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This study considers the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) Medicaid expansion and examines why some states have been reluctant to implement the expansion by focusing on state fiscal factors, including budget solvency, long-run solvency, and federal Medicaid assistance percentages (FMAPs). We used data and samples from multiple sources covering nine years (2012 –2020) and 50 states. Our estimation strategy was an event history analysis with robust standard errors to resolve the possible heteroscedasticity problem. The findings show that states' Medicaid expansion decisions were associated with increased long-run solvency and were marginally associated with decreased budget solvency, providing evidence for the significance of state fiscal capacity in shaping policy decisions. The FMAP influenced the adoption of the Medicaid expansion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of the procedural justice theory is absent from our understanding of environmental policies, particularly in the process of nuclear policy decisions. We explore the relationship between citizen participation and policy acceptance of nuclear facilities by considering community conflict and governmental trustworthiness in the case of South Korea. This study used data collected from citizens who live in the areas where nuclear plants are situated. The results showed that citizen participation may be a predictor of enhanced governmental trustworthiness. Moreover, community members with higher levels of governmental trustworthiness are more likely to allow the construction of additional nuclear plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have reported a positive relationship between local government spending and health outcomes. However, there is limited scholarly research on how the different policy tools used for delivering public health services affect the health of local residents. This study adopted a comprehensive model, widely utilized in health policy and management research, to control for health behaviors, socioeconomic factors, physical environment, and clinical care. It provides evidence that a county with higher health spending through contracting has a higher health ranking among New York counties, indicating that service provision arrangements affect health outcomes. Thus, county efforts to improve health outcomes should consider the effects of differing service delivery arrangements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polluted rivers transport and transform large quantities of anthropogenically-derived organic carbon to coastal regions, and account for an unneglectable share of global CO2 emissions. Effective river water management can enhance water quality and reduce CO2 emissions from the surface water to the atmosphere. However, the effect of water management on future riverine CO2 emissions remains a topic yet to be explored. In this context, the effects of water quality on riverine carbon dynamics were evaluated by examining the temporal variations in carbon fluxes from the Elbe River during a climate base period (around 30 years) from 1984 to 2018. The analysis of long-term data reveals that annual CO2 emissions from the Elbe River have decreased from 3.8±1.7 Tg C yr–1 in 1984 to 1.3±0.6 Tg C yr–1 in 2018 (1 T = 1012), and the largest reduction occurred after the initial decade of reunification of Germany. The changes in wastewater treatment have largely reduced nutrient loads, mitigated eutrophication, impacted the quality of the transported carbon to the ocean, resulting in concurrent decreases in CO2 emissions. The long-term trends in the Elbe River underscore the importance of water quality management for mitigating CO2 emissions from polluted rivers around the globe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Brain somatic mutations in mTOR pathway genes are a major genetic etiology of focal cortical dysplasia type II (FCDII). Despite a greater ability to detect low‐level somatic mutations in the brain by deep sequencing and analytics, about 40% of cases remain genetically unexplained. Methods: We included 2 independent cohorts consisting of 21 patients with mutation‐negative FCDII without apparent mutations on conventional deep sequencing of bulk brain. To find ultra‐low level somatic variants or structural variants, we isolated cells exhibiting phosphorylation of the S6 ribosomal protein (p‐S6) in frozen brain tissues using fluorescence‐activated cell sorting (FACS). We then performed deep whole‐genome sequencing (WGS; >90×) in p‐S6+ cells in a cohort of 11 patients with mutation‐negative. Then, we simplified the method to whole‐genome amplification and target gene sequencing of p‐S6+ cells in independent cohort of 10 patients with mutation‐negative followed by low‐read depth WGS (10×). Results: We found that 28.6% (6 of 21) of mutation‐negative FCDII carries ultra‐low level somatic mutations (less than 0.2% of variant allele frequency [VAF]) in mTOR pathway genes. Our method showed ~34 times increase of the average mutational burden in FACS mediated enrichment of p‐S6+ cells (average VAF = 5.84%) than in bulky brain tissues (average VAF = 0.17%). We found that 19% (4 of 21) carried germline structural variations in GATOR1 complex undetectable in whole exome or targeted gene sequencing. Conclusions: Our method facilitates the detection of ultra‐low level somatic mutations, in specifically p‐S6+ cells, and germline structural variations and increases the genetic diagnostic rate up to ~80% for the entire FCDII cohort. ANN NEUROL 2023;93:1082–1093 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, it was investigated whether autonomic dysfunction could predict prognosis in light-chain (AL) amyloidosis patients. Seventy-two patients with biopsy-proven AL amyloidosis were included and underwent an autonomic function test (AFT) between January 2016 and June 2019. Autonomic failure was evaluated using the Composite Autonomic Severity Score (CASS). Survival curves and the three-year overall survival (OS) rate were estimated using the Kaplan–Meier curve, and the Cox proportional hazards regression method was used to evaluate the variables that influenced survival. Autonomic dysfunction was observed in 69 (96%) patients with AL amyloidosis, and the three-year OS rate was 67%. Generalised autonomic failure (GAF) was observed in 31 (43%) patients. In the Kaplan–Meier curve, the three-year OS rates in patients with sudomotor dysfunction or GAF were lower than that in control patients (35 vs. 84%, and 33 vs. 81%, respectively). In Cox proportional hazards regression model, female, bone marrow plasma cell percentage, left ventricular systolic dysfunction, and GAF were significant independent variables associated with survival. The results of this study indicate that GAF on the AFT is an independent adverse prognostic factor for survival in AL amyloidosis patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a way to narrow the fiscal disparity across local governments with different revenue capacity, revenue-sharing institutionalizes relatively affluent governments to transfer some revenues for the poor. However, effects of the shared revenue, for both transfer-losing and transfer-gaining governments, on individual governments' service quality are unknown. In this study, we investigate the connection between the shared revenue and government service quality, the concept measured with tangibility, empathy, assurance, responsiveness, and reliability. Using data of 25 districts in Seoul Metropolitan Area from 2008 to 2016, our findings demonstrate the shared revenues are positively associated with all measures of government service quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the impacts of Medicaid expansion on New York county total health spending and specifics of health spending, including health services, public health facilities and public health administration. Little research considered the financial effect of Medicaid expansion on local governments while well reported are its influences on uninsured rates and health services utilization. New York counties have contributed to health in their boundaries by providing or funding public health services, and supporting a part of the non-federal share of Medicaid expenditures and uncompensated care. Medicaid expansion can reduce the size of county expenditures for health by enrolling more previously uninsured population in the program and offering more generous federal funding for the expanded Medicaid. We offer empirical evidence that Medicaid expansion was associated with reduced county health spending. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Reserve" refers to the individual clinical differences in response to a neuropathological burden. We explored the behavioral reserve (BR) and associated neural substrates in 40 participants with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) who were assessed with the frontal behavioral inventory (FBI) and magnetic resonance imaging. Because neuroimaging abnormality showed a high negative correlation with the FBI negative (but not positive) symptom scores, we developed a linear model only to calculate the nBR (BR for negative symptoms) marker using neuroimaging abnormalities and the FBI score. Participants were divided into high nBR and low nBR groups based on the nBR marker. The FBI negative symptom score was lower in the high nBR group than in the low nBR group having the same neuroimaging abnormalities. However, the high nBR group noted a steeper decline in cortical atrophy and showed less atrophy in the left frontotemporal cortices than the low nBR group. In addition, the fractional anisotropy (FA) values were greater in the high nBR than in the low nBR group, except in the sensory-motor and occipital areas. We identified an nBR-related functional network composed of bilateral frontotemporal areas and the left occipital pole. We propose the concept of BR in bvFTD, and these findings can help predict the disease progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High‐frequency, paired measurements of the partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) and dissolved O2 were combined with dissolved organic matter (DOM) characterization to investigate diurnal (7:00–19:00) and seasonal variations in CO2 dynamics in the lower Ganges River. Diurnal variations in pCO2 shifted seasonally, concurring with changes in DOM optical properties, biodegradable DOM, and O2 departures from atmospheric equilibrium (ΔO2). Increased pCO2 and CO2 flux (FCO2) in August–September corresponded to monsoonal floods carrying more terrestrial materials. Lower dry‐season pCO2 and FCO2 concurred with higher ΔO2, and exhibited strong relationships with DO and pH, indicating a dominant influence of phytoplankton production. Despite large variations in pCO2, the year‐long positive FCO2 implied that the lower Ganges acted as a CO2 source, reaching 122 mmol m−2 d−1. Increasing hydrologic variability and pollution in the Ganges Basin can amplify pCO2 variations linked to seasonal shifts in terrestrial inputs and phytoplankton production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Background: NUDT15 polymorphisms are associated with leukopenia during treatment with thiopurines. However, data regarding its effect on treatment outcomes are scarce. Aims: To investigate the outcomes between NUDT15 normal and intermediate metabolisers in paediatric patients with Crohn's disease (CD) treated with a combination therapy of infliximab (IFX) and azathioprine (AZA). Methods: In this retrospective observational study, 143 patients categorised into the NUDT15 normal and intermediate metaboliser groups were compared based on clinical remission (CR), biochemical remission (BR), mucosal healing (MH) at 1 year treatment, IFX trough levels (TLs), antibodies to IFX (ATIs), 6‐thioguanine nucleotide (6‐TGN) levels, loss of response (LOR) and IFX durability. Results: No significant differences were observed between the groups in CR, BR, MH at 1 year, whereas IFX TLs and ATIs and 6‐TGN levels were comparable. However, LOR (6.5% vs 27.7%, P = 0.025) was significantly lower and IFX durability significantly higher (96.8% vs 80.4% P = 0.027) in the intermediate group. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression analysis showed that ATI positivity (hazard ratio (HR): 4.76, 95% CI: 2.25‐10.07, P < 0.001) and the NUDT15 metaboliser group was associated with LOR (HR: 0.18, 95% CI: 0.04‐0.76, P = 0.019). The Kaplan‐Meier survival curves showed that the LOR‐free survival rate was significantly lower in normal metabolisers (log‐rank test P = 0.009). Conclusion: NUDT15 intermediate metabolisers were associated with lower LOR in paediatric patients with CD treated with IFX and AZA combination therapy. This finding may partially explain the longer durability of IFX in Korean children than their counterparts in Western countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite recent interest in transparency, not much scholarly attention has been paid to the determinants of government operation of targeted transparency policies, mandating targeted organizations including corporations or private entities, to disclose data to address market failures. This study explores how targeted organizations and state financial environments affect state operation of All-Payer Claims Databases (APCDs), a targeted transparency policy at the U.S. state level. The establishment and operation of APCDs is a recent state initiative to collect and utilize comparable health data on prices and quality measures from non-governmental actors as well as governmental actors, which can contribute to reducing information asymmetry between state health policymakers and providers and to constrain health care expenditures. We found that the operation of APCD was affected by insurance market competition and enrollment, and state financial environments, as well as by state political context and service demands. Especially, this study encourages future researchers to study how insurers as targeted organizations shape the state operation of the price transparency strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little scholarly research has paid attention to the collective impact of contracting out on local financial condition. Contracting out can enhance a fiscal state by allowing local officials for more buying power with lower service costs as well as less long-term liabilities. Beyond prior research on the effect of contracting in a service, this research offers evidence that higher levels of contracting out spending improve local financial condition regarding budget solvency and long-run solvency. However, external suppliers can deteriorate financial condition. The findings show that the improvement of budget solvency does not materialize at a certain level of contracting out spending, but this is not the case for long-run solvency. The expectation of financial condition improvement may rely on the degree to which practitioners deliver public services through contracting out. Thus, local officials may want to decide levels of contracting out services strategically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water pollution disrupts the ecological integrity of urbanized river systems, but its impacts on riverine metabolic processes and carbon fluxes are poorly studied in developing countries. Three seasonal field surveys were combined with two high-resolution measurements and an in situ incubation experiment to investigate the effects of untreated wastewater on organic matter biodegradation and the partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) along the Mekong–Tonle Sap network around Phnom Penh. High-resolution measurements during the dry-season survey exhibited large downstream increases in pCO2 along the Mekong reaches receiving Tonle Sap inflows carrying urban sewage, contrasting with little spatial variation during a monsoon survey when the Mekong floodwater reversed the Tonle Sap flow. The monsoonal and dry-season surveys revealed flooding-induced homogenization and large spatial divergences in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration and its δ13C and Δ14C between the Tonle Sap and connected Mekong reaches. During the 3-day incubation of Mekong waters, alone or mixed with sewage, a large initial nocturnal increase in pCO2 in sewage-supplemented river water exceeded the subsequent daytime CO2 uptake by phytoplankton photosynthesis varying with light exposure. This, combined with the preferential consumption of labile DOC components displaying protein-like fluorescence, implies sewage-enhanced biodegradation of riverine organic matter. These results suggest that neglecting wastewater-enhanced CO2 production in urbanized river basins during long dry periods can result in a significant underestimation of riverine CO2 emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite growing research on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from inland waters, few systematic efforts have been made to assess the regional‐scale GHG emissions from Asian rivers under increasing anthropogenic stress. We examined factors controlling longitudinal and seasonal variations in the partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2), and CH4 and N2O concentrations in the Ganges, Mekong, and Yellow River by simultaneously measuring gas concentrations and stable C isotopes, and optical properties of dissolved organic matter (DOM) from 2016 to 2019. The levels of pCO2 and CH4 were distinctively higher in polluted tributaries and affected reaches of the Ganges and Mekong than in the Yellow River. The highest levels of N2O were found in the Ganges, followed by the Yellow River and Mekong. Across these basins, dry‐season mean concentrations of CO2, CH4, and N2O were 1.6, 2, and 7 times higher than those measured in the monsoon season, respectively. This seasonality was consistent with that of δ13C‐CO2, while δ13C‐CH4 showed an opposite pattern. GHG concentrations exhibited significant positive relationships with DOM concentrations and optical properties including fluorescence index and protein‐like fluorescence, implying the contribution of anthropogenic, labile DOM to production of GHGs in the polluted reaches. Graphical mixing models of δ13C‐CO2 and δ13C‐CH4 support the stronger impact of wastewater on the Ganges and Mekong than on the Yellow River. The overall results suggest that neglecting localized pollution impacts on GHG emissions from increasingly urbanized river basins can result in a substantial underestimation of global riverine GHG emissions. Plain Language Summary: Rapid urbanization and poor wastewater infrastructure are turning many large rivers in Asia into significant sources of greenhouse gases (GHGs). We examined controlling factors for the concentrations of CO2, CH4, and N2O in the Ganges, Mekong, and Yellow River by simultaneously measuring gas concentrations and stable carbon isotopes, and optical properties of dissolved organic matter (DOM). The concentrations of CO2 and CH4 were distinctively higher in polluted tributaries and affected sections of the Ganges and Mekong than in the Yellow River. N2O concentration was highest in the Ganges, followed by the Yellow River and Mekong. Across these basins, the concentrations of the three gases were generally higher during dry periods than in the monsoon season. GHG concentrations were positively related to DOM optical properties indicating the contribution of easily degradable DOM from pollution sources. The stable carbon isotope ratios of CO2 and CH4 support the stronger impact of wastewater on the Ganges and Mekong than on the Yellow River. The overall results suggest that neglecting local pollution impacts on GHG emissions from increasingly urbanized river basins can result in a substantial underestimation of global riverine GHG emissions. Key Points: High CO2, CH4, and N2O concentrations in urbanized river reaches reflect influences from local tributaries carrying wastewaterSeasonality in stable C isotopes and dissolved organic matter properties corresponds to higher dry‐season greenhouse gas concentrations than in the monsoonStable C isotopes and their relationships with CO2 and CH4 concentrations support localized wastewater effects on urbanized rivers [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research longitudinally examines the association between levels of state Medicaid prescription spending and the state strategies intended to constrain cost increases: the negotiated pricing strategy, as indicated by state rebate programs, and the price transparency strategy, as indicated by state operation of All-Payer Claims Databases. The findings demonstrate evidence that state Medicaid prescription spending is influenced by the negotiated pricing strategy, especially Managed Care Organization (MCO) rebates under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, but not influenced by the price transparency strategy. State decisions for MCO rebates, such as carving prescription benefits into managed care benefits, were effective in containing levels of Medicaid prescription spending over time, while other single- and multi-state rebate programs were not. Based on these findings, state policymakers may consider utilizing the MCO rebate program to address increases in Medicaid prescription spending. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ganges River is one of the biggest transboundary streams in the Indian sub-continent. The significant part of this waterway channel drains one of the most densely populated areas on the planet so it is unequivocally influenced by human activities. Unprecedented high-temporal-resolution samples were collected for investigating the seasonal variability of water quality. Water quality index (WQI) reveals large seasonal variation among three major seasons and also indicates that the river water is not suitable for drinking and other household uses. The dominant water facies is bicarbonate (HCO3−). The water quality indices, %Na, Kelley's ratio (KR), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), and magnesium adsorption ratio (MAR), reveal that the water is appropriate for irrigation. The permeability index (PI) indicated that the water is moderate to poorly useable for agricultural purposes. Heavy metals concentrations demonstrated significant seasonal variations with high concentrations during the monsoon due to flushing of pollutants from catchment areas by intense monsoonal precipitations. In addition, local activities such as oil spills from the boat, vehicle washing water, and agricultural runoff may also added pollutants. The single-factor pollution index (Ii) and Nemerow pollution index (Ni) exhibits minor pollution. The values of heavy metal pollution index (HPI) are far below than the critical limit (100) for the studied month, although relatively higher HPI values found for April, August, and November than other months might come from domestic wastes and agricultural activities. The heavy metal evaluation index (HEI) values of all the months indicated a low degree of pollution. Even though the river water pollution level is low, the authority should take proper management and monitoring strategy for sustainable use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A video see-through head-mounted display (VSHMD) is a modified HMD having an additional small digital camera set (see-through camera set) attached in front of the HMD, which allows users to view the real scene along with virtual information in digitally mixed form. However, although VSHMD has potential utility in augmented reality applications, the visual displacement problem must be overcome. This problem is caused by the distance between the see-through camera and human eye and induces visuomotor performance deterioration. Previous studies have revealed that human adaptation improves the visuomotor performance over time, by rearranging the proprioception. In this study, we extend the visual displacement excessively to 300 mm and investigate the eye–hand and eye–foot visuomotor coordination in two experiments. In Experiment 1, the prism adaptation paradigm is used to compare task performance under various visual displacement conditions. In Experiment 2, the procedures of Experiment 1 are implemented on 3 consecutive days to evaluate the relatively long-term adaptation trend. The results reveal distinct adaptations under all conditions. When excessive visual displacement is unavoidable, sufficient training can improve task performance, similar to the previously discovered perceptual adaptation. However, with increased visual displacement, the task performance improvement decelerates significantly. This improvement attenuation increases as the task performance becomes close to that achieved under bare eye conditions. Although humans can adapt to a large amount of visual displacement, a serious usage problem arises because of this slow adaptation improvement trend. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research considered levels of public service spending according to the alternative service arrangements, and examined how the property tax cap as an external constraint, local histories, and local fiscal capacity are related to the spending in the context of the state of New York. This study provides empirical evidence that the property tax cap positively influenced local spending through contracting out, while the same variable negatively affected the spending through intermunicipal contracting. Second, the previous level of public spending was positively associated with the current level of public spending through contracts with other municipalities, but this is not the case for contracts with nongovernmental providers. In addition, in deciding the extent of public spending through contracting out, local government officials were influenced by the factors of fiscal capacity, indicated by budget solvency and tax revenues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an interaction method to conveniently manipulate a virtual object by combining touch interaction and head movements for a head-mounted display (HMD), which provides mobile augmented reality (AR). A user can conveniently manipulate a virtual object with touch interaction recognized from the inertial measurement unit (IMU) attached to the index finger's nail and head movements tracked by the IMU embedded in the HMD. We design two interactions that combine touch and head movements, to manipulate a virtual object on a mobile HMD. Each designed interaction method manipulates virtual objects by controlling ray casting and adjusting widgets. To evaluate the usability of the designed interaction methods, a user evaluation is performed in comparison with the hand interaction using Hololens. As a result, the designed interaction method receives positive feedback that virtual objects can be manipulated easily in a mobile AR environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wide variation in institutional structure and funding patterns in public libraries make this government function useful for exploring the effect of these differences on expenditures. Based on literature related to willingness to pay, special districts, and fiscal illusion, we hypothesize that libraries with taxing authority and more revenues from nonlocal sources will have higher levels of spending. We use data from an Annual Public Library Survey, and U.S. Census data, in ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions for 2007 and 2010. We find that taxing authority leads to increased spending, as expected. However, the results of funding sources are contrary to expectations; relative reliance on nonlocal sources is generally associated with lower levels of spending. This may be due to "crowding-out" of local sources, and there may also be some effect from reduced state aid following the Great Recession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the meta-analysis on performance budgeting theory and practice, the relationship between citizens' role and performance-based budgeting is an important but under-researched topic. Missing in our understanding of the determinants of performance budgeting is an examination of how citizen participation fosters the usage of performance information in the local budgetary process. This research is intended to understand the role of citizens to use performance budgeting, particularly for strategic planning and performance evaluation. To examine the research question, this study hypothesizes that local governments with a commitment to citizen participation tend to use performance budgeting. The results allow confirming that the hypothesis is supported, and to clarify our knowledge of the role of citizen input in government fiscal decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface water concentrations of CO2, CH4, and N2O have rarely been measured simultaneously in river systems modified by human activities, contributing to large uncertainties in estimating global riverine emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Basin-wide surveys of the three GHGs were combined with a small number of measurements of C isotope ratios in dissolved organic matter (DOM), CO2, and CH4 in the Han River basin, South Korea, to examine how longitudinal patterns of the three gases and DOM are affected by four cascade dams along a middle section of the North Han River (hereafter termed "middle reach") and treated wastewater discharged to the lower Han River ("lower reach") traversing the Seoul metropolitan area. Monthly monitoring and two-season comparison were conducted at 6 and 15 sites, respectively, to measure surface water gas concentrations and ancillary water quality parameters including concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and optical properties of DOM. The basin-wide surveys were complemented with a sampling cruise along the lower reach and synoptic samplings along an urban tributary delivering effluents from a large wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) to the lower reach. The levels of pCO2 were relatively low in the middle reach (51-2465 μatm), particularly at the four dam sites (51-761 μatm), compared with those found in the largely forested upper basin with scattered patches of croplands (163-2539 μatm), the lower reach (78-11298 μatm), and three urban tributaries (2120-11970 μatm). The upper and middle reaches displayed generally low concentration ranges of CH4 and N2O, with some local peaks influenced by agricultural runoff and impoundments. By comparison, the lower reach exhibited exceptionally high concentrations of CH4 (1.2-15766 nmol L-1/ and N2O (7.5-1396 nmol L-1/, which were significantly correlated with different sets of variables such as DO and PO3- 4 for CH4 and NHC 4 and NO-3 for N2O. Downriver increases in the levels of DOC and optical properties such as fluorescence index (FI) and protein-like fluorescence indicated an increasing DOM fraction of anthropogenic and microbial origin. The concentrations of the three GHGs and DOC were similar in magnitude and temporal variation at a WWTP discharge and the receiving tributary, indicating a disproportionate contribution of the WWTP effluents to the tributary gas and DOC exports to the lower reach. The values of δ13C in surface water CO2 and CH4 measured during the sampling cruise along the lower reach, combined with &948;13C andΔ14 in DOM sampled across the basin, implied a strong influence of the wastewater-derived gases and aged DOM delivered by the urban tributaries. The downstream enrichment of 13C in CO2 and CH4 suggested that the spatial distribution of these gases across the eutrophic lower reach may also be constrained by multiple concomitant processes including outgassing, photosynthesis, and CH4 oxidation. The overall results suggest that dams and urban wastewater may create longitudinal discontinuities in riverine metabolic processes leading to large spatial variations in the three GHGs correlating with different combinations of DOM properties and nutrients. Further research is required to evaluate the relative contributions of anthropogenic and in-stream sources of the three gases and DOM in eutrophic urbanized river systems and constrain key factors for the contrasting impoundment effects such as autotrophydriven decreases in pCO2 and in-lake production of CH4 and N2 O. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human activities are drastically altering water and material flows in river systems across Asia. These anthropogenic perturbations have rarely been linked to the carbon (C) fluxes of Asian rivers that may account for up to 40-50% of the global fluxes. This review aims to provide a conceptual framework for assessing the human impacts on Asian river C fluxes, along with an update on anthropogenic alterations of riverine C fluxes. Drawing on case studies conducted in three selected rivers (the Ganges, Mekong, and Yellow River) and other major Asian rivers, the review focuses on the impacts of river impoundment and pollution on CO2 outgassing from the rivers draining South, Southeast, and East Asian regions that account for the largest fraction of river discharge and C exports from Asia and Oceania. A critical examination of major conceptual models of riverine processes against observed trends suggests that to better understand altered metabolisms and C fluxes in "anthropogenic land-water-scapes", or riverine landscapes modified by human activities, the traditional view of the river continuum should be complemented with concepts addressing spatial and temporal discontinuities created by human activities, such as river impoundment and pollution. Recent booms in dam construction on many large Asian rivers pose a host of environmental problems, including increased retention of sediment and associated C. A small number of studies that measured greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in dammed Asian rivers have reported contrasting impoundment effects: decreased GHG emissions from eutrophic reservoirs with enhanced primary production vs. increased emissions from the flooded vegetation and soils in the early years following dam construction or from the impounded reaches and downstream estuaries during the monsoon period. These contrasting results suggest that the rates of metabolic processes in the impounded and downstream reaches can vary greatly longitudinally over time as a combined result of diel shifts in the balance between autotrophy and heterotrophy, seasonal fluctuations between dry and monsoon periods, and a long-term change from a leaky post-construction phase to a gradual C sink. The rapid pace of urbanization across southern and eastern Asian regions has dramatically increased municipal wa- ter withdrawal, generating annually 120 km3 of wastewater in 24 countries, which comprises 39% of the global municipal wastewater production. Although municipal wastewater constitutes only 1% of the renewable surface water, it can disproportionately affect the receiving river water, particularly downstream of rapidly expanding metropolitan areas, resulting in eutrophication, increases in the amount and lability of organic C, and pulse emissions of CO2 and other GHGs. In rivers draining highly populated metropolitan areas, lower reaches and tributaries, which are often plagued by frequent algal blooms and pulsatile CO2 emissions from urban tributaries delivering high loads of wastewater, tended to exhibit higher levels of organic C and the partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) than less impacted upstream reaches and eutrophic impounded reaches. More field measurements of pCO2, together with accurate flux calculations based on river-specific model parameters, are required to provide more accurate estimates of GHG emissions from the Asian rivers that are now underrepresented in the global C budgets. The new conceptual framework incorporating discontinuities created by impoundment and pollution into the river continuum needs to be tested with more field measurements of riverine metabolisms and CO2 dynamics across variously affected reaches to better constrain altered fluxes of organic C and CO2 resulting from changes in the balance between autotrophy and heterotrophy in increasingly human-modified river systems across Asia and other continents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This study explores a theoretical model that focuses on the relationship between regulatee participation and trust in the financial regulatory agency through the mediation effects of transparency, fairness, competency, and independence. The research model uses the 2013 Financial Regulatory Agency Perception Survey, collected from employees of financial regulatees in South Korea (including banks, securities investment, insurance, and credit card companies). The results show that in financial regulatory governance, regulatee participation is positively associated with the regulator’s trustworthiness through the mediation of transparency, fairness, competency, and independence. This study contributes to the financial regulation area and democratic governance by connecting participatory decision-making with financial regulation and also suggests new managerial implications for financial regulators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Muscle atrophy, a reduction of muscle mass, strength, and volume, results from reduced muscle use and plays a key role in various muscular diseases. In the microgravity environment of space especially, muscle atrophy is induced by muscle inactivity. Exposure to microgravity induces muscle atrophy through several biological effects, including associations with reactive oxygen species (ROS). This study used 3D-clinostat to investigate muscle atrophy caused by oxidative stress in vitro, and sciatic denervation was used to investigate muscle atrophy in vivo. We assessed the effect of Oenothera odorata root extract (EVP) on muscle atrophy. EVP helped recover cell viability in C2C12 myoblasts exposed to microgravity for 24 h and delayed muscle atrophy in sciatic denervated mice. However, the expressions of HSP70, SOD1, and ceramide in microgravity-exposed C2C12 myoblasts and in sciatic denervated mice were either decreased or completely inhibited. These results suggested that EVP can be expected to have a positive effect on muscle atrophy by disuse and microgravity. In addition, EVP helped characterize the antioxidant function in muscle atrophy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite increasing recognition of storm-induced organic carbon (C) export as a significant loss from the terrestrial C balance, little is known about the biodegradation and chemical transformation of particulate organic carbon (POC) in mountainous river systems. We combined analyses of C isotopes, solution-state H NMR, and lipid biomarkers with biodegradable dissolved organic C (BDOC) measurements to investigate downstream changes of POC composition and biodegradability at a mountainous, mixed land-use watershed in South Korea. Water and suspended sediment (SS) samples were collected in a forested headwater stream, a downstream agricultural stream, and two downstream rivers during peak flow periods of four storm events, using either sequential grab sampling from the headwater stream to the most downstream river within a few hours around the peak flow or sediment samplers deployed during the whole storm event. DOC concentrations exhibited relatively small changes across sites, whereas POC concentrations were highest in the agricultural stream, and tapered along downstream reaches. The δC and δN of SS in the agricultural stream were distinct from up- and downstream signatures and similar to those for erosion source soils and lake bottom sediment, although increases in radiocarbon age indicated continuous compositional changes toward the lake. H NMR spectra of SS and deposited sediment exhibited downstream decreases in carbohydrates and lignin but enrichment of organic structures related to microbial proteins and plant wax. The downstream sediments had more microbial n-alkanes and lipid markers indicating anthropogenic origin such as coprostanol compared to the forest soil n-alkanes dominated by plant wax. While the BDOC concentrations of filtered waters differed little between sites, the BDOC concentrations and protein- to humic-like fluorescence ratios of DOC leached from SS during a 13-day incubation were higher in downstream rivers, pointing to contribution of labile POC components to the enhanced biodegradation. Overall, inputs of microbial and anthropogenic origin, in interplay with deposition and mineralization, appear to substantially alter POC composition and biodegradability during downstream transport, raising a question on the conventional view of mountainous river systems as a passive conduit of storm pulses of POC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes an intuitive approach for a cognitive grasp of a robot. The cognitive grasp means the chain of processes that make a robot to learn and execute a grasping method for unknown objects like a human. In the learning step, a robot looks around a target object to estimate the 3D shape and understands the grasp type for the object through a human demonstration. In the execution step, the robot correlates an unknown object to one of known grasp types by comparing the shape similarity of the target object based on previously learned models. For this cognitive grasp, we mainly deal with two functionalities such as reconstructing an unknown 3D object and classifying the object by grasp types. In the experiment, we evaluate the performance of object classification according to the grasp types for 20 objects via human demonstration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the influence of warming and supplemental precipitation on plant production and abundance of the dominant microarthropod, the springtail Cryptopygus antarcticus (Collembola), in tundra dominated by the vascular plants Colobanthus quitensis and Deschampsia antarctica along the Antarctic Peninsula. Tundra cores were placed in plots near Palmer Station where they were warmed with infrared heaters in combination with receiving supplemental precipitation. Diel canopy air and soil temperatures and air vapor pressure deficits in warmed plots were elevated 0.8 °C, 2.2 °C and 0.13 kPa, respectively. After two growing seasons, total aboveground plant production was greater under warming as a result of enhanced production by C. quitensis, which more than offset declines in moss biomass. Total aboveground plant production was also greater under supplemental precipitation primarily as a result of enhanced moss production. Total aboveground plant production was greatest under the combination of warming and supplemental precipitation, primarily as a result of enhanced C. quitensis production. C. antarcticus were more abundant in cores receiving supplemental precipitation and there was a strong treatment interaction; these springtails were most abundant in warmed cores receiving supplemental precipitation. Over 50% of the variability in the abundance of C. antarcticus could be explained by differences in aboveground plant biomass. However, plant production did not appear directly responsible for differences in C. antarcticus abundance; when we examined C. antarcticus abundance per unit of aboveground plant biomass, differences in its abundance among treatments were still apparent implying these differences were not the direct result of plant biomass. The responses of C. antarcticus were consistent with its known moisture and thermal preferences, suggesting that abiotic factors played a dominant role in controlling its abundance. Precipitation regime had large impacts on warming responses and these were species specific, illustrating the importance of future precipitation regimes in predicting system responses to warming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is limited information regarding biogeochemical pools and fluxes in maritime tundra ecosystems along the Antarctic Peninsula. To collect baseline information on biogeochemical processes in a tundra ecosystem dominated by two vascular plant species ( Colobanthus quitensis and Deschampsia antarctica) at Biscoe Point off the coast of Anvers Island, we measured pools and fluxes of C and N in transplanted tundra microcosm cores, complemented with sampling of precipitation and surface runoff. Snow and snowmelt from the tundra collection site and soil leachates from the cores were enriched with N and dissolved organic carbon compared to precipitation and snowmelt samples collected at Palmer Station, indicating high loading of N and organic matter from the penguin colonies adjacent to the tundra site. Relatively high values of δ15N in the live and dead biomass of D. antarctica and C. quitensis (5.6–25.1‰) indicated an enrichment of N in this tundra ecosystem, possibly through N inputs from adjacent penguin colonies. Stepwise multiple linear regressions found that ecosystem respiration and gross primary production were best predicted by live biomass of D. antarctica, suggesting a disproportionately high contribution of D. antarctica to CO2 fluxes. The cores with higher δ15N and lower δ13C in the soil organic horizon exhibited higher CO2 fluxes. The results suggest that abundant N inputs from penguin colonies and the competitive balance between plant species might play a critical role in the response of tundra ecosystems along the Antarctic Peninsula to projected climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recycling cell formation problem means that disposal products are classified into recycling part families using group technology in their end-of-life phase. Disposal products have the uncertainties of product status by usage influences during product use phase, and recycling cells are formed design, process and usage attributes. In order to deal with the uncertainties, fuzzy set theory and fuzzy logic-based neural network model are applied to recycling cell formation problem for disposal products. Fuzzy C-mean algorithm and a heuristic approach based on fuzzy ART neural network is suggested. Especially, the modified Fuzzy ART neural network is shown that it has a good clustering results and gives an extension for systematically generating alternative solutions in the recycling cell formation problem. Disposal refrigerators are shown as examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although dissolved organic matter (DOM) released from the forest floor plays a crucial role in transporting carbon and major nutrients through the soil profile, its formation and responses to changing litter inputs are only partially understood. To gain insights into the controlling mechanisms of DOM release from the forest floor, we investigated responses of the concentrations and fluxes of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nitrogen (DON) in forest floor leachates to manipulations of throughfall (TF) flow and aboveground litter inputs (litter removal, litter addition, and glucose addition) at a hardwood stand in Bavaria, Germany. Over the two-year study period, litter manipulations resulted in significant changes in C and N stocks of the uppermost organic horizon (Oi). DOC and DON losses via forest floor leaching represented 8 and 11% of annual litterfall C and N inputs at the control, respectively. The exclusion of aboveground litter inputs caused a slight decrease in DOC release from the Oi horizon but no change in the overall leaching losses of DOC and DON in forest floor leachates. In contrast, the addition of litter or glucose increased the release of DOC and DON either from the Oi or from the lower horizons (Oe + Oa). Net releases of DOC from the Oe + Oa horizons over the entire manipulation period were not related to changes in microbial activity (measured as rates of basal and substrate-induced respiration) but to the original forest floor depths prior to manipulation, pointing to the flux control by the size of source pools rather than a straightforward relationship between microbial activity and DOM production. In response to doubled TF fluxes, net increases in DOM fluxes occurred in the lower forest floor, indicating the presence of substantial pools of potentially soluble organic matter in the Oe + Oa horizons. In contrast to the general assumption of DOM as a leaching product from recent litter, our results suggest that DOM in forest floor leachates is derived from both newly added litter and older organic horizons through complex interactions between microbial production and consumption and hydrologic transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biogeochemical responses to changing climate and atmospheric deposition were investigated using nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) mass balances, including dry deposition and organic solutes in the Arbutus Lake watershed in the Adirondack Mountains, New York State. Long-term monitoring of wet-only precipitation (NADP/NTN, 1983–2001) and dry deposition (AIRMoN, 1990–2001) at sites adjacent to the watershed showed that concentrations of SO42− in precipitation, SO42− in particles,and SO2 vapor all declined substantially ( P<0.005) in contrast to no marked temporal changes observed for most N constituents (NH4+ in precipitation, HNO3 vapor, and particulate NO3−), except for NO3− in precipitation, which showed a small decrease in the late 1990s. From 1983 to 2001, concentrations of SO42− in the lake outlet significantly decreased (−2.1 μeq L−1 yr−1, P<0.0001), whereas NO3− and dissolved organic N (DON) concentrations showed no consistent temporal trends. With the inclusion of dry deposition and DON fluxes into the mass balance, the retained portion of atmospheric N inputs within the main subcatchment increased from 37% to 60%. Sulfur outputs greatly exceeded inputs even with the inclusion of dry S deposition, while organic S flux represented another source of S output, implying substantial internal S sources. A significant relationship between the annual mean concentrations of SO42− in lake discharge and wet deposition over the last two decades ( r=0.64, P<0.01) suggested a considerable influence of declining S deposition on surface water SO42− concentrations, despite substantial internal S sources. By contrast, interannual variations in both NO3− concentrations and fluxes in lake discharge were significantly related to year-to-year changes in air temperature and runoff. Snowmelt responses to winter temperature fluctuations were crucial in explaining large portions of interannual variations in watershed NO3− export during the months preceding spring snowmelt (especially, January–March). Distinctive response patterns of monthly mean concentrations of NO3− and DON in the major lake inlet to seasonal changes in air temperature also suggested climatic regulation of seasonal patterns in watershed release of both N forms. The sensitive response of N drainage losses to climatic variability might explain the synchronous patterns of decadal variations in watershed NO3− export across the northeastern USA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Prompt and precise measurement of neuronal damage in acute cerebral infarction is important to determine the prognosis of functional outcome. A feasible biochemical marker such as the neuron-specific enolase (NSE) level has been used to detect various diseases involving the central nervous system. Objective: To determine whether the initial serum NSE level is a useful marker for predicting the severity of clinical neurological deficits and the extent of neuronal damage in acute anterior-circulation infarction. Design: Case-control study with biochemical-clinicoradiological correlation. Setting: Tertiary care center. Participants: Eighty-one patients and 77 age- and sexmatched control subjects. Main Outcome Measures: Patients with anteriorcirculation infarction underwent intravenous serum NSE sampling within 24 hours after symptom onset. Recent infarction was confirmed by T2-weighted and diffusionweighted magnetic resonance imaging of the brain about 1 week after the onset of stroke. Volumetric analysis of infarction was also performed. The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score was measured on admission to the hospital and 1 week after symptom onset. Results: The patients' initial serum NSE levels were statistically significantly higher than the controls (P<.05). The initial serum NSE level highly correlated with the volume of infarction seen on T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging of the brain (r=0.62, P<.001) and with the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score obtained on hospital admission (r=0.42, P=.002) and on the seventh day after the onset of stroke (r=0.44, P<.001). Conclusion: The initial serum NSE level is a reliable predictor for the extent of neuronal damage and the severity of clinical neurological deficits in acute anteriorcirculation infarction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]