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BackgroundCryptosporidium spp are important intestinal protozoan parasites that cause diarrhea in humans, domestic and wild animals. Its infection remains a main public health concern however, the epidemics in human being is still unclear, particularly in developing countries. There are several factors that may enhance the spreading of this parasite in human population especially in young children.MethodologyA questionnaire was designed to obtain the demographic and clinical data from the participants. A total of 425 stool samples were collected from suspected children (aged 3–10 years) in different hospitals and villages. The initial screening was performed with modified Ziehl Neelsen (mZN) staining technique followed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Several potential risk factors were also assessed through the obtained information from suspected individuals.ResultsOut of all 425 collected samples, 127 were observed positive by mZN with a prevalence of 29.88% (127/425). The 127 mZN positive samples together with 50 mZN negative samples were processed for molecular analysis through PCR assay. Among them, 71 out of 127 mZN positive samples and 4 out of 50 mZN negative samples were found positive by PCR. The molecular analysis showed that Cryptosporidium parvum was the main cause of infection in children. The results revealed that individuals exposed to diarrhea were more likely to be infected with Cryptosporidium infection while several environmental factors may also play a key role in spreading of this parasite.Conclusions/Significance of the studyThe current high prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection may be due to the lack of awareness and routine based testing in identification of this parasite in District Buner. Further studies are required to determine the importance of Cryptosporidium infection in this area as well as across the country and to find out the possible risk factors that may be associated with the occurrence of this protozoan. There is, however, an urgent need for laboratory-based observational studies to develop a more dynamic estimate of the cryptosporidial disease burden in the region.

Summary ZnO, 1% Ti doped ZnO and 1% Ti and (0.5%, 1%, and 1.5%) Cu co‐doped ZnO thin films are deposited on fluorine doped tin oxide glass substrates using sol‐gel technique. The impact of Ti and Cu co‐doping on optical, structural, and photovoltaic properties of ZnO thin films have been analyzed. X‐ray diffraction also confirms the hexagonal wurtzite crystal structure of the film. The 1% Ti and 1% Cu co‐doping percentage has an astonishing impact on the structural properties of the doped film, such as large grain size (19 nm), d‐spacing (2.48 Å), small dislocation line density (2.96 × 1015 m−2), lattice parameters (a = b = 3.2 Å, c = 5.2 Å), bond length (1.9 Å) and positional parameter (3.7 × 10−1) of the ZnO thin film. Optical parameters like reflectance, absorbance, transmittance, refractive index, and dielectric constants are calculated in the range of spectral from (250‐750) nm by using an ultraviolet ‐ visible spectrophotometer. In the visible region, all the films have approximately 85% transmittance, which is excellent for solar cells. The ZnO film prepared at the co‐doping percentage of 1% Ti and 1% Cu has high absorbance, high refractive index (2.09) and small band gap energy (3.37 eV) as compared to other doped films. The dye‐sensitized solar cells of these films as a Photoanode have been fabricated and studied the efficiency variation of films. It is found that the performance of the dye‐sensitized solar cell (DSSC) using a Ti‐Cu co‐doped film is much better than a pure ZnO film. The highest efficiency of DSSC 2.38% is achieved in the dye‐sensitized solar cell by using a 1% Ti and 1% Cu co‐doped ZnO thin film. When Ti is doped in ZnO then the surface area and pore size of the ZnO increased, which increase the dye loading ability. Cu reduces the recombination rate and enhances the electron injection efficiency rate from the dye to the conduction band of ZnO. Therefore, it is suggested that the thin films prepared by co‐doping of Cu and Ti into ZnO will upgrade the efficiency of cell.

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