Mathematical modelling of runoff and material transport from drainage areas into recipient water bodies

This paper describes a set of mathematical models to calculate runoff, soil erosion and chemical substance yields for drainage areas. The models represent different degrees of complexity and details of describing hydrological and hydrochemical processes. The availability of initial information and the requirements of the task determine the choice of a model for each particular case. These models have been written as PC/AT programs, to enable their use by a wide range of specialists. The models have been tested in different physical and geographical conditions, e.g. in some small watersheds on the Karelian Isthmus, west of Lake Ladoga, and in experimental catchment areas located in the Valdai Hills area in the southern part of Lake Ladoga drainage area. In further applications the drainage area models have been combined with models of the recipient water body, to obtain a single model of a watershed-lake system. The results of tests have proved that the models can be used for evaluation, simulation and forecasting of the processes of rainfall and snowmelt runoff, infiltration, evaporation, water erosion and pollutant wash-off from drainage areas.     

Four fish species new to the Omo-Turkana basin,with comments on the distribution ofNemacheilus abyssinicus (Cypriniformes: Balitoridae) in Ethiopia

Four fish species,Pollimyrus isidori (Mormyridae),Barbus paludinosus, Labeo forskalii (Cyprinidae), andNemacheilus abyssinicus (Balitoridae), new to the Omo-Turkana basin, were recorded from the Gojeb River, a tributary of the Omo River (south-western Ethiopia). Occurrence of the latter species in the upper reaches of the Blue Nile and of the Omo drainage substantiates the belonging of the upper parts of these water systems to the Abyssinian highlands ichthyofaunal province.     

Estimating regional carbon stocks and spatially covarying edaphic factors using soil maps at three scales

Most estimates of regional and global soil carbon stocks are based on extrapolations of mean soil C contents for broad categories of soil or vegetation types. Uncertainties exist in both the estimates of mean soil C contents and the area over which each mean should be extrapolated. Geographic information systems now permit spatially referenced estimates of soil C at finer scales of resolution than were previously practical. We compared estimates of total soil C stocks of the state of Maine using three methods: (1) multiplying the area of the state by published means of soil C for temperate forests and for Spodosols; (2) calculating areas of inclusions of soil taxa in the 1:5,000,000 FAO/UNESCO Soils Map of the World and multiplying those areas by selected mean carbon contents; and (3) calculating soil C for each soil series and map unit in the 1:250,000 State Soil Geographic Data Base (STATSGO) and summing these estimates for the entire state. The STATSGO estimate of total soil C was between 23% and 49% higher than the common coarse scale extrapolations, primarily because STATSGO included data on Histosols, which cover less than 5% of the area of the state, but which constitute over one-third of the soil C. Spodosols cover about 65% of the state, but contribute less than 39% of the soil C. Estimates of total soil C in Maine based on the FAO map agreed within 8% of the STATSGO estimate for one possible matching of FAO soil taxa with data on soil C, but another plausible matching overestimated soil C stocks. We also compared estimates from the 1:250,000 STATSGO database and from the 1:20,000 Soil Survey Geographic Data Base (SSURGO) for a 7.5 minute quadrangle within the state. SSURGO indicated 13% less total soil C than did STATSGO, largely because the attribute data on depths of soil horizons in SSURGO are more specific for this locality. Despite localized differences, the STATSGO database offers promise of scaling up county soil survey data to regional scales because it includes attribute data and estimates of areal coverage of C-rich inclusions within map units. The spatially referenced data also permit examination of covariation of soil C stocks with soil properties thought to affect stabilization of soil C. Clay content was a poor predictor of soil C in Maine, but drainage class covaried significantly with soil C across the state.     

Reducing acidic discharges from coastal wetlands in eastern Australia

Much of eastern Australia's coastal lowlands are underlain by Holocene sulfidic sediments. Large areas have been drained for agriculture. Drained, sulfidic sediments oxidize and produce highly acidic discharge (pH<4) with significant impacts on estuarine ecosystems. The rate of production of acid from drained floodplains is between 100 to 300 kg H₂SO₄ /ha/y and hundreds of tonnes of H₂SO₄ can be discharged in a single flood from the floodplain. Generation and export of acidity is controlled by the water balance of the floodplain, the characteristics of the drainage system and the distribution of sulfides. Evapotranspiration by native plants and crops plays a dominant role in the oxidation of sediments in dry periods. In wet periods, upland discharges to floodplains dominate the water balance. Drain spacing and drain depth are critical factors in the export of acidity into coastal streams. Amelioration of acidic outflows requires an understanding of the interaction between chemical and hydrological processes in sulfidic landscapes. Redesign of drainage systems to manage surface waters and reduce drain density with the treatment of drains with lime offer promise for treating acidic discharge and reducing impacts. Reflooding of drained, partially oxidized floodplains with freshwater may not be a panacea because of the large volumes of acid stored in the soil, a lack of labile organic matter in the sediments needed to reduce sulfate and irreversible changes to the soil due to oxidation. Tidal brackish water reflooding of unproductive acidified lowlands offers promise for rehabilitating wetlands. Sulfidic wetlands which are still undrained should remain so unless all acidic discharge can be treated.     

Fluctuations of the soil environment and fine root growth in a young Sitka spruce plantation

Summary From soil cores extracted at 5 day intervals from 3 May to 6 August it was found that the biomass of fine roots in a Sitka spruce plantation, 14 years old, fluctuated with maxima in late May and mid July. The earlier peak coincides with increasing soil temperatures during a period of high incident precipitation and the latter developed when the soil profile was rewetted. Fine root biomass and soil moisture tension (SMT) were significantly and negatively correlated in three of four soil horizons. Root mortality occurred whenever incident precipitation failed to maintain soil moisture tension near zero. In the very open pored horizons the critical SMT for root death was unexpected small, <0.1 bars; in the peat horizons it wasc 0.2 bars.     

腰大池引流联合法舒地尔治疗动脉瘤性蛛网膜下腔出血的疗效及对血清sICAM-1、FABP、MCP-1水平和脑积水形成的影响

目的:分析腰大池引流联合法舒地尔治疗动脉瘤性蛛网膜下腔出血的疗效及对血清可溶性细胞间黏附分子-1(sICAM-1)、脂肪酸结合蛋白质(FABP)、核细胞趋化蛋白(MCP-1)水平和脑积水形成的影响。方法:选择我院2016年3月~2018年3月收治的112例动脉瘤性蛛网膜下腔出血患者,按随机数字表法分为对照组(n=48)和研究组(n=64)。对照组采用腰大池引流治疗,研究组基于对照组联合法舒地尔治疗。比较两组临床疗效,治疗前后血清sICAM-1、FABP、MCP-1水平、血压、大脑中动脉血流参数水平和神经功能的变化,脑积水发生率及不良反应发生情况。结果:治疗后,研究组总有效率显著高于对照组(89.02%vs.72.91%,P<0.05)。两组治疗后血清sICAM-1、FABP、MCP-1、血压、大脑中动脉血流参数水平和神经功能缺损评分量表(NIHSS)均较治疗前下降,格拉斯哥昏迷评分(GCS)均较治疗前上升,研究组以上指标较对照组改变更明显(均P<0.05)。两组不良反应发生情况比较差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。结论:腰大池引流联合法舒地尔治疗动脉瘤性蛛网膜下腔出血的疗效明显优于单用腰大池引流治疗,其可显著降低血清sICAM-1、FABP、MCP-1水平,降低脑积水发生率,改善患者预后。     

中心静脉导管引流对单孔胸腔镜肺癌根治术患者术后胸腔引流的应用分析

目的:探讨中心静脉导管引流对单孔胸腔镜肺癌根治术患者术后胸腔引流的应用效果。方法:回顾性选取2019年1月至2019年12月期间我院收治的行单孔胸腔镜肺癌根治术患者80例的临床资料,根据引流方式的不同分为A组(n=40,传统引流)和B组(n=40,中心静脉导管引流),对比两组患者临床指标、生活质量、炎性因子及并发症发生情况。结果:B组引流操作时间、术后住院时间短于A组(P0.05)。两组术后3个月生活质量简表(SF-36)各维度评分均较术前升高,且B组高于A组(P0.05)。两组术前、术后3d、术后7d白介素-6(IL-6)、C反应蛋白(CRP)、肿瘤坏死因子-α(TNF-α)呈先升高后下降趋势,且术后3d、术后7d B组以上指标低于A组(P0.05)。两组术后并发症发生率比较无差异(P0.05)。结论:与传统引流相比,单孔胸腔镜肺癌根治术患者术后采用中心静脉导管引流,效果显著,可减少炎性刺激,安全可靠,有效改善患者术后生活质量。     

CFD analysis of the Ahmed Glaucoma Valve and design of an alternative device

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling based on a commercial package, FLUENT, has been used in the present study. The primary aim of this study is to develop a novel implant by employing CFD techniques. Firstly, CFD analyses on the best design commercially available, which is the Ahmed Glaucoma Valve (AGV^®), are accomplished. In the light of the results, the new design focus is selected as the valve. The new design is analysed using GAMBIT and FLUENT software. CFD analyses of the new design and the AGV^® are compared and the strengths of the new design are revealed. The results are also compared with the experimental studies AGV^® in the literature. It is deduced that the proposed model shows a nonlinear pressure drop response, which is quite similar to that of AGV^®. The optimum combination would be a flow rate of 2.5 μl/min and a pressure drop of 1054.58 Pa for the proposed model.