Direct-Push Blood Transfusion Practice in the Neonatal Unit of a Tertiary Hospital in South-South, Nigeria

Introduction: Transfusion of blood is a life-saving intervention in the care of ill neonates. Donated blood is a scarce national resource and must be used in the most efficient way. Exchange blood transfusion using the blood bag is the commonest mode of blood delivery employed. Other modalities of safe and sustainable blood delivery should also be explored, especially where paucity of funds predominates. This study aims to assess the usefulness of the direct push method where applicable, as an alternative to blood bag delivery in neonatal units of resource poor settings. Methods: A two year retrospective study of newborns admitted in the neonatal wards of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital. Data obtained were the age, gender, indication for admission, packed cell volume (PCV) before and after transfusion. Blood transfusion was done in aliquots over 24 hours under aseptic conditions, via a peripheral vein. The push and pull method was employed, with no anticoagulant in the syringe. Post-transfusion PCV was done at least 24 hours after the procedure. Results: Of the one thousand and seventy-seven (1077) admitted neonates, two hundred and thirty-nine (22.2%), received blood products. Of these, twenty-one (8.8%), received a direct whole blood transfusion. Age (days) of the neonates transfused ranged from 1 to 26 days, with a mean of 10.4 ± 8.13. The Packed Cell Volume (PCV) pre-transfusion ranged between 20% - 44%, with a mean of 30.05 ± 6.39 while post-transfusion PCV ranged between 31% to 51%, with a mean of 38.17 ± 5.52(Fig. 1). The commonest indication for transfusion was prematurity, 9(42.8%) and neonatal sepsis 5 (23.8%). Conclusion: The direct transfusion of blood occasionally used, seems a relatively safe practice to correct mild/moderate anaemia. It also provides sufficient blood, with the advantage of usage when the umbilical cord access is no longer feasible and where cost of blood would otherwise, hinder quick intervention. This practice may need further evaluation by other centers.

High-Resolution Direct Push Sensing in Wetland Geoarchaeology—First Traces of Off-Site Construction Activities at the Fossa Carolina

Wetland environments, with their excellent conservation conditions, provide geoarchaeological archives of past human activities. However, the subsurface soil is difficult to access due to high groundwater tables, unstable sediments, and the high cost of excavation. In this study, we present a ground-based non- and minimal-invasive prospection concept adapted to the conditions of wetlands. We investigated the Fossa Carolina in South Germany, a canal that was intended in 792/793 AD by Charlemagne to bridge the Central European Watershed. Although the resulting Carolingian banks and the fairway with wooden revetments are very imposing, archaeological traces of off-site construction activities have not been identified hitherto. Based on a geophysically surveyed intensive linear magnetic anomaly parallel to the Carolingian canal, we aimed to prove potential off-site traces of Carolingian construction activities. In this context, we built up a high-resolution cross-section using highly depth-accurate direct push sensing and ground-truthing. Our results showed the exact geometry of the canal and the former banks. Thus, the magnetic mass anomaly could be clearly located between the buried organic-rich topsoil and the Carolingian banks. The thermoluminescence dating showed that the position of the magnetic mass anomaly reflected Carolingian activities during the construction phases, specifically due to heat exposure. Moreover, we found hints of the groundwater supply to the 5-metre wide navigable fairway.

Kombination geophysikalischer und hydrogeologischer Methoden zur gezielten Erkundung feinkörniger Talfüllungen

KurzfassungSedimentäre Strukturen können die Fließ- und Stofftransportpfade in feinkörnigen Talfüllungen stark beeinflussen. Diese Strukturen müssen gezielt auf ihre Ausdehnung und Eigenschaften untersucht werden, um Verweilzeiten, Fließpfade und das Abbaupotenzial eingetragener Schadstoffe zu bestimmen. In der quartären Talfüllung der Ammeraue bei Tübingen wurden beispielhaft Torflagen und eine Kiesrinne untersucht, um ihre Einflüsse auf die regionale Hydrogeologie und Hydrochemie zu bewerten. Dafür wurden geophysikalische und hydrogeologische Erkundungsmethoden ausgewählt und kombiniert. Mit geoelektrischen Oberflächenmessungen konnte die Ausdehnung der betrachteten Strukturen erkundet werden. Unterschiedliche Direct-Push-Sondierungen, darunter eine In-situ-Bestimmung der Sedimentfarbe, und bohrlochgeophysikalische Messungen erfassten ihre Geometrie und interne Heterogenität. Die hydraulischen und biogeochemischen Eigenschaften der Sedimente und des Grundwassers wurden anschließend durch gezielte Probennahmen und hydraulische Tests an repräsentativen Ansatzpunkten bestimmt. Die dargestellte Methodenkombination zur Abgrenzung relevanter Teilgebiete mit anschließender hochauflösender Untersuchung lässt sich auch auf die Untersuchung großflächiger Täler übertragen.

Machine learning based approach for the interpretation of engineering geophysical sounding logs

In this paper, a set of machine learning (ML) tools is applied to estimate the water saturation of shallow unconsolidated sediments at the Bátaapáti site in Hungary. Water saturation is directly calculated from the first factor extracted from a set of direct push logs by factor analysis. The dataset observed by engineering geophysical sounding tools as special variants of direct-push probes contains data from a total of 12 shallow penetration holes. Both one- and two-dimensional applications of the suggested method are presented. To improve the performance of factor analysis, particle swarm optimization (PSO) is applied to give a globally optimized estimate for the factor scores. Furthermore, by a hyperparameter estimation approach, some control parameters of the utilized PSO algorithm are automatically estimated by simulated annealing (SA) to ensure the convergence of the procedure. The result of the suggested ML-based log analysis method is compared and verified by an independent inversion estimate. The study shows that the PSO-based factor analysis aided by hyperparameter estimation provides reliable in situ estimates of water saturation, which may improve the solution of environmental end engineering problems in shallow unconsolidated heterogeneous formations.

Estudo de tecnologias de investigação ambiental em alta resolução para refinamento do modelo conceitual — estudo de caso: Duque de Caxias (RJ), Brasil

RESUMO Este trabalho apresenta os resultados da utilização de duas técnicas de investigação geoambiental em alta resolução: investigação passiva de vapores do solo e investigação com o uso de Membrane Interface Probe (MIP), em uma área contaminada por hidrocarbonetos de petróleo, localizada no município de Duque de Caxias, Rio de Janeiro. O processo de gerenciamento ambiental da área iniciou-se em 2012 e contemplou as etapas preconizadas nas legislações vigentes. Os resultados obtidos a partir das investigações tradicionais foram insuficientes para a compreensão das características físicas e geoquímicas necessária para o sucesso das fases de diagnóstico e, consequentemente, da remediação. Portanto, duas investigações em alta resolução foram conduzidas com o objetivo de refinar o modelo conceitual de forma a atender adequadamente à Resolução CONAMA nº 420/09 e à Resolução CONEMA nº 44/12, permitindo ações futuras mais eficientes. A investigação passiva de vapores do solo utilizou amostradores compostos por materiais adsorventes granulares, encapsulados em uma membrana microporosa hidrofóbica e quimicamente inerte que permite a difusão dos vapores presentes no meio. Os resultados representam qualitativamente a presença de contaminação no subsolo. O MIP é uma ferramenta de direct push com medição em tempo real, que detecta a presença da contaminação tanto em meios insaturados quanto saturados inconsolidados. A partir dos resultados integrados, foi possível constatar que a distribuição de compostos orgânicos voláteis (volatile organic compounds (VOCs)) em água subterrânea ocorre de forma descontínua ao longo da área, sendo possível identificar cinco hotspots distintos e suas diferentes áreas fonte, incluindo uma região com presença de fase livre.