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Dropout remains a persistent challenge within high school education. In this paper, we present a case study on automatically detecting whether a student is at-risk of dropout within a diverse school district in Texas. We predict whether a student will drop out in a future school year from data on students' discipline, attendance, course-taking, and grades, using a logistic regression framework. We discuss the predictive properties of the model, and the features that are predictive of dropout in this context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores my experiences as a Latina/Chicana educator from the borderlands of South Texas and acknowledges my innermost battle with identity through my own testimonio. The purpose is to re-examine administrator and teacher language ideologies and the detrimental effect on curriculum development for all students learning in more than one language. It explores the challenges of my battle and possibilities of professional development using narrative inquiry, testimonios, autobiographies and other critical, pedagogical instructional dialogues as a path to discovery for teachers and administrators to harness their own multilingual language experiences as they support teaching and learning for English learners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The credibility of SPST results against field performance data was validated. • The shear resistance of the tested HMA mixes increased with asphalt-binder PG grading, test temperature and decreased with asphalt-binder content (AC). • Shear Strength is a recommended SPST parameter for use in differentiating/screening mixes with respect to HMA shear resistance and rutting performance prediction. • The HMA shear strength measured from the SPST test correlated well with the field HMA rutting. • HMA mixes with higher SPST shear strength, in general, showed low field rutting. The work presented in this paper was conducted to evaluate and validate the Simple Punching Shear Test (SPST) in characterizing the HMA shear properties for rutting performance prediction. The scope of work included SPST sensitivity evaluation in the laboratory with respect to test temperature and HMA mix-design volumetric variables such as the asphalt-binder type and asphalt-binder content, respectively. The corresponding laboratory test results were then validated against field performance data through correlations of the measured HMA shear properties (shear strength) to actual rutting measured in the field. Based on extensive laboratory testing of commonly used Texas coarse-, dense-, and fine-graded mixes (with different mix-design characteristics/combinations), it was found that the SPST is reasonably sensitive to test temperatures and the HMA mix-design volumetric parameters that were investigated in the study. The HMA shear strength generally exhibited a decreasing trend with an increase in the test temperature and asphalt-binder content, respectively. However, as the Performance Grade (PG) of the asphalt-binder increased, so did the HMA shear strength. With respect to SPST field validation, the HMA shear strength measured from the SPST correlated well with the field HMA rutting performance, exhibiting higher rutting resistance (i.e., low rut depths) for mixes with higher HMA shear strength and vice versa. Overall, based on the study findings, the SPST was found to be a viable surrogate laboratory test method for routinely measuring and quantifying the HMA shear properties for predicting field rutting performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the impact of oil price shocks on house prices in the largest urban centers in Texas. We model their dynamic relationship taking into account demand- and supply-side housing fundamentals (personal disposable income per capita, long-term interest rates, and rural land prices) as well as their varying dependence on oil activity. We show the following: (1) Oil price shocks have limited pass-through to house prices--the highest pass-through is found among the most oil-dependent cities where, after 20 quarters, the cumulative response of house prices is 21 percent of the cumulative effect on oil prices. Still, among less oil-dependent urban areas, the house price response to a one standard deviation oil price shock is economically significant and comparable in magnitude to the response to a one standard deviation income shock. (2) Omitting oil prices when looking at housing markets in oil-producing areas biases empirical inferences by substantially overestimating the effect of income shocks on house prices. (3) The empirical relationship linking oil price fluctuations to house prices has remained largely stable over time, in spite of the significant changes in the Texas' oil sector with the onset of the shale revolution in the 2000s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water insecurity concerns drove San Antonio, Texas to pursue a controversial $3.4 billion groundwater transfer project from central Texas aquifers. The 228 km Vista Ridge Pipeline (VRP) would increase water supplies by 20%. Analysis through Q-Method revealed three social perspectives surrounding the VRP. Project Advocates offer particular views of urban water security, risk, and accountability. The creation of new hydro-social territories helps to explain Landowner Opposition, while Governance Failure offers a foundational criticism of the underlying assumptions and the institutional innovation of private-public partnership that advanced the VRP. Overall, our paper demonstrates that the VRP is differentiated according to views of risk, water law, and groundwater science. Policy deliberations on future urban water security should include these perspectives as a means to improve water governance, especially as policies and infrastructure for urban water security creates new hydro-social territories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social media such as Twitter is increasingly being used as an effective platform to observe human behaviors in disastrous events. However, uneven social media use among different groups of population in different regions could lead to biased consequences and affect disaster resilience. This paper studies the Twitter use during 2017 Hurricane Harvey in 76 counties in Texas and Louisiana. We seek to answer a fundamental question: did social-geographical disparities of Twitter use exist during the three phases of emergency management (preparedness, response, recovery)? We employed a Twitter data mining framework to process the data and calculate two indexes: Ratio and Sentiment. Regression analyses between the Ratio indexes and the social-geographical characteristics of the counties at the three phrases reveal significant social and geographical disparities in Twitter use during Hurricane Harvey. Communities with higher disaster-related Twitter use in Harvey generally were communities having better social and geographical conditions. These results of Twitter use patterns can be used to compare with future similar studies to see whether the Twitter use disparities have increased or decreased. Future research is also needed to examine the effects of Twitter use disparities on disaster resilience and to test whether Twitter use can predict community resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Healthcare spending in the US is $3.2 trillion. $1.1 trillion is attributed to hospital care, including emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations. There is a relationship between ED utilization, hospitalizations, and health literacy in the general population. Health literacy may play a role in frequent ED visits and hospitalizations in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). The purpose of this paper is to describe the relationship among health literacy levels, annual hospital encounters, annual clinic visits, annual ED visits, and annual hospitalizations in 134 Black, non‐Hispanic adolescents aged 10–19 years with SCD. Design: This is a cross‐sectional, descriptive correlational study evaluating facilitators and barriers to health literacy and clinical outcomes in adolescents with SCD. Sample: Data were collected from 134 Black, non‐Hispanic adolescents with SCD at a large, tertiary care center in Texas. Measurements: The Newest Vital Sign and REALM‐Teen health literacy instruments were used to evaluate health literacy. Results: Contrasting previous studies evaluating the influence of health literacy on ED visits and hospitalizations in the general population, there were no significant relationships within this sample. Conclusions: This study gives insight into future research to evaluate other potential influences on ED utilization and hospitalizations in pediatric patients with SCD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate forecasting of peak electricity load has long been an active area of research in electricity markets, and power systems planning and operation. Unanticipated climate-induced surges in peak load can lead to supply shortages causing frequent brownouts and blackouts, and large-scale socioeconomic impacts. In this paper, the climate sensitivity of daily peak load is characterized by leveraging advanced statistical machine learning algorithms. More specifically, a rigorously tested and validated predictive model based on the Bayesian additive regression trees algorithm is proposed. Results from this study revealed that maximum daily temperature followed by mean dew point temperature are the most important predictors of the climate-sensitive portion of daily peak load. Among the non-climatic predictors, electricity price was found to have a strong positive association with the daily peak load. Economic growth was observed to have an inverse association with the daily peak load. While the proposed framework is established for the state of Texas, one of the most energy-intensive states with geographic and demographic susceptibility to climatic change, the methodology can be extended to other states/regions. The model can also be used to make short-term predictions of the climate-sensitive portion of daily peak load. • Maximum temperature is the most important predictor of climate-sensitive peak load. • Dew point temperature significantly influences peak load both during summer and winter. • Maximum sustained wind speed lowers daily peak load. • Electricity price has a strong positive association with peak load. • Economic growth of the state is inversely associated with peak load. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Redistricting is the process of partitioning a set of basic units into a given number of larger groups for electoral purposes. These groups must follow federal and state requirements to enhance fairness and minimize the impact of manipulating boundaries for political gain. In redistricting tasks, one of the most important criteria is equal population. As a matter of fact, redistricting plans can be rejected when the population deviation exceeds predefined limits. In the literature, there are several methods to balance population among districts. However, further discussion is needed to assess the effectiveness of these strategies. In this paper, we considered two different strategies, mean deviation and overall range. Additionally, a compactness measure is included to design well-shaped districts. In order to provide a wide set of redistricting plans that achieve good trade-offs between mean deviation, overall range, and compactness, we propose four multiobjective metaheuristic algorithms based on NSGA-II and SPEA-II. The proposed strategies were applied in California, Texas, and New York. Numerical results show that the proposed multiobjective approach can be a very valuable tool in any real redistricting process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel wireless sensor network node (WSNN) is presented in this paper where the solar energy harvester system is used as an autonomous power solution for endless battery lifetime. In this sensor node, the meander-line Inverted-F-Antenna (MIFA) is proposed and integrated in a single-CC2650 chip of Texas Instrument. The simple structure, low cost, compact size, high efficiency and low power consumption are advantages of this single-chip WSNN. The experimental results show that MIFA antenna is promising solution to enhance communication performance in WSN. In addition, the investigated single-chip WSNN with multi-wireless technologies including Bluetooth Low Energy and Zigbee as well as 6LowPAN is an attractive device for internet of thing (IoT) applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multistage hydraulic fracturing in horizontal wells is a critical technique for developing unconventional oil and gas resources. Stress interactions among neighboring fractures cause immature fracture development. The Texas two-step fracturing (TTSF) method is a new technique that aims to enhance fracture complexity and conductivity. This paper compares the fracture development of consecutive fracturing and the TTSF. The fracturing sequence in the multistage fracturing method has a significant effect on the fracture length, fracture width and injection pressure. The consecutive fracturing results in relatively uneven fracture length and width. Certain fractures in consecutive fracturing are restrained to be closed due to the strong stress shadowing effect. In contrast, TTSF has considerable potential for alleviating the negative effects of stress interactions and producing a larger stimulated reservoir volume. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An active stage of relativistic astrophysics started in 1963 since in this year, quasars were discovered, Kerr solution had been found and the first Texas Symposium on Relativistic Astrophysics was organized in Dallas. Five years later, in 1967–1968 pulsars were discovered and their model as rotating neutron stars (NSs) had been proposed, meanwhile Wheeler claimed that Kerr and Schwarzschild vacuum solutions of Einstein equations provide an efficient approach for astronomical objects with different masses. Wheeler suggested to call these objects black holes. NSs were observed in different spectral band of electromagnetic radiation. In addition, a neutrino signal had been found for SN1987A. Therefore, multi-messenger astronomy demonstrated its efficiency for decades even before observations of the first gravitational radiation sources. However, usually, one has only manifestations of black holes in a weak gravitational field limit and sometimes a model with a black hole could be substituted with an alternative approach which very often looks much less natural, however, it is necessary to find observational evidences to reject such an alternative model. At the moment, only few astronomical signatures for strong gravitational field are found, including a shape of relativistic iron K α line, size and shape of shadows near black holes at the Galactic Center (GC) and M87, trajectories of bright stars near the GC. After two observational runs, the LIGO–Virgo collaboration provided a confirmation for a presence of mergers for 10 binary black holes and one binary NS system where gravitational wave signals were found. In addition, in the last years, a remarkable progress has been reached in a development of observational facilities to investigate a gravitational potential, for instance, the number of telescopes operating in the Event Horizon Telescope network is increasing and accuracy of a shadow reconstruction near the GC is improving, meanwhile largest VLT, Keck telescopes with adaptive optics and especially GRAVITY facilities observe bright IR stars at the GC with perfect accuracy. More options for precision observations of bright stars will be available with creating extremely large telescopes Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) and E-ELT. It is clear that the GC (Sgr A ∗ ) is a specific object for observations. Our solar system is located at a distance around 8 kpc from the GC. Earlier, theorists proposed a number of different models including exotic ones for GC such as boson star, fermion ball, neutrino ball, a cluster of NSs. Later, some of these models were ruled out or essentially constrained with consequent observations and theoretical considerations. Currently, a supermassive black hole with mass around 4 × 1 0 6 M ⊙ is the most natural model for GC. Using results of observations for trajectories of bright stars in paper [A. F. Zakharov, P. Jovanović, D. Borka and V. B. Jovanović, J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys.05 (2016) 045] the authors got a graviton mass constraint which is comparable and consistent with constraints obtained recently by the LIGO–Virgo collaboration. Later, we consider opportunities to improve current graviton mass constraints with future observations of bright stars [A. F. Zakharov, P. Jovanović, D. Borka and V. B. Jovanović, J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys.04 (2018) 050]. Similarly, from an analysis of bright star trajectories, one could constrain a tidal charge which was predicted by a gravity theory with an additional dimension [A. F. Zakharov, Eur. Phys. J. C78 (2018) 689]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many hydrometeorological studies have evaluated the impact of climate variability on hydrologic extremes. Recent studies have shown that the varying state of climatic cycles has intensified the regional hydrologic cycle within a wide range of geographical regions in the state of Texas. These climatic cycles define numerous sea surface temperature and pressure anomalies which lead to heavy precipitation in a region. The objective of this paper is to quantify the impact of five major Atlantic and Pacific Ocean related climatic cycles, including (i) Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO), (ii) North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), (iii) Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), (iv) Pacific North American Pattern (PNA), and (v) Southern Oscillation Index (SOI), on maximum daily precipitation within a year in various climate regions of Texas, using a weighted correlation approach incorporating Leave-One-Out Test (LOOT). The uncertainty in the estimated correlation coefficient is factored in by determining the sample correlation coefficient at the 95% confidence interval. The influence of these global scale climatic cycles on the regional hydrologic cycle is found to be governed by the integrated hydrometeorological properties of weather stations, including (i) station elevation, (ii) average temperature, and (iii) average total precipitation, in the months of extremes. Results of this study will help regional water boards prepare for extreme hydrometeorological events in a changing climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores culturally-related concerns that arose during a multi-year study of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) along the U.S.-Mexico border and describes adaptations made to better connect the research process to study participants. The purpose of this exploration is two-fold: (1) to offer suggestions for culturally sensitive borderland mental health research; and (2) to enhance dialog focused on culture, mental health research and the U.S.-Mexico border. Systematic coding of the written record of weekly research team meetings identified six recurring cultural concerns: emotionally charged and poorly understood terminology; differing meanings of ethnicity and acculturation; quality of life—regional variation and uncertainty; overlap of research and care; hopeful but hesitant; and fatalism. We conclude that diligence in the initial planning phase of a study is only part of the challenge in doing culturally sensitive research. Equally important is an ongoing process of evaluation to make explicit cultural concerns that arise during research, as well as a readiness to implement culturally sensitive research adaptations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Geospatial models in weed risk assessments need to be accessible and reproducible. • The Proto4 model provides accurate yet simple to use suitability distributions. • This model will help invasive species prevention and management. "Proto3" is a geospatial model used by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Plant Protection and Quarantine to predict the potential distribution of non-native weed species in the continental U.S. as part of routine weed risk assessments (WRA). While performing as well as other methods, this tool has the benefit of being simple to produce, expanding accessibility and reproducibility. However, it has the tendency to overestimate potential distributions. To address this shortcoming, this paper introduces the "Proto4" model and compares it with the established and mechanistically similar "Proto3" model currently used. Both models overlay Plant Hardiness Zones, precipitation, and Köppen-Geiger climate classes with global distribution of a plant species and rely on semi-qualitative assessments of a plant's affinity for each of the climate categories. However, Proto4 uses more detailed layers of the Plant Hardiness Zones and Köppen-Geiger climate classes, adds elevation as a fourth predictive variable to increase the precision of predictive maps. Additionally, we incorporate uncertainty to spatially distinguish regions of different potential suitability. We compared the performance of both models by estimating the predicted distributions of 30 broadly distributed, invasive plants in the U.S. with Proto3 and Proto4. We found that on average, the Proto4 model produces predicted distributions that are nearly 780,000 square kilometers (an area larger than the state of Texas) smaller than the Proto3, while only failing to capture a median of fewer than 0.5% more georeferenced points. Furthermore, the inclusion of uncertainty classes adds to the utility of Proto4 by distinguishing areas with greater and lesser degrees of evidence that a particular area is suitable for an invasive species, providing more information to help select invasive species prevention and management prioritization strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND Computerized surveys present many advantages over paper surveys. However, school-based adolescent research questionnaires still mainly rely on paper-and-pencil surveys as access to computers in schools is often not practical. Tablet-assisted self-interviews ( TASI) present a possible solution, but their use is largely untested. This paper presents a method for and our experiences with implementing a TASI in a school setting. METHODS A TASI was administered to 3907 middle and high school students from 79 schools. The survey assessed use of tobacco products and exposure to tobacco marketing. To assess in-depth tobacco use behaviors, the TASI employed extensive skip patterns to reduce the number of not-applicable questions that nontobacco users received. Pictures were added to help respondents identify the tobacco products they were being queried about. RESULTS Students were receptive to the tablets and required no instructions in their use. None were lost, stolen, or broken. Item nonresponse, unanswered questions, was a pre-administration concern; however, 92% of participants answered 96% or more of the questions. CONCLUSIONS This method was feasible and successful among a diverse population of students and schools. It generated a unique dataset of in-depth tobacco use behaviors that would not have been possible through a paper-and-pencil survey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shoreline information is fundamental for understanding coastal dynamics and for implementing environmental policy. The analysis of shoreline variability usually uses a group of shoreline indicators visibly discernible in coastal imagery, such as the seaward vegetation line, wet beach/dry beach line, and instantaneous water line. These indicators partition a beach into four zones: vegetated land, dry sand or debris, wet sand, and water. Unmanned aircraft system (UAS) remote sensing that can acquire imagery with sub-decimeter pixel size provides opportunities to map these four beach zones. This paper attempts to delineate four beach zones based on UAS hyperspatial RGB (Red, Green, and Blue) imagery, namely imagery of sub-decimeter pixel size, and feature textures. Besides the RGB images, this paper also uses USGS (the United States Geological Survey) Munsell HSV (Hue, Saturation, and Value) and CIELUV (the CIE 1976 (L*, u*, v*) color space) images transformed from an RGB image. The four beach zones are identified based on the Gray Level Co-Occurrence Matrix (GLCM) and Local Binary Pattern (LBP) textures. Experiments were conducted with South Padre Island photos acquired by a Nikon D80 camera mounted on the US-16 UAS during March 2014. The results show that USGS Munsell hue can separate land and water reliably. GLCM and LBP textures can slightly improve classification accuracies by both unsupervised and supervised classification techniques. The experiments also indicate that we could reach acceptable results on different photos while using training data from another photo for site-specific UAS remote sensing. The findings imply that parallel processing of classification is feasible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

James Judson Kilpatrick (1857-1935), a native of Georgia, came to Candelaria, Texas, in 1908 to teach school. Over the next 10 years he created a cotton empire there, eventually placing 800 acres under cultivation by 45 tenant families. Between 1917 and 1922 Kilpatrick engaged in a controversy with Captain Stephen Matlack of Troop K, 8th Cavalry, that escalated to engulf the entire 8th Cavalry, the Army court-martial system, Senator Albert Fall's Senate Committee on Mexican Affairs, and, eventually, to involve President Woodrow Wilson. This presentation makes use of the J.J. Kilpatrick Papers at the Briscoe Center for American History and the J.J. Kilpatrick Family Candelaria Papers at the Archives of the Big Bend of Sul Ross State University to examine the origins, progress, and consequences of this controversy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Please send your abstracts (or copies of papers that you want to see reviewed here) to vladik@utep.edu, or by regular mail to Vladik Kreinovich, Department of Computer Science, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ongoing energy transition, including the rapid electrification of energy services, reinforces the importance of secure and reliable electricity infrastructure. Electricity as a critical energy carrier cuts across sectoral boundaries, including but not limited to public health, national security, education, and transportation. Electricity markets treat electricity as a commodity bought and sold in the different restructured markets of the United States and are a critical feature of power systems shaping the energy transition. However, current electricity market developments primarily rely on techno-economic indicators and fall short of incorporating ethical considerations to spur energy transition towards 100% renewable electricity as end-use energy. Even though electricity markets are designed based on the assumption that they are socially valuable, they essentially go unmeasured based on social and ethical parameters and are largely measured using technical and economic tools and criteria. These inadequacies in the development of electricity markets fail to provide energy and other allied services, particularly during and in the aftermath of a disaster, to the people who need them the most. This paper aims to provide an analytical framework using the foundational approach of energy justice for looking at the electricity market development. The paper utilizes the case of the Texas electricity market and its role in dealing with the electricity crisis in Texas during the winter storm of 2021 from the critical lens of energy justice. The paper shows that using the foundational approach of energy justice, the electricity market can be designed more ethically by considering electricity as means rather than only a market commodity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the last decade Global Positioning System (GPS) Continuous Operating Reference Stations networks have become a new important data source for meteorology. This has dramatically improved the ability to remotely sense the atmosphere under the influence of severe mesoscale and synoptic systems. The zenith tropospheric delay (ZTD) is one of the atmospheric variables continuously observed, and its horizontal variations, the horizontal tropospheric gradients, are routinely computed nowadays within the dual‐frequency GPS processing, but their interpretation and relationship with the weather is still an open question. The purpose of this paper is to contribute in this direction by studying the effect that Hurricane Harvey had on the spatial and temporal behavior of the ZTDs and gradients, when it reached Texas coast, during 18–31 August 2017. The results show that ZTD time series present a clear and rapid increase larger than 10 cm in a few hours when the hurricane reached the area. Gradients behaviors show that the hurricane also produced significant changes on them, since the magnitude and predominant directions before and after the hurricane arrived are completely different. Noticeably, the gradient vectors before the landing are consistently related to the horizontal winds and pressure fields. In this manuscript we demonstrate that the ZTD gradients can show a consistent signature under severe weather events, strongly suggesting their potential application for short‐term weather forecasting. Key Points: Major hurricane over dense GPS network gives unique opportunity to study ZTD gradientsThe ZTD gradients show changes in orientation and magnitude when synoptic front approaches [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate estimation of evapotranspiration (ET) is essential to improve water use efficiency of crop production systems managed under different water regimes. The Agricultural Policy/Environmental eXtender (APEX) model was used to simulate ET using four potential ET (ETp) methods. The objectives were to determine sensitive ET parameters in dryland and irrigated cropping systems and compare ET simulation in the two systems using multiple performance criteria. Measured ET and crop yield data from lysimeter fields located in the United States Department of Agriculture‐Agricultural Research Service Bushland, Texas were used for evaluation. The number of sensitive parameters was higher for dryland (11–14) than irrigated cropping systems (6–8). Only four input parameters: soil evaporation plant cover factor, root growth soil strength, maximum rain intercept, and rain intercept coefficient were sensitive in both cropping systems. Overall, it is possible to find a set of robust parameter values to simulate ET accurately in APEX in both cropping systems using any ETp method. However, more computation time is required for dryland than irrigated cropping system due to a relatively larger number of sensitive input parameters. When all inputs are available, the Penman–Monteith method takes the shortest computation time to obtain one model run with robust parameter values in both cropping systems. However, in areas with limited datasets, one can still obtain reasonable ET simulations using either Priestley–Taylor or Hargreaves. Editor's note: This paper is part of the featured series on Optimizing Ogallala Aquifer Water Use to Sustain Food Systems. See the February 2019 issue for the introduction and background to the series. Research Impact Statement: Parameter values to simulate ET accurately in APEX in dryland and irrigated cropping systems can be obtained using any potential ET method but easiest in the irrigated system using Penman–Monthieth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Excess emissions are pollutant releases that occur during periods of startups, shutdowns or malfunctions and are considered violations of the U.S. Clean Air Act. They are an important, but understudied and under-regulated, category of pollution releases given their frequency and magnitude. In this paper, we examine the demographic correlates of excess emissions, using data from industrial sources in Texas. Methods: We conduct two complementary sets of analyses: one at the census tract level and one at the facility level. At the census tract level, we use a multinomial logit model to examine the relationships between racial, ethnic, and income characteristics and the incidence of excess emissions. At the facility level, we first estimate a logit model to examine whether these characteristics are associated with facilities that emit excess emissions, and then, conditional on the presence of excess emissions, we use ordinary least square regression to estimate their correlation with the magnitude of releases. Results: Across our analyses, we find that the percentage of Black population and median household income are positively associated with excess emissions; percentage of college graduate, population density, median housing value, and percentage of owner-occupied housing unit are negatively associated with excess emissions. We, however, have not found a clear and significant relationship between the percentage of Hispanic population and excess emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human perceptions under unstructured forms contain valuable information for ecological restoration (ER). To aid in ER, this paper introduces a working process to analyze the unstructured information for the case study of black bear restoration (BBR) in East Texas where understanding of the perceptions of stakeholders at a community level is needed. We identified the current situation, revealed stakeholders and their interactions, and developed actions for change for BBR. Our techniques included recording discussions in meetings, Soft Systems Methodology, and stakeholder analysis. Results indicated the current situation of BBR with human-bear and human-human conflicts. We figured out that information exchange was interrupted in the public, a potential cause for conflicts. Through a systemization, results showed various roles of key stakeholders and constraints for BBR. We found that local state agencies and local residents (particularly landowners) are the key decision-makers for BBR success. Their collaboration can result in a small portion of success (1/9) that can be increased by more cooperation. The SSM framework introduced in this study can be used for modeling community perceptions in ecological restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growth of electricity generation from variable renewable resources like wind and solar has raised questions about future grid stability. This paper used several renewable energy penetration scenarios to determine when an electric grid might be more vulnerable to frequency contingencies, such as a generator outage. Unit commitment and dispatch modeling was used to quantify system inertia, an established proxy for grid stability. A case study of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas grid was used to illustrate the method. Results from the modeled scenarios showed that the Texas grid is resilient to major grid changes, even with relatively high penetrations (∼ 30% of annual energy generation compared to 18% in 2017) of renewable energy. However, retiring nuclear power plants and private-use networks in the model led to unstable inertia levels in our results. When the system inertia was constrained to meet a minimum threshold in our model, multiple coal and natural gas combined-cycle plants were dispatched at part-load or at their minimum operating level to maintain stable system inertia levels. This behavior is expected to expand with higher renewable energy penetrations and could occur on other electric grids that are reliant on synchronous generators for inertia support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• HMA overlays and reflective cracking. • Use of interlayer grid-reinforcement to mitigate reflective cracking in HMA overlays. • The Texas flexible pavements and overlays database – The DSS. • Reflective cracking performance and interlayer-bonding of in-service highway test sections. • Quantifying reflective cracking performance using the grid efficiency factor (GEF) concepts. One of the common methods to mitigate reflective cracking, in existing cracked pavements, is the use of interlayer grid reinforcements in hot-mix asphalt (HMA) overlay construction during maintenance and/or rehabilitation projects. As a means of sharing the practical experience, lessons learned, and demonstrating the performance benefits of using interlayer grid-reinforcements, this paper presents a field case study where different types of grid reinforcements (namely geosynthetic paving mats) were used in HMA overlay construction to mitigate reflective cracking and thereafter, field performance was monitored and evaluated periodically. Two HMA overlay test sections (denoted as Sec13 and Sec14), reinforced with different grid materials (i.e., geosynthetic paving mats) were constructed in 2011 over an existing cracked HMA pavement (with transverse cracks) on an in-service highway US 59 in the Atlanta District of Texas. Field performance was subsequently monitored/evaluated for a period of over seven years against an adjacent Control section (Sec01), without grid reinforcement, on the same US 59 highway. Under the same pavement structure, traffic loading, and climatic conditions, various performance indices were evaluated semi-annually including reflective cracking, rutting, longitudinal surface profiles, and interlayer bonding. While the rutting performance was indifferent on all the three test sections after 7 years of service, 17% of reflective cracking was measured on the Control section versus 4% on the grid-reinforced test sections – demonstrating that the use of grid reinforcement (namely geosynthetic paving mats) has been effective in mitigating reflective cracking from the existing cracked HMA pavement. Similarly, while coring indicated satisfactory interlayer bonding conditions on all the three test sections, the rate of pavement surface roughness deterioration was also hardly different on all the three test sections – albeit that the Control section (Sec01) exhibited superiority in terms of the profile indices (smoothness/serviceability) than the grid-reinforced test sections (Sec13 and Sec14). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The proliferation of smart technologies, big data, and analytics is being increasingly used to address urban socio-environmental problems such as climate change mitigation and carbon control. Electricity systems in particular are being reconfigured with smart technologies to help integrate renewable generation, enhance energy efficiency, implement new forms of pricing, increase control and automation, and improve reliability. Many of these interventions are experimental, requiring real-world testing before wider diffusion. This testing often takes place in "urban living labs," integrating urban residents as key actors in experimentation with goals for broader sustainability transitions. In this paper, I investigate one such urban living lab focused on smart grid research and demonstration in a residential neighbourhood in Austin, Texas. I develop a framework based in governmentality studies to critically interrogate urban experimentation. Findings suggest that the focus of experimentation devolves urban imperatives into individual responsibilities for socio-environmental change. Managing carbon emissions through energy efficiency, renewable energy, and conservation is promoted as a form of self-management, wherein households reconfigure everyday activities and/or adopt new technologies. At the same, sociotechnical interventions are shaped by technology companies, researchers, and policy-makers marking a central feature of contemporary urban entrepreneurialism. This skews the potential of active co-production, and instead relies on the delegation of responsibility for action to a constrained assemblage of smart technologies and smart users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data on the geographic location of fracking wells in four U.S. states with mandatory disclosure between 2011 and 2013 — Colorado, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Texas — this paper analyzes the socio-demographic characteristics of people living close to fracking activity. Geo-coded well data from the FracFocus registry are merged to blockgroup-level socio-demographic data from the 2006–2010 American Community Survey and population density and land use data from EPA's Smart Location Database 2010. Different buffer zones around fracking wells are applied to capture effects at different spatial scales and to compare only areas with similar geological properties. We explain the distance to the nearest well within a county with fracking activity or within a buffer zone by race/ethnicity, income, educational attainment, various land-use control variables, and county fixed-effects. We find robust evidence that minorities, especially African Americans, disproportionately live near fracking wells, but less consistent evidence for environmental injustice by income or educational attainment. Strong heterogeneity across states can be observed, suggesting that an improvement in disclosure laws in other states, that would make similar analyses possible, is of great importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transportation agencies should have the capacity to evaluate the damage caused by oversize and overweight (OS/OW) vehicles in order to develop effective infrastructure management and rehabilitation strategies. In this paper, we discussed how to combine different paradigms that influence pavement performance into a single evaluation methodology by integrating the most available historical data with respect to the characteristics of OS/OW vehicles (i.e. dimension and weight), their origin and destination, permitted routes, frequency of the routes, pavement condition data, and climatic effects. The proposed methodology is then implemented into three case studies to indicate its applicability and practicality. In the case studies, we evaluate the impacts of OS/OW loads on pavements under different scenarios and combinations of the related factors. The corresponding relationships between pavement conditions and passing OS/OW loads are quantified with a well-accepted sigmoidal function. The results also indicate that, at the early age of the road, higher OS/OW loading would bring a faster deterioration rate (e.g. about 6% of the reduction in service life for extreme high OS/OW loading, while only 2.35% for low OS/OW loading). At the end of road life, the reduction trend slows down, nearly above 2% for all OS/OW loading levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Licea species new to science is described on the bark surface of living American elm (Ulmus americana L.) cultured in moist chambers. It is characterized by an iridescent peridium on the sides of the sporangium, a black apical circular patch of globular debris, and dark reddish black spores that are smooth over half the surface and ridged-reticulate over the other half with the paler thinner wall collapsing into a coffee- bean shape. This combination of morphological characters is distinct and separates this taxon from all other species of Licea. The history of moist chamber culture use and field collection of corticolous myxomycetes is reviewed. The discovery of crystals of unknown origin on the bark surface of American elms associated with Licea species are illustrated with light microscope photography and scanning electron microscopy. Light microscope images and habit photographs were made using multi-focus imaging and computer stacking to increase depth of field and provide illustrations in color of sporangial structures of the new Licea species. This tiny short-stalked Licea approximately 100 µm in height, and with distinctive external and internal morphological characters, was photographed using scanning electron microscopy. Dark-spored versus light-spored species of Licea are reviewed and compared with the most recent molecular analysis as this relates to the genus Licea. This paper is the first in a series that will document the discovery of Licea fruiting bodies of four new species on American elms in nature parks near Fort Worth, Texas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predicting the impact of natural disasters such as hurricanes on the transmission dynamics of infectious diseases poses significant challenges. In this paper, we put forward a simple modelling framework to investigate the impact of heavy rainfall events (HREs) on mosquito-borne disease transmission in temperate areas of the world such as the southern coastal areas of the USA. In particular, we explore the impact of the timing of HREs relative to the transmission season via analyses that test the sensitivity of HRE-induced epidemics to variation in the effects of rainfall on the dynamics of mosquito breeding capacity, and the intensity and temporal profile of human population displacement patterns. The recent Hurricane Harvey in Texas motivates the simulations reported. Overall, we find that the impact of vector-borne disease transmission is likely to be greater the earlier the HREs occur in the transmission season. Simulations based on data for Hurricane Harvey suggest that the limited impact it had on vector-borne disease transmission was in part because of when it occurred (late August) relative to the local transmission season, and in part because of the mitigating effect of the displacement of people. We also highlight key data gaps related to models of vector-borne disease transmission in the context of natural disasters. This article is part of the theme issue 'Modelling infectious disease outbreaks in humans, animals and plants: approaches and important themes'. This issue is linked with the subsequent theme issue 'Modelling infectious disease outbreaks in humans, animals and plants: epidemic forecasting and control'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On July 19th, 2005, American Army Private First Class LaVena Johnson died in Balad, Iraq, just 8 days shy of her 20th birthday. On July 13th, 2015, almost 10 years later, 28-year-old Sandra Bland's life came to an abrupt end in a jail cell in Waller County, Texas. Both women's deaths were ruled suicides, and both women's families and friends reject these judgments. Instead, they insinuate foul play by the state, which directly governed the militarized spaces within which the women both died. At first glance, these women appear to have had very different life trajectories, one a United States soldier and the other a Black Lives Matter activist. However, in both of their cases, the ruling of the suspicious deaths as suicides illustrates the state's attempt to render their deaths banal, and thereby diminish the state's own culpability. In understanding the unremitting acts of violence, on women's bodies, especially women of color, this paper focuses on how a Black feminist praxis extends feminist notions of an ethics of care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We describe an equation-oriented rate-based parallel column model. • The model can simulate DWCs of arbitrary configuration. • Vapour flow splits are found by balancing the pressure drop on both sides of the wall. • Good agreement is found when comparing the model to experimental data from The University of Texas. • Heat transfer through the wall is easy to model in a PCM, and is important in the Texas experiments. This paper describes a rate-based parallel column model, which, via the CAPE-OPEN framework, can be used in any CAPE-OPEN compliant process flowsheet simulation package and can be used to model dividing wall columns of arbitrary configuration. Heat transfer across the dividing wall can be modelled in a straightforward way. Vapour split ratios are determined during the solution of the model equations by requiring the pressure on both sides of the dividing wall(s) to be equal. We compare the predictions of the rate-based model to experimental data from the University of Texas at Austin. There is good agreement between model and measured data. A design case study demonstrates the versatility of our method of calculating vapour splits from a pressure balance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• 1.5 million individual ridesourcing rides used to estimate net effect on energy use. • Commuting and between-ride "deadheading" account for 19% and 26% of ridesourcing VMT. • Ridesource vehicles are 2 MPG more efficient and twice as likely to be hybrid-electric. • Ridesourcing increases energy use by an estimated 41–90% compared to prior mode. This paper identifies major aspects of ridesourcing services provided by Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) which influence vehicles miles traveled (VMT) and energy use. Using detailed data on approximately 1.5 million individual rides provided by RideAustin in Austin Texas, we quantify the additional miles TNC drivers travel: before beginning and after ending their shifts, to reach a passenger once a ride has been requested, and between consecutive rides (all of which is referred to as deadheading); and the relative fuel efficiency of the vehicles that RideAustin drivers use compared to the average vehicle registered in Austin. We conservatively estimate that TNC drivers commute to and from their service areas accounts for 19% of the total ridesourcing VMT. In addition, we estimate that TNC drivers drove 55% more miles between ride requests within 60 min of each other, accounting for 26% of total ridesourcing VMT. Vehicles used for ridesourcing are on average two miles per gallon more fuel efficient than comparable light-duty vehicles registered in Austin, with twice as many are hybrid-electric vehicles. New generation battery electric vehicles with 200 miles of range would be able to fulfill 90% of full-time drivers' shifts on a single charge. We estimate that the net effect of ridesourcing on energy use is a 41–90% increase compared to baseline, pre-TNC, personal travel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highway maintenance and rehabilitation (M&R) planning is a multifaceted decision-making process that requires the consideration of multiple but often conflicting objectives. Traditionally, state highway agencies (SHAs) have focused on maximizing the condition of a pavement network or minimizing agency costs needed to keep the network at an acceptable physical and functional level of service. However, other objectives like minimizing the road user costs and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are seldom factored into the M&R decision-making process. In this paper, a mixed integer program that accounts for these three objectives is presented. The proposed model is then implemented on a subset network in Texas consisting of 100 pavement sections. The results demonstrate the Pareto-optimal relationships that exist between the road condition improvements, road user costs, and GHG emissions. Notably, there is a positive relationship between condition score improvements and the observed marginal GHG emissions from the case network implementation. Furthermore, this network's results indicate that GHG emissions from materials and construction contribute to the most significant proportion of the total estimated GHG emissions. The results of the sensitivity analysis confirm the observed trends in the network case examined and provide valuable insights concerning the impact of variability in the budget size. The principal contribution of this study is in providing an approach for highway decision-makers to perform trade-offs in road condition improvements, road user costs, and GHG emissions of alternate pavement M&R programs or policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Through the Texas Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration study, we implemented and evaluated a system‐oriented model of primary and secondary prevention approaches to mitigate obesity among low‐income Texas children aged 2 to 12 years. Primary prevention included implementing the Coordinated Approach To Child Health Early Childhood (CATCH EC) program in Head Start preschools. In this paper, we describe the methods and results of CATCH EC program process evaluation over 2 years of implementation. METHODS: We used a quasi‐experimental design with serial cross‐sectional data collected from Head Start centers across intervention and comparison catchment areas in Houston and Austin, Texas (intervention: N = 12 centers in 2012‐2013 [Year 1], N = 12 in 2013‐2014 [Year 2]; comparison: N = 13 centers in Year 1, N = 12 in Year 2). Process evaluation included center director and teacher surveys conducted in both years of implementation. We developed indices for implementation of CATCH EC and non‐CATCH health events at the centers. RESULTS: Implementation scores were higher among intervention centers as compared to comparison centers across both years of implementation, and these differences were statistically significant (p < .01). There was also high variability in program implementation in intervention centers across both years ranging from 55% to 95%. CONCLUSION: These implementation index strategies may inform future evaluation of preschool‐based obesity prevention program implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Coupling of ANN waste forecasts with GIS collection route optimization. • GIS routes with minimum travel distances are sensitive to waste composition. • Results of 36 scenarios yield changes in travel distance of up to 19.9% • Dual compartment trucks reduce travel distance but increase waste collection time. Combining an artificial neural network (ANN) waste prediction model with a geographic information system (GIS) waste collection route optimization, the paper shows how the compositional features of waste materials affect the optimized truck route time, distance, and air emissions. Using data from Austin, Texas, USA, a nonlinear autoregressive ANN model is used to predict the waste generation rate of the recycling and garbage streams for the year 2023 in four sub-areas of the city. This ANN model resulted in mean absolute percentage errors ranging from 10.92% to 16.51%. Modified compositions of the recycling and garbage streams are then used as inputs, along with the year 2023 generation rates, to create 6 modified and 3 non-modified scenarios that reflect possible future changes in waste composition. These waste stream scenarios are then used as input parameters to determine optimal waste collection routes with minimal travel distance in each of the four sub-areas using the GIS vehicle routing problem network analysis tool. Results of these 36 scenarios yield changes in travel distance of up to 19.9%, when compared to the non-modified composition. Further, dual compartment trucks were compared to single compartment trucks and found to save between 10.3 and 16.0% in travel distance and slightly reduce emissions but had a 15.7–19.8% increase in collection time. Results suggest temporal changes in waste composition and characteristics are important in GIS route optimization studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract With increasing levels of atmospheric p CO 2 the oceans are becoming progressively more acidic, with the impact of a lowered pH beginning to affect the calcification of numerous invertebrate groups, including foraminifers, pteropods, heteropods and calcareous nannoplankton. Research on the ecology of foraminifera in the Mediterranean Sea, Gulf of California, Caribbean Sea and elsewhere has shown how modern assemblages are responding to acidification. Experimental work in mesocosms and laboratory cultures are also adding to our knowledge of the response to pH changes. Near Ischia (Italy), natural CO 2 vents amongst sea grass meadows are creating low pH environments in which it is possible to observe the response of benthic foraminifera. At a pH of 7.8 the foraminiferal assemblages are already becoming less diverse and below pH 7.6 there are often no calcite-secreting benthic foraminifera. In the Gulf of California, in a deeper-water setting, natural CO 2 (and methane) vents are also lowering sea floor pH. The foraminifera show the impact of this change, although the relatively high carbonate saturation ensures that calcite-secreting foraminifers are able to live and reproduce in these relatively low pH environments, only becoming impacted by dissolution effects once dead. Using data from the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary in Texas, Alabama and north-west Europe it is clear that the plankton was severely impacted by surface water acidification while the relatively shallow water benthic foraminifera show little change and no visible signs of post-mortem dissolution due to ocean acidification. Highlights • This paper discusses the K/Pg in terms of surface water acidification caused by the K/Pg impact event. • describes depositional environments at K/Pg boundary • provides depositional model for the K/Pg boundary • provides correlaton of the boundary events [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper documents a previously undescribed marine palynomorph, Doricodinium obscurum gen. et sp. nov., from Upper Cretaceous sections in the central and southern Western Interior of the USA. Although an archaeopyle has not been confirmed, a case is made here for a probable dinoflagellate cyst, possible peridinioid affinity. The type locality of D. obscurum is the Global boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) for the base of Turonian Stage, at Pueblo, Colorado, where it consistently occurs in intra-Lower to middle Turonian deposits. The taxon also occurs consistently in intra-Lower Turonian strata from the Iona-1 core, SW Texas, where astronomical age modelling gives an age range of 93.92–93.25 ± 0.12 Ma in that section. Outside the USA, it has until now only been recorded from the Cenomanian–Turonian boundary interval in Pakistan. Highlights • Description of Doricodinium obscurum gen. et sp. nov., a marine palynomorph, a probable dinoflagellate cyst. • Distribution calibrated at the GSSP for the Turonian Stage, Pueblo, Colorado. • Astronomical age modelling of its distribution in the Iona-1 core, SW Texas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lean construction (LC) holds potential benefits for project labor productivity; however, the impact on the industry has not been significant. Among other factors, the self-interested behavior of stakeholders, called autonomous agents (AAs) in game theory, has affected LC performance. AAs make decisions for their own benefit rather than for the sake of the project. This paper presents an exploration of the potential impacts that the behavior of subcontractors, as AAs, have had on the performance of LC tools, such as the last planner system (LPS). A qualitative approach was used to collect data through personal interviews with 74 participants in eight projects, built by four construction companies, throughout Texas. A quantitative approach was used to analyze the interviews. The findings were as follows: (1) subcontractors behaved as AAs; (2) the LPS did not prevent the behavior of subcontractors AAs, but it supported the management of issues by the behavior of the subcontractors as AAs; and (3) the behavior of subcontractors as AAs affected LPS performance. This study contributes to the body of knowledge on engineering management by identifying a problem affecting LC, prompting academics and practitioners to investigate solutions that will benefit the labor productivity of the industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In valuation models, the depreciation of housing is represented by age. Housing age captures value loss over time, demonstrating that as the age of the building increases, its physical and functional attributes erode. Renovation offsets depreciation by recovering housing capital and increasing equity. Renovation creates a contemporary appeal of aesthetic and wealth; thus the original house age overestimates its capital attrition. Consequently, an effective age is a better representation of depreciation in valuation models. Effective age accounts for abnormal changes in the condition of the house that alter its remaining economic life. However, a standardized effective age model supported by empirical research has not been developed in the assessment community. Using sale prices of renovated houses in Harris County, Texas, this paper outlines a procedure for developing effective age models. The theoretical framework of the model is predicated on indexing. Building index is used to calibrate depreciation, and its trending creates an effective age. A conversion model replaces the county's renovation indexes with effective age and produces results within the acceptance level of the assessment industry standard. The model limits the prediction of effective age to two variables: housing age and remodel age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemoprophylaxis with intramuscular benzathine penicillin G has been used widely by the U.S. military to prevent epidemics of group A streptococcus infections during basic training. The recent global shortage of benzathine penicillin prompted a detailed analysis of this issue in 2017 by military preventive medicine and infectious disease authorities in San Antonio, Texas, and San Diego, California, USA. This paper explores the history of group A streptococcus and chemoprophylaxis in the U.S. military training environment, current policy and practice, and challenges associated with widespread chemoprophylaxis. In light of the history presented, preventive medicine authorities at basic training centers should be extremely cautious about discontinuing benzathine penicillin chemoprophylaxis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1974, Valentine residents submitted a petition to the Jeff Davis County Commissioners Court in Fort Davis, intending to reactivate Valentine's 1936 order of incorporation by putting the matter to a vote by the town's citizens. The spur to this action was the desire to improve the local water system; the Farmers Home Administration required incorporation before a loan would be authorized. This paper focuses on these events and how federal expertise and state oversight informed this small community's town's projects through the "council of governments" phenomenon emerging nationally in the 1960s-1970s. County governments had long been the political gatekeeper for remote communities in Texas; counties were not even required to submit their annual budgets to the state comptroller prior to 1931. However, Valentine's desire for improved utilities made it an early example of a small Far West Texas community that benefited from this broader regional and federal dynamic. It has continued to benefit from it into the 2000s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cell Research Experiment In Microgravity (CRExIM) was launched aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard suborbital vehicle on Tuesday, December 12, 2017, from the West Texas Launch Site in Van Horn, Texas. One of the aims of this science experiment was to assess the effects of microgravity on murine T-cells during suborbital flight. These cells were placed in a NanoLab with a data logger that sensed the acceleration, temperature, and relative humidity during preflight, flight, and postflight operations. Some discrepancies in sensor measurement were noticed, and these errors were attributed partly to the difference in sampling rates and partly to the different locations of the sensors, which made it difficult to obtain highly accurate measurements of the accelerations and to correlate both sets of data. This paper discusses the setbacks and lessons learned, which made our team find new alternatives while meeting all milestones as mandated by NanoRacks and Blue Origin. This manuscript highlights these alternatives that led to the success of the mission and gives recommendations that will enable customers to alleviate some of these challenges in future flights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the role of moisture transport and recycling in characterizing two recent drought events in Texas (2011) and the Upper Midwest (2012) by analyzing the precipitation, evapotranspiration, precipitable water, and soil moisture data from the Climate Forecast System version 2 (CFSv2) analysis. Next, we evaluate the CFSv2 forecasts in terms of their ability to capture different drought signals as reflected in the analysis data. Precipitation from both sources is partitioned into recycled and advected components using a moisture accounting–based precipitation recycling model. All four variables reflected drought signals through their anomalously low values, while precipitation and evapotranspiration had the strongest signals. Drought in Texas was dominated by the differences in moisture transport, whereas in the Upper Midwest, the absence of strong precipitation-generating mechanisms was a crucial factor. Reduced advection from the tropical and midlatitude Atlantic contributed to the drought in Texas. The Upper Midwest experienced reduced contributions from recycling, terrestrial sources, the midlatitude Pacific, and the tropical Atlantic. In both cases, long-range moisture transport from oceanic sources was reduced during the corresponding drought years. June and August in Texas and July and August in the Upper Midwest were the driest months, and in both cases, drought was alleviated by the end of August. Moisture from terrestrial sources most likely contributed to alleviating drought intensity in such conditions, even with negative anomalies. The forecasts showed noticeable differences as compared to the analysis for multiple variables in both regions, which could be attributed to several factors as discussed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current context for educational reform in the United States is codified in revisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965. Periodic reauthoriations reflect changing national and educational landscapes (Klein, 2015). The most recent re authorisation, Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015 (USDE, 2015), is currently undergoing the regulatory process and is scheduled to go into effect during the 2017-2018 school year (USDE, 2017). This paper mil examine the impact of standards based accountability (SBA) reform within a changing national context from the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) reauthorisation of2002 (USDE, 2002) to ESSA in 2015 through the Texas context of SBA, a descriptive analysis of types of standards, and a statistical analysis of performance by cohort from 2013 to 2016. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives: The many negative effects of burnout have prompted researchers to better understand the factors contributing to it. The purpose of this paper is to add to this body of knowledge through the study of burnout among direct‐care workers in nursing homes. Background: Perhaps the factor most often associated with employee burnout is the level of staffing—insufficient staffing results in work overload and eventually employee burnout. A closer look at research findings suggests that there are many other factors also contributing to burnout. These range from those at the organisational level, such as availability of training and resources to individual characteristics such as self‐esteem and length of employment. Methods: A self‐administered survey instrument was completed by 410 direct‐care workers working within 11 nursing homes in the north Texas region. Regression analyses were performed, adjusting for clustering by nursing home. Beta coefficients and structure coefficients are reported. Burnout was measured through three dimensions: emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and personal accomplishment. Results: Organisational, work design, interpersonal and individual characteristics were found to be associated with one or more dimensions of burnout. Conclusions: The analyses largely support previous research. Organisational variables of significance included the availability of resources to do the work, available training and fair pay. Work design variables of significance included adequate staffing. The individual characteristic, self‐esteem, appeared to have the strongest impact on burnout. Commitment to the organisation also had a large impact. Relevance to clinical practice: While the data do not allow for the testing of causal relationships, the data do suggest that providing adequate staffing, perceived fair pay, sufficient work resources (e.g., towels, gowns), management support and adequate training may result in less direct‐care worker burnout on the job. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehensive cancer centers are an important community resource for cancer prevention education in their catchment areas. Colorectal cancer remains one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in the United States, making prevention a priority. Colorectal cancer prevention targets include lifestyle modifications that are influenced by cultural norms, such as diet change, physical activity and screening behavior. Cancer centers must tailor prevention efforts to multiethnic catchment areas. This paper describes the development and feasibility of a comprehensive cancer center’s approach to community-based colorectal cancer prevention in Houston, Texas, specifically targeting Hispanic and Asian populations. Sites were recruited through a city-wide network of partnerships between the community relations department in the hospital and community organizations. The program consisted of three workshop-style classes per community site. Each class had a similar overall structure, but cultural and site-specific adaptations were made for each group. A total of 33 classes were taught at nine distinct community sites to 1054 participants over 9 months. This program structure may be adapted for the future dissemination of other cancer prevention tools to communities in the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An explosion occurred at a fertilizer plant in the town of West, Texas, on Wednesday, April 17, 2013, devastating a populated neighborhood. A total of 15 people were killed, and approximately 160 more people were injured. Approximately 150 buildings were damaged in the explosion, and the damage to affected homes and businesses was estimated to exceed $100 million. This research documents the building damages caused by the unprecedented explosion and evaluates the technical information for the explosion. The Part I paper of this research focused on the building damage documentation and air-blast incident overpressure calculations. As a companion paper, this manuscript (Part II) primarily focuses on the study of blast-induced ground-shock effects. The ground shock-induced building damages and ground vibration peak particle velocities (PPVs) are analyzed. With a combined consideration of these two types of blast loadings, the air-blast incident overpressures and ground shocks, the field investigated damages caused by the West Fertilizer plant explosion are explained in a more precise manner. The air-blast incident overpressure is identified as the dominant factor for the damages of both wood light-frame buildings and engineering buildings. The ground shock is the secondary factor but is still important. Concluding the research outcomes in the Part I and Part II papers, this study proposes a four-scale blast-induced damage severity evaluation system, demonstrates efficient blastloading calculation methods for both the air-blast incident overpressure and ground-shock PPV, and provides a correlation between the blast loadings and the blast-induced damages for the West Fertilizer plant explosion case. The documentation and analyses that resulted from this research could serve as a good case study for better understanding of the blast loadings and building structural responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]