Listening to God

A sermon preached to the sixteenth graduating class of the Rice Institute, by the Reverend Doctor Harris Elliott Kirk, Minister of the Franklin Street Presbyterian Church of Baltimore, Maryland

Fluid Velocity Fluctuations in a Suspension of Swimming Protists

In dilute suspensions of swimming microorganisms the local fluid velocity is a random superposition of the flow fields set up by the individual organisms, which in turn have multipole contributions decaying as inverse powers of distance from the organism. Here we show that the conditions under which the central limit theorem guarantees a Gaussian probability distribution function of velocities are satisfied when the leading force singularity is a Stokeslet, but are not when it is any higher multipole. These results are confirmed by numerical studies and by experiments on suspensions of the alga Volvox carteri, which show that deviations from Gaussianity arise from near-field effects.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Bread and Freedom: Linking Democracy and Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract: This article looks at the effect of politics on food security in thirty-eight SubSaharan African nations since 1990. In so doing, it helps clarify the causal mechanisms through which democracy impacts hunger. In contrast to previous empirical research where democracy is often treated as one-dimensional, this study incorporates multiple measures of democracy and freedom. The cross-national statistical analysis uses data from the Global Hunger Index of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), as well as data on democracy and civil liberties from a variety of extant sources. The article finds that while variables measuring the procedural and institutional elements of democracy are not connected to levels of hunger in Africa, the protection of civil liberties is moderately associated with improved food security. This conclusion is borne out by a brief case study of Ghana, whose democratic transition in the 1990s has proceeded in tandem with significant reductions in hunger. Taken together, this suggests that the positive effects of democracy on food security in Africa are not a result of the opportunity for Africans to discipline non-responsive elites at the polls, but of the effectiveness of political liberalization in creating new spaces for vulnerable populations to mobilize and to make their voices heard

Astrophysical Supercomputing with GPUs: Critical Decisions for Early Adopters

General purpose computing on graphics processing units (GPGPU) is dramatically changing the landscape of high performance computing in astronomy. In this paper, we identify and investigate several key decision areas, with a goal of simplyfing the early adoption of GPGPU in astronomy. We consider the merits of OpenCL as an open standard in order to reduce risks associated with coding in a native, vendor-specific programming environment, and present a GPU programming philosophy based on using brute force solutions. We assert that effective use of new GPU-based supercomputing facilities will require a change in approach from astronomers. This will likely include improved programming training, an increased need for software development best-practice through the use of profiling and related optimisation tools, and a greater reliance on third-party code libraries. As with any new technology, those willing to take the risks, and make the investment of time and effort to become early adopters of GPGPU in astronomy, stand to reap great benefits.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in PAS

Month-Timescale Optical Variability in the M87 Jet

A previously inconspicuous knot in the M87 jet has undergone a dramatic outburst and now exceeds the nucleus in optical and X-ray luminosity. Monitoring of M87 with the Hubble Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory during 2002-2003, has found month-timescale optical variability in both the nucleus and HST-1, a knot in the jet 0.82'' from the nucleus. We discuss the behavior of the variability timescales as well as spectral energy distribution of both components. In the nucleus, we see nearly energy-independent variability behavior. Knot HST-1, however, displays weak energy dependence in both X-ray and optical bands, but with nearly comparable rise/decay timescales at 220 nm and 0.5 keV. The flaring region of HST-1 appears stationary over eight months of monitoring. We consider various emission models to explain the variability of both components. The flares we see are similar to those seen in blazars, albeit on longer timescales, and so could, if viewed at smaller angles, explain the extreme variability properties of those objects.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, ApJ Lett., in pres

The experience of accommodating privacy restrictions during implementation of a large-scale surveillance study of an osteoporosis medication.

PurposeTo explore whether privacy restrictions developed to protect patients have complicated research within a 15-year surveillance study conducted with US cancer registries.MethodsData from enrolling 27 cancer registries over a 10-year period were examined to describe the amount of time needed to obtain study approval. We also analyzed the proportion of patients that completed a research interview out of the total reported by the registries and examined factors thought to influence this measure.ResultsThe average length of the research review process from submission to approval of the research was 7 months (range, <1 to 24 months), and it took 6 months or more to obtain approval of the research at 41% of the cancer registries. Most registries (78%) required additional permission steps to gain access to patients for research. After adjustment for covariates, the interview response proportion was 110% greater (ratio of response proportion = 2.1; 95% confidence interval: 1.3, 3.3) when the least restrictive versus the most restrictive permission steps were required. An interview was more often completed for patients (or proxies) if patients were alive, within a year of being diagnosed, or identified earlier in the study.ConclusionsLengthy research review processes increased the time between diagnosis and provision of patient information to the researcher. Requiring physician permission for access to patients was associated with lower subject participation. A single national point of entry for use of cancer registry data in health research is worthy of consideration to make the research approval process efficient. © 2016 The Authors. Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd

Initial Top-Level Characterization of the Air Force Sustainment System

This draft white paper presents an initial top-level characterization of the Air Force sustainment system. The first part of the paper gives an overview of the proposed conceptual framework for system characterization. The second part presents an initial top-level characterization of the system, by using this framework, and offers some preliminary suggestions or recommendations. Finally, next steps in the research process are outlined, placing the paper in the larger context of the task on system characterization and transformation