Arif Alam

Environment and air pollution: health services bequeath to grotesque menace

The objective of the study is to establish the link between air pollution, fossil fuel energy consumption, industrialization, alternative and nuclear energy, combustible renewable and wastes, urbanization, and resulting impact on health services in Malaysia. The study employed two-stage least square regression technique on the time series data from 1975 to 2012 to possibly minimize the problem of endogeniety in the health services model. The results in general show that air pollution and environmental indicators act as a strong contributor to influence Malaysian health services. Urbanization and nuclear energy consumption both significantly increases the life expectancy in Malaysia, while fertility rate decreases along with the increasing urbanization in a country. Fossil fuel energy consumption and industrialization both have an indirect relationship with the infant mortality rate, whereas, carbon dioxide emissions have a direct relationship with the sanitation facility in a country. The results conclude that balancing the air pollution, environment, and health services needs strong policy vistas on the end of the government officials.

Environmental quality indicators and financial development in Malaysia: unity in diversity

Environmental quality indicators are crucial for responsive and cost-effective policies. The objective of the study is to examine the relationship between environmental quality indicators and financial development in Malaysia. For this purpose, the number of environmental quality indicators has been used, i.e., air pollution measured by carbon dioxide emissions, population density per square kilometer of land area, agricultural production measured by cereal production and livestock production, and energy resources considered by energy use and fossil fuel energy consumption, which placed an impact on the financial development of the country. The study used four main financial indicators, i.e., broad money supply (M2), domestic credit provided by the financial sector (DCFS), domestic credit to the private sector (DCPC), and inflation (CPI), which each financial indicator separately estimated with the environmental quality indicators, over a period of 1975–2013. The study used the generalized method of moments (GMM) technique to minimize the simultaneity from the model. The results show that carbon dioxide emissions exert the positive correlation with the M2, DCFC, and DCPC, while there is a negative correlation with the CPI. However, these results have been evaporated from the GMM estimates, where carbon emissions have no significant relationship with any of the four financial indicators in Malaysia. The GMM results show that population density has a negative relationship with the all four financial indicators; however, in case of M2, this relationship is insignificant to explain their result. Cereal production has a positive relationship with the DCPC, while there is a negative relationship with the CPI. Livestock production exerts the positive relationship with the all four financial indicators; however, this relationship with the CPI has a more elastic relationship, while the remaining relationship is less elastic with the three financial indicators in a country. Energy resources comprise energy use and fossil fuel energy consumption, both have distinct results with the financial indicators, as energy demand have a positive and significant relationship with the DCFC, DCPC, and CPI, while fossil fuel energy consumption have a negative relationship with these three financial indicators. The results of the study are of value to both environmentalists and policy makers.

Turn on the lights: Macroeconomic factors affecting renewable energy in Pakistan

The objective of the study is to examine the relationship between macroeconomic factors (i.e., population growth; urbanization, industrialization, exchange rate, price level, food production index and live stock production index) and renewable energy in Pakistan over a period of 1975–2012. In addition, this study uses oil rent as an intervening variable to overcome the biasness of the single equation model. The results indicate that macroeconomic factors positively contributed to renewable energy consumption in Pakistan. The causality test indicate that there is a unidirectional causality running towards macroeconomic factors to renewable energy in Pakistan, however, renewable energy Granger cause oil rent but not via other route. In addition, there is bidirectional causality between exchange rate and live stock production in Pakistan. Variance decomposition analysis shows that economic growth has a major contribution to increase renewable energy in Pakistan.

Management of acute diarrhoea in diabetic patients using oral rehydration solutions containing glucose, rice, or glycine

Abstract Objective: To assess the risk of hyperglycaemia with two standard oral rehydration solutions that contain carbohydrate compared with a carbohydrate free solution during rehydration of diabetic patients with acute diarrhoea. Design: Prospective randomised allocation to one of three oral rehydration solutions (World Health Organisation (glucose), rice, or glycine) groups after admission to hospital wit acute diarrhoea. Setting: Dhaka hospital of the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research,Bangladesh. Subjects: 45 diabetic patients aged between 15 and 60 who had had diarrhoea for fewer than three days on admission. Main outcome measures: Fluctuation of blood glucose concentrations measured three times a day, daily stool output, and time taken for recovery from diarrhoea. Results: There were no significant differences in blood glucose concentrations, stool output, and duration of recovery from diarrhoea among the three groups. Conclusions: Oral rehydration solutions containing glucose, rice powder, or glycine can be safely administered to diabetic patients with acute diarrhoea and some dehydration.

Leachability of phosphorus in soils after application of burned and unburned poultry litter

Release of phosphorus (P) from terrestrial environments undermines water quality by contributing to eutrophication in lakes and rivers. Soil amendment is considered one of the best management practices to reduce P loss from sandy soils. Laboratory leaching experiments were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of different soil amendments in reducing P leaching from a typical sandy masa soil in Japan. Burned and unburned poultry litters (PL) are commonly used as a fertilizer and amendment to improve soil productivity. Application of biosolids to meet the nitrogen requirements of crops can lead to accumulation of P in soils, which may result in P loss to water bodies. Long-term application of P with animal manure in amounts exceeding removal with crops leads to buildup of P in soil and to increasing risk of P loss to surface water and eutrophication. We investigated the mobility of P in burned and unburned PL samples from a sand dune Regosol and Masa Terrestrial Regosol (Japanese soils). Soils amended with either PL or poultry litter ash (PLA) differed greatly from those with no litter application. Poultry litter ash application to soils significantly increased the total P as compared to the soils amended with PL. Masa soil contained higher extractable P than sand dune soil. Manure amended soils differed for P release in the order of PLA masa > PLA sand > PL masa > PL sand > control. The higher P concentration in the ash resulted from elimination of the carbon during burning of the litter. The concentrations of K, Ca and Mg in leachate varied irrespective of the total amount applied with PL. Key words:

Phytoextraction of HG by parsley (Petroselinum crispum) and its growth responses.

ABSTRACT The effect of mercury (Hg) on the growth and survival of parsley (Petroselinum crispum) was explored at various treatments. The plants were grown in pots having Hoaglands solution to which various Hg treatments were applied and placed under greenhouse conditions. The treatments were: no metal applied (control) and six doses of Hg as mercuric chloride for 15 days. Linear trend of Hg accumulation was noted in roots, stems, and leaves with increasing Hg treatments. The maximum Hg concentration in root, stem and leaf was 8.92, 8.27, and 7.88 at Hg treatments of 25 mg l–1, respectively. On the whole, Hg accumulation in different plant parts was in the following order: leaves > stem > roots. Linear trend was also observed for Bioaccumulation Factor (BF) and Translocation Factor (TF) with increasing Hg concentrations in the growth medium. The highest respective BFHg and TFHg values were 9.32 and 2.02 for the Hg treatments of 25 and 50 mg l–1. In spite of the reduced growth in the presence of Hg, the plant has phytoremediation potential. It is recommended that parsley should not be cultivated in Hg contaminated sites in order to avoid dietary toxicity.

Assessment of heavy metals concentration in phosphate rock deposits, Hazara basin, Lesser Himalaya Pakistan

Naturally occurring phosphate rock is the only essential source for the production of fertilizers. Heavy metals and phosphate concentrations are quite higher in phosphate rock formed by sedimentary processes. This detail study was conducted to evaluate the heavy metal concentrations in part of the Hazara region, which is the only source of phosphate fertilizer in the country. Heavy metals are considered as one of the main pollutant responsible for environmental contamination of soil. This study included the concentration of phosphorite in the Hazara region in the three useful forms: total phosphorite, extractable phosphorite and water soluble forms. The phosphorous extracted from sedimentary deposits used to maintain the natural content in agricultural soil which was being depleted due to the regular practice of crop harvest. The data collected during this studies were statically analyzed which refers the significant variations in P, Zn, Cr, Mn, As, Cu, Fe, Ni, & Pb. Zn and Cr concentration in Hazara phosphates. Heavy metals for instance Pb, Cr, Zn and Cu present in higher amount than usable limits and may create environmental pollution (air, surface & groundwater and soil) and health issues of humans. Therefore it is recommended that managing remedial steps are necessary around the mining regions to avoid environmental and health issues.

Excessive chromium may cause dietary toxicity in parsley (Petroselinum crispum)

Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) was grown in chromium (Cr) rich medium under hydroponic conditions to explore Cr bioaccumulation in various plant organs. Parsley plants were grown under greenhouse conditions in pots containing a Hoagland solution along various metal concentrations. Treatments included control (without metal) and six doses of Cr as potassium dichromate for 15 days. In general, Cr accumulation linearly rose in roots, stems, and leaves with the increasing Cr concentrations up to 100 mg/L. Beyond 100 mg/L, bioaccumulation gradually decreased which might be indicative of Cr toxicity to parsley. Overall, Cr accumulation in various plant organs was in the following order: leaves > roots > stem. Bioaccumulation factor and translocation factor increased as a function of Cr concentrations. Owing to Cr bioaccumulation in various plant organs especially stem, agronomists need to pay special attention to growth medium contamination. In addition, plants may serve as useful bioresource to remediate metal polluted sites.