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With the increased installation of single-phase rooftop PV systems, in-house battery storage units, and high-power plug-in loads (i.e., EVs) at single-phase residential sites, it is prevalent that an increasing number of residential distribution systems are becoming severely unbalanced, causing power quality problems and thermal risks at distribution sub-stations. While different techniques have been investigated to resolve this issue, there is still a lack of adequate theoretical foundations to guide these approaches. In this study, a detailed analytical analysis is carried out for a typical North American residential community with single-phase power generation, storage, and high-power random plug-in loads. This analysis has laid the foundation for a class of operating scenarios and provides an essential theoretical basis to unify different techniques for dynamically balancing single-phase microgrids connected to three-phase distribution systems. Detailed formulations have been developed for the first time to draw explicit power transfer relationships among power surplus and power-deficient phases to achieve an overall dynamic balance. A user-friendly, free interactive online tool has also been developed for potential users to evaluate their own application scenarios.

With increased installation of single-phase rooftop PV systems, in-house battery storages, and high-power plug-in loads (i.e. EVs) at single-phase residential sites, it is prevalent that more and more distribution systems are becoming severely unbalanced causing power quality problems and thermal risks at distribution substations. To solve this problem, two main strategies have been developed previously by the authors, known as intra- and inter-phase power management strategies. The latter makes use of interconnecting back-to-back converters between the phases to mitigate the phase imbalance caused by the various single-phase DG units and loads. This paper devotes laboratory evaluation of the developed schemes and demonstrate key features experimentally on inter-phase power management. Two main experiments have been carried out to confirm that the developed technique can use the surplus power capacity from one phase to support the load demand in another phase to achieve dynamic power balance. From the point view of the substation transformer, the three-phases will always appear to be balanced despite the fact that different phases can have very different local generation and load profiles.

Background and Aims: Cholangiocarcinoma is a relatively rare malignancy with high mortality. In the U.S., incidence rates of cholangiocarcinoma have increased, particularly affecting younger age groups and Hispanic and Asian individuals. We investigated the incidence of cholangiocarcinoma in a largely under-represented, minority population. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study from 2005 to 2017 among adults in a county-funded healthcare system in Harris County, Texas. Incidence rate ratios were computed to compare age-standardized rates using U.S. standard population between 2 time periods: 2005–2011 and 2012–2017. Results: We identified 139 cholangiocarcinoma cases (64% intrahepatic, 36% extrahepatic). The median age at diagnosis was 57 years; 62% were Hispanic, and 56% were born outside the U.S. The incidence rate increased from 1.2 to 2.4 per 100,000 person-years (rate ratio 2.1 [95% confidence interval {CI}: 1.5, 3.0]). Hispanic individuals and those aged 40–69 years had the highest rate of incidence increase (respectively, rate ratio: 2.5 [95% CI: 1.6, 4.0] and rate ratio: 2.0 [95% CI: 1.2, 3.0]) between time periods. In 2012–2017, the risk of cholangiocarcinoma among patients with diabetes was 1.4 times relative to those without (relative risk: 1.4; 95% CI: 1.1, 1.5) and 1.2 times among those who were overweight/obese relative to those who were not (relative risk: 1.2; 95% CI: 1.1, 1.6). Conclusion: Incidence of cholangiocarcinoma doubled during the 12-year study period, with Hispanic and middle-aged individuals disproportionately affected. Individuals with diabetes mellitus and those who were overweight or obese had a high risk of being diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma in the later time period. Further studies should focus on preventing and improving earlier diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma among Hispanics.

A benchmark distribution system is developed for investigating control and energy management of distributed generation (DG) at a residential level in the form of three single-phase microgrids. The benchmark is derived from a typical distribution network architecture with common parameters found in North-America systems including wiring specifications, line impedances and connection details for rooftop PV systems. This benchmark system can accommodate microgrids operating in both grid-connected and islanded modes. Within this benchmark, multiple single-phase DG sources located in different phases can be coordinated to form a dynamically balanced three phase system under different load and generation profiles in different phases. The coordination of DG sources in a particular phase is achieved through an intra-phase power management device, while mitigating loads and generation imbalance among all phases are done by an inter-phase power management scheme. It is expected that this benchmark system will facilitate investigation of impacts posed by proliferation of single-phase distributed generation devices and local storage systems in private residences. Three case studies have been carried out to demonstrate the versatility and effectiveness of this benchmark system.

Background/Introduction: Healthcare worker uniforms are a potential reservoir for microorganisms, and thus contaminated dress may transmit pathogenic organisms in hospital settings. This study aims at isolating the bacteria from traditional dresses used in a tertiary care hospital, Saudi Arabia, and compares them with whitecoat. Also, this study explores the relationship between bacterial contamination and type of department, type of provider specialty, and dress textile material. Methods: A Descriptive Analytic cross-sectional study was conducted. Multiple culture swabs were obtained from these traditional dresses and whitecoats of the healthcare workers and were analyzed for the rate of bacterial contamination. This study also compares the bacterial contamination rates between medical workers and non-medical personnel like the administrative staff. A Sample size of 742 swabs from 139 participants,from multiple sites was obtained.Data analysis was presented as mean± SD, or as median and range according to the type of distribution of each variable. The Chi-square test was used to test for the association and/or difference between two categorical variables and p-value for statistical significance. Results: It was seen that bacterial contamination of 29.7% was seen in traditional dress compared to 22.5% of those wearing Whitecoat. Concerning the type of traditional dress, the highest rate of bacterial contamination was observed with Thop (40%), followed by Niqab (36.1%). Regarding the source textile material, the mixed type had the highest rate of bacterial contamination (35.7%). Conclusion: The traditional dress showed to be higher in the rate of bacterial contamination in comparison to whitecoats. Also, we found that the type of department and type provider specialty concerning bacterial contamination has a no different effect when compared to others. in our results, the administrative staff carries the same results as healthcare workers regarding bacterial contamination highlighting that they can share in the risk of bacterial transmission.

Waste-to-energy (WTE) is a viable option for municipal solid waste (MSW) management and a renewable energy source. MSW is a chronic problem in Saudi Arabia and more specifically in Saudi Urban areas. The MSW practices in KSA are simply done by collecting the waste and dumping it in open landfill sites. KSA is considering WTE as a potential renewable energy source that can contribute to electricity demand in the Kingdom. This research aims to assess potential contribution of WTE facility to meet electricity demand in the three main cities in the Western Province of Saudi Arabia and to provide an alternative solution to landfills. Three scenarios for WTE utilization were developed: Mass Burn, Mass Burn with recycling, and refused derived fuel (RDF) with biomethanation. The Mass Burn scenario implies full waste stream incineration; the Mass Burn with recycling scenario considers segregation of reusable materials and the waste leftover for incineration; while RDF with biomethanation considers segregation of general waste stream into inorganic and organic waste and utilizes organic waste for biomethanation and inorganic for RDF. The analyses were completed for Jeddah, Makkah, and Madina cities; with current total population of about 6.3 million. The results show that Jeddah has the potential to produce about 180 MW of electricity based on incineration scenario; about 11.25 MW based on incineration with recycling scenario; and about 87.3 MW based RDF with biomethanation scenario by the year 2032. These values and other two cities values are based on theoretical ideals and they help in identifying the optimal WTE techniques for each city.

The global COVID-19 pandemic has led educational institutions to shut down and adopt e-learning practices through computer-mediated communication. An unanticipated switch of online classes from face-to-face classes isolates students from social groups and teachers, causing online disinhibition. Therefore, this paper investigates factors influencing university students' toxic disinhibition behavior in online classrooms, WhatsApp groups, and Telegram groups. Also, social isolation has been used as a moderating variable to identify whether social isolation strengthens or weakens the proposed association. The research holds the basis of "Social Cognitive Theory" and "Theory of Planned Behavior." The data from 506 university students have been collected for analysis. The proposed framework and research hypotheses have been assessed via PLS-SEM using Smart PLS software. Findings from the study show that toxic behavior victimization, attitude, subjective norms, and behavioral control are factors that positively & significantly affect toxic disinhibition online. Furthermore, motives and self-efficacy showed an insignificant influence on toxic disinhibition. Additionally, toxic disinhibition significantly & positively affects toxic behavior. At last, social isolation is likely to have a moderation effect on the variables. Hence, the research yields guidance on reducing toxic disinhibition online. Further, implications and recommendations are discussed at the end of the study.

Purpose: The present research aims to investigate the impact of "COVID-19 phobia" factors (psychological, social, economic and psychosomatic) on career anxiety and perceived distress. Further, this research assesses whether career anxiety and perceived distress foster or diminish students' employability confidence. Design/methodology/approach: "Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM)" has been used to analyze the data. Findings: The results depict that factors (psychological, economic and psychosomatic) are positively and significantly associated with career anxiety and perceived distress. However, social factors indicate an adverse impact on perceived distress. Further, career anxiety and perceived distress positively influence employability confidence, but the associations are not highly impactful. Originality/value: This research elucidates an unexplored phenomenon in the context of a developing country that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) phobia scale (i.e. psychological, social, economic and psychosomatic) result in career anxiety and distress. Moreover, no studies highlighted the direct impact of career anxiety and perceived distress on employability confidence.

This study paper looks into the structural integrity and failure mechanisms of washing machine top frames, with the goal of improving household appliance durability and reliability. Critical regions prone to fatigue failure were identified using SolidWorks software. Stress analysis and deformation analysis revealed the failure prone areas but upon assessing the costs associated with designing new molds for modified design and performing the breakeven calculation, we decided to go with an approach of using an alternate material which will not cause any change in existing mold. Polycarbonate (PC) with 50% long glass fiber reinforcement, were investigated to improve fatigue resistance. A new top frame of this material was made along with existing material ABS. Testing on a door simulator machine demonstrated a considerable improvement in durability, with the PC-based top frame demonstrating a 1128% increase in cycle endurance over the ABS counterpart. Top frame made up of ABS broke after 297 cycles and PC with 50% long glass fiber top frame broke after 3697 cycles. These findings highlight the significance of systematic design optimization and material selection for assuring long-term performance and safety in washing machine top frames.

Objective: To determine whether robotic metrics: (1) correlate with the Nine-Hole Peg Test (9HPT; good convergent validity); and (2) differentiate between those self-reporting “some hand problems” versus “no hand problems” (good criterion validity). Design: Cross-sectional validation analyses. Setting: Rehabilitation research laboratory located within a hospital. Participants: People with multiple sclerosis self-reporting “some” (n=21; mean age, 52.52±10.69 y; females, n=16; disease duration, 18.81±10.38 y) versus “no” (n=21; age, 51.24±12.73 y; females, n=14; disease duration, 17.71±10.16 y) hand problems. Main Outcome Measures: We assessed hand function using the criterion standard 9HPT and robotic testing. Robotic outcomes included an overall task score, as well as 2 movement planning (ie, reaction time and initial direction angle) and 2 movement correction (ie, movement time and path length ratio) spatiotemporal values. We identified participants reporting “some” versus “no” hand problems via the Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale-29. We analyzed our nonparametric data using a Mann–Whitney U test and Spearman rank-order correlation. Results: Those reporting “some hand problems” included more right-handed individuals (P=.038); otherwise, the 2 groups were characteristically similar. Visually guided reaching task score and movement planning but not movement correction spatiotemporal values demonstrated moderate correlations with 9HPT for both the dominant (reaction time: r=0.489, P=.001; initial direction angle: r=0.429, P=.005) and nondominant (reaction time: r=0.521, P

Yellow passion fruit (Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa) is valuable edible specie with economic significance in China. Passion fruit faces yield losses due to viral diseases. This study used tissue culture of nodal shoot segments to propagate virus-free plants. Surface-sterilized nodal shoot segments were used and shoots were initiated on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with various concentrations of 6-Benzyladenine (6-BA) (0.0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 and 3.0 mg L−1). Multiple shoots were initiated (5.2 ± 1.09 shoots/explant) with a 6-BA concentration of 2.0 mg L−1. Sub-culturing of these multiple shoots on MS medium augmented with 2.0 mg L−1 6-BA and 0.2 mg L−1 IAA was successful in vitro with maximum numbers of shoots (6.6 ± 1.17) within four weeks of incubation. These regenerated shoots were assayed for presence of passion fruit woodiness virus (PWV) using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); only virus-free shoots were used for further propagation. Root formation was very good in each indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) and (IAA) at a concentration of 0.6 mg L−1 with a maximum number of roots (7.2 ±1.30). Rooted plantlets were gradually acclimatized in a greenhouse and successfully established in soil. Thus, virus-free plants can be successfully regenerated directly from nodal shoot segments.

Ocular drugs have low absorption because of the unique environment in the eye, making ocular drugs one of the most challenging pharmaceutical initiatives. Liposomes have shown to be a promising ocular drug delivery system over the years because of enhanced drug absorption, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. Utilising a mucoadhesive material alongside liposomes could be a promising strategy to increase the therapeutic efficacy of ocular drugs. The present study aimed to develop a silk fibroin (SF)-coated liposomal formulation as an ocular drug delivery system. Regenerated silk fibroin (a novel biopolymer) was coated on ciprofloxacin hydrochloride-loaded liposomes (CPH-SFLs). Studies were carried out on the morphology, drug encapsulation efficiency, and in vitro drug release. Human corneal epithelial cells (HCEC) were used to examine the cellular adherence and cytotoxicity of CPH-SFLs. CPH-SFLs had an average particle size of 183 ± 3 nm as opposed to 169 ± 4 of blank SFLs. CPH-loaded SFLs lacked the endothermic peak of CPH at 150 °C, indicating that the CPH molecules were trapped in the SF polymeric grid. In the case of the formulations, 25 %–45 % of the medicine was released at a relatively fast pace over the course of the first 4 h and then at a slower rate over the course of the next 12–24 h. CPH-SFLs demonstrated sustained drug release and high in vitro ocular penetration of CPH. The MTT test was conducted to gauge the viability of HCECs, cell viability was higher than 85 %, demonstrating that CPH-SFLs had no adverse effects on HCEC. The observed CPH-SFL adhesions to HCECs were swift and persistent, like the cellular uptake of CPH-SFLs by HCECs. When compared to CPH-solution, the produced formulation CPH-SFLs demonstrated significantly (P

Plague is a disease of rodents carried to man by fleas and is non-existent in Pakistan. It represents a typical example of the evolution of human disease from an infection, originally confined to wild animals. Due to the closeness of Pakistan with India, the danger exists where it can become entrenched in the wild animals. It should be considered in the differential diagnosis in patients who lives in the endemic area or have exposure to animals known to harbor the vector. An attempt has been made in this review to understand the bionomics, clinical findings, diagnosis, epidemiology and prevention of the disease