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This Net Zero America study aims to inform and ground political, business, and societal conversations regarding what it would take for the U.S. to achieve an economy-wide target of net-zero emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050. Achieving this goal, i.e. building an economy that emits no more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than are permanently removed and stored each year, is essential to halt the buildup of climate-warming gases in the atmosphere and avert costly damages from climate change. A growing number of pledges are being made by major corporations, municipalities, states, and national governments to reach net- zero emissions by 2050 or sooner. This study provides granular guidance on what getting to net-zero really requires and on the actions needed to translate these pledges into tangible progress. The work outlines five distinct technological pathways, each of which achieves the 2050 goal and involves spending on energy in line with historical spending as a share of economic activity, or between 4-6% of gross domestic product. The authors are neutral as to which pathway is ���best���, and the final path the nation takes will no doubt differ from all of these. A goal of this study is to provide confidence that the U.S. now has multiple genuine paths to net-zero by 2050 and to provide a blueprint for priority actions for the next decade. These priorities include accelerating deployment at scale of technologies and solutions that are mature and affordable today and will return value regardless of what path the nation takes, as well as a set of actions to build key enabling infrastructure and improve a set of less mature technologies that will help complete the transition to a net-zero America. With multiple plausible and affordable pathways available, the societal conversation can now turn from ���if��� to ���how��� and focus on the choices the nation and its myriad stakeholders wish to make to shape the transition to net-zero. These conversations will need to be sensitive to the different values and priorities of diverse communities. That requires insight on how the nation will be reshaped by different paths to net-zero, and the benefits, costs, and challenges for specific locations, industries, professions, and communities. Supporting these decisions requires analysis at a visceral, human scale. The original and distinguishing feature of this Net Zero America study is thus the comprehensive cataloging across all major sectors at high geospatial and temporal resolution of the energy infrastructure deployments and related capital expenditures required for a net-zero transition. This granularity allows assessing the implications for land use, employment, air pollution, capital mobilization, and incumbent fossil fuel industries at state and local levels. The high resolution analysis is aimed at helping inform federal and state policy choices and private-sector decision making in support of a transition to net-zero by 2050. During the 2+ year research effort, the authors had many informative discussions with individuals in environmental research and advocacy organizations, oil and gas companies, renewable energy companies, national labs, industry trade organizations, universities, and elsewhere. The authors thank those individuals for their time and interest. The authors also thank the hundreds of stakeholders who have attended briefings where preliminary study results were presented. The feedback received as a result of those briefings have helped shape the contents of this report. Of course, any errors or omissions in this study are the responsibility of the authors alone, as are any views or recommendations expressed herein. For funding support, the authors thank the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, BP and the Carbon Mitigation Initiative within Princeton���s High Meadows Environmental Institute, ExxonMobil, and the University of Queensland. The full report, appendices, and detailed data portal are all available at http://netzeroamerica.princeton.edu, Download data and other resources at https://netzeroamerica.princeton.edu

Supplemental Material for “Reflective of my best work”: Promoting inquiry-based learning in a hybrid graduate history course by Nate Sleeter, Kelly Schrum, Amy Swan and Justin Broubalow in Arts and Humanities in Higher Education

Over the past few decades, pedagogy in higher education has increasingly focused on inquiry-based learning (IBL). Indeed, inquiry has become a central theme anchoring best practices across disciplines within postsecondary education. Scholars of teaching and learning have sought ways to make the student thought process more visible as they engage in inquiry-based learning. Use of digital spaces to scaffold inquiry-based learning is an emerging landscape, as new technologies make it possible for instructors to monitor and check students¹ understanding outside of face-to-face environments. Using a hybrid, graduate, history course as a model, this lightning talk will explore strategies for utilizing digital tools to facilitate inquiry, scaffold student learning, and capture student thinking as they engage in inquiry. For more information about developing students that are critical thinkers: https://stearnscenter.gmu.edu/teaching/developing-critical-thinkers, Innovations in Teaching & Learning Conference Proceedings, Vol 9 (2017): Learning in a Digital World

This is a comprehensive all-in-one guide for anyone involved in the care of clients undertaking substance withdrawal, including nursing and medical staff, alcohol and drug clinicians and other health professionals.

Improved agricultural practices have a significant potential to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A key issue for implementing mitigation options is quantifying emissions practically and cost effectively. Web-based systems using process-based models provide a promising approach. COMET2.0 is a further development of the web-based COMET-VR system with an expanded set of crop management systems, inclusion of orchard and vineyards, new agroforestry options, and a nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions estimator, using the Century and DAYCENT dynamic ecosystem models. Compared to empirical emission factor models, COMET2.0 accounted for more of the between site variation in soil C changes following no-till adoption in Corn Belt and Great Plains experiment sites. Predicted N2O emission rates, as a function of application rate, timing (spring vs. fall), and use of nitrification inhibitors, were consistent with observations in the literature. Carbon dynamics for orchard and agroforestry compared well with field measurements but limited availability of data poses a challenge for a fuller validation of these systems. Advantages of a practiced-based approach, using dynamic process-based models include integration of interacting processes and local conditions for more accurate and complete GHG accounting. Web-based systems, designed for non-experts, allow land managers and others to evaluate trade-offs and select mitigation options for their particular conditions. Experimental networks such as GRACEnet will play an important role in improving decision support tools for implementation of agricultural GHG mitigation.

Background: Extreme levels of both strength and aerobic training result in increased left ventricular (LV) and right ventricular (RV) volumes and LV mass, a key component of athletes' heart. The aim of this study was to document temporal changes in the hearts of elite professional athletes (Australian Football League players) over a 2- to 6-year period. Methods: Thirty-six Australian Football League players with 3.5 ± 2.7 years of professional training at enrollment prospectively underwent echocardiography in the preseasons of 2009, 2013, and 2015. At each time point, LV dimension and contractility and RV dimension, area, and contractility were measured using two-dimensional echocardiography. LV volumes, ejection fraction, and mass were measured using three-dimensional echocardiography. Results: The mean age at baseline was 21.8 ± 2.6 years (range, 18–29 years). Most players (n = 20) had increases in fitness between studies (mean maximal oxygen uptake, 62.3 ± 3.6 vs 64.3 ± 2.1 mL/kg/min). In these players, there were increases in both LV and RV size and in LV mass. Players who were >25 years of age at their baseline scans demonstrated a trend toward increases in RV size and a decline in RV global longitudinal strain. Fitness level and playing position also affected the degree of physiological athletic cardiac remodeling. Conclusions: Australian football is a sport that involves both strength and aerobic training. This study, unique in its length and detail, demonstrates that remodeling in the athlete's heart is a continuous spectrum of change. This remodeling occurs over time in response to high levels of exercise, with proportional increase in LV mass and LV dimensions. Refereed/Peer-reviewed

Severe aortic stenosis causes chronic increased afterload on the left ventricle (LV) resulting in myocardial hypertrophy and ultimately dysfunction if left untreated. Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) immediately decreases the afterload on the LV by reducing the pressure gradient through the aortic valve. In our study, we aim to evaluate immediate changes in LV mechanics using intra-procedural transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) to assess circumferential and radial strain via speckle tracking. Intra-operative TEE was performed during TAVI for 53 patients (mean age 84 ± 8 years). Two-dimensional images in the transgastric view were acquired at the level of the papillary muscle. Circumferential and radial strain was calculated using speckle tracking with Philips Qlab software. Global LV afterload was measured by calculating valvulo-arterial impedance (Zva). Immediately post-TAVI, there was a change in both radial strain rate (Pre: 0.73 ± 0.04 vs. Post: 0.88 ± 0.04 per second, P < 0.001) and circumferential strain rate (-0.53 ± 0.04 (pre) vs. -0.74 ± 0.04 (post) per second, P < 0.001). There was also an immediate improvement in circumferential global strain parameters (-14.5 ± 5% (pre) vs. -16.0 ± 4.7% (post), P < 0.05), whereas there was no significant change seen in global radial strain (15.6 ± 0.8% (pre) vs. 15.2 ± 0.9% (post), P = 0.69). No significant change was seen in LV ejection fraction (51.5 ± 14.2% (pre) vs. 52.1 ± 14.0% (post), P = 0.77). Speckle tracking using TEE images is feasible and identifies significant improvements in LV strain and strain rate immediately following TAVI that is not detected by conventional measure of LV function. Refereed/Peer-reviewed