The effect of salinization in maintenance of intermittent catheter

O uso de cateter intermitente representa um procedimento muito utilizado em ambiente hospitalar. Este estudo, de natureza experimental, teve como propósito a análise comparativa entre o cateter intermitente, preenchido com solução de heparina 100 U/ml e o preenchido com soro fisiológico 0,9%. Foi realizado um estudo comparativo, avaliando a formação de coágulos e se estes estivessem presentes seriam quantificados. Para tanto, foram utilizados quatro grupos de 7 coelhos, da linhagem Norfolk, sendo realizado acesso venoso em veia auricular conectado ao dispositivo de infusão múltipla. em dois destes grupos, foi usada solução salina; em um grupo, caso fosse encontrada resistência, esta seria forçada; no outro, esta resistência não seria forçada. Nos dois outros grupos, foi usada solução de heparina; em um grupo, caso fosse encontrada resistência, esta seria forçada; no outro esta resistência não seria forçada. O cateter intermitente foi mantido por 72 horas e, a cada 12 horas foi infundida água destilada, simulando a administração de medicamento. Durante o experimento foram observadas as seguintes variáveis: presença da formação de coágulos, comprimento do coágulo, peso fresco do coágulo, peso seco do coágulo, contagem plaquetária e desconforto. Na análise estatística feita pelo método não paramétrico Kruskal-Wallis, com nível de significância de sigma = 5%, não foi encontrada diferença significativa entre os grupos e momentos. Pôde-se constatar a presença de formação de coágulo em todos os grupos independentemente da solução de preenchimento. Concluímos, principalmente, que há necessidade de elaboração de novas normas e rotinas na utilização de cateter intermitente.

Origin of the groundwater salinization in La Aldea coastal aquifer (Gran Canaria, Canary Islands)

[EN] Groundwater chemistry in La Aldea aquifer (Gran Canaria, Canary Islands) shows high contents of chloride and nitrate ions. The salinization process has been modelled using the geochemical data, taking into account the results of a previous flow model. The results allow to identify the salinity of the recharge from the rainfall under aridity conditions and the irrigation returns like the main causes of the groundwater salinization.

Salinization MASS Model Version

This salinization simulation enables irrigation salinity, capillary rise, rainfall, leaching, salt mitigation strategies via fallowing, and other functions that are addressed in a coupled social-environment model applied to southern Mesopotamia. The simulation is applied to the Modeling Ancient Settlement Systems Project supported by the University of Chicago, Durham University, and Argonne National Laboratory. The simulation can be used for other regions.

Salinization Model with links to source files

This computational model of irrigation agriculture is used to study the effects of salinization in Mesopotamia. Scholars have long suspected that central and southern Mesopotamia present environments which limited agricultural production over long-term periods. In regions such as central Mesopotamia, where salinization likely affected settlement in different periods but was more manageable than in more southern regions, fallowing regimes, natural and engineered leaching, and decisions made on when to crop were strategies applied in order to limit the effects of salinization. The model is used to assess the effectiveness of these coping strategies by incorporating projected climate, soil, and landscape conditions with agricultural practices. The simulation results not only demonstrate the effectiveness and limitations of techniques to inhibiting progressive salinization but can be compared with the archaeological record in order to determine if the results correspond to past events and help to interpret past settlement history.

The 10 Australian ecosystems most vulnerable to tipping points

We identify the 10 major terrestrial and marine ecosystems in Australia most vulnerable to tipping points, in which modest environmental changes can cause disproportionately large changes in ecosystem properties. To accomplish this we independently surveyed the coauthors of this paper to produce a list of candidate ecosystems, and then refined this list during a 2-day workshop. The list includes (1) elevationally restricted mountain ecosystems, (2) tropical savannas, (3) coastal floodplains and wetlands, (4) coral reefs, (5) drier rainforests, (6) wetlands and floodplains in the Murray-Darling Basin, (7) the Mediterranean ecosystems of southwestern Australia, (8) offshore islands, (9) temperate eucalypt forests, and (10) salt marshes and mangroves. Some of these ecosystems are vulnerable to widespread phase-changes that could fundamentally alter ecosystem properties such as habitat structure, species composition, fire regimes, or carbon storage. Others appear susceptible to major changes across only part of their geographic range, whereas yet others are susceptible to a large-scale decline of key biotic components, such as small mammals or stream-dwelling amphibians. For each ecosystem we consider the intrinsic features and external drivers that render it susceptible to tipping points, and identify subtypes of the ecosystem that we deem to be especially vulnerable. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.