cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The social context of sexual HIV prevention among female sex workers in China

The recent article on scaling up programmes to prevent sexual human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission is timely and addresses a compelling topic.1 However, there are two points that should be emphasized in understanding how to organize an effective response to China’s expanding sexually transmitted HIV epidemic: (i) the heterogeneity within China’s commercial sex industry; and (ii) the unique organizational and social forces that constrain responses. First, China has >6 million female sex workers (FSWs), based on conservative estimates derived from self-reporting in a population-representative sample.2 Public health and social science research from China suggests that there are distinct typologies of FSW, each with distinct workplaces and sexual risks (Table 1).3 Several studies show that low-income FSWs in China have a higher risk of syphilis and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including one systematic review of 72 studies that found a 2-fold increased risk of syphilis among low-income FSWs.4 Yet, there have been few interventions focused on low-income FSWs and methodologically rigorous epidemiological studies are limited. Table 1 Chinese FSW typologies and their workplace and approximate sexual risk Second, some sources have described sex work as ‘illegal’ in China, but this does not appreciate the complex relationship between women who sell sex and local authorities. A common Chinese saying is that police have ‘one eye open and one eye closed’ when considering sex work. Male police and other local authorities have many incentives both to curtail and to permit commercial sex.5 A better understanding of these local relationships informed by epidemiology and social sciences could help illuminate strategies for FSW HIV prevention. Given the remarkable heterogeneity in socio-demographics and sexual risk among FSWs in China, simple policy solutions or importing models from Asian successes should be viewed with caution. Policy solutions for preventing heterosexual HIV that resonate with local FSWs and acknowledge the embedded and highly contextual nature of sexual risk have not been piloted in China and are far from scaling up. More research and programmatic efforts to identify and curb high-risk commercial sex are urgently needed.
Building Collaborative Partnerships

Mentoring and collaboration were essential ingredients to start the hand society, to nurture, form, and grow into the Society of today. These relationships continue to ensure the viability of our organization as we explore new directions that will ensure that we as members of American Society of Hand Therapists (ASHT) have the best opportunities to reach and maintain an excellent level of competency as hand therapists. Just as a musician seeks a mentor or guide to develop skill and perfect technique to play an instrument, many of us sought mentors to guide us in developing our advanced skills and critical thinking as hand therapists to provide the excellent care we give to our patients. To take it a step further, the musician then must learn to collaborate with others to form a band, a symphony, or an orchestra in which all of the individual instruments now contribute together to form and create one
Periodic Mesoporous Organosilica Nanorice.

A periodic mesoporous organosilica (PMO) with nanorice morphology was successfully synthesized by a template assisted sol–gel method using a chain-type precursor. The PMO is composed of D and T sites in the ratio 1:2. The obtained mesoporous nanorice has a surface area of 753 m2 g−1, one-dimensional channels, and a narrow pore size distribution centered at 4.3 nm. The nanorice particles have a length of ca. 600 nm and width of ca. 200 nm.
Ultrafast excited and ground-state dynamics of the green fluorescent protein chromophore in solution

Ultrafast dispersed pump-dump-probe spectroscopy was applied to HBDI (4‘-hydroxybenzylidene-2,3-dimethyl-imidazolinone), a model green fluorescent protein (GFP) chromophore in solution with different protonation states. The measured three-dimensional data was analyzed using a global analysis method that enables the spectral and temporal characterization of overlapping photoinduced transient states. A unified phenomenological model is presented to describe the observed data. Two excitation pathways are identified: a 1-photon excited-state twisting and a 2-photon ionization process. The ionization pathway results in the generation of solvated electrons and HBDI radicals. The twisting dynamics was resolved on both electronic states with slower twisting on the ground state than the excited state. This is ascribed to the multidimensional hula-twist mechanism. A weak viscosity dependence was observed when the aqueous solution data were contrasted with the signals collected in a 66% glycerol/water solution.
Mechanical testing of gold membranes on a MEMS device for drug delivery

A MEMS device for drug delivery has been developed to achieve controlled release of drugs on demand. It consists of a silicon substrate into which micro-reservoirs are etched that contain individual doses of drug. The release of drugs is achieved by the electrochemical dissolution of the gold membranes that seal individual reservoirs. It is desirable to non-destructively evaluate the mechanical properties of gold membranes on this drug delivery device and to understand the effect of various processing and loading factors on the membrane disintegration process. This study presents some initial bulge test results on gold membranes of this device. The bulge test was conducted by applying pressure to the reservoirs and measuring the deflection of the membrane using interferometry. The test also provides a reliable non-destructive method to evaluate the bottom nitride etching step in the microfabrication process, which is otherwise difficult to test using conventional methods. There is a decreasing trend in the burst pressure with longer corrosion time to the gold membrane. These results will guide us to optimize the design of gold membrane structure through microfabrication process to achieve more reliable device performance.
Could the use of a knowledge-based system lead to implicit learning?

The primary objective of a knowledge-based system (KBS) is to use stored knowledge to provide support for decision-making activities. Empirical studies identify improvements in decision processes and outcomes with the use of such knowledge-based systems. This research suggests that though a KBS is primarily developed to help users in their decision-making activities, as an unintentional consequence, it may induce them to implicitly learn more about a problem. Implicit learning occurs when a person learns unconsciously or unintentionally, without being explicitly instructed or tutored. To test these ideas, a laboratory-based experiment was conducted with a KBS that could provide support for data modeling activities. Results indicated support for implicit learning because subjects who interacted with the KBS exhibited better knowledge on data modeling concepts than those who did not interact with the KBS. Two versions of the KBS were tested, one with a restrictive interface and the other with a guidance interface, and both versions of the interface supported implicit learning. Implications for future research on the design and development of KBSs are proposed.
Mathematical analysis of viscoelastic flows

Preface 1. Phenomena in Non-Newtonian Flows 2. Mathematical Formulation 3. Behavior in Simple Flows 4. Existence Theory 5. Numerical Methods 6. High Weissenberg Number Asymptotics 7. Reentrant Corner Singularities 8. Instabilities 9. Change of Type 10. Jet Breakup Bibliography Index.
The local effects of groundwater pumpage within a fault-influenced groundwater basin, Ash Meadows, Nye County, Nevada, U.S.A.

Abstract Large-scale groundwater pumpage and water-level decline data are used in a preliminary attempt to identify the hydraulic connection between several wells and Devils Hole, a small pond in Nye County, Nevada, U.S.A. Results indicate that despite the discontinuous nature of the local aquifers, many wells have good hydraulic connection with Devils Hole. Hydraulic connection between the wells and Devils Hole exhibits a complex spatial variability typical of carbonate terrane. Zones or directions of minimal hydraulic connection may result from fault-controlled structural discontinuities. Zones or directions of enhanced hydraulic connection point to the presence of large-scale groundwater flow through fractures or conduits. The orientation of waterbearing fractures or conduits inferred from this study is qualitatively consistent with the major orientation of local and regional structural features.
Fusing Imagery and 3D Point Clouds for Reconstructing Visible Surfaces of Urban Scenes

The automatic reconstruction of urban scenes from sensory input data is a daunting task. By and large the task remains unresolved, although a considerable amount of research has been devoted to its solution. Many of the proposed methods are either too application dependent, or address only some aspects of the general problem. Moreover it appears that solutions based on a single sensor source, for example intensity images or laser point clouds, lead to partial solutions. In this paper we propose the reconstruction of visible surfaces from multi-sensor data, embedded in a fusion framework. We postulate that the reconstructed surface is an intermediate and application independent representation of the scene, similar to the 2.5 D sketch proposed by Marr in his vision paradigm. In contrast to the viewer based 2.5 D sketch, our reconstructed surface is represented in a suitable 3D Cartesian reference system. It contains explicit surface information, including shape and surface discontinuities. We argue that such an explicit description greatly benefits applications, such as object recognition, populating or updating GIS, change detection, city modeling, and true orthophoto generation. This is because the 3D object space enables more powerful reasoning methods to aid object recognition and image understanding as opposed to the traditional approach of reasoning in the 2D image space. Another strong motivation for the proposed application independent surface reconstruction scheme is the multi-source scenario with imaging and laser point data, and possibly hyperspectral data. These widely disparate data sets contain common (redundant), complementary and occasionally conflicting information about the surface. The paper discusses the notion of different surfaces and their relationships. Major emphasis is placed on the development of a general, true 3D surface representation scheme that copes with the problem of multi layer surfaces (e.g. multiple overpass).
Notch in the kidney: development and disease

Notch signalling is a highly conserved cell-cell communication mechanism that regulates development, tissue homeostasis, and repair. Within the kidney, Notch has an important function in orchestrating kidney development. Recent studies indicate that Notch plays a key role in establishing proximal epithelial fate during nephron segmentation as well as the differentiation of principal cells in the renal collecting system. Notch signalling is markedly reduced in the adult kidney; however, increased Notch signalling has been noted in both acute and chronic kidney injury. Increased glomerular epithelial Notch signalling has been associated with albuminuria and glomerulosclerosis, while tubular epithelial Notch activation caused fibrosis development most likely inducing an improper epithelial repair pathway. Recent studies thereby indicate that Notch is a key regulator of kidney development, repair, and injury.
Prefrontal cortex glutamate afferents are essential for acute and chronic effects of Ritalin

Background Progressive augmentation of behavioral response following repeated psychostimulant administrations is known as behavioral sensitization, and is an experimental indicator of a drug’s liability for abuse (Robinson and Berridge, 1993; Dafny and Yang, 2006). It is known that Ritalin or methylphenidate (MPD), a drug used to treat Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), induces sensitization in animals following repeated injections [1,2]. Given that many children suffer ADHD, and are treated with MPD, it is essential to know the neuronal circuitry of MPD action. It was recently reported that bilateral electric (non-specific) lesion of PFC prevented behavioral sensitization after chronic MPD administration (Lee et. al., 2008). Since the PFC sends glutamatergic afferents to both ventral tegmental area (VTA) and nucleus accumbens (NAc), sites that are involved in induction and expression of behavioral sensitization to psychostimulants and as PFC glutamatergic afferents are known to modulate the NAc and VTA dopaminergic neurons [3,4], the objective of this study was to study the role of glutamate from PFC in behavioral sensitization to MPD.
Analysis of Trip and Stop Duration for Shopping Activities: Simultaneous Hazard Duration Model System:

A joint hazard-based model for the analysis of simultaneous (mutually interdependent) duration processes is proposed. The proposed model generalizes independent hazard-based models by accounting for correlations between simultaneous duration processes. Furthermore, the model also permits the use of flexible and variable hazard function parameters to capture realistic features observed empirically in activity duration data (e.g., bimodal peaks). To account for correlated processes (duration processes) that underlie observed stop and trip durations, the proposed model relies on an implicit component of error structure that combines a baseline hazard function (log-logistic distribution) with a mixing (log-normal) distribution. This model is estimated by the simulated maximum-likelihood technique and is used to analyze activity and trip duration for shopping activities. The results highlight the need to account for duration dependence effects in activity-travel durations. Furthermore, hazard-based models that disregard correlation across joint duration processes can provide biased estimates and inaccurate forecasts. Empirical results from San Francisco, California (1996), activity diary data imply that stop and trip durations for shopping activities are positively correlated. The hazard rate profile (shape and intensity) also varies significantly across individuals, suggesting the need for targeted demand management measures. At a substantive level, the results indicate the role of personal, household, and situational attributes on activity and trip duration decisions. These findings and models have important applications in the analysis of activity-travel dimensions of duration and timing and the evaluation of alternate travel demand management measures.
Prices in Russia in the Sixteenth Century

The thesis that long-term price movements in medieval and early modern periods were the results of changes in the supply of precious metals has been questioned by a number of historians who believe that fluctuations in population provide a more fundamental explanation. These men point out that if changes in the supply of money were primarily responsible, the secular rise and fall of prices would have been approximately the same for all commodities. Actually, agricultural prices rose and fell faster and more sharply than did the prices of industrial goods. It is claimed that these price changes and the lack of synchronization between them can be satisfactorily explained by changes in the size of population:
Cell Replication in the Gastrointestinal Tract of Man

Awareness of a rapid renewal of the epithelium of the gastrointestinal tract extends as far back as the latter part of the last century.2 Prior to the advent of radioactive isotopes and the technique of microautoradiography, the study of cell renewal was based on mitotic counting. Earlier studies of Leblond and his associates utilized mitotic indices and microautoradiography for the estimation of turnover times in the intestinal epithelium of animals.3, 4 Rapid renewal of cells based on mitotic counts in the human intestine has been observed by Bertalanffy and Nagy,5 by Padykula et al.,6 and Yardley et aJ.7 Experiments by Cole and McKalen,8 MacDonald and his associates,9 Shorter et aJ.45 and Lipkin et aJ.1°-12 with tritiated thymidine (H3TdR) and microautoradiography, have confirmed the finding of rapid renewal of cells in the human intestine. The development of microautoradiography has provided an approach that has allowed extension and amplification of the dynamics of cell renewal. The incorporation into DNA of precursors such as H 3TdR makes possible the labeling of cells at a precise time in their life cycle. The low fj-energy of the tritium permits precise localization of newly formed DNA on mi-
228 Wnt SIGNALLING PATHWAY ACTIVATION IN CAT EMBRYONIC STEM LIKE-CELLS AND ITS ROLE IN MAINTAINING PLURIPOTENCY

Stem cells from domestic animals are important for deriving therapeutic applications, generating models for human diseases, and developing alternative methods for conservation and preservation of endangered species. Cat embryonic stem like-cells (cESC) have been derived from in vivo and in vitro-produced blastocysts (Gomez et al. 2010 Theriogenology 74, 498). Although cESC colonies can be cultured in an undifferentiated state for several passages, they gradually lose their capacity to maintain pluripotency. Therefore, to maintain pluripotency of cat ESC during in vitro culture, it is necessary to develop a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in self-renewal and differentiation, as well as to enhance in vitro culture conditions. In mouse ESC, the Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway has been identified as an essential pathway for maintenance of pluripotency and avoidance of differentiation (Kirby et al. 2012). Nonetheless, activation of the Wnt signalling and its role in human ESC remains controversial. Wnt activation is mediated by the cytoplasmic protein – Disheveled – that inactivates a multi-protein complex, including glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3β) and inhibits β-catenin degradation. In the present study, we evaluated the role of Wnt/β-catenin signalling in self-renewal and maintenance of an undifferentiated state of cat ESC. Cat ESC were cultured on mitotically inactivated cat embryonic fibroblasts (CEF) in modified-ESC medium (DMEM-F12, 200 mM l-glutamine + 0.14% β-mercaptoethanol, 1.25% nonessential amino acids, 15% knockout replacement serum, 5% fetal bovine serum, 1000 U mL–1 leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), and 10 ng mL–1 basic fibroblast growth factor, bFGF) and supplemented with GSK3β inhibitor -SB216763 (10 μM v. 20 μM v. 0 μM). The concentrations of β-catenin and GSK3β in cat ESC colonies were measured by ELISA, and the effect of GSK3β on cat ESC was measured by their cell size, morphology, expression of pluripotent markers at the mRNA and protein level (POU5F1, NANOG, SOX-2), and their ability to differentiate into ectoderm cell lineage. Our results indicated that GSK3β inhibitor inactivates GSK3β, leading to an increase in total β-catenin in cat ESC. Moreover, colonies cultured in the presence of GSK3β inhibitor showed flattened shape and irregular borders (compared with the dome shape and marked borders in nontreated colonies), and both the concentration and the passage significantly reduced the colony cell size, the expression of POU5F1 and SOX-2 at the mRNA and protein level, and lowered their ability to differentiate into neurogenic-like cells compared with that of colonies cultured without the GSK3β inhibitor. Even though we demonstrated that the Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway influenced the expression of POU5F1 and SOX-2 of cat ESC, it is not clear why the accumulation of β-catenin did not enhance self-renewal. Further studies are required to evaluate the influence of GSK3β inhibitor and other small molecules on self-renewal of cat ESC cultured without the presence of a feeder cell layer.
Interatomic potential for the ternary Ni–Al–Co system and application to atomistic modeling of the B2–L10 martensitic transformation

Ni–Al–Co is a promising system for ferromagnetic shape memory applications. This paper reports on the development of a ternary embedded-atom potential for this system by fitting to experimental and first-principles data. Reasonably good agreement is achieved for physical properties between values predicted by the potential and values known from experiment and/or first-principles calculations. The potential reproduces basic features of the martensitic phase transformation from the B2-ordered high-temperature phase to a tetragonal CuAu-ordered low-temperature phase. The compositional and temperature ranges of this transformation and the martensite microstructure predicted by the potential compare well with existing experimental data. These results indicate that the proposed potential can be used for simulations of the shape memory effect in the Ni–Al–Co system.
High-throughput droplet-based screening system for investigating microalgae library

In this paper, we present a high-throughput droplet microfluidics-based screening system capable of investigating growth and oil production of numerous microalgal strain libraries. Microalgal growth was characterized by generating droplets with single microalga and monitoring the number of cells inside droplets over time. The key innovation of this platform is its on-chip staining capability of microalgae within droplets, where droplets containing microalgae were synchronized and merged together with Nile red fluorescent dye droplets, followed by droplet rinsing to minimize fluorescence background for oil quantification. The performance of the developed platform was tested using a unicellular green microalga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.
Genetic Causality in Complex Traits the Case of Uric Acid

“If epidemiologists are compared with fishermen, causality is the big fish. It is elusive to find, difficult to catch, and claims to have measured it are often exaggerated.” Burgess et al. [(1)][1] were correct: establishing a cause-and-effect relationship is always challenging. In its purest
[The Role of Two-Dimensional Echocardiography in Diagnostics of Coarctation of the Aorta in Newborns]

Introduction. Diagnosis of neonatal coarctation of the aorta (CoA) still presents a challenge in routine practice because of absence of reliable morphologic and functional parameters for early detection of this congenital heart defect in newborns. Objective. The aim of this study is to identify easy obtainable two-dimensional echocardiographic parameters for detection of the CoA in newborns. Methods. Echocardiographic evaluation was performed in 30 newborns with CoA and 20 healthy neonates (control group). Measurements of the proximal transverse arch (PTA), distal transverse arch (DTA), isthmus, distance between the left common carotid artery (LCCA) at the origin of the left subclavian artery (LSA), were obtained by two-dimensional echocardiography. Aortic arch hypoplasia was defined using Mouleart, Karl and Mee criteria, and Z-value. Index 1 was calculated as a ratio of DTA and distance between origins LCCA-LSA, Index 2 was calculated as a ratio of the ascending aorta and the distance between LCCA-LSA origins, and Index 3 was calculated as a ratio of PTA and distance between LCCA-LSA origins. Results. Index 1 was significantly lower in patients with CoA in comparison with control group (0.50 vs. 1.39; p≤0.01). A cutoff point at 0.39, for Index 1, showed a sensitivity of 92% and specificity of 99% for the diagnosis of neonatal CoA, while cut off points at 0.69 and 0.44, for Index 2 and Index 3, showed the highest sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of CoA in newborns. Conclusion. By using these echo indexes, two-dimensional echocardiographic aortic arch measurement becomes a simple, reliable noninvasive method for the evaluation of aortic coarctation in newborns and may lead to earlier diagnosis and subsequent surgical correction.
Routine CT evaluation of acute stroke.

Abstract Although new imaging techniques such as MR perfusion/diffusion and xenon CT have shown considerable promise in the detection of early brain ischemia, noncontrast CT remains the primary imaging test for the evaluation of acute stroke. It is fast, reliable, readily available, and continues to be used for all major stroke therapy trials. Despite its limitations, CT is an accurate method of screening patients prior to thrombolytic therapy.
THU0160 The Effect of VX-509, a Selective Oral Jak3 Inhibitor, on Plasma Biomarkers of Disease Activity in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Background Janus kinase 3 (JAK3) plays a critical role in intracellular signal transduction and is required for activation of lymphocytes. Oral VX-509 selectively inhibits JAK3 and improves signs and symptoms in patients with active RA. Objectives To evaluate the pharmacodynamic effect of VX-509 on inflammatory biomarkers of RA disease activity including interleukin 6 (IL-6), IL-2 receptor alpha (CD25), and chemokine ligand 18 (CCL18), and markers of bone erosion (matrix metalloproteinase, MMP-3). These analyses advance our understanding of the response to VX-509 treatment in RA patients. Methods Two hundred and four RA patients with inadequate response to DMARDs were enrolled in a 12-week, phase 2a, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study of oral VX-509 monotherapy with 25 mg, 50 mg, 100 mg, 150 mg bid, or placebo. Plasma was collected at baseline, week 6, and week 12. Samples from 93 study completers were stratified to represent the non-responder, ACR20, ACR50, and ACR70 responses observed within each dosage group. Markers of RA associated with inflammation were analyzed by Luminex multiplex technology. The mean, median, and change from baseline were calculated; the 25 mg bid group was not included. Results Patients treated with VX-509 at dosages of 50 mg, 100 mg, and 150 mg bid had decreases from baseline in levels of IL-6, CD25, CCL18, and MMP-3 at week 12 that were dose-related (Table 1). Image/graph Conclusions VX-509 treatment modulated biomarkers of RA associated with inflammation (IL-6, CD25, and CCL18) and bone erosion (MMP-3). These changes are consistent with the efficacy of VX-509 in improving RA signs and symptoms. Disclosure of Interest I. Catlett Shareholder of: Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, Employee of: Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, A. Legedza Shareholder of: Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, Employee of: Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, L. Sewell Shareholder of: Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, Employee of: Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, T. Hoock Shareholder of: Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, Employee of: Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated
Continuum imit of a tep Flow odel of Epitaxial Growth

We examine a class of step flow models of epitaxial growth obtained from a Burton-Cabrera-Frank (BCF) type approach in one space dimension. Our goal is to derive a consistent continuum model for the evolution of the film surface. Away from peaks and valleys, the surface height solves a Hamilton-Jacobi equation (HJE). The peaks are free boundaries for this HJE. Their evolution must be specified by boundary conditions reflecting the microscopic physics of nucleation. We investigate this boundary condition by numerical simulation of the step flow dynamics using a simple nucleation law. Our results reveal the presence of special structures in the profile near a peak; we discuss the relationship between these structures and the contin uumequation. We further address the importance of evaporation for matching the local behavior near the peak to the solution of the continuum equation.
Finding the optimal number of aggregators in machine-to-machine advanced metering infrastructure architecture of smart grid based on cost, delay, and energy consumption

Smart grid uses an advanced metering infrastructure to create a two-way communication network between smart grid components and machine-to-machine communications have a great potential to implement this communication network. In this paper, we propose a one-layer aggregation-based machine-to-machine architecture for advanced metering infrastructure architecture of smart grid and focus on finding the optimum number of aggregators in its neighborhood area network based on three metrics: energy consumption of each aggregator, relay and aggregators cost, and delay. We develop an energy consumption model for each aggregator. We also define delay and a new performance metric, the product of cost and energy (CE), so that by minimizing it, we can obtain the optimum number of aggregators. The simulation results indicate correctness of our theoretical model and show that we can achieve a balance between cost, delay, and energy.
Affirmative Action Debates in American Government Introductory Textbooks

Affirmative action debates remain hotly contested across America. Given how the topic is presented in respective disciplines and core textbooks, students are often misinformed. Introductory textboo...
An NMR Study of Hydrogen in Si02 Films on Silicon

We have used solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to study both “wet” and “dry” thermally grown films of SiO2 on silicon substrates. For the 5000 § wet film, grown at 1050 °C we observed a single Lorentzian line of 6 kHz HWHM (half width at half maximum). For the 500 § dry film, we observed a convolution of two lines: a) a Lorentzian of 4 kHz HWHM and b) a Gaussian of 20 kHz HWHM. The hydrogen distributions in both oxides are interpreted as a function of these lines.
Effects of asphaltenes and organic acids on crude oil-brine interfacial visco-elasticity and oil recovery in low-salinity waterflooding

Abstract Smart-water flooding has become increasingly more important as Enhanced-Oil Recovery technology in recent years. However, the observed incremental recovery varies significantly from case to case, even when the reservoir rock lithology, and water and oil characteristics are similar. In our earlier research, we proposed that a favorable crude-oil brine film visco-elasticity response reduces oil trapping during waterflooding and consequently increases oil recovery. We also advanced the idea that the film response depends upon a combination of crude oil and water characteristics. The purpose of this research is to show that the crude oil asphaltenic and acid fractions have a noticeable effect on interfacial rheology, while benefiting oil recovery in coreflooding experiments. In this work, 1 H NMR (Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) was used to track changes in organic acid concentration in aqueous phase-crude oil partitioning experiments. Interfacial visco-elasticity measurements were conducted on several brine-crude oil sets as well as crude oil/brine volumetric ratios. On the other hand, emulsion stability was examined through low-field NMR drop-size time courses to evaluate coalescence. Finally, carefully selected coreflooding experiments were run to measure oil recovery and pressure drop as functions of time. The crude oils analyzed exhibit differences in asphaltene content and bulk acid concentration partitioned into the aqueous phase. These differences contribute dissimilarly to interfacial rheological behavior. In all cases, interfacial visco-elasticity increases the greater the asphaltene concentration and decreases at higher acid concentration for a given brine. The elastic modulus reaches a plateau value after a time specific to each brine-crude oil system. The effects of acids and asphaltenes appear to depend on the volumetric crude oil-to-brine ratio. Coreflooding recovery factor results show a positive correlation with dynamic interfacial properties, though not a straightforward one. Emulsions stability turns out to also be a complex function of the aforementioned interfacial properties and does not directly correlate to oil recovery. Our findings reveal that the nature of the fluids in the oil reservoir makes a significant difference in terms of fluid-fluid interactions. These may affect multiphase flow in porous media and consequently the final oil recovery after waterflooding. When this is better understood, a better design strategy to achieve optimal brine modification can be proposed to increase the oil recovery.
Brain Connectivity Predicts Placebo Response across Chronic Pain Clinical Trials

Placebo response in the clinical trial setting is poorly understood and alleged to be driven by statistical confounds, and its biological underpinnings are questioned. Here we identified and validated that clinical placebo response is predictable from resting-state functional magnetic-resonance-imaging (fMRI) brain connectivity. This also led to discovering a brain region predicting active drug response and demonstrating the adverse effect of active drug interfering with placebo analgesia. Chronic knee osteoarthritis (OA) pain patients (n = 56) underwent pretreatment brain scans in two clinical trials. Study 1 (n = 17) was a 2-wk single-blinded placebo pill trial. Study 2 (n = 39) was a 3-mo double-blinded randomized trial comparing placebo pill to duloxetine. Study 3, which was conducted in additional knee OA pain patients (n = 42), was observational. fMRI-derived brain connectivity maps in study 1 were contrasted between placebo responders and nonresponders and compared to healthy controls (n = 20). Study 2 validated the primary biomarker and identified a brain region predicting drug response. In both studies, approximately half of the participants exhibited analgesia with placebo treatment. In study 1, right midfrontal gyrus connectivity best identified placebo responders. In study 2, the same measure identified placebo responders (95% correct) and predicted the magnitude of placebo's effectiveness. By subtracting away linearly modeled placebo analgesia from duloxetine response, we uncovered in 6/19 participants a tendency of duloxetine enhancing predicted placebo response, while in another 6/19, we uncovered a tendency for duloxetine to diminish it. Moreover, the approach led to discovering that right parahippocampus gyrus connectivity predicts drug analgesia after correcting for modeled placebo-related analgesia. Our evidence is consistent with clinical placebo response having biological underpinnings and shows that the method can also reveal that active treatment in some patients diminishes modeled placebo-related analgesia. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02903238 ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01558700.
Predominance of weakly cytotoxic, T-bet Low Eomes Neg CD8 + T-cells in human gastrointestinal mucosa: implications for HIV infection

The gastrointestinal mucosa is an important site of HIV acquisition, viral replication, and pathogenesis. Immune cells in mucosal tissues frequently differ in phenotype and function from their non-mucosal counterparts. Although perforin-mediated cytotoxicity as measured in blood is a recognized correlate of HIV immune control, its role in gastrointestinal tissues is unknown. We sought to elucidate the cytotoxic features of rectal mucosal CD8+ T-cells in HIV infected and uninfected subjects. Perforin expression and lytic capacity were significantly reduced in rectal CD8+ T-cells compared with their blood counterparts, regardless of HIV clinical status; granzyme B (GrzB) was reduced to a lesser extent. Mucosal perforin and GrzB expression were higher in participants not on antiretroviral therapy compared with those on therapy and controls. Reduction in perforin and GrzB was not explained by differences in memory/effector subsets. Expression of T-bet and Eomesodermin was significantly lower in gut CD8+ T-cells compared with blood, and in vitro neutralization of TGF-β partially restored perforin expression in gut CD8+ T-cells. These findings suggest that rectal CD8+ T-cells are primarily non-cytotoxic, and phenotypically shaped by the tissue microenvironment. Further elucidation of rectal immune responses to HIV will inform the development of vaccines and immunotherapies targeted to mucosal tissues.
A Portrait of American Farmers

First paragraphs: There is an agricultural renaissance of sorts taking place that can be seen in the rising sales of organic food, the sprouting of urban gardens throughout major cities, and the growing legion of locavores. While this surge of interest in what we eat and where it comes from is good for our health and communities, criticism that alternative food systems are elitist and inaccessible has tinged conversations around the growing good-food movement. Indeed, all too often the story of this movement is told only through white voices. Natasha Bowens' The Color of Food provides a window through which we can see a fuller picture of agriculture in the United States. The reader accompanies Bowens as she crisscrosses the country, revealing the many farmers and communities of color dedicated to their land, food sovereignty, and way of life. The book is a product of Bowens' travels across 15,000 miles (24,140 km) and 16 states to interview farmers of color and to unpack the often complicated emotions related to land ownership, farming, and the exploitation and oppression that has frequently been linked to agriculture....
CAR T cells engage in anticancer martial arts

A clever redesign of the chimeric antigen receptor T cell concept turns a cancer-mediated immunosuppressive cytokine into a growth signal.
The association between cytomegalovirus infection, obesity, and metabolic syndrome in U.S. adult females

Objective The purpose of this analysis was to determine whether cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is associated with the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and whether this relationship differs by BMI. Methods Data from the 1999-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were pooled (N = 2,532). Logistic regression was used for assessing the association between CMV and MetS, stratified by gender and BMI, categorized as normal weight, overweight, obesity, and extreme obesity, and adjusted for age, race/ethnicity, and poverty level. Results In unadjusted analyses, CMV infection was significantly associated with MetS in females (OR: 1.50; 95% CI: 1.1-2.1) but not males. After adjusting for confounders, the odds of MetS were higher in CMV+ normal-weight females (aOR: 65.31; 95% CI: 6.8-625.6) but lower in CMV+ females with extreme obesity (aOR: 0.25; 95% CI: 0.1-0.9). CMV infection was associated with higher high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and lower triglycerides in females with extreme obesity but lower HDL-C in normal-weight females. Conclusions CMV infection was found to be associated with unique MetS phenotypes that differ between BMI categories and gender. Seropositive normal-weight females had a higher prevalence of MetS and dyslipidemia, while infection in females with extreme obesity was associated with a more metabolically benign profile.
Assessing Initial Response to High-Frequency Jet Ventilation in Premature Infants With Hypercapnic Respiratory Failure

BACKGROUND: High-frequency jet ventilation (HFJV) has been used in conjunction with conventional ventilation for infants with respiratory failure. We sought to identify parameters that were associated with successful application of HFJV in patients with hypercapnic respiratory failure. METHODS: A single-center, retrospective review of infants who received HFJV was conducted. Subjects were enrolled if birthweight was ≤2,000 g and capillary PCO2 was ≥55 mm Hg. Ventilator parameters and physiologic data were recorded at 1 h before HFJV initiation and at hours 1, 4, and 6 following conversion. Subjects were classified as responders if capillary PCO2 was reduced by ≥10% after 1 h of HFJV. Data included peak inspiratory pressure, PEEP, capillary PCO2, and oxygen saturation index (equal to mean airway pressure × FIO2 × 100/SpO2). Because the data were not normally distributed, they are reported as median (interquartile range), and the Mann-Whitney test was used to assess differences in continuous data between groups. Categorical data were analyzed using a chi-square and Fisher exact test. RESULTS: Thirty-four premature infants (n = 24 male) were studied. Twenty-five subjects were classified as responders and demonstrated a significant reduction of capillary PCO2 and FIO2 and increased pH within the first hour. The non-responders demonstrated a higher conventional ventilation peak inspiratory pressure (25 cm H2O vs 19 cm H2O, P = .005) and had a greater postmenstrual age (30 weeks vs 26.5 weeks, P = .01). This group had a higher oxygen saturation index (7.25 vs 3.36, P = .03) and FIO2 requirements (0.6 vs 0.35, P = .038) at 4 h. CONCLUSIONS: We identified that lower postmenstrual age, improvements in capillary PCO2 and pH at 1 h, and a reduction of FIO2 were associated with good response to HFJV. These data may help to identify patients who are likely to benefit from HFJV in the neonatal intensive care unit.
Biogeochemistry: The soil carbon erosion paradox

Erosion is typically thought to degrade soil resources. However, the redistribution of soil carbon across the landscape, caused by erosion, can actually lead to a substantial sink for atmospheric CO2.
Community-Based Participatory Research

This article investigates community-based participatory research (CBPR) within the framework of service learning and community engagement initiatives within contemporary higher education. It identifies the characteristics of high-quality CBPR, delves into two criticisms of these efforts, and provides ideas for addressing these criticisms.
Sustaining the common good: tourism professional motives to volunteer for the tourism industry

Volunteer tourism research has studied individual motives to participating in development work overseas. There is, however, an absence of research examining what influences corporate individual employees to volunteer for tourism-related activities as representatives of their organisation within their own country. This paper investigates tourism professionals’ purpose(s) for engaging in tourism-centred volunteer tourism opportunities and, in addition, compares tourism professional motives with motives of volunteer tourists as reported in previous research. Purposive sampling techniques were employed to select individuals, and data were collected through 23 interviews with tourism professionals attending the 1–3 November 2015 Tourism Cares event in Williams, AZ, USA (a town near Grand Canyon National Park, USA). Tourism Cares is a non-profit tourism industry organisation supporting tourism industry education and community building. Results suggest tourism professionals’ motives to volunteer for the tourism industry are linked to the common good approach and the sustaining of the tourism product, which directly affects tourism professionals’ livelihood. This is a new volunteer tourist motive related to corporate or individual employees who volunteer for their own industry. Study implications can be beneficial for employee-volunteer management and business ethics, as well as its contribution to corporate social responsibility, sustainable tourism, and volunteer tourism research.
Honoring Richard Ruiz and his work on language planning and bilingual education

This volume, edited by Nancy Hornberger, pays tribute to the academic contributions and personal legacy of Richard Ruiz, especially his work on language planning and bilingual education. The purpos...
Refining the frequency and duration of RL Symptoms: Impact on the prevalence of Restless Leg Syndrome (P3.062)

Objective: Finding the most appropriate thresholds for frequency and duration of RLS symptoms in order to assess more accurately the prevalence of RLS in the general population in addition to the comorbid medical, sleep and mental disorders. Background: Using the IRLSSG criteria, prevalence of RL ranged from 3.9 to 14.3%. The minimal diagnosis criteria now include the mimics exclusion criteria and the merging of pediatric and adult criteria. By adding an exclusion criterion for mimics, the specificity of the disorder was increased. However, duration and frequency impact on the prevalence is still unknown. Design/Methods: A representative sample of the US population interviewed by phone with the SleepEVAL system (19,136 individuals 18 years and older; participation rate 83.2% according to CASRO standards). Results: Prevalence of the four criteria occurring at least one day per week ranged between 5.7 and 12.3%. When frequency is at 3 or more days by week, prevalence drops to 1.8–4.5%, with greater distress and impairment. Conclusions: Stricter criteria definition avoids the inflation of the prevalence RLS diagnosis with, as a consequence, more appropriate therapeutic indications. Disclosure: Dr. Ohayon has received personal compensation for activities with Sanofi-Aventis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. as a speaker. Dr. Ohayon has received research support from Jazz Pharmaceuticals and Takeda Pharmaceuticals.
Does muscle biopsy change the treatment of pediatric muscular disease

Muscle biopsy is performed to confirm the diagnosis of neuromuscular disease and guide therapy. The purpose of our study was to determine if muscle biopsy changed patient diagnosis or treatment, which patients were most likely to benefit from muscle biopsy, and complications resulting from muscle biopsy. An IRB-approved retrospective chart review of all patients less than 18 years old undergoing muscle biopsy between January 2010 and August 2016 was performed. Demographics, patient presentation, diagnosis, treatment, hospital course, and follow-up were evaluated. Descriptive and comparative (student’s t test, Mann–Whitney U, and Fisher’s exact test) statistical analysis was performed. Medians were reported with interquartile range (IQR). 90 patients underwent a muscle biopsy. The median age at biopsy was 5 years (2, 10). 37% (n = 34) had a definitive diagnosis. 39% (n = 35) had a change in their diagnosis. 37% (n = 34) had a change in their treatment course. In the 34 patients who had a change in their treatment, the most common diagnosis was inflammatory disease at 44% (n = 15). In the 56 patients who did not have a change in treatment, the most common diagnosis was hypotonia at 30% (n = 17). There was no difference in patients who had a change in treatment based on pathology versus those that did not. The median length of follow-up was 3 years (1, 5). Muscle biopsy should be considered to diagnose patients with symptoms consistent with inflammatory or dystrophic muscular disease. The likelihood of this altering the patient’s treatment course is around 40%.
A framework for translation of genomic responses from mouse models to human inflammatory disease contexts

The high failure rate of therapeutics showing promise in mouse disease models to translate to patients is a pressing challenge in biomedical science. However, mouse models are a useful tool for evaluating mechanisms of disease and prioritizing novel therapeutic agents for clinical trials. Though retrospective studies have examined the fidelity of mouse models of inflammatory disease to their respective human in vivo conditions, approaches for prospective translation of insights from mouse models to patients remain relatively unexplored. Here, we develop a semi-supervised learning approach for prospective inference of disease-associated human in vivo differentially expressed genes and pathways from mouse model experiments. We examined 36 transcriptomic case studies where comparable phenotypes were available for mouse and human inflammatory diseases and assessed multiple computational approaches for inferring human in vivo biology from mouse model datasets. We found that a semi-supervised artificial neural network identified significantly more true human in vivo associations than interpreting mouse experiments directly (95% CI on F-score for mouse experiments [0.090, 0.175], neural network [0.278, 0.375], p = 0.00013). Our study shows that when prospectively evaluating biological associations in mouse studies, semi-supervised learning approaches combining mouse and human data for biological inference provides the most accurate assessment of human in vivo disease and therapeutic mechanisms. The task of translating insights from model systems to human disease contexts may therefore be better accomplished by the use of systems modeling driven approaches.