The windy city : harnessing power in the neighborhood landscape

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2008.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Includes bibliographical references.As wind power has spread in North America, so has an awareness that community acceptance will largely determine whether this renewable energy source continues to grow. Despite apparently widespread popular support for wind energy, a number of proposals for wind farms in rural and offshore locations have been derailed by local concerns. Meanwhile, several towns and cities have begun to explore another possibility: siting wind projects in urban areas. This thesis provides a framework to help readers compare the stories told about wind power in cities to the experiences in rural or "pristine" locations. It asks: 1) What are the motivations for wind power development in the urban context? 2) Does the community and political response to wind power in towns and cities differ from the experience in rural or offshore settings? To answer these questions, I investigated wind energy projects in Hull (Boston, MA region), Toronto (ON), Palmdale (Los Angeles, CA region), and Lackawanna (Buffalo, NY region). Based on a review of existing literature on rural wind siting controversies, I anticipated that local opinions about urban wind power would be formed primarily by expectations about the urban skyline and natural landscape, choice of ownership models, and the extent of meaningful community participation in the planning process. I found that while many of the factors highlighted in research on rural wind siting did affect community acceptance in the four cases, the greater social and spatial complexity of the "local" urban environment created new challenges. I conclude that 1) stories about urban wind power's costs and benefits diverged at the neighborhood scale and city scale;(cont.) 2) the use of degraded and industrial sites helped in siting turbines, but did not guarantee success due to the multiple interpretations of even these sites; 3) "local" ownership did not necessarily quell controversies over siting; and 4) political dynamics that were largely unrelated to the specific projects strongly influenced communities' receptiveness to proposed wind development. I suggest several strategies to help cities plan for urban wind power initiatives at a larger scale that are equitable and provide meaningful environmental and economic benefits.by Jonathan S. Cherry.M.C.P

The Rocket: Analyzing RTP (Return to Player), Payoff distribution and player behavior in crash games

Abstract Rocket is a crash game developed by DraftKings, an American publicly traded online casino, sports betting and fantasy sports company. DraftKings Rocket is a game played with a rising rocket. Players must exit the rocket at any point before the rocket crashes. In that case they receive the payoff in accordance to the multiplier of their exit point. If the rocket crashes before the player bails, player’s payoff is 0 (and they lose their bet). The game boasts an unprecedented 97% RTP (Return to Player). For comparison, Atlantic City casino slots typically have a 91-92% RTP, while Vegas casino slots average 92-96% RTP. We plan to answer the following questions: 1) What is the distribution of the rocket crash times? 2) How many players are on board and how many bail before the explosion? 3) What are the optimal Rocket strategies for the player? 4) Can gaming operators attract more players by offering higher RTP levels similarly to how Walmart thrives by offering Everyday low prices and passing on the value to the consumers? 5) Does player behavior differ depending on the amount of money they bet? 6) How can the behavior of Rocket players be extended to that of stock/crypto investors? Implications Statement/Target Audience: This research has significant business implications for both online and offline casinos/gaming operators, Decision Sciences Professionals, Game Theory Researchers, as well as Exchanges, Investors, Traders and Market Makers in the Securities and Cryptocurrency markets

Cognitive Information Processing

Contains research objectives and summary of research.Madeline Moses FundNational Science Foundation (Grant GK-33736X1)National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 PO1 GM19428-02)Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, Purchase Order G-33196Associated Press (Grant)National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 PO1 GM14940-07

Cognitive Information Processing

Contains research objectives and summary of research on eight research projects.Joint Services Electronics Program (Contract DAAB07-74-C-0630)National Science Foundation (Grant GK-33736X2)National Science Foundation (Grant EPP74-12653)National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 P01 GM19428-03)National Institutes of Health (Grant 3 PO1 GM19428-03S1)National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 PO1 GM14940-07)Peter Bent Brigham Hospital Purchase Order G-33196 #2Associated Press (Grant

Cognitive Information Processing

Contains reports on seven research projects.National Science Foundation (Grant SED76-81985)Graphic Arts Research Foundation (Grant)Providence Gravure, Inc. (Grant)Associated Press (Grant)National Institutes of Health (Grant 1 RO1 GM22547-01)National Institutes of Health (Grant 1 PO1 AG00354-01)Health Sciences Fund (Grant 76-11

Patterns of Cough Medication Prescribing among Patients with Chronic Cough in Florida: 2012–2021

Among patients with chronic cough (CC) in the 2012–2021 statewide OneFlorida Clinical Research Consortium database, we examined trends in cough medication (CM) prescribing prevalence over time in repeated cross-sectional analyses and identified distinct CM utilization trajectories using group-based trajectory modeling (GBTM) in a retrospective cohort study. Among eligible adults (≥18 years) without cancer/benign respiratory tumor diagnoses, we identified CC patients and non-CC patients with any cough-related diagnosis. In the GBTM analysis, we calculated the number of monthly prescriptions for any CMs (excluding gabapentinoids) during the 12 months from the first qualifying cough event to identify distinct utilization trajectories. From 2012 to 2021, benzonatate (9.6% to 26.1%), dextromethorphan (5.2% to 8.6%), and gabapentinoid (5.3% to 14.4%) use increased among CC patients, while opioid antitussive use increased from 2012 to 2015 and decreased thereafter (8.4% in 2012, 14.7% in 2015, 6.7% in 2021; all p < 0.001). Of 15,566 CC patients and 655,250 non-CC patients identified in the GBTM analysis, CC patients had substantial burdens of respiratory/non-respiratory comorbidities and healthcare service and concomitant medication use compared to non-CC patients. Among CC patients, GBTM identified three distinct CM utilization trajectories: (1) no CM use (n = 11,222; 72.1%); (2) declining CM use (n = 4105; 26.4%); and (3) chronic CM use (n = 239; 1.5%). CC patients in Florida had limited CM use with increasing trends in use of benzonatate, dextromethorphan, and gabapentinoids and a decreasing trend in opioid antitussive use. CC patients, particularly with chronic prescription CM use, experienced substantial disease burden

Evaluation of Cough Medication Use Patterns in Ambulatory Care Settings in the United States: 2003–2018

Using 2003–2018 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey data for office-based visits and 2003–2018 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey data for emergency department (ED) visits, we conducted cross-sectional analyses to examine cough medication (CM) use trends in the United States (US) ambulatory care settings. We included adult (≥18 years) patient visits with respiratory-infection-related or non-infection-related cough as reason-for-visit or diagnosis without malignant cancer or benign respiratory tumor diagnoses. Using multivariable logistic regressions, we examined opioid antitussive, benzonatate, dextromethorphan-containing antitussive, and gabapentinoid use trends. From 2003–2005 to 2015–2018, opioid antitussive use decreased in office-based visits (8.8% to 6.4%, Ptrend = 0.03) but remained stable in ED visits (6.3% to 5.9%, Ptrend = 0.99). In both settings, hydrocodone-containing antitussive use declined over 50%. Benzonatate use more than tripled (office-based:1.6% to 4.8%; ED:1.5% to 8.0%; both Ptrend < 0.001). Dextromethorphan-containing antitussive use increased in ED visits (1.8% to 2.6%, Ptrend = 0.003) but stayed unchanged in office-based visits (3.8% to 2.7%; Ptrend = 0.60). Gabapentinoid use doubled in office-based visits (1.1% in 2006–2008 to 2.4% in 2015–2018, Ptrend < 0.001) but was negligible in ED visits. In US office-based and ED ambulatory care settings, hydrocodone-containing antitussive use substantially declined from 2003 to 2018, while benzonatate use more than tripled, and dextromethorphan-containing antitussive and gabapentinoid use remained low (<3%)

Safety and Usage of C1-Inhibitor in Hereditary Angioedema: Berinert Registry Data

BackgroundThe plasma-derived, highly purified, nanofiltered C1-inhibitor concentrate (Berinert; “pnfC1-INH”) is approved in the United States for treating hereditary angioedema (HAE) attacks and in many European countries for attack treatment and short-term prophylaxis.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to describe safety and usage patterns of pnfC1-INH.MethodsA multicenter, observational, registry was conducted between 2010 and 2014 at 30 United States and 7 European sites to obtain both prospective (occurring after enrollment) and retrospective (occurring before enrollment) safety and usage data on subjects receiving pnfC1-INH for any reason.ResultsOf 343 enrolled patients, 318 received 1 or more doses of pnfC1-INH for HAE attacks (11,848 infusions) or for prophylaxis (3142 infusions), comprising the safety population. Median dosages per infusion were 10.8 IU/kg (attack treatment) and 16.6 IU/kg (prophylaxis). Approximately 95% of infusions were administered outside of a health care setting. No adverse events (AEs) were reported in retrospective data. Among prospective data (n = 296 subjects; 9148 infusions), 252 AEs were reported in 85 (28.7%) subjects (rate of 0.03 events/infusion); 9 events were considered related to pnfC1-INH. Two thromboembolic events were reported in subjects with thrombotic risk factors. No patient was noted to have undergone viral testing for suspected blood-borne infection during registry participation.ConclusionsThe findings from this large, international patient registry documented widespread implementation of pnfC1-INH self-administration outside of a health care setting consistent with current HAE guidelines. These real-world data revealed pnfC1-INH usage for a variety of reasons in patients with HAE and showed a high level of safety regardless of administration setting or reason for use

Cognitive Information Processing

Contains research objectives and summary of research on fourteen research projects and reports on four research projects.Joint Services Electronics Program (Contract DAAB07-75-C-1346)National Science Foundation (Grant EPP74-12653)National Science Foundation (Grant ENG74-24344)National Institutes of Health (Grant 2 PO1 GM19428-04)Swiss National Funds for Scientific ResearchM.I.T. Health Sciences Fund (Grant 76-11)National Institutes of Health (Grant F03 GM58698)National Institutes of Health (Biomedical Sciences Support Grant)Associated Press (Grant