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Supervision of clinical teachers during clinical practice is a key component of this education, as it allows students to apply their knowledge and skills in a real-world setting under the guidance of experienced practitioners. Objective: To assess Nursing students' satisfaction from the supervision of a clinical teacher during clinical practice and their association with the academic year. Methods: This cross-sectional Analytical study was accomplished at two private nursing college in Karachi from 15th September 2022 to 30th December 2022. A total of 100 nursing students from 2nd year and 3rd year were recruited through a convenient sampling technique. Self-structured and pretested questionnaire was used for the collection of data. Results: The total participants were 100 males, 97%, and 3% females. Among 100. 12% of participants show low satisfaction, 41% show moderate satisfaction, and 47% show high satisfaction. Furthermore, no association was found with their academic year p-value is 0. 174. Conclusions: Based on the study's findings, most nursing students were highly satisfied with the supervision of the clinical teacher. But 12% are still dissatisfied. Moreover, provide additional training to the clinical teacher, adjust the clinical curriculum, or provide more support and resources to the nursing students.

Honey is popular all over the world and used commonly in medicines and food. This study was designed to compare the natural and commercial honey for their antioxidant enzymes. In this study, 11 different honey samples were collected from different areas of Balochistan. The activity of different antioxidants like superoxide dismutase, peroxidase and catalase enzymes were measured and compared by standard curves of pure enzymes moreover, protein content was also determined by using Bradford Assay. Results showed that highest protein content was found in one of the natural honey samples (4.42 ± 0.02 U/mg) enzymes like superoxide dismutase showed highest activity of (4.93 ± 0.06 U/mg) secondly peroxidase activity of (0.34 ± 0.02 U/mg) and third catalase activity of (0.22 ± 0.01 U/mg) in different natural honey samples. The current study demonstrated that higher concentration of protein content and antioxidant enzymes were found in natural honey which means they are good source of antioxidants. Therefore, antioxidant enzymes can be used as markers for determining the purity and quality of honey.

Purpose of the study: This quantitative research investigates the effects of smartphone addiction on family communication. Research Methodology: The sample size (N=200) consists of 100 males and 100 females. The participants have been divided into three groups according to age, age group 18-20, age group 21-23, and age group 24-25. The sample has been selected by the purposive sampling technique. Smartphone Addiction Scale- Short Version (SASS-SV)has been used to measure smartphone addiction and Family Communication Scale (FCS) assesses the family communication of adults. For statistical analysis Statistical Package for Social Sciences(SPSS) version 23 software has been used. The relationship has been assessed using Pearson correlation and an independent sample t-test has been used to find meaningful differences. Main findings: The study concludes that there is no significant effect of smartphone addiction on family communication. Moreover age group (18-20) is more addicted to the smartphone than the other age groups. Application of the Study: The study will provide researchers with enough data and information related to smartphone addiction and family communication. Findings will also enable them to further explore the long-term use of smartphones in the joint family system. Innovation of the Study: Joint family system is the norm in Pakistan whose major part of the population comprises youth, ages between 18-20 years. No research on smartphone addiction in the perspective of family communication in a joint family system has yet been conducted in Pakistan to my knowledge.

Ferrites are materials of interest due to their broad applications in high technological devices and a lot of research has been focused to synthesize new ferrites. In this regard, an effort has been devoted to synthesize spinel Pr–Ni co-substituted strontium ferrites with a nominal formula of Sr1-xPrxFe2-yNiyO4 (0.0 ≤ x ≤ 0.1, 0.0 ≤ y ≤ 1.0). The cubic structure of pure and Pr–Ni co-substituted strontium ferrite samples calcinated at 1073 K for 3 h has been confirmed through X-ray diffraction (XRD). Average sizes of crystallites (18–25 nm) have been estimated from XRD analysis and nanometer particle sizes of synthesized ferrites have been further verified by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). SEM results have also shown that particles are mostly agglomerated and all the samples possess porosity. It has been observed that at 298 K, the values of resistivity (ρ) increase, while that of AC conductivity, dielectric loss, and dielectric constants decrease with increasing amounts of Pr3+ and Ni2+ ions. The values of dielectric parameters initially decrease with frequency and later become constant and can be explained on the basis of dielectric polarization. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) studies show that the charge transport phenomenon in ferrite materials is mainly controlled via grain boundaries. Overall, synthesized ferrite materials own enhanced resistivity values in the range of 1.38 × 109–1.94 × 109 Ω cm and minimum dielectric losses, which makes them suitable candidates for high frequency devices applications.

Evaluation of the seed storage protein electrophoretic profile among popular cultivars of date palm (Pheonix dactylifera) available in different regions of Balochistan, Pakistan was conducted. The genetic diversity of seed proteins of 12 cultivars were examined by electrophoresis. Twenty one protein bands with different mobility rates were identified within a molecular weight range of 11 to 351 KDa. The cultivar from Panjgur (Soorri) was well resolved on SDS-PAGE from the all other cultivars and gave the highest number of intense bands due to unique genetic build up. Genetic diversity among cultivars was evaluated by constructing the dendrogram for protein bands, which showed the cultivar (SP1) which is significantly different from all other cultivars on the basis of similarities in molecular weight of proteins.

ZnO is one of the most promising and efficient semiconductor materials for various light-harvesting applications. Herein, we reported the tuning of optical properties of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) by co-incorporation of Ni and Ag ions in the ZnO lattice. A sonochemical approach was used to synthesize pure ZnO NPs, Ni-ZnO, Ag-ZnO and Ag/Ni-ZnO with different concentrations of Ni and Ag (0.5%, 2%, 4%, 8%, and 15%) and Ni doped Ag-ZnO solid solutions with 0.25%, 0.5%, and 5% Ni ions. The as-synthesized Ni-Ag-ZnO solid solution NPs were characterized by powdered X-ray diffraction (pXRD), FT-IR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), UV-vis (UV) spectroscopy, and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. Ni-Ag co-incorporation into a ZnO lattice reduces charge recombination by inducing charge trap states between the valence and conduction bands of ZnO and interfacial transfer of electrons. The Ni doped Ag-ZnO solid solution NPs have shown superior 4-nitrophenol reduction compared to pure ZnO NPs which do not show this reaction. Furthermore, a methylene blue (MB) clock reaction was also performed. Antibacterial activity against

Phyto-constituents and their efficacy vary with the age of the plant material and their affliction with environmental and storage conditions. Present study was conducted to evaluate the time dependent variation in physicochemical characters, glycyrrhizin content, microbial load and anti-inflammatory activity of Glycyrrhiza glabra L. root (GGR). Fresh GGR was dried and divided into three samples and stored as: sample A below 4 °C, sample B at room temperature and sample C at 40 ± 2 °C with relative humidity 75 ± 5% for six months. Afterwards, each sample was extracted in 50% alcohol and evaluated for physicochemical characters, glycyrrhizin content, microbial contamination and anti-inflammatory activity in histamine-induced inflammation in Wistar rats. Physicochemical characteristics exhibits less than 25% variation and qualitative analysis for plant metabolites exhibited similarity in all three samples. Glycyrrhizin was found more in sample C (5.07%) in comparison to sample B (4.52%) and A (4.72%) with variation less than 15%. As per the Ayurvedic Pharmacopeia of India these variations in physicochemical parameters and glycyrrhizin content are insignificant. Sample A revealed total microbial count more than B and C. Accelerated stability data extrapolation of sample C suggests that shelf life of GGR is 2 years. Inflammation was significantly reduced by sample C followed by A and B in comparison to the control with residual paw volume of 0.9%, 3.22%, 20.4% and 29.7% respectively at 163 mg/kg BW dose. From the present study it can be concluded that up to two years age dependent variations in GGR is insignificant but its anti-inflammatory effect are glycyrrhizin dependent.

Wheat belongs to Gramineae family and it is called as silicon accumulator. Utilizing the saline lands is one of the critical techniques introduced to increase the production of wheat in the world. Application of silicon can reduce the adverse effects of salinity in wheat grown under salt stress. Therefore, in this research effect of silica gel as a common source of silicon was investigated on wheat grown under salt stress. Seeds of four varieties, two salt sensitive (Sariab & Pir-sabaq) & two salt tolerant (Zarlashta & Zardana) were treated with silicon in the form of silica gel (SiO2) in the presence & absence of salt. After harvesting of the wheat, sodium and potassium concentrations were observed in the wheat plants. The dried wheat plants were acid digested and sodium and potassium were measured by atomic absorption spectroscopy. The results showed that salt stress suppressed not only the growth but also increased the sodium concentration in plants. Sodium concentration was increased from 12.87 to 19.63 mg/Kg under salt stress of 100 mM of NaCl. Whereas, potassium concentration decreased from 102.61 to 92.92 mg/Kg under salt stress. When silica gel was applied to salt stressed plants, the sodium concentration decreased (16 mg/Kg) with an increase in potassium concentration (114.73 mg/Kg). Silica gel as a source of silicon positively affected ion homeostasis by increasing potassium and decreasing sodium concentration in wheat varieties grown under salt stress. It is, therefore, suggested that application of silicon must be included in salt stress alleviation techniques.

Un-doped CdS and Zn metal-doped CdS (0.1-0.5 M) were synthesized by chemical precipitation method. Properties like optical band gap and conductivity were determined by different characterization techniques. UV-Visible spectroscopy was applied to estimate the band gap where it showed a significant blue shift due to quantum confinement effect. Size determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was found to be in nanorange from 41 to 60 nm for both un-doped and metal doped CdS nanocrystals. EDAX confirmed the doping by showing peak for Zn. XRD (X-ray diffraction) showed the lattice structure to be cubic for the synthesized nanoparticles and conductivity for un-doped CdS was 7.69E-6 Ω-1m-1 where it changes to 9.25E-6 Ω-1 m-1 and 7.98E-6 Ω-1m-1 for 0.2 M and 0.5 M Zn-doped CdS, respectively. In order to obtain good results, nanocrystals having highest conductivity are used in soft lithographic technique. Here µTM (micro transfer-molding) was followed for patterning with PDMS (poly-(dimethylsiloxane)) mold and silicon substrate for better results.

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a sensitive plant for both biotic and abiotic stresses and directly losses the production rate under these stresses. The beneficial role of silicon has been explored in the beginning of twentieth century. Therefore the current experiment was carried out to explore the effect of silicon on defense system of wheat by antioxidant enzymes assay. In this study two wheat cultivars Umeed and Zarghoon, were grown in soil under salt stress of 100 mM NaCl. The treatments included C1 (Control), C2 (Control + salt), S1 (Na2SiO3) and S2 (Na2SiO3 + Salt). When the fag leaf appeared both the wheat cultivars were compared by estimating their antioxidants enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase and peroxidase) and soluble protein in different treatments. The soluble proteins and antioxidant enzymes in wheat decreased under salt stress of 100 mM NaCl. Whereas by silicon supplementation in salt stressed wheat plants, improvement in the protein quantity was observed. The application of silicon improved the defense mechanism of plant and increased the antioxidant enzymes which were suppressed by the salt stress. Umeed showed more improvement as compared to Zarghoon variety. Overall it was concluded that silicon has helped the wheat plants to mitigate the salt stress by strengthening its defense mechanism which was apparent by superoxide dismutase, catalase and peroxidase activity.

Priming effect of silicon sources (silica gel and sodium silicate) on the seeds of four wheat cultivars of Balochistan was studied to determine their effectiveness in increasing relative salt tolerance. The study depicts that all priming treatments of silicon sources (except sodium silicate 2%) enhanced germination and reduced mean germination time (MGT) of seeds in comparison to the control i.e. hydropriming. After germination, the young seedlings were grown in hydroponics in Hoagland’s culture solution under controlled conditions in non-saline and saline (100 mM NaCl) environments. All the growth parameters (root and shoot length, fresh and dry weights of plants and chlorophyll content of leaves) severely reduced in hydroprimed seeds under saline environments, although increased by priming seeds with silicon sources. Thus silica compounds have potential effects to break the seed dormancy and improve the growth of wheat under salinity stress.

The cGAS-cGAMP-STING pathway is an important innate immune signaling cascade responsible for the sensing of abnormal cytosolic double-stranded DNA (dsDNA), which is a hallmark of infection or cancers. Recently, tremendous progress has been made in the understanding of the STING activation mechanism from various aspects. In this review, the molecular mechanism of activation of STING protein based on its structural features is briefly discussed. The underlying molecular mechanism of STING activation will enable us to develop novel therapeutics to treat STING-associated diseases and understand how STING has evolved to eliminate infection and maintain immune homeostasis in innate immunity.

The nickel modified zinc oxide (ZnO) photocatalysts with nominal composition of Zn1 − xNixO (x = 0.0–0.5) were synthesized by wet chemical approach. Optical studies were performed using Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR), electronic spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) complimented with Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) was used to study the morphology and chemical composition of prepared photocatalysts. A significant hypsochromic shift has been observed with respect to un-doped ZnO nanocatalyst due to quantum confinement effect. Subsequently, the band gap has been tuned to the region of lower wavelength. X-ray results reveal that ZnO nanocatalyst are in hexagonal crystalline form. In addition, the effect of nickel impurity on photocatalytic activity of ZnO nanocatalysts in degradation of methylene blue (MB) was also investigated. Degradation results showed that the MB was degraded more effectively by Ni-doped ZnO photocatalysts due to large band gap under visible light irradiation.

Purpose Salinity pose severe threat to cultivation as it drastically affects the plant sustainability and yield. The intended aim of current consensus is to assess effects of sodium silicate and salicylic acid on wheat genotypes (slat tolerant and salt sensitive) grown under salt. Methods This experiment was designed to check the effect of silicon on wheat varieties, so four different wheat genotypes named as (Umeed, Rasco, Zarghoon and Shahkaar) were grown in hydroponics under saline and normal environment. Sodium silicate and salicylic acid were applied on all varieties to determine the slat tolerance ability. Plants were harvested at maturity and different physical and chemical aspects were recorded. Results To assess the salt stress on growth and yield of wheat genotypes. Wheat grown in saline conditions with sodium silicate supplementation showed improvement in all growth parameters as compared to the plants grown under salt stress without silicon supplementation. Higher contents of potassium were observed in plants grown under salt stress with silicon supplementation however, potassium concentration was found less in salicylic acid treatment and control under salt stress. Sodium concentration was found higher under salt stress but sodium silicate application reduced Na+ uptake under salt stress. Significance increase in K+ : Na+ ratio in roots enhance the translocation which in turn elevates salt tolerance ability. Among wheat varieties potassium uptake was quite high in Umeed and Rasco as compared to Zarghoon and Shahkar. Conclusion Based on current results it can be deduced that application of sodium silicate on different wheat varieties mitigated Na+ toxicity by elevating K+: Na+ ratio and net translocation rate in salt stressed plants.

In the current research pure TiO2 and Zn-Ni co-doped TiO2 were synthesized via hydrothermal process. Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4) were employed as precursor owing to synthesis purpose. Diverse characterization techniques were applied supporting the determination of structural, optical and photovoltaic properties of synthesized quantum dots. Anatase crystalline form of synthesized quantum dots was determined via X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopic technique. Morphology and chemical constitution were ascertained via scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDAX). Photovoltaic properties of synthesized pure and Zn-Ni co-doped TiO2 established that by the addition of impurities, the power conversion efficiency of fabricated device enhanced effectively.

Un-doped zinc sulphide (ZnS) and noble metal-doped ZnS quantum dots were synthesized by chemical method. The synthesized nanomaterial was characterized by UV-Visible, Fourier Transformed Infra-red Spectrometer (FTIR), Fluorescence, High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscope (HRTEM) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD). Scanning electron microscope complemented with energy dispersive X-ray was used to study particle size and chemical composition of un-doped and metal-doped ZnS QDs. A significant red shift in absorption band was observed in metal doped ZnS sample having concentration of impurity 0.05 M with respect to the un-doped ZnS with increasing the size of nanocrystals. Such red shift of the absorption bands are attributed due to quantum confinement effect. As un-doped and noble metal-doped ZnS QDs are direct band gap materials. The band gap energy of ZnS, Ag-doped, and Au-doped ZnS quantum dots is found to 2.5 eV, 2.4 eV and 2.2 eV, respectively. PL spectrum of the un-doped zinc sulphide nanocrytals witnessed two bands, first at 418 nm and second at 468 nm. However, PL spectrum of Ag-doped ZnS nanocrystals shows no green light emission band while a broad emission ranging up to 700 nm in Au-doped ZnS sample. XRD spectra of synthesized QDs exhibited that the material was in cubic phase. X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) was used for comparative study of surfaces of zinc sulphide and noble metal zinc sulphide nanocrystals. The effects of inserting ZnS and noble metal doped ZnS nanocrystals in the active layer on the performance of organic solar cells were studied. The active layer mainly comprises of electron acceptor [6,6] phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) and organic electron donor poly (3-hexylthiophene (P3HT) with quantum dots dissolved in dichlorobenzene. The cell conversion efficiency improved by embedding the doped QDs in the active layer blend. The cells fabricated with ZnS QDs exhibited cell conversion efficiency of 1.46%. By doping with silver and gold, the cell conversion efficiency was increased about 1.85% and 2.01%, respectively. The morphology of blend of nanocrystals with P3HT:PCBM were studied using atomic force microscopy.

Rapidly growing population, unplanned urbanization, aging and lack of infrastructure, and climate change inhibit communities meeting the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) related to urban water service provision. Despite planning of water infrastructure solutions, the implementation has been limited due to financial constraints and lack of evidence-based decision-making guidance. This study investigates the trade-offs and integrated actions of water infrastructure improvements and financial management to enhance water supply service and system sustainability in tandem using a case study metropolitan area in Pakistan. This study employs a System Dynamics modeling approach to support the analysis of complex feedback interactions among water system improvements and financial management in evaluating water supply coverage and availability, revenue water, and cost recovery. The findings suggest synergies/trade-offs between system augmentation/maintenance and water tariff increase for a city to co-achieve effective water services and financial sustainability in pursuit of the UN SDG 6.

The production of an inexpensive, highly active electrocatalyst for a simple oxygen evolution reaction (OER) based on earth-abundant transition metals is still a major challenge. In addition, the ambiguity of the water splitting reaction (hydrogen evolution and OER) is a hurdle in the manufacture of suitable catalysts for the efficient water electrolysis process. Here, the synthesis of iron oxide/iron phosphide (Fe2O3/FeP) heterostructure and its counterparts Fe2O3 and FeP as cheap electrocatalysts for water electrolysis is presented. Characterization techniques such as powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy were used to analyze the structure of these electrocatalysts. Heterostructure Fe2O3/FeP has been shown to be a more active electrocatalyst than its counterparts. It initiates OER at a remarkably low potential of 1.49 V vs. reverse hydrogen electrode (RHE). For this electrocatalyst, a current density of 10 mA/cm2 is achieved at an overpotential of 264 mV for OER in 1.0 M potassium hydroxide solution and the value of the Tafel slope is 47 mV dec−1, outperforming its complements (Fe2O3 and FeP) under similar conditions. The results obtained are superior to those of previously reported Fe-based OER electrocatalysts. The Fe2O3/FeP electrocatalyst has proven its long-term stability by driving OER at 1.65 V (vs. RHE) for about 12.5 h.

Nanotechnology is offering true elucidations and chances to guarantee supportable energy for forth coming demands. Owing to their unique structures, physical and chemical properties, and configuration, metal oxide nanomaterials are the most promising material in the field of nanotechnology. In addition, one-dimensional nanostructures such as nanorods, nanofibers, and nanotubes have focused much attention because of their remarkable structural properties and confinement effects. Furthermore, one-dimensional metal oxide nanomaterials are the most promising candidates in the field of storage devices and energy conversion applications due to their large surface areas, efficient charge transport, and porosities. However, there are different techniques such as top-down and bottom-up synthesis that permit the deposition of metal oxides and make this a superior functional material on a huge scale. The photovoltaic devices and lithium-ion batteries constructed on the metal oxide nanofibers exhibit good power conversion efficiency, better reversible ability, and electrochemical stability. In this chapter, the possibilities of metal oxides for energy applications are elaborated.

We report herein the synthesis and characterization of Cu-doped NiO nanoparticles having new morphology with tuned band gap as an efficient photocatalyst using visible light for the removal of alizarin red dye from aqueous solutions. Composites were prepared using different Cu doping ratios via co-precipitation method followed by calcination at two different temperatures. SEM image of Cu-doped NiO (20% Cu doping) is interestingly different from the NiO particles, and different calcination temperatures (400 and 600 °C) greatly affected the morphology of NPs. Lower calcination temperature yielded nanocapsules, whereas the higher calcination produced hexagonal shaped slightly bigger NPs.

Highly photoactive merocyanine 540 is revealed to form charge transfer complex with zinc sulphide and cadmium sulphide nanocrystals confirmed by FT-IR Spectroscopy, Fluorescence emission and UV-Visible spectrophotometer. The semiconducting nanocrystals were synthesized by co-precipitation method and characterized by Fluorescence emission spectroscopy, UV-Visible spectroscopy, Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray spectroscopy and Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX). Merocyanine, in different concentrations was chemisorbed on the surface of ZnS and CdS nanomaterial. ZnS and CdS nanoparticles were used in hybrid solar cells in combination with organic polymer. These cells performed good efficiency at (6 × 10−6 M) dye concentration. The decreased power conversion efficiency with short circuit current density below and above the optimal merocyanine concentration (6 × 10−6 M) may be due to aggregation of merocyanine dye on CdS nanocrystals and subsequent self-quenching phenomena among dye molecules. The power conversion efficiency of the devices fabricated from P3HT-CdS-MC540 was higher than devices fabricated from P3HT-ZnS-MC540 because of particle size effect.

Cadmium sulphide (CdS) and Mn-doped CdS nanocrystals were synthesized by co-precipitation method. The nanocrystals were characterized by Fluorescence, Fourier Transformed Infra-red Spectrometer (FTIR), UV–Visible, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM), and High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscope (HRTEM). A considerable blue shift of absorption band with respect to the cadmium sulphide was observed by the Mn concentration (0.5 M) in the doped sample with decreasing the size of nanocrystals. Other reason for this may be Mn doping. Subsequently the band gap was altered from 2.11 to 2.21 eV due to quantum confinement effect. Scanning electron microscope supplemented with EDAX was operated to find grain size and chemical composition of the synthesized nanomaterials. The PL spectrum of Mn-doped CdS nanocrystals displays three PL bands the first one, within the range of 500 nm and the second band at 537 nm, and the third one around 713 nm is labelled red band emission due to attributed to a 4T1→6A1 transition within the 3d shell of divalent manganese. XRD analysis showed that the material was in cubic crystalline state. A comparative study of surfaces of un-doped and metal doped CdS nanocrystals were investigated using X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). The synthesized nanomaterial in combination with polymer, poly (3-hexyl thiophene) was operated in the construction of photovoltaic cells. The photovoltaic devices with CdS nanocrystals exhibited power conversion efficiency of 0.34% without annealing and 0.38% with annealing. However, the power conversion efficiency was enhanced by a factor of 0.35 without annealing and 0.42 with annealing with corporation of Mn impurity in CdS lattice. Atomic Force Microscopy was employed for morphology and packing behavior of blend of nanocrystals with organic polymer.

Silver indium diselenide quantum dots were successively synthesized by colloidal sol-gel method by chelating with organic ligand oleylamine (OLA). The particle size was studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and the size was found about 10 nm. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to study crystalline structure of the nanocrystals. The grain size and morphology were further studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The elemental composition was studied by X-ray photon electron spectroscopy (XPS) and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDAX). The capping property of OLA in nanocrystal was also demonstrated by Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The band gap was calculated from both cyclic voltammetry and optical absorption and suggest quantum confinement. The solution processed bilayer thin film solar cells were fabricated with n-type Zinc oxide using doctor blading/spin coating method and their photovoltaic performance was studied. The best device sintered at 450 °C showed an efficiency 0.75% with current density of 4.54 mAcm−2, open-circuit voltage 0.44 V and fill factor 39.4%.

Zinc sulphide (ZnS) and transition metal-doped ZnS nanocrystals were synthesized by co-precipitation method. Further the synthesized nanocrystals were characterized by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM), High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscope (HRTEM), Fluorescence, UV–Visible, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transformed Infra-red (FTIR) Spectrometer (FTIR). Scanning electron microscope supplemented with EDAX was employed to attain grain size and chemical composition of the nanomaterials. A considerable blue shift of absorption band was noted by the manganese concentration (0.5 M) in the doped sample in comparison with ZnS quantum dots because of the decrease in the size of nanoparticles which may be due to quantum confinement. The photoluminescence emission observed at 596 nm is due to the emission of divalent manganese and can be ascribed to a 4 T 1 → 6 A 1 transition within the 3d shell. Though, the broad blue emission band was observed at 424 nm which may originates from the radiative recombination comprising defect states in the un-doped zinc sulphide quantum dots. XRD analysis exhibited that the synthesized nanomaterial endured in cubic structure. The synthesized nanomaterial combined with organic polymer P3HT, poly (3-hexyl thiophene) and worked in the construction of inverted solar cells. The photovoltaic devices with un-doped zinc sulphide quantum dots showed power conversion efficiency of 0.48% without annealing and 0.52% with annealing. By doping with manganese, the efficiency was enhanced by a factor of 0.52 without annealing and 0.59 with annealing. The morphology and packing behavior of blend of nanocrystals with organic polymer were explored using Atomic Force Microscopy.

Zinc sulphide (ZnS) and cadmium doped ZnS (Cd-ZnS) nanoparticles were prepared by co-precipitation method and characterized by UV–Visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies, Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The optical band gaps of the synthesized materials were calculated from UV–Visible absorption spectra using Tauc plots. The band gap of ZnS was decreased from 3.4 eV to 2.44 eV due to substitution of Cd2+ ions in ZnS lattice at 0.5 M cadmium content. This variation in the optical bandgap effectively monitored degradation of the dye. Photo catalytic degradation of Alizarin red S (ARS) by the nanoparticles showed that the cadmium doped ZnS acted as a potential photo catalyst under unfiltered natural sunlight of irradiation 300 W/m2. The ARS dye was degraded about 50% and 96.7% in the presence of ZnS and Cd-ZnS (Cd 0.5 M) nanoparticles respectively in 120 min. Furthermore the effect of various parameters, i.e., photocatalyst concentration, dye concentration, and pH of the solution on the percentage of degradation was also studied. Degradation followed first order kinetics.

Objective To analyze communication skills of pediatric postgraduate residents in clinical encounter by using video recordings. Methods This qualitative exploratory research was conducted through video recording at The Children's Hospital Lahore, Pakistan. Residents who had attended the mandatory communication skills workshop offered by CPSP were included. The video recording of clinical encounter was done by a trained audiovisual person while the resident was interacting with the patient in the clinical encounter. Data was analyzed by thematic analysis. Results Initially on open coding 36 codes emerged and then through axial and selective coding these were condensed to 17 subthemes. Out of these four main themes emerged: (1) Courteous and polite attitude, (2) Marginal nonverbal communication skills, (3) Power game/Ignoring child participation and (4) Patient as medical object/Instrumental behaviour. All residents treated the patient as a medical object to reach a right diagnosis and ignored them as a human being. There was dominant role of doctors and marginal nonverbal communication skills were displayed by the residents in the form of lack of social touch, and appropriate eye contact due to documenting notes. A brief non-medical interaction for rapport building at the beginning of interaction was missing and there was lack of child involvement. Conclusion Paediatric postgraduate residents were polite while communicating with parents and child but lacking in good nonverbal communication skills. Communication pattern in our study was mostly one-way showing doctor's instrumental behaviour and ignoring the child participation.

To determine the frequency of risk factors, vaccination status and outcome of tetanus in children beyond neonatal age at a tertiary care centre.The prospective observational study was conducted at The Children's Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan, from January 2012 to December 2014, and comprised children aged between 1 month and 15 years of either gender admitted with diagnosis of tetanus. Variables recorded included age, gender, vaccination status in terms of number of diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine doses received per routine infant immunisation and booster doses of tetanus toxoid, risk factors as trauma, ear discharge, ear prick and duration of hospitalisation and outcome. Data was analysed using SPSS 16.Of the 74 patients, there were 47(63.5%) males and 27(36.5%) females. Overall, the mean age was 6.56+3.15 years 50(67%) were unvaccinated, none (0%) had received booster dose and posttrauma immune prophylaxis. Besides, trauma was the most common risk factor in 33(44.6%) cases followed by ear discharge 15 (20.3%) and ear/nose prick 2(2.7%), while the risk factor was unknown in 24(32.4%) cases. Mean duration of hospitalisation was 14.35±11.65. Mortality rate 16(21.6%) was significantly associated with shorter duration of stay (p0.001). Mortality was high among unvaccinated children compared to vaccinated children (p=0.01).Vaccination coverage was found to be inadequate and post-trauma immune prophylaxis had been ignored..