SeisCORK engineering design study

The goal of SeisCORKs is to make simultaneous and co-located seismic, pressure, temperature, pore water chemistry and pore water biology measurements in the seafloor. We want to see the small events in the vicinity of the borehole for three reasons: 1) After an event fluid may flow in the formation in response to the changing stress regime. Down to what magnitude of event do the pressure transients in the well respond? 2) Fluid flow causes small earthquakes. One mechanism for example is by changing the temperature of the rocks which expand and contract, altering the stress regime. We want to look for this fluid flow. 3) Laboratory studies of rock deformation show that shear fracture is preceded by the coalescence of interacting tensile microcracks which are observed as “acoustic emissions”. By placing high frequency geophones next to faults it may be possible to observe these “acoustic” precursors to rock failure. Since in reservoirs on land small events appear in the frequency band 400-800Hz, no one has yet tried to observe them in oceanic crust. SeisCORKs also obviate the considerable logistical, administrative, and clearance difficulties associated with scheduling a shooting ship to run offset VSPs. We resolved to start with a “tubing conveyed” SeisCORK configuration consisting of four three-component sondes at 50m separation lowered on the outside of 4.5in casing (or drill pipe) inside 10-3/4in casing.Funding was provided by the National Science Foundation under Contract Nos. OCE-0221832 and OCE-0450318

Linear and Nonlinear Responses to Northeasters Coupled with Sea Level Rise: A Tale of Two Bays

This study aimed at dissecting the influence of sea level rise (SLR) on storm responses in two bays in the Gulf of Maine through high-resolution, three-dimensional, hydrodynamic modeling. Saco Bay, an open bay characterized by gentle coastal slopes, provided a contrast to Casco Bay that has steep shorelines and is sheltered by barrier islands and peninsulas. The Finite-Volume Coastal Ocean Model (FVCOM) was implemented for Saco Bay and Casco Bay to simulate the February 1978 northeaster and an April freshwater discharge event in 2007 following the Patriots Day storm. Both events were repeatedly simulated under SLR scenarios ranging from 0 to 7 ft. Modeled storm responses were identified from the 1978 Blizzard simulations and were tracked across SLR scenarios. By comparing changes in inundation, storm currents, and salinity distribution between the two bays, freshwater discharge and bathymetric structure were isolated as two determining factors in how storm responses change with the rising sea level. The steplike bottom relief at the shoreline of Casco Bay sets up nonlinear responses to SLR. In contrast, storm responses in Saco Bay varied significantly with SLR due to alterations in river dynamics attributed to SLR-induced flooding

SeisCORK meeting report

SeisCORK meeting, November 15 and 16, 2004, Stress/Mohr Engineering, Houston, Texas 77041-1205The purpose of this meeting was to explore design options to simultaneously acquire borehole seismic data and hydro-geological data (pressure, temperature, fluid sampling and microbiological sampling) on a single CORK system. The scientific focus was to add a seismic component to the Juan de Fuca Hydrogeology program. By permanently installing a sensor string in the borehole our goal was to enable: l) time-lapse VSP's and offset VSP's with sufficient data quality to study amplitude versus offset, shear wave anisotropy, and lateral heterogeneity; 2) monitoring of micro- and nano- earthquake activity around the site for correlation with pressure transients. Because of the difficulty in ensuring adequate coupling through multiple casing strings we concluded that it was impractical to install the vertical seismic array with 10m spacing (50-60 nodes) that would be necessary for VSP's and time-lapse VSP's. We did describe a scenario for a vertical seismic array with approximately 100m spacing (5-6 nodes) that could be used for offset-VSP's and seismic monitoring. This uses some unique technology and involves two seismic strings: one in the annulus between the 4- 1/2" and 10-3/4" casings and one in the middle of the 4-1/2" casing.Funding was provided by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. OCE-0450318

Public support for tobacco control policy extensions in Western Australia: a cross-sectional study

Objectives: Policy makers seeking to introduce new tobacco control measures need to anticipatecommunity support to assist them in planning appropriate implementation strategies. This studyassessed community support for plain packaging and smoking bans in outdoor locations in Australia.Design: Analytical cross-sectional survey. Setting and participants: 2005 Western Australianadults participated in a computer-assisted telephone interview. Random household telephone numberswere used to obtain a representative sample. Outcome measures: Support for plain packaging ofcigarettes and smoking bans at outdoor venues by demographic characteristics. Results: Around half of the survey respondents supported plain packaging and almost a further quarter reported being neutral on the issue. Only one in three smokers disagreed with the introduction of a plain packaging policy. A majority of respondents supported smoking bans at five of the six nominated venues, with support being strongest among those with children under the age of 15 years. The venues with the highest levels of support were those where smoke-free policies had already been voluntarily introduced by the venuemanagers, where children were most likely to be in attendance, and that were more limited in size.Conclusions: The study results demonstrate community support for new tobacco control policies.This evidence can be used by public policy makers in their deliberations relating to the introduction of more extensive tobacco control regulations

Residual Votes and Abstentions in the 2016 Election

This paper provides a preliminary analysis of the increase in the residual vote rate from 2012 to 2016, when it increased from 0.99% to 1.87% nationwide. It is reasonable to assume that this spike in the residual vote rate is due to a rise in abstentions. However, there are currently other trends in election administration, such as an increasing reliance on vote-by-mail, that could also be driving up the residual vote rate. And, even if the recent up-tick in the residual vote rate is primarily due to an increase in abstentions in 2016, it is not a priori obvious that the source of new abstentions was equally distributed among disaffected Democrats and Republicans. The analysis in this paper relies on a combination of public opinion data and election returns to address these issues. We find, first, that the increase in abstentions in 2016 was most likely due to disaffected Republicans, rather than an across-the-board phenomenon. We also confirm that the increase in the 2016 residual vote rate was not due to changes in voting technologies between 2012 and 2016. We address three issues in the conclusion that this analysis raises: (1) the potential for the growth of protest voting in the U.S., (2) the likelihood that there is a significant under-reporting of voter abstentions in public opinion surveys, leaving a role for aggregate analysis to study this phenomenon, and (3) cautions about the use of the residual vote rate as a metric to gauge the accuracy of voting technologies

Abstention, Protest, and Residual Votes in the 2016 Election

Objective: We analyze the significant increase in the residual vote rate in the 2016 presidential election. The residual vote rate, which is the percentage of ballots cast in a presidential election that contain no vote for president, rose nationwide from 0.99 to 1.41 percent between 2012 and 2016. Method: We use election return data and public opinion data to examine why the residual vote rate increased in 2016. Results: The primary explanation for this rise is an increase in abstentions, which we argue results primarily from disaffected Republican voters rather than alienated Democratic voters. In addition, other factors related to election administration and electoral competition explain variation in the residual vote rates across states, particularly the use of mail/absentee ballots and the lack of competition at the top of the ticket in nonbattleground states. However, we note that the rise in the residual vote rate was not due to changes in voting technologies. Conclusion: Our research has implications for the use of the residual vote as a metric for studying election administration and voting technologies

The Intrinsic Dimensions of Wine Quality: An Exploratory Investigation

Abstract There is considerable uncertainty in the marketing literature regarding the processes by which consumers perform product quality assessments. The study reported in this paper explored the process of product quality assessment in the context of wine consumption in Australia. Wine provides an interesting case study as it has received little research attention in the past and as an aesthetic product it has the potential to provide insight into the quality assessment process for other aesthetic goods. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with a total of 103 consumers, producers and wine-industry mediators. Numerous intrinsic quality dimensions were identified, which interact in quite complex ways. Of greatest importance to interviewees appeared to be the pleasure derived from wine consumption, which seemed to have a close relationship with favourable perceptions of a wine's taste. This provides a contrast to the discussions of wine quality to be found in the wine literature where the focus is more on cognitive elements of wine quality evaluation, such as complexity or ageing potential. Further it seems that drinkers' levels of involvement with the product are critical to their description of wine quality dimensions