Maine’s Changing Demographics: Implications for Workforce, Economy, and Policy

The fundamental purpose of any policy is to safeguard and improve the well-being of people. The understanding of any policy decision, therefore, must start with an understanding of demographics. This article reviews Maine’s demographics using data from the 1820 and 1920 censuses and comparing them to recent population estimates. The author finds trends that persist over time as well as ways in which Maine’s demographics have changed over the past 200 years. As 2019 ended and 2020 began, Maine saw its largest challenges as being related to the current demographic situation: slow population growth, limited available workforce, and increased demand for healthcare services. With the spread of COVID-19 throughout the state, Maine is now facing a public health crisis and economic recession the likes of which haven’t been seen in a century

Classifying Communities in Maine: A Comparative Analysis of Fiscal Determinants

Every day, municipalities around Maine are faced with decisions about the types of services to provide their residents and how to pay for those services. Some communities have an easier time of this than others. Hub communities that draw commuters and visitors must provide a broad array of services with an often limited property tax base. In many cases, communities are faced with difficult tradeoffs between cutting services or increasing property tax rates

A cost-benefit analysis of a pellet boiler with electrostatic precipitator versus conventional biomass technology: A case study of an institutional boiler in Syracuse, New York

BACKGROUND: Biomass facilities have received increasing attention as a strategy to increase the use of renewable fuels and decrease greenhouse gas emissions from the electric generation and heating sectors, but these facilities can potentially increase local air pollution and associated health effects. Comparing the economic costs and public health benefits of alternative biomass fuel, heating technology, and pollution control technology options provides decision-makers with the necessary information to make optimal choices in a given location. METHODS: For a case study of a combined heat and power biomass facility in Syracuse, New York, we used stack testing to estimate emissions of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) for both the deployed technology (staged combustion pellet boiler with an electrostatic precipitator) and a conventional alternative (wood chip stoker boiler with a multicyclone). We used the atmospheric dispersion model AERMOD to calculate the contribution of either fuel-technology configuration to ambient primary PM2.5 in a 10 km x 10 km region surrounding the facility, and we quantified the incremental contribution to population mortality and morbidity. We assigned economic values to health outcomes and compared the health benefits of the lower-emitting technology with the incremental costs. RESULTS: In total, the incremental annualized cost of the lower-emitting pellet boiler was $190,000 greater, driven by a greater cost of the pellet fuel and pollution control technology, offset in part by reduced fuel storage costs. PM2.5 emissions were a factor of 23 lower with the pellet boiler with electrostatic precipitator, with corresponding differences in contributions to ambient primary PM2.5 concentrations. The monetary value of the public health benefits of selecting the pellet-fired boiler technology with electrostatic precipitator was$1.7 million annually, greatly exceeding the differential costs even when accounting for uncertainties. Our analyses also showed complex spatial patterns of health benefits given non-uniform age distributions and air pollution levels. CONCLUSIONS: The incremental investment in a lower-emitting staged combustion pellet boiler with an electrostatic precipitator was well justified by the population health improvements over the conventional wood chip technology with a multicyclone, even given the focus on only primary PM2.5 within a small spatial domain. Our analytical framework could be generalized to other settings to inform optimal strategies for proposed new facilities or populations.This research was supported by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), via an award to the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (Agreement #92229). The SCICHEM work of KMZ was supported by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)

Response induction coil magnetometers to perturbations in orientation

We explore the data collected by a 3-component induction coil magnetometer system with respect to motion of the instruments in earths static magnetic field. The sensitivtiy of the inductiuon coil magnetometer leads to unprecediented accuracy on tilt measurements. We model the signals observed during seismic events as being perturbations in coil orientation. In theory, these perturbations can include ground roll, ocean motion, nearby cultural seismicity, or any other field with a tilting effect. Using data from a magnetic observatory near Parkfield CA we invert several time series of coil data during different levels of seismic activity in an attempt to determine the magnitudes of rotation at which our model accurately describes the coil data. Finally, we explore the transfer function between the coils and nearby seismic instruments (accelerometers, tiltmeters, and velocity seismometers)

Processing Color in Astronomical Imagery

Every year, hundreds of images from telescopes on the ground and in space are released to the public, making their way into popular culture through everything from computer screens to postage stamps. These images span the entire electromagnetic spectrum from radio waves to infrared light to X-rays and gamma rays, a majority of which is undetectable to the human eye without technology. Once these data are collected, one or more specialists must process the data to create an image. Therefore, the creation of astronomical imagery involves a series of choices. How do these choices affect the comprehension of the science behind the images? What is the best way to represent data to a non-expert? Should these choices be based on aesthetics, scientific veracity, or is it possible to satisfy both? This paper reviews just one choice out of the many made by astronomical image processors: color. The choice of color is one of the most fundamental when creating an image taken with modern telescopes. We briefly explore the concept of the image as translation, particularly in the case of astronomical images from invisible portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. After placing modern astronomical imagery and photography in general in the context of its historical beginnings, we review the standards (or lack thereof) in making the basic choice of color. We discuss the possible implications for selecting one color palette over another in the context of the appropriateness of using these images as science communication products with a specific focus on how the non-expert perceives these images and how that affects their trust in science. Finally, we share new data sets that begin to look at these issues in scholarly research and discuss the need for a more robust examination of this and other related topics in the future to better understand the implications for science communications.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, published in Studies in Media and Communicatio

The Effect of Solution Parameters on the Interfacial Chemical Dynamics of Early-Stage Corrosion

Corrosion is a key long-term degradation process for metallic components in nuclear industry infrastructure. Accurately predicting the corrosion rate of a component in its service environment is considered a grand challenge in the corrosion community. Corrosion is a multi-step electrochemical process, with elementary steps involving mass transfer across more than one stage. Due to the multi-step, multi-phase nature of corrosion systems, predicting corrosion behaviour over time is complex. Existing corrosion models can describe electron transfer and mass transport steps independently, under narrow sets of conditions or over a specified duration but cannot account for the changes that occur over time due to the coupling of elementary steps. Developing a detailed understanding of the interfacial chemical dynamics from the earliest stages of corrosion is critical to developing a rate model that adequately describes the evolution of corrosion systems over a wider range of environmental conditions and durations. This thesis identifies and describes the initial interfacial chemical dynamics in corrosion systems and presents a corrosion model framework and mechanism that describe the initial corrosion behaviour as a function of solution redox and transport parameters. The rate-controlling elementary steps in the metal oxidation and oxidant reduction half-reactions are identified and decoupled. Electrochemical polarization tests on carbon steel are used to identify the independent effects of the purging gas (e.g., Argon or 21% O2), solution pH (pH 6.0 – 8.0), solution ionic strength, and concentration of radiolysis products (e.g., H2O2) on the rates of each elementary step. Overpotential and pH-dependent rate equations for metal oxidation and oxidant reduction half-reactions are developed. The proposed mechanism for the initial stage corrosion is shown to be well supported by the experimental observations and its extension to other metals (e.g., Co, Ni) is discussed. This research provides a mechanistic understanding of corrosion at the metal-solution interface in its early stages and offers an approach to describe the evolution of corrosion in various solution conditions. A better understanding of fundamental interfacial processes will enhance the general understanding of corrosion and improve the process of developing predictive models for a wide range of interfacial systems

Effects of a Form of Equine-Facilitated Learning on Heart Rate Variability, Immune Function, and Self-Esteem in Older Adults

Equine-facilitated learning (EFL) helps people access their immediate sensations and feelings because horses, as prey animals, are continually aware of their environment and provide instant feedback to human behaviors and emotions. We hypothesize that during EFL, older people become more aware of their bodily sensations and emotions, leading to increased heart rate variability (HRV), improved self-esteem (Rosenberg scale), and improved immune function. Twenty-four subjects (age \u3e 55) participated in a single 15-minute EFL activity, Con Su Permiso, during which they focused on their bodily sensations and the responses of the horse as they moved toward and around the horse. Subjects served as their own control, interacting with a human. Pre and post measures of HRV were obtained from humans and horses; self-esteem score and immune response (salivary immunoglobulin A, sIgA) from humans. During equine and control interactions, the subject’s HRV (and the horse’s when present) was monitored, while being synchronized with a video recording. An exit interview was conducted after each interaction. Words and gestures relating to feelings and sensations were categorized as positive, neutral, or negative. Human heart and respiration rates as well as HRV (SDRR) increased significantly during interactions with horses and humans compared to baseline (paired t-test, p \u3c 0.05). During equine interactions, human HRV frequency spectrum shifted somewhat to the very low frequency (VLF) range (p \u3c 0.05). The four horses’ HR and HRV responses were varied, but in all cases HRV frequency peaks were predominantly in the VLF range. Human self-esteem increased during interactions with horses and humans (p \u3c 0.05) but sIgA did not change. During exit interviews participants used more positive and fewer negative gestures (p \u3c 0.05) describing the equine experience compared to control; words and gestures were more consistent with each other. These findings mostly support our hypothesis and suggest that engaging with horses benefits humans, indicating an enlivened state without stress

Effects of Equine Interaction on Mutual Autonomic Nervous System Responses and Interoception in a Learning Program for Older Adults

Equine-assisted learning (EAL) may improve the health of older adults, but scientific data are sparse. This study investigated whether people aged 55 and older show increased heart rate variability (HRV) during EAL and awareness of bodily sensations that are overall pleasant. Subjects (n = 24) participated in mindful grooming during which they slowed their breathing and brushed a horse while noticing sensations in their body and watching the horse’s reactions. The subject’s and horse’s HRV were recorded simultaneously before, during, and after mindful grooming. For control, the same subjects performed mindful grooming with a plush simulation horse. During exit interviews, participants described their sensations. Words and gestures were categorized as positive, neutral, or negative. During mindful grooming, human heart rate and HRV (standard deviation of interbeat interval, SDRR) increased compared to baseline (paired t-test, t = –4.228, p \u3c 0.001; t = –3.814, p = 0.001), as did the percent very low frequency (%VLF) component of HRV (t = –4.274, p \u3c 0.001). Equine HRV values remained in the normal range, mostly VLF. In 10 cases, during mindful grooming, horse and human HRVs showed matching VLF frequencies. Grooming the simulation horse significantly elevated SDRR but did not alter %VLF. Exit interviews revealed significantly more positive gestures (t = –3.814, p = 0.031) and fewer negative gestures (Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Z-statistic = –2.12, p = 0.036, p \u3c 0.05) when participants spoke about the real horse compared to the simulation. These findings demonstrate that during mindful grooming people aged 55 and older benefit by experiencing increased HRV, heightened awareness of pleasant bodily sensations, and often some synchronization of their HRV frequency spectrum with that of their horse, possibly reflecting emotional bonding