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The weak soil stabilization using solid wastes is one of the most common solutions for improving geotechnical characteristics as well as for problematic waste dumping in landfills. The present experimental study aims to examine the effect of high-volume Class-F fly ash on the geotechnical and microstructural properties of clayey soil by adding them in ranges between 5 % and 50 %. The results show that as the amount of fly ash in clayey soil increases, properties like the specific gravity, plasticity index, permeability, optimum moisture content, maximum dry density and free swelling index improves. Moreover, these geotechnical properties were analyzed to develop machine learning models using three different algorithms, namely K-nearest neighbor regression, random forest, and support vector regression, for obtaining the optimum amount of fly ash contents in weak expansive soils. The predicted and experimental results found to be in close-relation for predicting the geotechnical behavior of modified clayey soil. Furthermore, the performance of the ML models degrades as the number of components reduces, with KNN regression consistently outperforming SVR and RF but suffering significantly with fewer components. The results of the testing set in the case of four components are MSE of 77, R² of 0.896, RMSE of 0.846, MAE of 0.327, and SEE of 0.858, indicating precise and consistent predictions. However, the prediction accuracy considering lesser components shows MSE as 262, R² as 0.648, MAE as 5.606, SEE as 16.707, and GPI as 1.056, confirming the elevated error rates. Overall, it has been concluded that combining comprehensive experimental work and machine learning techniques outperforms in enhancing geotechnical data processing, optimized waste contents in weak soils, improves sustainability in construction, saves resources, reduces the possibility of human mistakes, and increases reliability.

The tandem solar cell presents a potential solution to surpass the Shockley–Queisser limit observed in single-junction solar cells. However, creating a tandem device that is both cost-effective and highly efficient poses a significant challenge. In this study, we present proof of concept for a four-terminal (4T) tandem solar cell utilizing a wide bandgap (1.6–1.8 eV) perovskite top cell and a narrow bandgap (1.2 eV) antimony selenide (Sb2Se3) bottom cell. Using a one-dimensional (1D) solar cell capacitance simulator (SCAPS), our calculations indicate the feasibility of this architecture, projecting a simulated device performance of 23% for the perovskite/Sb2Se3 4T tandem device. To validate this, we fabricated two wide bandgap semitransparent perovskite cells with bandgaps of 1.6 eV and 1.77 eV, respectively. These were then mechanically stacked with a narrow bandgap antimony selenide (1.2 eV) to create a tandem structure, resulting in experimental efficiencies exceeding 15%. The obtained results demonstrate promising device performance, showcasing the potential of combining perovskite top cells with the emerging, earth-abundant antimony selenide thin film solar technology to enhance overall device efficiency.

Hemifacial microsomia (HFM) is a complex congenital condition with heterogeneous malformations of the facial skeleton that almost always involves mandibular hypoplasia. Here we introduce a unique case in which a patient with HFM had initially successful optimization of facial symmetry using a polyetheretherketone implant for mandibular augmentation. However, multiple factors associated with the intraoperative and postoperative course, including hardware failure and infection, led to diminished mechanical strength of the mandible, ultimately resulting in a mandibular fracture. In this unique case presentation of HFM, we discuss the various factors that contributed to mandibular weakness and increased susceptibility to fracture.

Fly ash acquired from power stations causes removal challenges and environmental concerns. Disposal concerns can be solved by employing these waste materials as a raw source to improve soil stability. Stability of soil refers to the improvement of soil behaviour due to the enhancement of the soil’s geotechnical properties. Water content, strength, plasticity, and density are the most often adjusted properties. Extensive studies have focused on the influence of fly ash on soil stability. Therefore, this investigation discussed some of these studies, drawing a critical review to find out the effect of fly ash additive on soil characteristics. Also, this study focused on the impact of fly ash (FA) mixed with clay soil. Generally, it can be said that fly ash improved the soil stability, especially in terms of CBR values, the permeability of the soil and decreased the potential of volumetric soil changes through a series of experimental tests. This is due to the size and shape of particles; in addition to the treated period, volumetric dilation of the ground is reduced. Considering that the additives are not biodegradable, the behavioural adjustment of the hardened soil does not disappear.

Summary:. Plastic surgery is a rapidly evolving field that requires novel approaches in providing continuous and dynamic educational resources to address the increasing time and skill demands from residents. Online resources in their various forms, such as books, journals, simulators, and applications, are increasingly used by residents, notably over traditional print and in-person counterparts. In this digital era, it is imperative to understand the scope and utility of online resources that have the potential to revolutionize plastic surgery education. In this review article, we first discuss the current model of plastic surgery education and the challenges of meeting its goals and then suggest reasons by which online resources close this gap. We also offer an exposition on the benefits of distinct types of resources and current trends regarding their use. Our goal is to create a framework within which learners and educators are able to organize online resources in plastic surgery.

The tandem solar cell presents a potential solution to surpass the Shockley–Queisser limit observed in single-junction solar cells. However, creating a tandem device that is both cost-effective and highly efficient poses a significant challenge. In this study, we present proof of concept for a four-terminal (4T) tandem solar cell utilizing a wide bandgap (1.6–1.8 eV) perovskite top cell and a narrow bandgap (1.2 eV) antimony selenide (Sb2Se3) bottom cell. Using a one-dimensional (1D) solar cell capacitance simulator (SCAPS), our calculations indicate the feasibility of this architecture, projecting a simulated device performance of 23% for the perovskite/Sb2Se3 4T tandem device. To validate this, we fabricated two wide bandgap semitransparent perovskite cells with bandgaps of 1.6 eV and 1.77 eV, respectively. These were then mechanically stacked with a narrow bandgap antimony selenide (1.2 eV) to create a tandem structure, resulting in experimental efficiencies exceeding 15%. The obtained results demonstrate promising device performance, showcasing the potential of combining perovskite top cells with the emerging, earth-abundant antimony selenide thin film solar technology to enhance overall device efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The antimony selenide thin film solar cells technology becomes promising due to its excellent anisotropic charge transport and brilliant light absorption capability. Especially, the device performance heavily relies on the vertically oriented Sb2Se3 grain to promote photoexcited carrier transport. However, crystalline orientation control has been a major issue in Sb2Se3 thin film solar cells. Herein, a new strategy has been developed to tailor the crystal growth of Sb2Se3 ribbons perpendicular to the substrate by using the structural heterostructured CdS buffer layer. The heterostructured CdS buffer layer is formed by a dual layer of CdS nanorods and nanoparticles. The hexagonal CdS nanorods passivated by a thin cubic CdS nanoparticle layer can promote [211] and [221] directional growth of Sb2Se3 ribbons using a close space sublimation approach. The improved buffer/absorber interface, reduced interface defects, and recombination loss contribute to the improved device efficiency of 7.16%. This new structural heterostructured CdS buffer layer can regulate Sb2Se3 nanoribbons crystal growth and pave the way to further improve the low‐dimensional chalcogenide thin film solar cell efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One effective strategy to improve the performance of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is to develop new hole transport layers (HTLs). In this work, a simple polyelectrolyte HTL, copper (II) poly(styrene sulfonate) (Cu:PSS), which comprises easily reduced Cu2+ counter‐ions with an anionic PSS polyelectrolyte backbone is investigated. Photoelectron spectroscopy reveals an increase in the work function of the anode and upward band bending effect upon incorporation of Cu:PSS in PSC devices. Cu:PSS shows a synergistic effect when mixed with polyethylenedioxythiophene: polystyrenesulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) in various proportions and results in a decrease in the acidity of PEDOT:PSS as well as reduced hysteresis in completed devices. Cu:PSS functions effectively as a HTL in PSCs, with device parameters comparable to PEDOT:PSS, while mixtures of Cu:PSS with PEDOT:PSS shows greatly improved performance compared to PEDOT:PSS alone. Optimized devices incorporating Cu:PSS/PEDOT:PSS mixtures show an improvement in efficiency from 14.35 to 19.44% using a simple CH3NH3PbI3 active layer in an inverted (P‐I‐N) geometry, which is one of the highest values yet reported for this type of device. It is expected that this type of HTL can be employed to create p‐type contacts and improve performance in other types of semiconducting devices as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The most contentious element in debate regarding corporate governance is the association of corporate governance (CG) with firm performance. This research employed the 2SLS regression model on a panel data, collected from 24 Asian multinationals from 2006 to 2015. The firm performance was measured in two ways; accounting measure (ROA and sales growth) and market measure (Tobin's Q). The outcomes demonstrate that quality of corporate governance (QCG) index has a significant association in enhancing the performance of firms in Asian economies. Furthermore, these results also indicate that explicit corporate governance variables such as board independence, audit committee independence, ownership concentration and CEO duality, also have significant association with the performance of companies in Asian countries which is in accordance with the agency theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the extent to which governance affect firms' cost of equity capital in Asian countries by employing a regression model on panel data of the 24 Asian countries over the period of 2006 to 2015. The results depict that Quality of Corporate Governance (QCG) index has significant relationship in reducing cost of equity for firms in Asian countries. The results also indicate that explicit corporate governance variables like; board independence, audit committee independence, ownership concentration and CEO duality have also significant association with firm's cost of equity in Asian countries which is in accordance with the agency theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing demand of water in the country highlights the need to introduce low-input and water saving technologies for agricultural sustainability and crop production, mainly in semi-arid region. A study was conducted to minimize deep percolation losses from the furrow bottom under two different irrigation treatments viz. (1) furrow bottom with plastic sheet (T1) and (2) furrow bottom without plastic Sheet (T0). The physical and chemical analyses of soil profile were taken at a depth of 0-80 cm before and after crop harvesting. The dry density of soil slightly increased (0.01 g/cm³) under both treatments, while soil pH decreased under T1. The average yield was 8332 kg/hm² and 7575 kg/hm², with 21.56 m³ irrigation water applied under T1and T0, respectively. The saving percentages of water under treatments were 52.22% and 31.00% under T1 and T0 respectively as compared to the saving of water under traditional irrigation practice. Overall, better performance, in terms of crop production and water saving, was obtained with use of plastic sheet integrated with bottom of furrows. Hence, it is suggested that the furrow irrigation method with plastic sheet may be used to preventing moisture and minimize deep percolation losses from furrow bottom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A vital feature of conservative dentistry is the adhesion of the restorative material to the tooth structure for restoration of the tooth substance lost due to dental decay, trauma, or dental imperfections. In a perfect world, a restorative material should generate a lasting adhesion by bonding the restoration with tooth tissues. The ingress of micro-organisms, oral fluids, molecules, and ions through microscopic spaces due to faulty adhesion between restoration and tooth structure is known as microleakage. This study is focuses on the evaluation of adhesive failures between the restorative materials. In the past, studies have focused more on the bonding potential of a restorative material with the tooth surface. Therefore, there is need to carry out a study that compares the microleakage between resin-based restorative materials in a sandwich manner with and without the intermediate bonding layer after immersion in 2% methylene blue dye at different time intervals. The restorative materials used were composite Ceram X Mono plus (DENTSPLY) and Z350 (3M ESPE), Vitremer resin modified glass ionomer cement (RMGIC) (3M ESPE), smart dentine replacement SDR (3M ESPE), Bond NT (DENTSPLY), and Universal Bond (3M ESPE). A light emitting diode (LED) was used to cure the specimens. Artificial saliva was used as a storage medium for the specimens. Thermocycling of specimens was carried out at 500 cycles/30 s and 1000 cycles/30 s. The world health organization (WHO) grading tool for microleakage was used to analyze fluid ingress in the specimens through disclosing by 2% methylene blue dye. The statistical analysis was carried out with one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey post hoc test, keeping the level of significance at p ≤ 0.05. In Grade 0 = 85 samples, Grade 1 = 10 samples, Grade 2 = 7 samples, Grade 3 = 16 samples, and in Grade 4 = 2 samples were identified. This study describes that no microleakage was observed in SDR and resin composite groups as compared to Vitremer and resin composite groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: charge carrier recombination; hole transport materials; perovskite solar cells; p-type doping EN charge carrier recombination hole transport materials perovskite solar cells p-type doping 1 1 1 06/26/21 20210623 NES 210623 In article number 2009246, Jung Hwa Seo, Bright Walker, and co-workers demonstrate that a simple Cu(II) polyelectrolyte is able to create effective p-type junctions in perovskite solar cells by creating an interfacial dipole which effectively alters the energy band structure to extract positively charged holes. Charge carrier recombination, hole transport materials, perovskite solar cells, p-type doping Perovskite Solar Cells: A Simple Cu(II) Polyelectrolyte as a Method to Increase the Work Function of Electrodes and Form Effective p-Type Contacts in Perovskite Solar Cells (Adv. Funct. [Extracted from the article]

Objectives: The objectives encompassed identifying the myriad challenges educators face, elucidating their coping strategies, examining the support systems in place, and evaluating the efficacy of the measures taken to address these challenges. Methods: Conducted at Jinnah Sindh Medical University from January 2021 to April 2021, the study employed a descriptive cross-sectional approach involving teaching faculty member’s rom both constituent and affiliated institutions during the COVID locked down period. With a total faculty population of 200, a sample size of 124 was determined, utilizing a 95% confidence interval and a 5% margin of error. Convenience sampling facilitated the recruitment process, with Principals/Heads serving as conduits for disseminating information about the research and distributing the questionnaire. Leveraging Google Forms as the data collection tool, the questionnaire encompassed various dimensions, including consent, bio data, encountered technical difficulties, and the corresponding solutions implemented. Upon securing Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval (JSMU/IRB/2021/406), the questionnaire dissemination process commenced, underscoring the ethical considerations inherent in research involving human subjects. Results: Analysis of the gathered data, performed using SPSS version 18, revealed valuable insights from the 124 participating teachers. Noteworthy demographic trends emerged, with a predominance of female teaching faculty possessing postgraduate qualifications and boasting 5-10 years of teaching experience. Key challenges encountered during online teaching sessions centered around broad- band connectivity issues, inadequacy of devices for virtual instruction, and a perceived lack of requisite training. Mitigating these challenges necessitated concerted efforts, as evidenced by the pro- active interventions orchestrated by entities such as the Professional Development Center/Medical Education and the Information Technology department. Through targeted training initiatives and infra- structure enhancements, including broadband speed upgrades and the provision of essential gad- gets, faculty members were empowered to navigate the evolving landscape of online education. Conclusion: The study investigated the transition to online teaching among faculty members during the COVID-19 pandemic, revealing a predominantly female demographic with limited prior online teaching experience. Challenges included assessing student learning and addressing technological barriers, with solutions primarily stemming from professional development and personal technologi- cal investments.

Critical thinking (CT) is a generic attribute that is greatly valued across academic disciplines in higher education, and around the globe. It is also defined as one of the graduate attributes of higher education for the sample private university where this research was conducted, as it is perceived that CT helps the graduate to become ‘engaged citizens’ in the twenty-first century. Despite the well-documented importance of CT, its assessment remains a challenge. This study addresses this challenge through the systematic development and field-testing of a rubric for assessing critical thinking in a multidisciplinary context in higher education. A multidisciplinary group of faculty (i.e. education, nursing, medicine) from the sample university partnered with a policy research group in Canada to translate this plan into action. The development of the assessment tool followed a multi-step process including: (i) identification of the main elements of CT; (ii) choice of a rubric format; (iii) adaptation of the currently available relevant rubrics; and, (iv) field testing and establishment of the reliability of the rubric. The process resulted in the development of a holistic template, the Assessment of Critical Thinking (ACT) rubric. Two versions of the rubric have been field tested on a sample (n=59) of students drawn from different entities of the sample university. The data collected was subjected to psychometric analysis which yielded satisfactory results. This was a modest attempt to develop an assessment tool to guide multidisciplinary faculty members in teaching and assessing CT by assisting them to make decisions about the level of their students’ CT skills through a combination of numerical scores and qualitative description. It may also empower them to make self-initiated, conscious efforts to improve their classroom practice with reference to CT. The ACT rubric provides an anchoring point to start working on the daunting yet doable task of developing and fine-tuning both the assessment measures of CT and interventions to promote CT based on the assessment findings. Future research may not only provide robust evidence of the reliability and validity of the ACT rubric for a larger and varied sample but also help in making informed decisions to enhance teaching and learning of CT across entities of the sample university. How to cite this article: BHUTTA, Sadia Muzaffar; CHAUHAN, Sahreen; ALI, Syeda Kausar; GUL, Raisa; CASSUM, Shanaz; KHAMIS, Tashmin. Developing a rubric to assess critical thinking in a multidisciplinary context in higher education. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in the South. v. 3, n. 1, p. 6-25, Apr. 2019. Available at: https://sotl-south-journal.net/?journal=sotls&page=article&op=view&path%5B%5D=69&path%5B%5D=34 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Abstract Objective: Stress during residency training in surgical disciplines not only hampers professional development but can also compromise patient care and personal health. The purpose of this study was to measure the stress level among the surgical residents, identify factors within the learning and work environment that cause stress, and identify different strategies that the residents use habitually to cope with these stresses. Methods: This mix method study was conducted in the department of Surgery at Aga Khan University, Pakistan. Residents’ stress level was measured using Perceived Stress Scale (PSS); focus group discussions (FGDs) with faculty and residents explored stressors during residency training, while Brief COPE Inventory identified the residents’ preferred coping strategy. Results: A total of 68 (83%) surgery residents completed the survey of which 19% had high stress scores while only one resident had perception of low stress. Females had significantly higher stress scores (25.7±3.0; p=0.008) as compared to male counterparts. Planning (87.8%) and Self-distraction (65%) were the most commonly used adaptive and maladaptive strategies respectively. The reliability of the PSS and BCI measured by Cronbach’s alpha was 0.73 and 0.82 respectively. Work-life imbalance, workload and contradicting programme and hospital policies were identified in FGDs as major stressors during residency. Conclusion: Although surgical residency programmes are very stressful, coping strategies are not formally taught during surgical training. Academia and hospital should join hands in developing interventions to enable residents cope with the situation. Keywords: Stress level, Surgical Residency Training, Coping Strategies, Working hours