Four pillars of optimal health and Nutrition

Every one of us want to lead a healthy lifestyle as we often talk about in the phrase” Health is wealth”. However, in the present day scenario we observe the hospitals to be full with patients with deadly diseases like cancer, hypertension, diabetes, respiratory diseases, arthritis, etc. Lifestyle diseases has become a part of the life and the main reason behind them are we ourselves. The sedentary lifestyle that we lead is the root cause behind it, with lots of junk food, work life stress, lack of proper rest or exercise and wide gap in Nutrition due to various reasons. Let us therefore, take a look over the four pillars of optimal health which if we practice can give us the blessing of good health which is so rare nowadays.

The four pillars:

  1. Regular exercise:

Regular exercise of 15 to 20 minutes every day gives wonderful results. Exercise improves blood circulation in body and gives us healthy muscles and joints. It gives flexibility to the body. Morning time is the best for exercises. Apart from physical exercises, yoga and meditation can also be practised. Apart from physical benefits, it can also help to relieve stress which is the root cause of many diseases. However, such exercises should be personalized and best if guided by an expert.

  1. Adequate rest:

Complete physical and mental rest is very necessary for everybody. Sound sleep of 7-8 hours is sufficient for a body to be refreshed and rejuvenated.  However, many people come with the complaints of disturbed sleep which may result the person to stay fatigued the whole day long with lack of concentration in their regular work. We should maintain a proper routine for bedtime and stick to that. Listening to light relaxing music before going to sleep also help the mind to relax and attain a good sleep.

  1. Positive mental attitude:

This is one aspect which is equally important but probably lacking in most individuals. Scare amount of people today live with a positive mental attitude. To have a positive mental attitude and to retain it is really challenging in a life with ups and downs and people are mostly used to pull out negativity in each and every situation. They nurture such negative feelings in mind and share with their near and dear ones, thus, spreading more and more negative. Negative thoughts are like weeds which grow on their own and can in turn lead to stress and more stress. Positive thoughts have to be nurtured in mind with care and they make our minds stress free and help us to feel happy. Positive thoughts are powerful and can bring miraculous results on our health. We have to identify the positive in each and every situation.

  1. Adequate Nutrition

Nutrition is the aspect which is having the greatest effect on our lifestyle. If we closely observe, we shall find there is a wide gap in the amount of nutrients a body should get and the amount that we have every day. This may be due to several reasons like:

  • Crave for junk food: due to the fast lifestyle, where people overwork, they may often skip important meals and get themselves whatever suits their taste buds and readily available. Due to such regular habits, some people become addicted to junk food which lack in important nutrients and overload the body with unhealthy triglycerides and cholesterol
  • Lack of food quality: Due to increasing population, the supply of food is becoming short and there comes hybrid fruits and vegetables in the market which are larger in size and less in nutrients. Adulteration of food items like milk and dairy products, unsuitable means of food preservation and farming practices with high amounts of pesticides and insecticides may cause entry of harmful chemicals in body. According to recent research the food items are much less in nutrients compared to 25-30 years back.

So, what are the important nutrients required by the body? Let us a take a look:

The important nutrients which are essential for everyone are as follows:

  1. Carbohydrates: They are found in food like rice, wheat, bread and potato, etc. They give energy to the body, acting as the fuel to the body. Around 6-10 small and frequent servings of carbohydrates can be taken for the energy supply in the body. Generally we do not see deficiency of carbohydrates in people, except for those who are malnourished.
  2. Protein: The protein makes the basic building block of the body. Each and every cell of the body from the head to toe is made of protein and thus, makes one of the most important nutrient in the body. The requirement of protein is 1gm per kg of adult body weight and much more in case of growing children or pregnant women. Protein deficiency is commonly found in individuals.
  3. Vitamins and minerals: They are micronutrients required in very small quantities but essential. Lack of important vitamins like vitamins A, B group vitamins, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, E or K may cause diseases. Similarly deficiency of important minerals like calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese may result in osteoporosis, etc.
  4. Fats: Fats are also necessary for the body. Certain vitamins are solubilised in fats like Vitamins A, D, E and K. It forms a part of the skin and has many other essential functions in the body. However, large amount of cholesterol containing foods are harmful as they may lead to heart diseases. One of the good fats are the omega 3 fatty acids which have several beneficial effects in the body. They are good for management and prevention of arthritis, attention deficit syndrome, heart diseases and even cancer.
  5. Phytonutrients: Traditional medicines have always known the benefits of phytonutrients which are effective and safe. The more colour we add to our diet with various fruits and vegetables, the more phytonutrients we get. The plants are subjected to the same environmental conditions as we are, but they stay strong in every weather and revive back strongly. This is the benefit of the phytonutrients. Phytonutrients give us vitamins and minerals and antioxidants which help to gain immunity.
  6. Fiber: It is the most overlooked nutrient. It does not provide any nutrition as such but very important for gastrointestinal health. It helps in food metabolism and digestion and many inflammatory bowel diseases may result if there is lack of fiber in diet.
  7. Water: No nutrient would work if we don’t take adequate amounts of water, around 8-10 glasses of safe water every day. Water helps the nutrients to flow through systemic circulation and help in excretion of waste products in the body. Due to lack of water such waste may accumulate and give toxicity.

Why pursue Medical Lab Technology in light of the opportunities and potential prospects

Allied Medical or allied health science courses represent a discipline that involves the study of disease transmission, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation. The allied medical professionals apply scientific principles or evidence-based practices to evaluate and then treat chronic as well as acute diseases. The field is concerned with the promotion of disease prevention, public wellness, improvement of quality of life in terms of health, as well as operation and management of the healthcare system. In addition to this, allied medical courses also deal with all kinds of diagnostic techniques that are crucial for providing the right treatment to patients. Some of the diagnostic techniques used in the medical field include pathological tests, blood analysis, radiography, tissue pathology, etc. Furthermore, unlike the education requirement to become a surgeon or physician the educational qualification for allied medical can ranges from UG/PG degrees to practical training. Many allied medical professionals specialise in the promotion of optimum function and health and the improvement of health-related quality of life. The allied medical professionals include supervisors working in medical laboratories, radio-imaging, neuro-physiology or optical laboratories and paramedical technicians.

Medical laboratory technology is the branch of Allied Health science responsible for performing laboratory investigations relating to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease. Adamas university have a large area of research laboratories which also include some of the diagnosis machines like –

  1. Cell counter/ Haematology analyser
  2. semi auto analyser
  3. Microscope (simple, compound)
  4. Incubator
  5. Centrifuge
  6. Water Bath
  7. Hot air Oven
  8. Bio safety Cabinet
  9. Laminar Airflow
  10. Refrigerator
  11. Autoclave
  12. Shaker
  13. Microtome and many others well developed Instruments.

Adamas University is one of the best private universities in Kolkata, West Bengal. For its world-class education and Laboratories. More and more eligible aspirants are pursuing MLT courses because the medical lab technician field is expected to grow in India in the coming years. This growth is due to the increasing demand for diagnostic services and the need for more trained personnel to perform these services. The profession is expected to grow by 15% from 2014 to 2024, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. This growth is due to the increasing need for medical testing due to population growth and aging. Medical laboratory technicians are well-trained to handle different types of laboratory tests and procedures. MLT course graduates can work in hospitals, clinics, research institutes, biotechnology companies, diagnostic centres, and other healthcare establishments.

The medical lab technician field in India is rapidly growing and evolving. But so is the demand for MLT course graduates. With new technology and advances in medicine, there is a lot of potential for medical lab technicians after completing MLT course to make a difference in the healthcare industry. Many job opportunities are available for qualified candidates, and the future looks bright for those interested in this career.

Students should consider a B.Sc. in MLT programme for a variety of factors, including the following:

  • Graduates with a B.Sc. in MLT can choose from a variety of careers, including microbiologists, medical technologists, laboratory workers, and research associates.
  • In the area of medical laboratory technology, you can anticipate seeing rapid career growth and advancement as you acquire more experience and skills.
  • Graduates of the B.Sc. in MLT programme can anticipate competitive starting salaries in the medical sector with the potential for growth over time.
  • India’s healthcare and medical sectors are expanding and developing quickly, which is driving up demand for qualified medical workers. Graduates with a B.Sc. in MLT are highly sought after in healthcare facilities like clinics, hospitals, and study facilities.

Job openings in India for B.Sc. MLT grads

Graduates of the B.Sc. in MLT programme in India can choose from a range of positions in the public and private industries. Graduates with a B.Sc. in MLT may qualify for a variety of positions, including:

  • Healthcare administrators are responsible for overseeing the activities of clinics, hospitals, and other healthcare facilities. They are in charge of the daily activities, personnel, and budgets.
  • Biomedical scientists are in charge of designing and evaluating medical tools and apparatus. They are employed by hospitals, medical technology firms, and study institutions.
  • Blood Bank Technicians are in charge of gathering, processing, and keeping donated blood in blood banks and transfusion facilities. They collaborate with a group of medical experts to guarantee that given blood is secure for use in patient transfusions.
  • Medical record technicians are in charge of organising and managing patient health information in hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare institutions. They are also referred to as health information technicians.
  • In criminal inquiries, forensic scientists are in charge of analysing and interpreting physical evidence. They are employed by law enforcement organisations and investigative labs.
  • Medical transcriptionists: They write down medical records that doctors and other healthcare workers have dictated. They are employed by medical transcribing businesses, hospitals, and clinics.

Why study Pharmacy? Future Prospects & Opportunities

After getting the Bachelor in Pharmacy, several career opportunities are available in private companies as well as in government sectors. Different government jobs are also available in states and in central level like pharmacist in railways and in banking sectors. DRDO and defence ministry also recruits pharmacists to work with. Some other white colour jobs like drug inspector are also available in the public sector. The B. Pharm. degree, one of the few, offers graduates a variety of job options. Although primarily advantageous, this can occasionally be perplexing. To remove this confusion, you should be as knowledgeable as possible about your options for pursuing a B. Pharm. This will alter the way you view your career path. A great professional and career-focused degree is the B. Pharm. So, as soon as you graduate you can find a well-paying work. Several students choose this route and start working after graduation. The following professions are open to those with a B. Pharma:

  1. Analytical Chemist

Chemists are professionals who give out medications that a doctor has prescribed for patients or people who are physically ill. Also, pharmacists are accountable for fulfilling the regulations necessary to prescribe drugs to anyone without first contacting a physician.

  1. Hospital Drug Coordinator

The everyday operations of patient care facilities, such as hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare settings, are managed and planned by the clinical coordinator. He also supervises the day-to-day operations of the hospital staff. Working with numerous departments, ensuring good patient care, overseeing staff, helping certain patients in designated units, and attending regular meetings are among his main duties.

  1. Production Chemists

They are responsible for batch production of drug API and formulations in a manufacturing plant. They use to run the machine, supervising the process parameters, documenting and maintaining the quality of the process and product.

  1. QC chemists

They ensure that the raw material, primary and secondary packing materials are up to the mark. They are also responsible for in process checking of formulations and API. They are also responsible for validating the analytical equipment, new machine purchasing, better adherence with the STP and ultimately maintaining the quality testing.

  1. Inspector

When a drug is permitted for sale to the general public, the drug inspector’s job officially begins. They must ensure that drugs are prepared properly and packed safely. They are responsible for the caliber of the item and its packaging. They must also conduct regular checks to guarantee the quality of the medication and the effectiveness of the manufacturing process.  

  1. Research Officer

Often known as a R&D scientist, a researcher manages research programs to achieve particular goals. They are responsible for determining the organization’s budgets, developing procedures, and identifying research goals.

  1. Research & Development Executive

The drugs and vaccines of today are the outcome of research and development (R&D). R&D scientists are expected to have a solid grasp of chemistry and biology, perform animal and human trials, make reports on medical discoveries, assess the efficacy of currently available treatments, and create improved formulations.

  1. Medical Writer

Medical writers translate drug trials, scientific research, and clinical data for use in regulatory presentations, medical journal abstracts, and distribution to a professional audience.

  1. Clinical Researcher

coordinating the trial’s execution with investigators, consultants, or medical specialists. Making sure each location has the trial supplies, such as the trial medication, also referred to as the investigational medicinal product, is part of setting up the study sites.

  1. Medical Representative

Pharmaceutical companies hire medical representatives (MRs) to meet with doctors and inform them about new medications that have been introduced to the market. They are similar to marketing managers for the company’s products. This is a critical position because MRs are in charge of generating sales of manufactured pharmaceuticals.

Graduates of the B Pharmacy programme are in high demand in the pharmaceutical industry. The B Pharm programme is designed to prepare students for careers in the pharmaceutical industry’s clinical and regulatory roles. The programme lasts nine months, and graduates usually receive their diplomas in December of their final year of study.

The number of pharma companies hiring B Pharm graduates is increasing as more companies seek candidates who have been specifically trained for this type of position.

The Indian pharmaceutical sector is one of the top markets for pharmaceuticals in the world especially in the post covid period. In India, the pharmaceutical sector is a rapidly expanding industry. India supplies more than 50% of the world’s needs for vaccines and generic medications.

Individuals with a B Pharmacy degree have numerous career options after completing this programme. The field in which you apply will also influence the pay of the job. Many other factors influence your pay, in addition to the course you completed. It would be beneficial if you could eventually decide which professional path is best for you.

If you want to increase your chances of finding a good job after graduating from pharmacy school, enrol in a reputable institute like Adamas University that offers advanced courses.

The Bachelor of Pharmacy degree can be completed in four years. Numerous universities and colleges in India offer excellent education in pharmacy. India has some of the best B pharmacy course facilities in the world.

If you’re looking for a B Pharmacy programme, look no further than Adamas University. Its programme is designed with cutting-edge curriculum and is dedicated to assisting you in succeeding by providing the support and resources you require to thrive.

The faculty has been specially trained for this programme, and they will assist you in navigating the curriculum. They are experienced professionals who have worked in healthcare settings and understand what it takes for an adult student to succeed.

The University has modern facilities and a large campus. Students can use the library, computer labs, study lounges, fitness centres, and other college facilities.

Why study Medical Laboratory Technology?

The one of the most common lab technology courses to pursue after high school (10+2) to become associated with pathological laboratories are a Bachelor’s degree in medical laboratory technology (B.Sc. MLT). The programme offers a robust professional path and a wide range of employment possibilities.

People who enrol in a Medical Lab Technician (MLT) course may find employment prospects in a range of medical specialties. They can find a variety of employment opportunities in the medical sector and related industries. Students studying medical lab technology (MLT) may also have a lot of opportunities in the advancement and investigation of the medical sciences.

Here are some reasons of choosing this demanding course are given below:

  1. Flexibility in Career Paths

The wide range of career options available after completing a laboratory technician course is one of the primary advantages. You could work in non-profit healthcare organizations, educational schools, veterinary clinics, blood banks, forensic labs, crime labs, and medical research labs. Medical lab technicians will also have plenty of job possibilities in labs, hospitals, and clinics as demand for healthcare and infrastructure professionals is growing.

Additionally, laboratory technicians work in numerous fields worldwide, such as pharmaceutical businesses or Government-run healthcare or any International Health organisation.

  1. A Rapid Entry Into The Health Sector

Getting a head start on your laboratory job is comparatively simpler than other courses due to the high demand for certified medical laboratory technologist. In addition to give you an early start, lab technician classes equip you with the abilities you need to ace speedy evaluations and promotions. After completion of B.Sc. MLT, students can easily get their jobs in various renowned health sectors.

  1. Employment Opportunities

Jobs for medical laboratory techs and other workers with medical training have become more plentiful since the implementation of COVID 19. People became more aware of the role of lab technologist in diagnosis of diseases.

  1. Scope in higher study

Various college and universities are now offering higher studies in this course. Students who want to pursue higher study or want to stick to the academic line after completion of BMLT can opt for MMLT (masters in medical lab technology) or PhD in medical laboratory technology.

  1. Entry in Research:

Scientific study, medicine, and technology are all combined in medical laboratory technology. As a result, working in the field of medical lab technology offers the ideal opportunity to learn new skills and technologies while also assisting people receive medical care.

Utilizing cutting-edge techniques for data analysis is part of working with laboratory technology. As a result, students who loves technology and science should consider a job as a medical lab technologist after they graduate from high school.

Technology used in medical laboratories integrates several fields of study. You study the fundamentals of several medical specialties, including cell biology, plasma storage, immunology, medicinal chemistry, microbiology, pathologies, and haematology, during the medical lab technology course training.

  1. Contribute Significantly to the Healthcare Sector

Your efforts as a medical laboratory technician are just as important as those of any other healthcare professional, such as a doctor or nurse. The biological, pathogenic, and microbiological analysis of cells, organs, and secretions is extremely important, just as the treatment of a patient is.

MLTs are used by medical professionals to identify illnesses and select potential treatments. If you want to play a significant role in the healthcare sector while remaining anonymous, MLT is the field for you.

Muography – Imaging using Atmospheric Muons (Photography with Photons, Muography with Muons – Simple!!)

Generation of muons from cosmic rays [Credit: https://physicsopenlab.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/muoncascade.jpg]

Atmospheric muons

“Who ordered that?” was the remark made by the famous Nobel laureate(for the discovery of nuclear magnetic resonance) Isidor Isaac Rabi when muons were discovered. Scientists were looking for a meson predicted by another Nobel laureate (for his prediction of the existence of mesons)Hideki Yukawa. A particle, identified in a 1936 experiment on cosmic rays by Carl Anderson (yet another Nobel Prize winnerfor discovering positron) and Seth Neddermeyer, was tantalizingly close to the expected meson but not quite. Detailed analysis made it amply clear that a new elementary particle had been discovered that was almost like an electron, but with a mass roughly 200 times. They are produced in copious numbers when primary cosmic rays interact with the upper atmosphere of our planet, around 15kms above the surface of the earth. Because of their relativistic speed, a large number of them reach the surface of the earth despite the at rest lifetime of 2.2 microsecond. After reaching the surface, they penetrate and continue to travel till several kilometers inside the earth because of their enormous energy. It is interesting to note that thecosmic rays (mostly nuclei of hydrogen, some helium and very small trace of other elements) start their journey from all around the universe,right from its farthest corners, to our neighborhood stars and galaxies.

How can these muons be used?

Muons that reach the earth surface has a wide range of variation in momentum, starting from hundreds of MeV/c going right up to TeV/c.

They lose relatively small amount of energy when passing through intervening media because they do not have strong nuclear interactions and hardly produce electromagnetic cascades (till half of a TeV) and cause very few ionizations (after all, most of them belong to the group that is designated as minimum ionizing particles). Those reaching the earth surface are mostly in the range of 1 – 10 GeV and are known to penetrate almost a kilometer of rock. This power of penetration of the atmospheric muons has attracted lot of attention during recent times, because of the possibility of creating three-dimensional images of large objects, just as created using X-rays while carrying out a Computerized Tomography (CT) scan. For muon imaging, the idea is quite similar – while penetrating an object, a muon may get completely absorbed, or it can get scattered by the object material. The amount of absorption, or scattering gives us an idea of the object in the path of the muon and its material properties. If enough data is available, a tomographic reconstruction can yield even a 3D reconstruction of the object, just as obtained in a CT scan. If successful this approach can serve as a major Non Destructive Evaluation (NDE) technique that can be useful in many spheres of science and technology. The major obstacle seems to be the fact that the muon flux on the earth surface is not very high, around 100 Hz per m2, which translates toonly about 1 muon per minute across an area of 1 cm2. This number can turn out to be pitifully low, especially when we are in a hurry to scan the object.

Muon imaging – initial attempts

The work on creating images using the atmospheric muons started during the middle of the last century when the British physicist Eric George made an attempt to measure the overburden of a mine in Australia using atmospheric muons. This was tried during 1955 when the technology of particle detectors was at its infancy. As a result, the work was carried out using only Geiger counters fixed on a rail that moved around the mine. The observed count rate of the counter was found to have a clear correspondence with the thickness of the overburden. The next major attempt was made by the Nobel laureate Luiz Alvarez when his team tried to image the internals of the Chephren’s pyramid in order to check whether an unknown upper chamber on top of the Belzoni chamberexist within the pyramid. This time, the detector used was spark chambers and the result was a discouraging negative. It also became obvious that the detector technology and analysis algorithmsneeded further improvement.

Early Geiger counter made by Hans Geiger, [Credit Science Museum London / Science and Society Picture Library 1932.Uploaded by Mrjohncummings, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28024312]

The equipment in place in the Belzoni Chamber under the pyramid. [Reproduced from Luiz W. Alvarez et al paper in Science 167 (3919)]

Muography comes of age

The particle detectors had their own evolution due to demands driven by other areas of science and technology, especially fundamental science and medical imaging. Important inventions such as the multiwire proportional chamber (Nobel prize for GeorgesCharpak in 1992), time projection chamber (TPC), plastic scintillators in conjunction with silicon photo multipliers (silicon photo multipliers are lot less expensive and power hungry than the traditional photo multipliers) are some of the prominent detectors that can be mentioned to indicate the feverous activity in this field. Similarly, computational power increased exponentially and sophisticated mathematical tools were developed for carrying out data analysis and image processing. As a result, what started as faltering steps by few individuals during the middle of the 20th century, turned out to be an active area of research by the end of the same century. What makes the area of muon imaging, also known as muography these days, even more exciting are the facts that the muons are freely available, has no radiation concerns and represent a perfectly sustainable development.

Working principle of a TPC (by O. Schäfer) [Reproduced from https://www.lctpc.org/e8/e57671]

Various applications of muography

Since early years of the twenty first century, absorption, as well as scattering muography are being employed to reconstruct images of various objects of interest. The silicon photo multipliers are often used for absorption muographywhere angular resolution is not crucial. The interior of volcanoes in various countries, notably in Japan, Italy and France, have been imaged using this technique.The scattering muography, on the other hand, needs excellent angular resolution to identify the amount of scattering the muon suffers while traversing a given object. The gaseous ionization detectors are often the detectors of choice in this case. This approach has been used for cargo inspection, nuclear storage inspection etc. Some of the interesting and news breaking applications in recent times have been the ScanPyramidsproject where the great Khufu pyramid was scanned for unknown cavities within (a positive result obtained this time around) and monitoring of radioactivity after the Fukushima Daichinuclear crisisin Japan due to an earthquake and tsunami in 2011.

ScanPyramids experimental setup. Four Micromegas based detectors are shown collecting data of muons passing through the great pyramid. [Reproduced from https://www.caen.it/news/scanpyramids-project/]

Muon imaging setup for Fukushima Daiichi Unit 2.Credit: LA-UR-15-24802

Outlook

This has been a truly exciting field in terms of research and development. What is more, it is now being considered mature enough to be considered as a marketable technology. Several companies have started operating that work on providing muon imaging solutions. Some of these early torch bearers are Decision Sciences (US),Ideon (Canada),Lingacom (Israel),Lynekos (Scotland), MuonSolutions (Finland), Muon Systems (Spain). It is really heartening to see that research in particle physics and related fields has once again led to a safe and sustainable, yet effective, technology within a very brief period of time.

Since the field is still growing rapidly, it is possible to get associated with it from an R&D point of view. This will usually require expertise in particle physics experiments, knowledge about different detection systems and ability to handle sophisticated instruments. In addition, analysis of reasonably big data, machine learning algorithms, image processing techniques, tomography are key know-hows related to this emerging and exciting field.

Once someone gets trained in these areas, it is possible to find job opportunities in academia, research institutes and laboratories dealing with similar technologies. It is also possible to get involved in industries that work on imaging technologies (including muography), data analytics, IT, instrumentation and so on.

New Trends for Grey Water Treatment and their Reuse using MBR Technology

Yes, it is possible! Greywater is non-industrial wastewater generated from household works like dishwashing, laundry and bathing. Before decay, it was just an imagination of treating wastewater and reusing it, but in today’s scenario, this is happening for treatment of greywater for non-potable or potable purposes. According to the researchers, it is anticipated that one out of every three people would encounter water scarcity by the year 2030 or by the same period, there will be around 2.7 billion people on the planet. Governments and citizens have become more conscious of the issue in recent years. Authorities’ in-charge of water management handles the issue of water security and poses several concerns. Reduced cost measures increased awareness of water usage, as well as the installation of water-saving devices. Rain water collection and greywater treatment systems are viewed as possible alternatives, particularly in developing nations, where water constraint is more prevalent.

Grey water treatment is adopted in India at many colleges, schools, and residential buildings. So, let’s have a look over “New trends for grey water treatment and their reuse using MBR technology – a case study”.

Keywords: Grey water, MBR, Bio reactor, Optical density, Ceramic membrane, etc.

Treatment of wastewater from Adamas University’s main canteen:

The main canteen (fig.1) is open throughout the week so, works like dishwashing, floor cleaning, etc. are done at regular interval of time from this activities consumption of freshwater is increasing whereas if this discharged water can be treated and send back to the canteen for such non-potable purposes, then it would be a sustainable step towards reducing the freshwater consumption along with it. Grey water has many effects on our environment as these are directly discharged into the environment has both long-term and short-term environmental and human health consequences. Pollution of the soil and groundwater as well as crop damage is caused by high boron, sodium, or surfactant concentrations. Greywater has nutrients which may also cause

Fig.1 Main Canteen of Adamas University canteen

problems. Furthermore, environmental accumulation of heavy metals and micro pollutants may cause toxicity through the food chain, causing ecological imbalance and having a deleterious impact on humans [1].

Moving towards the methodology:

First of all, the work was started with a brief survey on work done and water consumed by the canteen, almost 12200 litres of water is discharged every day. This water was collected at the peak time (12 pm- 2 pm), and all the physicochemical parameters were checked which is shown below.

 

 

After a details study done on physicochemical parameters, the second step is biological treatment as the wastewater treatment is done with MBR (Membrane Bio-Reactor) and this biological treatment process is much more important in the full methodology. This method is much different and unique from another method as it’s a combination of both biological treatment and membrane filtration.

 

Fig 2 Principle of MBR

 

The membrane bioreactor consists of two primary parts as shown below where for biodegradation of waste compounds viz. biological unit is responsible and for physical separation of treated water from the mixed liquor membrane module is required. Various options are introduced for greywater treatment like simple treatment (coarse filtration and disinfection), chemical system (photocatalysis, electro-coagulation, coagulation, etc,), Biological system (biological aerated filter, rotating biological contractor, and membrane bioreactors), and natural system (construction of wet lands).

 

 

Working on bioreactor:

In this stage, a certain amount of grey water sample was mixed with activated sludge that was collected from STP (Sewage Treatment Plant, New Town, Kolkata). From this bacterial growth, the Optical Density (OD) vs. Time curve (fig.3) was also estimated which is necessary to determine the working efficiency of microorganisms present in the sample.

Fig. 3 Optical Density

 

In this step, three sets were done with different concentrations of sludge, and with regular time intervals. Optical Density (OD) was checked to see the growth of microbes using a double beam spectrophotometer with 600 wavelengths [2].

Types of MBR setup:

Figure 4 shows two types of MBR set up in which one is side stream (fig.4(a) and the other one is submerge MBR (fig.4(b)). Here we have used the side stream MBR set up for the experiment.

 

What is Membrane technology?

Membrane technology has been adopted by all the engineering approaches into day’s scenario. In the field of wastewater treatment membrane technology is getting important because with the help of ultra/microfiltration possibilities for removal of particles, colloids and macromolecules are more. So, this is more efficient and sustainable for the treatment of wastewater. A membrane can be defined as a thin layer of semi-permeable material which is used in solute separation as transmembrane pressure is applied across the membrane.

In the present work, ceramic membrane is used, ceramic membrane consists of solid layers of metal oxide (e.g., palladium, silver,zirconia, alumina, titania, etc.), It has a lifecycle of up to 20 years which may be used in potable water treatment, food and dairy industry, chemical industry, etc. Flat sheet, hollow fibre, multichannel tubular element, and monolithic are some of the forms in which ceramic membranes are available [3].

Classification of pressure-driven membranes and schematic illustrations of their operation is according to the pore size as shown in figure 5.

 

Fig. 5  Classification of pressure driven membranes and schematic illustrations of their operation are according to the pore size.

 

After completing all the procedures, the last step is filtration with a ceramic membrane to obtain the pure permeate water.

 

Fig. 6 Schematic diagram of Greywater treatment with ceramic membrane bioreactor technology [4].

 

As of now around 300 working in different parts of the world, Japan utilizes mostly this technology which are being used for water reusing in their locality. In India, MBR technology is now being used as CSIR-CG&CRI, Kolkata has developed their indigenous ceramic membrane technology.

After reading the above content, the question may arise in the reader’s mind why membrane technology? Why not the conventional technology or any other? What advantages we are getting from this.  So, the advantages of using ceramic membrane are as follows.

 

MBR is an alluring and plausible innovation for on-site treatment applications. Predictable supplement expulsion is conceivable with the MBR technology. MBR is more effective in treating wastewaters that are challenging for conventional biological treatment systems. In India MBR technology is adopted by many industries now a day.

 

 

MBR Technology

Other technology

MLSS membrane fouling

low

High

Membrane flux

Low

High

Recirculation energy

Low

High

Scanning requirement

Low

High

Footprint

Low

High

Effluent quality

High

Low

Energy required

Moderate

High

 

It was seen that the MBR technology with ceramic membrane works efficiently with comparison to other technology. This can be adopted in our university to return the treated water in the canteen for non-potable purposes. A step towards sustainable development!!

References

  1. Majumdar, S., Sarkar, S., Ghosh, S., Bhattacharya, P., Bandyopadhyay, S., Saha, A., … & Roy, S. N. (2018). New Trends for Wastewater Treatment and Their Reuse Using Ceramic Membrane Technology: A Case Study. In: Singh V. P., Yadav S., Yadava R. (eds) Water Quality Management, Water Science and Technology Library, 79, page 339-348, DOI: 10.1007/978-981-10-5795-3_29,Springer, Singapore (Online ISBN:978-981-10-5795-3).
  2. Racar, M., Dolar, D., Karadakić, K., Čavarović, N., Glumac, N., Ašperger, D., &Košutić, K. (2020). Challenges of municipal wastewater reclamation for irrigation by MBR and NF/RO: Physico-chemical and microbiological parameters and emerging contaminants. Science of the Total Environment, 722, 137959.
  3. Bandyopadhyay S, Kundu D, Roy S N, Ghosh B P, Maiti H S (2006) Process for preparing water having an arsenic level of less than 10 PPB. US Patent 7014771.
  4. Bhattacharya P, Ghosh S, Sarkar S, Majumdar S, Bandyopadhyaya S (2011) Effectiveness of biosorption assisted microfiltration process for treatment of domestic wastewater. Bioremediation J., 15:206–217.

Structural Engineering- Brief Introduction and Career Opportunities

Who are the makers of these enormous structures and designs?

How they have been built?

The fitting answer to all the questions above is “Structural Engineering”.

Under the numerous branches of Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering is one of the most important one. It oversees plans and manages different developments like construction of flyovers, bridge formation, excavation of tunnels, erecting towers, and so on. In other words, majorly the structural engineers ensure construction safety and solidarity of our structures that they would withstand every one of the environmental conditions.

 Structural engineers are specialized in determining the integrity of a structure. They assess the issues that a structure may have and build up arrangements as solutions to that. They possess the knowledge to determine the strength, durability, and safety of any given structure.

Well, if you are someone who finds these things fascinating, then you can opt for the course M.Tech in Structural. It is a two-year program in which candidates will be taught about the modern methodologies of designing a structure, they will study about the advanced usages of construction materials and analysis processes of structures using different software under forces especially dynamic in nature.  

Here, at Adamas University this program is offered with the goal to deliver specialists who will have basic technical ability and strong analytical skills to create structural designs and to analyze them at ease. Students in this course learns majorly learns about the materials used in construction work and get trained on cutting edge ideas of designing through various activities and dissertation work. Structural dynamics and earthquake-resistant design of structures, rehabilitation of the structure, advanced materials and dissertation is a portion of the significant points shrouded in the M.Tech in Structural Engineering course.

It is reasonably a practical learning course as well where understudies are given project work that enables students to learn about Structure Design labs, the latest design software, and construction material lab.

Although it may sound as interesting as anything, this course cannot be pursued by any graduates. Some Specific eligibility criteria need to be fulfilled.

Eligibility Criteria for Admission

Criteria mentioned below are essential to take admission in the course:

  • Any candidate must hold a Civil Engineering BE/ B.Tech degree from any recognized university plus a valid GATE scorecard.
  • Or, Special Institutional exams (Adamas University Admission Test) and Personal Interview.

Now, one must be wondering about career options a candidate would get after completing the M.Tech degree in structural engineering.

Career Options and Job Prospects for Structural Engineers

Any course completion will offer either to go for higher studies or to look for job opportunities.  If someone is fond of academics and has a thing to learn the engineering concepts even deeper, then they can opt for Ph.D. from IITs, NITs, or from any reputed university from India or abroad.  Coming back to job opportunities, after post-graduation in Structural Engineering one can look out for work openings in private construction organization as Structural Engineer or Structural consultant. One can seek employment in the government public sector as well through exams these PSU’s organizes. Structural engineers can start their career as construction designers or as consulting engineers at any organization and can then be promoted up to the position of the project manager or functional manager for design or construction operation later on with ample experience which they will master throughout their career. In any case, they would initially have to acquire the Professional Engineering (PE) license, on the grounds that only authorized specialists can accept obligations for public activities. The social roles of professionals in Structural engineering play a huge impact in the construction industry. A candidate can be recruited with a wide range of roles and responsibilities depending on the project they will be working on.

To summaries the whole thing let me share my experience as a Structural Engineer

How’s a common day for a Structural Engineer?

As a Structural Engineer one has two very distinct professional choices:

  1. work as a site engineer, in which case the job will be based on the construction site and the responsibility for the work going on there will be assigned.
  2. or then again be a specialist, where the job will be an office-based one and the major responsibility will be setting up the drawing, plans, and designs which the contractor utilizes as direction for their construction.

Working Ethics and Coordination of Structural Engineers:

It is important for the last mentioned and in the workplace, various issues each day were taken care of by the officials. Typically, 3D logical models of structures were made, and one needs to completely see and understand how the stress distributed through the structure down into the ground. This part sets aside some effort to resolve, thus consistently one must be building up an alternate design for their structure.  Likewise, the fundamental layout is coordinated with different orders like design, mechanical and electrical drawings, and so on here and there. The position of a line or a major window could influence the design thus a team routinely needs to sit together to determine conflicts until everything works fine and is completely coordinated. Like this every day would throw new challenges towards us.

Today in this new age era where everything is available at finger tips, for structural engineering also there are wide range of software available now-a-days. For Bridge Engineering MIDAS software is there similarly for RC structures StaadPro and ETABS and for Steel Structures Tekla software is there. In recent time software like SAP and other similar software gaining popularity for doing dynamic analysis of structures considering earthquake vibration into account. All modern-day structures have to go through the dynamic analysis. The challenge for one budding structural engineer would be to master the skill in all of the software to build a good career being a structural engineer.

IoT Technology to Perform Critical Role in Post-Covid Retrieval of Industry

Introduction:

As the contamination acquired over the world, the guidelines of living life reformed. Productions of all categories radically altered their dynamics. One of the first divisions to profit from the pandemic is the Internet of Things (IoT). IoT has been performing a crucial role in engineering events and it will have an even better position in the times to come.

 Like any other disaster, the COVID-19 disease has also showed to be a substance for modification. The parameters executed by the worldwide pandemic have forced us to appraise every opportunity, from distant working to touch-free delivery to automation and many more application. These progresses led to the Internet of Things (IoT) based devices, sensors, actuators, scanners and other associated results becoming a requirement. As per the pandemic situation forced almost all productions to modify their working performs and significances in a substance of weeks, research reports and several use cases have further authenticated that Internet of Things is becoming a necessity for business stability during challenging situations and will last afterwards.

IOT and Business market:

IoT has played an important part in supportive business steadiness as the COVID-19 pandemic hit corporates across the world. The international education covering closely 2400 businesses in approximately 14 markets along with India exhibited that more than three-quarters of defendants have improved the speed of IoT projects during the pandemic situation.

Basically, adopters of the skill believed IoT was essential to preserve them going, with 85 per cent representing that the skill was vital to maintaining business stability throughout the pandemic. As an outcome, the study exhibited 85 per cent now observed the incorporation of IoT based devices with employees as a higher importance, and 74 per cent decided that the covid-19 pandemic would quicken their implementation strategies.

The study also exhibited that IoT lasts to produce value and return on investment (ROI) for adopters, and 88 per cent approved their fundamental business policy has transformed for the improved as a result of accepting IoT.

  1. IoT is allowing fruitful digital alteration today. It is providing improved business visions & customer involvement. The tie among IoT expertise and an enhanced client involvement can be observed most willingly, possibly, in trade settings. One of the opportunities of these novel visions are often a lessening in functioning expenditure and interruption. This kind of skill could help lower both operational expenditures and system interruption in plants and other industrial fixings, while serving workers to acquire on the work about how apparatuses work and/or may be broken separately for conservation and advancement – conceivably via smart goggles, AR headphones and tablets. By relating a business’s key progressions, leaders can simply recognize ways to enhance efficiency and outcomes. Though the extreme apparent use cases for the IoT revolve around effectiveness, outcomes, and procedure monitoring, we’re progressively observing corporates identify the opportunity for it to offer them with data about their consumers and in what way they utilize their outcomes.

Career opportunities:

Main driving feature will be Internet, for different platforms and tools in the upcoming future. Seeing the ultimatum for connected customer goods, IoT is possible to gain grip in the post-Pandemic world. The technological arena will have significant career openings with higher knowledge and pay scales. The opportunity of IoT engineer, designer and the specialist will grow more in future. Technology revolutions in the arenas of energy consumption, home automation, smart agriculture, smart water pump, smart cities, automotive and driverless cars are all focused by IoT skills. Now we are in a situation where physical things like furniture, medical sectors. home appliances, vehicles, weather monitoring, shoes, watch, energy meter and many additional things have become ‘SMART’ concept. The career opportunities for IoT experts have extremely increased. A latest NASSCOM report recommended it by saying that 98,000 fresh skilled engineers will be appointed by topmost Indian IT companies this year and the noticeable skill sets these corporates are looking for are in domains like Internet of Things, Machine Learning, Cloud Computing and Artificial Intelligence.

With this preface to career openings, eye-catching pay packages and the market prospective of IoT, let us investigate deep into why choosing a profession in the IoT dominion is a smart choice in the present situation. A profession in IoT is pretty hopeful for those peoples who have advanced level idea and creative skills and are looking for a thrilling work atmosphere, professional expansion, and higher returns that IT experts. IoT is a very speedily growing arena. The IoT job openings that presently available could never be even imagined or thought of before. There are many areas, as we conversed, to choose from presently, and you can either go into security, propose the UI, or design the various subsystems like wireless sensor networks, embedded firmware. The choices obtainable before you are infinite.

Legal Analytics: Rising trends of Artificial Intelligence in Judiciary

Nowadays, analytics is becoming a part of various domains. It is associated with sectors like business, health, manufacture, etc. Then it is not surprising that it can help legal professionals to deliver services. Legal Analytics consists of extracting insights from huge amounts of legal data. In practise, legal analytics tools assist lawyers in making data-driven insights about which legal strategies to deliver services.

While the altruistic parts of practising law are vital, lawyers must remember that in order to survive, a law firm must make a profit. The application of data to the business and practise of law is known as legal analytics. Legal analytics cleans up, structures, and analyses raw data from dockets and other legal documents using technologies like machine learning, artificial intelligence, and searching.

Users of Legal Analytics

The resources for legal analytics will be highlighted in this guide. The annual “Am Law 100” and “Am Law 200″ surveys rank United States law firms by number of attorneys, profits per partner, and overall revenue. In a 2017 survey, Lexis and ALM Legal Intelligence (ALM) asked leaders of the Am Law 200 about the value of Legal Analytics and how law firms can leverage analytics. ” Legal analytics is described as “tools and/or capabilities powered by artificial intelligence technology capable of sorting through massive volumes of data to uncover trends linked with certain courts, judges, expert witnesses, etc.” for the purposes of the survey. Globally, Legal analytics is used by 36 percent of the litigators, trial attorneys, and librarians, etc.

Legal Analytics: International Perspective

Legal analytics was rated by 100 percent of respondents in the Lexis-ALM poll as the most valuable tool for proving competitive advantage to clients. Legal Analytics were judged to be effective for determining strategy for specific courts or judges by 98 percent of individuals who utilised them for litigation. Legal analytics were deemed to be effective in anticipating the expected results of strategy or arguments by 96 percent of respondents, and in case assessment by 94 percent. The usage of analytics will most likely rise, according to 82 percent of respondents. Saving money, pricing projects, winning lawsuits, acquiring new clients, and developing existing clients are all areas where they see analytics becoming more prevalent. According to the Bloomberg Law poll, the most valuable application of legal analytics for those asked was for client analytics, with litigation strategy coming in second. E-Discovery was the most common application of legal analytics among in-house counsel who responded to the Coalition of Technology Resources for Lawyers survey, with respondents expecting this use to rise in the future. In-house counsel are also utilising legal analytics to select and evaluate law firms, according to the poll, with 77 percent using analytics to assess firm billing rates and 88 percent using analytics to assess performance. Additionally, those polled saw analytics being used for contract evaluation becoming more common. With a 146% increase in the number of organisations employing analytics for contract review and a 54% increase in the number of legal departments saying that they will begin using analytics for contract review, the use of analytics for contract review is on the rise.

Legal Analytics: National Perspective

According to a survey conducted by Gurugram-based BML Munjal University (School of Law) in July 2020, roughly 42 percent of lawyers estimate that in the next 3 to 5 years, artificial intelligence would be able to handle up to 20% of routine, day-to-day legal work. According to the report, research and analytics are the most sought talents in young lawyers, according to 94 percent of law practitioners. Earlier this year, Chief Justice of India SA Bobde stated unequivocally that the Indian judiciary has to include artificial intelligence into its system, particularly when it comes to document management and cases that repeat themselves. With more industries and professional sectors adopting AI and data analytics, the legal profession is no exception, albeit in a limited way.

Bangalore-based SpotDraft is an AI-powered contract management tool that assists users with contract drafting, review, management, and signing. This AI technology can also analyse legal documents and advise users on negotiating clauses. For text analysis, the platform employs AI and machine learning, which is commonly employed in academic work. According to the company website, SpotDraft has processed over 6,000,000 contracts since its inception in 2017.

CaseMine, a startup established in the National Capital Region, is employing artificial intelligence to make legal research and analysis more in-depth and thorough than a standard search. The company’s CaseIQ software is a virtual research assistant that extracts information from legal papers. Without having to reformulate case data into searchable legal propositions, the software aids in obtaining relevant search results. CaseMine “enhances typical legal research to extend beyond simply keywords and get relevant results utilising whole texts and briefs,” according to the company.

Pensieve, a Mumbai-based firm named after Harry Potter Character Professor Albus Dumbledor’s memory reviewer, delivers an AI-system that reads legal papers. Mitra.ai, the company’s flagship product, can understand the context of a search query and make appropriate recommendations. Unlike traditional search engines, our platform uses machine learning algorithms to give the most relevant information based on hundreds of documents. The firm also promises to assist in the preparation of defensible arguments.

Civil Engineering Leaps to Next Generation with Application of AI-ML

Civil Engineering has been one of the oldest disciplines in the engineering sector. Like many other engineering trades, a lot of new techniques were developed and implemented to improve the quality of construction and maintain the economy of the structure. Now in the 21st century, this sector is on the verge of entering into a new dimension with the application of ‘Artificial Intelligence’ and ‘Machine Learning’. Here is how you will understand that the next generation civil engineering is not going to be the same as it used to be in the past or at least in the last decade.

Introduction:

Civil Engineering has been one of the oldest disciplines in the engineering sector. Like many other engineering trades, a lot of new techniques were developed and implemented to improve the quality of construction and maintain the economy of the structure. Now in the 21st century, this sector is on the verge of entering into a new dimension with the application of ‘Artificial Intelligence’ and ‘Machine Learning’. Here is how you will understand that the next generation civil engineering is not going to be the same as it used to be in the past or at least in the last decade.

The Past:

Let us just remember the society in ancient times. The infrastructures were developed based on the basic needs of the people. We have seen some beautiful structures in ‘Inka’ civilization. ‘Ottoman’ Empire had a great irrigation system. ‘Mesopotamian’ or ‘Harappan’ civilizations were also known

for their organized irrigation and water supply system. ‘Roman’ empire had built marvelous eye-catching monuments. Modern road construction techniques were first seen in ‘Roman’ civilization. The modern-day construction materials were introduced by the ‘Romans’. Other monuments like

‘the Great Wall of China’ or ‘Qutab Minar’ or even ‘Taj mahal’, all are built with almost similar methods of manual construction, and manual supervision. They all were built before the industrial revolution.

The Present:

The development of engineering can be classified into two phases: Pre- Industrial Revolution and Post-Industrial revolution. We all know that the first industrial revolution happened in the 17th century with the invention of the steam engine which excelled in the transportation engineering sector. The engineering sector especially the civil and construction industry evolved with the introduction of heavy equipment and machinery which helped humans to uplift and carry heavy materials easily from place to place. When concreting was becoming a popular method of construction technique, mixing all the ingredients of concrete used to be a manual process and took a lot of effort and time. A huge amount of human resources was also required for batching, mixing, and casting at the place of application. After all of it still, there was a chance of human error due to a lack of skill and supervision.

The second industrial revolution was driven by the invention of electricity in the 18th century. Concrete mixers, batching plants, cranes, etc. have helped civil engineering to overcome a few of these challenges to reduce error and accidents on construction sites.

With the introduction of Information Technology in the 19th century, we are presently in the third industrial revolution. Different design and analysis software are also available in the market to make the life of designers easier these days. But still, the basic tasks of most civil engineers are practiced conventionally.

The Future:

The fourth industrial revolution is already underway in the 21st century driven by Artificial Intelligence. Hence all the engineering disciplines are on the verge to leap into a new dimension. This leads engineering into automation. Especially in civil engineering, Artificial Intelligence has a huge role to play and can change the elements of responsibility of a civil engineer in a whole new way. Artificial Intelligence generally consists of Machine Learning, Neural Network, Fuzzy System, Genetic Algorithm, etc. which are nothing but some sets of data along with the conditions and different calculations to predict the outcome of a new problem with a similar type of condition.

Every engineering project can be considered as a separate new experiment that has almost similar resources but different conditions. They all possess uncertainties and huge risks. In this case, Machine Learning may come as a great help to rescue us to minimize the risk and hazards associated with it. AI is a system through which one equipment can identify the problem, check the conditions, run the logical interpretation within it, and can make the suitable decision that will make the task fast, easier, safer, and economically viable. Artificial Intelligence is getting integrated into daily life for almost every gadget starting from mobile phones, and computers/laptops to lights, fans, ACs, doors, etc. We may have heard the concept of ‘Smart Building’ or ‘Smart Roads’ or ‘Smart Infrastructure’ which are nothing but some examples of the application of AI & ML in civil engineering.

Here are some examples of application of Artificial Intelligence in Civil Engineering:

  • Structural Health Monitoring and warning system from time to time for repairing works and also to warn users to evacuate the place before collapsing of the structure.
  • Soil Testing (checking of moisture content, dry density, and classification.
  • Project Site Monitoring in the aspect of safety in dangerous working conditions.
  • Building Information Modelling.
  • Effective, Economic, and Suitable Project Planning, Project Scheduling, Managing, etc.
  • Identify complicated project problems and solve them at any intermediate stage of the project.
  • Prediction of optimum moisture content, the density of concrete, find out the proportional ratio of ingredients of concrete, and predict mix design using artificial neural network.
  • To forecast weather conditions, rainfall intensity, and runoff rate.
  • Prediction of discharge rate of river water, real-time reservoir capacity.
  • To judge the water demand of an area, manage the water supply system.
  • To figure out suitable crop types for agricultural lands, base, delta, duty, and
  • canal discharge capacity.
  • To Anticipate tidal effect in offshore structures, flood control measures in river basin areas.
  • Estimation of accurate resources required for the project.
  • To survey and reconnaissance.
  • To find out the stability of the foundation, and ground slope.
  • Analyze traffic volume, and pattern of movement.
  • Optimization of traffic signaling system to reduce travel time.
  • The fourth industrial revolution is already underway in 21st century driven by Artificial Intelligence.

Though most of the areas in civil engineering can be beneficial with the application of AI & ML, also there are a few drawbacks that have to be overcome by the next generation of civil engineers. There are very few noes of persons in the field of civil engineering, who are fluent and comfortable with smart gadgets and equipment. It also requires regular software up gradation and high-specification computers or similar electronic devices to operate AI-enabled machines. Considering all these factors it can be concluded that the application of AI & ML in civil engineering is surely going to help to complete the project quickly and make the life of a civil engineer easier, more comfortable, and safer. Presently we have a limited no of civil engineers aware of the latest trends and techniques. Therefore, it comes as a huge opportunity for next-generation civil engineers to explore and excel in this area to shine bright in their careers.

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