Artificial Nourishments Effects on Longshore Sediments Transport

Serious erosion problems related to significant negative sediments budgets in the coastal systems are referred worldwide. Artificial nourishments are a coastal erosion mitigation strategy that allow for a decrease in those negative budgets by adding sediment to the coastal system. Thus, it is essential to understand and adequately model the shoreline response after a nourishment operation, in order to support the definition of the best intervention scenarios. The main goal of this work was to study the artificial nourishment effects on the longshore sediment transport and consequently on the morphological evolution at the intervention site and nearby areas, in a time horizon of 5 years. The longshore transport of the nourished sediments was evaluated, aiming to contribute to the evaluation of the sediment’s permanence at the deposition site and the frequency required for new nourishments. The shoreline evolution numerical long-term configuration (LTC) model was applied in order to evaluate the spatial and temporal distribution of the nourished sediments along the coast, considering different types of beaches and incident wave climates. The adopted approach is generic and supported by simple numerical models, which can be useful for preliminary site-specific evaluations. The results show that the nourishment impact is mainly observed nearby the intervention site. It is highlighted that higher longshore sediment transport rates are associated with more energetic wave climates, but not necessarily with incident waves more oblique to the shoreline.

Impacts of sand extraction and deposition on the ecosystem recovery rate in the southern coastal zone of Portugal

<p>Artificial nourishment of sandy beaches using sediment from borrow areas located on the continental shelf is increasingly a recommended solution for reversing the erosion process that affects the coastal zone. However, the impact of sand extraction in the shelf and deposition on the beach on the benthic communities (structure and functioning) is still poorly known, contributing to the lack of information needed for the assessment of Descriptor 6 (Sea-floor integrity) of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD).</p><p>The aim of this work is to evaluate the morphological and ecosystem impacts of sand extraction at the inner shelf, as well as the consequent impacts of sand deposition at the nourished beaches. In this context, short-term and long-term monitoring activities based on a multidisciplinary approach were implemented at new and former borrow areas located in the southern Portugal (Algarve) inner continental shelf and adjacent beaches. These activities include multibeam bathymetric surveys complemented by surface sediment sampling, wave and current measurements, and a fluorescent tracer-marked sand experiment. Moreover, benthic macrofauna composition and structure are being studied at borrow areas (former and new) and at the nourished beaches. The acquired data allow a first assessment of the recovery rates regarding the sea-bottom morphology and benthic communities, and contribute to a better understanding of the involved processes.</p><p>The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support FCT through project UIDB/50019/2020 – IDL and ECOEXA project (MAR-01.04.02-FEAMP-0016)</p>

An Anecdotal Case Report of Chronic Lymphatic Leukemia with del(11q) Treated with Ibrutinib: Artificial Nourishment and Physical Activity Program

Chronic lymphatic leukemia (CLL) is the most frequent type of leukemia in western countries and when association with del(11q) is correlated with a worse prognosis. We reported the clinical case of an 80-year-old patient with CLL related to del(11q) and a BMI of 16.4 kg/m2, who presented a voluminous mass in abdominal cavity (23 × 14 × 4 cm) which occupied the whole of the mesentery and the retroperitoneal space, treated with ibrutinib, adequate nutrition, and a program of physical activity. He showed a great improvement under ibrutinib therapy and took to artificial nourishment and adequate muscle rehabilitation until he recovered his autonomy. In August 2018, a 5-days-a-week training program was started: Physical activity for at least 20 min consisting of a fast walk in the open air three times a week and a moderate physical activity in the remaining two days of at least 20 consecutive minutes (cycling at a regular pace, carrying light weights). The exercise program included also aerobic, upper and lower limb resistance training, chore stability and stretches. The physical condition further improved and remained excellent throughout the follow-up period. In December 2018, his clinical condition was quite normal; a CT showed a great decrease of all lymphoadenomegaly, and FISH test did not show del(11q). He continued to cultivate his land, while still being treated with ibrutinib. The combination of the right therapy, adequate nutrition, and muscle rehabilitation is the best solution to improve the clinical condition of old cachectic CLL del(11q) patient.

Material balance and ability of beach nourishment for the northern coast of Cai river mouth in Nha Trang bay

Nha Trang bay is considered one of the 29 most beautiful bays in the world. This is a coastal area with potential for tourism development with many beautiful clean beaches and dozens of large and small islands. In 2016, Nha Trang has attracted 5 million tourists including 1.2 million international tourists. Recently, while the development of tourism in the country tends to slow down, Nha Trang tourism in the period 2011–2016 increased by 19%/year on average. According to the statistics of Khanh Hoa province, Nha Trang tourism occupies 99% of the province. The number of hotels located in the immediate vicinity of Nha Trang’s central beach is 98% within 500 m from the coastline. In order to develop sustainable tourism, in addition to good management and protection of coastal and estuarine beach environments, more attention should be paid to the rehabilitation, expansion and development of the beach in the northern and southern areas to relieve pressure on the central beach and expand the investment potential and tourism development of Nha Trang city. According to survey data and the calculations based on a local project between Institute of Oceanography and Khanh Hoa province: "Identifying areas capable of rehabilitating and developing artificial beach and proposing solution for protection of natural beaches in Nha Trang Bay" (2014–2016), three beach nourishment scenarios have been simulated and evaluated, suggesting a number of potential areas for rehabilitation and artificial nourishment for the western coast of Nha Trang bay.

INFLUENCE OF DAMAGED GROINS ON NOURISHED SEASHORE

The system of timber palisade groins can be very helpful as a measure coexisting with artificial nourishment and increasing the lifetime of beach fills. To this end, good condition of groins and their permanent contact with land is necessary. On the basis of theoretical modelling and field surveys a conclusion has been formulated that coexistence of complete groins with artificial shore nourishment causes that about 30% less sediment is washed away from the nearshore zone than for beach fill without groins.

ARTIFICIAL NOURISHMENT AND SAND BY-PASSING IN THE AVEIRO INLET, PORTUGAL – NUMERICAL STUDIES

Artificial sand nourishment systems are a potential solution to mitigate erosion beach problems, having been applied in many cases around the world, especially in the U.S.A. and Australia. For the Aveiro inlet, the artificial sand by passing systems may be a good option, due to the availability of sediments accumulating at the north of the northern Aveiro inlet breakwater. A fixed artificial sand by-passing system can be proposed. However, fixed and continuous sand by-passing systems are the most expensive solutions. In order to reduce the economical aspect, periodic sand nourishment and semi-mobile systems are presented as an alternative. For those, different options of artificial nourishment can be proposed, depending on sediments volumes, location, distribution area, number of periodic operations, etc. Discussion about the results of the numerical simulations of shoreline evolution after different artificial nourishments scenarios at the southern part of the Aveiro inlet, in Portugal, is presented. Shoreline accretion/erosion rates, sediment transport volumes and profile sediment budgets have similar behaviors over time and along the coastal stretch, for all the tested scenarios. Generally, important coastal erosion can be mitigated with artificial nourishments and numerical modeling can help to improve the nourishments performance. For this open sandy coast, the sand nourishment simulations show better results near the deposit location for a period of time lower than 20 years. After that period, the nourishment effect is smaller. The southern profiles start benefiting with the nourishment after ten or more years.

Alimentazione e idratazione artificiale come problema di giustizia

Il testo affronta gli aspetti bioetici dell’alimentazione e idratazione artificiale. Dopo aver analizzato la distinzione tra alimentazione e nutrizione, l’articolo si sofferma sulla questione dell’artificialità indagando l’appropriatezza del termine. Si mostra inoltre come, in ogni caso, l’artificialità non costituisca in sé, un problema bioetico. Attraverso l’analisi di alcuni documenti ufficiali (parere del CNB, Linee guida della Siaarti) vengono poi affrontati i nodi teorici su cui si centra il dibattito cercando di chiarire se si tratti o no di una terapia, la possibilità che si presenti come un accanimento terapeutico e quali siano i criteri utilizzati per definirlo. Il testo argomenta, inoltre, come la rinuncia all’identificazione di criteri oggettivi per identificare quando si diano situazioni di accanimento terapeutico porti a gravi discriminazioni tra gli esseri umani. In particolare, ci si sofferma sulla condizione di coloro che si trovano in stato vegetativo; sempre attraverso l’analisi dei documenti si mostra come, a partire dallo SV, si stia eliminando proprio il parametro oggettivo della proporzionalità a favore di criteri soggettivi che, progressivamente, aprono ad un abbandono terapeutico ed assistenziale anche di molte persone con patologie neurodegenerative o psicologiche. L’articolo si conclude mostrando come, dietro l’apparente privatezza di alcune decisioni, si celi invece una profonda questione di giustizia messa alla prova proprio dalle situazioni di disabilità più estrema. ---------- The paper examines the bioethical aspects related to artificial nourishment and hydration. As a first step, a clear distinction between nutrition and feeding is presented. Following this distinction, the article analyses the notion of artificiality and evaluates its appropriateness. The enquiry clarifies also that “artificiality” per se does not constitute a bioethical problem. Through the examination of official documents (opinion of Italian National Bioethics Committee, Siaarti guidelines), the paper analyses the theoretical nodes which the debate is focused on; it clarifies whether artificial nourishment and hydration is a therapy or not; it investigates the possibility that it can constitute overtreatment and if so, what criteria should be used in order to define it. The article argues that dispensing with objective criteria for the identification of over-treatment leads to severe discrimination. Particularly, the analysis focuses on vegetative state condition. By reference to the documents it becomes clear that vegetative state condition represents the paradigm through which the abandonment of objective criteria such as that of proportionality in favour of subjective ones is introduced. This opens the way to a therapeutic and care abandonment of patients with psychological and neurodegenerative pathologies. The conclusion makes clear that a relevant question of justice hides behind the apparent privacy of some decisions, which is put to the test precisely by conditions of extreme disability.