Pyramid Technical Consultants (United States)

High voltage issues are a growing concern for the French power network operators (LV, MV and HV). Moreover, HV/MV on-load tap changers (OLTC) are more often at their lowest tap, resulting in degradation of MV and LV voltage management and therefore considered as a constraint. Therefore, a collaborative working group between the French transmission system operator (TSO) Rte and the main French distribution system operator (DSO) Enedis aims at identifying levers to solve these constraints. These solutions can be located on either the transmission or the distribution network. This cooperation between the TSO and the DSO allows a more comprehensive approach to constraints and potential levers. Indeed, some levers could be efficient for both the TSO and the DSO constraints, while some others would be efficient for only one operator. This paper focuses on high voltage constraints in HV networks, managed by the TSO, and HV/MV on-load tap changer (OLTC) constraints, managed by the DSO. A cost-benefit analysis method is proposed to compare the technical and economic performance of the different levers on real HV-MV network cases.

This study examines green innovation, green HRM bundle practices, and Triple Bottom Line sustainability performance. A tailored survey will quantify the data of 305 high-end hotel personnel in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. Smart PLS used structural equation modeling to analyze data. Data show that green HRM package practices improve hotels' sustainability. Green innovation also has a significant impact on sustainable performance and partially mediates the relationship between green HR practices and SMEs' sustainable performance. This study advises using GHRM to improve hotels' GI adoption and sustainability. This study reinforces conventional wisdom. Innovation and human resources environmental management techniques can improve sustainability.

This paper proposes a reinforcement learning-based optimization framework that defines a structured state space (real-time conversion rates, channel ROI, historical CTR), action space (budget-compliant allocations), and reward function (balancing revenue, cost, and placement effectiveness). To enhance adaptability, we introduce a multi-channel synergy mechanism using behavioral correlation matrices and a time-sequence update model for predictive, real-time budget adjustment. Trained with Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO) in a high-fidelity simulation, the model outperforms traditional rule-based and DQN baselines in CTR (+8.7%), ROI (+12.4%), and policy stability, while reducing latency and memory usage.

As a field that predominately supports individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), we have an ethical duty as behavior analysts to ensure that the goals we write and interventions we prescribe promote best outcomes across the lifespan. This is critical, given that as it stands now, outcomes in adulthood for individuals with ASD are poor in every area assessed. The Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts can be interpreted to provide support for teaching the right goals, the right way, with respect to inherent rights of those we serve, in order to help affect positive changes in these outcomes. The present article highlights ethical themes that are relevant in order to affect these changes that are supported by the Code, as well as actionable steps to take next. The aim is to provide a resource for practitioners to use in clinical practice and in making ethical decisions that will help to improve outcomes for individuals with autism in adulthood. In addition, recommendations are made about integrating these values and approaches in terms of training, supervision, advocacy, and research.

The Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB®) created a third level of certification, the Registered Behavior Technician™ (RBT®) in 2014. The RBT® was created based upon the requests of stakeholders who wanted to credential those individuals who make direct contact with clients under the supervision of a Board Certified Behavior Analyst®. There has been tremendous growth in the number of RBTs® with over 60,000 individuals certified to date. The BACB® recently sent out a newsletter outlining changes to the RBT® certification, including the processes of training, supervising, and becoming an RBT®. These changes represent a number of potential concerns. The purpose of this paper is to highlight these concerns and to propose solutions to improve the RBT® certification.

The immune microenvironment in inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is poorly characterised, and molecular and cellular pathways that control accumulation of various immune cells in IBC tissues remain largely unknown. Here, we discovered a novel pathway linking the expression of the tetraspanin protein CD151 in tumour cells with increased accumulation of macrophages in cancerous tissues. It is notable that elevated expression of CD151 and a higher number of tumour-infiltrating macrophages correlated with better patient responses to chemotherapy. Accordingly, CD151-expressing IBC xenografts were characterised by the increased infiltration of macrophages. In vitro migration experiments demonstrated that CD151 stimulates the chemoattractive potential of IBC cells for monocytes via mechanisms involving midkine (a heparin-binding growth factor), integrin α6β1, and production of extracellular vesicles (EVs). Profiling of chemokines secreted by IBC cells demonstrated that CD151 increases production of midkine. Purified midkine specifically stimulated migration of monocytes, but not other immune cells. Further experiments demonstrated that the chemoattractive potential of IBC-derived EVs is blocked by anti-midkine antibodies. These results demonstrate for the first time that changes in the expression of a tetraspanin protein by tumour cells can affect the formation of the immune microenvironment by modulating recruitment of effector cells to cancerous tissues. Therefore, a CD151-midkine pathway can be considered as a novel target for controlled changes of the immune landscape in IBC. © 2020 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is an alternative/ augmentative communication protocol designed to help children and adults with autism and related disabilities to engage in functional communication. The protocol was developed over a number of years and was based on Skinner’s analysis of verbal behavior. Publications about the application and effectiveness of PECS have grown steadily. However, there also are many misconceptions about the protocol and its implementation. This paper reviews some of the research associated with PECS, describes several myths and misconceptions, and attempts to clarify many of the issues raised.

A pre-postassessment, single-subject, pilot study was implemented, testing the hypothesis that positive behavior support (PBS) would improve family quality-of-life outcomes by reducing parental stress and challenging behaviors of preschool children who are culturally and linguistically diverse and reside in urban, disadvantaged communities. Six participants attended parent-training workshops designed to empower them to use PBS child behavior management strategies and enhance their own mental health outcomes via a functional parent-child relationship. Parental stress levels were measured and anecdotal reports of child outcomes obtained. Findings corroborate outcomes from preceding research supporting PBS as a socially valid, culturally responsive intervention effective at producing results acceptable to participants. Future research and suggestions are provided for closing the gap between research and practice.

The Integrated Landscape Monitoring Pilot Project (ILM) was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in response to the need of its partner agencies for a monitoring and predictive capability that addresses changes in broad landscapes and waterscapes. Human communities and needs are nested within landscapes formed by interactions among the hydrosphere, geosphere, and biosphere. Understanding the complex processes that shape landscapes and deriving ways to manage them sustainably while meeting human needs require sophisticated modeling and monitoring. The long-term goals of the ILM are to 1. Identify, evaluate, and validate system components that are indicators of landscape change;