The current status of opisthorchiasis and clonorchiasis in the Mekong Basin

This review highlights the current status and control of liver fluke infections in the Mekong Basin countries where Opisthorchis and Clonorchis are highly endemic. Updated data on prevalence and distribution have been summarized from presentations in the '96 Years of Opisthorchiasis. International Congress of Liver Flukes'. It is disturbing that despite treatment and control programs have been in place for decades, all countries of the Lower Mekong Basin are still highly endemic with O. viverrini and/or C. sinensis as well as alarmingly high levels of CCA incidence. A common pattern that is emerging in each country is the difference in transmission of O. viverrini between lowlands which have high prevalence versus highlands which have low prevalence. This seems to be associated with wetlands, flooding patterns and human movement and settlement. A more concerted effort from all community, educational, public health and government sectors is necessary to successfully combat this fatal liver disease of the poo

A Coupled Hydro-Mechanical Modeling of Tunnel Leakage in Sand Layer

The tunnel leakage in sand layer plays an important role in the evolution of the lining stresses and the ground movement. The phenomenon of internal erosion occurs when underground water leaks into the tunnel from the damaged joints or the cracks of the linings. Fines in sand are pulled off by seepage forces and transported throughout the soil matrix into the tunnel. The loss of fines due to seepage flow affects the mechanical behavior of the soil around the tunnel. Conversely, the change of porosity influences the permeability of the soil and, therefore, its hydraulic conductivity. In this study, the effect of tunnel leakage in sand layer is investigated numerically with a coupled hydro-mechanical approach, considering the internal erosion phenomenon induced by the local flows of underground water, using the continuous porous medium theory and a critical-state based constitutive model. Simulation results show that the loss of fines as well as the leakage locations have significant impacts on the tunnel lining and the ground movement