1,502 research outputs found

    Factors governing the deep ventilation of the Red Sea

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    Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2015. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 120 (2015): 7493–7505, doi:10.1002/2015JC010996.A variety of data based on hydrographic measurements, satellite observations, reanalysis databases, and meteorological observations are used to explore the interannual variability and factors governing the deep water formation in the northern Red Sea. Historical and recent hydrographic data consistently indicate that the ventilation of the near-bottom layer in the Red Sea is a robust feature of the thermohaline circulation. Dense water capable to reach the bottom layers of the Red Sea can be regularly produced mostly inside the Gulfs of Aqaba and Suez. Occasionally, during colder than usual winters, deep water formation may also take place over coastal areas in the northernmost end of the open Red Sea just outside the Gulfs of Aqaba and Suez. However, the origin as well as the amount of deep waters exhibit considerable interannual variability depending not only on atmospheric forcing but also on the water circulation over the northern Red Sea. Analysis of several recent winters shows that the strength of the cyclonic gyre prevailing in the northernmost part of the basin can effectively influence the sea surface temperature (SST) and intensify or moderate the winter surface cooling. Upwelling associated with periods of persistent gyre circulation lowers the SST over the northernmost part of the Red Sea and can produce colder than normal winter SST even without extreme heat loss by the sea surface. In addition, the occasional persistence of the cyclonic gyre feeds the surface layers of the northern Red Sea with nutrients, considerably increasing the phytoplankton biomass.Saudi ARAMCO Marine Environmental Centre of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST); Saudi Aramco Oil Co.2016-05-1

    Design and Analysis of Circular Polarized Two-Port MIMO Antennas with Various Antenna Element Orientations

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    This article presents the circularly polarized antenna operating over 28 GHz mm-wave applications. The suggested antenna has compact size, simple geometry, wideband, high gain, and offers circular polarization. Afterward, two-port MIMO antenna are designed to get Left Hand Circular Polarization (LHCP) and Right-Hand Circular Polarization (RHCP). Four different cases are adopted to construct two-port MIMO antenna of suggested antenna. In case 1, both of the elements are placed parallel to each other; in the second case, the element is parallel but the radiating patch of second antenna element are rotated by 180°. In the third case, the second antenna element is placed orthogonally to the first antenna element. In the final case, the antenna is parallel but placed in the opposite end of substrate material. The S-parameters, axial ratio bandwidth (ARBW) gain, and radiation efficiency are studied and compared in all these cases. The two MIMO systems of all cases are designed by using Roger RT/Duroid 6002 with thickness of 0.79 mm. The overall size of two-port MIMO antennas is 20.5 mm × 12 mm × 0.79 mm. The MIMO configuration of the suggested CP antenna offers wideband, low mutual coupling, wide ARBW, high gain, and high radiation efficiency. The hardware prototype of all cases is fabricated to verify the predicated results. Moreover, the comparison of suggested two-port MIMO antenna is also performed with already published work, which show the quality of suggested work in terms of various performance parameters over them

    Akutna oralna toksičnost organofosfornih insekticida i inhibicija kolinesteraza u pilića

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    Acute toxic effects of three commonly used insecticidal preparations of the organophosphates chlorpyrifos, diazinon, and dichlorvos were examined in mixed breed broiler chicks, and cholinesterase activity in plasma and brain were measured. The acute (24 h) oral median lethal doses (LD50) of chlorpyrifos, diazinon, and dichlorvos were 10.79 mg kg-1, 6.32 mg kg-1, and 6.30 mg kg-1, respectively, as determined by the up-and-down method in chicks. Signs of cholinergic toxicosis in the chicks appeared within two hours after dosing, and they included salivation, lacrimation, gasping, frequent defecation, drooping of wings, tremors, convulsions, and recumbency before death. Halving the oral LD50 of chlorpyrifos (5 mg kg-1), diazinon (3 mg kg-1), and dichlorvos (3 mg kg-1) caused immobility and wing drooping, but not the clinical signs of cholinergic toxicity. However, at full LD50 doses of these insecticides, chicks showed clinical signs of cholinergic toxicity similar to those seen in the LD50 experiments. Two out of six chicks died within two hours after treatment with LD50 doses of chlorpyrifos and dichlorvos, whereas LD50 dosing with diazinon caused death in three out of six chicks. Compared to control values, the insecticides reduced plasma and whole brain cholinesterase activities by 29 % to 84 % and 18 % to 77 %, respectively, depending on the dose. The decrease in plasma cholinesterase correlated well (r = 0.82) with that of the brain. These data suggest that organophosphate insecticides administered orally at LD50 doses induce clinical signs of cholinergic poisoning and concurrently reduce brain and plasma cholinesterase activities in chicks.Ispitano je akutno toksično djelovanje triju često rabljenih organofosfornih insekticida klorpirifosa, diazinona i diklorvosa u brojlera te je izmjerena aktivnost kolinesteraza u njihovoj plazmi i mozgu. Srednja letalna doza LD50 klorpirifosa iznosila je 10,79 mg kg-1, diazinona 6,32 mg kg-1 te diklorvosa 6,30 mg kg-1. Prvi su se znakovi kolinergičkoga sindroma u pilića javili unutar dva sata od oralne primjene, a obuhvaćali su slinjenje, suženje, teško disanje, učestalu defekaciju, obješena krila, drhtavicu, grčenje i nesposobnost stajanja uoči smrti. Oralna primjena polovice srednje letalne doze insekticida klorpirifosa (5 mg kg-1), diazinona (3 mg kg-1) i diklorvosa (3 mg kg-1) dovela je do nepokretnosti i obješenih krila, ali bez kliničkih znakova kolinergičke toksičnosti koji su uočeni kod pokusa radi utvrđivanja srednje letalne doze (LD50). Međutim, doze ovih insekticida koje su odgovarale LD50, dovele su do kliničkih znakova kolinergičke toksičnosti sličnih onima zamijećenim kod utvrđivanja LD50. Dva od šest pilića uginula su unutar dva sata od primjene bilo klorpirifosa bilo diklorvosa u dozama koje su odgovarale LD50, dok je diazinon u odgovarajućoj srednjoj letalnoj dozi uzrokovao smrt triju od šest pilića. U odnosu na kontrolne vrijednosti, insekticidi su doveli do smanjenja aktivnosti kolinesteraze koja je ovisila o dozi, a kretala se od 29 % do 84 % u plazmi te od 18 % do 77 % u mozgu. Pad aktivnosti kolinesteraze u plazmi dobro je korelirao s njezinim padom u mozgu (r=0,82). Ovi podaci upućuju na to da oralna primjena organofosfornih insekticida u dozama koje odgovaraju srednjoj letalnoj dozi dovode do znakova kolinergičkoga trovanja u pilića te do istodobnoga pada aktivnosti kolinesteraza u mozgu i plazmi

    An international Delphi consensus statement on metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease and risk of chronic kidney disease

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    BACKGROUND: With the rising global prevalence of fatty liver disease related to metabolic dysfunction, the association of this common liver condition with chronic kidney disease (CKD) has become increasingly evident. In 2020, the more inclusive term metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) was proposed to replace the term non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The observed association between MAFLD and CKD and our understanding that CKD can be a consequence of underlying metabolic dysfunction support the notion that individuals with MAFLD are at higher risk of having and developing CKD compared with those without MAFLD. However, to date, there is no appropriate guidance on CKD in individuals with MAFLD. Furthermore, there has been little attention paid to the link between MAFLD and CKD in the Nephrology community. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using a Delphi-based approach, a multidisciplinary panel of 50 international experts from 26 countries reached a consensus on some of the open research questions regarding the link between MAFLD and CKD. CONCLUSIONS: This Delphi-based consensus statement provided guidance on the epidemiology, mechanisms, management and treatment of MAFLD and CKD, as well as the relationship between the severity of MAFLD and risk of CKD, which establish a framework for the early prevention and management of these two common and interconnected diseases

    Estimating global injuries morbidity and mortality : methods and data used in the Global Burden of Disease 2017 study

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    Background: While there is a long history of measuring death and disability from injuries, modern research methods must account for the wide spectrum of disability that can occur in an injury, and must provide estimates with sufficient demographic, geographical and temporal detail to be useful for policy makers. The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2017 study used methods to provide highly detailed estimates of global injury burden that meet these criteria. Methods: In this study, we report and discuss the methods used in GBD 2017 for injury morbidity and mortality burden estimation. In summary, these methods included estimating cause-specific mortality for every cause of injury, and then estimating incidence for every cause of injury. Non-fatal disability for each cause is then calculated based on the probabilities of suffering from different types of bodily injury experienced. Results: GBD 2017 produced morbidity and mortality estimates for 38 causes of injury. Estimates were produced in terms of incidence, prevalence, years lived with disability, cause-specific mortality, years of life lost and disability-adjusted life-years for a 28-year period for 22 age groups, 195 countries and both sexes. Conclusions: GBD 2017 demonstrated a complex and sophisticated series of analytical steps using the largest known database of morbidity and mortality data on injuries. GBD 2017 results should be used to help inform injury prevention policy making and resource allocation. We also identify important avenues for improving injury burden estimation in the future

    Mapping 123 million neonatal, infant and child deaths between 2000 and 2017

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    Since 2000, many countries have achieved considerable success in improving child survival, but localized progress remains unclear. To inform efforts towards United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3.2—to end preventable child deaths by 2030—we need consistently estimated data at the subnational level regarding child mortality rates and trends. Here we quantified, for the period 2000–2017, the subnational variation in mortality rates and number of deaths of neonates, infants and children under 5 years of age within 99 low- and middle-income countries using a geostatistical survival model. We estimated that 32% of children under 5 in these countries lived in districts that had attained rates of 25 or fewer child deaths per 1,000 live births by 2017, and that 58% of child deaths between 2000 and 2017 in these countries could have been averted in the absence of geographical inequality. This study enables the identification of high-mortality clusters, patterns of progress and geographical inequalities to inform appropriate investments and implementations that will help to improve the health of all populations

    Global injury morbidity and mortality from 1990 to 2017 : results from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

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    Correction:Background Past research in population health trends has shown that injuries form a substantial burden of population health loss. Regular updates to injury burden assessments are critical. We report Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2017 Study estimates on morbidity and mortality for all injuries. Methods We reviewed results for injuries from the GBD 2017 study. GBD 2017 measured injury-specific mortality and years of life lost (YLLs) using the Cause of Death Ensemble model. To measure non-fatal injuries, GBD 2017 modelled injury-specific incidence and converted this to prevalence and years lived with disability (YLDs). YLLs and YLDs were summed to calculate disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). Findings In 1990, there were 4 260 493 (4 085 700 to 4 396 138) injury deaths, which increased to 4 484 722 (4 332 010 to 4 585 554) deaths in 2017, while age-standardised mortality decreased from 1079 (1073 to 1086) to 738 (730 to 745) per 100 000. In 1990, there were 354 064 302 (95% uncertainty interval: 338 174 876 to 371 610 802) new cases of injury globally, which increased to 520 710 288 (493 430 247 to 547 988 635) new cases in 2017. During this time, age-standardised incidence decreased non-significantly from 6824 (6534 to 7147) to 6763 (6412 to 7118) per 100 000. Between 1990 and 2017, age-standardised DALYs decreased from 4947 (4655 to 5233) per 100 000 to 3267 (3058 to 3505). Interpretation Injuries are an important cause of health loss globally, though mortality has declined between 1990 and 2017. Future research in injury burden should focus on prevention in high-burden populations, improving data collection and ensuring access to medical care.Peer reviewe

    Measuring universal health coverage based on an index of effective coverage of health services in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019 : A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

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    Background Achieving universal health coverage (UHC) involves all people receiving the health services they need, of high quality, without experiencing financial hardship. Making progress towards UHC is a policy priority for both countries and global institutions, as highlighted by the agenda of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and WHO's Thirteenth General Programme of Work (GPW13). Measuring effective coverage at the health-system level is important for understanding whether health services are aligned with countries' health profiles and are of sufficient quality to produce health gains for populations of all ages. Methods Based on the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019, we assessed UHC effective coverage for 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019. Drawing from a measurement framework developed through WHO's GPW13 consultation, we mapped 23 effective coverage indicators to a matrix representing health service types (eg, promotion, prevention, and treatment) and five population-age groups spanning from reproductive and newborn to older adults (≥65 years). Effective coverage indicators were based on intervention coverage or outcome-based measures such as mortality-to-incidence ratios to approximate access to quality care; outcome-based measures were transformed to values on a scale of 0–100 based on the 2·5th and 97·5th percentile of location-year values. We constructed the UHC effective coverage index by weighting each effective coverage indicator relative to its associated potential health gains, as measured by disability-adjusted life-years for each location-year and population-age group. For three tests of validity (content, known-groups, and convergent), UHC effective coverage index performance was generally better than that of other UHC service coverage indices from WHO (ie, the current metric for SDG indicator 3.8.1 on UHC service coverage), the World Bank, and GBD 2017. We quantified frontiers of UHC effective coverage performance on the basis of pooled health spending per capita, representing UHC effective coverage index levels achieved in 2019 relative to country-level government health spending, prepaid private expenditures, and development assistance for health. To assess current trajectories towards the GPW13 UHC billion target—1 billion more people benefiting from UHC by 2023—we estimated additional population equivalents with UHC effective coverage from 2018 to 2023. Findings Globally, performance on the UHC effective coverage index improved from 45·8 (95% uncertainty interval 44·2–47·5) in 1990 to 60·3 (58·7–61·9) in 2019, yet country-level UHC effective coverage in 2019 still spanned from 95 or higher in Japan and Iceland to lower than 25 in Somalia and the Central African Republic. Since 2010, sub-Saharan Africa showed accelerated gains on the UHC effective coverage index (at an average increase of 2·6% [1·9–3·3] per year up to 2019); by contrast, most other GBD super-regions had slowed rates of progress in 2010–2019 relative to 1990–2010. Many countries showed lagging performance on effective coverage indicators for non-communicable diseases relative to those for communicable diseases and maternal and child health, despite non-communicable diseases accounting for a greater proportion of potential health gains in 2019, suggesting that many health systems are not keeping pace with the rising non-communicable disease burden and associated population health needs. In 2019, the UHC effective coverage index was associated with pooled health spending per capita (r=0·79), although countries across the development spectrum had much lower UHC effective coverage than is potentially achievable relative to their health spending. Under maximum efficiency of translating health spending into UHC effective coverage performance, countries would need to reach 1398pooledhealthspendingpercapita(US1398 pooled health spending per capita (US adjusted for purchasing power parity) in order to achieve 80 on the UHC effective coverage index. From 2018 to 2023, an estimated 388·9 million (358·6–421·3) more population equivalents would have UHC effective coverage, falling well short of the GPW13 target of 1 billion more people benefiting from UHC during this time. Current projections point to an estimated 3·1 billion (3·0–3·2) population equivalents still lacking UHC effective coverage in 2023, with nearly a third (968·1 million [903·5–1040·3]) residing in south Asia. Interpretation The present study demonstrates the utility of measuring effective coverage and its role in supporting improved health outcomes for all people—the ultimate goal of UHC and its achievement. Global ambitions to accelerate progress on UHC service coverage are increasingly unlikely unless concerted action on non-communicable diseases occurs and countries can better translate health spending into improved performance. Focusing on effective coverage and accounting for the world's evolving health needs lays the groundwork for better understanding how close—or how far—all populations are in benefiting from UHC

    Estimating global injuries morbidity and mortality : methods and data used in the Global Burden of Disease 2017 study

    Get PDF
    Background While there is a long history of measuring death and disability from injuries, modern research methods must account for the wide spectrum of disability that can occur in an injury, and must provide estimates with sufficient demographic, geographical and temporal detail to be useful for policy makers. The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2017 study used methods to provide highly detailed estimates of global injury burden that meet these criteria. Methods In this study, we report and discuss the methods used in GBD 2017 for injury morbidity and mortality burden estimation. In summary, these methods included estimating cause-specific mortality for every cause of injury, and then estimating incidence for every cause of injury. Non-fatal disability for each cause is then calculated based on the probabilities of suffering from different types of bodily injury experienced. Results GBD 2017 produced morbidity and mortality estimates for 38 causes of injury. Estimates were produced in terms of incidence, prevalence, years lived with disability, cause-specific mortality, years of life lost and disability-adjusted life-years for a 28-year period for 22 age groups, 195 countries and both sexes. Conclusions GBD 2017 demonstrated a complex and sophisticated series of analytical steps using the largest known database of morbidity and mortality data on injuries. GBD 2017 results should be used to help inform injury prevention policy making and resource allocation. We also identify important avenues for improving injury burden estimation in the future.Peer reviewe

    Mapping local patterns of childhood overweight and wasting in low- and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2017

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    A double burden of malnutrition occurs when individuals, household members or communities experience both undernutrition and overweight. Here, we show geospatial estimates of overweight and wasting prevalence among children under 5 years of age in 105 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) from 2000 to 2017 and aggregate these to policy-relevant administrative units. Wasting decreased overall across LMICs between 2000 and 2017, from 8.4% (62.3 (55.1–70.8) million) to 6.4% (58.3 (47.6–70.7) million), but is predicted to remain above the World Health Organization’s Global Nutrition Target of <5% in over half of LMICs by 2025. Prevalence of overweight increased from 5.2% (30 (22.8–38.5) million) in 2000 to 6.0% (55.5 (44.8–67.9) million) children aged under 5 years in 2017. Areas most affected by double burden of malnutrition were located in Indonesia, Thailand, southeastern China, Botswana, Cameroon and central Nigeria. Our estimates provide a new perspective to researchers, policy makers and public health agencies in their efforts to address this global childhood syndemic
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