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• Component fragilities are derived from fusion of heterogeneous post-disaster datasets. • Subroutines enable generalized sample building selection and damage data integration. • Bayesian approach supports data-scarce use cases and fragility model refinement. • Roof cover fragilities developed using data produced after Hurricanes Michael and Irma. • Identifies intensities/building classes to be targeted in future data collection. Widespread, disaster-related damage to buildings often results in severe economic, environmental, and societal impacts for the affected regions. The design of targeted mitigation strategies and policies to reduce disaster-related losses at community scale would benefit from building-specific, component-level loss estimations across regional building inventories under realistic hazard scenarios. However, such highly granular loss estimations face a unique challenge in sourcing reliable fragilities to project likely damage to specific buildings in a given inventory, especially for the case of wind-vulnerable structures. Notably, increased accessibility to post-disaster datasets, particularly those that standardize damage quantifications at the component-level, are quickly advancing the utility of this data for the development of observation-informed fragilities. In response, this paper offers a Bayesian data integration framework to guide the development of component-level fragilities derived from the fusion of multiple post-disaster datasets. This framework advances the utility of Bayesian approaches to fragility model updating for applications to high-granularity regional loss estimation by contributing subroutines that (1) generalize the process of sample building selection and (2) formalize the query and integration of heterogeneous open disaster data. These contributions then enable automated model updating of component-level fragilities, taking advantage of an object-oriented data model to facilitate efficient building data management across the framework's subroutines. Such a Bayesian approach to fragility development not only allows for continuous refinement of model parameters as post-disaster data becomes available, but also creates opportunities for the framework to support fragility descriptions for classes of buildings that comprise smaller proportions of the building inventory, and are thus unlikely to have large sample sizes. The framework is applied to two case studies in the state of Florida, utilizing datasets produced after Hurricanes Michael and Irma to update fragility models for roof cover components in residential and institutional buildings. The case studies not only demonstrate the proposed framework's rational approach to generating observation-informed fragilities in support of regional damage assessments, but also how this data-driven Bayesian approach can in turn inform hazard intensities and building classes to be targeted in data collection after future hurricanes to further refine the fragilities for use cases/damage measures/wind speeds that have limited observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The devastating disease Huanglongbing (HLB) has greatly affected citrus in Florida and other growing regions. Detecting dropped fruit is one method of estimating the presence and severity of the disease. The purpose of this study was to develop a machine vision system that can detect dropped citrus on the ground in varying illumination conditions and identify decaying stages of the dropped fruit. In this paper, a novel method for image brightness correction using a contrast limited adaptive histogram equalization was developed to produce constant image brightness levels between and within images. Objectives of this study were to: (1) solve the varying illumination problem and create a consistent brightness level between and within the images, (2) develop an algorithm to eliminate multiple detections of a single fruit from the circular Hough transform, (3) design an algorithm to evaluate decaying stages of the dropped citrus, and (4) demonstrate ability to create a fruit drop map of citrus at each decaying stage in a commercial citrus grove. The result shows all processed images had desired brightness levels (152 out of 255) with a standard deviation of 1.0. Correct identification of fruit and false positives were measured as 89.6% and 5.0%, respectively. False classifications of decay stages of fruit were as low as 4.2% and 18.5% for recently dropped fruit and rotten fruit, respectively. The techniques developed in this work could be further developed into a commercial machine vision system for a real-time dropped fruit mapping system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: In recent years, studies have indicated that consumers of alcohol mixed with energy drink (AmED) are more likely to drink heavily and experience more negative consequences than consumers who avoid these beverages. Although researchers have identified a number of plausible hypotheses that explain how alcohol-energy drink co-ingestion could cause greater alcohol consumption, there has been no postulation about reverse causal relations. This paper identifies several plausible hypotheses for the observed associations between AmED consumption and greater alcohol consumption, and provides initial evidence for one such hypothesis suggesting that heavy drinking may be a determinant of AmED use.Method: Data collected from 511bar patrons were used to examine the plausibility of one of the proposed hypotheses, i.e., AmED is an artifact of heavy drinking. Associations between the consumption of an assortment of alcoholic beverage types and total alcohol consumption were examined at the event-level, to assess whether AmED is uniquely related with greater alcohol consumption.Results: Increased alcohol consumption was associated with greater odds of consuming most alcoholic beverage types; this association was not unique to AmED.Conclusions: Results support the overlooked hypothesis that AmED use is an artifact of heavy drinking. Thus, AmED consumption may be a consequence or marker of heavier drinking. Much of the existing research on alcoholic beverage types is limited in its ability to implicate any specific type of drink, including AmED, as a cause of increased alcohol consumption and related harm. More rigorous study designs are needed to examine causal relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Technology has transformed our lifestyles in dramatic and significant ways, including new and less expensive options for recruiting study participants. This study examines cost and participant differences between two recruitment sources, Craigslist (CL), and print newspapers (PNs). This paper also reviewed and compared studies involving clinical trials published since 2010 that recruited participants using CL alone or in combination with other methods.Method: Secondary data analyses from a parent study involving a randomized controlled trial of a mail-based intervention to promote self-change with problem drinkers.Results: Significant differences were found between CL and PN participants on most demographic and pretreatment drinking variables. While all participants had AUDIT scores suggestive of an alcohol problem and reported drinking at high-risk levels, CL participants had less severe drinking problem histories, were considerably younger, and had a higher socioeconomic status than PN participants. The total advertising costs for the 65 CL ads ($275) were significantly less than the 69 PN ads ($33, 311). The recruiting cost per eligible participant was vastly less expensive using CL ($1.46) compared to print newspaper ads ($116.88).Conclusions: Using CL is a viable recruitment method for soliciting participants, particularly those that are younger, for alcohol intervention studies. It is also less expensive than newspaper ads. When CL participants were recruited, they reported being slightly more confident to change their drinking than PN participants. Limitations of using CL are discussed, including that some initial ad responders gave inconsistent answers to similar questions and a few tried to enter the study more than once. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents results from sensitivity studies conducted using the Distributed Generation Build-out Economic Assessment Tool (DG-BEAT). The viability of meeting commercial building loads with a stationary fuel cells is studied under different conditions of electricity pricing, dispatch strategies, and complementary technologies. Key findings support the notion that fuel cells are becoming economically viable alternatives in California, New York and Connecticut at installed costs of $7000–10,000/kW. Michigan is identified as another state well suited to fuel cell development with heat recovery. Fuel cell installations reduce net carbon emissions for commercial buildings by 20–30% when compared to local, time-resolved, grid emissions. Grid sell-back, at 50% retail price, significantly improves the economics of a base load fuel cell, but has little impact for a dispatchable system. At installed costs below $5000/kW, load following capability results in significant additional cost reductions as the generating capacity is increased beyond the building's base load requirements. Complementary technologies such as chillers and thermal storage have a pronounced impact, particularly in warmer climates. Installing fuel cells paired with electric chillers and thermal storage in Florida at buildings with exceptionally high air conditioning demands can achieve the same economic benefit as a typical New York building. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the use of federal regulations and market-based incentives to conserve habitat for the Florida panther on private lands. We examine: the role of habitat conservation in panther recovery efforts; the limitations of existing regulatory mechanisms, in particular the Endangered Species Act, in conserving panther habitat on private lands; and how market-based incentives for habitat conservation may complement regulations. In particular, we examine how a payment for ecosystem services (PES) program could attain both economic and ecological efficiency in habitat conservation on private lands. We conclude that a strategic combination of regulatory and market-based incentives would be more effective at conserving contiguous habitat on private lands, especially when the loss of habitat is driven by rapid urban and exurban development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coral reefs hold immense economic, ecological, and cultural value but are severely threatened by climate change and other local stressors, such as coastal development projects. In Miami, Florida and the Cayman Islands, two locations with vibrant coral reef ecosystems, large scale dredging port projects have either been planned or implemented. Environmental disputes emerged during both projects due to the uncertainty over ecological risks of dredging on coral ecosystems. In this research, a refined version of the Narrative Policy Framework is employed to understand how narratives used by stakeholders, both supportive of and opposed to these dredging projects, influenced the ultimate implementation status and impacts therein. The findings show that supporters of the port projects place themselves as heroes in their narratives, in which they advocate for economic prosperity while simultaneously presenting their side as protecting the environment through actions with high technological certainty. On the other hand, opponents of the port projects emphasize the environmental risks involved by contesting the science presented. Opponents portray supporters as villainous for potential dredging impacts and for overstating technological certainty. Across the cases, this paper finds the heterogeneity and dynamism in the use of science and symbols cannot be predicted by supporters or opponents of the projects but rather, are adaptable to either cause readily. As environmental disputes increase along with the impacts of climate change, understanding the narratives that coalitions of stakeholders employ to advocate for preferred policies will be important for global environmental policy-makers. • Narratives are important during environmental disputes over vulnerable ecosystems. • Narratives about constitutional rights, science, risks, and economics are powerful. • Narratives made by supporters of port projects emphasized economic benefits. • Opponents of port projects used science in their narratives more than supporters. • Narratives made by opponents of port projects led to the delays of port projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sinkhole is one of major geohazards in karst area where soluble carbonate bedrock is underlain by cover soils (e.g., sandy or clayey soils) and active groundwater circulation is present. Groundwater recharge easily erode the overburden soils away into cavities in the bedrock, and ultimately structural collapse in ground. The induced ground collapse/subsidence may pose a great threat to human safety, environment, and buildings and infrastructure. The goal of this study is to develop a method/tool to spatially assess the possibility of sinkhole occurrence. The paper presents two main taks: (1) development of a probabilistic spatial prediction model of sinkhole susceptibility and (2) a geographical information system (GIS)-based regional-scale sinkhole susceptibility map. The study area is the east central Florida (ECF) region that has been experiencing more abrupt and larger cover collapse sinkholes. The research methodology employs two statistical methods for the spatial prediction model, frequency ratio (FR) and logistic regression (LR), accounting for six criteria that are soil erosion, mechanical stability, distance, geology, human activity, and climate condition. The final section of factors includes head difference, soil permeability, thicknesses of aquifer systems (overburden, surficial/intermediate aquifer), distance to karst features, surficial geology, lithology, land use/land cover, and rainfall. Once the models were constructed, both models were validated and compared by using receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis. The results indicate that the LR model better delineates high susceptibility areas of sinkhole and hydrological factors (recharge and head difference) are more accurately reflected on the model of the LR. • Develop probabilistic spatial susceptibility model of carbonate karst sinkhole. • A regional-scale sinkhole susceptibility map for the east central Florida region. • Evaluate the performance of Frequency Ratio (FR) and Logistic Regression (LR) methods in the sinkhole susceptibility model. • Statistical analysis on the impact of sinkhole contributing factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Florida Everglades is a unique and fragile coastal wetland ecosystem that is undergoing a decades-long, large-scale ecological restoration. This freshwater ecosystem in southern Florida has been stressed by diminishment of freshwater flow and water diversion due to agricultural activities and urbanization. The health of this vast ecosystem is also threatened by the presence of a large number of invasive species, including the Burmese python. These large constrictors were introduced to South Florida through the pet trade; first sightings in Everglades National Park occurred in the 1980s. Pythons are naturally camouflaged in the Everglades, which turns out to be an excellent environment for propagation of these huge predators. This top predator has severely disrupted the food web, consuming mammals, birds and even other reptiles. In this paper, the current population control efforts implemented by various management agencies are assessed. While more paid professional hunters should be retained to join the search and removal efforts, innovative control measures are necessary. • Colonization is a major challenge in coastal management. • Burmese pythons were introduced by exotic pet traders. • Florida Everglades is the ideal environment for propagation. • Burmese pythons are severely disrupting the food web. • Eradication is not plausible, but containment may be possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Drone-based delivery of aid items in humanitarian logistics. • Studied demand location uncertainty in disaster-affected areas. • Developed a chance constrained programming model to address the uncertainty. • Proposed multi-stage solution approach procedure. The paper introduces a stochastic optimization-based approach to address the logistics for the timely delivery of aid packages to disaster-affected areas utilizing a fleet of drones when the set of demand points is unknown. The major problem addressed is to locate a set of drone take-off platforms so that with a specified probability α , the maximum total disutility (or cost) under all realizations of the demand locations is minimized. A set of discrete scenarios defines the uncertainty set of the demand points. A Chance Constrained Programming (CCP) formulation is developed to select a set of platform locations whose disutility distribution produces minimum α percentile. For each platform location set, and each demand scenario, the total disutility is defined as the total delivery time for serving the demand points plus a penalty for unvisited demand points. For every set of drone platform locations, referred to as a candidate combination of platforms, the resultant disutility distribution is obtained by solving a space-time drone scheduling subproblem for all possible demand scenarios. The drone scheduling subproblem optimally schedules and sequences a set of trips for each drone so that the total disutility is minimized. Owing to the computational complexity of the proposed approach, an approximation method is developed that decomposes the problem into three tractable stages. The first stage identifies a set of most preferable platform combinations. The second stage develops an approximation algorithm based on a greedy approach to mitigate the extensive computational requirements for solving the large number of drone scheduling subproblems. The last stage builds upon the properties of a Sample Average Approximation (SAA) method and of the CCP formulation to select the optimum set of platforms. Finally, the performance of the proposed stochastic approach is evaluated through a series of computational experiments and a case study of Central Florida. The results reveal interesting insights and demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed logistics system for drone delivery of humanitarian aid packages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional mainline toll plaza (TMTP) is considered the most high-risk location on the toll roads. Conversion from TMTP or hybrid mainline toll plaza (HMTP) to an all-electronic toll collection (AETC) system has demonstrated measured improvement in traffic operations and environmental issues. However, there is a lack of research that quantifies the safety impacts of these new tolling systems. This study evaluated the safety effectiveness of the conversion from TMTP or HMTP to AETC system. An extensive data collection was conducted that included hundred mainline toll plazas located on more than 750 miles of toll roads in Florida. Various observational before-after studies including the empirical Bayes method were applied. The results indicated that the conversion from the TMTP to an AETC system resulted in an average crash reduction of 76, 75, and 68% for total, fatal-and-injury and property damage only (PDO) crashes, respectively; for rear end and lane change related (LCR) crashes the average reductions were 80 and 74%, respectively. The conversion from HMTP to AETC system enhanced traffic safety by reducing crashes by 24, 28 and 20% of total, fatal-and-injury, and PDO crashes respectively; also, for rear end and LCR crashes, the average reductions were 15 and 22%, respectively. Overall, this paper provided an up-to-date safety impact of using different toll collection systems. The results proved that the AETC system significantly improved traffic safety for all crash categories; and changed toll plazas from the highest risk on Expressways to be similar to regular segments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to present a methodology to evaluate the viability of developing solar photovoltaic projects for large investor-owned utilities. By taking into account the trade-off between the cost per kWh of electricity generation and total risk for an investor-owned utility, a multi-objective model of the energy generation portfolios is developed. The decision making model can determine the proportion of different energy generation sources in an investor-owned utility portfolio that reduces risk while providing the lowest cost per kWh of electricity generation possible. In order to measure the risk of the investor-owned utility for energy portfolio selection, an investigation of possible dangers and failures of energy generation portfolios is made and 9 main failure modes are identified. The failure mode and effects analysis is employed to calculate the risk priority numbers for each risk. To deal with the uncertainties of the levelized cost of electricity and risk levels of failure modes, the fuzzy method is introduced and an equivalent crisp model is derived which is then solved by employing a multiple objective particle swarm optimization algorithm. The analysis for four large scale investor-owned utilities in Florida is presented to highlight the performance of the developed optimization method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Negotiated settlements have become a frequently used alternative to contested proceedings when setting prices charged by public utilities under the US rate-of-return regulatory model. The behavior of the representatives of consumer advocates and the firms during settlement negotiations determine customer prices. This paper examines this behavior by using data from the Florida Public Service Commission to estimate the payoff functions of both parties. The estimation suggests that the advocate and the firm weight the present rate change more than the consumer's future average price and the firm's future operating revenue in their settlement decisions. It also indicates that the time saved by settlements is not a primary reason for their popularity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many sensing systems have been developed for use in precision agriculture in Florida over the past decade. These systems have been designed for specialty crops such as citrus and blueberry. Systems include those for fruit recognition for yield mapping as well as those for disease detection systems using ground- and aerial-based platforms. Other systems discussed are used in soil phosphorus detection using near-infrared (NIR) and Raman spectroscopy, debris detection generated from citrus mechanical harvesting, detection of citrus fruit dropped on the ground due to disease, citrus leaf nitrogen detection, silage yield mapping, soil nutrients and grain insect detection using NIR spectroscopy. A summary of past efforts is presented in this paper, applications of these different sensing systems are discussed, and future directions are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The middle Santonian-lower Campanian carbonate-mud dominated succession deposited in the northeastern margin of the South Iberian Ramp (La Cañadilla Fm, NE Spain) shows a complex set of interfingered facies developed in a low-energy and low-gradient shallow-marine to coastal environment. Three facies belts characterize the environment reconstructed in this work: (1) a low-energy shallow marine lagoon dominated by radiolitid rudist limestones and miliolid-rich facies with variable carbonate-mud content; (2) a transitional belt with a patchy distribution of ponds and mudbanks. This belt mostly consists of miliolid-rich limestones with variable amount of fenestral porosity, which are interfingered with charophytes and gastropod marls and limestones usually mixed with miliolids; (3) a coastal plain with strong freshwater influence characterized by the sedimentation of marls and limestones with charophytes, gastropods and root traces and intraclastic/black pebble limestones. The studied succession is arranged in high-frequency sequences, including meter-scale parasequences bounded by widespread flooding surfaces, which stack in five larger-scale shallowing-upward sequences (6–20 m thick). The time calibration of these sequences obtained from strontium isotopes and biostratigraphic data (benthic foraminifera) suggests a major control in the sedimentation by climate-driven low-amplitude sea level oscillations formed in tune with the long- and short-eccentricity orbital cycles. Cyclic sea level rises controlled the existence of widespread flooding events in the low-gradient carbonate ramp at the onset of parasequences, which in the studied marginal areas of the South Iberian Ramp were mostly sourced from the southern Tethyan realm. Therefore, the La Cañadilla Fm provides an example of a complex shallow marine to coastal system giving rise to a mosaic distribution of carbonate-mud dominated facies, with sedimentation mostly influenced by external factors resulting in a well-defined stratigraphic architecture. The similarities with modern analogous systems such as the Ten Thousand Islands of the Florida Bay are discussed in this paper. • La Cañadilla Fm deposited in a carbonate mud-dominated coastal plain to lagoon • A transitional facies belt with mudbanks and ponds is compared to Florida analogues. • A mid Santonian-early Campanian age is precised by strontium data. • Sea-level changes driven by eccentricity cycles had major control in sedimentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Congenital heart disease occurs in approximately 1% of all live births and accounts for 30–50% of all infant mortality due to congenital malformations. Infant mortality related to congenital heart disease has significantly decreased over the last 20–30 years due to improvement in surgical procedures, introduction of interventional procedures, and more accurate ultrasonic and advanced imaging diagnostic studies. With the multifactorial improvement in mortality outcomes, it is difficult to demonstrate a survival benefit for infants based on prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease alone. However, prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease is associated with significant improvement in postnatal morbidity including reduced duration of mechanical ventilation, length of hospital stay, end organ dysfunction, and improvement in neurodevelopmental outcomes. Additionally, there is still considerable variation in mortality outcomes across races and geographical locations within the United States with increased mortality associated with increased distance from top pediatric cardiac surgical centers. This paper describes a comprehensive perinatal cardiology program model at a stand-alone children's hospital with a referral base that encompasses a large geographical region of the state with variable limitations in access to tertiary care. A comprehensive perinatal cardiology program with a multispecialty team of fetal cardiologists, maternal fetal medicine physicians, nurse coordinators, pediatric cardiology subspecialists, and supportive services for patients with wide and diverse community partnerships is an essential component in providing accessible prenatal cardiac care and complex delivery planning regardless of socioeconomic status or geographical location, limiting disparities in care and improving overall outcomes. • Congenital heart disease accounts for 30–50% of all infant mortality due to congenital malformations. • Prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease is associated with reduced morbidity such as: duration of mechanical ventilation, length of hospital stay, end organ dysfunction, and improvement in neurodevelopmental outcomes. • Development of perinatal cardiac centers with access to maternal fetal medicine, high risk obstetrical, neonatology and pediatric cardiology as well as other pediatric subspecialties is vital for the management of infants with critical congenital heart disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploitation impacts and management options for 15 coral reef fish species central to the commercial and recreational fisheries of the southern Florida USA coral reef ecosystem were evaluated using a length-based risk analysis (LBRA) framework. Population abundance-at-length composition data were obtained from several regional federal-state sampling programs. These and updated life history demographic data were integrated into a length-based numerical cohort model to generate LBRA fishery sustainability metrics from a probabilistic perspective. Three of five groupers, eight of eight snappers, and two of two grunts were below the 40% spawning potential ratio (SPR) stock sustainability minimum; ten of these stocks are at < 20% of their historical spawning biomass, some as low as 5%. Therefore, to ameliorate overfishing for the 13 stocks with sustainability risks ≥ 98%, fisheries management requires increased minimum sizes of first capture L c and significant reductions in fishing mortality F . To achieve sustainability and reduce sustainability risks area-time protections are also needed. While lack of data often limits the evaluation of management options, this paper establishes benchmarks from which data-limited approaches can move forward. In addition, the approach can be used to cross-check other data-rich analyses. A goal of this work is to effectively balance sustainability risks with fishery production to mitigate overfishing likelihoods and to increase the probability of sustainable fisheries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1983, a five-page article was published in The Florida Anthropologist which reported on a submerged mammoth kill site in the Silver River near Ocala, Florida. This claim was supported by evidence consisting of a projectile point, six direct percussion flakes, and "numerous" pressure flakes found in situ with the remains of three Columbian Mammoths. In addition, three of the mammoth bones exhibited what were interpreted as cut-marks. The Guest Mammoth site was the first professional archaeological investigation on an underwater precontact site in the Americas. At the time of discovery, no locality east of the Mississippi River had yielded convincing evidence of human and megafauna interaction. For these reasons and others, the Guest Mammoth site fell into archaeological limbo. The author directed geoarchaeological investigations at the Guest Mammoth site from 2014 to 2019 to assess the standing hypothesis that the site is an intact Late Pleistocene archaeological locality. This paper evaluates the results of the original site excavations and contributes new geoarchaeological data to determine the Guest Mammoth's place in the North American archaeological record. The data presented here do not support the conclusion that the Guest Mammoth site is an unequivocal Late Pleistocene archaeological locality because the mammoth bone and artifact bearing component is not stratigraphically secure and has limited chronological control. However, the presence of datable Late Pleistocene strata and faunal material along with non-diagnostic artifacts indicate that the Silver River is worthy of further geoarchaeological inquiry for Late Pleistocene archaeological sites. • 8MR130 was the first underwater precontact archaeological site excavated in the Americas. • 1973 excavations report artifacts in a stratified sediment sequence with absolute ages. • These early excavations left lingering questions on stratigraphy and chronology. • Renewed research affirmed the presence of lithics with Pleistocene fauna. • However, even with a refined chronology, the stratigraphy is still problematic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The public hearing is a vital method to obtain citizen participation and information gathering for urban policy decision making. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused local planning departments around the nation to rethink their strategy, especially when many citizens are unable to use many of the new strategies because of the rural digital divide. While fully online meetings would be ideal for the current situation, the reality is that the lack of Internet and technology severely limits public participation among certain populations and in certain regions. This paper analyzed nine counties in the state of Florida, USA, in terms of population, COVID-19 cases, Internet broadband availability, and public hearing strategies, as well as survey data regarding public hearings, to produce best practices for holding a public hearing during the pandemic. A hybrid public hearing approach is the most effective method given the circumstances, and best practices and future approaches are provided and discussed to help bridge the digital divide. These resulting best practices will inform local residents, developers, planners, and decision-makers moving forward in the pandemic and ensure that the public voice can be heard with openness and transparency without compromising the applicants' and citizens' safety and health. • COVID-19 has impacted all aspects of life • Many people are turning to virtual meetings, including public hearings • Rural populations may run into more challenges when attending virtual meetings • A hybrid approach is an effective compromise regarding public hearings [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Propose an occupant thermal preference-aware load scheduler for resilient communities. • Quantify the impact of occupant thermostat changing behavior on resilient community optimal scheduling through selected key resilience indicators. • Adopt the chance-constrained method for addressing the occupant behavior uncertainty in the community optimal control problem. • Provide a case study for controller performance evaluation on a virtual community tesebed. The load scheduling of resilient communities in the islanded mode is subject to many uncertainties such as weather forecast errors and occupant behavior stochasticity. To date, it remains unclear how occupant preferences affect the effectiveness of the load scheduling of resilient communities. This paper proposes an occupant preference-aware load scheduler for resilient communities operating in the islanded mode. The load scheduling framework is formulated as a model predictive control problem. Based on this framework, a deterministic load scheduler is adopted as the baseline. Then, a chance-constrained scheduler is proposed to address the occupant-induced uncertainty in room temperature setpoints. Key resilience indicators are selected to quantify the impacts of the uncertainties on community load scheduling. Finally, the proposed preference-aware scheduler is compared with the deterministic scheduler on a virtual testbed based on a real-world net-zero energy community in Florida, USA. Results show that the proposed scheduler performs better in terms of serving the occupants' thermal preference and reducing the required battery size, given the presence of the assumed stochastic occupant behavior. This work indicates that it is necessary to consider the stochasticity of occupant behavior when designing optimal load schedulers for resilient communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An open-source virtual testbed in Modelica for studying Net-Zero Energy Communities. • Physics-based and data-driven models are both considered to provide flexibilities. • All the models are validated against real measurement. • A software framework for optimizing the design and operation with the testbed. • An comprehensive evaluation on a demand-response control strategy with this testbed. Net-Zero Energy Communities (NZECs) are critical to assuring the sustainability and resilience of modernized power systems. System modeling helps overcome technical challenges in designing and operating NZECs. In this paper, we present an open-source NZEC virtual testbed in Modelica based on a real NZEC in Florida, USA. This testbed consists of two sets of models: (1) higher-fidelity physics-based models that consider the interaction between subsystems of the studied NZEC and capture fast dynamics, and (2) lower-fidelity data-driven models that require fewer resources to establish and/or run. All models are validated against measurements from this real NZEC. In addition, this testbed includes a simulation framework that streamlines the processes for simulation and thus allows the use of developed models to form a virtual testbed. To demonstrate the usage of the virtual testbed, a case study is conducted where a building-to-grid integration control is evaluated via simulation. The evaluation results suggest that the tested control significantly smooths the power draw of the studied community and does not sacrifice thermal comfort to a great extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has examined risk factors for nicotine vaping in young adults and older adolescents. Even so, significantly less research has examined risk factors for initiating nicotine vaping in early adolescence. This paper addresses this gap in the literature by examining risk factors for initiating nicotine vaping in a sample of middle- and high-school students. In order to do so, we analyze data from the 2019 cohort of the Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey (FYSAS). We employ multinomial logistic regression and logistic regression to examine potential risk factors for early age of nicotine vaping initiation. Our findings reveal that early age of nicotine vaping initiation is associated with cigarette use, alcohol use, having substance using peers, lifetime incidence of arrest, and lifetime incidence of school suspension. In conclusion, our findings reveal that early age of nicotine vaping initiation is associated with other forms of risky behavior in adolescence (i.e., substance use, misbehavior leading to arrest and/or school suspension). We discuss the implications of these findings for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a forensic analysis of the coastal erosion and structural damage associated with four consecutive-year, Atlantic-basin major hurricanes. The investigation focuses on Hurricanes Matthew (2016), Irma (2017), Michael (2018) and Dorian (2019) and their impact on the sandy shorelines and coastal construction of Florida, located in the southeastern United States. The study identifies the degree of resilience and coastal protection of different coastal construction methods and beach management programs under varied conditions associated with major hurricane impacts. The study results demonstrate a coherent relationship between observed peak storm tide and surveyed measures of coastal erosion and structural damage. The storm tide generated by the natural forcing of tropical-cyclone winds is variably influenced by the wide continental shelf of Florida's gulf coast and the meso-tidal regime of Florida's east coast. As our data show, beyond the obvious metric of storm strength, as expressed in terms of maximum wind speed, coastal impacts by hurricanes are additionally (or more predominantly) driven by storm size, as expressed in terms of wind radii for tropical storm- and hurricane-force winds. Of socioeconomic relevance, the results demonstrate that beach management projects of sand placement provide dune and berm protection as well as mitigation against damage to coastal property and infrastructure. The findings of this study are directly relevant to other coastal regions with recreational beach, dense populations and vulnerable infrastructure, subject to erosional and destructive events caused by tropical cyclones. • Reconnaissance-level data were collected on beach erosion and structural damage. • Coastal erosion and structural damage are strongly correlated with peak storm tide. • Beach management projects of sand placement provide dune and berm protection. • Beach restoration projects afford increased resilience and coastal protection. • Coastal impacts by hurricanes are principally a function of wind radii (storm size). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work aims to valorize an invasive brown macroalga (Sargassum spp. consisting of two species Sargassum fluitans and Sargassum natans) by producing biochars (BCs) and activated carbons (ACs). Its abundant and frequent occurrence along the Caribbean coastlines, Florida, Gulf of Mexico during the last past nine years, have triggered human health concerns and have negatively impacted local economy, ecology and the environment. In this paper, BCs and ACs were developed to assess the reduction of chlordecone (CLD) environmental availability in artificial and tropical contaminated soils. Such innovative approach was proposed to limit CLD bio-availability to fauna and outdoor reared-animals. The BCs were prepared by pyrolysis at 700 °C while ACs samples by chemical or physical activation. Textural characterization, has evidenced that bi-modal structures with micro- and mesopores, various surface and high pore volumes were successfully obtained. Finally, the environmental availability tests resulted in various ability of BCs or ACs to significantly sequestrate CLD on artificial contaminated soils and on a natural nitisol. In particular, the BCs prepared with a 3 h pyrolysis time, exhibited the highest porosities properties and was the best candidate to efficiently sequestrate CLD in soil samples. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Roadway performance assessment was conducted for Hurricane Irma evacuation in FL. • Evacuation-related performance metrics used for the spatiotemporal traffic analysis. • Major interstates were severely congested while other roads were underutilized. • Roadways typically uncongested experienced severe congestion and bottlenecking. • Lack of relevant evacuation information needs to be addressed for future events. This paper analyzes temporal and spatial traffic patterns and assesses the performance of Florida roadways during the evacuation for Hurricane Irma (2017). Evacuation-specific performance metrics are used to characterize the performance of the roadway systems and granular analyses are conducted using RITIS probe detector data supplemented with hourly continuous counts from Florida Traffic Online. Results from this study show the disparate nature of roadway utilization during mass evacuations – while most interstates remained congested during the major evacuation period, several other highways remained underutilized, potentially due to the lack of information on roadway conditions during evacuation. On the other hand, certain roadways that were typically underutilized suffered from severe congestion and bottlenecking during the evacuation. Detail-oriented studies of this nature could serve as an important baseline to benefit future emergency and disaster planning, and traffic managements during future events of similar nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Sensitivity of soil carbon sequestration efficiency index (SCI) was analyzed. • SCI was computed using metafrontier data envelopment analysis. • SCI scores are varied by types of returns-to-scales/orientations/frontiers. • Output-oriented free-disposable hull SCI is useful to identify inefficient sites. • The observed "unexpected samples" need further investigation. The data envelopment analysis (DEA) is useful for the measuring of efficiencies of functions in various research fields. In previous studies the soil carbon sequestration (SCseq) efficiency index (SCI) was assessed at regional scale; however, the effects of various calculation factors—including returns-to-scales (RTSs), selection of orientation (input or output), and global (or meta-)/local (or group) frontiers—on the SCI scores are still unclear. Thus, in this paper, the sensitivity of DEA frontier models with various types of RTSs and orientations was investigated. The models examined the SCseq rates as target outputs in three land use/land cover (LULC) types (pinelands, improved pastures, and wetlands). The rates were calculated based on lab-measured soil organic carbon concentration collected from the topsoil (~20 cm depth) between 1965 and 2009 in Florida, United States. Pedogenic, hydrologic, and environmental variables relevant to the carbon sequestration function were chosen as inputs, including soil available water capacity, sand concentration, pH, soil total nitrogen and phosphorus, Enhanced Vegetation Index, and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index. The input and output variables for the three LULC types informed multivariate normal distributions that served to simulate the local frontiers. Results show that the SCseq rates in wetland soils were statistically lowest (p < 0.05), while the SCI scores were highest. This suggests that the efficiency of the soil carbon sequestration function was distinctively different from the SCseq rates. The SCI scores also demonstrated to identify internal causes (i.e., local management practices) for inefficiency in the SCseq in pasture soils and suitability of the function among the LULC types. A higher ability in output orientation to discern efficient from inefficient sites for the SCseq function was also observed than the input orientation. The preferred choice of RTSs in either conservative or progressive approaches to SCseq efficiency management was also identified in the study. Sensitive scores reflected regions that are in need for efficient soil management (such as no-tillage) to improve the performance of individual soils in terms of SCseq efficiency. SCseq efficiency scores enable land resource managers to refine their approaches to optimize soil carbon and possibly other soil and ecological functions. Further research is invited to identify potential cause(s) that determine(s) the local/global frontiers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The spatial and temporal evolution of traffic flow reconstructed for all highways in Florida for hurricane Irma evacuation. • A simplified framework is built to reconstruct evacuation traffic flow based on limited highway camera data. • The data reconstructed could improve survey-based evacuation demand simulators. Hurricane evacuation has long been a difficult problem perplexing local government. Hurricane Irma in 2017 created the most extensive scale of evacuation in Florida's history, involving about 6.5 million people in a mandatory evacuation order and an estimated 4 million evacuation vehicles. Traffic jams emerged in mid-Florida and rapidly spread to involve the entire state. To understand the hurricane evacuation process, the spatial and temporal evolution of the traffic flow is a critical piece of information, but it is usually not fully observed. Based on game theory, this paper employs the available traffic observation of main highways to reconstruct the traffic flow on all highways in Florida during Irma. The reconstructed traffic conditions compare well with those simulated by dynamic models while the reconstruction model is computationally much cheaper to use. Validation with smartphone data further confirms that the reconstruction model captures the traffic conditions for real evacuation processes. The reconstructed data show that the evacuation rates for 5 representative cities -- Key West, Miami, Tampa, Orlando, and Jacksonville-- in Florida were about 90.1%, 38.7%, 52.6%, 22.1%, and 7%, respectively. The peak evacuation traffic flows from Tampa and Miami arrived in the Orlando region at almost the same time, triggering the catastrophic congestion through the entire state. Also, the evacuation for Hurricane Irma was greater than that predicted by an evacuation demand model developed based on previous event and survey data. The detailed evacuation traffic flow reanalysis accomplished in this article lays a foundation for studying evacuation demand as well as developing evacuation management policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The central eastern Florida shelf edge is a highly dynamic area that supports an important yet vulnerable deep-sea coral reefs ecosystem, the Oculina Coral Habitat Area of Particular Concern. Rapid and large short-terms (days to weeks) changes of bottom temperature (up to 9 °C) and p CO 2 (up to 180 μatm) were observed at the shelfbreak during a two-month (May 13-July 10, 2017) deployment of a lander package. An analysis suggests that these changes are the combined results of tides, the Gulf Stream meandering, and submesoscale eddies and filaments. The processes responsible for sub-tidal variability may include 1) the Gulf Stream frontal movements, 2) upwelling/downwelling of slope waters in association with the Gulf Stream variability, and 3) submesoscale processes and associated vertical movements. Satellite images also frequently show a narrow plume of elevated chlorophyll concentration that stretches from the coast northward up to >200 km along the Gulf Stream front during late spring and early summer. Our analysis indicates that these phytoplankton blooms in the plume are likely supported by the nutrient supply from the nutrients-rich slope waters to the shelf edge and subsequent local vertical mixing. Carbon export associated with these blooms can be an important food source to the Oculina corals. Upwelling of slope waters, on the other hand, will lead to increased CO 2 and reduced pH and aragonite saturation state along the shelf edge. Therefore, these dynamic processes may have strong impacts on the health and sustainability of the Oculina coral ecosystem. • Rapid short-terms changes of bottom temperature (up to 9 °C) and p CO 2 (up to 180 μatm). • A high chlorophyll plume stretches from the coast northward along the Gulf Stream front. • Short-terms variability are associated with GS meandering and submesoscale features. • The biogeochemical processes may have strong impacts on the deep coral ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the impact of the West Virginia (WV) Kids Market Program on children's knowledge, attitudes and consumption of fruits and vegetables (FV) using a parent survey. Ninety percent of WV adults do not eat five servings of FV daily. Without positive parent role modeling and consistent home access, children are unlikely to develop preferences for FV, putting them at risk for obesity later in life. Repeated exposures and opportunities to taste in a positive environment are needed to encourage acceptance and consumption of FV by children. The program targeted low income children of all ages at SNAP-Ed and EFNEP nutrition education sites and their parents. Each child received $4 vouchers to shop at a farmers market set up at their school, child care center or other youth-based program site. Children received nutrition education and were offered taste tests in conjunction with markets. A 12-question, parent survey was sent home with all children participating in the market. Paper surveys were entered in SurveyMonkey for analysis. A total of 724 were returned (32% response rate). Of those parents returning surveys, 91% said their child ate all the produce they purchased, 77% said their child was more excited about FV, 71% said their child talks about FV more and 78% said their child could identify more FV. Parents reported changes in their child's knowledge, attitude and consumption of FV because of the program which are important factors in development of food preferences. This program offers a replicable model for nutrition education programs focused on increasing FV consumption and access in low income audiences. None. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine the feasibility of using the Automated Self-Administered 24-Hour Dietary Assessment Tool (ASA24-2016) to assess children's diets as reported by parents enrolled in the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP). Washington EFNEP collects adult dietary data with a facilitated group 24-hour dietary recall (24HDR) using the form "Food Tracker: What I ate yesterday," supported by the facilitator and visual guides (Townsend et al 2013). The facilitation of ASA24 mirrored the facilitated process with guided instruction and visuals. A sample of English and Spanish speaking parents enrolled in WA EFNEP. As part of a larger study, parents were asked to complete a 24HDR via ASA24 for their youngest child between ages 2-8 at week two and nine of EFNEP classes. A facilitation kit was used to assist participants. All ASA24 data collections were conducted by trained professional staff. Raw data was exported from ASA24 to track the number of successful logins and attempts to enter recalls at each timepoint, total calories consumed, meal times, and food codes. Data collectors recorded errors frequently encountered, adjustments made to specific recalls, and user difficulties. Of the 88 enrolled participants, 62% completed ASA24 entry in Spanish and 38% in English. Fifty four percent (47) successfully completed ASA24, 27% (24) were unable to complete ASA24 and their child recalls were collected on paper, and 19% (17) did not attend the data collection. ASA24 can successfully be used to assess children's diets reported by parents enrolled in EFNEP. However, users may encounter challenges with connectivity, limited participant literacy levels, and technical difficulties within the ASA24 system. Identifying challenges and strategies to overcome them, is critical to inform the advancement and dissemination of this web-based tool. USDA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Literature has shown a tendency of inadequate eating habits among youth, consequently, nutritional interventions are required. The Transtheoretical Model (TTM) classifies individuals based on their readiness to change. This work aimed to describe how the TTM was applied to nutritional interventions for adolescents. This systematic review followed the recommendations of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. We searched seven databases for randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental designs written in English, Spanish and Portuguese that applied the TTM to nutritional interventions targeting adolescents. The primary question was "How was the TTM applied in the nutritional interventions?" The secondar question was "Were these nutritional interventions effective?" Data extraction occurred through the usage of an adaptation of the table model from Melo et al. 2017. That model follows instructions of the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination for Undertaking Reviews in Healthcare. Quality and risk of bias were assessed through a questionnaire, developed by the Effective Public Health Practice Project. The initial search in seven databases yielded 3,779 results, resulting in 10 final included papers. Adolescents were mostly recruited from schools, and the duration of the studies ranged from a month to three years. Eight interventions had positive results regarding improvements in dietary behaviors or TTM's measurements. Nine studies assessed stages of change, seven decisional balance, and five of them measured self-efficacy. The results from assessed studies showed that TTM based nutritional interventions for adolescents are way more effective than those that do not use the model, what is probably because it personalizes the intervention for every participant. This study is useful in the sense that it provides information about the usage of the model for this age group, describing its positive aspects as well as offering alternatives to deal with its weaknesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sorghum is a versatile, gluten-free, whole grain, yet overall human consumption of sorghum is minimal. Whole grains, such as sorghum, substituted for refined grains can enhance the nutrition content of a dish. This research study was to determine the sensory perception and overall food preference of college-aged students when comparing sorghum to rice in a ready-made dish. A quasi-experimental study was conducted in a campus foodservice setting at the University of North Florida. The participants (n = 596) were randomly recruited, using convenience sampling, to blindly taste test two food samples then complete an associated sensory and perception survey. The food samples consisted of recipes identically prepared, with the substitution of sorghum for rice. Paper and electronic sensory analysis (using hybrid hedonic scales) and food preference surveys were available after sampling. A majority of the participants (71.9%) were ages 18-20 years old, with 42.3% selecting their educational classification as a freshman. Participants rated their overall feeling about each dish as to how often they would consume it, the response yielded a significant difference in overall mean (3.66 vs. 3.42, P =.000), with preference given to rice over sorghum. In comparing the two grain based dishes, participants indicated they would eat this every now and then to every opportunity they had with rice (55.2%) to sorghum (48.4%). Yet in response to overall acceptance of sorghum to rice, there was no significant difference. This study provides feedback on the perception of college students on substituting a refined grain for whole grains in ready-made dishes. This preliminary study implies that acceptability for alternative grains is feasible in college-age populations and more research needs to be conducted on overall perception of alternative grains in ready-made dishes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To implement and evaluate an integrated Spanish-language program to improve nutrition, increase physical activity, and strengthen family function among Mexican-heritage (MH) families. We describe research (stepped wedge cluster randomized controlled trial [SWCRCT] of father-focused, family-centered program), education (experiential learning and innovative teaching), and extension (promotora-led charlas [chats/talks]) components. The SWCRCT consists of clusters of 10-15 families receiving six in-person group sessions (three focused on father-child pairs) and at-home activities. Session include food tastings, interactive lessons, active games, hands-on food preparation, time to eat together, and goal setting. The promotora interventionists were trained using the train-the-trainer approach to gain knowledge and skills related to nutrition and food preparation, physical activity, family functioning, and motivational interviewing. The program actively involved undergraduate and graduate students from Texas A&M University, Baylor University, and Texas State University in experiential training that included material development, participant observation of promotora trainings (cooking and experiential nutrition and physical activity) and family pretesting, and motivational interviewing. Program activities and learnings were included in undergraduate and graduate courses (research methods and evaluation). In the charla program, team promotoras conducted a series of five community-based programs and activities that delivered science-based knowledge and informal educational programs to empower Mexican-heritage children and families to make sustainable healthy decisions. More than 400 participants attended charlas, which took place in community centers, churches, community organizations, and colonia neighborhoods. Data were collected for training, recruitment, process (observations and checklists), and outcome (pre- and post-program surveys, seven-day accelerometer, Veggie Meter®, and interviews/focus groups. Surveys and reflection papers from students were used. Post-charla surveys, debriefs, and a follow-up ripple effect survey (sharing of session materials) was done. This integrated family program enhances the capacity of families, students, promotoras, and community members to incorporate education and skill-building into healthier behaviors. The SWCRCT is a game changer by engaging Mexican-heritage fathers, co-parenting couples, and children and addresses a lacuna in obesity prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breakfast After the Bell (BATB) has become the unofficial standard in school breakfast, particularly in larger, urban districts. However, there is sometimes concern that students eat at home or buy food before school, therefore eating breakfast twice. Additionally, student perceptions of BATB, its benefits and challenges, remain largely unstudied. To understand if students are eating multiple breakfasts when BATB is served, and to measure students' opinions of BATB. Middle school (MS) students from a low-income urban school district that operates under the Community Eligibility Provision took a paper-and-pencil survey during homeroom. This MS had switched from BATB back to breakfast before the bell midway through the schoolyear (n = 1149). District breakfast participation data were also collected and analyzed. Participants answered questions regarding their perceptions of school breakfast. Participants were also asked their opinions of the traditional model of serving breakfast before the bell compared to BATB. District breakfast participation data and descriptive statistics are presented. The majority of students reported a positive impression of BATB, specifically that they feel better when they eat breakfast (69%); eating school breakfast saves time at home in the morning (56%); and school breakfast saves their family money (53%). In addition, they stated they were more likely to eat breakfast when it was served in the classroom (55%). Importantly, the vast majority of students said that they never, or only sometimes, buy breakfast on the way to school (92%), and only 18% reported that they always eat at home. District breakfast participation data show a significant decrease in breakfast participation after the switch to breakfast before the bell. Overall, students reported many benefits of the BATB model. For most students, BATB was the only breakfast they report eating, which should remove the double-breakfast concern for school administrators. Returning to BATB would likely increase breakfast participation in the MS. Rutgers University Community-University Research Partnership Grant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The integration of modern prefabrication techniques into traditional stick-built construction has attracted considerable attention as a solution to reducing construction industry carbon emissions. However, no approach has been developed to holistically quantify and optimize the carbon reduction/economic costs trade-off for the modular construction supply planning (MCSP). This paper introduces a two-period based equilibrium strategy that fully considers the procurement-prefabrication-assembly logistics optimization to determine an economic costs/environmental impact balance in modular construction. The proposed methodology is capable of optimizing the preparation and construction schemes and dynamic transportation arrangements under multiple carbon-economy preference scenarios. By employing uncertain parameters to account for the material and delivery cost fluctuations, the model can accurately depict the industry characteristics of modular construction supply. A case study from Florida is then conducted to validate the practicality and robustness of the equilibrium strategy. The applications indicate that the proposed methodology can assist the construction enterprises to systematically reduce carbon emissions and serve as decision support for modular construction supply planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper develops SPFs at different aggregation levels for freeways by using microscopic traffic detector data. • The effects of average speed and speed variation on crash frequencies are revealed at different aggregation levels. • The time-of-day operation status of HOV lanes is introduced to the disaggregated SPFs. • The safety performance of HOV lanes at different aggregation levels are evaluated and compared. • The transferability of SPFs at different aggregation levels between Florida, Virginia, and California is evaluated. Safety Performance Functions (SPFs) have been widely used by researchers and practitioners to conduct roadway safety evaluation. Traditional SPFs are usually developed by using annual average daily traffic (AADT) along with geometric characteristics. However, the high level of aggregation may lead to a failure to capture the temporal variation in traffic characteristics (e.g., traffic volume and speed) and crash frequencies. In this study, SPFs at different aggregation levels were developed based on microscopic traffic detector data from California, Florida, and Virginia. More specifically, five aggregation levels were considered: (1) annual average weekday hourly traffic (AAWDHT), (2) annual average weekend hourly traffic (AAWEHT), (3) annual average weekday peak/off-peak traffic (AAWDPT), (4) annual average day of the week traffic (AADOWT), and (5) annual average daily traffic (AADT). Model estimation results showed that the segment length and volume, as exposure variables, are significant across all the aggregation levels. Average speed is significant with a negative coefficient, and the standard deviation of speed was found to be positively associated with the crash frequency. It is noteworthy that the operation of the high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes was found to have a positive effect on crash frequency across all the aggregation levels. The model results also showed that the AAWDPT and AADOWT models consistently performed better (the improvements range from 3.14%–16.20%) than the AADT-based SPF, which implies that the differences between the day of the week and peak/off-peak periods should be considered in the development of crash prediction models. The model transferability results indicated that the SPFs between Florida and Virginia are transferrable, while the models between California and the other two states are not transferrable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Creativity has been of research interest to psychologists dating back many decades, and is currently recognized as one of the essential skills needed to succeed in our complex, interconnected world. One medium that has affordances to assess and support creativity in young people is video games. In this paper, we briefly discuss the literature on video games and creativity and provide an example of current work being done relative to measuring creativity in the context of a game called Physics Playground using stealth assessment. To validate the stealth assessment of creativity, we conducted a one-group pretest-posttest study with 167 8th and 9th graders from a K-12 school in Florida. Results suggest that our stealth assessment of creativity is valid (i.e., our stealth assessment estimate significantly correlated with our external performance-based measures of creativity). Additional analyses revealed that creativity (i.e., estimated using our stealth assessment of creativity) significantly predicts in-game performance (e.g., number of levels solved), game enjoyment, and learning of physics content. We conclude with a discussion of future directions in this line of creativity research. • Stealth assessment was used to embed creativity measurement in a learning game. • The stealth assessment of creativity was validated using external measures of creativity. • Creativity directly predicted game performance and enjoyment controlling for incoming knowledge. • Creativity did not predict learning when controlling for the incoming knowledge. • An indirect relationship between creativity and learning through game performance was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of large rivers across the world are dredged for navigation. Dredging removes sediment from the channel, creates spoil mounds in the adjoining floodplain, and disposes sediment along the channel margin on a bar, or in open water. Retrospective studies that examine the placement and fate of this disposed material can provide guidance for other localities where dredging is practiced, and better elucidate the impacts associated with disposal at different types of sites. Many studies exist for impacts and benefits of dredging in the coastal environment, particularly to ecosystems and water quality. Few studies have examined disposal site selection and the fate of dredge spoil placed along a river corridor from a geomorphic and retrospective perspective. The Apalachicola River in Florida was dredged from the 1950s for several decades, with disposal on sand bars, in open water on the channel margins, and on the floodplain. Numerous large and small floodplain dredge-spoil mounds are a legacy from this navigation project. One of the larger mounds, disposal site 40 (DS 40), which locals call "Sand Mountain," stands ~22 m high and extends ~10 ha in area. This disposal site originated in an artificial cutoff created in 1968–69 and grew to hold >625,000 m3 of sediment. Because this section of river was a problem for navigation when dredging was being conducted, detailed historical survey sheets with topographic and bathymetric data exist. The purpose of this paper was to analyze the local floodplain and channel geospatially, coupled with dredging and disposal data, to interpret the geomorphic changes of DS 40 and the adjoining river. Poor placement has resulted in this and other dredge spoil mounds returning sediment to the river through lateral erosion and mass wasting. Intermittent sediment pulses have altered channel morphology adjacent to the spoil mound with the channel becoming wider and shallower than originally, mean bed and thalweg elevations increasing by ~1.5 to 2 m, and width-depth ratio increasing three-fold. Although dredging of this river has not been conducted for nearly two decades, study of historical dredge spoil mounds in this reach suggest poor placement of spoil can continue to stress and alter a river in the decades that follow. Based on our findings, dredging downstream of distributaries will have poor outcomes. Dredge spoil placement in cut-off channels close to the river can be problematic because the river will regain sinuosity. Further, sites on the outer bend of meanders are more subject to erosion, and sites immediately upstream of problem or shallow areas will feed sediment to the problem reach. Findings of this study have implications to other settings, such as intensively mined rivers where unused unconsolidated material is often left on floodplains. • Dredging downstream of distributaries is difficult due to riverbed elevation increases. • Artificial cutoffs regain sinuosity making nearby disposal sites susceptible to erosion. • Outer banks are inferior disposal sites compared to inner bends of meanders. • Sediment from eroding disposal sites affects many channel-form measures for decades. • Placement of the dredge material upstream of shallow areas exacerbates navigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Presents steps to collect Twitter data for modeling hurricane evacuation behavior. • Develops a model to extract evacuation contexts from Twitter data. • Develops a hidden Markov model from the sequences generated from user tweets. • Presents results and insights on the dynamics of evacuation behavior. • Results can be used in future evacuation related transportation studies. Evacuations play a critical role in saving human lives during hurricanes. But individual evacuation decision-making is a complex dynamic process, often studied using post-hurricane survey data. Alternatively, ubiquitous use of social media generates a massive amount of data that can be used to predict evacuation behavior in real time. In this paper, we present a method to infer individual evacuation behaviors (e.g., evacuation decision, timing, destination) from social media data. We develop an input output hidden Markov model (IO-HMM) to infer evacuation decisions from user tweets. To extract the underlying evacuation context from tweets, we first estimate a word2vec model from a corpus of more than 100 million tweets collected over four major hurricanes. Using input variables such as evacuation context, time to landfall, type of evacuation order, and the distance from home, the proposed model infers what activities are made by individuals, when they decide to evacuate, and where they evacuate to. To validate our results, we have created a labeled dataset from 38,256 tweets posted between September 2, 2017 and September 19, 2017 by 2,571 users from Florida during hurricane Irma. Our findings show that the proposed IO-HMM method can be useful for inferring evacuation behavior in real time from social media data. Since traditional surveys are infrequent, costly, and often performed at a post-hurricane period, the proposed approach can be very useful for predicting evacuation demand as a hurricane unfolds in real time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comanagement is recognized, practiced, and recommended as an effective, equitable approach to place-based protection of marine resources. Despite acknowledged benefits and its potential for improved management outcomes, in the U.S., comanagement of marine protected areas (MPAs) is a relatively new approach, with limited applications. This paper reveals social, ecological and institutional conditions that enabled, or hindered, development of comanagement as an outcome of collaborative processes undertaken by community-based actors and state-based resource managers in three U.S. MPA case studies. A mixed method design, consisting of a literature review, in-depth interviews and document analysis was used to analyze MPAs in Hawai'i, California and Florida where: (1) comanagement systems have developed between state government and community-based partners, (2) protected area boundaries and objectives are clearly defined, and, (3) marine habitat protection is a primary management objective. Eight enabling conditions were present in all three cases. Four of these conditions were consistent with preconditions identified in a published conceptual framework for comanagement arrangements synthesized from the literature and direct observations – an opportunity for negotiation, a legally mandated or brokered incentive, a willingness by local users to contribute, and leadership. Four more enabling conditions emerged from this study – connection to place, a capacity crisis, government willingness to partner, and a clear and just process. As managers strive to protect marine ecosystem function in the face of chronic environmental stressors and limited government support for environmental protection, applying these findings to leverage conditions that enable comanagement can help build community-based capacity to effectively manage MPAs. • State governments lack sufficient capacity to effectively manage MPAs. • Local communities have knowledge and skills to contribute to MPA management. • Local communities want to be involved in MPA management decisions and actions. • Comanagement involving local communities can improve MPA management efficacy. • Community‐based comanagement is a viable alternative to state‐led MPA management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy storage is a leading option to enhance the resource adequacy contribution of solar energy. Detailed analysis of the capacity credit of solar energy and energy storage is limited in part due to the data intensive and computationally complex nature of probabilistic resource adequacy assessments. This paper presents a simple algorithm for calculating the capacity credit of energy-limited resources that, due to the low computational and data needs, is well suited to exploratory analysis. Validation against benchmarks based on probabilistic techniques shows that it can yield similar insights. The method is used to evaluate the impact of different solar and storage configurations, particularly with respect to the strategy for coupling storage and solar photovoltaic systems. Application of the method to a case study of utilities in Florida, where solar is rapidly growing and demand peaks in the winter and summer, demonstrates that it can improve on rules of thumb used in practice by some utilities. If storage is required to charge only from solar, periods of high demand driven by cold weather events accompanied by lower solar production can result in a capacity credit of solar and storage that is less than the capacity credit of storage alone. • Develop a simple method for finding the storage dispatch that maximizes the capacity credit. • Method validated against probabilistic benchmarks. • Contribution of storage to system reliability greatly depends on the duration of storage. • Achieving a 90% capacity credit requires at least 4–5 h of storage. • Sharing an inverter can limit the capacity credit of a solar + storage coupled system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A plurality of basins improved water quality under a shared nutrient cap. • Basins had similar Theil-Sen trends across seasons despite different flood risks. • Basin management played an important but inconsistent role in UAL and P:R outcomes. • Soil types and drainage BMPs were not major factors in UAL and P:R trends. • Mann-Kendall trends indicate that further improvements are possible. Water quality degradation from agricultural runoff remains a pressing problem worldwide. A major challenge for restoring water quality is the need for long-term evaluation of governance and management interventions. In agricultural contexts, the primary interventions are best management practices designed to minimize nutrient losses by reducing fertilizer application, soil erosion, and drainage. Most studies are undertaken over short time scales or a few farms, which makes it difficult to connect management to water quality outcomes at larger scales. This paper addresses these gaps by examining 22 years of water quality trends at monthly time scales across the entirety of the 166 small, artificial drainage basins in the Everglades Agricultural Area, the sugarcane-growing region of Florida, USA. The Everglades Forever Act mandated the adoption of best management practices to reduce phosphorus loads but devolved implementation to farms collectively rather than requiring individual compliance. We examined the effect of biophysical and management drivers on long-term trends for two outcomes: a ratio of pumping-to-rainfall, which measures drainage decisions, and total phosphorus load per acre. We analyzed the magnitude and consistency of observed trends using Theil-Sen and Mann-Kendall analysis respectively across wet and dry seasons. Statistically significant downward trends were more common for decreases in magnitude than in consistency for both variables, indicating important management shifts have occurred but that some have not been continually improved over time. However, we also found statistically significant upward trends in a small number of basins for both variables. These results suggest that devolving management to farms has led to a widespread shift in management but that incentives for ongoing improvement would be valuable. Findings on biophysical and management drivers were limited, indicating that more fine-grain data may be needed to better detect their effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Vulnerability of residential structures to hurricane induced coastal flood is modeled. • Empirical tsunami fragility functions are adapted to coastal flood fragility. • Cost analysis is employed to project vulnerability in terms of loss ratios. • Insurance claims data validates the loss ratio vulnerability outputs. This paper presents a methodology to develop hurricane induced coastal flood vulnerability functions for residential construction based on empirical tsunami fragility functions. A force equivalency mapping procedure first transforms the tsunami fragility functions into coastal flood fragility functions. Following the quantification of the damage states and the incorporation of repair costs, the coastal flood fragility functions translate into coastal flood vulnerability functions. Insurance claims data from the National Flood Insurance Program and vulnerability functions independently derived by the US Army Corps of Engineers are employed to validate single-story on-grade timber and reinforced masonry structure model outputs. The limitations of the model and future developments are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last decade, emergency department (ED) overcrowding has become a national crisis for the US healthcare system. Increasing mortality rates, decreasing quality of care, financial losses due to walkouts, and ambulance diversion are some of the consequences of ED overcrowding. Given the increasing demand in terms of ambulance utilization, being able to assign service requests to EDs efficiently, becomes a key function of the emergency medical services. This paper presents new ambulance allocation optimization models to reduce patients' total time to treatment, waiting times; therefore, ED overcrowding. Disparities and fairness are considered in the development of the mixed integer programming models. Under a set of assumptions, we apply our strategies to allocate 75 ambulance emergencies to 11 EDs in a specific county in Florida. Heterogeneous types of patients, demand characteristics, and geographical/facility information are considered in the models. Based on numerical experiments and the situation in Florida, we show that the optimization techniques can be utilized for large problems and result in up to 31% improvement of the current decentralized model. Further analysis reveals the negative or positive impact that the strategies have on each patient, giving new insights for future policy modifications. Bi-objective, single objective, and game theory optimization models are implemented in this study. • We study the national crisis of emergency department overcrowding. • We develop new strategies to allocate ambulance emergencies to reduce overcrowding. • We formulate considering fairness, system efficiency, and patient-level impacts. • We show that the minimization of system total time affects negatively on patients. • We show that one strategy has desired levels of efficiency and patient outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sinkholes are one of the major geohazards in karst areas, causing loss of life and significant economic loss as well. Sinkhole forming mechanism varies depending on the geological environment, and Florida's sinkholes are formed through the process of interaction between groundwater flow and cover soils. The significance of this paper is (1) to identify key sinkhole contributing factors and (2) to quantify the impact of those factors on sinkhole formation. Particularly, this study accounted for geomechanical factors that contribute to sinkhole raveling (due to erosion) and mechanical stability of overburden soils. Identification of key sinkhole contributing factors will allow developing a probabilistic sinkhole prediction model. The study area was focused on East Central Florida, where cover-collapse sinkholes often occur. Uniform-distribution transformation was employed for the quantitative analysis on each factor, and then case studies with specific examples are then presented to validate the results of the quantitative analysis. In conclusion, the identified key factors are hydraulic head difference, soil permeability, thicknesses of aquifer systems, and proximity to karst features (e.g., existing sinkhole). The critical permeability (k crit) showing a rapid increase of sinkhole occurrence is about 20 cm/h. Thickness and characteristics of cover soils seem a controlling factor of sinkhole types, and the overburden thickness around 40 to 45 m tends to form the collapse type. A multivariate regression analysis indicates that the thickness of the surficial aquifer system is the most significant factor, and then the head difference and the proximity to karst features follow in order. Unlabelled Image • Identification of key sinkhole affecting factors that will be used as input variables to a probabilistic sinkhole prediction model. • Quantitative analysis to determine the impact of each factor on sinkhole formation using uniform distribution transformation. • Identification and example of a mechanism how the affecting factors trigger or accelerate the sinkhole formation. • Identification of nonlinear relationship of sinkhole contributing factors to sinkhole occurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This study developed a procedure to rank unsignalised urban intersections for safety improvement. • The procedure identifies and ranks risk factors by safety inspections. • The procedure assesses a Safety Index (SI) for vehicles and pedestrians. • The procedure was validated in a sample of eighty-nine urban intersections in Florida. • The correlation between the SI scores and the Empirical Bayes estimates was significant. Methods based on crash data analysis are effective in identifying intersections with a potential for safety improvement. However, it is well recognized that crash data suffer from several shortcomings and that there are clues to safety other than crash occurrence. The systemic approach is an alternative method to address safety issues. In this approach, a transportation agency is able to identify priority locations based on the presence of risk factors rather than actual crashes. To promote wider use of the systemic safety approach, this paper aims at developing and validating a procedure to rank unsignalised urban intersections for safety improvement based on the evaluation of risk factors by road safety inspections. The procedure assesses a Safety Index (SI) that measures the safety performance of unsignalised urban intersections. The SI is formulated by combining two components of risk: the exposure of road users to road hazards (Exposure) and the risk factors, which increase the probability of involvement in crashes (Risk Index). The SI is made of two elements, one related to vehicles and one to pedestrians. Twenty-three detailed safety issues and ten general safety issues are assessed to compute the vehicle Risk Index and the pedestrian Risk Index. Safety issues were selected considering that they are common issues and that effective remedial measures exist and have already proven their effectiveness. Finally, criteria for identifying and ranking safety issues were defined. The SI has two main practical applications. High risk intersections, where safety measures that can reduce crash frequency exist, can be identified and ranked by the SI. Specific safety issues, that give more contribution to unsafety, are pointed out in order to give indication about more appropriate safety measures according to the systemic safety approach. The procedure was validated with a sample of eighty-nine urban intersections located in Orange County (Florida, U.S.). For these intersections, the SI scores, the Empirical Bayes (EB) safety estimates, and the potential for improvement (PFI) were compared. The correlation between the SI scores and the EB estimates was highly significant both for vehicles (R2 = 0.66) and pedestrians (R2 = 0.58) as well as for the total crashes (R2 = 0.68). The results from the Spearman's rank-correlation analysis provided further validation for the SI indicating that ranking from the SI and the EB estimates agree at the 99.9% confidence level for vehicles (ρ s = 0.78), pedestrians (ρ s = 0.93), and total (ρ s = 0.93). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eutrophication is a widespread global scale pollution problem. Agricultural areas are generally the main contributors to eutrophication, whereas sewage and industrial discharges, which usually receive some treatment prior to discharge, are a secondary source. This is mostly the case of the ultra-oligotrophic Florida Everglades, where natural water sources are often enriched by nutrients from large-scale industrial agricultural stormwater runoff. Remediation of these agricultural waters cannot be conducted with the usual environmental engineering solutions, and in this context ecological engineering approaches such as constructed wetlands are much more suitable. Moreover, these wetlands provide other ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration or habitat provisioning. In this paper we have implemented a mechanistic phosphorus model into a time-space-dependent mathematical simulation platform (COMSOL Multiphysics™) which has been calibrated with wetland mesocosm data. Subsequently we have evaluated different characteristics of constructed wetland physical elements such as internal walls and baffles, different types of inlets, parallel and series operation, and increase in hydraulic retention time (HRT) to study total phosphorus (TP) removal performance and to improve efficiency. Simulation results indicate that wetland mesocosm soils released dissolved organic phosphorus which was washed out together with the effluent, making very difficult to attain a concentration lower than a target of 10 μg TP L−1, as required to protect the Everglades. Simulations showed that the design based on combination of the bottom inlet together with parallel operation extensively improves efficiency. Target TP concentrations can be achieved with this design together with an increase on 25% of hydraulic retention time. With this study we demonstrate the usefulness of the model for detailed designs, opening the door for its use in field scale applications. Image 1 • Pollution caused by agricultural drainage waters is a worldwide problem. • Constructed wetlands are very suitable to prevent agricultural drainage pollution. • A complex model was developed to study phosphorus removal. • The model is very useful for detailed designs and field scale applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• GIS-based analysis was conducted to assess the accessibility to mental health services in Florida. • Accessibility of vulnerable population such as seniors was studied. • Counties with the least accessibility are mainly clustered in Northwest Florida. • Counties with a poor access are mostly located in rural areas. The demand for mental health services has been growing stronger over the last couple of decades. This indicates the need to study and assess the access to these mental health services especially with a focus on the vulnerable populations having the greatest need. As such, this paper presents a Geographical Information Systems (GIS)-based analysis in order to study and evaluate the accessibility of mental health facilities using the information on the spatial distributions of population and facilities, and regional traffic characteristics. For this purpose, different age group segments are utilized including the total population as well as those aged between 18 and 21, 22 and 49, 50 and 64, and those aged over 65 and 85. Focusing on the State of Florida, spatially detailed accessibility metrics are calculated with regard to healthcare facilities using travel times between population block groups and these critical mental health facilities. These estimates are used to calculate the weighted county accessibility scores for each county. Findings clearly delineate those counties that lack access to mental facilities, especially those in Northwest Florida, a demographically diverse and substantially rural region. This type of analysis can help planners and policy makers develop better strategies in order to provide adequate mental health care options needed in targeted locations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Propose an optimization procedure to estimate weight-categorized truck counts. • Demonstrate an easy-to-use method for integrating freight datasets. • Conduct a case study to estimate weight-categorized truck counts in Florida. • Explore scenarios to derive appropriate weightages for the optimization model. Knowledge of spatial distributions of weight-categorized truck flows in a region is critical to the understanding of movements of empty or partially-loaded trucks and devising appropriate strategies to reduce empty or partially-loaded truck flows and improve truck utilization efficiency in the region. However, such disaggregated information cannot be directly obtained from existing data sources and models. In this paper, we propose a compact model for estimating weight-categorized truck origin–destination (OD) flows and link-level truck counts by fusing several freight datasets. The proposed model minimizes the squared errors between the estimated and observed truck OD flows and link volumes considering the flow conservation of trucks and commodity weights. To illustrate a real-world application of this model, a case study is conducted to estimate the spatial distribution of empty or partially-loaded truck flows into, within, and out of the State of Florida. With the case study results, high production- and attraction-zones of empty or partially-loaded truck trips are also identified. Such results can potentially inform freight planning and policy decisions to learn spatial patterns of empty or partially-loaded backhauling truck flows and devise countermeasures to reduce such flows and improve freight transportation efficiency. This is particularly relevant to a terminal state such as Florida that has large volumes of back-hauling truck flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Given a flexible framework for count data regression, the Poisson-Tweedie distribution was used to model crash frequency. • A series of models with fixed and varying dispersion were developed under different values of power parameter in variance. • The performance of a model varied by how the dispersion parameter was formulated. • The dispersion parameter values were found to be smaller in models fitted with higher value of the power parameter. • The variation in expected crash frequency and site ranking linked to different dispersion and power parameters was examined. This paper describes a study that applies the Poisson-Tweedie distribution in developing crash frequency models. The Poisson-Tweedie distribution offers a unified framework to model overdispersed, underdispersed, zero-inflated, spatial, and longitudinal count data, as well as multiple response variables of similar or mixed types. The form of its variance function is simple, and can be specified as the mean added to the product of dispersion and mean raised to the power P. The flexibility of the Poisson-Tweedie distribution lies in the domain of P, which includes positive real number values. Special cases of the Poisson-Tweedie distribution models include the linear form of the negative binomial (NB1) model with P equal to 1.0, the geometric Poisson (GeoP) model with P equal to 1.5, the quadratic form of the negative binomial (NB2) model with P equal to 2.0, and the Poisson Inverse Gaussian (PIG) model with P equal to 3.0. A series of models were developed in this study using the Poisson-Tweedie distribution without any restrictions on the value of the power parameter as well as with specific values of the power parameter representing NB1, GeoP, NB2, and PIG models. The effects of fixed and varying dispersion parameters (i.e., dispersion as a function of covariates) on the variance and expected crash frequency estimates were also examined. Three years (2012–2014) of crash data from urban three-leg stop-controlled intersections and urban four-leg signalized intersections in the state of Florida were used to develop the models. The Poisson-Tweedie models or the GeoP models were found to perform better when the dispersion parameter was constant or fixed. With the varying dispersion parameter, the NB2 and PIG models were found to perform better, with both performing equally well. Also, the fixed dispersion parameter values were found to be smaller in the models with a higher value of the power parameter. The variation across the models in their estimates of weight factor, expected crash frequency, and potential for safety improvement of hazardous sites based on the empirical Bayes method was also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]