Extraction, optical properties, and aging studies of natural pigments of various flower plants

In this paper, we reported the extraction process of five different flowering plants utilizing different dye extraction methods and solvents (ethanol and water) to choose the best dye removal process. The FTIR spectra revealed the presence of several clear functional groups for all five natural dyes. The analytical studies such as UV spectroscopy, column chromatography, and vacuum evaporation were performed to isolate the dyes from their solutions. The UV-Vis studies on the pigments of flower extracts indicated broad absorption peaks in the visible region including clear bandgaps. Among the studied pigments, Alternanthera ficoidea showed the lowest direct bandgap of 1.69 eV and an Urbach energy value of 6.33 meV. The dye extraction yield rate improvement was extended from 11.7 to 24.7% (water solvent) and 11.3–32.4% (ethanol solvent). Throughout the studies, it was observed that ethanol produced a better extraction for organic dyes than water as a solvent. Aging studies revealed that all the dyes at the room temperature showed better stability with minor changes in the observed optical parameters in oxygen-rich conditions; however, these parameters have shown significant variations at a 60 °C temperature

PLL-BASED 3? INVERTER CIRCUIT FOR MICROGRID SYSTEM OPERATED BY ELECTROSTATIC GENERATOR

A current source control based PLL (phase lock loop) technique is one of the most efficient methods for modern 3? synchronized grid power systems. When an inverter circuit is driven by an electrostatic generator with wind power, it encounters some problems, such as static and dynamic turn-on-off switching losses, unbalanced source voltage, low continuous current, higher frequency harmonic distortion, phase angle imbalance, etc. To solve these problems, a series of connected switching inverter modules technique is proposed. It is not only a traditional inverter system, but it also works as a low-frequency ripple current inverter with lower switch losses. A new topology of phase synchronous inverter (PSI) is designed using a PLL current source controller. The input voltage source of the PSI is a high DC voltage from an electrostatic generator (ESG). The modified ESG is capable of generating the HVDC and a continuous moderate amount of current. The proposed switching topology of the inverter is able to control the microgrid power as well as reduce the dynamic and static switching loss. It also reduces the high-frequency harmonic distortion and improves the phase angle error. The output LCL lowpass filter scheme of the inverter is designed to reduce the total harmonic distortion of 1.62%. The PSI circuit is designed and simulated using MATLAB software. In the developed system, the input voltage of 8 k , microgrid frequency of 50Hz, switching frequency of the carrier of 10 kHz, and modulation index of 0.85 are considered to be implemented. The proposed novel microgrid connected PSI switching module design technique has significantly enhanced the power stability. The overall system efficiency improved by 95.52%. ABSTRAK: Sumber-arus terkawal berdasarkan teknik PLL (fasa litar kunci) adalah satu kaedah cekap bagi sistem moden tenaga grid selaras 3?. Apabila litar songsang (inverter) digerak menggunakan penjana elektrostatik bersama tenaga angin, ia mengalami masalah seperti kehilangan tenaga statik dan dinamik suis hidup-mati, sumber voltan yang tidak seimbang, kurang arus terus, gangguan harmoni frekuensi tinggi, ketidak-seimbangan sudut fasa, dan sebagainya. Bagi menyelesaikan masalah ini, teknik modul suis bersiri dihubung bersama inverter telah dicadangkan. Ini bukan semata-mata teknik lama sistem inverter, tetapi ia juga berfungsi sebagai arus tidak tetap frekuensi-rendah dengan kurang kehilangan tenaga pada suis inverter. Topologi baru fasa inverter tetap (PSI) ini telah direka menggunakan kawalan sumber arus PLL. Sumber voltan masuk PSI ini telah digunakan daripada voltan DC tinggi penjana elektrostatik (ESG). ESG yang diubah suai ini dapat menghasilkan HVDC dan arus terus yang sederhana. Topologi suis inverter yang dicadang ini dapat mengawal kuasa mikrogrid serta mengurangkan kehilangan dinamik dan statik suis. Ia juga mengurangkan gangguan harmoni frekuensi tinggi dan memperbaiki ketidak-seimbangan sudut fasa. Skim tapisan signal keluar yang rendah pada LCL inverter ini direka bagi mengurangkan total gangguan harmoni sebanyak 1.62%. Litar PSI ini direka dan disimulasi menggunakan perisian MATLAB. Dalam sistem yang dibangunkan ini, 8 kVDCvoltan masuk, 50Hz frekuensi mikrogrid, 10 kHz frekuensi suis angkutan dan 0.85 indeks modulasi telah dipertimbangkan untuk kegunaan. Teknik baru modul suis PSI mikrogrid bersambung yang dicadangkan ini mempunyai kepentingan dalam menstabilkan kuasa dan memperbaiki kecekapan sistem keseluruhan sebanyak 95.52%

Incorporation of cobalt ferrite on the field dependent performances of magnetorheological grease

Magnetorheological grease (MRG) is one of the smart materials that experiences a high off state viscosity, which hassles the operation of devices at the beginning and causes more energy consumption upon operation. Therefore, this paper investigates the off-state viscosity of MR lithium-based grease with various percentages of cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4), as these particles are believed to potentially enhance the field-dependent stress of MRG by reducing the off-state viscosity and increasing mobility of the magnetic particles as the magnetic field applied. The MRG with various concentrations of CoFe2O4 at a ratio of 1 e5 wt.% were investigated via Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) and Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM) to analyze their morphology and magnetic properties, respectively. The rheological test of MRG samples in terms of viscosity, shear stress and yield stress were investigated upon shear rate, using rheometer. The results demonstrated that with the incorporation of 5wt.% CoFe2O4 particles, the initial off-state viscosity was reduced by 86% as compared to the pure MRG. The presence of CoFe2O4 particles triggered more chaotic motion thus restricted the formation of agglomeration of particles during shearing process. Meanwhile, the initial viscosity of MRG increased as a 0.64 T of magnetic field was applied along with the increased of CoFe2O4 particles. In fact, there was an enhancement of shear stress and yield stress on the CoFe2O4 incorporated MRG samples as compared with pure MRG. This study underlined the influence of CoFe2O4 particles, which could reduce the initial viscosity of MRG and improve the rheological properties upon the application of magnetic field

Avian Influenza Outbreaks in Chickens, Bangladesh

To determine the epidemiology of outbreaks of avian influenza A virus (subtypes H5N1, H9N2) in chickens in Bangladesh, we conducted surveys and examined virus isolates. The outbreak began in backyard chickens. Probable sources of infection included egg trays and vehicles from local live bird markets and larger live bird markets

Risk for Infection with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus (H5N1) in Backyard Chickens, Bangladesh

Risk factors were feeding slaughter remnants of purchased chickens, having a body of water nearby, and contact with pigeons

Tracking development assistance for health and for COVID-19 : a review of development assistance, government, out-of-pocket, and other private spending on health for 204 countries and territories, 1990-2050

Background The rapid spread of COVID-19 renewed the focus on how health systems across the globe are financed, especially during public health emergencies. Development assistance is an important source of health financing in many low-income countries, yet little is known about how much of this funding was disbursed for COVID-19. We aimed to put development assistance for health for COVID-19 in the context of broader trends in global health financing, and to estimate total health spending from 1995 to 2050 and development assistance for COVID-19 in 2020. Methods We estimated domestic health spending and development assistance for health to generate total health-sector spending estimates for 204 countries and territories. We leveraged data from the WHO Global Health Expenditure Database to produce estimates of domestic health spending. To generate estimates for development assistance for health, we relied on project-level disbursement data from the major international development agencies' online databases and annual financial statements and reports for information on income sources. To adjust our estimates for 2020 to include disbursements related to COVID-19, we extracted project data on commitments and disbursements from a broader set of databases (because not all of the data sources used to estimate the historical series extend to 2020), including the UN Office of Humanitarian Assistance Financial Tracking Service and the International Aid Transparency Initiative. We reported all the historic and future spending estimates in inflation-adjusted 2020 US$, 2020 US$ per capita, purchasing-power parity-adjusted US$per capita, and as a proportion of gross domestic product. We used various models to generate future health spending to 2050. Findings In 2019, health spending globally reached$8. 8 trillion (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 8.7-8.8) or $1132 (1119-1143) per person. Spending on health varied within and across income groups and geographical regions. Of this total,$40.4 billion (0.5%, 95% UI 0.5-0.5) was development assistance for health provided to low-income and middle-income countries, which made up 24.6% (UI 24.0-25.1) of total spending in low-income countries. We estimate that $54.8 billion in development assistance for health was disbursed in 2020. Of this,$13.7 billion was targeted toward the COVID-19 health response. $12.3 billion was newly committed and$1.4 billion was repurposed from existing health projects. $3.1 billion (22.4$2.4 billion (17.9%) was for supply chain and logistics. Only $714.4 million (7.7$1519 (1448-1591) per person in 2050, although spending across countries is expected to remain varied. Interpretation Global health spending is expected to continue to grow, but remain unequally distributed between countries. We estimate that development organisations substantially increased the amount of development assistance for health provided in 2020. Continued efforts are needed to raise sufficient resources to mitigate the pandemic for the most vulnerable, and to help curtail the pandemic for all. Copyright (C) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.Peer reviewe

Anemia prevalence in women of reproductive age in low- and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2018

Anemia is a globally widespread condition in women and is associated with reduced economic productivity and increased mortality worldwide. Here we map annual 2000–2018 geospatial estimates of anemia prevalence in women of reproductive age (15–49 years) across 82 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), stratify anemia by severity and aggregate results to policy-relevant administrative and national levels. Additionally, we provide subnational disparity analyses to provide a comprehensive overview of anemia prevalence inequalities within these countries and predict progress toward the World Health Organization’s Global Nutrition Target (WHO GNT) to reduce anemia by half by 2030. Our results demonstrate widespread moderate improvements in overall anemia prevalence but identify only three LMICs with a high probability of achieving the WHO GNT by 2030 at a national scale, and no LMIC is expected to achieve the target in all their subnational administrative units. Our maps show where large within-country disparities occur, as well as areas likely to fall short of the WHO GNT, offering precision public health tools so that adequate resource allocation and subsequent interventions can be targeted to the most vulnerable populations.Peer reviewe

Association of C-reactive protein with bacterial and respiratory syncytial virus-associated pneumonia among children aged <5 years in the PERCH study

Background. Lack of a gold standard for identifying bacterial and viral etiologies of pneumonia has limited evaluation of C-reactive protein (CRP) for identifying bacterial pneumonia. We evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of CRP for identifying bacterial vs respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) pneumonia in the Pneumonia Etiology Research for Child Health (PERCH) multicenter case-control study. Methods. We measured serum CRP levels in cases with World Health Organization-defined severe or very severe pneumonia and a subset of community controls. We evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of elevated CRP for "confirmed" bacterial pneumonia (positive blood culture or positive lung aspirate or pleural fluid culture or polymerase chain reaction [PCR]) compared to "RSV pneumonia" (nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal or induced sputum PCR-positive without confirmed/suspected bacterial pneumonia). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed to assess the performance of elevated CRP in distinguishing these cases. Results. Among 601 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative tested controls, 3% had CRP ≥40 mg/L. Among 119 HIVnegative cases with confirmed bacterial pneumonia, 77% had CRP ≥40 mg/L compared with 17% of 556 RSV pneumonia cases. The ROC analysis produced an area under the curve of 0.87, indicating very good discrimination; a cut-point of 37.1 mg/L best discriminated confirmed bacterial pneumonia (sensitivity 77%) from RSV pneumonia (specificity 82%). CRP ≥100 mg/L substantially improved specificity over CRP ≥40 mg/L, though at a loss to sensitivity. Conclusions. Elevated CRP was positively associated with confirmed bacterial pneumonia and negatively associated with RSV pneumonia in PERCH. CRP may be useful for distinguishing bacterial from RSV-associated pneumonia, although its role in discriminating against other respiratory viral-associated pneumonia needs further study

The global burden of cancer attributable to risk factors, 2010–19: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

BACKGROUND: Understanding the magnitude of cancer burden attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors is crucial for development of effective prevention and mitigation strategies. We analysed results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 to inform cancer control planning efforts globally. METHODS: The GBD 2019 comparative risk assessment framework was used to estimate cancer burden attributable to behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risk factors. A total of 82 risk–outcome pairs were included on the basis of the World Cancer Research Fund criteria. Estimated cancer deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) in 2019 and change in these measures between 2010 and 2019 are presented. FINDINGS: Globally, in 2019, the risk factors included in this analysis accounted for 4·45 million (95% uncertainty interval 4·01–4·94) deaths and 105 million (95·0–116) DALYs for both sexes combined, representing 44·4% (41·3–48·4) of all cancer deaths and 42·0% (39·1–45·6) of all DALYs. There were 2·88 million (2·60–3·18) risk-attributable cancer deaths in males (50·6% [47·8–54·1] of all male cancer deaths) and 1·58 million (1·36–1·84) risk-attributable cancer deaths in females (36·3% [32·5–41·3] of all female cancer deaths). The leading risk factors at the most detailed level globally for risk-attributable cancer deaths and DALYs in 2019 for both sexes combined were smoking, followed by alcohol use and high BMI. Risk-attributable cancer burden varied by world region and Socio-demographic Index (SDI), with smoking, unsafe sex, and alcohol use being the three leading risk factors for risk-attributable cancer DALYs in low SDI locations in 2019, whereas DALYs in high SDI locations mirrored the top three global risk factor rankings. From 2010 to 2019, global risk-attributable cancer deaths increased by 20·4% (12·6–28·4) and DALYs by 16·8% (8·8–25·0), with the greatest percentage increase in metabolic risks (34·7% [27·9–42·8] and 33·3% [25·8–42·0]). INTERPRETATION: The leading risk factors contributing to global cancer burden in 2019 were behavioural, whereas metabolic risk factors saw the largest increases between 2010 and 2019. Reducing exposure to these modifiable risk factors would decrease cancer mortality and DALY rates worldwide, and policies should be tailored appropriately to local cancer risk factor burden