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In this study, we have numerically investigated the heat and mass transfers behaviour of Casson fluid flow past a porous shrinking sheet in existence of a magnetic field, thermal radiation, and suction or blowing at the surface. Applying suitable similarity transformations, the leading partial nonlinear differential equations of mass, flow, and heat transfer are converted into solvable ordinary differential equations, which can then be solved numerically with the help of the MATLAB bvp4c scheme. We have analyzed and shown graphically the implications of several non-dimensional controlling factors on the profiles of temperature, concentration, and velocity. Additionally, the Sherwood, Nusselt, and Skin friction for Casson fluids are examined and tabulated. The current study's findings for Casson fluid exhibit great consistency with previous research under specific circumstances.

Herein, we have formulated a simplistic semi-empirical model for Vicker’s hardness of rare earth based pyrochlore compounds. We have considered the structured 97 pyrochlore compounds for Vicker’s hardness calculations. The plasmon energy (ħωp) depends on basic parameters of the material such as Ne-effective number of free electrons per unit volume participating in plasma oscillations, e-electronic charge and m-mass of an electron. The proposed model predicts that the experimental and theoretical values of Vicker’s hardness increases as plasmon energy of pyrochlore increases. We have found that the calculated values are in better agreement with available experimental and theoretical data, which supports the validity of the model. This model supports the modeling of emerging functional pyrochlore compounds and helps to understand their mechanical properties for excellent thermal stability, superconductivities, batteries, ferroelectricity, water spitting, high ionic conductivity, good photoluminescence, inherent oxygen vacancies, exotic magnetism, and now-a-days most importantly in nuclear waste encapsulation and aerospace industry

This article uses the FP-LAPW approach within the DFT method, and the quasi-harmonic Debye model to investigate the electronic and thermodynamic properties of intermetallic rare earth materials (such as SmInZn, SmInCd, and SmTlZn). Thermodynamic properties were determined by the quasi-harmonic Debye model, whereas the FP-LAPW approaches within DFT method were utilized to derive electronic properties. The calculated structural parameters and the available experimental data have been examined, and it was observed that there was a good agreement between available experimental and calculated values of structural parameters. The electronic behavior of SmInZn, SmInCd and SmTlZn compounds shows the metallic character. We have examined a few thermodynamic characteristics. All calculated characteristics were found to match experimental or theoretical calculations.

The dielectric interpretation of crystal ionicity evolved by Phillips and Van Vechten (P.V.V) has been utilized to evaluate various ground state properties for broad range of semiconductors and insulators. Although, the relevance of P.V.V dielectric theory has been restricted to only simple ANB8-N structured compounds, which have a particular bond. Levine has broadened P.V.V. theory of ionicity to multiple bond and complex crystals and evaluated many bond parameters for ternary tetrahedral semiconductors. Some other researchers have extended Levine’s work with a concept of ionic charge product and nearest neighbour distance to binary and ternary tetrahedral crystals to evaluate the ground state properties. In this paper, a new hypothesis of average atomic number of the elements in a compound has been used to understand the some electronic and optical properties such as ionic gap (Ec), average energy gap (Eg), crystal ionicity (fi), electronic susceptibility (χ), and dielectric constant (ϵ) of ternary tetrahedral (AIIBIV and AIBIII) semiconductors. A reasonably acceptable agreement has been noticed between our evaluated values and other researchers reported values.

The concept of ionicity has been developed by Phillips and Van Vechten from the dielectric analysis of the semiconductors and insulators to evaluate various bond parameters of binary tetrahedral (AIIBVI and AIIIBV) semiconductors. In this paper, an advance hypothesis of average atomic number of the elements in a compound has been used to evaluate intrinsic electronic and optical parameters such as ionic gap (Ec), average energy gap (Eg), crystal ionicity (fi) and dielectric constant (ϵ) of binary tetrahedral semiconductors.

Earlier findings showed the presence of phytohormones in deproteinised leaf extracts of cabbage, cauliflower, Colocasia and fenugreek and the expression of enzyme protease due to it. The presence of enzyme amylase was investigated by the treatment of hormone gibberellin to the cowpea and wheat seedlings. This was compared with the seedlings treated with deproteinised juice (DPJ) or whey of cabbage and Colocasia. There was striking influence of DPJ, optimizing the content of enzyme in the wheat and cowpea seedlings. The another DPJ prepared from beet foliage showed increment in the protein content in the seedlings of fenugreek, when treated exogenously by soaking the seeds in DPJ at various concentrations from 0.25 to 1 %. DPJ of beet showed significant seed germination result of bajra crop. The pH of lucerne DPJ is found slightly alkaline at various concentrations.

Capital structure is an indicator of the value of a firm and is a key performance indicator concerning how efficiently a company operates. Debt and leverage influence a company’s investment risks and influence the rate of return required by investors. Therefore, decisions affecting capital structure choice have crucial long-term effects. The aim of this study is to determine the effects of corporate tax rates on capital structure in public nonfinancial companies based in BRICS countries. The specific object of our analysis is the evaluation of financial leverage as a proportion of debt financing based on the amount of total assets. This analysis is carried out on a sample of BRICS companies over the period from 2010 to 2015. To conduct this research, panel data regression models are employed, including the fixed effects (FE), random effects (RE) and generalised method of moments (GMM) models. Each BRICS country is analysed separately in order to avoid biased estimates due to a host of significant country-specific differences.The results presented herein indicate that effective tax rate is statistically significant, but the effect of taxation varies across countries. For example, effective tax rate is an important capital structure determinant, and it is significant across all countries. However in analytical terms, this investigation reveals that the most suitable regression model for the majority of BRICS countries is the fixed effects method, although for Russia the most appropriate model is the random effects method. To summarise, three separate hypotheses regarding the interplay of taxation and capital structure haveThis research crucially serves to demonstrate facets of the complexity of the economic situation in the key economies of BRICS countries. The generally-supported hypothesis implies that the higher the corporate tax rate, the more tax benefits the company receives from using a tax shield. The results of this study indicate that contrary to most existing literature, effective tax rate has a negative relationship with the capital structure in Russia, India and South Africa. Moreover, various existing research studies in the field have been validated, and individual aspects of our results serve to alternatively validate the tradeoff and the pecking order theories. The conclusions presented herein regarding the complexities of the interplay between economic indicators between BRICS countries will be essential information in the commercial and academic spheres and anyone concerned with emerging economies.

In earlier studies, high concentration of DPJ from various forages inhibited germination, induced mutations in some seedlings and caused phytotoxic phenotypical changes in plants during growth. The physiological changes were absence of leaves and presence of more stipules in few pea plants. DPJ obtained from Lucerne and Eicchornia crassipes found causing chromosomal aberrations at high concentrations i.e at 0.50%, 1%, 1.5% and 2% in onion and garlic root meristems during the process of mitosis. It showed normal growth of Celosia plants by the effect of Eicchornia DPJ, when the concentrations are increased from 0.1 to 1 % level. The objective of research is to determine DPJ as mutagenic agent for effecting the cell chromosomal changes for the purpose to optimize the crops physiologically and genetically by its stress application. During present investigation, the so called antipathogen water hyacinth DPJ potentiality changed the chromosomal response of Celosia at 1.5 %, and 2 % high concentrations. It was compared with the control. Celosia consists of the anomalous secondary growth in the root or stem. In mitotic study, mostly restitution prophases and unorientation of anaphases were found in the germinated seedling somatic cells because of the exogenous application of DPJ to the seeds.

Liquid K_(1-x) Rb_x binary alloys with various thermodynamical proportions of participating elements are investigated. The properties of thermodynamic interest are included in the study. The internal energy (Fint), Helmholtz free enrgy (FH) and the entropy (S) have been calculated in a concentration range from X=0.0 to X=1.0 increasing in a step of 0.1 in the present work. Apart from the internal energy (Fint), various contributions to this energy are also calculated and separately depicted in the present article. A variational approach has been adopted for the present calculation. A single potential with a set of two parameters is used for the calculation of all properties of the alloys. Static Hartree local field function (H) is used to consider screening effect. Various local field correction functions are used to take into account the exchange and correlation effect. Comparison with experimental data at some concentration shows the good agreement with the presently obtained data. With the help of current results, the applied model potential found very suitable with individual parameters for thermodynamical study. As the present results provide the data even where minimum availability of the experimental findings, it can serve as a data base for the future calculation which deals with thermodynamics of the liquid alloys. Present results allow one to get proportion based tuned properties of the K_(1-x) Rb_x for different requirements.

Objective To assess changes in the use of essential maternal and child health services in Konobo, Liberia, after implementation of an enhanced community health worker (CHW) programme. Methods The Liberian Ministry of Health partnered with Last Mile Health, a nongovernmental organization, to implement a pilot CHW programme with enhanced recruitment, training, supervision and compensation. To assess changes in maternal and child health-care use, we conducted repeated cross-sectional cluster surveys before (2012) and after (2015) programme implementation. Findings Between 2012 and 2015, 54 CHWs, seven peer supervisors and three clinical supervisors were trained to serve a population of 12 127 people in 44 communities. The regression-adjusted percentage of children receiving care from formal care providers increased by 60.1 (95% confidence interval, CI: 51.6 to 68.7) percentage points for diarrhoea, by 30.6 (95% CI: 20.5 to 40.7) for fever and by 51.2 (95% CI: 37.9 to 64.5) for acute respiratory infection. Facility-based delivery increased by 28.2 points (95% CI: 20.3 to 36.1). Facility-based delivery and formal sector care for acute respiratory infection and diarrhoea increased more in agricultural than gold-mining communities. Receipt of one-or-more antenatal care sessions at a health facility and postnatal care within 24 hours of delivery did not change significantly. Conclusion We identified significant increases in uptake of child and maternal health-care services from formal providers during the pilot CHW programme in remote rural Liberia. Clinic-based services, such as postnatal care, and services in specific settings, such as mining areas, require additional interventions to achieve optimal outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]