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In this article, Maryland's non-legal-tender paper money emissions between 1765 and 1775 are reconstructed to determine quantities outstanding and redemption dates, providing a substantial correction to the literature. Over 80 per cent of this paper money's current market value was expected real asset present value and under 20 per cent was liquidity premium. It was primarily a real barter asset and not a fiat currency. The liquidity premium was positively related to the amount of paper money per capita in circulation. This paper money traded below face value due to time-discounting, rather than depreciation. Past scholars have simply confused depreciation with time-discounting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the meaning of the phrase "other paper" in Title 28, Section 1446 of the U.S. Code in the wake of the U.S. Congress' enactment of the nation's Federal Courts Jurisdiction and Venue Clarification Act of 2011 (JVCA) which changed several features of American federal court jurisdiction for litigation commencing on or after January 6, 2012. Judicial reform and procedural issues in America are examined, along with the U.S. Constitution and a court's ability to remove a case.

What research has been done to characterize the outcomes of disciplinary action or fitness-to-practice cases for regulated health professionals? To answer this research question, relevant publications were identified in PubMed, Ovid EMBASE, CINAHL via EBSCOhost, and Scopus. Included papers focused on reviews of regulatory body disciplinary action for regulated health professionals. Of 108 papers that were included, 84 studied reasons for discipline, 68 studied penalties applied, and 89 studied characteristics/predictors of discipline. Most were observational studies that used administrative data such as regulatory body discipline cases. Studies were published between 1990-2020, with twothirds published from 2010-2020. Most research has focused on physicians (64%), nurses (10%), multiple health professionals (8.3%), dentists (6.5%) and pharmacists (5.5%). Most research has originated from the United States (53%), United Kingdom (16%), Australia (9.2%), and Canada (6.5%). Characteristics that were reviewed included: gender, age, years in practice, practice specialty, license type/profession, previous disciplinary action, board certification, and performance on licensing examinations. As most research has focused on physicians and has originated from the United States, more research on other professions and jurisdictions is needed. Lack of standardization in disciplinary processes and definitions used to categorize reasons for discipline is a barrier to comparison across jurisdictions and professions. Future research on characteristics and predictors should be used to improve equity, support practitioners, and decrease disciplinary action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Accounting Perspectives is the property of Canadian Academic Accounting Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Brown, S.; Nicholls, R.J.; Pardaens, A.K.; Lowe, J.A.; Tol, R.S.J.; Vafeidis, A.T., and Hinkel, J., 2019. Benefits of climatechange mitigation for reducing the impacts of sea-level rise in G-20 countries. Journal of Coastal Research, 35(4), 884–895. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. This paper assesses the potential benefits of climate-change mitigation in reducing the impacts of sea-level rise over the 21st century in G-20 countries (excluding the European Union as a whole), using the Dynamic Interactive Vulnerability Assessment model. Impacts of the expected number of people flooded annually and wetland losses were assessed. To assess the benefits of mitigation, it was assumed that defences were not upgraded during the study. Globally, with a sea-level rise of 0.68 m by the 2080s (with respect to 1980–99), representing a potential future with limited climate-change mitigation, and with the Special Report on Emissions Scenarios A1 socio-economic scenario, 123 million additional people could be flooded annually and 39% of present global wetland stock could be lost. For a 0.19-m rise in sea level, associated with a substantial reduction in emissions, the number of people flooded could be reduced to 13 million/y, with 21% of global wetland stock loss, unless new wetlands emerge. Collectively, non-Annex 1 G-20 countries experience a disproportionately higher number of people flooded in their nations compared with the proportion of population flooded globally. The greatest wetland losses for G-20 countries are projected for Australia, Indonesia, and the United States. Thus, G-20 nations with the highest emissions or gross domestic product frequently do not experience the greatest impacts, despite some of these nations being potentially more able to pay for adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim/purpose - The key aim of the paper is to examine the diffusion of the sustainable investing Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) on the European and US ETFs markets, with the special focus on the market shares of sustainable investing and conventional funds. Design/methodology/approach - The model of diffusion of innovation (logistic growth model) is applied. Monthly data on the assets of ETFs in the time period of 2006-2017 are used. Findings - Increasing assets of sustainable investing ETFs were identified in both examined regions. The average value of assets was higher in the United States, but the European market became larger in the late 2017. Exclusively for Europe, the diffusion of sustainable investing ETFs was confirmed for the entire analysed time period as the market share of this category was increasing in relation to the conventional funds. In the United States, the diffusion was short-lived and took place in the time period 2006-2008. Research implications/limitations - Applied diffusion models assume an S-shaped trajectory of the innovation's diffusion and the estimations are sensitive to historical data. Originality/value/contribution - It is the first study to apply the methodological framework of innovation diffusion for the examination of the sustainable financial products. It addresses an issue of switching between sustainable investing and conventional financial products that has not been examined previously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the future of U.S. healthcare industry. The paper identifies a collection of unprecedented forces that will dramatically reshape industry boundaries, structures, and practices over the next two decades. Key findings include: 1) Regulatory and legislative policy uncertainty raises questions about the long-term relevance of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), 2) industry transformation will be marked by significant and protracted structural changes as innovations in digital technologies, health sciences, health consumer engagement and medical practices play out, 3) regulatory directives and care delivery objectives will drive increased industry transparency, information sharing, and collaboration, 4) advances in genomics will reconceptualize disease typologies, diagnostic tools, and therapies, and, 5) a heightened emphasis on the quality of the health consumer experience will push policy makers and care providers to reform business models and industry economics. The paper concludes with implications and recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in the 2014 case American Broadcasting Cos. v. Aereo Inc. (Aereo) which deals with cloud storage services and how the legal provisions in the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976 should be applied to emerging technologies, and it mentions the author's claim that the narrow decision in the Aereo case may have broader implications for cloud-computing. The Transmit Clause in the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976 is examined, along with copyright law history.

Copyright of Colombia Internacional is the property of Universidad de los Andes and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In the United States, industrial compounds are routinely transported by rail in pressurized vessels, often near urban areas. A rupture of a vessel, for example due to a derailment, can result in the rapid release of a liquid-aerosol-gas mixture. The health consequences of such a release, especially close to population centers, are not well understood. To address this question, a series of controlled experimental releases of pressurized chlorine (Cl 2) was conducted at the Dugway Proving Ground (Dugway, Utah). Each trial consisted of the sudden breach of a tank containing at least 4,500 kg (kg) of pressurized liquid Cl 2. In this paper, we report on measured Cl 2 concentrations in three test structures downwind of the release. Based on these data, we estimate the indoor-outdoor exchange, transport through a multi-room structure, and the first-order loss rate due to reaction or sorption. This loss rate is particularly important for consequence assessment. For example, in a mobile office with a ventilation rate of about three air changes per hour, the reaction loss rate was approximately 2.5 h−1. This accounts for a nearly 20 percent reduction in toxic load to indoor occupants. Finally, the paper discusses the modeling and analysis of a typical urban hazard assessment. • In 2015 and 2016, a series of controlled release experiments of pressurized chlorine (Cl 2) was conducted. • An experiment consisted of the sudden breaching of a tank containing greater than 4,500 kg (kg) of pressurized liquid Cl 2. • The measurement of the Cl 2 plume's transport through an array of downwind structures. • This paper reports the results of an experiment that is unlikely to be conducted often. • The reaction between the gas and indoor surfaces is important for hazard and consequence assessment. • The current study found that total Cl 2 gas loss was faster than the trailer's air change rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the spatial heterogeneity of landowners' willingness to supply three bioenergy crops: switchgrass, Miscanthus, and willow, in the northeastern United States. Spatial heterogeneity might arise for several reasons. For example, landowners closer to bioenergy processing plants might be more likely to be willing to supply bioenergy crops, and landowners who are more willing to supply bioenergy crops may be spatially clustered because they share similar land attributes, demographics, experiences, and/or values. Using high‐resolution GIS data related to the location of pellet plants utilizing bioenergy crops and survey data related to landowners' characteristics including spatial location, we estimate a spatial probit model to explain the variation in individual‐specific reservation prices (RPs)—the feedstock price at which landowners become willing to supply a bioenergy crop. We find that respondents' RP is lower the closer they live to their nearest pellet plant and spatial dependency is only present for switchgrass supply. We also identify three economic hotspots (areas with high potential supply and low RPs) for each bioenergy crop. We believe that bioenergy supply chains could be developed around these hotspots. Identifying economic hotspots and reservation price for biomass is important in establishing the supply chain for bioenergy. To address this, we apply a spatial econometric model coupled with geospatial hotspot analysis. We identify the price gap currently existing in the bioenergy supply chain, accounting for spatial dependence. Also, we locate potential sites to establish a bioenergy plant, considering biomass yield and price. These results are useful for bioenergy businesses and policymakers aiming to promote bioenergy development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The prescribing of opioids has increased internationally in developed countries in recent decades within primary and secondary care. The majority of patients with chronic non-malignant pain (CNMP) are managed by their general practitioner (GP). Recent qualitative studies have examined the issue of opioid prescribing for CNMP from a GP viewpoint. The aim of this study is to identify and synthesise the qualitative literature describing the factors influencing the nature and extent of opioid prescribing by GPs for patients with CNMP in primary care. Methods: MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, Cochrane Database, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, CINAHL and Web of Science were systematically searched from January 1986 to February 2018. The full text of included articles was reviewed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) tool for qualitative research. The papers were coded by two researchers and themes organised using Thematic Network Analysis. Themes were constructed in a hierarchical manner, basic themes informed organising themes which informed global themes. A theoretical model was derived using global themes to explain the interplay between factors influencing opioid prescribing decisions. Results: From 7020 records, 21 full text papers were assessed, and 13 studies included in the synthesis; 9 were from the United States, 3 from the United Kingdom and 1 from Canada. Four global themes emerged: suspicion, risk, agreement and encompassing systems level factors. These global themes are inter-related and capture the complex decision-making processes underlying opioid prescribing whereby the physician both consciously and unconsciously quantifies the risk–benefit relationship associated with initiating or continuing an opioid prescription. Conclusion: Recognising the inherent complexity of opioid prescribing and the limitations of healthcare systems is crucial to developing opioid stewardship strategies to combat the rise in opioid prescription morbidity and mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China is vigorously promoting the development of coalbed methane (CBM) resources because CBM is cleaner than coal and a hazardous gas in coal mining. However, the CBM production in China is significantly lower than that in other coal‐rich countries, such as Australia and the United States. In this paper, the main problems hindering CBM development in China are discussed to provide management suggestions for the government. These key problems include exploration and development techniques, the overlap of mining rights, management, financial supporting policy, investment environment, regulations, and market conditions. The results of this study indicate that to improve the development of the CBM industry in China, national and local governments must enact specific and exercisable regulations to increase financial support, improve technology, increase investment in CBM exploration, strengthen public project establishment, and improve the reform of CBM exploration and development policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses a core-periphery distinction to characterize contemporary economics, economic methodology, and also today's world economy. First, it applies the distinction to the organization of contemporary economics through an examination of the problem of explaining economics' relations to and boundaries with other disciplines. Second, it argues that economics' core-periphery organization is replicated in a similar organization of the use and practice of contemporary economic methodology in economics. Third, it draws on the use of the core-periphery thinking in economics itself regarding the uneven development of the world economy to provide possible foundations for economics and economic 408 • Revista de Economia Política 39 (3), 2019 http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/0101-35172019-3004 Brazilian Journal of Political Economy, vol. 39, n° 3 (156), pp. 408-426, July-September/2019 * Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. E-mail: john.davis@marquette.edu, orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8285-5085; Submitted: 25/October/2018; Approved: 7/January/2019. I am grateful to Luiz Carlos Bresser-Pereira, Sheila Dow, Zohreh Emami, Wade Hands, Bob McMaster, Jamie Morgan, and Robert Went for comments on a previous version of this paper. The paper was presented to the Portuguese Association for Political Economy October 23, 2014 and to the Amsterdam Research Group in History and Philosophy of Economics October 25, 2018. John Davis is also professor at the University of Amsterdam. Revista de Economia Política 39 (3), 2019 • pp. 408-426 409 methodology being organized in core-periphery terms. Fourth, the paper briefly discusses three potential countervailing forces operating on the development of contemporary economics that might work against its core-periphery organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Labor market frictions are able to induce sluggish aggregate employment dynamics. However, these frictions have strong implications for the source of this propagation: they distort the path of aggregate employment by impeding the flow of labor across firms. For a canonical class of frictions, we show how observable measures of such flows can be used to assess the effect of frictions on aggregate employment dynamics. Application of this approach to establishment microdata for the United States reveals that the empirical flow of labor across firms deviates markedly from the predictions of canonical labor market frictions. Despite their ability to induce persistence in aggregate employment, firm‐size flows in these models are predicted to respond aggressively to aggregate shocks, but react sluggishly in the data. The paper therefore concludes that the propagation mechanism embodied in standard models of labor market frictions fails to account for the sources of observed employment dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Almost six decades after the first proposals to define and evaluate the quality of individual aging, the first indexes for assessing the aging process at the societal level have appeared. Moreover, in five years, three different scores for measuring societal aging have been developed and tested in different areas. The Global AgeWatch Index focused on 96 countries from around the world, while the Active Ageing index is limited to the European Union countries and the Ageing Society Index targets Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries. This paper analyzed and compared the results of these three indexes. The rankings vary little at the bottom end of the scale, with the same countries consistently ranked among the lowest scores (for example, Poland ranked last among the European countries in the three indexes). The same is true at the top of the rankings, with Sweden, the Netherlands, and Ireland consistently among the high-scoring countries. However, the three indices tend to differently rank the countries in the middle. The United States, for example, is ranked ninth in the Global Age Watch 2015 and third in the Ageing Societal Index 2018. In cases in which the results are not consistent, it is difficult for politicians and policymakers to adequately identify needs and orient the policy to promote active and healthy aging. There is clearly a compelling need for wide-scale debate to reach a consensus on a comprehensive score or index at the societal level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Older adults often experience functional decline following acute medical care. This functional decline may lead to permanent disability, which will increase the burden on the medical and long-term care systems, families, and society as a whole. Post-acute care aims to promote the functional recovery of older adults, prevent unnecessary hospital readmission, and avoid premature admission to a long-term care facility. Research has shown that post-acute care is a cost-effective service model, with both the hospital-athome and community hospital post-acute care models being highly effective. This paper describes the post-acute care models of the United States and the United Kingdom and uses the example of Taiwan's highly effective post-acute care system to explain the benefits and importance of post-acute care. In the face of rapid demographic aging and smaller household size, a post-acute care system can lower medical costs and improve the health of older adults after hospitalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The effect of a kidney transplant on a recipient extends beyond the restoration of kidney function. However, there is limited qualitative analysis of recipient perspectives on life following transplantation, particularly in the United States. To understand the full patient experience, it is necessary to understand recipient views on life adjustments after kidney transplantation, medical management, and quality of life. This could lead to improvements in recipient care and sense of well-being.Methods: We conducted a paper-based survey from March 23 to October 1, 2015 of 476 kidney transplant recipients at the University of Michigan Health System in Ann Arbor, Michigan. We analyzed their open-ended responses using qualitative research methods. This is a companion analysis to a previous quantitative report on the closed-ended responses to that survey.Results: Common themes relating to changes following transplantation included: improvements in quality of life, a return to normalcy, better health and more energy. Concerns included: duration of graft survival, fears about one day returning to dialysis or needing to undergo another kidney transplant, comorbidities, future quality of life, and the cost and quality of their healthcare. Many recipients were grateful for their transplant, but some were anxious about the burdens transplantation placed on their loved ones.Conclusions: While most recipients reported meaningful improvements in health and lifestyle after kidney transplantation, a minority of participants experienced declines in energy or health status. Worries about how long the transplant will function, future health, and cost and quality of healthcare are prevalent. Future research could study the effects of providing additional information, programs, and interventions following transplantation that target these concerns. This may better prepare and support kidney recipients and lead to improvements in the patient experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of VLC Arquitectura is the property of VLC Arquitectura and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Therya is the property of Asociacion Mexicana de Mastozoologia, A. C. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Ralph B. Peck (1912–2008), graduate and doctor of philosophy in civil engineering (1934 and 1937 respectively) from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, was one of the major contributors to the development of geotechnics in the twentieth century. Born in Winnipeg (Manitoba) as an American national, he was influenced from childhood by the world of civil engineering through his father, Orwin K. Peck, who was a civil engineer, mainly as a structural engineer in the railway sector. In the absence of job offers as a structural engineer, Ralph Peck arrived at Harvard University in 1938 to attend the soil mechanics courses taught by Arthur Casagrande, which guided Peck's professional career towards geotechnics. In addition to Casagrande, Peck had the opportunity to meet and work with other very important people related to geotechnics: Albert E. Cummings, Laurits Bjerrum, Alec W. Skempton and especially Karl Terzaghi, with whom he established a great friendship, in addition to providing support, professional advice and performing important work, such as the Chicago Subway Works. Peck actively dedicated himself to consulting work, which led him to visit 44 states within the United States and 28 countries on five continents. In addition, he also participated in research work where he was asked and was a committed lecturer at the University of Illinois, where he was a professor for 32 years. The objective of this paper is to analyse, through Peck's biography, his contribution to the field of geotechnics based on his research, teaching and consultancy work, and through the influence of Peck on other important people in the field, such as Karl Terzaghi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the Seventeenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in relation to the reasons why America's Founding Fathers chose to create a bicameral national Congress comprised of U.S. Senators who are selected during state legislative elections. Personal liberties and constituency are addressed, along with the views of the members of America's Progressive Movement. "The Federalist Papers" documents written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay are also assessed.

Background and aims: Intensive mothering norms prescribe women to be perfect mothers. Recent research has shown that women's experiences of pressure toward perfect parenting are related to higher levels of guilt and stress. The current paper follows up on this research with two aims: First, we examine how mothers regulate pressure toward perfect mothering affectively, cognitively, and behaviorally, and how such regulation may relate to parental burnout. Second, we examine how feeling pressure toward perfect mothering may spill over into mothers' work outcomes. Methods: Through Prolific Academic, an online survey was sent to fulltime working mothers in the United Kingdom and United States with at least one child living at home (N = 169). Data were analyzed using bootstrapping mediation models. Results: Feeling pressure to be a perfect mother was positively related to parental burnout, and this relation was mediated by parental stress, by a stronger cognitive prevention focus aimed at avoiding mistakes as a mother, and by higher maternal gatekeeping behaviors taking over family tasks from one's partner. Moreover, pressure toward perfect mothering had a positive direct effect on career ambitions; and a negative indirect effect, such that mothers with higher felt pressure toward perfect mothering experienced lower work-family balance, which in turn related to lower career ambitions. Conclusion: The findings suggest that intensive mothering norms might have severe costs for women's family and work outcomes, and provide insights into where to direct efforts to reduce motherhood hardships and protect women's career ambitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Great Recession of 2008 in the U.S. was mostly attributed to the U.S. housing market bubble that came to an end in 2007. In this paper, we provide empirical evidence on the above conjecture by detecting the asymmetric causality between house prices and unemployment rate in each state of the U.S. We find that indeed, decreases in house prices cause unemployment in 39 states. There is evidence in only 19 states that an increase in house prices causes unemployment. Since an asymmetric analysis requires the use of nonlinear models, we use nonlinear models and find evidence of asymmetric cointegration between the two variables in all states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Pain is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Education Policy Analysis Archives / Archivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas / Arquivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas is the property of Educational Policy Analysis Archives & Education Review and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Pathways toward 'overshoot and collapse' futures are not always or exclusively determined by international trends, national governments, wars and large-scale events. While these gain considerable attention their overall impact is arguably no greater than the constant 'drip, drip, drip' of conventional decision-making around more mundane activities that fall under familiar headings like 'business strategy', 'economic growth' and 'development'. While cities have master plans and strategic goals most of them evolve within, and are expressed through, a continuous series of commercially inspired projects founded on narrow short-term economic assumptions. They emerge from a typically up-beat, entrepreneurial (profit-oriented) and finance-based worldview that is little short of delusional. As a result, many large-scale projects are poorly conceived and end up working against shared community interests. The central purpose of this paper is to contribute toward a broad re-appraisal of such projects in the hope that future 'developments' can be turned toward more consciously proactive and socially responsible ends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pharmacists have access to a plethora of information related to drugs. Online compendia concerning top 200 prescribed drugs are readily-accessible, comparatively-easy to search. While these resources provide some information about the commonly prescribed drugs, they lack in furnishing in-depth knowledge to pharmacy students, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals. The aim of this paper is to present the relevant details of top 200 most prescribed drugs in the United States. The names and therapeutic classes of top 200 prescribed drugs were compiled from online resources. The pharmacological actions of drugs, any reported adverse reactions and black box warnings are collected from drug bank resources, such as AccessPharmacy and Lexicomp. The paper provides comprehensive information about top 200 prescribed drugs, which includes generic names, pharmacological action, route of administration and adverse reaction profile including black box warning when applicable. Overall, the drug list may serve as an easy access of ideas for pharmacists, researchers and other healthcare professionals interested in developing new strategies for treating patients with various ailments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates changes in fuel procurement practices by coal-and gas-fired power plants in the United States following state-level legislation that ended cost-of-service regulation of electricity generation. I find that deregulated plants substantially reduce the price paid for coal (but not gas) and tend to employ less capital-intensive sulfur abatement techniques relative to matched plants that were not subject to any regulatory change. Deregulation also led to a shift toward more productive coal mines. I show how these results lend support to theories of asymmetric information, capital bias, and regulatory capture as important sources of regulatory distortion. (JEL L51, L71, L94, L98, Q35, Q41, Q48) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sea state data are of major importance for climate studies, marine engineering, safety at sea, and coastal management. However, long-term sea state datasets are sparse and not always consistent, and sea state data users still mostly rely on numerical wave models for research and engineering applications. Facing the urgent need for a sea state Climate Data Record, the Global Climate Observing System has listed Sea State as an Essential Climate Variable (ECV), fostering the launch in 2018 of the Sea State Climate Change Initiative (CCI). The CCI is a program of the European Space Agency, whose objective is to realize the full potential of global Earth Observation archives established by ESA and its member states in order to contribute to the ECV database. This paper presents the implementation of the first release of the Sea State CCI dataset, the implementation and benefits of a high-level denoising method, its validation against in-situ measurements and numerical model outputs, and the future developments considered within the Sea State CCI project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present Indian scenario, the real-time deviations are settled based on a deviation charge linked to average block frequency. This charge remains uniform across the country irrespective of the occurrence of congestion. Thus, it does not include the locational effect, which may devoid better investment signals and efficient system operation. Therefore, this study proposes an efficient real-time deviation settlement mechanism for the Indian grid, which incorporates the locational signal in the deviation charges. The proposed method introduces a new network adjustment charge (NAC) for each state, which is determined a priori using the nodal prices obtained from an optimal power flow model and using deviation elasticity of the states. This NAC will be added to the existing deviation charge, in each time block for the real-time deviations of the entities and discourage them from deviating in the occurrence of congestion. This method will help in bringing convergence between the deviation charges and another parallel trading mechanism facilitated by power exchanges. The proposed methodology is implemented and validated on a practical data of southern regional grid of India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community water fluoridation (CWF) adjusts fluoride levels in public water supplies to prevent tooth decay and promote dental health, irrespective of socioeconomic status or dental care access. Regular sampling by community water systems (CWS) ensures compliance with regulations and standards. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provide biennial reports for health statistics surveillance by monitoring CWF status in US water systems. It is important to note that specific policies and practices related to CWF can vary between countries. Therefore, this research applies the spectral clustering method to group and analyze the reception of fluorinated water by CWS between populations in US states. The data from the National Water Fluoridation Statistics (2016–2018–2020) reported by the CDC have been considered. The spectral clustering approach identified five clusters of US states, which represent the different percentages of the population served by CWS receiving fluorinated water. Among the results, one cluster has the lowest value of the percentage (33.3%), and it includes Hawaii, New Jersey, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Louisiana, New Hampshire, Alaska, and Utah. Conversely, the cluster of states including Ohio, Indiana, Maryland, South Dakota, Georgia, Virginia, North Dakota, Illinois, Minnesota, Kentucky, and the District of Columbia had the highest percentage (96.1%). These findings reveal relevant variations in the implementation of CWF across different US states, with some states having a notably lower percentage of their population receiving fluorinated water than others. This could inform policy and public health efforts to improve access to fluoridated water and enhance dental health outcomes in areas with lower coverage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Background: AI (artificial intelligence) chatbots have been widely applied. ChatGPT could enhance individual learning capabilities and clinical reasoning skills and facilitate students' understanding of complex concepts in healthcare education. There is currently less emphasis on its application in nursing education. The application of ChatGPT in nursing education needs to be verified. (2) Methods: A descriptive study was used to analyze the scores of ChatGPT on the registered nurse license exam (RNLE) in 2022~2023, and to explore the response and explanations of ChatGPT. The process of data measurement encompassed input sourcing, encoding methods, and statistical analysis. (3) Results: ChatGPT promptly responded within seconds. The average score of four exams was around 51.6 to 63.75 by ChatGPT, and it passed the RNLE in 2022 1st and 2023 2nd. However, ChatGPT may generate misleading or inaccurate explanations, or it could lead to hallucination; confusion or misunderstanding about complicated scenarios; and languages bias. (4) Conclusions: ChatGPT may have the potential to assist with nursing education because of its advantages. It is recommended to integrate ChatGPT into different nursing courses, to assess its limitations and effectiveness through a variety of tools and methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While many developing countries may not afford state-of-the-art medical equipment, they may take advantage of the significant price reduction and other benefits of remanufacturing to solve their perennial healthcare problems that are aggravated by the shortage of medical equipment. As a first step towards implementing medical equipment remanufacturing in developing countries, the regulatory perspectives which plays a crucial role in the industry should be understood. However, since regulation of medical equipment is weak or inexistent in most developing countries, the regulatory perspectives with respect to remanufacturing or related activities in both the European Union (EU) and the United States of America (US) are first examined to determine their impacts. Unfortunately, there appears to be a lack of precise definition of remanufacturing for medical devices. An unambiguous definition is necessary to promote effective research, improve understanding, ensure uniformity of standards, drive quacks out of the remanufacturing market and thus, enhance customer confidence in remanufactured products. This paper proposes a definition for medical equipment remanufacture. The principal advantage of this definition is that it could be adopted in future research toward increasing access to functional medical equipment to developing countries through remanufacturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we analyze whether developing countries are able to do their catching up in the context of the 21st century. To do so we review some case studies of countries that are already considered developed - England, United States, Japan and South Korea. We support the argument that all these nations have adopted similar strategies of development, which included emulation, adoption of industrial policies, investment on innovation and the existence of an active State. We believe that if this strategy is adapted to incorporate new national and international contexts, it will remain suitable for the promotion of development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper provides a complete and reliable ranking to the states of India in the renewable energy generation arena. The methodology adopted in the article rests on Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). One of the recently developed super-efficiency DEA formulations is integrated with a procedure to allow for non-discretionary input variables. The integration may fail to be feasible in certain cases. To deal with infeasibility, a heuristics is proposed. Using a simulation, it is demonstrated that the approach yields complete and fairly reliable rankings in the vast majority of the cases. Tamil Nadu appears as the leader followed by Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh are the laggards. Rankings will be useful for policy-makers in identifying the leaders and the laggards in the renewable energy sector, and hence, for fine tuning the policies to promote better renewable energy deployment. Rankings will also be helpful for investors in the sector by providing them with a simple tool to identify lucrative investment options. The approach is fairly generalizable to many other practical cases. Image 1 • Super-efficiency DEA model is amalgamated with non-discretionary input model. • A heuristics is used to avoid infeasibility; its efficacy is shown via simulation. • Indian states are ranked based on performance in renewable energy sector. • Tamil Nadu appears as the leader and Madhya Pradesh as the laggard. • Further application is demonstrated by providing ranks to countries in wind energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data on the geographic location of fracking wells in four U.S. states with mandatory disclosure between 2011 and 2013 — Colorado, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Texas — this paper analyzes the socio-demographic characteristics of people living close to fracking activity. Geo-coded well data from the FracFocus registry are merged to blockgroup-level socio-demographic data from the 2006–2010 American Community Survey and population density and land use data from EPA's Smart Location Database 2010. Different buffer zones around fracking wells are applied to capture effects at different spatial scales and to compare only areas with similar geological properties. We explain the distance to the nearest well within a county with fracking activity or within a buffer zone by race/ethnicity, income, educational attainment, various land-use control variables, and county fixed-effects. We find robust evidence that minorities, especially African Americans, disproportionately live near fracking wells, but less consistent evidence for environmental injustice by income or educational attainment. Strong heterogeneity across states can be observed, suggesting that an improvement in disclosure laws in other states, that would make similar analyses possible, is of great importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Review of provisions for seismic qualification of BRBs prescribed in various codes. • BRB core strain (JP) is a more practical way to specify the deformation amplitudes. • The AISC (US) loading protocol specifies the largest target deformation amplitude. • Requirement of minimum cumulative inelastic deformation in JP code is the most severe. • EN 15129 (EU) loading protocol imposed the largest cumulative inelastic demands. • Two new loading protocols for qualification of BRBs with enhanced requirements. The paper presents a research on testing protocols for seismic performance assessment and qualification of buckling-restrained braces (BRBs). The purpose of the study was to propose new loading protocols that consider the most demanding performance requirements available worldwide. In this study, the loading protocols for qualification testing of BRBs prescribed in the codes of four countries/regions, United States, Europe, China, and Japan, plus a non-official Canadian loading protocol, were consulted. The review focused on the background and characteristics, such as the maximum deformation amplitude, deformation range, and number of cycles, of each loading sequence. Then, a database composed of 35 BRB specimens, selected from 16 past experimental studies, was compiled to perform a series of simulations of quasi-static cyclic tests of BRBs under the five different loading histories. The OpenSees platform was used to carry out the modeling, calibration, and analyses. The demands imposed to BRBs were evaluated in terms of cumulative inelastic deformation and cumulative dissipated energy. In addition, the cumulative distribution of the hysteretic energy was defined as a parameter for the assessment of the amplitude-growth rule of the loading protocols. Based on the code review and analyses results, a series of criteria were established and two new loading protocols, GLP-1 and GLP-2, were proposed. Results demonstrated that both proposed loading histories impose superior cumulative inelastic demands and showed a good agreement with the reference cumulative distribution of the hysteretic energy. Thus, they are recommended as loading protocols for BRB qualification testing with global applicability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of biomonitoring data as an indicator of national levels of human exposure to environmental chemicals has grown in importance and prevalence. Nationally representative urinary bisphenol A (BPA) data are now available for Canada, the United States and Korea. Here we address the following questions: Are urinary BPA data from these countries comparable? What can be discerned regarding geographic and/or temporal similarities or differences? Are there generalizable lessons to be learned regarding comparison of biomonitoring results from different countries? We examined underlying methods and resultant urinary BPA data from national surveys of three countries: Canada (Canadian Health Measures Survey, CHMS, 2009-2015); United States (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, NHANES, 2009–2014); and Korea (Korean National Environmental Health Survey, KoNEHS, 2009–2014). We estimated BPA daily intakes on both a volume- and creatinine-adjusted basis. The three countries use similar methods for analyzing urine samples for BPA and participate in external proficiency testing with acceptable results. Field blanks are only used in the CHMS program. There were program-specific differences in fasting times of participants. Median urinary BPA levels in Canada remained relatively constant over the three cycles (1.1–1.2 ng/ml), while US levels decreased (from 1.9 to 1.3 ng/ml) and Korean levels increased (from 0.7 to 1.1 ng/ml) over similar time periods. The most recent survey year data indicate that levels do not differ substantially across countries. Canadian urinary BPA levels have been stable; the subtle, non-significant decrease in intakes may be due to higher body weight in the more recent Canadian surveys. In contrast, the decrease in intakes in the US appears to be due to decreases in urinary BPA as body weights in the US have been stable. Estimated 95th percentile intakes are over an order of magnitude below current health-based guidance values. Our assessment of urinary BPA data from Canada, the US and Korea indicates that methodological differences, methods for dilution adjustment, and population characteristics should be carefully considered when interpreting biomonitoring data. Despite the plethora of publications describing issues with use of creatinine levels for urinary dilution adjustment, there have been no major methodological advances that would assist in interpreting urinary chemical data. A combination of biomonitoring and traditional exposure assessment approaches may be needed to fully assess human exposures to BPA and other chemicals. National biomonitoring surveys provide important information on population levels of chemicals such as BPA and can assist in understanding temporal and geographic similarities, differences, and trends. However, caution must be exercised when using these data to draw anything but broad conclusions, due to both intercountry methodological differences and factors affecting urinary chemical levels that are still poorly understood. While the issues raised in this paper do not appear to be a major concern specifically for the national-scale monitoring of BPA described here, they must be considered when comparing data for other chemicals measured as part of both national and smaller-scale biomonitoring-based research as well as for BPA data from other studies. Image 1 • Urine BPA levels were compared for Canada, US, Korea populations with national data. • Geographic and temporal trends were explored for the 3 countries from 2009 to 2014. • Methodological differences and population characteristics were examined. • Similar BPA concentrations and intakes were observed among the three countries. • Estimated intakes are over an order of magnitude below health-based guidance values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the demand and production for renewable energies increases there is a growing need to research new technologies to increase the efficiency, productivity and profitability of production. This study aimed to investigate the priorities of bioenergy stakeholders on Geographic Information Systems based research in a variety of countries including a number throughout Europe, the United States and Australia. A voluntary questionnaire was distributed internationally to bioenergy stakeholders to discern perceived usefulness ratings for various analytics. Participants rated Economic analytics as the most useful followed by Environmental, Product quality and Social assessments. Therefore, future research within the bioenergy sector should be aimed at increasing the economic viability of bioenergy and decreasing its environmental impact. There was a difference between analytic preference and the thirteen countries surveyed and the stakeholder type however, this relationship was not significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: There are previous reviews focused on Sigma-1 receptor but no bibliometric studies examining this field as a whole. This article aims to present a global view of Sigma-1 receptor research and its intellectual structure. Methods: We used bibliometric indicators of a basic nature as well as techniques for the visualization and analysis of networks of scientific information extracted from Scopus database. Results: In total, 1,102 articles from 1992 to 2017 were identified. The growth in the production of articles is not constant over time, with periods of stagnation of approximately 5 years. Only 247 authors have five or more publications. The authors appear grouped in relatively independent clusters, thus suggesting a low level of collaborations between those dedicated to the Sigma-1 receptor. The United States was the country with the highest production followed by Japan and Germany. Spain, Japan, and Italy showed the highest per million inhabitants ratio. The highest citation/article ratio was reached in France, United States, and Canada. The leading institutions were the University of Münster, the National Institutes of Health, ESTEVE, and INSERM. The top authors in number of publications were Wünsch-B, Schepmann-D, and Maurice-T. Hayashi-T, Su-TP and Bowen-WD showed the highest citations per article. The article by Hayashi-T and Su-TP in Cell (2007) describing the Sigma-1 receptor as a chaperone protein is the top cited reference. Cluster labeling from author co-citation analysis shows that research has been focused on specific diseases such as addiction, neuroprotection and neurodegenerative diseases, psychiatric disorders, and pain. High-frequency terms in author keywords suggest that the research efforts in some areas such as neuroimaging, cocaine addiction or psychiatric disorders have declined over time, while others such as neurodegenerative diseases or pain are currently most popular. Perspective: A greater involvement of the scientific community, with an increase in the scientific production related to Sigma-1, is desirable. Additional boost needed to improve research performance is likely to come from combining data from different laboratories to overcome the limitations of individual approaches. The resulting maps are a useful and attractive tool for the Sigma-1 receptor research community, as they reveal the main lines of exploration at a glance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Substitution of 2nd generation for 1st generation biofuel is investigated. • An optimization model for the 2nd generation biofuel supply chain is proposed. • Both economic and environmental performance measures are examined. • 2nd generation biofuel is more cost effective than 1st generation biofuel. • Considering stover handling or not leads to different environmental performances. Multiple generations of biofuel manufacturing technologies have been proposed and developed, among which first generation technology is the most mature. It typically utilizes corn grain as feedstock in bio-refineries in many countries such as the United States. However, the use of edible matter of crops like corn may lead to a food-versus-fuel competition. To address such an issue, second generation biofuel manufacturing technology using the non-edible matter of crops has been developed. In this paper, the economic viability and environmental sustainability are analyzed and quantified, when restructuring the biofuel supply chain from employing first generation manufacturing technology to the one utilizing second generation technology considering the existing supply chain infrastructure. Two supply chain restructuring strategies, i.e., distributed and centralized preprocessing deployment, are modeled for implementing biomass preprocessing for second generation biofuel manufacturing. Bi-objective optimization formulations for the corn stover-sourced biofuel (a typical second generation biofuel) supply chain considering both economic and environmental aspects are proposed under both strategies. Different decision variables such as the locations selected for constructing preprocessing centers and the corresponding corn stover handling capacities of such centers, as well as the material flows between farms, preprocessing centers, and bio-refinery plants are identified. A case study based on the state of Missouri in the United States is implemented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed model and analyze the performance of different strategies. The results of the case study show that when corn stover is used as feedstock in bio-refineries, the unit cost of bioethanol production can be reduced, while the unit emission is increased compared to the corn-sourced supply chain under both supply chain restructuring strategies. Specifically, in Missouri where the daily stover handling amount per bio-refinery plant is relatively low and the stover collection radius is relatively small, the centralized strategy outperforms the distributed one with a higher cost reduction and a smaller increase in emissions. It reduces the unit cost by 27.39%, while increasing the unit emission by 24.42%, compared to the corn-sourced supply chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last few decades, the spread of invasive aquatic organisms via ships' ballast water became one of the global environmental issues of most concern. The Ballast Water Management Convention is the main instrument of the International Maritime Organization through which a number of regulations and standards have been developed and implemented to manage and control the discharge of ballast water from ships internationally. Since the United States is not a signatory to the The Ballast Water Management Convention, all ships operating in United States waters must comply with United States Ballast Water Management federal regulations. The paper highlights the essential The Ballast Water Management Convention and United States national Ballast Water Management regime topics to be recognised by the stakeholders of the shipping industry, predominantly ship operators and shipowners. Particular attention is given to the Ballast Water Management Systems type approval process where United States testing protocol and requirements are considered to be more rigorous and comprehensive compared to the International maritime Organization's type approval protocol. Although the Ballast Water Management regulations are considered to be matured they are still "living" provisions, and further regulatory enhancements are likely to be expected in the future. Therefore, it would be beneficial for all Ballast Water Management stakeholders to harmonize the Ballast Water Management Systems type approval requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current and future Operational Environment (OE) for the United States (U.S.) military is becoming increasingly complex. This complexity requires Systems Engineers and Architects to develop new approaches for evaluating the variability inherent in the OEs of today and tomorrow. In response to this growing capability gap, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) established the Engineered Resilient Systems (ERS) program. A core property of ERS is Broad Utility—the ability of a system to, " perform effectively in a wide range of operations across multiple futures despite experiencing disruptions. " [1] This paper discusses on-going research intended to provide system designers with an approach to architecting systems for Broad Utility. Specifically, this research seeks to accomplish three objectives: (1) Identify gaps in current U.S. DoD doctrine impacting the ability to architect for Broad Utility; (2) Develop an integrated network model of the Operational Environment that highlights how OE variables can impact system effectiveness; and (3) Propose an approach for ensuring that system architectures exhibit Broad Utility, through a process of mapping system Flexibility and Robustness to the variables of the OE. By employing this approach early in the Systems Engineering process, system designers can increase the likelihood that the resulting system responds appropriately to a changing environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the convergence patterns of prices across 50 U.S. states over the period 1960-2007, by applying the convergence algorithm developed by Peter C. B. Phillips and Donggyu Sul (2007). The empirical findings suggest the rejection of full convergence across the 50 U.S. states' prices, and the presence of 11 subgroups, or convergence clubs. The main implications of this paper point to the low degree of market integration across the U.S. states, the limitations of using a unique national price deflator to calculate real U.S. state variables, and the different effects that national monetary policy decisions will have on U.S. state prices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Under the current payment environment, the challenges to implementing and sustaining integrated behavioral health care are substantial. One key barrier for clinicians, administrators, researchers, and patients/families is a lack of clarity about who pays for integrated health care in the United States, and a lack of consensus about whether bending the health care cost curve is a fundamental goal of integrated care, and for whom. Clinicians caring for patients and families in integrated care settings would benefit from honing their "payment reform literacy skills" in order to advocate for integrated care.Method: This paper offers a primer on the current state of health care spending in the United States, an overview of public and private payers, and the challenges each faces in paying for integrated care.Discussion: Future journal articles in the FSH Policy and Management Department will describe key payment policy and management opportunities for integrated care payment reform. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the question of whether a road-maintaining entity should have a duty of reasonable care to inspect for or cut down dangerous trees adjacent to the roadways it maintains. Topics covered include acceptability of the duty of reasonable care under Virginia law, differing liabilities imposed on landowners and road-maintaining entities, duties that other U.S. states use in line with dangerous roadside trees and impact of sovereign immunity.

A commentary on a paper which argues that Virginia should adopt a road-maintainer negligence liability for injuries caused by falling trees and explores issues of sovereign immunity, is presented. Topics covered include duties of a landowner for injuries on the land, distinction of rights from obligations in the context of property, how Virginia courts dealt with the issue of landowner liability in tort for conditions on their land, and reasons for the need to impose duty on road maintainers.

The article questions why U.S. civil rights organizations haven't advocated for abolishing consent searches, which constitute over 90 percent of all searches. It criticizes the Supreme Court's consent loophole, arguing it perpetuates racial profiling. It suggests U.S. states legislate to eliminate this loophole, proposing model legislation.