Scalability of an Unstructured Grid Continuous Galerkin Based Hurricane Storm Surge Model

This paper evaluates the parallel performance and scalability of an unstructured grid Shallow Water Equation (SWE) hurricane storm surge model. We use the ADCIRC model, which is based on the generalized wave continuity equation continuous Galerkin method, within a parallel computational framework based on domain decomposition and the MPI (Message Passing Interface) library. We measure the performance of the model run implicitly and explicitly on various grids. We analyze the performance as well as accurracy with various spatial and temporal discretizations. We improve the output writing performance by introducing sets of dedicated writer cores. Performance is measured on the Texas Advanced Computing Center Ranger machine. A high resolution 9,314,706 finite element node grid with 1s time steps can complete a day of real time hurricane storm surge simulation in less than 20 min of computer wall clock time, using 16,384 cores with sets of dedicated writer cores

Research Opportunities in Supply Chain Transparency

More firms than ever before are disclosing provenance of their products, results of product testing, and suppliers’ labor-practice compliance with western norms in annual reports, sustainability reports, and press releases, besides making it available on third-party websites. The problem remains however that companies find collecting and disclosing such information not only to be costly and complicated, but also do not understand the benefits. To motivate further research on supply chain transparency, we first report recent examples of companies providing supply chain transparency. We also present potential benefits of supply chain visibility and supply chain transparency separately for the company. While terminology has not yet been standardized, this paper distinguishes visibility – managers’ efforts to learn more about operations upstream in their supply chains – from supply chain transparency, by which we mean a company disclosing information to consumers, investors, and other stakeholders about compliance to consumerexpected norms in its supply chain operations and products. Finally, we propose some topics for research on supply chain transparency arranged by stakeholder

Epithelial-immune cell interplay in primary Sjogren syndrome salivary gland pathogenesis

In primary Sjogren syndrome (pSS), the function of the salivary glands is often considerably reduced. Multiple innate immune pathways are likely dysregulated in the salivary gland epithelium in pSS, including the nuclear factor-kappa B pathway, the inflammasome and interferon signalling. The ductal cells of the salivary gland in pSS are characteristically surrounded by a CD4(+) T cell-rich and B cell-rich infiltrate, implying a degree of communication between epithelial cells and immune cells. B cell infiltrates within the ducts can initiate the development of lymphoepithelial lesions, including basal ductal cell hyperplasia. Vice versa, the epithelium provides chronic activation signals to the glandular B cell fraction. This continuous stimulation might ultimately drive the development of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma. This Review discusses changes in the cells of the salivary gland epithelium in pSS (including acinar, ductal and progenitor cells), and the proposed interplay of these cells with environmental stimuli and the immune system. Current therapeutic options are insufficient to address both lymphocytic infiltration and salivary gland dysfunction. Successful rescue of salivary gland function in pSS will probably demand a multimodal therapeutic approach and an appreciation of the complicity of the salivary gland epithelium in the development of pSS. Salivary gland dysfunction is an important characteristic of primary Sjogren syndrome (pSS). In this Review, the authors discuss various epithelial abnormalities in pSS and the mechanisms by which epithelial cell-immune cell interactions contribute to disease development and progression

Encounters and medication use for ocular surface disorders among patients treated with dupilumab: A cohort studyCapsule Summary

Background: Although dupilumab has been associated with the development of conjunctivitis, little is known about other ocular surface disorders such as dry eye and how these side effects are managed. Objective: To evaluate the incidence and management of ocular surface disorders, including dry eye and conjunctivitis, among patients treated with dupilumab. Methods: Using US claims data, we evaluated the incidence of encounters for ocular surface disorders among patients treated with dupilumab. Secondary outcomes included ophthalmic medication use. A propensity score matched, active-comparator, new-user cohort design was used to compare the incidence of ocular surface disorders between those starting dupilumab versus methotrexate. Results: Among those with a history of atopic dermatitis, encounters for ocular surface disorders were more common in the 6 months after starting dupilumab than in the 6 months prior (11.7% versus 8.7%, P < .001); 59.7% of those with a new ocular surface disorder diagnosis filled a prescription for an ophthalmic medication. The incidence of ocular surface disorders was higher among those treated with dupilumab than that in those treated with methotrexate (odds ratio 1.64; 95% confidence interval 1.17-2.30). Limitations: Observational design. Conclusions: Dupilumab use for atopic dermatitis was associated with an increased risk of ocular surface disorders. Most patients who developed an ocular surface disorder received a prescription for an ophthalmic medication

Correlation of Measures From the OCULUS Keratograph and Clinical Assessments of Dry Eye Disease in the Dry Eye Assessment and Management Study.

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to compare objective, noninvasive assessments of tear function using the OCULUS Keratograph with the corresponding clinical assessments [tear break-up time (TBUT), Schirmer test, and bulbar erythema] among patients with moderate-to-severe dry eye disease.MethodsParticipants in the Dry Eye Assessment and Management study at centers having an OCULUS Keratograph were assessed using standardized procedures. Associations between the assessments from the Keratograph [noninvasive keratograph break-up time (NIKBUT), tear meniscus height (TMH), and bulbar redness (BR)] and clinical examination (TBUT, Schirmer test, and bulbar erythema) and between these test results and Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) scores were summarized with Spearman correlation coefficients (r s ); 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) accounted for intereye correlation.ResultsAmong 288 patients (576 eyes), the mean (standard deviation) age was 56.6 (13.8) years, 78.1% were female, and the mean baseline OSDI score was 44.3 (14.0). The mean was 2.9 (1.5) seconds for TBUT and 8.2 (5.7) seconds for NIKBUT (their correlation r s = 0.18, 95% CI = 0.09-0.28). The mean was 10.6 (7.6) mm for the Schirmer test and 0.3 (0.2) mm for TMH (r s = 0.15, 95% CI = 0.04-0.25). The median clinical grade redness was mild, and the mean BR score was 1.1 (0.5) (r s = 0.25, 95% CI = 0.15-0.35). Correlation between results of each of the 6 tests and OSDI scores was low (r s from -0.07 to 0.05).ConclusionsIn the Dry Eye Assessment and Management study, NIKBUT, TMH, and BR were weakly correlated with their clinical counterparts. No measurements were correlated with the OSDI score