Mesh Sensitivity Investigation in the Discrete Adjoint Framework

Aerodynamic optimisation using gradient-based methods has found a wide range of academic applications in the last 30 years. This framework is also becoming more and more popular in the industrial world where, most of the time, unstructured grids are largely used. In this framework, apart from the need to solve the flow field, there is the need to quickly map the aerodynamic surface in terms of some aerodynamic figure of merits such as the drag coefficient, without being limited by the computational expense related to the grid size. This is a concrete industrial need which requires the efficient computation of the grid sensitivity. A novel method based on the DGM (Delaunay Graph Mapping) mesh movement is proposed to efficiently compute the grid sensitivity required in the discrete adjoint optimisation framework. The method makes use of a one-to-one explicit algebraic mapping between the volume mesh and the solid boundary nodes. This procedure results in a straightforward computation of the gradient without the need to invert a large, sparse and stiff matrix generally associated with implicit mesh movements such as the spring or LE (Linear Elastic) analogy. The method is verified using FDs (Finite Difference) and a thorough comparison in terms of CPU time, formulation against the LE-based mesh movement and adjoint gradient is presented. The DGM-based gradient chain allows to comfortably obtain the gradient with respect to each surface mesh point. Unfortunately, these gradients cannot be used directly because of their inherent poor smoothness feature. In order to address this issue one has to use a parameterisation technique which inevitably sacrifices the design space explorablity. To bridge the gap between the free-nodes and the parameterisation approaches, a novel formulation of the CST (Class Shape Transformation) was developed and termed l-CST (local-CST). The method is based on a simple trigonometric function which works as a cut-off filter on the BPs (Bernstein Polynomials) which are used to enforce a strong on-demand local control. The method is tested on an inverse geometric fitting and its effect on the resulting aerodynamic coefficients and the pressure distribution is also analysed. The DGM-based chain allows the efficient mapping of the entire surface while the l-CST allows the combination of excellent explorablity and surface smoothness. The former is tested within the non-consistent mesh movement and sensitivity framework because there are situations where one method may be preferred over the other based on the grounds that mesh movement is a very different task than mesh sensitivity although strongly related to each other. The latter is instead tested against the free-nodes approach which offers a similar advantage in terms of discrete control although without maintaining a C2 curve unless properly smoothed

Mesh Sensitivity Investigation in the Discrete Adjoint Framework

Aerodynamic optimisation using gradient-based methods has found a wide range of academic applications in the last 30 years. This framework is also becoming more and more popular in the industrial world where, most of the time, unstructured grids are largely used. In this framework, apart from the need to solve the flow field, there is the need to quickly map the aerodynamic surface in terms of some aerodynamic figure of merits such as the drag coefficient, without being limited by the computational expense related to the grid size. This is a concrete industrial need which requires the efficient computation of the grid sensitivity. A novel method based on the DGM (Delaunay Graph Mapping) mesh movement is proposed to efficiently compute the grid sensitivity required in the discrete adjoint optimisation framework. The method makes use of a one-to-one explicit algebraic mapping between the volume mesh and the solid boundary nodes. This procedure results in a straightforward computation of the gradient without the need to invert a large, sparse and stiff matrix generally associated with implicit mesh movements such as the spring or LE (Linear Elastic) analogy. The method is verified using FDs (Finite Difference) and a thorough comparison in terms of CPU time, formulation against the LE-based mesh movement and adjoint gradient is presented. The DGM-based gradient chain allows to comfortably obtain the gradient with respect to each surface mesh point. Unfortunately, these gradients cannot be used directly because of their inherent poor smoothness feature. In order to address this issue one has to use a parameterisation technique which inevitably sacrifices the design space explorablity. To bridge the gap between the free-nodes and the parameterisation approaches, a novel formulation of the CST (Class Shape Transformation) was developed and termed l-CST (local-CST). The method is based on a simple trigonometric function which works as a cut-off filter on the BPs (Bernstein Polynomials) which are used to enforce a strong on-demand local control. The method is tested on an inverse geometric fitting and its effect on the resulting aerodynamic coefficients and the pressure distribution is also analysed. The DGM-based chain allows the efficient mapping of the entire surface while the l-CST allows the combination of excellent explorablity and surface smoothness. The former is tested within the non-consistent mesh movement and sensitivity framework because there are situations where one method may be preferred over the other based on the grounds that mesh movement is a very different task than mesh sensitivity although strongly related to each other. The latter is instead tested against the free-nodes approach which offers a similar advantage in terms of discrete control although without maintaining a C2 curve unless properly smoothed

Active elderly and health-can moderate exercise improve health and wellbeing in older adults? Protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Abstract Background: Aging is marked by a progressive rise in chronic diseases with an impact on social and healthcare costs. Physical activity (PA) may soothe the inconveniences related to chronic diseases, has positive effects on the quality of life and biological rhythms, and can prevent the decline in motor functions and the consequent falls, which are associated with early death and disability in older adults. Methods: We randomized 120 over-65 males and females into groups of similar size and timing and will give each either moderate physical activity or cultural and recreational activities. Being younger than 65 years, inability to participate in physical activity for any medical reason, and involvement in a massive program of physical exercise are the exclusion criteria. The primary outcome measures are quality of life, walking speed, and postural sway. Participants are tested at baseline, post-treatment, and 6-month (24 weeks) and 12-month (48 weeks) follow-ups. Discussion: This study aims at improving the quality of life, wellness, and cognitive functioning in the elderly through a low-cost affordable program of moderate physical activity. Given the growing aging of the world population and the social and economic burden of disability in the elderly, our results might have a major impact on future practices

Discutindo a educação ambiental no cotidiano escolar: desenvolvimento de projetos na escola formação inicial e continuada de professores

A presente pesquisa buscou discutir como a Educação Ambiental (EA) vem sendo trabalhada, no Ensino Fundamental e como os docentes desta escola compreendem e vem inserindo a EA no cotidiano escolar., em uma escola estadual do município de Tangará da Serra/MT, Brasil. Para tanto, realizou-se entrevistas com os professores que fazem parte de um projeto interdisciplinar de EA na escola pesquisada. Verificou-se que o projeto da escola não vem conseguindo alcançar os objetivos propostos por: desconhecimento do mesmo, pelos professores; formação deficiente dos professores, não entendimento da EA como processo de ensino-aprendizagem, falta de recursos didáticos, planejamento inadequado das atividades. A partir dessa constatação, procurou-se debater a impossibilidade de tratar do tema fora do trabalho interdisciplinar, bem como, e principalmente, a importância de um estudo mais aprofundado de EA, vinculando teoria e prática, tanto na formação docente, como em projetos escolares, a fim de fugir do tradicional vínculo “EA e ecologia, lixo e horta”.Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educació

Distinctive metabolomic fingerprint in scleroderma patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in systemic sclerosis (SS) identifies a poor prognosis subset of patients. Recent studies suggested a "metabolic theory" on the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension. On this basis we performed a metabolomic study in order to evaluate whether differences in pulmonary arterial blood metabolites were identifiable in SS patients with increased pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR). METHODS: We studied 18 SS patients (age 58.7±15.6years) free of pulmonary fibrosis who underwent a right heart catheterization (RHC). A blood sample was collected during the RHC in the distal peripheral circulation of the pulmonary arteries to perform the metabolomic analysis. RESULTS: Based on PVR we divided the population into Group A (n=8; PVR=1.16±0.23WU) and Group B (n=10; PVR=2.67±0.67WU; p<0.001 vs Group A). No significant differences were identified in terms of anthropometric, clinical, echo and therapeutic characteristics. At RHC the 2 groups showed a difference in mean pulmonary pressure values (Group A: 20±4mmHg; Group B: 27±3.4mmHg; p=0.03), with mild PAH in Group B. We applied an OSC-PLS-DA with a clear clusterization; SSc patients with PAH showed an increase in acetate, alanine, lactate, and lipoprotein levels and a decrease in γ-aminobutyrate, arginine, betaine, choline, creatine, creatinine, glucose, glutamate, glutamine, glycine, histidine, phenylalanine, and tyrosine levels. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that, despite similar clinical and disease-related parameters, SSc patients who develop PAH have an unfavorable metabolic profile able to cause an impaired production of metabolites with protective effects on endothelial cells

Randomized Evidence for Reduction of Perioperative Mortality: An Updated Consensus Process

Of the 230 million patients undergoing major surgical procedures every year, more than 1 million will die within 30 days. Thus, any nonsurgical interventions that help reduce perioperative mortality might save thousands of lives. The authors have updated a previous consensus process to identify all the nonsurgical interventions, supported by randomized evidence, that may help reduce perioperative mortality

Risk of Guillain-Barr\ue9 syndrome after 2010-2011 influenza vaccination

Influenza vaccination has been implicated in Guillain Barr\ue9 Syndrome (GBS) although the evidence for this link is controversial. A case-control study was conducted between October 2010 and May 2011 in seven Italian Regions to explore the relation between influenza vaccination and GBS. The study included 176 GBS incident cases aged 6518 years from 86 neurological centers. Controls were selected among patients admitted for acute conditions to the Emergency Department of the same hospital as cases. Each control was matched to a case by sex, age, Region and admission date. Two different analyses were conducted: a matched case-control analysis and a self-controlled case series analysis (SCCS). Case-control analysis included 140 cases matched to 308 controls. The adjusted matched odds ratio (OR) for GBS occurrence within 6 weeks after influenza vaccination was 3.8 (95 % CI: 1.3, 10.5). A much stronger association with gastrointestinal infections (OR = 23.8; 95 % CI 7.3, 77.6) and influenza-like illness or upper respiratory tract infections (OR = 11.5; 95 % CI 5.6, 23.5) was highlighted. The SCCS analysis included all 176 GBS cases. Influenza vaccination was associated with GBS, with a relative risk of 2.1 (95 % CI 1.1, 3.9). According to these results the attributable risk in adults ranges from two to five GBS cases per 1,000,000 vaccinations

Transverse-momentum and pseudorapidity distributions of charged hadrons in pppp collisions at s\sqrt{s} = 7 TeV

Charged-hadron transverse-momentum and pseudorapidity distributions in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 7$~TeV are measured with the inner tracking system of the CMS detector at the LHC. The charged-hadron yield is obtained by counting the number of reconstructed hits, hit-pairs, and fully reconstructed charged-particle tracks. The combination of the three methods gives a charged-particle multiplicity per unit of pseudorapidity \dnchdeta|_{|\eta| < 0.5} = 5.78\pm 0.01\stat\pm 0.23\syst for non-single-diffractive events, higher than predicted by commonly used models. The relative increase in charged-particle multiplicity from $\sqrt{s} = 0.9$ to 7~TeV is 66.1\%\pm 1.0\%\stat\pm 4.2\%\syst. The mean transverse momentum is measured to be 0.545\pm 0.005\stat\pm 0.015\syst\GeVc. The results are compared with similar measurements at lower energies.Charged-hadron transverse-momentum and pseudorapidity distributions in proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV are measured with the inner tracking system of the CMS detector at the LHC. The charged-hadron yield is obtained by counting the number of reconstructed hits, hit-pairs, and fully reconstructed charged-particle tracks. The combination of the three methods gives a charged-particle multiplicity per unit of pseudorapidity, dN(charged)/d(eta), for |eta| < 0.5, of 5.78 +/- 0.01 (stat) +/- 0.23 (syst) for non-single-diffractive events, higher than predicted by commonly used models. The relative increase in charged-particle multiplicity from sqrt(s) = 0.9 to 7 TeV is 66.1% +/- 1.0% (stat) +/- 4.2% (syst). The mean transverse momentum is measured to be 0.545 +/- 0.005 (stat) +/- 0.015 (syst) GeV/c. The results are compared with similar measurements at lower energies