Analysis of Sedimentation Characteristics of Dredge Sediment Used in Coastal Restoration and Marsh Creation Projects

There is a demand to reestablish a healthy coastal ecosystem by rebuilding wetlands with river diversion or dredged sediments in coastal Louisiana. Land building projects using dredged sediments from adjacent canals and river beds, can be used to protect the coastal properties and infrastructure systems from flood and storm surges. To predict the sediment’s long term behavior, math models require input parameters based on sediment engineering properties and material characteristics. Proper characterization is critical for accurate design of coastal restoration projects. The dredge material sedimentation characteristics and their effects on the settlement rate of suspended solid particles and underlying foundation soil depend, among other factors, on the grain size distribution of the dredged material, salinity of the composite slurry, and slurry solid particles concentration. This research evaluated the effects of grain size distribution, salinity, and initial solids concentration on the sedimentation characteristics of fine grained dredged sediments in Coastal Louisiana

«Sett mæ ned, æ vil gå sjøl»: Barns mestring og ergonomi

Problemstilling: Hvordan kan de yngste barna i barnehagen oppleve mestring ved at barnehagen benytter seg av ergonomisk verneutstyr?publishedVersio

Reasons for the weak correlation between prostate volume and urethral resistance parameters in patients with prostatism

In an attempt to increase our understanding of the clinical syndrome of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) an analysis was made of the association between prostate volume as measured by transrectal ultrasound and several reported urodynamically determined urethral resistance parameters. Two types of obstruction can be recognized on the basis of urodynamic data: a compressive type characterized by a high urethral opening pressure and a prolonged isovolumetric contraction phase before urine flow can start, and a constrictive type characterized by a normal opening pressure and an increased slope of the urethral resistance relation. A combination of both types is often seen in BPH. In our study, parameters that selectively quantify compression correlate weakly to moderately with prostate volume, whereas parameters that mainly quantify constriction do not correlate at all with prostate volume. Parameters that combine a measure for compression and constriction correlate less well with prostate volume than parameters that mainly quantify compression. The variation in prostate volume was found to determine the variation in urethral resistance by 15% or less depending on the parameter used, which implies that the different pathophysiological mechanisms that can increase urethral resistance in the complex process of clinical BPH are mainly determined by factors other than the volume of the prostate. Thus, despite the lack of correlation between prostate volume and urethral resistance, pressure-flow studies and the determination of urethral resistance parameters provide a valuable contribution to the understanding of the pathophysiology of voiding dysfunction in men with symptoms of prostatism

Dominant aerosol processes during high-pollution episodes over Greater Tokyo

This paper studies two high-pollution episodes over Greater Tokyo: 9 and 10 December 1999, and 31 July and 1 August 2001. Results obtained with the chemistry-transport model (CTM) Polair3D are compared to measurements of inorganic PM2.5. To understand to which extent the aerosol processes modeled in Polair3D impact simulated inorganic PM2.5, Polair3D is run with different options in the aerosol module, e.g. with/without heterogeneous reactions. To quantify the impact of processes outside the aerosol module, simulations are also done with another CTM (CMAQ). In the winter episode, sulfate is mostly impacted by condensation, coagulation, long-range transport, and deposition to a lesser extent. In the summer episode, the effect of long-range transport largely dominates. The impact of condensation/evaporation is dominant for ammonium, nitrate and chloride in both episodes. However, the impact of the thermodynamic equilibrium assumption is limited. The impact of heterogeneous reactions is large for nitrate and ammonium, and taking heterogeneous reactions into account appears to be crucial in predicting the peaks of nitrate and ammonium. The impact of deposition is the same for all inorganic PM2.5. It is small compared to the impact of other processes although it is not negligible. The impact of nucleation is negligible in the summer episode, and small in the winter episode. The impact of coagulation is larger in the winter episode than in the summer episode, because the number of small particles is higher in the winter episode as a consequence of nucleation.Comment: Journal of Geophysical Research D: Atmospheres (15/05/2007) in pres

Barriers to Pediatric Blood Lead Screening

Background: The pernicious effects of lead on the health of children are well-documented. The severity of many of these effects directly correlates with increasing blood lead levels (BLLs). The current recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is that BLLs 10 g/dL are dangerous. However, new evidence demonstrates that there is no safe BLL and that children with BLLs /dL exhibit neurological and social deficits. The Vermont Department of Health (VDH) currently recommends universal blood lead screening for 12 and 24 month-old children. In 2006, 79% of 12 month-old children and 41% of 24 month-old children were screened in Vermont.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1003/thumbnail.jp

Warm Sitz Bath: Are There Benefits after Transurethral Resection of the Prostate?

PURPOSE: We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of warm water sitz baths in patients who have undergone transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) owing to lower urinary tract symptoms secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed the records of 1,783 patients who had undergone TURP between 2001 and 2009. In the warm water sitz bath group, patients were instructed to sit in a tub containing lukewarm water at 40-45degrees C for 10 minutes each time. Patients were advised to perform the procedure for at least 5 days immediately after the removal of a Foley urethral catheter. The differences in post-TURP complications between the warm water sitz bath group and the no sitz bath group were compared. RESULTS: After TURP, 359 of the 1,561 patients performed a warm water sitz bath. Complications after TURP, such as hemorrhage, urinary tract infection, urethral stricture, and acute urinary retention were found in 19 (5.3%) and 75 (6.2%) patients in the sitz bath and no sitz bath groups, respectively (p=0.09). There was a significant difference in postoperative complications such as urethral stricture between the warm sitz bath group and the no sitz bath group (p=0.04). The group that did not undergo warm water sitz bath treatment showed a 1.13-fold increased risk of rehospitalization within 1 month after TURP due to postoperative complications compared with the warm water sitz bath group (odds ratio [OR]=1.134; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.022 to 1.193; p=0.06). CONCLUSIONS: Warm water sitz bath treatment reduced postoperative complications such as urethral stricture. These results suggest that large-scale prospective studies are needed to establish an ideal method and optimal duration of sitz baths.ope