Dorothy Thompson: Withstanding the Storm

The unremitting terror of totalitarianism was Dorothy Thompson\u27s nightmare. She witnessed the atrocities of Nazism, and later, after the Second World War, the cruelty of Soviet communism. The violent will to power that she described for her millions of readers was for her the nemesis of all hope and goodness. It could not be appeased, it could not be satisfied; it had to be resisted. Her profound recognition of that single necessity, and her frustration with the complacency with which this great threat was met at home drew her, one of the great political journalists of the century, into misjudments that sometimes jeopardized her reputation

BAT: A Benchmark suite for AutoTuners

the code by ?nding the best possible values for a given architecture. To our knowledge, there are currently no standardized benchmark suites for comparing and testing autotuners. Developers of autotuners thus make their own when presenting and comparing autotuners. We thus present BAT, a Benchmark suite for AutoTuners with HPC-based parameterized GPU programs. CUDA programs and kernels from "The Scalable Heterogeneous Computing (SHOC) Benchmark" are parameterized. BAT contains a varied selection of benchmarks of different complexity that can utilize multiple GPUs on one system, either by running the same program and computations on multiple nodes, or by splitting the work between nodes. BAT contains 9 di?erent HPC benchmarks that provide a large search space of autotuning parameters, and are modified to suite many di?erent autotuners. BAT also includes a CLI that facilitates autotuning with the benchmarks. Our benchmark suite is tested with four di?erent autotuners, OpenTuner, Kernel Tuner, CLTune and KTT. They di?er in setup and how they tune. The impact of the di?erent benchmark parameters on the running time across architectures is analyzed. Test systems used include a DGX-2, IBM Power System AC922 with Tesla V100-SXM2 32 GB GPUs, an RTX Titan, a GeForce GTX 980 and a server with 20 Tesla T4 GPUs

The Association between Proximity to Animal Feeding Operations and Community Health: A Systematic Review

Background: A systematic review was conducted for the association between animal feeding operations (AFOs) and the health of individuals living near AFOs. Methodology/Principal Findings: The review was restricted to studies reporting respiratory, gastrointestinal and mental health outcomes in individuals living near AFOs in North America, European Union, United Kingdom, and Scandinavia. From June to September 2008 searches were conducted in PUBMED, CAB, Web-of-Science, and Agricola with no restrictions. Hand searching of narrative reviews was also used. Two reviewers independently evaluated the role of chance, confounding, information, selection and analytic bias on the study outcome. Nine relevant studies were identified. The studies were heterogeneous with respect to outcomes and exposures assessed. Few studies reported an association between surrogate clinical outcomes and AFO proximity. A negative association was reported when odor was the measure of exposure to AFOs and self-reported disease, the measure of outcome. There was evidence of an association between selfreported disease and proximity to AFO in individuals annoyed by AFO odor. Conclusions/Significance: There was inconsistent evidence of a weak association between self-reported disease in people with allergies or familial history of allergies. No consistent dose response relationship between exposure and disease was observable

Advanced interface models for metal forming simulations

Friction and heat transfer in metal forming simulations are usually restricted by software to be interface constants, a situation not reflected by the mechanics of real manufacturing processes. A better simulation approach is to use a micromechanics based method to estimate friction and heat transfer as evolutionary phenomenon. This paper presents a friction and heat transfer module for hot forging simulations. The friction model is based on a lubricant film thickness calculation using the Reynolds equation, and a calculation of the fractional contact area based on asperity flattening and roughening. Friction is then portioned between asperity and lubricant contacts. Heat transfer coefficients are calculated using a new model for heat conduction through asperity contact patches and lubricant that takes into account the restriction to heat flow at the contacts. The program is implemented as a user routine in a popular commercially available finite element code, DEFORM 2D.Schmid, SR.; Liu, J.; Sellés Cantó, MÁ.; Pasang, T. (2013). Advanced interface models for metal forming simulations. Computational Materials Science. 79:763-771. doi:10.1016/j.commatsci.2013.07.025S7637717

Health Effects of Airborne Exposures from Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations

Toxic gases, vapors, and particles are emitted from concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) into the general environment. These include ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, malodorous vapors, and particles contaminated with a wide range of microorganisms. Little is known about the health risks of exposure to these agents for people living in the surrounding areas. Malodor is one of the predominant concerns, and there is evidence that psychophysiologic changes may occur as a result of exposure to malodorous compounds. There is a paucity of data regarding community adverse health effects related to low-level gas and particulate emissions. Most information comes from studies among workers in CAFO installations. Research over the last decades has shown that microbial exposures, especially endotoxin exposure, are related to deleterious respiratory health effects, of which cross-shift lung function decline and accelerated decline over time are the most pronounced effects. Studies in naïve subjects and workers have shown respiratory inflammatory responses related to the microbial load. This working group, which was part of the Conference on Environmental Health Impacts of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations: Anticipating Hazards—Searching for Solutions, concluded that there is a great need to evaluate health effects from exposures to the toxic gases, vapors, and particles emitted into the general environment by CAFOs. Research should focus not only on nuisance and odors but also on potential health effects from microbial exposures, concentrating on susceptible subgroups, especially asthmatic children and the elderly, since these exposures have been shown to be related to respiratory health effects among workers in CAFOs

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis: antigen diversity and disease implications

Article in PressHypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) is an immune-mediated syndrome triggered by inhalation of a wide variety of allergens, to which an individual has previously been sensitized. More than 200 agents responsible for the disease have already been identified; however, HP occurs only in a small number of individuals exposed to causal antigens. The present report provides an overview of the role of antigen role in HP, highlighting its diversity, research methods, and prevention strategies, as well as the impact on disease prognosis following elimination of antigen. HP is an underdiagnosed disease and, therefore, it is difficult to accurately estimate its incidence. Triggering antigens can be divided into six broad categories: bacteria, fungi, mycobacteria, animal and plant proteins, chemicals, and metals, represented by disease prototypes. The identification of causal antigen is a major challenge; it is impossible to obtain in about 30-60% of cases. The acute form of HP, with early detection and immediate eviction of causal antigen, tends to have an excellent prognosis. In the chronic form, partial recovery of disease is still possible; however, some cases tend to progress to fibrosis, even after removal from exposure. In conclusion, HP diagnosis should be based on a proactive search for potential antigen sources, although their identification is hampered by the lack of standardized methods of demonstrating the specific antigen sensitization. Antigen avoidance is a critical determinant in disease prognosis.(undefined)info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Invited review: Sustainability of the US dairy industry

The US dairy industry has realized tremendous improvements in efficiencies and milk production since the 1940s. During this time, farm and total cow numbers have decreased and average herd size has increased. This intensification, combined with the shift to a largely urban public, has resulted in increased scrutiny of the dairy industry by social and environmental movements and increased concern regarding the dairy industry's sustainability. In response to these concerns, a group of scientists specializing in animal welfare, nutrient management, greenhouse gas emissions, animal science, agronomy, agricultural engineering, microbiology, and economics undertook a critical review of the US dairy industry. Although the US dairy system was identified as having significant strengths, the consensus was that the current structure of the industry lacks the resilience to adapt to changing social and environmental landscapes. We identified several factors affecting the sustainability of the US dairy industry, including climate change, rapid scientific and technological innovation, globalization, integration of societal values, and multidisciplinary research initiatives. Specific challenges include the westward migration of milk production in the United States (which is at odds with projected reductions in precipitation and associated limitations in water availability for cattle and crops), and the growing divide between industry practices and public perceptions, resulting in less public trust. Addressing these issues will require improved alignment between industry practices and societal values, based upon leadership from within the industry and sustained engagement with other interested participants, including researchers, consumers, and the general public

Lokala åtgärder för att minska värmeöeffekten : hur vind och vegetation kan skapa bättre temperaturer och klimatförhållanden för utemiljön vid Centralsjukhuset i Karlstad, Sverige

Climate change is the cause of more weather extremes. Cities' dense configuration, heat absorbing surfaces and low amount of vegetation leads to higher temperatures within cities known as the urban heat island effect (UHI). Mitigating and adapting to warm temperatures is of great importance to minimise the risk of people suffering from heat stress and for avoiding high energy usage for cooling. This thesis researches how vegetation, especially trees, interacts with wind and solar radiation using Geographical Information Systems and microclimate modelling, with aim for greater understanding how to use nature based solutions within cities. The study takes place at the Karlstad region hospital area in Sweden. Scenarios with different amounts of trees and respective leaf area density were modelled in a unvegetated area enclosed with buildings on two sides. The results showed that vegetation slightly changes wind speed while the wind patterns are more affected by vegetation. Air temperature reduction is highest under the trees and its near surroundings. The result showed that the amount of trees matter; more trees evens out and lower temperatures in a wider area. Thus, the overall physiological equivalent temperature (PET), which considers the heat balance of the body, air temperature, incoming solar radiation, wind movement and humidity, found that wind and vegetation best together improves thermal comfort during warm seasons. This thesis illustrates the complex challenges in cities and the many interactions leading to higher temperatures. Understanding a place's prerequisites, meteorological conditions, vegetation aesthetic and technical functions is key for providing a long term sustainable design. Further research assessing more seasons and sites is suggested to evaluate the results viability

Seasonal variation in chemical composition of Chamerion angustifolium pollen as measured by Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy

The quality of pollen is of fundamental importance for male reproductive success in spermatophytes, but our knowledge as to whether pollen quality is plastic and varies throughout the flowering season is limited. Pollen quality can be estimated indirectly through information about the chemical composition of pollen. In this study, pollen from Chamerion angustifolium was collected from a natural population over the course of a flowering season, lasting 48 days. The chemical composition of pollen was analyzed by Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Pollen was found to be chemically different throughout the flowering season, revealing a clear correlation between chemical spectra and pollination day. Additionally, pollen size decreased through the flowering season and pollen chemistry differed between two populations. The indicated plasticity of pollen chemistry throughout the season is important, as it is a major prerequisite for seasonal changes in pollen quality. Whether changed pollen chemistry over the season results in altered pollen quality is still unknown. Additional studies should validate this, by combining FTIR spectroscopy measurements of pollen with measurements of pollen quality parameters.Pollenkvalitet er fundamentalt viktig for befruktningsprosessen hos frøplanter, men kunnskap om hvorvidt pollenets kvalitet er plastisk og endrer seg gjennom blomstringssesongen er begrenset. Pollenkvalitet kan estimeres indirekte ved å kjenne til pollenets kjemiske sammensetning. I denne studien ble pollen fra geitrams (Chamerion angustifolium) samlet fra en naturlig populasjon, i løpet av en blomstringssesong på 48 dager. Pollenets kjemiske sammensetning ble analysert ved bruk av Fourier-transformert infrarød (FTIR) spektroskopi. Resultatene viste at pollen er kjemisk forskjellig gjennom blomstringssesongen, og viser en klar korrelasjon mellom pollenets kjemiske spekter og pollineringsdato. I tillegg indikerer resultatene at pollenets størrelse reduseres i løpet av blomstringssesongen, og at pollenets kjemiske sammensetning er forskjellig mellom to populasjoner. Plastisitet i pollenkjemi gjennom sesongen er viktig, ettersom det er en sentral forutsetning for sesongmessig variasjon i pollenkvalitet. Hvorvidt endret pollenkjemi gjennom sesongen medfører endret pollenkvalitet er fortsatt uvisst. Videre studier bør validere dette ved å kombinere FTIR-spektroskopimålinger av pollen, med målinger av pollenkvalitet-parametere.M-N