Search

A small body of knowledge exists on the root water uptake (RWU) and evapotranspiration in humid environments having a mixture of natural vegetative cover. In this paper, we assess the impacts of atmospheric conditions and land cover on RWU from a natural vegetative cover. An intensive field investigation was carried out to monitor water table fluctuations along two flow transects comprising an upland grass area and a lowland riparian zone. Calibration and validation of the soil hydraulic parameters using the two-dimensional variably saturated ground water flow model, HYDRUS-2D, confirms the reliability of the model to simulate satisfactorily the large-scale daily fluctuation of RWU. Simulation results revealed that the actual RWU during the wet season is about 40% higher than RWU in the dry season due to high water table levels and temperatures prevailing throughout the wet season. Simulation results using HYDRUS-2D, which was modified to accommodate variable surface boundary conditions and heterogeneous root distribution, showed that the RWU from the riparian zone was 38 and 56% higher than RWU from the pasture land during the dry and wet seasons, respectively. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9437(2008)134:2(167) CE Database subject headings: Finite element method; Models; Vegetation; Transpiration; Evapotranspiration.

Presents a study which investigated interband tunneling transport through a hole well in GaSb/AlSb/GaSb/AlSb/InAs II tunnel devices. Discussion on the interband tunneling concept; Effect of the hydrostatic pressures and magnetic fields on the current-voltage characteristics; Calculations of the valence subbands in the quantum well of the sample; Description of the elastic scattering potential strengthen by variation of barrier width.

In this retrospective electronic chart review, we evaluated the metabolic changes that occurred in Native American patients with type 2 diabetes who were treated with rosiglitazone and then converted to pioglitazone with no other changes in medication regimens for diabetes or dyslipidemia. Thirty-four patients were included in the analysis. After the conversion from rosiglitazone to pioglitazone, significant decreases in the levels of total cholesterol (10.1%), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (11.7%), and triglycerides (15.3%) were seen. No significant changes occurred in weight, body mass index, fasting glucose, hemoglobin A1c, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, blood pressure, or liver function tests. Significantly more patients achieved low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride target goals when taking pioglitazone than when taking rosiglitazone. No drug discontinuations or adverse effects were reported among the evaluable population. These results are consistent with results of other studies evaluating these two drug therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effect of operating parameters on permeate flux due to clay fouling on a reverse osmosis membrane in a laboratory scale plate and frame membrane module is discussed. Bentonite clay was used as the model foulant. No steady state conditions were observed even after 24 hrs of operation. The flux–time curves obtained could be generalized into three categories. In the short term, the application of higher pressure leads to higher initial permeate flux. However, this effect has a negative effect on the long term flux by the formation of a more dense and a less porous cake layer on the membrane. Particle concentration plays a more dominant role in flux reduction. The results show that an increase in particle concentration from 100 to 300 mg/l could lead to an increase in the flux decline between 15.9 to 47.7 percent. For the tested conditions, crossflow velocity did not have much of an impact on the permeate flux. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electrokinetic mobility (EM) was measured and then zeta potential (ZP) was calculated for laboratory grade bentonite particles by varying pH between 4 and 10 and at 0.001, 0.01, and 0.1 M salt (NaCl, Na 2 SO 4 , LiCl, KCl, and CaCl 2 ) concentrations. In all tests, bentonite particles displayed a negative zeta potential. No charge reversal was observed at any stage. The ZP values showed low sensitivity to pH in salt solutions. Zeta potential calculation of bentonite particles in distilled water showed an increase in ZP value beyond pH >8, which could be due to charge development at the edges by direct transfer of H + from clay to water. For all salts, at a concentration of 0.1 M, and for all tested concentrations of CaCl 2 , bentonite particles showed a zero zeta potential. For NaCl and Na 2 SO 4 , at 75, 200, and 325 mg/L bentonite particle concentrations, increasing the salt concentration from 0.001 to 0.01 M did not affect the ZP value of the bentonite particles. For the same cation such as Na + , the presence of monovalent anions (Cl - ) or divalent anions (SO 4 -2 ) did not affect the zeta potential value of the clay for the tested conditions. In salt solutions containing common anions but different cations (LiCl, NaCl, and KCl), bentonite particles displayed a higher ZP value for NaCl than KCl, whereas no ZP difference was observed for bentonite particles in LiCl and NaCl at the experimental conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study of a 48-year old Caucasian male with severe hyperlipidemia associated with olanzapine and quetiapine. He had been hospitalized three years prior for depression and was subsequently diagnosed with mania and bipolar I disorder. He was stabilized on 40 milligrams of olanzapines (mg) every night, quetiapine (300 mg every night), sertraline (100 mg every morning) and zolpidem (10 mg every night).

Background: Patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) represent a high-risk population due to increased rates of adverse health outcomes and death. To evaluate whether telehealth utilization during OUD treatment compared with in-person encounters alone was associated with emergency department (ED) utilization, inpatient admissions, and mortality within three years of initiating buprenorphine. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study within the Veterans Health Administration among Veterans treated for OUD between 2012 and -2022. The primary exposure was modality of care, characterized as telehealth encounters (with or without an in-person visit) compared with in-person visits only. Outcomes included an ED visit, inpatient admission, or mortality within three years of the index buprenorphine prescription. We measured the association between each type of treatment modality and outcomes through Cox proportional hazards regression modeling, adjusting for demographic and clinical covariates and confounders. Findings: Of the 57,021 Veterans diagnosed with OUD and who initiated buprenorphine, 38,072 Veterans met study eligibility criteria. The majority of Veterans were male, non-Hispanic White, 25-44 years of age, and lived in urban areas. Approximately 60% of this entire cohort experienced at least one ED visit, 40% experienced an inpatient admission, and 8% died during follow-up. Telehealth use compared with in-person visits only was associated with reduced ED visits (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 0.81; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.77-0.85), inpatient admissions (aHR: 0.71; 95% CI: 0.67-0.76), and mortality (aHR: 0.80; 95% CI: 0.67-0.94). Conclusions: Telehealth may help overcome barriers to in-person care. During buprenorphine treatment for OUD, telehealth as a point of contact with providers and the health care system may reduce more adverse health outcomes, potentially through improving treatment retention. Qualitative studies may help shed light on the mechanisms through which telehealth directly impacts clinical outcomes.

Objectives: To compare the longitudinal rates of change in cognition and depressive symptoms between 2019 (pre-COVID-19 pandemic) and 2020 (COVID-19 pandemic) among long-term care facility (LTCF) residents in Iowa, which ranked among the top 10 US states that suffered from extreme nursing staff shortages during this crisis., Design: A longitudinal cohort study analyzing the Long-Term Care Minimum Data Set (MDS) version 3.0 between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2020., Setting and Participants: LTCF residents from the state of Iowa, with a first assessment before March 10 for each year (2019 and 2020), LTCF stay period >60 days, and at least 2 documented assessments with a minimum of 45 days in between. LTCF residents with a Brief Interview for Mental Status score (BIMS) <3 were excluded., Methods: We computed doubly robust estimators by combining regression and propensity score models for BIMS (cognitive decline) and Nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9; depression symptoms) monthly scores for 2020 vs 2019., Results: A total of 24,025 residents from 436 LTCFs were included. Our research revealed a marginally accelerated monthly decline in BIMS scores during 2020 as opposed to 2019, with a rate of -0.012 per month (95% CI -0.022, -0.002; P = .016). Simultaneously, we observed a monthly increment of 0.016 in the PHQ-9 scores among LTCF residents in 2020 (95% CI 0.006, 0.028; P = .003)., Conclusions and Implications: Our study identified a notable yet modest increase in cognitive decline and depressive symptoms among NH residents in Iowa during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although statistically significant, the changes were small and may not have clinical relevance over 1 year. Further research is needed to examine risk factors for cognitive decline during pandemic scenarios such as social isolation, loneliness, inappropriate patient-centered care, and the relationship with staff shortage and facility resources., Competing Interests: Disclosure The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)