History Collections Research Articles

"Bulgarians Discover Bulgarians". Bessarabia and the Bessarabian Bulgarians in two Local History Collections with Newspaper Articles

"Bulgarians Discover Bulgarians". Bessarabia and the Bessarabian Bulgarians in two Local History Collections with Newspaper Articles

Romani Music Collections, the Ruptured Archive, and Epistemic Justice in the United States

Creating collections and archives of genres such as csardas, parallel to holdings of Romantic compositions based on those styles, affords a means for contemporary Romani performance to provoke institutional recognition of Roma’s historical influence on art music. This essay analyzes an instance of such a project at Oberlin College & Conservatory, while also advocating for a rupturing and resuturing of traditional archival data. A Storied People, an online Romani music project bridging collections of musical media and oral histories of csardas musicians in the Hungarian/Slovak Roma community around Cleveland, Ohio, USA, went public-facing in 2019, showcasing a Romani music collector’s donations and work by a Romani activist and historian in Cleveland, Oberlin Library staff and seminar students, and an ethnomusicologist. This article considers how acquiring the collection intervenes in 21st-century Romani music studies, musicological and archival practices, and their interrelations. Rather than having the collection sit for future research and pedagogical purposes, we connected it through two integrated online platforms to streamable, keyword-linked local oral histories relating to the collection’s traditions, performers, and compositions. The resulting online resource makes the music collection and oral histories more meaningful and accessible, at Oberlin and beyond. It thereby ruptures the collection, suturing its material resources to new musical performances and storytelling before it has a chance to reify into an institutionally contained unit. Addressing the sociopolitical context of this work and Roma’s ambiguous status within American epistemologies of race and ethnicity, the article analyses the successes and limitations of this approach to collaboration and the need for applied ethnomusicologists to learn from and integrate with applied community-making coming out of musical communities who have long been both wary of and invested in the processes of their public representation.

State of the (Future) Field: The History of Collecting and Its Institutions

State of the (Future) Field: The History of Collecting and Its Institutions

ІСТОРИЧНА ГЕРБАРНА КОЛЕКЦІЯ ТРОПІЧНИХ І СУБТРОПІЧНИХ РОСЛИН ЗАКРИТОГО ҐРУНТУ У ФОНДАХ ГЕРБАРІЮ УМАНСЬКОГО НАЦІОНАЛЬНОГО УНІВЕРСИТЕТУ САДІВНИЦТВА (UM)

The article highlights the results of the analysis of the collection of tropical and subtropical indoor plants. The taxonomic affiliation according to the modern international databases Plants of the World Online (POWO) and The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) is presented. The unique historical collection of plants is a documentary material on the study of their introduction in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries at the Uman School of Horticulture and Agriculture (now Uman National University of Horticulture). For the purpose of registration in 2016 in Index Herbariorum (New York) with the acronym UM, an inventory of the herbarium collections of the University Herbarium (2013–2016) was made. The herbarium collection of garden and flower garden tropical and subtropical plants features 527 herbarium sheets (h.s.). They include exotic plants that were grown in indoor and outdoor conditions, on the basis of the school in the Sofiyivka arboretum and greenhouse complex, Nikitsky Botanical Garden (Crimea) and (Ex horto Petropolitano). The plants served as a living visual natural material for studying with their subsequent herbarization. The collectors were the students of the school who were studying botany, ornamental gardening and floriculture. The identification of the available taxa in the collection was based on handwritten labels and serial scientific publications "Price List of Plants and Seeds of the Sofiyivka Park 1887–1897". Among the identified herbarium specimens (g.s.), the world flora with their area of origin was noted: North, South, Central America, the Mediterranean, Africa, Australia, Indochina, Asia, Brazil, Mexico, including Madagascar, the Cape of Good Hope, and the New Hebrides. The personal collection of the school's student Josef Pachosky (Ex calolaris Umaniense) contains 86 g.a. of indoor introductions dated 1885-1886. The study collection also includes herbarium labels signed by other collectors, including Ovchynnikov (1860), Mieczysław Blonski, Luchynski, and Zapartowicz (1895–1896) and unknown (1912–1916) in the amount of 249 g.a. The analysis of the collection of tropical and subtropical plants is represented by the leading families in terms of species composition of the higher spore plants (Pteridophyta): Aspleniaceae Newman, Dennstaedtiaceae Pic.Serm., Osmundaceae Martinov, Polypodiaceae J.Presl & C.Presl, Pteridaceae E.D.M.Kirchn; and the tribes Monocots and Eudicots of the division of flowering plants (Angiosperms): Acanthaceae Juss., Aizoaceae Martinov, Apocynaceae Juss., Araceae Juss., Araliaceae Juss., Arecaceae Bercht. & J.Presl, Aristolochiaceae Juss., Asparagaceae Juss, Asteraceae Bercht. & J.Presl, Balsaminaceae A.Rich, Begoniaceae C.Agardh, Berberidaceae Juss., Bignoniaceae Juss., Buxaceae Dumort., Cactaceae Juss., Calceolariaceae (D.Don) Olmstead, Caprifoliaceae Juss., Cyclanthaceae Poit. ex A.Rich., Ericaceae Juss., Euphorbiaceae Juss, Fabaceae Lindl., Fagaceae Dumort., Gesneriaceae Rich. & Juss., Lamiaceae Martinov, Linderniaceae Borsch, Kai Müll. & Eb.Fisch., Malvaceae Juss., Marantaceae R.Br., Moraceae Gaudich., Myrtaceae Juss, Nepenthaceae Dumort, Oleaceae Hoffmanns. & Link, Onagraceae Juss., Orchidaceae Juss., Plantaginaceae Juss., Poaceae Barnhart, Rhamnaceae Juss., Rosaceae Juss., Rubiaceae Juss., Rutaceae Juss., Smilacaceae Vent., Solanaceae Juss., Thymelaeaceae Juss., Urticaceae Juss, Verbenaceae J.St.-Hil. Introductions represent a group of flowering and decorative foliage plants, by life form - herbaceous, woody, shrubby, semi-shrubby and vines. The historical collection of the herbarium (UM) became the basis for the serial publications of monographs of personalized collections – V. Havryliuk (in 2017) and J. Pachosky (2023). The publications will be useful for students studying professional disciplines such as botany, ornamental gardening, plant introduction, floriculture, interior phytodesign, and writing qualification papers. Today, the collection is a valuable historical asset of the university and deserves attention and publicity by the scientific community of Ukraine and abroad. Throughout the existence of the educational institution, the herbarium's funds have been carefully preserved and replenished with new plant specimens during the educational process, expeditionary trips, and gifts from other educational and scientific institutions.

A Standard on Accessibility of the Immobable Cultural Heritage.

Architecture has always aimed to improve the quality of life for people by enhancing their interaction with the built environment. This applies not only to domestic settings but also to significant structures that represent our cultural heritage. However, the interaction between accessibility and cultural heritage may seem complex and challenging, even impossible at times. Cultural heritage is an essential part of our collective history and cultural identity. It is crucial to ensure that everyone can fully participate and enjoy it, especially when cultural heritage is integrated into people's daily lives, according to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Moreover, improving the accessibility of cultural heritage objects enhances society's appreciation of immovable cultural heritage, emphasizing its significance and visibility. This conforms to the strategic objectives of the World Heritage Convention. This paper discusses the international standard known as ISO 5727 which aims to improve the accessibility of immovable cultural heritage in accordance with a Universal Design approach (UD). ISO 5727, currently under development within the framework of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), is based on the Spanish standard, the UNE 41531 IN, published in 2018. The purpose of the standard is to provide general and technical criteria and a methodology for interventions in immovable cultural heritage to facilitate its use and enjoyment for all people. The standard should be considered in both restoration and rehabilitation projects, as well as in specific accessibility interventions. However, it should be noted that the standard does not cover accessibility measures related to management, like services, and maintenance. Nonetheless, it has been considered that these may be necessary complements or alternatives to the first. To carry out interventions effectively, it is advisable to adhere to a systematic approach towards the process and documentation involved. Firstly, accessibility objectives should be established. Then strategies to improve accessibility should be identified to focus on the purpose of the intervention. An analysis based on the current state of the cultural object, including its heritage values and accessibility conditions, would serve as a basis for establishing proposals for action. Once the options have been assessed jointly and comparatively, with the validation of all stakeholders- including users regardless of their abilities, age, or background- the proposals that can form part of an intervention plan can be decided on. The intervention plan will establish a set of measures that will configure the accessibility chain to meet the objectives of the intervention. ISO 5727 is conceived as a useful tool to enhance the conservation of immovable cultural heritage and to balance the achievement of specific social goals with the preservation of cultural values. This project is developed with the belief that accessibility can improve and expand the cultural and functional potential of cultural heritage.

Thyroid storm in a patient with unknown hyperthyroidism during nonthyroidal surgery—a case report and literature review

BackgroundThyroid storm (TS) is a critical manifestation of hyperthyroidism. In recent years, the risk of perioperative TS is significantly decreased in patients with hyperthyroidism undergoing thyroid surgeries with adequate preoperative preparations. However, those who undergo non-thyroidal operations have higher risk of TS due to easily ignoring the evaluation of thyroid function. The purpose of this case report is to present a patient with TS during nonthyroidal surgery and review similar cases in the literature.Case presentationA middle-aged female who received unilateral total knee arthroplasty under general anesthesia developed refractory tachycardia during the operation and was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism via laboratory tests after surgery. She was suggestive of TS based on the Burch and Wartofsky scoring system and relieved after etiological treatments. She was discharged 10 days after surgery and continued to take antithyroid medication.ConclusionWe recommend that a comprehensive history collection is warranted. The clinical manifestations of TS during operation could be versatile and atypical. Any abnormalities during an operation like abnormal heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, or even the unusual anesthetics needed, should not be ignored. In surgeries with general anesthesia, it is necessary to be cautious about TS with an atypical manifestation of tachycardia. Once suspected, supportive and resuscitative treatment along with antithyroid medication should be promptly initiated.

A hairy giant among dwarves: Trichopelma grande, a distinct new species of tarantula from Cuba (Araneae: Theraphosidae)

ABSTRACT Large size, tropical climate, topographic complexity, and millions of years of isolation have turned the Greater Antillean islands into natural laboratories of evolution. Several groups have experienced explosive diversification across these islands, leading to highly diverse and endemic biotas and species experiencing unique adaptations. Here we describe a new tarantula species from the Viñales area, a biodiversity hotspot in western Cuba. Despite being a middle-sized species with large projected setae on the legs, reminiscent of those in arboreal tarantulas, phylogenomic analysis, diagnostic morphological features, and trap-door retreat building behaviour identifies it as the largest known representative of Trichopelma, and the only one with such hirsute legs. We provide mitochondrial barcoding data and a database of ultraconserved elements loci of the holotype of this species, which will help to include it in future phylogenetic studies of Theraphosidae. Given its limited distribution range, and its apparent absence in natural history collections despite its distinct appearance, this species might be scarce, positioning it as a potential conservation concern. http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:2F9ED7A1-1345-4295-A876-6B617ABF7C75

Two new Gastroptychia Kobelt & Möllendorff, 1900 from Darjeeling and West Khasi Hills, northeastern India (Gastropoda: Cyclophoroidea: Diplommatinidae)

Two new species, namely Gastroptychia geoffreyi sp. nov. and Gastroptychia collicola sp. nov., are described respectively from Darjeeling and West Khasi Hills, northeastern India based on historical collections at the Natural History Museum, London. Gastroptychia collicola sp. nov. is distinguished from sympatric species by the presence of a unique palatal swelling and a palatal lamella, while Gastroptychia geoffreyi sp. nov. is distinguished from sympatric species by its dense ribs. The type specimens of all sympatric sinistral species, namely Gastroptychia insignis (Godwin-Austen, 1870), Gastroptychia gibbosa (W. T. Blanford, 1868), Gastroptychia gibberosa (Godwin-Austen, 1892), and Gastroptychia jaintiaca (Godwin-Austen, 1870), are illustrated for comparison.

Late Pleistocene scaphopod beads from Boodie Cave and deep time traditions of personal ornamentation in northwest Australia

Tubular segments of Scaphopoda (tusk shell) were traditionally used by Aboriginal peoples in the manufacture of ornate bead necklaces across northwest Australia. Twenty-seven scaphopod shell beads were recovered from Boodie Cave on Barrow Island dating to between 13,500 and 10,600 cal BP. We compare the Boodie Cave bead assemblage to historical necklace collections as well as experimental studies on scaphopod blanks to characterise bead manufacture, breakage, use-wear, and placement patterns. Results demonstrate that the Boodie Cave beads are larger than other northwest Australian collections; have been manufactured by an anvil-rested percussion technique; have signs of use-wear in the form of polish and rounding but are less curated than specimens from the inland Kimberley. The use-wear study identified that the Boodie Cave beads were strung in a series in a pattern not observed in historical scaphopod necklaces from northern Australia. This patterning may represent a regional variation in display and technological organisation and was likely part of wider ornamental practices documented in historical sources. In all, the Boodie Cave beads provide early and additional evidence for the trade, wearing, and loss of scaphopod beads by mobile hunter-gathers on a dynamic coastline.

Sharing of data archive of radiation exposure animal experiments in QST/NIRS and IES.

Institute for Radiological Science (NIRS), National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST), and Institute for Environmental Sciences (IES) have conducted large-scale animal experiments for radiation risk analyses in terms of life shortening and cancer prevalence. It is important to store data and biological samples from these large-scale experiments for sharing and future use since the economic and practical limitations, as well as the ethical considerations, make it difficult. QST/NIRS established an archive called the Japan Storehouse of Animal Radiobiology Experiments (J-SHARE) for the purpose of storing and sharing these historic collections. We plan to integrate the data and tissue specimen images obtained at the IES into J-SHARE by standardizing the archive format, with the aim of maximizing the results of radiation biology research. This integration is expected to contribute to the generation of new knowledge for radiation risk assessment and the provision of scientifically based information on radiation protection.

Odd New Spring: Towards Evolving Landscapes and a Reorientation in Design Practice (2024)

"Odd New Spring: Towards Evolving Landscapes and a Reorientation in Design Practice" is an artistic research PhD project that explores methods for designers to engage with local environments, interdisciplinary communities, and professional fields in new ways. The project repositions unwanted plants, specifically Invasive Alien Plant Species, as a foundation for knowledge creation and new local activities. This approach challenges the perception of these plants as strictly agonistic and reframes them in the context of sustainability, production, and resource management. Through the artistic practice, the plants are connected to stories from the past and visions for the future, encouraging reflection on current classifications and relations. The work culminated in the exhibition "Odd New Spring" at the University Museum in Bergen's Natural History Collections. Here, experimental artefacts, storytelling objects, interdisciplinary dialogues, and reflections point towards a new design position. The project envisions the designer as a bridge-builder across disciplines, fostering sustainable practices and coexistence within local landscapes. Supervised by Mette L'orange (architect MNAL and visual artist) and Tim Parry-Williams (Professor of Art: Textiles, KMD). Photo: Odd New Spring 2024, Siren Elise Wilhelmsen

A Speechless Monarch: Early China’s Battle for Intellectual Authority

Abstract Although the earliest political text from early China, namely the Canon of Documents, comprises speeches attributed to ancient kings, for most of the Eastern Zhou period (770–255 BCE) monarchs remained conspicuously silent. This article surveys the instances of the rulers’ speeches in major historical collections and a sample of philosophical texts from the Warring States period. I demonstrate that the rulers’ voice in these texts is overwhelmingly confined to short questions, approval of proposed policies, or other insignificant uttering. I argue that this silence was deliberately built into the texts by their composers, so as to preserve the intellectual authority in the hands of the educated elite. It was only with the imperial unification of 221 BCE and the dramatic change in the balance of power between the emperors and the intellectuals that the royal speech regained its prominence and political importance.

The prevalence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy in a historical epilepsy post-mortem collection.

Previous post-mortem epilepsy series showed phosphorylated tau (pTau) accumulation in relation to traumatic brain injury (TBI) rather than driven by seizure frequency. The Corsellis Epilepsy Collection, established in the mid-20th century, represents brain samples collected from patients living with a range of epilepsies from the 1880s to 1990s. Our aim was to interrogate this historical archive to explore relationships between epilepsy, trauma and tau pathology. AT8 immunohistochemistry for pTau was carried out in 102 cases (55% male, with mean age at death of 62 years) on frontal, temporal, amygdala, hippocampal and lesional cortical regions and evaluated using current NINDS criteria for chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and Braak staging with beta-amyloid, AT8-GFAP and other pTau markers (CP13, PHF1, AT100, AT180) in selected cases. CTE-neuropathologic change (CTE-NC) was identified in 15.7% and was associated with the presence of astroglial tau, a younger age of onset of epilepsy, evidence of TBI and institutionalisation for epilepsy compared to cases without CTE-NC, but not for seizure type or frequency. Memory impairment was noted in 43% of cases with CTE-NC, and a significantly younger age of death; more frequent reports of sudden and unexpected death (p <0.05-0.001) were noted in cases with CTE-NC. In contrast, a higher Braak stage was associated with late-onset epilepsy and cognitive decline. Of note, 9% of cases showed no pTau, including cases with long epilepsy duration, poor seizure control and a history of prior TBI. In summary, this cohort includes patients with more severe and diverse forms of epilepsy, with CTE-NC observed more frequently than reported in non-epilepsy community-based studies (0%-8%) but lower than published series from contact sports participants (32%-87%). Although the literature does not report increased epilepsy occurring in CTE syndrome, our findings support an increased risk of CTE in epilepsy syndromes, likely primarily related to increased TBI.

Considerations in Acquisition of 3D-Printed Art

ABSTRACT 3D printing (also known as Rapid Prototyping or Additive Manufacture) is increasingly common and technically sophisticated, and is utilized in art and design, industry, and consumer applications. Museums and collectors are now acquiring works made using this technology though their preservation needs are not fully understood. This article provides an overview of the technology and related terminology, review of related conservation literature, and introduction to current efforts for the care of these works. Discussion includes the formulation of collaborative working practices, documentation during acquisition, and consideration of periodic reprinting. Case studies include a pre-accession checklist developed at SFMOMA (San Francisco Museum of Modern Art) and the reprinting of select components from Altar/Engine (2015) by Tauba Auerbach at MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) in New York. Though 3D-printed works may be found in science, history, and other collections, this study will focus on works of contemporary art and design.

Unexplained cardiac arrest (idiopathic ventricular fibrillation): clinical and genetic characteristics

AIM: The study was to evaluate the clinical and genetic characteristics of inherited arrhythmias in patients who survived unexplained cardiac arrest. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 20 patients (10 male and 10 female) aged 15 to 55 years (median age 36 [28; 44] years) with documented VT/VF on ECG were observed for 3 years. The clinical and instrumental study included registration of 12-lead ECG, 24-hour Holter ECG, genealogical history collection and family history of sudden cardiac death with ECG assessment of all family members, transthoracic echocardiography, 2D Speckle Tracking echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging to exclude structural myocardial changes. High-throughput sequencing (NGS) was utilized to search for mutations in genes linked to the onset of channelopathies and other inherited rhythm disorders. RESULTS: In 4 (20 %) of the 20 probands included in the study, likely pathogenic variants were identified (pathogenicity class IV), and in 7 (35 %) patients, variants with unknown clinical significance (pathogenicity class III) in 10 genes associated with channelopathies (KCNQ1, KCNH2, SCN5A, AKAP9, ANK2, SCN10А, RYR2) and cardiomyopathies (MYH7, JPH2, RBM20). Several genetic variants were found in 3 cases. No significant genetic changes were detected in 9 (45 %) probands. The clinical diagnosis was established during the follow-up period and was verified due to the genetic testing in 5 (25 %) patients. From their ECGs, a prolonged QTc 460 ms was found in 1 patient, Brugada pattern in 2 individuals, and a shortening of QTc up to 323 ms in 1 proband. Subclinical structural changes associated with cardiomyopathies were revealed in 2 patients. In 15 (75 %) patients, it was unfeasible to establish a distinct clinical phenotype. In 6 (30 %) probands, the diagnosis was clarified due to detected genetic variants. CONCLUSION: Clinical manifestations and diverse genetic variants have been studied in patients who have survived unexplained cardiac arrest. In the course of genotyping patients who suffered unexplained cardiac arrest, genetic changes associated with LQTS were detected in 30 % of cases, while the QTc in most cases did not exceed 440 ms, which makes it difficult to establish a diagnosis at an early stage before the development of life-threatening arrhythmic events. The data from our study confirm the idea that in patients with idiopathic ventricular fibrillation, who have suffered unexplained cardiac arrest, cardiac channelopathy or subclinical manifestations of cardiomyopathy are commonly the cause. This phenomenon imposes a need for genetic testing in this category of patients.

Ensemble automated approaches for producing high‐quality herbarium digital records

AbstractPremiseOne of the slowest steps in digitizing natural history collections is converting labels associated with specimens into a digital data record usable for collections management and research. Here, we address how herbarium specimen labels can be converted into digital data records via extraction into standardized Darwin Core fields.MethodsWe first showcase the development of a rule‐based approach and compare outcomes with a large language model–based approach, in particular ChatGPT4. We next quantified omission and commission error rates across target fields for a set of labels transcribed using optical character recognition (OCR) for both approaches. For example, we find that ChatGPT4 often creates field names that are not Darwin Core compliant while rule‐based approaches often have high commission error rates.ResultsOur results suggest that these approaches each have different strengths and limitations. We therefore developed an ensemble approach that leverages the strengths of each individual method and documented that ensembling strongly reduced overall information extraction errors.DiscussionThis work shows that an ensemble approach has particular value for creating high‐quality digital data records, even for complicated label content. While human validation is still needed to ensure the best possible quality, automated approaches can speed digitization of herbarium specimen labels and are likely to be broadly usable for all natural history collection types.

Barriers to Family History Collection and Family Medical Screening Recommendation in the Sudden Death in the Young Case Registry.

Sudden death in the young (SDY) poses a public health problem affecting thousands of individuals annually in the United States. The SDY Case Registry utilizes existing infrastructure of death investigation programs, including medical examiner/coroner (ME/C) systems, to enhance understanding of SDY causes and risk factors to inform prevention strategies. This includes identifying and promoting screening recommendations for at-risk family members. To explore barriers to family history collection and familial screening recommendation procedures across Registry sites, nine individuals from seven SDY sites were interviewed. Interviews focused on logistics, methods to address barriers, and recommendations for improvements. Despite variability in practices, data analysis revealed three common themes related to barriers of these processes: (1) timing and grief, (2) lack of family history in medical records, and (3) families lost to follow-up. This study offers insights into these processes within the Registry and sheds light on broader practices within the death investigation domain. Data analysis led to recommendations for the improvement of these practices including the prioritization of three key family history questions during the initial death investigation by a designated individual in each office/system.

Playing With the Past: Building an Aztec Paper Warrior Doll

Ritual, war, and tribute were three of the most important aspects of Aztec culture before they were conquered by the Spaniards in 1521. In this paper, I explore the significance behind tributary objects found in the Codex Mendoza&amp;nbsp;by creating a paper Aztec warrior doll. The Codex Mendoza was a collection of 71 folios curated by the Spanish in 1542 that showcased Nahua culture and the Aztec tributary system. Using both the Codex Mendoza and a larger collection of Nahua history in the Florentine Codex, I contextualized my project in the rituals and history of Aztec culture pre-conquest. For my project,&amp;nbsp;I created a fearsome animal helmet to showcase the fear factor used in ritual warrior costumes, emphasizing a feeling of movement seen in Nahua art by using a European volvelle to articulate the helmet's jaw. I further incorporated elements of indigenous “covering” found in illustrations of the Florentine Codex when considering the material of both the helmet and the cotton armor I recreated from the tributary items, using crumpled tissue paper to reflect the “chewed-up” style of paper covering idols of the warrior deity&amp;nbsp;Huitzilopochtli. Referencing Aztec rituals was something I kept in mind throughout my project as I researched the significance of religious war objects like the temiotl (“god” or “sacred forelock”) and&amp;nbsp;ihuiteteyo (design for war shield) on the dominant symbol of the shield. By analyzing Nahua rituals as seen in the Florentine Codex, I was able to explore the significance behind tributary warrior items in the Codex Mendoza and illuminate just how important materiality and ritual were to Aztec warriors.&amp;nbsp;

Voices from La Frontera

Established in 1972, the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) Institute of Oral History (IOH) holds the largest collection of border-related oral histories in the United States. Containing interviews dating back to the 1960s, the collection is particularly strong with themes related to labor, immigration, the Bracero Program, and the Mexican Revolution. This article explores the history of the U.S. Border Patrol as gleaned from UTEP oral histories. El Paso and the Border Patrol have a very long and complicated history. The first officers were stationed in El Paso and the first training academy was there. Today, the presence of the Border Patrol is ubiquitous. Using the collection, we investigate what oral histories can tell us that official government documents cannot. How did Border Patrol officers feel about their work and about the people they encountered trying to enter the United States? How did the day-to-day work of Border Patrol officers change over time while the mission of the agency “to detect and prevent the illegal entry of individuals into the United States” remained the same? The article also sheds light on the response of migrants and immigration advocates to the work of the Border Patrol.

Identification of Individuals With Hereditary Cancer Risk Through Multiple Data Sources: A Population-Based Method Using the GARDE Platform and The Utah Population Database.

The GARDE platform uses family history reported in the electronic health record (EHR) to systematically identify eligible patients for genetic testing for hereditary cancer syndromes. The goal of this study was to evaluate the change in effectiveness of GARDE to identify eligible individuals when more comprehensive family history data are provided, thus quantifying the impact of underdocumentation. A cohort of 133,764 patients at the University of Utah Health was analyzed with GARDE comparing identification rates using EHR data versus EHR plus data from a statewide population database, the Utah Population Database (UPDB). Compared with EHR alone, EHR + UPDB increased the rate of individuals eligible for genetic testing from 4.1% to 9.2%. In the 44,692 individuals with the most comprehensive family history, eligibility more than quadrupled from 4.6% (EHR alone) to 19.3% (EHR + UPDB). The increase was significant across all demographics, but disparities still remained for historically marginalized minorities (9.2%-13.9% in non-White races compared with 19.7% in White races). Augmenting EHR data with family history data from the UPDB substantially improved the detection of individuals eligible for genetic testing of hereditary cancer syndromes in all subgroups. This underscores the importance of improving methods for acquiring family history, in person or in silico. However, these increases did not ameliorate disparities. Continuous disparities are unlikely to be explained by incomplete family history alone and may also be because susceptibility genes, risk variants, and screening guidelines were discovered and developed largely in White races. Addressing disparities will require intentional data collection of family history in historically marginalized minorities and the promotion of genetic and risk assessment studies in more diverse populations to ensure equity and health care.