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Space-Time Clustering with the Space-Time Permutation Model in SaTScan™ Applied to Building Permit Data Following the 2011 Joplin, Missouri Tornado

Community recovery from a major natural hazard-related disaster can be a long process, and rebuilding likely does not occur uniformly across space and time. Spatial and temporal clustering may be evident in certain data types that can be used to frame the progress of recovery following a disaster. Publically available building permit data from the city of Joplin, Missouri, were gathered for four permit types, including residential, commercial, roof repair, and demolition. The data were used to (1) compare the observed versus expected frequency (chi-square) of permit issuance before and after the EF5 2011 tornado; (2), determine if significant space-time clusters of permits existed using the SaTScan™ cluster analysis program (version 9.7); and (3) fit any emergent cluster data to the widely-cited Kates 10-year recovery model. All permit types showed significant increases in issuance for at least 5 years following the event, and one (residential) showed significance for nine of the 10 years. The cluster analysis revealed a total of 16 significant clusters across the 2011 damage area. The results of fitting the significant cluster data to the Kates model revealed that those data closely followed the model, with some variation in the residential permit data path.

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Removal of disinfection byproduct precursors by granular activated carbon: Hillsborough county water treatment facility case study

To control disinfection by-products (DBPs) formation, removing the organic precursor before the disinfectant application is important. Granular activated carbon (GAC) is widely used in water treatment plants due to its cost-effectiveness. To assist the Hillsborough County Water Treatment Facilities (HCWTFs) to optimize the design of GAC systems, the efficiency of different GACs with different empty bed contact times (EBCTs) was assessed. This study evaluated the performance of GACs for removing organic precursor from groundwater with both batch and column tests. Coconut shell-based (CS) GAC has the highest adsorption capacity (2.83 (mg/g) (L/mg)1/n) and the lowest adsorption rate (3.54 × 10−5 g/mg∙min). Rapid small scale column tests (RSSCTs) were conducted with EBCT of 1 and 1.5 min to evaluate adsorption performance. F400 treated more water at the breakthrough effluent TOC concentration of 1 mg/L than the other two GACs. A preliminary capital cost and operating and maintenance (O&M) cost of the full-scale implementation of the GAC system were estimated and the selection of GAC and EBCT led to the trade-offs between system capital costs and O&M costs. From an economical perspective, F400 with 15 min EBCT is the best option with the lowest total annual cost. Additionally, simulated distribution system (SDS) tests were performed with F400 treated water from the pilot study which indicated a significantly lower chlorine demand (1.95 mg/L) and DBP formation (HAA is 9 μg/L and THM is 11 μg/L) at 96 hours when compared with raw groundwater.

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The effects of extended action research-based professional development on the teaching of climate science

ABSTRACT This study explored the use of collaborative action research (CAR) in a year-long professional development (PD) for global climate change (GCC) education. The purpose was to understand how high school science teachers’ engagement in CAR affected their classroom practice. The teachers exchanged stories of practice, shared and tried out new ideas in their classrooms, and engaged in systematic inquiry. The study was guided by these questions: What are the effects of extended professional development on the teachers’ classroom practice? What role did action research play in reaching our goals for professional development? What affordances and obstacles affect their change in pedagogy? Data included recordings of CAR meetings, classroom observations, and post-interviews with teachers. Data were analyzed through coding processes and the development of learning progressions to understand how the teachers’ knowledge developed throughout the PD. Results indicated teachers changes their practice and demonstrated increased confidence in teaching GCC science. They incorporated discussion and argumentation into their teaching practice, utilized a more place-based approach to GCC education, and presented GCC as real and anthropogenic. It was also found that the complexities of teachers’ lives inhibited the full participation of all the teachers who volunteered to engage in CAR.

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Biogeography and predictors of wildlife killed on roads at peninsular Florida State Parks

AbstractWildlife‐vehicle collisions (WVCs) are a major source of wildlife mortality and should affect regional wildlife diversity and abundance, yet most WVC studies are locally scaled. Here, we evaluated biogeographic diversity (i.e., species richness, effective diversity) and abundance of WVCs at state parks across the Florida peninsula to answer two questions aimed to help inform wildlife conservation efforts: which parks have greatest WVC diversity, and why? We processed and compiled 9,254 WVC survey records collected by Florida State Parks personnel at 42 parks during a decade (2005–2015). Data for birds (138 species), mammals (35 species), reptiles (64 species), and all taxa combined were analyzed for patterns among parks (for the first question) and for biogeographic, climatic, ecoregion, and anthropogenic predictors of those patterns (for the second). Predictors represented nonexclusive alternative a priori hypotheses and were evaluated by model comparison. Parks differed widely in WVC diversity and abundance; we identify “hot spot” parks where management may most effectively reduce WVCs. Biogeographic and anthropogenic hypotheses were supported, but climatic and ecoregion hypotheses were not. Models for overall diversity fit data better (R2s > 0.50) than did models for specific taxa (e.g., birds). Larger parks closer to Florida's highly populated Atlantic Coast and with greater park attendance and perhaps faster speeds on adjacent roads have more WVC diversity and numbers. Of these predictors, attendance and speed limits are manageable. Traffic management in and near‐identified “hot spot” parks in Florida can most effectively reduce WVC effects on wildlife populations and diversity amidst a growing human population.

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Initial Development of a National Survey on Remote Learning in Early Childhood During COVID-19: Establishing Content Validity and Reporting Successes and Barriers.

This article describes the development and administration of a survey to identify early childhood educators’ successes and barriers when delivering remote instruction (e.g., online whole or small group instruction) during the COVID-19 pandemic to children 2–5 years old. The survey was developed using procedures outlined by the commonly accepted stages of an instrument development process. Content validity was established using four approaches: (a) identification of the purpose of the survey, (b) creation of a blueprint of items, (c) cognitive interviews, and (d) expert panel review. A total of 1,053 early childhood educators began the survey, with 808 (77%) of the responses included because educators met the inclusion criteria of working in the United States and responding to at least one question related to remote instruction. The survey contained 37 closed-ended and six open-ended items covering eight domains: (a) demographic information; (b) preparation, guidelines, and materials for remote learning; (c) caregiver communication and engagement; (d) assessment; (e) instruction; (f) educators’ levels of confidence before and after remote learning; (g) access to services (i.e., wraparound and/or special education); and (h) planning for the return to face-to-face instruction. Both quantitative (descriptive, t-test, regression, ANOVA, and Chi-square tests) and consensual qualitative research analyses were applied to summarize the survey results. Findings from this survey indicated that even with limited or no guidance from administrators, educators successfully adapted to remote instruction and their levels of confidence increased over time. Ongoing improvements need to be made to sustain regular communication with all families, to offer access to technology (i.e., devices and internet), to administer assessments or universal screeners, and to provide cohesive guidelines and expectations. Results from this study begin to shed light on early childhood educators’ adaptation to remote instruction as a result of COVID-19.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10643-021-01216-y.

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Hop (Humulus lupulus L.) phenology, growth, and yield under subtropical climatic conditions: Effects of cultivars and crop management

Commercial hop (Humulus lupulus L.) production occurs predominantly in temperate climates. The objectives of this study were to characterize the phenology of hops under subtropical climatic conditions and to determine the growth and yield potential. Two field experiments were conducted in Florida, southeastern United States. Rhizomes were planted in April. Data were collected during the establishment year. In the first experiment, we evaluated 7 American, 5 European, and 1 Japanese cultivars in a randomized complete block design. Bine height, main bine number, lateral shoot number, and dry cone yield (10% moisture) were recorded. Yield varied considerably, ranging from 0 to 197 kg ha–1. The top three yielding cultivars were ‘Cascade’, ‘CTZ’, and ‘Nugget’, all of which were American cultivars. Yield had positive correlations with main bine number and lateral shoot number, but it had no significant correlation with bine height. In the second experiment, we determined the duration of each phenological stage in ‘Cascade’. Reproductive phenology was characterized by premature and nonsynchronous flowering. Prolonged flowering resulted in multiple harvests over 61 days, starting in mid-June. We also evaluated crop management treatments, which consisted of three levels of hill spacing (76, 91, and 107 cm) and two nitrogen (N) rates (109 and 130 kg ha–1) in a factorial combination. Treatments were arranged in a split-plot design with hill spacing as the main-plot factor. Yield on a per-area basis increased with reducing hill spacing and increasing N rate by 41% and 38%, respectively. Our results demonstrate unique reproductive phenology of hops under subtropical climatic conditions, which prevents once-overharvest but enables the off-season supply of fresh hops over an extended period. This study provides a benchmark to develop production strategies for hops suitable to subtropical climates.

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