Exercise, less sitting time, linked to better sleep
U
NTIL now, blood was used in dia betes testing machines to evalu ate the blood sugar level of patients. Latest studies have now shown that tears can also used effectively to evaluate blood sugar levels. The study was conducted by University of Michigan researchers and the study was published in Analytical Chemistry journal. When studies were conducted on animals in laboratory, tears were found to give an accurate measure of blood sugar level. The device used for testing was an electrochemical sensor. According to the researchers, there is a drastic increase in the number of people suffering with diabetes all over the world. As per statistics, 5% of the world’s population is diabetic. In addition, the lead researcher of the study Mark Meyerhoff said that the frequency of diabetics is also increasing. Obesity was said to be the major culprit behind this alarming scenario. Given the demand for devices that test diabetes, Meyerhoff and his team decided to develop a new method that did not involve drawing blood to test glucose levels. Tears were the next best choice. The level of blood sugar in tears
was found to give an accurate evaluation. People who suffer from very high level of diabetes may have to test their blood sugar level by drawing blood more than eight times a day. Piercing finger with a needle to extract blood is a painful and uncomfortable process. This leads to a dangerous ramification. People who need to test their blood sugar do not do it often enough due to the pain caused. This hampers testing the glycemic index and leads to inefficient control of glycemic levels. This might lead to further complications. Testing using tears is more comfortable and less painful. According to the study, tears are accurate in providing results as is blood. Further, those who need to measure blood sugar several times a day do not have to be intimidated by the task because tears do not cause pain at all. The device that has been developed is sensitive enough to measure very small amounts of blood sugar as well. It can detect 1.5μM add or subtract 0.4 μM of glucose. This provides an accurate enough solution to testing of glucose in the blood. It is also a non invasive and painless way of testing blood glucose.
LAHORE: PML-N President Muhammad Nawaz Sharif meeting with Indian Ambassador Sharat Sabarwal.
Rulers responsible for academic crisis in country: PU VC SALIM AHMED L AHORE —Punjab Univer-
sity Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Mujahid Kamran has said that the rulers of the country were responsible for educational disaster in country and they did not realize that how knowledge was important for respectable survival in the world. He was addressing the annual convocation of Hailey College of Commerce New Campus. PU HCC Principal Prof Dr Liaqat Ali, senior faculty members and a large number of students were present on the occasion. Addressing the ceremony, the VC said that because of education-
friendly policies of the current administration, PU had produced more than 200 PhDs last year. He said that knowledge was the source of power and respect but no nation could become knowledgeable without the strength of character. He said that the average spending of the world was around 4-5 percent of GDP on education but on the contrary, we were reducing our spending on education. He said that the average spending of the world on education was 4 to 5 percent on education in average. He said that Pakistan’s population was around 180 million and our population was in-
creasing but unfortunately, our rulers had cut educational budget from 2 percent to around 1.5 percent of GDP. He advised them to be expert of their subject, keep an eye on their own shortcomings, praise qualities of others and help each other. He said that the college under the leadership of Dr Liaqat Ali was producing quality graduates. Dr Liaqat Ali said that according to Nelson Mandela, education was the best weapon for bringing change to the society. He also detailed the progress report of the college. Earlier, degrees, medals and prizes were distributed among degree holder students.
Beggars swarm local trains L AHORE —The passengers
commuting for livelihood via local trains have complained against the presence numerous beggars who make the journey difficult and pose security threat for all. Talking to APP on Tuesday, passengers alleged that police let the beggars “operate” freely as they receive their share of “alms” from these elements. Usman, Tahir, Liaqat, Umar and several other daily commuters said that Railway Police should take steps for eliminating these elements so that rail travel becomes better. An official of Railway police assured that special attention would be paid to this issue and all such persons would be checked from boarding local trains.—APP
Sewer safety kits imported for sanitary workers L AHORE —Punjab govern-
ment has imported latest sewer safety kits from Italy to control loss of human life during desilting of sewer lines. This was informed by Special Secretary Local Government Punjab Dost Muhammad Bareech while addressing a function of distribution of sewer safety kits among Tehsil Municipal Officers at Punjab Municipal Development Fund Company. Dost Muhammad Bareech said that Punjab government has imported the best available system and useful machinery available in the world from Italy for the protection of sewer men which consisted of facemask, oxygen cylinders, pipe for oxygen and compressor. He said that sewer men can carry out desilting of sewerage and restoration work for seven to eight hours in the sewer with the equipment. Special Secretary further directed the concerned authorities that emergency battery light used in mines should be provided to the sewer men along with sewer safety kit so that they could work in deep and dark sewer lines easily. MD Punjab Municipal Development Fund Company, Aamir Rafique informed that every sewer safety kit is comprised of two cylinders, sixty three feet pipe, one facemask, cylinder trolley and a compressor and the air can be filled in each cylinder upto the pressure of three hundred bar. He told that one cylinder is sufficient for continuous use for three hours whereas compressors have also been provided for filling it again. Later, Special Secretary Local Government gave two sewer safety kits to each Tehsil Municipal Officer of Chiniot, Chubara, Burewala, Sadiqabad, Kalar Kahar, Khanewal, Hafizabad, Jhelum, Muzaffargarh, Khanpur, Gojra, Muridke, Bahawalnagar, Pakpattan and Daska.—INP
Noise pollution up by 35% in city MUZAFFAR ALI LAHORE—Noise pollution in the capital metropolis has jumped up to 35 percent causing serious hazards to human health especially school going children due to lack of coordination among the Punjab Environmental Protection, Transport and Traffic Departments. The alarming raise of pollution is causing widespread hearing defects, insomnia, indigestion, heart burn, ulcers, hypertension and psychological disorders among the inhabitants of the city. No department related to checking noise pollution is
ready to accept the responsibility of negligence and have taken the course of blaming each other for not taking action against the violators of the rules that help control noise pollution. Environmental Protection Department said it was only responsible for making policies while the Transport Department was responsible for controlling noise pollution in coordination with the Traffic Police. On the other hand, the Transport Department, denying the allegation, said the department was not registering two-stroke vehicles nor giving road permits to them and all two stroke vehicles were illegal. Environ-
mental Department said the inspectors wore plain clothes and no noise-emitting vehicles stop at their orders so they were totally dependent on Transport Department and Traffic Police. However, a sources privy to the Environmental Department revealed that the lack of equipment and staff was the greatest hindrance in the way of measuring traffic noise level in various parts of the city on daily basis as the department had eight inspectors only who shared four Sound Level metres. According to the sources, the inspectors were expected to measure noise level within the radius of 7.5
meters randomly on daily basis and these eight inspectors only cover eight to ten locations. The sources further said the EPD focused only on smoke-emitting vehicles and ignored noise pollution while the high-ups concentrated their energies on attending meetings and doing paperwork. Transport Department said they were not authorised to check the fitness of the private vehicles and motorbikes and the vehicles running on diesel were the main cause of noise pollution and there should be legislation to amend the transport laws according to requirements.
LAHORE: Students busy in painting during wall painting competition as part of Jashn-e-Baharan at Jillani Park.
Social Security Medical College okayed for Faisalabad
Labourers get modern healthcare facilities in Punjab: Qureshi STAFF REPORTER
istered workers and family Chairman / Minister Labour.
L AHORE —Punjab Labour members. He said that chief The meeting was attended by Minister Haji Ehsaan-ud-Din Qureshi has said that labourers are the backbone of our industry and every effort is being made by the government to upgrade the socio-economic status of the labourers. He said that the timely payment of minimum wages i.e. Rs. 9000/- per month, by the employers has been ensured. He said that present government has also increased the marriage grant from Rs 70,000/- to Rs.100,000/- of the labourer’s daughters and female worker as well. He said that death grant has also been increased from Rs.300,000/- to Rs.500,000/on the death of an industrial worker.He said that Punjab Employees Social Security Institution (PESSI) is providing best treatment facilities, even out of country, to reg-
minister has approved the construction of social security medical college at Faislabad. He said that government was providing state of the art health care facilities to the labourers and labour department is spending Rs. 4.31 billion for the provision of state of the art healthcare facilities to the labourers and their families during current fiscal year. He said that new social security hospitals will be setup and existing hospitals would be updated. He told that during current financial year a new social security hospital is being established at Sheikhupura where modern facilities and medical equipments will be provided. He expressed these views in 121st governing body meeting of Punjab Employees Social Security Institution (PESSI) presided by its
Secretary Labour, Commissioner PESSI, high ranking officials of labour, health, finance and other departments. Haji Ehsaan-ud-Din Qureshi said that government is giving top priority to the provision of state of the art healthcare facilities to the labourers and the main objective of the labour department is to provide free of cost comprehensive healthcare facilities to the workers and their family members. He said that the social security is introducing hospital management information system costing rupees 107 million. The scheme would be introduced at the dispensary level in phases. He said that latest treatment facilities to the workers / family members are being provided even for chronic and fatal diseases.
UVAS Quality Enhancement Cell achieves QEC rating STAFF REPORTER L AHORE —The Quality As-
surance Agency of the Higher Education Commission Islamabad has ranked the Quality Enhancement Cell (QEC) of the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) Lahore in “W” category with a total score of 91 per cent for the year of 2012. “W” is the top most category in the QEC rating criteria with a score falling in the range of 85%-100% while the other categories are “X” with a score between 68%-84%, “Y” 51%67% and “Z” with a score of up to 50%. The HEC’s Quality Assurance Agency assesses the progress of the quality enhancement cells of public and private universities through quantitative/ scorecard system. In a letter to UVAS ViceChancellor Prof Dr Talat Naseer Pasha, HEC’s Quality Assurance Agency Managing Director Prof Dr Azam Ali Khwaja appreciated the performance of the Quality Enhancement Cell of the UVAS. “It is appreciable that the performance of the UVAS QEC is progressing well. It is hoped that it will continue to achieve the objectives of strengthening internal quality assurance processes at your university,” the letter added.
Journalists hunger strike continue L AHORE —Journalists continued their hunger strike on the second day in front of Punjab Assembly to press their demand for FBlock and other Journalist Colony problems here on LAHORE: Employees of Punjab Local Government holding a demonstration in support Tuesday. The Punjab Chief Minisof their demands. ter had promised many times to resolve this issue. No any senior official of the provincial government tecture/town planning etc., enues and working as a self- bothered to assure them to STAFF REPORTER and encouraged its profes- sustaining entity without resolve their problems.—APP L A H O R E — S i k a n d a r sionals to channelize their taking a single penny from Ahmed Rai, Federal Secre- expertise in other fields like the national exchequer. tary for Ministry of Water oil, gas, petroleum and min- During his visit, he also took and Power, has termed ing sectors. He also pro- a round of NESPAK and inNESPAK a symbol of hon- posed that NESPAK should teracted freely with the set up its Institute to impart staff. He inquired about esty and integrity. He said this during his technical education, which their welfare and listened to first visit to NESPAK House will be beneficial not only their views and suggesfor NESPAK but also help tions. here on Tuesday. On this occasion, he also Asad I. A. Khan, Man- government acquire better advised the NESPAK Managing Director NESPAK, technical manpower. Assuring his full sup- agement to expedite the prowelcomed the Federal Secretary and gave him a cor- port to NESPAK, he lauded cess of giving bonus and 20 porate presentation high- its management for not percent increase in basic lighting the performance of bowing to the political pres- pay to the staff, which was sure and for upholding the due since July 01, 2012. NESPAK. On behalf of the ComSpeaking on the occa- policy of merit instead of pany, MD NESPAK sion, the Federal Secretary/ favoritism. He was very impressed thanked the honourable Chairman Board of Direcfor supporting tors of NESPAK eulogized by the performance of guest NESPAK services in the NESPAK, which has been NESPAK and his words of fields of engineering, archi- generating its own rev- encouragement.
NESPAK termed symbol of integrity