Three-dimensional anisotropic pressure free boundary equilibria

Free boundary three-dimensional anisotropic pressure magnetohydrodynamic equilibria with nested magnetic flux surfaces are computed through the minimisation of the plasma energy functional $W={\int}_{V}{d^3}x\left[{B^2}/(2\mu_0)+p_{||}/(\Gamma-1)\right]$. The plasma–vacuum interface is varied to guarantee the continuity of the total pressure $\left[{p}_{\perp}+{B^2}/(2\mu_0)\right]$ across it and the vacuum magnetic field must satisfy the Neumann boundary condition that its component normal to this interface surface vanishes. The vacuum magnetic field corresponds to that driven by the plasma current and external coils plus the gradient of a potential function whose solution is obtained using a Green's function method. The energetic particle contributions to the pressure are evaluated analytically from the moments of the variant of a bi-Maxwellian distribution function that satisfies the constraint ${\bf B\cdot\nabla}{\cal F}_h=0$. Applications to demonstrate the versatility and reliability of the numerical method employed have concentrated on high-β off-axis energetic particle deposition with large parallel and perpendicular pressure anisotropies in a 2-field period quasiaxisymmetric stellarator reactor system. For large perpendicular pressure anisotropy, the hot particle component of the pperpendicular distribution localises in the regions where the energetic particles are deposited. For large parallel pressure anisotropy, the pressures are more uniform around the flux surfaces

New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution.

Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P < 5 × 10(-8)). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms