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Cash register receipts made of thermal paper expose workers and shoppers to endocrine-disrupting chemicals and contaminate paper recycling streams. In 2022, 571 receipts were collected from retail stores in the United States and tested for developer chemicals using attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy. The results were compared to a 2017 study of 167 receipts to determine changes in color developer use over time. Receipts were tested as-is and a subset were additionally subjected to a simple extraction that improved detection of receipt chemicals. Bisphenol S was the most frequently detected developer (85% of tested receipts), followed by Pergafast 201 (12%), bisphenol A (1%); and Appvion Alpha Free, D-8, and NKK-1304 (each below 1%). NKK-1304 is reported here for the first time in a scientific journal. The frequency of bisphenol A usage in receipts decreased and the frequency of bisphenol S and Pergafast 201 increased between 2017 and 2022, particularly among large companies. National retailers were more likely than regional or local retailers to have adopted non-bisphenol alternatives. Potential health and environmental hazards of the detected developer chemicals and strategies for reduction are discussed. [Display omitted] • Infrared spectroscopy was used to identify thermal paper receipt chemicals. • BPS is a major replacement chemical for BPA in U.S. thermal paper receipts. • Non-bisphenol receipt frequency was 5% in 2017 and 16% in 2022. • Between 2017 and 2022 large national businesses mostly replaced BPA with non-bisphenols. • Between 2017 and 2022 local/regional businesses mostly replaced BPA with BPS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This is a case study of a small modular reactor supplying steam and electricity to a pulp and paper mill. • Resulting steam conditions in the mill are analyzed using steady-state and dynamic models. • Models of the paper mill were built in Aspen HYSYS and Dymola, a Modelica Ecosystem. • Integrated SMRs with pulp and paper mills is feasible but may present cost limitations. Small modular reactors (SMRs) are reactor designs producing less than 300 MWe and are generally planned for deployment as multimodule nuclear power plants. The possibility of factory-manufactured, flexibly sized plants expands the opportunities for nuclear power to different communities and industries, including manufacturing plants that currently utilize fossil fuels to produce both steam and electricity. This paper examines the feasibility of coupling a NuScale SMR with a midsize pulp and paper mill in the Southeastern United States. A steady-state mill model was developed in Aspen HYSYS, based on real data from the operation of the mill, and modified it to include the SMR while maintaining steam quality requirements and making as few changes as possible to existing equipment. Dynamic plant models were also developed Dymola to demonstrate possible plant conditions, using three configurations. Preliminary results suggest that, while SMR coupling is physically feasible, its economic feasibility is limited by the differences in steam and electricity demands. Because of limitations in the amount of steam the mill can take from the SMR, sizing the SMR for the plant's steam demand may result in an electricity deficit, or vice versa. Dynamic analyses show that the addition of a thermal storage system could reduce such deficits, but this entails its own challenges. Each plant must determine the best configuration and control scheme for itself, based on its electricity and heat needs, including the peak duration and intensity for both. Ultimately, an implementation of SMRs with manufacturing processes would benefit from partnering with a local utility to purchase excess electricity generated by the SMR. This will help manufacturing facilities meet their environmental and cost-savings goals, in addition to meeting the need for cost-effective baseload power across the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a widely held view to the effect that internal flexibility is most reliably secured through the provision of employment security. The research reported here provides a test of this theory. Interviews were conducted with managers and, to a lesser extent, union officials in a judgment sample of 21 plants in the U.S. paper industry. With limited and specific exceptions, since the early 1980s paper mills have provided generally secure employment. Despite this, unions vigorously opposed management attempts to increase flexibility. In response, management used threats and intimidation to increase flexibility, with some considerable success. The theory that employment security produces internal flexibility requires some revision. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recycling is generally recognized as a key component of strategies to achieve improved resource efficiency and reduce the environmental burden associated with resource use. However, to maximize the net benefits offered by recycling, one must understand the system-wide effects of substituting primary materials with recycled materials and how those effects vary under alternative strategies. Consequential life cycle assessment (cLCA) approaches to evaluate the impact of increasing use of recycled materials require identification of grades and sources of scrap materials used at the margin. Various grades of recycled materials differ in their substitution possibilities and supply limits. However, most studies of cLCA for material recycling overlook these aspects and typically assume a fixed set of marginal activities. This study develops a model to describe the resource consumption behaviors of material producers and the resulting cascade of material flows for the case of the United States (US) pulp and paper industry. We observe that grades and sources of scrap materials used at the margin dynamically change so as the resulting environmental impact when demand for recycled containerboard products increases. The results show that the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission savings effect of using recycled materials can be considerably larger when marginal recovered fiber comes from additional recovery from landfill rather than being diverted from the export market. Also, the results show that the behavior of international trade partners for recovered paper may offset GHG emission savings from the domestic replacement of virgin pulpwood with recovered paper. Most importantly, such behaviors are dependent on grades used at the margin. The developed model and results can help inform the US pulp and paper industry, policymakers, and other stakeholders about the system-wide effects of increasing use of recovered paper. • We develop a model to describe resource consumption behaviors of the US pulp and paper producers and resulting fiber flows. • This study suggests the importance of identifying the grade and source of scrap used at the margin in the recycling industry. • CLCA based on static marginal technologies may not correctly quantify the system-wide effect of material recycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The climate change policy debate and ensuing discussions about industrial energy use and carbon emissions have highlighted the need to: (a) aggregate engineering information to a level relevant for economic policy analysis while maintaining sufficient detail so that results are meaningful for industry decision makers, (b) properly represent an industry’s capital vintage structure to better understand inertia associated with changes in aggregate industrial emissions profiles, and (c) identify policy instruments that leverage an industry’s potential for technological change such that carbon emissions can be noticeably reduced. This paper presents an econometric analysis of energy use and emissions profiles of the US Pulp and Paper Industry and uses the resulting set of equations to specify a dynamic model for the analysis of select climate change policies. Scenarios of cost of carbon, energy tax, and investment-led policies indicate that a combination of cost of carbon and investment-led policies can achieve the desired result of rapidly improving overall efficiency of the industry and promoting changes in fuel mix, which together can result in drastic reductions of carbon emissions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Since the early 2010s, the production of industrial wood pellet for overseas exports has grown considerably in the Southern United States (U.S.). In order to meet the increasing demand for woody biomass feedstock, the wood pellet mills in the U.S. South consume roundwood pulpwood along with low-valued logging residues and sawmill wood wastes. By estimating empirical roundwood pulpwood market models based on the bi-monthly time-series data, this study estimates the impacts of wood pellet production, precipitation, and the COVID-19 Pandemic on the hardwood and softwood pulpwood stumpage prices in 12 southeastern Atlantic coastal micro-markets. Results suggest that the wood pellet industry has led to an increase in pine pulpwood prices, but no statistically significant impact is found on the hardwood pulpwood prices. Rainfall is found to be a positive determinant of the roundwood pulpwood prices. Furthermore, since March 2020, the COVID-19 Pandemic is estimated to lead about 6% decline in both pine and hardwood pulpwood prices. This study provides empirical evidence and additional insights on the timber market dynamics and how small roundwood markets have reacted to the additional wood demand from a growing bioenergy industry in the U.S. South. • The wood pellet industry competes with pulp and paper mills for woody biomass. • The wood pellet industry has led to an increase in pine pulpwood prices. • No significant impact of wood pellets is found on the hardwood pulpwood prices. • The COVID-19 Pandemic has led to decline pulpwood stumpage prices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systematic conservation planning (SCP) is a field of conservation biology concerned with the effective allocation of conservation efforts and the implementation of actions aiming to guarantee biodiversity persistence in the long-term and the efficient use of conservation resources. Here, we evaluated the main spatial-temporal trends and patterns among highly-cited papers in SCP. We considered "highly-cited" articles as those papers with at least 100 citations according to Web of Science database. A total of 132 highly-cited articles were published between 1989 and 2014, with the highest frequency at 2006. Papers were published in 25 different scientific journals (with a highlight for Conservation Biology and Biological Conservation) by researchers from 208 institutions and 25 countries (most from Australia and USA). Most of the analytical and methodological studies were carried out in the terrestrial environment, by considering more than one taxonomic group, and at a regional scale. Eleven studies included information on costs (e.g., economic or land use) in the prioritization process, and only one article considered information on other biodiversity dimensions such as phylogenetic diversity. Among analytical papers, 41 included only biodiversity data in the prioritization process, while 16 papers considered data on other features such as ecosystem services, biophysical factors, and vegetation. Furthermore, a plethora of different algorithms and software were used to perform the analyses. By analyzing the top-cited papers, we could track through time the main advances and stages of the development in SCP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current technologies to treat hypersaline produced water (PW), such as thermal evaporation, are usually energy-intensive and cost-prohibitive. This study developed a low-cost, robust, solar-driven carbon black and airlaid paper-based evaporator (CAPER) for desalination of PW in the Permian Basin, United States. The study aims to better understand the removal of aromatic organic compounds and heavy metals during solar distillation, water output, and heat transfer. Outdoor experiments using CAPER assisted with polystyrene foam in a single slope, single basin solar still achieved an enhanced average evaporation rate of 2.23 L per m2 per day, 165% higher than that of a conventional solar still. Analysis of heat transfer models demonstrated that CAPER solar evaporation achieved an evaporative heat transfer coefficient of ∼28.9 W m−2·K−1, 27.9% higher than without CAPER. The maximum fractional energy of evaporation and convection heat transfer inside the solar still with and without CAPER was ∼81.4% and ∼78.2%, respectively. For the PW with a total dissolved solids concentration of 134 g L−1, solar distillation removed 99.97% salts and over 98% heavy metals. The high removal efficiency of 99.99% was achieved for Ca, Na, Mg, Mn, Ni, Se, Sr, and V. Organic characterization revealed that solar distillation removed over 83% aromatic compounds. Solar desalination using CAPER provides a low-cost and high-performance process to treat PW with high salinity and complex water chemistry for potential fit-for-purpose beneficial uses. Image 1 • A carbon black and airlaid paper-based solar evaporator (CAPER) was developed. • Outdoor distillation of produced water (PW) achieved evaporation of 2.23 L m−2·d−1. • The evaporation rate of PW with CAPER is 165% higher than without CAPER. • Heat transfer coefficient with CAPER is 27.9% higher than without CAPER. • 99.97% salts, 98% metals, >83% aromatic compounds removed from 134 g L−1 TDS PW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To comprehensively report Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) member program usage of preimplantation genetic testing (PGT), preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) for diagnosis of specific conditions, and preimplantation genetic screening for aneuploidy (PGS). Design: Retrospective study. Setting: United States SART cohort data. Patient(s): Women undergoing a PGT cycle in which at least one embryo underwent biopsy. Intervention(s): PGT. Main Outcome Measure(s): PGT use, indications, and delivery rates. Result(s): Of 190,260 fresh, nondonor assisted reproductive technology (ART) cycles reported to SART CORS in 2007–2008, 8,337 included PGT. Of 6,971 cycles with a defined indication, 1,382 cycles were for genetic diagnosis, 3,645 for aneuploidy screening (PGS), 527 for translocation, and 1,417 for elective sex election. Although the total number of fresh, autologous cycles increased by 3.6% from 2007 to 2008, the percentage of cycles with PGT decreased by 5.8% (4,293 in 2007 and 4,044 in 2008). As a percentage of fresh, nondonor ART cycles, use dropped from 4.6% (4,293/93,433) in 2007 to 4.2% (4,044/96,827) in 2008. The primary indication for PGT was PGS: cycles performed for this indication decreased (−8.0%). PGD use for single-gene defects (+3.2%), elective sex selection (+5.3%), and translocation analysis (+0.5%) increased. PGT usage varied significantly by geographical region. Conclusion(s): PGT usage in the United States decreased between 2007 and 2008 owing to a decrease in PGS. Use of elective sex selection increased. High transfer cancellation rates correlated with reduced live-birth rates for some PGT indications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are the consequences of disease and/or its treatment as reported by the patient. The importance of PRO measures in clinical trials for new drugs, biological agents, and devices was underscored by the release of the US Food and Drug Administration's draft guidance for industry titled “Patient-Reported Outcome Measures: Use in Medical Product Development to Support Labeling Claims.” The intent of the guidance was to describe how the FDA will evaluate the appropriateness and adequacy of PRO measures used as effectiveness end points in clinical trials... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The U.S. Department of Energy Big Sky Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership completed drilling the world’s first continental flood basalt sequestration pilot borehole to a total depth (TD) of 1253 m at a paper mill site near the town of Wallula located in Southeastern Washington State. Site suitability was assessed prior to drilling by acquisition, processing and analysis of a four-mile, five-line, three component seismic swath, which was processed as a single data-dense line. Analysis of the seismic survey data indicated absence of major geologic structures that would preclude CO2 injection at the site. Drilling of Wallula pilot borehole was initiated on January 13, 2009 and reached TD on April 6, 2009. Hydrogeologic information was obtained primarily during borehole drilling/advancement utilizing a progressive drill-and-test characterization strategy. A general decreasing transmissivity trend with depth pattern was observed, which is consistent with results exhibited for Columbia River basalt interflow zones at a number of other deep wells in the region. Based on the comparative results from 10 test intervals, a candidate injection test zone was identified between the general depth interval of ∼828 and 875 m bgs. Over this interval, three brecciated interflow zones were intersected and isolated for CO2 injection. The flow tops have moderate permeability (75 to 150 millidarcies) and are bounded by thick flow interiors that have extremely low (microdarcy) permeability. The borehole configuration established at the Wallula pilot site provides a unique opportunity to scientifically study the reservoir behaviour of three connected reservoir intervals confined between primary and secondary caprock zones. The permitting process for the CO2 injection has proceeded in accordance with formal rules for geologic sequestration projects enacted in June 2008 into the underground injection control program administered by the Washington State Department of Ecology. The permitting process is expected to conclude in October 2010 and injection would begin soon thereafter. Post-injection monitoring includes long-term sampling of water retrieved from the injection zone, shallow groundwater and soil gas monitoring, and PSInSAR. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Functional foods can be considered to be those whole, fortified, enriched or enhanced foods that provide health benefits beyond the provision of essential nutrients (e.g., vitamins and minerals), when they are consumed at efficacious levels as part of a varied diet on a regular basis. Linking the consumption of functional foods or food ingredients with health claims should be based on sound scientific evidence, with the "gold standard" being replicated, randomized, placebo-controlled, intervention trials in human subjects. However, not all foods on the market today that are claimed to be functional foods are supported by enough solid data to merit such claims. This review categorizes a variety of functional foods according to the type of evidence supporting their functionality, the strength of that evidence and the recommended intakes. Functional foods represent one of the most intensively investigated and widely promoted areas in the food and nutrition sciences today. However, it must be emphasized that these foods and ingredients are not magic bullets or panaceas for poor health habits. Diet is only one aspect of a comprehensive approach to good health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study on the possible health hazards of trans unsaturated fatty acids. Chemical and physical properties of trans fatty acids; Consumption of trans fatty acids in the United States; Food sources of trans fatty acids; Biomedical effects and mechanisms of trans fatty acids.

Background: In 2022, suicide ranked as the 11th leading cause of death in the United States with 49,513 deaths. Provisional mortality data from 2022 indicate a 2.8% increase in the number of suicides compared to 2021. This paper examines overall suicide trends, sodium nitrite ingestion as an emerging suicide method, and the role that online forums play in sharing information about suicide methods (including sodium nitrite ingestion). Methods: Suicides were identified from CDC's National Vital Statistics System (2018-July 2023 provisional) multiple cause-of-death mortality files using International Classification of Diseases (ICD), Tenth Revision underlying cause-of-death codes U03, X60–X84, and Y87.0 and T code T50.6 (antidotes and chelating agents). Google search popularity metrics were captured from January 2019 to January 2023. Case reports of sodium nitrite related suicide and suicide attempts (through February 2024) were identified in the medical and forensic literature. Results: At least 768 suicides involving antidotes and chelating agents (including sodium nitrite) occurred between 2018 and July 2023, set in the context of 268,972 total suicides during that period. Overall, suicides involving antidotes and chelating agents (including sodium nitrite) represent <1% of all suicides, however, numbers are rising. Conclusions: Suicide methods are known to change over time. These changes can be influenced by, among other factors, online forums and means accessibility, such as internet purchase availability. CDC remains committed to prevention through comprehensive public health strategies that protect individuals, families, and communities. Practical Applications: States and community partners might consider leveraging physicians, emergency responders, and other appropriate crisis response groups to disseminate information on sodium nitrite self-poisoning and its antidote, methylene blue. Efforts should be part of a comprehensive public health approach to suicide prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]

Methadone has several unique characteristics that make it an attractive option for pain relief in serious illness, but the safety of methadone has been called into question after reports of a disproportionate increase in opioid-induced deaths in recent years. The American Pain Society, College on Problems of Drug Dependence, and the Heart Rhythm Society collaborated to issue guidelines on best practices to maximize methadone safety and efficacy, but guidelines for the end-of-life scenario have not yet been developed. A panel of 15 interprofessional hospice and palliative care experts from the U.S. and Canada convened in February 2015 to evaluate the American Pain Society methadone recommendations for applicability in the hospice and palliative care setting. The goal was to develop guidelines for safe and effective management of methadone therapy in hospice and palliative care. This article represents the consensus opinion of the hospice and palliative care experts for methadone use at end of life, including guidance on appropriate candidates for methadone, detail in dosing, titration, and monitoring of patients' response to methadone therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the risk disclosure text information from the dual perspectives of bank managers and credit rating agencies is innovatively incorporated into the bank risk aggregation, which to some extent avoids the deviation of bank risk assessment caused by the risk perception from a single perspective, and measures the overall bank risk more comprehensively. In the empirical analysis part, this paper extracted 342 risk profit and loss data, 511 text risk information in 10-K forms and 356 available bank rating reports from 134 listed commercial banks in the United States. The Sent-LDA model was used to identify and compare risk factors from different perspectives. In addition, by constructing a total risk-adjusted index, this paper studies the effectiveness of textual risk disclosure from the dual perspectives of bank management and credit rating agencies in the overall risk measurement of commercial banks. The empirical results show that the text contains the incremental information of risk assessment, and the inclusion of double-perspective text risk information into the risk aggregation will amplify or reduce the overall risk of banks calculated only based on financial numerical data. In practice, it will be more effective to measure the overall risk of banks by considering the textual risk disclosure from dual perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global efforts are focused on discussing effective measures for minimizing the impact of COVID-19 on global community. It is clear that the ongoing pandemic of this virus caused an immense threat to public health and economic development. Mathematical models with real data simulations are powerful tools that can identify key factors of pandemic and improve control or mitigation strategies. Compared with integer-order and left-hand side fractional models, two-side fractional models can better capture the state of pandemic spreading. In this paper, two-side fractional models are first proposed to qualitative and quantitative analysis of the COVID-19 pandemic. A basic framework are given for the prediction and analysis of infectious diseases by these types of models. By means of asymptotic stability analysis of disease-free and endemic equilibrium points, basic reproduction number R 0 can be obtained, which is helpful for estimating the severity of an outbreak qualitatively. Sensitivity analysis of R 0 is performed to identify and rank key epidemiological parameters. Based on the real data of the United States, numerical tests reveal that the model with both left-hand side fractional derivative and right-hand side fractional integral terms has a better forecast ability for the epidemic trend in the next ten days. Our extensive computational results also quantitatively reveal that non-pharmaceutical interventions, such as isolation, stay at home, strict control of social distancing, and rapid testing can play an important role in preventing the pandemic of the disease. Thus, the two-side fractional models are proposed in this paper can successfully capture the change rule of COVID-19, which provide a strong tool for understanding and analyzing the trend of the outbreak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An ensemble of spectro-temporal and spectro-spatial predictions for Landsat SR was proposed. • The proposed method has higher accuracy than traditional Landsat SR prediction algorithms. • The proposed method could accurately restore SR for areas with abrupt land cover changes. The cloud-induced contaminations limit the availability of Earth observation data acquired by Landsat satellites. In the field of cloud-contaminated image prediction and restoration, abrupt land cover change is an important but usually unconsidered issue. Based on the existing Time Series Models and Continuous Change Detection algorithm (TSM-CCD), an enhanced TSM-CCD algorithm (eTSM-CCD) is proposed in this paper to improve Landsat surface reflectance (SR) predictions based on all available Landsat data. The proposed eTSM-CCD method integrates time-series model estimation in the temporal domain and similar pixel replacement in the spatial domain to both address the issue of abrupt land cover changes and improve the prediction accuracy of SR. The proposed method was applied to Landsat time-series data in two study areas in the United States. The results indicated that the proposed method achieved higher overall and band-wise (especially NIR band) prediction accuracies than the original TSM-CCD algorithm. Specifically, the accuracies were improved more significantly for land cover types with distinct phenological characteristics at the peak of the growing season. In addition, compared to classical spatiotemporal prediction algorithms, such as modified neighborhood similar pixel interpolator (MNSPI) and enhanced spatial and temporal adaptive reflectance fusion model (ESTARFM), the proposed method also yielded higher prediction accuracies and performed much better in predicting abrupt changes in land cover. The eTSM-CCD algorithm proposed in this paper is promising for the prediction and restoration of surface reflectance, especially in the vegetated areas during the peak of the growing season or in areas undergoing abrupt land cover changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid growth of China's national resources in the space domain may change the gap in power between China and the United States in relevant international rulemaking. This article proposes an analytical framework for identifying, comparing, and analyzing states' power resources critical to international rulemaking and uses the framework to compare the relevant resources between China and the United States in the space domain. First, this paper develops a method for identifying resources crucial to international rulemaking in outer space. The relevant resources of the two countries are then compared in this article. Finally, the article explores comparative advantages, consensus, differences, and cooperation possibilities of the two countries in specific international space rules. The framework could be adapted to compare diverse nations' resources critical to international rulemaking in other fields; it contributes to research on space law, international legislation, and national power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food waste in the United States was valued at $285 billion in 2019, representing 70% of all food surplus; dairy and eggs alone represented 15.90% of food surplus. Milk is the fifth most consumed beverage in the United States, and therefore its contribution to food waste has significant economic and environmental ramifications. Smart labels that provide precise spoilage information for fluid milk may help reduce food waste in fluid milk, but it is unclear if consumers will accept or pay for this novel technology. This paper examines consumer preferences for high temperature, short time pasteurized fluid milk shelf life and smart date labels and tests how information about the environmental impact of fluid milk food waste affects consumers' acceptance and willingness to pay. We used a choice-based conjoint study administered in an online survey, along with a between-subject experiment to measure preferences under different information treatments about the environmental impact of food waste. Our results suggest that consumers' valuations of extended shelf life and an ecolabel is positive; however, using the smart label creates disutility for consumers, thereby hindering acceptance of new labeling technology that may facilitate food waste reduction in the milk industry. These findings imply that retailers should find alternative means to enhance the communication of precise shelf life information and its role in reducing food waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Between the 1950s and 1980s, U.S. space sector activities were government-driven, government-sponsored, government-managed, and assisted by the industry-sector. Awareness of non-governmental space activities originated in the 1980s and gained prominence in the early 2000s with the founding of well-funded private companies. This paper takes an organizational evolution perspective to refine what is meant by "commercial" space markets and activities and compares the results to previous discussions offered by space community authors. From an organization theory perspective, the three primary forces of the evolution change model (variation, selection, and retention) provide a framework for renewed commercial space activity discussions. Together, the strength of these three forces can indicate how "commercial" a market is. Two case examples are presented to illustrate application of this framework: the U.S. space race era activities during the 1960s, and the current space tourism market. Despite competitions for various contracts awarded to industry-sector firms, the Apollo program was clearly government-driven, and was not "commercial" to any significant extent. The current space tourism market is clearly considered "commercial," but with qualifications. Conclusions from this review include the appropriate levels of analysis to discuss space market characteristics, a comparative analysis of the "commercial" activities of the U.S. space race era and the current space tourism, the inference of proxies for estimating the strength of the three evolution model forces, and a caution about the accuracy of "commercial" market forecasts. • This paper uses an evolution change mechanism lens to estimate the degree that space sectors are considered "commercial". • Identification of appropriate levels of analysis for discussion of commercial space markets. • Comparison of space race era activities in the United States and current space tourism activities. • U.S. space race activities are best characterized by the teleologic change motor. • Current space tourism activities are best characterized by the evolution (variation, selection, retention) change motor. • Prior studies of "commercial" space activities are reviewed in the context of the evolution organization change mechanism. • Inference of independent variables to estimate evolution model force strength. [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]

The landmark, multicenter HCHS/SOL (Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos) is the largest, most comprehensive, longitudinal community-based cohort study to date of diverse Hispanic/Latino persons in the United States. The HCHS/SOL aimed to address the dearth of comprehensive data on risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and other chronic diseases in this population and has expanded considerably in scope since its inception. This paper describes the aims/objectives and data collection of the HCHS/SOL and its ancillary studies to date and highlights the critical and sizable contributions made by the study to understanding the prevalence of and changes in CVD risk/protective factors and the burden of CVD and related chronic conditions among adults of diverse Hispanic/Latino backgrounds. The continued follow-up of this cohort will allow in-depth investigations on cardiovascular and pulmonary outcomes in this population, and data from the ongoing ancillary studies will facilitate generation of new hypotheses and study questions. [Display omitted] • The HCHS/SOL is the largest longitudinal, community-based cohort study of diverse Hispanic/Latino persons in the United States. • This review highlights the objectives and methodology of the HCHS/SOL and its contributions to understanding the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and the burden of CVD among diverse Hispanic/Latino adults. • Continued follow-up of this cohort and data from ancillary studies will generate new hypotheses and research questions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the future U.S. demand for streamlined space tourism by showing the missions and factors impacting traveler choices with machine learning. Space tourism is growing and is expected to become available to the masses soon. While private companies need to better understand the demand for space tourism to customize their services, transportation agencies require guidance to support fund management related to commercial space exploration. This work analyzes the three most prominent missions for streamlined space tourism (i.e., suborbital, orbital, and space tourism around the moon) and their selection determinants (i.e., price, safety, training, number of passengers, take-off locations, among other decision-maker factors). A stated preference experiment is constructed to collect data that is analyzed using machine learning. Results provide valuable insights into the mixed opinions of Americans with respect to space tourism, their mission preferences, and risk considerations. • Space tourism serves a niche of high-income travelers. • We investigate the future U.S. demand if space tourism is available to the masses. • A stated preference experiment is constructed to collect data from Americans. • The collected dataset is analyzed using machine learning paradigms. • Results unveil the mission and traveler factors impacting space tourism choices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Vaccine-derived herd immunity against COVID-19 can be achieved if at least 60% of the population is fully-vaccinated. • COVID-19 elimination is feasible by June 2022 if the current baseline full vaccination coverage is increased by about 20%. • Elimination prospects are improved significantly if vaccination is combined with the use of moderate to high-quality masks. • Having more people wear surgical masks is more beneficial than having fewer people wear the highly-effective N95 masks. • Treatment of symptomatic individuals has a significant impact on reducing daily hospitalizations. The effectiveness of control interventions against COVID-19 is threatened by the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern. We present a mathematical model for studying the transmission dynamics of two of these variants (Delta and Omicron) in the United States, in the presence of vaccination, treatment of individuals with clinical symptoms of the disease and the use of face masks. The model is parameterized and cross-validated using observed daily case data for COVID-19 in the United States for the period from November 2021 (when Omicron first emerged) to March 2022. Rigorous qualitative analysis of the model shows that the disease-free equilibrium of the model is locally-asymptotically stable when the control reproduction number of the model (denoted by R c) is less than one. This equilibrium is shown to be globally-asymptotically stable for a special case of the model, where disease-induced mortality is negligible and both vaccine-derived immunity in fully-vaccinated individuals and natural immunity do not wane, when the associated reproduction number is less than one. The epidemiological implication of the latter result is that the combined vaccination-boosting strategy can lead to the elimination of the pandemic if its implementation can bring (and maintain) the associated reproduction number to a value less than one. An analytical expression for the vaccine-derived herd immunity threshold is derived. Using this expression, together with the baseline values of the parameters of the parameterized model, we showed that the vaccine-derived herd immunity can be achieved in the United States (so that the pandemic will be eliminated) if at least 68 % of the population is fully-vaccinated with two of the three vaccines approved for use in the United States (Pfizer or Moderna vaccine). Furthermore, this study showed (as of the time of writing in March 2022) that the control reproduction number of the Omicron variant was approximately 3.5 times that of the Delta variant (the reproduction of the latter is computed to be ≈ 0.2782), indicating that Delta had practically died out and that Omicron has competitively-excluded Delta (to become the predominant variant in the United States). Based on our analysis and parameterization at the time of writing of this paper (March 2022), our study suggests that SARS-CoV-2 elimination is feasible by June 2022 if the current baseline level of the coverage of fully-vaccinated individuals is increased by about 20 %. The prospect of pandemic elimination is significantly improved if vaccination is combined with a face mask strategy that prioritizes moderately effective and high-quality masks. Having a high percentage of the populace wearing the moderately-effective surgical mask is more beneficial to the community than having low percentage of the populace wearing the highly-effective N95 masks. We showed that waning natural and vaccine-derived immunity (if considered individually) offer marginal impact on disease burden, except for the case when they wane at a much faster rate (e.g., within three months), in comparison to the baseline (estimated to be within 9 months to a year). Treatment of symptomatic individuals has marginal effect in reducing daily cases of SARS-CoV-2, in comparison to the baseline, but it has significant impact in reducing daily hospitalizations. Furthermore, while treatment significantly reduces daily hospitalizations (and, consequently, deaths), the prospects of COVID-19 elimination in the United States are significantly enhanced if investments in control resources are focused on mask usage and vaccination rather than on treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Ocean acidification is commonly framed as a problem of carbon dioxide emissions concurrent to climate change. • This framing has been effective at mobilising action at the domestic level in the United States. • This framing has resulted in misaligning the problem of ocean acidification with regime mandates at the international level. • To mobilise action at the international level a reframing of ocean acidification is warranted. Ocean acidification has long been framed by its epistemic community as a problem of carbon dioxide emissions that is concurrent to climate change. Framing ocean acidification in this way has been effective at garnering policy action at the domestic level in the United States. It is argued, however, in this paper that this framing has been counterproductive at the international level, resulting in two main impediments to the international governance of this issue. Firstly, defining ocean acidification as a concurrent problem to climate change, rather than as an impact of it, has resulted in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change being interpreted as containing no obligation to address ocean acidification. Secondly, focussing almost solely on the reduction of global emissions of carbon dioxide as the only global solution to ocean acidification has resulted in ocean and biodiversity-related regimes that do not have the mandate to regulate CO 2 emissions as being viewed as without the recourse to respond. Through an examination of the causes and consequences of ocean acidification and the general objectives of existing multilateral environmental agreements, a set of alternative problem frames are developed in this paper that could be deployed to mobilize action under existing environmental regimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the confusion over a series of papers published in October 2019 which recommend that adults continue their consumption of red and processed meat because they may have little or no effect on major cardiometabolic outcomes and cancer mortality and morbidity. Topics covered include difference between randomized trials and observational cohort studies in determining intervention effects and failure of the system used in the papers to consider well-tested criteria.

• This paper proposed a novel wind speed forecasting algorithm. • A new dataset division mechanism based on the moving window is used in this paper. • In order to improve the accuracy and stability simultaneously, the multi-objective particle swarm optimization is applied. • We compared the proposed MOPSO-Combined method with the combined model that published before in the paper. Accurate wind speed forecasting is important in power grid security, power system management, operation and market economics. However, most research has focused only on improving either accuracy or stability, with few studies addressing the two issues, simultaneously. Therefore, we proposed a novel combined model based on multi-objective particle swarm optimization, which is applied to optimize the key parameters of the echo state network. Most combined wind speed forecasting methods just use the combination theory to combine individual methods, this paper uses echo state network to combine the intermediate wind speed forecasting results of three artificial neural networks. Moreover, a new dataset division mechanism based on the moving window is applied in this paper. Firstly, the length of the input data is changed from 5 to 15 for 1-step, 2-step and 3-step wind speed forecasting, after that, the optimal length of the input vector can be got. And then we apply this optimal length of the input vector to another dataset for further verifying the proposed method. In order to verify the forecasting effectiveness of the proposed forecasting model, the 80/min wind speed data of M2 tower of the National Wind Power Technology Center of the United States were taken as an example. The experimental results indicate that the proposed algorithm is superior to the other ten comparative models in prediction accuracy and stability, and it also performs better than the combined model that we have proposed before. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper describes policy developments on flood risk management in the United States from the 1940s up to the period after hurricane Katrina (2005–2014). • It shows that flood risk management relies on a value system with underlying responsibility structures and knowledge requirements, that significantly differ from centralized welfare state approaches to flood governance. • The paper calls for taking this value system, responsibility structures and information requirements into account in the transfer of flood risk management to welfare state contexts. Delta regions have always been prone to flooding disasters. To provide protection, welfare state governments have built floodwalls and levees to keep people safe. However, the feasibility of this approach is now being questioned. Can these infrastructural measures accommodate changing floods risks? In many delta countries, governments are embracing "flood risk management" (FRM) as an alternative approach. In FRM, the focus lies on reducing human vulnerabilities to flood risks instead of preventing floods to occur. Based on a case study of the development of FRM in the United States – the country where the approach originated – this paper demonstrates that FRM relies on a value system with underlying divisions of responsibilities, costs and information requirements that significantly differs from traditional welfare state approaches to flood governance. It argues that these systemic features need to be taken into account in the transfer of FRM to welfare state contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overhead lines in the United States are currently designed based on both deterministic and probabilistic loading concepts for ice and wind. These load cases are specified in the National Electrical Safety Code (NESC) (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE), 2023). The deterministic loads for the continental United States are based on three loading districts: light, medium, and heavy, and the corresponding loads based on the specified weather criteria are to be used with specified structural load factors. In practice, the factored deterministic loads often control the design of a structure compared to the probabilistic loads which apply a load factor of 1.0. Furthermore, the deterministic loads are not associated with a Mean Recurrence Interval (MRI), thereby making the assessment of the reliability index cumbersome for structures controlled by these loads. A method to determine an equivalent MRI for these deterministic loads is presented, which involves associating the factored deterministic loads with a probability of exceedance based on location for ice and wind loads. The method is applied to a 230 kV transmission line including seven structure types and line angles, and for 26 locations across the continental United States, and a comparison of the equivalent MRI based on the deterministic loads is made to the probabilistic loads. Trends are presented which illustrate that the resulting equivalent MRI vary significantly among location and structure types. The findings highlight that different structure types of the same transmission line are associated with a wide range of equivalent MRI. Discussion is provided on the trends observed in case study and the inconsistency in structural reliability that could result from the application of deterministic ice and wind load criteria in NESC Rule 250B. It is not the intent of this paper to state what design MRIs are needed to ensure adequate reliability. The intent of this paper is to determine what range of structural equivalent MRIs overhead lines in the United States are currently designed to withstand. • For transmission line structures designed in the United States, what sort of probabilistic weather conditions are these lines designed to resist? • The structural design for many structure types is controlled by the deterministic load case NESC Rule 250B. Since this load case is deterministic the likelihood of exceeding this load (MRI) is not available. • The proposed method provides a way to determine the equivalent mean recurrence intervals (MRIs) for the deterministic structural load case NESC Rule 250B. • The results show that the equivalent MRIs highly vary based upon location. • The results show that structures with small line angles have lower MRIs and structures with large line angles have higher equivalent MRIs. Tangent structures exhibit a median equivalent MRI of approximately 100-yrs. Deadend structures exhibit a median equivalent MRI of approximately 1000-yrs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Energy simulation of AIS using experimentally validated thermal resistances. • AIS evaluation at varying orientations, climate zones, and switching ratios. • Investigation of AIS switching and wall thermal conductivity/heat transfer. • Application of freeze timer to reduce the number of switches of AIS. Active insulation systems (AISs) in buildings are envelopes that integrate thermal insulation, thermal energy storage, and controls. Although different designs for AISs have been proposed in the literature, a comprehensive analysis of feasible AISs is lacking. This paper discusses the energy performance, peak demand reduction potential, and performance characteristics of an AIS that uses a concrete wall as thermal mass sandwiched between two solid-state thermal switches (STSs). These STSs change their thermal conductivity using an on/off metal switch to create or break a thermal bridge across the STS. This paper first describes the experimental setup, used to determine the ratio of thermal resistance during R-high (low thermal conductivity) and R-low (high thermal conductivity) states of the STSs. This ratio was then used in whole-building energy simulations to evaluate the performance of AIS walls across different climate zones with/without a freeze timer of 60 min. The timer was added to reduce the number of switches of STSs from one state to another, and hence the energy needed for these switches. Analysis of the switching frequency and interval of STSs, thermal conductivity of walls, impact of wall orientation, and heat transfer through the wall from the use of AIS at different climate zones/locations were performed. The simulation results show that the AIS can achieve energy savings ranging from ∼ 980 to 2,290 kWh in a single-family home with a floor area of ∼ 220 m2 compared with an IECC 2018 baseline. The energy savings was higher in dry climate zones which represent 17% of residential buildings in the United States, compared to humid or marine climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the impact of real exchange rate volatility and misalignment on exports and imports between China and the United States. Our empirical analysis used the quarterly time series data over the 1994Q:1–2019Q:4 period. We used the ARDL-bound testing approach for the short- and long-run relationship. The empirical results reveal that China's real exchange rate volatility and misalignment significantly impact China's real exports and imports over the sample period. In the short-run, the relationship between real exchange rate misalignments and China's exports is positive, whereas negative with imports from the United States. In the long run, the real exchange rate misalignment positively affects exports and negatively affects imports. The evidence suggests that both higher real exchange rate volatility and misalignment directly affect the relative price of goods and encourage China exports to United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the introduction of COVID-19 vaccines, many colleges and universities decided to mandate vaccination for all students and employees. The objective of this paper is to empirically investigate the effect of the mandate policy on Fall 2021 COVID-19 cases in institutions of higher education. We construct a unique dataset of a sample of 94 colleges and universities in the east and southeast regions of the United States, 41 of which required vaccination prior to Fall 2021. A difference-in-differences analysis is conducted, considering vaccine requirement as a policy implemented only in a sub-group of these institutions. We control for several factors, including state-level case per capita and student population. Our analysis shows that mandatory vaccination substantially decreased cases in institutions of higher education by 1,473 cases per 100,000 student population (95 CI: 132, 2813). The results suggest that a COVID-19 vaccine requirement is an effective policy in decreasing cases in such institutions, leading to a safer educational experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we present a novel methodology, referenced as ORFEO (Ordinal classifier and Regressor Fusion for Estimating an Ordinal categorical target), to enhance the performance in ordinal classification problems for which the latent variable is observable. ORFEO is an artificial neural network model incorporating two outputs, one for ordinal classification, using the cumulative link model, and one for regression, using a linear model. Both outputs are simultaneously optimised considering a loss function that linearly combines both classification and regression losses. The main motivation behind developing the proposed approach is to enhance the performance of a standard ordinal classifier. This improvement is facilitated by considering the regression output, which allows the model to differentiate between patterns within the same category. The ORFEO model is applied to two problems in the field of marine and ocean engineering: short-term prediction of both significant wave height and flux of energy. Both problems are addressed considering four different coastal zones of the United States of America, using 13 datasets formed by buoys measurements and reanalysis data. A comprehensive comparison against 20 methodologies, including regression and nominal/ordinal classification approaches is performed, by using diverse nominal and ordinal performance metrics. Ranks achieved indicate that ORFEO outperforms all the compared methodologies in terms of all the performance measures, demonstrating the efficacy and robustness of the proposal. Finally, a statistical analysis is conducted, concluding that there are statistically significant differences across ordinal and nominal performance metrics in favour of the proposed ORFEO model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In literature, many studies try to analyze healthcare usage and generated decision support systems. In this paper, the aim is to generate a decision support system for insurance companies in the United States according to the federal dataset. The data set contains variables from the United States Healthcare Administration formal data group and they are; group of age, group of healthcare insurance, group of nationality, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) usage, and Advance Premium Tax Credit (APTC) usage. The best model for each state in the United States is determined with the dataset from 2014 November to 2015 February. In this study, various statistical models are attempted to generate independent and optimal models for each state. In the model selection process, three different metrics are used. Accuracy rate, f1score and precision score are used in the model selection process and models are compared to each other according to these three metrics for each state uniquely. Consequently, the proposed model is used with a decision support scheme to support customer service workers in healthcare insurance companies. The decision support system under consideration can facilitate a substantial decrease in the duration of interactions between customer service representatives and clients. Additionally, this system can generate more logically sound and efficient customer offers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Decoupling of GDP from all energy sources under multiple principles are examined. • World economy achieved weak energy decoupling in most years during 2000–2011. • World economy coupled with coal use and tended to couple with cleaner energy use. • None of studied economies achieved long-term GDP-embodied energy decoupling. • Decoupling delusions occurred when only considering direct and total energy use. Decoupling indicators are widely used to understand links between economic growth and energy use. However, traditional decoupling analyses mostly focus on domestic energy consumption (i.e., the production-based principle) and neglect off-site energy use across global supply chains to satisfy an economy's final consumption (i.e., the consumption-based principle). Moreover, analyses for total primary energy conceal an economy's preference for different energy sources. Therefore, this paper evaluates decoupling states of GDP from all types of primary energy use under consumption-based principle, for world economy and eight typical economies during 2000–2011. Regarding total primary energy, world economy witnessed weak decoupling in most years, and most economies studied (e.g., USA, Japan and China) achieved decoupling initially but performed negative decoupling finally. For EU, USA, Japan, Russia and India, production-based decoupling performances were generally better than consumption-based ones. Decoupling phenomena detected under production-based principle even became coupling or negative decoupling under consumption-based principle in some cases. As for each energy source, world economy decoupled from oil use, but still coupled with coal use, and gradually showed a trend to couple with natural gas and renewables use. Different energy sources showed distinct decoupling degrees from GDP, affected by individual embodied energy requirement structure. This paper uncovers potential energy decoupling delusions to deepen the understanding of relationships between energy use and economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

Vehicles in transport sometimes leave the travel lane and encroach onto natural or artificial objects on the roadsides. These types of crashes are called run-off the road crashes, which account for a large proportion of fatalities and severe crashes to vehicle occupants. In the United States, there are about one million such crashes, with roadside features leading to one third of all road fatalities. Traffic barriers could be installed to keep vehicles on the roadways and to prevent vehicles from colliding with obstacles such as trees, boulder, and walls. The installation of traffic barriers would be warranted if the severity of colliding with the barrier would be less severe than colliding with other fix objects on the sides of the roadway. However, injuries and fatalities do occur when vehicle collide with traffic barriers. A comprehensive analysis of traffic barrier features is lacking due to the absence of traffic barrier features data. Previous research has focused on simulation studies or only a general evaluation of traffic barriers, without accounting for different traffic barrier features. This study is conducted using an extensive traffic barrier features database for the purpose of investigating the impact of different environmental and traffic barrier geometry on this type of crash severity. This study only included data related to two-lane undivided roadway systems, which did not involve median barrier crashes. Crash severity is modeled using a mixed binary logistic regression model in which some parameters are fixed and some are random. The results indicated that the effects of traffic barrier height, traffic barrier offset, and shoulder width should not be separated, but rather considered as interactions that impact crash severity. Rollover, side slope height, alcohol involvement, road surface conditions, and posted speed limit are some factors that also impact the severity of these crashes. The effects of gender, truck traffic count, and time of a day were found to be best modeled with random parameters in this study. The effects of these risk factors are discussed in this paper. Results from this study could provide new guidelines for the design of traffic barriers based upon the identified roadway and traffic barrier characteristics. • Although data related to road and barrier geometric designs missed from most of the past studies, in this study these variables were collected and added to the dataset. • The results indicated the effects of traffic barrier height, traffic barrier offset, and shoulder width should not be separated, but rather considered as interactions that impact crash severity. • Rollover, side slope height, alcohol involvement, road surface conditions, and posted speed limit are some factors that impact the severity of these crashes. The effects of gender, truck traffic count, and time of a day were found to be best modeled with random parameters in this study. The effects of these risk factors are discussed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In this paired study, we apply a recently developed high-resolution bathymetry estimation algorithm ("cBathy") to X-band marine radar observations at two nearshore field sites. The algorithm exploits observations of the spatial structure of wave phase to attain wavenumber estimates, inverts the linear water wave dispersion relation for depth, and then applies a Kalman filter to objectively update the bathymetry estimates. Previously, performance has only been tested using optical video observations. In this first of two papers, performance of the algorithm using X-band radar image time series is tested at two disparate barred beach environments: Duck, NC, USA, and Benson Beach, WA, USA. Each of the test beaches is either co-located with (Duck, NC) or geographically close to (Benson Beach, WA) those utilized in the original algorithm verification. Concurrent echosounder surveys are used as ground truth. The bulk performance of the radar-derived bathymetry estimate at Duck, NC, achieves 0.49 m root-mean-square error (RMSE) with 0.26 m bias deep. This compares well with the bulk performance of the concurrent estimate derived using optical video (0.44 m RMSE and 0.23 m bias deep). The radar-derived bathymetry estimate performance at Benson Beach, is similar (0.35 m RMSE and 0.11 m bias shallow), and is comparable to that of an optical video derived estimate at a similar Pacific Northwest beach (0.56 m RMSE and 0.41 m bias shallow). At both beaches, significantly higher performance is achieved at locations deeper than 2 m (offshore of the surfzone) than at locations shallower than 2 m (surfzone), where errors are often a large fraction of the total depth. Lastly, several weeks of observations are utilized to assess the sensitivity of algorithm quality control to environmental conditions. Thresholds based on the shoreward component of wind stress and offshore wave steepness are identified and shown to impact the areal coverage of radar-derived bathymetric estimates. Overall, these results demonstrate the viability of marine radar observations as input to the cBathy algorithm and delineate some environmental constraints on algorithm performance. In the companion paper, the algorithm is extended to areas where tidal currents are important, including an ebb tidal shoal and an estuary mouth. Highlights • Depth estimation algorithm, cBathy, is applied to X-band radar image time series. • Performance is assessed at two beaches (North Carolina and Washington, USA). • Accuracy via radar is comparable to video-based performance (reported previously). • Frequency of updates increases with wave height and when wind blows toward shore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bibliometric research focuses on the statistical analysis of publications. It is a method that is frequently used to classify the information with various variables such as institutions, journals, countries and authors. This paper presents a general overview of research that has been reported on abrasive water jet machining by using the bibliometric indicators. The essential features of bibliometric indicators are that these indicators come out with a general picture of abrasive water jet research. The paper is divided into key analysis sections which focused on relevant journals, research papers, authors, institutions and countries that have contributed to abrasive water jet research. The bibliometric research is conducted through Web of Science database. The goal of this paper is to be informative with this topic, and the indicators summarize the essential research in this field. The analysis shows that the number of publications on abrasive water jet and their citations are consistently increasing over the past years. The data indicates that the Wang J is the most influential and active author in abrasive water jet research and some of the other main leaders in this field are Hloch S, Kovacevic R and Axinte D. The two most influential journals are the International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology and the Journal of Materials Processing Technology and the most influential country is United States of America followed by Czech Republic in abrasive water jet research. Furthermore, the bibliometric analysis reveals the links among the co-authors, co-citation authors and partnering institutions working in AWJ research field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In the process of underground coal gasification (UCG), there have been doubts or controversies if it is possible to control pollution of heavy metals such as arsenic and cadmium. To eliminate this suspicion, this paper first investigated the control method and design flow of reducing heavy metal pollution in the process of underground coal gasification (UCG) without shaft based on the analysis of the potential arsenic and cadmium pollution forms. The relationships between the development height of underground gasification mining-induced fractures and the parameters of gasifiers was revealed. The findings indicated that: 1) By rationally designing the parameters of the gasifier, it can be possible to control the development of mining-induced fractures, thus ensuring that the underground combustion space area does not penetrate the aquifer, surface water and atmospheric environment. Consequently, the pollution of arsenic and cadmium caused by UCG without shaft can be controlled from the source. Meanwhile, the validity of this method was verified from an engineering example. 2)When the gasifier height was constant and the isolated coal pillar was stable, the gasifier width was linearly positively correlated with the development height of the mining-induced fracture; When the widths of the gasifier and the isolated coal pillar were constant, the gasifier height and the development height of the mining-induced fracture was also linearly positively associated. As the contents of arsenic and cadmium in coal are high in China and the United States, the arsenic and cadmium control methods during the underground coal gasification proposed in this paper have valuable application prospects in these two major coal countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Danish farmers are increasingly adopting sand bedding within their dairy farms, which is creating challenges for biogas plants, as sand-laden manure hampers biogas production. This creates a potential problem where large amounts of animal manure will not be utilized for biogas production, and, correspondingly, will not contribute to the production of either renewable energy or valuable digestate (fertilizer). Moreover, the pressure on an imported (external) and highly exploited resource - here, sand - is increasingly calling for more sustainable and self-sustained farm systems, as far as cow bedding materials are concerned. The methodological approach in this paper is first to investigate state-of-the-art sand-separation technologies in Denmark and the USA, particularly in relation to their environmental and energy performance, then, second, to analyze how other types of bedding materials can be utilized by drawing on on-site (internal) farm resources, namely residual straw and the fiber fraction of manure. The results of the analysis suggest that, in particular, manure fibers are beneficial for animal welfare and biogas production, resulting in a more circular economic system. The paper concludes by presenting a new farm-biogas system that sustains such circularity. To support this development, we further suggest investigating in new ventilation technology to limit the amount of ammonia that is produced in dairy stables as a result of using manure fibers as bedding material. Highlights • Sand bedding in dairy cow stables is a challenge for efficient biogas production. • Sand laden manure is currently treated using immature and inefficient technologies. • Combine animal welfare and bedding material that favor biogas production important. • Manure fiber bedding is a 'circular' and internal farm resource as opposed to sand. • Hygenized manure fibers can provide animal welfare, high milk and biogas yields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Environmental injustice due to economic inequality and its correlates and consequences has been a focus for researchers and policy makers alike over many years, with much of that research focusing on race as the major determinant of inequality. In this paper we extend this literature by focussing on emissions from the oil refinery industry at the community level. In particular, based on the use of panel data, we analyse econometrically how the environmental performance of individual petroleum refineries (emissions of benzene and toluene to the atmosphere) associates with determinants of economic inequality at the micro-level in terms of average per capita income at the level of United States counties as well as average county-level unemployment rates. The paper finds evidence of environmental injustice as a result of unemployment levels in areas around refineries and, to a slightly lesser extent, as a result of income inequality. It discusses these results in a wider context, referring amongst other things to the role of county-level community characteristics and the potential for private firms to substitute for the intervention of public institutions, if these are lacking. Highlights • The paper presents the findings of a study on the oil refining industry in the US. • The paper considers absolute and relative amounts of emissions of benzene and toluene. • Average per-capita county income is associated negatively with emissions. • Larger US refineries produce lower specific emissions per unit of output. • The paper supports the link between environmental performance and inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents and analyzes the results of a survey of actors (n = 130) engaged in planning activities in local governments in the United States (U.S.). This exploratory survey was designed to evaluate the nature of existing resilience, climate change and multi-hazard planning activities, if any, as well as additional considerations for understanding the general state of awareness and knowledge of resilience activities and strategies among various public sector actors. The survey data tests several hypotheses, including the hypothesized disproportionate activity of large cities; the positive correlation between resilience, hazard mitigation and emergency planning; and, the dominate usage of disaster and engineering conceptual variants of resilience. Data from the survey provides evidence in support of an affirmation of the hypotheses. The paper offers insight into the dominate actors and frames that are driving resilience planning, as well as the challenges faced by a lack of discipline for applying categorical variants of resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are many speculations, and some empirical indications in recent literature, that manufacturing firms are particularly prone to greenwashing, a practice by which such firms make misleading claims regarding their environmental performance or that of their products. Simultaneously, very recent evidence suggests that the representative investor has developed a preference for ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) investments, a so-called "warm-glow" preference. The purpose of this paper is to provide a theoretical explanation why the preference for warm-glow investing may disappear if investors perceive firms in a sector to be greenwashing. We hypothesize that given the ubiquitous contemporary focus on greenwashing, rational investors will factor this greenwashing into their investment decisions. To test this, we investigate patterns of association of ESG scores, and both operating and stock performance for 3,245 listed firms, over a period of two decades, comparing the manufacturing and services sectors in the United States, Europe, and major Asian markets. We find that warm-glow investment is present within the services sector across all regions, but in the manufacturing sector we find noticeable regional differences. In particular, we find ESG-performance patterns for manufacturing firms in the United States that we consider consistent with perceptions of greenwashing. The contribution of this paper is to provide a nuanced perspective on how investors preferences change in relation to industry perceptions. The novelty in our study is two-fold: on the one hand, bringing the problem of greenwashing to the emergent literature on warm-glow investing; on the other, introducing warm-glow investing to the emergent literature on greenwashing. [Display omitted] • We theorize industry differences in ESG impact on firm performance. • The absence of warm-glow investing is attributed to perceived greenwashing. • We discuss implications of perceived greenwashing for manufacturing firms. • Investors exhibit a warm-glow preference within the services sector only. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When a nuclear power plant closes, its host community often faces a number of negative economic impacts, such as the loss of skilled jobs and a major source of tax revenue. Even after decommissioning is completed, many former plant sites remain undeveloped, further inhibiting economic recovery. In this paper, we use data from seven decommissioned and decommissioning plants as well as estimates from industry professionals to calculate an approximate opportunity cost for each host community. This cost represents how much potential revenue has been lost while the plant site has remained undeveloped as compared to an alternate scenario in which it has been redeveloped into a solar power plant. Additionally, this paper discusses the presence of spent nuclear fuel and the challenges this presents for the redevelopment of former nuclear plant sites. This paper demonstrates the importance of efficient decommissioning and post-decommissioning redevelopment and examines solar power generation as one potential redevelopment pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emergency Electronic Brake Light (EEBL) is a VANET safety application designed to combat rear end crashes, which represent 398,000 incidents per year in the United States. Given the ubiquitous presence of smartphones in the population, the smartphone as a VANET platform has the potential for mass adoption. An EEBL application on a smartphone VANET could improve road safety significantly by reducing rear end crashes. However, there are many difficulties inherent in developing safety applications on the VANET, such as lack of sensors, noisy data, inaccurate GPS readings and poor networking capabilities. In this work, we have outlined the primary challenges of developing a smartphone Emergency Electronic Brake Light application, as well as potential solutions to these challenges found in the literature. This paper proposes an architecture for a novel smartphone VANET EEBL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]