Metal Drums Research Articles

Thermomechanical effects during air blast freezing of fruit pulp model solutions with different sucrose concentrations in metal drums

The strains on the metal drums surfaces caused by the ice volumetric expansion during the freezing of model solutions of fruit pulps were evaluated by extensometers. 200 kg of model solutions of 0.5% k-carrageenan (w/v) added 0.5%, 10% or 20% (w/v) sucrose into metal drums were frozen in air blast freezer at −25 °C. Strain gauge sensors were installed on the side surface and bottom of the drums in a balanced Wheatstone bridge circuit. The resulting stresses and temperature profiles inside the packages were measured simultaneously. The non-uniform temperature distribution in the product was proven by IR thermography. There was reduction in the freezing temperature and stresses in the packages with the increase in the sucrose concentration. The restricted surfaces, preventing the expansion of the ice, yielded great stresses in the frozen solutions and induced cracking in the free surfaces of the solutions, especially in the systems with lower concentrations.

An eco-epidemiological analysis of dengue outbreak in Port Blair, South Andaman Island, India.

In Port Blair, the capital of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, in the Bay of Bengal, India, there was a sudden increase in fever cases resembling the symptoms of dengue in the monsoon period of 2022. Hence, an investigation was carried out to find out epidemiological and entomological reasons behind the outbreak. An entomological survey was carried out in 24 wards of Port Blair Municipal Council (PBMC) area, epidemiological data of last six years (January-December 2017-2021 and January-October 2022) and patient details of the year 2022 were collected. Both the epidemiological and entomological data were analyzed concerning time and place. During this outbreak period tyres (22.4%) came out as a major breeding habitat followed by small discarded materials (17.5%), metal drums (15.3%), and plastic drums (11.7%). In rainy season, peri-domestic breeding (55%) was more than the domestic breeding (45%) habitat. Ae. aegypti had a high preference for indoor large containers (100-1000 L) like plastic tank, metal drum and cement tank whereasAe. albopictus prefers to breed in medium sized plastic container (20-100 L) and outdoor water receptacles like tyres, flower pots, and domestic discarded materials. By source reduction, indoor space spray and outdoor fogging, vector density was controlled which curtailed the transmission and within eight weeks a decreasing trend of dengue cases was noticed. A regular entomological survey is crucial to know the seasonality and key breeding habitats of the vector for proper planning of vector control.

Ultrafast Nanodrum-on-Chip Pixels.

Environmentally friendly, ultrafast display pixels of micrometer sizes are fabricated with nanometer-thick gold films and Si/SiO2 wafers. The color displayed is due to both the plasmon response of the gold film and the optical interference from the Fabry-Peerot cavity formed by the underlying silicon substrate, the semitransparent gold film and the air gap between them. When an electric potential is applied to the gold film, the electrostatic force induces an attraction between the gold film and the silicon wafer. Due to the flexibility of the film, the size of the air gap changes, resulting in a changing color. By applying different driving signals, we have achieved cyan, magenta, and yellow reflected colors. The maximum switching rate of the pixel is primarily determined by the thickness dependence of the metal drum and its Young's modulus and is typically in the MHz regime.

An eco-epidemiological analysis of Dengue outbreak in Port Blair, South Andaman Island, India, during 2022.

In Port Blair, the capital of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, in the Bay of Bengal, there was a sudden increase in fever cases resembling the symptoms of dengue in the monsoon period of 2022. Hence, an investigation was carried out to find out both epidemiological and entomological reasons behind the outbreak. An Entomological survey was carried out in 24 wards of Port Blair Municipal Council (PBMC) area, epidemiological data of last six years (January to December of 2017-2021 & January to October of 2022) and patient details of the year 2022 were collected. Both the epidemiological and entomological data were analyzed concerning time and place. During this outbreak period tyres (22.4%) came out as a major breeding habitat followed by small discarded materials (17.5%), metal drums (15.3%), and plastic drums (11.7%). In rainy season peri-domestic breeding (55%) was more than the domestic breeding (45%) habitat. Ae. aegypti had a high preference for indoor large containers (100-1000 L) like plastic tank, metal drum and cement tank whereas Ae. albopictus prefers to breed in medium sized plastic container (20-100 L) and outdoor water receptacles like tyres, flower pots, domestic discarded materials etc. By source reduction, indoor space spray and outdoor fogging vector density was controlled which curtailed the transmission and within 8 weeks decreasing trend of dengue cases were noticed. A regular entomological survey is very important to know the seasonality and key breeding habitats of the vector for proper planning of vector control.

Vector bionomic of Culex species in possible Japanese Encephalitis Transmitted areas of Ein-me Township, Ayayawady Region in Myanmar

Japanese encephalitis is a public health problem in many parts of Myanmar. The diseases are transmitted to human by the biting of vector mosquitoes. The study was conducted in JE suspected cases occurred villages ThaPhan Pinseit and ThaPyu Pinseit villages in ThaPhan Pinseit RHC and PaukGone and SarPhyusu villages in PaukGone village in PaukGone RHC from Ayeyawady Region were selected for JE vector surveillance from December 2023 to March 2024. 50 houses from the pigs were randomly selected from each village. Mosquitoes were collected in all selected houses and pig farms using WHO sucking tubes. Larvae were collected in and around 1 Kilometer radius from study sites. Result found that JE main vector Cx. tritaeniorhynchus was abundantly collected in all study village and the highest number of vectors Cx. tritaeniorhynchus was collected from SarPhyusu village 2284 followed by ThaPyu Pinseit 1890 and lowest number of main vectors was collected in ThaPhan Pinseit village (1268). In overall collected mosquitoes, the highest density was found 74.18% of main vector Cx. tritaeniorhynchus followed by suspected vector Cx. vishnui 10.04%, and lowest density was observed Mansonia and An. vagus 0.33% each. Peak biting time of main vector Cx. tritaeniorhynchus was found 9-10 pm. Suspected vector Cx. vishnui was also collected in high number in all villages. Nine species of mosquitoes were collected from the study villages. Of this only four species of An. hyrcanus, An. barbirostris, An. vagus and An. tesellatus were collected. These Anopheles species were available in PaukGone and SarPhyusu villages. Anopheles hyrcanus was collected from all villages. Culex tritaeniorhynchus larvae were abundantly collected from rice fields, polluted water pools and stagnant water pools with plenty of hyacinth plants and also larvae were collected in concrete jars, Bago jars and metal drums water which water was stored for fire water. High density of main vector and suspected vector were collected in all JE suspected villages, pig farms, pigs, and breeding sources of vectors mosquitoes were available in the villages and also JE suspected cases are available in the all villages. This study provides information of high collection of main vector adult and larvae on risk of further transmission in the study areas. Environmental and ecological factors are responsible for the spread of JE virus. Therefore, awareness of community to vector borne diseases control activities and health education to all family members should be strengthened to prevent JE transmission in the villages.

The Merchant’s Lamp and the Sufi’s Drum: Two Tales of Mediaeval Damascus

Abstract A few artefacts can be connected to mediaeval Syria, and more specifically Damascus, through their inscriptions because they mention the city as a place of manufacture or name an individual who lived there. This is notably the case for two hitherto neglected inscribed objects in the Musée du Louvre, dating to the Mamluk sultanate, which are studied in this article: an enamelled glass lamp and a metal drum. New identifications of their recipients, documented through historical sources, bring light to their particular stories and provide new references for studying the material and social culture during this period.

Embedded sensors system to monitor cemented waste drums

Abstract. BAM (Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing) is developing an electronic measurement system to be placed inside a waste drum, which will be filled with concrete. The goal of this measurement system is to monitor the process of hardening and the evolution of the concrete itself over time to indirectly identify potential defects such as corrosion or cracking. The measured parameters are humidity, temperature, and pressure. In this regard, particular attention was given to the design of the electronic board's enclosure, to allow the sensors to measure the state of the concrete without being in direct contact with it. In the scope of the European Commission's project of PREDIS, the supply of power to the battery-less sensors and the data acquired by such sensors are transmitted through the metallic waste drum by an innovative wireless technology developed by VTT (Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd) in order to ensure long-term operation, while keeping the integrity of the sealed container. The sensing system is made of a chain of small units, called SensorNodes. Each SensorNode includes two off-the-shelf sensors, with one for relative humidity and temperature and one for pressure and temperature. A SensorNode is designed to have a unique identifier, in order to be connected to other units while being uniquely discoverable by a standard communication protocol. In this way, a distributed matrix of measurement points is created. One of the most challenging tasks in designing a measurement system to run in a harsh environment (such as hardening concrete) is to let the sensors sense the external environment without damaging the sensors themselves. In order to keep the external environment away from the electronic board while still letting the sensors measure the concrete behaviour, holes have been drilled through the lid and covered from the inside with a layer of porous membrane. The membrane's pores allow water and gas particles to pass through and let the enclosed air equilibrate with the external environment. With the help of the developed sensors, monitoring concrete in cemented waste drums will be possible. The derived data will also serve as the basis for ongoing modelling approaches for digital twins within the PREDIS project. Overall, the sensors provide a means of enabling safe nuclear waste management through advanced monitoring.

Design and fabrication of automobile wheel rim using composite materials

A drive wheel in an automobile is a circular disc or drum that transfers force by converting torque into tractive force from the tyres to the road, which moves the car. In an automobile industry weight reduction is the important criteria. In the present work an attempt is made to replace the metal wheel with a composite material. The composite materials considered for the analysis work are three different composite materials namely, E-glass/Polyester, Carbon/Polyester, E-glass/Carbon/Polyester. The physical and mechanical characteristics of the recently produced composites are described. Using a Charpy Impact testing equipment and a conventional hardness tester, the mechanical characteristics of the specimens, such as their impact strength and hardness value, were determined. A composite based car wheel has been developed with the best tested composite. The results of experimental and analytical agree with each other. In order to replace the current metallic automobile wheel drum, the created composite would be an alternative part.

Perencanaan Pewadahan Dan Tata Letak TPS Limbah B3 Restoran Dan Tempat Hiburan

At present, restaurants and entertainment venues are places that are growing very rapidly in big cities. From business/production activities, Allegra produces B3 waste. B3 waste contains materials that can pollute the environment and endanger humans and other living things. Therefore, it is necessary to plan the container and layout of the B3 Waste Temporary Storage. The data needed in this study are the types and characteristics of B3 waste, B3 waste generation, packaging planning as a B3 waste container and calculations that produce a TPS area that has sufficient capacity to temporarily accommodate B3 waste produced by Allegra. Based on the research that has been done, the results show that each waste is placed in a 200lt metal drum container, trash bag, container, and iron rack. A metal drum is placed above the container, a trash bag is placed on a pallet to avoid spillage on the floor. For waste of used rags and used accumulators/batteries, insulation is provided because they are flammable. The TPS for B3 waste is equipped with a B3 waste symbol, a 3 Kg fire extinguisher, air vents, lighting and a sink to meet the technical requirements for storing B3 waste.

Re‐ensiling effects on inoculated sorghum: Intake, apparent digestibility, nitrogen balance, and animal feeding behaviour

AbstractThis study aimed to determine whether using inoculants and re‐ensiling in sorghum silages affect the intake and feeding behaviour, apparent digestibility, digestible energy, and nitrogen balance of sheep in maintenance. Half the sorghum was inoculated on the day of harvest, and the other half received the same inoculation volume but with water. Sorghum was ensiled in 100 experimental metal drum silos of 200 L covered with plastic: 50 silos with inoculants and 50 without them. After 56 days, 25 drums with inoculants and 25 without were exposed to air for 48 h. The other silos remained closed. The treatments were arranged in a 2 × 2 factorial scheme with inoculation and re‐ensiling. The sheep received the silages after 211 days of ensiling and 155 days of re‐ensiling to determine the intake, apparent digestibility, and feeding behaviour of animals. The experimental design was a simultaneous double 4 × 4 Latin square. The re‐ensiling process increased silage pH, N‐NH3.TN−1, butyric acid, and propionic acid. The inoculant increased propionic acid in ensiled and re‐ensiled silages. Lactic acid concentration presented a statistical interaction with the inoculated and ensiled silage, 58% higher than the other treatment averages. The ADFap digestibility showed a complex interaction, in which the control ensiled and the inoculated and re‐ensiled silages were about 35% lower than the inoculated ensiled silage. The Nbal:Nint ratio (g.g−1) in the inoculated and re‐ensiled silage had lower nitrogen retention than intake compared with the other treatments. These results indicate that exposing inoculated silages to air does not compromise their use in sheep feeding.

A comparison of the timbral characteristics of steel and wooden drum sets

Although it is quite common to construct snare drum shells from various metals, it is still rare for full drum sets to have shells made from metal. Several manufacturers have produced metal drum sets intermittently since the 1970s. However, they still remain a niche version of the instrument that has received less attention than their wooden counterparts. This paper compares the timbral characteristics of a drum set made from steel against a maple drum set. Audio samples of the two drum sets are meticulously recorded in a recording studio with high grade equipment. The configurations of the two drum sets are made to match as closely as possible. Then the recorded audio samples are analyzed using computational methods—looking at both time-domain and spectral features for both instruments. In this way we observe how the different construction material and methods result in contrasting timbral characteristics.

MODIFICATION OF AN EXISTING HOLD-ON RICE THRESHER

Manual paddy threshing using metal drums with attendant low output and high losses is still being widely used in the Kano-Kura rice cluster. An existing stationary Hold-on thresher designed to address these, was modified and evaluated. The thresher was designed taking all peculiar technical considerations. It was then fabricated using available materials. Paddy Faro 44 variety at a mean moisture content of 13 % (w. b.) was used for evaluation in this study. The independent variables consist of three different speeds 500, 600 and 700 rpm and two feed rates of 200 and 300 kg/h were used. Factorial experiments were conducted in a completely randomized design with three replications. The performance dependent indices used were output capacity, threshing efficiency and cleaning efficiency. The analysis was done using GENSTAT statistical package. It was found out that the effects of variables on the performance indices were highly significant. The mean highest value of the output capacity was 229.09 kg/h at the combination of 700 rpm speed and 300 kg/h feed rate. The mean value obtained for the threshing was 99.99 % and is statistically similar for all the combinations. The cleaning efficiency indicate highest value of 85 % at the combination of 500 rpm speed and 200 kg/h feed rate. T-test for comparison between machine performance and manual threshing showed that the mean value for output capacity, threshing efficiency and cleaning efficiency for the machine are significantly higher than the manual threshing, the, the machine performance has promising prospect.

Effect of the Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Lentilactobacillus buchneri on corn and sorghum silage quality and sheep energy partition under tropical conditions

AbstractThis study aimed to evaluate the silage quality, ingestive behaviour, and sheep energy partition fed corn and sorghum silages, with or without inoculation with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Lentilactobacillus buchneri. Whole plants of one dent corn hybrid (DCS), one flint corn hybrid (FCS), and one forage sorghum hybrid (SS) were ensiled with or without an inoculant containing L. plantarum and L. buchneri (4 × 105 CFU g−1), totalling six treatments (3 × 2 factorial scheme). The treatments were ensiled in metal drums with 200 L capacity. The lactic acid concentrations in the inoculated FCS and DCS were higher by 13.4% and 12.8%, respectively, than those in the non‐inoculated plants. In contrast, the lactic acid concentration in the inoculated SS was 23.1% lower than that in the non‐inoculated SS. Furthermore, there were differences in pH and acetic acid concentrations only in SS, which were 2.3% and 45.2% higher, respectively, in inoculated silage than in non‐inoculated silage. In inoculated DCS and SS, propionic acid concentrations were 1.7 times higher (for both silages), and 1‐propanol was 3.7 and 1.8 times higher compared than those in non‐inoculated silages. There was a main effect of the inoculant on 1,2‐propanediol concentrations, which were 37.5% higher in inoculated silages than in non‐inoculated silages. However, ingestive behaviour, heat and methane production, and silage net energy concentrations were not affected by inoculant use. Fermentative modifications caused by inoculation with L. plantarum and L. buchneri in whole plant corn or sorghum silage did not modify sheep energy partition.

Occurrence of Some Mosquito Species in Tha-Ma-Nya Village, Hpa-an Township, Kayin State in Myanmar

Among the numerous species of blood-sucking insects, mosquitoes stand out as most offensive to man and other warm-blooded animals. Mosquitoes were collected by indoor and outdoor CDC light traps in randomly selected household and larvae were collected in and around 3 Kilo meter radius from the study site. A total of 14 species, five genera under family Culicidae were recorded in Tha-ma-nya village. Recorded species included two species under genus Aedes, three species under genus Culex one species under the genus Armigeres, one species under the genus Toxorhynchities and 7 species under genus Anopheles. Species inentification was done according to different morphological keys. Altogether seven out of 14 recorded mosquito species were medically important vector species. Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus were primary and secondary vectors of dengue fever. Culex quinquefasciatus is a microfilariasis vector. The important vectors of Japanese encephalitis are Culex tritaeniorhynchus and Culex gelidus. High density of malaria vector Anopheles dirus was collected in outdoor light trap than An. minimus, although An. minimus was collected high density by indoor CDC light traps. Virus of Japanese encephalitis could transmit from rearing pig and ducks to persons living in the study area. Indoor clear water containers serve as the favorable places for living Aedes spp. Outdoor water storage concrete tanks provided stagnant water to breed Culex and Anopheles species. Water pools, rock pools and rice fields water were found high preferences for breeding of malaria vectors An. dirus and An. minimus larvae and An. dirus larvae was also collected from concrete tanks. Microfilariasis vector Cx. quinquefqsciatus and JE vector Cx. tritaeniorhynchus larvae were collected from polluted water pools and Dengue vector larvae as Aedes larvae were collected from metal drums, bago jars and concrete tanks. Status of the mosquito species composition in the Tha-ma-nya village provided database not only for further researches but also for giving good knowledge and practice in health workers for effective control of vector borne diseases.

STORAGE: A Source Term Model for Intermediate-Level Radioactive Waste

The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission and Orano have developed a modeling tool named the Simulation TOol Of RAdiolysis Gas Emission (STORAGE) for assessing gas generation of intermediate-level waste (ILW). The first version of this model was designed to estimate gas (more specifically hydrogen) production by radiolysis of organic and water-containing materials. The code deals with different types of waste packages: metal drums, concrete drums, bitumen packages, and compacted waste containers. Diverse radioactive waste can be handled: spent fuel cladding, reprocessing sludge, contaminated technological waste (gloves, bags, bottles, etc.), ion exchange resin, etc. The validity of the model was evaluated using a series of measurements performed on U,Pu–contaminated solid waste from the Orano plutonium laboratories at the MELOX facility. A benchmark study for compacted waste containers was also implemented; the results of STORAGE were compared with reference calculations performed by Orano Projets. Future improvements of the STORAGE model are also presented.

Detection of Fission Coincidences With Plastic Scintillators for the Characterization of Radioactive Waste Drums

This work addresses the use of plastic scintillators as an alternative to ³He neutron detectors for radioactive waste drum characterization. The time response of scintillators is three orders of magnitude faster than that of gas proportional counters, and they offer similar neutron detection efficiency at lower cost. However, they are sensitive to gamma rays and the neutron-gamma pulse shape discrimination (PSD) is not possible with standard PVT scintillators. The proposed approach uses the neutron and gamma times of flight in triple coincidences recorded with ²⁵²Cf, AmBe, and ⁶⁰Co sources. A 2-D histogram of time delays between the second and first detected pulses, on the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$x$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-axis, and between the third and second pulses, on the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$y$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-axis, evidences a specific region of interest for spontaneous fission coincidences. MCNPX-PoliMi simulations are performed, which are in good agreement with previous experiments and allow for investigating the types of coincidences (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\gamma \gamma \gamma $ </tex-math></inline-formula>, nnn, <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\gamma $ </tex-math></inline-formula>nn, <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\gamma \gamma \text{n}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) and optimizing the rejection of neutron and gamma scattering crosstalk. The method was also experimentally tested with a 118-L mock-up drum filled with a metallic or an organic matrix, showing a correct estimation of the net fission signal up to an &#x201C;alpha ratio&#x201D; of 12 between fission and (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\alpha $ </tex-math></inline-formula>,n) neutron emissions. Matrix and localization effects were also measured, showing a sensitivity (useful signal per gram of ²⁴⁰Pu_eq) for a homogeneous distribution of plutonium in the iron matrix about three times larger than in the wood matrix, due to neutron slowing-down in the latter. This difference can be taken into account by the prior knowledge of the matrix characteristics or by neutron and gamma attenuation measurements. In contrast, in case of a point source with an unknown position in the matrix, the relative localization uncertainty is 26% for the metallic drum, and 41% for the organic one.

Study of various tillage technologies

At present, in the production of crop products, traditional energy-intensive (classical) methods of soil cultivation are used - plowing, disking, cultivation. At the time of the start of the development of this project, two patents were obtained: No. 2671480 dated October 31, 2018 and No. 2732021 dated September 10, 2020 on the technology of deep pin tillage. In the first version, the technology is implemented using a metal drum with a diameter of 2.5 and more meters with pins 25 or more centimeters long installed on its surface. A drum made on the principle of a wide bicycle wheel from 3 meters or more, is fixed by an axle on the frame, which clings to the tractor. The drum, rolling over the soil, under the action of its own weight under the action of the rotating spokes of the drum, which are endlessly rotating Archimedes levers, loosens spoilage with pins fixed on the outer surface of the drum. The larger the diameter of the drum and, accordingly, the spokes, the lower the energy consumption for loosening the soil and the greater the non-technological mass of such a unit. As a result of the continuation of the study of scientifically grounded ecological-geographical location and more efficient production of spring wheat in the forest-steppe conditions, to explain the possibilities of increasing yields up to 56 kg/ha.

Wood pallet performance analysis with palletized drums in distribution and warehousing

As an integral part of the supply chain, wooden pallets are produced in large quantities, with 849 million new and recycled wooden pallets being manufactured annually in the industry. Pallets are currently designed using a uniformly distributed load to determine the load capacity. This highly generalized approach often leads to overdesign and increased material utilization. Due to a phenomenon called load bridging, when discrete packages such as corrugated boxes or industrial drums are shipped on a pallet, the weight of the load tends to distribute unevenly. This can lead to an increased load capacity for the pallet. Industrial drums are commonly used to transport large amounts of liquids and chemicals; however, their load bridging effect has not been previously researched. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of 55-gallon drums on the pressure distribution and deflection of stringer class wooden pallets using multiple support conditions and pallet designs. Results of the study indicated that loading pallets with drums significantly reduces the deflection of the pallet in all support conditions when compared to a uniformly distributed load. It was also observed that plastic and metal drums distributed their load to the pallets differently, which resulted in significantly different load bridging effects for each drum type.

Ecology, Distribution and Risk of Transmission of Viral Haemorrhagic Fevers by &amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Aedes&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt; Mosquitoes around the Port Areas of Tema in Southern Ghana

Aedes-borne diseases remain a public health challenge for many countries globally. The extent of spread of invasive species of Aedes mosquitoes and risk of transmission of the diseases especially around the point of entry of goods such as ports is not well known in Ghana. This study investigated the ecology, distribution and risk of transmission of viral haemorrhagic fevers by Aedes mosquitoes around the port areas of Tema, Southern Ghana. The mosquitoes from this study were collected using human landing catches, ovitraps and larval collections for a period of six months. A total of 1092 containers were inspected in both seasons and of these, 237 (21.7%) were positive for mosquito larvae or pupae in rainy season while 181 (16.6%) were positive in dry season. A total of 6498 mosquitoes were collected and identified morphologically using taxonomic keys. 6038 (92.9%) were Aedes aegypti, 337 (5.2%) were Culex spp. and 123 (1.9%) were Anopheles gambiae. The Ae. aegypti larvae were found breeding in a series of water-holding containers which included disposed plastic containers, earthenware pots, car tyres, plastic barrels, plastic basins, buckets, metal drums, jerrycans and poly tank. A high proportion of Aedes aegypti eggs were found in the ovitraps during the rainy season than in the dry season in the study sites. Ae. aegypti was the most common mosquitoes biting mostly outdoors (65.6%) with more bites occurring in the rainy season (63.6%) in the two residential sites (Tema Community One and Tema New Town). The risk of transmission of viral haemorrhagic fever in the study sites was assessed using House Index, Container Index, Breteau Index and was found to be higher in Tema New town area with seasonal variations within the sites. The man-vector contact rates for the two residential sites were also found to be higher in rainy season than the dry season. These observations indicate that the risk of transmission of viral haemorrhagic fevers in the study areas is high especially in the rainy season. The implications of the findings in the formulation of future vector control programmes around the port areas in the country are discussed in the paper.

Risk Assessment of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Smoked Sardinella sp. in Ghana: Impact of an Improved Oven on Public Health Protection.

An improved fish smoking oven called FAO-Thiaroye Technique (FTT) has been introduced in Ghana and other countries in the Global South as a technical intervention for the high levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in traditionally smoked fish produced in those regions. This study evaluated the extent to which the intervention reduces consumer exposure to PAHs (considering benzo(a)pyrene [BaP] as a marker) in smoked fish, using Ghana as a case. Smoked Sardinella sp. were sampled from two traditional ovens (Chorkor smoker and metal drum oven) and the FTT and their PAH levels were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Samples of the product were also purchased from informal markets in three selected regions of Ghana and analyzed for their PAH levels. Cross-sectional consumer surveys were conducted in the selected regions to determine intakes of the commodity. A probabilistic risk assessment of PAH was then done by the margin of exposure (MoE) approach. BaP MoE as low as 1,060 and 752 were obtained for products from the traditional ovens and the informal markets, respectively, whereas the lowest value for FTT products was approximately 161,000. MoE values less than 10,000 were considered to denote a serious public health concern requiring risk management action. Therefore, the findings suggest that there is a potential health concern of high consumer exposure to PAHs in traditionally smoked fish in Ghana, and that the FTT is a technically viable intervention for the problem.