California State University, Los Angeles

Drought is associated with adverse environmental and societal impacts across various regions. Therefore, drought monitoring based on a single variable may lead to unreliable information, especially about the onset and persistence of drought. Previous studies show vapor pressure deficit (VPD) data can detect drought onset earlier than other drought indicators such as precipitation. On the other hand, soil moisture (SM) is a robust indicator for assessing drought persistence. This study introduces a nonparametric multivariate drought index Vapor Pressure Deficit Soil moisture standardized Drought Index (VPDSDI) which is developed by combining VPD with SM information. The performance of the multivariate index in terms of drought onset detection is compared with the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) and the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) for six major drought events across the United States including three rapidly developing drought events (this term refers to flash droughts that develop on monthly scales) and three conventional drought events. Additionally, the performance of the proposed index in detecting drought persistence is compared with the Standardized Soil moisture Index (SSI), which is an agricultural drought index. Results indicate the multivariate index detects drought onset always earlier than SPI for conventional events, but VPDSDI detects drought onset earlier than or about the same time as SPEI for rapidly developing droughts. In terms of persistence, VPDSDI detects persistence almost identical to SSI for both rapidly developing and conventional drought events. The results also show that combining VPD with SM reduces the high variability of VPD and produces a smoother index which improves the onset and persistence detection of drought events leveraging VPD and SM information.

Introduction Can we decode movement execution and inhibition from hippocampal oscillations during arm-reaching tasks? Traditionally associated with memory encoding, spatial navigation, and motor sequence consolidation, the hippocampus has come under scrutiny for its potential role in movement processing. Stereotactic electroencephalography (SEEG) has provided a unique opportunity to study the neurophysiology of the human hippocampus during motor tasks. Objective In this study, we assess the accuracy of discriminant functions, in combination with principal component analysis (PCA), in classifying between “Go” and “No-go” trials in a Go/No-go arm-reaching task. Our approach centers on capturing the modulation of beta-band (13-30 Hz) power from multiple SEEG contacts in the hippocampus and minimizing the dimensional complexity of channels and frequency bins. Methods This study utilizes SEEG data from the human hippocampus of 10 participants diagnosed with epilepsy. Spectral power was computed during a “center-out” Go/No-go arm-reaching task, where participants reached or withheld their hand based on a colored cue. PCA was used to reduce data dimension and isolate the highest-variance components within the beta band. The Silhouette score was employed to measure the quality of clustering between “Go” and “No-go” trials. The accuracy of five different discriminant functions was evaluated using cross-validation. Results The Diagonal-Quadratic model performed best of the 5 classification models, exhibiting the lowest error rate in all participants (median: 9.91%, average: 14.67%). PCA showed that the first two principal components collectively accounted for 54.83% of the total variance explained on average across all participants, ranging from 36.92% to 81.25% among participants. Conclusion This study shows that PCA paired with a Diagonal-Quadratic model can be an effective method for classifying between Go/No-go trials from beta-band power in the hippocampus during arm-reaching responses. This emphasizes the significance of hippocampal beta-power modulation in motor control, unveiling its potential implications for brain-computer interface (BCI) applications.

The Coachella Valley sits at the geographic periphery of Los Angeles. Despite its physical and political marginality, the Coachella Valley is a key site of agricultural production in Southern California. Access to water is essential for ensuring the region's centrality in economic and social reproduction. Today, access to water for industrial production is primarily achieved through ongoing water dispossession. Using archival and policy documents, I analyze how United States settlers leveraged multiple mechanisms for water dispossession to expand the region's growth. Literature on water dispossession focuses on forms (water rights, grabbing, allocation, diversion, or contamination) that advance either settler colonialism or capitalism. This article demonstrates how successful white settlement in the Coachella Valley could only happen through Indigenous water dispossession. I identify an understudied form of water dispossession: groundwater overdraft. I illustrate that groundwater overdraft is not just a characteristic of early U.S. settler colonialism in the Coachella Valley; it is ongoing. In addition, the economic and environmental drawbacks to overdraft are resolved by expanding water dispossession. Analyzing groundwater overdraft as water dispossession, questions this premise. Illuminating the structural processes at play in water dispossession exposes the need to address dispossession, rather than simply overdraft, through both policy and cultural changes.

We examine the impact of asset versus equity acquisitions in generating firm value for financial institutions. We find that acquirers experience statistically and economically significantly higher cumulative abnormal returns in asset acquisitions compared to equity acquisitions. We analyze the announcement‐period returns and find that investors' reaction to asset acquisitions by financial institutions is met more favorably than are equity acquisitions. When employing the difference‐in‐differences approach, we find that asset acquisitions entail improved operating performance.

The subpectoral diverticulum (SPD) is an extension of the respiratory system in birds that is located between the primary muscles responsible for flapping the wing1,2. Here we survey the pulmonary apparatus in 68 avian species, and show that the SPD was present in virtually all of the soaring taxa investigated but absent in non-soarers. We find that this structure evolved independently with soaring flight at least seven times, which indicates that the diverticulum might have a functional and adaptive relationship with this flight style. Using the soaring hawks Buteo jamaicensis and Buteo swainsoni as models, we show that the SPD is not integral for ventilation, that an inflated SPD can increase the moment arm of cranial parts of the pectoralis, and that pectoralis muscle fascicles are significantly shorter in soaring hawks than in non-soaring birds. This coupling of an SPD-mediated increase in pectoralis leverage with force-specialized muscle architecture produces a pneumatic system that is adapted for the isometric contractile conditions expected in soaring flight. The discovery of a mechanical role for the respiratory system in avian locomotion underscores the functional complexity and heterogeneity of this organ system, and suggests that pulmonary diverticula are likely to have other undiscovered secondary functions. These data provide a mechanistic explanation for the repeated appearance of the SPD in soaring lineages and show that the respiratory system can be co-opted to provide biomechanical solutions to the challenges of flight and thereby influence the evolution of avian volancy.

The study examined the relationship between personal dispositions, social entrepreneurial intent (SEI), and the good life in a sample of 2,000 college students in Los Angeles, Manila, Mexicali, Taipei, and Yantai. Social cognitive career theory posits that a specific career choice-in this case becoming a social entrepreneur-affects individuals' experience of the good life, and social entrepreneurial intent mediates the relationship between personal dispositions and the good life. The paper presents and empirically tests a broad conceptualization of the good life-going beyond happiness and satisfaction-to include subjective and psychological wellbeing, freedom to make life choices, quality of social relations, and pathways to reach goals. Extending the previous research, the study finds that the personal dispositions of trust, optimism, generosity, and healthy life expectancy were robust predictors of SEI, and that SEI mediated the relationship between personal dispositions and the good life. Finally, cultural context mattered; long-term orientation, low masculinity, and high indulgence partially moderated the disposition-to-SEI-to-good life relationship. A good life is a life worth living. The good life is manifested in the overall and comprehensive quality of one's life (Veenhoven, 2000; Wong, 2013). The present study sought to understand how a specific career choice-social entrepreneurship-might affect individuals' experience of the good life. The study used a broad conceptualization of the good life, rather than limiting it to happiness

The COVID-19 pandemic not only led to drastic changes in the implementation context for early intervention and early childhood special education services in 2020, but has had an enduring effect on the organizations, educators, families, and children with developmental delays and disorders. Through secondary data analysis, characteristics of toddlers with autism being served in a publicly funded center-based early intervention program as well as the characteristics of their educators are examined, comparing those who were enrolled in (a) two randomized trials conducted prior to the pandemic and (b) one ongoing randomized trial that launched in return to in-person educational services after the pandemic shutdown. Significant demographic differences are found for toddlers, where the current study includes more girls (p = 0.002), who are younger (p < .001) than the prior studies. Further, toddlers enrolled in the current trial are entering with significantly younger receptive (p < .001) and expressive language age-equivalent scores (p < .001) than toddlers from the prior studies. In addition, significant differences are also found for teaching assistants (TAs), who are younger (p < .001), less experienced supporting children with autism (p < .001), have spent less time in this position (p < .001), and who are still working toward college degrees (p < .001) than TAs in the prior studies. Implications of these changes for both intervention strategies to support the strengths and needs of the toddlers (e.g., reduce frequency of TA-child pairing changes to build rapport, increase time in adult–child JASPER before adding peers) as well as implementation strategies (e.g., increase foundational content, TA teaming) to support the training and retention of the TAs are discussed. Clinical Trials Registry number: NCT04283045.

Objective: This case study evaluates a focal osteolytic lesion in the right sulcus sinus transversi of an isolated os occipitale. Materials: The os occipitale is from a juvenile from the Cueva de Sangre at the Classic Period (250− 900 CE) site of Dos Pilas, Guatemala Methods: The lesion was examined macroscopically, microscopically, and radiographically. Results: The oval lesion has a well-circumscribed margin, endocranial origin, and involves cortical destruction of the inner and outer tables. Subperiosteal bone reaction around the lesion is present on the ectocranial surface. Skeletal evidence of increased vascularity, diploë expansion, and perimortem fracture near the lesion are not observed. Conclusions: The lesion appears to reflect a response to the presence of an expansile process that has caused pressure erosion. The anatomical location of the lesion and the endocranial origin suggest a probable vascular anomaly, such as a vascular malformation. Significance: This case study represents one of the few bioarchaeological evaluations of probable vascular anomaly in a juvenile. As such, it expands our knowledge about vascular anomalies in the past and provides a comparative and core reference for guiding future paleopathological investigations on cranial osteolytic lesions. Limitations: The skeletal assemblage is commingled and fragmentary preventing the assessment of the distribution of lesions across the skeleton. Suggestions for future research: Further scrutiny of bioarchaeological collections is needed to better understand the distribution of vascular anomalies in the past.

Similar to other additive manufacturing processes, material extrusion is a thermal energy driven process, and the quality of the bonding, stability of the structure, deformation of the part during deposition as well as after detachment, and also in addition, microstructure of the part relies on the heat supplied by the nozzle. Short fiber addition is a recent technique to enhance the heat transfer process for better quality parts. This paper focuses on the review of the thermal characterization and thermophysical property measurements of the additively manufactured parts, and furthermore, it covers the thermal simulation techniques applied in the area. In addition, the paper discusses the thermal anisotropy of the composite materials inherent to the manufacturing technique itself. Future directions and challenges related to the current materials and technology are also illustrated and discussed in detail.

Folic acid is a crucial B-vitamin that plays a significant role in cardiovascular health by effectively reducing homocysteine levels. Elevated homocysteine levels have been consistently associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Folic acid and a folate facilitate the conversion of homocysteine to methionine, thereby lowering circulating homocysteine levels. This chapter explores the relationship between folic acid regulation, homocysteine reduction, and its impact on cardiovascular risk. Beyond homocysteine regulation, folate's influence on cardiovascular risk encompasses improvements in endothelial function, reductions in vascular inflammation, and enhanced nitric oxide availability, collectively contributing to improved vascular health and a reduced risk of atherosclerosis. While folic acid regulation holds promise as a potent tool for reducing cardiac risk by mitigating homocysteine levels, it is crucial to acknowledge that cardiovascular diseases are influenced by multiple factors. Thus, although folic acid represents a valuable component of cardiovascular risk management, comprehensive strategies addressing risk factors related to lifestyle modifications and changeable circumstances like the ones described in this chapter are essential for effective cardiovascular disease prevention and management.

Cancer therapy-induced cardiotoxicity is one of the many consequences of chemotherapies, targeted anticancer agents, and radiation therapy used to treat cancer. Many studies have implicated that the onset of cardiotoxicity can have drastic effects on the heart that can induce cardiovascular diseases/conditions such as cardiomyopathy, heart failure, hypertension, and arrhythmia. For this reason, many cancer drugs like doxorubicin (DOX) and pemetrexed are limited in their dosage but are among the most widely used anticancer drugs. To prevent cardiotoxicity from doxorubicin and pemetrexed, one of the novel approaches is the simultaneous supplementation of vitamins. Specifically, water-soluble vitamins such as vitamin C, thiamin, niacin, pyridoxine, folic acid, and cobalamin have shown great potential in serving as nutritional therapeutics. Several animal and clinical studies on these water-soluble vitamins are now elucidating the cardioprotective effects on anticancer drug-induced cardiotoxicity by modulating oxidative stress, regulating calcium homeostasis, suppressing apoptosis, and improving myocardial function and morphometric structure in the heart. Therefore, this article will review existing literature that supports the cardio-protective role of water-soluble vitamins individually and synergistically on cancer therapy-induced cardiotoxicity.

Leaf surface conductance to water vapor and CO2 across the epidermis (gleaf) strongly determines rates of gas exchange. Thus, clarifying the drivers of gleaf has important implications for resolving mechanisms of photosynthetic productivity and leaf and plant responses and tolerance to drought. It is well recognized that gleaf is a function of the conductances of the stomata (gs) and of the epidermis + cuticle (gec). Yet, controversies have arisen around the relative roles of stomatal density (d) and size (s), fractional stomatal opening (α; aperture relative to maximum) and gec in determining gleaf. Resolving the importance of these drivers is critical across the range of leaf surface conductances, from strong stomatal closure under drought (gleaf, min), to typical opening for photosynthesis (gleaf, op), to maximum achievable opening (gleaf, max). We derived equations and analyzed a compiled database of published and measured data for approximately 200 species and genotypes. On average, within and across species, higher gleaf, min was determined ten times more strongly by α and gec than by d, and negligibly by s; higher gleaf, op was determined approximately equally by α (47%) than by stomatal anatomy (45% by d, and 8% by s), and negligibly by gec; and higher gleaf, max was determined entirely by d. These findings clarify how diversity in stomatal functioning arises from multiple structural and physiological causes with importance shifting with context. The rising importance of d relative to α, from gleaf, min to gleaf, op, enables even species with low gleaf, min, which can retain leaves through drought, to possess high d and thereby achieve rapid gas exchange in periods of high water availability.

We examine how corporate risk management can be used to address a firm’s vulnerability to cyber risk. We use a large, novel dataset on cyber risk and corporate risk management to analyse US insurers’ cyber loss events during the period of 2000–2021. Our analysis includes information on whether insurers have implemented an enterprise risk management (ERM) programme and whether they report applying cyber risk management (CRM). The results illustrate that the implementation of CRM measures may have no significant effect on cyber risk mitigation. However, we determine that the likelihood (frequency) of a cyber loss event decreases by 3.9% (6.8%) as ERM programmes mature year on year. We also find that an insurer can benefit from implementing both CRM and ERM through a lowered event likelihood (frequency) of 3.8 percentage points on average (3.7 percentage points) per year compared to solely implementing an ERM programme.

Two experiments were conducted to examine the effects of introducing gang evidence on jurors’ memory of the evidence and decision-making. In Experiment 1, 234 participants viewed a staged trial. The evidence against the defendant was weak and consisted of a single tentative eyewitness identification. Half of the participants viewed a version of the trial in which the defendant was described as a dangerous gang member, and half viewed the trial with no mention of gangs. Those who heard the gang testimony were significantly more likely to falsely recall hearing evidence that was never presented describing the defendant’s previous criminal conduct and convictions for similar crimes. The second experiment (N = 328) was conducted online to secure a more diverse national sample. The results replicated, as those in the gang condition were significantly more likely to falsely remember hearing testimony about the defendant’s criminal history and to find the defendant guilty.

Heart failure is the common concluding pathway for a majority of cardiovascular diseases and is associated with cardiac dysfunction. Since heart failure is invariably preceded by adaptive or maladaptive cardiac hypertrophy, several biochemical mechanisms have been proposed to explain the development of cardiac hypertrophy and progression to heart failure. One of these includes the activation of different neuroendocrine systems for elevating the circulating levels of different vasoactive hormones such as catecholamines, angiotensin II, vasopressin, serotonin and endothelins. All these hormones are released in the circulation and stimulate different signal transduction systems by acting on their respective receptors on the cell membrane to promote protein synthesis in cardiomyocytes and induce cardiac hypertrophy. The elevated levels of these vasoactive hormones induce hemodynamic overload, increase ventricular wall tension, increase protein synthesis and the occurrence of cardiac remodeling. In addition, there occurs an increase in proinflammatory cytokines and collagen synthesis for the induction of myocardial fibrosis and the transition of adaptive to maladaptive hypertrophy. The prolonged exposure of the hypertrophied heart to these vasoactive hormones has been reported to result in the oxidation of catecholamines and serotonin via monoamine oxidase as well as the activation of NADPH oxidase via angiotensin II and endothelins to promote oxidative stress. The development of oxidative stress produces subcellular defects, Ca2+-handling abnormalities, mitochondrial Ca2+-overload and cardiac dysfunction by activating different proteases and depressing cardiac gene expression, in addition to destabilizing the extracellular matrix upon activating some metalloproteinases. These observations support the view that elevated levels of various vasoactive hormones, by producing hemodynamic overload and activating their respective receptor-mediated signal transduction mechanisms, induce cardiac hypertrophy. Furthermore, the occurrence of oxidative stress due to the prolonged exposure of the hypertrophied heart to these hormones plays a critical role in the progression of heart failure.