Zeebrugge Port extension sediment transport: measurement on and off the Belgian coast by means of tracers

An extensive program of tracer experiments was carried out for calculating sediment transport in the vicinity of the Port of Zeebrugge where extension operations are in progress. Offshore radioactive bottom tracers were used for studying the sand transport along the beaches where erosion problems exist. On the beach itself fluorescent tracers were used. For the evaluation of the silting-up rate of the access channels to the harbour a series of radioactive bottom and suspension tracers were tracked in situ. For determining the efficiency of future dumping grounds a combination of bottom tracers and suspension tracers was used. In total, 18 experiments with radioactive tracers were carried out and 9 with fluorescent ones

Ethics/Aesthetics

This is the editorial of Autumn 2012 issue of JoLA-Journal of Landscape Architecture. Aesthetics are rearely explicitly addressed in conjunction with ethics in the body of literature examining recent landscape architectural research. The article addresses the relationship between ethics and aesthetics

Congenital Midline Upper Lip Sinuses: 3 Rare Cases

Congenital sinuses of the upper lip are rare congenital malformations. There have been only 40 cases described in the literature. We report 3 cases of congenital midline upper lip sinus in Caucasian children. Two of those lesions were associated with other anomalies (complete cleft palate and hemifacial macrosomia or submucous cleft palate with bifid uvula). The pathophysiology remains unexplained yet. Congenital upper lip sinuses can be considered as possible microforms of cleft-lips. Associated anomalies are frequent and must be sought. The treatment is a full excision of the sinus tract and of the skin around the punctum in order to avoid risks of recurrence

Oral and Intravenous Itraconazole for Systemic Fungal Infections in Neutropenic Haematological Patients: Meeting Report

Effective prevention, or treatment, of invasive fungal infection in the neutropenic patient has hitherto been unsatisfactory because of either an inadequate anti-fungal spectrum of the agent or important toxicity. Itraconazole is effective against a broad spectrum of the opportunistic pathogens seen in Europe and North America. Prior problems with absorption, e.g. in the marrow transplant recipient, have been overcome with the introduction of an oral solution and an i.v. preparation. The deliberations of an expert meeting held in June, 1998 include recommendations on which patient requires one of these new preparations based on clinical trials, the dose and route. Important drug interactions are also detailed.Dieser Beitrag ist mit Zustimmung des Rechteinhabers aufgrund einer (DFG-geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich

The frequency of osteogenic activities and the pattern of intermittence between periods of physical activity and sedentary behaviour affects bone mineral content: the cross-sectional NHANES study

BACKGROUND: Sedentary behaviours, defined as non exercising seated activities, have been shown to have deleterious effects on health. It has been hypothesised that too much sitting time can have a detrimental effect on bone health in youth. The aim of this study is to test this hypothesis by exploring the association between objectively measured volume and patterns of time spent in sedentary behaviours, time spent in specific screen-based sedentary pursuits and bone mineral content (BMC) accrual in youth. METHODS: NHANES 2005–2006 cycle data includes BMC of the femoral and spinal region via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), assessment of physical activity and sedentary behaviour patterns through accelerometry, self reported time spent in screen based pursuits (watching TV and using a computer), and frequency of vigorous playtime and strengthening activities. Multiple regression analysis, stratified by gender was performed on N = 671 males and N = 677 females aged from 8 to 22 years. RESULTS: Time spent in screen-based sedentary behaviours is negatively associated with femoral BMC (males and females) and spinal BMC (females only) after correction for time spent in moderate and vigorous activity. Regression coefficients indicate that an additional hour per day of screen-based sitting corresponds to a difference of −0.77 g femoral BMC in females [95% CI: -1.31 to −0.22] and of −0.45 g femoral BMC in males [95% CI: -0.83 to −0.06]. This association is attenuated when self-reported engagement in regular (average 5 times per week) strengthening exercise (for males) and vigorous playing (for both males and females) is taken into account. Total sitting time and non screen-based sitting do not appear to have a negative association with BMC, whereas screen based sedentary time does. Patterns of intermittence between periods of sitting and moderate to vigorous activity appears to be positively associated with bone health when activity is clustered in time and inter-spaced with long continuous bouts of sitting. CONCLUSIONS: Some specific sedentary pursuits (screen-based) are negatively associated with bone health in youth. This association is specific to gender and anatomical area. This relationship between screen-based time and bone health is independent of the total amount of physical activity measured objectively, but not independent of self-reported frequency of strengthening and vigorous play activities. The data clearly suggests that the frequency, rather than the volume, of osteogenic activities is important in counteracting the effect of sedentary behaviour on bone health. The pattern of intermittence between sedentary periods and activity also plays a role in bone accrual, with clustered short bouts of activity interspaced with long periods of sedentary behaviours appearing to be more beneficial than activities more evenly spread in time