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A properly functioning local stormwater drainage system is essential for mitigating flood risks. This study evaluates the quality of roadside drainage channels in three underserved communities in Texas: the Sunnyside neighborhood in Houston (Harris County), a neighborhood in the City of Rockport (Aransas County), and the Hoehn colonia (Hidalgo County). These communities have a history of flooding, are highly socially vulnerable, and rely on roadside ditches as their principal stormwater drainage system for runoff control. Mobile lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) measurements were collected for 6.09 miles of roadside channels in these communities. The raw lidar measurements were processed to evaluate drainage conditions based on the channel's geometric properties, hydraulic capacity, and level of service. The assessment results are linked to a Geographic Information System (GIS) tool for enhanced visualization. Finally, the paper provides insights regarding the quality of stormwater infrastructure in the study communities and discusses their practical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal areas are subject to the joint risk associated with rainfall‐driven flooding and storm surge hazards. To capture this dependency and the compound nature of these hazards, bivariate modelling represents a straightforward and easy‐to‐implement approach that relies on observational records. Most existing applications focus on a single tide gauge–rain gauge/streamgauge combination, limiting the applicability of bivariate modelling to develop high‐resolution space–time design events that can be used to quantify the dynamic, that is, varying in space and time, compound flood hazard in coastal basins. Moreover, there is a need to recognize that not all extreme events always come from a single population, but can reflect a mixture of different generating mechanisms. Therefore, this paper describes an empirical approach to develop design storms with high‐resolution in space and time (i.e., ~5 km and hourly) for different joint annual exceedance probabilities. We also stratify extreme rainfall and storm surge events depending on whether they were caused by tropical cyclones (TCs) or not. We find that there are significant differences between the TC and non‐TC populations, with very different dependence structures that are missed if we treat all the events as coming from a single population. While we apply this methodology to one basin near Houston, Texas, our approach is general enough to make it applicable for any coastal basin exposed to compounding flood hazards from storm surge and rainfall‐induced flooding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a result of more racially inclusive immigration policies in the U.S., the African and Caribbean population has increased. Thus far, scholarly inquiry on Black immigrants have focused on their incorporation into the racial hierarchy, their experiences with racism, and their relationships with African Americans. While beneficial, these studies overlook the impact of ethnic discrimination for Black immigrants. Although all individuals of African descent share similar racialized experiences in the U.S., I hypothesize that diverse Black immigrant groups endure unique discriminatory experiences because of their ethnic identities. Thus, through in-depth interviews with 27 Nigerian and 20 Jamaican respondents, this paper explores Black immigrants' experiences with racial and ethnic discrimination. I found that, regardless of ethnic background, 80% of my Nigerian and Jamaican respondents encountered racism. In contrast, ethnic discrimination varied between my Nigerian and Jamaican respondents. My Nigerian respondents were more likely to report their encounters with ethnic discrimination. These experiences ranged from being accused of internet scamming to being mocked for having an accent. On the other hand, not only were my Jamaican respondents less likely to report ethnic discrimination, but they were also more likely to see their ethnicity as an advantage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Integrated techno-economic assessment of the hydrogen value chain in the Permian Basin, spanning production, storage, and transportation. • Identified cost benefits in feedstock and tax credits for Permian-based hydrogen, balanced by transport expenses to Houston. • Scaling up to 412,000 metric tons/year can counterbalance transportation costs, positioning the Permian Basin competitively in the hydrogen market. This paper investigates the untapped potential of the Permian Basin, a multifaceted energy axis in Texas and adjoining states, in the emerging era of decarbonization. Aligned with current policy directives on regional hydrogen hubs, this study explores the viability of developing a hydrogen energy hub in the Permian Basin, thereby producing low-carbon intensity hydrogen from natural gas in the Basin and transporting it to the Greater Houston area. Diverging from existing literature, this study provides an integrated techno-economic evaluation of the entire hydrogen value chain in the Permian Basin, encompassing production, storage, and transportation. Furthermore, it comparatively analyzes the scenario of interest against an optimized base scenario, thereby underlining comparative advantages and disadvantages. The paper concludes that the delivered cost of Permian-based low-carbon intensity hydrogen to the Greater Houston area is $1.85/kg, benchmarked to the scenario, with hydrogen produced close to the Greater Houston area and delivered at $1.42/kg. Our findings reveal that Permian-based low-carbon intensity hydrogen production can achieve cost savings in feedstock ($0.25/kg) and potentially accrue a higher production tax credit due to a shorter gas supply chain to production ($0.33/kg). Nevertheless, a significant cost barrier is the expense of long-haul pipeline transport ($0.90/kg) from the Permian Basin to Houston as opposed to local production. Despite the obstacles, the study identifies a potential breakeven solution where increasing the production scale to at least 412,000 metric ton per year (about 3 steam-reforming plants) in the Permian Basin can effectively lower costs in the transport sector. Hence a scaled-up production can mitigate the cost difference and establish the Permian Basin as a competitive player in the hydrogen market. In conclusion, a SWOT analysis presents Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats associated with Permian-based hydrogen production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Texas has abundant natural resources, making it a good place for renewable energy facilities to build. Unfortunately, property taxes are the highest tax on an incoming renewable energy facility in the state. In order to increase renewable energy in the state, Texas tax code Chapter 313 was introduced. Chapter 313 allows school districts the opportunity to offer a 10-year limit, ranging from USD 10 million to USD 100 million, on the taxable value of a new green energy project. With Chapter 313 ending in 2022, the following question is raised: how do tax incentives that increase the number of applications for producing renewable energy in Texas impact the wholesale, real-time pricing of electricity in the state? Skew-t regression models were implemented on a large dataset, focusing on the designated North, Houston, and West regions of the Electricity Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), since these regions account for 80% of the state's energy consumption. Analysis focused on the hours ending at 3 AM, 11 AM, and 4 PM, due to the ERCOT's time-of-day pricing. Three key findings related to the above question resulted. First, tax incentives that increase the number of active wind and solar facilities lead to a statistically significant (p < 0.0001) reduction in wholesale electricity price (USD/MWh), ranging between 2.31% and 6.6% across the ERCOT during different hours of the day. Second, for a 10% increase in tax-incentivized green energy generation, during a 24-hour period, there is a statistically significant (p < 0.0001) reduction in the generation cost (USD/MWh), ranging between 0.82% and 1.96%. Finally, electricity price reductions from solar energy are much lower than those from wind generation and/or are not statistically significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this study was to explore the perceived social-ecological impacts of school-based art mural installations that represented the immigrant and refugee experience in a major urban center in southeast Texas. Methods: We adapted surveys (ixia and National School Climate Center) to assess 4 theory-based individual- and community-level constructs with school personnel (N = 9) and students (N = 23) in 3 ethnically diverse inner-city schools in Houston, Texas. Focus groups and interviews captured their perceptions and experiences with the art murals in their own voice. Results: Most participants (> 90%) agreed that the art murals were socially valuable to the school community, neighborhood, and interpersonal relationships, in addition to providing increased economic value (p < .01). Participants responded that there were better relationships between the school communities and their neighborhoods and increased school pride. Student reflections and behaviors were commensurate with the murals' inspirational messages. Conclusion: Findings contribute to understanding the benefits of public art in predominantly minority school settings that reflect the immigrant and refugee experience and aspirations for improving health within a community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the integration of skilled Mexican female workers in the Monterrey labor market, and the relationship with the genesis of migratory flows toward the city of Houston. Following this line of investigation, the feminization of Mexican migration toward the US is considered, in part, to be the result of unfavorable conditions affecting qualified women professionals in their country of origin, who find an employment niche in the basic schooling system of Texas. However, the findings obtained in the fieldwork conducted beg the question of whether this type of migration can truly be defined as skilled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many cases, estimation of the peak discharge is the primary goal of hydrologic modeling. We employed a dataset of 1,648 rainfall-runoff events in 104 watersheds in Texas to explore the peak rate factor (PRF) of 2.08 recommended by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for determining peak discharges with the unit hydrograph method, as well as the PRF's dependency on watershed and storm characteristics. For each event, a unit hydrograph—assumed to follow a two-parameter gamma distribution—was determined by deconvolving the direct runoff hydrograph with the excess rainfall hyetograph. Results showed PRFs reaching up to 9.75 in Houston watersheds with a median of 0.58 and PRFs up to 11.02 with a median of 1.42 for the rest of Texas. It was also found that the recommended PRF of 2.08 falls between the 75th and 90th percentile of the 1,043 events analyzed in all regions except Houston, and is above the 95th percentile in all 605 events analyzed in Houston. Finally, statistical analysis showed that the PRF is primarily dependent on the watershed's geomorphology but not on its slope, as was suggested earlier. This dependency, however, although statistically significant, explains only marginally the PRF variability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Houston-Galveston-Beaumont (HGB) region considerable scientific effort has been directed at elucidating the relationships among atmospheric circulations and urban mixed-layer ozone concentrations. These studies of the HGB region have provided guidance on the conditions that are used herein to identify specific meteorological parameters that relate with observed exceedances of the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for ozone. These parameters were developed using 15 years of ozone concentrations and localized wind conditions enhanced by incorporating data from a private monitoring network. Using these data, several key parameters were found that described the most common meteorological conditions for an exceedance day in HGB. The most relevant parameters included: the wind direction at midnight, wind speeds from 0 to 6 LST, and the extent of wind direction rotation in a 24-hour period. These parameters, and the meteorological conditions they describe, were also found to occur in an analysis of observational data throughout the state of Texas suggesting large scale forces beyond the influence of a sea breeze. A mixed layer model was developed and shown to illustrate the large-scale synoptic forces found in the observational data. The meteorological parameters, and conditions they describe, could be part of a diagnostic model performance evaluation to assure that accurate predictions of ozone for Texas were not the result of compensating errors. Implications: This study identified meteorological-based parameters that coincided with observed exceedances of the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for ozone across the state of Texas. These parameters can be used in support of regulatory model performance evaluations to assure accuracy in predicting ozone conducive conditions. In Houston, the vast majority of meteorlogical ozone conducive days did not produce an exceedance, suggesting other as yet unidentified conditions that are necessary such as an intermittent emission of precursors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of private lands conservation (PLC) for endangered species continues to grow as habitat is increasingly lost or fragmented. In Texas, nearly 98% of all property is privately owned, rendering PLC critical for protecting endangered species. Despite case studies regarding factors leading to stewardship outcomes for endangered species, a knowledge gap exists regarding PLC for endangered species. To help address this gap, we situate findings from 30 key informant interviews and two focus groups within a novel stewardship framework to understand how PLC interventions for the endangered Houston toad (Anaxyrus houstonensis) appeal to landowners. Our approach revealed that local changes in conservation norms and networks can build relationships between resource-deficient landowners and practitioners that increase awareness and trust, combating barriers to PLC. Enhanced networks and cultural transformation facilitated by demographic changes and decentralized governance can allow stewardship obligations to supersede culturally embedded rural myths and attitudes of anti-government sentiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural and anthropogenic hazards are increasingly becoming commonplace due to climate change and population pressures. The state of Texas is particularly vulnerable to these hazards and is ranked first in the USA due to the immense variety and frequency of large-scale events. While much research has looked at the immediate impacts these incidents have on mental health, little research has addressed the effects of compounding and repeated exposure to hazards. This cross-sectional study (N = 1224) collected survey data from a representative sample within the Houston Metropolitan Statistical Area. Utilizing the 12 item Short Form Health Survey version 2, a general composite score assessing mental health was compared against the type and frequency of hazard exposures. Findings revealed an observed reduction in mental health scores as participants had repeated exposures to major disasters. Further, the only significant result (p < 0.001) in dictating a reduced mental health scores was repeat exposure to hazards even after adjusting for demographic data and socioeconomic variables. This research reveals the long-term mental impact hazard exposures can have and underscores the need for target public health interventions and engaged community efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine the relationship between documented β-lactam allergy and cesarean delivery (CD) surgical site infection (SSI). Study Design. We conducted a retrospective cohort analysis of women who underwent CD at Ben Taub Hospital and Texas Children's Pavilion for Women (Houston, TX) from August 1, 2011, to December 31, 2019. The primary exposure was a documented β-lactam allergy, and the second exposure of interest was the type of perioperative antibiotic received. The primary outcome was the prevalence of SSI. Maternal characteristics were stratified by the presence or absence of a documented β-lactam allergy, and significance was evaluated using Pearson's chi-squared test for categorical variables and t-test for continuous variables. A logistic regression model estimated odds of SSI after adjusting for possible confounders.Results: Of the 12,954 women included, 929 (7.2%) had a documented β-lactam allergy while 12,025 (92.8%) did not. Among the 929 women with a β-lactam allergy, 495 (53.3%) received non-β-lactam perioperative prophylaxis. SSI occurred in 38 (4.1%) of women who had a β-lactam allergy versus 238 (2.0%) who did not (p ≤ 0.001). β-Lactam allergy was associated with higher odds of SSI compared to no allergy (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.97; 95%confidence interval (CI) = 1.24-3.14; p = 0.004) after controlling for age, race, ethnicity, insurance status, delivery body mass index (BMI), tobacco use, intra-amniotic infection in labor, duration of membrane rupture, preterm delivery, delivery indication, diabetes, hypertension, group B Streptococcus colonization, and type of perioperative antibiotic received.Conclusion: The presence of a β-lactam allergy is associated with increased odds of developing a CD SSI after controlling for possible confounders, including the type of perioperative antibiotic received. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As part of a larger study into the influence of a Writers in the Schools (WITS) professional development consultancy, this narrative inquiry began just as Hurricane Harvey, the second most costly hurricane to hit the United States, devastated the Texas Gulf Coast in August 2017 and drew to a close in late 2020 during the COVID-19 global pandemic. This chapter explores the 2017-2018 school-year interactions between WITS Collaborative writer, Mary Austin (pseudonym), and six writing teachers with whom she worked at McKay High School (pseudonym) in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. With record flooding and widespread damage causing school-opening delays, teachers, students, and WITS consultants navigated a rip tide of emotions as they strived to balance educational/professional needs and duties with personal loss and unexpected financial burdens. This inquiry examines how WITS teacher professional development was carried out in the midst of these trying circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]