Cuyahoga County Grocery Store Assessment, 2023

High profile grocery store closures in working class neighborhoods have galvanized community efforts and political will to address grocery store gaps – albeit in a reactive manner. Grocery stores are an essential part of our communities, providing access to food, medicine, jobs, household items and banking services. Their relevance merits a robust focus on policy solutions. This Grocery Store Assessment is a collaboration among public sector entities and neighborhood leaders to better understand the grocery store landscape, learn from implementation efforts and develop proactive policy solutions. There are 223 small, mid and large-scale grocery stores and 11,000 grocery workers in Cuyahoga County. About 14% (178,000) of county residents are lower-income AND lack a grocery store in their neighborhood – what we characterize as a food desert. Families living in these locations are also less likely to own a vehicle. Considerations resulting from community dialogue on grocery store issues: -How might we better anticipate grocery store closures? -Are there strategies that government can employ to stabilize existing stores? -How might we use community benefit agreements among grocers, community and government

Forces and atomic relaxations in the pSIC approach with ultrasoft pseudopotentials

We present the scheme that allows for efficient calculations of forces in the framework of pseudopotential self-interaction corrected (pSIC) formulation of the density functional theory. The scheme works with norm conserving and also with ultrasoft pseudopotentials and has been implemented in the plane-wave basis code {\sc quantum espresso}. We have performed tests of the internal consistency of the derived expressions for forces considering ZnO and CeO$_2$ crystals. Further, we have performed calculations of equilibrium geometry for LaTiO$_3$, YTiO$_3$, and LaMnO$_3$ perovskites and also for Re and Mn pairs in silicon. Comparison with standard DFT and DFT+U approaches shows that in the cases where spurious self-interaction matters, the pSIC approach predicts different geometry, very often closer to the experimental data.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figure

Lymphedema Therapy for the Treatment of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

Theory: This proposal presents the theory that the use of early lymphatic management techniques for patients who suffer from complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) can limit CNS remodeling, preventing progression of the disorder. In absence of high quality evidence, we interviewed multiple lymphedema therapists to assist in the generation of a lymphatic management protocol for use with patients experiencing CRPS-associated pain and edema. The pathophysiology of CRPS-associated edema is not fully understood. Potential causes may include vasomotor dysregulation or neurogenic inflammation. Regardless of its cause, edema and pain may lead to excessive muscle guarding and kinesiophobia. Targeting edema early may inhibit progression of the disease before pain becomes centrally mediated. Lymphedema therapy, including manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) and compressive garments, is commonly used to treat patients with compromised circulatory or lymphatic systems. Based on a limited number of low quality studies, MLD has shown conflicted results for improvement of CRPS symptoms. However, these studies have evaluated MLD as an isolated treatment rather than as a component of a comprehensive treatment protocol. None of these studies have investigated the effect of compression garments or early intervention. In light of the limited available research on this topic, expert opinion may provide further insight into the effectiveness of this modality. To support the plausibility of our theory, we have interviewed experienced lymphedema therapists who have treated CRPS with a combination of MLD and compression garments as part of a comprehensive PT treatment plan. Lymphatic drainage applied proximally to the affected limb creates a negative pressure gradient that draws out edematous fluid, providing relief from symptoms without needing to touch the edematous limb. With less pain and discomfort, patients have greater potential to gain functional mobility, which can prevent further complication. Compression garments maintain the pressure gradient for longer treatment effects; interviewed experts report that individual patients have tolerated their use. Traditional protocol for lymphatic drainage is followed for CRPS patients, including teaching independent care, though progression may be slower. No additional contraindications or precautions for the CRPS population were identified. The incorporation of lymphatic management into a comprehensive treatment plan allows for additional tools to decrease disability in CRPS patients with edema. Knowledge of this modality as a treatment option may help improve physical therapy outcomes. Learning to manage CRPS symptoms will help patients decrease kinesiophobia and increase functional capacity

The infrared imaging spectrograph (IRIS) for TMT: on-instrument wavefront sensors and NFIRAOS interface

The InfraRed Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) is a first light client science instrument for the TMT observatory that operates as a client of the NFIRAOS facility multi-conjugate adaptive optics system. This paper reports on the concept study and baseline concept design of the On-Instrument WaveFront Sensors (OIWFS) and NFIRAOS interface subsystems of the IRIS science instrument, a collaborative effort by NRC-HIA, Caltech, and TMT AO and Instrument teams. This includes work on system engineering, structural and thermal design, sky coverage modeling, patrol geometry, probe optics and mechanics design, camera design, and controls design.Comment: 17 pages, 12 figures, SPIE7735-28

Are short-term variations in solar oscillation frequencies the signature of a second solar dynamo?

In addition to the well-known 11-year solar cycle, the Sun's magnetic activity also shows significant variation on shorter time scales, e.g. between one and two years. We observe a quasi-biennial (2-year) signal in the solar p-mode oscillation frequencies, which are sensitive probes of the solar interior. The signal is visible in Sun-as-a-star data observed by different instruments and here we describe the results obtained using BiSON, GOLF, and VIRGO data. Our results imply that the 2-year signal is susceptible to the influence of the main 11-year solar cycle. However, the source of the signal appears to be separate from that of the 11-year cycle. We speculate as to whether it might be the signature of a second dynamo, located in the region of near-surface rotational shear.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, proceedings for SOHO-24/GONG 2010 conference, to be published in JPC

Michael James David Powell:29 July 1936-19 April 2015

Michael James David Powell was a British numerical analyst who was among the pioneers of computational mathematics. During a long and distinguished career, first at the Atomic Energy Research Establishment (AERE) Harwell and subsequently as the John Humphrey Plummer Professor of Applied Numerical Analysis in Cambridge, he contributed decisively towards establishing optimization theory as an effective tool of scientific enquiry, replete with highly effective methods and mathematical sophistication. He also made crucial contributions to approximation theory, in particular to the theory of spline functions and of radial basis functions. In a subject that roughly divides into practical designers of algorithms and theoreticians who seek to underpin algorithms with solid mathematical foundations, Mike Powell refused to follow this dichotomy. His achievements span the entire range from difficult and intricate convergence proofs to the design of algorithms and production of software. He was among the leaders of a subject area that is at the nexus of mathematical enquiry and applications throughout science and engineering.</jats:p

Prospects for Nonlinear Laser Diagnostics in the Jet Noise Laboratory

Two experiments were conducted to test whether optical methods, which rely on laser beam coherence, would be viable for off-body flow measurement in high-density, compressible-flow wind tunnels. These tests measured the effects of large, unsteady density gradients on laser diagnostics like laser-induced thermal acoustics (LITA). The first test was performed in the Low Speed Aeroacoustics Wind Tunnel (LSAWT) of NASA Langley Research Center's Jet Noise Laboratory (JNL). This flow facility consists of a dual-stream jet engine simulator (with electric heat and propane burners) exhausting into a simulated flight stream, reaching Mach numbers up to 0.32. A laser beam transited the LSAWT flow field and was imaged with a high-speed gated camera to measure beam steering and transverse mode distortion. A second, independent test was performed on a smaller laboratory jet (Mach number < 1.2 and mass flow rate < 0.1 kg/sec). In this test, time-averaged LITA velocimetry and thermometry were performed at the jet exit plane, where the effect of unsteady density gradients is observed on the LITA signal. Both experiments show that LITA (and other diagnostics relying on beam overlap or coherence) faces significant hurdles in the high-density, compressible, and turbulent flow environments similar to those of the JNL