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Information on the 156th Acoustical Society of America (ASA) conference held on November 10-14, 2008 at the Doral Golf Resort and Spa in Miami, Florida is presented. It mentions that the event has attracted 851 participants worldwide for a total of 660 papers which covers the areas of interest of the 13 Technical Committees. Mark Hamilton, President of ASA expresses his gratitude for the excellent performance of the local organizing committee. Additionally, it mentions the awards' recipients.

The purpose of this study is to compare the results between two different colleges regarding how college students in Computer Programming (CP) and Information Technology (IT) perceive security issues related to how the Internet of Things (IoT) plays a role in their majors. Security issues within the IoT are part of the challenges facing this ubiquitous emerging technology implementing embedded software applications. In this paper, we analyzed the results from the study of students’ pre-knowledge and post-knowledge on the impact of security issues in the IoT embedded software applications. This study was conducted as a collaborative initiative between two colleges, Miami Dade College (MDC), located in Miami, Florida, and Pittsburgh Technical College (PTC), located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The findings indicated that students believed exposure of private information was important to IoT security and that IoT vulnerabilities have changed over the last 5 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The World Collection of Sugarcane and Related Grasses, maintained at the USDA-ARS in Miami, FL, is one of the largest sugarcane germplasm repositories in the world. However, the genetic integrity of the Saccharum spp. germplasm in this collection has not been fully analyzed. In this study, we employed a single-dose SNP panel to genotype 901 sugarcane accessions, representing six Saccharum species and various hybrids. Our analysis uncovered a high rate of clone mislabeling in the collection. Specifically, we identified 86 groups of duplicates, characterized by identical SNP genotypes, which encompassed 211 accessions (23% of the total clones), while 135 groups, constituting 471 clones (52% of the total), exhibited near-identical genotypes. In addition, twenty-seven homonymous groups were detected, which shared the same clone name but differed in SNP genotypes. Hierarchical analysis of population structure partitioned the Saccharum germplasm into five clusters, corresponding to S. barberi, S. sinense, S. officinarum, S. spontaneum and S. robustum/S. edule. An assignment test, based on the five Saccharum species, enabled correcting 141 instances of mislabeled species memberships and inaccuracies. Moreover, we clarified the species membership and parentage of 298 clones that had ambiguous passport records (e.g., ‘Saccharum spp’, ‘unknown’, and ‘hybrid’). Population structure and genetic diversity in these five species were further supported by Principal Coordinate Analysis and neighbor- joining clustering analysis. Analysis of Molecular Variance revealed that within- species genetic variations accounted for 85% of the total molecular variance, with the remaining 15% attributed to among-species genetic variations. The single-dose SNP markers developed in this study offer a robust tool for characterizing sugarcane germplasm worldwide. These findings have important implications for sugarcane genebank management, germplasm exchange, and crop genetic improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growth hormone (GH)-releasing hormone (GHRH) has been suggested to play a crucial role in brain function. We aimed to further investigate the effects of a novel GHRH antagonist of the Miami (MIA) series, MIA-602, on emotional disorders and explore the relationships between the endocrine system and mood disorders. In this context, the effects induced by MIA-602 were also analyzed in comparison to vehicle-treated mice with GH deficiency due to generalized ablation of the GHRH gene (GHRH knock out (GHRHKO)). We show that the chronic subcutaneous administration of MIA-602 to wild type (+/+) mice, as well as generalized ablation of the GHRH gene, is associated with anxiolytic and antidepressant behavior. Moreover, immunohistochemical and Western blot analyses suggested an evident activation of Nrf2, HO1, and NQO1 in the prefrontal cortex of both +/+ mice treated with MIA-602 (+/+ MIA-602) and homozygous GHRHKO (−/− control) animals. Finally, we also found significantly decreased COX-2, iNOS, NFkB, and TNF-α gene expressions, as well as increased P-AKT and AKT levels in +/+ MIA-602 and −/− control animals compared to +/+ mice treated with vehicle (+/+ control). We hypothesize that the generalized ablation of the GHRH gene leads to a dysregulation of neural pathways, which is mimicked by GHRH antagonist treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Anemia is one of the most common comorbidities frequently seen in admitted patients. However, there is a scarcity of evidence regarding anemia among hospital admitted patients in Ethiopia, particularly in the Harari Region. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the prevalence and associated factors of anemia among hospital admitted patients in Eastern Ethiopia.Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted from October 25 to December 30, 2022. Four milliliters of venous blood were collected and complete blood count was done using the DxH 800 (Beckman Coulter, Inc, Miami, FL) hematology analyzer. The data were entered in Epi-data version 4 and exported to SPSS version 26 for statistical analysis. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression models were fitted. The level of significance was declared at a p-value of < 0.05.Results: Of the 381 hospital admitted patients, 64.8% (95% CI = 60.01, 69.65) of the participants were anemic. Admitted patients who drank standard alcohol daily (AOR = 3.78, 95% CI = 1.71, 8.30), underweight (AOR = 9.39, 95% CI = 2.90, 30.46), and undernourished patients (AOR = 2.59, 95% CI = 1.15, 5.84), patients admitted with chronic kidney disease (AOR = 11.16, 95% CI = 4.06, 30.64), chronic liver disease (AOR = 3.20, 95% CI = 1.21, 8.47), deep vein thrombosis (AOR = 6.22, 95% CI = 1.98, 19.52), infectious disease (AOR = 9.71, 95% CI = 2.77, 34.02), and chronic non-communicable disease (AOR = 7.01, 95% CI = 1.90, 25.99) were all significantly associated with anemia.Conclusion: Anemia was common among hospital admitted patients and should prompt the focus on admission diagnoses that are likely to play leading roles in etiology. This information indicates a need for routine screening of anemia for all admitted patients to improve their health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What is the appropriate method for classifying Spanish-speaking-origin inhabitants of the United States? This paper presents relevant data from the first wave of a longitudinal study of adolescents in the greater Miami area. As expected, the broadest definition -"up to third generation" Hispanic- identified the largest proportion of the sample as Hispanic, whereas parent self-report placed the smallest proportion into the Hispanic category. When policy-makers are concerned about enumberating the entire Hispanic population, a definition broader than self-identification should be used; in estimating prevalence rates, however, the use of self-identification may be adequate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary objective of this paper is to rank building faults based on their impacts on the building energy penalty and occupant thermal comfort penalty considering multiple faults and fault occurrence rates. A fault impact analysis framework is created by incorporating the fault model library with the whole building energy performance simulation (e.g., EnergyPlus used in this study). The fault occurrence rate is introduced as a "meta" parameter in the simulation. This framework involves three essential aspects of conducting a fault impact analysis: fault constructing, fault simulation, and fault impact analysis. A parametric sensitivity analysis was used to determine and rank the criticality of the faults considering the fault concurrence frequency, by using the deep-learning based response surface model (i.e., the multi-layer perceptron regression). The proposed fault analysis framework with ranking was tested and demonstrated for the DOE's prototype medium-sized office in four different climate zones (i.e., Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, and San Francisco) with 12,000 EnergyPlus fault simulations. A total of 129 fault modes from 41 groups of fault models were simulated for the medium-sized office case. The results demonstrate the proposed framework is robust and scalable for the fault impact analysis. The top critical fault for the medium-sized office is the fault of HVAC-Left-ON for the packaged rooftop unit, regarding the site energy, source energy, and HVAC energy. Excluding the fault of HVAC-Left-ON, the top critical faults vary significantly among the four climate zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay offers the author's insights on the style of poems of various poets. The author states that most of the poems created by Donald Justice do not explore on the nature of truth by examining personal experience and some of the poems are originated from his childhood in Miami, Florida. It says that the poem "Paper Boy" by David Huddle has failed to provide beauty while searching for truth while the poems of Andrew Hudgins often express personal experience. Meanwhile, the author mentions that in the first section of David Smith's collection of essays entitled "Local Assays: on Contemporary American Poetry," he argues the significance of truth in poetry because for him, a true poet is an escapist.

The theoretical focus of this paper is the context of reception experienced by migrants in their new homeland. In particular we examine relations between established residents and newcomers or immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, and other Caribbean and Latin American nations in South Florida. Based upon long term fieldwork among late adolescents and young adults, we develop a framework and give ethnographic examples of established resident-newcomer relations that influence the contexts of reception for immigrants in South Florida. These contexts range from positive to negative, vary between national and local settings, and change over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on several conferences on Catholic history. On March 22 and 24, 2007, the American Cusanus Society sponsored at the meeting of the Renaissance Society of America held in Miami, Florida panels in which three papers of interest to church historians were presented. From April 26 to 28, 2007 a conference was held at the University of Florence, which included a paper that dealt with the databases for the Fasti Ecclesiae Gallicanae. On May 10, 2007, the American Cusanus Society at the 42nd International Congress on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan sponsored two panels at which papers on church history topics were presented.

The second calibration and intercomparison of infrared radiometers (Miami2001) was held at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS) during a workshop held from May to June 2001. The radiometers targeted in these two campaigns (laboratory-based and at-sea measurements) are those used to validate the skin sea surface temperatures and land surface temperatures derived from the measurements of imaging radiometers on earth observation satellites. These satellite instruments include those on currently operational satellites and others that will be launched within two years following the workshop. The experimental campaigns were completed in one week and included laboratory measurements using blackbody calibration targets characterized by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and an intercomparison of the radiometers on a short cruise on board the R/V F. G. Walton Smith in Gulf Stream waters off the eastern coast of Florida. This paper reports on the results obtained from the shipborne measurements. Seven radiometers were mounted alongside each other on the R/V Walton Smith for an intercomparison under seagoing conditions. The ship results confirm that all radiometers are suitable for the validation of land surface temperature, and the majority are able to provide high quality data for the more difficult validation of satellite-derived sea surface temperature, contributing less than 0.1 K to the error budget of the validation. The measurements provided by two prototype instruments developed for ship-of-opportunity use confirmed their potential to provide regular reliable data for satellite-derived SST validation. Four high quality radiometers showed agreements within 0.05 K confirming that these instruments are suitable for detailed studies of the dynamics of air–sea interaction at the ocean surface as well as providing high quality validation data. The data analysis confirms the importance of including an accurate correction for reflected sky radiance when using infrared radiometers to measure SST. The results presented here also show the value of regular intercomparisons of ground-based instruments that are to be used for the validation of satellite-derived data products—products that will be an essential component of future assessments of climate change and variability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a European perspective on the Sixteenth Joyce Birthday Conference held from January 29 to 31, 2004, in Miami, Florida. This birthday conference has been organized in memory of James Joyce, the Irish author. Miami is not necessarily the place that European Joyceans associate with the Irish writer. Famously, Joyce himself never traveled to the U.S. Many inspiring and thought-provoking papers presented at the conference made the conference a successful one. The article author further focuses on some of panelists and papers that personally appealed him.

Background: People face numerous barriers to reentry and community integration following incarceration, and these obstacles manifest themselves as barriers to economic stability, housing security, healthcare, community acceptance, and educational attainment, ultimately leading to poor health. This study aims to understand healthcare needs of reentrants post release within the unique political and service context of Miami Dade County, FL, and seeks to uncover the structural facilitators and barriers to sustaining health during reentry. Methods: We report on a subset of data from a larger reentry asset mapping project. We conducted a qualitative thematic analysis based on 12 semi-structured interviews with community stakeholders, including reentrants who were released in the past year (n = 5) and with community providers who have provided support services to returning citizens for at least one year (n = 7). Narratives were coded through an iterative process using NVivo software and were analyzed using the general inductive approach. Results: Three themes emerged from the analysis: (1) social and structural barriers and facilitators to health during reentry, (2) challenges with medical care following release, and (3) long-term impacts of receiving poor healthcare in prison. Reentrants describe the carceral environment as non-conducive to health and cite an urgent need for systemic change within correctional institutions to promote their well-being. Respondents identified substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, trauma informed therapy, and chronic disease management as the primary healthcare needs of reentrants, and cite social support, stable housing, education, and employment as the key social and structural needs upon release. Conclusion: This study identifies prevalent resource gaps in Miami Dade County during reentry. Respondents advocate for more inclusive governmental housing programs, Medicaid expansion, and more holistic reentry programs to support reentrants. Understanding the barriers and facilitators to health during reentry can inform future interventions to better support reentrants in their transition post-incarceration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the growing calls to integrate realistic human behavior in sustainability science models, the representative rational agent prevails. This is especially problematic for climate change adaptation that relies on actions at various scales: from governments to individuals. Empirical evidence on individual adaptation to climate-induced hazards reveals diverse behavioral and social factors affecting economic considerations. Yet, implications of replacing the rational optimizer by realistic human behavior in nature-society systems models are poorly understood. Using an innovative evolutionary economic agent-based model we explore different framings regarding household adaptation behavior to floods, leveraging on behavioral data from a household survey in Miami, USA. We find that a representative rational agent significantly overestimates household adaptation diffusion and underestimates damages compared to boundedly rational behavior revealed from our survey. This "adaptation deficit" exhibited by a population of empirically informed agents is explained primarily by diverse "soft" adaptation constraints--awareness, social influences--rather than heterogeneity in financial constraints. Besides initial inequality disproportionally impacting low/medium adaptive capacity households post-flood, our findings suggest that even under a nearly complete adaptation diffusion, adaptation benefits are uneven, with late or less-efficient actions locking households to a path of higher damages, further exacerbating inequalities. Our exploratory modeling reveals that behavioral assumptions shape the uncertainty of physical factors, like exposure and objective effectiveness of flood-proofing measures, traditionally considered crucial in risk assessments. This unique combination of methods facilitates the assessment of cumulative and distributional effects of boundedly rational behavior essential for designing tailored climate adaptation policies, and for equitable sustainability transitions in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Gulf Stream is a vital limb of the North Atlantic circulation that influences regional climate, sea level, and hurricane activity. Given the Gulf Stream's relevance to weather and climate, many studies have attempted to estimate trends in its volumetric transport from various data sets, but results have been inconclusive, and no consensus has emerged whether it is weakening with climate change. Here we use Bayesian analysis to jointly assimilate multiple observational data sets from the Florida Straits to quantify uncertainty and change in Gulf Stream volume transport since 1982. We find with virtual certainty (probability P > 99%) that Gulf Stream volume transport through the Florida Straits declined by 1.2 ± 1.0 Sv in the past 40 years (95% credible interval). This significant trend has emerged from the data set only over the past ten years, the first unequivocal evidence for a recent multidecadal decline in this climate‐relevant component of ocean circulation. Plain Language Summary: The Gulf Stream is a major ocean current located off the East Coast of the United States. It carries a tremendous amount of seawater and along with it heat, carbon, and other ocean constituents. Because of this, the Gulf Stream plays an important role in weather and climate, influencing phenomena as seemingly unrelated as sea level along coastal Florida and temperature and precipitation over continental Europe. Given how important this ocean current is to science and society, scientists have tried to determine whether the Gulf Stream has undergone significant changes under global warming, but so far, they have not reached a firm conclusion. Here we report our effort to synthesize available Gulf Stream observations from the Florida Straits near Miami, and to assess whether and how the Gulf Stream transport there has changed since 1982. We conclude with a high degree of confidence that Gulf Stream transport has indeed slowed by about 4% in the past 40 years, the first conclusive, unambiguous observational evidence that this ocean current has undergone significant change in the recent past. Future studies should try to identify the cause of this change. Key Points: Gulf Stream volume transport through Florida Straits declined by 1.2 ± 1.0 Sv during the past 40 years (95% credible interval)We find a weakening trend in the Gulf Stream by applying Bayesian methods to synthesize cable, in situ, and satellite data sets congruently [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fine-scale personal heat exposure (PHE) information can help prevent or minimize weather-related deaths, illnesses, and reduced work productivity. Common methods to estimate heat risk do not simultaneously account for the intensity, frequency, and duration of thermal exposures, nor do they include inter-individual factors that modify physiological response. This study demonstrates new whole-body net thermal load estimations to link PHE to heat stress and strain over time. We apply a human-environment heat exchange model to examine how time-varying net thermal loads differ across climate contexts, personal attributes, and spatiotemporal scales. First, we investigate summertime climatic PHE impacts for three US cities: Phoenix, Miami, and New York. Second, we model body morphology and acclimatization for three profiles (middle-aged male/female; female >65 years). Finally, we quantify model sensitivity using representative data at synoptic and micro-scales. For all cases, we compare required and potential evaporative heat losses that can lead to dangerous thermal exposures based on (un)compensable heat stress. Results reveal misclassifications in heat stress or strain due to incomplete environmental data and assumed equivalent physiology and activities between people. Heat strain is most poorly represented by PHE alone for the elderly, non-acclimatized, those engaged in strenuous activities, and when negating solar radiation. Moreover, humid versus dry heat across climates elicits distinct thermal responses from the body. We outline criteria for inclusive PHE evaluations connecting heat exposure, stress, and strain while using physiological-based methods to avoid misclassifications. This work underlines the value of moving from "one-size-fits-all" thermal indices to "fit-for-purpose" approaches using personalized information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an integrated model that coupled CONTAM and WUFI was developed to assess the indoor air quality (IAQ), moisture, and thermal comfort performance. The coupling method of CONTAM and WUFI is described based on the exchange of airflow rate control variables as infiltration, natural and mechanical ventilation parameters between heat and moisture flow balance equations in WUFI and contaminant flow balances equations in CONTAM. To evaluate the predictions of the integrated model compared to single models of CONTAM and WUFI, four scenarios were used. These scenarios are airtight-fan off, airtight-fan on, leaky-fan off, and leaky-fan on, and were defined for a three-story house subjected to three different climate conditions of Montreal, Vancouver, and Miami. The measures of the simulated indoor CO2, PM2.5, and VOCs obtained by CONTAM; the simulated indoor relative humidity (RH), predicted percentage of dissatisfied (PPD), and predicted mean vote (PMV) obtained by WUFI; and those obtained by the integrated model are compared separately for all scenarios in Montreal, Vancouver, and Miami. Finally, the optimal scenarios are selected. The simulated results of the optimal scenarios with the integrated model method (−28.88% to 46.39%) are different from those obtained with the single models. This is due to the inability of the single models to correct the airflow variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the impact of the development of the Miami Metrorail system on residential property values proximate to its station locations. Comparing repeat-sales indices and applying hedonic regression methods yielded consistent results. In both cases the analyses support the hypothesis that residential values were, at most, only weakly impacted by the announcement of the new rail system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on multiple criteria decision making with reference to a paper on multiple criteria decision making presented at the joint meeting of the Operations Research Society of America and the Institute of Management Sciences held in Miami, Florida in November 1976. Multiple criteria models will include more of the decision maker's goals, especially those goals so important they can override analytical conclusions that ignore them. Since one thrust of the growing interest in multiple criteria models is to handle more goals, more attributes, more criteria at one time, executives' analyses will become broader and will hopefully move from narrower models to "big picture" decision purviews. When more and more goals are added to a decision analysis, greater generality is gained. The implication is that decision analysis models will include more of the constituent decision maker's judgment in the process of selecting an alternative. The implication for operations research/management science models is that they become more alternative-creating than exclusively alternative-evaluating, and that they are able to evaluate against many interacting goals the bits, pieces and parts used in building larger alternatives.

In the manufacturing of photovoltaic (PV) modules, the lamination process can take up to 20 min to complete. In this work, new lamination processes are being developed, and have been prototyped, which hope to be able to cut this time down to as little as 30 s. This could provide significant savings in the cost of lamination equipment, floor space, and energy. PV modules are expected to have a lifespan exceeding 20 to 30 years. For moisture‐sensitive PV technologies, the edge seal between the two layers of glass can be the weakest point of its reliability. There is an inherent challenge when evaluating edge seal materials due to their low permeation rates. As part of Colorado State University's Photovoltaic Research and Development 2, work at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory has developed models to evaluate edge seal configurations in glass‐glass PV modules. Here, this new manufacturing process is evaluated for long‐term moisture durability. Different edge seal design options within glass–glass PV modules are explored. Most of these designs are targeting a superstrate on glass configuration, e.g CdTe, but some designs could be used on conventional crystalline Si cells. Using COMSOL finite element simulation software, we investigated the edge seal and interlayer design configurations containing silicone perimeter edge adhesive, desiccated polyisobutylene‐based edge seal, air, and polyolefin while integrating climate conditions equivalent to a hot and humid environment such as Miami, Florida. We found optimized configurations that will allow the module to prevent moisture ingress over 50 years minimizing the amount of time and material used while utilizing polymers that are easily dispensed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: The resurgence of HIV outbreaks and rising prevalence among people who inject drugs (PWID) remain exigent obstacles to Ending the HIV Epidemic in the USA. Adapting a low threshold, comprehensive treatment model for PWID with HIV can leverage syringe services programs (SSPs) to increase availability and accessibility of antiretrovirals (ART), medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), and hepatitis C cure. We developed Tele-Harm Reduction, a telehealth-enhanced, harm reduction intervention delivered within an SSP venue. Methods: The T-SHARP trial is an open-label, multi-site, randomized controlled superiority trial with two parallel treatment arms. Participants (n=240) recruited from SSPs in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, and Tampa, Florida, who are PWID with uncontrolled HIV (i.e., HIV RNA>200) will be randomized to Tele-Harm Reduction or off-site linkage to HIV care. The primary objective is to compare the efficacy of Tele-Harm Reduction for initiation of ART at SSPs vs. off-site linkage to an HIV clinic with respect to viral suppression across follow-up (suppression at 3, 6, and 12 months post randomization). Participants with HIV RNA<200 copies/ml will be considered virally suppressed. The primary trial outcome is time-averaged HIV viral suppression (HIV RNA <200 copies/ml) over 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up. Secondary outcomes include initiation of MOUD measured by urine drug screen and HCV cure, defined as achieving 12-week sustained virologic response (negative HCV RNA at 12 weeks post treatment completion). A cost-effectiveness analysis will be performed. Discussion: The T-SHARP Trial will be the first to our knowledge to test the efficacy of an innovative telehealth intervention with PWID with uncontrolled HIV delivered via an SSP to support HIV viral suppression. Tele-Harm Reduction is further facilitated by a peer to support adherence and bridge the digital divide. This innovative, flipped healthcare model sets aside the traditional healthcare system, reduces multi-level barriers to care, and meets PWID where they are. The T-SHARP trial is a pragmatic clinical trial that seeks to transform the way that PWID access HIV care and improve HIV clinical outcomes. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05208697. Trial registry name: Tele-Harm Reduction. Registration date: January 26, 2022. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global surge in Multidrug resistant (MDR) bacteria is an issue of great concern. Pseudomonas aeruginosa has been implicated in several nosocomial infections, where it has caused grave complications in immunocompromised patients. This is the first study to report the prevalence of MDR P. aeruginosa isolated from residential sewage in Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State, Nigeria. Pseudomonads count, isolation, biochemical characterization and antibiogram were carried out using standard microbiological procedures. This study examined sixty (60) samples from selected residential sewage in the study site collected at different intervals between July and September 2021. A total of 40 (66.7%) P. aeruginosa were isolated from the analyzed sewage samples. The highest (2.84x104) pseudomonad count was recorded from sewage samples collected from Kadangaru. Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from this sample site showed the highest (100%) resistance to cephalosporins (cefuroxime) and nitrofurantoin. Similarly, isolates from Miami area also demonstrated the highest (95%) resistance to a cephalosporin (ceftazidime). All (100%) isolates used in this study showed MDR resistance to tested antibiotics. The occurrence of MDR P. aeruginosa from a residential sewage site that may contaminate drinking water sources in the study area is of public health threat to the inhabitants. Surveillance and molecular epidemiology of antibiotics resistant bacteria are urgently needed in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Air pollution is increasingly recognized as a risk factor for acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Changing climate and weather patterns can modify the levels and types of air pollutants. For example, dust outbreaks increase particulate air pollution. Objective: This paper examines the effect of Saharan dust storms on the concentration of coarse particulate matter in Miami, and its association with the risk of acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD). Methods: In this prospective cohort study, 296 COPD patients (with 313 events) were followed between 2013 and 2016. We used Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) and satellite-based Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) to identify dust events and quantify particulate matter (PM) exposure, respectively. Exacerbation events were modeled with respect to location- and time-lagged dust and PM exposures, using multivariate logistic regressions. Measurements and main results: Dust duration and intensity increased yearly during the study period. During dust events, AOD increased by 51% and particulate matter ≤2.5 µm in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5) increased by 25%. Adjusting for confounders, ambient temperature and local PM2.5 exposure, one-day lagged dust exposure was associated with 4.9 times higher odds of two or more (2+ hereto after) AECOPD events (odds ratio = 4.9; 95% CI = 1.8–13.4; p < 0.001). Ambient temperature exposure also showed a significant association with 2+ and 3+ AECOPD events. The risk of AECOPD lasted up to 15 days after dust exposure, declining from 10× higher on day 0 to 20% higher on day 15. Conclusions: Saharan dust outbreaks observed in Miami elevate the concentration of PM and increase the risk of AECOPD in COPD patients with recurring exacerbations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban expansion is one of the most dramatic forms of land transformation in the world and it is one of the greatest challenges in achieving sustainable development in the 21st century. Previous studies analyzed urbanization patterns in areas with rapid urban expansion while urban areas with low to moderate expansion have been overlooked, especially in developed countries. In this study, we examined the spatiotemporal dynamics of urban expansion patterns in South Florida, United States (US) over the last 25 years (1992–2016) using Remote Sensing and GIS techniques. The main goal of this paper was to investigate the degree and spatiotemporal patterns of urban expansion at different administrative level in the study area and how spatiotemporal variance in different explanatory factors influence urban expansion in this region. More specifically, this research quantifies the rates, types, intensity, and landscape metrics of urban expansion in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Palm Beach, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area (Miami MSA) which is the 7th largest MSA and 4th largest urbanized area in the US using remote sensing (satellite imageries) data from National Land Cover Datasets (NLCD) and Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP) at 30 m spatial resolution. We further investigated the urban growth patterns at the county and city areas that are located within this MSA to portray the local 'picture' of urban growth in this region. Urban expansion in this region can be divided into two time periods: pre-2001 and post-2001 where the former experienced rapid urban expansion and the later had comparatively slow urban expansion. Results suggest that infilling was the dominant type of urban expansion followed by edge-expansion and outlying. Results from landscape metrics represent that newly developed urban lands became more aggregated and simplified in form as the time progressed in the study region. Also, new urban lands were generated away from the east coast and historic cities which eventually created new urban cores. We also used correlation analysis and multiple linear stepwise regression to address major explanatory factors of spatiotemporal change in urban expansion during the study period. Although the influence of factors on urban expansion varied temporally, Population and Distance to Coast were the strongest variables followed by Distance to Roads and Median Income that influence overall urban expansion in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green(er) sample preparation technologies still dominate as the anticipated improvement in all analytical protocols. Separation scientists all over the world continuously strive to comply with the Green Analytical Chemistry (GAC) demands. To follow this trend, microextraction techniques are constantly evolving to bridge the gap between Green Analytical Chemistry and sample pretreatment. A research group from Florida International University, Miami, Florida has introduced fabric phase sorptive extraction (FPSE) in 2014 that was considered as a new milestone in microextraction technologies at that time. Two years later, the same research group introduced an advantageous innovative configuration that combines the stirring and extraction mechanism into a single sample preparation device, keeping all the benefits originally offered by classical FPSE. Magnet integrated fabric phase sorptive extraction (MI-FPSE) was eventually introduced as a new, advantageous implementation of FPSE. This device exhibits the advantageous role of the increase in extraction kinetics through sample diffusion, resulting in improved extraction efficiency of the microextraction device and supports the need for combining processes for better promotion and implementation of the principles of Green Analytical Chemistry. The applications of MI-FPSE are presented herein, showing the essential role that this technique can play in analytical and bioanalytical sample preparation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The consequences of rising temperatures for trees will vary between species based on their abilities to acclimate their leaf thermoregulatory traits and photosynthetic thermal tolerances. We tested the hypotheses that adult trees in warmer growing conditions (i) acclimate their thermoregulatory traits to regulate leaf temperatures, (ii) acclimate their thermal tolerances such that tolerances are positively correlated with leaf temperature and (iii) that species with broader thermal niche breadths have greater acclimatory abilities. To test these hypotheses, we measured leaf traits and thermal tolerances of seven focal tree species across steep thermal gradients in Miami's urban heat island. We found that some functional traits varied significantly across air temperatures within species. For example, leaf thickness increased with maximum air temperature in three species, and leaf mass per area and leaf reflectance both increased with air temperature in one species. Only one species was marginally more homeothermic than expected by chance due to acclimation of its thermoregulatory traits, but this acclimation was insufficient to offset elevated air temperatures. Thermal tolerances acclimated to higher maximum air temperatures in two species. As a result of limited acclimation, leaf thermal safety margins (TSMs) were narrower for trees in hotter areas. We found some support for our hypothesis that species with broader thermal niches are better at acclimating to maintain more stable TSMs across the temperature gradients. These findings suggest that trees have limited abilities to acclimate to high temperatures and that thermal niche specialists may be at a heightened risk of thermal stress as global temperatures continue to rise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal cities in the east and southeast regions of the US have seen significant population growth and economic development in the last 2 decades. As a result, urban infrastructure, populations, and economies are becoming increasingly vulnerable to hurricane-driven hazards. Criteria for wind design in national standards are intended specifically for the design and performance assessment of individual buildings and other facilities for life safety. They are not adequate for assessing community resilience because hurricane winds are spatially nonuniform. Although scenario-based approaches to representing hurricane demands are more useful in community performance assessment because the distinct features of various hurricane scenarios and their impact on a community can be captured, they are not tied to a specific hazard level. This study introduces a new method for systematically identifying a set of hurricane scenarios corresponding to a stipulated return period (RP) for resilience assessment of coastal communities using a deaggregation approach, which establishes a connection that has not existed previously between hurricane scenarios and the building regulatory process. A community patterned after Miami, Florida, was used to demonstrate the proposed hazard deaggregation and damage analysis. Hurricane scenario events that are dominant contributors to the stipulated RP events, coupled with fragility models of engineered buildings, were used to identify building damage patterns and form an improved basis for risk-informed decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Opponents of migration argue that natives bear the fiscal costs of immigration. Estimates suggest the long‐run fiscal effect of immigration for local governments is negative, largely due to the costs of educating immigrant children. We test whether migration affects local government fiscal outcomes using a synthetic control method and the 1980 Mariel Boatlift as a natural experiment. We find no effect of the mass influx of migrants to Miami on various fiscal outcome measures, suggesting concerns over the fiscal effects of immigration are "missing the boat." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accurate interpretation of hurricane risk graphics is expected to benefit public decision-making. To investigate public interpretation and suggest improvements to graphical designs, an interdisciplinary, mixed-methods approach is being undertaken. Drawing on a series of focus groups with Miami residents that focused on understanding interpretations of the National Hurricane Center's (NHC) track forecast cone or "Cone of Uncertainty," we developed an online survey targeting a much larger sample of Florida residents (n = 2,847). The findings from this survey are the primary focus of this short article. We attempt to answer three questions: 1) What are the most frequent and trusted sources of information that Florida residents use when they learn that a hurricane is coming their way? 2) How accurately are Florida residents able to interpret risk based on the NHC Cone of Uncertainty graphic? 3) What is the relationship, if any, between the number of correct interpretations and income, age, education, housing location, housing type, or "most trusted" sources of information? Unlike previous public surveys that focused more on evacuation decisions, forecast usage, and perception of hurricane risk, our approach specifically pays attention to the details of design elements of the forecast graphics with the long-term goal of minimizing misinterpretation of future graphics. Our analysis suggests that many residents have difficulty interpreting several aspects, suggesting a rethink on how to graphically communicate aspects such as uncertainty, the size of the storm, areas of likely damage, watches and warnings, and wind intensity categories. Graphical communication strategies need to be revised to better support the different ways in which people understand forecast products, and these strategies should be tested for validity in real world settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a work-in-progress report of Miami Studies, a curricular, research, and collections-focused initiative housed at the Wolfsonian Public Humanities Lab (WPHL) at Florida International University (FIU). Miami Studies represents a unique approach to Latina/o/x studies in the Greater Miami region and at one of the country's largest Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI). The rationale, framework, and historical context for a Miami Studies school of urbanism are described in detail. This is followed by an explanation of the WPHL's digitally focused initiatives: the digitization of a now-defunct newspaper titled Miami Life and the Mellon Foundation-funded Community Data Curation post-custodial project. Also referenced is the Díaz Ayala Collection of Cuban and Latin American Popular Music, housed at FIU Libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modeling and estimating the damage to the built environment caused by hurricane winds is an essential requirement to enhance community resilience. Consideration of damage to a building's envelope caused by windborne debris impact is necessary. To model this damage for a certain subdivision of houses, debris generated in neighboring subdivisions, defined as exogenous debris, must be taken into account. Existing physics-based damage estimation models do not consider the effect exogenous windborne debris has on the estimated damage due to hurricane winds. This paper provides a methodology to identify the extent of the neighboring subdivisions that needs to be considered during damage simulation to accurately account for exogenous windborne debris. The presented methodology is based on first identifying the extent of the neighboring subdivisions through a simulation-based strategy which follows an iterative scheme. For each size increment, the iterative scheme estimates the number of exogenous windborne debris using a physics-based damage estimation model. The single building solution is then generalized to a subdivision of any arbitrary shape. The proposed methodology is applied to analyze a hypothetical residential community in Miami, FL. Analysis results show the effect on the required extent of the neighboring subdivisions of the hurricane maximum wind speed, the floor-area ratio and the resistance of the building envelope components. The analysis concludes with a regression model that can be used to estimate the size of the neighboring subdivisions to be used in damage estimation models. • A methodology to model exogenous windborne debris during hurricanes is presented. • The proposed methodology solves for a subdivision of any arbitrary boundary. • The methodology accounts for factors related to the neighboring subdivisions. • The methodology accounts for factors related to the hurricane hazard. • A regression model is presented to account for exogenous windborne debris. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A multicentre feasibility trial (MIAMI), comparing outcomes and quality of life of women with multiple ipsilateral breast cancer randomised to therapeutic mammoplasty or mastectomy, was conducted from September 2018 to March 2020. The MIAMI surgical trial aimed to investigate recruitment of sufficient numbers of women. Multidisciplinary teams at 10 breast care centres in the UK identified 190 with MIBC diagnosis; 20 were eligible for trial participation but after being approached only four patients were recruited. A nested qualitative study sought to understand the reasons for this lack of recruitment. Methods: Interviews were conducted from November 2019 to September 2020 with 17 staff from eight hospital-based breast care centres that recruited and attempted to recruit to MIAMI; and seven patients from four centres, comprising all patients who were recruited to the trial and some who declined to take part. Interviews were audio-recorded, anonymised and analysed using thematic methods of building codes into themes and sub-themes using the process of constant comparison. Results: Overarching themes of (1) influences on equipoise and recruitment and (2) effects of a lack of equipoise were generated. Within these themes, health professional themes described the barriers to recruitment as 'the treatment landscape has changed', 'staff preferences and beliefs' which influenced equipoise and patient advice; and how different the treatments were for patients. Patient themes of 'altruism and timing of trial approach', 'influences from consultants and others' and 'diagnostic journey doubts' all played a part in whether patients agreed to take part in the trial. Conclusions: Barriers to recruiting to breast cancer surgical trials can be significant, especially where there are substantial differences between the treatments being offered and a lack of equipoise communicated by healthcare professionals to patients. Patients can become overwhelmed by numerous requests for participation in research trials and inappropriate timing of trial discussions. Alternative study designs to the gold standard randomised control trial for surgical interventions may be required to provide the high-quality evidence on which to base practice. Trial registration: ISRCTN (ISRCTN17987569) registered on April 20, 2018, and ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03514654). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The paper presents an experimental study to assess wind induced pressure on full-scale loose concrete roof pavers by using Wall of Wind, a large-scale hurricane testing facility at Florida International University. Experimental tests were conducted on full-scale concrete pavers mounted on a test building to evaluate wind-induced external and underneath pressures acting on the pavers. The study shows that roof pavers could be subjected to significant uplifting wind forces due to negative pressures. In corner and edge areas of the roof, pressure differences produced net uplift on the pavers, at design wind speed, that was greater than the individual weight of the pavers. The study provides new insights by testing the actual roofing material at high wind speeds in a controlled environment and also showed that locking the pavers together can mitigate the issues at corners and edges by increasing the weight of the pavers that acts together to counterbalance the net uplift pressure. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Cuban Diaspora in the United States has been repeatedly charged with political opacity and racial discrimination towards its members. A highly inflexible community as far as racial acceptance and internal economic mobility are concerned, this Diaspora gives rise to controversies in both media and literature, especially since it plays a major role in the socio-political relations between the two countries. Bearing in mind that the issue of racial discrimination in the last century ran different paths in Cuba and in the United States, and relying on a various set of articles and documentaries, this paper examines the processes and causes underlying the racial tensions within the Cuban community. The Revolution which took place in Cuba in the late 1950s and whose aftermath was the establishing of a Communist régime under the rule of president Fidel Castro, led to several waves of exiles and later immigrants, most of them settling in the United States, especially in the region of Florida, where they formed a thriving community in what became to be known as the most significant Cuban-American enclave, Miami. There are four waves that make up the Cuban exile, although the last wave may be classified as migration rather than exile. The first wave left right after the Revolution, between 1959 and 1961 and represented the country's economic elite, among them supporters of the old Batista régime. The second left through the so-called Freedom Flights in the late 60s and early 70s. Both waves were mostly composed of white, high class Cubans. [1] The next exodus took place in 1980 and is known under the name the Mariel boatlift, followed by a massive migration in 1994, during the height of the Special Period, Cuba's decline after the fall of the Soviet Block. The four waves differ among themselves along lines of racial composition, professional and economic status, and consequently patterns of integration not only as a community within the United States, but also within the group as a whole. Racial discrimination was carried by Cuban exiles to the US, where Afro-Cubans are voiceless within the white, elitist Diaspora. [2] The Cuban-American community is not homogenous, but diverse, with "recent nonwhite émigrés (…) being less likely to be received with open arms by the predominantly white Cuban community in Miami" (in Woltman: 71). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a speech by Nancy L. Geller, president of the American Statistical Association (ASA), delivered at the Joint Statistical Meetings, held in Miami, Florida on August 2, 2011, in which she discussed the theme of the meeting, the most important thing in statistics, communication, and the role of statisticians.

The article discusses the 18th Irregular Miami J'yce Birthday Conference "A beautiful pure sweet mellow English tenor": "Joyce and England" that was held from January 31 to February 2, 2013 in Miami, Florida. The conference includes several sessions including "Victorian Joyce," "British Space," and "James Joyce, Irish National," and several papers like "Joyce and Arnold" by Grace Holtkamp, and "Bloom and Crusoe" by Austin Briggs.