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The risk and outcome of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in patients who sustained spinal cord injury (SCI) remain a challenge. We aimed to assess the incidence, risk, burden, and prophylaxis of DVT after SCI. Thirty-nine studies were identified from among 250 relevant articles based on firstly, broad criterion of DVT among SCI cases. secondly, "risk factors" impacting DVT, thirdly, published reports from apex bodies of global importance such as World Health Organization, Centre for disease control, Atlanta USA, and others were given due weightage for their authenticity. SCI is characterized by loss of motor, sensory, and autonomic function with partial or total damage of the anatomical structure leading to increased risk of thrombogenesis. SCIs present a higher risk of venous DVT constituting 9.7% of deaths in the 1st year of follow-up. Currently, prophylaxis with mechanical methods, vena cava filters and antithrombotic chemoprophylaxis in SCI are interventions for the management of DVT. DVT in SCI patients is not uncommon and needs a high index of suspicion and implementation of institutional prophylaxis protocol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research paper presents the results of two studies investigating human mobility patterns in the 15 largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) in the United States. It studied 14 daily mobility parameters aggregated at the MSA level, derived from four primary mobility parameters: Number of Visited Locations (N_LOC), Number of Unique Visited Locations (N_ULOC), Radius of Gyration (R_GYR), and Distance Traveled (D_TRAV) over a 30-day period. The first study was conducted on data from two large MSAs, one coastal and one inland (Boston and Atlanta, respectively). The aim was to examine associations between daily values of mobility parameters aggregated at the MSA level and identify those carrying similar or identical information. Results of factor analysis showed that these could be adequately described by two independent factors, pointing to one or two of the mobility parameters as sufficient to represent the whole set in analyses based on associations. These could either be D_TRAV, as it had high loadings on both factors, or N_LOC and R_GYR due to their high loadings on the two extracted factors. The second study was conducted on daily mobility datasets from the 15 MSAs. The aim was to compare daily mobility patterns of these MSAs and group them based on their mobility pattern similarities. Factor analysis of the aggregated mean daily distances (D_TRAV) across different MSAs over the studied period classified them into two distinct groups: one predominantly composed of inland MSAs and the other primarily of coastal MSAs. Strong weekly cycle trends emerged in these groups. Specifically, individuals from the inland MSA group tended to travel the furthest on Fridays and the least on Sundays, whereas those from the coastal MSA group traveled the most on Saturdays and the least on Mondays. This weekly pattern was robust, with 7-day lag autocorrelations of mean daily parameter values ranging between 0.81 to 0.99, excluding the mean daily N_LOC. These findings offer a foundational understanding of MSA mobility patterns, paving the way for more detailed studies on the nuances of these patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The macroscopic fundamental diagram (MFD) is a nonuniversal changing process over network traffic status which indicates different shapes in different networks. Hysteresis is observed in the MFD of some urban networks. It is a unique phenomenon when the network remains at low stability level and usually appears around the congestion period. This paper analyzed network peak stability through focusing on hysteresis. The formation mechanism of hysteresis is deduced from the mathematical method based on previous research studies. The precondition of hysteresis and the changing process of network state can be figured by mathematical deduction. It indicates that hysteresis only occurs conditionally in the period of macroscopic congestion and is not a universal phenomenon. Heterogeneity is an important factor leading to network instability. The hysteresis patterns of different peaks in MFD are different due to the variation of network flow. Real data are collected from Atlanta's urban network to verify the analysis of hysteresis. To discuss the changing process of hysteresis in different peaks, a three-stage division is proposed and time series is presented as a third dimension in MFD. It is worth noticing that the existence and form of hysteresis in morning and evening peaks are different. Although there is a higher peak flow in the morning peak, the stability of the evening peak performs better when hysteresis occurs in the network. The different fluctuations in the morning and evening peaks are exhibited through the 3D version of MFD. The otherness of hysteresis in different peaks is explained through a 3D coordinate system with cross-compared corresponding indexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sexual violence (SV) is a significant, global public health problem, particularly among young adults. Promising interventions exist, including prosocial bystander intervention programs that train bystanders to intervene in situations at-risk for SV. However, these programs suffer from critical weaknesses: (1) they do not address the proximal effect of alcohol use on bystander decision-making and (2) they rely on self-report measures to evaluate outcomes. To overcome these limitations, we integrate new content specific to alcohol use within the context of prosocial bystander intervention into an existing, evidence-based program, RealConsent1.0. The resulting program, RealConsent2.0, aims to facilitate bystander behavior among sober and intoxicated bystanders and uses a virtual reality (VR) environment to assess bystander behavior in the context of acute alcohol use. Methods: This protocol paper presents the design of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) in which we evaluate RealConsent2.0 for efficacy in increasing alcohol- and non-alcohol-involved bystander behavior compared to RealConsent1.0 or to an attention-control program ("Taking Charge"). The RCT is being implemented in Atlanta, GA, and Lincoln, NE. Participants will be 605, healthy men aged 21–25 years recruited through social media, community-based flyers, and university email lists. Eligible participants who provide informed consent and complete the baseline survey, which includes self-reported bystander behavior, are then randomized to one of six conditions: RealConsent2.0/alcohol, RealConsent2.0/placebo, RealConsent1.0/alcohol, RealConsent1.0/placebo, Taking Charge/alcohol, or Taking Charge/placebo. After completing their assigned program, participants complete a laboratory session in which they consume an alcohol (target BrAC:.08%) or placebo beverage and then engage in the Bystanders in Sexual Assault Virtual Environments (BSAVE), a virtual house party comprising situations in which participants have opportunities to intervene. Self-reported bystander behavior across alcohol and non-alcohol contexts is also assessed at 6- and 12-months post-intervention. Secondary outcomes include attitudes toward, outcome expectancies for, and self-efficacy for bystander behavior via self-report. Discussion: RealConsent2.0 is the first web-based intervention for young men that encourages and teaches skills to engage in prosocial bystander behavior to prevent SV while intoxicated. This is also the first study to assess the proximal effect of alcohol on bystander behavior via a VR environment. Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT04912492. Registered on 05 February 2021 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a new type of gypsum-based humidity-control material. The material combines gypsum–silica gel humidity-control material with 20% sepiolite powder activated by calcium chloride. Both experimental and simulation studies were conducted to assess its humidity-control performance. The experimental results indicate that gypsum-based humidity-control material has the property of absorbing moisture in high-humidity environments and releasing moisture in low-humidity environments. Moreover, both environmental temperature and relative humidity (RH) have an impact on the material's humidity-control performance. At a relative humidity of 97.4%, the maximum equilibrium moisture content of the material is 0.225 g/g, which is 1.4 times that of the gypsum–silica gel humidity-control material and 4.5 times that of pure gypsum material. The simulation results indicate that gypsum-based humidity-control material effectively mitigates indoor relative humidity fluctuations and maintains indoor air relative humidity within a narrow range. Furthermore, the material has the potential to reduce building energy consumption. This is especially evident under climate conditions with large temperature and relative humidity differences between day and night, such as in Beijing, Paris, and Atlanta. The maximum potential energy-saving rate in Beijing can reach up to 19.31%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the southeastern US, Atlanta is always the focus of attention, despite the rapid expansion of small and medium-sized cities (SMSCs) in the region. Clearly, larger cities have more people, resulting in more loss during disasters. However, SMSCs also face natural calamities and must be made robust and sustainable. Keeping this in mind, this study chooses to focus on ten SMSCs in Alabama (Population > 40,000) which have encountered at least a 6% increase in population size between 1990 and 2020, out of which two large cities (Population > 180,000) which experienced loss during the same time. This paper examines the change in urban built-up area between 1990 and 2020 using the random forest algorithm in Google Earth Engine (GEE) and estimates future 2050 urban expansion scenarios using the Cellular Automata (CA) Markov model in TerrSet's Land Change Modeler (LCM). The results revealed urban built-up areas grew rapidly from 1990 to 2020, with some cities doubling or tripling in size due to population growth. The future growth model predicted growth for most cities and urban expansion along transportation networks. The outcome of this research showcases the importance of proper planning and building sustainably in SMSCs for future natural disaster events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a profile of visionary optometric and civic leader, Dr. C. Clayton Powell (1927-2020). After graduating from Morehouse College and Chicago College of Optometry, he entered optometry practice in Atlanta, Georgia, and embarked on a lifetime of service on both local and national stages. He is best known in optometric circles as co-founder and first president of the National Optometric Association. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In man-made environments, most of the objects and structures are organized in the form of orthogonal and parallel planes. These planes can be approximated by an Atlanta world assumption, in which the normals of planes can be represented by Atlanta frames. The Atlanta world assumption has one vertical frame and multiple horizontal frames. Conventionally, given a set of inputs such as surface normals, the Atlanta frame estimation problem can be solved by a branch-and-bound (BnB) algorithm. However, the runtime of the BnB algorithm will increase greatly when the dimensionality (i.e., the number of horizontal frames) increases. In this paper, we estimate only the vertical direction, instead of all Atlanta frames at once. Accordingly, we propose a vertical direction estimation method by considering the relationship between the vertical frame and horizontal frames. Concretely, our approach employs a BnB algorithm to search the vertical direction, thereby guaranteeing global optimality without requiring prior knowledge of the number of Atlanta frames. In order to guarantee convergence, four novel bounds are investigated, by mapping a 3D hemisphere to a 2D region. We verify the feasibility of the proposed method using various challenging synthetic and real-world data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The built environment characteristics associated with walkability range from neighborhood-level urban form factors to street-level urban design factors. However, many existing walkability indices are based on neighborhoodlevel factors and lack consideration for street-level factors. Arguably, this omission is due to the lack of a scalable way to measure them. This paper uses computer vision to quantify street-level factors from street view images in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Correlation analysis shows that some streetscape factors are highly correlated with neighborhood-level factors. Binary logistic regressions indicate that the streetscape factors can significantly contribute to explaining walking mode choice and that streetscape factors can have a greater association with walking mode choice than neighborhood-level factors. A potential explanation for the result is that the image-based streetscape factors may perform as proxies for some macroscale factors while representing the pedestrian experience as seen from eye-level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ACRL Framework for Information Literacy, specifically the six threshold concepts about information, mirrors the experiences of the author as a researcher studying the representation of anti-racism in bibliographic information systems. Anti-racism, in general, is a great concept to use when teaching information literacy and the paper discusses how antiracism information literacy can be taught and learned as part of theological and religious studies education. This paper was presented at the ATLA Annual Conference in 2017. Since the conference was in Atlanta, the article begins with two stories about the scholar DuBois who lived there, and which are also used to highlight information literacy concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban scene modeling is a challenging task for the photogrammetry and computer vision community due to its large scale, structural complexity, and topological delicacy. This paper presents an efficient multistep modeling framework for large-scale urban scenes from aerial images. It takes aerial images and a textured 3D mesh model generated by an image-based modeling system as the input and outputs compact polygon models with semantics at different levels of detail (LODs). Based on the key observation that urban buildings usually have piecewise planar rooftops and vertical walls, we propose a segment-based modeling method, which consists of three major stages: scene segmentation, roof contour extraction, and building modeling. By combining the deep neural network predictions with geometric constraints of the 3D mesh, the scene is first segmented into three classes. Then, for each building mesh, the 2D line segments are detected and used to slice the ground into polygon cells, followed by assigning each cell a roof plane via a MRF optimization. Finally, the LOD model is obtained by extruding cells to their corresponding planes. Compared with direct modeling in 3D space, we transform the mesh into a uniform 2D image grid representation and most of the modeling work is performed in 2D space, which has the advantages of low computational complexity and high robustness. In addition, our method doesn’t require any global prior, such as the Manhattan or Atlanta world assumption, making it flexible to model scenes with different characteristics and complexity. Experiments on both single buildings and large-scale urban scenes demonstrate that by combining 2D photometric with 3D geometric information, the proposed algorithm is robust and efficient in urban scene LOD vectorized modeling compared with the state-of-the-art approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Morehouse School of Medicine Prevention Research Center implemented initiatives in direct response to priorities identified through a community-based participatory researchdriven health needs and assets assessment. Led by a community-majority coalition board, the assessment coupled secondary data with primary survey data collected by and from 607 Atlanta community residents. This paper will detail the assessment process, which included identification of community residents' health priorities and policies, systems, or environmental issues that impact community health. We will also describe the process of disseminating the assessment results through community conversations to increase community residents' awareness of these priorities to effect change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detection, classification, and characterization of Space Objects (SOs) are important tasks in many areas of research. Detection of SOs is important in predicting collisions with debris that could become hazards for satellites or space missions in Near Earth orbits. This paper describes a flexible pipeline able to detect sunlit SOs automatically in images acquired using an all-sky camera with a large field of view (FoV). The proposed pipeline includes the following main steps: image distortion correction, filtering for noise reduction, generation of a background model for subtraction, star elimination using a star catalog, local-based contrast enhancement, and, finally, for automatic SO detection, two methodologies were developed to detect line segments. The first one uses a Canny edge detector and a Progressive Probabilistic Hough Transform, and the second is based on the Radon Transform for detecting line segments. The method was applied to a dataset of 22 × 3 images obtained from the Omnidirectional Space Situational Awareness (OmniSSA) Array at the Georgia Institute of Technology in downtown Atlanta. The OmniSSA array has 3 sensors that capture high-resolution images simultaneously (3352 × 2532 pixels) using a wide FoV for each camera. An intensity scaled by noise ( I SN ) signal was defined and measured to show improvement in SO detection objectively. Fusing images from the three OmniSSA sensors after the background subtraction step improved both the I SN and visualization during the detection stage. Ground-truth data were extracted from a Space-Track catalog and marked by human experts to validate the results of the pipeline, considering information from Astrometry.net. Results showed that almost all the SOs were correctly detected by the pipeline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose a novel visual-inertial odometry (VIO) approach that adopts structural regularity in man-made environments. Instead of using Manhattan world assumption, we use Atlanta world model to describe such regularity. An Atlanta world is a world that contains multiple local Manhattan worlds with different heading directions. Each local Manhattan world is detected on the fly, and their headings are gradually refined by the state estimator when new observations are received. With full exploration of structural lines that aligned with each local Manhattan worlds, our VIO method becomes more accurate and robust, as well as more flexible to different kinds of complex man-made environments. Through benchmark tests and real-world tests, the results show that the proposed approach outperforms existing visual-inertial systems in large-scale man-made environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smart growth, as a service to the economy, environment and society, has increasingly become the development pattern for cities of the world, but the degree of smart growth varies from city to city, and not all smart growth plans are suitable for current cities or countries. Therefore, it is of practical significance to measure the success degree of smart growth plan. The current model is accompanied by some problems such as subjectivity, unable to prioritize each plan, and so on. In this paper, an evaluating model was established to scientifically measure and adjust the smart growth plan based on BP neural network and set pair analysis. In this model, an evaluating metric(I) was defined, which was obtained by multiplying the ability score(A) and the coordinative development index(C). Applied to city's current plan, the model can tell us how successful the current plan is for this city, thus on the basis of evaluating result, better new plans for the city in the future can be developed. Finally, the effects of the new plans for population, economy-environment- society were discussed based on Lokta-Volterra equations and the environmental Kuznets curve. A case study was presented in two cities, Karamay and Atlanta. The result showed that the current plan in Atlanta is more successful than that in Karamay, but both the two plans are moderately successful. According to the results, a series of new plans were proposed and their priorities were ranked, the result showed that Atlanta should give priority to urban greening while Karamay give priority to economic development, and the effect of the scientific intelligence growth plan is to expand city's environmental capacity, promote the fair competition between the foreign population and the local population, and improve the balanced node, making the environment damage smaller, society and economic grow better. The model provides powerful reference for cities in developed and developing countries to formulate smart growth plans, especially for developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An air-source heat pump integrated with phase change material ceiling is proposed. • System control problem is reformulated as a mixed-integer linear program. • A co-simulation framework is used to evaluate the control and system performance. • The control strategy can effectively reduce on-peak electricity use and utility cost. This paper presents a model-based predictive control strategy to optimize the operations of phase change material (PCM) ceiling panels coupled with a multi-stage air-source heat pump. A three-stage prototype heat pump unit has been built and tested in the laboratory, with the low and medium stages designed for space heating/cooling and the high compression stage dedicated to charging of the PCM energy storage. To facilitate optimal control of the integrated heat pump system, a mixed-integer linear programming formulation is derived through linearization of the heat pump model and a mixed-integer reformulation of the PCM dynamic governing equations. A predictive control strategy is synthesized based on the resultant control formulation and implemented in a receding horizon scheme that optimizes the PCM charging and the zone temperature schedules simultaneously to leverage both the passive (associated with building construction materials) and active (PCM) storage capacities of a building. The control strategy has been tested along with three benchmarking control scenarios using a co-simulation platform for a prototypical detached house in Atlanta, GA. Test results showed that application of the proposed control strategy to the PCM-integrated heat pump could provide 27.1% electricity cost savings while a fine tuned rule-based control strategy could achieve cost savings of 20.4%, compared to a baseline case without PCM storage, under a time-of-use rate tariff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inequality of accessibility in transportation systems is a constant concern, which is intensified by the transportation economization process and the digital divide. How should the accessibility of crowdsourced transportation is measured and understood? Without any prior assumption, this paper openly explores spatial disparities of accessibility in the city of Atlanta, USA using both the UberX (the most popular Uber product) and the UberBLACK (the premium Uber product) data. Accessibility is measured by both the expectation and variability of Uber wait time. With spatial autoregressive models, we find that after controlling for other socioeconomic factors, wealth and race do not have significant associations with Uber accessibility. Additionally, higher road network density, population density, and less commuting time to work correlate with greater Uber accessibility. More public transport stops are related to better accessibility of UberX but worse accessibility of UberBLACK. Finally, implications for policy-makers are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Special Issue of IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques (TMTT) is comprised of the expanded papers from the 2021 IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society (IEEE MTT-S) International Microwave Symposium (IMS2021), held in Atlanta, GA, USA, on June 2021. The IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium is the world’s major event of microwave technologies annually organized by the IEEE MTT-S as the society’s premier flagship conference. The conference represents a unique opportunity to bring together researchers and practitioners with diverse technical backgrounds to share the most recent advances in MHz-to-THz technologies and systems. Due to the unprecedented pandemic situations, the IMS2021 was held in a hybrid format, comprised of in-person and virtual participation options. The in-person event was held on June 7–10, 2021, at the Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta. A virtual event followed on June 20–25, 2021. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Combined cooling, heating, and power (CCHP) system models have been used by many researchers to compare their performance with conventional systems. However, decisions based on the results of computer simulations need to take into account the uncertainty of these results to get insight into the level of confidence in the predictions. This paper presents an analysis of a CCHP system model under different operating strategies with input and model data uncertainty. However, the uncertainties that underlie the variation in input parameters such as the thermal load, natural gas prices and electricity prices are not readily available. Additionally, engine performance uncertainty can be difficult to characterize because of the nonlinearity of engine efficiency curves. This paper presents practical and novel approaches to estimating the uncertainty in these and other input parameters. A case study using a small office building located in Atlanta, GA, is described to illustrate the importance of the use of uncertainty and sensitivity analysis in CCHP system performance predictions, and how the primary energy consumption, operational cost, and carbon dioxide emissions are affected by the uncertainty associated with the model input parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ASCE’s body of knowledge for the 21st century and vision for civil engineering in 2025 outline skills and capabilities necessary for civil engineers to create a sustainable world. An undergraduate course at Georgia Institute of Technology introduces undergraduates to a systems-sustainability approach to civil and environmental engineering, applying systems methods to analyze decisions over the life cycle of large-scale civil-engineered facilities. This paper discusses voluntary and systematic improvements introduced in the course over a 2-year period to develop research and information skills in the students. A workshop on information sources and skills was developed, offered and assessed over multiple semesters using a team-based course project. The term project requires students to select one or two large-scale civil-engineered facilities, evaluate them using the integrated systems-sustainability framework presented in the course, and develop a written report and oral presentation to present their work to their peers at the end of the semester. The paper discusses integration of the information and library skills workshops with the course and presents results that underscore the importance of formally cultivating research and information skills in civil engineering undergraduate students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that intra–regional competition is as important as intra–regional in the shaping of an urban region. Recent concentration on urban promotion within the discipline places an emphasis on competition between cities that should be counterbalanced by stressing the degree of competition between cities and their suburban peripheries. Using the case of Atlanta, Georgia, and in particular its Vision 2020 initiative, the paper explores how regionalist approaches can easily unravel due to continued rivalries from individual constituents. Placing its theoretical grounding within David Harvey’s notion of ‘structural coherence’, the paper argues that regional policies within a capitalist environment of uneven development tend towards only temporary solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Center for Health Discovery and Wellbeing (CHDWB) is an academic program designed to evaluate the efficacy of clinical self-knowledge and health partner counseling for development and maintenance of healthy behaviors. This paper reports on the change in health profiles for over 90 traits, measured in 382 participants over three visits in the 12 months following enrolment. Significant changes in the desired direction of improved health are observed for many traits related to cardiovascular health, including BMI, blood pressure, cholesterol, and arterial stiffness, as well as for summary measures of physical and mental health. The changes are most notable for individuals in the upper quartile of baseline risk, many of whom showed a positive correlated response across clinical categories. By contrast, individuals who start with more healthy profiles do not generally show significant improvements and only a modest impact of targeting specific health attributes was observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IEEE GLOBECOM 2013, the premier international event held from December 9 - 13 in Atlanta, Georgia, highlighted its 56th annual conference with the presentation of more than 1,500 technical papers, keynotes, business panels and industry forums dedicated to next wave communications and the newest advancements in cloud computing, Big Data and 5G technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to determine the impact of reduced atmospheric particulate resulting from the Clean Air Act of 1970 on changes in summer rainfall in the Atlanta, Georgia USA region. In order to determine if rainfall at nine candidate stations in the metropolitan area was influenced by changes in particulate concentrations within the 1948–2009 period, predicted rainfall characteristics were derived from rainfall frequencies at nine reference stations located more than 80 km from downtown Atlanta. Both parametric and non-parametric tests were used to test for significant differences between observed values and predicted values within 34 overlapping 30-year periods. For the country as a whole, emissions of PM10 (i.e. particulates with a diameter less than or equal to 10 μm) decreased by approximately 40% from 1970 to 1975. The reduction in emissions caused a rapid rebound in summer rainfall in the Atlanta region. There was suppression of rainfall over and downwind of the Atlanta urbanized area during 30-yr periods that comprise all or portions of the decades of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. This suppression occurred even while urban-related factors that promote rainfall enhancement were present. During the 1948–1977 suppression period, there was a decrease in rainfall of at least 40 mm at affected locales, which is substantial given that the mean seasonal rainfall was approximately 300 mm. The rainfall suppression involved a decrease of heavy-rainfall days. Atlanta is most likely not a unique case; therefore, particulate-induced rainfall suppression might have occurred over and downwind of other U.S. urban areas prior to the late 1970s. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The articles included in the December 2004 issue of the journal "Sociology of Religion" are all based on papers given at the 2003 meeting of the Association for the Sociology of Religion in Atlanta, Georgia. Each of the article explores the increasing emphasis on culture in sociology as a whole and more specially in the sociology of religion. Also, the papers also deal with new ideas and approaches. In this issue, the different trajectories within the sociology of religion is demonstrated. These are not random differences, but can be mapped in relation to institutional, philosophical and linguistic constraints within the same profession.

The 2011 SBL meeting in San Francisco included a panel review session on The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition (ed. Michael W. Holmes; Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2010). The reviews are presented here along with Holmes' introductory comments and response. The papers retain their nature as oral presentations and are as originally delivered apart from minor corrections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Coastal Web Atlas (CWA) is a valuable resource for a range of users including coastal managers as it provides easy access to maps, spatial data, coastal information and tools. A trans-Atlantic workshop on 'Potentials and Limitations of Coastal Web Atlases', held in Ireland in July 2006, brought together atlas developers and coastal data experts from Europe and the United States to examine state-of-the-art developments in CWAs and future needs. This paper focuses on workshop outcomes, including what defines a CWA and an overview of international, national, state and regional atlas case studies from both sides of the Atlantic. Results of discussions are presented concerning issues related to design, data, technology and institutional capacity for existing CWAs based on the collective experience of workshop participants. Directions in CWA development and applications since the workshop are also discussed. A major outcome of the workshop was the initiation of an International Coastal Atlas Network. The insights provided give a framework for CWA developers and a useful point of reference for coastal managers and policy makers on atlas potentials and limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For almost two decades now, cities around the country have been demolishing traditional public housing and relocating residents to subsidized private market rental housing. In this paper, we examine sense of place, consisting of both community and place attachment, among a sample of Atlanta public housing residents prior to relocation ( N = 290). We find that 41% of the residents express place attachment, and a large percentage express some level of community attachment, though residents of senior public housing are far more attached than residents of family public housing. Positive neighborhood characteristics, such as collective efficacy and social support, are associated with community attachment, and social support is also associated with place attachment. Negative neighborhood characteristics, such as social disorder and fear of crime, are not consistently associated with sense of place. We argue that embodied in current public housing relocation initiatives is a real sense of loss among the residents. Policy makers may also want to consider the possibilities of drawing upon residents' sense of place as a resource for renovating and revitalizing public housing communities rather than continuing to demolish them and relocating residents to other neighborhoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to identify middle-troposphere circulation patterns associated with high ozone concentrations during June-August of 2000-07 in the Atlanta, Georgia, metropolitan statistical area (MSA), which is located in the southeastern United States. The methods involved classifying daily 500-hPa geopotential height fields into synoptic types, determining the mean atmospheric conditions (i.e., daytime temperature, daytime relative humidity, daytime cloud cover, morning mixing height, and afternoon mixing height) for the types, determining the mean daily maximum 8-h average ozone concentrations for the types, and performing back-trajectory analyses for high-ozone types. There were a total of 12 synoptic types, and significantly high ozone concentrations across the MSA coincided with the three following types: Atlanta under a continental anticyclone, Atlanta to the east of a continental anticyclone and west of a trough, and Atlanta under the western side of a trough. The continental-anticyclone type was much more prevalent than the other two types. When the MSA was under or just to the east of a continental anticyclone, atmospheric conditions were conducive to increased in situ ozone production and pollutant carryover from the previous day. Between 45% and 60% of the days with those circulation patterns had ozone concentrations exceeding the federal standard. When the Atlanta MSA was under the western side of a trough, not only did the potential for in situ ozone production and pollutant carryover contribute to high ozone concentrations, but there also was a high potential for pollutant transport from the Ohio River valley into the Atlanta MSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides results on the performance of the Prescott Spatial Growth Model to project land use in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Prescott Spatial Growth Model is a tool that can be applied at fine or coarse spatial scales and can accommodate a wide range of user inputs to develop any number of growth rules for projecting land use. "Blind" simulations and "guided" simulations for the Atlanta region were performed for the 1980-2000 period to evaluate the performance of the model in the quantity and spatial distribution of urban growth. Quantitative comparisons of both the blind and guided simulations with actual land use were used to assess the model's performance. The error in the quantity of land-use classes projected and the spatial arrangement of the classes was assessed. The model provides exceptional flexibility and good overall performance in projecting land use in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the Institute of the Black World (IBW), an Atlanta, Georgia-based activist think tank promoting black liberation. It examines the institute's role in black print culture and argues that it promoted a pragmatic black nationalism. The author comments on the organization in relation to the creation of a black political agenda and the founding of Black Studies programs. Other topics include civil rights activist Vincent Harding and the Atlanta University Center (AUC), an organization of historically black colleges. The article considers the IBW's periodical "The Monthly Report," its pamphlet series called the "Black Papers," and its column the "Black World View," which appeared in several African American newspapers.

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to identify the atmospheric conditions associated with elevated ground-level ozone concentrations during June–August of 2000–2007 at 11 ozone-monitoring stations in the Atlanta, GA, USA metropolitan statistical area (MSA). Analyses were confined to high-ozone days (HODs), which had a daily maximum 8-h average ozone concentration in the 95th percentile of all June–August values. Therefore, each station had 36 HODs. The southeastern and far northern portions of the MSA had HODs with the highest and lowest ozone concentrations, respectively. HODs at nearly all Atlanta MSA ozone-monitoring stations were enabled by migratory anticyclones. HODs for most stations were hot, dry, and calm with low morning mixing heights and high afternoon mixing heights. All sets of HODs had daily mean relative humidities and afternoon mixing heights that, respectively, were significantly less than and significantly greater than mean values for the remaining days. Urbanized Atlanta typically was upwind of an ozone-monitoring station on its HODs; therefore, wind direction on HODs varied considerably among the stations. HODs may have been caused partially by NO x emissions from electric-utility power plants: HODs in the southern portion of the MSA were linked to air-parcel trajectories intersecting a power plant slightly northwest of Atlanta and plants in the Ohio River Valley, while HODs in the northern portion of the MSA were linked to air-parcel trajectories intersecting two large power plants slightly southeast of the Atlanta MSA. Results from this study suggest that future research in the Atlanta MSA should focus on power-plant contributions to ground-level ozone concentrations as well as the identification of non-monitored locations with potentially high ozone concentrations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study uses case study analysis to explore the ways that Spelman College, a historically Black women’s college, promotes the attainment of African American women in STEM fields. Although limited to one institution, the findings shed light on the ways that institutional characteristics, policies, and practices may mitigate the barriers that limit attainment of African American women in STEM fields. Drawing on the findings, the paper concludes with recommendations for improving policy and practice as well as recommendations for additional fruitful research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Distributed generation (DG) using renewable energy sources is of widespread interest. For example, modern centralized conventional fossil fuel power generation commonly adds DG using renewable energy resources to the grid. Therefore, in these changes, it is necessary to optimize renewable energy systems to increase energy efficiency and reduce emissions. In previous studies, meta-heuristic algorithms were used to optimize DG location and capacity, but different types of DG systems and integrated energy hub conditions were not considered. Determining the most effective DG type for an integrated energy hub is critical. Accordingly, this study presented a methodology for selecting the most cost-efficient DG for metropolitan residential customers of energy hubs. In this paper, we model energy hubs for residential customers and the most cost-efficient DG type using MATLAB and HOMER software, considering microturbine (MT), photovoltaic (PV), wind turbine, and fuel cell (FC) power sources. For this purpose, the energy hub was modeled as a combined cooling heat and power (CCHP) system and selected a specific metropolitan area as a testbed (Atlanta, USA). For practical simulation, the total active power of the Atlanta community was measured by multiplying the average load profile data of residential houses collected by open energy information (OpenEI). The first case study showed that optimal-blast MTs without absorption chillers (AbCs) were the most cost-efficient compared to other optimal-blast DG systems without AbCs. Additional second case studies for optimal and full-blast MTs with AbCs were performed to verify the results for energy consumption, costs, and emissions savings. As a result, full-blast MTs with AbCs comprise the most cost-efficient DG type in the CCHP system for metropolitan residential customers, reducing energy consumption, cost, and emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Improving the performance of building envelope is essential to energy conservation and emission reduction. Adaptive building envelope (ABE) has the potential to effectively reduce building energy consumption at a lower cost. Movable window insulation is an instantiation of the ABE with great application potential in buildings, but it has not been systematically studied. Trying to fill this gap, this paper proposes an automatic control system and a manual control rule for movable window insulation. The energy consumption of double-glazed windows, triple-glazed windows, movable insulation with automatic/manual control, and electrochromic windows is compared in different scenarios using building energy simulation (BES). In some scenarios, the optimal solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) for windows with movable insulation is higher than that required by the building code. Triple-glazed windows are only effective in reducing the heating energy, while electrochromic windows are only effective in reducing the cooling energy. Infiltration has a great impact on the performance of movable insulation. The net preset value (NPV) analysis shows that movable insulation has a great application potential in Minneapolis, Atlanta, and Phoenix, while triple-glazed windows are only viable in some cases in Minneapolis. Electrochromic windows are not a profitable investment at their current prices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concentration of subprime lending in certain neighborhoods can cause adverse consequences for borrowers and communities. This paper presents an empirical analysis of how race and ethnicity, income levels, and other neighborhood characteristics explain the distribution of higher-priced mortgages in Atlanta. Higher concentrations of higher-priced mortgages are found in low-income neighborhoods and predominantly African American neighborhoods. Additionally, individual African American and Hispanic borrowers are more likely to receive higher-priced loans regardless of the profile of the neighborhoods in which they live. We examine the role of the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) in those markets; results suggest that FHA and higher-priced lending are complementary products that serve many of the same neighborhoods where the prime conventional share is relatively low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multipollutant models are frequently used to differentiate roles of multiple pollutants in epidemiologic studies of ambient air pollution. In the presence of differing levels of measurement error across pollutants under consideration, however, they can be biased and as misleading as single-pollutant models. Their appropriate interpretation depends on the relationships among the pollutant measurements and the outcomes in question. In situations where two or more pollutant variables may be acting as surrogates for the etiologic agent(s), multipollutant models can help identify the best surrogate, but the risk estimates may be influenced by inclusion of a second variable that is not itself an independent risk factor for the outcome in question. In this paper, these issues will be illustrated in the context of an ongoing study of emergency visits in Atlanta. Emergency department visits from 41 of 42 hospitals serving the 20-county Atlanta metropolitan area for the period 1993–2004 (n=10,206,389 visits) were studied in relation to ambient pollutant levels, including speciated particle measurements from an intensive monitoring campaign at a downtown station starting in 1998. Relative to our earlier publications, reporting results through 2000, the period for which the speciated data are available is now tripled (6 years in length). Poisson generalized linear models were used to examine outcome counts in relation to 3-day moving average concentrations of pollutants of a priori interest (ozone, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, oxygenated hydrocarbons, PM10, coarse PM, PM2.5, and the following components of PM2.5: elemental carbon, organic carbon, sulfate, and water-soluble transition metals). In the present analysis, we report results for two outcome groups: a respiratory outcomes group and a cardiovascular outcomes group. For cardiovascular visits, associations were observed with CO, NO2, and PM2.5 elemental carbon and organic carbon. In multipollutant models, CO was the strongest predictor. For respiratory visits, associations were observed with ozone, PM10, CO, and NO2 in single-pollutant models. In multipollutant models, PM10 and ozone persisted as predictors, with ozone the stronger predictor. Caveats and considerations in interpreting the multipollutant model results are discussed.Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology (2007) 17, S29–S35; doi:10.1038/sj.jes.7500625 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information about several papers discussed at The Second International Conference on Women and Infectious Diseases in Atlanta, Georgia. A number of countries recognized the need for a forum to address the complex set of concerns and issues surrounding women and infectious diseases. Panels that were invited cover the topics from infections in pregnancy to advances in HIV testing.

The objectives of this paper are to identify strategic issues impacting multifamily affordable housing resident satisfaction and to develop a systematic model to forecast residential satisfaction based on data gathered from two multifamily affordable housing properties located in Atlanta. This study concluded that major variables impacting residence are satisfaction with property management, tenant selection policies, enforcing residential rules, communication with residents, property management staff answering quickly to residents’ concerns, how cooperative property management staff is with residents, how friendly staff is to residents, residents referring their friends to live in their apartment complex, quality of the community, maintenance, residents’ quality of life, building quality, quality of building repairs, overall cleanness of property grounds, overall cleanness of the community, residents’ perception of safeness in their neighborhood at night, residents’ perception of safeness at night while inside their units, and overall resident satisfaction with their apartment units. The study provides a framework for developing a decision support system that could be used by property managers or developers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrated urban water management – a framework to understand, control, and optimize elements of the urban water infrastructure as an integrated system – is inherently complex. It becomes more complex and challenging, however, when public participation in management institutions is considered. This paper applies a systems perspective to explore institutional arrangements for participation. Our goal is to conceptually organize this complexity and provide starting points for systematic examination of participation in urban water management. The discussion highlights two rationales for engagement with external parties: (1) building support and legitimacy for integrated urban water management; and (2) enabling transformation in the management system. The general institutional framework is then illustrated by a case study of participation and transformation toward more integrated management in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The cause of disparities in the reproductive outcomes among African American women continues to elude health researchers and professionals. While stress has been identified as a health risk factor, researchers have called for a reexamination of the measures and methods employed in investigations aimed at uncovering the link between stress and reproductive health outcomes. This paper describes an iterative methodology employed in community-based research conducted in Atlanta, Georgia. Guided by a focus on the multiple and intersecting identities assumed by African American women (race, class, and gender), the research sought to locate the stressors confronted by African American women that are embedded in their lived experiences. Another aim was to develop a race and gender-specific stress measure drawn from the lived experiences of African American women. These objectives were accomplished through procedures that explored the conceptualization of community as experience by African American women, the interplay of qualitative and quantitative methods, and the translation of reciprocity, accountability, and sensitivity to research where the participated were seen as collaborators informing every phase of the research process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstracts papers presented during the fourth annual scientific sessions of the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance held January 26-28, 2001 in Atlanta, Georgia. Use of magnetization transfer imaging to identify atherosclerotic plaque components; Free-breathing coronary vessel wall imaging using a navigator and spiral data acquisition.

As part of EPRI's Aerosol Research Inhalation Epidemiology Study (ARIES), measurements of aerosol size distributions in the 3 nm to 2 μm diameter range were carried out over a 24 month period beginning August 1998 in Atlanta, GA. An automated fine particle sampling system was developed for this study. The sampling system utilizes a nano-scanning mobility particle sizer (3 nm < D[sub p] < 50 nm), a standard scanning mobility particle sizer (20 nm < D[sub p] < 0.25 μm), and a laser particle counter (0.1 μm < D < 2 μm). Five complete size distributions are obtained every hour. This paper describes the data collected in the first 13 month period. The year-long data provide detailed information on temporal variations of aerosol size distributions. Our measurements show that particle number concentrations tend to be higher on weekdays than on weekends. Concentrations of particles in the 10-100 nm and 100-2000 nm diameter ranges are higher at night than during the daytime and tend to reach their highest values during morning rush hour. Concentrations of 4-10 nm particles were elevated during rush hour when temperatures were < 10 ° C. Annual average concentrations of particles in the 3-10 nm diameter range peak between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. due to the appearance of very high concentrations at those times on a few days. We believe these high concentrations resulted from nucleation. We have identified three types of "ultrafine particle" events. On 23 days during August and April we observed events where pronounced peaks in the 3-10 nm size range occurred. These events typically occurred around noon, when solar radiation was high. During winter months, we occasionally observed significantly elevated concentrations in the 10-35 nm diameter range. These events occurred during early morning and late afternoon hours. Relatively high number concentrations in the 35-45 nm diameter range were also detected several times. Elevated concentrations of SO[sub 2] were observed during all three types of events. NO was typically depleted during the 3-10 nm events and was more likely to be elevated during the 10-35 and 35-45 nm events. The sources of these particles are not yet known. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Substantial evidence supports an association of particulate matter (PM) with cardiorespiratory illnesses, but little is known regarding characteristics of PM that might contribute to this association and the mechanisms of action. The Atlanta superstation sponsored by the Electric Power Research Institute as part of the Aerosol Research and Inhalation Epidemiology Study (ARIES) study is monitoring chemical composition of ambient particles by size fraction, as well as a comprehensive suite of other pollutants, at a site in downtown Atlanta during the 25-month period, August 1, 1998-August 31,2000. Our investigative team is making use of this unique resource in several morbidity studies, called the "Study of Particulates and Health in Atlanta (SOPHIA)". The study includes the following components: (1) a time series investigation of emergency department (ED) visits for the period during which the superstation is operating; (2) a time series investigation of ED visits during the 5 years prior to implementation of the superstation; and (3) a study of arrhythmic events in patients equipped with automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillators (AICDs) for the period January 1, 1993-August 31, 2000. Thirty-three of 39 Atlanta area EDs are participating in the ED studies, comprising over a million annual ED visits. In this paper, we present initial analyses of data from 18 of the 33 participating EDs. The preliminary data set includes 1,662,713 ED visits during the pre-superstation time period and 559,480 visits during the superstation time period. Visits for four case groupings asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), dysrhythmia, and all cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) combined -- have been assessed relative to daily air quality indices, controlling for long-term temporal trends and meteorologic variables, using general linear models, generalized estimating equations and generalized additive models. Single-pollutant models predicting case visitation rates... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One potentially useful feature of future computing environments will be the ability to capture the live experiences of the occupants and to provide that record to users for later access and review. Over the last three years, a group at the Georgia Institute of Technology has designed and extensively used a particular instrumented environment.' a classroom that captures the traditional lecture experience. This paper describes the history of the Classroom 2000 project and provides results of extended evaluations of the effect of automated capture on the teaching and learning experience. There are many important lessons to take away from this long-term, large-scale experiment with a living, ubiquitous computing environment. The environment should address issues of scale and extensibility, it should continuously be evaluated for effectiveness, and the ways in which the environment both improves and hinders the activity that it aims to support--in our case, education--need to be understood and acted upon. In describing our experiences and lessons learned, we hope to motivate other researchers to take more seriously the challenge of ubiquitous computing--the creation and exploration of the everyday use of computationally rich environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information about several papers discussed at a forum sponsored by the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention and Georgia Bioscience Technology (Bio-tech) on the need of life science workforce training in Atlanta is presented. Topics include the need for minority participation Bio-tech training programs and scientific literacy for all citizens. The forum also mentions the significance of bio-tech training for national defense, general health and agribusiness.

• Larger average degree centrality of the road network corresponds with greater Uber accessibility. • Higher average closeness centrality is associated with worse Uber accessibility. • The heterogeneous effects of degree centrality and closeness centrality on the accessibility are time-sensitive. • The relationship between the average betweenness centrality and Uber accessibility is not significant. The prosperity of ride-sharing services has rippled in the communities of GIScience, transportation, and urban planning. Meanwhile, road network structure has been analyzed from a network science perspective that focuses on nodes and relational links and aims to predictive models. However, limited empirical studies have explored the relationship between road network structure and ride-sharing accessibility through such perspective. This paper utilizes the spatial Durbin model to understand the relationship between road network structure and ride-sharing accessibility, proxied by Uber accessibility, through classical network measures of degree, closeness, and betweenness centrality. Taking the city of Atlanta as a case study, we have found in addition to population density and road network density, larger values of degree centrality and smaller values of closeness centrality of the road network are associated with better accessibility of Uber services. However, the effects of betweenness centrality are not significant. Furthermore, we have revealed heterogeneous effects of degree centrality and closeness centrality on the accessibility of Uber services, as the magnitudes of their effects vary by different time windows (i.e., weekday vs. weekend, rush hour in the morning vs. evening). Network science provides us both conceptual and methodological measures to understand the association between road network structure and ride-sharing accessibility. In this study, we constructed road network structure measures with OpenStreetMap, which is reproducible, replicable, and scalable because of its global coverage and public availability. The study resonates with the notion of cities as the set of interactions across networks, as we have observed time-sensitive heterogeneous effects of road network structure on ride-sharing accessibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is our pleasure to present to the professional reader this "third" Special Issue on Power Modulators and Repetitive Pulsed Power of the IEEE Transactions on Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation (previous issues were published in 2007 and 2009), and the fifth such Special Issue published by an IEEE Transactions (1991-IEEE TED; 2005-IEEE TPS). Most of the papers that appear in this issue are based on contributions to the 2010 International Power Modulator and High Voltage Conference, which was held in Atlanta, GA, from May 23rd to 27th, 2011. Others heeded the "Call for Papers" that attracted many contributions in the general field of interest to this Special Issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on several measures taken to provide the contents of the 2009 AEC conference of the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA), held in Atlanta, Georgia, to those NEHA members who could not attend the conference because of the current difficult economic times. It states that many of the conference's sessions have been recorded and are being posted to the e-Learning library of courses, and a collection of papers on the H1N1 outbreak is available on the website, www.neha.org. It mentions that the NEHA has set up a special consultant's program which offers members telephone consulting time on any issues they wish to explore with the experts. It also mentions that the NEHA has compiled many of the handouts developed by the conference speakers.