194 research outputs found
Computation of reactive thermosolutal micropolar nanofluid Sakiadis convection flow with gold/silver metallic nanoparticles
In the present study, a mathematical model is developed by combining the Tiwari-Das nanofluidformulation with the Eringen micro-morphic model to simulate the thermo-solutal natural convection chemicallyreacting micropolar nanofluid flow from a permeable stretching surface with non-uniform heat source/sink effects.The transformed ordinary differential equation boundary value problem features linear momentum, angularmomentum, energy and species conservation boundary layer equations with appropriate boundary conditions.This ninth order nonlinear system is solved with Runge-Kutta 45 Fehlberg method (Maple dsolve routine).Several nanoparticles i.e., gold, and silver with aqueous base fluid are studied. The influence of the effect of theemerging parameters on the velocity, angular velocity, temperature, nanoparticle concentration, skin friction,couple stress, Nusselt number and Sherwood number distributions are visualized and tabulated. It is observed thatIncreasing volume fraction decreases velocity whereas it elevates microrotation, temperature and nanoparticleconcentration. Nanoparticle concentrations are elevated for stronger destructive chemical reaction effect whereasthey are suppressed with constructive chemical reaction. With greater micropolar boundary condition parameter,the velocity is elevated, microrotation but reduces temperature and thermal boundary layer thickness. Increasingnanoparticle volume fraction enhances both skin friction and couple stress but marginally reduces the Nusseltnumber. Finally, Au-water micropolar nanofluids achieve the highest skin friction and couple stress magnitudes,then Ag-water and finally Cu-water. Validation of solutions with earlier non-reactive studies in the absence ofnanoparticle mass transfer are included
Numerical study of magnetohydrodynamic natural convection in a non-Darcian porous enclosure filled with electrically conducting helium gas
A theoretical and computational study of MHD natural convection in an isotropic non-Darcian porous medium saturated with electrically conducting helium gas in an enclosure in the presence of heat generation is presented. A Brinkman extended Darcy-Forchheimer model is employed and the working fluid is assumed to be incompressible. The model is non-dimensionalised and converted into pressure-velocity form. The Harlow-Welch marker and cell (MAC) finite difference technique is employed to solve the nonlinear boundary value problem via pressure-vorticity coupling. A parametric investigation of the influence of Grashof number (Gr), Hartmann magnetic number (Ha), Darcy number (Da), and the internal heat generation parameter () on streamline and isotherm distributions with Prandtl number (Pr) is
0.71 (Helium) is conducted. The variation in local Nusselt number along the left and right walls of the computational 2D enclosure is also studied. Validation house-computational numerical MATLAB code is tests are included. Local Nusselt number is elevated at both left and right walls with greater Darcy number (higher medium permeability) and Grashof number. However, with greater internal heat generation, local Nusselt number magnitudes are enhanced at the left (cold) wall only but suppressed at the right (hot) wall. Increasing magnetic field reduces local Nusselt number at both left and right walls. With increasing magnetic field, the single vortex is strongly distorted and skewed towards the top left and lower right corners of the enclosure. Temperature contours at the left and right wall are however less intense with greater magnetic field effect. The simulations are of relevance to hybrid electromagnetic gaseous fuel cells, magnetic field control of filtration processes and porous media materials processing systems
Homotopy simulation of dissipative micropolar flow and heat transfer from a two-dimensional body with heat sink effect : applications in polymer coating
Non-Newtonian flow from a wedge constitutes a fundamental problem in chemical engineering systems and is relevant
to processing of polymers, coating systems etc. Motivated by such applications, we employ the homotopy analysis
method (HAM) to obtain semi-analytical solutions for thermal convection boundary layer flow of incompressible
micropolar fluid from a two-dimensional body (wedge). Viscous dissipation and heat sink effects are included. The
non-dimensional boundary value problem emerges as a system of nonlinear coupled ordinary differential equations,
by virtue of suitable coordinate transformations. The so-called “Falkner-Skan” flow cases are elaborated. Validation
of the HAM solutions is achieved with earlier simpler models and also with a Nakamura finite difference method for
the general model. The micropolar model employed simulates certain polymeric solutions quite accurately and
features rotary motions of micro-elements. Primary and secondary shear stress, wall couple stress, Nusselt number,
micro-rotation velocity and temperature are computed for the effect of vortex viscosity parameter (micropolar
rheological), Eckert number (viscous dissipation), Falkner-Skan (pressure gradient) parameter, micro-inertia density
and heat sink parameter. The special cases of Blasius and stagnation flow are also addressed. It is observed from the
study that the temperature and thermal boundary layer thickness are both suppressed with increasing wedge parameter
and wall heat sink effect which is beneficial to temperature regulation in polymer coating dynamics. Further, strong
reverse spin is generated in the micro-rotation with increasing vortex viscosity which results in increase in angular
momentum boundary layer thickness. Also, primary and secondary skin friction components are both reduced with
increasing wedge parameter. Nusselt number is also enhanced substantially with greater wedge parameter
Structural and Mechanistic Studies of Measles Virus Illuminate Paramyxovirus Entry
Measles virus (MeV), a member of the paramyxovirus family of enveloped RNA viruses and one of the most infectious viral pathogens identified, accounts for major pediatric morbidity and mortality worldwide although coordinated efforts to achieve global measles control are in place. Target cell entry is mediated by two viral envelope glycoproteins, the attachment (H) and fusion (F) proteins, which form a complex that achieves merger of the envelope with target cell membranes. Despite continually expanding knowledge of the entry strategies employed by enveloped viruses, our molecular insight into the organization of functional paramyxovirus fusion complexes and the mechanisms by which the receptor binding by the attachment protein triggers the required conformational rearrangements of the fusion protein remain incomplete. Recently reported crystal structures of the MeV attachment protein in complex with its cellular receptors CD46 or SLAM and newly developed functional assays have now illuminated some of the fundamental principles that govern cell entry by this archetype member of the paramyxovirus family. Here, we review these advances in our molecular understanding of MeV entry in the context of diverse entry strategies employed by other members of the paramyxovirus family
Increasing Shipping in the Arctic and Local Communities’ Engagement : A Case from Longyearbyen on Svalbard
publishedVersio
Cells of the human intestinal tract mapped across space and time
The cellular landscape of the human intestinal tract is dynamic throughout life, developing in utero and changing in response to functional requirements and environmental exposures. Here, to comprehensively map cell lineages, we use single-cell RNA sequencing and antigen receptor analysis of almost half a million cells from up to 5 anatomical regions in the developing and up to 11 distinct anatomical regions in the healthy paediatric and adult human gut. This reveals the existence of transcriptionally distinct BEST4 epithelial cells throughout the human intestinal tract. Furthermore, we implicate IgG sensing as a function of intestinal tuft cells. We describe neural cell populations in the developing enteric nervous system, and predict cell-type-specific expression of genes associated with Hirschsprung’s disease. Finally, using a systems approach, we identify key cell players that drive the formation of secondary lymphoid tissue in early human development. We show that these programs are adopted in inflammatory bowel disease to recruit and retain immune cells at the site of inflammation. This catalogue of intestinal cells will provide new insights into cellular programs in development, homeostasis and disease
Morphological analysis of the sheathed flagellum of Brucella melitensis
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>It was recently shown that <it>B. melitensis </it>is flagellated. However, the flagellar structure remains poorly described.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>We analyzed the structure of the polar sheathed flagellum of <it>B. melitensis </it>by TEM analysis and demonstrated that the Ryu staining is a good method to quickly visualize the flagellum by optical microscopy. The TEM analysis demonstrated that an extension of the outer membrane surrounds a filament ending by a club-like structure. The Δ<it>ftcR</it>, Δ<it>fliF</it>, Δ<it>flgE </it>and Δ<it>fliC </it>flagellar mutants still produce an empty sheath.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results demonstrate that the flagellum of <it>B. melitensis </it>has the characteristics of the sheathed flagella. Our results also suggest that the flagellar sheath production is not directly linked to the flagellar structure assembly and is not regulated by the FtcR master regulator.</p
Bariatric surgery for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus requiring insulin: Clinical outcome and cost-effectiveness analyses
Background
Although bariatric surgery is well established as an effective treatment for patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), there exists reluctance to increase its availability for patients with severe T2DM. The aims of this study were to examine the impact of bariatric surgery on T2DM resolution in patients with obesity and T2DM requiring insulin (T2DM-Ins) using data from a national database and to develop a health economic model to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of surgery in this cohort when compared to best medical treatment (BMT).
Methods and findings
Clinical data from the National Bariatric Surgical Registry (NBSR), a comprehensive database of bariatric surgery in the United Kingdom, were extracted to analyse outcomes of patients with obesity and T2DM-Ins who underwent primary bariatric surgery between 2009 and 2017. Outcomes for this group were combined with data sourced from a comprehensive literature review in order to develop a state-transition microsimulation model to evaluate cost-effectiveness of bariatric surgery versus BMT for patients over a 5-year time horizon. The main outcome measure for the clinical study was insulin cessation at 1-year post-surgery: relative risks (RR) summarising predictive factors were determined, unadjusted, and after adjusting for variables including age, initial body mass index (BMI), duration of T2DM, and weight loss. Main outcome measures for the economic evaluation were total costs, total quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) at willingness-to-pay threshold of GBPÂŁ20,000.
A total of 2,484 patients were eligible for inclusion, of which 1,847 had 1-year follow-up data (mean age of 51 years, mean initial BMI 47.2 kg/m2, and 64% female). 67% of patients no longer required insulin at 1-year postoperatively: these rates persisted for 4 years. Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) was associated with a higher rate of insulin cessation (71.7%) than sleeve gastrectomy (SG; 64.5%; RR 0.92, confidence interval (CI) 0.86–0.99) and adjustable gastric band (AGB; 33.6%; RR 0.45, CI 0.34–0.60; p < 0.001). When adjusted for percentage total weight loss and demographic variables, insulin cessation following surgery was comparable for RYGB and SG (RR 0.97, CI 0.90–1.04), with AGB having the lowest cessation rates (RR 0.55, CI 0.40–0.74; p < 0.001). Over 5 years, bariatric surgery was cost saving compared to BMT (total cost GBP£22,057 versus GBP£26,286 respectively, incremental difference GBP£4,229). This was due to lower treatment costs as well as reduced diabetes-related complications costs and increased health benefits. Limitations of this study include loss to follow-up of patients within the NBSR dataset and that the time horizon for the economic analysis is limited to 5 years. In addition, the study reflects current medical and surgical treatment regimens for this cohort of patients, which may change.
Conclusions
In this study, we observed that in patients with obesity and T2DM-Ins, bariatric surgery was associated with high rates of postoperative cessation of insulin therapy, which is, in turn, a major driver of overall reductions in direct healthcare cost. Our findings suggest that a strategy utilising bariatric surgery for patients with obesity and T2DM-Ins is cost saving to the national healthcare provider (National Health Service (NHS)) over a 5-year time horizon
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