cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Metformin, Diabetes, and Survival among U.S. Veterans with Colorectal Cancer-Response.

We appreciate the letter of Alam and colleagues, who underscore the point we made in our discussion section when we noted that time-related biases, such as immortal time bias, can threaten pharmacoepidemiologic studies of metformin as a potential chemotherapeutic agent ([1][1]). Vivid illustrations
The Effects of the Contact Activation System on Hemorrhage.

The contact activation system exerts effects on coagulation via multiple mechanisms, which modulate both the intrinsic and extrinsic coagulation cascades as well as fibrinolysis and platelet activation. While the effects of the contact activation system on blood coagulation measured as activated partial thromboplastin time shortening are well documented, genetic mutations that result in deficiencies in the expression of either plasma prekallikrein (PPK) or factor XII (FXII) are not associated with spontaneous bleeding or increased bleeding risk during surgery. Deficiencies in these proteins are often undiagnosed for decades and detected later in life during routine coagulation assays without an apparent clinical phenotype. Increased interest in the contact activation system as a potentially safe target for anti-thrombotic therapies has emerged, in large part, from studies on animal models with provoked thrombosis, which have shown that deficiencies in PPK or FXII can reduce thrombus formation without increasing bleeding. Gene targeting and pharmacological studies in healthy animals have confirmed that PPK and FXII blockade does not cause coagulopathies. These findings support the conclusion that contact activation system is not required for hemostasis. However, while deficiencies in FXII and PPK do not significantly affect bleeding associated with peripheral wounds, recent reports have demonstrated that these proteins can promote hemorrhage in the retina and brain. Intravitreal injection of plasma kallikrein (PKal) induces retinal microvascular hemorrhages and intracerebral injection of PKal increases intracranial bleeding. PPK deficiency and PKal inhibition ameliorates hematoma formation following cerebrovascular injury in diabetic animals. Moreover, both PPK and FXII deficiency are protective against intracerebral hemorrhage caused by tissue plasminogen activator (tPA)-mediated thrombolytic therapy in mice with thrombotic middle cerebral artery occlusion. Thus, while the contact activation system is not required for hemostasis, its inhibition may provide an opportunity to reduce hemorrhage in the retina and brain. Characterization of the mechanisms and potential clinical implications associated with the effects of the contact activation system on hemorrhage requires further consideration of the effects of PPK and FXII on hemorrhage beyond their putative effects on coagulation cascades. Here we review the experimental and clinical evidence on the effects of the contact activation system on bleeding and
Near-Memory Acceleration for Radio Astronomy

Processing-in-memory and near-memory computing have recently been rediscovered as a way to alleviate the “memory wall problem” of traditional computing architectures. In this paper, we discuss the implementation of a 3D-stacked near-memory accelerator, targeting radio astronomy and scientific applications. After exploring the design space of the architecture by focusing on minimizing the execution power of the processing pipeline of the SKA1-Low central signal processor, we show that our accelerator can achieve an energy efficiency of up to 390 GFLOPS/W, corresponding to an energy consumption one order of magnitude lower than alternative state-of-the-art implementations. When running additional mathematical and streaming-oriented kernels, our accelerator achieves from 6.4 $\times$ to 20 $\times$ energy efficiency improvement compared to alternative solutions.
Mujeres, inequidad y contrabando en las fronteras ecuatorianas

Diferentes relaciones de poder han perpetuado desigualdades que motivan el involucramiento de mujeres en el contrabando de combustible y gas licuado de petroleo (GLP) en las zonas de frontera con Peru y Colombia, en las provincias de El Oro y Carchi en Ecuador. Tales relaciones, apoyadas en sistemas de discriminacion por condicion de genero, clase, raza y ubicacion geografica, fomentan un acceso desigual a educacion, trabajo remunerado, servicios de salud y atencion integral frente a la violencia domestica, creando condiciones de inseguridad para las mujeres. Controles aduaneros, policiales y militares agudizan aun mas la inseguridad de la poblacion de frontera. Con el objeto de analizar la situacion de inseguridad de las mujeres en las mencionadas provincias fronterizas, este articulo propone el concepto de seguridad humana desde una perspectiva feminista critica. Ademas, basandose en los conceptos de interseccionalidad y matriz de dominacion del feminismo negro y las criticas feministas a la seguridad nacional, el presente trabajo academico propone a las mujeres contrabandistas como referentes de seguridad y no como criminales, tal como el discurso de seguridad fronteriza las ha construido.
Updated Cost-effectiveness Assessments of PCSK9 Inhibitors From the Perspectives of the Health System and Private Payers: Insights Derived From the FOURIER Trial.

Importance Preliminary cost-effectiveness analyses of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitor (PCSK9i) were based on benefits estimated from reductions in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol that occurred in PCSK9i trials with variable results. The recent Further Cardiovascular Outcomes Research with PCSK9 Inhibition in Subjects with Elevated Risk (FOURIER) trial provides better information about the effectiveness of the drug. Objective To use the trial results to determine the cost-effectiveness of a PCSK9i and statin treatment strategy compared with a statin alone strategy. Design, Setting, and Participants We derived observed rates of events, outcomes, cost of care, and health insurance from existing literature for a theoretical cohort of patients designed to resemble the FOURIER PCSK9i trial population and created a Markov model during the time horizon of a full lifetime. Main Outcomes and Measures We evaluated the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio from a health system perspective, and the return on investment from a private payer perspective. For both measures, we assumed an annual PCSK9i drug price of $14 300, with a lapse in US patent protection that would reduce the price by 43% in year 12. Costs were reported in 2016 US dollars. Results This study modeled 1000 hypothetical patients with attributes similar to those of the FOURIER trial cohort. At the current price, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of statin plus PCSK9i therapy was $337 729 per quality-adjusted life-year. Our probabilistic sensitivity analysis found that a statin plus PCSK9i strategy had a low probability ( Conclusions and Relevance At current prices, the addition of PCSK9i to statin therapy is estimated to provide an additional quality-adjusted life year for $337 729 . Significant discounts are necessary to meet conventional cost-effectiveness standards.
European Respiratory Society International Congress programme highlights on occupation and epidemiology

Asthma is a common chronic childhood respiratory disease long-known to be both strongly heritable and to have important environmental determinants. In recent years genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have emerged as an indispensable tool to help understand the complex gene-environment relationships that determine asthma susceptibility and phenotype, including response to treatment.
Protein Expression Profile of Alzheimer’s Disease Mouse Model Generated by Difference Gel Electrophoresis (DIGE) Approach

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a well-described neurological disorder characterized by the presence of a number of biological processes. Deposition of β-amyloid plaques in brain, one of the main features of AD pathology, was ­successfully modeled in the middle of the 1990s by a generation of the β-amyloid precursor protein (APP) transgenic mouse lines. The Thy1-APP751SL transgenic line, one of this “new generation” AD animal models, reproduces several ­characteristic features of Alzheimer`s disease such as Aβ peptide deposition, dystrophic neurite formation, and progressive neuronal death. A recently developed technique named difference gel electrophoresis (DIGE) made identification of qualitative and quantitative differences in protein expression between two biological samples considerably more sensitive, straightforward and reliable. Application of DIGE allows the study of the AD-related proteome to progress with a new level of confidence. Here, we describe application of a novel DIGE technique coupled with MS protein identification to the generation of a distinct AD-related protein expression profile using cortices of 14-month-old ­Thy1-APP751SL transgenic mice. Using this approach, we identified 15 ­different proteins which are significantly regulated in AD pathology. Resulting AD-related proteome comprises a number of proteins that were already known to be ­implicated in AD and neurodegeneration, as well as several proteins for which relationship with AD had not been shown before. Identified proteins were grouped according to their key biological pathways. Acquired data are discussed in the view of existing literature on the AD proteome.
Perceived Workforce Challenges among Clinical Social Workers in Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Programs

Abstract Clinical social workers are psychosocial care experts who provide interventions that aim to address the emotional, relational, financial, and logistical challenges that arise throughout the hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) treatment and recovery process. Interventions that contribute to better patient outcomes can include cognitive behavioral therapy and counseling for adaptation to illness, family planning for 24/7 caregiver availability and strategies to support patient activities of daily living, instruction on guided imagery and relaxation techniques for symptom management and to decrease anxiety, psychoeducation on the treatment trajectory, and linkage with financial resources. A Social Work Workforce Group (SWG) was established through the System Capacity Initiative, led by the National Marrow Donor Program/Be The Match, to characterize the current social work workforce capacity and challenges. The SWG conducted a web-based survey of HCT clinical social workers in the United States. The response rate was 57% (n = 90), representing 76 transplant centers. Survey results indicated that the clinical social worker role and scope of practice varies significantly between centers; less than half of respondents reported that their clinical social work expertise was used to its fullest potential. With an estimated 3-fold increase in HCT patient volume by 2020, the need for specialized psychosocial health services will increase. The SWG makes recommendations to build capacity for the psychosocial care of HCT patients and to more fully integrate the social worker as a core member of the HCT team. The SWG created a Blood and Marrow Transplant (BMT) Clinical Social Worker role description that can be used by transplant centers to educate healthcare professionals, benchmark utilization of clinical social workers, and improve comprehensive psychosocial health programs.
Is cystoscopy indicated for incidentally identified bladder wall thickening

Introduction The purpose of this study was to evaluate the yield of cystoscopy in detecting bladder malignancy following incidentally identified bladder wall thickening observed on computed tomography (CT) scans. Methods and materials Data from 3000 consecutive patients who underwent diagnostic cystoscopy at a single institution from 2006-2009 were collected retrospectively. All prior CT scan reports were reviewed, and patients whose sole indication for cystoscopy was incidentally detected bladder wall thickening were identified. Patients were categorized as diffuse thickening, focal thickening, or focal bladder mass based on the radiologist's report. Collected data included patient age, gender, race, smoking history, history of hematuria, medications for benign prostate hypertrophy or overactive bladder as well as cystoscopy results, pathology results, and follow up. Results Twenty-two patients (0.7% of cystoscopies) underwent cystoscopy for incidentally identified bladder wall thickening including 11 (50%) with focal bladder wall thickening, 8 (36.4%) with diffuse bladder wall thickening, and 3 (13.6%) with focal bladder mass lesions. Five patients (22.7%) had suspicious lesions on cystoscopy requiring endoscopic surgery with biopsy. Two patients with focal bladder mass lesions were found to have low grade, superficial bladder cancer (66.7% of patients with focal bladder mass lesions and 9.1% of all patients with incidental bladder wall thickening). No patients with diffuse or focal bladder wall thickening had malignancy. Conclusions Incidental findings of diffuse and focal bladder wall thickening on CT scan were found to have a low yield for the detection of urinary tract malignancy. Incidentally detected focal bladder mass lesions are more likely to have malignant pathology.
Endovascular Considerations in Vascular Trauma

The last two decades have seen a dramatic shift in the management of vascular disease from traditional open surgery to complex endovascular techniques. While this trend is quite well documented in the treatment of aneurysms of the abdominal and thoracic aorta, these changes have likewise taken place in management of vascular occlusive disease, and the technical aspects of these procedures can be applied to selected cases of vascular trauma. While endovascular management of blunt thoracic aortic injury has been increasingly reported with positive results, few data exist regarding safety and efficacy of endovascular management of injury to other vascular distributions. Selecting appropriate injuries for endovascular management is a particular challenge. There is a general perception that patients with acute arterial injuries – particularly hemodynamically unstable patients with ongoing hemorrhage – are inappropriate for endovascular management, despite the large volume of data showing improved outcomes in unstable patients with ruptured aortic aneurysms managed with a primary endovascular approach.
Principal and Teachers Relations: Trust at the Core of School Improvement

Educational leaders and teachers face constant internal and external pressure to reform their practice to ensure that every student meets high standards. In many countries, including the United States, the last two decades have been characterized by large-scale reforms of public education systems (Fullan, 2001; Seashore-Louis, Toole, & Hargreaves, 1999; Young & Levin, 1999). According to Cranston (2007), “these reforms are due to powerful political, social, and economic shifts in the environment in which schools are nested; advances in our understanding of learning, organization and management of schools; and shifts in the expected relations between schools and clients” (p. 1). Consequently, new conceptualizations for the profession of educational leaders and teachers need to be developed (Murphy, 2002). In light of such fundamental shifts in the landscape of schooling, many researchers contend that the relationships between stakeholders are pivotal to the success or failure of school reform (Bryk & Schneider, 2002). Clearly, in this era of accountability and the pressures that accompany it, there is a premium placed on the interpersonal skills of school leaders. This chapter focuses on one key element that is central to productive relationships between principals and teachers. Specifically, this chapter explores how trust can facilitate school leaders, working in tandem with teachers, to use the current accountability mandates to focus their efforts in professional learning communities to improve organizational practices and student outcomes.
Police and Social Workers as Members of New Crisis-Management Teams

[A variety of programs have emerged of late which involve the close collaboration and cooperation of police and social workers in order to deal with family crises. By pooling their respective skills and resources, police and social workers hope to respond more effectively to the diverse situations and challenges presented by family crises. Several of these programs are reviewed here and one is probed in depth. Also, various questions are raised regarding some of the possible problems associated with this kind of collaboration.] In recent years, police and social workers in a number of cities across the country have begun to combine and coordinate their efforts in a concerted way. Historically though, this kind of collaboration has been difficult because of the almost antithetical roles, attitudes, and traditions of police and social workers. What has caused them to set aside their differences to some degree is the fact that both have concluded they need the other's help in dealing with family crises. (Such crises usually involve conflicts between married or unmarried partners, conflicts between parents and children, or conflicts between siblings or other intimates.) Many police and social workers feel that the challenge posed by family crises compels them to pool their respective skills and abilities if they are to have a chance of
Methodology for Evaluating Potential Benefits and Economic Value of Residential Photovoltaic and Battery Energy Storage System

Battery energy storage systems (BESS) are considered to be an effective approach to mitigating the intermittency of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind. The cost versus the benefit of the total energy stored and utilized needs to be evaluated for each BESS installation. However, solely focusing on the cost of the energy saved is not sufficient to confirm the economic value. The capital investment also needs to be considered for the BESS. This paper provides a methodology for an economic analysis of a PV system both with and without a BESS. These two systems are analyzed by the benchmark provided by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The study presented in this paper focuses on the procedure to determine the economic viability of a BESS system.
Essential Role of Zinc and Zinc Transporters in Myeloid Cell Function and Host Defense against Infection

Zinc is an essential micronutrient known to play a vital role in host defense against pathogens. Diets that are deficient in zinc lead to impaired immunity and delayed recovery from and worse outcomes following infection. Sustained insufficient zinc intake leads to dysregulation of the innate immune response and increases susceptibility to infection whereas zinc supplementation in at-risk populations has been shown to restore host defense and reduce pathogen-related morbidity and mortality. Upon infection, zinc deficiency leads to increased pathology due to imbalance in key signaling networks that result in excessive inflammation and collateral tissue damage. In particular, zinc impacts macrophage function, a critical front-line cell in host defense, in addition to other immune cells. Deficits in zinc adversely impact macrophage function resulting in dysregulation of phagocytosis, intracellular killing, and cytokine production. An additional work in this field has revealed a vital role for several zinc transporter proteins that are required for proper bioredistribution of zinc within mononuclear cells to achieve an optimal immune response against invading microorganisms. In this review, we will discuss the most recent developments regarding zinc's role in innate immunity and protection against pathogen invasion.
Impact of Pharmacist Delivered Education on Early Parent Awareness and Perceptions Regarding Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccination in the Community Pharmacy Setting in West Virginia.

Objectives (1) Define parental perceptions of the Human Papillomavirus Vaccine and awareness of vaccine administration at community pharmacies (2) Describe parental intentions to have children vaccinated against HPV (3) Describe reasoning process behind parental vaccination intentions (4) Assess impact of pharmacist-led education on these perceptions and intentions. Methods This was a prospective pretest, posttest study with a convenience sample conducted at parenting groups throughout northern West Virginia in 2018. Participants, a total of 34 parents/guardians, attended an educational session regarding Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination with immediate pre/post survey. The survey asked participants about their HPV vaccination history, personal perceptions regarding the HPV vaccine, age and gender of their children, overall immunization status of the child, current intent regarding the HPV vaccine, parents' preferred resources for vaccine information, awareness of HPV vaccine availability in community pharmacies, as well as parent developed environment (rural, suburban, urban, etc.), race, age, marital status, education, and income level. Results Following intervention, intention to vaccinate according to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendations increased from 35% (n=12) to 44% (n=15). The percentage of participants against vaccinating decreased from 23% (n=8) to 12% (n=4). Participants demonstrated increased awareness of HPV vaccine availability at community pharmacies, with awareness increasing from 32% (n=11) to 100% (n=34). Conclusions Pharmacist delivered education may be useful in increasing parent/legal guardian awareness of immunization services as well as intention to vaccinate their child.
Addressing the Global Air Pollution Crisis: Chemistry’s Role

Air pollution has reached dangerous levels in many locations where environmental policies have not kept pace with rapid development. Poor air quality results from anthropogenic and natural emissions, and their chemical processing in the atmosphere. Chemistry is key to diagnosing pollution sources, designing efficient control strategies, and developing pollution-reduction technologies.
CJASN and Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest.

The last decade has seen some major advances in our understanding of pathophysiology and/or treatment of kidney diseases. These include but are not limited to the discovery of the pathogenetic role of PLA2R antibodies for primary membranous nephropathy, risk of kidney disease conferred by ApoL1 in
Early Morbidity but Not Mortality Increases With Surgery Delayed Greater Than 24 Hours in Patients With a Periprosthetic Fracture of the Hip.

Abstract Background Studies have identified a possible morbidity and mortality benefit with expedited time to surgery after a native hip fracture. This association after hip periprosthetic fractures (PPF) has been less clearly delineated. The purpose of this study is to assess the effect of time to surgery on rates of 30-day complications. Methods The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program registry was used to identify all patients who underwent surgical intervention for hip PPF between 2005 and 2016. Patients were stratified into 2 cohorts based on time from hospital admission to surgery, either ≤24 hours (expedited) or >24 hours (non-expedited). Thirty-day outcome variables were assessed using bivariate and multivariate analyses. Results We identified 857 patients undergoing surgical intervention for hip PPF, of whom 402 (46.9%) underwent expedited surgery and 455 (53.1%) underwent non-expedited surgery. Patients with non-expedited surgery had an average time to surgery of 2.4 days (range, 1-14 days). Multivariate analysis adjusting for differences in baseline patient characteristics revealed that patients with a non-expedited procedure had higher rates of overall complications (odds ratio [OR] = 1.72; P = .014), respiratory complications (OR = 4.15; P = .0029), urinary tract infections (OR = 2.77; P = .020), nonhome discharge (OR = 2.22; P Conclusion This study did not identify any statistical difference in mortality but found an association with increased postoperative complications and non-expedited surgery for PPF. Additional prospective studies may be warranted to identify the causative factors behind this association.
Minipigs as a neonatal animal model for tuberculosis vaccine efficacy testing

Abstract Many vaccines against childhood diseases are administered early after birth, but vaccine development studies frequently test efficacy in adult rather than in neonatal animal models. In countries with endemic tuberculosis (TB), Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) is administered as part of the neonatal vaccine regimen because it prevents against the disseminated form of TB in children, although it has variable efficacy against pulmonary TB. Several promising new vaccines against TB are currently being tested in adult animal models. Here we evaluated neonatal piglets as an animal model to test vaccine efficacy. For this purpose, minipigs were vaccinated or not with BCG 48 h after birth and their immune response followed longitudinally until adolescence. We characterized the memory and activation phenotype of T cells, cytokine profile, and monocyte activation in response to BCG stimulation from 4 weeks of age into adolescence- age of 24 weeks. Immunological responses in vaccinated and non-vaccinated animals were further monitored upon infection with a low dose exposure to Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain HN878 via the aerosol route. Comparing the immunological response elicited by BCG vaccination in minipigs vs similar studies in infants, suggest that minipigs have the potential to serve as an effective neonatal animal model for vaccine development.
Outcomes of Bilateral Cataracts Removed in Infants 1 to 7 Months of Age Using the Toddler Aphakia and Pseudophakia Treatment Study Registry.

Purpose This study evaluates outcomes of bilateral cataract surgery in infants ages 1 to 7 months performed by Infant Aphakia Treatment Study (IATS) investigators during IATS recruitment and compares them to IATS outcomes of unilateral cases. Design Retrospective case series review at 10 IATS sites. Participants The Toddler Aphakia and Pseudophakia Study (TAPS) is a registry of children treated by surgeons who participated in the IATS. Intervention Children underwent bilateral cataract surgery with or without intraocular lens (IOL) placement during IATS enrollment years of 2004 through 2010. Main Outcome Measures Visual acuity, strabismus, adverse events (AE), reoperations. Results 178 eyes (96 children) were identified with a median age of 2.5 months (range 1-7) at cataract surgery. 42 (24%) eyes received primary intraocular lens (IOL) implantation. Median visual acuity of the better-seeing eye at final study visit closest to age 5 years with optotype visual acuity (VA) testing was 0.35 logMAR (20/45) (range, 0.00 – 1.18) in both aphakic and pseudophakic children. Corrected visual acuity was excellent ( > 20/200) in the better-seeing eye and 12% in the worse-seeing eye. Younger age at surgery and smaller ( Conclusions Visual acuity after bilateral cataract surgery in infants younger than 7 months is good despite frequent systemic and ocular co-morbidities. Although aphakia management did not affect visual acuity outcome or AE, IOL placement increased the risk of visual axis opacification. AE and glaucoma correlated with a younger age at surgery and glaucoma with the presence of microcornea.
Psychologically-informed video reduces maladaptive beliefs in adolescents with patellofemoral pain

Abstract Objectives To test the hypothesis that a brief psychologically-informed video can reduce maladaptive psychological beliefs in adolescents with patellofemoral pain. Design Case series. Setting Pediatric Outpatient Hospital. Participants Twenty adolescents receiving physical therapy for patellofemoral pain (14 ± 1.7 years, 50% female), 3 participants were lost to follow-up at 2 weeks. Main outcome measures None. Results The baseline FABA-PA score was 12.0 ± 5, TSK-11 was 22.1 ± 4.0 and the PCS-c was 14.3 ± 8. Immediate reductions in FABQ-PA (mean difference = 4.52, 95% CI 1.99, 7.07; 32% reduction), TSK-11 (mean difference = 5.06, 95% CI 1.88, 8.24; 22% reduction) and PCS-c (mean difference = 3.65, 95% CI 0.62, 6.68; 26% reduction) were observed immediately post-video intervention (p Conclusions This study provides preliminary evidence that incorporating a brief one-time psychologically-informed video into standard physical therapy care may significantly reduce maladaptive psychological beliefs in adolescents with patellofemoral pain.
Psychosocial Risk Factors for Food Insecurity in Puerto Ricans Living in the USA from Baseline to 5-Year Follow-Up.

Background Food insecurity is prevalent among Puerto Rican adults in the USA and is associated with adverse psychosocial outcomes. However, the direction of this association has not been established in this understudied population. Objectives In this study, we aimed to examine the longitudinal association between a group of psychosocial risk factors and subsequent food insecurity in a cohort of Puerto Rican adults. Methods Secondary analysis was conducted using data from the prospective Boston Puerto Rican Health Study. A total of 517 Puerto Rican participants aged 45-75 y in the Boston area who were food secure at baseline, and who completed food security surveys at baseline and 5 y were included. Psychosocial factors, including depressive symptoms, stress, tangible social support, and acculturation were assessed with validated instruments. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to examine the risk of food insecurity at 5 y, as a function of psychosocial factors at baseline and their changes over 5 y, adjusting for age, sex, education, baseline and change in total annual household income, and in family size. Results The cumulative incidence of food insecurity at 5 y was 12.6%. The odds of incident food insecurity was significantly associated with baseline depressive symptom score [OR = 1.78 (1.16, 2.76) per each 10 score units], with change in depressive symptom score [OR = 1.50 (1.07, 2.09) per each 10-unit increase], and with change in perceived stress [OR = 1.59 (1.01, 2.51) per each 10-unit increase], after adjusting for potential confounders. Conclusion In this cohort of Puerto Rican adults, depressive symptoms at baseline, and increases in depressive symptoms and perceived stress over 5 y were associated with a higher risk of food insecurity. Psychosocial health and environment appear to play important roles in predicting risk of food insecurity in the Puerto Rican community.
Origin of the solvent effects on the barrier to amide isomerization from the combined QM/MM Monte Carlo simulations

The origin of the solvent effects on the free energy of activation for the isomerization of N,N-dimethylformamide in water, CHCl3 and CCl4 has been investigated through statistical mechanical simulations using the combined quantum mechanical and molecular mechanical AM1/OPLS potential. The differential solvations between the ground state and transition state in various solvents can be attributed to the differences in molecular dipole moments in solution, and to the solvent polarization effects. In polar solvents, DMF is polarized more favorably in the ground state than in the rotated conformers, leading to greater solvent contributions. The modest solvent effects in CCl4 are a reflection of its much smaller dielectric constant.
Reviewing Article 8's Revised Collusion Standard; Outside Counsel

The first published case to deal with the new collusion standard in revised Article 8 has been decided by Judge Bransten in Supreme Court, New York County. As New York City is the center of the securities industry, it is not surprising that the first published case to deal with collusion was decided here. The result reached by Judge Bransten, however, is surprising in the liberality with which collusion was construed. The 1994 revision of Article 8 took effect in New York State on Oct. 10, 1997. For those readers that are unfamiliar with Article 8, it is the article that deals with the transfer of securities. The 1977 version of Article 8, a slight variation of which was New York law for 20 years, included elements that are analogous to both Article 3 (negotiable instruments) and Article 9 (security interests), articles with which most lawyers are more familiar. Revised Article 8 has moved the provisions dealing with security interests in securities back to Article 9. The 1994 revision dealt with the indirect holding system for securities and involved a complete reconceptualization and clarification of the prior Article 8, creating separate parts to address both the direct and indirect holding systems. In describing the indirect holding system, revised Article 8 utilizes a whole new vocabulary that will be unfamiliar to those lawyers whose practice does not regularly include Article 8 matters. Among the most important new defined terms are the following: financial asset (broader than just securities, includes obligations, shares, participations, and interests held through securities intermediaries); securities intermediary (a clearing corporation or a person such as a bank or broker that holds securities accounts for others); entitlement holder (persons who hold financial assets through intermediaries in the indirect holding system); and securities entitlement (the rights and property interest of a person who holds securities or other financial assets through a securities intermediary). Certain changes in revised Article 8 that offered increased protection to transfees of securities, in particular secured lenders, against claims that a transfer was wrongful were the most controversial provisions of revised Article 8. Some commentators believe that beneficial owners of securities have been materially disadvantaged by these changes. Other commentators, notably Professor Rogers, the reporter for revised Article 8, believe that prior law, including that of New York, has not been materially altered by these changes. The latter is the position that was taken by the two committees of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. that played a large role in the adoption of revised Article 8 in New York.
Intramolecular additions of allylsilanes to conjugated dienones : Two syntheses of (±)-epi-widdrol

Abstract Two stereospecific total syntheses of epi -widdrol ( 1 ) are reported. The first synthesis features the cyclization of dienone 3a to construct bicyclic adduct 4a which is converted to epi -widdrol using conventional procedures. A second synthesis exploits the cyclization of dienone 17 to prepare functionalized bicyclo[5.4.0]undecene 18 , which is converted to a known epi -widdrol precursor.
Birth Weight and Early Onset Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Prospective Observational Study of American Indians Reveals Differential Effects in Adolescents and Young Adults

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is increasingly diagnosed in adolescents and young adults. However, the impact of birth weight on early onset (aged <40 years) T2DM is not well quantified. Methods: A longitudinal study of American Indians, aged ≥5 years, was conducted from 1965-2007. Subjects who had a recorded birth weight and ≥2 research examinations that included an OGTT were followed until they developed diabetes or their last examination before the age of 40 years, whichever came first. Age-sex-adjusted incidence rates of diabetes were computed, and Poisson regression was used to model the effect of birth weight on diabetes incidence, adjusted for sex, BMI, and maternal covariates. Findings: Among 3,252 subjects, there were 640 incident diabetes cases over a mean follow-up of 15.0 years. Diabetes incidence increased with age and was greater in the lowest and highest birth weight quintiles. Adjusted for covariates, the time-varying effect of birth weight on diabetes incidence persisted, with a quadratic (U-shaped) effect at 10-19 years (P <0·001) and a negative linear effect at older age intervals (20-29 years, P=0·005; 30-39 years, P=0·001). At all age groups, female sex, greater BMI, and being an offspring of a diabetic pregnancy added to the effect of birth weight on diabetes risk. Interpretation: In this high-risk population, both low and high birth weights increased T2DM risk in adolescence (age 10-19 years), but only the effect of low birth weight increased risk in young adulthood (20-39 years). Funding Statement: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Declaration of Interests: None exists Ethics Approval Statement: This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).
Incentives and Learning in Children

Publisher Summary This chapter deals with the definition and manipulation of incentive qualities and magnitudes in laboratory learning situations with children. In selective learning, incentives may direct attention to cues and dimensions; in verbal learning, they may lead to arousal facilitating attention and/or selective rehearsal. Individual differences in intelligence and socioeconomic status have sometimes been instructive, as have many pilot experiments that failed. While material rewards were most often employed, verbal rewards were frequently included, and the interaction with experimentally manipulated motivation is investigated in the program undertaken. The effects of accumulating rewards in massed sessions are also studied. The chapter attempts to review the laboratory findings, including work currently in progress, to specify critical parameters, demonstrate theoretical issues, and share complex problems.
United States v. Harvey: Are Criminal Defense Fees More Vulnerable than Necessary?

In United States v. Harvey, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit held that Congress may not constitutionally require convicted racketeers and drug traffickers to forfeit property used to pay legitimate defense attorney fees. To the extent that such forfeitures and related pre-conviction restraints on transfer are authorized by provisions of the Comprehensive Forfeiture Act of 1984 (the Act), those provisions violate an accused's right to counsel of choice as secured by the Sixth Amendment.This article argues that the court's holding in Harvey was more narrowly drawn than necessary, and that as a consequence criminal defense attorney fees now may be more vulnerable to forfeiture. The Harvey decision discarded a clearly strained statutory interpretation as the basis for exempting legitimate attorney fees from forfeiture under RICO and CCE statutes. Instead, the court predicated such exemptions exclusively on the qualified right to counsel of choice under the sixth amendment. In so doing, the court left the exemptions unnecessarily vulnerable. A stronger constitutional argument for exempting attorney fees could have been made by relying additionally on the Sixth Amendment right to effective assistance of counsel. Moreover, there is ample justification for a statutory interpretation giving trial courts the discretion to exempt attorney fees from forfeiture before conviction. Either approach would have better protected the integrity of our adversarial process from the wholly unnecessary and unwarranted accretion of prosecutorial advantage represented by the actual or even threatened forfeiture of legitimate attorney fees.
ANEURYSM OF THE LEFT VENTRICLE DUE TO CONGENITAL MUSCLE DEFECT IN AN INFANT. REPORT OF A CASE WITH DISCUSSION OF PATHOGENESIS OF ASSOCIATED ENDOCARDIAL FIBROELASTOSIS.

Abstract The desire for specificity has evolved special interest in antihypertensive drugs which act principally at the sympathetic arteriolar neuroeffector site and/or on norepinephrine, the neurohumoral transmitting agent. The present report deals with pharmacologie and clinical studies on several such drugs: reserpine, guanethidine and bretylium. As is well known and confirmed by us, reserpine and guanethidine deplete catecholamines from neuroeffector junctions as well as from other storage sites. Bretylium, on the other hand, does not deplete catecholamines and can prevent the catecholamine depleting actions of reserpine and guanethidine. Differences also exist in their influences on tritium-labeled nor-epinephrine uptake by cardiac tissue. It is known that the hemodynamic responses to administered norepinephrine are exaggerated and responses to tyramine and certain other pressor amines are reduced when intrinsic catecholamine stores are depleted. Applying these tools to the present problem, animals have shown the expected exaggerated responses to norepinephrine and reduced tyramine when reserpine and guanethidine were given and the unaltered responses when bretylium was given. In humans, most of the responses coincided with those of animals. The responses to the challenges of presser amines as well as hypotensive effects could be altered by administering these medications in various sequences. These studies indicate that, although many agents exert their major effects at the sympathetic neuroeffector site, the precise actions are not necessarily identical. Investigations into the mechanisms of action of these drugs have altered long established physiologic concepts of the efferent sympathetic nervous system.
Opass: Analysis and Optimization of Parallel Data Access on Distributed File Systems

In this paper, we study parallel data access on distributed file systems, e.g, the Hadoop file system. Our experiments show that parallel data read requests are often served data remotely and in an imbalanced fashion. This results in a serious disk access and data transfer contention on certain cluster/storage nodes. We conduct a complete analysis on how remote and imbalanced read patterns occur and how they are affected by the size of the cluster. We then propose a novel method to Optimize Parallel Data Access on Distributed File Systems referred to as Opass. The goal of Opass is to reduce remote parallel data accesses and achieve a higher balance of data read requests between cluster nodes. To achieve this goal, we represent the data read requests that are issued by parallel applications to cluster nodes as a graph data structure where edges weights encode the demands of data locality and load capacity. Then we propose new matching-based algorithms to match processes to data based on the configurations of the graph data structure so as to compute the maximum degree of data locality and balanced access. Our proposed method can benefit parallel data-intensive analysis with various parallel data access strategies. Experiments are conducted on PRObEs Marmot 128-node cluster tested and the results from both benchmark and well-known parallel applications show the performance benefits and scalability of Opass.
Clustering Spam Domains and Destination Websites: Digital Forensics with Data Mining

Spam related cyber crimes have become a serious threat to society. Current spam research mainly aims to detect spam more effectively. We believe the prosecution of spammers is a more effective way of stopping spam emails than filtering, therefore more research is needed to help forensic investigators to collect useful evidence. This research proposes an algorithm for clustering spam domains extracted from spam emails based on the hosting IP addresses and tracing the domains over a period of time. The results reveal several facts that merit law enforcement attention: many seemingly unrelated spam campaigns are actually related; spammers have a sophisticated mechanism for combating URL blacklisting by registering many new domain names every day and flushing out old domains; the domains are hosted at different IP addresses across several networks, mostly in China where legislation is not as tight as in US; old IP addresses are replaced by new ones from time to time, but still show strong correlation among them. These facts lead to the conclusion that spam-related cyber crimes are operated by well-organized criminal syndicates that have sufficient manpower to distribute a huge volume of spam through bots, purchase a large number of domain names and hosting servers and maintain websites to sell counterfeit products online. Traditional law enforcements technology has not scaled well in cases involving millions of data elements. This paper demonstrates an effective use of data mining to respond to this challenge.
View invariant head recognition by Hybrid PCA based reconstruction

We propose a novel method for 3D head reconstruction and view-invariant recognition from single 2D images. We employ a deterministic Shape From Shading (SFS) method with initial conditions estimated by Hybrid Principal Component Analysis (HPCA) and multi-level global optimization with error-dependent smoothness and integrability constraints. Our HPCA algorithm provides initial estimates of 3D range mapping for the SFS optimization, which is quite accurate and yields much improved 3D head reconstruction. The paper also includes significant contributions in novel approaches to global optimization and in SFS handling of variable and unknown surface albedo, a problem with unsatisfactory solutions by prevalent SFS methods. In the experiments, we reconstruct 3D head range images from 2D single images in different views. The 3D reconstructions are then used to recognize stored model persons. Empirical results show that our HPCA based SFS method provides 3D head reconstructions that notably improve the accuracy compared to other approaches. 3D reconstructions derived from side view (profile) images of 40 persons are tested against 80 3D head models and a recognition rate of over 90% is achieved. Such a capability was not demonstrated by any other method we are aware of.
Purification of Bacteriophage λ, Int Protein

BACTERIOPHAGE λ can direct the formation of small amounts of several λ proteins in a host whose endogenous protein synthesis has been decreased by ultraviolet irradiation before phage infection1. The phage protein can be labelled by the incorporation of radioactive amino acids after infection. Many of these proteins can be resolved by sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) gel electrophoresis and tentative gene identifications can be made by comparing the products of wild type phage infection with those of phage carrying mutation(s) which selectively remove certain gene product(s)2. I have purified the int gene product using differential label techniques to detect the Int polypeptide. This gene product functions in vivo to direct recombination between specific sites in DNA; the radiochemically pure product has been used to investigate the in vitro interaction between Int and DNA.
Biological Anthropology and Ethics: From Repatriation to Genetic Identity

Biological Anthropology and Ethics: From Repatriation to Genetic Identity. Trudy R. Turner, ed. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2004. 327 pp.
Suicide in France: Some Hypotheses

The relatively high suicide rate in France is investigated and a number of influences are hypothesized as causative. These include, on a societal and demographic level, a history of high immigration, low emigration, a high proportion of old people, high urbanization, extraordinarily high alcoholism, and the extreme gap in income between upper and lower classes. The rigid bureaucracy of the state can leave the individual feeling infuriated and defeated. The legal system produces many injustices, such as long imprisonment without charges. The Church is liberal and supplies little prophylaxis against suicide. Overall, social integration must be judged to be low. Culturally, French values include an underlying pessimism, no strong fear of death, strong pressures to behave correctly and much malice toward neighbors. The modal personality structure contains defensive, constricted elements producing a vulnerable pseudo-autonomy. French child-rearing practices are effective in producing such personalities.