The Impact of Hardwood Line-Planting on Tree and Amphibian Diversity in a Secondary Subtropical Wet Forest of Southeast Puerto Rico

A variety of climate factors influence the precision of the long-term Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) monitoring data. To precisely analyze the effect of different climate factors on long-term GNSS monitoring records, this study combines the extended seven-parameter Helmert transformation and a machine learning algorithm named Extreme Gradient boosting (XGboost) to establish a hybrid model. We established a local-scale reference frame called stable Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands reference frame of 2019 (PRVI19) using ten continuously operating long-term GNSS sites located in the rigid portion of the Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands (PRVI) microplate. The stability of PRVI19 is approximately 0.4 mm/year and 0.5 mm/year in the horizontal and vertical directions, respectively. The stable reference frame PRVI19 can avoid the risk of bias due to long-term plate motions when studying localized ground deformation. Furthermore, we applied the XGBoost algorithm to the postprocessed long-term GNSS records and daily climate data to train the model. We quantitatively evaluated the importance of various daily climate factors on the GNSS time series. The results show that wind is the most influential factor with a unit-less index of 0.013. Notably, we used the model with climate and GNSS records to predict the GNSS-derived displacements. The results show that the predicted displacements have a slightly lower root mean square error compared to the fitted results using spline method (prediction: 0.22 versus fitted: 0.31). It indicates that the proposed model considering the climate records has the appropriate predict results for long-term GNSS monitoring.

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The Impact of Hurricane Maria on Individuals Living with Non-Communicable Disease in Puerto Rico: The experience of 10 communities

10.21203/rs.3.rs-622604/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Elizabeth L. Andrade ◽

Amalis Cordova Mustafa ◽

Courtney Riggle-vanSchagen ◽

Megan Jula ◽

Carlos E. Rodriguez-Diaz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Puerto Rico ◽

Natural Hazards ◽

Structural Damage ◽

Communicable Disease ◽

Community Level ◽

Morbidity And Mortality ◽

Health Concern ◽

Increased Risk ◽

The Impact ◽

Non Communicable Disease

Abstract Background Coinciding with the rising non-communicable disease (NCD) prevalence worldwide is the increasing frequency and severity of natural hazards. Protecting populations with NCDs against natural hazards is ever more pressing given their increased risk of morbidity and mortality in disaster contexts. Methods This investigation examined Hurricane Maria’s impact across 10 communities in Puerto Rico to determine whether and how disaster impact and community attributes affected NCD management. We conducted 40 qualitative interviews with mayors, first responders, faith leaders, community leaders, and municipal employees, with 4 interviews per selected municipality. Using QSR NVivo software, we coded interview transcripts and created categorical community-level impact variables based on participant responses. We undertook thematic analysis to characterize community-level impact and consequences for NCD management, and to identify convergent and divergent themes. Using a matrix coding query, we compared NCD management experiences across communities by impact variables and community attributes. Results The delivery of healthcare, pharmacy, and dialysis services was compromised due to facility structural damage and ineffective contingencies for electrical power and water supply. The challenges resulting from power outages were immediate, and individuals who were reliant on life-sustaining medical equipment, dialysis, or the refrigeration of medications were most vulnerable. Inaccessible roadways and the need to travel greater distances to locate operational health services were major impediments to transporting patients in need of NCD care, with those requiring dialysis and living in remote, mountainous communities at highest risk due to landslides and lengthy roadway obstruction. These barriers were compounded by limited communication to locate services and coordinate care. Two weeks post-hurricane, emerging challenges to NCD management included widespread diesel fuel shortages for generators, and shortages in medications, oxygen, and medical supplies. In the weeks to months post-hurricane, the emergence or exacerbation of mental health disorders was characterized as a pressing health concern. Conclusions Study findings identify contributors to morbidity and mortality among individuals with NCDs following Hurricane Maria. The degree to which these impacts were experienced across communities with different characteristics is discussed, offering important lessons regarding the impact of catastrophic disasters on NCD management for improve community disaster resilience.

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Contextualizing the COVID-19 Era in Puerto Rico: Compounding Disasters and Parallel Pandemics

The Journals of Gerontology Series B ◽

10.1093/geronb/gbaa186 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Catherine García ◽

Fernando I Rivera ◽

Marc A Garcia ◽

Giovani Burgos ◽

María P Aranda

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Health Care ◽

Puerto Rico ◽

Puerto Rican ◽

Debt Crisis ◽

Wealth Inequality ◽

Well Being ◽

Research Report ◽

The Impact ◽

Health And Well Being

Abstract Objectives The COVID-19 outbreak has worsened the ongoing economic crisis in Puerto Rico by creating “parallel pandemics” that exacerbate socioeconomic and health inequalities experienced by its most vulnerable residents. Unfortunately, conditions on the island have been largely overlooked by national media outlets and the mainland U.S. population. Thus, this research report aims to draw attention to the disparate burden multiple and compounding disasters have on older island-dwelling Puerto Rican adults’ health and well-being. Methods We characterize the lived experiences of the older population in Puerto Rico by incorporating data from multiple sources and contextualizing the effects of compounding disasters, the fiscal pandemic, and health care challenges to provide a more nuanced portrait of existing compounding factors that negatively affect the health and well-being of older adults in the era of COVID-19. Results We highlight 2 main factors that exacerbate pre-pandemic inequities experienced by the older adult population amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Puerto Rico: (a) the impact of multiple and compounding disasters; and (b) health care challenges. Discussion The human suffering of the Puerto Rican population is compounded by the consequences of fiscal austerity, increasing levels of income and wealth inequality, the debt crisis, significant emigration, and a dysfunctional health care system. Future governmental actions are required to lessen the burden of parallel pandemics on older adults in Puerto Rico.

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The Migratory Impact of Minimum Wage Legislation: Puerto Rico, 1970–1987

International Migration Review ◽

10.1177/019791839302700403 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 27 (4) ◽

pp. 772-795

Author(s):

Carlos E. Santiago

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Puerto Rico ◽

Minimum Wage ◽

Labor Migration ◽

Capital Investment ◽

The United States ◽

Multiple Time ◽

Wage Setting ◽

Wage Policy ◽

The Impact

Minimum wage research has historically focused on labor mobility between covered and uncovered labor markets within a geographic area. This study examines the impact of minimum wage setting on labor migration. A multiple time series framework is applied to monthly data for Puerto Rico from 1970–1987. The results show that net emigration from Puerto Rico to the United States fell in response to significant changes in the manner in which minimum wage policy was conducted, particularly after 1974. The extent of commuter type labor migration between Puerto Rico and the United States is influenced by minimum wage policy, with potentially important consequences for human capital investment and long-term standards of living.

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REDUCING HEALTH DISPARITIES IN THE ERA OF VALUE-BASED CARE

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.2080 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S562-S563

Author(s):

Amit Kumar ◽

Elham Mahmoudi ◽

Maricruz Rivera-Hernandez

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Health Care ◽

Puerto Rico ◽

Mortality Rates ◽

Minority Populations ◽

Social Risk ◽

Social Risk Factors ◽

Physician Visits ◽

The Us ◽

The Impact

Abstract The US health care system is at a critical moment of transformation. The implementation of value-based models has made significant progress towards improving care quality and coordination, continuity of care and reducing cost. However, concerns have been raised regarding “cherry-picking” healthier people that may negatively impact patients with more complex needs and minority populations. Given that the US is becoming more diverse, there is a need for understanding the impact of social risk factors including ethnicity, immigration status, income and geography on health outcomes and issues of health care disparities. This panel brings together four studies that examine these phenomena in minority populations. These studies will provide novel insight regarding 1) healthcare utilization in Mexican-American Medicare beneficiaries and showing that social determinants of health are associated with a higher risk of hospitalization, emergency room admissions, and outpatient visits. 2) Mortality rates and predialysis care among Hispanics in the US, Hispanics in Puerto Rico, and Whites in the US demonstrating substantial disparities in access to recommended nephrology care for Hispanics in Puerto Rico; 3) Trends in age-adjusted mortality rates and supply of physicians in states with different nurse-practitioners regulation. 4) The impact of social risk factors on disenrollment from Fee-For-Service and enrollment in a Medicare Advantage plan in older Mexican-Americans. 5) Racial disparities in access to physician visits, prescription drugs, and healthcare spending among older adults with cognitive limitation. Studies in this panel will also discuss the effects of changes in care delivery and payment innovations in improving health equity.

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372: University of Puerto Rico Emergency Medicine Program and the Impact Throughout the Country

Annals of Emergency Medicine ◽

10.1016/j.annemergmed.2007.06.311 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 50 (3) ◽

pp. S116-S117

Author(s):

D.L. Ruiz ◽

B. Gonzalez ◽

J.A. Gonzalez

Keyword(s):

Emergency Medicine ◽

Puerto Rico ◽

University Of Puerto Rico ◽

The Impact

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Dame un hamburger plain con ketchup y papitas

English Today ◽

10.1017/s0266078405002051 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 21 (2) ◽

pp. 35-42 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ileana Cortés ◽

Jesús Ramírez ◽

María Rivera ◽

Marta Viada ◽

Joan Fayer

Keyword(s):

Puerto Rico ◽

Puerto Rican ◽

Fast Food ◽

Language Contact ◽

Participant Observation ◽

Lexical Borrowing ◽

Puerto Rican Spanish ◽

Fast Food Restaurants ◽

Political Economic ◽

The Impact

English/Spanish contact in Puerto Rico.ONE OUTCOME of language contact is lexical borrowing. Borrowing in Puerto Rico (for political, economic, and social reasons) is evident in the influence English has had on Spanish, especially in lexical terms. This paper explores the impact of American English on the lexicon of Puerto Rican Spanish, specifically on vocabulary relating to food. Data were collected through participant observation in selected fast food restaurants from different regions in P.R. An analysis of the corpus provides the basis for five categories useful in understanding the influence of English on Spanish in this domain. The study indicates that English borrowings have had a tremendous influence on the Puerto Rican lexicon, and predicts that, even though Spanish will continue to be the dominant Puerto Rican language, it will continue to change under the influence of English.

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