University of Hartford

The implementation of decarbonization strategies requires more active involvement of industrial corporations. Their motivation is rather low because they are not able to incorporate their profitability goals in the decarbonization process. The literature on orchestrating the corporate performance and decarbonization goals is limited. The purpose of this study is to develop theoretical and methodological foundations of the decarbonization management mechanism allowing for mutual coordination of corporate performance and decarbonization goals through adjusting corporate indicators and low-carbon targets. The concept of decoupling of corporate indicators and the concept of green orchestration have been the theoretical foundations of the study. The empirical results have validated the methodology used to develop a decarbonization management mechanism.

Traditional conflict analysis methods, relying on the assumption of constant velocity, often fall short in capturing the dynamic nature of driver behavior randomness during the interaction process. Predicting all potential collision trajectories proves crucial for comprehensive safety analysis. To address the challenge of accounting for trajectory randomness in car-following scenarios, this study introduces a noise-enhanced generative adversarial network, named Car-Following GAN, designed for predicting collision trajectories based on data from the Shanghai Naturalistic Driving Study (SH-NDS). The model employs an encoder-decoder framework, integrating a noise enhancement module to capture the intrinsic randomness of driving patterns. Demonstrating notable robustness across varying environmental conditions, our model showcases adaptability for trajectory prediction in diverse driving scenarios. A conflict measure, termed the Rear-end Collision Risk Index based on Car-Following GAN (RCRIC), is proposed to quantify the risk of a rear-end collision. Our approach conducts a comprehensive case analysis to assess the impact of various traffic risk factors on RCRIC. The results underscore that our noise-enhanced approach significantly improves the trajectory prediction accuracy of the model when compared to other noise addition methods. This enhancement is observed across various prediction time windows and under different weather conditions. Moreover, RCRIC, derived from the model employing our noise-enhanced approach, effectively mirrors the dynamics of rear-end collision risk by explicitly incorporating trajectory randomness into its assessment. Furthermore, the findings underscore the significant influence of light conditions, traffic density, and weather conditions on driving risk.

Background Desmoid tumors can cause morbidity due to local invasion, potentially being fatal when fast growth compromises vital structures. In this context, a timely treatment response is required. This study aims to compare the activity of sorafenib and anthracycline‐containing regimens during the first year of treatment. Methods The authors conducted a multi‐institutional retrospective analysis of desmoid tumor patients treated with either sorafenib or an anthracycline‐containing regimen over 1 year. The primary end point was the overall response rate (ORR). The secondary end points were time to response (TTR), progression‐free survival (PFS), and adverse events. Results From 2005 to 2022, 80 patients received sorafenib and 51 received an anthracycline‐containing regimen with similar baseline characteristics. The 1‐year ORR was 37% for anthracycline and 13% for sorafenib (p = .016). Median best response was –9% (range, –73 to 51) for anthracycline and –4% (range, –69 to 126) for sorafenib. Median TTR was 5.6 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.4–7.8) for anthracycline and 8.7 months (95% CI, 6.3–11.1) for sorafenib (p = .2). One‐year PFS was 73% (95% CI, 60–86) for anthracycline and 59% (95% CI, 47–71) for sorafenib (p = .3). Common grade 1–2 adverse events for sorafenib were hand‐foot syndrome (40%), diarrhea (25%), and fatigue (22%); for anthracycline, they were nausea (31%), fatigue (16%), and rash (14%). Grade 3 events were higher in the anthracycline group, 27% versus 14% (p < .05). Conclusion Anthracycline‐based therapy provided a greater 1‐year response rate than sorafenib but was associated with a higher rate of serious adverse events. Higher‐risk desmoid tumors, which need a more timely response, might benefit from anthracycline‐based therapies, whereas average‐risk tumors could benefit from sorafenib.

Background Research studies are conflicting regarding new highly effective modulators and the association with mental health symptoms for adults and adolescents with cystic fibrosis (CF). For younger children, small studies and case reports indicate a wide range of effects, ranging from improvement in mood to the development of neuropsychiatric symptoms. However, a large placebo‐controlled study indicated no causal connection. This study evaluates the frequency and severity of mental health symptoms in children and adolescents while taking elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor (ETI). Methods The study includes 81 pediatric patients with CF followed at Nationwide Children's Hospital (NCH). Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS)‐Anxiety and Depression, Patient Health Questionnaire 8 (PHQ‐8) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire (GAD‐7) were used to screen for depression and anxiety. Age‐appropriate questionnaires were completed over the first 18 months after initiating ETI. Results At baseline, majority of participants reported mental health symptoms within normal limits (WNL). For participants with elevated baseline measures, depressive and anxiety symptoms significantly decreased throughout the study period. Depending on the metric, patients experiencing depressive and anxiety symptoms dropped to 2−3% ( n = 1, on each depressive measure) and 0% ( n = 0, on either anxiety measures) respectively by 18 months. Conclusion Most pediatric patients with CF did not endorse symptoms of depression or anxiety disorders at ETI initiation. Over the first 18 months of ETI usage, the percentage of patients with these symptoms decreased, suggesting that the percentage of patients experiencing severe symptoms of depression and anxiety may decrease with ongoing use of ETI.

Background: While previous studies have noted seasonal variation in acute cardiovascular conditions, such as higher myocardial infarction in the winter, there are limited data on the impact of seasonal variations in pulmonary embolism (PE) outcomes. Methods: All adult (greater than or equal to 18 years) non-elective admissions with a primary diagnosis of PE with available data on the month of admission were identified using the National Inpatient Sample (2016-2020). We stratified the seasons into spring (March-May), summer (June-August), fall (September-November), and winter (December-February). Outcomes of interest included in-hospital mortality, total hospitalization costs, hospital length of stay, and discharge disposition. Results: During 01/01/2016 to 12/31/2020, 903,254 PE admissions with were identified. Spring, summer, fall, and winter had 23.9%, 25.1%, 25.2%, and 25.5% admissions, respectively. Admissions during the four seasons were comparable on sex distribution. Spring had higher admissions of white race (spring 69.6%, summer 68.8%, fall 68.9%, winter 69.2%) whereas summer had highest black race admissions (spring 18.3%, summer 19.0%, fall 19.0%, winter 18.6%) and those in lowest socioeconomic quartile (spring 28.2%, summer 28.7%, fall 28.5%, winter 28.1%) (all p <0.05). Respiratory failure was the highest in winter (spring 26.2%, summer 25.7%, fall 26.4%, winter 26.8%), whereas renal failure (spring 13.4%, summer 13.7%, fall 14.2%, winter 13.9%) bleeding complications (spring 5.7%, summer 5.8%, fall 6.1%, winter 5.9%), were higher in fall (all p<0.05). Mechanical thrombectomy rates were highest in fall (spring 1.0%, summer 1.3%, fall 1.7%, winter 1.2%, p< 0.001), whereas systemic thrombolysis (spring 2.8%, summer 3.2%, fall 3.1%, winter 3.1%, p=0.02) was highest in the summer. Use of catheter directed therapies was comparable. There were no difference in-hospital mortality rates among seasons but winter had highest length of stay, lowest discharges to home, and fall had highest hospitalization costs. Conclusion: In this five-year study duration, despite some differences in organ failure and complication rates, there was no significant seasonal variation in the in-hospital mortality from PE. Winter months had the highest in-hospital resource utilization.

This study focuses on Latino fathers and investigates the role that cultural concepts and fatherhood identity play in the stigma associated with having a child with a disability. Disability stigma is a widely held concept that acknowledges the role of culture; however, there is a lack of information on Latino fathers. Using a panel survey provider a US cross‐sectional survey was completed by 92 Latino fathers who had a child with a disability. Multiple regression was used to investigate the relationship of cultural Latino constructs (personalismo, machismo, caballerismo and respeto) and fatherhood identity on the stigma experiences of Latino fathers who have a child with a disability while controlling for the child's age and acculturation ( R ² = 0.43, p < 0.001). Latino fathers with higher levels of personalismo ( p = 0.05), and fatherhood identity ( p < 0.001) had lower levels of stigma. Latino fathers with high levels of machismo had high levels of stigma ( p < 0.001). There was no significant relationship between caballerismo and respeto towards stigma. Specific recommendations for Latino fathers include (1) the development of personalismo by focusing on the child–parent relationship; (2) a re‐frame of machismo to focus instead on caballerismo characteristics to de‐emphasize harmful effects on stigma experiences; and (3) heightening the identity as a father as a protective mechanism to strengthen resilience from stigma.

We present a sensor that utilizes a modified single-frequency split beam metasurface reflector to measure the refractive index of materials ranging from one to three. Samples are placed into a cavity between a PCB-etched dielectric and a reflecting ground plane. It is illuminated using a 10.525 GHz free-space transmit horn with reflecting angles measured by sweeping a receiving horn around the setup. Predetermined changes in measured angles determined through simulations will coincide with the material’s index. The sensor is designed using the Fourier transform method of array synthesis and verified with FEM simulations. The device is fabricated using PCB milling and 3D printing. The quality of the sensor is verified by characterizing 3D printed dielectric samples of various infill percentages and thicknesses. Without changing the metasurface design, the sensing performance is extended to accommodate larger sample thicknesses by including a modified 3D printed fish-eye lens mounted in front of the beam splitter; this helps to exaggerate changes in reflected angles for those samples. All the methods presented are in agreement and verified with single-frequency index measurements using Snell’s law. This device may offer a viable alternative to traditional index characterization methods, which often require large sample sizes for single-frequency measurements or expensive equipment for multi-frequency parameter extraction.