scholarly journals The Impact of Hurricane Irma on Our Community and the Collier Mosquito Control District's Mission

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (2s) ◽  
pp. 11-14
Author(s):  
Robin A. King ◽  
Rebecca Heinig ◽  
Patrick Linn ◽  
Keira J. Lucas
Keyword(s):  
Mosquito Control ◽  
Electrical Power ◽  
Southwest Florida ◽  
Disease Vector ◽  
Collier County ◽  
Mosquito Management ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Integrated Mosquito Management ◽  
Hurricane Irma ◽  
Subtropical Environment

ABSTRACT The Collier Mosquito Control District, located in southwest Florida, is uniquely positioned in a subtropical environment between the Gulf of Mexico and Everglades National Park. The District's mission is focused on the control of disease vector and nuisance mosquitoes in Collier County, which is accomplished through integrated mosquito management. Hurricane Irma made landfall in the county on September 10, 2017, leaving in its wake tremendous property and infrastructure damage, and it also disrupted communications and airport operations. These factors greatly affected the District's operations and its ability to meet its mission. In addition, the lengthy loss of electrical power forced most residents outdoors, increasing their exposure to mosquitoes. From challenges in completing poststorm treatments to outdated policies that caught us off-guard, the event prompted a new hurricane policy and plan to ensure improved preparedness for the next natural disaster. The poststorm environment also provided a rich foundation for research into mosquito populations after tropical disturbances of this scale. Here we report the impact on the District's aerial mosquito control operations, changes to internal policies, and mosquito population abundance following Hurricane Irma.

scholarly journals Experiences of Assisted Living Communities Affected by Hurricane Irma: Leadership, Lessons Learned

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 734-735
Author(s):  
Kathryn Hyer ◽  
Lindsay Peterson ◽  
David Dosa ◽  
Joseph June ◽  
Debra Dobbs
Keyword(s):  
Assisted Living ◽  
Functional Limitations ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Electrical Power ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Administrative Staff ◽  
Team Members ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Leadership Lessons ◽  
Hurricane Irma

Abstract Little is known about the effects of disasters on assisted living community (ALC) residents. This is a concern given the growth of the AL industry and the increasing numbers of AL residents with functional limitations and chronic health conditions. This research examined the experiences of AL administrative staff to better understand the impact of Hurricane Irma. Qualitative interviews were conducted with representatives of ALCs across Florida (N=70), and transcripts were analyzed using Atlas.ti version 8. Research team members met regularly to reach consensus on codes, identifying five major themes across the interviews, 1) planning and preparation, 2) leadership, including plan execution and managing the unexpected, 3) effects/consequences of the storm, including effect on residents and staff, 4) lessons learned, and 5) electrical power. Results provide a broad view of ALC preparedness, how it varies across different types of ALCs and implications for resident wellbeing and future emergency planning.

scholarly journals The Impact of Hurricane Irma on Population Density of the Black Salt-Marsh Mosquito, Aedes taeniorhynchus, in Collier County, Florida

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-74
Author(s):  
Keira J. Lucas ◽  
Alexandria Watkins ◽  
Nate Phillips ◽  
D. John Appazato ◽  
Patrick Linn
Keyword(s):  
Salt Marsh ◽  
Population Density ◽  
Collier County ◽  
Aedes Taeniorhynchus ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Hurricane Irma

scholarly journals SEMI-FIELD ULV EVALUATION OF AN ALL-PURPOSE BOTANICAL INSECTICIDE CONTAINING CEDARWOOD AND CINNAMON OILS AGAINST ADULT AEDES AEGYPTI

2021 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher S. Bibbs
Keyword(s):  
Aedes Aegypti ◽  
Essential Oils ◽  
Mosquito Control ◽  
Botanical Insecticides ◽  
Botanical Insecticide ◽  
Cinnamon Oil ◽  
Growing Body ◽  
Mosquito Management ◽  
Integrated Mosquito Management ◽  
Indoor And Outdoor

Public health mosquito control operates with only two classes of mosquito adulticides: pyrethroids and organophosphates. Recent work improving the emulsification of essential oils has increased the potential for development of plantderived active ingredients. There is a growing body of literature on essential oils for various roles in mosquito management. NatureCide Pest Management (NCPM), a product available in private and commercial home pest control, uses a mixture of 25.3% cedarwood oil and 12.7% cinnamon oil as a Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) exempt insecticide for both indoor and outdoor use. Recent investigations by the Anastasia Mosquito Control District of St. Johns County have found other FIFRA exempt products to be effective as a residual spray on vegetation. In continuing the exploration of botanical insecticides, NCPM was used in ULV tests against Aedes aegypti (L.) within its 35-122 ml per L of water label rate. Applications at 35 ml/L resulted in 60-70% knockdown after 1 hr and mortality after 24 hr. Increasing the rate to 70 ml/L resulted in 100% knockdown and mortality across all replications. Crystalline precipitation of the microemulsion was observed in mix tanks after standing for at least 2 wk, but it was not apparent that the efficacy of the product was reduced as a consequence. Cedarwood oil and cinnamon oil are a beneficial combination for ULV adulticiding against mosquitoes and could have a beneficial role for integrated mosquito management.

scholarly journals Investigation of the Impact of Large-Scale Integration of Electric Vehicles for a Swedish Distribution Network

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (24) ◽  
pp. 4717 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvester Johansson ◽  
Jonas Persson ◽  
Stavros Lazarou ◽  
Andreas Theocharis
Keyword(s):  
Electric Vehicles ◽  
Power Distribution ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Electrical Power ◽  
Distribution Network ◽  
Transport Sector ◽  
Smart Charging ◽  
Large Scale Integration ◽  
Scale Integration ◽  
The Impact

Social considerations for a sustainable future lead to market demands for electromobility. Hence, electrical power distribution operators are concerned about the real ongoing problem of the electrification of the transport sector. In this regard, the paper aims to investigate the large-scale integration of electric vehicles in a Swedish distribution network. To this end, the integration pattern is taken into consideration as appears in the literature for other countries and applies to the Swedish culture. Moreover, different charging power levels including smart charging techniques are examined for several percentages of electric vehicles penetration. Industrial simulation tools proven for their accuracy are used for the study. The results indicate that the grid can manage about 50% electric vehicles penetration at its current capacity. This percentage decreases when higher charging power levels apply, while the transformers appear overloaded in many cases. The investigation of alternatives to increase the grid’s capabilities reveal that smart techniques are comparable to the conventional re-dimension of the grid. At present, the increased integration of electric vehicles is manageable by implementing a combination of smart gird and upgrade investments in comparison to technically expensive alternatives based on grid digitalization and algorithms that need to be further confirmed for their reliability for power sharing and energy management.

scholarly journals Damping Studies on PMLG-Based Wave Energy Converter under Oceanic Wave Climates

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 920
Author(s):  
Yue Hong ◽  
Irina Temiz ◽  
Jianfei Pan ◽  
Mikael Eriksson ◽  
Cecilia Boström
Keyword(s):  
Wave Energy ◽  
Energy Production ◽  
Full Range ◽  
Electrical Power ◽  
Damping Coefficient ◽  
Irregular Wave ◽  
Ocean Wave Energy ◽  
Optimal Damping ◽  
The Impact

Wave energy converters (WECs), which are designed to harvest ocean wave energy, have recently been improved by the installation of numerous conversion mechanisms; however, it is still difficult to find an appropriate method that can compromise between strong environmental impact and robust performance by transforming irregular wave energy into stable electrical power. To solve this problem, an investigation into the impact of varied wave conditions on the dynamics of WECs and to determine an optimal factor for WECs to comply with long-term impacts was performed. In this work, we researched the performance of WECs influenced by wave climates. We used a permanent magnet linear generator (PMLG)-based WEC that was invented at Uppsala University. The damping effect was first studied with a PMLG-type WEC. Then, a group of sea states was selected to investigate their impact on the power production of the WEC. Two research sites were chosen to investigate the WEC’s annual energy production as well as a study on the optimal damping coefficient impact. In addition, we compared the WEC’s energy production between optimal damping and constant damping under a full range of sea states at both sites. Our results show that there is an optimal damping coefficient that can achieve the WEC’s maximum power output. For the chosen research sites, only a few optimal damping coefficients were able to contribute over 90% of the WEC’s annual energy production. In light of the comparison between optimal and constant damping, we conclude that, for specific regions, constant damping might be a better choice for WECs to optimize long-term energy production.

scholarly journals Self Evaluation: Building Student Self-awareness and Competence

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denard Lynch
Keyword(s):  
Student Assessment ◽  
Electrical Power ◽  
Engineering Ethics ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Self Evaluation ◽  
Student Assessments ◽  
Second Year ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Junior Students

This paper discusses the results of two experiments in self assessment and discusses their value in evaluating student consciousness of their competence, and the opportunity to improve self-awareness and competence in students. The data was gathered from two different engineering courses. The first experiment was conducted in a second-year course on basic electronics and electrical power. As part of the final examination, students were asked to assess their confidence in their answer to each question. The student self-assessment was compared to the actual result in an effort to determine the student’s perception of their competence. Student assessment was coded with respect to consciousness and competence. The second experiment was performed on a midterm examination in engineering ethics and professionalism, a senior course discussing the impact and interaction of the engineering profession on society. Students were given an annotated exemplar and a marking rubric and asked to grade their own midterm submissions. The student assessments were compared to the instructor assessment and again the results were coded with respect to consciousness and competence. The results showed a contrast between the second-year and senior courses. For the second-year course, 50.3% were coded as consciously competent or incompetent. In the senior course, 80% of students were coded as consciously competent. The comparison of the two results suggest that senior students, given suitable instruction, are more aware of their competence than junior students suggesting that current methods do develop an improved awareness of competence, although other factors may be relevant. It is suggested that student awareness be formally monitored, and results used to modify pedagogy to improve and accelerate consciousness in graduates.  

Full scale co-digestion of organic waste

2000 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 195-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Kübler ◽  
K. Hoppenheidt ◽  
P. Hirsch ◽  
A. Kottmair ◽  
R. Nimmrichter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Negative Impact ◽  
Biogas Production ◽  
Electrical Power ◽  
Nutrient Content ◽  
Primary Energy ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Waste Streams ◽  
Volatile Solids ◽  
Operation Results ◽  
The Impact

Operational results of a co-digestion facility were assessed over a period of 18 months. The organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) contains a considerable amount of contaminants and grit (up to 6% w/w). A BTA-Pulper efficiently treated the different waste streams and converted a high amount of volatile solids (VS) into the digester feedstock. The seasonal fluctuations of the waste composition significantly influenced the biogas production. The impact of this seasonally variant degradability of VS had to be considered by evaluating the operation results. The waste streams investigated did not show any negative impact on digester performance. The hydraulic retention time (HRT) in the digester considerably affected the VS-reduction. Despite a considerable decrease of VS-degradation a reduction of HRT from 14 to 8 days slightly improves the gas production rate (GPR). An activated sludge system efficiently reduced the pollution of the effluent.The nutrient content of the anaerobic compostwas favourable and the content of pollutants was low. The facility produced surplus electrical power up to 290 MJ/t. An overall energy balance shows that the facility substitutes primary energy.

scholarly journals Larval Diet Abundance Influences Size and Composition of the Midgut Microbiota of Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah J. MacLeod ◽  
George Dimopoulos ◽  
Sarah M. Short
Keyword(s):  
Aedes Aegypti ◽  
Bacterial Load ◽  
Amplicon Sequencing ◽  
Larval Diet ◽  
Microbiota Composition ◽  
Vector Species ◽  
Larval Food ◽  
Disease Vector ◽  
16S Amplicon Sequencing ◽  
The Impact

The midgut microbiota of the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti impacts pathogen susceptibility and transmission by this important vector species. However, factors influencing the composition and size of the microbiome in mosquitoes are poorly understood. We investigated the impact of larval diet abundance during development on the composition and size of the larval and adult microbiota by rearing Aedes aegypti under four larval food regimens, ranging from nutrient deprivation to nutrient excess. We assessed the persistent impacts of larval diet availability on the microbiota of the larval breeding water, larval mosquitoes, and adult mosquitoes under sugar and blood fed conditions using qPCR and high-throughput 16S amplicon sequencing to determine bacterial load and microbiota composition. Bacterial loads in breeding water increased with increasing larval diet. Larvae reared with the lowest diet abundance had significantly fewer bacteria than larvae from two higher diet treatments, but not from the highest diet abundance. Adults from the lowest diet abundance treatment had significantly fewer bacteria in their midguts compared to all higher diet abundance treatments. Larval diet amount also had a significant impact on microbiota composition, primarily within larval breeding water and larvae. Increasing diet correlated with increased relative levels of Enterobacteriaceae and Flavobacteriaceae and decreased relative levels of Sphingomonadaceae. Multiple individual OTUs were significantly impacted by diet including one mapping to the genus Cedecea, which increased with higher diet amounts. This was consistent across all sample types, including sugar fed and blood fed adults. Taken together, these data suggest that availability of diet during development can cause lasting shifts in the size and composition of the microbiota in the disease vector Aedes aegypti.

scholarly journals Networks within networks: scaling response operations in the lightning complex fires in northern california, August 2020

2021 ◽  
Vol 331 ◽  
pp. 04016
Author(s):  
K. Comfort Louise
Keyword(s):  
San Francisco ◽  
Distribution Systems ◽  
Extreme Event ◽  
Electrical Power ◽  
Incident Management ◽  
Northern California ◽  
California Department ◽  
Wildfire Risk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Large Sections

Wildfire risk has increased dramatically in California over more than two decades, 2000 - 2021, reflecting the intense impact of climate change on the state’s environmental and ecological systems. Most urgent is the impact of wildfire at the wildland-urban-interface (WUI), and the challenge to prevent cascading disaster for regions connected via interdependent lifelines of transportation, communications, electrical power, water, sewer, and gas line distribution systems that characterize geographic regions. To what extent do large, multi-organizational, multi-jurisdictional networks of organizations learn from experience and adapt their performance in response to the dynamic conditions of an actual extreme event? This article identifies four types of networks operating in the 2020 Lightning Complex Wildfires in northern California and documents the rapid escalation of risk and costs based on a preliminary analysis of the 209 incident reports filed by California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire) for the SCU Fire that engulfed large sections of five counties in the southeastern San Francisco Bay Region. The article concludes that Interagency Incident Management Networks provide essential intelligence to support local management of operations in the dynamic context of wildfire risk.

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