Comparing public support for nuclear and wind energy in Washington State.

The proliferation of country and state-level net zero-emission commitments, rising energy costs, and the quest for energy security in the wake of the Ukraine crisis have renewed the debate about the future of energy sources. As opposed to elite discourse, the energy policy preferences of the public remain less explored. While many public opinion surveys report preferences for a specific type of clean energy, there is less work on understanding choices among different types. We explore whether support for nuclear over wind energy at the state level depends on how people assess the impact of these energy sources on health, local jobs, landscape disruption, and the stability of the electricity supply. Importantly, we seek to understand where people physically reside (and their experience of existing energy possibilities) might influence their energy policy preferences. We estimate multiple regression models with OLS with our original survey data of a representative sample of Washington residents (n = 844). We find that the physical proximity to existing energy facilities does not influence support for nuclear over wind energy. However, this support is shaped by the importance respondents attach to health (-), jobs (-), landscapes (+), and supply stability (+) dimensions of energy source. Moreover, the physical proximity to existing energy facilities moderates the importance respondents attach to these dimensions.

Pursuing decarbonization along with national security: Assessing public support for the Thacker Pass lithium mine.

Decarbonization policies are being stymied by political conflict. Local communities might oppose decarbonization infrastructure such as solar farms, mines, or transmission lines if they view these projects as imposing high costs on them in relation to their benefits. To decarbonize, the automobile industry seeks to shift from the internal combustion engine to electric vehicles, which require lithium-based rechargeable batteries. In the United States, to meet the increasing lithium demand through domestic sources, there is a proposal for a lithium mine in Thacker Pass, Nevada, which faces strong opposition from native nations and environmental groups. Using a representative sample of Nevada residents (n = 1,368), we explore if proximity to the Thacker Pass mine and to any Nevada mine influence public support for the proposed lithium mine. In addition, we test three frames that emphasize different benefits of the proposed mine: climate policy, national security, and local economic development. We find that respondents living closer to the Thacker Pass mine tend to be more supportive of the proposed lithium mine but exposure to existing Nevada mines does not affect public support. Among the treatment frames, only the national security frame increases public support. This suggests that to navigate local public opposition, the national security-domestic sourcing of key inputs required for decarbonization, aspect of decarbonization projects should be highlighted.

Characterization of relativistic electron-positron beams produced with laser-accelerated GeV electrons.

The characterization of an electron-positron beam generated from the interaction of a multi-GeV electron beam with a lead plate is performed using GEANT4 simulations. The dependence of the positron beam size on driver electron beam energy and lead converter thickness is investigated in detail. A pancake-like positron beam structure is generated with a monoenergetic multi-GeV driver electron beam, with the results indicating that a 5 GeV driver electron beam with 1 nC charge can generate a positron beam with a density of 1015-1016 cm-3 at one radiation length of lead. In addition, we find that electron-positron beams generated using above-GeV electron beams have neutralities greater than 0.3 at one radiation length of lead, whereas neutralities of 0.2 are observed when using a 200 MeV electron beam. The possibility of observing plasma instabilities in experiments is also examined by comparing the plasma skin depth with the electron-positron beam size. A quasi-neutral electron-positron plasma can be produced in the interaction between a 1 nC, 5 GeV electron beam and lead with a thickness of five radiation lengths. Our findings will aid in analyzing and interpreting laser-produced electron-positron plasma for laboratory astrophysics research.

Non-pharmacological interventions for sleep promotion in hospitalized children.

BACKGROUND: Healthy sleep is an important component of childhood development. Changes in sleep architecture, including sleep stage composition, quantity, and quality from infancy to adolescence are a reflection of neurologic maturation. Hospital admission for acute illness introduces modifiable risk factors for sleep disruption that may negatively affect active brain development during a period of illness and recovery. Thus, it is important to examine non-pharmacologic interventions for sleep promotion in the pediatric inpatient setting. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of non-pharmacological sleep promotion interventions in hospitalized children and adolescents on sleep quality and sleep duration, child or parent satisfaction, cost-effectiveness, delirium incidence, length of mechanical ventilation, length of stay, and mortality. SEARCH METHODS: We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, three other databases, and three trials registers to December 2021. We searched Google Scholar, and two websites, handsearched conference abstracts, and checked reference lists of included studies. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or quasi-RCTs, including cross-over trials, investigating the effects of any non-pharmacological sleep promotion intervention on the sleep quality or sleep duration (or both) of children aged 1 month to 18 years in the pediatric inpatient setting (intensive care unit [ICU] or general ward setting). DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently assessed trial eligibility, evaluated risk of bias, extracted and synthesized data, and used the GRADE approach to assess certainty of evidence. The primary outcomes were changes in both objective and subjective validated measures of sleep in children; secondary outcomes were child and parent satisfaction, cost-effectiveness ratios, delirium incidence or delirium-free days at time of hospital discharge, duration of mechanical ventilation, length of hospital stay, and mortality. MAIN RESULTS: We included 10 trials (528 participants; aged 3 to 22 years) in inpatient pediatric settings. Seven studies were conducted in the USA, two in Canada, and one in Brazil. Eight studies were funded by government, charity, or foundation grants. Two provided no information on funding. Eight studies investigated behavioral interventions (massage, touch therapy, and bedtime stories); two investigated physical activity interventions. Duration and timing of interventions varied widely. All studies were at high risk of performance bias due to the nature of the intervention, as participants, parents, and staff could not be masked to group assignment. We were unable to perform a quantitative synthesis due to substantial clinical heterogeneity. Behavioral interventions versus usual care Five studies (145 participants) provided low-certainty evidence of no clear difference between multicomponent relaxation interventions and usual care on objective sleep measures. Overall, evidence from single studies found no clear differences in daytime or nighttime sleep measures (33 participants); any sleep parameter (48 participants); or daytime or nighttime sleep or nighttime arousals (20 participants). One study (34 participants) reported no effect of massage on nighttime sleep, sleep efficiency (SE), wake after sleep onset (WASO), or total sleep time (TST) in adolescents with cancer. Evidence from a cross-over study in 10 children with burns suggested touch therapy may increase TST (391 minutes, interquartile range [IQR] 251 to 467 versus 331 minutes, IQR 268 to 373; P = 0.02); SE (76, IQR 53 to 90 versus 66, IQR 55 to 78; P = 0.04); and the number of rapid eye movement (REM) periods (4.5, IQR 2 to 5 versus 3.5, IQR 2 to 4; P = 0.03); but not WASO, sleep latency (SL), total duration of REM, or per cent of slow wave sleep. Four studies (232 participants) provided very low-certainty evidence on subjective measures of sleep. Evidence from single studies found that sleep efficiency may increase, and the percentage of nighttime wakefulness may decrease more over a five-day period following a massage than usual care (72 participants). One study (48 participants) reported an improvement in Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire scores after discharge in children who received a multicomponent relaxation intervention compared to usual care. In another study, mean sleep duration per sleep episode was longer (23 minutes versus 15 minutes), and time to fall asleep was shorter (22 minutes versus 27 minutes) following a bedtime story versus no story (18 participants); and children listening to a parent-recorded story had longer SL than when a parent was present (mean 57.5 versus 43.5 minutes); both groups reported longer SL than groups who had a stranger-recorded story, and those who had no story and absent parents (94 participants; P < 0.001). In one study (34 participants), 87% (13/15) of participants felt they slept better following massage, with most parents (92%; 11/12) reporting they wanted their child to receive a massage again. Another study (20 participants) reported that parents thought the music, touch, and reading components of the intervention were acceptable, feasible, and had positive effects on their children (very low-certainty evidence). Physical activity interventions versus usual care One study (29 participants) found that an enhanced physical activity intervention may result in little or no improvement in TST or SE compared to usual care (low-certainty evidence). Another study (139 participants), comparing play versus no play found inconsistent results on subjective measures of sleep across different ages (TST was 49% higher for the no play groups in 4- to 7-year olds, 10% higher in 7- to 11-year olds, and 22% higher in 11- to 14-year olds). This study also found inconsistent results between boys and girls (girls in the first two age groups in the play group slept more than the no play group). No study evaluated child or parent satisfaction for behavioral interventions, or cost-effectiveness, delirium incidence or delirium-free days at hospital discharge, length of mechanical ventilation, length of hospital stay, or mortality for either behavioral or physical activity intervention. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: The included studies were heterogeneous, so we could not quantitatively synthesize the results. Our narrative summary found inconsistent, low to very low-certainty evidence. Therefore, we are unable to determine how non-pharmacologic sleep promotion interventions affect sleep quality or sleep duration compared with usual care or other interventions. The evidence base should be strengthened through design and conduct of randomized trials, which use validated and highly reliable sleep assessment tools, including objective measures, such as polysomnography and actigraphy.