Evaluating the Effectiveness of Low Impact Development Practices against Climate Induced Extreme Floods

Short but extreme flooding events have been frequent and severe globally due to climate change and urbanization in recent years. Similarly, researchers, scientists, and water managers are suggesting the application of sustainable flood management strategies such as Low Impact Development (LID) to mitigate the impacts of such extreme flooding events. However, most of these strategies have primarily been evaluated using historical precipitation events, which may not accurately represent the impact of climate-induced flooding events, which are projected to become more extreme. In this context, this study assesses the effectiveness of LIDs in combating climate change-induced flooding events. The North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program (NARCCAP) climate model was applied in this study to quantify the magnitude of future projected storm depths, which are expected to increase due to climate change. Similarly, Personal Computer Storm Water Management Model (PCSWMM) was used to develop a rainfall-runoff simulation model and to assess the effectiveness of three LID techniques (Permeable Pavement, Green Roof, and Bio-Retention Cell) in reducing surface runoff under various climate scenarios. The results revealed that under the climate change scenarios the future projected design depths are expected to increase by up to 104%. Similarly, peak discharge, and total flooding volume were found to increase by 37.72% and 88.73%, respectively under the most extreme climate change scenario. Furthermore, the study demonstrated that applying LID strategies decreases peak discharge, offering a viable solution to tackle flooding events induced by climate change. The results illustrated the performance of permeable pavement was superior in reducing the peak discharge by up to 28.57%. Similarly, applying green roofs and bioretention cells reduced the peak discharge by up to 19.93% and 14.25%, respectively.

Evaluation of muscle activity level in the lower extremities during various steps used in aerobic dance exercise / 体力科学

To create a safe and effective aerobic dance exercise (ADE) program, the intensity, and difficulty level of each step, and muscle activation during the program must be considered. This study evaluated the muscle activity levels of the lower extremities when major ADE movements were repeated at a fixed speed. The subjects were seven females 21-22 years old who were familiar with the ADE movements. Eleven low impact steps and nine high impact steps representative of the ADE movements were selected, and while the movements were performed, the surface electromyograms (EMG) of six muscles in the lower extremities were measured using a telemeter electromyograph. The EMG data for 10 cycles of each step were full wave rectified and integrated. Then, the average value per unit time was calculated, and normalized (%EMGmax) by the EMG integral value during isometric maximum voluntary contraction (EMGmax). The EMGmax was measured for each of the six muscles to evaluate the muscle activity level, and determine which muscles were activated at higher or lower levels in response to the specific steps. The highest levels of total muscle activity detected in the six muscles were for: double hop, jumping jack, and pendulum. The results of this study may help create ADE programs that consider the differences in muscle activation in the lower extremities.

Avaliação do emprego de técnicas compensatórias na sub-bacia urbana Ribeirão do Santa Rita do município de Fernandópolis, São Paulo / Evaluation of the use of compensatory techniques in the Ribeirão do Santa Rita urban sub-basin in the municipality of Fernandópolis, São Paulo

RESUMO Com o crescimento da população urbana e consequente alteração do uso e da ocupação do solo nas bacias hidrográficas, as inundações têm ficado cada vez mais frequentes. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo verificar os efeitos do emprego de técnicas compensatórias na sub-bacia hidrográfica Ribeirão do Santa Rita, localizada no município de Fernandópolis, São Paulo, Brasil. Foram analisados a vazão de pico e o tempo de resposta de diversos cenários, com o intuito de verificar o potencial de atenuação das inundações. A metodologia utilizada empregou o Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) para propagar o escoamento, e o software de Sistema de Informação Geográfica (SIG) para obter as características da bacia em estudo e os locais de potencial emprego das técnicas. Foi simulada a instalação de diversas técnicas compensatórias, isoladamente e em conjunto, para a configuração urbana de 2017. Mediante os hidrogramas gerados por cada cenário, constatou-se que os melhores resultados ocorreram em eventos com tempo de retorno menor. A atenuação da vazão de pico chegou a 33,72% utilizando-se trincheiras de infiltração, 31,38% para pavimentos permeáveis, 31,08% empregando jardins de chuva e 12,20% com telhados verdes. O aumento no tempo de resposta foi de até 16 minutos. No cenário com todas as técnicas compensatórias, a redução foi de até 37,29% da vazão de pico e o aumento do tempo de resposta foi de 18 minutos. Portanto, as técnicas compensatórias podem reduzir a vazão de pico e aumentar o tempo de resposta da sub-bacia, mitigando as ocorrências de inundações.

ABSTRACT With the growth of the urban population and the consequent alteration of land use and occupation in the watersheds, floods have become more frequent. This paper aimed to verify the effects of the use of compensatory techniques in the watershed Ribeirão do Santa Rita, located in the city of Fernandópolis, São Paulo, Brazil. Peak flow and response time of various scenarios were analyzed in order to verify the potential for flood mitigation. The methodology used Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) to propagate the flow, with the support of the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to obtain the characteristics of the studied watersheed and the places of potential use of the techniques. The installation of several compensatory techniques was simulated, separately and together, for the 2017 urban configuration. Upon the hydrographs generated by each scenario, it was found that the best results occurred in events with shorter return time. Peak flow attenuation reached 33.72% using infiltration trenches, 31.38% for pours pavements, 31.08% using rain gardens, and 12.20% with green roofs. The increase in lag time was up to 16 minutes. In the scenario with all compensatory techniques, the reduction in peak flow was up to 37.29% and the response time increased by 18 minutes. Therefore, compensatory techniques can reduce peak flow and increase the response time of the sub-basin, consequently mitigating the occurrences of floods.

Effect Of Low-Impact Aerobic Dance And Zumba Exercises On Body Fat Percentage In Obese Women

@#The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of low-impact aerobic dance and zumba exercises in reducing the percentage of body fat in obese women in terms of the Body Mass Index (BMI). Forty obese women (mean age 33.9±7.1 years) were selected and divided into two experimental groups, namely: low-impact aerobic dance (n=20) and zumba (n=20). The participants were also divided based on the BMI which gave the mild and severe obesity groups. The research instrument was a skinfold caliper which was used to measure the thickness of the body fat. The experiment was carried out 3 times a week for 8 weeks and the participants from both groups performed exercises for a duration of 60 minutes. The analysis of data between the experimental groups showed that there were significant differences between these exercises (r=0.005; p<0.05), the levels of obesity (r=0,000; p<0.05), and there were interactions between the exercises and the levels of obesity (r=0,000; p<0,05), from the pre-test to the post-test. The results showed that low-impact aerobic dance was more effectively used in reducing the percentage of body fat in obese women at the severe levels while zumba was effectively used in reducing the percentage of body fat in obese women with mild obesity, therefore the two exercises had an influence in reducing the percentage of body fat.

AMPA receptor positive modulator, ampakines: research progress / 国际药学研究杂志

Ampakines are a class of pharmacological agents acting as positive modulators of AMPA receptors. Currently, clinical indications studied for ampakines involve many diseases including the respiratory depression and psychoneurosis, etc. The studies using CX516 and CX546 as tool compounds have shown that ampakines could be classified into "high impact ampakines"and "low impact ampakines". The two subclasses of ampakines differ in the chemical structures, influences on receptor dynamics, receptor-ligand bindings, synaptic transmissions, neurotrophin regulations and side effects. According to the available literature, the low impact ampakines have better clinical application prospects than high impact ampakines because of their high safety and good tolerance. The above different characteristics of the two subclasses of ampakines are reviewed in this paper.

Lack of association between dietary inflammatory index and low impact fractures in the Brazilian population: the Brazilian Osteoporosis Study (BRAZOS)

Abstract Introduction: Adequate nutrition, including intake of dietary calcium and vitamin D, is important to maintain bone health. Evidence suggests that a deficiency in micronutrients may contribute to bone loss during aging and exert generalized effects on chronic inflammation. Recently, the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) was developed to assess the inflammatory potential of individual diets. Our aim was to evaluate the DII in a representative sample and verify its association with low-impact fractures. Methods: Individuals from The Brazilian Osteoporosis Study (BRAZOS) database had their DII calculated. BRAZOS is an important cross-sectional epidemiological study carried out with a representative sample of men and women ≥40 years old. The research was conducted through in-home interviews administered by a trained team. Nutrition Database System for Research (NDSR) software was used to analyze data on the intake of nutrients, which were employed to calculate the DII using Statistical Analysis Software (SAS®) and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS®) to assess its association with low-impact fractures. Results: A total of 2269 subjects had their DII score calculated using information from 24-h recall data. Males had lower DII than females (DII = 1.12 ± 1.04 vs DII = 1.24 ± 0.99, p = 0.012). Women taking statins had lower DII (DII = 0.65 ±1.14 vs DII + 1.26 ± 0.98, p = 0.002), indicating a greater potential for diet-related anti-inflammatory effects. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that women might have a pro-inflammatory diet pattern compared to men. However, we did not find any association between DII scores and low-impact fractures.

Low impact to fixed cell processing aiming transmission electron microscopy

In cell culture, cell structures suffer strong impact due to centrifugation during processing for electron microscope observation. In order to minimise this effect, a new protocol was successfully developed. Using conventional reagents and equipments, it took over one week, but cell compression was reduced to none or the lowest deformation possible.

Performance Evaluation of Low Impact Development Practices Using Linear Regression.

Aims: To develop a modelling methodology for evaluating the cumulative stormwater performance of Low Impact Development technologies on a watershed basis to address stormwater impacts of urban development. Study Design: A method is presented to perform hydrological modelling on large watersheds. Hydrological modelling simulations and linear regression analyses of a small sample of randomly selected lots were performed to generate results which were extrapolated to the entire watershed. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Civil Engineering, Ryerson University, between September 2010 and September 2012. Methodology: Urban hydrological response units were developed by using the K-means cluster analysis procedure to group 6926 lot parcels amenable to the residential rain barrel Low Impact Development practice into clusters. Two versions of a Microsoft Excel macro were developed to run simulations for thousands of lots simultaneously before and after Low Impact Development implementation to determine the total runoff produced by all lots for both cases. The results of computer modelling all lots were compared with the results from developing calculation methods to be used after computer modelling subsets of lots. Two calculation methods based on clustering lots to form urban hydrological response units were developed. A random sample of 5 % of all lots was then extracted from 6616 lots amenable to the porous pavement Low Impact Development. Stepwise linear regression and linear regression were performed on the random sample for each case of no Low Impact Development and with Low Impact Development. Regression equations were used to extrapolate results from the sample to the entire data set to determine the total runoff volume produced by each set of lots. Results: Results from the cluster-based calculation methods developed as applied to residential rain barrels were unsatisfactory since they did not approximate the output values from modelling all lots using software. The alternative method applied to porous pavement Low Impact Development implementation, entailing stepwise linear regression and linear regression, produced 945,382.97 m3 and 747,380.13 m3 of total runoff respectively. These values closely approximated corresponding values generated by the modelling software of 937,088.58 m3 and 746,462.40 m3. Conclusion: The formation of urban hydrological response units may be unnecessary for hydrological modelling Low Impact Development technologies for large watersheds. Hydrological characteristics for only a small, randomly selected subset of all lots can be used to determine total runoff volume produced by all lots in the watershed before and after Low Impact Development implementation.