Hypertonic saline (HS) is an accepted treatment for traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, the behavioral and cognitive consequences following HS administration have not thoroughly been examined. Recent preclinical evidence has suggested that nicotinamide (NAM) is beneficial for recovery of function following TBI. The first study compared the behavioral and cognitive consequences of HS and NAM as competitive therapeutic agents for the treatment of TBI. Following controlled cortical impact (CCI), bolus administrations of NAM (500 mg/kg), 7.5% HS, or 0.9% saline vehicle (1.0 mL/kg) were given at 2, 24, and 48 hrs post-CCI. Behavioral results revealed that animals treated with NAM and HS showed significant improvements in beam walk and locomotor placing compared to the Vehicle group. The Morris water maze (MWM) retrograde amnesia test was conducted on day 12 post-CCI and showed that all groups had significant retention of memory compared to injured, Vehicle-treated animals. Working memory was also assessed on days 18-20 using the MWM. The NAM and Vehicle groups quickly acquired the task; however, HS animals showed no acquisition of this task. Histological examinations revealed that the HS-treated animals lost significantly more cortical tissue than either the NAM or Vehicle-treated animals. HS-treated animals showed a greater loss of hippocampal tissue compared to the other groups. In general, NAM showed a faster rate of recovery than HS without this associated tissue loss. Study 1 suggested that future research into HS should include drug injection time course studies. Multiple injections may be responsible for the notable tissue damage. Therefore, it is possible that fewer injections will result in comparable behavioral recovery and less tissue damage that was observed. Due to the detrimental effects of 7.5% HS on cognition and hippocampal tissue following multiple administration in study 1, the proposed second study sought to study the behavioral and cognitive effects of HS using either single or multiple injection regime. The proposed study entailed a lengthier testing schedule than in study 1 and included the same histological examination to compare the different dosages. Additionally, edema formation was measured 24 hours following each drug endpoint in order to delineate the possible underlying mechanism of the observed deficits. In Study 2, HS tended to improve function on motor, sensorimotor and neurological tasks. Although this was a trend on all tests, animals treated with a single administration of HS overall performed better on all tasks compared to those receiving double or multiple injections. In the retrograde amnesia test, although not significant, the Sham, HS-2, and HS-24 animals showed improvement; whereas, the Vehicle and HS-48 animals showed no improvement in performance. This could possibly be linked to the additional hippocampal tissue loss that was noted in the HS-48 animals. In the working memory paradigm, the HS-2 and Vehicle groups had longer latencies to reach the platform than did the Sham group. However, after the first testing day, there were no significant differences between any of the groups. All animals treated with HS performed at the same rate and their performance either stayed the same over the three day testing period or became worse. It appears these animals were unable to learn and improve in the new memory acquisition task which is comparable to the results found in study 1. In study 1, there were again no observed hippocampal volume differences between the Sham and Vehicle-treated animals. However, there was extensive hippocampal tissue damage observed in all of the HS groups. Furthermore, animals treated with a single administration of HS had less hippocampal loss than those with double or multiple doses. Those animals receiving more than one dose of HS lost significantly more hippocampal tissue than the Vehicle group. The results of study 2 are comparable, and support, the results of study 1. Both studies support the strengths and weakness of HS therapy following TBI. Although there are potential benefits of HS therapy, there are also detrimental risks involved. Cognitive and structural damage could possible occur if the dosage amounts are not closely studied and monitored. Although the use of HS may be beneficial to reduce ICP following TBI, it appears that the use of HS may also lead to direct or indirect tissue loss possibly by chronic cellular dehydration. Stronger or more delineated effects may be noticed using higher doses or concentrations of HS in future studies. However, due to the nature of these results, caution should be advised with the use of all therapeutic usage of HS until further detailed studies are conducted.

In the context of the development of renewable energy sources in the U.K., and of the increase in anthropogenic atmospheric CO2, it is important to develop alternative ways of providing energy to the community. The shift to renewable sources of electricity comes to a cost: variable generation. At present, an important part of the renewable electricity capacity is being curtailed during low demand periods. One way to ensure that electricity supply matches demand is to store excess energy when it is available and deliver it when demand cannot be met by primary generation alone. Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) allows this storage. The aim of this project is to build upon existing knowledge on CAES using porous rocks (PM-CAES) to assess the technical feasibility for this storage technology to be developed offshore of the UK. The focus is on inter-seasonal storage. This assessment is undertaken by developing geological and power plant models to calculate the storage potential of offshore UK formations. Modelling of a conceptual aquifer air store enables approximations of the subsurface pressure response to CAES operations. These pressure changes are coupled with surface facilities models to provide estimates of both load/generation capacity and roundtrip efficiencies. Algebraic predictive models can be developed from the results of a sensitivity analysis of the store and plant idealised models. Screening of the CO2 Stored database, containing data on geological formations offshore of the UK (initially developed for CO2 storage), was then performed to estimate PM-CAES potential using the predictive models. The results suggest that there is substantial PM-CAES potential in the UK. Results indicate an energy storage potential in the range of 77-96 TWh, which can be released over 60 days. A geographic information system (GIS) study was then performed to identify the portion of the identified storage potential colocated with offshore windfarm. 19 TWh of the storage potential identified is colocated with windfarm and would be achievable at an average levelised cost of electricity of 0.70 £/kWh.

No description available.

The production of both fresh water and waste streams are progressively increasing over the years due to ongoing population growth coupled with high levels of increase in water consumption. The ongoing growth of human activities, such as industry, recreation, and agriculture, are significantly contributing to the increase in both water demand and severity of degradation of natural water resources. The majority of the industrial wastewaters have a significant impact on the environment; some of which may pose a number of threats to human health and the surrounding environment. Thus, discharge of such waste streams into a surface water and/or groundwater presents a major source of water pollution in many countries. Therefore, these waste streams must be disposed of in an environmentally acceptable manner. The primary concern of the PhD thesis is to seek the most feasible and applicable freezing desalination technologies that are potentially capable to concentrate the dissolved ionic content of the liquid streams, especially for those causing severe pollution problems. Therefore, various forms of melt crystallisation processes, namely; agitated and static crystallisation processes, ice maker machines, a Sulzer falling film crystallisation process, the Sulzer suspension crystallisation process, and the Sulzer static crystallisation process, were experimentally used and investigated. The experimental investigations were carried out on the laboratory bench scale and/or straightforward pilot plant by using aqueous solutions of sodium chloride and/or process brines as feed samples. The study was focused on a number of important parameters influencing the separation performance of the investigated treatment systems. In general, the resulting experimental data for each innovative process were highly encouraging in minimising the volume of the waste stream, and substantially increasing the amount of product water. The obtained product water was ready for immediate use either as drinking water or as a saline water of near brackish water or seawater qualities. Also, relationships between the influences and the separation performance, in terms of salt rejection and water recovery ratios, were explored and determined for the investigated technologies. Based on the experimental results, the Sulzer melt crystallisation processes were scaled up and were combined into a commercial reverse osmosis membrane desalination plant. As a result, three novel treatment option configurations were proposed for minimising the waste stream, whilst increasing the production rate of drinking water and/or preserving a substantial amount of natural water resource from the RO plant's exploitation.

Orientador: Artur Udelsmann / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Ciencias Medicas / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-11T15:05:32Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Bonfim_MatheusRodrigues_M.pdf: 2022340 bytes, checksum: a5de652e3794240a34fc70fa9e5da209 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008 / Resumo: Justificativa e objetivos: Várias soluções podem ser empregadas no tratamento da hipovolemia, sendo as mais comuns as cristalóides e as colóides. Na década de 1980, estudou-se o uso de soluções salinas hipertônicas, na reposição volêmica com pequenos volumes. Posteriormente foi indicada a associação das soluções hipertônicas com soluções colóides com resultados satisfatórios. O hidroxi-etil amido hipertônico é uma nova solução de reposição volêmica, composta por um colóide associado ao NaCl 7,2%. O objetivo deste trabalho foi estudar, em cães submetidos à hipovolemia, as respostas hemodinâmicas da reposição volêmica com solução fisiológica e hidroxi-etil amido hipertônico. Método: 40 cães sob anestesia geral e monitorização hemodinâmica com pressão arterial invasiva e cateter de Swan-Ganz, após medidas hemodinâmicas em repouso, foram sangrados 20 ml.kg-1 em 10 minutos e tiveram os parâmetros novamente medidos após 10 minutos; em seguida foi realizada reposição volêmica com solução fisiológica na razão de duas vezes o volume retirado em 5 minutos ou 4 ml.kg-1 de hidroxi-etil amido hipertônico também em 5 minutos e os dados hemodinâmicos foram medidos após 5, 15, 30, 45 e 60 minutos. Os resultados foram comparados estatisticamente. Resultados: nesse estudo, a reposição volêmica com as duas soluções fez os valores retornarem a níveis hemodinâmicos satisfatórios. Valores iniciais maiores foram observados com a solução fisiológica, mas tenderam a diminuir progressivamente, com o hidroxi-etil amido hipertônico os parâmetros estudados retornaram a valores semelhantes ao repouso e variaram menos. O índice cardíaco mostrou valores maiores para o grupo SF em todos os momentos após a reposição volêmica (p<0,001) . As pressões arteriais e pulmonares não mostraram diferenças entre os grupos. As pressões capilar pulmonar e venosa central mostraram valores maiores para o grupo SF imediatamente após a reposição volêmica (M3). Conclusões: ambas as soluções se mostraram eficientes na reposição volêmica no curto prazo estudado, mas o hidroxi-etil amido hipertônico proporcionou resultados mais estáveis. Unitermos: hipovolemia, hidroxi-etil amido, solução salina hipertônica / Abstract: Background and Objectives: Several solutions may be employed for the treatment of hypovolemia. Among the various solutions used, the most common are crystalloids and colloids. In the 80s, the use of hypertonic saline solutions was studied for small-volume fluid replacement. Subsequently, these hypertonic solutions were associated with colloid solutions producing satisfactory results. Hypertonic hydroxyethyl starch is a new solution used for volume replacement that is composed of a colloid associated with 7.2% NaCl. The purpose of this study was to examine hemodynamic response to volume replacement using saline solution and hypertonic hydroxyethyl starch in dogs subjected to hypovolemia. Method: Forty (40) dogs underwent general anesthesia and were hemodynamically monitored with intra-arterial blood pressure monitoring and a Swan-Ganz catheter. Baseline hemodynamic values were measured and the dogs were bled 20 ml.Kg.1 Parameters were measured after 10 minutes. Volume replacement with saline solution was then performed at a ratio of twice the volume removed or 4 ml.Kg-1 of hypertonic hydroxyethyl starch. Hemodynamic data was measured after 5, 15, 30, 45 and 60 minutes. The results were statistically compared. Results: In this study, values returned to satisfactory hemodynamic levels when volume was replaced with both solutions. Higher initial values were observed when saline solution was used. However, these values tended to decrease progressively. When hypertonic hydroxyethyl starch was used, the parameters studied returned more rapidly to values similar to those at baseline and less variation was observed. The cardiac index showed higher values for the saline group at all time periods studied after volume replacement (p<0.001). Arterial blood pressure and pulmonary blood pressure showed no differences between groups. Pulmonary capillary pressure and central venous pressure showed higher values for the saline group immediately after volume replacement (M3). Conclusions: Both solutions proved to be efficient at replacing volume in the short period studied. However, hypertonic hidroxyethyl starch provided more stable results. Uniterms: Hypovolemia, Hetastarch, Saline Solution, Hypertonic / Mestrado / Cirurgia / Mestre em Cirurgia

A hemodiluição normovolêmica aguda (HNA) é terapia mundialmente reconhecida como vantajosa em cirurgias que possuem grande potencial para sangramento, mas o edema provocado pela maior infusão de fluidos pode ser danoso em alguns pacientes. No intuito de avaliar as repercussões hemodinâmicas e laboratoriais da utilização da solução salina hipertônica a 7,5% como líquido parcial de reposição na HNA foram estudados 20 pacientes submetidos à artrodese para correção de escoliose de coluna. No grupo 1 (SS 0,9%, n=10) o sangue retirado na HNA, realizada momentos antes da cirurgia, foi reposto por solução salina 0,9% em um volume três vezes maior que o retirado. No grupo 2 (SS 7,5%, n=10) a metade do que foi retirado foi reposto com solução a 0,9% (três vezes o volume retirado) e a outra metade por 4 ml.kg-1 de solução salina hipertônica 7,5%. Nenhum dos pacientes apresentou distúrbios do equilíbrio ácido-básico e as alterações metabólicas (aumento da osmolaridade, sódio e cloro plasmáticos) foram passageiras. Os pacientes mantiveram-se hemodinamicamente estáveis e não foi observado sangramento anormal intra-operatório. A incidência de transfusão sangüínea foi semelhante embora os pacientes do grupo solução hipertônica tenham ficado clinicamente menos edemaciados. Mesmo não sendo objeto do estudo, observou-se menor incidência de infecções pós-operatórias nos pacientes submetidos à infusão de solução hipertônica, o que pode significar potencial efeito protetor da solução. Embora mais estudos com números maiores de pacientes sejam necessários para se comprovar esses efeitos, a solução hipertônica mostrou-se barata, simples e segura como maneira de redução do volume infundido na HNA. / The acute normovolemic hemodilution (ANH) is a therapy recognized as benefic in surgeries that have a great potential for bleeding but the swelling caused by solutions infused intra-operative can be harmful in some kind of patients. Twenty patients submitted to arthrodesis for scoliosis correction were studied in order to evaluate the hemodynamic and laboratory effects of 7.5% hypertonic saline solution as a partial fluid replacement in ANH. In group 1 (SS 0.9%, n = 10) the collected blood in ANH was replaced by saline solution 0.9% in a volume three times greater than the withdrawal. In group 2 (SS 7.5%, n = 10), half of the blood removed was restored by 0.9% solution (three times the amount withdrawn) and the other half by 4 ml.kg-1 of 7.5% solution. None of the patients presented acid-base disorders. Metabolic changes - enhanced of plasmatic levels of sodium, chlorine and osmolarity - were all transitory. Patients remain hemodynamic stable and no abnormal bleeding was observed. They had similar incidence of blood transfusion but the ones in hypertonic solution group were clinically less swollen. Lower incidences of post-operative infections were found in this group, which could mean a possible protector potential of hypertonic solution. SS 7.5% was a cheap, simple and safe alternative to reduce volume infused in ANH.

Class of 2015 Abstract / Objectives: To compare and evaluate effects on kidney function of mannitol dieresis versus saline diuresis on kidney function with cisplatin therapy. Methods: Patient charts documented between January 2010 and July 2013 were obtained and reviewed from a database of a university associated medical center. The patient’s lowest creatinine clearance (CrCl) and potassium levels during any time in therapy were compared against the baseline. Statistical testing for primary and secondary outcomes was calculated using the Independent-Samples T-Test. Results: A total of 140 patients were reviewed – 68 patients were included in the mannitol arm, 72 in the saline arm. All baseline characteristics reviewed were not statistically different between groups except for sex, which was skewed towards males in the saline arm of the study. Baseline CrCl was 97.14 ml/min in the mannitol arm, and 93.69 ml/min in the saline arm (p=0.91). The average change in CrCl was found to be -16.72 ml/min (95% CI, -21.85 to -11.59) in the mannitol arm, -14.00 ml/min (95% CI, -18.82 to -9.20) in the saline arm; this was not statistically different (p=0.41). There was an average change of -0.31 mmol/L in blood potassium levels in mannitol patients, and a change of 0.014 mmol/L in saline patients; this was found to be significantly different (p<0.01). Conclusions: In this single-center retrospective study, there appeared to be no benefit in using mannitol diuresis over saline diuresis. The use of mannitol incurs additional cost and place additional restrictions on administration.

Density dependent flow occurs in areas where high-salinity groundwater interacts with low-salinity groundwater to create a brine-to-freshwater interface that defies common assumptions about groundwater movement. Yet the geologic and hydrologic factors that impact interface dynamics and migration remain poorly defined. With less than 20 mm•yr-1 of precipitation and with an extremely dense (i.e. 1.2 g•cm-3) naturally occurring brine, Chile’s Salar de Atacama (SdA) provides an excellent analog for exploring interface dynamics in other arid regions. Site-specific 2-D models of the interface in the southeastern region of SdA, with interpretations of the hydrostratigraphic framework, provide an analysis for density-driven response rates to climatic change. A separate parametric, equally probable series of distributions of hydraulic conductivity provides a means for expanding analysis to other similar arid salar (i.e. “salt flat”) environments. Comparing the modeled interface’s geometry and response to perturbations in the rates of lateral recharge in each hydrostratigraphic realization yields insight into the dynamics of interface migration to coupled climatic and geologic conditions. Changes in hydrologic conditions, informed by paleoclimatic interpretations and previously modeled climate predictions, are introduced to each hydrostratigraphic realization following the interface reaching an initial dynamic equilibrium, and the interface’s response is assessed subsequent to it reaching a new dynamic equilibrium. Metrics for model evaluation include migration rate, change in the interface’s areal extent, change in interface slope, and the response rate following the introduction to a perturbation in the aquifer’s hydrology. Model analyses suggest that evaporation rates strongly control the interface’s geometry and sensitivity despite climatic and geologic conditions; continuity of high-permeability pathways controls interface slope; increasing continuity also decreases interface stability in terms of time required to reach a new steady state. While these results have implications for interface dynamics in both salars specifically and arid climates in general, they also indicate the importance of considering hydrostatigraphic continuity for saline water intrusion in coastal regions. They also provide a compelling method for assessing interface dynamics in other climatic and geologic conditions.

Low microbial activity and associated nutrient cycling are concerns in agricultural problem soils. The objectives of this study were to investigate microbial response on problem soils to amendments, drying-wetting cycles, and the interaction of amendments and drying-wetting cycles. In this laboratory study, soil carbon dioxide (CO2) flux was measured from thermal desorption treated soils and saline soils in response to Proganics, spent lime, and composted beef manure applications. Microbial activity was measured through CO2 flux and its rate of change, permanganate oxidizable C, and residual inorganic nitrogen. Proganics had the greatest ability to elevate and sustain microbial activity on problem soils, but spent lime and compost had the greatest potential to improve microbial mediated nitrogen mineralization. In conclusion, spent lime and compost can be effective amendments for improving soil quality of saline and thermal desorption treated problem soils to increase microbial activity and associated nitrogen cycling.

In this thesis we aim to provide computationally efficient methods of performing waterbarrier simulations. The innate challenge in simulations of structures such as sea or surge barriers is resolution. Because barriers tend to be long and thin compared to the surrounding landscapes they protect, one must put mesh refinement on the barrier region in order to even numerically recognize the barrier’s presence. This is a costly computation due to the CFL condition which puts a strict limit on the size of time step proportional to the spatial mesh size. Another issue is the complexity of meshing near the barrier. Since barriers are most likely slanted or have certain shapes, the grid has to reflect this in the form of a grid mapping or an unstructured grid. To mitigate the issue of resolution, we propose an approximation of the barrier with a line interface embedded on a Cartesian grid, reducing our problem to an embedded boundary problem. Then to avoid complex meshing, we develop three cut cell methods on two shapes of barriers: 1) the h-box method (HB), 2) the state redistribution method (SRD), and 3) the cell merging method (CM). Doing this two-step approach means that we can lower the resolution near the barrier region and still feel the presence of the barrier and capture its effect, which would otherwise not be the case if we relied on resolution for representation of the barrier. This does not mean that we are losing accuracy by lowering resolution, however. Rather, we are maintaining about the same accuracy while also lowering resolution (and thus cutting computational cost), which we show by comparison with a refined barrier. We solve the shallow water equations as our underlying PDEs to simulate water interaction with the barrier, as they are commonly used in tsunami and storm simulations. We implement our work on the PYCLAW framework, which is an objected oriented program that solves conservation laws.