UrduFanz: IT Science Technology Telecom

Just Testing

2014-11-20T01:15:00.000-08:00

Just Testing

Zong Tops MNP Charts for Last Three Months

2012-09-28T01:25:00.001-07:00

Zong has received more MNP customers than any other cellular operator in last three reported months with 483,239 mobile phone subscribers porting-in to Zong from June to August 2012, reported Pakistan Telecommunication Authority in its recent most MNP stats.
MNP or Mobile Number Portability is a facility through which mobile phone subscribers are allowed to change their network while retaining their numbers.
Mobilink received 278,874 customers while Telenor was able to grab 215,129 Mobile Number Portability customers in previous three months.
Ufone stood forth in acquiring MNP customers with 170,151 numbers while Warid got 48,999 MNP customers.
Ufone and Mobilink turned out to be largest MNP donator as both companies sent out around 320,000 MNP customers to other networks.
269,954 customers from Zong decided to move on to other networks in three months while Telenor sent 171,571 customers to other networks.
Warid processed 114,956 MNP requests for moving out of its network.
Check below graph for up-mentioned figures:

Mobile phone operators keep offering lucrative deals and packages for new and MNP customers to increase their subscriber base.
It maybe recalled that local channel partners, such as retailers and franchisees, are often found involved in MNP Scams, i.e. they initiate MNP requests without users’ consent.
It merits mentioning here that not all MNP requests are entertained for reasons such as: SIM not Registered, incomplete documentation, outstanding balance and others.
Following graph shows the number of total port-in requests initiated by customers and rejected requests by all operators:

Are Smart Grids the Only Solution to the Electricity Crisis? And How WiMAX Can Help?

2012-09-27T22:48:00.000-07:00

The past twenty years have been an extraordinary time for the development of information and communication technologies (ICTs) – with the ‘mobile miracle’ we have brought the benefits of ICTs within reach of virtually all the world’s people. It is now time to make the next step, and to ensure that everyone – wherever they live, and whatever their circumstances – have access to the benefits of broadband.
This is not just about delivering connectivity for connectivity’s sake, or even about giving people access to the undoubted benefits of social communications. It is about leveraging the power of broadband technologies, and especially mobile technologies, to make the world a better place.
Broadband has become a key priority of the 21st Century, and I believe its transformative power as an enabler for economic and social growth makes it an essential tool for empowering people, creating an environment that nurtures the technological and service innovation, and triggering positive change in business processes as well as in society as a whole.
Increased adoption and use of broadband in the next decade and beyond will be driven by the extent to which broadband-supported services and applications are not only made available to, but are also relevant and affordable for consumers.
A broader view needs to be taken for broadband proliferation and the Government’s long-term digital strategy needs to be aligned with its economic objectives. The ITU and UNESCO Broadband Commission for Digital Development are striving to meet the eight Millennium Development Goals signed by all nations, including Pakistan, in 2000. The Broadband Challenge and Broadband Targets 2015 adopted by the Broadband Commission for Digital Development in October 2011 consist of a set of four targets for making broadband policy universal and for boosting affordability and broadband uptake:

Target 1: Making broadband policy universal. By 2015, all countries should have a national broadband plan or strategy or include broadband in their Universal Access/Service Definitions;
Target 2: Making broadband affordable. By 2015, entry-level broadband services should be made affordable in developing countries through adequate regulation and market forces (for example, amount to less than 5% of average monthly income);
Target 3: Connecting homes to broadband. By 2015, 40% of households in developing countries should have Internet access;
Target 4: Getting people online. By 2015, Internet user penetration should reach 60% worldwide, 50% in developing countries and 15% in Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

Although the current growth is encouraging, is it enough for us to leap forward and compete with the rest of the world? Technology and progress are recurrently linked together and in today’s day and age. Governments and businesses want to measure the real growth, with transparency of results and visibility to manage their operations.
Energy Crisis and How Communication Networks Can Play a Role:
The electricity crisis in the country has been a thorn in the backside of not just the existing government, but the previous one as well. The current and the former PM’s have also stated that eliminating the electricity short-fall is the top priority for them. Having said that, the easiest and most direct way of eliminating the shortfall has been sought through developing new sources of power generation, majority of which through IPP’s (Independent Power Producers).
Over the last 10 years, we have witnessed the mushrooming of new power projects that have renewed hope in the system and have given relief for a short period of time. However, the power crisis continues to be a sore point for the Government. However, it is time we review the options for improving the efficiency of our electricity supply and management. Are IPP’s the only viable way to address the issue?
In my opinion, they are partly the solution. Thanks to advancement in technology, smart solutions are available and being implemented internationally for improving electricity supply and management.
The smart grid is bringing the electric utility industry into the 21st century. In combination with smart meters, the smart grid enables consumers to monitor their energy usage. For utilities, it eliminates house-to-house meter reading, makes possible the remote connection and disconnection of electric power, and sends automatic alerts when outages occur.
Through smart meters, the scourge of electricity theft can be eliminated with ease, as detection of theft is made simpler.The smart grid enables retail electric providers to offer time-of-use rates that differentiate peak and off-peak consumption to encourage electricity consumers to shift their consumption patterns accordingly.
Developing a communications network is critical to meet this goal. The mass of information accumulated by smart meters is of no value unless it can be transmitted reliably to the utility data center and processed. Hence, there is a critical need for an effective communications network. Besides the above, the following standards should be adhered to:

A comprehensive coverage design needs to be planned and two-way communication between the endpoints (to cell relays [meter data collectors] and intelligent grid switching devices) are ensured.
Sufficient data throughput capacity to transmit 96 interval readings a day from each meter, and to execute all service orders generated.
Be reliable in all conditions, particularly storm conditions as Pakistan is susceptible to extreme weather conditions, especially during monsoons.
Be secure, adhering to strict cyber-security standards.
Be scalable to keep pace with ever-increasing amounts of data as more smart meters and intelligent grid switching devices are installed in the years ahead.
Have adequate fail-over and redundancy to ensure backup in the event of a component failure.

Some people may call me a dreamer and argue that this progress may only add to the cost of delivering electricity. I however, believe otherwise. The challenge for Pakistan is not only to overcome electricity shortfall, but to better manage its delivery system. The above method has been adopted in developing countries like the US and need to be implemented in Pakistan to get real-time access and accurate control over power delivery.
These steps will go a long way in ensuring the results are transparent and will help the Government in supporting policies for particular industries in order to meet its macro economic targets.

Ufone Cricket Video Grabs 2.5 Million Views in a Week

2012-09-27T22:45:00.000-07:00

Ufone recently launched a song titled “Tum Hi tau ho Saaen”, featuring Wasim Akram in his maiden effort has been watched by over 2.5 million viewsr on all major web portals in less than a week, claims Ufone.
The initiative by Ufone is unique in its own right as it showcases Wasim Akram as a singer in his first ever music video instead of a national cricketing hero, showing him supporting the national team.
Waseem Akram enthralls the audience with his singing prowess and news is that music pundits have already started predicting his chances of success in this field similar to his earlier ventures of becoming a cricket commentator, an anchorperson and successful brand ambassador endorsing various products.
The video has already attracted thousands of fans on Facebook and the numbers are growing by the hour.
Apart from establishing its reputation of making jovial ads from time to time, Ufone has also produced soul-searching, introspective and thematic ads on special days like 14^th August, 23^rd March and 6^th September. Coming out with a beautiful song on the eve of Cricket T20 World Cup is a feat no other telecom operator has achieved yet.
Legendary figures singing songs is not a new trend anywhere in the world and showbiz as well as sports personalities often sing songs for their country but the phenomenon is unique in Pakistan in the sense that no such example existed earlier. It is amusing to watch multifaceted Wasim Akram rapping effortlessly to the tunes of music. He is paired with Ali Gul Pir, who got instant fame with his recent music video “Saeen ka Biata”.
It may be recalled here Pakistan emerged victorious in the 2009 T20 world cup in England and this time around sentiments are in full swing as Pakistan cruised safely to Super 8 stage routing New Zealand and Bangladesh on the way.

Warid Introduces T20 World Cup Mobile Game

2012-09-27T22:43:00.000-07:00

Warid Telecom introduces T20 World Cup Mobile game which will enable Warid users to become part of a world class enthralling T20 series by playing cricket on their smartphones.
Experience the passion, walk down the pitch to a billion cheers and play the larger than life T20 World cup 2012.
Users can play and guide their team for victory while batting or bowling through 20 grueling rounds of intense cricketing action. Users can select any team as their favorite and fight for the title.
T20 World Cup mobile application for cricket fans is available for download for one month from 25th September 2012 to 26th of October 2012. Warid T20 World Cup mobile application is available for selected Android and Java based mobile handsets.
Game Highlights:

Choose from 12 official teams
Play in Auto and manual batting modes
Watch Cheerleaders dance to your shots and wickets
Simple touch controls to bat and bowl
Tutorial section included teaching step by step batting and bowling controls of the game
Game is available to be played in three modes: T20 World Cup 2012 Mode, Challenge Mode and Quick Match Mode.
All the official World Twenty20 2012 Sri Lanka 12 teams available and all matches are scheduled according to the schedule for World Cup 2012 Sri Lanka.

Details:

This application is available to all Warid subscribers
This offer is valid for one month (25th September 2012 – 26th of October 2012)
This offer is valid for selected Android and Java based mobile handsets
Click Here for list of compatible devices

How to Subscribe and Download:
Warid subscribers can buy this application by sending “T20″ to 2020 for Rs. 99+t.
Service Mechanics:

Send T20 to 2020 to purchase the application. (Please ensure that your handset is visible in the list of compatible devices above)
An SMS shall be received with a link to your purchased application.
Clicking on the link will initiate the download of the application and you are done

Note: All requests send to 2020 will be charged, please ensure that your device is visible in the compatibility list before initiating a request.
Charges:

Rs. 99 plus tax

Note:
All requests sent to 2020 are charged, please ensure that your device is visible in the compatibility list before initiating a request.
Terms & Conditions:

Please ensure that your handset is visible in the compatibility list.
Click Here for list of compatible devices
Only one request per day would be applicable i.e. a customer may purchase this application only once in a day
The application link is valid for 1 download only
GPRS charges apply for downloads directly from network

PTCL Organizes Heart Disease Prevention and Awareness Seminar

2012-09-27T22:42:00.000-07:00

In connection with World Heart Day 2012, observed every year on 29^thSeptember, Pakistan Telecommunications Company Limited (PTCL) held an awareness seminar on ‘Prevention of Heart Disease among Women & Children’.
Dr. Inam ul Haq, Consultant Cardiologist, Federal Government Services Hospital, Islamabad was specially invited by PTCL to speak at the occasion. The seminar was held at S A Siddiqui auditorium in the PTCL Head Quarters premises.
Senior Executive Vice President (SEVP) HR, Syed Mazhar Hussain while speaking on the occasion said that PTCL believes in providing a healthy and safe working environment for its employees, the main objective of this seminar is to create awareness regarding heart diseases amongst our staff, with special focus on Women and Children.”
“PTCL is the only telecommunications services provider in the country which has dedicated medical centers all across the country for providing the health related facilities to its employees.” He further added.
Speaking at the occasion, Dr. Inam ul Haq said that heart diseases are rapidly growing in Pakistan. Previously it was considered that mostly people in advance ages are at risk with heart diseases, however , latest medical research shows that young people, specially children and women are also at the same risk. He further appreciated PTCL for providing health care information and awareness about heart diseases and preventive measures to its staff.
To commemorate the Heart Day, PTCL medical centers also arranged a blood pressure awareness drive at PTCL HQ’s and medical centers. PTCL medical staff gave employees demonstration about blood pressure checking and prevention techniques.

Government Suddenly Realizes that IT Ministry is Running on Acting Heads Only

2012-09-27T22:41:00.000-07:00

After years, in fact after four and half years since the current government took charge, the authorities have finally and suddenly realized that Ministry of Information Technology is running on shoulders of acting heads, i.e. without any regular and permanent appointments.
This was observed yesterday in a parliamentary committee meeting when it was realized that IT Ministry isn’t performing at all as majority of heads in IT ministry are acting or interim in nature, with no IT Minister for a long time.
Almost same is the situation for various heads of departments at Ministry of IT and other IT Ministry departments, as they are controlled by acting heads only.
Chairman of the parliamentary committee, Mr. Barjees Tahir noted that everyone in these departments is on acting basis so how it is possible that department would run smoothly without any problem.
Barjees Tahir said that it is very unfortunate that IT sector is contributing at large in the national economy but government is ignoring this key sector.
It merits mentioning here that Ministry of Information Technology is functioning even without a Minister since the government took charge. There were few appointments made for the headship of Ministry but they didn’t last long.
Prime Minister remains the head of Ministry during the absence of a regular minister who is usually so busy in other (government, political and legal) affairs that IT Ministry is never given the due importance and time – unless there is a issue which can bring them money, such as 3G.
It merits mentioning here that current government has miserably failed in achieving anything in Information Technology domain or let me say they have done nothing for IT industry.
Just for the records, there is no cyber law in Pakistan, Mobile Cellular Policy, broadband policy and various other Telecom policies have expired for long. There is no policy for money laundering here which is why PayPal isn’t coming to Pakistan. There is no e-payment gateway in the country and countless other things which could enable IT industry to achieve lot better than what it has done now.

Pakistan is a land of Opportunities: VP Nokia

2012-09-27T22:39:00.001-07:00

Senior Vice President, All India Management Association & VP Nokia IMEA (India, Middle East & Africa), expressed during his recent visit to Pakistan:
“Pakistan is a land of opportunities and the credit for this goes to the huge youth population and the rich pool of talent available in the country”, these sentiments were expressed by D. Shiva Kumar, Senior Vice President, All India Management Association & VP Nokia IMEA, during his recent visit to Pakistan.
He was one of the key speakers from India at the two day management conference between the two countries in Lahore.
During his presentation, he expressed the need to understand the potential in the emerging markets especially Pakistan where there is unique talent pool, high potential, right time to benefit from opportunities.
In his views, this is a once in a life time opportunity and the time is ripe for both Pakistan and India to come together and work in the fields of Technology, Business Management, Brand Building and Education to make South Asia even more visible to the rest of the world.
When asked about the business of Nokia in Pakistan, he said, “Nokia is one of the most loved Brands in Pakistan and we always feel great to see the business progress in Pakistan. For us at Nokia, Pakistan is a high potential market with opportunities for growth in the mobile sector. With the huge youth population, we see a fast adoption to mobile services and penetration.”

Ufone Offers Per Second Charging For Hajj Roaming

2012-09-27T22:38:00.002-07:00

Ufone has announced per second charging for all calls made to Pakistan or with-in Saudi Arabia and for all incoming calls for the Hajj Pilgrims when they are in Saudi Arabia.
The offer which is pre-activated on all prepaid number will allow Ufone customers to make as many calls as they want to your family back home in Pakistan or in Saudi Arabia for just Rs. 1/sec and receive calls from anywhere in the world for Rs.0.15/sec only.
Ufone customers will have to select Mobily (Etisalat) in Saudi Arabia as they native network to avail this offer.
Terms & Conditions:

This promo is for prepaid customers only; Offer is not valid for Post-paid Subscribers;
This promo is effective from 27th September to 10th December 2012.
While roaming in Saudi Arabia now calls to Pakistan & Saudi Arabia only in PKR 1/sec and receive calls only in PKR 0.15/Sec from anywhere in the world.
No subscription will be required to avail this promo; this offer will be provisioned by default on all Ufone Prepaid numbers for international roaming.
Per second charging can only be applicable when subscriber is latched to Mobily Saudi Arabia.
Per second charging is only applicable for outgoing calls to Saudia Arabia& Pakistan and for incoming calls from anywhere in the world.
There are no hidden daily/monthly charges on this offer.
Standard published rates and charging shall apply on roaming to other networks in these selected destinations.

Ufone Offers 600 SMS for 45 Paisas

2012-09-26T08:32:00.000-07:00

Ufone has announced reduction in daily SMS bundle of 600 SMS for its Uth customers which was earlier offered at Rs. 1.99 plus tax is now being offered for 45 Paisas only.
With this daily bundle offer, Uth customers will be able to send 600 SMS to any network with a validity of one day.
This is a limited time offer which will remain valid till November 05, 2012 only.
Package Details:

Number of SMS: 600 to any network
Price: Rs. 0.45 + Tax
Validity: 24 Hours
Auto re-subscription: Yes

How to Subscribe:

Send Sub to 612

How to Un-subscribe:

Send Unsub to 8612

Terms & Conditions:

Daily SMS Package for Uth customers will be valid for 24 hours from the time of subscription.
This package will auto re-subscribe Daily SMS Package after 24 hours.
This SMS package might not be available during Eid holiday.
This is a limited time offer till November 5th, 2012 only.

Mobilink Brings Nano-SIM to Pakistan

2012-09-26T08:30:00.000-07:00

Mobilink has announced the availability of Nano-SIMs for its customers in Pakistan to ensure that Mobilink customers are enabled to use the iPhone 5 on the its network. Move is likely to be followed by other operators too.
Mobilink customers can simply walk into a customer care center and get their standard SIM replaced with the new nano-SIM.
The iPhone 5, launched by Apple recently, has introduced a nano-SIM tray instead of the standard SIM to optimize design and to enable the thin form factor of the new device.
Standard SIMs cannot be used with the iPhone 5 and Mobilink has taken urgent steps to ensure Mobilink customers can continue to use their preferred handsets on the network.

The Apple designed nano-SIM is 40 percent smaller than the current micro-SIM format and measures just 12.3mm wide by 8.8mm high, and 0.67mm thick.
For now this SIM standard has only been adopted by Apple in the new iPhone 5 but soon other mobile phone manufacturers are expected to follow the trend.

Glow Super Dosti Offers New Unlimited Mobile Internet and SMS Bundles

2012-09-26T08:26:00.000-07:00

Glow introduces new and improved SMS and Mobile Internet bundles for Super Dosti Package.
Now send 500 SMS’s to any number, any network in Pakistan in just Rs. 1.50/day and enjoy unlimited mobile internet in just Rs. 10/day.
‘Super Dosti Package’ offers 11 F&F numbers including one Super Dosti Number which is free forever. This tailored package offers the lowest F&F call rates across all networks at only 45 Paisas per 30 seconds.
Monthly subscription charges for Super Dosti Number are just Rs. 10 per month and users will be charged Rs. 1 on the first call made to their Super Dosti or FnF numbers everyday.
Spreading the colors of friendship, Glow ‘Super Dosti Package’ is a perfect blend that caters to the youth of Pakistan with best rates ever.
Activation Process:

To activate Super Dosti Package users can SMS ‘Super’ to 7777 or call 100 for details.
To activate 500 SMS simply type ‘Glow 500’ to 7777
To activate unlimited** mobile internet simply type ‘DM’ to 7777

*Valid from 1am till 10pm (Mobile Internet)
**100MB fair usage policy applies (Mobile Internet)

Microsoft Disowned Shafay Thobani Gets Rs. 1 Million Cheque from Prime Minister

2012-09-26T05:52:00.000-07:00

You remember Shafay Thobani, the self proclaimed youngest Microsoft Certified professional, who was disowned by Microsoft when it said that company doesn’t keep track of age for its certified professionals?
The guy has hit the jackpot as Mr. Parvez Ashraf, Prime Minister of Pakistan has given away a hefty cheque of Rs. 1 Million to Shafay for becoming the youngest computer expert in the world, which was obviously a false claim.
Check all this happening in below pic that was published by Daily Express recently:

Just to explain things, Shafay Thobani is legitimate certified professional (we had checked with Microsoft) at incredibly young age – which is impressive – however, his claim of being the youngest certified professional is untrue since Microsoft has said this officially that they don’t keep track of age for its certified professionals and hence there’s no question of being the youngest or oldest certified professional.
There are people in this country who try to get labeled as the youngest this and youngest that to get the attention, fame and of course cheques from the government.
The trend, which is strictly discouraged by Microsoft has lead the fraudsters (especially those without legitimate certifications) to earn bad name for the country.
If not stopped and discouraged by government sector, it is feared that more such self proclaimed computer experts will keep hitting the media screens, even when technology companies, such as Microsoft, don’t want to be named with such fakers.

HBL Soft Launches its Branchless Banking Solution

2012-09-26T05:50:00.000-07:00

Habib Bank Limited has soft launched its branchless banking solution in Pakistan as a pilot before going for a full scale commercial launch, that is planned for October 2012, told us sources familiar with the development.
HBL branchless banking will be second bank lead branchless banking solution, Omni being the first, that aims to trigger the next big segment in a Pakistani market to give tough competition to services like Easypaisa.
HBL’s branchless banking solution is powered by Sybase 365, a SAP company, and is managed by Abacus consulting which claims to have deployed this large scale solution in record time.
Though we aren’t sure about the complete product line and service charges of HBL branchless banking but from what we have heard so far it appears that HBL is going to offer all kind of services that EasyPaisa is offering to its consumers and corporate customers with least 25 percent lesser charges.
Bill payment, funds transfer, government to persons transaction, tax collection, loan payments, insurance and many other services are what HBL will kick start with, with reports of more value added services coming in future.
We were further told by sources that HBL will adopt an innovative new way for carrying financial transactions, which would not be telco dependent.
Thanks to its large banking network, HBL is said to start its branchless banking operations with over 200 regional hubs which will control end-point retailors in their respective regions.
Experts opine that branchless banking industry is going to get more competitive in coming time, eventually curbing EasyPaisa’s monopoly in the business, which will benefit the end user who will get better services at optimum prices.
Expect more details on HBL’s branchless banking in coming days.

What is Fake SMS Sender and How to Trace it?

2012-09-26T05:48:00.001-07:00

Sending fake SMS messages from someone’s mobile number without his/her knowledge or consent, a term that is technically known as SMS Spoofing, is an old phenomenon.
We were tipped by multiple readers about the availability of such SMS faking software in local market, however we then decided not to carry the news as it could aware the fraudsters of a new technique of fooling people.
Dunya News, however, carried this news yesterday by claiming that a new system has been introduced in Pakistan through which anyone can send text messages with a number ID of his/her choice.
Dunya TV said that this new system, which it dubbed as “Evil Mobile Software”, will allow anyone to send text messages from any mobile number which can cause serious privacy and social threats for anyone, especially the girls.
Since the news has reached the masses now, we thought of telling our readers a way of tracing spoofed messages through which you can prove that messages (with your number as sender) were indeed not sent by you.

What Fake SMS Sender can do?

By definition, with a spoofed SMS or faked SMS sender the originator of text message can set sender’s number of his/her choice, making it possible for anyone to send text messages from any number.
For example, with Fake SMS sender I can send an SMS which will show sender’s number as 0300-0000000, or I can set sender’s name as “ProPakistani” or anything.
This technology is used to send masked messages with alphanumeric names such as: Ufone, Warid, QAU, GIKI and so on.

How These Software Work?

All these software available in local market use services of international vendors for sending fake text messages. Countless international companies offer SMS masking to their clients who use their brand names as message sender in their marketing campaigns.
Few evil geniuses in Pakistan have developed desktop applications (they have named it VBG Fake SMS Sender) which can send text messages with any senders’ number by using network of these international SMS vendors (through APIs).
These local fraudsters are now selling Fake SMS senders by posting ads on classified websites to mint money, which is of course illegal.

How to Trace Fake SMS?

If you are victim of Fake SMS, i.e. if someone has sent text messages with your number with objectionable content then you need not to worry.
There’s a way of proving that message wasn’t sent from your number and that it is a Fake Message.
There are two ways to trace a Fake SMS:
1 – SMS center number of any spoofed message or fake message will be an international number, such as +445566776654 or +22XXXXXX or anything but not a Pakistani number (Pakistani numbers start with +92).
The SMS Message Center Number is a phone number that acts as a gateway for sending or receiving SMS messages between cellular devices. Since spoofed messages are sent by International vendors only, it is likely that SMS center number of a spoofed message will be an international number.
If you don’t know, SMS center number of a text message can be found by going in to message details.
For all messages that are legitimately originated from Pakistani networks will have following SMS center numbers:

For Mobilink Numbers: +92300000042
For Ufone Numbers: +923330005150
For Zong Numbers: +923189244444
For Telenor Numbers: +923455000010

2 – If you are a victim of Fake SMS then you can prove it wrong by obtaining your call detail from your cellular company. Almost all cellular companies (except Mobilink) offer online call detail records or you can obtain this list for respective service centers of mobile phone companies.
Spoofed message or Fake SMS will not appear in your call record, since it was never sent using your cellular network. Hence you can prove that a particular message was not sent by you or your number.

What Law Enforcement Agencies Should do?

Very simple, search on Google for those selling these VGB Fake SMS sending software. Call them as customers and get their contact details to hunt them down.
Furthermore they can contact classified websites to get these ads removed from their websites.

What You Should Do?

Spread the word, educate your FnF the ways of tracing a fake message. Report fraudsters to police or NR3C.

A journey from Amber to Fiber

2012-09-26T05:45:00.001-07:00

“ELECTROMAGNETICS” IS at the heart of everything that is done with electricity. It concerns itself with the forces that charge particles exert upon each other. Electromagnetics is a word that was coined in the late 1800s to denote a newly discovered phenomenon that was the combination of what previously had been thought to be completely separate phenomena: electricity and magnetism.
The effects of electric charge have been known since 600 B.C. History records that the ancient Greeks discovered that Amber, a hard, translucent resin, attracted bits of material after it was rubbed with fur. Nearly 2,000 years passed before William Gilbert realized in the early 1600s that this same effect could be observed when rubbing a variety of substances together. It was he who coined the term “electric” using the Greek word for Amber, “elecktron”. In 1660, Otto Von Guericke invented a machine that produced static electricity and Robert Boyle discovered in 1675 that electric force could be transmitted through vacuum and observed attraction and repulsion. The first indication that electricity can move from one place to another came from experiments conducted by Stephen Gray in 1729. He found that when two objects were connected by a tube, both could be electrified when only one was rubbed. In 1733, Charles Francois du Fay discovered that electricity comes into two forms, which he called resinous (-) and vitreous (+). Benjamin Franklin and Ebenezer Kinnersley later renamed the two forms as positive and negative. This discovery (of Stephen Gray) led J.T. Desaguliers in 1739 to the discovery of a class of materials called “Conductors” that pass electricity easily. In 1745, a Dutch physicist, Pieter Van Muschenbroek invented the “Leyden Jar” the first electrical capacitor used to store static electricity and in 1747 William Watson discharged it through a circuit that began the comprehension of current and circuit.
In 1750, John Michel theorized that permanent magnet has north and south poles that attract or repel each other according to an inverse-square law that is similar to Coulomb’s law of force. In 1752, Ben Franklin conducted his famous kite experiment. He invented lighting rods and sold them throughout colonial America. The first quantitative theories of magnetism were advanced in the 18th century. In the year 1800, Volta developed the first chemical battery, which consisted of strips of dissimilar metals immersed in a weak electrolyte. The first evidence that electric and magnet phenomena are related came from Hans Christian Orested, who, in 1819, discovered that a steady current could move a compass needle, just as a permanent magnet can. This was closely followed by Andre-Marie Ampere’s discovery that electric currents exert attractive and repulsive forces on each other. In 1820, D.F. Arago invented the electromagnet. One of the most important series of experiments was performed by George Simon Ohm in 1826; he showed that when a constant voltage is applied to a conductor, the resulting current is proportional to the conductor’s cross-sectional area and inversely proportional to its length. Another important experimental connection between electric and magnetic effects was discovered by Michael Faraday in 1831. He conducted an experiment whereby two insulated wires were wrapped around an iron core and found that when the current in one winding was switched, a voltage was induced in the other and finally developed Transformer. In 1837, Samuel Morse invented the telegraph and in 1858, transoceanic telegraph cable was laid.
With the discovery of Faraday’s law, the stage was setfor the development of a complete theory of Electromagnetism. This was accomplished by James Clerk Maxwell, a professor of experimental physics at Cambridge University. In 1873 he published “A Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism”. In this work, he proposed that just as time-varying magnetic fields can produce electric fields, the opposite is also true. Adding this conjecture to what was already known about electricity and magnetism, Maxwell produced his now-famous system of equations called Maxwell’s equations. In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone and in 1879, Thomas Alva Edison invented the light bulb. Edison directed the operation of the first central commercial incandescent electric generating station in the country. In 1882, it provided electricity to one square mile in New York City. The definitive experimental verification of Maxwell’s theory came in 1886 through a series of experiments conducted by Heinrich Hertz. He discovered Electromagnetic wave in 1888.
The most dramatic application of the new Electromagnetic theory came in 1901 when Guglielmo Marconi sent the first wireless telegraph signals across the Atlantic Ocean. The next two decades saw a host of developments in antennas, amplifying devices, and modulation techniques, culminating in the first commercial radio broadcasting in the early 1920s. Television soon followed in the early 1930s, followed by the radar in the late 1930s. Wireless communication is probably the most conspicuous application of Electromagnetics, since it involves the propagation of Electromagnetic waves through air or space. Nevertheless, Maxwell’s Electromagnetic theory has been equally important in the development of a host of other engineering applications. Other devices and systems in whose development electromagnetic theory played an important part include the vacuum tube (1906), the magnetron (1940), the transistor (1950), the laser (1960), and fiber-optic systems (late 1970s). Starting with the operation of TAT-8 in 1988 (8th transatlantic telephone cable), there is widespread adoption of systems based on Fiber optics from 1990. In fact, it is safe to say that Electromagnetic theory has been an essential ingredient in the development of every electrical device or system that we now take for granted.

How can PayPal boost online economy of Pakistan?

2012-09-26T05:43:00.000-07:00

PAYPAL IS the global standard for payment transfers and for carrying online transactions. It’s a swift mode of payment that allows people to send and receive payments instantly.
Besides, majority of E-Commerce web sites rely on PayPal for charging transaction amounts from the customers.
The common problem for Pakistan’s 25 million plus internet users is that PayPal service is not available to them. It is either due to policies of PayPal or due to the hindrances it faces from local banks and financial governance institutions.
Many experts hint that PayPal has not yet started its operations in Pakistan due to technical as well as law and order concerns. Factors such as money laundering, funding of terrorists, weak banking infrastructure in Pakistan and lack of cooperation on part of the State Bank and local authorities may be hindering PayPal to land in Pakistan.
Who can play a role for removing those hindrances?
The government departments such Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB), the industry support organizations such as Pakistan Software House Association (PASHA) and the infrastructure development departments like Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) can play an anticipative role for removing these hindrances that confine PayPal from coming into Pakistan.
Also it is the responsibility of government to improve the law and order situation in the country and make strict laws to curtail cyber crimes. Passing of an anti-laundering bill is another need that the government should resolve to pave the way for PayPal in Pakistan.
PayPal and Online Eco System Based on ‘Cash-on-Delivery’
Today most E-commerce vendors in Pakistan are relying on Cash-on-Delivery system in which payments are received at the door step of the consumer at the time of delivery of goods.
For businesses it means putting extra resources for payment collection which means an additional cost of doing the business. It also involves risk as many scams occur while delivering goods to far flung areas in the country.
Virtual stores can help businesses reduce costs
Moreover, selling goods offline involves more cost as the vendors have to open physical stores at different locations. Online stores can help them set up virtual stores through which they can sell anywhere in Pakistan.
If awareness is created to use online stores it can boost business activities throughout the country. Coming of PayPal would allow the local stores to grow their businesses which would consequently result in jobs creation. It will also encourage entrepreneurs to establish new internet-based businesses.
PayPal and Exports
Pakistan is lagging behind other developing countries such as India having 120 million internet users. Pakistani IT companies are not able to receive and send payments easily and find it difficult to sell their software and services online.
Here are given some statistics that will reveal the potential of PayPal in the modern global economy:
Total volume of transactions carried through PayPal in the year 2011 was $118 billion.
Annual online spending by US was 202 billion by the end of year 2011. It will increase by 226 billion in 2012 and 327 billion in 2016.
The IT professionals and freelancers in Pakistan face numerous problems when it comes to receiving payments from clients. Similarly, it is difficult for the software companies to sell their products internationally.
If PayPal starts to operate in Pakistan it will reduce transaction cost and hassles. Currently, the local businessman relies on less reliable modes of payments which are not only slow but are costly too. These are wire transfer, Western Union, Money Bookers, Payoneer.

How can PayPal boost online economy of Pakistan?

2012-09-25T08:33:00.000-07:00

A journey from Amber to Fiber

2012-09-25T08:29:00.000-07:00

Water based vehicle

2012-09-25T08:25:00.000-07:00

ONE OF the engineering’s primary challenges lies in solving the world’s energy crisis. A major part of the energy solution lies in eliminating fossil fuels as transportation fuels. The idea of a car running on sun and water would have been viewed as science fiction as recently as 10 years ago.
Dr. Ghulam Sarwar, one of the brilliant scientist succeeded to have run a car with water as a fuel. Dr. Ghulam Sarwar belongs to Lahore. He did his research in the National Scientific And Educational Research Center near Jehlum. He was awarded PhD degrees in economics, engineering and transport by British universities. He had hounourable post as scientist officer in British Ministry of Transport and after retirement instead of enjoying the remaining life there he preferred to come back to his homeland and do something productive for it. Nowadays, he is teaching many students about scientific researches and inventions.
He worked on the principle of splitting water into two components Hydrogen and Oxygen and then use it as fuel. This system incorporates renewable energy and water to produce a fuel of tomorrow. Hydrogen and Oxygen gas spilt from water. We can “Hydroxy gas”. The molecules are bonded together positively in a ortho-hydrogen state, 2.4x’s to 4x’s more powerful than the normal “para hydrogen” The common hydrogen “para hydrogen” the opposing negative state of hydrogen that can be pressurized into a metal tank or bottle. Now we can store it in plastic bottles that can take high pressure for long periods that we see in pressured into a liquid metal bottle of gas. Hydroxy gas cannot be stored this way; it is too powerful to be stored in a tank. So we can make the gas as drive. Being illegal to run a car just off water on a US highway is a crime in the USA. Why this individual would drive without paying any out of the gasoline? He would stop supporting the government gas tax, every time he fills up.
Water Powered Cars or Hydrogen/Oxygen Powered Cars, using 100 per cent water as fuel is real. By splitting water by electrolysis and creating hydrogen/oxygen gas, you can replace gasoline. We have been taught, this is impossible; engineers, scientists and professors may in fact tell you that you’re crazy to believe such nonsense. They will also set out to prove you wrong. They base their laws of physics form 1825 thinking, Faraday’s laws. Did you know that the first ICE engine ran on hydrogen from water? BMW has them! Hyundai will be making them. Japan endorses them. Many patents, inventions have been bought and their project is shelved, yes, it is true. Some of the stubborn inventors who don’t sell out disappear. Yes that’s right. It happens in the US, Australia, NZ, UK and India. We are in a crunch to find alternative fuels. The pressure is on. War for oil is not the way to go. Talking politics about a hydrogen future that never comes is not going to help either.
If all ICE motors (Internal Combustion Engines) are converted to burn hydrogen and oxygen in the water, as fuel to propel our cars, trucks, etc, we would no longer need gas stations, oil tankers, refineries, SMOG and war. The only problem would be that the large oil corporations would evaporate. The government is worried that national securities would be ruptured & it would cause the economy to fall? The Ozone would get healed and we would survive. If we stop producing smog, the Ozone and global warming and greenhouse effects would go away. The present US administration and DOE (US Dept. of Energy) seems to have not wanted this to happen, they make too much money selling you gas and feeding you the media. Only outlaws drive water powered cars, according to our present laws. Why there are not making any smog for us to breathe. Fighting for oil under the sand never made any sense to me. They feed us a conspiracy about 19 Arabs with box cutter knives, that took down the Twin Towers, when in fact, C4 explosives, a planned demo, took them down. A bomb went off in the basement, before the first plane struck the North Tower and many more incidents like this.
As ridiculous as it seems and hard to believe, we could all be running our cars from water. Together we can heal the Ozone. Stop fighting over oil under sand. Best of all take the grip off around our necks at the gas pumps. Not only we can get rid of all the fuss of CNG & petroleum shortage and long lasting waiting lines on pumps but also from many taxes like war tax of 1965 & 1971 still paying with petrol bills although war is over from many decades. Now it’s up to you either you want to come forward to join the small chain of rational revolutionists or want to promote helly politics of self-centered monsters.

Ensuring visibility in network traffic

2012-09-25T08:22:00.000-07:00

EVER FACED a problem in retrieving data after the system recovers from a crash? If a company has robust Network Management in place, there are little chances of losing data. Similarly, recklessness towards network and information that flows across a network cannot only impede the speed of the work, but also can affect the progress of a business.
In addition to this, the apathetic behaviour of a network is exasperating for the users connected to the network, but what it is that actually causes the network to become passive and torpid?
Network Traffic
What happens when one is stuck in bumper to bumper traffic while going back to home from office? The vehicles move at a snail’s pace and it takes a lot of time for the person to reach his destination. The same situation occurs along with some other glitches when there is an information/data overload on the network. The data or information that travels across network in the form of packets constitutes network traffic, which is the major reason behind unresponsive network.
Rather, it is a weakness of network monitoring that raises visibility issues, but why it is important to ensure visibility and what can be done to achieve visibility?
Steps to Ensuring Visibility
There are three ways by which greater visibility can be created: accessing network traffic; monitoring of activities; data analysis. To ensure visibility in the network traffic, it is important to have access to data or packets that are being sent and received across network. By having access to data, it is possible to identify and distinguish data that is flowing with no commotion and the data, which is causing upheavals, but what are the ways to access data and are they all risk-free and reliable?
TAP and SPAN have been found as the two main methods of accessing data, TAP being more reliable. Initially, SPAN is inexpensive, but it becomes costly when packets drop in the mid-way before reaching the monitoring tool. This situation further aggravates that problem and makes it impossible to troubleshoot. SPAN almost fails in case of amplified internal traffic. TAP, however, allows continuous visibility in the network and rate of disruptions is lowest.
Access to data just helps in seeing and keeping an eye on the type and number of data flowing through and across the network. It doesn’t help one in knowing how the bandwidth is being used and who is guzzling more of it. Nevertheless, if the data and activities are monitored, it becomes easy to find this out. Moreover, it allows one todetermine if users are using file sharing programmes and one can also detect the presence of Trojan that is clandestinely passing on the information in the background. However, selecting a most appropriate network monitoring tool is the job of network administrator. Monitoring of data leads to capturing and analysis of data, but what if analysis of all captured data is not required?
Monitoring actually helps in filtering the data. Once it is filtered, it becomes easy to analyze data that requires analysis. The analysis helps in identifying the underlying causes behind less visibility and network issues and leads to solutions.
The communication in the form of packets travels from user to server via router and the server then responds back to the user through router. The problems creating visibility issues can be solved either through replacing servers or increasing bandwidth i.e. the speed of the network. Bandwidth seems a skimpy hitch yet it is not that is why many companies, quite frequently, are found switching to fastest and most reliable internet connections. Actually, the process of flow of packets is affected by the speed of the type of connectivity. Simply putting ISDN cannot work in a large enterprise as it engages telephone lines and its speed ranges between few Kpbs. DSL is a better option as it doesn’t employ telephone lines, but wireless connection is the most in concept these days. It allows always-on connection, but in order to have access to it, it is must to be within a network coverage area geographically.
What does visibility yield?
Achieving visibility implies achieving cost savings and return on investment. The presence of malicious software, error counts, and identification of which protocols are using greatest bandwidth are valuable information gained through network monitoring. In short, monitoring helps in uncovering problems in network and allows provision of more network resources to the users connected to the network, thus yielding savings and more return.
A business relying on network needs to have a simple yet robust network. In the present times, where every company is making efforts to protect and safeguard their systems and information, it is important to ensure enhanced visibility in the network traffic. Even a small negligence can lead to serious repercussions such as data loss, slow processing, silent transmission and leak of the information, and business failure, which no firm wants.

Factors to consider before buying a Solar PV system

2012-09-25T08:20:00.000-07:00

OWING TO the unprecedented level of power shortage being faced throughout the major cities and villages of Pakistan, a substantial demand of quick and reliable power solutions for household and industrial application has been observed. People have now started understanding that quick fixes in the form of UPS (Uninterrupted power supplies) and petrol/diesel generators are not a long term and sustainable solution to the impending power crisis, which is here to stay.
In scenarios such as these solar PV systems have shown great acceptability amongst the masses, not only because solar PV systems can be quickly installed on demand but can also be designed to be a dependable source of power. Pakistan is amongst the few countries which are blessed with tremendous solar resource potential year out, and thus solar PV systems can be a commercially viable alternative for a number of applications. However, unfortunately seeing this exponential growth in the off grid solar PV market a significant number of “easy money” oriented opportunists and make shift companies have started to sell these solar PV systems without taking into account the numerous engineering design factors and design practices that have to be brought under consideration before such an installation is actually made. The current situation is pretty clear; traders are selling solar PV system equipment like vegetables. The lack of knowledge and awareness amongst the customers result in bad deals (system failures or equipment failures) which in turn damage a prospective solar market and the possibility of wide spread applicability of solar energy.
This article’s objective is to educate solar PV customers of the factors that have to be brought into perspective before any solar PV system is bought. Overlooking these factors would otherwise make the PV system vulnerable to performance failures and which could also possibly lead to the damage of system components. The major components of an off grid solar PV system includes the photovoltaic module, charge controller, inverter and the batteries.
A solar PV module is the most sophisticated component of the complete system, designing a solar system energized by PV modules requires the thorough study of the performance behavior of a solar module in outdoor conditions. PV module manufacturers rate their panels at standard testing conditions based on the IEC 61215 (Crystalline) and IEC 61646 (Thin Films). PV Module performance or output in outdoor conditions is strongly linked with three important factors which are irradiance, cell temperature, air mass. Other factors which also influence PV module outputs are wind speed, shading, dust accumulation, module inclination and humidity, all of these factors contribute to the net wattage produced by the module.
With so many varying conditions worldwide a generalization was essential to compare different PV panel manufacturers, and this is where the standard testing conditions (STC) were introduced. STC specifies the irradiance to be 1000W/m2, cell temperature to be 25C and air mass to be 1.5. This means that when STC prevails the panel will produce its rated output; however, in actuality such conditions are rarely ever reached. Pakistan is a country where there are generally high ambient temperatures which result in higher cell temperatures and thus resulting in a reduced output. The solar irradiance also generally varies from 100W/m2 to 1000W/m2 throughout the day. Thus knowing the actual output of the PV panel under all the stated conditions is crucial for designing a reliable solar PV system. Amateur designers of solar PV systems tend to make a lot of generalization while designing, like for e.g. assuming the amount of sunshine hours in which STC conditions are assumed. This leads to the systems which are likely to fail under the deviating conditions. All contingencies like the variability of environmental conditions and their influence on all the components must be taken into account.
Batteries are another component which requires a careful study and understanding before it can be deployed with any system. The batteries which should be used should have the capacity of undergoing deep cycle discharges that is the depth of discharge is higher compared to conventional car batteries. There are a range of different batteries which can be used each having its own advantages and disadvantages and must be selected while keeping the application in perspective. Ambient temperature and the time of discharge also determine the batteries charge holding capacity and must be considered in the design of a reliable solar PV system. The number of cycles (i.e. life of battery) that the battery is capable of withstanding under the anticipated environmental conditions and also based on the applications must be communicated with the customer. The life of the battery must be accurately determined as this is one component which has to be replaced at least 3 to 4 times within the life of the PV system thus represents a recurring cost. Mediocre PV system designers fail to understand that cutting corners while selecting batteries is detrimental to the economics of a Solar PV system.
The charge controller and inverters is considered as the heart and brain of the solar PV system, sizing both components adequately based on a number of factors is crucial for the long reliable life of the PV system. The charge controller can only be sized once the max and min current/voltage output from the PV array is determined and the inverter can only be sized once the load wattage dynamics are understood. Detailed understanding of the PV performance is necessary to size the right charge controller.
Companies in Pakistan currently selling solar PV systems are designing these systems without any regard to the technicalities associated with executing such a task, most are primarily traders willing to get the most out of the sustainable energy hype. The end result is that people end up accusing the technology for not being able to cater their power demands. This makes the renewable energy market even more challenging to work in. Thus people should be aware whether the solar solution provider they go to is capable of providing a solution which incorporates all the above factors. The government should also take appropriate steps to ensure people get the necessary training and awareness.

Tsunami foresight Normative science perspectives

2012-09-25T08:17:00.000-07:00

SINCE THE day humans came to being and started thinking about new techniques to survive on earth, the only planet we know has life, we humans have been doing foresight of some sort. We try to avoid the upcoming hazards in one way or another e.g. we try to keep ourselves safe from diseases, we try to keep ourselves healthy through stockpiling the food, we hoard luxuries by calling them necessities e.g. oil, gold, silicon etc. Humans are clever beings as they are observed to be the only ones manipulating the nature. They try to come up with sophisticated technologies to gear up their joy and security needs through different tactics of invention and innovation in addition to consensus with no regards to laws of nature. Often we hear this that we do we put on clothes, why do we do what our forefathers been doing for ages, why women take care of babies at home and men working outside, why do we give charity for the ones who suffer are only because of their wrong doings….
We humans have more tendency to think about the future for securing the things which we fear about and to giving ourselves liberty from fears and restrictions. Tsunamis are one of our fears which haunt us and we think how to take care of these which are completely unpredictable. The tendency to plan for secure future is motivating us to do foresight about these natural hazards though there is common belief that it can’t be controlled by humans but God. Still being the second to God on earth efforts are on to control and foresee the things we can’t see.
Tsunamis are earthquakes which are due to the movement of the tectonic plates deep down in earth’s crust. The movement is always for a reason but how to predict that now it is going to happen. Can we really foresight the future Tsunami or earthquake thus accordingly taking actions to avoid the damage? Do we have a technology in our mind which keeps track of these movements ultimately resulting into a simulation which results in a model demonstrating the damage which may occur due to it? Or is it just for the sake of taking actions to avoid all those actions which result in Tsunamis and earthquakes? The very common person will say that we need to overcome the damage by living a simple life, keeping away from sea, always living like a traveler so that damage, if occurs, should be minimum. Some would be there who will try to make their buildings like ships so that if it ever happens then some transformation of ship like homes may occur to save from damage by going under the ground or transforming into a vessel which is submarine like.
We have strong faith persons who believe that it is because of our deeds. We do good and the result is to have good. For bad ones, troubles and issues are always ready to happen just in a moment. These believers may have assumptions but science needs to come up with a reasoning for that. Do we have a bad impact on our environment due to a bad deed which somehow impacts our earth’s crust thus making the plates to move to at least generating a potential to make them move in near or far future? Is there a linkage between the deeds and our natural hazards? Can we come up with a research project that a common type of deed resulted into a disaster which was all natural and was out of control of human beings? May we not the study the deeds or common habits of a place where these natural disasters occur? Its all meta-physics which is based on spirits. Religions do have space for this but can science come up with a proof or a linkage between the two: Tsunamis’ Science & Normative Science.

Enhanced capacity must to handle climate change

2012-09-25T08:12:00.000-07:00

Environment has become a national emergency and a non-traditional security threat, which necessitates enhanced research capacities to cope with daunting challenges of environmental degradation and climate change.
Researchers stressed this during a workshop “Environmental and Natural Resource Economics” recently organized by SDPI and the South Asian Network for Development and Environmental Economics (SANDEE), Nepal.
As many as 15 young researchers from Pakistani universities mastered the art of research in environmental economics during the 4-day training workshop.
The workshop provided practical training and participants developed research proposals under the guidance and assistance of master trainers.
On the occasion, participants proposals submitted to SANDEE would be considered for grants to pursue various environmental projects across Pakistan. Workshop also featured policy lectures that highlighted political economy of climate change reforms in Pakistan.
“Workshop is aimed at building research capacities of young Pakistani researchers in area of environment and natural resource economics,” said Atif Khan, Senior Capacity Building Specialist at SDPI in his remarks.
Talking of building capacities in research, Priya Shaymsundar, Director SANDEE, said that SANDEE is providing grants to young university researchers for working on new and innovative research projects in the area of environmental economics.
Speaking at concluding session, Dr. Vaqar Ahmed, Head Economic Growth Unit, SDPI pointed out the disconnect between policy and research and said, Pakistani academia is producing research which is socially irrelevant.

Say no to foods contaminated with parasites

2012-09-25T08:10:00.000-07:00

FOOD BY definition is any substance either flora or fauna that when consumed provides nutritional support for the body in an effort to produce energy, maintain life, or stimulate growth. It contains nutrients inevitable for life, such as fats, carbohydrates, proteins, minerals, or vitamins. Since ancient times, people secured food through two methods – hunting and stocking – that are still being practiced. Today, food industry has become the most inevitable industry feeding more than seven billion people.
Legitimacy of food industry in Pakistan has become questionable since the past few decades which might be associated with the increasing trend of urbanization. There is a set of four laws that specifically deals with food safety. Three of them directly focus the issues related to food safety, while the fourth namely, the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority Act, is indirectly involved.
Food-borne infectious diseases are well recognized and are becoming more common in human beings. Predominantly bacterial, fungal and viral infections have been linked with the food-borne infections, while parasitic infections have received less attention. The significance of parasitic food-borne diseases is generally under-recognized in the developing world which might be due to inadequate systems of diagnosis, monitoring and or reporting. Factors that may explain the emergence of some zoonotic parasitic diseases are: (a) international marketing of food, (b) increased frequency of travel, (c) increased population of susceptible hosts because of aging, malnutrition, infection and other underlying medical conditions, (d) changes in life style, such as the increase in the number of people eating foods available in restaurants, hotels and famous fast food icons as well as from street food sellers who do not always respect food safety.
Amid many developing countries, (a) inappropriate sewage system, (b) practice of watering the vegetables with sewage water and (c) draining of sewage water in the canals, rivers and seas, have increased the frequency of parasitic infections transmissible through fecal contamination of food stuff. It is often difficult to associate an outbreak with a particular food item. The predominant modes of transmission of parasitic diseases include: water, meat, milk, eggs and vegetables contaminated with sewage water have been comprehensively discussed below.
Among emerging water-borne parasitic infections that may be acquired by food include infections of Cyclospora spp., Giardia spp., Cryptosporidium, Fasciola, Fasciolopsis, Echinococcus (E.) granulosus, and E. multilocularis. Infective stages of these parasites shed in the environment with feces of infected animals, can contaminate food stuffs such as vegetables, fruits and fruit juices. Of particular concern in industrialized countries are water-borne protozoa infections, which are difficult to control, given their high level of resistance to environmental conditions.
Milk is a complete diet for all age groups; however, major portion of milk is consumed by infants and growing age children. So, milk-born parasitic problems are of significant health and food safety issue for young age group. In milk-borne parasites infections mainly include Enterobious spp., Toxoplasma gondii and T. solium. Vertical transmission of Ascaridia galli in the eggs is an alarming situation for the egg consumers with special reference to those body builders in rural areas using raw eggs as a source of protein.
There are some serious issues facing developing countries including: (a) little customer understanding of food safety issues, (b) fragmented industry, (c) small and unorganized sector possessing a major number of food processing units, (d) unskilled food handlers, (e) diversity of food products, (f) inadequate laboratory testing infrastructure and conventional practices of storage and carrying of food etc.
Culinary habits of primarily the sea foods in countries other than India and Pakistan play a major role in the exposure to these zoonotic parasites to human population. Particularly, Chinese raw sea foods have been reported to be an important source of zoonotic infections in humans. The increasing demand for food, particularly in the developing countries like Pakistan will lead to an increase of livestock, agriculture products, poultry and fish production and an intensification of the production systems. With the passage of time, the rise in general public concern over security of the food chain and food safety has helped to focus more attention on zoonotic parasites.
Monitoring and control of food-borne parasites can be done using modern risk assessment tools including: (a) monitoring of water and food utilizing new technologies e.g. serological and molecular approaches, (b) health education, (c) social and economic development, and (d) proper deworming, vaccination and prophylactic mass treatment of food animals.
Followings are some golden rules proposed by the WHO for the prevention of food-borne zoonosis at the consumer’s level: (a) adequate food processing, (b) proper cooking (c) eating fresh food, (d) proper storage (e) thorough reheating, (f) no contact between raw & cooked food, (g) washing hands before eating, (h) cleanliness of food preparation surfaces, (i) protection of food from pests, and (j) using potable water for cooking and washing of food stuff. Implementation of these rules in the developing countries at the consumer’s end is the need of hour. However, the policy makers may prioritize the agenda to include: (a) health awareness campaign about food procurement and processing by the consumers, (b) encouragement of cultivation of transgenic crops and food animals biologically resistant to parasitic and other infections, (c) provision of treated water with hazard free chemical to farmers for irrigation of crops, vegetables and fruits. In addition, 95 per cent of our population is still deprived of pure drinking water which needs to be highlighted and ensured to reduce major food-borne infectious threats to the nation.