Thesis (MScEng (Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / This study evaluates the performance characteristics of a power plant incorporating a steam turbine and a direct air-cooled dry/wet condenser operating at different ambient temperatures. The proposed cooling system uses existing A-frame air-cooled condenser (ACC) technology and through the introduction of a hybrid (dry/wet) dephiegmator achieves measurable enhancement in cooling performance when temperatures are high. In order to determine the thermal-flow performance characteristics of the wet section of the dephlegmator, tests are conducted on an evaporative cooler. From the experimental results, correlations for the water film heat transfer coefficient, air-water mass transfer coefficient and the air-side pressure drop over a deluged tube bundle are developed. During periods of high ambient temperatures the hybrid (dry/wet) condenser operating in a wet mode can achieve the same increased turbine performance as an oversized air-cooled condenser or an air-cooled condenser rith adiabatic cooling (spray cooling) of the inlet air at a considerably lower cost. For the same turbine power output the water consumed by an air-cooled condenser incorporating a hybrid (dry/wet) dephlegmator is at least 20% less than an air- cooled condenser with adiabatic cooling of the inlet air. / Sponsored by the Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies, Stellenbosch University

Dry Tortugas National Park (DRTO) consists of 261.8 km2 in the Gulf of Mexico and provides protection to marine species facing a multitude of threats. Among the many species that utilize DRTO is the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas). I examined seven years of capture-recapture data to determine how the body condition (using Fulton’s equation, K = M/L3) and growth rate for juvenile green turtles vary within, and among size classes in DRTO, and how those rates compare to similar populations in other locations. Body conditions ranged from 0.77 to 1.71 (mean 1.3 SD ± 0.16). Growth rates ranged from 2.5 to 9.9cm/yr (mean 5.5 cm/yr SD ± 1.25), which is a high growth rate for green turtles. Establishing growth rates and body condition for a specific population can provide insight into life history and health of that population, as well as important data for comparison to populations in other areas. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2015 / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Aqueous ammonia treatment of organic material to increase enzymatic digestibility is a growing area of research for animal fodder and biofuel production. The application of this treatment in the municipal composting process has not previously been investigated. Litterbags were used to investigate the effects of an aqueous ammonia treatment prior to composting on source-separated organic waste. The treatment consisted of soaking organic material in aqueous ammonia prior to introducing the material back into the composting process. Dry mass, ash content, ash-free dry mass, and water-solubility were measured. Three experiments were performed: one in the laboratory, one in an in-vessel system, and one in windrows. The aqueous ammonia treatment removed more dry mass compared to controls; however, the results indicate that the majority of the loss occurred during the soak. This treatment may be of interest for compost facilities if the leachate produced can be used in an economically beneficial way. / Ontario Centres of Excellence

Fire ecology encompasses the study of the factors, biotic and abiotic, that influence the occurrence of fire in an area, as well as the effects fire has on the flora and fauna native and non-native to the region (Whelan 1995). Fire has had a major influence on shaping biomes as we see them today. Fire has had an effect on vegetation much before the evolution of Homo on Earth (Keeley and Rundel 2005, Pausas and Keeley 2009, Midgley and Bond 2011). With the evolution and expansion of Homo across Earth, fire has been tamed, and then generated and used over time to yield landscapes that were suitable for their existence (Pyne 1991, Bowman et al. 2009, Archibald et al. 2012). Thus, fire, vegetation and humans were, and still are, inextricably linked in certain biomes on Earth. The best examples are observed in tropical savannas and grasslands, biomes that experience distinct seasonality in climate and are thus prone to frequent fires caused either by lightning or by humans (Keeley and Rundel 2005, Archibald et al. 2012). At the other end of the spectrum of tropical vegetation types are rainforests where the occurrence of fires is constrained by a perpetually moist environment (Meyn et al. 2007, van der Werf et al. 2008), in the absence of manipulation of the forest landscape by humans. Frequent fires have been documented to alter structure and cause a decline in forest diversity in rainforests (Cochrane and Schulze 1999, Cochrane 2003), whereas fire exclusion in mesic savannas leads to increases in biomass and transition to forest ecosystems (Bond et al. 2003, Bond et al. 2005 and references therein). A tropical biome that lies between these two extremes of vegetation types is the Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest (SDTF) where the occurrence of fire is common, but for which there are contrasting views on the effect of fire on this system (Saha and Howe 2003, Otterstrom et al. 2006 as examples). Current forest management policies in SDTF areas, especially in India, actively aim to exclude fire from these forests mostly because of the perception held by forest managers and the general public that fire has negative effects on forests. However, very few scientific studies have explored the ecology of fire in SDTFs. In order to formulate fire management policies, it is necessary to have a more comprehensive understanding of the ecology of fire in this tropical forest type. This thesis addresses two components of fire ecology as applied to SDTFs. The first is how fire is influenced by the environment, and the second, how fires influence the biotic community particular to SDTFs. The study was carried out in an SDTF in southern India where fire is a common occurrence -the forests of Mudumalai – a protected area that exhibits a range of SDTF vegetation types, from moist deciduous to dry thorn forest, corresponding to a rainfall gradient. Fire influenced by the environment: For this section, the influence of fuel load, fuel moisture and ambient weather on area burnt, fire occurrence and fire temperatures were studied in the SDTF vegetation types of Mudumalai. The extent of fire (area burnt) in an ecosystem differs according to the relative contribution of fuel load and fuel moisture available (Meyn et al. 2007). At a global scale, these factors vary along a spatial gradient of climatic conditions and are thus “varying constraints” (Krawchuk and Moritz 2011) on fire activity in natural ecosystems (Meyn et al. 2007, Krawchuk and Moritz 2011). Moist ecosystems such as tropical rainforests are at one end of the spectrum where fire activity is constrained by fuel moisture. At the other end are arid ecosystems, such as deserts, where fire activity is limited by the presence of fuels. The potential for the globally widespread seasonally dry tropical forests (SDTFs) to be placed as a single entity in this framework was examined by analyzing the interacting effects of fuel load and fuel moisture on the extent of fire in Mudumalai. Logistic regression was used to model proportion area burnt in a given year with factors that would influence fuel load and fuel moisture – these were proportion area burnt the previous year, wet season rainfall the previous year and early dry season rainfall. Modelling was conducted at two levels – the overall landscape and within four defined moisture regimes (between 700 and 1700 mm yr-1) – using a dataset of area burnt and seasonal rainfall from 1990 to 2010. The landscape scale model showed that the extent of fire in a given year within this SDTF is dependent on the combined interaction of seasonal rainfall and extent burnt the previous year. However, within individual moisture regimes the relative contribution of these factors to the annual extent burnt varied – early dry season rainfall (i.e. a moderator of fuel moisture) was the predominant factor in the wettest regime, while the previous year’s wet season rainfall (i.e. a proxy for fuel load) had a large influence on fire extent in the driest regime. Thus, the diverse structural vegetation types associated with SDTFs across a wide range of rainfall regimes would have to be examined at finer regional or local scales to understand the specific environmental drivers of fire. While the extent burnt in SDTFs is largely dependent on climatic influences, the probability of ignition has not been characterized for SDTFs. Anthropogenic fires are a regular occurrence during the dry season in SDTFs (Stott et al. 1990). We investigated if the occurrences of anthropogenic fire in Mudumalai were associated with any particular weather conditions during the dry season. Logistic regression between probability of a fire day and weather variables -seasonal rainfall, ambient relative humidity and temperature -was examined during the dry seasons of 20042010 in Mudumalai. Fire incidence data was obtained from the Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS; NASA 2002) and weather data from two automatic weather stations within Mudumalai. The analysis showed that days with high probabilities of fire occurrence were associated with low levels of early dry season rainfall, low daily average relative humidity, and high daily average temperatures. These weather conditions are known to influence moisture levels of fine fuels (Viney 1991, Archibald et al. 2009). In Mudumalai as well as other SDTFs the primary fuels for fires are fine fuels such as litter and dried grass that accumulate on the forest floor during the dry season. Our results suggest that the occurrence of fire is moderated by environmental conditions that reduce or enhance the flammability of fine fuels in the dry tropics. A quantitative framework for assessing risk of a fire day has been proposed as an outcome of this analysis to assist forest managers in anticipating fire occurrences in this SDTF, and possibly for those across south Asia. Of the various components of a fire regime, fire intensity is an important aspect. High fire temperatures (one measure of fire intensity, Keeley 2009) and resulting soil temperatures would have an effect on soil properties as well as plant species demography and community structure (Moreno and Oechel 1991, Neary et al. 1999, Morrison 2002). Fires that occur frequently in a region could vary in their intensity and severity depending upon the amount of fuel available and ambient weather conditions (Stinson and Wright 1969, Stott 1986, Stronach and McNaughton 1989, Ansley et al. 1998, Wotton et al. 2012). However, this relationship has not been examined in a multiple regression framework for SDTFs. Fire temperature was recorded and its relationship with ambient weather and fuel load was studied in two SDTFs of southern India -Mudumalai and Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple (BRT) Wildlife Sanctuary in Karnataka. During “controlled burns” conducted by the forest department staff in these reserves in February and March 2010, temperature indicating lacquers on mica sheets were used to measure fire temperature at several points at ground level and one cm below the ground. Biomass was harvested close to the temperature measurement points to estimate fuel load and fuel moisture. Ambient weather conditions were recorded during the controlled burn when the flame passed over the indicators. Temperatures recorded at ground level ranged from <79oC to 760oC, with the most frequently recorded temperatures between 343-399 oC and 510566 oC. Temperatures measured one cm below the ground ranged from <79oC to 302oC, with a majority of the indicators recording temperatures in the <79oC category. Ground-level temperatures increased with increasing biomass. A linear regression of ground-level temperatures with fuel load and ambient weather conditions of relative humidity and temperature was found to explain most of the variation in the data. Ground-level fire temperatures increased with increasing fuel load, but were also found to be lower at higher relative humidities at a given temperature. In order to reduce the intensity of forest fires that occur accidentally during the dry season, we recommend that fuel loads be reduced in the forest by prescribed burning early in the dry season. This applies especially to areas where there is accumulation of biomass over years, such as that of the tall grass Themeda cymbaria found predominantly in dry deciduous forest types. If prescribed burning is incorporated in fire management policies for these forests, then the season of burning will be important to consider. It is known from ecosystems where prescribed burning is regularly applied that early dry season fires are less intense than late dry season fires (Williams et al. 1998). However, this has not been systematically investigated for SDTFs. Through a burning experiment carried out in private land with vegetation type similar to tropical dry thorn forest, we investigated differences in area burnt, ground-level fire temperatures and soil temperatures one cm below the ground in the early dry season in January, late dry season in April and and early wet season in June. We also examined differences in fuel load, fuel moisture, soil moisture and weather conditions of ambient relative humidity (RH), temperature and wind speed in these phases; these factors could be responsible for observed differences in fire and soil temperatures or area burnt. Although area burnt was not significantly different between the early and late phases of the dry season, fire and soil temperatures were significantly lower in the former. The late dry season was characterized by distinctly higher fuel loads, lower fuel moisture, lower relative humidity, higher ambient temperatures and higher wind speeds compared that measured in the early dry season. Differences in soil temperature between these months may be attributed to the increase in fuel load since there were no significant differences in soil moisture. Fire spread was limited in the experimental plots in the early wet season in June, probably due to significantly higher levels of fuel moisture in this month; the resultant fire and soil temperatures recorded were low. Forest management should, therefore, consider early dry season burns in the month of January for prescribed burns in the sanctuary, although this would have to be tested in other SDTF vegetation types with more variable fuel load, fuel moisture and weather conditions. Fire’s influence on the biotic community: Concerns regarding the regeneration capacity of woody species in SDTFs have been voiced with respect to increasing frequencies of fire (Saha and Howe 2006, Kodandapani et al. 2008). Fire is known to cause high mortality of individuals of small size (Swaine et al. 1990, Suresh et al. 2010). However, mortality has been examined for large size classes, and not for seedlings. It is essential to understand the dynamics of seedlings and their contribution to the regeneration potential of SDTFs. Woody species in SDTFs are known to have traits that help them recover from recurring disturbances, such as sprouting from underground root stocks (Vieira and Scariot 2006). Another trait may relate to growth rates of seedlings. Growth rates of seedlings (defined in this study as established individuals between 10 and 100cm height) after dry season (February-March) fires were compared between adjacent pairs of burnt and unburnt transects established at eight sites in Mudumalai across vegetation types of moist deciduous, dry deciduous and dry thorn forest. The growth of grasses, a possible competitor for resources, was also monitored at each site. Seedling and grass heights were monitored at 3-month intervals between August 2009 and August 2010. A second fire in March 2010 affected transects at two sites in Mudumalai. Seedling and grass heights were monitored for two enumerations till August 2010 subsequent to the second fire at these two sites. A total of 1032 individuals across 58 woody species were enumerated. High seedling survivorship (>95%) was observed in both burnt and unburnt areas. Although seedling heights were significantly different between burnt and unburnt areas at the start of the enumeration in August 2009, heights were comparable within a year and a half of the fire. Comparable seedling heights in such a short time span were because of distinctly higher growth rates of seedlings in burnt areas compared to unburnt areas after the fire event, particularly during the pre-monsoon season. Grass biomass (volume), on the other hand, was significantly different between burnt and unburnt areas at both the first and last enumerations. Grass growth (change in volume) did not differ between burnt and unburnt areas. Rapid growth by seedlings after a fire implies adaptation through the use of stored resources for growth, possibly aided by lower competition from grasses, in order to attain a certain size before the subsequent return of unfavourable factors such as a recurrent fire event. Conclusions: The results from the study point to climatically driven fire regimes in an SDTF in southern India, with daily influences of weather conditions during the dry season on fire occurrences. Fire intensities increase with increasing fuel loads in these forests, moderated by weather conditions such as RH and temperature. Since fires are an anthropogenic phenomenon in these forests, active management with the use of prescribed fires in the early phase of the dry season is a possible option to control late dry season fires that would be higher in intensity. The current woody tree species assemblage in this southern Indian SDTF is resilient to fires at the seedling stage, with established individuals exhibiting high survivorship and rapid growth after a fire. However, the effects of fires of varying intensities on the regenerative capacity of the seedlings are not known. The effect of fire on habitat utilisation by large herbivores, or the impact of fire on the faunal community in general has not been studied for vegetation types that comprise SDTFs. The effect of fire exclusion on the ecology of SDTFs will provide useful information that can feed into management policies for this ecosystem type. These are potential areas of research for the future. Fire, if managed wisely, can be an effective tool for the conservation of SDTFs across south and southeast Asia.

Please read the abstract in the dissertation / Dissertation (MSc (Agric))--University of Pretoria, 2001. / Plant Production and Soil Science / unrestricted

Syfte: Att genom en litteraturstudie jämföra Schirmers tårtest (STT) och fenolröd tråd (PRTT), för att se hur god korrelation det är mellan de två testerna vid diagnostisering av torra ögon. Metod: Analysera och jämföra studier med hjälp av olika artiklar. Dessa artiklar har hittats genom sökning i databasen Google scholar med sökfraserna schirmer´s test versus phenol red thread och tear test correlations. Fem relevanta artiklar valdes ut för närmare granskning. Resultat: Det har framkommit varierande resultat angående huruvida det finns en god korrelation mellan Schirmers tårtest och fenolröd tråd. Slutsats: Efter att ha tittat närmare på de fem studierna så kan man konstatera att det behövs ytterligare studier av testerna Schirmers tårtest och fenolröd tråd, dessutom behövs det gemensamma gränser för vad som är torra ögon. När det gäller korrelationen mellan Schirmers tårtest och fenolröd tråd så är det svårt att ta ställning till det eftersom alla studier har olika urvalskriterier. / Objective: This literature review is a comparison of the Schirmer's tear test (STT) and the Phenol Red Thread Test (PRTT). The aim of the review is to find out if there was a good correlation between the two tests regarding diagnosing dry eye disease. Method: Analyze and compare studies using different articles. These articles were found by searching the Google Scholar. The search phrases were Schirmer´s test versus phenol red thread and tear test correlations. Five relevant articles were selected for further review. Results: There have been varying results regarding whether there is a good correlation between Schirmer's tear test and Phenol Red Thread. Conclusion: After a closer look at the five studies, it can be concluded that further studies of the Schirmer's tear test and Phenol Red Thread are required, in addition, there is a need of common cutoffs for diagnosing dry eye disease. It is hard to find a correlation between Schirmer's tear test and Phenol Red Thread, since all studies use different criteria for inclusion.

Dans la fabrication de cellules photovoltaïques en silicium, certaines étapes cruciales utilisant des procédés humides pourraient être remplacées par des procédés secs. En effet des gains significatifs de rendement de conversion peuvent être obtenus avec la texturisation, le polissage de la face arrière et la gravure du BRL (Boron Ritch layer) par plasma. Cette thèse présente le développement d'un procédé de texturisation par voie sèche adapté au silicium multicristallin et monolike hybride (mono-multi). Pour cela un réacteur plasma de type direct a été conçu et breveté par la société SEMCO ENGINEERING. Ces travaux se divisent en trois parties distinctes. Tout d'abord la technique de texturisation par plasma, l'optimisation des paramètres du réacteur et les avantages de cette dernière par rapport à la texturisation classique ont été abordés. Le développement d'un réacteur compatible avec une ligne industrielle est ensuite abordé : optimisation des différents paramètres du réacteur afin d'obtenir les meilleurs résultats cellules. Enfin d'autres applications ont été démontrées possibles avec l'utilisation de notre réacteur, avec notamment le polissage de la face arrière des wafers de silicium et de la gravure du BRL (Boron Ritch Layer) sur des substrats de type n. La comparaison des résultats avec celles humides nous a montrée des résultats très encourageants. A terme, une amélioration du rendement de conversion de l'ordre de 0,2 à 0,3% a été obtenue sur du silicium multicristallin et du monolike et une amélioration esthétique des cellules sur panneau solaire avec notre technique de texturisation plasma. Ces résultats permettent de démontrer la compatibilité de l'utilisation de cet équipement dans une ligne industrielle de fabrication de cellule solaire. Mots-clés : Cellules solaire, Silicium multicristallin, monolike hybride, procédés plasma, polissage, BRL (Boron Ritch Layer). / A significant efficiency gain for crystalline silicon solar cell can be achieved by the use of dry process. Indeed significant gains in conversion efficiency can be achieved with texturing, polishing the back face and burning the BRL (Boron Ritch layer) by using plasma process.In this paper Dry plasma processing for industrial crystalline silicon solar cell was studied.This thesis focuses on the replacement of wet processes by dry processes in the manufacture of silicon photovoltaic cells. This work is divided into three distinct parts. First Technique texturing plasma, parameter optimization of the reactor and the advantages thereof with respect to the conventional texturing has been discussed. The development of a compatible with an industrial line reactor is then discussed: optimizing different parameters of the reactor in order to obtain the best results cells. Other possible applications have been demonstrated with the use of our reactor, including polishing the backside of silicon wafers and etching BRL (Boron Ritch Layer) on n-type substrates.An improvement of the conversion efficiency on the order of 0.2 to 0.3 % has been demonstrated on multicristalline and monolike silicon wafers and Aesthetic of solar panel was improved. Key words: Silicon wafer, Plasma texturing, multicristalline wafer, monolike wafer……………

Syfte: Syftet med studien var att genom en litteraturstudie undersöka om tillskott av omega-3 har någon positiv påverkan på torra ögon och ögats främre delar. Kan denna fleromättade fettsyra lindra symtomen samt de kliniska tecknen av torra ögon? Metod: Artiklarna i litteraturstudien baserades på tidigare kliniska studier och vetenskapliga publikationer. De sökmotorer som användes var PubMed och Web of Science, sökningarna utfördes mellan 2020-03-30 och 2020-04-15. För att göra urvalsprocessen sattes inklusionskriterier och exklusionskriterier upp. Begränsningarna var att artiklarna skulle finnas tillgängliga i fulltext och vara publicerade från år 2015-2020. Sökorden som användes var “dry eye + omega” och “dry eye and omega”. Litteraturstudier/reviews exkluderades samt studier med färre än 50 deltagare. Utifrån resultatet av sökningarna valdes de fem mest relevanta artiklarna ut för att ingå i studien. Resultat: Studierna involverade totalt 2569 deltagare. Tillskotten som användes i studierna var omega-3 i olika sammansättningar. De subjektiva mätningarna gjordes med Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) och Dry Eye Questionnaire and Scoring System (DESS) och visade statistiskt signifikant förbättring på symtompoäng i tre av fem studier. De objektiva mätningarna visade statistiskt signifikant förbättring på bland annat TBUT i fyra av fem studier och Schirmertest i två av fem studier. Slutsats: Det finns en positiv effekt på torra ögon, torra ögonsymtom och främre ytan av ögat med ett dagligt tillskott av omega-3-fettsyror, men en viss placeboeffekt kan inte uteslutas. Fler studier med fler deltagare under en längre period krävs för att fastställa den optimala dosen, behandlingsperioden samt sammansättningen av tillskottet av omega-3. / The aim of this study was through a literature review, investigate whether a dietary supplement of omega-3 has a positive effect on dry eye symptoms and the anterior surface of the eye. Can this polyunsaturated fatty acid relieve the symptoms and the clinical signs of dry eyes? The articles included in the literature study were based on previous clinical studies and scientific publications. The search engines used were PubMed and Web of Science. The searches were conducted between 2020-03-30 and 2020-04-15. Inclusion criteria and exclusion criteria were determined in advance. The restrictions were that the articles should be available in full text and be published from 2015-2020. The keywords used were “dry eye + omega” and “dry eye and omega”. Other literature reviews were excluded as well as studies with fewer than 50 participants in the randomized clinical trials (RCTs). Based on the results on the searches, 30 articles were selected that related to the topic dry eyes and omega-3. Subsequently, the articles abstracts were reviewed, and the least relevant articles were excluded. The remaining 13 articles were read in more detail and of these, the 5 most relevant articles were selected to be included in the study. The five selected studies involved a total of 2569 participants. The supplements used in the studies contained omega-3 in various compositions. The subjective measurements were made using the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) and the Dry Eye Questionnaire and Scoring System (DESS) and showed statistically significant improvement in symptom scores in three out of five studies. The objective clinical tests showed statistically significant improvement on for example TBUT in four out of five studies and Schirmer’s test in two out of five studies. The conclusion is that there is a positive effect on dry eyes, dry eye symptoms and the ocular surface of the eye with a daily supplement of omega-3 fatty acids, however a placebo effect cannot be ruled out. More studies with more participants over a longer period of time are required to determine the optimal dose, treatment period and composition of the supplement of omega-3.

Syfte. Syftet med denna litteraturstudie var att undersöka om orala tillskott av omega-3 har någon effekt på torra ögon. Metod. Den här litteraturstudien baserades på fem utvalda artiklar som söktes fram via sökmotorn Pubmed den 28 mars. Sökorden var “omega 3 supplement AND dry eye”. Olika begränsningar gjordes såsom tidsgräns för utgivning: mellan år 2015 till 2022 och Peer-reviewed randomiserad kontrollerade studier. Artiklar som inte gick i linje med den här litteraturstudiens syfte valdes bort, kvar fanns fyra artiklar. Den sista utvalda artikeln var en av tre ”given som förslag på citatmatchning” av sökmotorn Pubmed, vid angiven sökning ovan. Resultat. Av de fem artiklarna kunde två artiklar stödja en främjande effekt av omega-3 på dry eye disease (DED) och en artikel visade en statistisk signifikant positiv effekt på symtom i OSDI poäng i en subgrupp med svåra DED-symtom ≥ 52. Två av artiklarna kunde inte som slutsats stödja en positiv effekt av omega-3 på DED trots positiva effekter på korneal infärgning, Schirmer´s test, konjunktival infärgning samt TBUT, så var de inte statistiskt signifikanta, jämfört med placebogruppen. I de två artiklarna där en främjande effekt av omega-3 sågs på DED kunde det ses en positiv statistisk signifikant effekt på Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) poäng, tårosmolaritet, TBUT med mera. Mängden deltagare varierade mellan studierna, även ålder, region, sammansättningen på fettsyrorna och biotillgängligheten av supplementen varierade, vilket kan ha påverkat studiernas resultat.Slutsats. Effekten av omega-3 på DED varierade mellan studierna. Själva sammansättningen på fettsyrorna påverkade resultaten där ökad biotillgänglighet hos omega-3, i återförestrad form och i form av krillolja (triglyceridform) visades ha en större effekt än omega-3 i etylesterform vid DED. Även addition av GLA till omega-3 supplementen hade en positiv effekt på symtom hos personer med svåra DED symtom. Fler studier behövs för en fullständig förståelse vad gäller dos och form av omega-3 samt för att utreda vilken svårighetsgrad av DED som kan dra nytta av omega-3-behandling. Framtida studier behöver även undersöka huruvida individanpassad terapi med Omega-3 kan användas vid DED. / Purpose. This literature study aimed to investigate whether oral omega-3 supplements affect dry eyes. Method. This literature review was based on five selected articles from the search engine Pubmed on 28 March. The keywords were "omega 3 supplement AND dry eye". There was inclusion criteria such as articles published between the years 2015 and 2022 and the articles needed to be Peer-reviewed randomized controlled trials. Articles in line with the purpose of this literature study were selected, and the outcome was four articles. The last article selected was one out of three included in the “suggestions for citation matching” by Pubmed, using the above-mentioned criteria. Results. Of the five articles, two articles could support a promoting effect of omega-3 on DED. One article showed a statistically significant positive impact on symptoms in OSDI scores in a subgroup with severe symptoms ≥ 52. In the two articles that could support a promoting effect of omega-3 on DED, a positive, statistically significant impact could be seen on OSDI scores, tear osmolarity, TBUT, and more. Two of the articles could not support a positive effect of omega-3 on DED. Even though there were positive effects on corneal staining, Schirmer´s test, conjunctival staining, and TBUT, they were not statistically significant compared with the placebo group. However, the number of participants varied between studies, which also varied for age, region, the composition of the fatty acids, and bioavailability of the supplement.Conclusion. The effect of omega-3 on DED varies between studies. The actual composition of the fatty acids seems to impact the result where increased bioavailability of omega-3, which is in re-esterified form, and krill oil that is in triglyceride form has a more significant effect than omega-3 in ethyl ester form. The addition of GLA to the omega-3 supplement also positively impacted symptoms in people with severe symptoms. More studies are needed to thoroughly understand the dose and form of omega-3, and severity of DED. But studies are also required to learn about individualized therapy, and if it can be applicable using omega-3 on DED.

Thesis (MPH.) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / Dry eye disease (DED) is defined as a multifactorial disease of the tears and ocular surface that results in symptoms of discomfort, visual disturbance, and tear film instability with potential damage to the ocular surface. It is accompanied by increased osmolality of the tear film and inflammation of the ocular surface. DED is one of the most frequently established diagnoses in ophthalmology and represents a growing public health concern, with consequences that remain widely underestimated. There is variability of clinical manifestations and diagnostic criteria which leads to poor correlation between clinical signs and symptoms, therefore resulting in difficulties to assess prevalence of DED despite an improved understanding of pathogenic factors of acquired DED. However, its prevalence has been reported to range from 74% to 33% worldwide and the current study aimed to investigate the prevalence of DED and its determinants amongst people consulting at Focus Optometrists in Kwa-Mhlanga Township in Mpumalanga Province. Methodology: The current study was quantitative in nature and it followed a cross-sectional descriptive design to address the research question. The study population were people consulting at Focus Optometrists in Kwa-Mhlanga Township in Mpumalanga Province in which two standardized optometry diagnostic tests (Schimer test and the tear film break up time) were used for data collection coupled with a comprehensive case history which was taken for all participants. Data analysis was done using the STATA statistical software version 12 for Windows (STATA Corporation, College Station, Texas). Frequency tables were used to make comparisons between groups for continuous and categorical variables using student t-test, and chi-square test. P-value less than 0.05 at 95% confidence level were regarded as significant. Results: A total of 236 participants were recruited and the mean age of the participants was 39.7 in which majority of participants were females and there was a statistical significance difference in age groups of both males and females at p-value=0.011. Majority of the participants have reported to have experience of sensitivity to light vi and foreign body sensation sometimes. The poor vision and blurred vision have been reported by majority of participants sometimes and the prevalence of dry eye disease was found to be 80.9% and the risk of the dry eye disease in the current study was found significantly increasing with old age. Those who were older (35 years above) were 4.2 times more likely to develop dry eye disease at p-value <0.001 as compared to young participants. Female gender was found not to be protective of developing dry eye disease in the current and participants who were single, having secondary and education qualifications were more likely to develop dry eye disease. Participants with ocular conditions, systemic disease, surgery and those with high blood pressure were more likely to develop dry disease Conclusion: The prevalence of dry eye disease in the current study was found to be very high and therefore, patients coming to the clinic from the age of 40 with underlying systemic diseases should be screened for dry eyes. Dry eye disease can be a major contributor of refractive error in the visual systems and or can also be a sign or a symptom of hormonal or related ocular or systemic disease. More eye care awareness should be done at primary eye care level to detect the cause or to eliminate future associated symptoms.