Municipal Solid Waste Management in Pimpri-chinchwad City, India-an Overview

The management of municipal solid waste has become anacute problem due to enhanced economic activities and rapid urbanization.Increased attention has been given by the government in recent years to handle this problem in a safe and hygienic manner. This paper presents an overview of current Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSW) in Pimpri-Chinchwad city, India& provides recommendation in system improvement. The collected data of MSW functional elements were based on available reports & meeting with responsible persons. Due to increase in population & changes in life style the quantity & quality of MSW in PCMC city has changed. Public awareness, suitable planning, infrastructure are the main challenges of MSW management in PCMC city

Biological Wastewater Treatment

© 2012 by World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd. All rights reserved. The basic function of wastewater treatment is to speed up the natural processes by which water is purified. There are two basic stages in the treatment of wastes, primary and secondary, which are outlined here. In the primary stage, solids are allowed to settle and removed fromwastewater. The secondary stage uses biological processes to further purify wastewater. Sometimes, these stages are combined into one operation. This chapter introduces the biological treatment processes for the wastewater treatment. The technological topics covered are: role of microorganisms in treatment, aerobic suspended growth, aerobic attached growth, anaerobic attached growth, and treatment kinetics

Evaluation of Calypte AWARE HIV-1/2 OMT antibody test as a screening test in an Indian setting

Purpose: Integrated counselling and testing centres (ICTC) provide counselling and blood testing facilities for HIV diagnosis. Oral fluid tests provide an alternative for people who do not want blood to be drawn. Also, it avoids the risk of occupational exposure. The goal of this study was to evaluate the utility of Calypte AWARE HIV-1/2 OMT antibody test as a screening test in an Indian setting. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out after ethics committee approval in 250 adult ICTC clients. Blood was collected and tested from these clients for HIV diagnosis as per routine policy and the results were considered as the gold standard. Also, after another written informed consent, oral fluid was collected from the clients and tested for the presence of HIV antibodies. Twenty five clients who had and 25 clients who had not completed their secondary school education (Group A and Group B, respectively) were also asked to perform and interpret the test on their own and their findings and experiences were noted. Result: The sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV of the oral fluid antibody test were 100%, 98.51%, 94.11% and 100%, respectively. Seventy six percent of clients preferred oral fluid testing. Group B found it difficult to perform the test as compared to Group A and this difference was statistically significant (P ≤ 0.05). Conclusion: Oral fluid testing can be used as a screening test for HIV diagnosis; however, confirmation of reactive results by blood-based tests is a must