Physical and numerical modelling of trench infill

Physical modelling of trench infill, for trenches perpendicular to the flow direction, was undertaken in the Fast Flow Facility at HR Wallingford. Parameters including trench width, flow velocity (including reversing tidal flow), and the presence of berms along the sides of the trench were varied. Following the experiments, a numerical model was constructed with the T0 bathymetry from the physical model used as the starting numerical model bathymetry, allowing direct comparison between models. Numerical model parameters were tuned to represent the physical modelling results, with the calibrated model then used to predict infill rates for other scenarios modelled in the Fast Flow Facility

Neutrophils amplify the formation of DNA adducts by benzo[a]pyrene in lung target cells.

Inflammatory cells and their reactive oxygen metabolites can cause mutagenic effects in lung cells. The purpose of this study was to investigate the ability of activated neutrophils to modulate DNA binding of benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), a known carcinogen, in lung target cells. Equivalent numbers of rat lung epithelial cells (RLE-6TN cell line) and freshly isolated human blood neutrophils (PMN) were coincubated in vitro for 2 hr after addition of benzo[a]pyrene (0.5 microM) or two of its trans-diol metabolites, with or without stimulation with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA). DNA adducts of B[a]P-metabolites were determined in target cells using 32P-postlabeling; oxidative DNA damage (7-hydro-8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine [8-oxodG]) was evaluated by high performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. Increased DNA adducts were observed in lung cells coincubated with polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN). Activation of PMN with PMA, or addition of more activated PMN in relation to the number of lung cells, further increased the number of adducts, the latter in a dose-response manner. Incubation with B[a]P-4,5-diol did not result in any adduct formation, while B[a]P-7,8-diol led to a significant number of adducts. Moreover, PMA-activated PMN strongly enhanced adduct formation by B[a]P-7,8-diol, but not 8-oxodG, in lung cells. The addition of antioxidants to the coincubations significantly reduced the number of adducts. Results suggest that an inflammatory response in the lung may increase the biologically effective dose of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and may be relevant to data interpretation and risk assessment of PAH-containing particulates

Genotoxic effects of neutrophils and hypochlorous acid

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Morphological evolution of a barchan dune migrating past an offshore wind farm foundation

As the number of manmade structures installed on the seafloor is increasing rapidly, we seek to understand the impact of these immobile obstacles on marine geomorphological processes, such as the evolution of bedforms. A 5.8 m diameter monopile foundation was installed at the case study offshore windfarm approximately 30 m ahead of an approaching barchan (crescent‐shaped) dune. The impact of the monopile on the dune's evolution was analysed using six multibeam bathymetry surveys spanning 20 years. To substantiate this analysis, coupled three‐dimensional numerical modelling of flows and sediment was conducted in which the scour inducing bed shear stresses were calculated from the modelled turbulent kinetic energy. Following the installation of the monopile, the mid‐section of the dune accelerated and stretched in the direction of the wake of the monopile. Four years after the monopile's installation the rest of the dune had caught up, flattening out the slip face within half the dune's length downstream of the monopile. Due to the modified flow field, the dune was scoured deeply at the base of the monopile to a depth of 6.8 m (supported by the model results that predicted a scour depth exceeding 2 m over a period of just a few days). The surveyed volume of material scoured amounted to 8% of the total dune volume. Whilst the process of scouring occurs at a timescale of days to weeks, the dune migrated on average by 25 m/yr. The difference in the timescale of the two processes allowed the scouring to occur through the full thickness of the dune. The scoured dune profile recovered rapidly once the dune migrated downstream of the monopile. This article demonstrates how large geomorphological features can intercept and migrate past a monopile foundation without long‐lasting impacts on the integrity of the feature or the foundation

Diesel Engine Exhaust Initiates a Sequence of Pulmonary and Cardiovascular Effects in Rats

This study was designed to determine the sequence of events leading to cardiopulmonary effects following acute inhalation of diesel engine exhaust in rats. Rats were exposed for 2 h to diesel engine exhaust (1.9 mg/m3), and biological parameters related to antioxidant defense, inflammation, and procoagulation were examined after 4, 18, 24, 48, and 72 h. This in vivo inhalation study showed a pulmonary anti-oxidant response (an increased activity of the anti-oxidant enzymes glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase and an increase in heme oxygenase-1 protein, heme oxygenase activity, and uric acid) which precedes the inflammatory response (an increase in IL-6 and TNF-α). In addition, increased plasma thrombogenicity and immediate anti-oxidant defense gene expression in aorta tissue shortly after the exposure might suggest direct translocation of diesel engine exhaust components to the vasculature but mediation by other pathways cannot be ruled out. This study therefore shows that different stages in oxidative stress are not only affected by dose increments but are also time dependent

Clinical quantitative cardiac imaging for the assessment of myocardial ischaemia

Cardiac imaging has a pivotal role in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of ischaemic heart disease. SPECT is most commonly used for clinical myocardial perfusion imaging, whereas PET is the clinical reference standard for the quantification of myocardial perfusion. MRI does not involve exposure to ionizing radiation, similar to echocardiography, which can be performed at the bedside. CT perfusion imaging is not frequently used but CT offers coronary angiography data, and invasive catheter-based methods can measure coronary flow and pressure. Technical improvements to the quantification of pathophysiological parameters of myocardial ischaemia can be achieved. Clinical consensus recommendations on the appropriateness of each technique were derived following a European quantitative cardiac imaging meeting and using a real-time Delphi process. SPECT using new detectors allows the quantification of myocardial blood flow and is now also suited to patients with a high BMI. PET is well suited to patients with multivessel disease to confirm or exclude balanced ischaemia. MRI allows the evaluation of patients with complex disease who would benefit from imaging of function and fibrosis in addition to perfusion. Echocardiography remains the preferred technique for assessing ischaemia in bedside situations, whereas CT has the greatest value for combined quantification of stenosis and characterization of atherosclerosis in relation to myocardial ischaemia. In patients with a high probability of needing invasive treatment, invasive coronary flow and pressure measurement is well suited to guide treatment decisions. In this Consensus Statement, we summarize the strengths and weaknesses as well as the future technological potential of each imaging modality