Assessing Water Charges under Changing Institutional Irrigation Management in Pakistan: A Methodological Framework

The Government of Pakistan has opted for institutional reforms for canal irrigation system of the country with a view to undertaking efficient operation and maintenance of the system and improving cost recovery. In the new reforms, the Farmers’ Organisations will manage distributaries and minors and pay the cost of upstream water in full. The complex hierarchy of the system poses serious challenges for working out the cost of water delivery for various channels. The paper presents a methodological framework for assessing the recoverable O&M costs from the farmers benefiting from an irrigation network. Hakra 4-R Distributary in the Eastern Sadiqia Canal serves as an illustration. The methodology shows how the beneficiary farmers can share the costs of the system. Simple methods are provided for working out water rates on the basis of volume of water received, commanded area, and duration of the irrigation turn. Out of the three methods, the area-based and time-based water rates have comparative advantage over the volumetric water rates owing to the resource endowments of the farmers

British Sikhs in complementary schooling: the role of heritage language proficiency and ‘culture learning’ in ethnic identity and bicultural adaptation

While the debate regarding bilingual benefits persists within the cognitive sciences, education research has documented various functions that heritage languages (HL) serve their speakers through bicultural adaptation. The present study adopted a mixed-methods approach to gauge HL proficiency and use, cultural participation and ethnic and mainstream identities, and to examine multiple perspectives on HL learning with complementary schooling (CS) among British Sikhs. Seventy-four 6- to 15-year-olds completed scales for perceived oral and literate abilities, language use across contexts, British and Sikh identifications, and participation in cultural activities. Children filled in open-ended items, while parents and teachers discussed in interviews and focus groups, their motivations for HL learning and CS experiences. The majority of children self-reported ‘good’ proficiency, which differed between generations as impacted by home use and was associated with cultural participation and Sikh identification. Most children referred to practical utility while most parents regarded culture retention as the dominant motivation for HL learning. Teachers discussed how teaching beyond the second generation and language shifts presented both challenges and opportunities. Still, all parties corroborated on the pertinence of HL maintenance as facilitated by CS through ‘culture learning’ towards a strong ethnic identity and bicultural adaptation

A colonic splenic flexure tumour presenting as an empyema thoracis: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>The case report describes the rare presentation of a 79-year-old patient with a locally perforated splenic flexure tumour of the colon presenting with an apparent empyema thoracis in the absence of abdominal signs or symptoms.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>Initial presentation was with a non-productive cough, anorexia and general malaise. An admission chest X-ray and subsequent computed tomographic image of the thorax showed a loculated pleural effusion consistent with an empyema. The computed tomography also showed a thickened splenic flexure. Thoracotomy was performed and a defect in the diaphragm was revealed after the abscess had been evacuated. A laparotomy was carried out at which point a tumour of the splenic flexure of the colon was found to be invading the spleen and locally perforated with subsequent collection in communication with the thorax. The tumour and spleen were resected and a transverse end colostomy was fashioned.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>One must consider the diagnosis of pathology inferior to the diaphragm when an apparent empyema thoracis is encountered even in the absence of clinical signs or symptoms.</p

Ewald methods for inverse power-law interactions in tridimensional and quasi-two dimensional systems

In this paper, we derive the Ewald method for inverse power-law interactions in quasi-two dimensional systems. The derivation is done by using two different analytical methods. The first uses the Parry's limit, that considers the Ewald methods for quasi-two dimensional systems as a limit of the Ewald methods for tridimensional systems, the second uses Poisson-Jacobi identities for lattice sums. Taking into account the equivalence of both derivations, we obtain a new analytical Fourier transform intregral involving incomplete gamma function. Energies of the generalized restrictive primitive model of electrolytes ($\eta$-RPM) and of the generalized one component plasma model ($\eta$-OCP) are given for the tridimensional, quasi-two dimensional and monolayers systems. Few numerical results, using Monte-Carlo simulations, for $\eta$-RPM and $\eta$-OCP monolayers systems are reported.Comment: to be published in Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical (19 pages, 2 figures and 3 tables

L-arginine: A unique amino acid for improving depressed wound immune function following hemorrhage

Objective: To determine whether L-arginine has any salutary effects on wound immune cell function following trauma-hemorrhage. Background. Depressed wound immune function contributes to an increased incidence of wound infections following hemorrhage. Although administration of L-arginine has been shown to restore depressed cell-mediated immune responses following hemorrhage potentially by maintaining organ blood flow, it remains unknown whether Larginine has any salutary effects on the depressed local immune response at the wound site. Methods: Male mice were subjected to a midline laparotomy and polyvinyl sponges were implanted subcutaneously in the abdominal wound prior to hemorrhage (35 +/- 5 mm Hg for 90 min and resuscitation) or sham operation. During resuscitation mice received 300 mg/kg body weight L-arginine or saline (vehicle). Sponges were harvested 24 h thereafter, wound fluid collected and wound immune cells cultured for 24 h in the presence of LPS. Pro- (IL-1beta, IL-6) and anti-inflammatory (IL-10) cytokines were determined in the supernatants and the wound fluid. In addition, wounds were stained for IL-6 immunohistochemically. In a separate set of animals, skin and muscle blood flow was determined by microspheres. Results: The capacity of wound immune cells to release IL-1beta and IL-6 in vitro was significantly depressed in hemorrhaged mice receiving vehicle. Administration of L-arginine, however, improved wound immune cell function. In contrast, in vivo the increased IL-6 release at the wound site was decreased in L-arginine-treated mice following hemorrhage. Moreover, IL-10 levels were significantly increased in the wound fluid in hemorrhaged animals receiving L-arginine compared to vehicle-treated mice. In addition, the depressed skin and muscle blood flow after hemorrhage was restored by L-arginine. Conclusions: Thus, L-arginine might improve local wound cell function by decreasing the inflammatory response at the wound site. Since L-arginine protected wound immune cell function this amino acid might represent a novel and useful adjunct to fluid resuscitation for decreasing wound complications following hemorrhage. Copyright beta 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel

PREVALENCE OF TRICHOMONIASIS IN DOMESTIC AND WILD PIGEONS AND ITS EFFECTS ON HEMATOLOGICAL PARAMETERS

The present study was conducted to determine the prevalence of trichomoniasis and its effect on some blood parameters in pigeons. A total of 100 samples from the pigeons (50 wild and 50 domestic) were collected during the months of March and April 2005. Higher prevalence (P<0.05) was recorded in wild pigeons (60%) than in domestic pigeon (26%). The overall prevalence recorded was 43%, being non significantly higher in April (56%) than in March (30%). In infected pigeons, there was significant (P<0.05) decrease in hemoglobin concentration number of monocytes packed cell volume, body weight, than healthy birds. Likewise, the values of total leukocyte count, lymphocytes and eosinophils were higher significantly (P<0.05) in infected pigeons than the healthy ones. While, no significant difference was observed for heterophils count when infected and healthy birds were compared. It was concluded that trichomonad infection is quite common in wild, as well as in domestic, pigeons under the prevailing cage system

Development of methods for the detection of trace amounts of selected carcinogenic and mutagenic amines in water

A great deal of concern exists over the presence of potentially carcinogenic and/or mutagenic substances in drinking water supplies. The general analytical schemes currently applied to water are less suited than specific methods for the detection of certain classes of organic contaminants such as aromatic amines because of their reactivity. We have concentrated our efforts at developing analytical schemes by which we are able to reliably detect, separate, and quantitate trace levels of a number of aromatic and heterocyclic amines. Both liquid and gas chromatographic methods have been developed. The relative strengths and limitations of the methods are discussed. Field evaluations of the final methods were carried out and reported.U.S. Department of the InteriorU.S. Geological SurveyOpe