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As the United States' population grows via migration and immigration, with this rise in diverse identities, there has been increasing concern regarding disparities for undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. with limited access to the health system. Given the various constraints involving communication and social structures that undocumented immigrants face, a culture-centered approach is drawn on to investigating how this group goes about navigating a dominant health system given their restricted access. I explore co-constructed themes that emerged through conversations with undocumented immigrants, (people without papers as I call them in this work) living in the United States to gain an understanding as to the structural and cultural limitations faced by this group. By doing qualitative semi-structured interviews with local participants living in the South Florida region, I describe the various features of a complex U.S. health system that undocumented immigrants (people without papers) deemed as important obstacles that limit their willingness to interact with official medical spaces. This work draws on narratives and accounts to shed light on the intersection of disparities this group has to overcome in order to consider entering a medical space to receive the treatment they might need. The findings of this article highlighted the structural violence that certain subaltern groups, such as people without papers experience due to their limited access to foundational systems in their environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paper nailwort (Paronychia chartacea ssp. chartacea) is an endemic and threatened herb restricted to central Florida. There is limited information on seed propagation for this species. We tested the effects of temperature [22/11 °C (winter), 27/15 °C (spring), 29/19 8C (fall), and 33/24 °C (summer)], substrate (filter paper vs native soil), provenance (two collection locations), and time in dry storage on seed germination in three experiments. Germination was generally higher in cooler temperatures (~50-70%; winter or spring) compared to warmer temperatures (~0-25%; fall and summer), with overall germination highest at the spring temperature. We also found that germination increased up to 94% for seeds at fall and summer temperatures when they were transferred to winter temperatures at 32 days (i.e., warm stratification improved germination), and increased from 1% to 24% when seeds were sown at 15/5 °C and transferred to 27/15 °C. No significant differences were found between substrate or provenance. Overall germination rates increased over time in dry storage. These data indicate seeds of paper nailwort are non-dormant, non-deep physiologically dormant, or a combination of the two, prefer cooler to warmer temperatures for germination overall, prefer a warm pretreatment, and can be dry stored for at least four months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After Dobbs, religion, commonly seen as an argument against abortion, has been used to argue for the right to choose. In July 2022, a synagogue sued Florida, asserting that its ban on abortion after fifteen weeks violated Article 1, Section 3 of the Florida Constitution, which prohibits the penalization of free expression of religion. In September 2022, the ACLU argued that the state's abortion ban violated Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act. And in October 2022, three Jewish women sued the state of Kentucky, alleging that its abortion ban violated the Kentucky Religious Freedom Restoration Act. This Note provides a guide to the merits and challenges of the argument that an abortion ban violates a state Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). Although this Note focuses on how Jewish plaintiffs can raise such claims, the arguments outlined could be raised by individuals of multiple faiths. This Note contributes to a growing debate about religious arguments for the right to an abortion. And it is the first paper to outline how religious freedom claims to obtaining an abortion might fare under state RFRAs. The approach to RFRA outlined in this paper lays the groundwork for a rights-advancing framework of religious exercise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose This paper compares and contrasts the implementation of pharmacist-led services for 3 different sexual and gender minority populations across California, Mississippi, and Florida. Summary Implementation of pharmacist-led services tailored to sexual and gender minorities may be a potential mechanism to address health disparities in these populations. Clinical pharmacists have the potential to provide care with cultural humility and improve health outcomes by optimizing medication regimens, reducing adverse drug events, enhancing medication acquisition, and improving medication adherence. Conclusion The services provided by clinical pharmacists varied across sites and included management of gender-affirming hormone therapy, HIV antiretroviral medication adherence programming, primary care and chronic disease state management, and involvement in care related to mental health, psychiatry, and substance use as well as sexual health. Various legislative and regulatory barriers and differences in scope of practice for pharmacists were also identified. This paper advocates for the expansion of pharmacy-led services and the adoption of a culturally humble approach to patient care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is divided into three parts. First, we analyze data from the 2016-2020 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau to assess the demographic structure of Florida families. We find differences between Florida and other parts of the United States. These differences are the result of trends and patterns in migration to, from and within the state. Second, we examine the role that disasters in general and hurricanes in particular play in the family life of Floridians. Third, we review the literature to assess how responses to the COVID-19 pandemic influenced family life and the migration of families into, out of, and within Florida. This paper highlights the dramatic changes that have occurred in family life in Florida. The implications of these trends are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water samples were collected on three dates at 24 sites influenced by effluent from Georgia-Pacific's Palatka Pulp and Paper Mill Operation, a bleached and unbleached kraft mill near Palatka, Florida, USA. The sampling sites were located within the mill retention ponds, Rice Creek, and the St. John's River. Samples were analyzed by gas chromatography--mass spectrometry for abietic, dehydroabietic, and isopimaric acids, all of which are potentially toxic by-products of pulp production. Isopimaric acid concentrations greater than 12 mg/L were measured at the mill's effluent outfall but were less than 20 µg/L at the end of Rice Creek. This result indicates that the waters of Rice Creek provide dilution or conditions conducive for degradation or sorption of these compounds. Large differences in resin acid concentrations were observed between sampling events. In two sampling events, the maximum observed concentrations were less than 2 mg/L for each analyte. In a third sampling event, all of the compounds were detected at concentrations greater than 10 mg/L. Data from the three sample dates showed that resin acid concentrations were below 20 µg/L before the confluence of Rice Creek and the St. John's River in all cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Network screening is a key aspect of the safety management process. The current standard methods in the Highway Safety Manual assume that intersections and roadway segments are independent, even though interactions between sites likely exist. One way to account for these interactions is by studying roadway corridors made of consecutive intersections and segments. This paper developed a roadway corridor definition to identify urban and suburban arterial corridors in Florida with context classification and lane count as defining features. Applying this definition to 10 Florida counties resulted in 1105 corridors with 14,097 fatal or serious injury crashes from 2017 to 2021. Historic crashes and a developed regression model were used to estimate the expected crash frequency for fatal and serious injury crashes with the empirical Bayes method. After performing k-means clustering on expected crash frequency per mile, 25 high-risk corridors were identified. The difference between the expected and predicted crash frequencies (potential for safety improvement) for each high-risk corridor provided a list of priority corridors for safety improvements. Countermeasures focused on speed reduction in suburban corridors would likely lead to the greatest reductions in fatal and serious injury crashes. This corridor approach allows agencies to quickly identify high-risk areas for priority treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global COVID-19 pandemic had an unprecedented impact on transportation worldwide. Significant decreases in transportation across all modes were evident and sustained as governments worldwide implemented various countrywide closures and quarantine restrictions to slow the spread of the virus. This paper quantifies and assesses daily vehicle counts by Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) vehicle classifications during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York and Florida throughout 2020. The study found that duringMarch and April of 2020, traffic among all investigated FHWA categories was significantly reduced in both Florida and New York. However, commodity carriers in both states were able to recover faster and remained more consistent than passenger vehicles. This pattern was also observed in both urban and rural communities in Florida. The findings of this work demonstrate how commodity carrier movements, assessed through FHWA vehicle category counts, were less impacted by the governmental restrictions during the pandemic than passenger transportation. While overall traffic volume dropped by more than half in most places at the height of the pandemic, larger commodity-carrying vehicles remained nearly unchanged from the prior year by June of 2020. This was likely because of the critical need to maintain trucking movements to sustain populations. Understanding how truck traffic and freight movements more broadly were impacted during the COVID-19 pandemic is critical in preserving the continuity of service and preventing supply shortages in the event of future outbreaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) are chemicals that negatively impact endocrine system function, with effluent from paper mills one example of this class of chemicals. In Florida, female Eastern mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) have been observed with male secondary sexual characteristics at three paper mill-impacted sites, indicative of EDC exposure, and are still found at one site on the Fenholloway River. The potential impacts that paper mill effluent exposure has on the G. holbrooki endocrine system and the stream ecosystem are unknown. The objective of this study was to use gene expression analysis to determine if exposure to an androgen receptor agonist was occurring and to couple this analysis with in vitro assays to evaluate the presence of androgen and progesterone receptor active chemicals in the Fenholloway River. Focused gene expression analyses of masculinized G. holbrooki from downstream of the Fenholloway River paper mill were indicative of androgen exposure, while genes related to reproduction indicated potential progesterone exposure. Hepatic microarray analysis revealed an increase in the expression of metabolic genes in Fenholloway River fish, with similarities in genes and biological processes compared to G. holbrooki exposed to androgens. Water samples collected downstream of the paper mill and at a reference site indicated that progesterone and androgen receptor active chemicals were present at both sites, which corroborates previous chemical analyses. Results indicate that G. holbrooki downstream of the Fenholloway River paper mill are impacted by a mixture of both androgens and progesterones. This research provides data on the mechanisms of how paper mill effluents in Florida are acting as endocrine disruptors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last 15 years, microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP) has emerged as a possible solution to mitigate coastal erosion. To date, most MICP soil treatments that have been studied involve column injection using a pump. In recent years, MICP application through surface percolation has gained traction as an alternative technique, but data using this technique are limited. More recently, a new treatment recipe/technique was developed, and this technique was termed bioslurry. Like most MICP studies, research with bioslurry has concentrated on the column injection method, and surface percolation has received very limited attention. This paper discusses the treatment of Florida beach sand by surface percolating bioslurry. Researchers experimented with variations of the bioslurry recipe to optimize erosion resistance, which was assessed using a pocket erodometer combined with physical measurements. In addition, treated specimen morphology was preliminarily examined using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. Results showed that erosion resistance was maximized when 15% to 25% of the specimens' pore volumes were filled with bioslurry and that this erosion resistance may be sufficient to withstand worst-case storm events after only one treatment. In addition, previous researchers always used a relatively long (i.e., ∼12 h) stir time when preparing bioslurry. Results presented here show that it may be possible to produce comparable data with much shorter stir times (i.e., 1 to 2 h). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The aim of the present work was to examine adult smokers' awareness of and receptivity to an electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) television advert, and whether viewing the advert influenced urge to smoke and intention to try ENDS. Methods A television advert for ENDS brand blu eCigs was shown to an online convenience sample of 519 Florida adult smokers. We measured current smokers' awareness of and receptivity to the advert, and whether seeing the advert influenced their thoughts about smoking or quitting, urge to smoke and intention to try ENDS. Results were stratified by prior ENDS use. Results Approximately 62.3% of current smokers were aware of the advert. Smokers found the advert informative (73.8%), attention grabbing (67.5%) and innovative (64.5%), with prior ENDS users rating the advert more favourably than non-users. Seeing the advert elicited an urge to smoke (mean 42.1, SD=1.9) and thoughts about smoking cigarettes (75.8%) as well as quitting (74.6%). Prior END users were significantly more likely than non-users to report thinking about smoking cigarettes after seeing the advert (P<0.05). Most smokers said ENDS were ‘made for people like them' (88.6%) and they would try ENDS in the future (66.0%). Conclusions Smokers are receptive to ENDS television adverts and report intention to try ENDS after viewing the advert. Future studies should monitor ENDS advertising and examine how exposure to ENDS adverts influences smokers' use of ENDS, dual use with cigarettes and cessation behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Families Facing the Future (FFF) is an intervention designed specifically for families with a parent in methadone treatment. FFF is unique because it addresses prevention for children and recovery for parents in a single intervention. The primary goals of the program are to prevent parents' relapse, help them cope with relapse if it occurs, and teach parenting skills in order to reduce the likelihood of substance use among their children. FFF has been implemented as an adjunct to treatment in several Opioid Treatment Programs, but has not been widely adopted due to various implementation barriers. The aims of this study, therefore, were to (1) assess the perceived feasibility of implementing FFF and (2) identify/describe barriers to implementing FFF. An online survey was used to assess implementation feasibility, while individual qualitative interviews were conducted to explore specific barriers to implementation. Data collection from a total of 40 participants (20 patients and 20 providers) was conducted from August 2022 to October 2022 at two Opioid Treatment Programs in Florida. Analyses revealed high feasibility scores, indicating that FFF was viewed by both patients and providers as a practical intervention to implement. Despite strong perceived feasibility of the intervention, qualitative findings identified several implementation barriers with respect to difficulty attending parent training sessions, aversion to in-home visits, and lack of funding (inability to provide patient incentives/bill insurance). This study provides evidence that while patients and providers view FFF as having high feasibility, significant implementation barriers exist. This paper fills a void in the literature by informing if and which modifications might be necessary to facilitate wider adoption of FFF in real-world Opioid Treatment Program settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sex trafficking is one type of human trafficking, which involves scenarios where individuals are not paid and are forced to engage in forced sex, forced prostitution, and sexual slavery. Online advertising is increasingly used by traffickers as an anonymous and efficient method to exploit victims. Large sporting events have been linked to increases in sex trafficking, although there is limited empirical evidence to support this claim. The goal of this study is to answer the following question: What is the relationship between Super Bowls and potential online sex trafficking? Using time series Poisson analysis of secondary data on online sexual service advertisements in Florida during the 2020 and 2021 Super Bowls, which took place in Miami and Tampa, Florida, respectively, the result indicates an increase in online advertisements that exhibit indicators of sex trafficking during the two Super Bowls. The paper concludes by providing recommendations for federal, state, and local law enforcement for improving sex trafficking responses during large sporting events and outlines a future research agenda on the relationship between large sporting events and sex trafficking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reference departments track patron interactions to illustrate the type and number of services provided as well as to tailor librarians’ time and expertise to the interest and needs of their patrons. Until 2010 the Reference, Education, and Community Engagement Department at the Calder Memorial Library tracked statistics using a complicated system of paper tic sheets and two Excel™ spreadsheets. After considering different electronic systems, the department decided to employ an electronic form created with SurveyMonkey™ to track patron interactions. After the system had been in place for three months, the authors administered a satisfaction and use survey to collect faculty and staff feedback on the new system. Seven months later the authors undertook usability testing to collect further evaluative data on the electronic form. The patron interaction form continues to be used to collect statistics, provide data for annual reviews, and recognize the contributions of all faculty and staff at the library. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the constitutionality of the personal injury protection (PIP) claims in the F.S. Section 627.736(4)(b) of the Automobile Reparations Reform Act in Florida in the advent of paper independent medical examinations (IMEs). It discusses court cases involving no-fault scheme. Moreover, the provisions denying plaintiff the right to sue was not a violation of access to courts because it was replaced with an exemption from tort liability and to recover uncontested benefits.

In search of a cohesive tool for managing license agreements, the University of Florida Libraries has devised an in-house project. This paper tracks development of the project from its theoretical inception, which began in 1997. The project was intended to he an all-encompassing database that allowed tracking of license agreements from the time they were received in the Serials Acquisitions Unit to their final signature. The discussion follows the progress of the database development and details the current portable document format (PDF) project in place, which uses scanned license agreements linked to the OPAC (online public access catalog) title record for ease of access and tracking by libraries staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluates androstenedione as an androgenic component of river water downstream of a pulp and paper mill effluent on the Fenholloway River in Florida. Extraction and concentration of Fenholloway water; Reverse-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography; Mass spectromety analyses of deionized and Fenholloway River water.

This paper examines long-term recovery outcomes of businesses impacted by major natural disasters. Data were collected via two large-scale mail surveys—one administered to Santa Cruz County, California businesses 8 years after the Loma Prieta earthquake and the other administered to businesses in South Dade County, Florida, 6 years after Hurricane Andrew. Based on the results of OLS regression models, we argue that long-term recovery experiences of businesses are affected by various factors, including the economic sector in which a business operates, its age and financial condition, and the scope of its primary market; direct and indirect disaster impacts, including physical damage, forced closure, and disruption of operations; and owner perceptions of the broader economic climate. Previous disaster experience, level of disaster preparedness, and use of external sources of aid were not found to significantly affect the long-term economic viability of businesses in the two study communities. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This interview study offers educators practical tips on using tools to improve online learning experiences. Eleven instructors, professors, and instructional designers were interviewed about the challenges they faced designing and teaching online university courses in Florida. This study aimed to explore how educators and instructional designers innovated learning design to improve instructor presence, engagement, and interactivity. In the wake of a pandemic that expedited the adoption of online learning, this paper is intended to offer advice for educators transitioning from emergency remote learning to strategic online course design that integrates emerging technology. This paper is intended to share what educators learned by experimenting with interactive 360-degree multimedia, virtual reality, videography, and visual design in learning management systems. Some of the tools featured in this paper include Roblox, Flipside, Plotagon, Articulate 360, Canvas, Kaltura, and video conferencing apps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the study of the reaction of the University of Florida's students on the free edition of "Gainesville Sun" and on their campus newspaper titled "Independent Florida Alligator." The study aims to examine the students' reaction on the campus-centered edition of "Gainesville Sun." It uses a survey data which are given to the online economics students of the University of Florida. It also explores the effects of childhood exposure, race, ethnicity and education on newspaper readership.

The article presents information about a rule related to business judgment in Florida. The rule provides protection to corporate directors from personal liability for most of their actions. In Florida, the business judgment rule evolved from common law. According to the rule in the state, a director has the obligation to discharge his duties in good faith, with ordinary care, and in a way in which the best interests of his company are ensured. However, if a director is found to be in breach of any of his duties, he is not necessarily considered to be liable for damages.

Currently, the major thrust of plant physiology research is to identify and understand the regulation of genes that might be relevant in plant development and growth. The dominance of a genocentric view of plant behaviour has, unfortunately, resulted in the development of major disconnects in the classical view of plant physiology as a partnership between fundamental and practical research contributing to improved plant production. One disconnect is that much of the genocentric research appears to be organized and executed without regard to the practical needs of enhancing plant performance under applied conditions. Although practical benefits from genocentric research are often claimed, basic assumptions guiding much research and the experimental protocols used are commonly not relevant for real-world plant production. A second disconnect is a failure fully to appreciate the lessons learned in 40 years of classical plant physiology research concerning the role of physiological processes in altering whole plant performance. Regulation of plant systems has proved to be complex and redundant. Alteration of a single physiological process is compensated or dampened so that commonly very little change in plant growth and yield results from modification of a single physiological process. Based on a few successful projects employing classical plant physiology to achieve crop yield increase, key characteristics for research projects that truly seek to increase plant performance in production systems are identified. Basically, the partnership between the fundamental and practical research long espoused for plant physiology needs to be re-established in an intimate and meaningful way. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Since the Ronan Point collapse in the UK in 1968, the progressive collapse analysis of residential buildings has gradually drawn the attention of civil engineers and the scientific community. Recent advances in computer science and the development of new numerical methodologies allow us to perform high-fidelity collapse simulations. This paper assesses different scenarios that could have hypothetically caused the collapse of the Champlain Tower South Condo in Surfside, Florida, in 2021, one of the most catastrophic progressive collapse events that has ever occurred. The collapse analysis was performed using the latest developments in the Applied Element Method (AEM). A high-fidelity numerical model of the building was developed according to the actual structural drawings. Several different collapse hypotheses were examined, considering both column failures and degradation scenarios. The analyses showed that the failure of deep beams at the pool deck level, directly connected to the perimeter columns of the building, could have led to the columns' failure and subsequent collapse of the eastern wing of the building. The simulated scenario highlights the different stages of the collapse sequence and appears to be consistent with what can be observed in the footage of the actual collapse. To improve the performance of the structure against progressive collapse, two modifications to the original design of the building were introduced. From the analyses, it was found that disconnecting the pool deck beam from the perimeter columns could have been effective in preventing the local collapse of the pool deck slab from propagating to the rest of the building. Moreover, these analyses indicate that enhancing the torsional strength and stiffness of the core could have prevented the collapse of the eastern part of the building, given the assumptions and initiation scenarios considered. Building catastrophic collapses can cause significant lives and economic losses. Poor design and maintenance, in combination with aging, will more likely increase, in the next years, the number of buildings potentially vulnerable to the risk of collapse, due to either seismic, accidental, or degradation actions. This research focuses on the analysis of the Champlain Tower South condo collapse, which occurred in Surfside, Florida, in 2021. Different hypothetical collapse scenarios were simulated, comparing the analysis results with the actual evidence of the collapse. The analyses have shown that the degradation of the pool deck slab, due to corrosion, may have contributed to the collapse of the building. Finally, two different minor revisions of the original design of the building were analyzed to reduce the risk of failure and understand how the collapse of similar residential buildings could be prevented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zooarchaeological datasets are often large, complex, and difficult to visualize and communicate. Many visual aids and summaries often limit the patterns that can be identified and mask interpretations of relationships between contexts, species, and environmental information. The most commonly used of these often include bar charts, pie charts, and other such graphs that aid in categorizing data and highlighting the differences or similarities between categories. While such simplification is often necessary for effective communication, it can also obscure the full range of complexity of zooarchaeological datasets and the human-environment dynamics they reflect. In this paper, we demonstrate the utility of formal network graphs to capturing the complexity of zooarchaeological datasets and to effectively highlighting the kinds of relationships between contexts, time, and faunal assemblages in which zooarchaeologists are primarily interested. Using a case study from southwestern Florida (USA), we argue that network graphs provide a quick solution to visualizing the structure of zooarchaeological datasets and serve as a useful aid in interpreting patterns that represent fundamental reflections of human-centered ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the value of human connection and community, drawing parallels to stories from literature and film. It highlights the success of the Southeastern Geographer journal, which receives exceptional contributions from scholars studying topics relevant to the American South. The journal's success is attributed to organizational support, positive experiences, and a nurturing editorial approach. The article also provides summaries of papers on topics such as office space developments following the COVID-19 pandemic, socioeconomic inequality among immigrant populations, the distribution of cooling centers in the Southeastern United States, and the relationship between gentrification and police-involved fatalities in Florida. Additionally, it discusses the strengths and roles of regional geography organizations, with the Southeastern Division of the Association of American Geographers (SEDAAG) being described as the most robust. [Extracted from the article]

In 1985, Florida established a groundbreaking approach to growth management and intergovernmental relations, which the state's 2011 Community Planning Act is widely described as ending. This paper presents a history and institutional analysis of policy changes for the State's core consistency doctrine. It concludes that the CPA did not end growth management since Florida retains the mandate for local planning consistent with state growth management criteria and subject to state review. However, it does formalize diminished state authority over local planning. Florida's current institutional arrangement for planning involves an assertive state rule-making stance, but shifts planning responsibility to local governments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Migratory connectivity of marine fishes is difficult to quantify yet critical for effective species management. Anchor tagging and acoustic telemetry tracking projects on bonefish (Albula vulpes), an economically important coastal exploited species, discovered three bonefish that moved from coastal waters of the Florida Keys to Andros Island, Bahamas. The anchor tagging project had two bonefish make this Florida–Bahamas movement and the acoustic telemetry project had one bonefish make this movement. Outlier analysis was done on the linear distance of these three Florida–Bahamas movements compared to the linear distances of bonefish tagged and recaptured in Florida waters. Also, comparisons were made between the mean distances between tagging locations and mean distances between recapture locations to evaluate whether relocations were active or passive. The linear distance analysis determined the three Florida–Bahamas movements were not outliers. Second, the mean distance between the tagging locations in Florida coastal waters (111 km; 95% CI 63.7–158.4 km) and the mean distance between recapture locations in Andros Island coastal waters (30 km; 95% CI 25.0–35.0 km) may suggest that these relocations are not random dispersal. This paper provides evidence that bonefish can make long distance movements (> 100 km) over deep water (> 200 m). This evidence suggests the need for more research to evaluate the potential for connectivity between neighboring nations for bonefish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe the first recorded association between fishes and nudibranchs in epipelagic waters. In situ observations and photographs of a juvenile spotted driftfish Ariomma regulus (Stromateiformes; Ariommatidae) swimming alongside the planktonic nudibranch Phylliroe lichtensteinii (Gastropoda; Phylliroidae) were made during blackwater scuba dives off Palm Beach, Florida, United States of America. In this paper, we describe this behavior, highlighting a previously undocumented zooplanktonic host used by fishes. This finding also demonstrates the importance of community science in advancing our understanding of the early life history of marine species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fruit bagging is an acceptable cultural practice for organic production that provides a physical barrier to protect fruit. It can reduce pest and pathogen injury for a variety of fruit crops, but quality attributes have been inconsistent for peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch] and other bagged fruit. A 2-year experiment on a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) organiccertified peach orchard in central Florida was conducted to analyze the effects of a commercially available paper bag designed for fruit protection and cardinal quadrant (north, south, east, and west sides) of the tree canopy on low-chill peach 'TropicBeauty' fruit quality. Protective bags appeared to delay fruit maturity. Flesh firmness and chlorophyll concentration of bagged fruit were 31% and 27% greater than unbagged fruit, respectively. Bagged fruit were protected as demonstrated with a reduction in mechanical injury by 95%, fruit fly injury by 450%, and scablike lesions by 810%. Bagging reduced fruit brown rot (Monilinia fructicola) at harvest and 7 days after harvest; unbagged fruit were 2 and 3.5 times more likely to have rot at harvest and 7 days after harvest, respectively. Fruit bags did not affect yield, fruit size, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, pH, peel lightness, peel hue angle, or flesh color. Overall, canopy cardinal quadrant location had minimal effect on fruit quality or fruit injury. These results demonstrate that bagging peach fruit protects against various pests and diseases but has minimal effects on fruit quality. Broad adoption of this technology is highly dependent on available labor, market demands, and profitability but may be suitable for producers using direct-to-consumer market channels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction to the journal is presented which discusses topics within the issue including various aspects of small caliber firearm noise exposures, firearm noise that is not typically experienced by persons using firearms at a target range or when hunting, and noise exposure risks.

The article offers several articles published in the issue from the 2018 Annual Conference of the National Hearing Conservation Association which includes cochlear synaptopathy, changes in otoacoustic emission from firearm noise exposure and noise control engineering role in several applications.

Age-Friendly Health Systems (AFHS) commit to providing evidence-based, low-risk, coordinated care centered on what matters most to older adults, their families, and caregivers. Nova Southeastern University's South Florida Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program (NSU SFGWEP) has partnered with primary care clinics to provide AFHS training and support to promote AFHS transformation in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties. NSU SFGWEP provides face-to-face and virtual training for AFHS and Electronic Health Record (EHR) documentation as part of the initiative. This project focuses on a group of primary care clinics in Broward County, Florida. In this paper, we evaluate the progress of AFHS transformation through six e-clinical measures that collectively provide indicators of the 4 M framework of AFHS (What Matters, Medication, Mentation, and Mobility). We used provider feedback and e-clinical measures aligned with the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) to measure clinic outcomes. From Jan 1– Dec 31, 2019, to Jan 1–Dec 31, 2020, the clinics improved high-risk medication management (0–3.71%), advanced care planning (6.79%–20.74%), and fall risk assessment (no data- 46.72%). Results demonstrate some success and ongoing opportunities to continue and expand AFHS interventions for sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic caused disruption in pharmacy experiential learning as clinical practice sites restricted student access to onsite rotations. Therefore, colleges of pharmacy across the country likely included virtual advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) to fulfill experiential education requirements. The objective of this paper is to evaluate students' perceptions of virtual APPEs during the 2020-2021 academic year. Methods: Experiential directors and faculty at 3 colleges of pharmacy in the south Florida region developed a survey to assess students' perceptions of their virtual APPE rotations during the 2020-2021 academic year. Students who took at least one fully virtual APPE rotation were asked about their perceptions of these rotations. Results: A total of 349 students were invited to take the survey and 92 (26.3%) completed the survey. Of these, 77 students (83.7%) completed at least one virtual rotation. These students completed a total of 152 virtual rotations, with elective and ambulatory care rotations being the most frequent. Most students agreed that rotation objectives were clear, and preceptors offered resources needed to be successful during the rotation. Responses regarding engagement during virtual rotations, rotation expectations being met, and rotations expanding students' knowledge were mixed. Conclusions: Virtual rotations may present unique experiential opportunities for students. Colleges of pharmacy and preceptors can benefit from additional guidance regarding how to incorporate virtual rotations into the experiential curriculum. Best practices for virtual rotations include high frequency of interactions with preceptors, clear objectives and responsibilities, and the use of a rotation calendar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The state of evidence-based transgender healthcare in the United States has been put at risk by the spread of misinformation harmful to transgender people. Health science librarians can alleviate the spread of misinformation by identifying and analyzing its flow through systems that affect access to healthcare. Discussion: The author developed the theory of the Misinformation - Legislation Pipeline by studying the flow of antitransgender misinformation from online echo chambers through a peer-reviewed article and into policy enacted to ban medical treatments for transgender people in the state of Florida. The analysis is precluded with a literature review of currently accepted best practices in transgender healthcare, after which, the author analyzes the key report leveraged by Florida's Department of Health in its ban. A critical analysis of the report is followed by a secondary analysis of the key peer-reviewed article upon which the Florida Medicaid authors relied to make the decision. The paper culminates with a summation of the trajectory of anti-transgender misinformation. Conclusion: Misinformation plays a key role in producing legislation harmful to transgender people. Health science librarians have a role to play in identifying misinformation as it flows through the Misinformation - Legislation Pipeline and enacting key practices to identify, analyze, and oppose the spread of harmful misinformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excessive weight and a growing number of permit vehicles can cause an accelerated bridge damage. Therefore, there is a need to better control operation of heavy permit vehicles. This paper presents an approach to assess bridge life consumption by permit loads. An economic lifetime of a bridge is considered in terms of the number of load cycles to failure so that the structure has to be replaced. Each passage of a truck causes one or more load cycles and thus reduces or consumes a part of the total remaining fatigue life. An incremental consumption equation is derived, and it allows to convert fatigue damage to dollar damage by considering the bridge construction cost, traffic volume, and bridge parameters. The incremental consumption covers only weight exceeding the legal limits. This consumption approach is presented for representative average values and the individual consumption approach with the GIS system using Florida as an example. A developed approach can help state agencies to establish a rational and fair permit fee structure. The methodology is transparent and can be used by any state utilizing the available databases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Though tropical cyclone (TC) models have been routinely evaluated against track and intensity observations, little work has been performed to validate modeled TC wind fields over land. In this paper, we present a simple framework for evaluating simulated low‐level inland winds with in‐situ observations and existing TC structure theory. The Automated Surface Observing Systems, Florida Coastal Monitoring Program, and best track data are used to generate a theory‐predicted wind profile that reasonably represents the observed radial distribution of TC wind speeds. We quantitatively and qualitatively evaluated the modeled inland TC wind fields, and described the model performance with a set of simple indicators. The framework was used to examine the performance of a high‐resolution two‐way nested Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory model on recent U.S. landfalling TCs. Results demonstrate the capacity of using this framework to assess the modeled TC low‐level wind field in the absence of dense inland observations. Plain Language Summary: Some of the biggest human impacts of tropical cyclone (TC) winds come after the TC makes landfall. A skillful prediction of the radial distribution of winds is essential for forecasting TC‐induced inland hazards. However, the forecast skill of numerical hurricane models on inland TC wind fields has rarely been evaluated since it is challenging to collect wind observations during landfall, and the network of regular weather observations is too spread out to capture the strongest winds associated with a TC. This inhibits the improvement of forecast models and limits our understanding of the TC's inland evolution. Our work combines available inland in‐situ wind observations over the southeastern U.S. with existing TC structure theory, and presents a new "optimal" estimate of the post‐landfall winds. Our framework is found to be useful for evaluating the post‐landfall TC winds in hurricane forecast models. In addition, the new evaluation technique can intuitively demonstrate how well the model simulates TC intensity and structure. Key Points: We introduce a new framework for evaluating modeled inland tropical cyclone (TC) wind fields with observation‐based, theory‐predicted wind profilesThe theory‐predicted wind profile well represents the observed radial distribution of inland TC wind speedsWe propose simple indicators to summarize the model performance on inland wind field predictions [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policymakers have suggested and implemented work requirements for safety-net programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). If these work requirements impact program participation, they may lead to greater food insecurity. This paper investigates the effects of implementing the work requirement for the SNAP on emergency food assistance usage. Data were used from a cohort of food pantries in Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi, which imposed the SNAP work requirement in 2016. Event study models were run in 2022, leveraging geographic variation in exposure to the work requirement to measure changes in the number of households served by the food pantries. The 2016 introduction of the SNAP work requirement increased the number of households served by food pantries. The impact is concentrated among urban food pantries. On average, an urban agency exposed to the work requirement served 34% more households in the 8 months after the work requirement than an agency with no exposure. Individuals who lose SNAP eligibility owing to the work requirement remain in need of assistance and seek other sources of food. SNAP work requirements thus increase the burden on emergency food assistance programs. Work requirements for other programs may also lead to increased emergency food assistance use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A rectangular rapid flashing beacon (RRFB) is a pedestrian crosswalk countermeasure system that cautions drivers by providing them with real-time warning about the presence of pedestrians in an upcoming crosswalk. This paper investigated the safety effectiveness of existing RRFBs installed in the state of Florida between 2013 and 2018. Additionally, traffic volume, roadway characteristics, and land-use mix were included as explanatory variables. The study evaluated 154 treated sites with RRFB installations and 158 control sites with similar characteristics. Safety performance functions (SPF) were developed, and crash modification factors (CMF) were calculated using the empirical Bayes (EB) methodology for various crash types. A CMF of 0.31 for total pedestrian crashes was estimated, showing that RRFBs have the potential to reduce 69% of total pedestrian-involved crashes. CMF for total vehicular crashes and rear-end crashes were also investigated to ascertain whether RRFBs have adverse effects on rear-end crashes. CMF for total vehicular crashes was found to be 1.14, showing that RRFBs do not have positive effect in reducing total vehicular crashes. Similarly, it was observed that CMF for the rear-end crashes was 1.11, indicating RRFBs might have adverse effect on rear-end crashes because vehicles needs to slow down or stop due to the presence of pedestrians. CMFunctions for significant variables for pedestrian, rear-end, and total crash models were also estimated in this study. An economic analysis indicated that the implementation of RRFBs will yield a benefit to cost ratio (calculated over 3 years) of approximately 85.5 with a 4% discount rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) and related ecosystem is an icon of the southeastern United States (US). Once covering an estimated 37 million ha from Texas to Florida to Virginia, the near-extirpation of, and subsequent restoration efforts for, the species has been well-documented over the past ca. 100 years. Although longleaf pine is one of the longest-lived tree species in the southeastern US—with documented ages of over 400 years—its use has not been reviewed in the field of dendrochronology. In this paper, we review the utility of longleaf pine tree-ring data within the applications of four primary, topical research areas: climatology and paleoclimate reconstruction, fire history, ecology, and archeology/cultural studies. Further, we highlight knowledge gaps in these topical areas, for which we introduce the Longleaf Tree-Ring Network (LTRN). The overarching purpose of the LTRN is to coalesce partners and data to expand the scientific use of longleaf pine tree-ring data across the southeastern US. As a first example of LTRN analytics, we show that the development of seasonwood chronologies (earlywood width, latewood width, and total width) enhances the utility of longleaf pine tree-ring data, indicating the value of these seasonwood metrics for future studies. We find that at 21 sites distributed across the species' range, latewood width chronologies outperform both their earlywood and total width counterparts in mean correlation coefficient (RBAR = 0.55, 0.46, 0.52, respectively). Strategic plans for increasing the utility of longleaf pine dendrochronology in the southeastern US include [1] saving remnant material (e.g., stumps, logs, and building construction timbers) from decay, extraction, and fire consumption to help extend tree-ring records, and [2] developing new chronologies in LTRN spatial gaps to facilitate broad-scale analyses of longleaf pine ecosystems within the context of the topical groups presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calls for professional papers for presentation at the mid-year Clinical Meeting of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists in Orlando, Florida. Changes in the submission process to improve the quality of the presentations; Deadline for Management Case Study, professional, student and resident poster submissions; Selection criteria that will be used by a blinded peer review panel.

Small wastewater systems serving less than 10,000 population equivalents (p.e.) face a wide range of challenges due to technical and managerial capacity issues, limited resources, and the need to reduce environmental impacts. Based on the wide range of challenges of small systems, the authors of this manuscript developed the social, environmental, and economic wastewater decision support tool (SEE WWDST) to aid decision makers in comparing the sustainability of treatment alternatives. The tool uses multi-criteria decision analysis to produce a single SEE impact score that assesses 12 sustainability metrics across three larger categories: economic performance (e.g., net present worth of costs, affordability), environmental performance (e.g., carbon footprint, eutrophication, water reclaimed), and social performance (e.g., maintenance time, employee training, degree of automation, operator certification requirement, system intrusiveness, daily, and seasonal resilience). This paper compares the performance of three onsite wastewater treatment systems in Florida. The three systems evaluated include: (1) a passive septic tank effluent biofilter (STEB) system, (2) a mechanized aerobic treatment unit (ATU) system, and (3) a passive clay, sulfur, and shell biofilter (CSSB) system. The passive CSSB system was found to be the preferred system due to its lower present worth of cost, lower carbon footprint and eutrophication potential, and better performance for various social factors (e.g., maintenance time, degree of automation, system intrusiveness). The passive STEB system was the second preferred alternative, despite having a worse social performance and the highest present worth of cost. The systems were then assessed using even, social, environmental, and economic weighting preferences and a sensitivity analysis was conducted. In spite of shifts in weighting preference and changes to input data parameters to assess sensitivity, the passive CSSB system was found to be the preferred alternative. This paper highlights the importance of using triple bottom line sustainability metrics to assess small wastewater treatment alternatives using a novel decision support tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malacologists took notice of tree snails in the genus Liguus during the last decades of the nineteenth century. Since then, Liguus have undergone repeated shifts in identity as members of species, states, shell collections, backyard gardens, and engineered wildernesses. To understand what Liguus are, this paper examines snail enthusiasts, collectors, researchers, and conservationists—collectively self-identified as Liggers—in their varied landscapes. I argue that Liguus, both in the scientific imaginary and in the material landscape, mediated knowledge-making processes that circulated among amateur and professional malacologists across the United States and Cuba during the twentieth century. Beginning with an examination of early Liggers' work in Florida and Cuba, this paper demonstrates how notions of taxonomy and biogeography informed later efforts to understand Liguus hybridization and conservation. A heterogeneous community of Liggers has had varied and at times contradictory commitments informed by shifting physical, social, and scientific landscapes. Genealogizing those commitments illuminates the factors underpinning a decision to undertake the until now little-chronicled large-scale and sustained transplantation of every living Floridian form of Liguus fasciatus into Everglades National Park. The social history of Liggers and Liguus fundamentally blurs distinctions between professional scientists and amateur naturalists. The experiences of a diverse cast of Liggers and their Liguus snails historicize the complex character of human-animal relations and speak to the increasing endangerment of many similarly range-restricted invertebrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article highlights the eight Cardiovascular-Kidney Interactions in Health and Disease meeting at Amelia Island Plantation in Florida on May 27-30, 2005. The meeting was funded by the Cardiovascular-Kidney Institute of Georgetown University in Washington D. C. The three-day meeting featured original contributions on a broad range of topics including redox regulation and microvascular function, genetic and cellular regulation of vascular growth and function and growing points in hypertension and cardiovascular disease.

The following paper presents case examples of one research team's use of social network analysis (SNA) with three different collaboratives in South Florida: (a) a Collective Impact initiative seeking to end youth homelessness, (b) a university collaborative of campus organizations working towards Black students' concerns, and (c) a movement network of local social justice organizations. The research team used SNA to assess the level of connectivity of three different community coalitions. While research questions were slightly different for each collaborative, each project asked about the frequency of communication between organizations to determine connectivity. Results vary between case examples. Both the Youth Homeless Collaboration and the Black Student Association used Gephi to analyze results, while The Community Partnership used R to measure network centrality. The paper concludes with a general discussion of challenges related to using SNA as an action research tool, as well as the role of power in organizational networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The prevalence of smoking among cervical cancer survivors is high and evidence-based smoking cessation interventions are critically needed. This paper describes the study design, methods, and data analysis plans for a randomized clinical trial (RCT) designed to evaluate the efficacy of a novel, personally tailored SMS-delivered text-based digital treatment adjuvant designed to enhance the long-term efficacy of a "Motivation And Problem-Solving" (MAPS) approach for smoking cessation among individuals with a history of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) or cervical cancer. MAPS is a phone counseling approach designed to facilitate long-term abstinence that comprises 6 counseling calls over 12 months. The current trial is evaluating the efficacy of MAPS+, which comprises all MAPS components plus a 24-month digital treatment adjuvant. This trial represents a logical extension of our previous RCT, which compared the efficacy of MAPS to a quitline control condition and found that MAPS resulted in greater than a 2-fold increase in smoking abstinence at 12 months (i.e., 26.4% vs. 11.9%). This treatment effect was no longer significant at 18 months, suggesting that efficacy dissipated as time from the end of treatment increased. The primary aim of the current trial is to compare the efficacy of MAPS + and ST in facilitating long-term abstinence. Methods: Individuals who smoke and have a history of cervical cancer or CIN (N = 340) are recruited throughout Florida and randomly assigned to Standard Treatment [ST] or MAPS+. ST participants are electronically connected with the Florida Quitline. MAPS + consists of 6 proactive MAPS-based counseling calls over 12 months plus the novel, personally tailored, text message-based treatment adjuvant delivered over 24 months. All participants receive 12 weeks of combination nicotine replacement therapy (patch and lozenge) and are followed for 24 months. Participant recruitment commenced in December 2022 and is ongoing. Discussion: This study builds on promising results from our recent trial which found that MAPS was associated with substantially higher abstinence from smoking at the end of the 12-month treatment period. Finding that this low-burden, personally tailored digital treatment adjuvant improves the long-term efficacy of MAPS would have important clinical and public health implications. Trial registration: Clinical Trials Registry NCT05645146; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05645146; Registered on December 9, 2022. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predatory mites are effective natural enemies of small arthropods, including pest mites and insects, which provide biological control of several crop pests worldwide. The family Phytoseiidae (Acari: Mesostigmata) is a diverse group of predators found in cultivated crops and other habitats containing natural vegetation. Although some phytoseiid species are commercialized and widely used in biological control programs, the determination of natural populations and identification of the species is a vital first step in understanding their interactions with the crop, environment, and pests. The citrus crop is a diverse agroecosystem colonized by a variety of pests including mites and warrants an understanding of the complex of predators. We collected predatory mites from multiple citrus groves in Florida, to find and identify species for biological control in citrus crops. The examination of the specimens involved the use of Olympus CX-41 microscope, and drawings were prepared with the help of the attached camera Lucida. Any needed corrections were made using tracing paper, rapidograph pen, and Adobe Photoshop version CS6. Neoseiulus hexaporus sp. nov. is described and illustrated as a new species based on its distinct morphology compared with previously described species in paspalivorus group. We also provide a complementary redescription of Neoseiulus mumai (Denmark), including an important diagnostic character of leg chaetotaxy which had led to the description of a new species, Neoseiulus kikuyu Ma, Fan & Zhang. We also provide new illustrations of N. mumai to facilitate its diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: We investigated coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) opinions, experiences, and willingness to accept COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy at two prenatal clinics in early 2021 and early 2022. Materials and Methods: Paper questionnaires were distributed to pregnant women at prenatal care facilities in Virginia and Florida between January and April 2021 and January and April 2022. Questions regarding acceptance and opinions of the influenza vaccine served as a baseline to assess COVID-19 vaccine opinions. Associations between demographic parameters and vaccine opinions and acceptance were examined using Chi-square. A COVID-19 concern score was constructed by principal component analysis with differences between groups assessed by analysis of variance (ANOVA) and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). Results: Many participants (40.6%) reported that the COVID pandemic had affected their pregnancy. Main themes were problems with social networks, increased stress/anxiety, and being more cautious. In 2021, 19.5% reported they would accept a COVID-19 vaccination during their pregnancy, which increased to 45.8% in 2022. Vaccine hesitancy did not vary by race or between sites, but educational attainment was significant (p < 0.001). Women with a higher concern score were more likely to report they would accept a COVID-19 vaccine. Women who would accept COVID vaccination had a positive opinion regarding the influenza vaccine. Main themes for refusing COVID-19 vaccination were concerns about side effects, lack of research/data, and mistrust of vaccines. Conclusions: The proportion of women willing to accept COVID-19 vaccination increased but remained below 50%. Willingness to accept vaccination during pregnancy was associated with higher education, higher concern about COVID-19, and a positive opinion of the influenza vaccine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a background of the rates at which educators, teaching artists, college students, retirees, parents, and the public attend arts programs in their schools and communities. The researcher circulated a 19-question online survey to measure the rates of attendance to visual and performing arts events, such as music, dance, arts community workshops, concerts, and festivals across Florida during the 2018–2019 academic year. The total sample size was 619 adults over 18 years of age. This paper applies a quantitative methodology to examine the respondents' dispositions of the arts in education and communities. The questionnaire requested that the respondents rank the importance of benefits of the arts in schools and share their attendance at school and community arts events. Findings from the study show that the respondents agreed on the importance of integrating arts in education, and that they possess the ability to advance a community's understanding of arts integration. Tangible results of arts attendance in schools and communities are presented, which could help arts school-community leaders in discussing ways to develop, promote, and cultivate resilient arts environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we examine the trajectory, orbital, and radiometric characteristics of the bolide event occurring off the coast of southern Florida and the Grand Bahama Island on April 13, 2021. An object measuring about 1.3 m in diameter entered the atmosphere at approximately 02:16:40 UTC at a velocity of 16 km s−1. It took an almost due north course between Florida and Grand Bahama Island, terminating in the Atlantic Ocean. No fragments have been recovered up to the date of submission of this paper. We used a fragmentation model to infer the internal structure of the object. We found that the best fit to the light curve and height of the peak energy deposition is with a weak stony meteor, with a density of about 2000 kg m−3, that disrupted and fragmented quickly, over a time interval of 1.5 s, or over a distance of about 11 km in altitude, between 45 and 34 km. We find that the impactor had a preatmospheric mass of 2.5 ± 0.5 t, resulting in a diameter of about 1.34 ± 0.09 m. We performed a backward integration of the trajectory to determine an orbit and found that the impacting object was a Jupiter family comet with a semimajor axis of about 3.6 AU, and an inclination of 9°, which is consistent with our analysis from the fragmentation model. We could not find a suitable candidate for a parent body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]