A non-linear quasi-3D model with Flux-Corrected-Transport for engine gas-exchange modelling

Modelling has proven to be an important tool in the design of manifolds and silencers for internal combustion engines. Although simple 1D models are generally sufficiently precise in the case of manifold models, they would usually fail to predict the high frequency behaviour of modern compact manifold designs and, of course, of a complex-shaped silencing system. Complete 3D models are able to account for transversal modes and other non-1D phenomena, but at a high computational cost. A suitable alternative is provided by time-domain non-linear quasi-3D models, whose computational cost is relatively low but still providing an accurate description of the high frequency behaviour of certain elements. In this paper, a quasi-3D model which makes use of a non-linear second order time and space discretization based on finite volumes is presented. As an alternative for avoiding overshoots at discontinuities, a Flux-Corrected Transport technique has been adapted to the quasi-3D method in order to achieve convergence and avoid numerical dispersion. It is shown that the combination of dissipation via damping together with the phoenical form of the anti-diffusion term provides satisfactory resultsTorregrosa, AJ.; Broatch Jacobi, JA.; Arnau Martínez, FJ.; Hernández-Marco, M. (2016). A non-linear quasi-3D model with Flux-Corrected-Transport for engine gas-exchange modelling. Journal of Computational and Applied Mathematics. 291:103-111. doi:10.1016/j.cam.2015.03.034S10311129

The MGuard coronary stent: safety, efficacy, and clinical utility

Atheromatous and thrombotic embolization during percutaneous coronary revascularization is a feared complication that may cause impaired myocardial reperfusion even with a patent epicardial vessel. The MGuard stent is a cobalt chromium bare metal stent with a porous net attached to its outer surface that has been designed to prevent thrombus fragmentation and distal embolization during stent implantation. This review summarizes the available evidence supporting the use of the MGuard stent in different scenarios such as lesions with high thrombus burden, saphenous vein graft interventions, coronary perforations, or carotid lesion

APRIL: A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, Phase Ib/IIa clinical study of ApTOLL for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke

Inflammation; Neuroprotection; StrokeInflamació; Neuroprotecció; IctusInflamación; Neuroprotección; IctusIn the reperfusion era, a new paradigm of treating patients with endovascular treatment (EVT) and neuroprotective drugs is emerging as a promising therapeutic option for patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). In this context, ApTOLL, a Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) antagonist with proven neuroprotective effect in preclinical models of stroke and a very good pharmacokinetic and safety profile in healthy volunteers, is a promising first-in-class aptamer with the potential to address this huge unmet need. This protocol establishes the clinical trial procedures to conduct a Phase Ib/IIa clinical study (APRIL) to assess ApTOLL tolerability, safety, pharmacokinetics, and biological effect in patients with AIS who are eligible for EVT. This will be a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, Phase Ib/IIa clinical study to evaluate the administration of ApTOLL together with EVT in patients with AIS. The study population will be composed of men and non-pregnant women with confirmed AIS with a <6h window from symptoms onset to ApTOLL/placebo administration. The trial is currently being conducted and is divided into two parts: Phase Ib and Phase IIa. In Phase Ib, 32 patients will be allocated to four dose ascending levels to select, based on safety criteria, the best two doses to be administered in the following Phase IIa in which 119 patients will be randomized to three arms of treatment (dose A, dose B, and placebo).The study is supported by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (RTC-2017-6651-1 and RTC2019-006795-1). The funder was not involved in the study design, collection, analysis, interpretation of data, the writing of this article or the decision to submit it for publication

IDENTIFICAÇÃO DOS CÃES ATENDIDOS NAS DISCIPLINAS CLÍNICA MÉDICA DE PEQUENOS ANIMAIS I E II NO PERÍODO DE AGOSTO A DEZEMBRO DE 2022

A área de Clínica Médica de pequenos animais tem despertado interesse de grande parte dos discentes dos cursos de Medicina Veterinária. O mercado pet, incluindo setor de serviços, cresce anualmente, oportunizando inserção no mundo do trabalho para os egressos. Porém, se faz necessária a atualização constante, visto que os tutores têm buscado e acessado serviços de assistência veterinária, preocupados com a saúde e bem-estar dos animais de estimação, os quais ganharam espaço no ambiente familiar. Para os discentes, participar da rotina das práticas, além de obrigatório enquanto parte do componente curricular, permite contato com animais de diversas localidades, com diferentes padrões ou perfis morfológicos e comportamentais, independentemente do motivo pelo qual acessou o serviço veterinário. Neste contexto, objetivou-se identificar os pacientes da espécie canina atendidos nas disciplinas Clínica Médica de Pequenos Animais I e II no segundo semestre letivo de 2022. Foram consultados os prontuários dos pacientes atendidos no Centro de Práticas Clínicas e Cirúrgicas do IFC - Campus Concórdia no período de agosto a dezembro de 2022, nas aulas das referidas disciplinas. Os dados coletados dos pacientes foram: sexo, raça, idade, peso e município de origem. Pacientes que fizeram retorno foram contabilizados uma única vez. Os atendimentos ocorreram três vezes na semana, totalizando 39 manhãs, sendo que no período foram atendidos 76 animais, 48 (63,2%) fêmeas e 28 (36,8%) machos. Quanto à raça, 29 (38,2%) eram cães sem raça definida e 47 (61,8%) de raças diversas (Lhasa Apso n=8, Poodle n=7, Shih-tzu n=6, Pit Bull n=4, Blue Heeler n=3, Chow-chow n=2, Husky Siberiano n =2, São Bernardo n=2, Pinscher n=2 Border Collie n=1 e Golden Retriever n=1). De acordo com a idade, 14 (18,4%) possuíam de 1 dia a 1 ano, 14 (18,4%) entre 2-4 anos, 22 (28,9%) entre 5-8 anos, 18 (23,7%) de 9-12 anos e 8 (10,5%) entre 13-16 anos. Em relação ao peso, 43 (57,3%) animais tinham entre 1-10 kg, 14 (18,7%) entre 11-21 kg, nove (12%) entre 22-32 kg e três (4,0%) cães apresentaram peso maior que 33 kg. Sete animais não tiveram seus pesos registrados. A maioria residia em Concórdia/SC (n=65), embora tenham sido atendidos ainda cães de outros municípios como Piratuba/SC (n=2), Seara/SC (n=2), Arabutã/SC (n=1), Capinzal/SC (n=1), Chapecó/SC (n=1), Ipira/SC (n=1), Itá/SC (n=1), Jaraguá do Sul/SC (n=1), Treze Tílias/SC (n=1) e Bento Gonçalves/RS (n=1). Portanto, os pacientes da espécie canina atendidos nas disciplinas Clínica Médica de Pequenos Animais I e II no segundo semestre letivo de 2022 são majoritariamente fêmeas, animais de raças diversas, na faixa etária de 5-8 anos, com peso entre 1-10 kg e do município de Concórdia/SC

RISCOS ASSOCIADOS À COLONIZAÇÃO POR CANDIDA NA CAVIDADE ORAL DE ESCOLARES DA REDE MUNICIPAL DE GOVERNADOR MANGABEIRA-BA

O objetivo geral do estudo foi conhecer fatores de risco associados à colonização por Candida na cavidade oral de escolares da rede municipal de Governador Mangabeira-BA. Foi realizada a coleta de uma amostra do raspado superficial do dorso da língua com o auxilio de swab em cada escolar sendo semeada a levedura em meio de cultura cromogênico. Foram estudadas 252 crianças, sendo que 81 (32,14%) apresentaram Candida. A espécie mais prevalente foi Candida albicans, sendo observada em 48 (59,25%) das crianças avaliadas. Os resultados demonstraram associação estatística entre a idade, hábitos de higiene bucal e alimentação rica em doces e frituras com colonização da mucosa bucal das crianças pela levedura. Há necessidade da conscientização dos pais para motivar seus filhos a ter uma alimentação saudável, realizar acompanhamento com profissional odontólogo anualmente visando favorecer a saúde bucal e a redução da ocorrência de lesões por Candida

The Vein Patterning 1 (VEP1) Gene Family Laterally Spread through an Ecological Network

Lateral gene transfer (LGT) is a major evolutionary mechanism in prokaryotes. Knowledge about LGT— particularly, multicellular— eukaryotes has only recently started to accumulate. A widespread assumption sees the gene as the unit of LGT, largely because little is yet known about how LGT chances are affected by structural/functional features at the subgenic level. Here we trace the evolutionary trajectory of VEin Patterning 1, a novel gene family known to be essential for plant development and defense. At the subgenic level VEP1 encodes a dinucleotide-binding Rossmann-fold domain, in common with members of the short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) protein family. We found: i) VEP1 likely originated in an aerobic, mesophilic and chemoorganotrophic α-proteobacterium, and was laterally propagated through nets of ecological interactions, including multiple LGTs between phylogenetically distant green plant/fungi-associated bacteria, and five independent LGTs to eukaryotes. Of these latest five transfers, three are ancient LGTs, implicating an ancestral fungus, the last common ancestor of land plants and an ancestral trebouxiophyte green alga, and two are recent LGTs to modern embryophytes. ii) VEP1's rampant LGT behavior was enabled by the robustness and broad utility of the dinucleotide-binding Rossmann-fold, which provided a platform for the evolution of two unprecedented departures from the canonical SDR catalytic triad. iii) The fate of VEP1 in eukaryotes has been different in different lineages, being ubiquitous and highly conserved in land plants, whereas fungi underwent multiple losses. And iv) VEP1-harboring bacteria include non-phytopathogenic and phytopathogenic symbionts which are non-randomly distributed with respect to the type of harbored VEP1 gene. Our findings suggest that VEP1 may have been instrumental for the evolutionary transition of green plants to land, and point to a LGT-mediated ‘Trojan Horse’ mechanism for the evolution of bacterial pathogenesis against plants. VEP1 may serve as tool for revealing microbial interactions in plant/fungi-associated environments

Verification of the age of the Palaeolithic cave art at Creswell Crags, UK

Engravings representing Britain's first apparently Pleistocene cave art were discovered in Church Hole and Robin Hood caves, Creswell Crags. Representations of a deer, highly stylised females or birds and vulvae were engraved into the bedrock, and in some cases had been covered with a thin layer of flowstone. In the absence of radiocarbon datable pigments, uranium-series disequilibrium dating was undertaken on these flowstones to provide minimum ages for the engravings. Here we show that the oldest motif was carved earlier than 12,800 years ago which is consistent with radiocarbon dates for the Late Upper Palaeolithic archaeology at Creswell Crags. Thus we demonstrate the authenticity of the engravings and show them to be the oldest known examples in Britain