Numerical Simulation of Incompressible Turbulent Flow using Linear Eddy Viscosity-based Turbulence Models

The present study focuses on the recent development of an implicit pressure-based finite volume algorithm for numerical solution of Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes equations (RANS) in an inertial frame of reference for the prediction of unsteady incompressible flow problems. The algorithm uses boundary-conforming, multiblock structured grid with moving boundaries, collocated variable arrangement with momentum equations resolved along cartesian directions, second-order accurate spatial and temporal discretisation schemes for the convective fluxes and a pressure-velocity solution strategy. Effect of turbulence was simulated using appropriate linear eddy viscosity-based turbulence models. The capabilities and limitations of the cost-effective unsteady Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) approach has been demonstrated for few application problems of engineering interest.Defence Science Journal, 2010, 60(6), pp.614-627, DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.14429/dsj.60.60

Magnetism in Dense Quark Matter

We review the mechanisms via which an external magnetic field can affect the ground state of cold and dense quark matter. In the absence of a magnetic field, at asymptotically high densities, cold quark matter is in the Color-Flavor-Locked (CFL) phase of color superconductivity characterized by three scales: the superconducting gap, the gluon Meissner mass, and the baryonic chemical potential. When an applied magnetic field becomes comparable with each of these scales, new phases and/or condensates may emerge. They include the magnetic CFL (MCFL) phase that becomes relevant for fields of the order of the gap scale; the paramagnetic CFL, important when the field is of the order of the Meissner mass, and a spin-one condensate associated to the magnetic moment of the Cooper pairs, significant at fields of the order of the chemical potential. We discuss the equation of state (EoS) of MCFL matter for a large range of field values and consider possible applications of the magnetic effects on dense quark matter to the astrophysics of compact stars.Comment: To appear in Lect. Notes Phys. "Strongly interacting matter in magnetic fields" (Springer), edited by D. Kharzeev, K. Landsteiner, A. Schmitt, H.-U. Ye

GRB 010222: A burst within a starburst

We present millimeter- and submillimeter-wavelength observations and near-infrared K-band imaging toward the bright gamma-ray burst GRB 010222. Over seven different epochs, a constant source was detected with an average flux density of 3.74 ± 0.53 mJy at 350 GHz and 1.05 ± 0.22 mJy at 250 GHz, giving a spectral index α = 3.78 ± 0.25 (where F ∝ vα). We rule out the possibility that this emission originated from the burst or its afterglow, and we conclude that it is due to a dusty, high-redshift starburst galaxy (SMM J14522 + 4301). We argue that the host galaxy of GRB 010222 is the most plausible counterpart of SMM J14522+4301, based in part on the centimeter detection of the host at the expected level. The optical/near-IR properties of the host galaxy of GRB 010222 suggest that it is a blue sub-L* galaxy, similar to other GRB host galaxies. This contrasts with the enormous far-infrared luminosity of this galaxy based on our submillimeter detection (LBol ≈ 4 × 10 12 L⊙). We suggest that this GRB host galaxy has a very high star formation rate, SFR ≈ 600 M⊙ yr -1, most of which is unseen at optical wavelengths

Emprego do cell block de agarose como método complementar no diagnóstico citológico de tumores mamários caninos

Os tumores mamários são neoplasias comuns em diversas espécies, sendo os processos oncológicos de maior incidência em cães. A elevada frequência e agressividade desses processos justificam a busca de métodos diagnósticos e prognósticos rápidos, de custo reduzido e menor invasividade, visando a uma abordagem cirúrgica e terapêutica adequada. O presente estudo avaliou a adequação da utilização da técnica de cell block de agarose como método diagnóstico complementar aos esfregaços tradicionais no diagnóstico desses processos. Para tanto, foram obtidas 51 amostras citológicas de tumores mamários de 30 cadelas que passaram por excisão tumoral no HOVET-UMESP, comparando-se os resultados obtidos a partir dos esfregaços, de cell blocks, e de sua associação (esfregaços cell blocks-1) com o diagnóstico histopatológico. Os melhores resultados foram obtidos mediante a associação dos métodos, reduzindo os resultados falso-negativos e elevando a correlação cito-histológica, reforçando a importância da citologia na rotina oncológica veterinária.The breast tumors are common neoplasms in several species, with high incidence in dogs. The high frequency and aggressiveness of these cases justifies the search for rapid, low cost and less invasive diagnostic methods, seeking for surgical approach and appropriate therapy. This study evaluated the appropriateness of the use of the agarose cell block technique as a diagnostic tool to complement traditional smears in the diagnosis of these processes. Therefore, it was obtained 51 samples from 30 dogs with breast tumors that underwent tumoral excision at the HOVET-UMESP, comparing the results obtained from smears, cell blocks, alone and in association (smears cell blocks-1), with the histopathologic diagnosis. The best results were obtained with the association of smears and cell block analysis, reducing the false negative results and increasing the cyto-histological correlation, reinforcing the importance of the use of cytology in routine veterinary oncology.Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ) Departamento de Patologia Investigativa e Comparada VeterináriaUniversidade Metodista de São Paulo (UMESP) Faculdade da Saúde Curso de Medicina VeterináriaUniversidade Paulista (UNIP) Programa de Pós-graduação em Patologia Ambiental e ExperimentalUniversidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ) Departamento de Patologia Investigativa e Comparada Veterinári

Global, regional, and national life expectancy, all-cause mortality, and cause-specific mortality for 249 causes of death, 1980–2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015

Background Improving survival and extending the longevity of life for all populations requires timely, robust evidence on local mortality levels and trends. The Global Burden of Disease 2015 Study (GBD 2015) provides a comprehensive assessment of all-cause and cause-specific mortality for 249 causes in 195 countries and territories from 1980 to 2015. These results informed an in-depth investigation of observed and expected mortality patterns based on sociodemographic measures. Methods We estimated all-cause mortality by age, sex, geography, and year using an improved analytical approach originally developed for GBD 2013 and GBD 2010. Improvements included refinements to the estimation of child and adult mortality and corresponding uncertainty, parameter selection for under-5 mortality synthesis by spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression, and sibling history data processing. We also expanded the database of vital registration, survey, and census data to 14 294 geography–year datapoints. For GBD 2015, eight causes, including Ebola virus disease, were added to the previous GBD cause list for mortality. We used six modelling approaches to assess cause-specific mortality, with the Cause of Death Ensemble Model (CODEm) generating estimates for most causes. We used a series of novel analyses to systematically quantify the drivers of trends in mortality across geographies. First, we assessed observed and expected levels and trends of cause-specific mortality as they relate to the Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a summary indicator derived from measures of income per capita, educational attainment, and fertility. Second, we examined factors affecting total mortality patterns through a series of counterfactual scenarios, testing the magnitude by which population growth, population age structures, and epidemiological changes contributed to shifts in mortality. Finally, we attributed changes in life expectancy to changes in cause of death. We documented each step of the GBD 2015 estimation processes, as well as data sources, in accordance with Guidelines for Accurate and Transparent Health Estimates Reporting (GATHER). Findings Globally, life expectancy from birth increased from 61·7 years (95% uncertainty interval 61·4–61·9) in 1980 to 71·8 years (71·5–72·2) in 2015. Several countries in sub-Saharan Africa had very large gains in life expectancy from 2005 to 2015, rebounding from an era of exceedingly high loss of life due to HIV/AIDS. At the same time, many geographies saw life expectancy stagnate or decline, particularly for men and in countries with rising mortality from war or interpersonal violence. From 2005 to 2015, male life expectancy in Syria dropped by 11·3 years (3·7–17·4), to 62·6 years (56·5–70·2). Total deaths increased by 4·1% (2·6–5·6) from 2005 to 2015, rising to 55·8 million (54·9 million to 56·6 million) in 2015, but age-standardised death rates fell by 17·0% (15·8–18·1) during this time, underscoring changes in population growth and shifts in global age structures. The result was similar for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), with total deaths from these causes increasing by 14·1% (12·6–16·0) to 39·8 million (39·2 million to 40·5 million) in 2015, whereas age-standardised rates decreased by 13·1% (11·9–14·3). Globally, this mortality pattern emerged for several NCDs, including several types of cancer, ischaemic heart disease, cirrhosis, and Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. By contrast, both total deaths and age-standardised death rates due to communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional conditions significantly declined from 2005 to 2015, gains largely attributable to decreases in mortality rates due to HIV/AIDS (42·1%, 39·1–44·6), malaria (43·1%, 34·7–51·8), neonatal preterm birth complications (29·8%, 24·8–34·9), and maternal disorders (29·1%, 19·3–37·1). Progress was slower for several causes, such as lower respiratory infections and nutritional deficiencies, whereas deaths increased for others, including dengue and drug use disorders. Age-standardised death rates due to injuries significantly declined from 2005 to 2015, yet interpersonal violence and war claimed increasingly more lives in some regions, particularly in the Middle East. In 2015, rotaviral enteritis (rotavirus) was the leading cause of under-5 deaths due to diarrhoea (146 000 deaths, 118 000–183 000) and pneumococcal pneumonia was the leading cause of under-5 deaths due to lower respiratory infections (393 000 deaths, 228 000–532 000), although pathogen-specific mortality varied by region. Globally, the effects of population growth, ageing, and changes in age-standardised death rates substantially differed by cause. Our analyses on the expected associations between cause-specific mortality and SDI show the regular shifts in cause of death composition and population age structure with rising SDI. Country patterns of premature mortality (measured as years of life lost [YLLs]) and how they differ from the level expected on the basis of SDI alone revealed distinct but highly heterogeneous patterns by region and country or territory. Ischaemic heart disease, stroke, and diabetes were among the leading causes of YLLs in most regions, but in many cases, intraregional results sharply diverged for ratios of observed and expected YLLs based on SDI. Communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional diseases caused the most YLLs throughout sub-Saharan Africa, with observed YLLs far exceeding expected YLLs for countries in which malaria or HIV/AIDS remained the leading causes of early death. Interpretation At the global scale, age-specific mortality has steadily improved over the past 35 years; this pattern of general progress continued in the past decade. Progress has been faster in most countries than expected on the basis of development measured by the SDI. Against this background of progress, some countries have seen falls in life expectancy, and age-standardised death rates for some causes are increasing. Despite progress in reducing age-standardised death rates, population growth and ageing mean that the number of deaths from most non-communicable causes are increasing in most countries, putting increased demands on health systems. Funding Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Large expert-curated database for benchmarking document similarity detection in biomedical literature search

Document recommendation systems for locating relevant literature have mostly relied on methods developed a decade ago. This is largely due to the lack of a large offline gold-standard benchmark of relevant documents that cover a variety of research fields such that newly developed literature search techniques can be compared, improved and translated into practice. To overcome this bottleneck, we have established the RElevant LIterature SearcH consortium consisting of more than 1500 scientists from 84 countries, who have collectively annotated the relevance of over 180 000 PubMed-listed articles with regard to their respective seed (input) article/s. The majority of annotations were contributed by highly experienced, original authors of the seed articles. The collected data cover 76% of all unique PubMed Medical Subject Headings descriptors. No systematic biases were observed across different experience levels, research fields or time spent on annotations. More importantly, annotations of the same document pairs contributed by different scientists were highly concordant. We further show that the three representative baseline methods used to generate recommended articles for evaluation (Okapi Best Matching 25, Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency and PubMed Related Articles) had similar overall performances. Additionally, we found that these methods each tend to produce distinct collections of recommended articles, suggesting that a hybrid method may be required to completely capture all relevant articles. The established database server located at https://relishdb.ict.griffith.edu.au is freely available for the downloading of annotation data and the blind testing of new methods. We expect that this benchmark will be useful for stimulating the development of new powerful techniques for title and title/abstract-based search engines for relevant articles in biomedical research.Peer reviewe

Cianoacrilato na colagem de Bráquetes ortodônticos em resina acrílica: há maior adesão?

Pacientes em tratamento ortodôntico apresentam restaurações provisórias com frequência. No entanto, poucos estudos avaliam a influência dos adesivos na resistência ao cisalhamento dos bráquetes nessas superfícies. A resina acrílica é comumente indicada para colagem de bráquetes, porém o uso do cianoacrilato como adesivo ortodôntico é uma opção analisada. O objetivo do presente trabalho foi avaliar o desempenho do cianoacrilato associado aos materiais comumente utilizados para a fixação de bráquetes metálicos em restaurações provisórias de resina acrílica. Quarenta amostras em resina acrílica foram preparadas e as superfícies homogeinizadas com lixas de carboneto de silício (320 e 600). Em seguida, as amostras foram divididas aleatoriamente em quatro grupos (n=10) com base no tratamento de superfície e agente de união: G1 - bráquetes colados com resina acrílica; G2 - bráquetes colados com resina acrílica e aplicação de cianoacrilato; G3 - bráquetes colados com Transbond(tm) XT; G4 - bráquetes colados com Transbond(tm) XT e aplicação de cianoacrilato. Foram utilizados bráquetes ortodônticos de aço inoxidável, prescrição Roth, Kirium (3M/Abzil) para incisivos centrais superiores direitos, slot 022. Após colagem, as amostras foram submetidas ao teste de cisalhamento a uma velocidade de 0,5mm/min em uma máquina de ensaios universal (EMIC DL-1000). Os dados foram coletados e submetidos à análise estatística pelo teste ANOVA com nível de significância de 5%. A associação de resina acrílica ao cianoacrilato (G2) resultou na maior resistência ao cisalhamento (13,76 MPa), mas não significativa em comparação aos valores obtidos para a resina acrílica (G1= 7,76 MPa). O mesmo pôde ser observado para a associação Transbond(tm) XT e cianoacrilato (G4= 4,03 MPa) em relação a utilização da Transbond(tm) XT de forma isolada (G3= 3,87 MPa) e resina acrílica. O tratamento de superfície tem efeito significativo na resistência da união dos bráquetes colados aos materiais provisórios. A associação de cianoacrilato ao monômero de metilmetacrilato apresentou maior resistência ao cisalhamento, sendo mais indicada clinicamente

Mapping variants in thyroid hormone transporter MCT8 to disease severity by genomic, phenotypic, functional, structural and deep learning integration

Predicting and quantifying phenotypic consequences of genetic variants in rare disorders is a major challenge, particularly pertinent for ‘actionable’ genes such as thyroid hormone transporter MCT8 (encoded by the X-linked SLC16A2 gene), where loss-of-function (LoF) variants cause a rare neurodevelopmental and (treatable) metabolic disorder in males. The combination of deep phenotyping data with functional and computational tests and with outcomes in population cohorts, enabled us to: (i) identify the genetic aetiology of divergent clinical phenotypes of MCT8 deficiency with genotype-phenotype relationships present across survival and 24 out of 32 disease features; (ii) demonstrate a mild phenocopy in ~400,000 individuals with common genetic variants in MCT8; (iii) assess therapeutic effectiveness, which did not differ among LoF-categories; (iv) advance structural insights in normal and mutated MCT8 by delineating seven critical functional domains; (v) create a pathogenicity-severity MCT8 variant classifier that accurately predicted pathogenicity (AUC:0.91) and severity (AUC:0.86) for 8151 variants. Our information-dense mapping provides a generalizable approach to advance multiple dimensions of rare genetic disorders

Global, regional, and national burden of household air pollution, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Background Despite a substantial reduction in the use of solid fuels for cooking worldwide, exposure to household air pollution (HAP) remains a leading global risk factor, contributing considerably to the burden of disease. We present a comprehensive analysis of spatial patterns and temporal trends in exposure and attributable disease from 1990 to 2021, featuring substantial methodological updates compared with previous iterations of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study, including improved exposure estimations accounting for specific fuel types. Methods We estimated HAP exposure and trends and attributable burden for cataract, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, ischaemic heart disease, lower respiratory infections, tracheal cancer, bronchus cancer, lung cancer, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and causes mediated via adverse reproductive outcomes for 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2021. We first estimated the mean fuel type-specific concentrations (in μg/m3) of fine particulate matter (PM2·5) pollution to which individuals using solid fuels for cooking were exposed, categorised by fuel type, location, year, age, and sex. Using a systematic review of the epidemiological literature and a newly developed meta-regression tool (meta-regression: Bayesian, regularised, trimmed), we derived disease-specific, non-parametric exposure–response curves to estimate relative risk as a function of PM2·5 concentration. We combined our exposure estimates and relative risks to estimate population attributable fractions and attributable burden for each cause by sex, age, location, and year. Findings In 2021, 2·67 billion (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 2·63–2·71) people, 33·8% (95% UI 33·2–34·3) of the global population, were exposed to HAP from all sources at a mean concentration of 84·2 μg/m3. Although these figures show a notable reduction in the percentage of the global population exposed in 1990 (56·7%, 56·4–57·1), in absolute terms, there has been only a decline of 0·35 billion (10%) from the 3·02 billion people exposed to HAP in 1990. In 2021, 111 million (95% UI 75·1–164) global disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) were attributable to HAP, accounting for 3·9% (95% UI 2·6–5·7) of all DALYs. The rate of global, HAP-attributable DALYs in 2021 was 1500·3 (95% UI 1028·4–2195·6) age-standardised DALYs per 100 000 population, a decline of 63·8% since 1990, when HAP-attributable DALYs comprised 4147·7 (3101·4–5104·6) age-standardised DALYs per 100 000 population. HAP-attributable burden remained highest in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia, with 4044·1 (3103·4–5219·7) and 3213·5 (2165·4–4409·4) age-standardised DALYs per 100 000 population, respectively. The rate of HAP-attributable DALYs was higher for males (1530·5, 1023·4–2263·6) than for females (1318·5, 866·1–1977·2). Approximately one-third of the HAP-attributable burden (518·1, 410·1–641·7) was mediated via short gestation and low birthweight. Decomposition of trends and drivers behind changes in the HAP-attributable burden highlighted that declines in exposures were counteracted by population growth in most regions of the world, especially sub-Saharan Africa. Interpretation Although the burden attributable to HAP has decreased considerably, HAP remains a substantial risk factor, especially in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia. Our comprehensive estimates of HAP exposure and attributable burden offer a robust and reliable resource for health policy makers and practitioners to precisely target and tailor health interventions. Given the persistent and substantial impact of HAP in many regions and countries, it is imperative to accelerate efforts to transition under-resourced communities to cleaner household energy sources. Such initiatives are crucial for mitigating health risks and promoting sustainable development, ultimately improving the quality of life and health outcomes for millions of people. Funding Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Global, regional, and national burden of stroke and its risk factors, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Background: Up-to-date estimates of stroke burden and attributable risks and their trends at global, regional, and national levels are essential for evidence-based health care, prevention, and resource allocation planning. We aimed to provide such estimates for the period 1990–2021. Methods: We estimated incidence, prevalence, death, and disability-adjusted life-year (DALY) counts and age-standardised rates per 100 000 people per year for overall stroke, ischaemic stroke, intracerebral haemorrhage, and subarachnoid haemorrhage, for 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2021. We also calculated burden of stroke attributable to 23 risk factors and six risk clusters (air pollution, tobacco smoking, behavioural, dietary, environmental, and metabolic risks) at the global and regional levels (21 GBD regions and Socio-demographic Index [SDI] quintiles), using the standard GBD methodology. 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs) for each individual future estimate were derived from the 2·5th and 97·5th percentiles of distributions generated from propagating 500 draws through the multistage computational pipeline. Findings: In 2021, stroke was the third most common GBD level 3 cause of death (7·3 million [95% UI 6·6–7·8] deaths; 10·7% [9·8–11·3] of all deaths) after ischaemic heart disease and COVID-19, and the fourth most common cause of DALYs (160·5 million [147·8–171·6] DALYs; 5·6% [5·0–6·1] of all DALYs). In 2021, there were 93·8 million (89·0–99·3) prevalent and 11·9 million (10·7–13·2) incident strokes. We found disparities in stroke burden and risk factors by GBD region, country or territory, and SDI, as well as a stagnation in the reduction of incidence from 2015 onwards, and even some increases in the stroke incidence, death, prevalence, and DALY rates in southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania, countries with lower SDI, and people younger than 70 years. Globally, ischaemic stroke constituted 65·3% (62·4–67·7), intracerebral haemorrhage constituted 28·8% (28·3–28·8), and subarachnoid haemorrhage constituted 5·8% (5·7–6·0) of incident strokes. There were substantial increases in DALYs attributable to high BMI (88·2% [53·4–117·7]), high ambient temperature (72·4% [51·1 to 179·5]), high fasting plasma glucose (32·1% [26·7–38·1]), diet high in sugar-sweetened beverages (23·4% [12·7–35·7]), low physical activity (11·3% [1·8–34·9]), high systolic blood pressure (6·7% [2·5–11·6]), lead exposure (6·5% [4·5–11·2]), and diet low in omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (5·3% [0·5–10·5]). Interpretation: Stroke burden has increased from 1990 to 2021, and the contribution of several risk factors has also increased. Effective, accessible, and affordable measures to improve stroke surveillance, prevention (with the emphasis on blood pressure, lifestyle, and environmental factors), acute care, and rehabilitation need to be urgently implemented across all countries to reduce stroke burden. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation