Search

This paper addresses the effective management of water resources during the hydraulic fracturing process used for natural gas extraction. With increasing demand and scrutiny on shale gas production due to economic, environmental, and social factors, effective water management strategies are needed to address the challenges of flow-back water usage during hydraulic fracturing. This research contributes to the existing literature from a multi-period reverse logistics network design perspective with realistic modeling approaches. A mathematical formulation is developed for optimizing the design of a multi-period reverse logistics network for effective water resource management that incorporates production scheduling of a hydraulic fracturing process. This mixed integer programming model determines the optimal locations and capacities of impoundments, treatment facilities, and disposal sites while minimizing fixed and operational costs under constraints such as freshwater withdrawal limits, production schedules, inventory balance, and treatment and disposal options. A two-stage stochastic programming formulation is further developed as a means to address the uncertainty associated with water flows during the fracturing operation. The strategic location and capacity decisions are given in the first stage of this formulation, whereas operational decisions such as water flows are handled in the second stage under independently sampled scenarios. A sample average approximation algorithm is proposed to solve the stochastic formulation. The model is tested on a case study from the United States that explores potential impacts on water resource management due to cost variations, changes in operational parameters, and uncertainty in demands and supplies. The base case setup delivers a 12.8% reduction in freshwater usage. The benefit of multi-period reverse logistics network design is further demonstrated through variations in water demand and equipment degradation. The managerial insights derived through sensitivity analysis highlight the values of the proposed multi-period formulation, capacity expansions, and parameter estimations. • Developed models for multi-period reverse logistics network design. • The model optimizes water resource management during hydraulic fracturing. • Implemented the models on a case study from the United States. • Analyzed the effects of problem parameters on optimal water management strategies. • Derived managerial insights from extensive computational experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the COVID pandemic many centres adopted e-learning as a tool to adhere to social distancing recommendations while continuing to provide ongoing postgraduate medical education. We aimed to complete this scoping review in order to map experience and perceptions amongst surgeons and surgical trainees to remote learning during the COVID pandemic. Using Arksey and O'Malley's five step model for conducting a scoping review, a systematic search strategy was undertaken across three online databases SCOPUS, MEDLINE and Web of Science. Only original articles in English in the field of postgraduate education in surgery were included. 44 studies were selected for review. Of these 44, 21 were studies of perception of a newly developed e-learning tool/platform. 17 were surveys of surgeon's attitudes towards e-learning during the COVID pandemic. The remaining 6 studies were studies of knowledge or skills acquired through new e-learning, which included a survey of experience. The United States was the most common country of origin with General Surgery the most represented surgical speciality. Response rates across all three study subgroups were on average >60%. Surgeon's experience of e-learning was reported in only positive terms in 86% (n = 38/44) of studies. This paper is informative in that it focuses specifically on surgeons' perceptions of a e-learning tools used in addition to skills or knowledge gained. Positive e-learning experience reported in these studies may lead to more blended learning curriculums being developed, deployed and evaluated going forward. • Scoping review of surgeons' perceptions towards e-learning during COVID. • Maps out the wide range of e-learning tools that were used during the pandemic. • Provides subgrouping framework of pandemic era e-learning studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first year of the COVID-19 pandemic constituted a major life stress event for many adolescents, associated with disrupted school, behaviors, social networks, and health concerns. However, pandemic-related stress was not equivalent for everyone and could have been influenced by pre-pandemic factors including brain structure and sleep, which both undergo substantial development during adolescence. Here, we analyzed clusters of perceived stress levels across the pandemic and determined developmentally relevant pre-pandemic risk factors in brain structure and sleep of persistently high stress during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. We investigated longitudinal changes in perceived stress at six timepoints across the first year of the pandemic (May 2020–March 2021) in 5559 adolescents (50 % female; age range: 11–14 years) in the United States (U.S.) participating in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. In 3141 of these adolescents, we fitted machine learning models to identify the most important pre-pandemic predictors from structural MRI brain measures and self-reported sleep data that were associated with persistently high stress across the first year of the pandemic. Patterns of perceived stress levels varied across the pandemic, with 5 % reporting persistently high stress. Our classifiers accurately detected persistently high stress (AUC > 0.7). Pre-pandemic brain structure, specifically cortical volume in temporal regions, and cortical thickness in multiple parietal and occipital regions, predicted persistent stress. Pre-pandemic sleep difficulties and short sleep duration were also strong predictors of persistent stress, along with more advanced pubertal stage. Adolescents showed variable stress responses during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, and some reported persistently high stress across the whole first year. Vulnerability to persistent stress was evident in several brain structural and self-reported sleep measures, collected before the pandemic, suggesting the relevance of other pre-existing individual factors beyond pandemic-related factors, for persistently high stress responses. • The paper reports findings from the ABCD study® on U.S. youth across the first COVID-19 pandemic year: May 2020 – March 2021. • 5% of adolescents reported persistently high stress levels during the first year of the pandemic. • Persistent stress was linked to pre pandemic brain structure, sleep difficulties, and more advanced puberty stages. • The findings inform preventive and treatment approaches for persistent stress during major life stress events like pandemics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green Hydrogen (GH) is increasingly recognized as a viable solution in the United States (US) for meeting energy demands, achieving net zero emissions by 2050, and mitigating the intermittent nature of renewable sources such as wind and solar. This review paper identifies and examines three crucial research areas concerning GH. Despite significant federal, state, and business investment in the development of hydrogen technology, numerous questions have remained unanswered including economic viability, social acceptance, and policies and regulations. In comparison to the US, Europe, and Asia have taken a lead role in studying the social and regulatory aspects of GH. The study shows limited focus on social acceptance, and the absence of dedicated policies and regulations for hydrogen. The US lacks coordinated policies for GH and is blended with natural gas. The literature shows that the relationship between economics, social sciences, and policies and regulations are intrinsic. The success of GH in the US will require massive investments, public and private collaboration, research on social sciences, and regulatory support. Hence, the GH rollout will bridge the energy transition, and climate and development targets which guide future industrial, government and public decisions. • Knowledge and experience play a major role in the acceptance of green hydrogen. • Green hydrogen technology lacks a value chain. • Lack of green hydrogen-specific regulatory agencies and standards in the US. • Economic, social, and regulatory challenges interlinked for green hydrogen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the effect of own and peer attractiveness on various measures of academic performance. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health (Add Health), we focus on high school students in the United States and exploit random variation within schools across cohorts in adolescents' physical and personality attractiveness as assessed by the interviewer. We find that for girls only own personality attractiveness boosts academic outcomes. For boys instead, both own physical and personality attractiveness positively affect performance and peer characteristics also matter. An increase in the fraction of physically attractive high school peers decreases boys' academic performance in later years. We show that this effect is driven by less physically mature boys and operates through a decrease in self-confidence. • We explore the effect of own and peer attractiveness on academic performance. • We exploit random variation within schools across cohorts using Add Health data. • For girls only own personality attractiveness boosts academic outcomes. • For boys both own and peer attractiveness matter. • Peer attractiveness negatively affects boys performance by lowering self-confidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precision agriculture has emerged as a dominant force in the United States, with widespread adoption of advanced technologies and decision support systems (DSS) since the 1980s. Key tools such as variable rate application (VRA), autopilot systems, and remote sensing have become integral for U.S. farmers, offering invaluable insights from crop, soil, and weather information to optimize agricultural production while minimizing environmental impact. To synthesize and categorize the extensive research available on precision agriculture, a systematic review protocol has been designed. Our objective is to offer clear and authoritative insights into the nature, scope, and volume of this field. Implementing a rigorous search strategy, we utilized renowned databases such as Scopus® and Web of ScienceTM to gather relevant and significant materiality. The retrieval process involved the use of indexing terms and Boolean operators, with a focus on 'precision agriculture' and 'precision farming', striking a balance between specificity and comprehensiveness. To ensure the credibility of our findings, only peer-reviewed papers authored by individuals affiliated with U.S. institutions have been included. Expert reviewers with deep knowledge in the field independently assessed the selected papers, thoroughly evaluating titles, abstracts, keywords, methods, conclusions, and declarations. Consistency and eligibility were paramount in determining which papers met the criteria for inclusion. Any discrepancies or disagreements were resolved through rigorous consensus-building discussions among the reviewers. Through this comprehensive meta-review, we provide a scientific contribution that enhances our understanding of precision agriculture, highlighting focus areas for further research and development (R&D). By synthesizing and categorizing the existing literature, we offer authoritative insights into the research landscape, informing future investigations and fostering innovation. Focusing specifically on the U.S., we shed light on the unique aspects and pioneering advancements in precision agriculture within the country. Ultimately, our findings have the potential to drive progress, contributing to sustainable development, increased productivity, enhanced environmental sustainability, and responsible agricultural practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the role of civil society in shaping content moderation governance arrangements in the United States. Drawing on prior research that recognizes the importance of civil society in shaping policy, this article analyzes the experiences of civil society practitioners engaged in content moderation activism. Based on in-depth original interviews with civil society practitioners, I demonstrate how civil society's activity in this space aligns with known regulatory standard-setting process competencies and suggest advocacy work benefits from the power of coalition lobbying and social capital. Moreover, I highlight the sense of frustration from some practitioners that they are not compensated by firms for their monitoring and reporting work that improves platforms' products, and I offer preliminary reasons for why practitioners contest moderation norms. The paper's insights contribute to the study of platform governance by illuminating informal mechanisms utilized by civil society, which holds broader implications for understanding the dynamics of non-state actors in shaping online platforms and their policies. • New empirical evidence contributes insight into the experiences of U.S. civil society actors involved in platform governance. • U.S. civil society practitioners engage in content moderation activism via known regulatory competencies. • Informal mechanisms such as networks, coalitions, and knowledge sharing are used to contest digital governance arrangements. • The power of coalition lobbying, dynamics of civil society-platform interactions, and motives for contestation are explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In their quest to enhance energy efficiency and carbon footprint management, many enterprises are turning their attention towards optimizing their facilities through amplified data monitoring and innovative control methods. In this context, this research highlights a practical solution in a commercial building located in the United States. It explains the creation, implementation, and costs of a universally applicable model predictive control (MPC) framework for the building's heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. The paper elaborates on both the hardware and software used to accumulate pertinent data and the formulation of the MPC system. This approach leverages cloud-based microservices and can be seamlessly integrated into current building management systems. In this regard, this paper presents three innovative strategies: Proportional–integral (PI)+Preheating, MPC, and occupancy-based control. These scenarios were designed to improve energy efficiency and thermal comfort significantly by reducing temperature fluctuations and adhering more closely to the setpoint temperature. The implementation of these strategies resulted in substantial energy savings, with reductions in energy consumption of 12.83%, 19.21%, and 14.98%, respectively. • A novel cloud-based MPC scheme is proposed for controlling the educational building HVAC system. • Real-world case installation details are provided with a focus on cost and sensor information. • A comprehensive discussion on thermal modeling, occupants' comfort, and control performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper reviews the green hydrogen uptake policies in the United States and the European Union. While the EU has a rather broad public support strategy that envisages the entire hydrogen value chain, the U.S. policies are more focused on hydrogen research hubs and subsidies having electric vehicle applications. From the experience of the solar and wind power rollout of the past three decades, we know that the subsidization schemes of the end product play an important role in the transition to renewables. These kinds of subsidization schemes are still lacking for clean hydrogen both in the EU and the U.S. This paper provides a brief overview of selected subsidization schemes from other renewables markets, which are then applied to define an exemplary subsidization path to empower large-scale growth in a market for green hydrogen. Here is proposed a long-term subsidization scheme – deemed as an adequate strategy for the expansion of clean hydrogen in an electricity mix. The suggested exemplary subsidization path recommends shifting from feed-in tariffs to direct marketing with market premiums once a certain threshold is reached, while both can be flanked by the issuance of a Guarantee of Origin for green hydrogen so that there is one market for hydrogen and another market for the certificates. • -A long-term subsidization scheme for the rollout of green hydrogen in the electricity mixes is proposed. • -An exemplary subsidization path to empower large-scale growth in a market for green hydrogen is drafted. • -U.S. and EU are used as case studies to capture lessons for subsidization of green hydrogen economy uptake. • -The U.S. has more centralized green hydrogen rollout policies, whereas the EU has a wider policy toolkit. • -Shifting from FIT to direct marketing with market premiums is key once a certain pre-defined threshold is reached. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Critically reviews the literature on interventions to support children with incarcerated parents. • Twenty-four studies reporting on child outcomes in the United States were reviewed. • Most research has focused on promoting parenting skills and improving visits. • Little research on programs supporting at-home caregivers. • Services are typically not developmentally specified and do not acknowledge systems of inequality. The United States' overreliance on incarceration has resulted in the imprisonment of millions of individuals – the majority of whom are parents of minor children. While mass incarceration has failed to effectively reduce crime or increase safety, it has dramatically harmed children and families in the United States. In turn, a wealth of research confirms the negative social, emotional, and psychological impacts of parental incarceration on children and the disproportionate impact on Black and Hispanic families and families living in poverty. As activists work towards dismantling this discriminatory and overly punitive system, it is also necessary to support children and adolescents currently impacted by parental incarceration. Using the Family Stress-Proximal Process (FSPP) model (Arditti, 2016) as a frame, the current paper critically reviews the literature on interventions to support children with incarcerated parents (CIP). The use of the FSPP frame highlights that while most intervention research has focused on promoting parenting skills of incarcerated parents and improving visit experiences, there is a dearth of research on interventions that (1) support at-home caregivers, (2) provide developmentally-targeted and −appropriate services and (3) acknowledge and counteract systems of inequality like structural racism and poverty that cause and exacerbate incarceration-related stress. These findings support a research agenda that prioritizes interventions framed around the intersectional identities of CIP and the intersecting systems that impact their lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interactions in the healthcare system today involve an important new set of actors: evaluative health platforms (EHPs). These platforms are not neutral intermediaries, but active moderators of how patients express opinions, choose providers, and consume health-related information. This paper adds to our understanding of the varied and evolving commercial interests of EHPs and the implications these have for patient voice. We analyze 71 platforms in the USA, UK, and Germany and identify five ideal types: subscribers, analyzers, advertisers, regulators, and scammers. Each platform type enacts a unique competitive strategy through an evaluative infrastructure which constrains but also generates possibilities for patient voice. Based on our typology, we develop three contributions. First, we nuance universalizing claims about the consequences of platform capitalism by specifying the diverse strategies underpinning competition between EHPs in different countries, and showing how each strategy leads evaluative infrastructures to develop in ways that impact patient voice. Second, we show how patients can navigate the challenges of a complex EHP space by exercising their ability to choose between platforms. Finally, we outline the conditions platforms need to fulfil to become empowering. Overall, this study highlights the varied and complex relationship between platform business models and user voice, which exists not only in healthcare, but also in many other fields. • Typology of evaluative health platforms (EHPs) in the US, the UK, and Germany. • EHP business models and content moderation techniques vary considerably. • EHPs have a wide range of implications for patient voice. • More transparency and competition can help platforms increase patient empowerment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Across recent years, there has been a growing prevalence of extreme weather events throughout the United States, posing significant challenges to the reliable and resilient operation of power systems. Specifically, summer droughts threaten to severely reduce available generation capacity to meet regional electricity demand, potentially leading to power outages. This underscores the importance of accurate resource adequacy (RA) assessment to ensure the reliable operation of the nation's energy infrastructure. Accurately evaluating the usable capacity of regional generation fleets is a challenging undertaking due to the intricate interactions between power systems and hydro-climatic systems. This paper proposes a systematic and analytical framework to evaluate the impacts of extreme summer drought events on the available capacity of various generating technologies, incorporating both meteorological and hydrologic factors. The framework provides detailed plant-level capacity derating models for hydroelectric, thermoelectric, and renewable power plants, facilitating evaluations with high temporal and spatial resolution. The application of the proposed impact assessment framework to the 2025 generation fleet of the real-world power system within the PJM and SERC regions of the United States yields insightful results. By analyzing the daily usable capacity of 6,055 at-risk generators across the study region, it shows that the summer capacity deration is most significant for hydroelectric and once-through thermal power plants, followed by recirculating thermal power plants and combustion turbines. In the event of the recurrence of the 2007 southeastern summer drought event in the near future, the generation fleet could experience a substantial reduction in available capacity, estimated at approximately 8.5 GW, compared to typical summer conditions. The sensitivity analysis reveals that the usable capacity of the generation fleet would suffer an even more significant decrease under conditions of increasingly severe summer droughts. The proposed approach and the findings of this study provide valuable methodologies and insights, empowering stakeholders to bolster the resilience of power systems against the potentially devastating effects of future extreme drought events. [Display omitted] • A systematic summer droughts generating capacity assessment framework is developed. • Capacity derating models for various generation technologies are presented. • The impacts of summer droughts on generating fleet in PJM and SERC are studied. • Impact of extreme summer drought on usable capacity of generators is significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

English-language reporting on the continuing difficulties in accessing Evusheld reflects the marginalization of immunocompromised people in discussions about the public policy response to Covid-19. Moreover, the lack of available data on global Evusheld access, particularly in low-income countries, has emerged as a key form of nonknowledge that must be redressed within public health research. Through examining how knowledge about domestic and global barriers to Evusheld access circulates, and does not circulate, within The New York Times , this paper identifies a case study of the social production of ignorance related to a key issue in the Covid-19 pandemic. Drawing on science and technology studies, the history of science and media studies, I situate these trends in the context of longer explanatory histories of nonknowledge. First, through a critical discourse analysis of the New York Times' reporting on Evusheld access in the U.S., I trace the individualizing framework evident in many articles to longstanding trends in reporting on health and illness, and to the structural marginalization of immunocompromised people in U.S. Secondly, I argue that the near-total absence of reporting on Evusheld access in low-income countries is consistent with the longstanding structural neglect of health crises in the global south. • New York Times coverage of preventative treatment Evusheld rarely discusses access barriers. • Access barriers discussed are largely logistical rather than structural. • The perspectives of immunocompromised people are rarely included in Times articles on Evusheld. • Failure to include voices from impacted communities contributes to agnogenesis. • Centering the perspectives of constituencies most impacted by a health crisis will advance health equity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The characteristic features of 21st-century corporate capitalism – monopoly and financialization – are increasingly being recognized by public health scholars as undermining the foundations of human health. While the "vectors" through which this is occurring are well known – poverty, inequality, climate change among others – locating the root cause of this process in the nature and institutions of contemporary capitalism is relatively new. Researchers have been somewhat slow to study the relationship between contemporary capitalism and human health. In this paper, we focus on one of the leading causes of death in the United States; cancer, and empirically estimate the relationship between various measures of financialization and monopoly in the US healthcare system and cancer mortality. The measures we focus on are for the hospital industry, the health insurance industry, and the pharmaceutical industry. Using a fixed effects model with different specifications and control variables, our analysis is at the state level for the years 2012–2019. These variables include data on population demographic controls, social and economic factors, and health behavior and clinical care. We compare Medicaid expansion states with non-Medicaid expansion states to investigate variations in state-level funded health insurance coverage. The results show a statistically significant positive correlation between the HHI index in the individual healthcare market and cancer mortality and the opioid dispensing rate and cancer mortality. • We analyze how corporate capitalism is related to cancer mortality. • Recently, corporate capitalism has become more common in the healthcare industry. • We find a correlation between hospital net revenue, profit, and cancer mortality. • There is a link between the HHI index in insurance markets and cancer mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-C30 is a frequently used cancer-specific health-related quality of life (HRQoL) questionnaire. To aid interpretation of data obtained via EORTC QLQ-C30, general population norm data have been published for many countries. However, despite its frequent use in the United States, no normative data by sex and age exist to date. Therefore, this study aimed to generate sex- and age-specific EORTC QLQ-C30 normative data for the United States. Recruitment and data collection were carried out via online panels as part of a larger cross-sectional study. For the recruitment, the sample was stratified by sex and age (18–39, 40–49, 50–59, 60–69, ≥ 70 years) to achieve a balanced distribution, with n = 100 per subgroup. Descriptive statistics are presented by age and age/sex. A total of N = 1009 respondents completed the survey (n = 508 females, n = 501 males). More than two thirds of participants (72.5%) reported at least one health condition, e.g., arthritis (26%). Across EORTC QLQ-C30 scales, women and men 60 years and older reported generally better/higher functioning and better/lower symptom scores compared to the younger age groups. To date, no specific EORTC QLQ-C30 general population normative data have been published for the United States. This paper provides these important normative data, which will greatly support the interpretation of EORTC QLQ-C30 scale scores obtained from US cancer patients, and also enable comparison with European norms. • EORTC QLQ-C30 is a cancer-specific health related quality of life (HRQoL) measure. • HRQoL normative data from US general population was collected (1009 respondents). • EORTC QLQ-C30 look-up tables for the US general population by sex/age are presented. • Participants ≥ 60 years reported overall better functioning than younger age groups. • Results will enhance interpretation and validity from EORTC QLQ-C30 data in the US. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many Latinx and Indigenous Mexican populations in the United States Southwest live in unincorporated communities in the US-Mexico borderlands called colonias. These environmental justice communities often lack basic infrastructure, including healthcare services, prompting many to seek services across the border. However, due to geopolitical factors more vulnerable caregivers are limited to utilize healthcare services in the US. This paper reports the experiences and healthcare decision-making of caregivers living in colonias in the US-Mexico border region who care for children with respiratory health conditions. This study was carried out from September to December 2020. Focus groups and interviews were conducted with Latinx and Indigenous Mexican caregivers of children with asthma or respiratory distress. Qualitative interviews elicited caregivers' perspectives on the environmental factors affecting children's chronic health conditions and use of healthcare services. The analysis employed the concept of structure vulnerability to theorize geography as a structural determinant of health for caregivers faced with making healthcare decisions for their suffering from respiratory health conditions. A survey was administered to collect basic sociodemographic information. A total of 36 caregivers participated in the study. Structural factors including unincorporated community status and government inaction intersected with social determinants of health to prompt caregivers to cross the US-Mexico border to access healthcare services in Mexico for their children. Yet, more vulnerable caregivers (i.e., those without documentation status in the US) and their children, accessing healthcare services in the US was not an option limiting caregivers' ability to meet their children's healthcare needs. In such cases, geography acts as a structural determinant of health. This study shows the importance of geography in health. Rural unincorporated colonias located in the borderlands are precariously located and lack basic critical infrastructure including healthcare access. Within such places, historically and socially marginalized populations become invisible, are subject to the health effects of environmental hazards, and are limited depending on their positionality and thus vulnerability to healthcare services. • Municipal unincorporation contributes to health disparities among Latinx families in US-Mexico borderlands. • Latinx children in colonias are disproportionately exposed to environmental toxins. • Geography acts as a structural determinant of health for Latinx families in colonias. • A binational approach to health services should be prioritized for families in the borderlands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dental disease continues to be one of the most prevalent chronic diseases in the United States. Although oral self-care behaviors (OSCB), involving systematic twice-a-day tooth brushing, can prevent dental disease, this basic behavior is not sufficiently practiced. Recent advances in digital technology offer tremendous potential for promoting OSCB by delivering Just-In-Time Adaptive Interventions (JITAIs)— interventions that leverage dynamic information about the person's state and context to effectively prompt them to engage in a desired behavior in real-time, real-world settings. However, limited research attention has been given to systematically investigating how to best prompt individuals to engage in OSCB in daily life, and under what conditions prompting would be most beneficial. This paper describes the protocol for a Micro-Randomized Trial (MRT) to inform the development of a JITAI for promoting ideal OSCB, namely, brushing twice daily, for two minutes each time, in all four dental quadrants (i.e., 2x2x4). Sensors within an electric toothbrush (eBrush) will be used to track OSCB and a matching mobile app (Oralytics) will deliver on-demand feedback and educational information. The MRT will micro-randomize participants twice daily (morning and evening) to either (a) a prompt (push notification) containing one of several theoretically grounded engagement strategies or (b) no prompt. The goal is to investigate whether, what type of, and under what conditions prompting increases engagement in ideal OSCB. The results will build the empirical foundation necessary to develop an optimized JITAI that will be evaluated relative to a suitable control in a future randomized controlled trial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the US electric power sector transitioning towards a low-carbon system, the escalated adoption of renewable energy has paradoxically increased water consumption. Consequently, it is imperative to engineer a power generation matrix that mitigates CO 2 emissions and minimizes water utilization. The primary endeavor should be to meticulously identify the variables affecting water consumption changes, especially highlighting and addressing the inherent tension between water conservation and carbon reduction. Employing temporal and spatial Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index methodologies, this study meticulously investigated the factors driving water consumption changes across state-level electricity production sectors in the US from 2010 to 2018. The analysis revealed that the generation mix structure was a predominant factor in escalating water consumption, exerting a more substantial influence than total power generation. Moreover, while the water consumption coefficient initially mitigates the impact of other factors, its effectiveness diminishes over time. Utilizing spatial Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index techniques, this paper further delineated state-level disparities, illuminating the heterogeneous nature of water consumption across regions. Projections up to 2050 suggest that water consumption reductions could be realized even amidst a highly intense scenario. The study's robustness and reliability were further augmented by employing an adaptive Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index. • Temporal-spatial LMDI reveals significant shifts in the US power sector water consumption. • Water consumption coefficient, fuel structure, and generation identified as key drivers. • Scenario analysis forecasts significant water savings potential by 2050. • Findings highlight the necessity for integrated water-energy transition policies. • Study proposes targeted strategies for a sustainable energy-water nexus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Welding is commonly used in the construction of steel connections in the United States (U.S.). Thus, accurate characterization of weld behavior at elevated temperatures is critical for designing and evaluating the performance of steel structures exposed to fire. This paper presents results from an experimental study in which steady-state tensile tests of butt-welded steel plate coupons made from ASTM A36 steel and E70 electrode were conducted at temperatures ranging from ambient laboratory temperature (20 °C) to 800 °C. Retention factors for elastic modulus, yield strength, and ultimate strength were produced from the data and compared with those values specified for structural steels and fillet welds in U.S. and European design codes and standards. While the elastic modulus retention factors specified in the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) 360–22 Specification for Structural Steel Buildings were found to be conservative, the yield strength and ultimate strength factors recommended by AISC were found to be nonconservative for welds heated to temperatures between 400 °C and 800 °C. In addition, tensile fractures of the coupons, which predominately occurred in the base metal away from the heat-affected zone, were observed to occur within the weld at temperatures of 500 °C and 800 °C. • Mechanical properties of butt-welded steel coupons tested at elevated temperature. • Retention factors for elastic modulus, yield strength, and ultimate strength. • Welded steel connection performance in fire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uncertainty is ubiquitous in elections, and candidates and parties often intentionally create uncertainty to benefit themselves. However, there is no consensus in existing research on how parties balance the trade-off between distinction and broad appeal without alienating their supporters. This paper proposes a novel theory that a party's brand structures when strategies that blur or obfuscate a party or candidate's position are effective. In particular, I argue voters respond negatively to appeals that signal brand deviation from co-partisans on issues that are central to their party's brand. Outside of the brand, the trade-offs between clarity and ambivalence will be weaker. I test these expectations in two survey experiments on a quota sample of the United States population. I find that the efficacy of blurred electoral varies by the brand centrality of an issue, the blurring strategy deployed, and the co- or out-partisan status of the receiver. These findings have implications for our understanding of how parties can navigate the costs and benefits of clear brands and blurred appeals in contemporary party competition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding barriers to abortion care is particularly important post -Dobbs. However, many abortion access studies recruit from abortion-providing facilities, which overlook individuals who do not present for clinic-based care. To our knowledge, no studies have reviewed research recruitment strategies in the literature or considered how they might affect our knowledge of abortion barriers. We aimed to identify populations included and sampling methods used in studies of abortion barriers in the United States. We used a scoping review protocol to search five databases for articles examining US-based individuals' experiences accessing abortion. We included English-language articles published between January 2011 and February 2022. For included studies, we identified the sampling strategy and population recruited. Our search produced 2763 articles, of which 71 met inclusion criteria. Half of the included papers recruited participants at abortion-providing facilities (n = 35), while the remainder recruited from online sources (n = 14), other health clinics (n = 10), professional organizations (n = 8), abortion funds (n = 2), community organizations (n = 2), key informants (n = 2), and an abortion storytelling project (n = 1). Most articles (n = 61) reported information from people discussing their own abortions; the rest asked nonabortion seekers (e.g., physicians, genetic counselors, attorneys) about barriers to care. Studies of abortion barriers enroll participants from a range of venues, but the majority recruit people who obtained abortions, and half recruit from abortion clinics. As abortion access becomes constrained and criminalized in the post- Roe context, our findings indicate how investigators might recruit study participants from a variety of settings to fully understand the abortion seeking experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, as medical and mental health associations increasingly have expressed support for the gender-affirming care model for trans and gender expansive youth, this model has been paradoxically banned across the United States. Ban proponents have deemed the science behind gender-affirming care to be dangerously uncertain. Examining the first gender-affirming care ban for minors, Arkansas's Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act of 2021, we addressed the following two questions: 1) who are the scientists, clinicians, and political organizations that promote SAFE and similar bans?; and 2) what are the scientific arguments they make to defend SAFE in federal court? First, we developed a typology of the various "agents of scientific uncertainty" behind these bans, drawing on literature from the sociology and history of science and medicine as well as the political economy of scientific doubt. Second, we created and qualitatively analyzed a dataset featuring 375 unique citations referenced throughout federal litigation over SAFE to identify these agents of scientific uncertainty's arguments. We sorted these arguments into eight categories, which reveal how agents distorted scientific evidence and exaggerated real uncertainties and risks in gender-affirming care. This case study establishes a frame for understanding the growing prevalence and legal impact of scientific arguments against gender-affirming care. • Gender-affirming care (GAC) for minors has been increasingly banned in the U.S. • Despite growing medical support, ban proponents label GAC dangerously uncertain. • The paper outlines the scientists, clinicians, and political groups defending bans. • It also describes the scientific arguments used in litigation defending bans. • Scientific uncertainty arguments have been successful at unduly restricting GAC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The majority of care for >10 million older adults with dementia (PWD) in the United States depends on at least on 11 million unpaid care partners (CPs). CPs are at greater risk of adverse physical, psychological, and cognitive health outcomes relative to non-caregiving peers. The goal of this paper is to establish the rationale, design, and protocol for a pilot randomized control trial to test the efficacy of the CP-focused intervention, ICECaP: Individualized Coordination and Empowerment for Care Partners of Persons with Dementia. ICECaP involves the assignment of a trained dementia care coordinator to a CP. The care coordinator maintains at least monthly contact with the CP with hybrid delivery (in-person, phone, e-mail, and video calls) and provides individualized support with care coordination for the CP navigating the PWD's care in a complex healthcare system, as well as supportive counseling, psychoeducation, and skills training for the CP. This trial will compare outcomes from baseline to 12-months among CPs who receive ICECaP versus routine care (controls). Outcomes include CP depression, burden, anxiety, and quality of life; CPs' reactions to the behavioral symptoms of dementia; and use of support services for the PWD. This trial will also assess mechanisms of intervention efficacy including changes in CP dementia knowledge, caregiving preparedness, self-efficacy, and optimism. Publication of this intervention protocol will benefit other dementia care teams seeking to support CPs and PWDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the design and protocol of a pragmatic, randomized trial to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of shared decision making versus motivational interviewing plus cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic pain for the voluntary tapering of opioid dose in adults with chronic noncancer pain. Integrated Services for Pain: Interventions to Reduce Pain Effectively (INSPIRE) is a multicenter, randomized trial conducted at three academic health centers in the southeastern United States. Participants are adults receiving long-term opioid therapy of at least 20 morphine milligram equivalents daily for chronic noncancer pain. Participants were randomized to either the shared decision-making intervention or the motivational interviewing session and cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic pain intervention. All participants also received guideline-concordant care supporting opioid pharmacotherapy. The primary outcome was change from baseline in average daily prescribed opioid dose at 12 months, using prescribing data from electronic health records. Secondary outcomes were Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Pain Interference and Physical Function at 12 months. This trial evaluates the comparative effectiveness of shared decision making versus motivational interviewing plus cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic pain for the voluntary tapering of opioid dose in adults with chronic noncancer pain. Results from this study can guide clinicians, researchers, and policymakers as they seek to reduce opioid prescribing and improve management of chronic pain. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03454555 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/record/NCT03454555). Participant enrollment began on June 26, 2019. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Black men are significantly underrepresented in family-based research. • Children experience positive outcomes when they experience male caregiver-child relationships. • Strategies to engage Black male caregivers in family-based programming are presented. • Cultural sensitivity, highlighting the value and empowerment of Black men were effective. • Implementing strategies may reduce disparities and promote a positive representation of Black men. Black men are less likely to participate in research studies due to historical abuses and mistrust, which has consequences for various health issues, including research to improve the sexual health and well-being of young girls and women. This paper aims to present strategies from research staff on how to engage Black male caregivers in family-based research. After our five Black research team members (i.e., researchers, recruiters, facilitators, and community liaisons) recruited 30 Black male caregivers into one-on-one interviews, ten into focus groups, six into theatre testing of an intervention, and 20 more into the pilot intervention, interviews explored their experiences engaging the targeted population in research. Interview questions included asking what strategies were successful, what challenges occurred, and future recommendations to engage Black male caregivers in research. Audio recordings and written response data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Themes included: 1) empowering Black communities through fatherhood initiatives, 2) utlizing culturally sensitive and respectful recruiters, 3) highlighting the value of Black men, and 4) implementing study materials enhancing positive representations of Black men. Implementing strategies to include Black men in family-based health research has the potential to reduce health disparities in the United States and increase their representation across the literature. These strategies will equip researchers to engage in research with minority and structurally-systemically disadvantaged groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Close oversight by a Community Coordinator, relationships built with community partners, and the use of telehealth were creative solutions used by the Infant Toddler Court Teams during COVID-19 to support timely access to services. • This study builds on a companion paper that examined receipt and access to child health services at multiple Infant-Toddler Court Teams prior to and during the first year of the pandemic and details the challenges faced and the solutions identified by ITCT partners to support access to child services in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic within the US. • Understanding the challenges and solutions faced by the Infant-Toddler Court Team Community Coordinators during COVID-19 will be important for future pandemics or crises that impact care for child welfare involved children. This qualitative study examines Infant-Toddler Court Teams' (ITCT) responses to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the accessibility and timeliness of services for children involved with an Infant Toddler Court Team (ITCT) within the United States. ITCTs utilize collaborative practice to improve, align, and integrate systems and build community capacity to improve outcomes for very young children and their families. This study reports findings from 350 transcripts of community partner interviews and an analysis of written case notes from ITCT Community Coordinators related to more than 700 instances of child service needs. We describe challenges faced and solutions and innovations developed by ITCTs to support and maintain child health services during the first year of the pandemic, as well as findings related to challenges associated with other types of services that reduced accessibility and timeliness. Understanding the challenges experienced and solutions developed can provide the child welfare field with insight and guidance on how to approach disruptions in care in the future and the persistent lack of service providers for court involved families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Affective polarization, or relative dislike of opposing partisans, is associated with several negative outcomes for democracy. However, a number of studies argue that affective polarization has one positive democratic consequence: it spurs political participation. However, political participation, especially voting, is habitual, and the factors that spur people to start participating are not the same as those that sustain participation once it is initiated. Existing work does not address this distinction. Leveraging large-scale survey data linked to validated measures of turnout as well as panel data, this paper shows that affective polarization mainly serves to sustain existing habits of turnout. In contrast, there is little evidence that affective polarization motivates people who did not previously participate to begin doing so. These results indicate that instead of improving democratic outcomes, affective polarization exacerbates existing inequities in political participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A rising emphasis on patient involvement in clinical research and healthcare improvement has led to the steady incorporation of patients and caregivers into this work. However, interactional factors shaping recruitment processes are not well understood. In this paper, we present a qualitative analysis of interviews with twenty-six patients, family members, engagement staff and healthcare providers who are engaged in healthcare improvement work in the United States. We focus on how stakeholders account for recruitment decisions to participate in healthcare improvement work. We find that expressions of and judgments about patients' and caregivers' cultural health capital shape providers' decisions to extend invitations to participate in healthcare improvement work. These findings extend current conceptualizations of cultural health capital beyond the clinical encounter to reveal factors shaping patient recruitment into healthcare improvement work. In theorizing how cultural health capital shapes action in this new setting, we found that healthcare providers, engagement staff, and patients/caregivers attended to different aspects of cultural health capital when accounting for why they extended or received a recruitment pitch. We further found that participating in healthcare improvement work led to a boost in cultural health capital for patients and caregivers, which they could use to develop transmissible forms of cultural health capital for less centrally involved patients and caregivers. Finally, we describe how participants in healthcare improvement collaboratives account for a lack of diversity among partners. These findings help us hypothesize the consequences of recruitment processes that rely on displays and judgments of cultural health capital and identify possibilities for change. Using the case of healthcare improvement work in Collaborative Learning Health Systems, our findings advance past work on cultural health capital in medical sociology by theorizing the role of cultural health capital in recruitment processes. • Providers recruit patients for healthcare improvement work with subjective criteria. • Providers often recruit high-resourced, privileged patients that they "vibe" with. • Partners build cultural health capital from doing healthcare improvement work. • Recruiting for cultural health capital may exclude patients from diverse backgrounds. • The role of recruitment should be considered to improve partner representation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper was to explore: (a) What stories do the Street Soccer players draw upon to construct meaning around their experiences of trauma, social exclusion, and homelessness? and (b) What stories are linked to the subjective sport programming experience and resulting future orientations? A longitudinal narrative approach was adopted with semi-structured interviews conducted with players from Scotland and the United States (n = 16, 7 female, 9 male, M age = 27.5) across three time points. Interviews were also conducted with significant others (n = 13) at time point three. All data were analyzed using thematic narrative analysis and represented in creative non-fiction approaches through three composite narratives. These narratives depicted visceral accounts of complex and developmental trauma, along with consequential experiences that unfolded before, during, and after the Homeless World Cup. While both preparing for and attending the event, players recalled concurrent feelings of anxiety and pride which manifested in various resilient and maladaptive coping behaviors. As the stories progressed, players battled a post event crash by engaging in support seeking and/or self-destructive behaviors before positive implications of the Homeless World Cup materialized. Through creative narrative approaches, this study presents novel and engaging accounts of players' experiences before, during, and after the event. We also identify potential safeguarding concerns that can be addressed through trauma-informed practices. • Novel stories exploring the lives of socially excluded and homeless people and their unique experiences in sport. • Composite narratives illuminate depictions of trauma, along with consequential experiences through the Homeless World Cup. • The universal post-event crash was observed in each story before varying resilient and support seeking behaviors prevailed. • Trauma-informed practices may ensure a safe transition between players' return home and positive future orientations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young individuals with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) risk severe physical complications and psychosocial stressors. Art therapy is a psychosocial resource offered to youth with SCD in several medical settings across the United States. The purpose of this qualitative study was to better understand art therapy clinical practices with young individuals with SCD in a medical setting through thematic and content analysis. We interviewed 21 art therapists with clinical experience with this population. Data analysis suggests that participants utilize a person-centered approach and consider several factors (e.g., patient assessment, patient-specific factors and potential psychosocial stressors and physical complications) when determining their clinical decisions before and during the art therapy intervention. Clinical goals, art materials, and art therapist engagement mutually influence each other throughout the session. The art therapist remains flexible and adapts their intervention procedures as necessary to meet the in-the-moment needs of the patient. Additionally, data analysis revealed that participants regularly encounter several challenges and barriers related to working with this population and that the race of the art therapist contributes to additional challenges and barriers. This research study serves as an initial step to understanding how art therapists work with young individuals with SCD. Further research involving patients' voices is necessary to better understand patients' subjective experiences and the impact of art therapy on young individuals with SCD. • Art therapists use person-centered therapeutic approach in work with youth with SCD. • Art therapy needs to consider biomedical complications and psychosocial stressors. • Art Therapists experience several barriers and challenges in work with youth with SCD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]