bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Kinney Pool: Defining the western boundary of the Edwards (Balcones Fault Zone) Aquifer, Texas
Authors: Green R.T. , Bertetti F.P. , McGinnis R.N. 
Published: October 2019

ABSTRACT
The western boundary of the San Antonio segment of the Edwards (Balcones Fault Zone) Aquifer has been historically mapped to extend to a groundwater divide thought to be near Brackettville in Kinney County, Texas. A revised conceptualization is developed here that contends the Edwards Aquifer forms a separate pool in Kinney County, referred to as the Kinney Pool, which extends from a groundwater divide located between Mud Spring and Pinto Spring on the west to an effective structural, hydraulic barrier near the Kinney-Uvalde County line. The barrier is a result of dewatering of the permeable portion of the Edwards Aquifer in eastern Kinney County. No groundwater flow in the Edwards Aquifer from Kinney County to Uvalde County is expected during periods of low to average groundwater elevation, but limited flow from west to east could be possible during periods when groundwater elevations are high. Natural discharge from the Kinney Pool occurs as spring discharge and underflow through floodplains at the southern (downdip) boundary of the segment.
Texas groundwater law and the Edwards Aquifer
Authors: Hardberger Amy 
Published: October 2019

ABSTRACT
In Texas, groundwater and surface water are managed differently. Surface water is state-owned and governed by the doctrine of prior appropriation. Groundwater law is evolving and based upon a combination of court cases and legislative actions. Like soil, groundwater is property of the surface landowner. The 1904 East case confirmed the absolute ownership of water or the “rule of capture” for beneficial use, limited only in that malicious use or willful waste and, later, subsidence of adjoining properties were not permitted. The Texas Supreme Court later indicated that rule of capture might not be appropriate doctrine, but it declined to replace it with an alternative management doctrine. In the 1990s, there were two major legal changes to the existing legal regime. First, groundwater conservation districts were designated as the preferred method for groundwater management, further emphasizing local control. Second, protection of endangered species in Edwards Aquifer springs necessitated pumping restrictions. More recently, the Day case determined that landowners had a vested property right in water below their land prior to its capture, and the Bragg case determined that, in the facts of that case, the restricting of pumping of groundwater was a taking requiring compensation. Legal constraints will be an important factor in determining the future development of the Edwards Aquifer and associated water resources.
Evolution of Edwards-Trinity Aquifer biodiversity: Insights from phylogeography
Authors: Devitt Thomas J. 
Published: October 2019

ABSTRACT
The exceptional groundwater community inhabiting the karstic Edwards-Trinity Aquifer system in central Texas has inspired generations of biologists seeking to understand diversification in an extreme environment. Since the late 1990s, molecular genetic tools have increasingly been used to uncover hidden diversity and infer the evolutionary history of groundwater species inhabiting the Edwards-Trinity system. The field of phylogeography—the study of the spatial distribution of genealogical lineages within and among intraspecific populations and closely related species—has provided unparalleled insight into patterns of Edwards-Trinity groundwater biodiversity. Similar to other global groundwater biodiversity hotspots, phylogeographic studies in the Edwards-Trinity Aquifer system have documented exceptionally high levels of endemism and strong population structure due to isolation across naturally fragmented habitat. Cryptic species (two or more morphologically similar but genetically distinct species) have been discovered in a number of phylogeographic investigations, including Eurycea salamanders, Dionda minnows, and Stygobromus amphipods. A number of these species are threatened or endangered with extinction due to habitat loss and degradation resulting from urbanization. Accurately delimiting species boundaries has had significant implications for biodiversity and groundwater conservation in the Edwards-Trinity region because the Endangered Species Act has been used to regulate unrestricted groundwater withdrawal in the eastern Edwards Aquifer where listed species are found. New developments in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequencing technology coupled with advancements in model-based inference will provide powerful tools for furthering our understanding of Edwards-Trinity biodiversity and predicting its response to a rapidly changing environment.
What causes mass extinctions? Large asteroid/comet impacts, flood-basalt volcanism, and ocean anoxia—Correlations and cycles
Authors: Rampino* Michael R. , Caldeira Ken , Prokoph# Andreas 
Published: October 2019

ABSTRACT
What causes recurrent mass extinctions of life? We find that the ages of 10 of the 11 well-documented extinction episodes of the last 260 m.y. show correlations, at very high confidence (&gt;99.99%), with the ages of the largest impact craters or the ages of massive continental flood-basalt eruptions. The four largest craters (≥100 km diameter, impact energies ≥3 × 107 Mt trinitrotoluene [TNT]) can be linked with recognized extinction events at 36, 66, 145, and 215 Ma, and with stratigraphic distal impact debris correlative with the extinctions. The ages of 7 out of 11 major flood-basalt episodes can be correlated with extinction events at 66, 94, ca. 120, 183, 201, 252, and 260 Ma. All seven flood-basalt–extinction co-events have coincident volcanogenic mercury anomalies in the stratigraphic record, closely linking the extinctions to the volcanism. Furthermore, the seven major periods of widespread anoxia in the oceans of the last 260 m.y. are significantly correlated (&gt;99.99%) with the ages of the flood-basalt–extinction events, supporting a causal connection through volcanism-induced climate warming. Over Phanerozoic time (the last 541 m.y.), the six “major” mass extinctions (≥40% extinction of marine genera) are all correlated with the ages of flood-basalt episodes, and stratigraphically with related volcanogenic mercury anomalies. In only one case, the end of the Cretaceous (66 Ma), is there an apparent coincidence of a “major” mass-extinction event with both a very large crater (Chicxulub) and a continental flood-basalt eruption (the Deccan Traps).
The highly significant correlations indicate that extinction episodes are typically related to severe environmental crises produced by the largest impacts and by periods of flood-basalt volcanism. About 50% of the impacts of the past 260 m.y. seem to have occurred in clusters, supporting a picture of brief pulses of increased comet or asteroid flux. The largest craters tend to fall within these age clusters. Cross-wavelet transform analyses of the ages of impact craters and extinction events show a common, strong ~26 m.y. cycle, with the most recent phase of the cycle at ~12 Ma, correlating with a minor extinction event at 11.6 Ma.
Developing common demographic data elements to include in future editions of the SCAT and Child SCAT: a modified international Delphi study
Authors: Shanks Maxine J , McCrory Paul , Davis Gavin A , Echemendia Ruben J , Gray Andrew R , Sullivan S John 
Published: October 2019

BackgroundThe Sport Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT) and Child SCAT are the ‘gold standard’ assessment tools for a suspected sport-related concussion (SRC). A number of ‘modifiers’ (eg, previous history of concussion) of a SRC have been identified. These may influence how the SCAT/Child SCAT results should be interpreted.ObjectivesTo achieve consensus, via an international panel of SRC experts, on which athlete/player and parent/caregiver demographic variables should be considered for inclusion in future editions of the SCAT/Child SCAT respectively.MethodsA two-round modified Delphi technique, overseen by a steering committee, invited 41 panellists to achieve expert consensus (≥80% agreement). The first round utilised open questions to generate demographic variables; the second round used a five-point ordinal item to rank the importance of including each variable in future editions of the SCAT/Child SCAT.Results15 experts participated in at least one Delphi round. 29 athlete/player and eight parent/caregiver variables reached consensus for inclusion in the SCAT, whereas two parent/caregiver variables reached consensus for exclusion. 28 athlete/player and four parent/caregiver variables reached consensus for the Child SCAT, whereas two parent/caregiver variables reached consensus for exclusion. Key categories of variables included the following: concussion/sport details, personal medical conditions and family medical history.ConclusionThis study provides a list of athlete/player and parent/caregiver demographic variables that should be considered in future revisions of the SCAT/Child SCAT. By considering (and ultimately likely including) a wider and standard set of additional demographic variables, the Concussion in Sport experts will be able to provide clinicians and researchers with data that may enhance interpretation of the individual’s data and the building of larger datasets.
Visual impairment and mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes
Authors: Siersma Volkert , Køster-Rasmussen Rasmus , Bruun Christine , Olivarius Niels de Fine , Brunes Audun 
Published: October 2019

ObjectiveTo evaluate whether visual acuity impairment was an independent predictor of mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes.Research design and methodsThis is a 19-year follow-up of a cohort of 1241 patients newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and aged 40 years or over. Visual acuity was assessed by practicing ophthalmologists both at diabetes diagnosis and after 6 years. The logarithmic value of the visual acuity (logMAR) was the exposure. Multivariable Cox regression models were adjusted for multiple potential confounders including cardiovascular disease, and censored for potential mediators, that is, fractures/trauma. Primary outcomes were from national registers: all-cause mortality and diabetes-related mortality.ResultsVisual impairment at diabetes diagnosis was robustly associated with subsequent 6-year all-cause mortality. Per 1 unit reduced logMAR acuity the incidence rate of all-cause mortality increased with 51% (adjusted HR: 1.51; 95% CI 1.12 to 2.03) and of fractures/trauma with 59% (HR: 1.59; 95% CI 1.18 to 2.15), but visual acuity was not associated with diabetes-related mortality. After censoring for fractures/trauma, visual acuity was still an independent risk factor for all-cause mortality (HR: 1.68; 95% CI 1.23 to 2.30). In contrast, visual acuity 6 years after diabetes diagnosis was not associated with the subsequent 13 years’ incidence of any of the outcomes, as an apparent association with all-cause mortality and diabetes-related mortality was explained by confounding from comorbidity.ConclusionsVisual acuity measured by ophthalmologists in patients newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes was an independent predictor of mortality in the short term.
Development of a systemic lupus erythematosus cardiovascular risk equation
Authors: Petri Michelle A , Barr Erik , Magder Laurence S 
Published: October 2019

ObjectiveAccelerated atherosclerosis remains the major cause of late death (after 5 years) in SLE. Yet, the ‘traditional’ cardiovascular risk equations (such as Framingham) consistently underestimate the risk. We sought to construct a data-driven formula for cardiovascular risk in SLE, based on data collected during the first year in a longitudinal cohort, for research purposes.MethodsTwo risk formulas were derived: one was for a broad set of cardiovascular outcomes (myocardial infarction, stroke, onset of angina, coronary procedures such as bypass or stent, claudication, peripheral artery disease or congestive heart failure); and the other for hard outcomes (myocardial infarction or stroke). Traditional and SLE-specific risk factors for cardiovascular disease were measured during the first year of cohort participation. Using Cox proportional hazards modelling, SLE formulas to calculate the 10-year risk of a subsequent cardiovascular event were derived and compared with the Framingham (for the broader outcome) and American College of Cardiology formulas (for the hard outcomes).ResultsSLE-related risk factors for each model included mean disease activity score (as measured by the SELENA revision of the SLE Disease Activity Index), low C3 and history of lupus anticoagulant. In those with SLE-related risk factors, the estimated 10-year risk based on our formula was substantially higher than the risk estimated based on the formulas for the general population.ConclusionsThe excess cardiovascular risk among patients with SLE varies substantially depending on the SLE-related risk factors, age and traditional risk factors. Cardiovascular risk formulas based on individual data from patients with SLE may better estimate 10-year cardiovascular risk among patients with SLE than the Framingham or American College of Cardiology equations.
Evaluation of medical ethics competencies in rheumatology: local experience during national accreditation process
Authors: Pascual-Ramos Virginia , Contreras-Yáñez Irazú , Arce Salinas Cesar Alejandro , Saavedra Salinas Miguel Angel , Del Mercado Mónica Vázquez del Mercado , López Zepeda Judith , Muñoz López Sandra , Vázquez-Mellado Janitzia , Amezcua Guerra Luis Manuel , Fragoso Loyo Hilda Esther , Villarreal Alarcón Miguel Angel , Pérez Cristobal Mario , Rubio Pérez Eugenia Nadina , Torres Jiménez Alfonso Ragnar , Maldonado María del Rocio , Álvarez-Hernández Everardo 
Published: October 2019

IntroductionRheumatologists are the primary healthcare professionals responsible for patients with rheumatic diseases and should acquire medical ethical competencies, such as the informed consent process (ICP). The objective clinical structured examination is a valuable tool for assessing clinical competencies. We report the performance of 90 rheumatologist trainees participating in a station designed to evaluate the ICP during the 2018 and 2019 national accreditations.MethodsThe station was validated and represented a medical encounter in which the rheumatologist informed a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus with clinically active nephritis about renal biopsy. A trained patient–actor and an evaluator were instructed to assess ICP skills (with a focus on kidney biopsy benefits, how the biopsy is done and potential complications) in obtaining formal informed consent, delivering bad news and overall communication with patients. The evaluator used a tailored checklist and form.ResultsCandidate performance varied with ICP content and was superior for potential benefit information (achieved by 98.9% of the candidates) but significantly reduced for potential complications (37.8%) and biopsy description (42.2%). Only 17.8% of the candidates mentioned the legal perspective of ICP. Death (as a potential complication) was omitted by the majority of the candidates (93.3%); after the patient–actor challenged candidates, only 57.1% of them gave a clear and positive answer. Evaluators frequently rated candidate communications skills as superior (≥80%), but ≥1 negative aspect was identified in 69% of the candidates.ConclusionsEthical competencies are mandatory for professional rheumatologists. It seems necessary to include an ethics competency framework in the curriculum throughout the rheumatology residency.
Fermion mass and mixing in an extension of the standard model with D5 symmetry
Authors: Vien V. V. , Soi N. V. 
Published: October 2019

We suggest a renormalizable standard model (SM) extension based on [Formula: see text] symmetry which accommodates leptonic mass and mixing parameters with nonzero [Formula: see text] and Dirac CP violating phase. Both normal and inverted neutrino mass ordering as well as the smallness of the active neutrino masses are generated at leading order through type-I seesaw mechanism in which the obtained physical parameters are well consistent with the global fit of neutrino oscillation data [P. F. de Salas et al., Phys. Lett. B 782, 633 (2018)], while the quark masses are in good agreement with the recent experimental data [Particle Data Group (M. Tanabashi et al.), Phys. Rev. D 98, 030001 (2018)]. The model also predicts an effective Majorana neutrino mass parameter of [Formula: see text] for normal hierarchy and [Formula: see text] for inverted hierarchy which are all well below the most current upper limit given [P. F. de Salas et al., Front. Astron. Space Sci. 5, 36 (2018); CUORE Collab. (C. Alduino et al.), Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 132501 (2018)] and beyond the reach of the present [Formula: see text] decay experiments.
Obtaining Discriminative Colour Names According to the Context: Using a Fuzzy Colour Model and Probabilistic Reference Grounding
Authors: Falomir Zoe , Costa Vicent , Gonzalez-Abril Luis 
Published: October 2019

In human-machine communication situations, perceptual and conceptual deviations can appear. The challenge of categorising colours is tackled in this paper. Colour perception is very subjective. Colours may be perceived differently depending on a person’s eye anatomy and a person’s sense of sight which adapts to the surroundings and perceives different brightness of hues depending on the context. Distinguishing more/less quantity of hues depends also on the level of expertise but also on the cultural and social environment. Colours naming involves conceptual alignment with human cognition, meaning and human understanding for referring to an object and even for discriminating among objects. Studies in cross-cultural linguistics say that humans determined prototypical colours as the centre of colour categories. Hence, a cognitive colour model should distinguish/indicate when a colour coordinate is close/far to the centre of its category. And these centres of categories should be adaptable and customisable depending on the society. A fuzzy colour model based on HSL colour space and radial basis functions is presented in this paper. Logics have been defined to combine this fuzzy-colour model with a Probabilistic Reference And GRounding mechanism (PRAGR) in order to obtain the most discriminative colour descriptor for an object depending on the context. Two case studies related with human cognition are presented. Then further tests are carried out on a dataset where the first and second most discriminative colour is computed for each object in each scene. Finally, a survey is conducted to find out the cognitive adequacy of the obtained discriminative colour names.
Straightening warped cones
Authors: Sawicki Damian , Wu Jianchao 
Published: October 2019

We provide the converses to two results of Roe [Warped cones and property A, Geom. Topol. 9 (2005) 163–178, doi:10.2140/9t.2005.9.163]: first, the warped cone associated to a free action of an a-T-menable group admits a fibered coarse embedding into a Hilbert space, and second, a free action yielding a warped cone with property A must be amenable. We construct examples showing that in both cases the freeness assumption is necessary. The first equivalence is obtained also for other classes of Banach spaces, in particular for [Formula: see text]-spaces.
Cenomanian to Coniacian sea-level changes in the Lower Benue Trough (Nkalagu Area, Nigeria) and the Eastern Dahomey Basin: palaeontological and sedimentological evidence for eustasy and tectonism
Authors: Gebhardt Holger , Akande Samuel O. , Adekeye Olabisi A. 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
The Benue Trough formed in close relation to the opening of the South Atlantic and experienced sea-level fluctuations of different magnitudes during the Cenomanian to Coniacian interval. We identify depositional environments from outcrop sections and a drilling as control record. Lines of evidence for the interpretation include facies analyses, foraminiferal assemblage composition (P/B-ratio) and the presence of planktonic deep-water indicators. While the analysis of the well data from the Dahomey Basin indicates a continuous deep-water (bathyal) environment, the succession in the Nkalagu area of the Lower Benue Trough evolved in a different and more complex way. Beginning with latest Cenomanian shoreface to shelf deposits, a long period of subsidence lasted until the middle Turonian when pelagic shales and calcareous turbidites were deposited at upper to middle bathyal depths. These conditions continued during late Turonian and Coniacian times. The general deepening trend of the Lower Benue Trough was mainly controlled by tectonic subsidence and was superimposed by eustatic sea-level changes, resulting in periodically changing palaeowater depths. We were able to identify eight sea-level rises and falls that can be attributed to 405 kyr eccentricity cycles. The amplitudes of the sea-level changes were most likely in the range of several tens to a few hundred metres. The deposition of carbonate turbidites at Nkalagu was probably triggered by eustatic sea-level lowstands.
Optimization of swift protocols
Authors: Barik Rajkishore , Sridharan Manu , Ramanathan Murali Krishna , Chabbi Milind 
Published: October 2019

Swift, an increasingly-popular programming language, advocates the use of protocols, which define a set of required methods and properties for conforming types. Protocols are commonly used in Swift programs for abstracting away implementation details; e.g., in a large industrial app from Uber, they are heavily used to enable mock objects for unit testing. Unfortunately, heavy use of protocols can result in significant performance overhead. Beyond the dynamic dispatch often associated with such a feature, Swift allows for both value and reference types to conform to a protocol, leading to significant boxing and unboxing overheads.
In this paper, we describe three new optimizations and transformations to reduce the overhead of Swift protocols. Within a procedure, we define LocalVar, a dataflow analysis and transformation to remove both dynamic dispatch and boxing overheads. We also describe Param, which optimizes the case of protocol-typed method parameters using specialization. Finally, we describe SoleType, a transformation that injects casts when a global analysis (like type-hierarchy analysis) discovers some protocol variable must have some concrete type. We also describe how these optimizations work fruitfully together and with existing Swift optimizations to deliver further speedups.
We perform elaborate experimentation and demonstrate that our optimizations deliver an average 1.56x speedup on a suite of Swift benchmarks that use protocols. Further, we applied the optimizations to a production iOS Swift application from Uber used by millions of customers daily. For a set of performance spans defined by the developers of the application, the optimized version showed speedups ranging from 6.9% to 55.49%. A version of our optimizations has been accepted as part of the official Swift compiler distribution.