System Energy Assessment (SEA), Defining a Standard Measure of EROI for Energy Businesses as Whole Systems

A more objective method for measuring the energy needs of businesses, System Energy Assessment (SEA), identifies the natural boundaries of businesses as self-managing net-energy systems, of controlled and self-managing parts. The method is demonstrated using a model Wind Farm case study, and applied to defining a true physical measure of its energy productivity for society (EROI-S), the global ratio of energy produced to energy cost. The traceable needs of business technology are combined with assignable energy needs for all other operating services. That serves to correct a large natural gap in energy use information. Current methods count traceable energy receipts for technology use. Self-managing services employed by businesses outsource their own energy needs to operate, and leave no records to trace. Those uncounted energy demands are often 80% of the total embodied energy of business end products. The scale of this "dark energy" was discovered from differing global accounts, and corrected so the average energy cost per dollar for businesses would equal the world average energy use per dollar of GDP. Presently the energy needs of paid services that outsource their own energy needs are counted for lack of information to be "0". Our default assumption is to treat them as "average". The result is to assign total energy use and impacts to the demand for energy services, for a "Scope 4" GHG assessment level. Counting only the energy uses of technology understates the energy needs of business services, as if services were more energy efficient than technology. The result confirms a similar finding by Hall et. al. in 1981 [9]. We use exhaustive search for what a business needs to operate as a whole, locating a natural physical boundary for its working parts, to define businesses as physical rather than statistical subjects of science. :measurement, natural systemsComment: 33 pages, 15 figures, accepted as part of pending special issue on EROI organized by Charlie Hall for Sustainability (MDPI

Toward High-Precision Astrometry with WFPC2. I. Deriving an Accurate PSF

The first step toward doing high-precision astrometry is the measurement of individual stars in individual images, a step that is fraught with dangers when the images are undersampled. The key to avoiding systematic positional error in undersampled images is to determine an extremely accurate point-spread function (PSF). We apply the concept of the {\it effective} PSF, and show that in images that consist of pixels it is the ePSF, rather than the often-used instrumental PSF, that embodies the information from which accurate star positions and magnitudes can be derived. We show how, in a rich star field, one can use the information from dithered exposures to derive an extremely accurate effective PSF by iterating between the PSF itself and the star positions that we measure with it. We also give a simple but effective procedure for representing spatial variations of the HST PSF. With such attention to the PSF, we find that we are able to measure the position of a single reasonably bright star in a single image with a precision of 0.02 pixel (2 mas in WF frames, 1 mas in PC), but with a systematic accuracy better than 0.002 pixel (0.2 mas in WF, 0.1 mas in PC), so that multiple observations can reliably be combined to improve the accuracy by $\surd N$.Comment: 33 pp. text + 15 figs.; accepted by PAS

Immediate passage : the narrative of Joel H. Brown, with a critical essay on form and style in the sea voyage narrative

'Immediate Passage: The Narrative of Joel H. Brown' is an original work of fiction. The protagonist and narrator, Joel Brown, is preparing to set sail for a singlehanded circumnavigation. As he readies his boat and counts down the days until his departure, he reflects on his previous experience at sea, what he expects to see out there, and why he is even going in the first place. The story ends with his departure. It is set in the present day. The novel is supported by an analysis of the choices of form and style in first person sea voyage narratives, showing general trends and authorial choices in the areas of veracity, structure, point of view, voice, tense, direct speech, and the use of maritime language. A glossary of maritime words is provided as an appendix

The Reading Habits of High School Former English Language Learners

In this action research project, I set out to investigate the reading habits of Hispanic and current- or former English Language Learners in high school. Research questions included: Do Hispanic and ELL students read for pleasure, and if so, how much? What are they reading? Are they reading in English or Spanish, or both? How important is it to these readers that they have characters and authors that look like them? What are their obstacles to reading? And what would encourage them to read more? To answer these questions, I conducted a survey in one northeast Salem school. Nine students participated, and two were interviewed. Results indicated that Hispanic and former ELL students read with the same range of frequency, amount, and complexity as their peers, following national trends. Seventy-five percent of former ELL students continue to read in their first languages. Surprisingly, students showed little to no interest in reading books by authors of color, while they preferred modern books with “relatable” characters. I speculate on these results and discuss implications for teaching

Intensive Archeological Survey for the Bridge Replacement on County Road 279 at Kings Creek, Kaufman County, Texas

On behalf of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), SWCA Environmental Consultants (SWCA) conducted an intensive archeological survey on June 6–7, 2018, of a potential bridge replacement consisting of approximately 2.0 acres of new and existing rightof-way (ROW) along County Road (CR) 279 in Kaufman County, Texas. Because the project will receive funding from the Federal Highways Administration, it qualifies as an undertaking as defined in Title 36 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 800.16(y) and, therefore, the work was conducted in compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (54 U.S. Code 306108). Furthermore, the project must also comply with the Antiquities Code of Texas (9 Natural Resources Code 191). Jon Budd served as Principal Investigator under Texas Antiquities Code Permit No. 8438. The total area of potential effects (APE) is defined as the existing 38- to 52-foot-wide CR 279 ROW beginning 130 feet west of the intersection CR 279 centerline and extending 470 feet east. In addition, the APE includes approximately 1.0 acre of proposed new ROW that is distributed on both sides of the existing ROW. Finally, a new, permanent, 0.3-acre easement is required and is located south of the proposed new ROW, south of the bridge. According to typical design, the depth of impacts is estimated to be up to 53 feet for the bridge supports and up to 4 feet for the rest of the project. The APE comprises approximately 2.0 acres. Background research identified no archeological surveys, cemeteries, or known historic resources in or adjacent to the APE; however, there are eight prehistoric archeological sites within a 0.6-mile (1-kilometer) radius review area. All of these sites are located more than 300 feet (91.5 meters) from the APE and will not be impacted. No historic structures were illustrated in or near the APE on any historic U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) topographic maps (USGS 2018) nor were there any historic domiciles illustrated on the 1936 Texas State Highway Department of Kaufman County map. The field investigation of the proposed project APE consisted of an intensive pedestrian survey with shovel testing and mechanical backhoe trenching. The existing ROW is heavily disturbed by prior roadway and bridge construction activities. The investigations identified no archeological resources within the APE. SWCA has made a reasonable and good faith effort to locate and identify historic properties as per 36 CFR Part 800.4(b)(1), and cultural resources as per Subchapter A of Chapter 26 of the Texas Administrative Code throughout the proposed project APE. Based on the results of the survey, SWCA recommends a finding of “no historic properties affected,” and no further archeological investigations are recommended within the APE

Accurate Internal Proper Motions of Globular Clusters

We have undertaken a long term program to measure high precision proper motions of nearby Galactic globular cluster (GC) stars using multi-epoch observations with the WFPC2 and the ACS cameras on-board the Hubble Space Telescope. The proper motions are used to study the internal cluster kinematics, and to obtain accurate cluster distances. In this paper, we also show how the proper motions of the field stars projected in the direction of the studied clusters can be used to set constraints on the Galaxy kinematics.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, A.S.P. Conf. Ser., in press in Vol. 296, 200

A Difference-in-Differences Approach to Assess the Effect of a Heat Action Plan on Heat-Related Mortality, and Differences in Effectiveness According to Sex, Age, and Socioeconomic Status (Montreal, Quebec).

BackgroundThe impact of heat waves on mortality and health inequalities is well documented. Very few studies have assessed the effectiveness of heat action plans (HAPs) on health, and none has used quasi-experimental methods to estimate causal effects of such programs.ObjectivesWe developed a quasi-experimental method to estimate the causal effects associated with HAPs that allows the identification of heterogeneity across subpopulations, and to apply this method specifically to the case of the Montreal (Quebec, Canada) HAP.MethodsA difference-in-differences approach was undertaken using Montreal death registry data for the summers of 2000-2007 to assess the effectiveness of the Montreal HAP, implemented in 2004, on mortality. To study equity in the effect of HAP implementation, we assessed whether the program effects were heterogeneous across sex (male vs. female), age (≥ 65 years vs. < 65 years), and neighborhood education levels (first vs. third tertile). We conducted sensitivity analyses to assess the validity of the estimated causal effect of the HAP program.ResultsWe found evidence that the HAP contributed to reducing mortality on hot days, and that the mortality reduction attributable to the program was greater for elderly people and people living in low-education neighborhoods.ConclusionThese findings show promise for programs aimed at reducing the impact of extreme temperatures and health inequities. We propose a new quasi-experimental approach that can be easily applied to evaluate the impact of any program or intervention triggered when daily thresholds are reached. Citation: Benmarhnia T, Bailey Z, Kaiser D, Auger N, King N, Kaufman J. 2016. A difference-in-differences approach to assess the effect of a heat action plan on heat-related mortality, and differences in effectiveness according to sex, age, and socioeconomic status (Montreal, Quebec). Environ Health Perspect 124:1694-1699; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/EHP203