Inflow Volume Research Articles

Intra-cardiac pressure drop and flow distribution of bicuspid aortic valve disease in preserved ejection fraction.

BackgroundBicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is more than a congenital defect since it is accompanied by several secondary complications that intensify induced impairments. Hence, BAV patients need lifelong evaluations to prevent severe clinical sequelae. We applied 4D-flow magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for in detail visualization and quantification of in vivo blood flow to verify the reliability of the left ventricular (LV) flow components and pressure drops in the silent BAV subjects with mild regurgitation and preserved ejection fraction (pEF).Materials and methodsA total of 51 BAV patients with mild regurgitation and 24 healthy controls were recruited to undergo routine cardiac MRI followed by 4D-flow MRI using 3T MRI scanners. A dedicated 4D-flow module was utilized to pre-process and then analyze the LV flow components (direct flow, retained inflow, delayed ejection, and residual volume) and left-sided [left atrium (LA) and LV] local pressure drop. To elucidate significant diastolic dysfunction in our population, transmitral early and late diastolic 4D flow peak velocity (E-wave and A-wave, respectively), as well as E/A ratio variable, were acquired.ResultsThe significant means differences of each LV flow component (global measurement) were not observed between the two groups (p > 0.05). In terms of pressure analysis (local measurement), maximum and mean as well as pressure at E-wave and A-wave timepoints at the mitral valve (MV) plane were significantly different between BAV and control groups (p: 0.005, p: 0.02, and p: 0.04 and p: <0.001; respectively). Furthermore, maximum pressure and pressure difference at the A-wave timepoint at left ventricle mid and left ventricle apex planes were significant. Although we could not find any correlation between LV diastolic function and flow components, Low but statistically significant correlations were observed with local pressure at LA mid, MV and LV apex planes at E-wave timepoint (R: −0.324, p: 0.005, R: −0.327, p: 0.004, and R: −0.306, p: 0.008, respectively).ConclusionIn BAV patients with pEF, flow components analysis is not sensitive to differentiate BAV patients with mild regurgitation and healthy control because flow components and EF are global parameters. Inversely, pressure (local measurement) can be a more reliable biomarker to reveal the early stage of diastolic dysfunction.

A STUDY ON FDI TRENDS IN INDIA SINCE 2000

Since the liberalization of trade regulations, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has played a crucial role in the expansion of Indian economy, both at the macro and sector levels. The connection between FDI and economic expansion is a debatable subject worldwide. The volume of inflow varies due to a variety of regional, national, and global factors that affect investment choices. Critical policy changes and proactive decision-making demonstrated the government's exceptional resilience, which even helped to mitigate the pandemic's harm. The potential impact of FDI on important macroeconomic indicators is examined in this research paper. In order to analyze the trend of the economic route of future, the study shows the sectoral division of FDI influx. Understanding the divides and patterns helped to provide insight on how the economy was evolving. Changes to regimes are still being made by policymakers in an effort to attract FDI.

A novel approach for accurate quantification of lake residence time — Lake Kinneret as a case study

Water residence time, which is affected by increasing water demands and climate change, plays a crucial role in lakes and reservoirs since it influences many natural physical and ecological processes that eventually impact the water quality of the waterbody. Thus, accurate quantification of the water residence time and its distribution is an important tool in lake management. In this study we present a novel approach for assessing the residence time in lakes and reservoirs. The approach is based on the Leslie matrix model that was originally developed for the analysis of age-structured biological population dynamics. In this approach the water in the lake is divided into different age classes each representing the time since the “parcel” of water entered the lake and provides an overall picture of the water age structure. The traditional approach for calculating residence times, which relies only on the lake volume and annual inflow or outflow volumes thereby disregarding any previous information, is very sensitive to large interannual variation. While the proposed approach produces the fraction and volume distribution curves of all age classes within the lake for each simulated timestep. Thus, in addition to mean residence time, the fraction of young water (FYW), quantifying the “young” fraction of water in the lake can be analyzed. The same is true for any other age class of water.The approach was applied to Lake Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) historical data collected over 32 years (1987-2018) and for prediction of long-term time series based on several future scenarios (inflows and outflows). It offers a more accurate quantification of the mean residence time of water in a lake and can easily be adapted to other waterbodies. Comparison of simulation results may serve as basis for determining the lake's management policy, by controlling the inflows and outflows, that will affect both the mean residence time and the fraction of “young/old” age classes of water.

SPATIOTEMPORAL GRAPH CONVOLUTIONAL NEURAL NETWORKS FOR METRO FLOW PREDICTION

Abstract. Forecasting urban metro flow accurately plays an important role for station management and passenger safety. Owing to the limitations of non-linearity and complexity of traffic flow data, traditional methods cannot satisfy the requirements of effectively capturing spatiotemporal dependencies at the metro network level, which makes it difficult to demonstrate high performance. In this paper, a novel deep learning method is proposed based on Graph Neural Networks (GNN), named STGCN-Metro (SpatioTemporal Graph Convolutional Network based on Metro network), to forecast the short-term inflow and outflow volumes of metro passengers. The proposed model is composed of two spatiotemporal convolutional blocks, which is integrated with the Dilated Convolutional Neural Network (DCNN) and Cluster-Graph Convolutional Network (Cluster-GCN). The DCNN is employed with different dilation rates to capture temporal dependence in larger receptive field. In addition, compare with GCN, the Cluster-GCN is applied the graph clustering algorithms to reduce computational resources considering spatial heterogeneity. A real-world dataset collected in Shanghai metro stations is conducted for validation, and the results demonstrate that the proposed model achieves higher performance, outperforming some well-known baseline models.

Performance Modeling and Simulation for Wastewater Collection Networks

This study develops a framework for asset management strategy of wastewater collection networks comprised of three interconnected decision-making layers: (1) Visions &amp;amp; Values, (2) Function, and (3) Performance, which are set according to the established concepts of strategic targets, policy levers, sustainability and life cycle. The asset management strategy framework is implemented and validated through demonstration of functionality and value by using the wastewater collection networks of three utilities in Ontario, Canada, to drive management simulations. A borrowing management strategy is used to benchmark the utilities against each other in terms of infrastructure, sociopolitical, and financial performance over a 100-year benchmarking period. It is found that a borrowing management strategy can enable the utility to accelerate their capital works, reduce the volume of inflow and infiltration and their associated expenses and sustainably meet their strategic targets over the life cycle of the assets. Using contour plots, the impact of maximum debt capacity on two infrastructure and financial benchmarking performance indicators is also investigated to explore the “optimal” combination of allowable fee hikes and preferred rehabilitation rates. Furthermore, using a borrowing management strategy, a business case for asset management of wastewater collection networks is developed to explore the “optimal” combination of allowable fee-hike and rehabilitation rates, using a developed inflow and infiltration expenditures (I&amp;amp;IEx) saving ratio contour plots. The results indicate that a borrowing management strategy competes as long as the combinations of allowable fee-hike and preferred rehabilitation rates lead to a positive value of I&amp;amp;IEx saving ratio.

Optimal Operation of Nashe Hydropower Reservoir under Land Use Land Cover Change in Blue Nile River Basin

Changes in LULC (land use land cover), which significantly influence the spatial and temporal distribution of hydrological processes and water resources in general, have a substantial impact on hydropower generation. The utilization of an optimization approach in order to analyze the operation of reservoirs is an important concern in the planning and management of water resources. The SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) and the HEC-ResPRM (Hydrologic Engineering Center reservoir evaluation system Prescriptive Reservoir Model) were combined to model and optimize the Nashe hydropower reservoir operation in the Blue Nile River Basin (BNRB). The stream flow into the reservoir was determined using the SWAT model, considering the current and future impacts of LULC changes. The HEC-ResPRM model has been utilized in order to generate the optimal hydropower reservoir operation by using the results of the SWAT calibrated and validated stream flow as input data. This study proposes a method for integrating the HEC-ResPRM and SWAT models to examine the effects of historical and future land use land cover change on the watershed’s hydrological processes and reservoir operation. Therefore, the study aimed to investigate the current and future optimal reservoir operation scenarios for water resources management concerning hydropower generation under the effect of LULC changes. The results reveal that both the 2035 and 2050 LULC change scenarios show the increased operation of hydropower reservoirs with increasing reservoir inflows, releases, storage, and reservoir elevation in the future. The effects of LULC change on the study area’s hydrological components reveal an increase in surface runoff until 2035, and its decrease from 2035 to 2050. The average annual reservoir storage and elevation in the 2050 LULC scenario increased by 7.25% and 2.27%, respectively, when compared to the current optimized scenario. Therefore, changes in LULC have a significant effect on hydropower development by changing the total annual and monthly reservoir inflow volumes and their seasonal distribution. Reservoir operating rule curves have been commonly implemented in the operation of hydropower reservoirs, since they help operators to make essential, optimal decisions with available stream flow. Moreover, the generated future reservoir rule curves can be utilized as a reference for the long-term prediction of hydropower generation capacity, and assist concerned authorities in the successful operation of the reservoir under the impact of LULC changes.

Information Content of the Water Use Report by the Form No. 2TP-Vodhosp (Annual)

The solution to the problem of efficient use of water resources is largely based on reliable information about the state and dynamic movement of water resources during the calendar year both for individual water users and for Ukraine as a whole. To do this the legislator has applied a systematic approach to the reflection of water volumes: sets the volume of water inflow, namely, water intake / output, the amount of water actually used per year, transferred annual volumes of water and water losses, and drainage, i.e. return (wastewater) of various degrees of purification. Such data are summarized by collation the information from water users in river basins in the form of № 2TP-vodhosp (annual). The dominant requirements for streamlining information on water use by water users whose activities are related to water intake and / or use, discharge of return (waste) water and pollutants are identified: sources of water supply / water use; certain permits for special water use; limits of conditions for wastewater discharge; water use limits; compliance with the actual use of water for these needs. It was investigated the nature of information support of water use through the consideration of its accounting and reporting as a component of the state accounting of water use and the organizational principles of such accounting were determined. The classification of the forms of administrative reporting on the activities of water users is given. The essence of responsibilities of water users for the formation of data on the collection, use, transfer, loss of water and sewerage as a water user’s fulfillment of his obligations on state accounting of water use through elaboration of the content of the form of state accounting of water use by the form of № 2TP-vodhosp (annual). The requirements of normative legal acts on filling in the Report, the content of the Report form (22 items in total), the basis of information of three tables of the Report, the connection of the Report with the tax system, the comparative analysis of the content of Reports of different times research were traced; the conclusions from the conducted research are formulated and the directions of further research are outlined.

Headwall scour hole erosion and overhanging mass collapse play critical roles in gully head retreat on grassland under surface flow

Although vegetation restoration controls gully head retreat (GHR), gully heads (GHs) could still retreat on vegetation-covered lands under intensifying rainstorms induced by global climate change. However, the GHR processes and mechanisms for GHs on vegetation-covered lands are unclear. A series of simulated experiments were conducted on a typical grassland (Medicago sativa L. dominated) under different inflow rates (3.6–9.6 m3 h−1) to explore the hydraulic and mass movement properties, morphology evolution, and sediment yield process of GHs induced by surface flow. The results show that the jet flow dominated and accounted for 51.94%–63.33% of the inflow volume; the on-wall flow (including seepage flow) rate linearly increased from 1.40 to 3.08 m3 h−1, while its proportion decreased with increasing inflow rate. A scour hole could gradually develop on the headwall due to the on-wall flow scouring, seepage, and scour hole collapse, resulting in an overhanging mass. A critical scour hole size was observed when the gully headwall overhanging mass collapse (GHOC) occurred under different inflow rates. Additionally, GHOC occurred earlier under the higher inflow rate, which was associated with the more significant increasing rate of the scour hole size under the higher on-wall flow rate. The plunge pool obtained the maximum depth and length before the GHOC, and the higher the inflow rate that was applied, the higher the maximum depth and length that were observed. The sediment yield rate decreased over time with fluctuations, and the maximum values resulting from the GHOCs were 1.60–5.06 times the initial values. Plunge pool erosion had limited effects on GHR, while scour hole development on the headwall and subsequent overhanging mass collapse played critical roles in GHR on grassland under surface flow.

Inorganic nutrient removal efficiency of a constructed wetland before discharging into an urban eutrophic estuary

This study investigated the nutrient removal efficiency of a constructed wetland (CW) piloted to treat urban runoff before entering an estuary. Physico-chemical, dissolved inorganic nutrient (DIN and DIP), and stormwater inflow volume data were measured. The CW removal efficiency of DIN was negligible (5% uptake), while it acted as a consistent source of DIP (68% efflux) to the receiving estuarine waters. There was low water residency within the small CW (0.8 ha) that has been compounded by a 10-fold increase in flow volume since 2016. The surface area of the CW would need to be increased to 46 ha to cope with current daily inputs (ca. 6300 m3 d−1). The lack of maintenance (e.g., macrophyte harvesting, sediment desludging) has reduced nutrient uptake and increased autochthonous inputs. The conversion of an abandoned saltpan into an extension of the CW has been considered to manage the high flow volume and remove nutrients.

Using Two Ecological Engineering Technologies to Treat River Pollution in Changhua County, Taiwan

AbstractPolluted rivers are a primary concern in Changhua County, Taiwan, due to the rapid development and expansion of agriculture and industry. A water purification system is tested on samples from the Yangzi‐Cuo River, Ci‐Tong Jiao, Changhua County. Two ecological engineering technologies (a gravel contact oxidation and a surface flow constructed wetland treatment) are investigated separately and in combination. The river pollution index (RPI) is measured before and after treatment and used to quantify the results. The inflow volume is 1534–2261 m3 day−1. Pollution elimination efficiencies are 62.83–95.83% for suspended soils, 55.02–86.02% for biochemical oxygen demand, 52.43–88.43% for total nitrogen, 11.95–82.43% for total phosphate, and 40.43–100.00% for ammoniacal nitrogen after using the combined methods. The inflow water is classified as highly polluted with an RPI &gt; 6 mg L–1, whereas the post‐treatment outflow has medium or low pollution with RPIs of 3–6 or 2–3 mg L–1, respectively. The combination of both methods effectively purified Yangzi‐Cuo River water.

Alcohol consumption and closed borders - how COVID-19 restrictions have impacted alcohol sales and consumption in Europe

BackgroundThe closing of bars, restaurants and international borders during the COVID-19 pandemic led to significant changes in alcohol availability. This study provides a first systematic overview of the monthly development of alcohol sales in Europe during the pandemic in order to determine the effect of closed borders on the sales and consumption of alcohol.MethodsThe study covers 72 months from January 2015 to December 2020 in 14 countries from northern, central and western Europe with excise revenue data for beer, spirits, wine separately and summed, converted into litres of pure alcohol per capita 15+ as a proxy for alcohol sales. March–December 2020 is seen as the pandemic period. The analyses consist of (1) descriptive trends of sales before and during the pandemic, (2) assessment of the pandemic impact on sales by time-series analyses and (3) case studies of countries and a region with substantial cross-border inflow or outflow of alcohol.ResultsThe result shows an overall reduction in alcohol sales with 3.6% during the pandemic. Nevertheless, the results differ based on the level of cross-border purchasing flows pre-pandemic, as countries with high cross-border inflow saw an increase in domestic sales as the pandemic hit. Norway, for example, saw a 23% increase in domestic sales during the pandemic period March–December 2020 compared to the same period in 2019.ConclusionThe closing of intra-European borders had a significant redistributing effect on alcohol sales. While noting sales increases, cross-border inflow countries generally saw a decrease in total amount of alcohol consumed per capita as not all cross-border purchases were replaced by domestic sales. This has important policy implications as large volumes of cross-border inflow of alcohol can negatively affect excise revenue as well as public health outcomes.The methodology can be used to further explore the reliance of different purchasing streams in a domestic alcohol market.

Field experiment on influence of cold protection technologies on thermal environment of subway station in severe cold region

In recent years, there are many subway lines under construction in cold regions of China. In severe cold regions, due to the harsh winter weather, cold protection has become a key task for subway operations. In this study, field experiments on the influence of cold protection technologies on the thermal environment and train-induced unsteady airflow (TIUA) of a typical island station in Harbin were conducted. The results show that the temperature, wind speed, and air volume of the entrance and the piston duct all change periodically under the driving interval. For the cold protection technologies at the entrance and exit, the cold-proof effect of the door curtain is stronger than that of the hot air curtain and the outer door. The air inflow and outflow volumes through the entrance without the inner and outer curtains are 1.4–2.2 and 2.1–2.3 times higher than those with inner and outer curtains, respectively. For the cold protection technologies at piston duct, the cold-proof effect of electric roller blinds is stronger than that of wind pavilion cover. Compared with the use of the two cold protection technologies, the average temperature of the piston duct when the electric roller shutter is fully opened is 1.8–2.0 °C lower than it, and the air inflow and outflow through the piston duct are also 1.3 and 1.4 times higher than it respectively.

Effect of Dezocine on Hemodynamic Indexes of Postoperative Patients With Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)---A Pilot Study.

Background: Due to pain and other stimuli, patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) after surgery show excited Sympathetic Nervous system, increased intracranial pressure, brain tissue swelling, intracranial hemorrhage, or reduced cerebral perfusion pressure, seriously threatening the life and prognosis of patients. The effect of dezocine on postoperative analgesia after TBI remains largely undetermined. Objective: In the present study, we aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of dezocine in postoperative sedative and analgesic therapy for a craniocerebral injury. Methods: The patients were randomly divided into two groups (n = 40) as follows: dezocine group (Group A) and control group (Group B). Electrocardiography (ECG), heart rate (HR), blood pressure, and oxygen saturation (SpO2) were routinely monitored after postoperative return to the ward. Both groups were initially injected with 5 mg·kg−1·h−1 propofol to maintain sedation, and the dose was adjusted according to the patient’s condition. Vital signs of patients were recorded at T1 (the base value when arriving at the ward), T2 (before the sedative agent was used) and T3 (use of dezocine or 0.9% saline solution for 8 h), T4 (use for 1 day), T5 (use for 3 days), T6 (termination of dezocine or 0.9% saline solution for 1 day), and T7 (termination for 3 days), and mean arterial pressure (MAP) and HR values were also recorded. The total amount of propofol, total fluid inflow, blood loss, and urine output were recorded within 24 h. The number of coughs of each patient was recorded within 1 day after entry, and the incidence of adverse events, such as insufficient oxygenation (SaO2 reduced by about 5% from the base value), hypotension, bradycardia, laryngospasm, bronchospasm, and so on, was assessed. Results: Compared with the control group (group B), the hemodynamics of the dezocine group (group A) was more stable, there were significant differences in MAP and HR (p < 0.05), and the stress response was milder. The total amount of propofol, total fluid inflow, blood loss, and urine volume of the dezocine group were significantly improved compared with the control group (p < 0.05). Moreover, the incidence of adverse events, such as cough, in the dezocine group was significantly reduced compared with the control group (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Dezocine, as a drug with a strong analgesic effect and obvious sedative effect, was suitable for craniocervical surgery, and it could significantly improve the stability of airway and hemodynamics in TBI patients during anesthesia recovery.

Hydrologic balance and inundation dynamics of Southeast Asia's largest inland lake altered by hydropower dams in the Mekong River basin

Inland lakes have been increasingly impacted by climate change and human activities, leading to unprecedented environmental consequences. Among many rapidly changing lakes is the Tonlé Sap Lake (TSL) in Cambodia—Southeast Asia's largest inland lake—which is under growing threats from altered flows and inundation dynamics due to compounding effects of climate change and dam construction in the Mekong River basin (MRB). While previous studies have examined the potential causes of recent changes in open water areas, a mechanistic quantification of the lake's shifting hydrologic balance and inundation dynamics due to natural climate variability and dam operations is lacking. Here, using a hydrological-hydrodynamic modeling system that includes the major dams in the MRB, we show that while climate variability has been a key driver of inter-decadal variabilities in the lake's water balance, the operation of Mekong dams has exerted a growing influence—especially after 2010—on the Mekong flood pulse, Tonlé Sap River's flow reversal, and the TSL's inundation dynamics. The dam-induced dampening of the Mekong's peak discharge increased from 1–2% during 1979–2009 to ~7% in the 2010s, causing comparable alterations in the peak of inflow from the Mekong into TSL. More crucially, during the 2010s, the dams caused a reduction in annual inflow volume into TSL by 10–25% and shortened the annual inundation duration by up to 15 days in the lake's periphery. Further, seasonally inundated areas decreased (increased) most substantially by ~245 km2 or ~3% (~270 km2 or ~6%) in August (April) during the 2010s. These results demonstrate that Mekong dams have already caused substantial alterations in the hydrologic balance and inundation dynamics of the TSL. Our findings offer critical insights relevant for improved transboundary water management and decision making in light of growing concerns about the adverse impacts of large dams in the MRB.

Predicting Hydrological Drought Alert Levels Using Supervised Machine-Learning Classifiers

Reliable drought prediction is a global challenge in disaster-prone regions around the world. Data-driven models such as machine-learning (ML) classifiers have recently received considerable attention from water resources planners and managers. In this study, we applied several ML classifiers, including decision tree (DT), naive Bayes (NB), random forest (RF), and support vector machine (SVM) to the prediction of hydrological drought classes. Daily data of precipitation, reservoir inflow, and reservoir volume collected from three large dams (Andong, Chungju, and Seomjin) in South Korea were used as classifier input to predict hydrological drought alert levels. A comparison of the accuracy and computation time of each ML classifier revealed that the classifiers were capable of predicting hydrological drought alert levels, with the SVM achieving outstanding performance in terms of accuracy (97%) and precision (89%) and the NB exhibiting superior computational time (0.63 sec). The results of this study indicated that the ML classifiers can be effective predictors of hydrological drought classes and can provide warnings of drought conditions.

Obtaining optimal operation rules by means of evolutionary computation and GRG algorithms: Cointzio Dam, Michoacán, Mexico

In this study, operating policies of the Z curves type were obtained, using two optimization methods: the Generalized Reduced Gradient (GRG) Nonlinear and a simple Genetic Algorithm (GA), and they were applied to a reservoir located in the Cuitzeo lake basin, which plays an important role in supplying water to a part of the population of the city of Morelia and in the irrigation of several modules of the Irrigation District (DR) 020, known as Morelia-Queréndaro. With each policy obtained, the operation of the system was simulated, using the historical record of inflow volumes into the system, to compare with the reported by the National Water Commission (Conagua) and those that maintained the balance between compliance with demands and less presence of spills or deficits. Finally, to review the behavior of the system in the long term when using the selected policies, a series of synthetic monthly inflow volumes with 100 years of record were simulated, generated with the Svanidze method. The comparison of the deficit and spillage results at the monthly and annual level of the simulations carried out with the historical Z curve, GA and GRG, indicated that the GA had an acceptable behavior both in the historical period and in the long term, since, although the volumes spilled increased, the magnitude in which they did so is less than the magnitude in which the deficit was reduced and as the Cointzio dam has been used to supply water to the Vista Bella water treatment plant and for irrigation of 4 of the 5 modules of the irrigation district 020, the operating rule that best controlled the deficit event was chosen.

Correlation of left atrial reservoir function with diastolic filling and stroke volume of the left ventricle in patients with rheumatic mitral stenosis

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Correlation of left atrial reservoir function with diastolic filling and stroke volume of the left ventricle in patients with rheumatic mitral stenosis Introduction It has been theoretically known that the left atrium (LA) plays a key role in compensating for the lack of diastolic left ventricular (LV) filling induced by mitral stenosis (MS). However, due to the lack of adequate tools to assess the LA function, proving this concept turned out to be difficult. With the recent introduction of two-dimensional (2D) Speckle Tracking Echocardiography (STE) for exploring LA mechanics, this concept can be demonstrated. Purpose To assess correlation between LA reservoir function determined by 2D STE derived global strain and LV filling and stroke volumes. Methods We prospectively performed comprehensive trans thoracic echocardiography (TTE) in patients with rheumatic MS. Basic echocardiographic parameters were recorded, including indexed LA volume, mitral valve area (MVA) using planimetry and pressure half time (PHT), trans mitral mean gradient, maximal trans tricuspid velocity (MTTV), mitral inflow using continuity equation and LV stroke volume. Studied parameters represent the mean of at least three consecutive cardiac cycles. LA global strain curve and peak reservoir strain data were obtained on a standard four-chamber view using STE technique. Results We enrolled a total of 186 patients with rheumatic MS between February 2018 and February 2021. The mean age of our cohort was 50.55 ± 12.07 yrs. A number of patients were thereafter excluded from the study due to impaired systolic LV function (n = 12), severe mitral or aortic regurgitation (n = 7, n = 1 respectively). A total of 69.4% of our cohort were female (n = 129), 56.2% (n = 104) had history of percutaneous transvenous mitral commissurotomy (PTMC), 59.9% had permanent atrial fibrillation (n = 109) and 15,2% had history of ischemic stroke (n = 28). The most prominent comorbidities were hypertension (16.3%, n = 30) and diabetes mellitus (15.8%, n= 29). The mean 2D MVA was 1.40 ± 0.47 cm², mean PHT derived MVA was 1.47 ± 0.52 cm², mean gradient was 10.72 ± 5.82 mmHg, mean indexed LA volume was 80.70 ± 45.34 ml/m² and mean MTTV was (3.09 ± 0.62m/s). The mean mitral inflow value was 85.80 ± 28.56 ml/beat and the mean stroke volume was 70.64 ± 25.51 ml/beat. First, we found a statistically significant correlation between LV stroke volume and 2D mitral valve area (r = 0.284, p &amp;lt; 0.001). Interestingly, LA peak reservoir phase correlated positively with mitral inflow (r = 0.377, p &amp;lt; 0.001) and LV stroke volume (r = 0.213, p = 0.008). It also correlated with MTTV (r= -0.234, p = 0.009). However, we did not find any correlation between indexed LA volume and mitral inflow (r=-0.068, p = 0.359) and a weaker correlation with LV stroke volume was demonstrated (r=-0.184, p = 0.014). Conclusion LA reservoir function assessed by 2D STE is well correlated with diastolic mitral inflow and LV stroke volume in patients with rheumatic MS.

A numerical modelling on the effectiveness of bioretention system for dengue control

Conventional urban drainage structures that store water over time are habitat for the mosquito larvae. Appropriate stormwater management practices can help in preventing the breeding of the mosquito larvae. Thus, a study was conducted to evaluate the performance of a proposed bioretention system in controlling dengue at the campus university in Semenyih, Malaysia. The XP Stormwater Management Model (XPSWMM) was applied for the numerical analysis and modelling in this study. A series of simulations were carried out for the ARI of 2, 5, and 10 years to evaluate the performance under the two scenarios of conventional drainage system and bioretention system, taking into considerations the maximum water depth (stages), inflow volume from runoff, and pollutant load reduction from the sub-catchments to control the breeding of aedes mosquitoes. The simulated results indicated that the bioretention system is capable of reducing the maximum water depth (stages) of the sub-catchments to up to 85% as compared to the conventional drainage system. In addition, the reduction of the inflow volume from runoff ranges from 0.3% to 0.5% and the pollutant loads reduced by approximately 100%. The reduction in water depth and inflow volume will result in mitigating the risk of water stagnancy within all the sub-catchments of the study area. The simulated results demonstrated that bioretention system could be used effectively to control the breeding of mosquitoes. Hence, the findings obtained in this study can assist the decision makers of the university in the adoption of bioretention system to control dengue within the campus.

Public policy tools for Ukraine’s export capacity realization and agricultural financial capacity reinforcement

At the current stage of Ukraine’s socio-economic development, agriculture is the priority industry in the national economy that constitutes a substantial share of GDP, secures the growing volumes of exports and foreign currency inflow, and improves the export-import balance and the country’s position in international labor division. Ukraine’s export capacity is developed and the financial security of agriculture is maintained in conditions of significant problems and obstacles related to the loss of commodities shipment channels and commodities exports in war, consistent low value-added and depth of agricultural processing, high concentration of raw materials, unformed consistent systems of commodities shipment and promotion of the domestic agriculture on external sales markets, limited investment in technical and technological modernization of export-oriented agricultural entities’ capacity, the need to standardize and certify agriculture following international standards of security, quality, quotas, and customs-tariffs restrictions on domestic agricultural exports to external markets. Therefore, to overcome them, it is necessary to introduce a set of tools that includes the diversification of commodities shipment channels and entry of agricultural exporters to the new external food markets, establishment of new manufacturing of high value-added agriculture and expansion of processing, creation of agricultural and processing clusters, the establishment of distribution-logistics chains of domestic products promotion on external markets, improvement of accessibility of investment framework of agricultural companies’ production capacity and export activity development, minimization of transaction costs of agricultural manufacturing and exports, improvement of the system of information and consulting services provided to agricultural exporters, diversification of external markets, and optimal-rational distribution of domestic agriculture on the global market.

Challenges in flood control operation and dissemination of information - Lessons from the record-breaking heavy rain in July 2018, Japan

In July 2018, a record-breaking heavy rain hit western part of Japan, leaving severe damages. 213 dams under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) were engaged in flood control operation, and greatly contributed to the reduction of flood damages. Meanwhile, in case of 8 dams, the amount of rainfall was so huge that the emergency spillway gate operation by discharging equal to inflow volume was obliged to execute which caused severe flood damages in some of the downstream areas. In December 2018, Special Panel set up by MLIT finalized a report urging enhancement of flood control capability of dams and dissemination of related information, in preparation for the risk of extreme rainfall which may increase under changing climate condition. This paper briefly introduces the report, outlining the flood control activities at the 2018 flood event as well as the contents of the proposal.