Keihin (Japan)

• A geometric multigrid preconditioner is proposed for a Bi-CGSTAB solver applied in the ISPH method for multi-GPU environments. • The first restriction operation is conducted from the free-moving particles to a background cell followed by standard coarsening restrictions. • We proposed several techniques on multi-GPU programming including communication-computation overlap and communication-hiding. • The computational efficiency was evaluated in 3 supercomputer clusters yielding speedups of about 2.3 times and weak scalability around 0.85. • The method’s potential was verified by simulating the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant tsunami with 97 million particles in 16 GPUs. This paper presents the implementation of a multigrid-preconditioned asymmetric solver within the context of Incompressible Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (ISPH) method. The restriction operator maps particles to the background grid used for neighbor searching, followed by standard grid coarsening. Key contributions include the adjustment of the multigrid preconditioner to multi-GPU cluster environments, incorporating communication-computation overlap and communication-hiding techniques, and adapting a dynamic load balancer to respect the coarse-grid hierarchy for efficient domain decomposition using the slice-grid technique. The present work also shows the evaluation of the computational efficiency of the proposed method through dam-break simulations on three supercomputers–JAMSTEC’s Earth Simulator, Tongji University’s supercomputer, and the University of Tokyo’s Miyabi)–demonstrating weak-scaling efficiencies between 0.82 and 0.89. The multigrid preconditioner substantially improved solver performance, reducing the average number of iteration for solving the pressure from over 300 to nearly 60 across problem sizes ranging from 5 to 320 million particles, resulting in an overall speedup of approximately 2.3 times. Furthermore, we demonstrate the method’s capability for real-world engineering applications through the simulation of the 2011 tsunami inundation at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, involving 97 million particles on 32 GPUs. While the preconditioner proves highly effective in accelerating solver convergence, the study concludes by identifying limitations associated with coarse-grid constraints on load balancing and communication overhead, providing clear directions for future research.

This study examined whether or not the coexistence of smoking and metabolic syndrome synergistically increases the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) beyond their individual effects. This prospective cohort study included 68,743 workers from the Japan Epidemiology Collaboration on Occupational Health Study. The participants were categorized into four groups based on their smoking status and metabolic syndrome. Biological interactions were evaluated using relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI), attributable proportion (AP), and synergy index (S). During a mean follow-up of 7.2 (range: 0.1-10.9) years, 346 participants developed CVD. Current smokers with metabolic syndrome had the highest CVD risk (hazard ratio: 6.45, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.73-8.80). Approximately 35% of CVD cases among individuals exposed to both factors were attributed to their biological interactions (RERI: 2.27, 95% CI: 0.56-3.98; AP: 0.35, 95% CI: 0.15-0.55; S: 1.71, 95% CI: 1.16-2.52). An analysis of CVD subtypes revealed a significant biological interaction for myocardial infarction (RERI: 5.14, 95% CI: 0.65-9.62; AP: 0.52, 95% CI: 0.26-0.78; S: 2.38, 95% CI: 1.22-4.62) but not for stroke (RERI: 1.34, 95% CI: -0.46-3.13; AP: 0.25, 95% CI: -0.03-0.53; S: 1.44, 95% CI: 0.89-2.34). Smoking and metabolic syndrome interact synergistically to elevate CVD risk, particularly for myocardial infarction. Targeting both factors is essential for CVD prevention.

Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing (mNGS) enables simultaneous sequencing of both microbial and host nucleic acids in clinical samples. However, analytical approaches for interpreting complex mNGS datasets are seldom disclosed, limiting advancements in multimodal analysis and omics-driven research models built upon mNGS results. We present 402 high-quality bronchoalveolar lavage fluid mNGS DNA and RNA sequencing datasets for developing combined microbial-host metagenomic diagnostic approaches. Only the microbial (non-host) sequence reads have been deposited. We provide comprehensive descriptions of methods, tools, and pipelines used for mining microbial features (DNA/RNA microbial composition and bacteriophage abundances) and host response features (differential expression genes, transposable elements, cell-type composition, and copy number variation). These data processing pipelines set a standard for future multimodal omics diagnostic research, promoting the adoption of standardized practices in omics-based studies that integrate clinical data.

Background: Ectopic pregnancy (EP) is a major gynecological emergency with significant incidence in rural settings where access to care is limited. Laparoscopic surgery is now recognized as the reference technique for EP treatment. This study reports the experience of the Amath Dansokho Regional Hospital Center of Kédougou in the laparoscopic management of EP. Methods: A retrospective descriptive study was conducted on 30 patients operated by laparoscopy for EP between September 2022 and July 2025 at Amath Dansokho Regional Hospital Center, a rural level II hospital located 800 km from Dakar. Sociodemographic, clinical, surgical data and postoperative outcomes were analyzed. Results: The mean age of patients was 26.3 years. The majority of EPs were located on the left fallopian tube (53.3%) and ruptured in 70% of cases. The laparoscopic management rate for EP was 71.4%. Anterograde salpingectomy was the main procedure in 80% of interventions. Postoperative outcomes were favourable with no conversion to laparotomy and an average hospital stay of 2 days. Conclusions: Laparoscopy is a safe and effective technique for managing EP in rural settings, reducing morbidity and hospital stay. Its development in resource-limited areas requires capacity building and adequate training of medical teams.

Iridium oxide is a benchmark catalyst for anodic oxygen evolution reactions due to its high activity and durability. However, debates persist regarding the short lifespan of reaction intermediates and whether amorphous phases exhibit higher activity in comparison to crystalline ones. Herein, we examined IrOx catalysts with different degrees of crystallinity (SA3.5, SA58, SA103, and SA14.6, named after their BET surface area) and revealed the relation between their structures and OER activities. The atomic pair distribution function analyses show that the amorphous IrOx (SA3.5, SA103, and SA14.6) possesses monoclinic and orthorhombic-like structural phases or motifs, which differ from the typical tetragonal symmetry of crystalline IrO2. Operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and operando surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy (SEIRAS) revealed that the SA3.5 sample, with higher monoclinic content, exhibits a structure containing corner- and edge-sharing octahedra with highly undercoordinated sites, leading to structural defects. These defects generate active electrophilic OI- species, facilitating the generation of *OOH intermediates and enhancing OER activity. Theoretical studies reveal that they also lower the energy barrier for the monoclinic crystal structure. These findings offer a fundamental understanding of amorphous iridium oxides and provide inspiration for developing new OER catalysts.

Turtles are one of the living fossils whose population conditions are currently in a worrying state. Several factors that threaten the turtle population include illegal trade, water pollution, global climate change, and fishing activities. TCEC is a non-governmental institution that has a turtle rescue program as a conservation effort. TCEC has rescued turtles from various threats. The purpose of this study was to determine the types of threats, types of threatened turtles, the number of turtles rescued and the appropriate medical actions in efforts to rescue and rehabilitate turtles carried out by TCEC. Turtle rescue data was inventoried from 2015 - April 2025. Data analysis carried out included the number, types of turtles rescued and the types of threats for each year. This data can provide an overview of the background and context that are important for understanding cases of turtle rescue from various threats encountered by TCEC. The number of turtles successfully rescued by TCEC was 287. The number of turtles rescued from the threat of bycatch was 4 individuals, stranded as many as 43 individuals and from illegal trade as many as 238 individuals. Each rescued turtle will receive medical treatment appropriate to the turtle's condition from a veterinarian and after its condition has recovered, it will be released into its habitat. Illegal trade is still a very big threat to the turtle population. These results indicate that turtle conservation stakeholders must continue to run campaigns related to the eradication of turtle trade and educate the public to raise awareness to stop consuming turtles.

BackgroundSepsis is a leading cause of death in intensive care units (ICU). Sepsis survivors are often left with significant morbidity, termed post-intensive care syndrome (PICS), impacting post-sepsis life. The aim was to present detailed data on the prognostic and functional long-term outcomes of ICU patients with sepsis in Japan, which is currently lacking and therefore prevents development of targeted solutions.MethodsA multicenter prospective study, involving 21 ICUs in 20 tertiary hospitals in Japan, included all consecutive adult ICU patients between November 2020 and April 2022, and diagnosed with sepsis at ICU admission (Sepsis 3). Follow-ups were performed at 3, 6, and 12 months after hospital discharge by telephone and mail. Primary outcome was death or incidence of PICS, defined by any of physical dysfunction (Barthel Index ≤ 90), cognitive dysfunction (Short Memory Questionnaire < 40), or mental disorder (any subscales for anxiety or depression of Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale ≥ 8, or Impact of Event Scale-Revised ≥ 25). Secondary outcomes included Quality of Life (QOL), employment, and use of hospital, emergency, rehabilitation, and psychiatric services. A multivariable analysis investigated independent factors associated with each dysfunction at each follow-up.ResultsA total of 339 patients were included (median age 74 [67–82] years, 60% male, 77% septic shock, and a median SOFA of 9 [6–12]). Mortality was 23% at hospital discharge, increasing to 37% at 12 months. The rate of death or those who met PICS Criteria at hospital discharge was 89%, with a death or PICS incidence of 73%, 64%, and 65% at 3, 6, and 12 months, respectively. Limited improvements in QOL and return to work (44%), high rates of hospital readmissions (40%), frequent emergency service usage (31%), and low utilization of rehabilitation and psychiatric services (15% and 7%) were identified over the first year. The incidence of any PICS-related dysfunction was consistently an independent factor for the incidence of the same dysfunction at the following follow-ups.ConclusionsThis multicenter study identified the distinct realities of post-sepsis life in Japanese ICU patients, highlighting the unique challenges in improving their functions and returning to daily life.Trial RegistrationUniversity Hospital Medical Information Network UMIN000041433