Lower Peak Flow Research Articles

A stream-aligned mixed polyhedral meshing strategy for integrated surface-subsurface hydrological models

Mesh refinement near river corridors is commonly deployed to resolve topographic details important for accurately representing riverine flow dynamics in watershed-scale spatially distributed integrated hydrology models. However, this increased accuracy comes with higher computational costs due to larger mesh and smaller time steps resulting from small mesh cells. We present a novel stream-aligned mixed-polygonal meshing approach that resolves river-corridor topography efficiently by placing long quadrilateral cells along the mapped center lines of the rivers and standard Triangulated Irregular Network (TIN) mesh in the rest of the domain. Our integrated hydrology simulations using mixed-polyhedral mesh generated from the mixed-polygonal approach closely match those using a highly refined extruded-TIN mesh but with a 96.43% reduction in the number of mesh cells and a 99.75% reduction in CPU hours. Conversely, coarser extruded-TIN meshes, due to poor water conveyance relative to the refined mesh simulations, yielded lower peak flows, longer recession curves, and higher inundation fractions.The creation of this mixed-polyhedral mesh is implemented within the Watershed Workflow tool, a Python-based workflow library for watershed simulation. We also implemented a layered process of hydrologic conditioning specific to the cells in the river corridor, which are explicitly meshed within the mixed-polyhedral mesh. The hydrologic conditioning enforces monotonic topographic gradients, removes spurious obstructions, and allows for burning-in depths of the river cells based on ancillary information. This approach paves the way for efficiently modeling narrow engineered channels and specifying river-specific hydrodynamic details and biogeochemical processes.

Morphometric Analysis Using Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System: A Case Study of Nawagarh Watershed of Chhattisgarh, India

The study highlights the suitability of a GIS-based approach for evaluating morphometric parameters. It focuses on the quantitative analysis of morphometric characteristics within thirteen sub-watersheds of the Nawagarh watershed, which originates from the Seonath river catchment in the Mahanadi basin in Chhattisgarh, India. The Nawagarh watershed spans an area of 2647.27 km2. Its outlet is located at 21°46'10" N Latitude and 81° 48’43” E Longitude. The Nawagarh watershed covers four districts in Chhattisgarh - Kabirdham, Bemetara, Baloda Bazar, and Mungeli. The analysis reveals the relative qualities of the sub-watersheds in terms of hydrological response. The Nawagarh watershed features a dendritic drainage network with 2760 streams of different orders. The slope of the land directly affects water absorption and drainage. High relief ratio 0.032 in SWD1 and SWD3 indicates rapid concentration, rapid stream flow, and greater susceptibility to erosion than other sub watersheds. The drainage density is 0.80 km-1, which is close to 1 km-1, indicating that the basin has a nearly high drainage density, which demonstrate that the location with impermeable weak subsurface material and has high relief. The elongated shape with the values of form factor (0.39), circulatory ratio (0.28) and elongation ratio (0.69), indicated that the Nawagarh watershed is more elongated with lower peak flow of long duration having low permeability. The drainage density in the basin is relatively high, suggesting a significant drainage network. The study emphasizes the need for effective erosion control methods in the Nawagarh watershed to protect the land.

Integrating Model Predictive Control With Stormwater System Design: A Cost‐Effective Method of Urban Flood Risk Mitigation During Heavy Rainfall

AbstractThe integration of green‐gray infrastructures with advanced control approaches is revolutionizing the stormwater system retrofitting, emerging as an innovative strategy to mitigate urban flood risks. However, a major challenge lies in balancing the substantial investments of these infrastructure projects with their environmental benefits, such as reduced flooding volume and lower peak flow. Model predictive control (MPC), a dynamic and intelligent control approach, optimizes these environmental benefits but is underutilized in the system design phase for cost‐effectiveness analysis. This study introduces a multi‐scenario model framework that incorporates MPC and other control approaches into stormwater system designs, including the implementation of controlled storage tanks and green infrastructures. This framework provides comprehensive modeling tools for practitioners to evaluate the flood control benefits and costs across various infrastructure designs and control scenarios, ultimately identifying solutions that are both environmentally and economically viable. A case study conducted in a small urban catchment area in Shenzhen City, China, demonstrates the effectiveness of this framework. The results indicate that MPC outperforms other control scenarios, particularly under heavy or extreme rainfall conditions. Notably, MPC not only provides superior environmental benefits but also yields considerable cost savings, ranging from 1,787 to 9,371 USD per hectare compared to static control, equating to a 5% reduction in cost relative to rule‐based control. Such findings suggest that integrating MPC is a cost‐effective alternative to extensive infrastructure expansion for flood management, which significantly enhances the benefit contribution of controlled infrastructures without substantial additional expenses.

Characterizing the effects of morphological microstructures and hydropeaks on fish stranding in rivers

AbstractFish stranding in rivers, due to rapid shoreline dewatering, often occurs during the down‐ramping phase of hydropeaks, which enables peak energy production. Multiple hydropeaking characteristics and river morphology influence stranding, but little is known about the effects of riverbed microstructures. Our goal was to identify how the combination of hydropeaking characteristics and the occurrence of morphological microstructures (e.g., puddles and scour pools) influences fish stranding. For this purpose, we used an extensive dataset of fish stranding observations collected over 3 years in spring at 48 sites along a 50 km‐long reach of the Ain River, France. We aimed (1) to characterize stranding events and their associated fish assemblages and (2) to identify the spatial and temporal determinants of stranding. The occurrence of morphological microstructures was the main factor explaining fish stranding. Scour pools had a strong impact, followed by scour puddles, humid zones, and alluvial puddles. Then, hydropeaking characteristics interacted with morphology and modulated the intensity of stranding. Low flow ranges (low peak flow and low base flow) occurring after periods without hydropeaks induced ‘salmonid fry’ stranding events and ‘super‐stranding’ events (massive stranding of many taxa). Other flow ranges induced ‘regular cyprinid fry’ stranding events. Salmonids were particularly subject to stranding at the beginning of the sampling period. Recommendations are (1) to act in priority on sites where stranding is most likely, by morphological operations or by installing attractive structures in the perennial area and (2) to maintain attractive, perennial habitats in the low flow range of hydropeaks, for example, by increasing base flow.

Effect of Maternal Preeclampsia on Cardiac Structure and Function in Very Low Birth Weight Infants.

We aimed to determine whether exposure to severe maternal preeclampsia (PE) in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants is associated with hypertrophic cardiac changes and altered hemodynamics. Case-control study of VLBW infants born at Los Angeles General Medical Center from May 2015 to August 2023, who had an echocardiogram within the first 7 days of life. Cases were infants exposed to maternal PE and controls were infants not exposed to maternal PE matched by birth weight (BW) 1:1. Laboratory, placental pathology results, hemodynamic data and clinical outcomes were collected and compared between cases and control infants. A total of 43 cases matched by BW with control infants were studied. There were no significant anatomical cardiac changes by echocardiography between cases and control infants. Cases had significantly higher blood pressure within the first 72 hours of life and lower ejection fraction (EF), fractional shortening, and peak systolic flow velocity through their patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) within the first week of life. Cases were more likely to be smaller despite being born at a later gestational age (GA), as well as small for GA with placental weight less than 10th percentile compared to control infants. Our findings indicate that infants born to mothers with PE have higher systemic vascular resistance as evidenced by elevated blood pressure, and lower EF and shortening fraction and higher pulmonary vascular resistance as evidenced by lower peak flow velocity through the PDA. We did not observe hypertrophic cardiac changes in exposed infants. These findings should be considered in clinical decision-making during management of these infants. · VLBW infants exposed to severe PE have higher rate of Small for gestational age and smaller placentas.. · VLBW infants exposed to severe PE have higher systemic vascular resistance during transitional period and lower EF and fractional shortening.. · VLBW infants exposed to severe PE have higher pulmonary vascular resistance..

Efficient numerical modelling of magnetophoresis in millifluidic systems.

Continuous flow magnetophoresis represents a common technique for actively separating particles within a fluid. For separation systems design, accurately predicting particle behaviour helps to characterise system performance, typically measured by the separation efficiency (SE). While finite element method (FEM) simulations offer high accuracy, they demand extensive computational resources. Alternatively, results can be achieved more quickly with simplified numerical models that use analytical descriptions of fluid flow, magnetic fields, and particle movement. In this research, we model a millifluidic system that separates magnetic particles using magnetophoresis. Therefore, we (1) develop a simple numerical model that can simulate continuous flow magnetophoresis for rectangular channels in two and three dimensions, (2) introduce a novel and simple approach to calculate the SE, and (3) quantify the effects of model assumptions in flow profile and dimensions on SE. Our method for estimating SE considers particle flux variation across the channel's cross-section due to the flow profile. The results are compared to an FEM model developed in COMSOL. The obtained three-dimensional simulation model computes results in seconds, around 180 times faster than the FEM approach, while deviating less than 2% from the FEM results. A comparison of the different two-dimensional and three-dimensional models underscores the significant influence of the flow profile and the SE calculation method on the result. The two dimensional models generally overestimate the SE of up to 15% due to their lower peak flow velocity. However, using a constant flow velocity leads to good agreement for high SE due to the overlap of differences in flow profile and SE calculation.

Geospatial Analysis of Kurumanpuzha Sub Watershed in the Chaliyar River Basin: A Remote Sensing and GIS Approach for Geomorphological Assessment

Aims: This study aimed to determine geomorphological characteristics of Kurumanpuzha sub-watershed for understanding its hydrological behaviour, erosion susceptibility and geological characteristics.
 Study Design: Morphometric analysis of Kurumanpuzha sub-watershed was carried out using remote sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS) which is pivotal for sustainable resource management.
 Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted at Kelappaji College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Tavanur, Malappuram, Kerala during 2020-2021.
 Methodology: The geomorphological characteristics of Kurumanpuzha sub-watershed were determined using GIS offering precise terrain insights to guide water resource planning, erosion control, infrastructure development and ecological conservation. Morphometric parameters were assessed based on linear, areal, and relief characteristics. USGS Earth Explorer platform was employed to download satellite images from multiple sources, including ISRO Resourcesat, Landsat, Sentinel, RADAR, and others. These images were then used to develop a Land Use Land Cover (LULC) map as well as other maps of the study area.
 Results: The sub-watershed had a dendritic drainage pattern with a mean bifurcation ratio of 2.05, indicating easier flood management due to longer durations of low peak flows. The analysis revealed fine drainage, indicating a prevalence of soft rocks prone to erosion. The watershed had high relief and steep slopes, characterized by hills, breaks, and low mountains. The hypsometric curve indicated an equilibrium stage of geomorphic evolution. Morphometric parameters were grouped into three clusters at the sub-watershed level, demonstrating spatial variability. Forest/dense vegetation were the dominant land use, followed by rubber plantations and scrubland.
 Conclusion: The findings of this study contribute to understanding of the hydrological behaviour, erosion susceptibility and geological characteristics of Kurumanpuzha sub-watershed. It is useful for effective watershed management, erosion control and informed decision-making in land use planning and engineering projects.

Numerical analysis of airflow and particle deposition in multi-fidelity designs of nasal replicas following nasal administration

Background and ObjectiveAn improved understanding of flow behaviour and particle deposition in the human nasal airway is useful for optimising drug delivery and assessing the implications of pollutants and toxin inhalation. The geometry of the human nasal cavity is inherently complex and presents challenges and manufacturing constraints in creating a geometrically realistic replica. Understanding how anatomical structures of the nasal airway affect flow will shed light on the mechanics underpinning flow regulation in the nasal pharynx and provide a means to interpret flow and particle deposition data conducted in a nasal replica or model that has reduced complexity in terms of their geometries. This study aims to elucidate the effects of sinus and reduced turbinate length on nasal flow and particle deposition efficiencies. MethodsA complete nasal airway with maxillary sinus was first reconstructed using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans obtained from a healthy human volunteer. The basic model was then modified to produce a model without the sinus, and another with reduced turbinate length. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was used to simulate flow in the nasal cavity using transient flow profiles with peak flow rates of 15 L/min, 35 L/min and 55 L/min. Particle deposition was investigated using discrete phase modelling (DPM). ResultsResults from this study show that simplifying the nasal cavity by removing the maxillary sinus and curved sections of the meatus only has a minor effect on airflow. By mapping the spatial distribution of monodisperse particles (10 μm) in the three models using a grid map that consists of 30 grids, this work highlights the specific nasal airway locations where deposition efficiencies are highest, as observed within a single grid. It also shows that lower peak flow rates result in higher deposition differences in terms of location and deposition quantity, among the models. The highest difference in particle deposition among the three nasal models is ∼10%, and this is observed at the beginning of the middle meatus and the end of the pharynx, but is only limited to the 15 L/min peak flow rate case. Further work demonstrating how the outcome may be affected by a wider range of particle sizes, less specific to the pharmaceutical industries, is warranted. ConclusionA physical replica manufactured without sections of the middle meatus could still be adequate in producing useful data on the deposition efficiencies associated with an intranasal drug formulation and its delivery device.

Advancements in processing of Ni-based superalloys by microstructure engineering via discontinuous γ′ break-down

Wrought γ′-strengthened Ni-based superalloys are critical materials for gas turbine disks in aircraft and power-generation applications. However, their high inherent strength makes their hot formability challenging, and this is often related to intergranular cracking. We propose that this type of crack formation may be mitigated by grain boundary serrations which has not yet been demonstrated in superalloys. Here, we introduce engineered grain boundary serrations in a Ni-based superalloy via discontinuous γ′ precipitation during slow cooling after super-solvus solutionising. We compare the formability of this microstructure to a counterpart with globular γ′ and straight grain boundaries, during sub-solvus compression at 950–1130 °C. We demonstrate that the microstructure with discontinuous γ′ shows excellent cracking resistance, while the one with globular γ′ develops severe intergranular cracks during compression ≤1100 °C. The discontinuous γ′ microstructure exhibits up to 26% lower peak flow stresses and recrystallises at temperatures ≤1100 °C, compared to the globular γ′ microstructure where recrystallisation does not start until 1130 °C. Compression of the discontinuous γ′ microstructure at 1000–1050 °C yields recrystallised fractions of >75 vol.% and results in a duplex γ-γ′ microstructure with grain diameters <4 μm. We argue that its significantly improved formability results from these engineered serrated grain boundaries, the coarsened γ′ morphology, energy absorption by the break-down of discontinuous γ′, and the resulting development of a fine-grained duplex γ-γ′ microstructure. Integrating such discontinuous γ′ precipitation into advanced manufacturing routes will facilitate or, in some cases, even enable manufacturing of parts for aircraft turbines and gas engines at lower temperatures and forces.

Frailty as a risk marker of adverse lower urinary symptom outcomes in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia undergoing transurethral resection of prostate.

Lower urinary symptoms (LUTS) may persist in a proportion of patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) following transurethral resection of prostate (TURP), which is a major cause of reduced quality-of-life. We aimed to investigate the effect of frailty on LUTS in patients with BPH treated with TURP. We longitudinally evaluated LUTS and health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL) in patients with BPH treated with TURP from February 2019 and January 2022 using International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and Short Form-8 (SF-8), respectively. Patients were divided into frail and non-frail groups according to the Fried phenotype (FP). The primary purpose was comparing the outcomes of LUTS and HRQOL between two groups. Secondary purposes were investigating the frailty as a preoperative predictor of postoperative adverse LUTS outcomes following TURP using logistic regression analysis. A 1:2 propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to reduce the effects of selection bias and potential confounders. Of the 567 patients enrolled, 495 (87.3%) patients were non-frail (FP = 0-2), and the remaining 72 (12.7%) patients were classified into the frail group. There were no significant differences in body mass index (BMI), urine white blood cell (UWBC), creatinine, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and prostate volume in both groups at baseline (all p > 0.05). However, patients with frailty were older, higher comorbidity rates, lower peak flow rates and lower HRQOL. In the frail group, although LUTS and HRQOL at 6 months following TURP improved significantly compared to those at baseline, it did not show a significant improvement compared with the non-frail group (both p < 0.001). Moreover, multivariable logistic regression analysis demonstrated that preoperative frailty was significantly associated with poor LUTS improvement in both the entire cohort and PSM subset (both p < 0.05), whereas age and comorbidities were not after PSM analysis. In patients with frail or non-frail, TURP for BPH provides overall good results. However, frail individuals are at higher risk of postoperative adverse LUTS outcomes. Frailty has the potential to be a strong objective tool for risk stratification and should be considered during the perioperative evaluation.

Morphometric Analysis of the Hasdeo Subbasin Using Alos Palsar Imagery

"Morphometry" is the analysis of forms that presents a quantitative description of a landform. To assess the Hasdeo subbasin's hydrological features and water potentials based on the morphological characteristics, morphometric analysis of the Hasdeo subbasin was conducted in the current study. ALOS Palsar DEM data were used to reveal details on the Hasdeo subbasin's morphometry. Spatial information from Geographic Information Systems (GIS) was utilized to conduct the study. The linear, areal, and relief characteristics of the basin are taken into account as morphometric parameters for the analysis. The Hasdeo subbasin contains a river network that is classified as being of 6th order (according to Strahler's classification) and has a dendritic drainage pattern, according to morphometric analysis of the river network and the subbasin. The calculated values for the bifurcation ratio (1.93), drainage density (0.63), circularity (0.32), elongation (0.46), form factor (0.16), and stream frequency (43.86) were obtained in that order. This value demonstrated the subbasin's length, which results in low peak flows for a longer time, a significant danger of soil erosion, and a basin's extensive hydrographic network with numerous tributary streams that respond quickly to precipitation. Prioritizing a region based on morphometric analysis is very valuable.

Comparative analysis and risk assessment of dam-break floods: Taking Pingshuijiang Reservoir as an example

Abstract Due to the huge potential energy associated with water storage in reservoirs, dam-break floods are often catastrophically destructive for people and structures downstream. This study aims to simulate and compare floods generated under various dam-break scenarios and their downstream impacts, taking Pingshuijiang Reservoir in southeastern China as an example. A two-dimensional hydrodynamic model is used to simulate the downstream evolution of floods under three dam-break scenarios, and the breach flood and downstream inundation process are analyzed. Gradual failure of the main dam leads to near-total inundation of the nearby town over c. 1 h, allowing time for warning and evacuation. Instantaneous failure of the main dam results in larger peak flow, greater submergence depth and faster inundation (20 min), leaving little time for warning/evacuation. Instantaneous failure of the auxiliary dam generates a much lower peak flow magnitude and, although the town is still largely submerged within 45 min, the shallow water depth and low velocity are conducive to rescue/evacuation. The results show significant variation in flood process and submergence due to dam size and failure mode that provide guidance for dam-break flood risk assessment and disaster avoidance planning.

Clinical significance of distally located periurethral calcification in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms of benign prostate hyperplasia.

This study evaluated the association of periurethral calcification (PUC) with uroflowmetric parameters and symptom severity in male patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The data were collected from a prospectively maintained database of 1321 men with LUTS of BPH who visited Chonnam National University Hospital (Gwang-ju, Korea) from January 2015 to December 2019. PUC severity and location were evaluated on the midsagittal plane during transrectal ultrasonography. Relationships among age, prostate-related parameters, International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), and uroflowmetric parameters were assessed. Among the 1321 patients in this study, 530 (40.1%) had PUC. Patients with PUC had significantly higher IPSS (mean ± standard deviation [s.d.]: 15.1 ± 8.7 vs 13.1 ± 7.9; P < 0.001) and lower peak flow rate (Qmax; mean ± s.d.: 12.4 ± 6.6 ml s-1 vs 14.7 ± 13.3 ml s-1; P < 0.001), compared with patients who did not have PUC. Analyses according to PUC severity revealed that patients with severe PUC had higher prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level (P = 0.009), higher total IPSS (P < 0.001), lower Qmax (P = 0.002), and smaller prostate volume (P < 0.001), compared with patients who had non-severe (mild or moderate) PUC. Multivariate analysis showed that distal PUC was independently associated with high total IPSS (P = 0.02), voiding symptom score (P = 0.04), and storage symptom score (P = 0.023), and low Qmax (P = 0.015). In conclusion, PUC was significantly associated with worse LUTS parameters in terms of IPSS and Qmax. Furthermore, distally located PUC was independently associated with worse LUTS of BPH in men.

Multiscale and multi event evaluation of short-range real-time flood forecasting in large metropolitan areas

Many large metropolitan areas are especially susceptible to floods generated by heavy, short-duration rainfall. The high density of people, buildings and infrastructure in these areas underline the importance of developing flood resilient cities and communities. An accurate real-time flood forecasting system can support decision making for launching preparedness and response actions in short-range (hours to days), and assist mitigating the disturbances caused by floods. This study explores the short-range predictive capability of a real-time flood forecast system by coupling the High-Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) meteorological forecasted variables with a fully distributed hydrological model (WRF-Hydro). We provide a comprehensive analysis of short-range (36 h) forecasts for 19flood events generated by heavy rainfall in small urban and suburban watersheds (<200 km2) in the National Capital Region of the United States. Flood forecast performance are then assessed using different metrics based on observed data from U.S. Geological Survey stream gauges and reanalysis simulations using the StageIV quantitative precipitation estimates. Results show that despite the high variability of the HRRR cycle-to-cycle precipitation forecasts, the real-time flood forecast system can produce skillful forecasts with similar overall performance as the reanalysis simulations, achieving 65 % of flood detection rate. This variability had more impact on forecast skill in smaller subbasins, and flood forecasts were more consistent for longer duration and larger spatial extent rainfall. Hourly flood forecasts performed well even in smaller watersheds, correctly detecting flood occurrence with up to 34 h lead time and resulting in low peak flow magnitude and timing errors.

Stress and Urgency Urinary Incontinence: Clinical-Urodynamic Correlation and Rehabilitation Management in Daily Clinical Practice

(a) To correlate the clinical with the urodynamic diagnosis in a series of patients with UUI (urgency urinary incontinence) and SUI (stress urinary incontinence); (b) establish age, clinical and urodynamic differences; and (c) demonstrate the effectiveness of individualized rehabilitation treatment based on the clinical-urodynamic diagnosis in patients with SUI and UUI in the daily clinical practice of a third-level rehabilitation service. Retrospective study of 60 patients with SUI and UUI. Urodynamic study: (a) free flowmetry; (b) filling cystomanometry; (c) pressure-flow study. Outcome variables: daytime (DUF) and nighttime (NUF) urinary frequency, strength of the pelvic floor muscles (PFM) measured by manometry (maximum and mean pressure), and use of absorbents/day. Rehabilitation treatment: (a) pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT); (b) biofeedback (BFB), transcutaneous neuromodulation of the posterior tibial nerve (TTNM). Age, clinical, and urodynamic differences have been observed between patients with UUI versus SUI. UUI is more frequent in older patients (UUI 67.3 ± 10.19 years vs SUI 58.6 ± 8.54 years), p = 0.0028. Patients with UUI, when compared with patients with SUI, present more episodes of DUF (7.7 ± 5.1 vs 5.5 ± 3.99) and NUF (2.51 ± 1.67 vs 1.46 ± 1.42). Patients with SUI use more absorbents/day than patients with UUI (2.7 ± 1.53 vs 1.37 ± 1.5), p = 0.0243. The urodynamic study (UDS) confirmed the clinical diagnosis in UUI in 64.7%, while in SUI, it was only confirmed in 35.1%. In the urodynamic analysis (free flowmetry), patients with UUI have smaller bladders than patients with SUI (voiding volume in UUI 275.8 ± 178.95 vs 411.03 ± 203.62 in SUI), p = 0.083. The maximum flow (Qmax) is higher in patients with SUI compared to UUI (19.6 ± 7.07 vs 16.06 ± 8.54), p = 0.0836. In filling cystomanometry, the bladders of patients with UUI are smaller than those with SUI (bladder capacity UUI 266.3 ± 52.76 vs 308.6 ± 49.72 ml in SUI), p = 0.023. In SUI, the BFB/PFMT significantly improved DUF, NUF, PFM pressure, and absorbent use. In UUI, the BFB plus TTNM improved DUF, NUF, and the maximum and mean PFM pressure with statistical difference, while the use of absorbents decreased with a tendency to significance. There are age, clinical, manometric, and urodynamic differences in patients with UUI when compared with patients with SUI. UUI occurs in older patients; they present a greater number of daytime and nocturnal urinary frequency episodes and use fewer absorbents than patients with SUI. Patients with UUI evacuate a smaller urine volume have a lower peak flow (in flowmetry) and a lower bladder capacity (in cystomanometry) than patients with SUI. The rehabilitation treatment proposed in daily clinical practice (PFMT/BFB with or without TTNM improves SUI and UUI). In this study, the UDS has shown a greater clinical-urodynamic correlation in UUI than in SUI.

Review of the background to increased risks of SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia among elderly people

Abstract Morbidity and mortality rates during the COVID-19 pandemic have been particularly high among elderly people (&gt;65 years). This review summarises some of the important physiological and clinical aspects in the background of augmented risk. Airway clearance provides defence against inhaled particles, including viruses. Some relevant studies have indicated that clearance from the small and large airways is slower in elderly people. Cough peak flow (the speed of expiratory airflow during coughing, or cough power) is another important parameter that reflects the defence capacity of the respiratory system. Age has likewise been shown to induce inspiratory and expiratory muscle weakness and, as a consequence, a low cough peak flow. In addition to the weakening of these non-specific defences in elderly people, the specific immune response against the SARS-CoV-2 virus has been found to be nearly blocked in aged mice, and the augmented synthesis of prostaglandin D2 (PGD2) was found to play a role in this phenomenon. Aged animals were protected from death by a specific antagonist of PGD2. Among aged people suffering from COVID-19, there were disproportionally more patients with low CD8 T lymphocyte counts and high plasma concentrations of interleukin 6 (IL-6). This combination of deficient cellular immunity and overt inflammatory response in COVID-19 has been identified as a significant risk factor of mortality.

The influence of rainfall and catchment characteristics on runoff generation in urban catchments-a case study in Hebi City of China.

An in-depth understanding of the rainfall-runoff process is essential for effective stormwater management. However, the understanding of the hierarchy of rainfall characteristics in terms of their importance in influencing runoff generation is limited. This paper investigates the influence of rainfall characteristics and catchment characteristics on runoff generation in urban catchments. The outcomes showed that there are 4 dominant factors affecting runoff generation: total precipitation TP and maximum 60-min rainfall intensity MAX60 are the two top-ranked factors while average rainfall intensity RI and maximum 5-min rainfall intensity MAX5 are ranked second. Additionally, compared to the moderate rainfall regime (MR), the heavy rainfall regime (HR) tends to produce higher peak flow rates, higher total inflow per unit area, and lower runoff control effect. Note that the antecedent precipitation has a more significant effect on runoff generation and is even the dominant factor when rainstorm events with daily rainfall larger than 50mm are not considered. The results of analyzing the influence of catchment characteristics suggest that only under HR regime conditions do the catchment characteristics have an impact on runoff generation and behave as smaller catchment areas, and higher proportions of green landscapes always lead lower peak flow rates, lower total inflows per unit area, and higher runoff control effects.

Women report more symptoms and impaired quality of life: a survey of Finnish COVID-19 survivors

Background The long-term sequelae after COVID-19 are not yet fully known. Our aim was to evaluate subjective symptoms and quality of life in Finnish hospitalized COVID-19 patients at six months follow-up. Methods Hospitalised adult patients with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection from March to June 2020 were recruited. We conducted a survey on demographics and comorbidities, ten specific symptoms, and a RAND-36 quality of life questionnaire six months after hospital discharge. We collected clinical data manually from medical records. Results 101 patients (54 male) out of 246 invited completed the survey. Their median age was 60 years, and the mean hospital length of stay was 15 d. Most patients (90%) experienced symptoms, the most common of which were tiredness (88%), fatigue (79%), sleeping problems (76%), and dyspnoea (70%). In regard to gender, women showed a shorter time of hospitalization (p = .048) and lower peak flow of supplementary oxygen (p = .043). Women reported more frequently dyspnoea, fatigue, tiredness, sleeping problems, and mood problems (p = .008–.033), and a lower quality of life in seven of eight dimensions (p < .001–.015). Five explanatory variables for the reduced quality of life were identified in multivariate analysis: age, female sex, BMI, sleep apnoea, and duration of mechanical ventilation. Of the patients who worked full-time before COVID-19, 11% had not returned to work. Conclusions Most patients experienced symptoms six months after hospital discharge. Women reported more symptoms and a lower quality of life than men. These findings highlight the differences in recovery between men and women and call for active rehabilitation of COVID-19 patients.

Quantitative evaluation of drainage attributes to infer hydrologic and morphological characteristics of upper Beas Basin, Himachal Pradesh: A GIS-based approach

ABSTRACT Drainage morphometric analysis is a quantitative indexing of linear, areal, and relief attributes of a watershed, which is an essential prerequisite to understand the ongoing geomorphological, geological, and tectonic processes in a watershed that modifies its landscape. The present study is an investigation of the morphometric parameters of upper Beas basin. ALOS PALSAR digital elevation model available at 12.5 m resolution from Alaska Satellite Facility has been used for the study in Arc GIS 10.2 environment. The findings of the study categorize upper Beas as a sixth order drainage basin with a total area of 4958.98 km2. High bifurcation values infer an accelerated state of erosion and underline the mountainous origin and late youthful stage of river Beas and its tributaries. Geometrically, the basin has an elongated shape indicating lower peak flow but for a longer duration making flood management ambiguous. Upper Beas basin has a coarse drainage density and texture, suggesting high infiltration and less surface water availability. Tectonically, studyarea has some prominent faults and thrusts (MBT, MCT, and STD), making the region susceptible to water infiltration. These observations unquestionably indicate a strong tectonic and lithological control over the evolution of drainage patterns in the study area.

Anthropogenic Transformation Disconnects a Lowland River From Contemporary Carbon Stores in Its Catchment

Rivers transport carbon from continents to oceans. Surprisingly, this carbon has often been found to be centuries old, not originating from contemporary plant biomass. This can be explained by anthropogenic disturbance of soils or discharge of radiocarbon–depleted wastewater. However, land enclosure and channel bypassing transformed many rivers from anabranching networks to single–channel systems with overbank sediment accumulation and lowered floodplain groundwater tables. We hypothesized that human development changed the fluvial carbon towards older sources by changing the morphology of watercourses. We studied radiocarbon in the Elbe, a European, anthropogenically–transformed lowland river at discharges between low flow and record peak flow. We found that the inorganic carbon, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and particulate organic carbon was aged and up to 1850 years old. The ∆14C values remained low and invariant up to median discharges, indicating that the sources of modern carbon (fixed after 1950) were disconnected from the river during half of the time. The total share of modern carbon in DOC export was marginal (0.04%), 72% of exported DOC was older than 400 years. This was in contrast to undisturbed forested subcatchments, 72% of whose exported DOC was modern. Although population density is high, mass balances showed that wastewater did not significantly affect the ∆14C-DOC in the Elbe river. We conclude that wetlands and other sources of contemporary carbon were decoupled from the anthropogenically transformed Elbe stream network with incised stream bed relative to overbank sediments, shifting the sources of fluvial carbon in favor of aged stores.