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Recent developments in FACTS have produced U.P.Q.C to mitigate sag and attenuate THD. U.P.Q.C has been urbanized as a FACTS controller between feeding end & far end of distribution system .The U-P-Q-C is capable of improving the voltage profile & reducing THD of distribution system by regulating the voltage using PR (Proportional-Resonant-Controller) and MPC (Model-Predictive) controller. This work proposes U-P-Q-C for Thirty Three Bus Systems .The objective of this work is to enhance-voltage-profile of T-T-B-S. The T-T-B-S in open loop & closed loop-TTBS- U-P-Q-C using PR and MPC-controllers are-modeled,pretend & their consequences are represented. Responses are estimated as a time of settle and error in steady state. The outcomes indicate that MP Controlled T-T-B-S system has better response than PR controlled T-T-B-S system.

Rajasekhar Lakshmipathy,1 Nallani Chakravarthula Sarada,2 K Chidambaram,3 Sk Khadeer Pasha3 1Centre for Material Science, KCG College of Technology, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India; 2Environmental and Analytical Chemistry Division, 3Material Physics Division, School of Advanced Sciences, VIT University, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India Abstract: We investigated the one-step synthesis of CdS nanoparticles via green synthesis that used aqueous extract of watermelon rind as a capping and stabilizing agent. Preliminary phytochemical analysis depicted the presence of carbohydrates which can act as capping and stabilizing agents. Synthesized CdS nanoparticles were characterized using UV-visible, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, EDX, dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy techniques. The CdS nanoparticles were found to be size- and shape-controlled and were stable even after 3 months of synthesis. The results suggest that watermelon rind, an agro-waste, can be used for synthesis of CdS nanoparticles without any addition of stabilizing and capping agents. Keywords: green synthesis, nanoparticles, biomimetic, atomic force microscopy

Vector-borne diseases (VBDs) affecting dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius) have considerable importance in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) because of the consequences associated with production decline and economic losses. Our study aimed to determine the prevalence of selected VBDs in camels in the UAE and identify risk factors. This research is currently affected by the low number of epidemiological molecular surveys addressing this issue. Blood samples were obtained from 425 dromedary camels from different locations across the UAE. Whole genomic DNA was isolated, and PCR screening was done to detect piroplasmids (Babesia/Theileria spp.), Trypanosoma spp., and Anaplasmataceae spp. (Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, Neorickettsia and Wolbachia spp.). Amplicons were sequenced, and phylogenetic trees were constructed. Trypanosoma sequences were identified as T. brucei evansi, whereas Anaplasmataceae sequences were identified as A. platys-like. All camels were negative for Babesia/Theileria spp. (0%); however, 18 camels were positive for T. b. evansi (4%) and 52 were positive for A. platys-like (12%). Mixed infection with T. b. evansi and A. platys-like was found in one camel. Statistical analyses revealed that camels with a brown coat colour were significantly more prone to acquire the A. platys-like strain compared with those having a clearer coat. A similar finding was observed when comparing urban moving camels with desert indoor and urban indoor camels. Continuous disease surveillance is required to ensure and maintain the good health status of the camels in the UAE. Nonetheless, the risk of disease outbreak remains if the misuse of drugs continues., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To assess the level of acceptability of oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transwomen (TW) in Pakistan., Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of the Study: Online study portal from September to November 2021., Methodology: The study participants were recruited through snowball sampling. Consenting individuals who were >13 years and were identified as MSM or TW were included in the study. Data were analysed using SPSS version 25. Frequencies, percentages and correlation coefficients were computed., Results: A total of 347 participants were recruited. The mean age of all participants was 29.8 ± 6.7 years. Fifty-eight (19.7%) of the participants had chemsex with amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) at least once in preceding six months of the study, and 58 (19.7%) had a sexually transmitted infection (STI) in preceding six months whereas 10 (3.4%) participants had used drugs via injection. Two hundred and thirty-eight (72%) of the participants were aware of PrEP, 30 (11.7%) had used PrEP in the past, and 3.88% were currently using PrEP. The willingness to use PrEP, free of cost, was shown by 300 participants (86.45%) and by 180 (54.5%), if available at a low cost., Conclusion: There was a high prevalence of risk factors posing them at considerable risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The majority was aware of PrEP for HIV prevention. The willingness to use PrEP was high when PrEP was offered free of cost but dropped down when participants were asked to pay for PrEP. Based on this finding, PrEP should be available free of cost at the community preferred outlets., Key Words: Gay, Men who have sex with men, HIV, Pre-exposure prophylaxis Pakistan, Transwomen, Chemsex, People living with HIV.

PVDF-HFP/BaTiO 3 /GQDs polymer nanocomposite films with good flexibility and high dielectric constant (ϵ) at low frequency were prepared via solution casting technique. Different compositions of BaTiO 3 (non-conducting ceramic nanofiller) and Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) (conducting nanofiller) utilized as co-filler were embedded in poly (vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoroethylene) (PVDF-HFP) polymer matrix. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques were employed to characterize the prepared nanocomposite films. The mechanical properties of PVDF-HFP/BaTiO 3 /GQDs nanocomposite films were also investigated. Dielectric properties of nanocomposite films such as dielectric constant (ϵ), dielectric loss (tanδ) and AC conductivity ( σ ac ) were also determined as a function of frequency and temperature. Highest ϵ with relatively low tanδ obtained at low frequency for maximum temperature in all polymer nanocomposite films. The σ ac increases from lower (100 Hz) to higher frequency up to 100 kHz and drops to zero for the further increment of frequency. These results suggest that the PVDF-HFP/BaTiO 3 /GQDs nanocomposites are the most promising materials for energy storage applications., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In the present work, the cost effective and facile hydrothermal synthesis technique was adopted to synthesize the copper (׀׀) oxide (CuO)-Nanoparticles (NPs). Physico-chemical characterization of the synthesized CuO-NPs was done by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis were carried out to study the structural, optical, and surface morphology of nanomaterial. XRD analysis revealed that the synthesized CuO-NPs had monoclinic structure and the average crystallite size is 20 nm. FTIR spectra indicate the vibrational bands of metal oxygen bonds (Cu-O). UV-visible absorption spectra were utilized to determine the energy band gap (E g ) of the CuO-NPs. In addition, we fabricated the chemiresistive sensor using synthesized CuO-NPs for detecting Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). These results demonstrate that CuO-NPs based chemiresistive sensor is ideal for qualitative detection of BTEX chemicals vapors (i.e. Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, and Xylene)., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Modifying the structures and doping are proven to be effective methods to tune the structural and electrical properties of g-C 3 N 4 quantum dots. Hence, in this study, tri-s-triazine and tri-nitro tri-s-triazine have been studied by functionalizing their edges with hydrogen. The H-functionalized tri-nitro tri-s-triazine quantum dot displays a buckled structure with a band gap of 1.988 eV, whereas the tri-s-triazine demonstrates a planner structure with a band gap of 1.636 eV. The obtained results have been compared with the previous results. The absorbance spectrum of H-functionalized trinitro tri-s-triazine falls under the visible region with a peak value of 488 nm, and the absorption spectrum of tri-s-triazine falls at 790 nm. The planarity of the tri-nitro tri-s-triazine structure is improved by doping the B atom in the N site, and the band gap of H-functionalized B doped tri-nitro tri-s-triazine is 1.143 eV. The absorbance spectrum of H-functionalized B doped tri-nitro tri-s-triazine is 508 nm. The reactivity of the structure is increased by doping B atoms, and it is confirmed by the electrophilicity index. Similarly, the H-functionalized B doped tri-s-triazine exhibits a band gap of 1.328 eV. Further, the tri-s-triazine structures are arranged in ternary form, and the properties are studied by increasing the number of B atoms in the tri-s-triazine rings. The outcome presents that the structures are planar, and band gap values are reduced further. Also, the reactivity of the sheets is increased, which is confirmed by the electrophilicity index. It is proposed that the sheets with a high reactivity can be used for the removal of hazardous ions and molecules from the industrial wastage., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has set an ambitious target to eliminate hepatitis C virus (HCV) by 2030. Pakistan is one of the focused countries because of the high prevalence of HCV. The prices of direct-acting antiviral drugs(DAA)have significantly reduced to between 11-25 dollars for a month's treatment. To achieve the 2030 elimination target, Pakistan has to provide treatment to one million HCV-infected patients every year, beginning from 2018. This short report highlights a key barrier to achieve this target,i.e. the unsafe practices by regulated and unregulated healthcare delivery system comprising trained and untrained healthcare providers who can continue to churn out new patients with their unsafe healthcare practices and increase the possibility of reinfection in those who have been treated. Only the government has the power and authority to regulate and control the healthcare delivery system. Elimination of Hepatitis in Pakistan will remain a distant dream unless the healthcare delivery system is tamed.

Conventional monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies are sensitive to changes in environmental factors such as temperature, pH, humidity, etc. This limits the current cost-effective and portable electrochemical immunosensors in harsh environments. Using Ricin Chain-A, a naturally occurring toxin, as a model analyte we report fabrication of a thermally stable electrochemical immunosensor. Single-domain antibodies (sdAb) or nanobodies have been employed as recognition elements for direct detection of Ricin at temperatures great than 4°C. Immunosensor fabricated using the conventional Ricin monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies have also been demonstrated for comparison. In the case of sdAb immunosensor, Ricin was detected in a linear range of 1log(fg/mL)-1log(μg/mL) with a sensitivity of 0.07μA/log(g/mL)/cm(2) using cyclic voltammetry. The fabricated miniaturized sensors have demonstrated higher shelf life and stability at temperatures up to 40°C. Therefore these electrochemical sensors can be integrated as a part of a portable device for point-of-care immunosensing., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

We determined the presence of neutralizing antibodies to Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus in persons in Qatar with and without dromedary contact. Antibodies were only detected in those with contact, suggesting dromedary exposure as a risk factor for infection. Findings also showed evidence for substantial underestimation of the infection in populations at risk in Qatar.

We report a strategy for fabrication of 3D triangular GaN nano prism islands (TGNPI) grown on Ga/Si(553) substrate at low temperature by N2(+) ions implantation using a sputtering gun technique. The annealing of Ga/Si(553) (600 °C) followed by nitridation (2 keV) shows the formation of high quality GaN TGNPI cross-section. TGNPI morphology has been confirmed by atomic force microscopy. Furthermore, these nano prism islands exhibit prominent ultra-violet luminescence peaking at 366 nm upon 325 nm excitation wavelength along with a low intensity yellow luminescence broad peak at 545 nm which characterizes low defects density TGNPI. Furthermore, the time-resolved spectroscopy of luminescent TGNPI in nanoseconds holds promise for its futuristic application in next generation UV-based sensors as well as many portable optoelectronic devices.

Antibodies to Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) were detected in serum and milk collected according to local customs from 33 camels in Qatar, April 2014. At one location, evidence for active virus shedding in nasal secretions and/or faeces was observed for 7/12 camels; viral RNA was detected in milk of five of these seven camels. The presence of MERS-CoV RNA in milk of camels actively shedding the virus warrants measures to prevent putative food-borne transmission of MERS-CoV.

Everyday lifestyle related issues are the main cause of psychological stress, which contributes to health disparities experienced by individuals. Prolonged exposure to stress leads to the activation of signaling pathways from the brain that leads to release of cortisol from the adrenal cortex. Various biomarkers have been affected by psychological stress, but cortisol "a steroid hormone" is known as a potential biomarker for its estimation. Cortisol can also be used as a target analyte marker to determine the effect of exposure such as organophosphates on central nervous system, which alters the endocrine system, leading to imbalance in cortisol secretion. Cortisol secretion of individuals depends on day-night cycle and field environment hence its detection at point-of-care (POC) is deemed essential to provide personalized healthcare. Chromatographic techniques have been traditionally used to detect cortisol. The issues relating to assay formation, system complexity, and multistep extraction/purification limits its application in the field. In order to overcome these issues and to make portable and effective miniaturized platform, various immunoassays sensing strategies are being explored. However, electrochemical immunosensing of cortisol is considered as a recent advancement towards POC application. Highly sensitive, label-free and selective cortisol immunosensor based on microelectrodes are being integrated with the microfluidic system for automated diurnal cortisol monitoring useful for personalized healthcare. Although the reported sensing devices for cortisol detection may have a great scope to improve portability, electronic designing, performance of the integrated sensor, data safety and lifetime for point-of-care applications, This review is an attempt to describe the various cortisol sensing platforms and their potential to be integrated into a wearable system for online and continuous monitoring of cortisol rhythm at POC as a function of one's environment., (© 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)