Millions of people in rural South Asia are exposed to high levels of arsenic through groundwater used for drinking. Many deployed arsenic remediation technologies quickly fail because they are not maintained, repaired, accepted, or affordable. It is therefore imperative that arsenic remediation technologies be evaluated for their ability to perform within a sustainable and scalable business model that addresses these challenges. We present field trial results of a 600 L Electro-Chemical Arsenic Remediation (ECAR) reactor operating over 3.5 months in West Bengal. These results are evaluated through the lens of a community scale micro-utility business model as a potential sustainable and scalable safe water solution for rural communities in South Asia. We demonstrate ECAR's ability to consistently reduce arsenic concentrations of ~266 μg/L to <5 μg/L in real groundwater, simultaneously meeting the international standards for iron and aluminum in drinking water. ECAR operating costs (amortized capital plus consumables) are estimated as $0.83-$1.04/m(3) under realistic conditions. We discuss the implications of these results against the constraints of a sustainable and scalable business model to argue that ECAR is a promising technology to help provide a clean water solution in arsenic-affected areas of South Asia.

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Many of the standard Bell inequalities (e.g., CHSH) are not effective for detection of quantum correlations which allow for steering, because for a wide range of such correlations they are not violated. We present Bell-like inequalities which have lower bounds for non-steering correlations than for local causal models. The inequalities involve all possible measurement settings at each side. We arrive at interesting and elegant conditions for steerability of arbitrary two-qubit states.

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Heavy metal toxicity is often caused by occupational exposure. Chronic cadmium toxicity is a significant health concern among workers engaged in zinc smelting, battery production and silver jewellery industries, particularly in developing countries. We report the case of a 48-year-old man who presented with severe osteoporosis, impaired renal function and acquired Fanconi syndrome. He was finally diagnosed with chronic cadmium toxicity resulting from long-term occupational exposure. Cadmium has a long biological half-life and there is no effective treatment for people who are exposed to it. Therefore, an early diagnosis and prevention of further exposure are important. KeywordsDisease, bone disorders, toxicology Accepted: 12th February 2013 Case report A 48-year-old Indian non-smoker male patient presented with progressively worsening skeletal pain for the previous five years. X-rays of the lumbosacral spine and hip showed markedly reduced bone density with prominent trabecular markings. Dual-energy Xray absorptiometry (DEXA) confirmed the presence of severe osteoporosis (T score <À2.5 in the lumbar vertebrae and left femoral neck). He also had impaired renal function, with serum creatinine concentration of 250 mmol/L (reference interval 53-106 mmol/L) and serum urea concentration of 10 mmol/L (reference interval 2.5-7.5 mmol/L). He was referred to our hospital for further evaluation of his impaired renal function. The patient was not diabetic or hypertensive nor did he have any history of corticosteroid therapy. Full blood count showed mild normochromic normocytic anaemia: haemoglobin 10.9 g/dL (reference interval 12.0-15.0 g/dL). Total and differential white blood cell counts were within reference limits. Biochemical investigations showed hypophosphataemia (0.6 mmol/L, reference interval 0.8-1.5 mmol/L), hypouricaemia (100 mmol/L, reference interval 208-416 mmol/L) and increased alkaline phosphatase (412 U/L, reference Routine urinalysis showed trace albumin and 2þ glucose on urine dipstick but plasma glucose was normal. Fractional excretion of uric acid (18%, reference interval 5-11%) and phosphate (31%, reference interval 5-20%) were elevated. Urine protein:creatinine ratio was 310 mg/mmol (reference interval <22 mg/mmol), and urine albumin:creatinine ratio was 5.3 mg/mmol (reference interval <2.5 mg/mmol of creatinine). Urine and serum protein electrophoreses were unremarkable. Subsequently, the patient was re-evaluated. On further questioning, the patient gave an occupational history of working in a silver jewellery industry for the past 15 years.

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