Water Quality Trading and Offset Initiatives in the U.S.: A Comprehensive Survey

This document summarizes water quality trading and offset initiatives in the United States, including state-wide policies and recent proposals. The following format was used to present information on each program. We attempted to have each program summary reviewed by at least one contact person for program accuracy. In the cases where this review occurred, we added the statement "Reviewed by.." at the end of the case summary

Checking-in to Create Instructor-Student Immediacy in Honors

Weekly, self-evaluative briefs are used to assess students’ general wellbeing during the coronavirus crisis. Authors discuss the efficacy of personalized check-ins and remote, interpersonal rapport, suggesting a positive impact on student learning outcomes

Hypertension is a genetic condition—a quantum dilemma

No abstract available

Boosting Benefits, Offsetting Obstacles – the Impact of Explanations on AI Users’ Task Performance

Artificial Intelligence (AI) bears the potential to inform human decision-making in a large variety of domains. However, its “black box” character poses an obstacle to human agency in interaction with AI-based decision support. A possible solution comes from the research field of Explainable AI (XAI), which generates explanations that reveal AI’s functioning to users. Our research on XAI focuses on understanding the immediate and prolonged effect of XAI-based decision support on task performance. To this end, we conducted a randomized between-subjects online experiment with 289 participants performing the task of image classification. We find that explanations along AI decisions boost the positive effect of AI-based decision support on task performance during interaction. Furthermore, explanations can counterbalance the potential negative effect on prolonged task performance, which manifests after AI-based decision support is being withdrawn. Our findings contribute to understanding the impact of XAI on the outcome of human-AI interaction

Contributions of episodic retrieval and mentalizing to autobiographical thought: Evidence from functional neuroimaging, resting-state connectivity, and fMRI meta-analyses

A growing number of studies suggest the brain's "default network" becomes engaged when individuals recall their personal past or simulate their future. Recent reports of heterogeneity within the network raise the possibility that these autobiographical processes comprised of multiple component processes, each supported by distinct functional-anatomic subsystems. We previously hypothesized that a medial temporal subsystem contributes to autobiographical memory and future thought by enabling individuals to retrieve prior information and bind this information into a mental scene. Conversely, a dorsal medial subsystem was proposed to support social-reflective aspects of autobiographical thought, allowing individuals to reflect on the mental states of one's self and others (i.e. "mentalizing"). To test these hypotheses, we first examined activity in the default network subsystems as participants performed two commonly employed tasks of episodic retrieval and mentalizing. In a subset of participants, relationships among task-evoked regions were examined at rest, in the absence of an overt task. Finally, large-scale fMRI meta-analyses were conducted to identify brain regions that most strongly predicted the presence of episodic retrieval and mentalizing, and these results were compared to meta-analyses of autobiographical tasks. Across studies, laboratory-based episodic retrieval tasks were preferentially linked to the medial temporal subsystem, while mentalizing tasks were preferentially linked to the dorsal medial subsystem. In turn, autobiographical tasks engaged aspects of both subsystems. These results suggest the default network is a heterogeneous brain system whose subsystems support distinct component processes of autobiographical thought

Implementierung und Evaluierung eines beidseitigen Handovers am Robotersystem EDAN

Diese Bachelorarbeit thematisiert ein beidseitiges Handover am Robotersystem EDAN. EMG-controlled Daily AssistaNt (EDAN) ist ein Assistenzroboter bestehend aus einem Rollstuhl und einem Roboterarm an dessen rechter Seite. Für die Umsetzung des Handovers wird als erstes eine Methode zur Bestimmung von 3D Gelenkpositionen ausgewählt und am System integriert. Daraufhin werden die beiden Handoverrichtungen, vom Menschen zum Roboter und vom Roboter zum Menschen, mithilfe von Shared Control Templates (SCT) definiert. Das Besondere an dieser Umsetzung ist, dass ein Benutzer den Roboter steuert. Ziel ist es, mittels der SCT die Übergabe für den Benutzer möglichst angenehm zu gestalten. Für jede der beiden Handoverrichtungen werden drei Versionen erstellt. Diese werden abschließend mittels einer kleinen Nutzerstudie evaluiert. In this bachelor thesis, a two-sided handover between robot and human is implemented and evaluated. This is done on the robot system EDAN. EMG-controlled Daily AssistaNt is an assistance robot, containing a wheelchair and a robotic arm. The first part of the thesis is the implementation of a method to detect the 3D position of selected human joints. In the next step, three versions of the handover are implemented for both sides. For this purpose, the handover versions are defined with the use of Shared Control Templates (SCT). The particular feature of the handover is the control of the robot system by a user. Therefore, the goal of this thesis is the user-friendliness during the handover. A small user study is conducted to determine the user thoughts on the handover task. Based on the findings of the user study, the handover is evaluated

Evaluating polyphenolic antioxidant protection of mitochondrial DNA in a variety of human skin models

PhD ThesisCompromised skin barrier function negatively impacts up to 50% of our global population. Skin areas with compromised barrier integrity are affected more by environmental triggers such as sun exposure and environmental pollution which induce cellular oxidative stress, damage skin integrity and promote skin aging. At a sub-cellular level there are accumulative strand breaks to mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Limited repair mechanisms and proximity to the site of superoxide generation, make mtDNA a biomarker of oxidative damage in multiple human cell and tissue types. This project optimised a long-range qPCR method to compare relative mtDNA damage between samples. An application of this methodology tested commercial antioxidants (AOXs) tetrahydrocurcumin (THC) and pterostilbene (PTERO) for their capacity to protect skin mtDNA from sun exposure in a wide range of human skin models; primary monocultures, skin equivalents, and whole skin ex-plants. The assay was also used to detect mtDNA damage between donor-matched basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and non-BCC facial skin. In skin monolayer experiments, the mtDNA of foreskin-derived adult keratinocytes or differentiated keratinocytes was not protected by THC or PTERO. However the mtDNA of foreskin-derived adult reticular fibroblasts was protected by THC (but not PTERO), with greatest protection provided by a THC + PTERO combination. Various technical protocols were developed in this thesis, including an in-house full thickness human skin equivalent using CELLnTEC medium. Skin equivalents have donor-matched layers and no scaffold material, so fibroblasts secrete and maintain their own dermal extracellular matrix. A majority of the skin equivalents were formed with foreskin-derived adult keratinocytes and reticular fibroblasts, but some trials were performed using the same cell types derived from adult facial skin. In-house (CELLnTEC) and commercial (Labskin™) skin equivalents, foreskin and facial ex-plant skin were also tested for mtDNA protection by THC/PTERO/combination within topically applied Physiogel™ base formulations. As the epidermis can be manually removed from Labskin™, the qPCR assay detected a high 64-fold range of mtDNA damage in this epidermis and in-house (CELLnTEC) skin equivalents. However, the qPCR assay sensitivity was reduced in thicker skin models such as whole Labskin™, foreskin and facial ex-plant skin. As such it was difficult to determine conclusive results from formulation testing in these models using the mtDNA qPCR assay. It is anticipated that the mtDNA assay and human skin equivalent arising from this thesis will have wide-ranging applications. The data pertaining to THC/PTERO is indicative that these AOXs could enhance the GSK commercial Physiogel™ skin range designed for skin that is particularly reactive to environmental stressors such as sunlight.BBSRC and GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcar

Improving volcanic ballistic hazard assessment through field and laboratory approaches

Direct impact from volcanic ballistic projectiles, fragments of solid rock or molten lava, are one of the most common causes of fatalities and injuries on volcanoes and have caused substantial damage and destruction of property and infrastructure. Despite this, ballistic hazard, impact and risk research trails behind other volcanic hazards. There is a good understanding of how ballistics are transported, how far they travel and their size, though little is understood of how they are distributed within a ballistic field, the intensity of ballistic hazard within the field, and how the spatial distribution changes over time. Consequently, when ballistic hazard has been included in hazard and risk assessments and management decisions, it is managed by placing a precautionary zone around the volcano, often based on the maximum travel distance. In addition, it is well known that an impact by a ballistic can cause injury or death, yet this is not the only aspect of the hazard footprint from an individual ballistic. Other aspects such as impact ejecta (surface debris and/or shrapnel from the ballistic) also contribute to the hazard footprint size and little is known about their ability to cause death or injury and how this changes over the hazard footprint. It is critical for hazard and risk managers to know the potential size of the hazard footprint that a person could be affected by and the hazard intensity that may be experienced to calculate risk effectively. Previously only direct impact and impact angle have been considered in risk calculations. This thesis aims to improve our understanding of ballistic hazard so that a more risk-based approach to hazard and risk assessment and management can be applied. This is achieved through review of ballistic hazard characteristics, hazard and risk assessments, maps, management and communication literature to get an overview of the topic and determine knowledge gaps; and field and experimental work to investigate the ballistic hazard footprint and hazard intensity. To assess how ballistic distribution and intensity change over a ballistic field, the ballistic hazard footprint at Yasur Volcano, Vanuatu was mapped from drone-captured orthophotos taken in two field campaigns two months apart. Mapping revealed that the spatial density of ballistics changed over small areas. Spatial density and ballistic size decreased with distance from the crater, while an increased spatial density was also noted to the S – SSE of the vent area indicating explosion directionality. When compared with eruption footage captured over a three-day period, it was found that explosion directionality slightly differed between the two data sets (mapping and video analysis) taken over different timescales suggesting that directionality may evolve over time. The size of the hazard footprint from an individual ballistic was found to be influenced by impact energy of the ballistic, ballistic diameter, crater diameter, ejecta travel distance, ejecta impact energy, ballistic density, substrate hardness, impact angle and slope. Pneumatic cannon experiments were used to investigate the contribution of impact ejecta to the hazard footprint. The kinetic energy and travel distance of impact ejecta produced from varying ballistic densities impacting different surfaces were analysed and findings showed that ejecta have the potential to cause injury or fatality on impact (based on hazard intensity values found in the literature). However, this was greatly dependent on the density of the impacting ballistic, the surface hardness, ballistic impact energy and where along the ejecta trajectory it impacted. Initial kinetic energy values were not retained over the entire ejecta trajectory, indicating that hazard intensity varies over the individual ballistic hazard footprint. To make the most effective risk management decisions it is important to understand both the hazard footprint and the hazard intensity. Ballistic hazard and risk assessments should be conducted over as much of the volcano as possible and assess the spatial density (hazard intensity) as well as the extent. Additionally, assessments should include all temporal hazard changes that may occur in the timeframe relevant to the assessment to get the greatest understanding of the spatial and temporal aspects of the hazard. When calculating hazard intensity, vulnerability and risk to people from ballistics on volcanoes, the kinetic energy of the impact ejecta should be included in the hazard footprint in addition to ballistic energy and impact angle. Improving current understanding of how ballistics are distributed in space and time, and how hazard intensity varies over the ballistic hazard footprint will vastly improve our ability to assess ballistic hazard and risk