Impact of dams and climate change on suspended sediment flux to the Mekong delta.

The livelihoods of millions of people living in the world's deltas are deeply interconnected with the sediment dynamics of these deltas. In particular a sustainable supply of fluvial sediments from upstream is critical for ensuring the fertility of delta soils and for promoting sediment deposition that can offset rising sea levels. Yet, in many large river catchments this supply of sediment is being threatened by the planned construction of large dams.

Water quality modelling of the Mekong River basin: Climate change and socioeconomics drive flow and nutrient flux changes to the Mekong Delta.

The Mekong delta is recognised as one of the world's most vulnerable mega-deltas, being subject to a range of environmental pressures including sea level rise, increasing population, and changes in flows and nutrients from its upland catchment. With changing climate and socioeconomics there is a need to assess how the Mekong catchment will be affected in terms of the delivery of water and nutrients into the delta system. Here we apply the Integrated Catchment model (INCA) to the whole Mekong River Basin to simulate flow and water quality, including nitrate, ammonia, total phosphorus and soluble reactive phosphorus.

[Instruments for gasless laparoscopic surgery].

Specially designed instruments for laparoscopic surgery with a pneumoperitoneum are expensive and delicate, and surgeons are initially not familiar with their handling. Beside restrictions of the surgeon's intraabdominal range of motion they lead to a loss of tactile sensation. In gasless laparoscopic procedures not only special laparoscopic instruments, but the standard conventional instruments, used in open surgery, can also be employed with simple valveless trocars.