University of Alabama System

Abstract Over the past decades, the scientific community has made significant efforts to simulate flooding conditions using a variety of complex physically based models. Despite all advances, these models still fall short in accuracy and reliability and are often considered computationally intensive to be fully operational. This could be attributed to insufficient comprehension of the causative mechanisms of flood processes, assumptions in model development and inadequate consideration of uncertainties. We suggest adopting an approach that accounts for the influence of human activities, soil saturation, snow processes, topography, river morphology, and land‐use type to enhance our understanding of flood generating mechanisms. We also recommend a transition to the development of innovative earth system modeling frameworks where the interaction among all components of the earth system are simultaneously modeled. Additionally, more nonselective and rigorous studies should be conducted to provide a detailed comparison of physical models and simplified methods for flood inundation mapping. Linking process‐based models with data‐driven/statistical methods offers a variety of opportunities that are yet to be explored and conveyed to researchers and emergency managers. The main contribution of this paper is to notify scientists and practitioners of the latest developments in flood characterization and modeling, identify challenges in understanding flood processes, associated uncertainties and risks in coupled hydrologic and hydrodynamic modeling for forecasting and inundation mapping, and the potential use of state‐of‐the‐art data assimilation and machine learning to tackle the complexities involved in transitioning such developments to operation.

Osteointegration is dependent on a variety of biomechanical and biochemical factors. One factor is the wettability of an implant surface that is directly influenced by its surface energy. This investigation used the Zisman plot to determine critical surface tension as one representative measurement of surface energy. The effects of surface treatment, bulk grain size, and surface roughness on the critical surface tension of unalloyed titanium (Ti) were examined. Radio frequency glow discharge-treated Ti had the highest critical surface tension, followed by the passivated and heat-sterilized conditions. Titanium with no surface treatment had the lowest critical surface tension. The surface energy of Ti with an average grain size of 23 microns was not significantly different from that with a grain size of 70 microns. Surface roughness was shown to cause significant difference in measurements and definitely should be considered in studies of this kind.

This study examined the dynamics of popularity in adolescent friendship networks across 3 years in middle school. Longitudinal social network modeling was used to identify selection and influence in the similarity of popularity among friends. It was argued that lower status adolescents strive to enhance their status through befriending higher status adolescents, whereas higher status adolescents strive to maintain their status by keeping lower status adolescents at a distance. The results largely supported these expectations. Selection partially accounted for similarity in popularity among friends; adolescents preferred to affiliate with similar-status or higher status peers, reinforcing the attractiveness of popular adolescents and explaining stability of popularity at the individual level. Influence processes also accounted for similarity in popularity over time, showing that peers increase in popularity and become more similar to their friends. The results showed how selection and influence processes account for popularity dynamics in adolescent networks over time.

CONTEXT: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with widespread cognitive impairments, but it is not known whether the apparent multiple impairments share etiological roots or separate etiological pathways exist. A better understanding of the etiological pathways is important for the development of targeted interventions and for identification of suitable intermediate phenotypes for molecular genetic investigations. OBJECTIVES: To determine, by using a multivariate familial factor analysis approach, whether 1 or more familial factors underlie the slow and variable reaction times, impaired response inhibition, and choice impulsivity associated with ADHD. DESIGN: An ADHD and control sibling-pair design. SETTING: Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 1265 participants, aged 6 to 18 years: 464 probands with ADHD and 456 of their siblings (524 with combined-subtype ADHD), and 345 control participants. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Performance on a 4-choice reaction time task, a go/no-go inhibition task, and a choice-delay task. RESULTS: The final model consisted of 2 familial factors. The larger factor, reflecting 85% of the familial variance of ADHD, captured 98% to 100% of the familial influences on mean reaction time and reaction time variability. The second, smaller factor, reflecting 13% of the familial variance of ADHD, captured 62% to 82% of the familial influences on commission and omission errors on the go/no-go task. Choice impulsivity was excluded in the final model because of poor fit. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest the existence of 2 familial pathways to cognitive impairments in ADHD and indicate promising cognitive targets for future molecular genetic investigations. The familial distinction between the 2 cognitive impairments is consistent with recent theoretical models--a developmental model and an arousal-attention model--of 2 separable underlying processes in ADHD. Future research that tests the familial model within a developmental framework may inform developmentally sensitive interventions.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to quantify the female athlete composition of the research data informing the most influential consensus and position statements in treating sports-related concussions. DESIGN: We identified the most influential concussion consensus and position statements through citation and documented clinician use; then, we analysed the percentage of male and female athletes from each statement's cited research. DATA SOURCES: We searched PubMed on 26 August 2021 with no date restrictions for English language studies using the terms 'concussion position statement' and 'concussion consensus statement.' ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES: Based on each statement having multiple statement editions, documented clinician use, and substantial citation advantages, we selected the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA, 2014), International Conference on Concussion in Sport (ICCS, 2017) and the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM, 2019). We extracted all cited studies from all three papers for assessment. For each paper analysing human data, at least two authors independently recorded female athlete participant data. RESULTS: A total of 171 distinct studies with human participants were cited by these three consensus and position papers and included in the female athlete analyses (93 NATA; 13 ICCS; 65 AMSSM). All three statements documented a significant under-representation of female athletes in their cited literature, relying on samples that were overall 80.1% male (NATA: 79.9%, ICCS: 87.8 %, AMSSM: 79.4%). Moreover, 40.4% of these studies include no female participants at all. CONCLUSION: Female athletes are significantly under-represented in the studies guiding clinical care for sport-related concussion for a broad array of sports and exercise medicine clinicians. We recommend intentional recruitment and funding of gender diverse participants in concussion studies, suggest authorship teams reflect diverse perspectives, and encourage consensus statements note when cited data under-represent non-male athletes.

Lung neutrophilia is common to a variety of lung diseases. The production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species during neutrophil oxidative burst has been associated with protein and DNA damage. Myeloperoxidase (MPO) is an enzyme stored in the azurophilic granula of neutrophils. It is important in host defense because it generates the reactive oxidant hypochlorous acid and has been described to play a role in the activation of neutrophils during extravasation. We hypothesized that MPO contributes directly to the development of acute lung neutrophilia via stimulation of neutrophil extravasation and indirectly to the subsequent production of cytokines and chemokines in the lung. To test this hypothesis, wild-type (WT) and Mpo(-/-) mice were given a single LPS instillation, after which the development of neutrophil-dominated lung inflammation, oxidative stress, and cytokine and chemokine levels were examined. Mpo(-/-) mice demonstrated a decreased lung neutrophilia that peaked earlier than neutrophilia in WT mice, which can be explained by decreased neutrophil chemoattractant levels in LPS-exposed Mpo(-/-) compared with WT mice. However, oxidative stress levels were not different in LPS-exposed WT and Mpo(-/-) mice. Furthermore, in vivo findings were confirmed by in vitro studies, using isolated neutrophils. These results indicate that MPO promotes the development of lung neutrophilia and indirectly influences subsequent chemokine and cytokine production by other cell types in the lung.

Abstract Compound flooding frequently threatens life and assets of people who live in low‐lying coastal regions. Co‐occurrence or sequence of extremes (e.g., high river discharge and extreme coastal water level) is of paramount importance as it may result in flood hazards with potential impacts larger than each extreme in isolation. Here, we use a coupled approach, that is, bivariate statistical analysis linked to hydrodynamic modeling, to quantify compounding effects of flood drivers and generate flood hazard maps near Savannah, Georgia. Also, we integrate wetland elevation correction in digital elevation models to improve hydrodynamic simulations of compound events and hence the accuracy of flood hazard (inundation and velocity) maps. Using statistical measures, we analyze compounding effects of terrestrial/coastal flood drivers and wetland elevation correction on maximum floodwater height (MFH) and velocity (MFV) for 50‐year return period scenarios. In addition, we compare our results to MFH and MFV patterns of Hurricane Matthew that hit the West Atlantic Coasts on October 2016. The statistical measures indicate significant differences among the scenarios, partly explained by wetland elevation correction. Inundation and velocity maps suggest that a proposed composite, that is, synthesis of marginal Q, marginal H, and “AND” scenarios, can lead to the lowest average underestimation of MFH (−0.35 m) and overestimation of MFV (0.20 m/s) within wetland areas. We conclude that a thorough compound flooding assessment should leverage statistical analysis and hydrodynamic modeling of extremes including corrections of coastal digital elevation models.

PURPOSE: To describe a spectral imaging system for small animal studies based on noninvasive endoscopy of the retina, and to present time-resolved spectral changes from live Alzheimer's mice prior to cognitive decline, corroborating our previous in vitro findings. METHODS: Topical endoscope fundus imaging was modified to use a machine vision camera and tunable wavelength system for acquiring monochromatic images across the visible to near-infrared spectral range. Alzheimer's APP/PS1 mice and age-matched, wild-type mice were imaged monthly from months 3 through 8 to assess changes in the fundus reflection spectrum. Optical changes were fit to Rayleigh light scatter models as measures of amyloid aggregation. RESULTS: Good quality spectral images of the central retina were obtained. Short-wavelength reflectance from Alzheimer's mice retinae showed significant reduction over time compared to wild-type mice. Optical changes were consistent with an increase in Rayleigh light scattering in neural retina due to soluble Aβ1-42 aggregates. The changes in light scatter showed a monotonic increase in soluble amyloid aggregates over a 6-month period, with significant build up occurring at 7 months. CONCLUSIONS: Hyperspectral imaging technique can be brought inexpensively to the study of retinal changes caused by Alzheimer's disease progression in live small animals. A similar previous finding of reduction in the light reflection over a range of wavelengths in isolated Alzheimer's mice retinae, was reproducible in the living Alzheimer's mice. The technique presented here has a potential for development as an early Alzheimer's retinal diagnostic test in humans, which will support the treatment outcome.

ABSTRACT This article describes a study of 107 high school students who were learning Japanese through the medium of satellite television. The investigation focused on factors that influence student achievement in Japanese in the satellite setting. Results showed motivation was the best predictor of Japanese language achievement, but the use of language learning strategies was also highly influential Students who frequently used learning strategies performed better in the course, thus validating the supposed linkage between strategy use and language achievement. Although auditory students were more motivated than visual students, nevertheless visual students significantly outperformed auditory students and hands‐on (tactile/kinesthetic) students in achievement. Girls showed a number of differences from boys in terms of motivation, achievement, and frequency of strategy use. Many concrete suggestions are provided for improving language instruction in regular classrooms and in the satellite environment.

Surgical implant finishing and sterilization procedures were investigated to determine surface characteristics of unalloyed titanium (Ti). All specimens initially were cleaned with phosphoric acid and divided into five groups for comparisons of different surface treatments (C = cleaned as above, no further treatment; CP = C and passivated in nitric acid; CPS = CP and dry-heat sterilized; CPSS = CPS and resterilized; CS = C and dry-heat sterilized). Auger (AES), X-ray photoelectron (XPS), and Raman spectroscopic methods were used to examine surface compositions. The surface oxides formed by all treatments primarily were TiO2, with some Ti2O3 and possibly TiO. Significant concentrations of carbonaceous substances also were observed. The cleaning procedure alone resulted in residual phosphorus, primarily as phosphate groups along with some hydrogen phosphates. A higher percentage of physisorbed water appeared to be associated with the phosphorus. Passivation (with HNO3) alone removed phosphorus from the surface; specimens sterilized without prior passivation showed the thickest oxide and phosphorus profiles, suggesting that passivation alters the oxide characteristics either directly by altering the oxide structure or indirectly by removing moieties that alter the oxide. Raman spectroscopy showed no crystalline order in the oxide. Carbon, oxygen, phosphorus, and nitrogen presence were found to correlate with previously determined surface energy.

ABSTRACT Vibrio parahaemolyticus naturally occurs in brackish and marine waters and is one of the leading causes of seafood-borne illness. Previous work studying the ecology of V. parahaemolyticus has often been limited in geographic extent and lacked a full range of environmental measures. This study used a unique large data set of surface water samples in the Chesapeake Bay (n= 1,385) collected from 148 monitoring stations from 2007 to 2010. Water was analyzed for more than 20 environmental parameters, with additional meteorological and surrounding land use data. The V. parahaemolyticus -specific genetic markers thermolabile hemolysin (tlh), thermostable direct hemolysin (tdh), andtdh-related hemolysin (trh) were assayed using quantitative PCR (qPCR), and interval-censored regression models with nonlinear effects were estimated to account for limits of detection and quantitation.tlhwas detected in 19.6% of water samples;tdhortrhmarkers were not detected. The results confirmed previously reported positive associations for V. parahaemolyticus abundance with temperature and turbidity and negative associations with high salinity (>10 to 23‰). Furthermore, the salinity relationship was determined to be a function of both low temperature and turbidity, with an increase of either nullifying the high salinity effect. Associations with dissolved oxygen and phosphate also appeared stronger when samples were taken near human developments. A renewed focus on the V. parahaemolyticus ecological paradigm is warranted to protect public health. IMPORTANCE Vibrio parahaemolyticus is one of the leading causes of seafood-borne illness in the United States and across the globe. Exposure is often through consuming raw or undercooked shellfish. Given the natural presence of the bacterium in the marine environment, an improved understanding of its environmental determinants is necessary for future preventative measures. This analysis of environmental Vibrio parahaemolyticus is one of only a few that utilize a large data set measured over a wide geographic and temporal range. The analysis also includes a large number of environmental parameters for Vibrio modeling, many of which have previously only been tested sporadically, and some of which have not been considered before. The results of the analysis revealed previously unknown relationships between salinity, turbidity, and temperature that provide significant insight into the abundance and persistence of V. parahaemolyticus bacterium in the environment. This information will be essential for developing environmental forecast models for the bacterium.

Abstract Design of coastal defense structures like seawalls and breakwaters can no longer be based on stationarity assumption. In many parts of the world, an anticipated sea‐level rise (SLR) due to climate change will constitute present‐day extreme sea levels inappropriate for future coastal flood risk assessments since it will significantly increase their probability of occurrence. Here, we first show that global annual maxima sea levels (AMSLs) have been increasing in magnitude over the last decades, primarily due to a positive shift in mean sea level (MSL). Then, we apply non‐stationary extreme value theory to model the extremal behavior of sea levels with MSL as a covariate and quantify the evolution of AMSLs in the following decades using revised probabilistic sea‐level rise projections. Our analysis reveals that non‐stationary distributions exhibit distinct differences compared to simply considering stationary conditions with a change in location parameter equal to the amount of MSL rise. With the use of non‐stationary distributions, we show that by the year 2050 many locations will experience their present‐day 100‐yr return level as an event with return period less than 15 and 9 years under the moderate (RCP4.5) and high (RCP8.5) representative concentration pathways. Also, we find that by the end of this century almost all locations examined will encounter their current 100‐yr return level on an annual basis, even if CO 2 concentration is kept at moderate levels (RCP4.5). Our assessment accounts for large uncertainty by incorporating ambiguities in both SLR projections and non‐stationary extreme value distribution parameters via a Monte Carlo simulation.

Freshwater mollusks are highly imperiled, with 70% of the North American species extinct, endangered, or at risk of extinction. Impoundments and other human impacts on the Coosa River of Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee of the southeastern USA alone are believed to have caused 50 mollusk species extinctions, but uncertainty over boundaries among several putatively closely related species makes this number preliminary. Our examination of freshwater mussels collected during an extensive survey of the upper-drainage basin, DNA barcoding and molecular phylogenetic analyses confirm the rediscovery of four morphospecies in the genus Pleurobema (Unionidae) previously thought to be extinct from the upper Coosa basin. A fifth 'extinct' form was found in an adjoining basin. Molecular data show that the Coosa morphologies represent at least three species-level taxa: Pleurobema decisum, P. hanleyianum and P. stabile. Endemism is higher than currently recognized, both at the species level and for multispecies clades. Prompt conservation efforts may preserve some of these taxa and their ecosystem.

Abstract The emergence of large language models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, has garnered significant attention, particularly in academic and scientific circles. Researchers, scientists, and instructors hold varying perspectives on the advantages and disadvantages of using ChatGPT for research and teaching purposes. ChatGPT will be used by many scientists going forward for creating content and driving scientific progress. This commentary offers a brief explanation of the fundamental principles behind ChatGPT and how it can be applied in the fields of hydrology and other Earth sciences. The article examines the primary applications of this open artificial intelligence tool within these fields, specifically its ability to assist with writing and coding tasks, and highlights both the advantages and concerns associated with using such a model. Moreover, the study brings up some other limitations of the model, and the dangers of potential miss‐uses. Finally, we suggest that the academic community adapts its regulations and policies to harness the potential benefits of LLMs while mitigating its pitfalls, including establishing a structure for utilizing LLMs and presenting clear regulations for their implementation. We also outline some specific steps on how to accomplish this structure.

A group of 198 children who were either referred for learning disabilities or diagnosed as learning disabled were tested on both the WISC-R and K-ABC. Factor analysis of the K-ABC supported the construct validity of the test for learning disabled children. Joint factor analysis of the K-ABC and WISC-R produced a three-factor and a four-factor solution that were both meaningful and clinically interesting. Factors corresponding to the three K-ABC scales generally converged with the three well known WISC-R factors. The emergence of a Reading Ability factor in the joint analysis proved to be an interesting difference between the findings for learning disabled and normal children. Canonical correlation analysis supported the results of the joint factor analysis.

Purpose The purpose of this paper and the contribution to this special issue is to build on Kim and Watkins’ (2018) recent finding that ‘leaders mentor and coach those they lead’ is the item in the Dimensions of the Learning Organization Questionnaire (DLOQ) that is most highly-correlated with performance. Given the criticality of providing strategic leadership for learning and, more specifically, the consistent associations between leaders who mentor and coach and work-related performance outcomes, a better understanding of the associations between the learning organization concept and managerial coaching is warranted. Watkins and Kim (2018, p. 22) contend that ‘future directions for learning organization research include a search for the elusive interventions that would create a learning organization’. In response to this call for research, a research agenda for assessing managerial coaching as a learning organization (LO) intervention is proposed. Design/methodology/approach This conceptual paper briefly reviews literature on the learning organization and the DLOQ instrument, followed by a more in-depth review of the managerial coaching literature and suggestions for how future research could be conducted that more closely integrates these two concepts. Findings Existing literature suggests that to ‘provide strategic leadership for learning’, a dimension in the DLOQ, is one of the most pivotal dimensions for creating learning cultures that build learning organizations. Specifically, an item within this dimension, ‘leaders who mentor and coach’ has been recently identified as one of the most critical aspects associated with strategic leadership for learning. Originality/value The extant managerial coaching literature offers a solid foundation for more closely integrating and mainstreaming the developmental intervention of managerial coaching into learning organizations. Directions for future research that identifies fine-grained perspectives of the discrete facets of managerial coaching in learning organization contexts are suggested.

Abstract Hydrology plays a crucial role in understanding Earth's intricate water system and addressing water‐related problems, including against the backdrop of ongoing climate change. A retrospective review of the evolution of hydrology up to the current state of research is of great importance for understanding this role. While there have been some quantitative reviews of large numbers of hydrological publications, there still remains a lack of overarching hydrological research assessment, particularly with the focus on hydrological basins as fundamental spatial‐geographic units of hydrological analysis. Large language models, represented by OpenAI's ChatGPT, have demonstrated powerful textual understanding capabilities, making it possible to extract such overarching and basin information from hydrological publications. Here, we considered publications related to hydrology from Web of Science spanning January 1980 to October 2023, and parsed the information from this extensive body of literature by integrating a large language model and geocoding. These techniques enable quantitative analysis of research characteristics across different spatio‐temporal scales, focusing on hotspot topics, collaboration networks, and various basins worldwide. Our study revealed an increase in hydrological research since the 1990 s, with shifts in research priorities from groundwater and nutrients to climate change and ecohydrology. Some basins in North America and Europe have consistently been hotspots for hydrological research. Since the 2010s, there has been a noteworthy increase in interest toward basins in China and South Asia, but attention to many regions with frequent extreme rainfall remains insufficient. Geographical patterns show different preferred research topics for different basins, but climate change has emerged as the most prominent topic across all regions in the last decade. In conclusion, our study provides an effective approach to quantitative analysis of research trends, offering a fresh view on the evolution of hydrology as a research field, its focus on various hydrological basins around the world, and the emergence of overarching and basin‐specific hot topics over time.

The genus Epioblasma consists of 20 species and eight subspecies, of which 15 species and four subspecies are presumed or probably extinct. Remaining taxa are considered endangered or threatened largely due to habitat destruction or modification. We conducted a molecular genetic study on all known extant populations of two federally endangered freshwater Epioblasma species: the tan riffleshell, E. florentina walkeri (Wilson & Clark, 1914), and oyster mussel, E. capsaeformis (Lea, 1834), to determine the extent of genetic variation within and among populations of the two species. Mitochondrial DNA sequence data from two protein-coding genes (COI and ND1) failed to differentiate E. capsaeformis from E. f. walkeri. Molecular variation within and between the two species does not exceed limits observed within Epioblasma brevidens, although substantial genetic differences are observed among E. brevidens, E. triquetra and E. capsaeformis + E. florentina walkeri. Although data do not support the recognition of the two taxa as separate phylogenetic species, they still warrant endangered status due to the fact that few reproducing populations are known. Life history and population biology studies have already been conducted on the single known extant reproducing population of nominal E. f. walkeri. However, similar comparative studies should be conducted on the different mantle-pad morphs of nominal E. capsaeformis populations to provide valuable data for more effective management of the recovery of the phylogenetic species and to further test our hypothesis.

This paper identifies factors that influence the severity of interstate crash outcomes and how they vary depending on the location and manner of collision. Four separate injury severity models were developed to explore the differences and similarities in crash factors between single-and multi-vehicle crashes that occurred in rural and urban areas of the state. Random parameters multinomial logit with heterogeneity in means and variances modeling approach was used to account for unobserved heterogeneity in the crash data. The model estimation results show that some driver behavioral factors such as speeding, aggressive driving, failure to use seatbelt, and driving without a valid license were found to significantly contribute to some form of injury outcome. The influence of roadway features such as type of opposing lane separation, collision type, temporal and lighting conditions on crash outcomes were also explored. Some differences and similarities in the associations between these factors and crash injury severity based on the manner and location of crash were unraveled. These findings are expected to guide the implementation of crash countermeasures on interstates. The findings of this study further support the evidence for the analysis of subsets of crash data to unravel underlying complex relationships within factors that influence crash injury severity.

This study sought to a better understanding of the construct of problem solving in technology-rich environments and the effect of literacy and numeracy on problem solving. Data used in this study were drawn from Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies US data which includes 5010 completed cases and a total of 1326 variables. The assessment of literacy, numeracy and problem-solving competencies were administrated using computer-based approaches. The result of the study showed that adults with higher numeracy and literacy competencies were more likely to have higher level of problem-solving skills. The results of the analyses also revealed that solution latency (i.e. time) were an important factor influencing problem-solving skills. This study indicates that basic mathematical skills are essential for solving problems that require interpersonal communication, computer and software knowledge, planning, and organising. The findings from this study provide several implications for researchers, educators, teachers and policymakers.