1) Their model is inherently dumb. The system is much more complicated and inseparable. 2) They openly admit that “subtracting E, S and V”, as you say, cannot

1) Their model is inherently dumb. The system is much more complicated and inseparable. 2) They openly admit that “subtracting E, S and V”, as you say, cannot actually be done. 3) They’re arbitrarily removing sources of variation so that they can claim “significance” in a narrow window. The entire exercise is designed to achieve a predetermined outcome, and statistical significance cannot be calculated in those circumstances.