University of Southern Mississippi

Hydrological models are widely used to support water resources planning, flood and drought assessment, watershed management, and climate change impact analysis. The credibility of such applications depends strongly on how model performance is evaluated against observed data. Numerous statistical performance metrics have been proposed for hydrological model evaluation; however, their mathematical formulations, sensitivity to flow regimes, and interpretability differ substantially. As a result, the choice of evaluation criteria can strongly influence conclusions regarding model adequacy and comparative performance. This review synthesizes commonly used hydrological model performance metrics, including the Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE), coefficient of determination (R²), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Percent Bias (PBIAS), Kling-Gupta Efficiency (KGE), RMSE-observations standard deviation ratio (RSR), and Willmott’s index of agreement. For each metric, definitions, formulations, interpretation guidelines, strengths, and limitations are discussed based on classical and recent literature. Particular attention is given to the sensitivity of metrics to high-flow and low-flow conditions, systematic bias, variability, and error magnitude, as well as their suitability for different water resources applications. Comparative analysis highlights that no single metric can adequately capture all aspects of hydrological model performance, and metric-dependent ranking of models is common across studies. The review study emphasizes the importance of multi-criteria evaluation frameworks and application-specific metric selection, especially under non-stationary climatic conditions. Practical recommendations are provided to support transparent, consistent, and meaningful performance evaluation in hydrological modeling and water resources decision-making.

There are two primary mechanisms for carbon transfer into the geological record within the ocean: the organic sink and the inorganic carbon sink. The inorganic carbon sink (i.e., the long-term preservation of carbonate minerals in the geologic record), in particular, is not well constrained. Over the past several years, theoretical and experimental work has significantly improved our understanding of the inorganic carbon cycle, particularly in the context of carbonate minerals. This work reviews the state-of-the-art of marine calcium carbonate production, dissolution, and accumulation, representing a comprehensive update on the works of Milliman (1993) and Smith and Mackenzie (2016). We combine updated estimates with recent advances in understanding the carbonic acid system and the global ocean carbon cycle. These processes are supplemented by organismal to ecosystem-level responses of calcifying organisms to future climate change, enabling estimates of future global marine carbonate budget development. Our synthesis offers a comprehensive perspective on the long-term balance of carbonate preservation under current boundary conditions and projected future climate scenarios.Present-day net global annual gross production of CaCO3 throughout all carbonate-producing ecosystems is estimated between 176.1*1012 mol yr-1 (= 17.61 Gt yr-1) and 437.1*1012 mol yr-1 (= 437.1 Gt yr-1). However, only 8 to 20% of CaCO3 sediment is preserved each year, according to literature data. This leads to ~35*1012 mol yr-1 (= 3.5 Gt yr-1) of CaCO3 accumulation per year. Today, nearly all CaCO3 production is estimated to be biologically mediated or biologically controlled, while contributions from abiogenic carbonates are assumed to be minor. Dissolution of CaCO3 in the marine realm buffers excess CO2 from organic matter oxidation in the water column and sediment. The carbonate buffer effect within the carbonic acid system is expected to decline in future climate change scenarios, likely leading to more intense carbonate dissolution.Anthropogenic climate change, including excess CO2 in surface oceans, is further proposed to impact the CaCO3 production capabilities of all CaCO3-producing ecosystems in the ocean by affecting the diversity, abundance, and calcification potential of organisms. Predicting the future development of CaCO3 accumulation in the oceans is an evolving process. With the currently available data, estimating future CaCO3 accumulation is challenging due to multiple unknowns regarding disruptions and adaptations of the producers. The herein-reviewed data suggest that the global net CaCO3 accumulation will decrease by over 50 % to 19*1012 mol yr-1 (= 1.90 Gt yr-1) by 2050 AD, and further to 10.3*1012 mol yr-1 (= 1.03 Gt yr-1) by 2100 AD based on a “business as usual” CO2 emission model. ReferencesMilliman, J. D.: Production and accumulation of calcium carbonate in the ocean: Budget of a nonsteady state, Global Biogeochem Cy, 7, 927–957, https://doi.org/10.1029/93gb02524, 1993.Smith, S. V. and Mackenzie, F. T.: The Role of CaCO3 Reactions in the Contemporary Oceanic CO2 Cycle, Aquat Geochem, 22, 153–175, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10498-015-9282-y, 2016.

<title>Abstract</title> Overparenting, often referred to as helicopter parenting, is characterized by developmentally inappropriate and overly involved parenting. Although it generally stems from a well-intended desire to help their child, overparenting often hinders the development of adaptive coping behaviors, effective interpersonal skills, and sense of well-being, specifically among young adult children resulting in poor distress tolerance, elevated levels of emotional distress, substance use and interpersonal difficulties. While the impacts of overparenting are a well-studied phenomenon, relatively little is known about the emotional and psychological factors that may contribute to parents’ tendency to engage in overparenting behaviors in the first place. Using a sample of 318 parents of college students, collected through Mechanical Turk, we assessed parents’ anxiety, fear, and stress as potential predictors of overparenting. Results provide preliminary evidence that parents’ anxiety, fear, and stress may be associated with overparenting, with fear associated with threats to child safety emerging as the strongest predictor. Interestingly, stress had an inverse relationship with overparenting, and we found that overparenting mediates the relationship between parental fear for child safety and parenting stress. This suggests that overparenting may be a coping mechanism designed to address experiences of fear and thereby reduce parenting stress. Implications and possible directions for future research are discussed.

Awáati (the Missouri River) has always been at the center of life for the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara peoples. When the United States Army Corps of Engineers initiated the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program to mitigate severe flooding in 1943, a series of dams and reservoirs reconfigured the river to accommodate hydroelectric energy and promote economic development in the Midwest. The program, which included the construction of the Garrison Dam near the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota, proved especially devasting to the communities who lived there. In Damming the Reservation, Angela K. Parker (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Cree) situates the Garrison Dam's construction at the heart of a much broader history of Indigenous sovereignty in the twentieth century. Written through the perspectives of affected community members, Parker demonstrates how Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara people leveraged their authority to navigate the Great Depression, two world wars, drought, and federally imposed reforms.Parker makes a compelling argument that “tribal sovereignty survived, because tribal communities formulated and practiced their own concepts of citizenship and territorial self-determination” (3). She traces these strategies back to the first Fort Laramie Treaty (1851), which she identifies as one of the most important legal benchmarks shaping the future of Native American land claims in the United States. For the communities at Fort Berthold, the treaty served a critical role in the success of a 1929 US Court of Claims case that secured support needed during the Great Depression. While Parker highlights sovereignty as a crucial framework through which the Three Affiliated Tribes confronted US authority, she further underscores the efficacy of Indigenous citizenship and legitimate authority over self-determination in navigating and resisting the political, economic, and environmental upheavals of the twentieth century.One of the book's most significant contributions is how it centers community history within a broader landscape of national policy in the twentieth century. To illuminate the experiences and voices of people at Fort Berthold, Parker assembles an impressive array of documents from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, anthropological ethnographies and field notes, and oral histories (both published sources and interviews she conducted herself). Damming the Reservation also stands as a model for ethical, community-centered scholarship. Parker thoughtfully describes her adherence to community standards and protocols for knowledge-sharing, as well as her commitment to monetary and culturally appropriate compensation for oral history narrators. Although some readers may find these details supplementary, this reviewer appreciates the level of care and transparency the author practiced in her approach. The inclusion of oral histories adds important depth, offering personal testimonies and reflections that reinforce the Missouri River's significance in placemaking, history, culture, and pedagogy for Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara people.Parker situates the construction of the dam in the transitional period between the Indian Reorganization Act (1934) and the termination policies that followed World War II. Chapter 4 directly examines the scale and impact of the dam's construction, and Parker asserts that Fort Berthold communities “grappled with and relentlessly refused to relinquish elements of their sovereignty in opposition to the Garrison Dam” (109). The federal government compounded the Pick-Sloan Program's construction plans with PL 81–437 (1949), also known as “The Taking Act,” which dismantled the communities’ mineral, timber, shoreline, and hunting rights. Parker adequately charts how the Three Affiliated Tribes resisted the federal government's use of eminent domain to take the treaty-guaranteed land and river, highlighting the ways in which the communities challenged state power and defended their sovereignty. In her conclusion, Parker acknowledges how the Fort Berthold case was not an anomaly but part of a widespread pattern of Indigenous land dispossession driven by dam projects, uranium mining, bomb-testing sites, and energy and resource exploitation wrought by corporations. If anything, a more extended discussion of how Fort Berthold fits into the larger framework of conservation and resource extraction policies would have further strengthened the book's engagement with twentieth-century Native history.Damming the Reservation provides an excellent community history of the Three Affiliated Tribes and a thorough investigation of how Native communities surmounted the authority of infrastructure projects designed serve settler interests. In addition to vividly documenting Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara resistance to the Garrison Dam, this study amplifies how self-determination materialized on the ground and inspired new generations of activists, such as Tillie Walker. Scholars and students of Native American history, US history, and environmental studies will find this book engaging, well-contextualized, and enriched by the voices of those who experienced these transformations and fought back. Damming the Reservation contributes to critical new directions for examining Native sovereignty at a community level in the twentieth century.

Illegal artisanal and small-scale gold mining (galamsey) poses urgent environmental and governance challenges in Ghana. This study investigates its persistence through the Resource Curse Theory and political ecology. It analyzes the spatial distribution of galamsey, examines the governance dynamics that sustain it, and proposes pathways for more sustainable mining governance. The study employed a qualitative-dominant mixed-methods design. District-level shapefiles, regional boundaries, and river networks were processed in ArcGIS to map galamsey hotspots. Policy and institutional documents underwent qualitative content analysis, and findings were drawn on triangulation with secondary literature and international reports. The results show that galamsey occurs in more than 120 of Ghana’s 261 districts, with the heaviest concentrations in the Western, Ashanti, Eastern, and Central Regions. Over 60 percent of hotspots overlap with major river basins and forest reserves, amplifying ecological risks. Governance analysis demonstrates that weak institutions, elite capture, and contested access to resources sustain galamsey, reflecting the dynamics of the resource curse. The analysis advances a Sustainable Mining Framework (SMF) that emphasizes community participation, legal clarity, and institutional accountability. Comparison with South Africa’s Mining Charter illustrates the need for hybrid approaches that integrate state regulation with community engagement. The study links spatial evidence with political–ecological analysis to enrich debates on resource dependence and sustainable mining futures. It provides empirical evidence and a conceptual framework that strengthen prospects for reforms aligning mineral wealth with long-term ecological and social sustainability.

Rickettsia parkeri rickettsiosis is an emerging tick-borne disease in humans. The bacterium R. parkeri is primarily transmitted to humans by the Gulf Coast tick, Amblyomma maculatum. Upon transmission to the host, R. parkeri infects and multiplies in host endothelial cells. In this study, we provide evidence that R. parkeri modulates the host nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) pathway for its survival in endothelial cells. Analysis performed with arrays containing antibodies against proteins involved in different metabolic pathways revealed increased levels of BST1 (an NAD+-dependent molecule) in R. parkeri-infected endothelial cells compared to the levels noted in uninfected controls. Quantitative PCR analysis further validated antibody array results. We noted modulation of several NAD+ pathway genes and increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production upon R. parkeri infection in endothelial cells. Treatment of endothelial cells with NAD+ before R. parkeri infection but not postinfection significantly increased ROS levels that affected the bacterial burden. In contrast, we noted increased R. parkeri loads and reduced ROS levels in endothelial cells when bacteria were pre-incubated with NAD+ before infection. Furthermore, siRNA-mediated silencing of bst1 expression increased bacterial loads, reduced ROS levels, and affected the expression of NAD+ metabolic pathway genes. Collectively, these results not only elucidate the importance of the host NAD+ metabolic pathway in limiting R. parkeri infection by ROS production but also suggest its therapeutic role in preventing this and perhaps other rickettsial infections of medical importance.

Purpose Service experiences are shaped through interactions with and perceptions of service providers. This study aims to investigate the impact of customer perceptions of service robots’ incivility in restaurants on customer emotions and service outcomes, addressing a gap in the current literature on human–robot interactions in hospitality settings. Design/methodology/approach Two experimental studies were used to examine the effects of robots, mechanoids and human server incivility on customer emotions, word-of-mouth intentions and expected service quality. Data were collected from US participants using online surveys. Findings The results reveal that service technologies’ physical and interactional capabilities influence customers’ perceptions of service environments; customers feel more anger, and service quality expectations are lower when a robot is uncivil (vs human); and when customers witness incivility by a robot (vs mechanoid), their positive emotions are more likely to be reduced. Originality/value This research addresses a clear gap in the literature by exploring the unique impacts of customers’ perceptions of service robot incivility in restaurants. It applies and tests the social exchange theory within human–robot interactions, highlighting how robot characteristics such as human-likeness influence customer responses to perceived incivility. The findings offer practical insights for optimizing robot use in hospitality to enhance customer experiences and service quality.

Triathlons are a popular endurance sport with an elevated injury risk. Prevalence for injuries in triathletes varies greatly and is thought to be related to racing distance. The most common injuries in triathletes occur in the lower-extremities and are considered overuse in nature. The primary purpose of this study was to examine injury patterns and prevalence among triathletes during the 2022 season. This study adopts an epidemiological approach using a retrospective survey to better understand the prevalence, nature, and patterns of injuries among triathletes. A live online questionnaire was developed that collected information about demographics, triathlon racing, and injury epidemiology. The survey was posted to social media and emailed to large triathlon clubs and international federations at the beginning of 2023 and was left open for 75days. Two hundred nineteen triathletes reported at least 1 injury, with 58.5% classified as overuse. Eighty-one percent were reported as triathlon related. The most frequent area of injury was to the lower-extremity (73.8%). Triathletes sought advice from a health care provider 64.6% of the time. Eighty-seven percent of triathletes had to miss or modify training because of their injury. Those triathletes not reporting injury indicated that strength training (72.2%) and stretching/foam rolling (64.9%) were believed to help prevent injury. The risk of injury while training for a triathlon is significant and can be severe enough to require modifications to the training program. The most vulnerable area for injury is the lower-extremities, and such injuries are usually caused by overuse. To reduce the risk of injury, there is a need to examine preventive strategies further and determine their effectiveness.