Alternative Classification Schemes Research Articles

A statistical evaluation of the morphological variability of shortening landforms on Mercury

Observations of Mercury from both the Mariner 10 and MESSENGER missions showed that Mercury has a global population of shortening landforms, with several thousands of individual structures identified to date. The accommodation of widespread tectonic shortening is widely regarded to be the result of global contraction—the long, sustained cooling of the interior that has caused the planet to shrink. Shortening landforms on Mercury have been traditionally categorized into three distinct categories: lobate scarps, wrinkle ridges, and high-relief ridges. Although the clearest examples of shortening landforms at the time were used to describe and define these categories qualitatively, later studies showed that shortening landforms on Mercury display morphological characteristics that do not make for a ready classification into one of these “traditional” groups. More recently, other studies have classified shortening landforms based on the terrain that those landforms reside in to avoid generalizing morphology. In this study, we quantitatively assess the shape of shortening landforms by measuring and compiling a suite of 12 morphological parameters for 100 such structures across the planet. These parameters were evaluated for their importance in defining categories using two multivariate statistical analyses, a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA). These methods allow us to assess any correlation that the traditional categories, terrain types, or alternative classification schemes have with the variation observed across our set of measurements. Our results show that the morphologic characteristics of shortening landforms on Mercury are not accurately captured by traditionally recognized groups. Instead, shortening landforms fall along a morphological spectrum, where only a few ideal examples of lobate scarps or wrinkle ridges provide clear endmembers. Therefore, despite the frequent use of the terms “lobate scarps” and “wrinkle ridges” in works regarding planetary tectonics, we find that such terminology does not appropriately define the morphology of shortening landforms found on Mercury and may lead to the generalization, or misinterpretation of landforms described as accommodating shortening on Mercury's surface. Future studies should test if a distinction between the landforms is found in the underlying thrust fault systems.

Geophysical surveys in the Kashmir valley (J&K Himalayas) part II: Anomalous seismic site-effects and exploration of alternative site classification schemes

Extensive geophysical surveys (MHVSR and MASW) conducted for the microzonation of the Kashmir Valley, Himalayas, revealed unexpected dynamic characteristics at certain sites pointing out the weak relationship between fundamental frequency (f0) and time-averaged shear wave velocity over 30 m depth (VS,30). Unusual low-frequency amplification at stiff soil sites and high-frequency amplification at weathered rock sites was obtained. On the contrary, high-frequency amplification was attained at a soft soil site over shallow bedrock. Instances of topographic amplification on slopes, hills, and valleys were encountered. Consequently, the commonly used VS,30-based single-proxy site classification failed to explain these atypical site effects, thus underscoring the caution to be exercised for site classification in geologically complex regions. These findings motivated the documentation of the anomalies and the search for the most suitable site characterisation scheme for the geological deposits of the Kashmir Valley. The coupled MHVSR-VS,30 proxy approach accomplished the best results for the study region.

A proposed grading scheme for predicting recurrence in medullary thyroid cancer based on the Ki67 index and metastatic lymph node ratio.

The Ki67 index and lymph node ratio (LNR) have been proposed as components of alternative pathological classification schemes, but the most appropriate classification for patients with medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) remains unknown. The aim of the present study was to examine the usefulness of a new grading system combining the Ki67 index and LNR as a predictor of prognostic and disease-free survival (DFS) in MTC. We conducted a retrospective study of patients with MTC who were registered at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, P. R. China from June 2003 to October 2021. The DFS rates were assessed using risk-adjusted Cox proportional hazard regression modeling to explore the relationship among pathological features, nutritional status and DFS. The Ki67 index (cutoff value: 5% and 10%) and LNR (cutoff value: 0.2 and 0.3) were combined to create a new grading system. In total, 101 matched patients were assessed. The integrated grading system showed better separation of Kaplan Meier (KM) curves for DFS. As the grading stage progressed, there was a significant stepwise decrease in DFS, which was better than Ki67, LNR and N staging alone. According to the grading system, the high-risk group had a worse prognosis. The proposed grading scheme demonstrated a better prognostic performance in MTC patients than the Ki67, LNR and N staging alone. However, larger scale studies are needed to further verify our findings.

Classifying Germinal Center Derived Lymphomas-Navigate a Complex Transcriptional Landscape.

Simple SummaryGerminal center-derived B-cell lymphomas constitute a very heterogeneous group of neoplasms with diverse clinical presentations, prognoses, and responses to therapy. They divide into a series of subtypes, such as Diffuse Large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCL), Burkitt Lymphomas (BL), Follicular lymphomas (FL), and further, into several subclasses and rarer subtypes of finer granularity, which makes them one of the most heterogeneous cancer entities. Molecular classification schemes, first of all, derived from whole transcriptome gene expression data largely improved subtyping and functional understanding. Based on a whole transcriptome landscape of B-cell lymphoma, we show that one major caveat in the task of classification is represented by the rather fuzzy distribution of individual tumors without clear-cut borderlines between most of the subtypes, preventing their unambiguous association with clear-cut entities. This landscape is governed by the germinal center (GC) reaction and relates different subtypes to different states along the reaction path. We discuss the relatedness between the expression landscape and classifier signatures and their functional cell of origin background. This view helps to stratify lymphomas in terms of modular building blocks of signature genes and to interpret rarer subclasses in the context of larger ones.Classification of lymphoid neoplasms is based mainly on histologic, immunologic, and (rarer) genetic features. It has been supplemented by gene expression profiling (GEP) in the last decade. Despite the considerable success, particularly in associating lymphoma subtypes with specific transcriptional programs and classifier signatures of up- or downregulated genes, competing molecular classifiers were often proposed in the literature by different groups for the same classification tasks to distinguish, e.g., BL versus DLBCL or different DLBCL subtypes. Moreover, rarer sub-entities such as MYC and BCL2 “double hit lymphomas” (DHL), IRF4-rearranged large cell lymphoma (IRF4-LCL), and Burkitt-like lymphomas with 11q aberration pattern (mnBLL-11q) attracted interest while their relatedness regarding the major classes is still unclear in many respects. We explored the transcriptional landscape of 873 lymphomas referring to a wide spectrum of subtypes by applying self-organizing maps (SOM) machine learning. The landscape reveals a continuum of transcriptional states activated in the different subtypes without clear-cut borderlines between them and preventing their unambiguous classification. These states show striking parallels with single cell gene expression of the active germinal center (GC), which is characterized by the cyclic progression of B-cells. The expression patterns along the GC trajectory are discriminative for distinguishing different lymphoma subtypes. We show that the rare subtypes take intermediate positions between BL, DLBCL, and FL as considered by the 5th edition of the WHO classification of haemato-lymphoid tumors in 2022. Classifier gene signatures extracted from these states as modules of coregulated genes are competitive with literature classifiers. They provide functional-defined classifiers with the option of consenting redundant classifiers from the literature. We discuss alternative classification schemes of different granularity and functional impact as possible avenues toward personalization and improved diagnostics of GC-derived lymphomas.

Could a Focus on the "Why" of Taxonomy Help Taxonomy Better Respond to the Needs of Science and Society?

Genomics has put prokaryotic rank-based taxonomy on a solid phylogenetic foundation. However, most taxonomic ranks were set long before the advent of DNA sequencing and genomics. In this concept paper, we thus ask the following question: should prokaryotic classification schemes besides the current phylum-to-species ranks be explored, developed, and incorporated into scientific discourse? Could such alternative schemes provide better solutions to the basic need of science and society for which taxonomy was developed, namely, precise and meaningful identification? A neutral genome-similarity based framework is then described that could allow alternative classification schemes to be explored, compared, and translated into each other without having to choose only one as the gold standard. Classification schemes could thus continue to evolve and be selected according to their benefits and based on how well they fulfill the need for prokaryotic identification.

Revision of IS 1893: Proposal for an Alternative Soil Classification Scheme and Associated Intensity-Dependent Spectral Amplification Factors

Revision of IS 1893: Proposal for an Alternative Soil Classification Scheme and Associated Intensity-Dependent Spectral Amplification Factors

Self-conscious intelligent technological societies in the universe: a simple direct approach to probable astrosociological realistic scenarios

AbstractWe present an alternative equation to estimate the probable numberNof self-conscious intelligent technological societies (SCITSs) within the radius of the observable universe. This equation has only one poorly-known factor,Pc, the SCITS's formation probability, which can be estimated within an uncertainty by a factor of 102(10−11≤Pc≤ 10−9) by applying the restriction imposed by Fermi's Paradox. The SCITS's formation rate for a typical spiral galaxy is then estimated as ≈1 civ Gyr−1. For a very optimistic maximum life expectancy ≈108yr, the conclusion is that two civilizations never coexist in the same galaxy. Our estimated values forPcare compatible with current biological and astrophysical evidences. We also propose an alternative astrosociological classification scheme which enables us to speculate about possible evolutionary paths for SCITSs in the universe. The so-called ‘Closed Bottle Neck’ (CBN) scenario suggests that civilizations are no exit evolutionary ways. We argue that simply there would not be interstellar travels nor Galaxy colonization or a Galactic Club. Thus Fermi's Paradox results eliminated, and the perspectives about the future of our own civilization may not be positive.

Developing Earthquake-Resistant Structural Design Standard for Malaysia Based on Eurocode 8: Challenges and Recommendations

In late 2017, the Malaysian National Annex (NA) to Eurocode 8 (EC8) was released and enacted following some 13 years of deliberations and preparations. The authors of this paper aim to use this article to share their experiences and reflections during this period of developing the first national standard for the seismic design of buildings for Malaysia. To begin with, there were major challenges in implementing the 20-year-old EC8 framework for a country so far away from Europe. The first challenge was adapting the probabilistic seismic hazard assessment (PSHA) methodology in a low-to-moderate seismicity region where the paucity of representative seismic data presented a great deal of uncertainties. To address this situation, imposing a minimum level of seismic hazard was recommended. The second challenge was about dealing with the outdated EC8 site classification scheme, which poorly represents the potential effects of soil amplification in certain geological settings. To address this situation, an alternative site classification scheme in which the site natural period is an explicit modelling parameter was introduced. The third challenge was concerned with difficulties generated by the EC8 provisions mandating Ductility Class Medium (DCM) detailing in certain localities where the level of seismic hazard is predicted to exceed a certain threshold. To address this situation, the viable option of using strength to trade off for ductility was recommended, or in cases where ductility design is needed, a simplified set of code-compliant DCM designs was presented. The fourth challenge was about handling the requirements of EC8 that the majority of buildings are to involve dynamic analysis in their structural design when the majority of practising professionals did not have the skills of exercising proper use of the requisite software. To address this situation, a generalized force method was introduced to control the use dynamic analysis in commercial software. It is hoped that, through sharing the lessons learnt, code drafters for the future would be able to find ways of circumventing the multitude of challenges with clear thinking and pragmatism.

Nuclear (18S-28S rRNA) and mitochondrial genome markers of Carios (Carios) vespertilionis (Argasidae) support Carios Latreille, 1796 as a lineage embedded in the Ornithodorinae: re-classification of the Carios sensu Klompen and Oliver (1993) clade into its respective subgenera

Argasid systematics remains controversial with widespread adherence to the Hoogstraal (1985) classification scheme, even though it does not reflect evolutionary relationships and results in paraphyly for the main genera of soft ticks (Argasidae), namely Argas and Ornithodoros. The alternative classification scheme, proposed by Klompen and Oliver (1993), has problems of its own: most notably paraphyly of the subgenus Pavlovskyella and the controversial grouping together of the subgenera Alectorobius, Antricola, Carios, Chiropterargas, Nothoaspis, Parantricola, Reticulinasus and Subparmatus into the genus Carios. Recent phylogenetic analyses of 18S/28S rRNA sequences and mitochondrial genomes agree with the scheme of Klompen and Oliver (1993), with regard to the paraphyly of Pavlovskyella, placement of Alveonasus, Ogadenus, Proknekalia and Secretargas in the Argasinae and placement of Carios and Chiropterargas in the Ornithodorinae (Mans et al., 2019). The Carios clade and its constituent subgenera remain controversial, since the phylogenetic position of its type species Carios (Carios) vespertilionis Latreille, 1796 (formerly Argas vespertilionis) has not been determined with confidence. The current study aimed to resolve Carios sensu lato Klompen and Oliver, 1993, and Carios sensu stricto Hoogstraal, 1985, by determining and analysing phylogenetic nuclear and mitochondrial markers for C. (C.) vespertilionis. Both the nuclear and mitochondrial markers support placement of Carios s.s. within the subfamily Ornithodorinae, but to the exclusion of the clade that includes the 6 other subgenera that are part of Carios s.l. Klompen and Oliver (1993), namely Alectorobius, Antricola, Nothoaspis, Parantricola, Reticulinasus and Subparmatus. These 6 subgenera form a monophyletic clade that might be placed as new subgenera within the genus Alectorobius, or elevated to genera. Given the substantial differences in biology among these subgenera, we propose that these 6 subgenera be elevated to genera. Thus, we propose to modify the classification scheme of Mans et al. (2019) so that the subfamily Argasinae now has six genera, Alveonasus, Argas (subgenera Argas and Persicargas), Navis, Ogadenus, Proknekalia and Secretargas, and the subfamily Ornithodorinae has nine genera, Alectorobius, Antricola (subgenera Antricola and Parantricola), Carios, Chiropterargas, Nothoaspis, Ornithodoros (subgenera Microargas, Ornamentum, Ornithodoros, Pavlovskyella and Theriodoros), Otobius, Reticulinasus and Subparmatus (genera indicated in bold).

Molecular Phylogenetics of the Clingfishes (Teleostei: Gobiesocidae)—Implications for Classification

Gobiesocidae are a moderate-sized family (currently 182 species, 51 genera) of predominantly coastal marine fishes, commonly referred to as clingfishes. Depending on the classification adopted, the species and genera of clingfishes are organized either across ten subfamilies, based on a classification scheme introduced in the 1950s (“traditional” classification, comprising Aspasminae, Cheilobranchinae, Chorisochisminae, Diademichthyinae, Diplocrepinae, Gobiesocinae, Haplocylicinae, Lepadogastrinae, Protogobiesocinae, and Trachelochisminae), or just two subfamilies, in a classification scheme adopted only recently (“reduced” classification, comprising Cheilobranchinae and Gobiesocinae). We investigated the phylogenetic relationships among members of the family Gobiesocidae using both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequence data to assess whether the alternative classification schemes (traditional and reduced) are compatible with inferred evolutionary relationships. Phylogenetic hypotheses are derived from maximum-likelihood and Bayesian analyses of a seven-gene concatenated dataset (2 mitochondrial and 5 nuclear markers; 4,857 bp) compiled from individuals representing 82 (of 182) species, 42 (of 51) genera, and 10 (of 10) subfamilies of the Gobiesocidae. Although our investigation provides strong support for the monophyly of the Gobiesocidae, multiple subfamilies of the traditional classification (Aspasminae, Diademichthyinae, Diplocrepinae, Gobiesocinae, and Trachelochisminae), one subfamily of the reduced classification (Gobiesocinae), and multiple genera (Aspasmichthys, Cochleoceps, Lepadogaster, and Lepadichthys) are resolved as non-monophyletic groups. Based on our results and the results of previous studies, we recommend a systematic reassignment of genera between subfamilies, of which we recognize nine: Cheilobranchinae, Chorisochisminae, Diademichthyinae, Diplocrepinae, Haplocylicinae, Gobiesocinae, Lepadogastrinae, Protogobiesocinae, and Trachelochisminae. Membership of the Lepadogastrinae is unchanged from previous usage; the Cheilobranchinae are expanded to contain additional genera from southern Australia, including those placed previously in the Aspasminae (Nettorhamphos and Posidonichthys) and the Diplocrepinae (Barryichthys, Cochleoceps, and Parvicrepis); the Aspasminae are placed in the synonymy of the Diademichthyinae and all genera placed in the former (excluding Modicus and Posidonichthys) are transferred to the latter; the Diplocrepinae are restricted to Diplocrepis; Eckloniaichthys scylliorhiniceps is transferred from the Gobiesocinae to the Chorisochisminae; Gobiesocinae are restricted to the New World members of this group (Acyrtops, Acyrtus, Arcos, Derilissus, Gobiesox, Rimicola, Sicyases, and Tomicodon); the Haplocylicinae are expanded to include additional genera from New Zealand (Gastrocyathus, Gastrocymba, and Gastroscyphus); the Protogobiesocinae are expanded to accommodate three genera of deep water taxa (Gymnoscyphus, Kopua, and Protogobiesox); and the Trachelochisminae are restricted to Dellichthys and Trachelochismus. Four genera (Aspasmogaster, Conidens, Creocele, and Modicus) of uncertain placement are not assigned to any subfamily herein and are considered incertae sedis within the Gobiesocidae.

An Alternative Approach to Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity

SYNOPSIS In response to a longstanding debate within the accounting profession on how to clearly distinguish liabilities from equity, we offer an alternative liability-equity classification scheme (the “Earned Capital Approach”) in which capital acquired in exchange for issuing claims (“external capital”) is classified as liabilities and capital acquired in exchange for providing goods and services (“earned capital”) is classified as equity. The Earned Capital Approach differs from the approach underlying current financial reporting standards in that it is based on a fundamental distinction between the firm and its claimants rather than a distinction between types of claimants (e.g., owners versus creditors). In this paper, we summarize the accounting profession's ongoing attempts to distinguish liabilities from equity and discuss the conceptual underpinnings and financial reporting implications of the Earned Capital Approach.

Challenges in the diagnosis of diabetes type in pediatrics.

The incidence of diabetes, both type 1 and type 2, is increasing. Health outcomes in pediatric diabetes are currently poor, with trends indicating that they are worsening. Minority racial/ethnic groups are disproportionately affected by suboptimal glucose control and have a higher risk of acute and chronic complications of diabetes. Correct clinical management starts with timely and accurate classification of diabetes, but in children this is becoming increasingly challenging due to high prevalence of obesity and shifting demographic composition. The growing obesity epidemic complicates classification by obesity's effects on diabetes. Since the prevalence and clinical characteristics of diabetes vary among racial/ethnic groups, migration between countries leads to changes in the distribution of diabetes types in a certain geographical area, challenging the clinician's ability to classify diabetes. These challenges must be addressed to correctly classify diabetes and establish an appropriate treatment strategy early in the course of disease for all. This may be the first step in improving diabetes outcomes across racial/ethnic groups. This review will discuss the pitfalls in the current diabetes classification scheme that is leading to increasing overlap between diabetes types and heterogeneity within each type. It will also present proposed alternative classification schemes and approaches to understanding diabetes type that may improve the timely and accurate classification of pediatric diabetes type.

Unsupervised machine learning with petrological database ApolloBasaltDB reveals complexity in lunar basalt major element oxide and mineral distribution patterns

Diversity of lunar basalt characteristics is partly a consequence of lunar mantle heterogeneity. Although the cumulate mantle overturn hypothesis is the current standard model invoked to explain mantle asymmetries of unknown length scale in both compositional and geometrical space, successful petrological modeling of this mixing event requires a specific set of parameters not currently agreed upon. In contrast, surface basalt patterns may yield clues to both localized and nearside lunar interior structure.Using two multidimensional data analysis approaches – principal component analysis (PCA) and K-means cluster analysis (KCA) – we report the patterns produced from basalt characteristics over changing spatial scales, from intra-site to inter-site to nearside. The data are sourced from a newly developed, self-contained database of lunar basalt characteristics (ApolloBasaltDB), which includes major element oxides, mineral modes, ages, and textures for petrological and statistical modeling. Through the simultaneous considerations of multiple basalt characteristics contained in the database, we find that terrestrial-based basalt classifications cannot adequately describe the complex and overlapping distribution patterns of major element oxides and mineral modes that define multiple distinct basalt groupings over multidimensional space. These patterns provide opportunities for alternative lunar basalt classification schemes. Our analyses suggest that Al2O3 volumetric content is more diverse inside the Procellarum KREEP Terrane rift boundary versus content for older Apollo samples in close proximity to the eastern arm of the same rift boundary. Northernmost basalt samples show increased pyroxene diversity. Easternmost sites suggest anti-correlations in modal ilmenite and plagioclase, based on major element oxide PCA biplots, while nearside analyses of either major element oxides or mineral modes similarly suggest plagioclase (and Al2O3) diversity comes at the expense of ilmenite (and TiO2) diversity. There is evidence to suggest that approximate mineral content can be extracted from major element oxide data based on correlative patterns between major element oxide PCA biplots and mineral mode PCA biplots. These patterns have implications for remote sensing missions in that onboard data manipulation may provide lithologic basalt vectors of interest.

Analyzing enablers and barriers to successfully project control system implementation in petroleum and chemical projects

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to analyze the interaction between the enablers and barriers to successful project control system (PCS) implementation in petroleum and chemical projects and to provide a knowledge-based foundation for the evaluation of the dominant factors of PCS success.Design/methodology/approachAn integrated approach of interpretive structural modeling (ISM) and cross-impact matrix multiplication applied to classification (Matrice d’Impacts Croisés Multiplication Appliquée à un Classement) were used. An expert group of industry professionals and academics was consulted at the initial stage as an input for the ISM methodology to explore the contextual relationships among the critical factors to PCS implementation in petroleum and chemical projects.FindingsThis study identifies three dominants enablers of PCS success: the technical skills of the project controller; explicitly defined roles of project team members; and an accurate work breakdown structure. Additionally, six dominant barriers to successful PCS implementation have been identified: lack of standard processes, vague contract deliverables, unclear project goals, unclear project milestones, disparate control system between owner and contractor and lack of information communication. Organizations in the petroleum and chemical sectors should put more effort into the development of these factors to optimize the implementation of PCS.Research limitations/implicationsA limitation of this current study is its focus on the petroleum and chemical sectors in Saudi Arabia. It is expected that the findings will have wider applicability, but further studies in different sectors and geographic regions should be undertaken to validate this assumption. In this study, a second validation expert group was used to ensure the reliability of the results as much as was possible. However, further studies could be completed to evaluate alternate classification schemes and to test the robustness of the expert consensus and techniques reported, in this study, including an increased number of experts.Practical implicationsThe present study makes some practical contributions to the project delivery process. It provides different project stakeholders with a better understanding of the factors that improve PCS outcomes and helps project owners and contractors to evaluate the PCS used by both parties to understand how they might be aligned for successful project execution.Originality/valueThe successful implementation of PCS is a key contributor to the total project delivery process. Although there is growing attention on PCS as a critical project management tool in petroleum and chemical projects, the literature in project management shows that PCS implementation has not been taken up as much as originally anticipated. This paper will address this gap by focusing on improving the take-up of strategical PCS implementation through the identification of six dominant enablers and nine dominant barriers as driver factors of success.

Surgical repair of cervical aortic arch: An alternative classification scheme based on experience in 35 patients

ObjectiveCervical aortic arch (CAA) is rare and difficult to repair. Clinical experience is limited. We report the surgical techniques and midterm outcomes in 35 patients with CAA based on an alternative classification scheme. MethodsOf 35 patients with CAA, 30 (85.7%) had left-sided aortic arch and 5 had (14.3%) right-sided aortic arch (all 5 had a vascular ring). Mean age was 34.2 ± 13.1 years, 23 were female (65.7%), and 18 were asymptomatic (51.4%). Surgical access and procedure were chosen according to an alternative classification scheme that is based on the presence or absence of vascular ring and relationship of descending aorta to the side of the aortic arch. In the left-sided aortic arch group, aortic arch reconstruction though median sternotomy was performed in 15 patients, and distal arch and descending thoracic aortic replacement via left thoracotomy in 15 patients. In the right-sided aortic arch group, ascending-to-descending aortic bypass was done via median sternotomy in 2 patients and right thoracotomy in 1, and distal arch and descending thoracic aortic replacement via right thoracotomy in 2 patients. ResultsNeither death nor spinal cord injury occurred. Left recurrent laryngeal nerve injury, prolonged ventilation, and reexploration for bleeding occurred in 1 each. In 11 patients with coarctation, the upper-lower limb gradient decreased significantly postoperatively (from 34.0 ± 12.7 to 10.2 ± 2.7 mm Hg; P < .01). The diseased aortic segment was excluded in 34 patients, except 1 with residual aneurysm in the proximal descending thoracic aorta. Follow-up was complete in 100% at mean 4.4 ± 2.0 years. No late death, limb ischemia, or stroke occurred. Endovascular repair was performed in 1 patient, and ascending aortic dilation occurred in 1 patient. The residual aorta remained nondilated in 33 patients. Aortic grafts were patent in 100%, with no anastomotic leak or pseudoaneurysm. At 6 years, the incidences of death, aortic events, and event-free survival were 0%, 6.5%, and 93.5%, respectively. ConclusionsOpen repair of CAA can achieve favorable early and midterm outcomes. Surgical accesses and procedures should be chosen based on type of CAA, anatomic variations and associated anomalies. Our alternative categorization scheme of CAA is intuitive and comprehensive, which may facilitate classification and surgical decision making.

Leverage dynamics: Do financial development and government leverage matter? Evidence from a major developing economy

This study analyses leverage dynamics of Turkish non-financial firms over the last 20 years using a confidential and unique firm-level dataset. Results of dynamic panel estimations reveal that financial development fosters corporate leverage while government indebtedness inhibits it. Both impacts are more pronounced for private firms rather than public firms. Besides, even though improvements in financial development foster long-term debt usage for both SMEs and large firms, this impact seems stronger for SMEs. Conspicuously, results reveal that SMEs suffer much more than large firms in crowding-out periods of government leverage while both SMEs and large firms benefit in crowding-in periods. Moreover, higher business risk hinders corporate leverage of private firms and SMEs, which is not the case for either large firms or public firms. Results are robust to alternative firm size classification schemes and alternative model specifications.

Beyond isohydricity: The role of environmental variability in determining plant drought responses.

Despite the appeal of the iso/anisohydric framework for classifying plant drought responses, recent studies have shown that such classifications can be strongly affected by a plant's environment. Here, we present measured in situ drought responses to demonstrate that apparent isohydricity can be conflated with environmental conditions that vary over space and time. In particular, we (a) use data from an oak species (Quercus douglasii) during the 2012-2015 extreme drought in California to demonstrate how temporal and spatial variability in the environment can influence plant water potential dynamics, masking the role of traits; (b) explain how these environmental variations might arise from climatic, topographic, and edaphic variability; (c) illustrate, through a "common garden" thought experiment, how existing trait-based or response-based isohydricity metrics can be confounded by these environmental variations, leading to Type-1 (false positive) and Type-2 (false negative) errors; and (d) advocate for the use of model-based approaches for formulating alternate classification schemes. Building on recent insights from greenhouse and vineyard studies, we offer additional evidence across multiple field sites to demonstrate the importance of spatial and temporal drivers of plants' apparent isohydricity. This evidence challenges the use of isohydricity indices, per se, to characterize plant water relations at the global scale.

Gender differences in eating disorder psychopathology across DSM-5 severity categories of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.

This study examined whether patterns of eating-disorder (ED) psychopathology differed by gender across DSM-5 severity specifiers in anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN). We tested whether ED psychopathology differed across DSM-5 severity specifiers among 532 adults (76% female) in a residential treatment center with AN or BN. We hypothesized that severity of ED psychopathology would increase in tandem with increasing severity classifications for both males and females with AN and BN. Among females with BN, DSM-5 severity categories were significantly associated with increasing ED psychopathology, including Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire dietary restraint, eating concern, shape concern, and weight concern; and Eating Disorder Inventory drive for thinness and bulimia. ED psychopathology did not differ across DSM-5 severity levels for males with BN. For both males and females with AN, there were no differences in ED psychopathology across severity levels. Results demonstrate that DSM-5 severity specifiers may function differently for males versus females with BN. Taken together, data suggest DSM-5 severity specifiers may not adequately capture severity, as intended, for males with BN and all with AN. Future research should evaluate additional clinical validators of DSM-5 severity categories (e.g., chronicity, treatment non-response), and consider alternate classification schemes.

Global fire history of grassland biomes.

Grasslands are globally extensive; they exist in many different climates, at high and low elevations, on nutrient‐rich and nutrient‐poor soils. Grassland distributions today are closely linked to human activities, herbivores, and fire, but many have been converted to urban areas, forests, or agriculture fields. Roughly 80% of fires globally occur in grasslands each year, making fire a critical process in grassland dynamics. Yet, little is known about the long‐term history of fire in grasslands. Here, we analyze sedimentary archives to reconstruct grassland fire histories during the Holocene. Given that grassland locations change over time, we compare several charcoal‐based fire reconstructions based on alternative classification schemes: (a) sites from modern grassland locations; (b) sites that were likely grasslands during the mid‐Holocene; and (c) sites based on author‐derived classifications. We also compare fire histories from grassland sites, forested sites, and all sites globally over the past 12,000 years. Forested versus grassland sites show different trends: grassland burning increased from the early to mid‐Holocene, reaching a maximum about 8000–6000 years ago, and subsequently declined, reaching a minimum around 4000 years ago. In contrast, biomass burning in forests increased during the Holocene until about 2000 years ago. Continental grassland fire history reconstructions show opposing Holocene trends in North versus South America, whereas grassland burning in Australia was highly variable in the early Holocene and much more stable after the mid‐Holocene. The sharp differences in continental as well as forest versus grassland Holocene fire history trajectories have important implications for our understanding of global biomass burning and its emissions, the global carbon cycle, biodiversity, conservation, and land management.

Towards the revision of EC8: Proposal for an alternative site classification scheme and associated intensity dependent spectral amplification factors

The paper presents an alternative site classification scheme and associated intensity dependent spectral amplification factors, aiming to contribute to the ongoing revision of Eurocode 8. The new classification scheme, introducing among the main classification parameters the fundamental period T0 of the site, is an evolution of the recent work by Pitilakis et al. (2013) [1], while the main features of the amplification factors and the new seismic design actions are summarized in the use of two anchoring spectral values, for short (0.2–0.3 s) and intermediate (1.0 s) periods, instead of only one of the present version of Eurocode 8 (i.e. effective ground acceleration), and the scalar intensity variation of site amplification factors to account for soil nonlinearity. The work is based on a comprehensive analysis of a worldwide database of strong ground motion records from sites which dispose a very well-documented soil profile down to the seismic bedrock (Vs>800 m/s).