Legal and Regulatory Impediments to Vehicle-to-Grid Aggregation

This article begins by defining the “vehicle-to-grid” concept for a legal readership, and places it in context by discussing some major problems facing the United States electrical grid. There are several ways in which the vehicle-to-grid concept may potentially mitigate the grid’s problems as are described. Then, the article discusses the major legal and regulatory impediments to implementing a vehicle-to-grid program. Several of the hurdles are simply manifestations of uncertainties in the business environment. Others are more properly legal and regulatory impediments, but are expected to be surmountable. Therefore, the Article concludes that legal and regulatory impediments will not likely hinder the adoption of vehicle-to-grid programs

Patterns of Industry Agglomeration in North Carolina: 1997 to 2017

In economic geography, agglomeration is the tendency for firms and individuals to collocate based on common characteristics. Across cities and regions, evidence of this tendency is readily available. From the Meatpacking District in New York City to the automotive industry in the Midwest, theorists have long held that these spatial patterns are caused by decreases in transportation costs, shared labor pools, and knowledge spillovers. However, more recent patterns of spatial and economic growth—automation and globalization— as well as dramatic advances in communication technologies potentially push back on these long-held assumptions. To offer a more nuanced look at this tension, this project seeks to first determine trends of agglomeration across time and varying levels of geography before questioning what forces are driving these trends and whom they are affecting. This submission has been adapted from the project’s website. Animated and interactive visualizations can be found at hutton.web.unc.edu.Master of City and Regional Plannin

DIET COMPOSITION EXPLAINS REDUCTIONS IN STREAM SALAMANDER OCCUPANCY AND ABUNDANCE ALONG A CONDUCTIVITY GRADIENT

Changes in land use such as mountaintop removal mining with valley fills (MTR/VF) affect chemical, physical, and hydrological properties of headwater streams. Although numerous stream taxa have experienced significant declines from MTR/VF, stream salamanders appear to be particularly sensitive. Yet, the specific mechanism(s) responsible for the population declines has eluded researchers. We sampled salamander assemblages across a continuous specific conductivity (SC) gradient in southeastern Kentucky and estimated occupancy rates and abundance estimates along this gradient. We also examined the diet of larval and adult salamanders to determine if autochthony (A/T prey), total prey volume, and body condition is influenced by SC. As SC increased, occupancy and abundance declined consistently among all salamander species and life stages. Diet composition explained the declines; for example, larval salamanders experienced a 12−fold decline in autochthony, a 4.2−fold decline in total prey volume, and a rapid decline in body condition as SC increased. Our results indicate that SC indirectly affects stream salamander populations by eliminating an adequate availability of aquatic prey for salamanders, which in turn lead may lead to reduced population persistence in streams with elevated SC

Introduction : a literary studies/games studies conversation

In this special issue of Games and Culture, we present papers originally delivered at the “Literature and Video Games: Beyond Stereotypes” event co-organized by colleagues from the University of St Andrews, the University of Glasgow, and Abertay University. Instead of gesturing toward a summary and synthesis of the published articles, we invite readers to consider these in light of the issues raised in this Introduction, which is itself a very condensed version of many exchanges between the coeditors.PostprintPeer reviewe

Integration of advanced 3D SPECT modelling for pinhole collimators into the open-source STIR framework

Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) systems with pinhole collimators are becoming increasingly important in clinical and preclinical nuclear medicine investigations as they can provide a superior resolution-sensitivity trade-off compared to conventional parallel-hole and fanbeam collimators. Previously, open-source software did not exist for reconstructing tomographic images from pinhole-SPECT datasets. A 3D SPECT system matrix modelling library specific for pinhole collimators has recently been integrated into STIR—an open-source software package for tomographic image reconstruction. The pinhole-SPECT library enables corrections for attenuation and the spatially variant collimator–detector response by incorporating their effects into the system matrix. Attenuation correction can be calculated with a simple single line-of-response or a full model. The spatially variant collimator–detector response can be modelled with point spread function and depth of interaction corrections for increased system matrix accuracy. In addition, improvements to computational speed and memory requirements can be made with image masking. This work demonstrates the flexibility and accuracy of STIR’s support for pinhole-SPECT datasets using measured and simulated single-pinhole SPECT data from which reconstructed images were analysed quantitatively and qualitatively. The extension of the open-source STIR project with advanced pinhole-SPECT modelling will enable the research community to study the impact of pinhole collimators in several SPECT imaging scenarios and with different scanners

Reporting guidelines for health research: protocol for a cross-sectional analysis of the EQUATOR Network Library

INTRODUCTION: Transparency and completeness of health research is highly variable, with important deficiencies in the reporting of methods and results of studies. Reporting guidelines aim to improve transparency and quality of research reports, and are often developed by consortia of journal editors, peer reviewers, authors, consumers and other key stakeholders. The objective of this study will be to investigate the characteristics of scientific collaboration among developers and the citation metrics of reporting guidelines of health research. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This is the study protocol for a cross-sectional analysis of completed reporting guidelines indexed in the Enhancing the QUAlity and Transparency Of health Research Network Library. We will search PubMed/MEDLINE and the Web of Science. Screening, selection and data abstraction will be conducted by one researcher and verified by a second researcher. Potential discrepancies will be resolved via discussion. We will include published papers of reporting guidelines written in English. Published papers will have to meet the definition of a reporting guideline related to health research (eg, a checklist, flow diagram or explicit text), with no restrictions by study design, medical specialty, disease or condition. Raw data from each included paper (including title, publication year, journal, subject category, keywords, citations, and the authors' names, author's affiliated institution and country) will be exported from the Web of Science. Descriptive analyses will be conducted (including the number of papers, citations, authors, countries, journals, keywords and main collaboration metrics). We will identify the most prolific authors, institutions, countries, journals and the most cited papers. Network analyses will be carried out to study the structure of collaborations. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: No ethical approval will be required. Findings from this study will be published in peer-reviewed journals. All data will be deposited in a cross-disciplinary public repository. It is anticipated the study findings could be relevant to a variety of audiences.Instituto de Salud Carlos III; Australian National Health and Medical Research Council; Canadian Institutes of Health Research; Universidad de Ottawa. FC-L and RT-S are supported by the Institute of Health Carlos III/CIBERSAM. MJP is supported by an Australian National Health and Medical Research Council Early Career Fellowship (1088535). BH is supported by a New Investigator Award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Drug Safety and Effectiveness Network. MR is supported by the Institute of Health Carlos III/Spanish Health Services Research on Chronic Patients Network (REDISSEC). DM is supported by a University Research Chair, University of Ottawa.S

Mortality in Persons With Autism Spectrum Disorder or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Importance: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are childhood-onset disorders that may persist into adulthood. Several studies have suggested that they may be associated with an increased risk of mortality; however, the results are inconsistent. Objective: To assess the risk of mortality among persons with ASD or ADHD and their first-degree relatives. Data sources: A search of MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and PsycINFO (published from inception to April 1, 2021) was supplemented by searching reference lists of the retrieved articles. Study selection: Cohort and case-control studies that reported mortality rate ratios (RRs) in persons with ASD or ADHD and/or their first-degree relatives compared with the general population or those without ASD/ADHD were included. Data extraction and synthesis: Screening, data extraction, and quality assessment were performed by at least 2 researchers independently. A random-effects model was used to meta-analyze individual studies and assessed heterogeneity (I2). Main outcomes and measures: All-cause mortality in association with ASD or ADHD. Secondary outcome was cause-specific mortality. Results: Twenty-seven studies were included, with a total of 642 260 individuals. All-cause mortality was found to be higher for persons with ASD (154 238 participants; 12 studies; RR, 2.37; 95% CI, 1.97-2.85; I2, 89%; moderate confidence) and persons with ADHD (396 488 participants; 8 studies; RR, 2.13; 95% CI, 1.13-4.02; I2, 98%; low confidence) than for the general population. Among persons with ASD, deaths from natural causes (4 studies; RR, 3.80; 95% CI, 2.06-7.01; I2, 96%; low confidence) and deaths from unnatural causes were increased (6 studies; RR, 2.50; 95% CI, 1.49-4.18; I2, 95%; low confidence). Among persons with ADHD, deaths from natural causes were not significantly increased (4 studies; RR, 1.62; 95% CI, 0.89-2.96; I2, 88%; low confidence), but deaths from unnatural causes were higher than expected (10 studies; RR, 2.81; 95% CI, 1.73-4.55; I2, 92%; low confidence). Conclusions and relevance: This systematic review and meta-analysis found that ASD and ADHD are associated with a significantly increased risk of mortality. Understanding the mechanisms of these associations may lead to targeted strategies to prevent avoidable deaths in high-risk groups. The substantial heterogeneity between studies should be explored further.This study was supported by the Institute of Health Carlos III and Generalitat Valenciana. Drs Catalá-López and Tabarés-Seisdedos received funding from the Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, Institute of Health Carlos III, and Generalitat Valencia. Dr Page received support from an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award. Dr Hutton received support from a new investigator award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Drug Safety and Effectiveness Network. Dr Ridao received support from the Spanish Health Services Research on Chronic Patients Network and Institute of Health Carlos III.S

Desmopressin for prevention of bleeding for thrombocytopenic, critically ill patients undergoing invasive procedures: A randomised, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled feasibility trial

Thrombocytopenic patients have an increased risk of bleeding when undergoing invasive procedures. In a multicentre, phase II, blinded, randomised, controlled feasibility trial, critically ill patients with platelet count 100 × 109/L or less were randomised 1:1 to intravenous desmopressin (0.3 µg/kg) or placebo before an invasive procedure. Forty‐three participants (18.8% of those eligible) were recruited, with 41 eligible for analysis. Post‐procedure bleeding occurred in one of 22 (4.5%) in the placebo arm and zero of 19 in the desmopressin arm. Despite liberal inclusion criteria, there were significant feasibility challenges recruiting patients in the critical care setting prior to invasive procedures

The pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents: protocol for a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

[Background] Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders of children and adolescents, with a significant impact on health services and the community in terms of economic and social burdens. The objective of this systematic review will be to evaluate the comparative efficacy and safety of pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments in children and adolescents with ADHD.[Methods] Searches involving PubMed/MEDLINE and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews will be used to identify related systematic reviews and relevant randomized trials. Search results will be supplemented by reports from the regulatory and health technology agencies, clinical trials registers and by data requested from trialists and/or pharmaceutical companies. We will consider studies evaluating pharmacological interventions (e.g. stimulants, non-stimulants, antidepressants), psychological interventions (e.g. behavioural interventions, cognitive training and neurofeedback) and complementary and alternative medicine interventions (e.g. dietary interventions, supplement with fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, aminoacids, herbal treatment, homeopathy, and mind-body interventions including massage, chiropractic, acupuncture, yoga, meditation, Tai chi). Eligible control conditions will be placebo, waitlist, no treatment and usual care. Randomized controlled trials of a minimum of 3 weeks duration will be included. The primary outcomes of interest will be the proportion of patients who responded to treatment and who dropped out of the allocated treatment, respectively. Secondary outcomes will include treatment discontinuation due to adverse events, as well as the occurrences of serious adverse events and specific adverse events (decreased weight, anorexia, insomnia and sleep disturbances, anxiety, syncope and cardiovascular events). Two reviewers will independently screen references identified by the literature search, as well as potentially relevant full-text articles in duplicate. Data will be abstracted and risk of bias will be appraised by two team members independently. Conflicts at all levels of screening and abstraction will be resolved through discussion. Random-effects pairwise meta-analyses and Bayesian network meta-analyses will be conducted where appropriate. .[Discussion] This systematic review and network meta-analysis will compare the efficacy and safety of treatments used for ADHD in children and adolescents. The findings will assist patients, clinicians and healthcare providers to make evidence-based decisions regarding treatment selection.Specific funding is provided by the Alicia Koplowitz Foundation (2014 to 2016). RT-S is supported by the Spanish Psychiatric Research Network, Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (CIBERSAM). ADM is partially funded by grant number R24 AT001293 from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) of the US National Institutes of Health. DM is funded by a University of Ottawa Research Chair

Participatory Mapping to Address Neighborhood Level Data Deficiencies for food Security Assessment in Southeastern Virginia, USA

Background: Food is not equitably available. Deficiencies and generalizations limit national datasets, food security assessments, and interventions. Additional neighborhood level studies are needed to develop a scalable and transferable process to complement national and internationally comparative data sets with timely, granular, nuanced data. Participatory geographic information systems (PGIS) offer a means to address these issues by digitizing local knowledge. Methods: The objectives of this study were two-fold: (i) identify granular locations missing from food source and risk datasets and (ii) examine the relation between the spatial, socio-economic, and agency contributors to food security. Twenty-nine subject matter experts from three cities in Southeastern Virginia with backgrounds in food distribution, nutrition management, human services, and associated research engaged in a participatory mapping process. Results: Results show that publicly available and other national datasets are not inclusive of non-traditional food sources or updated frequently enough to reflect changes associated with closures, expansion, or new programs. Almost 6 percent of food sources were missing from publicly available and national datasets. Food pantries, community gardens and fridges, farmers markets, child and adult care programs, and meals served in community centers and homeless shelters were not well represented. Over 24 km2 of participant identified need was outside United States Department of Agriculture low income, low access areas. Economic, physical, and social barriers to food security were interconnected with transportation limitations. Recommendations address an international call from development agencies, countries, and world regions for intervention methods that include systemic and generational issues with poverty, incorporate non-traditional spaces into food distribution systems, incentivize or regulate healthy food options in stores, improve educational opportunities, increase data sharing. Conclusions: Leveraging city and regional agency as appropriate to capitalize upon synergistic activities was seen as critical to achieve these goals, particularly for non-traditional partnership building. To address neighborhood scale food security needs in Southeastern Virginia, data collection and assessment should address both environment and utilization issues from consumer and producer perspectives including availability, proximity, accessibility, awareness, affordability, cooking capacity, and preference. The PGIS process utilized to facilitate information sharing about neighborhood level contributors to food insecurity and translate those contributors to intervention strategies through discussion with local subject matter experts and contextualization within larger scale food systems dynamics is transferable