The Allocation of Merit Pay in Academia: A Case Study

This paper investigates whether the widespread awarding of faculty merit pay at a large public university accurately reflects productivity. We show that pairwise voting on a quality standard by a committee can in theory be consistent with observed allocation patterns. However, the data indicate only nominal adherence to a quality standard. Departments with more severe compression issues are more likely to award merit pay as a countermeasure and some departments appear to be motivated by nonpecuniary incentives. Much of the variance in merit pay allocation remains unexplained. These results suggest reform is needed to improve transparency in the merit system.merit, faculty compensation

How Costly are Carbon Offsets? A Meta-Analysis of Forest Carbon Sinks

Carbon terrestrial sinks are seen as a low-cost alternative to fuel switching and reduced fossil fuel use for lowering atmospheric CO2. As a result of agreements reached at Bonn and Marrakech, carbon offsets have taken on much greater importance in meeting Kyoto targets for the first commitment period. In this study, meta-regression analysis is used to examine 981 estimates from 55 studies of the costs of creating carbon offsets using forestry. Baseline estimates of costs of sequestering carbon through forest conservation are US$46.62–$260.29 per tC ($12.71–$70.99 per t CO2). Tree planting and agroforestry activities increase costs by more than 200%. When post-harvest storage of carbon in wood products, or substitution of biomass for fossil fuels in energy production, are taken into account, costs are lowest – some $12.53/tC to$68.44/tC ($3.42–$18.67/t CO2). Average costs are greater, between $116.76 and$1406.60/tC ($31.84–$383.62/t CO2), when appropriate account is taken of the opportunity costs of land. Peer review of the studies increases costs by a factor or 10 or more, depending on the model. The use of marginal cost estimates instead of average cost results in much higher costs for carbon sequestration, in the range of thousands of dollars per tC, although few studies used this method of cost assessment.climate change; Kyoto Protocol, meta-regression analysis, carbon-uptake costs, forest sinks

Creating Carbon Offsets in Agriculture through No-Till Cultivation: A Meta-Analysis of Costs and Carbon Benefits

Carbon terrestrial sinks are often seen as a low-cost alternative to fuel switching and reduced fossil fuel use for lowering atmospheric CO2. To determine whether this is true for agriculture, one meta-regression analysis (52 studies, 536 observations) examines the costs of switching from conventional tillage to no-till, while another (51 studies, 374 observations) compares carbon accumulation under the two practices. Costs per ton of carbon uptake are determined by combining the two results. The viability of agricultural carbon sinks is found to vary by region and crop, with no-till representing a low-cost option in some regions (costs of less than $10/tC), but a high-cost option in others (costs of$100-$400/tC). A particularly important finding is that no-till cultivation may store no carbon at all if measurements are taken at sufficient depth. In some circumstances no-till cultivation may yield a “triple dividend” of carbon storage, increased returns and reduced soil erosion, but in many others creating carbon offset credits in agricultural soils is not cost effective because reduced tillage practices store little or no carbon.costs of soil carbon credits, conventional and zero tillage systems, carbon accumulation in soil

Full-scale Wind-tunnel Research on Tail Buffeting and Wing-fuselage Interference of a Low-wing Monoplane

Some preliminary results of full scale wind tunnel testing to determine the best means of reducing the tail buffeting and wing-fuselage interference of a low-wing monoplane are given. Data indicating the effects of an engine cowling, fillets, auxiliary airfoils of short span, reflexes trailing edge, propeller slipstream, and various combinations of these features are included. The best all-round results were obtained by the use of fillets together with the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) cowling. This combination reduced the tail buffeting oscillations to one-fourth of their original amplitudes, increased the maximum lift 11 percent, decreased the minimum drag 9 percent, and increased the maximum ratio of lift to drag 19 percent

The scale of segregation:ancestral groups in Sydney, 2011

Most studies of urban residential segregation analyse it at a single-scale only, usually the smallest for which relevant census data are available. Following a recent argument that such segregation is multiscalar, this paper reports on multilevel modelling of the segregation of 42 ancestral groups in Sydney, Australia, looking at its intensity at four separate scales in which segregation at each scale is presented nett of its intensity at all higher-level scales. Most groups are more segregated at the macro- and micro-scales than at two intermediate meso-scales, with variations across them reflecting their size, recency of arrival in Australia and cultural differences from the host society. The findings are used as the basis for developing a multiscale appreciation of residential patterning.24 page(s

Wing-Fuselage Interference, Tail Buffeting, and Air Flow About the Tail of a Low-Wing Monoplane

This report presents the results of wind tunnel tests on a Mcdonnell Douglas airplane to determine the wing-fuselage interference of a low-wing monoplane. The tests included a study of tail buffeting and the air flow in the region of the tail. The airplane was tested with and without the propeller slipstream, both in the original condition and with several devices designed to reduce or eliminate tail buffeting. The devices used were wing-fuselage fillets, a NACA cowling, reflexed trailing edge of the wing, and stub auxiliary airfoils

History of Woodland Caribou in Montana

Within the contiguous U.S., woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) were historically a resident of mature, deep-snow forests of northwest Montana, north Idaho and northeast Washington.  Because of habitat changes, predation, and unregulated hunting, numbers dwindled to remnant populations or even extinction throughout their distribution within the U.S. By the 1950s, any caribou that might be observed in Montana were considered transitory from either southern British Columbia or North Idaho, where remnant populations still remain.  In this paper, we review historical and current records of woodland caribou in Montana, discuss their biological requirements and legal status, and offer comments on future recovery efforts