Investigate the maximum power point of photovoltaic system at different environmental conditions

The main objective of this work is to implement a circuit-based simulation model of a photovoltaic (PV) cell in order to investigate the electrical behavior of the practical cell with respect to some changes in weather parameters. The simulation model consists of three subsystems: photovoltaic cells, DC/DC converter and MPPT controller based logic fuzzy control. The maximum power control function is achieved with the appropriate power control of the power inverter. Fuzzy logic controller has been used to perform MPPT functions to get maximum power from the PV panel. The proposed circuit was implemented in MATLAB/Simulink. The obtained results show that the output sequence is non-linear and almost constant current to the open circuit voltage and the power has maximum motion to voltage for certain environmental conditions

Determinants of timeliness in early childhood vaccination among mothers with vaccination cards in Sindh province, Pakistan:a secondary analysis of cross-sectional survey data

OBJECTIVE: Untimely vaccination refers to receiving the given dose before (early) or after (delayed) the recommended time window. The purpose of this study was to assess the extent of timeliness of childhood vaccinations and examine the determinants of vaccination timeliness in Sindh province, Pakistan. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis of data from the 2013 and 2014 Maternal and Child Health Program Indicator Surveys. SETTING: Community-based maternal and child health surveys. PARTICIPANTS: Among 10 200 respondents of Maternal and Child Health Program Indicator Surveys, 1143 women who had a live birth in the 2 years preceding the survey were included. OUTCOMES: At the participants' home, an interviewer asked mothers to show their children's vaccination cards, which contained information regarding vaccinations. Children's vaccination status was categorised into timely or early/delayed compared with vaccination schedule. A logistic regression analysis using Firth's penalised likelihood was performed to identify factors associated with timeliness of vaccinations. RESULTS: 238 children (20.8% of children who received a full set of basic vaccinations) received all vaccinations on schedule among children who received a full set of basic vaccinations. The percentages of timely vaccinations ranged from 2.3% for second measles vaccination to 89.3% for bacillus Calmette-Guérin. Child's age and place of delivery were associated with timely vaccinations. Older child age and institutional delivery were associated with decreased timely vaccination rate. CONCLUSIONS: Home-based vaccination record is a key tool to improve the timeliness of vaccinations. The redesigned vaccination cards, the new electronic registries for vaccination card information and the vaccination tracking system to remind the second/third vaccination visits may be helpful to improve timely vaccinations for children under 2 years old

Factors affecting complete and timely childhood immunization coverage in Sindh, Pakistan; A secondary analysis of cross- sectional survey data

Background Pakistan has a high burden of newborn mortality, which would be significantly preventable through appropriate routine immunization. The purpose of this study was to measure the basic timely childhood immunization coverage and to identify determinants of factors influencing childhood immunization coverage in Sindh, Pakistan. Methods Data from Maternal and Child Health Program Indicator Survey 2013-2014 which was conducted in Sindh province of Pakistan was used. Outcome measure was full coverage of the basic immunization schedule from child's vaccination card. The association of receiving basic immunization with demographic factors, socioeconomic status, mother and child health information sources, and perinatal care factors were tested by binary logistic regression. Results Among 2,253 children, 1,156 (51.3%) received age-based full basic immunization. The basic immunization rates were 69.1% for under five weeks old, 38.3% for six to nine weeks, 18.8% for 10-13 weeks, 44.0% for 14 weeks-eight months, 60.4% for nine to 11 months, and 59.1% for over one year. Child's age, number of living children, parents' education level, wealth, the source of mother and child health information, number of antenatal care, and assistance during delivery were associated with completing basic immunization. Conclusions The overall full basic immunization coverage in Pakistan was still low. Policy makers should identify children at risk of low immunization coverage and obstacles of receiving antenatal care, implement educational interventions targeting on less educated parents, and conduct mass immunization campaigns for timely and complete immunization

Examining the stability of membrane proteins within SMALPs

Amphipathic co-polymers such as styrene-maleic acid (SMA) have gained popularity over the last few years due to their ability and ease of use in solubilising and purifying membrane proteins in comparison to conventional methods of extraction such as detergents. SMA2000 is widely used for membrane protein studies and is considered as the optimal polymer for this technique. In this study a side-by-side comparison of SMA2000 with the polymer SZ30010 was carried out as both these polymers have similar styrene:maleic acid ratios and average molecular weights. Ability to solubilise, purify and stabilise membrane proteins was tested using three structurally different membrane proteins. Our results show that both polymers can be used to extract membrane proteins at a comparable efficiency to conventional detergent dodecylmaltoside (DDM). SZ30010 was found to give a similar protein yield and, SMALP disc size as SMA2000, and both polymers offered an increased purity and increased thermostability compared to DDM. Further investigation was conducted to investigate SMALP sensitivity to divalent cations. It was found that the sensitivity is polymer specific and not dependent on the protein encapsulated. Neither is it affected by the concentration of SMALPs. Larger divalent cations such as Co2+ and Zn2+ resulted in an increased sensitivity

Convalescent plasma in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 (RECOVERY): a randomised controlled, open-label, platform trial

SummaryBackground Azithromycin has been proposed as a treatment for COVID-19 on the basis of its immunomodulatoryactions. We aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of azithromycin in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19.Methods In this randomised, controlled, open-label, adaptive platform trial (Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19Therapy [RECOVERY]), several possible treatments were compared with usual care in patients admitted to hospitalwith COVID-19 in the UK. The trial is underway at 176 hospitals in the UK. Eligible and consenting patients wererandomly allocated to either usual standard of care alone or usual standard of care plus azithromycin 500 mg once perday by mouth or intravenously for 10 days or until discharge (or allocation to one of the other RECOVERY treatmentgroups). Patients were assigned via web-based simple (unstratified) randomisation with allocation concealment andwere twice as likely to be randomly assigned to usual care than to any of the active treatment groups. Participants andlocal study staff were not masked to the allocated treatment, but all others involved in the trial were masked to theoutcome data during the trial. The primary outcome was 28-day all-cause mortality, assessed in the intention-to-treatpopulation. The trial is registered with ISRCTN, 50189673, and ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04381936.Findings Between April 7 and Nov 27, 2020, of 16 442 patients enrolled in the RECOVERY trial, 9433 (57%) wereeligible and 7763 were included in the assessment of azithromycin. The mean age of these study participants was65·3 years (SD 15·7) and approximately a third were women (2944 [38%] of 7763). 2582 patients were randomlyallocated to receive azithromycin and 5181 patients were randomly allocated to usual care alone. Overall,561 (22%) patients allocated to azithromycin and 1162 (22%) patients allocated to usual care died within 28 days(rate ratio 0·97, 95% CI 0·87–1·07; p=0·50). No significant difference was seen in duration of hospital stay (median10 days [IQR 5 to >28] vs 11 days [5 to >28]) or the proportion of patients discharged from hospital alive within 28 days(rate ratio 1·04, 95% CI 0·98–1·10; p=0·19). Among those not on invasive mechanical ventilation at baseline, nosignificant difference was seen in the proportion meeting the composite endpoint of invasive mechanical ventilationor death (risk ratio 0·95, 95% CI 0·87–1·03; p=0·24).Interpretation In patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19, azithromycin did not improve survival or otherprespecified clinical outcomes. Azithromycin use in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 should be restrictedto patients in whom there is a clear antimicrobial indication

Gats and equity in health services in Pakistan : opportunities, concerns and limitations

The World Trade Organization\u27s agenda shall be enforced within the member countd.es on 1 January 2005 but lack of preparedness may delay the process. The main provisions governing the services sector are dealt in General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) that claims to enhance economic activity. Critics negate this international trade agenda and consider it to be a threat to their health system in the welfare perspective. Several developing countries at the same time have adopted strategies to Promote trade of health services with focus on improving the quality of domestic health infrastructure. The trade in health services has probable implications on equity, efficiency and quality of health services albeit not much is known. For Pakistan the issue of equity in health becomes relevant when the country\u27s social indicators are rather depressed and reveal large regional, urban/rural and gender disparities. This study attempts to examine impact of GATS on equity in health services in Pakistan and provide recommendations to facilitate policymakers in making commitments in GATS in health services from the perspective of equity in health. The study adopts policy perspective for critical analysis of GATS exploring equity issues in health services applying a policy analysis tool and employing qualitative research methods for further inquiry and support. Benchmarks of Fairness\u27 were adapted and applied to study the implications of issues related to equity in health services with the introduction of GATS and enhanced trade in health services. Scoring criteria was developed to examine each mode of health service under GATS on equity in health. When examined against different criteria of Benchmarks of Fairness, trade in different modes of health services could only be scored highly on the scale developed for the purpose. Moreover, none of the criteria could be scored with direct and specific evidence and inferences from different studies were used to validate scoring. Lack of data relevant to trade in health services in Pakistan came up as the most striking limitation to comment on each benchmark criteria. None of the criteria in any mode of service could indicate through direct or indirect evidence that it may improve equity in any or all related variables. Key informant interviews conducted for an in-depth inquiry revealed that there is considerable lack of knowledge about GATS and interviewees were generally unable to comment on equity in health in relation to GATS. In its schedules of commitments related to health, Pakistan has rightly been cautious in liberalizing market access and national treatment so far since it has not gained sufficient experience on the issue. There has also been lack of reliable, comprehensive, and internationally comparable data in Pakistan to understand the implications of trade in health services on equity in health system. It might be too early to arrive at firm conclusions regarding the impact of GATS on equity in health services in the country. Research in the country must be encouraged to provide information needed to strengthen the development of policies. There is also need for advocacy and awareness raising within the health sector, and for coordination between different sectors, in order to mitigate the potential negative impact of the liberalization of health services on vulnerable groups

Characterization of PTFE Film on 316L Stainless Steel Deposited through Spin Coating and Its Anticorrosion Performance in Multi Acidic Mediums

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) was coated on 316L stainless steel (SS) substrate through a spin coating technique to enhance its corrosion resistance properties in hydrochloric acid (HCl) and nitric acid (HNO3) medium. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed the morphology of the coated and uncoated substrates and showed a uniform and crack-free PTFE coating on 316L SS substrate, while a damaged surface with thick corrosive layers was observed after the electrochemical test on the uncoated sample. However, an increased concentration of HCl and HNO3 slightly affected the surface morphology by covering the corrosive pits. An atomic force microscope (AFM) showed that the average surface roughness on 316L SS and PTFE coating was 26.3 nm and 24.1 nm, respectively. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) was used for the compositional analysis, which confirmed the presence of PTFE coating. The micro Vickers hardness test was used to estimate the hardness of 316L SS and PTFE-coated substrate, while the scratch test was used to study the adhesion properties of PTFE coating on 316L SS. The anticorrosion measurements of 316L SS and PTFE-coated substrates were made in various HCl and HNO3 solutions by using the electrochemical corrosion test. A comparison of the corrosion performance of PTFE-coated substrate with that of bare 316L SS substrate in HCl medium showed a protection efficiency (PE) of 96.7%, and in the case of HNO3 medium, the PE was 99.02%, by slightly shifting the corrosion potential of the coated sample towards the anodic direction

Factors associated with the use of antenatal care in Sindh province, Pakistan:A population-based study

BACKGROUND: Antenatal care (ANC) is critical to decrease maternal and neonatal mortality. However, little is known about the utilization of ANC services in Pakistan. This study assessed the utilization of ANC in Sindh province, Pakistan, and identified the factors that affect its use. METHODS: We analysed a subset of data from Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Program Indicator Surveys conducted in Sindh province, Pakistan in 2013 and 2014. Respondents included 10,200 women who had given birth in the past two years. The outcome measure was making at least four ANC visits. Logistic regression models were used to identify demographic, socioeconomic, characteristics of ANC, and informational factors associated with ANC use. RESULTS: Most women (83.5%) received one or more ANC, mostly by doctors (95%), but only 57.3% of them made the recommended four or more visits, and just 53.7% received their initial ANC care during the first trimester. Making four or more ANC visits was associated with: fewer household occupants (odds ratio [OR] = 0.98; 95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.97, 0.99]), large city residence (OR = 1.92; 95% CI = [1.57, 2.35]), higher women's education (OR = 1.70; 95% CI = [1.33, 2.15]), greater household wealth (OR = 5.66; 95% CI = [4.22, 7.60]), and receiving MCH information from lady health worker (OR = 1.17; 95% CI = [1.00, 1.37]), mother-in-law (OR = 1.17; 95% CI = [1.01, 1.36]), other relatives/friends (OR = 1.19; 95% CI = [1.03, 1.38]), or nurse/midwife (OR = 1.31; 95% CI = [1.06, 1.61]). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that both socioeconomic factors and health information sources are associated with women's use of ANC. Therefore, programs should target socially disadvantaged and vulnerable groups, particularly rural, less educated, and poor women, to improve utilization of ANC. In addition, strategies to increase exposure to MCH information sources should be a priority in Sindh, Pakistan

Arsenic tolerance and phytoremediation potential of Conocarpus erectus L. and Populus deltoides L

The present study was conducted to explore arsenic (As) tolerance and phytostabilization potential of the two tree species, Buttonwood (Conocarpus erectus) and Eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides). Both plant species were exposed to various soil As levels (control, 5, 10, 15 and 20 mg kg(-1)) in pots. The plants were harvested after nine months for evaluation of growth parameters as well as root and shoot As concentrations. With increasing soil As levels, plant height stress tolerance index (PHSTI) was significantly decreased in both tree species, whereas root length stress tolerance index (RLSTI) and dry matter stress tolerance index (DMSTI) were not affected. Root and shoot As concentrations significantly increased in both tree species with increasing soil As levels. Translocation factor and bioconcentration factor were less than 1.0 for both plant species. This study revealed that both tree species are non-hyperaccumulators of As, but could be used for phytostabilization of As-contaminated soils