The aim of the study is to analyze three different waste treatment
technologies by life cycle assessment tool. Sanitary Landfill,
Incineration and gasification-pyrolysis of the waste treatment
...technologies are studied in SimaPro software based on input-output
materials flow. SimaPro software has been applied for analyzing
environmental burden by different impact categories. All technologies
are favorable to abiotic and ozone layer depletion due to energy
recovery from the waste treatment facilities. Sanitary landfill has the
significantly lower environmental impact among other thermal treatment
while gases are used for fuel with control emission environment.
However, sanitary landfill has significant impact on photochemical
oxidation, global warming and acidification. Among thermal technology,
pyrolysisgasification is comparatively more favorable to environment
than incineration in global warming, acidification, eutrophication and
eco-toxicity categories. Landfill with energy recovery facilities is
environmentally favorable. However, due to large land requirement,
difficult emission control system and long time span, restriction on
land filling is applying more in the developed countries.
Pyrolysis-gasification is more environmental friendly technology than
incineration due to higher energy recovery efficiency. Life cycle
assessment is an effective tool to analyze waste treatment technology
based on environmental performances.
This study describes the design and experimental verification of the ridge gap waveguide, appearing in the gap between parallel metal plates. The latter posts, referred to as a pin surface or bed of ...nails, are designed to give a stopband for the normal parallel-plate modes between 10 GHz and 23 GHz. The hardware demonstrator includes two 90 degrees bends and two capacitive coupled coaxial transitions enabling measurements with a vector network analyser. The measured results verify the large bandwidth and low losses of the quasi-transverse electromagnetic mode propagating along the guiding ridge, and that 90 degrees bends can be designed in the same way as for microstrip lines. Still, the ridge gap waveguide is more advantageous for frequencies above 30 GHz, because it can be realised entirely from metal using milling or moulding, and there are no requirements for conducting joints between the two plates that otherwise is a problem when realising conventional hollow waveguides.
Waste-to-energy technologies are considered as one of the key waste treatment technologies due to their energy and heat recovery efficiencies from the waste. A number of research studies were ...accomplished to understand the potential environmental burdens from emerging waste treatment technologies such as pyrolysis–gasification (PG). The aim of this study was to examine the PG of municipal solid waste (MSW) treatment process through a life cycle assessment (LCA) method. The study also includes a comparative LCA model of PG and incineration to identify the potential environmental burdens from the existing (incineration) and emerging (PG) waste treatment technologies. This study focused on ten environmental impact categories under two different scenarios, namely: (a) LCA model of PG and (b) comparative LCA model of PG and incineration. The scenario (a) showed that PG had significant environmental burdens in the aquatic eco-toxicity and the global warming potential impact categories. The comparative scenario (b) of PG and incineration of MSW showed that PG had comparatively lower potential environmental burdens in acidification, eutrophication, and aquatic eco-toxicity. Both LCA models showed that the environmental burdens were mainly caused by the volume of the thermal gas (emissions) produced from these two technologies and the final residue to disposal. Therefore, the results indicate that the efficiency and environmental burdens of the emerging technologies are dependent on the emissions and the production of final residue to the landfill.
Background
The study aimed to translate and validate the Prolonged Grief Disorder (PG‐13) scale from English into Urdu language. This involved examining its psychometric properties, evaluating its ...factor structure and assessing both convergent and discriminant validity. The study was conducted within the cultural context of Pakistan and focused on the assessment of manifestations of grief, including symptoms of prolonged grief, in adolescents with mild‐to‐moderate intellectual disability (ID). The PG‐13 scale was selected for this study due to its demonstrated accuracy in measuring prolonged grieving symptoms in bereaved population.
Method
A total of 140 adolescents, aged 10–19 years according to the World Health Organization (WHO) 2018 criteria, were selected from 14 cities in Pakistan. These participants had lost loved ones within the time span of the last 4 years. The WHO (2018) guidelines for translation, adaptation, and validation were followed.
Results
The findings suggest that the translated and validated PG‐13 scale has adequate psychometric properties, with Cronbach alpha coefficient of .97. Confirmatory factor analysis supports a single‐factor structure for the scale, with factor loadings ranging from .80 to .95.
Conclusion
The PG‐13 Urdu version is a reliable and validated scale available for assessing grieving symptoms in the Pakistani context.
Application and development of municipal solid waste treatment technology depends on various socio-economic and environmental factors. All those factors are work as development drivers for waste ...management systems. The study aims to identify key drivers from case studies of waste management development trend in Sweden. Social, economic and environmental drivers are identified and presented in this study. The study identifies personal behaviour, local waste management practice, consumption and generation of waste as the key social drivers. Resource value of waste, economic benefit from waste treatment facilities and landfill tax have been acknowledged as economic drivers for developing waste treatment technology. Moreover, global climate change, environmental movement and awareness have been working as environmental drivers for developing various waste treatment methods in Sweden. In addition, the study aims to analyse emerging waste treatment technologies based on a number of literature review and questionnaire survey. Dry composting, pyrolysis-gasification, plasma arc, and anaerobic digestion have been identified as potential emerging technologies for waste management systems in Sweden.
Abstract Tuberculosis is a communicable disease with high morbidity and mortality rates in developing countries. The study's primary objective is to compare conventional methods such as acid-fast ...bacillus (AFB) culture and microscopy with rapid diagnostic methods. The secondary objective is to compare histopathological and microbiological findings in suspected patients with tubercular lymphadenitis. A total of 111 samples (August 2018 to September 2019) of lymph nodes were processed for AFB microscopy, AFB cultures, drug-susceptibility testing (DST), histopathology, and Xpert Mycobacterium Tuberculosis (MTB)/resistance to Rifampin (RIF) assays. Out of 111 lymph node samples, 6 (5.4%) were positive for AFB smear microscopy, 84 (75.6%) were positive for AFB culture, 80 (70.7%) were positive on Gene Xpert, and 102 (91.8%) were indicative of tuberculosis for histopathology studies. Mycobacteria growth indicator tube (MGIT) culture positivity was 84 (75.6%) higher than solid Lowenstein-Jensen (LJ) culture 74 (66.6%). Positive cultures underwent phenotypic DST. Two cases were Multidrug-resistant (MDR) on DST, while three cases were Rifampicin resistant on Gene Xpert. The sensitivity of Genexpert was (62%) against the conventional AFB culture method. The poor performance of conventional lymphadenitis diagnostic methods requires early and accurate diagnostic methodology. Xpert MTB/RIF test can help in the treatment of multidrug-resistant TB cases. Nonetheless, rapid and conventional methods should be used for complete isolation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Resumo A tuberculose é uma doença transmissível com altas taxas de morbimortalidade nos países em desenvolvimento. O objetivo principal do estudo é comparar métodos convencionais, como cultura de bacilo álcool-ácido resistente (BAAR) e microscopia, com métodos de diagnóstico rápido. O objetivo secundário é comparar os achados histopatológicos e microbiológicos em pacientes com suspeita de linfadenite tubercular. Um total de 111 amostras (agosto de 2018 a setembro de 2019) de gânglios linfáticos foi processado para microscopia de AFB, culturas de AFB, teste de susceptibilidade a drogas (DST), histopatologia e Xpert Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB)/ensaios de resistência à rifampicina (RIF). Das 111 amostras de linfonodos, 6 (5,4%) foram positivas para baciloscopia de AFB, 84 (75,6%) foram positivas para cultura de AFB, 80 (70,7%) foram positivas para o GeneXpert e 102 (91,8%) foram indicativas de tuberculose para estudos histopatológicos. A positividade da cultura do tubo indicador de crescimento de micobactérias (MGIT) foi 84 (75,6%), maior que a cultura sólida de Lowenstein-Jensen (LJ), 74 (66,6%). As culturas positivas foram submetidas a DST fenotípico. Dois casos eram multirresistentes (MDR) ao DST, enquanto três casos eram resistentes à rifampicina no GeneXpert. A sensibilidade do GeneXpert foi 62% contra o método convencional de cultura AFB. O fraco desempenho dos métodos convencionais de diagnóstico de linfadenite requer metodologia de diagnóstico precoce e precisa. O teste Xpert MTB/RIF pode ajudar no tratamento de casos de tuberculose multirresistente. No entanto, métodos rápidos e convencionais devem ser usados para o isolamento completo do Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Gap waveguide are an innovative technology for millimeter-wave RF applications. There are some factors to be considered while using this technology at millimeter wave frequencies or above, ...particularly for low cost RF applications. Surface mount technology and pick and place machine technique can demonstrate a way to solve this problem. In this paper a groove resonator is presented which is manufactured by using pick and place technique. Brass pins of diameter 1.6mm and height 2.3mm was mounted on a 5mm thick copper plate. Lead free solder paste was used for solder joint.
The need for high frequency antennas is rapidly increasing with the development of new wireless rate communication technology. Planar antennas have an attractive form factor, but they require a ...distribution network. Microstrip technology is most commonly used at low frequency but suffers from large dielectric and ohmic losses at higher frequencies and particularly above 100 GHz. Substrate-integrated waveguides also suffer from dielectric losses. In addition, standard rectangular waveguide interfaces are inconvenient due to the four flange screws that must be tightly fastened to the antenna to avoid leakage. The current paper presents a planar slot array antenna that does not suffer from any of these problems. The distribution network is realized by micromachining using low-loss gap waveguide technology, and it can be connected to a standard rectangular waveguide flange without using any screws or additional packaging. To realize the antenna at these frequencies, it was fabricated with micromachining, which offers the required high precision, and a low-cost fabrication method. The antenna was micromachined with DRIE in two parts, one silicon-on-insulator plate and one Si plate, which were both covered with Au to achieve conductivity. The input reflection coefficient was measured to be below 10 dB over a 15.5% bandwidth, and the antenna gain was measured to be 10.4 dBi, both of which are in agreement with simulations.
Background/aim: Few studies have reported on the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of glaucoma in south Asia. This project aimed to determine the prevalence of glaucoma of Dhaka, Bangladesh. ...Method: A multistage, stratified, clustered sample was drawn from Dhaka Division, Bangladesh, using systematic sampling to identify individual subjects aged 35 years and older. Examination of all subjects included Snellen visual acuity, slit lamp examination (including gonioscopy and applanation tonometry) and a stereoscopic assessment of the vertical cup:disc ratio (CDR). In selected subjects, a threshold visual field examination was performed. Glaucoma was diagnosed on the basis of statistical abnormality of the vertical CDR combined with an abnormal visual field test, or in subjects with advanced glaucoma who could not complete field testing, a grossly abnormal CDR. If it was not possible to examine the optic discs and the subject was blind, glaucoma was diagnosed on the basis of a raised intraocular pressure. Results: Of 3562 eligible subjects, 2347 were examined (66%). Among people aged 40 years and older, the prevalence of definite glaucoma was 2.1% (95% confidence interval: 1.5 to 2.9; 39 people). The prevalence of definite and probable glaucoma was 3.1% (95% CI: 2.4 to 4.0; 58 people) in subjects of the same age. Primary open angle glaucoma was the most common form of glaucoma, accounting for 75% of the total. Among cases of blindness not attributable to refractive error, 5% were caused by glaucoma. Glaucoma prevalence was higher in men than women, but did not show the typical increase with age. Conclusion: Glaucoma prevalence is relatively high in Bangladesh, although it accounts for only a small proportion of blindness in the community. It is estimated that there are approximately 586 000 people 40 years and older with definite or probable glaucoma in Bangladesh.
Currently rice protection from insect pests solely depends on chemical pesticides which have tremendous impact on biodiversity, environment, animal and human health. To reduce their impact from our ...society we need to cut pesticide use from agricultural practices. To address this issue, we did experiment in order to identify realistic solutions that could help farmers to build sustainable crop protection system and minimum use of insecticides and thus minimizes the impact of pesticides in environment. Innovations developed jointly by farmers and researchers and evaluated for their potential to be adopted by more farmers. In this paper we tested four management practices jointly with farmers in smallholder farmer’s field in order to select best one. Four management practices were used namely, T1 = Prophylactic use of insecticide where insecticide was applied in rice field at every 15 days interval without judging the infestation level; T2 = Perching and simultaneously used sweeping and need base insecticide application; T3 = Perching only; and T4 = Farmer’s own practices. The results revealed that routine application of insecticides for crop protection is not mandatory which is commonly found at use in rice farmers. In our experiment, where prophylactic method or farmers used 3-4 times insecticides without judging the insect pests infestation level, the similar pest population was found when compared to the field where insecticide was not applied. Our management system reduced 75% insecticides use even the field was infested with insect pest. Predatory insects were higher than that of insecticide applied field. Refrain insecticide application up to 30-40 days after transplanting enhanced higher predatory population which might check the pest population in rice field. Our experimental results shows that proper manner of ecologically management system cut pesticide use without any yield penalty indicating T2 management system minimizes pest damage by increasing natural enemies and improves environment quality.
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