhizobacterial strains as potential bioinoculants to enhance Rhodes grass growth under mineral-deficient conditions sustainably. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adaptation of renewable energy is inevitable. The idea of microgrid offers integration of renewable energy sources with conventional power generation sources. In this research, an operative approach was proposed for microgrids comprising of four different power generation sources. The microgrid is a way that mixes energy locally and empowers the end-users to add useful power to the network. IEEE-14 bus system-based microgrid was developed in MATLAB/Simulink to demonstrate the optimal power flow. Two cases of battery charging and discharging were also simulated to evaluate its realization. The solution of power flow analysis was obtained from the Newton-Raphson method and particle swarm optimization method. A comparison was drawn between these methods for the proposed model of the microgrid on the basis of transmission line losses and voltage profile. Transmission line losses are reduced to about 17% in the case of battery charging and 19 to 20% in the case of battery discharging when system was analyzed with the particle swarm optimization. Particle swarm optimization was found more promising for the deliverance of optimal power flow in the renewable energy sources-based microgrid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

These days, computer-based image registration techniques are increasingly being used in the area of medical imaging as they offer significant benefits for aligning different images together and for visualizing their combined images. However, these techniques require an enormous amount of computation time due to the high resolution and complex nature of the medical images. We propose to alleviate this problem by using a dedicated Network-on-Chip (NoC)-based hardware platform for image registration. This paper describes a novel technique for field-programmable gate array (FPGA) implementation of the B-Spline-based free form deformation (FFD) algorithm, i.e., a widely used algorithm for modeling geometric shapes in a computerized environment. For performance enhancement, we have utilized a lightweight circuit-switched NoC architecture, which is adaptable to most FPGAs. The design description is captured in the Verilog language and implemented using the Xilinx XC2v6000 device at 37MHz. The proposed design is parameterizable at the compile time and supports a wide range of the image resolutions and computational precisions. The experimental results have shown a significant improvement in performance when compared with the other existing hardware implementations of the B-spline-based FFD algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim and Objective: This study was undertaken to compare postoperative sensitivity in posterior class I restorations using etch-and-rinse and self-etch composite resins, GC Fuji IX, and Cention-N., Materials and Methods: The sample size consisted of 160 participants. After clinical and radiographic examination, the participants were randomly assigned to four groups consisting of 40 participants each according to the restorative materials used. Class I cavity was prepared and was restored on each patient and after restoration postoperative sensitivity was evaluated at 24 h, 48 h, and 7 days using the visual analog scale (VAS). The results were tabulated and statistically analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post-hoc multiple comparison tests., Results: There were significant differences present between the groups at 24 h, 48 h, and 7 days. We found that the materials causing least postoperative sensitivity are ranked according to superiority as GC Fuji IX > nano-hybrid composite using self-etch adhesive > Cention-N > nano-hybrid composite using etch-and-rinse adhesive., Conclusion: Both GC Fuji IX and self-etch adhesive showed less postoperative sensitivity as compared to etch-and-rinse and Cention-N at 24 h. With GC Fuji IX and self-etch adhesive postoperative sensitivity was decreased while Cention-N also showed good results at 48 h and 7 days. Etch-and-rinse adhesive showed maximum postoperative sensitivity as compared to other groups at 24 h, 48 h, and 7 days., Clinical Significance: Teeth restored with resin composites are susceptible to sensitivity. The restorative material used and their handling can influence postoperative sensitivity.