Sorption studies of some metal ions on zir-conium(IV) iodomolybdate

349-350Distribution coefficients of a large number of metal ions on zirconium(IV) iodomolybdate have been determined as a function of concentration of formic acid. On the basis of Kd values, Hg2+ has been separated from numerous metal ions

WTP Pilot-Scale Evaporation Tests

This report documents the design, assembly, and operation of a Pilot-Scale Evaporator built and operated by SRTC in support of Waste Treatment Plant (WTP) Project at the DOE's Hanford Site. The WTP employs three identical evaporators, two for the Waste Feed and one for the Treated LAW. The Pilot-Scale Evaporator was designed to test simulants for both of these waste streams. The Pilot-Scale Evaporator is 1/76th scale in terms of evaporation rates. The basic configuration of forced circulation vacuum evaporator was employed. A detailed scaling analysis was performed to preserve key operating parameters such as basic loop configuration, system vacuum, boiling temperature, recirculation rates, vertical distances between important hardware pieces, reboiler heat transfer characteristics, vapor flux, configuration of demisters and water spray rings. Three evaporation test campaigns were completed. The first evaporation run used water in order to shake down the system. The water runs were important in identifying a design flaw that inhibited mixing in the evaporator vessel, thus resulting in unstable boiling operation. As a result the loop configuration was modified and the remaining runs were completed successfully. Two simulant runs followed the water runs. Test 1: Simulated Ultrafiltration Recycles with HLW SBS, and Test 2: Treated AN102 with Envelop C LAW. Several liquid and offgas samples were drawn from the evaporator facility for regulatory and non-regulatory analyses. During Test 2, the feed and the concentrate were spiked with organics to determine organic partitioning. The decontamination factor (DF) for Test 1 was measured to be 110,000 (more than the expected value of 100,000). Dow Corning Q2-3183A antifoam agent was tested during both Tests 1 and 2. It was determined that 500 ppm of this antifoam agent was sufficient to control the foaminess to less than 5 per cent of the liquid height. The long-term testing (around 100 hours of operation) did not show any fouling of reboiler or other loop piping. The Pilot-Scale Evaporator will be used in the Semi-Integrated Pilot Plant tests. Additionally, the Pilot-Scale design can easily accommodate hardware changes that result from the development of the full-scale evaporator to resolve any issues arising from the startup or operation of the full-scale facility

Effect of air pollution on daily morbidity in Karachi, Pakistan

Levels of daily particulates (PM2.5) were monitored at two sites in Karachi, Pakistan. One site (Korangi) is an industrial and residential neighborhood, while the other (Tibet Center) is a commercial and residential area near a major highway. Monitoring was done daily for a period of six weeks during spring, summer, fall and winter. Particulate levels were extraordinarily high, with the great majority of days falling into the “unhealthy for sensitive groups” or “very unhealthy” categories. The mean PM2.5 levels in Karachi exceeded the WHO’s 24 h air quality guideline almost every day and often by a factor of greater than 5-fold. Daily emergency room (ER) visits and hospital admissions for cardiovascular diseases were obtained by review of medical records at three major tertiary and specialized hospitals. ER and hospitalizations were reported relative to days in which the concentration of PM2.5 was less than 50mg/m3 , and by 50 mg/m3 increments up to 300mg/m3 . There were statistically significant elevations in rates of hospital admissions at each of the PM2.5 categories at the Korangi site, and at concentrations .150mg/m3 at the Tibet Center site. ER visits were significantly elevated only at PM2.5 concentrations of between 151 and 200 mg/m3 at both sites. These results show that the extremely elevated concentrations of PM2.5 in Karachi, Pakistan are, as expected, associated with significantly elevated rates of hospital admission, and to a lesser extent, ER visits for cardiovascular disease

Increased risk of cervical canal infections with intracervical foley catheter

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of intracervical Foley catheter insertion, for the induction of labor, on cervical canal infection. DESIGN: A prospective interventional study with paired analysis. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: The study was conducted in the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Aga Khan University, Karachi, between June 1 and August 31, 2002. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: In 45 women undergoing cervical ripening with intracervical Foley catheter for the induction of labour at term, cervical swabs were taken for culture and sensitivity before its insertion and again after its spontaneous expulsion or removal. RESULTS: Intracervical Foley catheter was retained for mean duration of 8.1 +/- 1.7 hours. There was a significant change in the pathogenic organisms (0 % v 16.3 %; p 0.016) from pre-Foley to post-Foley catheter cervical swab cultures. Growth of beta-hemolytic Streptococcus group-B, Candida albicans, Candida glabrata and Gardnerella vaginalis on cervical swab were considered pathogenic. One woman (2.2 %) developed fever following insertion of intracervical Foley catheter. No statistically significant effect of potential confounding factors was observed on change in growth of pathogenic organisms. CONCLUSION: Induction of labour at term with Foley catheter is associated with a significant increase in intracervical pathogenic organisms despite undertaking routine aseptic measures. We recommend evaluation of this technique for its potential infectious harm in larger studies. Meanwhile, extreme aseptic measures should be undertaken during its insertion to avoid maternal and possible neonatal infections

Effects of naphthalene acetic acid and calcium chloride application on nutrient uptake, growth, yield and post harvest performance of tomato fruit

Tomato plants were foliar sprayed with naphthalene acetic acid (0.02%) and calcium chloride (0.5%, 1%) individually as well as in combination to determine its effect on growth, nutrient uptake, incidence of blossom end rot, fruit yield, and enhancement of shelf life. The results showed increased absorption of calcium in tomato plants and fruits, which were treated with NAA in combination with CaCl2. Higher level of CACl2 (1%) with NAA (0.02%) increased plant growth and yield by improving mineral uptake of tomato plants. The improved calcium absorption also resulted in lowering occurrence of blossom end rot in tomato fruits. In addition, it was also observed that during storage at ambient conditions (20-25 °C) for sixteen days, tomato fruits maintained best quality for longer period of time when treated with calcium chloride (1%) along with naphthalene acetic acid (0.02%) as compared to other treatments. Although, fruit quality was lowered with passage of storage time but tomato fruits from treated plants maintained their quality for longer duration as compared to control

TELE ENT: A Step Forward in Providing Specialist Services in Far Remote Areas

To study the utility of tele medicinein providing ENT services to far remote areasMethods: In this descriptive study 2 hourlyweekly consultations were given by ENT consultantson every friday in Tele Medicine office. Four remoteareas were connected through strong satelliteConnectivity of 512 Kbs and 1 MB to Pindi throughvideo conferencing with real time imaging modalitywas used. The tools used to diagnose the patientswere video Otoscope to examine the ear, videoendoscope and tongue depressor for oral cavityexamination. Routine blood and urine examinationalong with required other specific tests like x-Ray,pure tune audiometry were advised accordingly,then patients were given treatment for their specificproblem and given dates for follow up visit. Somepatients were booked for surgery and given date ofadmission in our hospital. Only some patients withlaryngeal and nasal problems were asked to visit theOPD for a clearer and better diagnosis as nasal andlaryngeal examination could not be done throughvideo conferencing. Patients who were given timefor surgery got their investigations done in theirhome town and were admitted straightaway as theyarrived in our hospital. These patients werescheduled for surgery on the next list, and weresuccessfully operated and followed up postoperatively.Results: A total of 2159 patients were included inour study, two third of which were females and restmale. Majority of our patients had ear problemfollowed by throat and nasal problems 1287 of ourpatients were successfully managed conservativelythrough video conferencing. A total of 792 patientswere referred to us in Holy Family Hospital out ofwhich 661 were successfully operated and out ofthese patients 459 were followed up postoperativelythrough video conferencing. The major operationsdone were Tonsillectomy, Septoplasty, Endoscopies(direct laryngoscopies and esophagoscopies),mastoidectomies, and thyroidectomy. A fewemergency cases like foreign body nose and earremoval along with foreign body throat removal,incision of peritonsillar abscess and mastoid abscesswere also done.Conclusion: Video conferencing in ENT is aneffective tool and method of assessing and treatingENT conditions. Through Tele ENT potentialsurgical admissions can be screene

Vaccine hesitancy in Pakistan is growing: here’s how it can be tackled

Since the start of the pandemic, Pakistanis have become less likely to say they will accept a COVID vaccine. Saher Asad (Lahore University of Management Sciences), Javaeria Qureshi (University of Illinois at Chicago), Mariam Raheem (Centre for Economic Research in Pakistan – CERP), Taimur Shah (CERP), and Basit Zafar (University of Michigan) looks at the findings of a new survey into vaccine hesitancy and suggests how the government could overcome it

The Size of Trade Misinvoicing in Pakistan

Trade misinvoicing has remained a critical issue for the entire developing world. Trade misinvoicing involves misreporting in the invoices of imported and exported commodities for various malign purposes. This study conducted estimation of the extent of trade misinvoicing carried out in Pakistan from 1972-2013 with its 21 developed trading partners in 52 major traded commodities. The study adopted c.i.f./f.o.b. methodology to measure discrepancies in the partner countries data. All four components of trade misinvoicing, i.e., imports under-invoicing, imports over-invoicing, exports under-invoicing and exports over-invoicing are estimated here. The study finds that total trade misinvoicing in Pakistan for the overall period of 41 years was more than $92.7 billion and on average, annual trade misinvoicing is estimated at$2.25 billion. The gross revenue losses incurred to the national exchequer due to trade misinvoicing in the overall period was estimated at $21.2 billion with an annual average of$0.5 billion. Moreover, the total net loss was estimated to be $11 billion for the total period and annually the national exchequer is deprived of$0.26 billion in the form of the evasion of customs duties and exports withholding tax

The Size of Trade Misinvoicing in Pakistan

Trade misinvoicing has remained a critical issue for the entire developing world. Trade misinvoicing involves misreporting in the invoices of imported and exported commodities for various malign purposes. This study conducted estimation of the extent of trade misinvoicing carried out in Pakistan from 1972-2013 with its 21 developed trading partners in 52 major traded commodities. The study adopted c.i.f./f.o.b. methodology to measure discrepancies in the partner countries data. All four components of trade misinvoicing, i.e., imports under-invoicing, imports over-invoicing, exports under-invoicing and exports over-invoicing are estimated here. The study finds that total trade misinvoicing in Pakistan for the overall period of 41 years was more than $92.7 billion and on average, annual trade misinvoicing is estimated at$2.25 billion. The gross revenue losses incurred to the national exchequer due to trade misinvoicing in the overall period was estimated at $21.2 billion with an annual average of$0.5 billion. Moreover, the total net loss was estimated to be $11 billion for the total period and annually the national exchequer is deprived of$0.26 billion in the form of the evasion of customs duties and exports withholding tax

Association of blood lipids, cortisol and Hemodynamics Under stress: A possible role in early Atherogenesis

Introduction: High blood cholesterol is claimed as a risk factor but recently it is accepted that cholesterol is increased under psychological stress. When raised in blood, cholesterol plays role in atherosclerosis formation; a role which is being debated since last many decades but still various questions is un-answered. Role of stress in early atherogenesis with association to alteration in blood lipids has been proposed but the available literature is scanty on the subject. Objective: To explore the association of alterations in blood lipids, cortisol level and hemodynamics under mental stress in youth with no apparent heart disease. Methodology: 114 male participants were selected from 397 volunteers as per ‘selection criterion’ approved by scientific committee. The volunteers were examined two times: during stress task as ‘stress-study’ and during non-stress period as ‘control’ according to ‘paired sample’ design. Thus, 56.54% apparently healthy subjects were included with exclusion ratio of 43.58%. All experiments were conducted under standard methods at LINAR-Larkana and Physiology Department of Sindh University, Jamshoro. Blood sample were taken between 9.00 am to 12.00 pm. Results: Cortisol, systolic and diastolic blood pressures and heart rate were significantly increased during stress session. Different lipid levels were changed with different significant values. Correlations of some altered lipid levels with raised values of hemodynamics and cortisol detected were positive and significant. Conclusion: Most changes in the level of variables were found prone to be “atherogenic in pattern” due to psychological stress. This work may pave a way for better understanding of relationship in between lipid alterations, mental stress and early atherogenesis. For that further studies are needed.   Key Words: Cholesterol, Hemodynamics, Cortisol, psychological stress