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The objective of this study was to assess the comparative efficiency of different priming techniques on germination and early seedling growth of maize cultivars. Laboratory experiments were conducted to examine the efficacy of different seed invigoration treatments on seed germination and vigor traits of three maize hybrids, Pioneer 3025, Pioneer 70 and Baber at Agronomy research laboratory, University of Agriculture, Peshawar, Pakistan. The experiment was laid in completely randomized design (CRD) and was replicated thrice. The treatments included control treatment (T1) unsoaked/dry seed, (T2) hydropriming with distilled water for 24 hrs, (T3) halo priming treatments with NaCl (3% solution) for 24 hrs, (T4) osmopriming with PEG-6000 for 24 hrs and (T5), hormonal priming with GA3 for 24 hrs. The results showed that seed invigoration treatment with gibberellic acid (GA3) PEG-6000 and hydropriming with distilled water for 24 hrs gave higher germination, decreased days to 50% germination, increased shoot length, root length, seedling fresh and dry weight, as compared to halo priming with NaCl and control treatment. It is concluded that seed invigoration with GA3, osmopriming with PEG-6000 and hydropriming with distilled water for 24 hrs serve as an appropriate treatment for accelerating the emergence and growth parameters of maize hybrid. Pioneer 3025 showed its superiority over other cultivars in all the studied parameters.

For chalcogenide glasses in the system (1 – x)[0.15Ga2S3 · 0.85GeS2] · xEr2S3, the absorption and luminescence spectra are investigated and the X-ray diffraction analysis is performed. A small shift in the position of the erbium absorption band with the increase of its content in the glass indicates the decrease of the effective charge on it, while the negligible changes in the angle position of the first sharp diffraction peak points to the constancy of the glass’s intermediate-order parameter. The possibility of describing the dependence of the intensity of erbium luminescence on its concentration using the earlier suggested equation has been discussed.

Risky and aggressive driving maneuvers are considered a significant indicator for traffic accident occurrence as well as they aggravate their severity. Traffic violations caused by such uncivilized driving behavior is a global issue. Studies in existing literature have used statistical analysis methods to explore key contributing factors toward aggressive driving and traffic violations. However, such methods are unable to capture latent correlations among predictor variables, and they also suffer from low prediction accuracies. This study aimed to comprehensively investigate different traffic violations using spatial analysis and machine learning methods in the city of Luzhou, China. Violations committed by taxi drivers are the focus of the current study since they constitute a significant proportion of total violations reported in the city. Georeferenced violation data for the year 2016 was obtained from the traffic police department. Detailed descriptive analysis is presented to summarize key statistics about various violation types. Results revealed that over-speeding was the most prevalent violation type observed in the study area. Frequency-based nearest neighborhood cluster methods in Arc map Geographic Information System (GIS) were used to develop hotspot maps for different violation types that are vital for prioritizing and conducting treatment alternatives efficiently. Finally, different machine learning (ML) methods, including decision tree, AdaBoost with a base estimator decision tree, and stack model, were employed to predict and classify each violation type. The proposed methods were compared based on different evaluation metrics like accuracy, F-1 measure, specificity, and log loss. Prediction results demonstrated the adequacy and robustness of proposed machine learning (ML) methods. However, a detailed comparative analysis showed that the stack model outperformed other models in terms of proposed evaluation metrics.

Capitalizing on untapped potentials and quantifying risk is the key to success in a turbulent commodity industry. With an internal initiative to capture national knowledge and to safe guard sovereign data, Sharjah National Oil Corporation (SNOC) embarked on a multi-year journey to find, archive, digitize and integrate the entire E&P data in the Emirate dating from 1966 till date. The challenges and accomplishments of effective data management are demonstrated as a successful case study. Securing investment in a country’s petroleum industry demands for government agencies to add value to its oil & gas assets by making them readily available, globally. To do so, one of the most important steps was to effectively catalogue and manage technical information from both past as well as present exploration and production initiatives. Scattered archives for multi-disciplinary data including well reports, logs, maps, seismic sections, tapes, G&G studies, cores, cuttings and digital databases was centralized in one repository for the Emirate. A unified data quality assessment, metadata capture & naming convention was established for all data types including a technology infrastructure to enable maximum utilization and integration of data into future projects. Ambitious to exploit its current technical assets by evaluating historic data to attain maximum benefit to SNOC, partners and global investors; SNOC adopted a cohesive and effective physical & digital asset management approach with a phased methodology in early 2016. This data management activity was classified extremely critical to the E&P current and upcoming projects by laying the foundation for drilling SNOC’s 1st Exploration well, a successful Farm-out bid round, quantifying workover opportunities, regional interpretation and performing field development simulations. Centralizing and integrating the data management function enabled the operator to identify data gaps and work on fulfilling them to successfully establish a regional technical data center. The paper discusses the challenges of gathering, extracting and incorporating legacy data; shedding light on the value it generated in paving the way for a digital transformation in SNOC’s E&P business. Fluctuating technological, political and business influences add to the volatility and risk in the oil and gas business. The framework and success of future opportunities is reliant on the data used to quantify them. The method chosen for this journey was to modularize the data management project and structure best in class industry solutions for each aspect. The architecture for data management implemented is cost-effective; which is scalable and upgradable with minimum effort into a digital hub of information & knowledge management.

In this investigation, coupled-geomechanical modeling is performed using the COMSOL Multiphysics software, during carbon dioxide injection into the deep Khuff carbonate reservoir. Khuff reservoir is a carbonate reservoir that is capped by the low permeability Sudair shale geological layer. The main objective of the study was to evaluate safe values of the carbon dioxide injection parameters for the Khuff reservoir that will act as a benchmark for the similar reservoirs and injection scenarios around the globe. Carbon dioxide was injected for a period of 10 years into the reservoir and the corresponding variations in the reservoir pore-pressure and ground uplift was evaluated. The Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion was utilized to perform the stability analysis for the Khuff reservoir during carbon dioxide injection.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of Ilizarov ring fixator with intercalary bone transport in the infected non-union tibia treatment. Study Design: A quasi-experimental study. Place and Duration: In the Orthopaedic department of Capital Hospital Islamabad for two-year duration from March 2017 to March 2019. Methodology: Sixteen patients with non-unionized infected tibia (type IV osteomyelitis Lax / Cierney), all male and age range of 20-60 years with 32 years mean age; The most common cause was open fracture and the most common site was lower 1/3. In infected tibia with sinus drainage, a wound smear was performed for sensitivity and culture and a sinogram was performed. Sequestrectomy and debridement were performed leaving gap between 2 and 8 cm (mean 4.5 cm) and Ilizarov ring fixator. A navigation cable was passed through the medial malleolus, the irrigation system was installed, and the wound was sealed in a one layer. A proximal metaphysical corticotomy was performed. For five days, normal saline of two to three litters and irrigation with proper antibiotics were started. On the fifth day, the removal of irrigation system was done, and transport began. Patients endured partially loaded until soft tissue healing occurred. Transport was carried out at a speed of 1 mm / day with the navigation cable until the coupling was achieved. After healing of soft tissues, it allowed to support all weight; Physiotherapy of the ankle and knee started from the first day. After 2-3 weeks of coupling; navigation cable was disconnected. 12 to 27 months was the follow-up time with 16 months mean. Results: In each case, the union was achieved during the removal of the frame, ie between 8-13 months. The union duration at the site of placement ranged from 3.5 months to 6 months with 4.5 months mean. The bone grafting required in 2 patients at the insertion site. In a regenerated state, it was broken due to the plaster-treated fall. All subjects were gratified except one 60-year-old patient with knee osteoarthritis in severe stage. In all patients; Pin tract infection occurred and was inactivated by proper antibiotics. Infection was reduced in all cases except two cases who underwent local flap debridement. Conclusion: Intercalary bone transplantation with the Ilizarov ring fixator is the preferred treatment for non-union of the loose and infected tibia without discrepancy in the length of the leg. Key Words: Ilizarov ring fixator, infection, non-unionized tibia, navigation cable, external fixator.

The vehicle suspension system is one of the main design factors in the automobile industry that can exponentially increase the level of customers comport and satisfaction. Various design strategies can be used to get optimum values for the various parameters in the suspension system. In this paper, a passive vehicle suspension system was modeled, and the system was optimized using Genetic Algorithm (GA) optimization technique. The GA is based on natural evolution and is successfully applied to various real-world problems. The variance of the dynamic load resulting from the vibrating vehicle is taken as the performance measure (i.e., objective function) of the suspension system. During the application of GA, first appropriate mutation rate, crossover rate, and population size were evaluated which were used to calculate optimum values for the parameters in the suspension system. The optimum values for the suspension system correspond to minimum values of the settling time and maximum overshoot and thus helps in decreasing the effect of the dynamic loads by reducing the vehicle vibration.

Ghawar is the largest and most prolific oil field in the world. Yet, no digital geological models or synthetic seismic data of this important field are publicly available for testing algorithms to image, analyze, and understand its complex and interesting attributes. We construct a 2D viscoelastic model of the Ghawar field and calculate a corresponding multi-component synthetic seismic data set. The P-wave velocities and densities of the entire stratigraphic column from pre-Cambrian basement to present-day sediments were compiled from public sources. The S-wave velocities were calculated from the P-wave velocities using empirical VS–VP relations established from well logs. An empirical formula was also used to estimate the P-wave and S-wave quality factors from the P-wave and S-wave velocities, respectively. Vertical and horizontal components of viscoelastic seismic shot records were generated using a finite-difference algorithm accurate to the 4th order in space and 2nd order in time. We share the models and seismic data sets publicly hoping that this will motivate interested researchers to test their research ideas, which in turn will help advance the leading edge in hydrocarbon exploration seismology. Finally, we encourage researchers, who will use the models and data sets, to contribute to the geoscience community by sharing their results publicly as well.

Meeting the ever-increasing global energy demands is one of the serious challenges of the 21st century. It is estimated that about 80% of the global energy demand is supplied by the fossil fuels which in turn promote global warming upon their consumption and cause harmful effects on the environment. One of the major causes of global warming is the excessive accumulation of CO2 into the atmosphere. An important way for mitigating the excessive amount of CO2 is to transform it into the hydrocarbons (HC) fuels. In this article, we have addressed various issues aroused by CO2 emission and their possible solutions. Various routes for CO2 upgrading into HC fuels are comprehensively elaborated. Furthermore, we have focused on the heterogeneous catalysis for CO2 conversion to value-added HC fuels by utilizing zeolite and non-zeolite based catalysts. The role of noble metals-based catalysts (such as Rh and Ru) and the transition metals containing Ni-species supported on zeolites in CO2 conversion to (HC) fuels is discussed. In addition, the role of Fe- and MOFs based non-zeolite based catalysts for the generation of HC fuels via the CO2 hydrogenation is also discussed. Finally, this review article highlights the prospective areas for research and technology advances. In brief, this review is focused on zeolite and non-zeolite based catalytic route for CO2 to HC fuel and reflects its importance for both the industries and academia.

The ability to modulate light using 2-dimensional (2D) materials is fundamentally challenged by their small optical cross-section leading to miniscule modal confinements in diffraction-limited photonics despite intrinsically high electro-optic absorption modulation (EAM) potential given by their strong exciton binding energies. However the inherent polarization anisotropy in 2D materials and device tradeoffs lead to additional requirements with respect to electric field directions and modal confinement. A detailed relationship between modal confinement factor and obtainable modulation strength including definitions on bounding limits are outstanding. Here, we show that the modal confinement factor is a key parameter determining both the modulation strength and the modulator extinction ratio-to-insertion loss metric. We show that the modal confinement and hence the modulation strength of a single-layer modulated 2D material in a plasmonically confined mode is able to improve by more than 10× compared to diffraction-limited modes. Combined with the strong-index modulation of graphene, the modulation strength can be more than 2-orders of magnitude higher compared to Silicon-based EAMs. Furthermore, modal confinement was found to be synergistic with performance optimization via enhanced light-matter-interactions. These results show that there is room for scaling 2D-material EAMs with respect to modal engineering toward realizing synergistic designs leading to high-performance modulators.

The antib acterial and antifungal activi ties of Terminalia arjuna, Tephrosia purpurea and Thuja occidentalis extracts w ere investigated against the standard drugs , which are presen tly available in the market as G entam i cin, Cephradine , Amoxicillin c lavulanate, Norfloxacin and Itraconazole . W ell m ethod was used for antimicrobial activity and the zone s of inhibition were measured in m illi m eters . The antibacterial activity was observed on three gram negative bacteria i.e. Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and one gram positive bacteria i.e. Staphy lococcus aureus . The antifungal activity was investigat ed against Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger . The cytotoxic effects (LD 50 ) of the crude extracts we re also observed on brine shrimps ( Artemia salina ) using E toposide a s an internal standard . The crude extract of T . arjuna bark exhibited less potent antimicrobial activity as compare d to crude extract of T . arjuna heart wood. Bark extract of T. arjuna show ed no cytotoxic activity but heart wood extract sho w ed this activit y in b rine s hrimp b ioassay technique . The crude extract of T . purpurea show ed positive cytotoxic, potent antibacterial but no antifungal activity . The crude extract of T . occidentalis show ed good antibacterial low antifungal and low cytotoxic activity. T. arjuna showed most potent antimicrobial and cytotoxic activity while T. Purpurea and T. oocidentalis posses less potent activities.

The synthesis of green methanol from CO2 and renewable H2 is a key process for energy and chemistry transition, for which MOFs (metal-organic framework) type catalysts represent a novel class of thermo catalysts to address the quest of novel catalysts for low-temperature delocalized applications. This critical concise review analyses the state-of-the-art of MOFs catalysts for this reaction after introducing aspects related to their preparation, key features, and advantages as catalytic materials. The SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis of their behavior from chemical reaction engineering and application perspectives remarks the need of turn the approach on their developments, besides addressing some current weaknesses such as stability in the reaction conditions and scalability of the synthesis procedure. New opportunities are evidenced in moving from CO2 to methanol to CO2 direct conversion to C2+ products, from olefins/aromatics to higher alcohols, which require a novel design of these catalytic materials.

Stable LaMnO 3 (LMO) is successfully synthesized in cubic phase by hydrothermal process. The x-ray diffraction (XRD) results obtained are Rietveld refined which gives the best fit for cubic symmetry with space group Pm3m. Experimentally obtained lattice parameter were used to further investigate electronic, magnetic and elastic properties under extreme stress using Full- Potential Linearized Augmented Plane Wave (FP-LAPW) method within density functional theory (DFT). The experimentally observed lattice parameter is optimized by different exchange and correlation functional including LSDA, LSDA+U, GGA, and GGA+U. Also, the dynamic mean field theory (DMFT +DFT) is also employed to optimize the lattice parameter at room temperature which is in good agreement with experimental results. The electronic structure of the system depicts a half-metal to metal transition at 40 GPa. Elastic constants result shows that the cubic LMO is stable under hydrostatic pressure up to 50 GPa. This study provides important contribution in understanding the nature of cubic LMO which is a potential candidate for spintronic devices.

Researchers have widely used statistical and machine learning techniques to construct prediction models in several domains such as prediction of software faults, spam detection, disease diagnosis, and financial fraud identification. The prediction of patients prone to lung cancer can help doctors in their decision making regarding their treatments. In this regard, this research paper attempts to evaluate the discriminative power of several predictors in the study to increase the efficiency of lung cancer detection through their symptoms. A number of classifiers including Support Vector Machine (SVM), C4.5 Decision tree, Multi-Layer Perceptron, Neural Network, and Naive Bayes (NB) are evaluated on a benchmark dataset obtained from UCI repository. The performance is also compared with well-known ensembles such as Random Forest and Majority Voting. Based on performance evaluations, it is observed that Gradient-boosted Tree outperformed all other individual as well as ensemble classifiers and achieved 90% accuracy.

Utilizing novel approaches for the green synthesis of metal nanoparticles are of great importance. Therefore, we reported biogenic synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using extracts of Leptolyngbya strain JSC-1, and their significant applications against pathogenic bacteria and cancerous HeLa cell line. The biofabricated AgNPs were characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy, FTIR, SEM, TEM, DLS and zeta-potential. The as prepared AgNPs were assessed for inhibition of bacterial growth and induction of apoptosis in HeLa cells by different doses of AgNPs was evaluated. UV-visible spectroscopy and FTIR of AgNPs demonstrated the surface plasmon resonance at 413 nm and interaction among extract and nanoparticles, respectively. Electron microscopy revealed the morphology and DLS demonstrated size distribution of the particles (10-100 nm). Zeta potential values were between -47 and 0 mV, indicating stability of the particles. Proliferation of HeLa cells was significantly inhibited and severe cytotoxicity with higher intracellular uptake were observed after applying high concentration of AgNPs. Efficient inhibition zones (17 ± 2 and 21 ± 2 mm) were produced at maximum concentration (100 µl from 1 mg ml

Postintensive care syndrome-family (PICS-F) describes the psychological symptoms that affect the family members of patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit (ICU) or recently discharged from the ICU. Geriatric psychiatrists should be concerned about PICS-F for several reasons. First, ICU hospitalization in older adults is associated with higher rates of cognitive and physical impairment compared with older adults hospitalized in non-ICU settings or dwelling in the community. This confers a special burden on the caregivers of these older ICU survivors compared with other geriatric populations. Second, as caregivers themselves age, caring for this unique burden can be more challenging compared with other geriatric populations. Third, evidence for models of care centered on patients with multimorbidity and their caregivers is limited. A deeper understanding of how to care for PICS and PICS-F may inform clinical practice for other geriatric populations with multimorbidity and their caregivers. Geriatric psychiatrists may play a key role in delivering coordinated care for PICS-F by facilitating timely diagnosis and interdisciplinary collaboration, advocating for the healthcare needs of family members suffering from PICS-F, and leading efforts within healthcare systems to increase awareness and treatment of PICS-F. This clinical review will appraise the current literature about the impact of critical illness on the family members of ICU survivors and identify crucial gaps in our knowledge about PICS-F among aging patients and caregivers.

Heavy metal-polluted water has become a problem for sustainable environment, agriculture, and human health. Phyto-accumulation is an eco-friendly technique for decontamination of metal-polluted water and soil. The efficiency of phyto-accumulation and rhizo-filtration can be enhanced by the application of certain nutrients to accumulator plants. In this study, we focused on the role of iron (Fe) in rhizo-filtration and phyto-accumulation of cadmium (Cd) from polluted water/media, using Ricinus communis plant. Medium was contaminated with 10 ppm Cd while Fe (2.50, 5.00, and 7.50 ppm) was applied both as foliar spray and medium addition separately. Accumulation of Cd and concentrations of soluble proline, phenolic compounds, and chlorophylls were measured in plant tissues. Addition of Fe into media significantly increased biomass in the plants but decreased Cd absorption by roots and its accumulation in other tissues of the plants. Foliar application of Fe, especially 7.5 ppm, significantly increased biomass as well as accumulation of Cd in tissues of the plants. Contents of soluble proline (41.88 ± 3.56 ppm) and phenolics (171.00 ± 4.98 ppm) in leaves were highly increased by foliar spray of 7.5 ppm Fe on the plants. On the other hand, highest concentrations of free proline (67.00 ± 2.00 ppm) and total phenolics (82.67 ± 2.52 ppm) in plant roots were observed in 7.5 ppm Fe added to media and as foliar spray, respectively. Strong correlations were observed between phenolics content in roots and leaves with Cd accumulation after foliar application of 7.5 ppm Fe.

Benzodiazepines and anticholinergics are risk factors for delirium in the intensive care unit (ICU). We tested the impact of a deprescribing intervention on short-term delirium outcomes.Multisite randomized clinical trial.ICUs of three large hospitals.Two hundred adults aged 18 years or older and admitted to an ICU with delirium, according to the Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale and the Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU (CAM-ICU). Participants had a contraindication to haloperidol (seizure disorder or prolonged QT interval) or preference against haloperidol as a treatment for delirium, and were excluded for serious mental illness, stroke, pregnancy, or alcohol withdrawal. Participants were randomized to a deprescribing intervention or usual care. The intervention included electronic alerts combined with pharmacist support to deprescribe anticholinergics and benzodiazepines.Primary outcomes were delirium duration measured by the CAM-ICU and severity measured by the Delirium Rating Scale Revised-98 (DRS-R-98) and the CAM-ICU-7; secondary outcomes included adverse events and mortality.Participants had a mean age of 61.8 (SD = 14.3) years, 59% were female, and 52% were African American, with no significant differences in baseline characteristics between groups. No differences between groups were identified in the number exposed to anticholinergics (P = .219) or benzodiazepines (P = .566), the median total anticholinergic score (P = .282), or the median total benzodiazepine dose in lorazepam equivalents (P = .501). Neither median delirium/coma-free days (P = .361) nor median change in delirium severity scores (P = .582 for DRS-R-98; P = .333 for CAM-ICU-7) were different between groups. No differences in adverse events or mortality were identified.When added to state-of-the-art clinical services, this deprescribing intervention had no impact on medication use in ICU participants. Given the age of the population, results of clinical outcomes may not be easily extrapolated to older adults. Nonetheless, improved approaches for deprescribing or preventing anticholinergics and benzodiazepines should be developed to determine the impact on delirium outcomes. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:695-702, 2019.

Simulation driven designs are used for the efficient development of high precision devices such as parallel manipulators/platforms. Accurate prediction of these simulations depends upon the fact that how closely actual conditions are incorporated in the analysis. Stiffness is a key property for parallel platforms as it dictates the positional accuracy of the system. Overall stiffness of the platforms is not only driven by the stiffness of the links but also by contact stiffness of joints. Heavily loaded platforms present a special case as these are more prone to system failure if not designed properly. In this work, the stiffness behavior of 6-DOF platform’s top plate subjected to various boundary conditions at joints have been analyzed. Different boundary conditions i.e. volume at joints, surface at joints and line at joints, has been used to depict real joint behavior. The stiffness of platform is analyzed for each of these cases independently and comparison of simulation results for every condition is presented both for static as well as dynamic conditions. This comparison presents a useful outcome for better prediction of static stiffness behavior and dynamic response thus aiding in more accurate design of such applications.

In this study, dynamic analysis is conducted on a Floating Mooring Line-Driven Platform (FMDP) subjected to sea wave forces. The effect of changing mooring lines pattern is investigated to enhance the dynamic behavior of the FMDP. The analysis is demonstrated with six mooring lines FMDP. A new mooring lines pattern (6-3-3) is studied and compared with the (6-6) Stewart-Gough manipulator pattern. The dynamic behavior, cables tension, and platform stiffness are determined across FMDP effective area. The dynamic analysis of FMDP is improved using the new mooring lines pattern (6-3-3).

Ionic silver is a potential hazard to aquatic life forms because of the increasing usage of silver based materials. The need for developing a sustainable and ecofriendly process to minimize the toxic effects of the free ions burden is now a scientific consensus. Therefore, we report the latest results in cyanobacterium Leptolyngbya JSC-1 investigating the tolerance towards toxic doses of silver, its extracellular biomineralization and silver nano-deposits formation inside the cells, and speculate about potential environmental impacts. In this study, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis reveal the extracellular biomineralization of soluble silver (1-100 μM) into corresponding nanoparticles (50-100 nm in diameter) by JSC-1, while X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) examination divulged the presence of both Ag

The depleted petroleum reservoirs are considered geologically attractive sites for carbon dioxide sequestration. The process of oil recovery is commonly improved by water injection. By the time when the reservoir is shut off, it is nearly filled with water, while the rock matrix is almost depleted of oil. The injection of carbon dioxide into petroleum reservoirs with high water saturation tends to increase the reservoir’s pressure and may result in ground uplift. In the present study, a production well is introduced into the reservoir along with the carbon dioxide injection well to reduce the pore pressure buildup during injection. A fully coupled geomechanical analysis is performed to determine the safe injection parameters for the selected sequestration site of Ghawar field and to analyze the effect of adding a production well on the pore pressure buildup, ground uplift, and reservoir stability. Two scenarios are considered in this study. In the first scenario, CO2 is injected via a central injection well. In the second scenario, a water production well is added at a distance away from the central injection well. The pore pressure and the ensuing ground uplift are calculated for different injection pressures and durations. The effect of the added production well location on the buildup of the pore pressure and subsequently on the stability of the reservoir has been analyzed, and some benchmark results are presented.

Introduction INFIX and Pelvic Bridge are two new minimally invasive surgical techniques for unstable pelvic ring injuries, and they have demonstrated early clinical success in small, single-center case-series. The primary objective of this study is to gather evidence speaking to the biomechanical stability of internal bridging methods relative to external fixation, with the expectation of biomechanical equivalence. Methods Ten human cadaveric pelvic specimens were dissected free of all skin, fat, organs, and musculature and were prepared with a partially unstable pelvic ring injury (OTA/AO 61-B). The specimens were randomized to two groups and were repaired and tested with anterior pelvic external fixation (APEF) and INFIX sequentially, or APEF and Pelvic Bridge sequentially. Testing was performed with each specimen mounted onto a servo-hydraulic testing frame with axial compression applied to the superior base of the sacrum under five axial loading/unloading sinusoidal cycles between 10 N and 1000 N at 0.1 Hz. Relative translational motion and rotation across the osteotomy site was reported as our primary outcome measures. Outcome measures were further analyzed using a Wilcoxon signed-rank test to determine differences between non-parametric data sets with significance defined as a p value Results We found no statistical difference in translation (p = 0.237, 0.228) or rotation (p = 0.278, 0.873) at the fracture site when comparing both new constructs to external fixation. Under the imposed loading protocol, no episodes of implant failure or failure at the bone-implant interface occurred. Discussion Our study provides the biomechanical foundation necessary to support future clinical trial implementation for pelvic fracture patients. While biomechanical stability of these newer, subcutaneous techniques is equivalent to APEF, the surgeon must take into account their technical abilities and knowledge of pelvic anatomy, patient-specific factors including body habitus, and the potential complications associated with each implant and the ability to avoid them.

As electronic device feature sizes scale-down, the power consumed due to onchip communications as compared to computations will increase dramatically; likewise, the available bandwidth per computational operation will continue to decrease. Integrated photonics can offer savings in power and potential increase in bandwidth for onchip networks. Classical diffraction-limited photonics currently utilized in photonic integrated circuits (PIC) is characterized by bulky and inefficient devices compared to their electronic counterparts due to weak light–matter interactions (LMI). Performance critical for the PIC is electro-optic modulators (EOM), whose performances depend inherently on enhancing LMIs. Current EOMs based on diffraction-limited optical modes often deploy ring resonators and are consequently bulky, photon-lifetime modulation limited, and power inefficient due to large electrical capacitances and thermal tuning requirements. In contrast, wavelength-scale EOMs are potentially able to surpass fundamental restrictions set by classical (i.e. diffraction-limited) devices via (a) high-index modulating materials, (b) nonresonant field and density-of-states enhancements such as found in metal optics, and (c) synergistic onchip integration schemes. This manuscript discusses challenges, opportunities, and early demonstrations of nanophotonic EOMs attempting to address this LMI challenge, and early benchmarks suggest that nanophotonic building blocks allow for densely integrated high-performance photonic integrated circuits.

Electro-optic modulation is a technology-relevant function for signal keying, beam steering, or neuromorphic computing through providing the nonlinear activation function of a perceptron. With silicon-based modulators being bulky and inefficient, we here discuss graphene-based devices heterogeneously integrated. This study provides a critical and encompassing discussing of the physics and performance of graphene modulators rather than collecting relevant published work. We provide a holistic analysis of the underlying physics of modulators including the graphenes index tunability, the underlying optical mode, and discuss resulting performance vectors of this novel class of hybrid modulators. Our results show that the reducing the modal area, and reducing the effective broadening of the active material are key to improving device performance defined by the ratio of energy-bandwidth and footprint. We further show how the waveguides polarization must be in-plane with graphene such as given by plasmonic-slot structures. A high device performance can be obtained by introducing multi- or bi-layer graphene modulator designs. Lastly, we present recent results of a graphene-based hybrid-photon-plasmon modulator on a silicon platform, requiring near Boltzmann approximation (100mV) low drive voltages. Being physically compact this 100 aJ/bit modulator opens the path towards a new class of attojoule opto-electronics., Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1502.04672 by other authors

Iron intoxications induce severe oxidative stress by producing reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cyanobacteria, leading to membrane lipid peroxidation, altered morphology, impaired photosynthesis and other oxidative stress injuries. Given these stresses, mitigation of ROS is a prerequisite for all aerobic organisms. Study of siderophilic cyanobacterium Leptolyngbya strain JSC-1 inhabiting iron-rich hot springs may provide insight into the mechanism of iron homeostasis and alleviation of oxidative stress. In this study, we investigated the morphophysiological and molecular mechanisms enabling this cyanobacterium to cope with iron-induced oxidative stress. Strain JSC-1 biomineralized extracellular iron via an exopolymeric sheath (acting as a first line of defense) and intracellular iron via polyphosphate inclusions (second line of defense), thus minimizing the burden of free ferric ions. Physiological parameters, SOD, CAT and POD activities, bacterioferritin and total protein contents fluctuated in response to iron elevation, displaying a third line of defense to mitigate ROS. Differential gene expression analysis of JSC-1 indicated up-regulation of 94 and 125 genes and down-regulation of 89 and 183 genes at low (4 μM) and high (400 μM) iron concentration, respectively. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were enriched in 100 KEGG pathways and were found to be involved in lipopolysaccharide and fatty acid biosynthesis, starch, sucrose, chlorophyll and other metabolic pathways. Together with metabolic reprogramming (fourth line of defense), JSC-1 established a unique multiline defense system that allows JSC-1 to withstand severe oxidative stress. These findings also provide insight into potential survival strategies of ancient microorganisms inhabiting similar environment present in early earth history.

This study describes the first ever utilization of cell free aqueous extract of cyanobacterium Leptolyngbya JSC-1 as a source of strong reducing and stabilizing agents for the optimal biofabrication of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) through an eco-friendly synthetic route. Well dispersed crystalline AuNPs of spherical morphology with a particle size of 100–200 nm were prepared. FTIR spectral analysis was then performed to characterize the possible functionalities of JSC-1 extract, mainly involved in stabilizing and formation of AuNPs. Based on the redox potential of JSC-1 extract, it was further confirmed that the extract provide a strong reducing environment in the reaction medium and causes reduction of gold ions. The resultant AuNPs were then explored to find out their photo-catalytic activity for methylene blue and antibacterial activities against E. coli (18 ± 2 mm) and S. aureus (14 ± 2 mm). It has been mechanistically identified that AuNPs caused bacterial membrane damage and cell disruption by inducing the production of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). Together, these finding reveals that biochemically capped AuNPs are the promising antibacterial agents that induce oxidative stress in the two bacterial species evaluated and cause their membrane disruption leading to cell leakage and death.

We investigate a plasmonic electro-optic modulator with an extinction ratio exceeding 1 dB/μm by engineering the optical mode to be in-plane with the graphene layer, and show how lowering the operating temperature enables steeper switching.

Three different fibre Bragg grating strain sensors were tested for their suitability for measuring high strain. The sensor types were: a bare epoxied fibre Bragg grating, a standard fibre Bragg grating epoxied into a metal capillary and, finally, a metal coated fibre Bragg grating brazed into a metal capillary. The sensors were calibrated on a steel specimen up to 1400MPa (equivalent to 7.3me). The results show that the bare epoxied Bragg grating and the metal packaged grating are suitable for measuring strains of this level.

One of the key devices that convert electronic signals into high bit-rate photonic data is the electro-optic modulator (EOM). Its on-chip design plays an important role for the integration of electronic and photonic devices for various types of applications including photonic computing and telecommunication. Recently, indium tin oxide (ITO) and graphene have attracted significant attention primarily due to their extraordinary electro-optic properties for the design of ultra-compact EOMs to handle bandwidth and modulation strength trade-off. Here we show design details of a high-performance ITO-EOM in a plasmonic silicon-on-insulator hybrid structure. Results show that ITO is capable of changing its extinction coefficient by a factor of 136 leading to 3 λ-short devices with an extinction ratio of about 1dB/μm. Further numerical device optimizations demonstrate the feasibility for an extinction ratio and on-chip insertion loss of about 6 dB/μm and 0.25 dB, respectively, for a sub-wavelength compact (0.78 λ) EOM design using ITO. Utilizing graphene as an active switching material in a similar ultra-compact plasmonic hybrid EOM design yields enhanced light-matter interaction, in which extinction-ratio is 9 times larger than the insertion-loss for a 0.78 λ short device. Both ITO and graphene EOMs are capable of broadband operations (>500 nm) since no resonator is deployed.

This paper describes the starting behavior of small horizontal axis wind turbines at high angles of attack and low Reynolds number. The unfavorable relative wind direction during the starting time leads to low starting torque and more idling time. Wind turbine models of sizes less than 5 meters were simulated at wind speed range of 2 m/s to 5 m/s. Wind turbines were modeled in Pro/E and based on the optimized designs given by MATLAB codes. Wind turbine models were simulated in ADAMS for improving the starting behavior. The models with high starting torques and less idling times were selected. The starting behavior was successfully improved and the optimized wind turbine models were able to produce more starting torque even at wind speeds less than 5 m/s.

The continuously deteriorating water quality situation in Pakistan is posing serious health threats to the population. The study aimed to assess the physicochemical and bacteriological quality of drinking water in different institutions of Abbottabad city and its potential health effects on staff and students. About 63 samples from 60 institutions across different locations of Abbottabad city were analysed for physicochemical (temperature, pH, total dissolved solids (TDS) and electrical conductivity (EC)) and bacteriological (total coliforms and Escherichia coli) analysis using standard methods. Water quality (n = 60) and health related (n = 300) information was obtained through pre-designed survey questionnaires. Results showed that all water samples were aesthetically acceptable. In physicochemical analysis, the mean temperature and pH values were found at 27.12 ± 2.47°C and 7.98 ± 0.24, respectively. The mean TDS and EC values were found at 335.42 ± 86.3 ppm and 647.38 ± 174.82 μS, respectively...

Modern lifestyle has put natural resources under unprecedented strain. The ever increasing demand for energy asks for not only increase in the production of energy but for ways and means to efficiently manage energy from various sources. Pakistan is experiencing the worst energy crisis in its history that has crippled its economy and impeded its GDP growth. Absence of any potent government effort to resolve the crisis has forced the households to look for alternate sources of energy. The solutions employed by the household range from gas powered generator units to solar and wind power units. Fluctuations in gas supply have necessitated the diversity of power sources. Households employing diverse sources of energy need a system that can efficiently manage the available sources of energy to meet the baseline and peak load requirements by using a cost effective mix of the available sources. This paper proposes a smart energy management system that provides the household with a cost effective mix of energy from the available power sources i.e. solar, wind, gas powered generator and the utility (grid).

Plants have been explored extensively all over the globe in quest of a novel bioactive compound that could a good therapeutic candidate treating infectious diseases especially against drug resistant microbes. Qualitative phytochemical analyses of Carica papaya leaf extract reveal that except steroids and tannins all the possible ph ytochemical constituents including carbohydrates, proteins, anthraquinones, flavonoids , saponins, cardiac glycosides and alkaloids were present. Two ways of Carica papaya leaf extract preparations i.e crushed and boiled were tested for their antifungal act ivity against 6 saprophytic fungi Penicillium sp, Aspergilus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Fusarium sp, Rhizopus and Helminthosporum , 5 dermatophytic fungi Microsporum canis, Microsporum gypseum, Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Trichophyton tonsurans and 6 yeasts including Candida albicans , Candida albicans ATCC 0383, Saccharomyces cerevisiae , Candida galbrata, Candida tropicalis, Candida kruzei. The activity was found against majority of fungi but was much better in case of crushed leaf ext ract.

We proposed a novel structure for plasmonic graphene modulator. Extinction ratio (ER) larger than 1 dB/um is shown using single layer graphene. Also, by engineering more layers of graphene, an even higher ER is demonstrated.

We experimentally show a sub-volt graphene-based hybrid plasmonic waveguide-integrated electro-absorption modulator showing an extinction ratio (0.25 dB/μm) compact footprint (5 μm2) enabled by improved both electrostatics and mode overlap factor.