Intensive Cultural Resources Survey of the Proposed 1.5-mile-long Kenney Fort Boulevard Extension Project, City of Round Rock, Williamson County, Texas

At the request of CP&Y, and on behalf of the City of Round Rock, Texas, in coordination with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), SWCA Environmental Consultants (SWCA) conducted an intensive cultural resources survey for the proposed 1.5-mile-long Kenney Fort Boulevard Extension Project in the City of Round Rock, Williamson County, Texas. The project consists of an expansion of Kenney Fort Boulevard with a 6-lane arterial roadway that would ultimately connect State Highway (SH) 45 to U.S. Highway (US) 79. In addition, the proposed project includes improvements to Gattis School Road from Meister Lane to Rusk Road and improvements at the existing SH 45 grade-separation. The total project area for cultural resource survey consists of approximately 42.1 acres, which includes 6.2 acres of existing right-of-way and 35.9 acres of additional right-of-way that would be required for the project. Of the 35.9 additional acres, 12.6 acres is currently owned by the State of Texas. The remaining 23.3 is being acquired from private owners (much of which has already been acquired by the City at-risk). In addition, a 0.2 acre of permanent drainage easement would also be acquired. It is anticipated that the depth of project impacts will generally be limited to 4 feet but in one isolated area along an approximately 500 foot long segment where the right-of-way slopes down from east to west the cut section on the east side will have a maximum depth of 8 feet. As the City of Round Rock is a political subdivision of the State of Texas, the project is subject to review and approval by the Texas Historical Commission (THC) under the Antiquities Code of Texas (ACT); therefore, the work was conducted under Texas Antiquities Permit No. 9390 and complied with requirements of the ACT. A background literature and records review indicated that 18 previously recorded archaeological sites are present within a 1-mile radius of the project area, including one archaeological site (41WM1167) that intersects the project area. In addition to the records review, SWCA conducted a pedestrian survey, augmented with shovel testing, within the entire 1.5-mile-long project area. For linear projects, the THC/Council of Texas Archaeologists (CTA) survey standards require a minimum of 16 shovel tests per mile, or minimally 16 shovel tests per 100-foot-wide survey transect across the project area, with thorough documentation of all exceptions (e.g., disturbance, slope, and impervious surfaces) noted. Based on these standards, the project area required approximately 72 shovel tests. SWCA excavated a total of 92 shovel tests within the project area, exceeding the THC’s required survey standards. No cultural materials were identified on the ground surface or within any of the shovel tests excavated within the project area. During the current survey, SWCA found that 41WM1167 had been destroyed. No cultural materials were observed on surface or subsurface and the site has been impacted by industrial and residential construction. On June 7, 2007, the THC determined the site was not eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. In accordance with the ACT, SWCA made a reasonable and good faith effort to identify cultural resources within the project area. No archaeological sites were identified that meet the criteria for designation as a State Antiquities Landmark, per 13 Texas Administrative Code 26.12; therefore, SWCA recommends that no additional cultural resources investigations should be warranted within the project area, as currently defined

Intensive Cultural Resources Survey Of The 8.9-Mile-Long Ranch Road 335 Fiber Optic Cable Extension Project, Edwards And Real Counties, Texas

On behalf of Southwest Texas Telephone Company Inc. (SWTTC), SWCA Environmental Consultants (SWCA) conducted an intensive cultural resources survey for the Ranch Road (RR) 335 Fiber Optic Cable Extension Project (Project) on state-owned lands in Edwards and Real Counties, Texas. The Project involves the installation of approximately 8.9 miles (14.3 kilometers [km]) of fiber optic telecommunication cable for SWTTC. Approximately 4.6 miles (7.4 km) of the cable will be installed within the right-of-way (ROW) of RR 335, and the remaining 4.3 miles (6.9 km) will be installed within private lands; portions of the line will be installed overhead, with the remainder being installed underground via trenching and boring. Overall, the Project Area is approximately 8.9 miles (14.3 km) long, 20 feet (6 meters [m]) wide, and between 4–5 feet (1.2–1.5 m) in depth, encompassing about 21.7 acres. In specific locations (e.g., roads and drainages) where the buried utility will be horizontally directional drilled (HDD), the depth of impacts may extend to approximately 10 feet (3.1 m). The portion of the Project on state-owned land (Survey Area) is approximately 4.6 miles (7.4 km) long and 20 feet (6 m) wide, encompassing 11.2 acres. Because the proposed Project occurs on land owned by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), a political subdivision of the state, the work was performed in compliance with the Antiquities Code of Texas (ACT) under Texas Antiquities Permit No. 8390. Investigations consisted of a cultural resources background review of the Project Area and an intensive pedestrian archaeological survey with shovel testing of the Survey Area. The background literature review determined that no cultural resources surveys have been conducted and that no prehistoric or historic resources have been recorded within the Project Area. Fifteen archaeological sites (i.e., 41ED17, 41ED86, 41ED90, 41ED165, 41ED166, 41ED170, 41ED233–235, 41RE12, 41RE13, 41RE18, and 41RE84–86), one cemetery (Vance Cemetery), and one historical marker (Marker No. 5638) are located within 1 mile (1.6 km) of the Project Area. The historic map review revealed eight potentially historic-age structures adjacent to (within 350 feet [107 m] of) the current Project Area (USGS 2018b). Current aerial imagery indicates that all structures are extant; however, none are within either the Project or Survey Areas. Field investigations involved the excavation of 57 shovel tests and examination of the ground surface and exposed profiles within the Survey Area. An additional 18 shovel tests were attempted but not excavated, due to the presence of exposed bedrock and upland gravels on the surface. The proposed Project is situated in a highly modified easement along the edges of RR 335, and as such, there was a significant amount of disturbance throughout the Survey Area. During these investigations, SWCA documented one standing structure (a small historic-age cabin) immediately adjacent to the Survey Area; however, the cabin is 26 feet (8 m) west of the survey corridor and will not be affected by the proposed Project. In accordance with the ACT, SWCA made a reasonable and good faith effort to identify cultural resources within the Survey Area. No archaeological sites were identified that meet the criteria for designation as a State Antiquities Landmark, per 13 Texas Administrative Code 26.12; therefore, SWCA recommends that no additional cultural resources investigations should be warranted within the Survey Area, as currently defined

Introducing Respect in NAGPRA Repatriation Efforts

This thesis addresses the repatriation efforts of the Texas Historical Commission (THC) over the legacy collections subject to the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) housed at THC’s Curatorial Facility for Artifact Research. The passage of NAGPRA provided a formal process for tribes to reclaim their ancestors. This led to the question addressed in this thesis: how is this change in perspective reflected in the best practice methodology developed by the Texas Historical Commission (THC) in preparing a collection for repatriation prior to the notice of inventory? The THC is dedicated to following the spirit of NAGPRA as well as the letter of the law to make a new model on records compilation, rehousing efforts and consultation with the tribes during the repatriation process. The methods in the model were compiled while acknowledging that the human remains were once ancestors with living descendants that have burial customs different from Anglo-American burials. Best practices are a process and can be altered with new information. Through these repatriation efforts, the THC has provided a model for best practices and methodology to follow which can be applied throughout the United States

Intensive Archaeological Survey for the Whistler Pipeline Project on University of Texas Lands in Upton, Reagan, and Crockett Counties, Texas

On behalf of Whistler Pipeline, LLC. (Whistler), SWCA Environmental Consultants (SWCA) conducted an intensive cultural resources survey on a portion of the proposed 515.2-mile-long Whistler Pipeline, which traverses 17 counties in Texas. Whistler proposes to construct, install, and maintain a buried natural gas pipeline extending from the Waha Gas Hub in Pecos County to a delivery point near Agua Dulce in Nueces County, Texas. In addition to this mainline, a 45.7-mile-long lateral pipeline (Midland Lateral) will extend south from Midland County and connect to the mainline in Upton County. This report presents the results of the survey of University of Texas (UT) Lands in Upton, Reagan, and Crockett counties; this covers approximately 28.65 miles of the mainline, 10.9 miles on the Midland Lateral, and 0.18 mile for an undeveloped access road. SWCA surveyed approximately 1,082 acres, including 809.0 acres of mainline, 259.0 acres of lateral pipeline, and 2.2 acres of access road, typically within a 200-foot-wide corridor, as well as the 7.4-acre Rankin Compressor Station in Upton County. Access roads, which were built in 2018 for a previously constructed pipeline (Gulf Coast Express Pipeline), were not surveyed at the request of UT Lands, with the exception of one new, undeveloped access road on the Midland Lateral, totaling 0.18 mile. These previously constructed roads are all established gravel roads which run parallel to the current pipeline and the area has been previously surveyed. No alterations to existing access roads are anticipated. The report details the findings of investigations conducted between September and October 2019, and on January 10, 2020, on the alignment version dated January 15, 2020. All work was conducted in support of Whistler’s potential application requirements for a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Section 404 Permit in accordance with 33 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 325, Appendix C (Processing Department of Army Permits: Procedures for the Protection of Historic Properties; Final Rule 1990; with current Interim Guidance Documents dated April 25, 2005, and January 31, 2007), and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) (54 United States Code 306108) and its implementing regulations (36 CFR 800). Portions of the project are located on lands owned/managed by UT, a political subdivision of the State of Texas; therefore, work was conducted in compliance with the Antiquities Code of Texas (Texas Natural Resource Code, Title 9, Chapter 191) and accompanying Rules of Practice and Procedure (Texas Administrative Code, Title 13, Chapter 26) under Texas Antiquities Permit No. 9052. The portions of the project on UT Lands are within the Albuquerque and Fort Worth USACE Districts. Investigations included a cultural resources background review and literature search and an intensive pedestrian survey augmented with shovel testing. SWCA’s background review indicated 19 surveys have been previously conducted within 1 mile of the project alignment, of which 15 are intersected by or collocated with the project alignment. The review also indicates that 77 previously recorded archaeological sites are within 1 mile of the alignment; 14 of which are intersected by or are within 300 feet of the proposed alignment. Of these 14 sites, six have been recommended or determined not eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) or for designation as State Antiquities Landmarks (SALs), and eight sites have undetermined eligibility for the NRHP or as an SAL. Of the eight sites with undetermined eligibility, seven sites (i.e., 41CX1051, 41RG117, 41RG158, 41RG239, 41RG282, 41RG323, and 41UT147) intersect the current proposed alignment. During the course of the survey, SWCA revisited 10 previously recorded sites (i.e., 41CX1051, 41RG117, 41RG158, 41RG239, 41RG282, 41RG323, 41UT135, 41UT136, 41UT138, and 41UT147). Site 41UT147 has undetermined NRHP and SAL eligibility. As the site features within site 41UT147 will not be impacted by the proposed project, no further work is recommended; however, due to the proximity of the site to the project workspace, the placement of high visibility avoidance fencing around the northern edge of site boundary is recommended prior to construction activities. In addition, SWCA newly recorded four archaeological sites (i.e., 41RG402, 41RG403, 41RG404, and 41UT158) and identified 11 isolated finds. Aside from previously mentioned site 41UT147, all the sites and isolated finds are recommended not eligible for the NRHP or as an SAL within the Project corridor. Seven sites (i.e., 41CX1051, 41RG117, 41RG158, 41RG239, 41RG282, 41UT138, and 41UT147) extend outside of the project area and if the alignment were to shift, additional survey and/or archival research would be needed to assess the portions of the site not surveyed during the current alignment. In accordance with the Antiquities Code of Texas, 33 CFR 325, Appendix C, and Section 106 of the NHPA, SWCA has made a reasonable and good faith effort to identify cultural resources within the investigated project area. Of the 14 revisited and newly recorded sites within the project, one site (i.e., 41UT147) has undetermined NRHP and SAL eligibility and will be avoided by the project via high visibility fencing; Whistler has committed to this avoidance plan. The remaining 13 sites are recommended not eligible for the NRHP or as SALs within the Project corridor. Based on the results of these investigations, SWCA recommends a finding of NO HISTORIC PROPERTIES AFFECTED (per 36 CFR 800.4[d][1]) within UT Lands along the Whistler Project. Per requirements of the Antiquities Code of Texas, project documentation will be curated with the Center for Archaeological Research at the University of Texas at San Antonio

Cultural Resources Survey of Portions of the Rio Bravo LNG Pipeline on Port of Brownsville Lands, Cameron County, Texas

On behalf of Ecology and Environment, Inc. (E & E), Rio Grande LNG, LLC, and Rio Bravo Pipeline Company, LLC (RB Pipeline), SWCA Environmental Consultants (SWCA) conducted cultural resources surveys of portions of the Rio Bravo Pipeline on lands owned or controlled by the Port of Brownsville (Port) in Cameron County, Texas. Rio Grande LNG, LLC proposes to construct a natural gas liquefaction facility and liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal (Terminal) in Cameron County, Texas, along the north embankment of the Brownsville Ship Channel. In concert with the Terminal, RB Pipeline proposes to construct an associated pipeline system (Pipeline System/Project) within Cameron, Willacy, Kenedy, Kleberg, and Jim Wells Counties, Texas to allow for interconnection with a network of existing pipelines that traverse the northern end of Kleberg County and Jim Wells County. The proposed Pipeline System/Project will collect and transport natural gas to the Terminal site. In compliance with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permitting requirements and oversight, SWCA conducted cultural resources investigations in compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) (54 U.S.C. 306108) and its implementing regulations in 36 Code of Federal Regulations 800. Although the entire Project is subject to compliance with Section 106 of the NHPA, this stand-alone report specifically addresses portions of the alignment that will be located on lands owned by the Port of Brownsville (Port). Since the Port is a political subdivision of the state, investigations were conducted in compliance with the Antiquities Code of Texas (ACT) under ACT Permit No. 8588 administered by the Texas Historical Commission (THC). The data in this report is also presented in Addendum IV (Carpenter et al., 2020) to the final report (Nielsen et al., 2016) of the overall investigations. The investigations covered 0.58 mile (0.93 kilometers [km]) of a 50-foot wide reroute adjacent to previously surveyed 200-foot-wide (60.96-meter [m]-wide) pipeline survey corridor, and 0.31 mile (0.50 km) of proposed access roads within a 50-foot-wide (15.24-m-wide) access roads survey corridor, for a Project Area total of approximately 5.39 acres within Port property. The cultural resources investigations included a background and historical map review, and an intensive pedestrian survey with subsurface testing. The background review identified nine previously conducted archaeological surveys within a 1- mile radius of the Project Area, three of which intersect the current Project Area. The background review identified no previously recorded archaeological sites within the Project Area; however, seven archaeological sites are within a 1-mile radius none of which are immediately adjacent (within 300 feet [91.44 m]) to the Project Area. In addition, a review of historical maps determined that there are no historic-age structures or features mapped within or immediately adjacent to the Project Area. SWCA archaeologists conducted the cultural resources intensive pedestrian survey on October 22, 2018. The investigation revealed an extensively disturbed setting due to historic & modern development in the area mainly associated with the Port. SWCA archaeologists excavated a total of nine shovel tests within the Project Area all negative for cultural materials. No cultural materials or features or historic-age structures were identified within the Project Area during the field survey. In accordance with the ACT and Section 106 of the NHPA, SWCA has made a reasonable and good faith effort to identify cultural resources within the Project Area of Potential Effects (APE). No cultural resources were identified within the Project Area during the current investigations. Accordingly, no further investigation is recommended for the assessed sections of the Project Area. The THC concurred with these findings and recommendations on January 14, 2020. No artifacts were recovered; documentation will be curated at the Texas Archeological Research Laboratory of The University of Texas at Austin

A qualitative investigation of breast cancer survivors’ experiences with breastfeeding

This is an exploratory, qualitative investigation of breast cancer survivors’ experiences with breastfeeding. Previous studies have focused on the physiology of lactation after surgery and treatment, but have not explored factors influencing breastfeeding decisions and behavior. We used purposeful sampling to identify 11 breast cancer survivors who had a child after their diagnosis and treatment. Participants were recruited from among those in the Women’s Healthy Eating and Living (WHEL) study and a Young Survival Coalition (YSC) affiliate. We conducted semi-structured, open-ended telephone interviews lasting 45–75 min. We used social cognitive theory (SCT) to structure questions regarding influences on breastfeeding behavior. We transcribed interviews and used cross-case, inductive analysis to identify themes. Ten of 11 participants initiated breastfeeding. The following main themes emerged: 1) Cautiously hopeful, 2) Exhausting to rely on one breast, 3) Motivated despite challenges, 4) Support and lack of support, and 5) Encouraging to others. Study participants were highly motivated to breastfeed but faced considerable challenges. Participants described problems that are not unique to women with breast cancer, but experienced these to a much greater degree because they relied mostly or entirely on one lactating breast. This study revealed a need for improved access to information and support and greater sensitivity to the obstacles faced by breast cancer survivors. Results of this qualitative analysis indicate that interventions to support the efforts of breast cancer survivors who are interested in breastfeeding are warranted. Additional research would aid in the development of such interventions

Toward Large-Area Sub-Arcsecond X-Ray Telescopes II

In order to advance significantly scientific objectives, future x-ray astronomy missions will likely call for x-ray telescopes with large aperture areas (approx. = 3 sq m) and fine angular resolution (approx. = 1"). Achieving such performance is programmatically and technologically challenging due to the mass and envelope constraints of space-borne telescopes and to the need for densely nested grazing-incidence optics. Such an x-ray telescope will require precision fabrication, alignment, mounting, and assembly of large areas (approx. = 600 sq m) of lightweight (approx. = 2 kg/sq m areal density) high-quality mirrors, at an acceptable cost (approx. = 1 M$/sq m of mirror surface area). This paper reviews relevant programmatic and technological issues, as well as possible approaches for addressing these issues-including direct fabrication of monocrystalline silicon mirrors, active (in-space adjustable) figure correction of replicated mirrors, static post-fabrication correction using ion implantation, differential erosion or deposition, and coating-stress manipulation of thin substrates

Differential cross section measurements for the production of a W boson in association with jets in proton–proton collisions at √s = 7 TeV

Measurements are reported of differential cross sections for the production of a W boson, which decays into a muon and a neutrino, in association with jets, as a function of several variables, including the transverse momenta (pT) and pseudorapidities of the four leading jets, the scalar sum of jet transverse momenta (HT), and the difference in azimuthal angle between the directions of each jet and the muon. The data sample of pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV was collected with the CMS detector at the LHC and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 fb[superscript −1]. The measured cross sections are compared to predictions from Monte Carlo generators, MadGraph + pythia and sherpa, and to next-to-leading-order calculations from BlackHat + sherpa. The differential cross sections are found to be in agreement with the predictions, apart from the pT distributions of the leading jets at high pT values, the distributions of the HT at high-HT and low jet multiplicity, and the distribution of the difference in azimuthal angle between the leading jet and the muon at low values.United States. Dept. of EnergyNational Science Foundation (U.S.)Alfred P. Sloan Foundatio

Optimasi Portofolio Resiko Menggunakan Model Markowitz MVO Dikaitkan dengan Keterbatasan Manusia dalam Memprediksi Masa Depan dalam Perspektif Al-Qur`an

Risk portfolio on modern finance has become increasingly technical, requiring the use of sophisticated mathematical tools in both research and practice. Since companies cannot insure themselves completely against risk, as human incompetence in predicting the future precisely that written in Al-Quran surah Luqman verse 34, they have to manage it to yield an optimal portfolio. The objective here is to minimize the variance among all portfolios, or alternatively, to maximize expected return among all portfolios that has at least a certain expected return. Furthermore, this study focuses on optimizing risk portfolio so called Markowitz MVO (Mean-Variance Optimization). Some theoretical frameworks for analysis are arithmetic mean, geometric mean, variance, covariance, linear programming, and quadratic programming. Moreover, finding a minimum variance portfolio produces a convex quadratic programming, that is minimizing the objective function ðð¥with constraintsð ð 𥠥 ðandð´ð¥ = ð. The outcome of this research is the solution of optimal risk portofolio in some investments that could be finished smoothly using MATLAB R2007b software together with its graphic analysis

Impacts of the Tropical Pacific/Indian Oceans on the Seasonal Cycle of the West African Monsoon

The current consensus is that drought has developed in the Sahel during the second half of the twentieth century as a result of remote effects of oceanic anomalies amplified by local land–atmosphere interactions. This paper focuses on the impacts of oceanic anomalies upon West African climate and specifically aims to identify those from SST anomalies in the Pacific/Indian Oceans during spring and summer seasons, when they were significant. Idealized sensitivity experiments are performed with four atmospheric general circulation models (AGCMs). The prescribed SST patterns used in the AGCMs are based on the leading mode of covariability between SST anomalies over the Pacific/Indian Oceans and summer rainfall over West Africa. The results show that such oceanic anomalies in the Pacific/Indian Ocean lead to a northward shift of an anomalous dry belt from the Gulf of Guinea to the Sahel as the season advances. In the Sahel, the magnitude of rainfall anomalies is comparable to that obtained by other authors using SST anomalies confined to the proximity of the Atlantic Ocean. The mechanism connecting the Pacific/Indian SST anomalies with West African rainfall has a strong seasonal cycle. In spring (May and June), anomalous subsidence develops over both the Maritime Continent and the equatorial Atlantic in response to the enhanced equatorial heating. Precipitation increases over continental West Africa in association with stronger zonal convergence of moisture. In addition, precipitation decreases over the Gulf of Guinea. During the monsoon peak (July and August), the SST anomalies move westward over the equatorial Pacific and the two regions where subsidence occurred earlier in the seasons merge over West Africa. The monsoon weakens and rainfall decreases over the Sahel, especially in August.Peer reviewe