Optimization of fiber reinforced structures to satisfy aeroelastic requirements

A numerical procedure was developed for minimizing the structural mass of an aircraft structure which must have a specified minimum flutter velocity or divergence velocity. During the optimization process the arrangement of the structural members remains fixed, while the stiffness parameters of the structure are varied

Assessment of Snow Atmosphere Forcing During Central Idaho Atmospheric Rivers

Atmospheric Rivers (AR) are globally occuring weather features and the primary mechanism through which water vapor moves from the tropics and subtropics towards the mid-latitudes, doing so at rates comparable to the world’s largest terrestrial rivers. AR that encounter mountains often cause extreme precipitation in the form of rain and snow, high winds, and flooding in many watersheds. They account for as much as 20-30% of cool season precipitation in the central Idaho Mountains. In the Northern Hemisphere, seasonal snow cover during Winter and Spring months is the most variable land surface component in space and time, and acts on the fluxes of energy and mass into the atmospheric system. To date, there has been little effort to understand how the land surface snow cover states prior to and during the arrival of ARs, acting on the surface mass and energy balance, impact the onset, extent, and evolution of precipitation accumulation during AR events. Using a high resolution coupled land-atmosphere model, I examine the sensitivity of the precipitation regime and atmospheric energy balance to an ensemble of realistic snowcover states during a March 1998 AR case study in central Idaho. The results indicate that snow cover forcing 1) causes reductions of shortwave radiation and sensible heating that are balanced by atmpospheric energy transport, 2) increases atmospheric static stability, and 3) modifies the distributions of total accumulated precipitation by as much as 10mm

Modus vivendi, overlapping consensus and stability

En este artículo muestro como la teoría política de Hobbes, un gigante no-liberal del canon de la filosofía occidental, se puede interpretar como comprometida con alguna forma de neutralidad. Al reconocer el rol que juega la neutralidad en el pensamiento de Hobbes logramos ver que un requisito de neutralidad no es exclusivo del liberalismo. Más allá de esto, sin embargo, intento mostrar que considerar a Hobbes en este contexto revela ciertos puntos útiles de comparación con el trabajo tardío de Rawls que plantea preocupaciones sobre la viabilidad de su liberalismo político. Voy a argumentar que el liberalismo político de Rawls, mientras no ofrece una solución de modus vivendi a la justificación política, no está bien dotado para asegurar la estabilidad.In this paper, I show how the political theory of a non-liberal giant of the western philosophy canon, Hobbes, can be interpreted as having a commitment to some form of neutrality. In recognizing the role neutrality plays in Hobbes’s thought we come to see that a neutrality requirement is not exclusive to liberalism. Beyond this, however, I intend to show that consideration of Hobbes in this context reveals certain helpful points of comparison with Rawls’s later work that raise concerns about the viability of his political liberalism. I argue that Rawls’s political liberalism, while not a modus vivendi solution to political justification, is ill suited for the securing stability

The Eight O\u27Clock Rush Rag

A trolley carrying several passengers down the streethttps://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/cht-sheet-music/13900/thumbnail.jp

Second Honeymoons, Jurassic Babies: Identity and Play in Chennai\u27s Post-Independence Sabha Theater

Flyer for Fall 2012 ICS Faculty Fellow Lecture by Kristen Rudisill.https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/ics_fellow_lectures/1085/thumbnail.jp

NCAA DI Student-Athletes’ Understanding of and Attitudes Toward Mental Performance Services

Mental performance services are designed to assist student-athletes with psychological challenges affiliated with performance (McHenry et al., 2022). Currently, only 65 NCAA DI athletic institutions employ a psychological provider, with only 23.2% of those being mental performance consultants (MPCs; Jones et al., 2022). As student athletes are aware of the mental demand of sport (Bemiller & Wrisberg, 2011) and the NCAA begins to bring awareness to the importance of the mental well-being of the athlete (NCAA Transformational Committee, 2023), it is important to understand student athletes’ attitudes toward these services. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to learn about NCAA DI athletes’ understanding of and attitudes toward mental performance services. Nine NCAA DI student-athletes (6 females, 3 males) participated in semi-structured interviews where information was gathered about their sport background, their understanding of mental performance services, and their attitudes toward these services. Using thematic analysis procedures (Braun & Clarke, 2019) three themes were constructed based on participants’ responses: (a) influences and experiences of participation in NCAA DI athletics, (b) knowledge of services and characteristics desired of professionals, and (c) a general unawareness of mental performance services. In response to these results and recent NCAA statements, it is suggested that the NCAA educate and disseminate more information about mental performance services and athletic departments consider allocating resources and hiring more MPCs either full-time, part-time, or on a contracted basis to meet student-athletes’ needs

Drug Use and the Risk of Motor Vehicle Collision in Adults 65 Years of Age and Older

Introduction: The population of adults 65 years of age and older is growing at an exponential rate in the United States. The current generation of older adults is more mobile and driving much later in life compared to previous cohorts. While the current generation of older adults is living longer, they are not necessarily healthier. Older adults consume roughly 30% of all written prescriptions, are the largest consumers of over-the-counter medications, and report a higher prevalence of lifetime licit and illicit drug use compared to previous generations. There is concern that many older adults will drive while taking drugs-either illicit or licit-that will interfere with their ability to safely operate a motor vehicle. Licit and illicit drug use is largely understudied in this population of drivers, particularly in the United States.;Methods: This study employed a systematic review to discern which individual licit drugs were associated with increased risk/odds of motor vehicle collision, a cross-sectional analysis of a national traffic fatality database to discern which types of licit and/or illicit drugs and combinations were most prevalent among fatally injured senior drivers compared to middle-aged drivers, and a case-crossover study using electronic medical records to assess the risk that individual licit drugs pose to drivers 65 years of age and older in West Virginia who were admitted to medical treatment following a motor vehicle collision.;Results: Among the 53 specific medications investigated by the 27 studies included in the systematic review, 15 medications (28.3%) were associated with an increased risk of motor vehicle collision. The medications that were associated with an increased risk of collision were: Buprenorphine, Codeine, Dihydrocodeine, Methadone, Tramadol, Levocitirizine, Diazepam, Flunitrazepam, Flurazepam, Lorazepam, Temazepam, Triazolam, Carisoprodol, Zolpidem, and Zopiclone. In the cross-sectional analysis, licit and illicit drug use among senior drivers occurred in 17.8% of those tested. Among drug-positive senior drivers, benzodiazepines and narcotics were frequent. The rates of testing positive for any drug, multiple drugs, combined drug and alcohol, and alcohol use alone among seniors were 47% (Rate ratio, RR=0.53, 95% CI 0.50, 0.57), 57% (RR=0.43, 95% CI 0.39, 0.48), 88% (RR=0.12, 95% CI 0.10, 0.15) and 79% (RR=0.21, 95% CI 0.19, 0.24) less, respectively, compared to middle-aged drivers. In the case-crossover study, few drivers tested positive for drugs. Of those testing positive, benzodiazepines and opiates were the most common. After adjusting for the number of medications a driver was consuming during case and control periods, cases consuming Tramadol (Odds ratio, OR: 11.41; 95% CI 1.27, 102.15), were at a significantly increased risk of motor vehicle collision if they consumed these medications 14 days before the collision compared to control periods. Numerous other medications, including Clopidogrel, Gabapentin, Citalopram, Insulin, Hydrochlorothiazide, Metoprolol, Zolpidem, and Nitroglycerine, were trending towards being associated with motor vehicle collision, but were not found statistically significant.;Conclusions: The findings of this research pose numerous clinical and research implications. As many of the licit drugs included in this analysis are widely prescribed, patients should be informed that their driving ability may be affected. Further exploration into this area is research is necessary as older adults are choosing to maintain their mobility later in life

Soil quality and nitrogen cycling dynamics altered by fertility amendments in intensively managed vegetable production systems

Fresh market vegetable production in the Midwest U.S. is growing rapidly as a result of increased demand for locally-sourced food. High tunnels are becoming increasingly popular among Midwest vegetable growers as these structures offer many production benefits including season extension. However, vegetables require substantial fertility inputs, particularly nitrogen (N), in order to meet desired levels of productivity, and some fertility management strategies can negatively impact soil and environmental quality. This can be particularly problematic in high tunnels, where longer production periods and modification of the growing environment put these systems at greater risk for soil degradation. Identification of fertility practices that maintain soil quality and reduce negative environmental impacts is needed to improve the longevity and sustainability of these systems. The biological mechanisms controlling N cycling in Midwest vegetable production systems are not well characterized, and understanding how fertility practices alter this process are critical for limiting N loss in this region. The specific objectives of this research are to 1) quantify impacts of inorganic and organic fertility amendments on soil quality and crop productivity in a high tunnel and open field production systems, 2) determine how fertility amendments alter the structure of microbial communities that regulate N cycling processes, and 3) determine how changes in microbial community structure influence potential nitrification and denitrification activity. Urea, chicken litter, green manure (fall seeded hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth) plus alfalfa meal), and an unfertilized control were repeatedly applied in a high tunnel and adjacent open field plot at the Meigs Horticulture farm over a period of three growing seasons (2011 to 2013). Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris L.) was grown in 2011 and sweet peppers (Capsicum annuum L.) were grown in 2012 and 2013. Crop yield, soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total carbon, permanganate oxidizable carbon (POXC), plant available N, total N, and microbial activity (FDA) were quantified during each growing season, and total nutrient analysis was performed at the conclusion of the field trial. In 2013, potential nitrification (PNA) and denitrification (PDA) activity, abundance of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), bacteria (AOB), nitrite reductases (nirK and nirS) and nitrous oxide reductase (nosZ) genes, and community structure of bacterial ammonia monooxygenase (amoA) and nirK were quantified in bulk and rhizosphere soil samples collected from open field plots. In 2011, chard yield was lower in the high tunnel than the open field system, while pepper yield was greater in the high tunnel in 2012 and 2013. Chard yield was lower in plants receiving green manure than those receiving urea in 2011, but no differences in pepper yield were observed in response to fertility treatments in 2012 or 2013. Chicken and green manure treatments increased soil quality relative to urea and control treatments as indicated by greater FDA and POXC. However, EC was greater in chicken and green manure treatments than the unfertilized control, though levels were not considered inhibitory to chard or peppers. Potential nitrification and denitrification activity were greater in the rhizosphere than bulk soil, but nosZ abundance was lower in rhizosphere. Fertility treatments had a stronger impact on PNA, PDA, and N cycling gene abundances in bulk rather than rhizosphere soil. However, when averaged across bulk and rhizosphere fractions, there were no differences in PNA or AOA and AOB abundance. In contrast, green manure treatments had greater PDA in comparison to soils amended with urea and the control, though no differences in nirK, nirS, or nosZ abundance were observed between fertilized treatments. The abundance of AOB and nirK were strongly correlated with PNA and PDA, respectively, suggesting these functional groups more tightly control nitrification and denitrification processes in this dominant Midwestern soil. Multivariate analyses of AOB and nirK community profiles revealed that soil fraction and fertility treatments distinctly shaped these groups, and impacted their diversity. In conclusion, use of organic fertility amendments improve soil quality relative to inorganic amendments in intensively managed Midwest vegetable production systems, but could result in increased N loss from these systems when conditions are suitable for denitrification, though additional studies are needed to confirm denitrification efficiency. Nitrogen cycling dynamics are modified in the rhizosphere in comparison to bulk soil, which could influence N loss from these systems and therefore should be considered in soil N cycle models