140,357 research outputs found

    Are Peer Effects Present in Residential Solar Installations? Evidence from Minnesota and Wisconsin

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    There are geographic differences in the rate of adoption of residential photovoltaic (PV) solar. Are adoption rates in small scale localities (counties and zip codes) influenced by previous, nearby adoptions? This paper adds to the literature on Peer Effects with an analysis of Minnesota and Wisconsin zip codes. I use residential adoption data from the OpenPV Project in an empirical analysis of social interactions. My findings indicate that there is a small but significant effect of nearby adoptions at the zip code level. These peer effects are shown to be nuanced by policy incentives such as the XCEL Solar Rewards Program. I additionally engage in a case study analysis of the relationship of some localities

    Cost-Effectiveness of Stronger Woodframe Buildings

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    We examine the cost-effectiveness of improvements in woodframe buildings. These include retrofits, redesign measures, and improved quality in 19 hypothetical woodframe dwellings. We estimated cost-effectiveness for each improvement and each zip code in California. The dwellings were designed under the CUREE-Caltech Woodframe Project. Costs and seismic vulnerability were determined on a component-by-component basis using the Assembly Based Vulnerability method, within a nonlinear time-history structural-analysis framework and using full-size test specimen data. Probabilistic site hazard was calculated by zip code, considering site soil classification, and integrated with vulnerability to determine expected annualized repair cost. The approach provides insight into uncertainty of loss at varying shaking levels. We calculated present value of benefit to determine cost-effectiveness in terms of benefit-cost ratio (BCR). We find that one retrofit exhibits BCRs as high as 8, and is in excess of 1 in half of California zip codes. Four retrofit or redesign measures are cost-effective in at least some locations. Higher quality is estimated to save thousands of dollars per house. Results are illustrated by maps for the Los Angeles and San Francisco regions and are available for every zip code in California

    Tie Installer for Great Heights to Extend Research

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    This senior project consisted of developing and creating a hand held device that automatically installed zip-ties. Our project began as an entry to the NASA Micro-G NExT competition but was redirected towards the new goal of creating a consumer product. Although installing zip-ties seems to be quite a simple process, throughout the entirety of our development we quickly determined that our device would have to embrace a higher level complexity to complete the objective of installing a zip-tie. The ultimate drive force of this project was meant to create a solution for the massive cost gap of already existing Zip-tie installers. In hopes of achieving this solution, we also did not want to neglect the quality of the product. We originally struggled with the balance of keeping the cost low, while wanting to still deliver a high quality product. Yet, we believed that both of those areas were met

    The Correlation between Zip Codes and Health

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    This research proposal focuses on public health and economics. It focuses on how the zip code you reside in affects your health. Studies have shown that the correlation between zip codes and health may be stronger than the correlation between genetic codes and health. Many of the reasons zip codes affect your health are economic. This research aims to address the economic reasons and explore the disparities in life expectancy between areas with higher socioeconomic levels and lower socioeconomic levels. In places like Chicago there are life expectancies with up to 30 years in between them (Ducharme and Wolfson, 2019). Socioeconomic variables such as medical, education levels, and demographic will be utilized. This project will test the significance of zip codes and health within different communities specifically focusing on Los Angeles County and its zip codes

    Anarcha

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    Anarcha is a multidisciplinary, multi-authored performance project. Its intent was to explore the intersection of trauma, African American history and disability studies through embodiment. The basic structure of the work was developed by the principal collaborators, but new writing, song and visual materials were added at each performance site. The collaborators used writings from public workshops to augment and enhance the basic script material. The zip files contain materials related to Anarcha, such as variations of the script, images, syllabi, programs, notes, letters, and other files. The zip files are organized by versions of the performance delivered at various locations, including Montgomery, Alabama, Davidson College, University of California - Berkeley, University of Michigan, and New Bern, North Carolina.https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154039/1/Audio.ziphttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154039/3/Lisa_Steichmann_Photos.ziphttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154039/4/Montgomery_Alabama_May_16_2006.ziphttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154039/5/Davidson_February_26_2007.ziphttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154039/6/Berkeley_March_11_to_15_2007.ziphttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154039/7/University_of_Michigan_April_4_2007.ziphttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154039/8/New_Bern_NC_Residency_July_7_2007.ziphttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154039/10/File_manifest_Anarcha.pdfDescription of Audio.zip : Audio clipsDescription of Lisa_Steichmann_Photos.zip : Photographs by Lisa SteichmannDescription of Montgomery_Alabama_May_16_2006.zip : May 2006 Montgomery, AlabamaDescription of Davidson_February_26_2007.zip : February 2007 DavidsonDescription of Berkeley_March_11_to_15_2007.zip : March 2007 BerkeleyDescription of University_of_Michigan_April_4_2007.zip : April 2007 University of MichiganDescription of New_Bern_NC_Residency_July_7_2007.zip : July 2007 New Bern, NCDescription of File_manifest_Anarcha.pdf : zip files contents lis

    Statistical Analysis of Hispanic Voters’ Practices in Florida

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    The Hispanic population is composed of those that identify with a “Spanish-speaking background and trace their origin or descent from
Spanish-speaking countries.” This community is a growing one in the state of Florida. As of 2019, Hispanics make 26% of the state’s population, making them a key demographic in Floridian elections. Ergo, understanding Hispanic voters’ behavior in Florida is crucial for future elections. For starters, certain social factors have been related to voter behavior. The factors considered in this project are the voter’s generation, zip code population density, zip code income and Hispanic group in relation to their voter activity and voter party affiliation. Of all the factors, only generations and Hispanic groups affected both voter activity and voter party affiliation. Voter activity was also influenced by zip code income, while voter party affiliation was also influenced by zip code population density

    Using socioeconomic data to predict multi-family residential electricity consumption

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    Electricity supply responds to changes in demand, and changing populations alter energy demands for an area. This project characterizes how different population compositions affect electricity consumption using Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) anonymized meter-level data, which show the electricity usage at 30-minute intervals in 2016 for the whole service area, sorted by zip code. The following tasks were completed: -- Compare multi-family residences with different population densities and median incomes in Chicago. -- Characterize different electricity profiles for different zip codes using mean electricity usage for an average day in each month for each zip code. -- Predict multi-family electricity consumption as a function of zip-code-level socioeconomic predictor variables using linear regression. This analysis shows that median age of home, mean commute time, percent of multi-family housing units, median age of population, and percent female are statistically significant predictors of multi-family residential electricity consumption. Daily and monthly electricity profiles also vary notably across zip codes in Chicago. These results can inform electricity providers regarding how forecasted changes in population will likely affect the electricity demand of a particular area.Ope

    Case Study for Guided Project in Stochastic Hydrology

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    Attached are two guided project activities for hydrology and climate data of Eagle Creek Watershed, Indiana, USA. The zip files have flow and precipitation datasets at daily, monthly, and annual time scales

    A Call to Action: Los Angeles' Quest to Achieve Community Safety

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    "A Call To Action: Los Angeles' Quest To Achieve Community Safety" is a report and policy brief telling the story of L.A.'s extraordinary experiment to keep kids safe in the City of Los Angeles' worst gang zones, and laying out a new comprehensive set of recommendations. The document also explains Advancement Project's comprehensive violence reduction strategy and shows how it could be used in other communities suffering from gang violence. The report, assembled by Advancement Proejct's Urban Peace and Healthy City programs, highlights progress the City of L.A. has made toward greater public safety, and how to build on those successes to achieve comprehensive community safety in places where children are still exposed to chronic trauma and violence.Five Years of ProgressIn 2007 Advancement Project released "A Call to Action: A Case for a Comprehensive Solution to L.A.'s Gang Violence Epidemic", a roadmap that explained why Los Angeles' 30-year "war on gangs" was failing to quell gangs and gang violence and laid out a comprehensive set of recommendations to reverse course. Since then, Advancement Project has worked closely with City officials to put these recommendations into place.Los Angeles has seen greater success in decreasing gang violence with gang-related crime reduced by over 15% and 35% fewer gang-related homicides surrounding neighborhoods served by the Mayor's Gang Reduction & Youth Development (GRYD) Office and by Summer Night Lights, a summer violence reduction strategy. In 2010 the homicide rate was at its lowest since the 1960s.Success in significantly reducing violence can be attributed in part to the following:Catalyst to City's new approach to gang violence: Based on the 2007 report recommendations to create a central entity that manages gang violence prevention in areas where violence was concentrated, the City of L.A. created the GRYD Office to focus public resources where it is needed the most -- on 12 gang violence hot zones identified in conjunction with community leaders.Transformation of L.A. Police Department: The LAPD has transformed the way it deals with gangs, from an overbroad suppression strategy to relationship-based, problem-solving policing.Training gang interventionists: The Urban Peace Academy was established to train gang interventionists, the only publicly funded training program in the nation for gang interventionists. The academy has trained more than 1,200 gang interventionists and more than 400 police officers to work together, which has resulted in collaboration and shared accountability to achieve public safety.In fact, efforts in Los Angeles have been so successful that other cities across the nation are working to adopt some of the strategies that have succeeded in Los Angeles.Time for a New Call to ActionDespite amazing gains in violence reduction for the City of Los Angeles as a whole, there is still much left to do. We are not yet fully cured of this complex epidemic -- the conditions that spawn and sustain gang violence remain largely unchanged in L.A.'s most vulnerable communities. We continue to require holistic, systemic, and politically difficult solutions."A Call to Action: Los Angeles' Quest to Achieve Community Safety"explains why, despite these significant accomplishments, the City faces a number of ongoing challenges and opportunities for investment.The Urban Peace program advocates for the leadership of the City and County of Los Angeles to publicly commit to achieving the following goals:GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNITY ACCOUNTABILITY: Government at every level must be held accountable for the basic safety of every child.SCALING UP PREVENTION, INTERVENTION, AND TARGETED SUPPRESSION: The City and County of Los Angeles must bring up to scale prevention and intervention efforts to meet the need in the hot zones in a culturally competent way.ACHIEVE FEAR-FREE SCHOOLS: Beyond Safe Passages to and from school, all students should attend public schools free of bullying, gang intimidation, and all forms of fear.REGIONALLY COORDINATED COUNTY AGENCIES: County agencies must cooperate with each other and with the City to achieve reductions in violence, trauma, and crime.BUILD A REENTRY NETWORK: The County must seize realignment as an opportunity to make coordinated, seamless reintegration a reality for its citizens returning from incarceration.EQUITABLE COMMUNITY BUILDING: These neighborhoods must receive the same capital, business, educational, and infrastructure investment from which affluent Los Angeles already benefits.CREATE VIABLE EMPLOYMENT: There needs to be an immediate economic and employment plan for the hot zone communities of Los Angeles.Ending the public safety inequity that renders gang violence hot zone communities invisible to the rest of Los Angeles means we must provide youth greater alternatives that preempt gang joining. Political will is necessary to pull together a truly comprehensive solution with real government-community partnerships at both the City and County level, tailored to yield and sustain results for each individual neighborhood. Los Angeles cannot rest until every family and every child enjoy the first of all civil rights -- safety -- and the first of all freedoms -- freedom from violence
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