Search

The long-term aim of our research is to develop humidification–dehumidification desalination technology for farms in arid coastal regions that are suffering from salt-infected soils and shortages of potable groundwater. The specific aim of our current study was to determine the influence of greenhouse-related parameters on a process, called Seawater Greenhouse, which combines fresh water production with growth of crops in a greenhouse system. A thermodynamic model was used based on heat and mass balances. The dimension of the greenhouse had the greatest overall effect on the water production and energy consumption. A wide shallow greenhouse, 200 m wide by 50 m deep gave 125 m3 d−1 of fresh water. This was greater than a factor of two compared to the worst-case scenario with the same area (50 m wide by 200 m deep), which gave 58 m3 d−1. Low power consumption went hand-in-hand with high efficiency. The wide shallow greenhouse consumed 1.16 kW h m−3, while the narrow deep structure consumed 5.02 kW h m−3. Analysis of the local climate indicated that the structure should be built facing the NE direction. We are also in the process of building a commercial size Seawater Greenhouse at a site by the sea. The aim is to demonstrate the technology to local farmers and companies in the Arabian Gulf. The system will allow for the reclamation of salt-infected land by not relying, at all, on groundwater resources. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This cross-sectional study investigated the association of hostility and social support to coronary heart disease (CHD) in 2 groups of men and women: those with a familial predisposition for CHD (high-risk sample) and a randomly selected group. The hypothesis was that hostility and low social support would be associated with CHD, and would have a greater effect in the high-risk group. The random sample contained 2,447 individuals (47.1% male) from 576 families, and the high-risk sample consisted of 2,300 people (45.5% male) from 542 families. Odds ratios (OR) and their 95% confidence intervals were calculated using generalized estimating equations (GEE) for logistic regression. Family was specified as the clustering variable, and robust SEEs were obtained to account for dependence of the data within families. After controlling for age, education, body mass index, exercise, smoking history, drinking history, and drinking >5 drinks a day, hostility was associated with a history of coronary bypass surgery or coronary angioplasty in high-risk men (OR 1.21) and a history of myocardial infarction in high-risk women (OR 1.39). High-risk women with high social support had reduced odds of a previous myocardial infarction (OR 0.76), whereas women with high network adequacy in the random sample had reduced risk of myocardial infarction (OR 0.41) and angina (OR 0.49). A ratio of high hostility to low social support was associated with past myocardial infarction in high-risk women (OR 2.47) and a history of angina (OR 2.02) in the random sample men. These results suggest that high hostility and low social support are associated with some manifestations of CHD after controlling for adverse health behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dengue epidemics can rapidly increase demand in healthcare services across many endemic settings. However, there remains a lack of tools which can rapidly inform patient management and can be used at the point of care. Digital clinical decision-support systems (CDSSs) allow for efficient organisation of care as well as improve the quality of patient management. It is important that these tools are designed for the end-user and with the healthcare setting in mind to increase adoption and usability. We adopted a ground-up human-centred design approach to design a digital CDSS system for dengue management in Vietnam (D-CASS). A multidisciplinary team of data scientists, clinicians and social scientists were involved in a series of activities designed to map clinical processes, essential tasks and decision-making priorities which were crucial in the management of dengue at our hospital setting. Frontend development was undertaken by a specialist UX designer with regular feedback from the research team and clinical end-users. Based on our previous work, the desired features for the CDSS identified were: i) patient organisation, ii) availability of guidelines and calculators with easy access, iii) display of results and iv) inference models for dengue diagnosis on admission AUCROC 0.86 (IQR, 0.84 — 0.86) and further risk stratification for hospitalised patients based on possible complications AUCROC 0.83 (CI, 0.76 — 0.85). A web-based reactive framework suitable for display on computers and tablets was produced. Priority was placed on usability and modularity so that the system can be repurposed. Dengue Clinical Decision Support Application (D-CASS) is a bespoke and rapidly scalable CDSS produced following clinical pathways, clinician's needs, and usability in mind. Further work will focus on prospective evaluation and iterative improvement of the CDSS including (i) end-user testing and (ii) prospective model performance. If successful, the CDSS will be implemented and deployed to evaluate its clinical utility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While we increasingly turn to desalination as a secure water supply, it is still perceived as an expensive and environmentally damaging solution, affordable only for affluent societies. In this contribution, we recast desalination from one of a last resort to a far-reaching, climate change mitigating, water security solution. First, we argue that the benefits of desalination go beyond the single-use value of the water produced. If coupled with water reuse for irrigation, desalination reduces groundwater abstraction and augments the water cycle. As such, it may support both adaptation to, and mitigation of climate change impacts by deploying plentiful water for human use, with all the benefits that entails, while helping preserve and restore ecosystems. Second, we counter two arguments commonly raised against desalination, namely its environmental impact and high cost. The environmental impact can be fully controlled so as not to pose long-term threats, if driven by renewable energy. Desalination may then have a zero carbon footprint. Moreover, appropriately designed outfalls make the disposal of brine at sea compatible with marine ecosystems.. Recovery of energy, minerals and more water from brine reject (particularly in the form of vapour for cooling to enable more crops and vegetation to grow), while possible, is often hardly economically justified. However, resource recovery may become more attractive in the future, and help reduce the brine volumes to dispose of. When fresh water becomes scarce, its cost tends to go up, making desalination increasingly economic. Moreover, desalination can have virtually no environmental costs. Considering the environmental costs of over-abstraction of freshwater, desalination tilts the balance in its favour. • Here we recast desalination as a "win-win solution" to restore the water cycle. • Desalination to become mainstream as societies understand its broader benefits. • Coupling with water reuse maximizes socioeconomic/ecological return on investments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]