Emerging from the dark confines of carceral spaces, prison literature has become a formative genre that exposes the hidden realities of state-sanctioned persecution across the globe. Yet, the voices of women in Indian prison narratives, particularly during the colonial era, often remain marginal and unheard. This research paper engages with the compelling testimony of Urmila Shastri, an overlooked freedom fighter whose memoir, My Days in Prison (2012), offers an unflinching account of her physical and emotional suffering during incarceration. Through close analysis of Shastri’s experiences, the paper illuminates the pervasive malfeasance, abusive power dynamics, and indifference of prison authorities, revealing them as systemic obstacles to reform and justice. By foregrounding the everyday atrocities and discrimination within colonial jails especially as faced by women the study interrogates whether contemporary confinement serves its ostensible rehabilitative purpose, or instead perpetuates cycles of injustice and dehumanization. The paper further evaluates the reformative proposals advanced by Shastri, interrogating their feasibility and transformative potential, and situates her voice within a wider discourse on prison, reformation, human rights, and the continuing struggles of marginalized women prisoners in India.

This paper presents a case study of a pilot project on using novated Pre-Stressed High-Strength Concrete (PHC) Piles technology for a potential support to the large foundations of Steel Plate Manufacturing Plant, which to be installed on an area that contains sabkha soils saline, loose, and water-saturated sands in Ras Al Khair Industrial City, Saudi Arabia. The key highlight of this project is the successful installation and testing of Prestressed High-strength Concrete (PHC) piles likely the first such application within Saudi Aramco, and possibly within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This paper presents the load-settlement and the load-displacement diagrams for the tested PHC piles and identifies the bearing capacity of some of these piles at the job site. The study summaries the bearing capacities of the tested PHC piles to be considered for the detailed design of future project packages. PHC Pile foundation reduces the settlement of structures and improves bearing capacity of foundation; and the new pile technologies are of little noise and reduce damage to pile during the installation. The PHC piles, characterized by a hollow core and prestressed concrete design, are typically produced with outer diameters ranging from 300 mm to 1200 mm and engineered to endure high axial loads and bending moments, making them suitable for challenging ground conditions such as sabkha.

Background: Labour in nulliparous women is a crucial obstetric process, and foetal head engagement is a key determinant of labour progress and clinical decision-making. The purpose of the study is to determine the incidence of foetal head engagement and non-engagement at ≥38 weeks in nulliparous women and evaluate their maternal and fetal outcomes. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, Rajshahi, Bangladesh, from January to December 2009, and included 100 nulliparous women at ≥38 weeks of gestation with singletone foetus with cephalic presentation. Foetal head engagement was assessed using the rule of fifths, and participants were grouped as those with engaged head or non-engaged head. Labour was actively monitored with a partograph, and maternal and foetal outcomes were recorded. Data were collected using a standardized questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS software. Results: Among 100 nulliparous women ≥38 weeks, 69% had non-engaged and 31% had engaged foetal heads. Vaginal delivery was higher with engagement (77.42% vs 42.63%), while cesarean section was more frequent in non-engagement (57.97% vs 22.58%). Postpartum hemorrhage was higher in the non-engaged group (6.45% vs 1.45%), labour was longer, and neonatal outcomes were comparable, with APGAR scores of 7–10 in >94% of both groups and no APGAR <4. Conclusion: Non-engagement of the foetal head at term in primigravid women is common and, by itself, does not preclude successful vaginal delivery.

Pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) is a chemical convulsant that can generate seizure in humans and rodents which mirror the effects of naturally occurring pathological seizure disorders. This study aimed to investigate the role of methanolic extract of Tetrapleura tetraptera (METT) on neurological behavior and motor coordination in PTZ-induced epilepsy in male mice. A total of 50 mice were randomly assigned to 5 groups (n=10) as: Control (0.2ml saline orally); PTZ (single dose 35kg/mg s.c); Diazepam (1ml/100g-i.p) used as reference control; Low dose (LD: 400mg/kg) and High dose (HD: 800mg/kg) of METT was administered orally for 14 days after which PTZ (single dose, 35kg/mg s.c) was induced on the 22nd day. Seizure was confirmed using the Racine scale. Neurological test include; open field test (OFT) and social behavior test (recognition memory) and fine motor coordination using beam balance. These behavioral studies were performed 24 hours after the completion of the PTZ dose. OFT results showed that METT extract and diazepam significantly reduced locomotor activity (line crossing and rearing), but HD of METT suppresses line crossing better than diazepam. Centre square duration did not differ significantly, but METT extract and diazepam significantly reverse exploratory behavior (stretch attend posture and freezing duration). METT extracts was more potent than diazepam in ameliorating the abnormal social behavior posed by PTZ. Mice treated with diazepam and METT extract showed fine motor coordination which reduced the beam crossing time. METT may have anti-epileptic effect against PTZ-induced epilepsy in mice, and could be a better remedy than diazepam against epileptic seizures.

The synthesis of metal nanoparticles (NPs) in ionic liquids (ILs) solvent has been adopted as a greener alternative to conventional organic solvent reaction media, due to their environmentally benign and tunable physicochemical properties benefits. This study aimed to synthesize and characterize nickel nanoparticles (NiNPs) using imidazolium-based ionic liquids (1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium methanesulfonate ([EMIM]MS) and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium methanesulfonate ([BMIM]MS) as both solvent and stabilizing agents, via a chemical reduction pathway. The NiNPs were characterized by UV-Visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy. The UV-Vis analysis showed broad surface plasmon resonance bands between 300 and 350 nm, confirming NiNP formation, with spectral shifts revealing smaller particles in [EMIM]MS compared to [BMIM]MS. FTIR spectra revealed characteristic bands for O–H, C–H, C–C, and C–N vibrations, indicating strong coordination between ionic liquid molecules and the nickel surface. SEM micrographs showed that NiNPs synthesized in [EMIM]MS were smaller (45–60 nm), spherical, and uniformly dispersed, and those obtained in [BMIM]MS were larger (60–80 nm) with slight aggregation. Synthesis was also done in ethylene glycol and the resulting NPs were irregular and aggregated. These results confirm that imidazolium-based ILs enable controlled synthesis and stabilization of nickel nanoparticles, providing a green and efficient route for nanomaterial production.

Diphtheria remains a significant public health concern in India despite the availability of routine immunization. This survey-based review analyzes national surveillance data (2020–2024), WHO–UNICEF immunization reports, and responses from frontline healthcare workers to assess the current trends, antitoxin accessibility, and challenges in early diagnosis. Findings indicate a shift in disease burden from young children to adolescents and young adults, mainly due to waning immunity and low booster-dose coverage. Limited availability of Diphtheria Antitoxin (DAT), delays in procurement, and cold-chain constraints continue to affect timely case management across several states. Early diagnosis also remains difficult because initial symptoms resemble common upper respiratory infections, primary-care staff have limited training, and rapid diagnostic tools are not uniformly available. Overall, the survey highlights an urgent need for improved booster-dose coverage, decentralized DAT stock management, and stronger early-detection systems to reduce diphtheria-related morbidity and mortality in India.

Traditional methods of wastewater treatment, in the past, have aimed at removing pollutants and compliance to regulations as a result of which have proven to be inefficiency and resource wastage. Nevertheless, growing demands of water scarcity, climate change, and requirements to adopt a circular economy have fuelled the shift into next-generation biological processes, which redefine the concept of wastewater as a resource, as opposed to a waste stream. This review assesses critically emerging paradigms in biological treatment that go beyond traditional activated sludge systems and incorporate the new developments in the fields of microbial ecology, synthetic biology and bioelectrochemical systems and nature-inspired engineering. Special focus is made on new microbial consortia, designed metabolic routes, and system-wide process advancement that allow the recovery of nutrients, generation of bioenergy, and the manufacture of value-added biochemicals in a better way. The article also assesses the role of hybrid biological systems in the treatment of wastewater under energy-neutral or energy-positive processes, including microbial electrochemical systems and algae-bacteria systems. The problem of techno-economic feasibility, operational resilience, and scalability are discussed systematically to reduce the gap between the innovation over the laboratory scale and its application in the real world. This article identifies the key gaps in knowledge, regulatory issues, and barriers to integration that may not be able to be easily adopted since they point to the recent advances in various fields. Finally, the review also provides a future-based structure of planning sustainable wastewater treatment processes in accordance with a circular bioeconomy, with future-generational biological processes being the core elements of the future water infrastructure in cities and industry.

This study was conducted to assess genetic variability for maturity and panicle components in rice. A set of 22 F5:6 lines along with their 13 parents genotypes were assessed in randomize complete block design (RCBD) with three replications grown at Agricultural Research Station, Baffa Mansehra during 2023 growing season. The data were recorded on seven morphological traits. Highly significant variations (P ≤ 0.05) were also detected across parental lines and F6 progenies for all traits. ‘Swatai 2014’ showed the maximum heading (80 days) among the parents, and ‘Dilrosh’ the shortest maturity period (101 days). Fakhre Malakand had maximum number of primary branches per panicle (12), while it was Swat 2 for maximum secondary branches per panicle (30.1). Among the F6 lines, ARS-185 and ARS-201 took least days to heading (89 days) while ARS-201 took least days to mature (121 days). ARS-245 had the greatest value for number of primary branches per panicle (11.7) whereas line ARS-155 had the maximum value for number of secondary branches per panicle (28.3). Days to maturity (0.92) had the highest heritability estimates followed by days to heading (0.86) and culm length (0.81). Flag leaf area (24.36%), culm length (25.86%) and secondary branches per panicle (18.46%) exhibited high genetic advance as percent of mean. The better performance of ARS-201, ARS-245, and ARS-155 on maturity and panicle attributes indicated a useful trait that implied on utilization in multi-location yield trials.

This study examined the relationship between taxation and the growth of the agricultural sector in Nigeria using annual time series data spanning from 1994 to 2024. The research employed an ex-post facto research design and relied on secondary data sourced from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Statistical Bulletin and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS). The Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model was adopted as the estimation technique to analyze both the short-run dynamics and long-run relationships among the variables. The tax revenue variables examined include personal income tax (PIT), capital gains tax (CGT), value-added tax (VAT), customs and excise duties (CED), and stamp duties (STD), while agricultural sector output served as the dependent variable. The results from the long-run ARDL regression revealed that personal income tax had a positive and statistically significant impact on agricultural output, suggesting that higher personal income tax revenues may enhance government capacity to invest in the agricultural sector. Conversely, capital gains tax, value-added tax, customs and excise duties, and stamp duties all showed significant negative effects on agricultural development, indicating that these forms of taxation may inhibit agricultural productivity or reflect inefficiencies in public expenditure allocation. The study concludes that while some forms of tax revenue, such as personal income tax, can positively contribute to the growth of the agricultural sector, others may have detrimental effects, especially when not reinvested effectively into agricultural infrastructure, research, and extension services. The findings imply a need for a more strategic and sector-focused tax policy that balances revenue generation with the imperative of stimulating agricultural growth. Based on these findings, the study recommends that government authorities should ensure that revenues from personal income tax are effectively channelled into agricultural development programs. Tax policies should be restructured to reduce the negative impacts of other forms of taxation on agricultural activities. Efforts should also be made to enhance transparency and accountability in the utilization of tax revenue to ensure that funds are directed toward critical areas such as irrigation, mechanization, rural infrastructure, and agro-processing.

Present research work was aimed to study preliminary wound healing activity of different extracts of aerial parts of Enicostema axillare using incision and excision wound models in experimental animals. Aerial parts of Enicostema axillare was extracted successively with petroleum ether, chloroform, acetone, ethyl acetate, methanol and aqueous solvents and obtained respective extracts. Each extract was tested qualitatively for detection of phytochemicals present in extracts using various chemical tests. Pharmacological screening of all extracts were performed using incision and excision wound models in experimental animals. Wound healing effect was observed by measurement of tensile strength of wound tissue of animals from incision model. Wound contraction measurement and biochemical estimation of wound tissue was performed in excision wound model. Results of present study was confirmed that methanol extract of Enicostema axillare was showed significant (P<0.05) increase in tensile strength of wound tissue on 9th day. Higher percentage of wound contraction was observed with methanol extract between day 8-16th and complete healing was observed on 18th day. This fast healing also supported by significant (P<0.05) increase in hydroxyproline and protein content of wound tissue in excision model. Effect was compared with the marketed formulation (Povidone-Iodine ointment). In conclusion, healing effect of methanol extract of Enicostema axillare may be contributed by phenolic compounds, flavonoids and glycosides present in the extract.

Hybrid composite structures (e.g., carbon–glass laminates, fiber–metal laminates, and multi-material sandwich panels) offer superior stiffness-to-weight performance but exhibit complex, multi-mode damage mechanisms such as matrix cracking, fiber breakage, delamination, and interface debonding. These damage modes are often difficult to detect early and expensive to simulate at full structural scale with high fidelity. This paper proposes an integrated framework that combines multi-scale progressive damage simulation with machine learning (ML)–assisted damage inference and load optimization. At the microscale and mesoscale, damage initiation and evolution are captured using established composite failure criteria and degradation laws (e.g., Hashin-type mechanisms), while structural-scale response is computed using reduced-order surrogates calibrated from multi-scale results. On the data side, guided-wave/shock-response features and simulated strain-field descriptors are mapped to damage states using supervised and uncertainty-aware ML models. Finally, a load optimization module minimizes peak interlaminar stresses and damage growth rate under service constraints. A case study on a hybrid laminate panel demonstrates that the proposed pipeline can (i) identify early delamination and matrix cracking signatures with high classification performance, and (ii) reduce damage-driving stress metrics through ML-guided load redistribution.

The study empirically examined the relationship between electronic payment system adoption and marketing success of Electricity Distribution Company in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. The population of this study comprises the customers of Electricity Distribution Company in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. There are 4,461,546 registered customers of Electricity Distribution Company in Port Harcourt (National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, 2025, www.nigerianstat.gov.ng). The researcher employed the Taro Yamen Formula to reduce the population to a reasonable sample size. The study has 4,461,546 customers of Electricity Distribution Company in Port Harcourt, which implies that the population of the study is known and cluster sampling technique, was therefore used to determine the sample size of 399 through the use of Taro Yamene’s formula. Multiple regression analysis was used with the aid of statistical package for social sciences (SPSS, version 21) analyze to the data. The study concludes that Based on the findings of the results, the study concludes that electronic payment system adoption strongly and positively relates with marketing success of electricity distribution companies in Port Harcourt as it creates a means of enhancing and increasing customer’s satisfaction which in-turn leads to customer loyalty. The study further recommends that, electricity distribution companies should ensure that e-wallet applications must always follow trends or developments in online consumer consumption patterns in Port Harcourt.

Quantum chemical study of some thiomethyl quinolines on inhibition of aluminium corrosion in hydrochloric acid and effect of thiomethyl group at 5,6 and 8 position on quinoline was investigated theoretically with the aid of material studio using density functional theory (DFT). The simulations were performed by means of the DFT electronic program DMol3 using the Mulliken population analysis in the Material Studio. DMol3 permits analysis of the electronic structures and energies of molecules, solids and surfaces. The analysis of the quantum chemical parameters, the adsorption parameters form the simulation of the molecules, the Mulliken and Hirshfeld values of the fukui indices for the three molecules of the 5-TMQ (5-thiomethylquinoline), 6-TMQ (6-thiomethylquinoline) and 8-TMQ (8-thiomethylquinoline) indicated that all the three molecules exhibits very high potential for inhibition of aluminium corrosion in HCl environment, with 8-TMQ being the best among all. The most popular parameters which play a prominent role are the eigen values of the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO), the HOMO-LUMO gap (ΔE), chemical hardness and softness, electro-negativity and the number of electrons transferred from inhibitor molecule to the metal surface. All the molecules showed a very good corrosion inhibition tendency, however, 8-TMQ molecule gives better aluminium corrosion inhibition potential than other two molecules. The orientation of the thiomethyl substituent on the core quinoline was found to be responsible for intra-molecular hydrogen bonding which leads to weaker attraction to the aluminium surface for the 6-TMQ and 5-TMQ molecules hence lower corrosion inhibition tendency than 8-TMQ molecule despite having the same molecular mass.

Refinery wastewater has been causing environmental pollution with serious adverse health effects and environmental destruction. This study aims at evaluating the capacity of cassava peels and sugarcane bagasse biosorbents in removing heavy metals, and organic pollutants from the oil refinery wastewater. The proximate and minerals composition of the cassava peels (CP) and sugarcane bagasse (SCB) was determined using the method of AOAC. The pH, turbidity, biological oxygen demand (BOD), and chemical oxygen demand (COD) were determined using digital pH meter, turbidity meter, 5-Day BOD test, and colorimetric technique, respectively. The heavy metals, phenol, and total oil and grease (TOG) content was estimated using AAS and colorimetric method of AOAC. Batch adsorption test was conducted using completely mixed batch reactors (CMBR) method. The results showed that CP and SCB contain significant (p < 0.05) amount of ash (5.38 %, 2.15 %), fiber (20.63 %, 3.83 %), carbohydrate (7.87 %, 27.64 %), proteins (1.87 %, 1.42 %), moisture (1.20 %, 14.99 %), and lipids (2.52 %, 4.22 %), respectively. The CP (3.72mg/100g, 5.41mg/100g, 8.1mg/100g, 3.00mg/100g, 6.52mg/100g, and 4.26mg/100g) contain high significant (p < 0.05) amount of sodium, potassium, calcium, iron, zinc, and copper compared with that of the SCB (2.33mg/100g, 2.10 mg/100g, 5.40mg/100g, 1.88mg/100g, 2.09mg/100g, and 2.14mg/100g), respectively. The pH value of the wastewater sample treated with the biosorbents was significantly (p < 0.05) high compared with the pH value of the untreated wastewater sample. At significant (p < 0.05) reduction in turbidity, COD, and BOD was observed in the wastewater sample treated with combination of the biosorbents compared with the untreated wastewater. The wastewater sample treated with combination of the biosorbents demonstrated significant (p < 0.05) decreased in phenol and TOG content compared with the untreated wastewater. The biosorbents exhibited high removal efficiency against cadmium, lead, nickel, and chromium up to 65.70 %, 80.30 %, 52.46 %, and 72.70 %, respectively. The biosorbents displayed a methylene blue and Congo red dye removal efficiency of 85.66 % and 74.23 %, respectively. The R2 value of lead, cadmium, nickel, chromium, methylene blue and congo red dye for Langmuir isotherm model is higher than that for Freundlich isotherm model. Thus, the experimental equilibrium data for heavy metals and the dyes were best fitted to the Langmuir model than the Freundlich model.

Among the driving forces of sustainable economic growth in South Asia, digital financial inclusion has turned out to be one of the most powerful especially when we consider the fast technological change and huge growth of fintech ecosystems. This paper discusses how Digital Financial Inclusion (DFI) influences the sustainable economic growth of the South Asian countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal that are the focus of this paper. The study follows a descriptive and analytical approach to research. It uses primary data that were collected from 275 respondents, and secondary data that were obtained from international databases such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. Regression and correlation analyses were carried out to assess the extent of association between digital financial inclusion indicators and sustainable growth indicators. The results indicate that Digital Financial Inclusion has a significantly positive effect on Sustainable Economic Growth (B= 0. 267, p < 0. 05). Moreover, the correlation results reveal a moderate positive correlation (r = 0. 452, p < 0. 01) between digital financial inclusion and the indicators of sustainable growth. The comparative analysis shows that countries with a higher adoption rate of digital payments, internet penetration, and financial account ownership have a better sustainability performance. Even though the explanatory power of DFI is limited, the paper verified through its analysis that digital financial ecosystems are enabling factors for entrepreneurship, SME expansion, employment creation, and poverty alleviation. The study argues that digital financial inclusion is one of the driving forces for sustainable development in South Asia but not its sole factor, thus highlighting the importance of complementary institutional and policy reforms.