cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Documenting the Undocumented: Privacy and Security Guidelines for Humanitarian Work with Irregular Migrants

Humanitarian organizations frequently do not fully address the implications of collecting, storing, and using data about vulnerable populations. We propose a conceptual framework for Humanitarian Information Activities (HIA), especially in the context of undocumented migration. We examine this framework in the light of both a survey of the literature and a pilot study that examines HIA activities in three distinct contexts: (1) higher education institutions that provide support to undocumented students, (2) non-profit organizations that provide legal support to undocumented immigrants, and (3) humanitarian organizations assisting undocumented migrants near the US-Mexico border. We discuss both technological and human risks in HIA, the limitations of privacy self-management, and the need for clear privacy-related guidelines for HIA. We conclude suggesting guidelines to strengthen the privacy protection offered to vulnerable populations by humanitarian organizations in the context of irregular migration.
Coupling metastasis to pH sensing G Protein-coupled receptor-68 through first in class inhibitor identified in an in vivo chemical genetic screen

Acidic milieu is a hallmark of glycolytic metabolism which occurs in cancerous cells. The effect of the acidic environment on cancer progression can be categorized into effects on tumor cell survival, tumor metastasis, inflammatory response, and blood vessels. Yet the underlying signaling and cell biological underpinnings of these phenomena are not well understood. Here, we describe, ogremorphen, a first in class inhibitor of proton-sensing GPCR GPR68. Discovered from a chemical genetic zebrafish screen, ogremorphen perturbed neural crest migration. Furthermore, ogremorphen was shown to inhibit migration in a number of human melanoma lines, which derive from the neural crest. Phenome-wide association study identified a natural variant that is aberrantly active and is associated with metastasis of common cancers. Our study suggests that GPR68 activity is associated with an increased ability for cancer cell migration and contributes to metastasis.
43-LB: Characteristics of Statin Initiation and Its Association with Mortality in Diabetic and Nondiabetic U.S. Elderly Veterans

Background: Trials examining statin benefit often exclude elderly patients over age 75 years; thus specific guidelines on statin initiation for this group are lacking. Among U.S. veterans, there is a growing elderly population with a high prevalence of diabetes and cardiovascular (CV) disease. We sought to characterize which elderly diabetic and nondiabetic U.S. veterans initiated a statin and the related all-cause mortality risk. Methods: We identified 204,217 veterans who were not on statin at baseline (2004-2006) and were more than 75 years old at the time of initial lipid measurement between 2006-2008. Cox models were used to examine associations of statin initiation within 6 months of lipid measurement with all-cause mortality after adjustment for demographics, Charlson Index, CV comorbidites, liver disease, cancer, smoking, and kidney disease. Results: Cohort mean age was 81±4 years, and comprised 2% female, 8% blacks, 20% diabetics, and 43% with CV disease. Statin initiation was more common in diabetics vs. nondiabetics (11% vs. 7%, respectively) and decreased with higher age. Among diabetics, there was little difference in CV comorbidities for statin initiation vs. not; whereas in nondiabetics, statin initiators were more likely to have ischemic heart disease. For both groups, statin initiators had higher triglyceride and LDL levels. Simvastatin was the most frequently prescribed statin in both groups (over 80%), followed by atorvastatin (3%) in diabetics. Over median follow-up of 9 (7,10) years, statin initiation was associated with a lower adjusted all-cause mortality risk in diabetics (HR: 0.91, 95% CI: 0.88, 0.95), with a similar association in nondiabetics (HR: 0.95, 95% CI: 0.92, 0.97). Conclusions: Elderly U.S. veterans with diabetes who initiated statin therapy had a moderately lower risk of all-cause mortality. Further analyses will examine considerations for additional predictors and differences in cause of death. Disclosure M. Soohoo: None. E. Streja: None. Funding U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs
A Design Methodology for Controlling Local Airflow Delivery in Data Centers Using Air Dampers

Optimizing data centers for energy efficiency plays a key role in the successful operation of modern data centers. One important factor is the proper management of airflow. In most air-cooled data centers, the required airflow for cooling of IT equipment is supplied from a raised floor to server racks through perforated tiles. In recent years, different approaches have been implemented to increase the efficiency of air delivery through tiles such as the use of directional tiles, adding understructure scoops or using air dampers [1]. Because the IT load of each rack in the data center is constantly changing due to the processing demands of the IT hardware at a given time, simultaneous manual tuning of the airflow at the panel level is impossible or at least impractical. The amount of airflow delivered to the Cold Aisle Containment (CAC) can be adjusted using Variable Airflow Panels (Dampers) that can be controlled remotely. In this study, a fuzzy control system is designed and optimized to control the open area ratio of air dampers in order to adjust the local airflow rate in the ES2 data center.
Hypothesis: Role of Reduced Hepatic Insulin Clearance in the Pathogenesis of Type 2 Diabetes

There is wide variance among individuals in the fraction of insulin cleared by the liver (20% to 80%). Hepatic insulin clearance is 67% lower in African Americans than European Americans. Clearance is also lower in African American children 7-13 years of age. Lower hepatic insulin clearance will result in peripheral hyperinsulinemia: this exacerbates insulin resistance, which stresses the β-cells, possibly resulting in their ultimate failure and onset of type 2 diabetes. We hypothesize that lower insulin clearance can be a primary cause of type 2 diabetes in at-risk individuals.
#SomeoneTellCNN: Cosmopolitan militarism in the East African warscape:

In October 2011, the Kenyan military invaded southern Somalia with the stated purpose of addressing the threat posed by the Somali militant group Al-Shabaab. This article illustrates how the Kenyan...
Working the Natural/Artificial Distinction

The distinction between the natural and the artificial lies at the core of the philosophy of technology. Much of what we say in this field turns on one’s position with respect to that distinction. For example, if one endorses the distinction then one is in a position to argue against certain technological innovations such as gene splicing on the grounds that they are unnatural.
Chapter 5 – Algebraic Turbulence Models

In this chapter are discussed algebraic models suitable for calculating turbulent boundary layers, transport coefficients that account for various effects such as pressure gradient and heat and mass transfer. The eddy-viscosity and mixing-length models are presented, then the Cebeci-Smith (CS) model is discussed in some detail for momentum and heat transfer, taking account of the effects of low Reynolds number, transverse curvature, streamwise wall curvature, natural transition and roughness. The CS model is then extended to strong pressure-gradient flows using the Johnson-King and Cebeci-Chang approaches, and further for application to Navier-Stokes methods. The chapter concludes with an examination of eddy conductivity and turbulent Prandtl number models, and the use of the CS model for three-dimensional flows.
Climate Change Causes River Network Contraction and Disconnection in the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest, Oregon, USA

Headwater streams account for more than 89% of global river networks and provide numerous ecosystem services that benefit downstream ecosystems and human water uses. It has been established that changes in climate have shifted the timing and magnitude of observed precipitation, which, at specific gages, have been directly linked to long-term reductions in large river discharge. However, climate impacts on ungaged headwater streams, where ecosystem function is tightly coupled to flow permanence along the river corridor, remain unknown due to the lack of data sets and ability to model and predict flow permanence. We analyzed a network of 10 gages with 38 to 69 years of records across a 5th-order river basin in the U.S. Pacific Northwest, finding increasing frequency of lower low-flow conditions across the basin. Next, we simulated river network expansion and contraction for a 65-yr period of record, revealing 24% and 9% declines in flowing and contiguous network length, respectively, during the driest months of the year. This study is the first to mechanistically simulate network expansion and contraction at the scale of a large river basin, informing if and how climate change is altering connectivity along river networks. While the heuristic model presented here yields basin-specific conclusions, this approach is generalizable and transferable to the study of other large river basins. Finally, we interpret our model results in the context of regulations based on flow permanence, demonstrating the complications of static regulatory definitions in the face of non-stationary climate.
Coordinating Transitions: Exploring the STEM Institution from the Standpoint of Freshman and Transfer Undergraduate Women

Through the lens of feminist standpoint theory, we explore if and how the processes, procedures, and discourses that coordinate the everyday work of transitioning from K12 or a community college created challenges for women students in computer science and physics. Data collection and analysis focused on describing the day-to-day work of transitioning into a computer science or physics major, identifying what coordinated the work (policy, procedure, or discourse), and if and how participants experienced challenges during their transition into their majors. Women students majoring in computer science or physics and transitioning as a freshman or transfer participated in 1–3 interviews throughout the study. Participants reported challenges with the transition process into STEM education (e.g. credits from previous institutions not transferring, adjusting to the academic rigor of STEM courses, sense of belonging). The findings also suggested the participants found ways to navigate these challenges through privilege and confidence in their own voice to gain access to information that may not be readily available to other women.
Cognitive and motor deficits in older adults with HIV infection: Comparison with normal ageing and Parkinson's disease.

Despite the life-extending success of antiretroviral pharmacotherapy in HIV infection (HIV), the prevalence of mild cognitive impairment in HIV remains high. Near-normal life expectancy invokes an emerging role for age-infection interaction and a potential synergy between immunosenescence and HIV-related health factors, increasing risk of cognitive and motor impairment associated with degradation in corticostriatal circuits. These neural systems are also compromised in Parkinson's disease (PD), which could help model the cognitive deficit pattern in HIV. This cross-sectional study examined three groups, age 45-79 years: 42 HIV, 41 PD, and 37 control (CTRL) participants, tested at Stanford University Medical School and SRI International. Neuropsychological tests assessed executive function (EF), information processing speed (IPS), episodic memory (MEM), visuospatial processing (VSP), and upper motor (MOT) speed and dexterity. The HIV and PD deficit profiles were similar for EF, MEM, and VSP. Although only the PD group was impaired on MOT compared with CTRL, MOT scores were related to cognitive scores in HIV but not PD. Performance was not related to depressive symptoms, socioeconomic status, or CD4+ T-cell counts. The overlap of HIV-PD cognitive deficits implicates frontostriatal disruption in both conditions. The motor-cognitive score relation in HIV provides further support for the hypothesis that these processes share similar underlying mechanisms in HIV infection possibly expressed with or exacerbated by ageing.
Anterior cruciate ligament tear patterns in young patients: An arthroscopic multicenter study.

Abstract Introduction In the last decade, there has been a renewed interest in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) preservation surgeries in the younger patients. Several ACL preservation techniques such as primary repair, augmented repair, and scaffold repair have been described based on the particular tear type and pattern. The purpose of this study was to determine the distribution of tear patterns in young patients presenting with an acute ACL injury. Methods A prospective observational study was performed at two tertiary children’s hospitals. Patients under 18 years undergoing ACL reconstruction within 8 weeks of initial injury were included from 2017 to 2019. Tear patterns were classified by two orthopedic surgeons from each of the two centers during arthroscopic ACL reconstruction into 4 types: I. Avulsion off the femur, II. Results 224 patients (123 males, 101 females) with mean age of 16 (range: 9–18) years were enrolled in this study. Fifty-seven (25%) patients reported contact injury while 167 (75%) reported non-contact. Isolated ACL injury was recorded in 70 (31%) patients, while concomitant injuries were recorded in 154 patients (69%). The most common associated injury was lateral meniscus tear (35%), followed by lateral and medial meniscus tears (20%). According to our classification, 31 (14%) patients were Type I, 30 (13%) were Type II, 139 (62%) were Type III, 18 (8%) were Type IV. The intra-rater reliability was excellent for 2 reviewers, good for 1 and marginal for another. The overall inter-rater reliability for all 4 reviewers was marginal for both readings. There was no statistical difference in the occurrence of type of tear based on the mechanism of injury (contact vs non-contact) or age of the patients. Conclusions This is the first multicenter study using an arthroscopic assessment to classify the location of ACL tear in the young population. It gives us further insight on the possible application for surgeries to preserve the ACL in this group. Larger studies incorporating these ﬁndings with MRI evaluation and ACL repair techniques are needed to confirm the utility of this information to decide the eligibility for repair in pediatric patients.
Chronic 2-photon imaging through a wearable PEDOT:PSS neurointerface

An ongoing effort in many neuroscience laboratories is to perform chronic optical imaging and multiplexed electrophysiological recordings in awake behaving mice. We have adapted the use of conformal thin parylene C in conjunction with conductive polymer PEDOT:PSS coating on the electrode sites to realize wearable microelectrode array devices with sufficient optical transparency to allow simultaneous multiphoton imaging and optogenetic manipulation. These devices replace the current cranial glass windows providing broadband measurements of the extracellular potential as well as a see-through optical access. We have developed a mechanical solution for installation, connectorization and protection of the device and circuit board aiming for lifetime of several months while worn by a mouse. Our design allows access for high numerical aperture microscope objectives and does not obstruct the mouse face and whiskers enabling meaningful behaviors.
Using functional connectivity models to characterize relationships between working and episodic memory

Introduction Working memory is a critical cognitive ability that affects our daily functioning and relates to many cognitive processes and clinical conditions. Episodic memory is vital because it enables individuals to form and maintain their self-identities. Our study analyzes the extent to which whole-brain functional connectivity observed during completion of an N-back memory task, a common measure of working memory, can predict both working memory and episodic memory. Methods We used connectome-based predictive models (CPMs) to predict 502 Human Connectome Project (HCP) participants' in-scanner 2-back memory test scores and out-of-scanner working memory test (List Sorting) and episodic memory test (Picture Sequence and Penn Word) scores based on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data collected both during rest and N-back task performance. We also analyzed the functional brain connections that contributed to prediction for each of these models. Results Functional connectivity observed during N-back task performance predicted out-of-scanner List Sorting scores and to a lesser extent out-of-scanner Picture Sequence scores, but did not predict out-of-scanner Penn Word scores. Additionally, the functional connections predicting 2-back scores overlapped to a greater degree with those predicting List Sorting scores than with those predicting Picture Sequence or Penn Word scores. Functional connections with the insula, including connections between insular and parietal regions, predicted scores across the 2-back, List Sorting, and Picture Sequence tasks. Conclusions Our findings validate functional connectivity observed during the N-back task as a measure of working memory, which generalizes to predict episodic memory to a lesser extent. By building on our understanding of the predictive power of N-back task functional connectivity, this work enhances our knowledge of relationships between working memory and episodic memory.
Fashion Design for Holistic Systems

Fashion, like all ecosystems, is complex and dynamic. The fashion system comprises intangible, and tangible aspects, all of which have significant consequences. The linear structure of this system, used throughout the twentieth century—referred to as ‘take, make and waste’—has set artificial boundaries and driven a wedge between players in this system. This has led to the global fashion, and textiles industry being one of the world’s most polluting industries, and overshadows the potential of the fashion system as a powerful vehicle for social and environmental change. Design can be key to reorienting the fashion system and bringing the disparate parts together. Design research, and practice can generate new ways of understanding, being, and doing ‘fashion’ that acknowledges the complexities and the varieties of fashion(s) in an authentic twenty-first-century context. This exploratory design paper incorporates a multidisciplinary mixed methods approach, and a systems lens to the fashion system to examine the boundaries of conventional fashion practice, to encourage more complex interrelationships between, and around garments. The theoretical framework is informed by systems thinking, and a critique of the paradigm of growth, in conjunction with the ‘four orders of design’. It invites us to ask, through design research, what a holistic, flourishing, responsible fashion and textiles system for the twenty-first century might look like, by widening the parameters of the fashion system in order to critically examine the tension between analytical and systematic thinking for fashion. This study acts as a catalyst for a conceptual model showing how the fashion system can reconnect, and fashion design can engage with a higher order of design to encompass sustainable practices.
Determination of Interrater Reliability of a Universal Evaluator Rubric to Assess Student Pharmacist Communication Skills.

Objective. To evaluate interrater reliability of a universal evaluator rubric used to assess student pharmacist communication skills during patient education sessions. Methods. Six schools/colleges of pharmacy each submitted ten student videos of a simulated community pharmacy patient education session and recruited two raters in each of the five rater groups (faculty, standardized patients, postgraduate year one residents, student pharmacists, and pharmacy preceptors). Raters used a rubric containing 20 items and a global assessment to evaluate student communication of 12 videos. Agreement was computed for individual items and overall rubric score within each rater group, and for each item across all rater groups. Average overall rubric agreement scores were compared between rater groups. Agreement coefficient scores were categorized as no to minimal, weak, moderate, strong, or almost perfect agreement. Results. Fifty-five raters representing five rater groups and six schools/colleges of pharmacy evaluated student communication. Item agreement analysis for all raters revealed five items with no to minimal or weak agreement, 10 items with moderate agreement, one item with strong agreement, and five items with almost perfect agreement. Overall average agreement across all rater groups was 0.73 (95% CI 0.66-0.81). The preceptor rater group exhibited the lowest agreement score of 0.68 (95% CI 0.58-0.78), which significantly deviated from the overall average. Conclusion. While strong or almost perfect agreement scores were not observed for all rubric items, overall average interrater reliability results support the use of this rubric in a variety of raters to assess student pharmacist communication skills during patient education sessions.
Cellular enrichment through microfluidic fractionation based on cell biomechanical properties.

The biomechanical properties of populations of diseased cells are shown to have differences from healthy populations of cells, yet the overlap of these biomechanical properties can limit their use in disease cell enrichment and detection. We report a new microfluidic cell enrichment technology that continuously fractionates cells through differences in biomechanical properties, resulting in highly pure cellular subpopulations. Cell fractionation is achieved in a microfluidic channel with an array of diagonal ridges that are designed to segregate biomechanically distinct cells to different locations in the channel. Due to the imposition of elastic and viscous forces during cellular compression, which are a function of cell biomechanical properties including size and viscoelasticity, larger, stiffer and less viscous cells migrate parallel to the diagonal ridges and exhibit positive lateral displacement. On the other hand, smaller, softer and more viscous cells migrate perpendicular to the diagonal ridges due to circulatory flow induced by the ridges and result in negative lateral displacement. Multiple outlets are then utilized to collect cells with finer gradation of differences in cell biomechanical properties. The result is that cell fractionation dramatically improves cell separation efficiency compared to binary outputs and enables the measurement of subtle biomechanical differences within a single cell type. As a proof-of-concept demonstration, we mix two different leukemia cell lines (K562 and HL60) and utilize cell fractionation to achieve over 45-fold enhancement of cell populations, with high-purity cellular enrichment (90–99 %) of each cell line. In addition, we demonstrate cell fractionation of a single cell type (K562 cells) into subpopulations and characterize the variations of biomechanical properties of the separated cells with atomic force microscopy. These results will be beneficial to obtaining label-free separation of cellular mixtures or to better investigate the origins of biomechanical differences in a single cell type.
Vortex-Ring Specific Heat of Superfluid Helium in Porous Materials

The specific heat of superfluid4He in a porous material is calculated using a vortex-ring renormalization theory, both for completely filled pores and for thin films. The porous medium introduces a new length scale L into the problem which is of the order of the pore size of the material, and which becomes the starting vortex-ring size of the recursion relations (the T=0 correlation length). The specific heat displays a lambda-like critical peak, but the amplitude of the peak is suppressed by a very large factor (L/ao)3compared to the bulk, where ao≈ 2.5 A is the starting ring size for the bulk liquid calculation. This is in agreement with scaling theories invoking “two-scale-factor universality”, and provides a simple picture of the superfluid transition in porous materials, where the vortex cores of the rings are the material itself.
Bayesian Inpainting Based on Geometric Image Models

Image inpainting is an image restoration problem, with wide applications in image processing, vision analysis, and the movie industry. This paper surveys and summarizes all the recent inpainting models based on the Bayesian and variational principle. A unified view is developed around the central topic of geometric image models. We also discuss their associated Euler-Lagrange PDE’s and numerical implementation. A few open problems are proposed.
Citizenship, Law, and the American Nation

Maybe it is true that the center will not hold. Yet, despite the title of her article in this issue of the Journal, Linda Bosniak does not predict an imminent devaluation of U.S. citizenship.1 Rather, she offers a critical survey of a growing body of literature suggesting that national citizenship and national loyalties are in a state of decline, or arguing that what the world needs now is a pluralization of citizenship, with the nation only one among many attachments and with the very word "citizen" denationalized. To the extent that this literature represents factual claims or predictions, my own response is agnostic. Perhaps the process of dilution is already under way; voting percentages have been declining in the United States, and a distinct literature bemoans the erosion of our (non-governmental) civil society.2 Those who feel threatened by "Balkanization,"3 or who see the United States not as a nation state but "a nation of nationalities,"4 may have their perceptions validated.5 In the century to come, the nation may, indeed, face a crisis in national identity.6 It would not be the first time. This Comment is not an exercise in counter-prediction. I leave it to observers in the twenty-first century to characterize what will have happened. Instead, this is a Comment on the normative branch of the literature of denationalized citizenship. Writers emphasizing the denationalized nature of citizenship express two overlapping preferences. First, they fancy a pluralized meaning for the term "citizenship," in which allegiance to the nation is but one among a variety of meanings. Second, they aspire to create and maintain multiple and diverse forms of "postnational" citizenship-global or local, public or private, or all at once. These writings, Professor Bosniak reminds us, are above all rhetorical; they are long on the morality of universal regard for
Mechanisms by which garlic and allyl sulfur compounds suppress carcinogen bioactivation. Garlic and carcinogenesis.

For centuries garlic has been revered as a plant with medicinal properties. During this past 20 years these beliefs have been reinforced by exciting evidence documenting that garlic and its allyl sulfur components can alter a host of physiological processes that potentially foster health (Fenwick and Hanley, 1985b, Milner, 1996, Orekhov and Grunwald, 1997). Garlic’s ability to reduce hyperlipidemia, hypertension, sterol synthesis and thrombus formation make it a strong candidate for lowering the risk of heart disease and stroke (Gebhardt, 1993, Orekhov and Grunwald, 1997, Abramovitz et al., 1999). In addition to antimicrobial properties (Adetumbi and Lau, 1983, Yoshida et al., 1999, Cellini et al., 1996, Dion et al., 1997), considerable evidence points to the ability of garlic and related components to serve as protectors of immunocompetence (Jeong and Lee, 1998, Morioka et al., 1993) and possibly mental function (Nishiyama et al., 1997). Garlic is a plant within the genus Allium. It along with onions, leeks and chives represent the major allium foods that are consumed by human beings. While it is possible that other allium foods possess similar health attributes, including a reduction in cancer risk, few comparative studies have been undertaken.
Experimental models in intracerebral hemorrhage.

Publisher Summary This chapter presents the experimental models in intracerebral hemorrhage. Intracerebral hemorrhage is a major cause of death and disability in patients with stroke. The occurrence of an intracerebral hemorrhage depends on the rupture of an aneurysmal dilatation on a blood vessel damaged by hypertension, and on hemorrhagic transformation of infarcted brain tissue. A major advance in understanding of intracerebral hemorrhage occurred with the use of computed tomography (CT). In secondary hemorrhage the hemorrhagic mass begins as an ischemic injury, progresses through a stage of bleeding, and results in a large mass―a process that is best defined as hemorrhagic transformation. The chapter presents a historical background for experimental models in intracerebral hemorrhage. Rupture of a large vessel with rapid accumulation of blood in primary intracerebral hemorrhage is a different mechanism from hemorrhagic transformation. The experimental model selected to simulate an intracerebral hemorrhage depends on the mechanism that is suspected. For primary intracerebral hemorrhage, where there is a rapid accumulation of blood and mass effect, intracerebral injection of autologous blood would be most appropriate. If hemorrhagic transformation is to be modeled, then either an intracarotid injection of blood clots or the intracerebral injection of bacterial collagenase would be preferred. The growing number of potential treatments for intracerebral hemorrhage will require several years for testing.
The Dark Side of Town: The Social Capital Revolution in Residential Property

Social capital has pervaded property law, with scholars and policymakers advocating laws and property arrangements to promote social capital and relying on social capital to devolve property governance from legal institutions to resident groups. This Article challenges the prevailing view of social capital’s salutary effects with a more skeptical account that examines the dark side of residential social capital — its capacity to effectuate local factions and promote restraints and inegalitarianism that close off property. I introduce a set of claims about social capital’s dark side in residential property and explore these points through the examples of local racial purging, land cartels, and residential self-governance. First, contrary to the assumption of a social capital deficit, residential racial segregation and land cartelization, perhaps the deepest imprints on the American property landscape today, suggest an abundance of local social capital and possible unintended consequences of interventions to build social capital. Second, “governing by social capital,” or relying on social capital for property self-governance, may empower factions, breed conflict, and increase the demand for residential homogeneity as a proxy for cooperation. In light of the mixed evidence for social capital’s benefits and its sizable dark side, the more pressing and productive role for property law is not to promote social capital, but to address its negative spillovers and illiberal effects.
Tolerance to lactose among lactase-deficient American Indians

Abstract To determine the amount of lactose that could be tolerated in a meal, 59 lactasedeficient American Indians, ranging in age from 5 to 62, were given graded doses of lactose. The diagnosis of lactase deficiency had been documented previously by showing increased breath hydrogen after an oral lactose load (2 g per kg, maximum 50 g). With this load, 88% of the subjects had symptoms. On 6 consecutive mornings, each subject was given a breakfast that contained graded doses of lactose ranging from 0 to 18 g. The order of the breakfasts was randomized and the contents were double-blinded. Symptoms, which were assessed by a "blinded" observer, were present after 9% of the breakfasts at all dosage levels, including the lactose-free breakfast. Thus, under the conditions of this study, a modest amount of lactose, equivalent to that present in 1 to 112 glasses of milk, when taken with a meal, is well tolerated by the lactase-deficient American Indian.
Delayed implantation of the blastocyst: An exploration of its effects on the developing embryo

Abstract Embryonic diapause is a common phenomenon in nature, exemplified in the dormancy of plant seeds, in the ability of birds' eggs to withstand delay before incubation, and in delayed implantation of the blastocyst in a variety of mammals and blastocyst arrest in certain marsupials. Available evidence on the effects of delay on the embryo and fetus is very limited. The pertinent observations indicate that such delays are usually not harmful to the embryo. Under certain conditions, mammalian blastocysts in delay may be destroyed, but no clear instances of defective development have been reported. Certain animals offer attractive experimental possibilities, and further work might reveal something more of the control mechanisms over development under the unusual conditions of embryonic diapause.
Focus on advanced magnetic resonance techniques in clinical practice: magnetic resonance neurography.

Abstract Magnetic resonance neurography (MRN) provides the greatest degree of soft tissue contrast in the evaluation of peripheral nerves. Utilization of MRN relies on (1) peripheral nerve anatomy, (2) the spectrum of pathology, and (3) familiarity with dedicated MR imaging techniques. Although there remain several pitfalls in MRN imaging, awareness of these pitfalls improves imaging quality and limits misinterpretation. Most importantly, maintaining a direct line of communication with the referring clinician allows for the greatest degree of diagnostic accuracy.
Erratum to: Biosynthesis of caffeic acid in Escherichia coli using its endogenous hydroxylase complex.

© 2015 Lin and Yan. Erratum to: Microbial Cell Factories 2012, 11:42 DOI 10.1186/1475‐2859‐11‐42 Recently, we have noticed an accidental error existing in this article [1]. In the section Materials and Methods “Construction of Plasmids”, we mistakenly described that “the gene cluster hpaBC was amplified from E. coli MG1655 genome”. This information should be corrected as “the gene cluster hpaBC was amplified from E. coli BL21 (DE3) genome”. This change will in no manner affect the outcome/interpretation of the experiments as described in the original publication and will not affect the merit of this work. The authors apologize for any inconvenience caused thereof.
Is Participation in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program Associated with Students' Problem-Solving Skills and Professional Commitment?

ABSTRACT: The Accounting Education Change Commission (AECC 1990, 309) states accounting students “should identify and solve unstructured problems that require the use of multiple information sources. Learning by doing should be emphasized.” The Pathways Commission (2012) also emphasizes the importance of exposing students to complex, real-world problems. Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) participation is an experiential learning opportunity with real-world problems and real clients in a professional setting. Using survey data obtained from students at seven U.S. universities, we test whether students who participate in VITA programs have greater professionalism as measured by problem-solving skills and professional commitment. Our results generally indicate participation in VITA programs is positively and significantly associated with problem-solving skills, but not with commitment to the profession. We do not find strong evidence that the association between VITA participation and problem solving di...
Parameter Sensitivity Analysis in Electrophysiological Models Using Multivariable Regression

Computational models of electrical activity and calcium signaling in cardiac myocytes are important tools for understanding physiology. The sensitivity of these models to changes in parameters is often not well-understood, however, because parameter evaluation can be a time-consuming, tedious process. I demonstrate here what I believe is a novel method for rapidly determining how changes in parameters affect outputs. In three models of the ventricular action potential, parameters were randomized, repeated simulations were run, important outputs were calculated, and multivariable regression was performed on the collected results. Random parameters included both maximal rates of ion transport and gating variable characteristics. The procedure generated simplified, empirical models that predicted outputs resulting from new sets of input parameters. The linear regression models were quite accurate, despite nonlinearities in the mechanistic models. Moreover, the regression coefficients, which represent parameter sensitivities, were robust, even when parameters were varied over a wide range. Most importantly, a side-by-side comparison of two similar models identified fundamental differences in model behavior, and revealed model predictions that were both consistent with, and inconsistent with, experimental data. This new method therefore shows promise as a tool for the characterization and assessment of computational models. The general strategy may also suggest methods for integrating traditional quantitative models with large-scale data sets obtained using high-throughput technologies.
Efficacy and toxicity of amiodarone for the treatment of supraventricular tachyarrhythmias.

Abstract Amiodarone is an effective agent for all types of supraventricular tachyarrhythmias regardless of mechanism and may, in fact, control a high percentage of supraventricular tachyarrhythmias refractory to conventional antiarrhythmic agents. However, its toxicity should temper enthusiasm for the use of the medication in non-life-threatening arrhythmias. As always, when recommending specific therapies the potential benefit should be weighed in light of the related risk. In patients with life disordering, drug-refractory atrial fibrillation, it seems reasonable to attempt control with amiodarone. Likewise in patients with ectopic atrial tachycardias refractory to conventional agents, this seems reasonable as well. Other and better therapies are available for patients with life-threatening arrhythmias associated with the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. 81,82 While amiodarone is moderately effective in these patients, the advent of improved surgical techniques and the relatively low risk of an operation make surgery the treatment of choice. The role of IV amiodarone, acutely, in the treatment of supraventricular tachyarrhythmias remains to be defined.
Management of Tropical Legume Cover Crops in the Bolivian Amazon to Sustain Crop Yields and Soil Productivity

The trend to shorter natural fallow periods in shifting agriculture calls for management alternatives to accelerate nutrient accumulation and aid in weed control. Substituting cover crop-based managed fallows is one possibility. Our objectives were to (i) quantify nutrient accumulation by three tropical legumes [Canavalia ensiformis (L.) DC. ; Desmodium adscendens (Sw.) DC. ; and tropical kudzu, Pueraria phaseoloides (Roxb.) Benth.] grown as managed fallows for 12 and 18 mo, (ii) evaluate the effect of residue management (burning vs. not burning) on the efficient use of nutrients by the subsequent rotational crops rice-cowpea-rice [Oryza sativa L.-Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.-O. saliva], and (iii) determine the effect of commercial fertilizer on maintaining crop yields. The study was conducted at two sites (Typic and Aquic Dystropepts) in the Chapare region of Bolivia. Total aboveground nutrient contents of the cover crops, across sites and duration of managed fallow, ranged from 41 to 391 kg N ha -1 , <1 to 27 kg P ha -1 , 5 to 191 kg K ha -1 , 3 to 136 kg Ca ha -1 , and 7 to 47 kg Mg ha -1 . Averaged across sites and residue management, grain yields for the first rice crop after a 12-mo managed fallow were highest with pueraria (1.65 Mg ha -1 ), followed by canavalia (1.38 Mg ha -1 ) and desmodium (0.65 Mg ha -1 ). Slashing and burning resulted in a mean rice (1st crop) yield increase of 137% compared with slash only. Cowpea yield was less affected by treatment variables than rice, due perhaps to N 2 fixation. For the last rice crop, there were no grain yield differences for any of the variables studied. Nutrient uptake differences were most evident with the first rice crop, and were influenced primarily by residue management. Compared with slash only, and averaged across sites for the first rice crop, slashing and burning fostered a whole-plant increase of approximately 18 kg N ha -1 , 3 kg P ha -1 , 24 kg K ha -1 , 4 kg Ca ha -1 , and 3 kg Mg ha -1 . Soil chemical properties were only marginally affected by any variable. Shorter fallow periods with legume cover crops can produce adequate yields of annual crops. Longer cropping periods than we used are likely to require lime and fertilizer to sustain crop production.
Magnetic resonance imaging of deep venous thrombosis in pregnant women with lower extremity edema.

Objective To review our experience with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis of deep venous thrombosis in pregnant women. Methods Ten gravidas with lower extremity findings suspicious for pelvic or thigh thrombosis were examined by MRI using a gradient recalled echo technique. Results In one case, MRI confirmed pelvic extension of a femoral thrombus diagnosed by Doppler ultrasound. In a second case, MRI diagnosed thrombus isolated to the pelvis. In another, MRI detected a femoral thrombus without extension into the iliac veins. Although no thrombus was detected in the remaining seven cases, pelvic vein compression by the gravid uterus was identified in five. Conclusion Magnetic resonance imaging can detect deep venous thrombosis during pregnancy and should be considered when thrombosis of the pelvic veins is a clinical consideration.
Preliminary results from AHI at the MUST 2000 experiment in Cairns, Australia

The MUlti Sensor Trial 2000 experiment was a multi-platform remote sensing deployment in Cairns Australia. Included in the deployment were both visible and infrared airborne hyperspectral images. The University of Hawaii's Airborne Hyperspectral Imager represented the thermal infrared portion of the data collect. The ability to discriminate various targets using the thermal infrared was explored. Consequent data processing involved separating targets from clutter using matched filters. In addition, a preliminary atmospheric correction algorithm was developed based on the ISIS algorithm used in SEBASS.
WAVE and CalFit — Towards social interaction in mobile body sensor networks

WAVE is an API for Android OS which which allows for easy management of body sensor networks (BSNs) on mobile platforms. It presents a simple framework for health-oriented applications by providing functionality for data collection from sensors and data processing. CalFit is an interactive application built using WAVE that leverages the power of social influence to promote physical activity.
Molecular orbital theory calculations of the H2O-carbon reaction

Carbon gasification with steam to produce H2 and CO is an important reaction widely used in industry for hydrogen generation. Although the literature is vast, the mechanism for the formation of H2 is still unclear. In particular, little has been done to investigate the potential of molecular orbital theory to distinguish different mechanism possibilities. In this work, we used molecular orbital theory to demonstrate a favorable energetic pathway where H2O is first physically adsorbed on the virgin graphite surface with negligible change in molecular structure. Chemisorption occurs via O approaching the carbon edge site with one H atom stretching away from the O in the transition state. This is followed by a local minimum state, in which the stretching H is further disconnected from the O atoms and the remaining OH group is still on the carbon edge site. The disconnected H then pivots around the OH group to bond with the H of the OH group and forms H2. The O atom remaining on the carbon edge site is subseq...
The structure-taste relationships of aspartyl dipeptide esters.

The molecular features common to sweet-tasting dipeptide esters are described. The molecular features of sweet amino acids were represented by the Fischer projection formulas and sweet peptides were related to the sweet amino acids through the Fischer projection formulas of the peptides. It was concluded that a peptide is sweet when it takes the formula 5a, whereas when it takes the formula 5b it is not sweet. It was also concluded that a third binding site (R1 in 5a) besides the postulated AH–B system in a sweet molecule is necessary for an intense sweetness potency. The location of the site in the molecule relative to the AH–B system is important, as well as the shape and size of this site, because the third binding site is considered to participate in hydrophobic interaction with a similar binding site on the taste receptor. Increased sweetness is observed when these requirements are satisfied.
Effect of sibship position on reproductive behavior of couples after the birth of a genetically handicapped child

We compared the reproductive behavior of 132 white married couples of whom 44 had a child with cystic fibrosis, 44 with either Down Syndrome or neural tube defect, and 44 with cerebral palsy to that of the general USA white married population. The three groups of couples were similar respecting race, religion, maternal age, parental occupation and education, and sex of affected child. Most couples had received some genetic counseling and all were followed for at least 3 years after diagnosis of the affected child. Regardless of the degree of recurrent risk and availability or not of prenatal diagnosis, couples were several fold more likely to reproduce again when the affected child was the 1st rather than later born. From this study and others, we conclude that the three major determinators of reproductive behavior in couples after having a genetically handicapped child are the same as those for the general population. Specifically, these are: (1) parental desire for children, (2) past reproductive experiences (that is, sibship size and perhaps also outcome), and (3) maternal age.
Vapor-Phase Grown Bundles of Carbon Nanotubes

We have produced bundles of nanotubes by vapor-phase condensation of carbon on highly-oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG). The bundles are found to have widths between 15 nm and 50 nm, and up to 200 nm long. They are composed of concentric tubules with 2-4 nm in diameter. Atomic resolution STM images reveal their graphitic surface structure.
A Nonlinear Model of the Time-Average Axially Asymmetric Flow Induced by Topography and Diabatic Heating

Abstract Solutions are obtained for spectrally truncated, two-layer, stationary asymmetric flow on a hemisphere. This flow results from nonlinear perturbations of a prescribed meridionally nonuniform, axially symmetric zonal flow by a stationary distribution of diabatic heat sources and sinks and by deflection of the flow by topography. The model has wavenumber response properties that differ from analogous linear beta-plane models and it is more stable to parameter variations. The model is run for January and July conditions. Series of January and July atmospheric observations are reduced to a spectrally truncated, two-layer form. These data are used to assess the model solutions and to assign zonal state and forcing fields. The response in the upper-layer velocity fields and in the temperature fields away from the equator compares favorably with observations. A comparison is made with the linearized solution; inclusion of the nonlinearities improves placement of those flow features associated with the t...