Augustine and Problems of Scriptural Interpretation

In this paper, I examine Augustine\u27s attempts to standardize Scriptural readings in On Christian Doctrine and The Trinity, in which he painstakingly defines sign-theory and other technical aspects of literary production. Much of the paper is devoted to Augustine\u27s explication and application of these principles in his conversion narrative Confessions. Ironically, Augustine\u27s attempts to stabilize scriptural language only expose language\u27s very instability

Intensive Archaeological Survey for the Whistler Pipeline Project on University of Texas Lands in Upton, Reagan, and Crockett Counties, Texas

On behalf of Whistler Pipeline, LLC. (Whistler), SWCA Environmental Consultants (SWCA) conducted an intensive cultural resources survey on a portion of the proposed 515.2-mile-long Whistler Pipeline, which traverses 17 counties in Texas. Whistler proposes to construct, install, and maintain a buried natural gas pipeline extending from the Waha Gas Hub in Pecos County to a delivery point near Agua Dulce in Nueces County, Texas. In addition to this mainline, a 45.7-mile-long lateral pipeline (Midland Lateral) will extend south from Midland County and connect to the mainline in Upton County. This report presents the results of the survey of University of Texas (UT) Lands in Upton, Reagan, and Crockett counties; this covers approximately 28.65 miles of the mainline, 10.9 miles on the Midland Lateral, and 0.18 mile for an undeveloped access road. SWCA surveyed approximately 1,082 acres, including 809.0 acres of mainline, 259.0 acres of lateral pipeline, and 2.2 acres of access road, typically within a 200-foot-wide corridor, as well as the 7.4-acre Rankin Compressor Station in Upton County. Access roads, which were built in 2018 for a previously constructed pipeline (Gulf Coast Express Pipeline), were not surveyed at the request of UT Lands, with the exception of one new, undeveloped access road on the Midland Lateral, totaling 0.18 mile. These previously constructed roads are all established gravel roads which run parallel to the current pipeline and the area has been previously surveyed. No alterations to existing access roads are anticipated. The report details the findings of investigations conducted between September and October 2019, and on January 10, 2020, on the alignment version dated January 15, 2020. All work was conducted in support of Whistler’s potential application requirements for a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Section 404 Permit in accordance with 33 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 325, Appendix C (Processing Department of Army Permits: Procedures for the Protection of Historic Properties; Final Rule 1990; with current Interim Guidance Documents dated April 25, 2005, and January 31, 2007), and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) (54 United States Code 306108) and its implementing regulations (36 CFR 800). Portions of the project are located on lands owned/managed by UT, a political subdivision of the State of Texas; therefore, work was conducted in compliance with the Antiquities Code of Texas (Texas Natural Resource Code, Title 9, Chapter 191) and accompanying Rules of Practice and Procedure (Texas Administrative Code, Title 13, Chapter 26) under Texas Antiquities Permit No. 9052. The portions of the project on UT Lands are within the Albuquerque and Fort Worth USACE Districts. Investigations included a cultural resources background review and literature search and an intensive pedestrian survey augmented with shovel testing. SWCA’s background review indicated 19 surveys have been previously conducted within 1 mile of the project alignment, of which 15 are intersected by or collocated with the project alignment. The review also indicates that 77 previously recorded archaeological sites are within 1 mile of the alignment; 14 of which are intersected by or are within 300 feet of the proposed alignment. Of these 14 sites, six have been recommended or determined not eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) or for designation as State Antiquities Landmarks (SALs), and eight sites have undetermined eligibility for the NRHP or as an SAL. Of the eight sites with undetermined eligibility, seven sites (i.e., 41CX1051, 41RG117, 41RG158, 41RG239, 41RG282, 41RG323, and 41UT147) intersect the current proposed alignment. During the course of the survey, SWCA revisited 10 previously recorded sites (i.e., 41CX1051, 41RG117, 41RG158, 41RG239, 41RG282, 41RG323, 41UT135, 41UT136, 41UT138, and 41UT147). Site 41UT147 has undetermined NRHP and SAL eligibility. As the site features within site 41UT147 will not be impacted by the proposed project, no further work is recommended; however, due to the proximity of the site to the project workspace, the placement of high visibility avoidance fencing around the northern edge of site boundary is recommended prior to construction activities. In addition, SWCA newly recorded four archaeological sites (i.e., 41RG402, 41RG403, 41RG404, and 41UT158) and identified 11 isolated finds. Aside from previously mentioned site 41UT147, all the sites and isolated finds are recommended not eligible for the NRHP or as an SAL within the Project corridor. Seven sites (i.e., 41CX1051, 41RG117, 41RG158, 41RG239, 41RG282, 41UT138, and 41UT147) extend outside of the project area and if the alignment were to shift, additional survey and/or archival research would be needed to assess the portions of the site not surveyed during the current alignment. In accordance with the Antiquities Code of Texas, 33 CFR 325, Appendix C, and Section 106 of the NHPA, SWCA has made a reasonable and good faith effort to identify cultural resources within the investigated project area. Of the 14 revisited and newly recorded sites within the project, one site (i.e., 41UT147) has undetermined NRHP and SAL eligibility and will be avoided by the project via high visibility fencing; Whistler has committed to this avoidance plan. The remaining 13 sites are recommended not eligible for the NRHP or as SALs within the Project corridor. Based on the results of these investigations, SWCA recommends a finding of NO HISTORIC PROPERTIES AFFECTED (per 36 CFR 800.4[d][1]) within UT Lands along the Whistler Project. Per requirements of the Antiquities Code of Texas, project documentation will be curated with the Center for Archaeological Research at the University of Texas at San Antonio

Dissolved Al in the zonal N Atlantic section of the US GEOTRACES 2010/2011 cruises and the importance of hydrothermal inputs

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2014. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Elsevier for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography 116 (2015): 176-186, doi:10.1016/j.dsr2.2014.07.006.The distribution of dissolved aluminium determined during GA03, the US GEOTRACES North Atlantic Transects (US GT NAZT) shows large inputs to the basin from three main sources, atmospheric deposition, outflow from the Mediterranean, and inputs from hydrothermal sources along the Mid Atlantic Ridge (MAR). The partial dissolution of atmospheric aerosols emanating from the Sahara yield high concentrations of dissolved Al in the surface waters of the basin and are used to estimate the geographical pattern of dust deposition. The Mediterranean outflow delivers a large source of dissolved Al to the intermediate waters of the eastern basin and its subsequent distribution within the basin can be explained by simple isopycnal mixing with surrounding water masses. Hydrothermal venting at the Trans-Atlantic Geotraverse (TAG) hydrothermal field in the MAR produces a neutrally buoyant plume that introduces copious quantities of dissolved Al (with concentrations of up to 40nM) to the deeper waters of the North Atlantic that can be seen advecting to the west of the MAR. The concentration of dissolved Al in the deep waters of the eastern basin of the Atlantic can be accounted for by admixing the MAR Al enriched plume water and Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) as they pass through the Vema Fracture Zone. The data sets show no evidence for biological remineralisation of dissolved Al from Si carrier phases in deep waters.This work was supported by NSF OCE-0928741 and OCE-1137812 to CIM

Enhanced trimethylation of histone H3 mediates impaired expression of hepatic glucose 6-phosphatase expression in offspring from rat dams exposed to hypoxia during pregnancy

Given that hepatic glucose 6-phosphatase (G6Pase, involved in gluconeogenesis) has been demonstrated to be altered long term in animal models of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), we hypothesized that hypoxia in utero may regulate G6Pase expression via epigenetic mechanisms. To address this further, a rat model of maternal hypoxia leading to IUGR and impaired liver growth was utilized. In the 12-month-old male offspring of pregnant rat dams exposed to 11.5% atmospheric oxygen from gestational day (gd) 15 to gd 21, nonfasting glucose was lower in association with decreased hepatic G6Pase messenger RNA and protein levels. This was concomitant with enhanced methylation of histone H3 [K9] surrounding the promoter of G6Pase. Moreover, when McA-RH7777 hepatoma cells were exposed to various concentrations of oxygen for 48 hours, we observed an oxygen-dependent decrease in G6Pase expression associated with enhanced histone H3 [K9] methylation. Collectively, these results indicate that hypoxia directly and indirectly impairs G6Pase expression through enhanced methylation of histone H3 [K9]. © The Author(s) 2013

How Well Do Parents Manage Young Driver Crash Risks

Abstract Motor vehicle crashes are extremely high among young drivers during at least the first year of licensure. Crash risks decline with increased experience, but the more newly licensed teenagers drive, the greater their risk exposure. Hence, the dilemma facing policy makers and parents is how to provide young drivers with driving experience without unduly increasing their crash risk. Graduated driver licensing policies serve to delay licensure and then limit exposure to the highest risk conditions after licensure, allowing young drivers to gain experience only under less risky driving conditions. A similar strategy is needed to guide parents. Parents do not appear to appreciate just how risky driving is for novice drivers and tend to exert less control over their teenage children's driving than might be expected. Recent research has demonstrated that simple motivational strategies can persuade parents to adopt driving agreements and impose greater restrictions on early teen driving

Thorium isotopes tracing the iron cycle at the Hawaii Ocean Time-series Station ALOHA

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2015. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Elsevier for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 169 (2015): 1-16, doi:10.1016/j.gca.2015.07.019.The role of iron as a limiting micronutrient motivates an effort to understand the supply and removal of lithogenic trace metals in the ocean. The long-lived thorium isotopes (232 Th and 230 Th) in seawater can be used to quantify the input of lithogenic metals attributable to the partial dissolution of aerosol dust. Thus, Th can help in disentangling the Fe cycle by providing an estimate of its ultimate supply and turnover rate. Here we present time-series (1994-2014) data on thorium isotopes and iron concentrations in seawater from the Hawaii Ocean Time-series Station ALOHA. By comparing Th-based dissolved Fe fluxes with measured dissolved Fe inventories, we derive Fe residence times of 6-12 months for the surface ocean. Therefore, Fe inventories in the surface ocean are sensitive to seasonal changes in dust input. Ultrafiltration results further reveal that Th has a much lower colloidal content than Fe does, despite a common source. On this basis, we suggest Fe colloids may be predominantly organic in composition, at least at Station ALOHA. In the deep ocean (>2 km), Fe approaches a solubility limit while Th, surprisingly, is continually leached from lithogenic particles. This distinction has implications for the relevance of Fe ligand availability in the deep ocean, but also suggests Th is not a good tracer for Fe in deep waters. While uncovering divergent behavior of these elements in the water column, this study finds that dissolved Th flux is a suitable proxy for the supply of Fe from dust in the remote surface ocean.We acknowledge funding from the W.O. Crosby Postdoctoral Fellowship to CTH and the National Science Foundation through C-MORE, NSF-OIA EF-0424599 to EAB, and NSF-DMR Author Posting

ROBO-AO KEPLER PLANETARY CANDIDATE SURVEY. II. ADAPTIVE OPTICS IMAGING OF 969 KEPLER EXOPLANET CANDIDATE HOST STARS

We initiated the Robo-AO Kepler Planetary Candidate Survey in 2012 to observe each Kepler exoplanet candidate host star with high angular resolution, visible light, laser adaptive optics (AOs) imaging. Our goal is to find nearby stars lying in Kepler's photometric apertures that are responsible for the relatively high probability of false-positive exoplanet detections and that cause underestimates of the size of transit radii. Our comprehensive survey will also shed light on the effects of stellar multiplicity on exoplanet properties and will identify rare exoplanetary architectures. In this second part of our ongoing survey, we observed an additional 969 Kepler planet candidate hosts and we report blended stellar companions up to that contribute to Kepler's measured light curves. We found 203 companions within ~4'' of 181 of the Kepler stars, of which 141 are new discoveries. We measure the nearby star probability for this sample of Kepler planet candidate host stars to be 10.6% ± 1.1% at angular separations up to 25, significantly higher than the 7.4% ± 1.0% probability discovered in our initial sample of 715 stars; we find the probability increases to 17.6% ± 1.5% out to a separation of 40. The median position of Kepler Objects of Interest (KOIs) observed in this survey are 11 closer to the galactic plane, which may account for some of the nearby star probability enhancement. We additionally detail 50 Keck AO images of Robo-AO observed KOIs in order to confirm 37 companions detected at a <5σ significance level and to obtain additional infrared photometry on higher significance detected companions

Thorium isotopes tracing the iron cycle at the Hawaii Ocean Time-series Station ALOHA

The role of iron as a limiting micronutrient motivates an effort to understand the supply and removal of lithogenic trace metals in the ocean. The long-lived thorium isotopes (²³²Th and ²³⁰Th) in seawater can be used to quantify the input of lithogenic metals attributable to the partial dissolution of aerosol dust. Thus, Th can help in disentangling the Fe cycle by providing an estimate of its ultimate supply and turnover rate. Here we present time-series (1994–2014) data on thorium isotopes and iron concentrations in seawater from the Hawaii Ocean Time-series Station ALOHA. By comparing Th-based dissolved Fe fluxes with measured dissolved Fe inventories, we derive Fe residence times of 6–12 months for the surface ocean. Therefore, Fe inventories in the surface ocean are sensitive to seasonal changes in dust input. Ultrafiltration results further reveal that Th has a much lower colloidal content than Fe does, despite a common source. On this basis, we suggest Fe colloids may be predominantly organic in composition, at least at Station ALOHA. In the deep ocean (>2 km), Fe approaches a solubility limit while Th, surprisingly, is continually leached from lithogenic particles. This distinction has implications for the relevance of Fe ligand availability in the deep ocean, but also suggests Th is not a good tracer for Fe in deep waters. While uncovering divergent behavior of these elements in the water column, this study finds that dissolved Th flux is a suitable proxy for the supply of Fe from dust in the remote surface ocean.National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant NS-OIA E-0424599

ROBO-AO KEPLER PLANETARY CANDIDATE SURVEY. II. ADAPTIVE OPTICS IMAGING OF 969 KEPLER EXOPLANET CANDIDATE HOST STARS

We initiated the Robo-AO Kepler Planetary Candidate Survey in 2012 to observe each Kepler exoplanet candidate host star with high angular resolution, visible light, laser adaptive optics (AOs) imaging. Our goal is to find nearby stars lying in Kepler's photometric apertures that are responsible for the relatively high probability of false-positive exoplanet detections and that cause underestimates of the size of transit radii. Our comprehensive survey will also shed light on the effects of stellar multiplicity on exoplanet properties and will identify rare exoplanetary architectures. In this second part of our ongoing survey, we observed an additional 969 Kepler planet candidate hosts and we report blended stellar companions up to that contribute to Kepler's measured light curves. We found 203 companions within ~4'' of 181 of the Kepler stars, of which 141 are new discoveries. We measure the nearby star probability for this sample of Kepler planet candidate host stars to be 10.6% ± 1.1% at angular separations up to 25, significantly higher than the 7.4% ± 1.0% probability discovered in our initial sample of 715 stars; we find the probability increases to 17.6% ± 1.5% out to a separation of 40. The median position of Kepler Objects of Interest (KOIs) observed in this survey are 11 closer to the galactic plane, which may account for some of the nearby star probability enhancement. We additionally detail 50 Keck AO images of Robo-AO observed KOIs in order to confirm 37 companions detected at a <5σ significance level and to obtain additional infrared photometry on higher significance detected companions