Urticarial rash of pregnancy turning into a rare and scary dermatosis of pregnancy: a case report and review of literature

Dermatosis of pregnancy encompasses a group of skin conditions that occurs due to interaction of multiple factors in the body during pregnancy or during post-partum period. We presented a case of 25-year-old G4P1L1A2 with initial symptom of urticarial rash which later progressed to a rare and a scary dermatosis of pregnancy which became a challenge both to the obstetrician and the dermatologist

Oral intake during labor and its effect on labor progression in Indian women at a tertiary care centre

Background: Assessment of the subjective perception of the women regarding satisfaction of oral intake during labor and the effect of oral intake on cervical dilatation rates and labor duration in low-risk laboring women. Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted from January 2021-July 2022 in a tertiary care hospital with 176 low risk laboring women. Satisfaction of oral intake in labor was assessed by a questionnaire post-delivery and the answers were analysed among various parous groups and were correlated with cervical dilatation rates in active and latent phase and duration of labor. Results: Based on the satisfaction of oral intake in labor, the patients were divided into very satisfied, satisfied, neutral and dissatisfied group. Only 6.7% of primigravidas and 25% of multigravidas were very satisfied with oral intake. Patients who were dissatisfied and not satisfied with oral intake had slower median rates of cervical dilation of 0.45 cm/hour and 1.25 cm/hour in latent and active phase respectively compared to the very satisfied group who had a rate of 0.5 cm/hour and 2.4 cm/hour in the latent and active phase in primigravidas. The mean duration of the first and second stage of labor was 15.5 hours and 50 minutes in the dissatisfied group which was prolonged compared to the patients who had very satisfied oral intake in labor with a duration of 9.6 hours and 30.8 minutes respectively among the primi-gravidas Conclusions: In primi-gravidas the cervical dilation rates were faster in the group who were very satisfied and satisfied with their oral intake compared to the group who were dissatisfied. The labor duration was also prolonged among the dissatisfied group

On the potential of GLI to further women’s economic and social empowerment : an assessment of women-focused enterprises in South East Asia and East Africa

The report presents insights from interviews with women-focused enterprises, and their 150 women employees, partners and customers; conducted across India, Indonesia, Kenya and Rwanda. The study assesses the impact of such enterprises on the economic and social empowerment of women, and helps enhance the case for Gender Lens Investing (GLI) in their support. Enterprises that integrate women as employees and partners have a significant positive impact due to the livelihoods they create. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in reduced economic benefits for almost 64% of the women employees/ partners of the enterprises interviewed

Gender lens investing : contribution to women's economic empowerment and way forward

The report provides a synopsis of financial and employment constraints in women’s lives, a detailed summary of project activities, and a way forward for women’s financial inclusion. The research informs stakeholders on social and economic impact that businesses and various ecosystem players can create by using “gender lens investing.” It examines existing interventions against the backdrop of market challenges and explores the design of new interventions to address the gaps. The project refined a “Gender lens toolkit” to enable various stakeholders with a framework for examining existing programs and activities and how they can better align with women’s experiences

The global landscape of gender lens investing

This study was carried out with the grant support from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Ottawa, Canada. The report presents global landscape of Gender Lens Investing with the aim to promote it in developing countries. We are grateful to IDRC for supporting and guiding us in this endeavor.This report will be valuable for various ecosystem stakeholders including investors, women entrepreneurs, researchers, financial advisors and intermediaries, academia, regulatory agencies and government policymakers, development agencies, foundations and private sector companies who aim to promote women empowerment globally, and specifically across emerging economies. It also sets the stage for further research that will be conducted by Intellecap to design and implement interventions across the three strategies of gender lens investing; and to independently examine the correlation between gender lens investing and its impact on social and economic empowerment of the women

Green route to fabrication of Semal-ZnO nanoparticles for efficient solar-driven catalysis of noxious dyes in diverse aquatic environments

This work successfully demonstrates a sustainable and environmentally friendly approach for synthesizing Semal-ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) using the aqueous leaf extract of Bombax ceiba L. These NPs exhibit an absorption peak at approximately 390 nm in the UV-visible spectrum and an energy gap (Eg) of 3.11 eV. Detailed analyses of the morphology and particle size using various spectroscopic and microscopic techniques, XRD, FE-SEM with EDS, and HR-TEM reveal crystallographic peaks attributable to the hexagonal phase, with an average crystal size of 17 nm. The Semal-ZnO NPs also exhibit a notable photocatalytic efficiency for degrading methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO) under sunlight in different water samples collected from diverse natural sources, indicating that they are promising photocatalysts for environmental remediation. The photocatalytic efficiency of the biofabricated Semal-ZnO NPs is impressive, exhibiting a photodegradation rate of up to 99% for MB and 79% for MO in different water samples under exposure to sunlight. The novel phytofabricated Semal-ZnO NPs are thus a beacon of hope for the environment, with their desirable photocatalytic efficiency, pseudo-first-order kinetics, and ability to break down noxious dye pollutants in various aquatic environments

Study on Phase Change Material in Grooved Bricks for Energy Efficiency of the Buildings

Phase change materials (PCMs) are an interesting technology due to their high density and isothermal behavior during phase change. Phase change material plays a major role in the energy saving of the buildings, which is greatly aided by the incorporation of phase change material into building products such as bricks, cement, gypsum board, etc. In this study, an experiment has been conducted with three identical small chambers made up of normal, grooved and PCM-treated grooved bricks. Before the inclusion of PCM in grooved bricks, PCM material behavior has been studied by different techniques such as DSC, TG/DTA, SEM, and XRD. Thermal properties and thermal stability were investigated by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to determine the microstructure and crystalloid phase of the PCM before and after the accelerated thermal cycling test (0, 60, 120). These three identical model rooms built were exposed at a temperature just above 40 °C with a heater. When the maximum outdoor temperature was 40-41 °C, then the temperature of the PCM-treated grooved chamber was 32-33 °C. The PCM-treated wall was tested and compared with a conventional and grooved wall. The difference between the PCM-treated grooved chamber and the untreated one was 8-9 °C. PCM-treated bricks provided more efficient internal heat retention in summer when the outside temperature increased

Maintstreaming GLI : an assessment of women owned enterprises in developing countries

The study adds to the existing literature on the finance gap for women entrepreneurs. This in-depth report presents analysis and insights from 207 women entrepreneur interviews conducted across India, Indonesia, Kenya and Rwanda. Women entrepreneurs own about 28% of all micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and account for 32% of the financing gap in developing economies. The credit gap for women-owned MSMEs in emerging markets is estimated to be USD1.7 trillion. Across developing countries, most of the women-owned businesses are micro enterprises in the informal sector. The report focuses on barriers to access to finance, and recommendations for improvement

Total Harmonic Distortion at Fault in RLC Load

This paper focuses on the calculation of total harmonic distortion (THD) at various fault situations in case of RLC load. The faults are created by introducing heavy impedance of 1000 ohm, by blowing off the gate pulse at one of the terminals of the mosfet, and by introducing a line to ground fault. The Matlab based simulation has been done to show these effects