Facilitated Assessment of Tissue Loss Following Traumatic Brain Injury

All experimental models of traumatic brain injury (TBI) result in a progressive loss of brain tissue. The extent of tissue loss reflects the injury severity and can be measured to evaluate the potential neuroprotective effect of experimental treatments. Quantitation of tissue volumes is commonly performed using evenly spaced brain sections stained using routine histochemical methods and digitally captured. The brain tissue areas are then measured and the corresponding volumes are calculated using the distance between the sections. Measurements of areas are usually performed using a general purpose image analysis software and the results are then transferred to another program for volume calculations. To facilitate the measurement of brain tissue loss we developed novel algorithms which automatically separate the areas of brain tissue from the surrounding image background and identify the ventricles. We implemented these new algorithms by creating a new computer program (SectionToVolume) which also has functions for image organization, image adjustments and volume calculations. We analyzed brain sections from mice subjected to severe focal TBI using both SectionToVolume and ImageJ, a commonly used image analysis program. The volume measurements made by the two programs were highly correlated and analysis using SectionToVolume required considerably less time. The inter-rater reliability was high. Given the extensive use of brain tissue loss measurements in TBI research, SectionToVolume will likely be a useful tool for TBI research. We therefore provide both the source code and the program as attachments to this article

Energy and exergy analysis of the Kalina cycle for use in concentrated solar power plants with direct steam generation

AbstractIn concentrated solar power plants using direct steam generation, the usage of a thermal storage unit based only on sensible heat may lead to large exergetic losses during charging and discharging, due to a poor matching of the temperature profiles. By the use of the Kalina cycle, in which evaporation and condensation takes place over a temperature range, the efficiency of the heat exchange processes can be improved, possibly resulting also in improved overall performance of the system. This paper is aimed at evaluating the prospect of using the Kalina cycle for concentrated solar power plants with direct steam generation. The following two scenarios were addressed using energy and exergy analysis: generating power using heat from only the receiver and using only stored heat. For each of these scenarios comparisons were made for mixture concentrations ranging from 0.1 mole fraction of ammonia to 0.9, and compared to the conventional Rankine cycle. This comparison was then also carried out for various turbine inlet pressures (100bar to critical pressures). The results suggest that there would be no benefit from using a Kalina cycle instead of a Rankine cycle when generating power from heat taken directly from the solar receiver. Compared to a baseline Rankine cycle, the efficiency of the Kalina cycle was about around 5% lower for this scenario. When using heat from the storage unit, however, the Kalina cycle achieved efficiencies up to 20% higher than what was achieved using the Rankine cycle. Overall, when based on an average assumed 18hours cycle, consisting of 12hours using heat from the receiver and 6hours using heat from the storage, the Kalina cycle and Rankine cycle achieved almost equal efficiencies. A Kalina cycle operating with an ammonia mole fraction of about 0.7 returned an averaged efficiency of about 30.7% compared to 30.3% for the Rankine cycle

Feasibility of using ammonia-water mixture in high temperature concentrated solar power plants with direct vapour generation

AbstractConcentrated solar power plants have attracted an increasing interest in the past few years – both with respect to the design of various plant components, and extending the operation hours by employing different types of storage systems. One approach to improve the overall plant performance is to use direct vapour generation with water/steam as both the heat transfer fluid in the solar receivers and the cycle working fluid. This enables to operate the plant with higher turbine inlet temperatures. Available literature suggests that it is feasible to use ammonia-water mixture at high temperatures without corroding the equipment by using suitable additives with the mixture. This paper assesses the thermodynamic feasibility of using ammonia-water mixture in high temperature (450 ̊C) and high pressure (over 100 bar) concentrated solar power plants with direct vapour generation. The following two cases are compared for the analysis: a simple Rankine cycle and an ammonia-water cycle with a separator for varying the ammonia mass fraction within the cycle. Thermodynamic simulations are performed using Aspen Plus and MATLAB, and performances in terms of overall plant efficiency are evaluated. The comparison between the two cycles when operating from a two-tank molten-salt storage system is also presented. The results suggest that the ammonia-water mixtures show a clear advantage while operating from storage but the simple Rankine cycle outperforms the ammonia-water cycle when the heat input is from solar receiver only

The Doughnut for Urban Development:Manual, Appendix and Database

With the Doughnut for Urban Development we are using doughnut economics as a model for urban development and construction for the first time. Doughnut Economics has previously been used with great success globally and for urban strategies ranging from Amsterdam to Copenhagen.We have developed the Manual to provide the entire industry with a practical tool to evaluate the sustainability of their projects and what they can do to make them even more sustainable. The manual embraces both social and planetary sustainability and incorporates both local and global dimensions.The Doughnut for Urban Development is an open-source project and all the following resources can be downloaded for free:- The Manual- A scientific Appendix providing background for the Manual- A Database of impact areas used in the manual- A tool to assess a project's biodiversity impacts throughout its life cycl

Neutrophil depletion reduces edema formation and tissue loss following traumatic brain injury in mice

Background: Brain edema as a result of secondary injury following traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major clinical concern. Neutrophils are known to cause increased vascular permeability leading to edema formation in peripheral tissue, but their role in the pathology following TBI remains unclear. Methods: In this study we used controlled cortical impact (CCI) as a model for TBI and investigated the role of neutrophils in the response to injury. The outcome of mice that were depleted of neutrophils using an anti-Gr-1 antibody was compared to that in mice with intact neutrophil count. The effect of neutrophil depletion on blood-brain barrier function was assessed by Evan's blue dye extravasation, and analysis of brain water content was used as a measurement of brain edema formation (24 and 48 hours after CCI). Lesion volume was measured 7 and 14 days after CCI. Immunohistochemistry was used to assess cell death, using a marker for cleaved caspase-3 at 24 hours after injury, and microglial/macrophage activation 7 days after CCI. Data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney test for non-parametric data. Results: Neutrophil depletion did not significantly affect Evan's blue extravasation at any time-point after CCI. However, neutrophil-depleted mice exhibited a decreased water content both at 24 and 48 hours after CCI indicating reduced edema formation. Furthermore, brain tissue loss was attenuated in neutropenic mice at 7 and 14 days after injury. Additionally, these mice had a significantly reduced number of activated microglia/macrophages 7 days after CCI, and of cleaved caspase-3 positive cells 24 h after injury. Conclusion: Our results suggest that neutrophils are involved in the edema formation, but not the extravasation of large proteins, as well as contributing to cell death and tissue loss following TBI in mice

Protected area characteristics that help waterbirds respond to climate warming

Protected area networks help species respond to climate warming. However, the contribution of a site's environmental and conservation-relevant characteristics to these responses is not well understood. We investigated how composition of nonbreeding waterbird communities (97 species) in the European Union Natura 2000 (N2K) network (3018 sites) changed in response to increases in temperature over 25 years in 26 European countries. We measured community reshuffling based on abundance time series collected under the International Waterbird Census relative to N2K sites' conservation targets, funding, designation period, and management plan status. Waterbird community composition in sites explicitly designated to protect them and with management plans changed more quickly in response to climate warming than in other N2K sites. Temporal community changes were not affected by the designation period despite greater exposure to temperature increase inside late-designated N2K sites. Sites funded under the LIFE program had lower climate-driven community changes than sites that did not received LIFE funding. Our findings imply that efficient conservation policy that helps waterbird communities respond to climate warming is associated with sites specifically managed for waterbirds.Peer reviewe

Benefits of protected areas for nonbreeding waterbirds adjusting their distributions under climate warming

Climate warming is driving changes in species distributions and community composition. Many species have a so-called climatic debt, that is, shifts in range lag behind shifts in temperature isoclines. Inside protected areas (PAs), community changes in response to climate warming can be facilitated by greater colonization rates by warm-dwelling species, but also mitigated by lowering extirpation rates of cold-dwelling species. An evaluation of the relative importance of colonization-extirpation processes is important to inform conservation strategies that aim for both climate debt reduction and species conservation. We assessed the colonization-extirpation dynamics involved in community changes in response to climate inside and outside PAs. To do so, we used 25 years of occurrence data of nonbreeding waterbirds in the western Palearctic (97 species, 7071 sites, 39 countries, 1993-2017). We used a community temperature index (CTI) framework based on species thermal affinities to investigate species turnover induced by temperature increase. We determined whether thermal community adjustment was associated with colonization by warm-dwelling species or extirpation of cold-dwelling species by modeling change in standard deviation of the CTI (CTISD). Using linear mixed-effects models, we investigated whether communities in PAs had lower climatic debt and different patterns of community change than communities outside PAs. For CTI and CTISD combined, communities inside PAs had more species, higher colonization, lower extirpation, and lower climatic debt (16%) than communities outside PAs. Thus, our results suggest that PAs facilitate 2 independent processes that shape community dynamics and maintain biodiversity. The community adjustment was, however, not sufficiently fast to keep pace with the large temperature increases in the central and northeastern western Palearctic. Our results underline the potential of combining CTI and CTISD metrics to improve understanding of the colonization-extirpation patterns driven by climate warming.Peer reviewe