Dissipation and enstrophy statistics in turbulence : are the simulations and mathematics converging?

Since the advent of cluster computing over 10 years ago there has been a steady output of new and better direct numerical simulation of homogeneous, isotropic turbulence with spectra and lower-order statistics converging to experiments and many phenomenological models. The next step is to directly compare these simulations to new models and new mathematics, employing the simulated data sets in novel ways, especially when experimental results do not exist or are poorly converged. For example, many of the higher-order moments predicted by the models converge slowly in experiments. The solution with a simulation is to do what an experiment cannot. The calculation and analysis of Yeung, Donzis & Sreenivasan (J. Fluid Mech., this issue, vol. 700, 2012, pp. 5–15) represents the vanguard of new simulations and new numerical analysis that will fill this gap. Where individual higher-order moments of the vorticity squared (the enstrophy) and kinetic energy dissipation might be converging slowly, they have focused upon ratios between different moments that have better convergence properties. This allows them to more fully explore the statistical distributions that eventually must be modelled. This approach is consistent with recent mathematics that focuses upon temporal intermittency rather than spatial intermittency. The principle is that when the flow is nearly singular, during ‘bad’ phases, when global properties can go up and down by many orders of magnitude, if appropriate ratios are taken, convergence rates should improve. Furthermore, in future analysis it might be possible to use these ratios to gain new insights into the intermittency and regularity properties of the underlying equations

The Story of the Gary, Indiana Crucifix

In the spring of 1955, the Knights of Columbus erected an enormous crucifix in a public park in Gary, Indiana. Incensed by this flagrant constitutional violation, Harrison J. Mellman, a bright, well-liked, but still green local lawyer, began making plans to challenge the towering structure in court. Today, more than half a century later, the edifice remains, undisturbed, in its original spot. And so begins, and ends, a most unusual tale

Current Knowledge and Attitudes Concerning Cost-Effectiveness in Glaucoma Pharmacotherapy: A Glaucoma Specialists Focus Group Study.

Background:Rising healthcare costs motivate continued cost-reduction efforts. To help lower costs associated with open-angle glaucoma (OAG), a prevalent, progressive disease with substantial direct and indirect costs, clinicians need to understand the cost-effectiveness of intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering pharmacotherapies. There is little published information on clinicians' knowledge and attitudes about cost-effectiveness in glaucoma treatment. Purpose:This pilot focus group study aimed to explore clinician attitudes and perspectives around the costs and cost drivers of glaucoma therapy; the implementation of cost-effectiveness decisions; the clinical utility of cost-effectiveness studies; and the cost-effectiveness of available treatments. Methods:Six US glaucoma specialists participated in two separate teleconferencing sessions (three participants each), managed by an independent, skilled moderator (also a glaucoma specialist) using a discussion guide. Participants reviewed recent publications (n=25) on health economics outcomes research in glaucoma prior to the sessions. Results:Participants demonstrated a clear understanding of the economic burden of glaucoma therapy and identified medications, diagnostics, office visits, and treatment changes as key cost drivers. They considered cost-effectiveness an appropriate component of treatment decision-making but identified the need for additional data to inform these decisions. Participants indicated that there were only a few recent studies on health economics outcomes in glaucoma which evaluate parameters important to patient care, such as quality of life and medication adherence, and that longitudinal data were scant. In addition to efficacy, participants felt patient adherence and side-effect profile should be included in economic evaluations of glaucoma pharmacotherapy. Recently approved medications were evaluated in this context. Conclusion:Clinicians deem treatment decisions based on cost-effectiveness data as clinically appropriate. Newer IOP-lowering therapies with potentially greater efficacy and favorable side-effect and adherence profiles may help optimize cost-effectiveness. Future studies should include: clinicians' perspectives; lack of commercial bias; analysis of long-term outcomes/costs; more comprehensive parameters; real-world (including quality-of-life) data; and a robust Markov model

A Quantitative Approach to Investigating the Hypothesis of Prokaryotic Intron Loss

Using a novel method, we show that ordered triplets of motifs usually associated with spliceosomal intron recognition are underrepresented in the protein coding sequence of complete Thermotogae, archaeal and bacterial genomes. The underrepresentation observed does not extend to the noncoding strand, suggesting that the cause of the asymmetry is related to mRNA rather than DNA. Our data do not suggest that the underrepresentation is due to gene transfer from eukaryotes. We speculate that one possible explanation for these observations is that the protein coding sequence of Thermotogae, Archaea and Bacteria was at some time in the past subjected to selection against certain motifs appearing in an order which might initiate splicing in environments harboring a functional spliceosome. This is consistent with, but certainly does not prove, a hypothetical scenario in which at least some prokaryote lineages once possessed a functional spliceosome. Thus, we present a new quantitative method, observations obtained using the method, and a speculative discussion of a possible explanation of the observations

The Value of Friendship for Education

In lieu of an abstract, here is the article\u27s first paragraph: Western philosophers have enthusiastically praised friendship. A few intellectuals have raised doubts about it, such as Thomas Hobbes and Søren Kierkegaard, but friendship has inspired many others, including Aristotle, Francis Bacon, C.S. Lewis, and Mary E. Hunt, who have esteemed its benefits, especially the reciprocal commitment to nurture each friend\u27s \u27best self\u27