cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Introduction to States of Dependency: Welfare, Rights, and American Governance, 1935-1972

States of Dependency provides a new account of welfare law and policy in the twentieth-century United States, and through it, a revised portrait of modern American governance. The book begins amid the Great Depression, with the insertion of federal money and federal rules into what had been a highly decentralized system of poor relief. Reformers hoped to use federal funds to “modernize” that system – to make it more bureaucratic, centralized, expert-driven, and uniform. Drawing on original archival research, States of Dependency traces the fate of these efforts. The book analyzes federal administrators’ encounters with traditions of localism, federalism, and hostility toward the “undeserving poor.” It also links these encounters to particular tactics, such as the mobilization of rights language and the use of strategic litigation. The result, four decades later, was a more legalistic and federalized public welfare apparatus, as well an expanded definition of national citizenship, but also a system of governance that sanctioned and perpetuated vast inequalities.
Bridge Work and Seating Charts: A Study of Luke’s Ethics of Wealth, Poverty, and Reversal

This article examines ethical issues in the Gospel of Luke related to status reversal and the proper use of wealth and other resources in the reign of God. It first examines the social hierarchy an...
Seasonal Life History of the Walnut Husk Fly and Husk Maggot in Missouri

The life histories of the walnut husk maggot, Rhagoletis suavis , and the walnut husk fly, R. completa , were determined between 1973–75 for Missouri. Emphasis was placed on the use of various trapping techniques for adult flies. The Zoecon “Pherocon AM Insect Traps” were most successful. The peak emergence period for both species is mid- to late Sept. The larvae overwinter in the 2.54–5.08 cm layer of soil. Some overwinter for more than 1 year.
Relationship of Penicillin to Sulfonamide Action

SummaryUnder the experimental conditions used there was no evidence of a synergistic action between sulfadiazine or sulfa-pyridine and penicillin. Para-aminobenzoic acid did not increase the titer of penicillin although it does increase its rate of action.
Simultaneous determination of dichloroethane and trichloromethane in air of workplace

Objective To establish a solvent desorption and gas chromatographic method for the simultaneous determination of dichloroethane and trichloromethane in the air of workplace.Methods This method was based on the"Standardization of Determination Method for Toxic Substances in Workplace Air".Results The average RSD of this method was below 5.0%,the lowest detection limit of the method was 6.8 mg/m3,dichloroethane and trichloromethane in the air of workplaces could be determinated simultaneously and both desorption efficiencies were above 86.3%.Conclusions The results showed that this method has already met all the neccessary requirements of the"Standardization of Determination Method for Toxic Substances in Workplace Air",and refers to the application of the simultaneous determination of dichloroethane and trichloromethane in air of workplace.
The role of non-pharmacologic approaches in the management of fibromyalgia.

The optimal management of fibromyalgia (FM) is comprised of both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic approaches. This multidimensional approach is preferred given that FM is not only a pain condition, but involves a number of other symptoms as is reflected in the new clinical criteria being developed by Wolfe and colleagues. Proper management of FM should be informed through multidimensional assessment of the clinically relevant domains described previously in this supplement. Pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic approaches work together to provide the broadest possible coverage of these domains, minimize the impact of each domain on functioning and well-being, and facilitate long-term adaptations to one's lifestyle.The use of nonpharmacologic strategies in the management of FM has varying levels of evidence. The strongest evidence currently exists for aerobic exercise, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), and for patient education or self-management. Moderate evidence exists for strength training, acupuncture, hypnotherapy, and biofeedback modalities. Weaker evidence exists for manual massage therapy. Currently, there is no evidence of long-term benefit for tender point injections or flexibility exercise modalities, although these options may be beneficial in the short term. This article will focus on the three areas that have the strongest evidence base: patient education, exercise, and CBT.Educational programs are typically offered in the context of primary care or in specialty practices. In their simplest form, these programs try to dispel myths about FM and provide patients with the most up-to-date knowledge about the condition.
6 – Ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) in joint replacement

Publisher Summary This chapter presents that ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) has been the material of choice for the polymeric component in total joint replacements primarily because of its excellent combination of wear resistance, structural strength and biocompatibility and remains the gold standard thus far. The wear of UHMWPE prostheses produces billions of sub micron particles annually, which may cause a foreign-body response, leading to extensive bone resorption and gross loosening of the implants. UHMWPE wear is of particular concern for young or active patients who may face one or more revisions with accumulative bone loss in their lifetime. Thus, improving the wear resistance of UHMWPE and thereby reducing the volume of wear particles released to the periarticular tissues should reduce the adverse biological responses and substantially extend the clinical lifespan of total joint replacements. It covers the structure and morphology of UHMWPE, processing, which is fabrication and sterilization, properties, and methods of cross-linking to improve the wear resistance of UHMWPE. Clinical studies on new cross-linked UHMWPE are also discussed in it. Short-term clinical follow-up indicated that the new cross-linked UHMWPEs show a substantial improvement in wear resistance over that of conventional UHMWPE. It is encouraging because with the use of new cross-linked UHMWPEs, the osteolysis induced by UHMWPE wear particles essentially might be eliminated, substantially extending the lifespan of implants.
Phosphate Ions Affect the Water Structure at Functionalized Membrane Surfaces

Antifouling surfaces improve function, efficiency, and safety in products such as water filtration membranes, marine vehicle coatings, and medical implants by resisting protein and biofilm adhesion. Understanding the role of water structure at these materials in preventing protein adhesion and biofilm formation is critical to designing more effective coatings. Such fouling experiments are typically performed under biological conditions using isotonic aqueous buffers. Previous studies have explored the structure of pure water at a few different antifouling surfaces, but the effect of electrolytes and ionic strength (I) on the water structure at antifouling surfaces is not well studied. Here sum frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopy is used to characterize the interfacial water structure at poly(ether sulfone) (PES) and two surface-modified PES films in contact with 0.01 M phosphate buffer with high and low salt (Ionic strength, I= 0.166 and 0.025 M, respectively). Unmodified PES, commonly used as a filtr...
Alternate text types and student outcomes: an experiment comparing traditional textbooks and more epistemologically considerate texts

ABSTRACTInscriptions and texts are central to the practice of science and determining how science ideas are presented in high school biology classrooms. Traditional textbooks have been criticised for their expository nature, their difficult lexical structure, and for their lack of evidence to support claims. Recent frameworks for science education in the United States emphasise the need for students to engage texts that better reflect the scientific enterprise. This study uses a randomised experiment to compare high school student outcomes – interest, comprehension, and learning – when reading traditional biology text accounts and when reading more epistemologically considerate (EC) accounts that provide developmentally appropriate narratives of scientific experiments, including data and evidence for claims made within the texts. Results indicate that students in the two conditions may not differ in their interest in or comprehension of the texts, but that students reading the more EC texts show some high...
“A Fantasy of Untouchable Fullness”: Melancholia and Resistance to Educational Transformation

The progressive language of growth and development that informs our shared ideal of the educated subject also informs the curricular structure of schooling, in which new learning builds upon established knowledge and students' development depends upon their desire to take on those identities associated with various achievements of knowledge. Each re-creation of the student's identity requires a new production of the student's former identity as an uneducated self — a negative statement of the self-overcome, fashioned in the language of the curriculum. But what of those objects of attachment or aspects of the child's identity that can neither be integrated in the student's educated identity nor accounted for as a recognizable lost object of childhood? In this essay James Stillwaggon argues that considering the student subject in terms of its melancholic attachments offers some alternatives to thinking of student identity primarily in terms of its progressive learning function. Julia Kristeva's treatment of melancholia as “asymbolia,” or against the representational function of language, is especially significant to this discussion, as it highlights the melancholic's resistance to the most basic educational purpose, namely the further engagement of the subject in language.
Fabrication and characterization of electrospun polycaprolactone and gelatin composite cuffs for tissue engineered blood vessels

Sewing cuffs incorporated within tissue-engineered blood vessels (TEBVs) enable graft anastomosis in vivo, and secure TEBVs to bioreactors in vitro. Alternative approaches to cuff design are required to achieve cuff integration with scaffold-free TEBVs during tissue maturation. To create porous materials that promote tissue integration, we used electrospinning to fabricate cuffs from polycaprolactone (PCL), PCL blended with gelatin, and PCL coated with gelatin, and evaluated cuff mechanical properties, porosity, and cellular attachment and infiltration. Gelatin blending significantly decreased cuff ultimate tensile stress and failure strain over PCL alone, but no significant differences were observed in elastic modulus or failure load. Interestingly, gelatin incorporation by blending or coating did not produce significant differences in cellular attachment or pore size. We then created tissue tubes by fusing self-assembled smooth muscle cell rings together with electrospun cuffs on either end. After 7 days, rings and cuffs fused seamlessly, and the resulting tubes were harvested for pull-to-failure tests to measure the strength of cuff-tissue integration. Tubes with gelatin-coated PCL cuffs failed more frequently at the cuff-tissue interface compared to PCL and PCL:gelatin blended groups. This work demonstrates that electrospun cuffs integrated successfully with scaffold-free TEBVs, and that the addition of gelatin did not significantly improve cuff integration over PCL alone for this application. Electrospun cuffs may aid cannulation for dynamic culture and testing of tubular constructs during engineered tissue maturation. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 106B: 817-826, 2018.
Multi-mJ energy extraction using Yb-fiber based coherent pulse stacking amplification of fs pulses (Conference Presentation)

We report multi-mJ energy (>5mJ) extraction from femtosecond-pulse Yb-doped fiber CPA using coherent pulse stacking amplification (CPSA) technique. This high energy extraction has been enabled by amplifying 10’s of nanosecond long pulse sequence, and by using 85-µm core Yb-doped CCC fiber based power amplification stage. The CPSA system consists of 1-GHz repetition rate mode-locked fiber oscillator, followed by a pair of fast phase and amplitude electro-optic modulators, a diffraction-grating based pulse stretcher, a fiber amplifier chain, a GTI-cavity based pulse stacker, and a diffraction grating pulse compressor. Electro-optic modulators are used to carve out from the 1-GHz mode-locked pulse train an amplitude and phase modulated pulse burst, which after stretching and amplification, becomes equal-amplitude pulse burst consisting of 27 stretched pulses, each approximately 1-ns long. Initial pulse-burst shaping accounts for the strong amplifier saturation effects, so that it is compensated at the power amplifier output. This 27-pulse burst is then coherently stacked into a single pulse using a multiplexed sequence of 5 GTI cavities. The compact-footprint 4+1 multiplexed pulse stacker consists of 4 cavities having rountrip of 1 ns, and one Herriott-cell folded cavity - with 9ns roundtrip. After stacking, stretched pulses are compressed down to the bandwidth-limited ~300 fs duration using a standard diffraction-grating pulse compressor.
5' nucleotidase and adenosine during retinal vasculogenesis and oxygen- induced retinopathy

PURPOSE. 5' nucleotidase (5'N) is a major source of the vasogenic substance adenosine in most tissues. The distribution and relative levels of 5'N and adenosine were examined in neonatal dog inner retina during normal vasculogenesis and oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR). METHODS. Animals ranging in age from 1 to 22 days of age were used in this study. Adenosine immunolocalization was performed on frozen sections with an antibody against adenosine conjugated to laevulinic acid using a streptavidin peroxidase technique. Triplicate room air control animals at different postnatal ages and triplicate oxygen-treated animals at different time points during or after hyperoxic insult were analyzed. Adenosine immunorcactivity (AI) and 5'N enzyme histochemical reaction product were quantified using microdensitometry. Adjacent sections were incubated for von Willebrand factor to label blood vessels. RESULTS. During normal vasculogenesis, Al was most prominent within the inner retina. The peak of immunoreactivity was located at the border of vascularized retina throughout the period of primary retinal vasculogenesis (1-15 days of age). At 22 days when vasculogenesis was complete, AI decreased within the inner retina. The highest 5'N activity was localized to inner Muller cell processes in inner retina and decreased after vasculogenesis was complete. In animals killed after 4 days of oxygen breathing, the vaso-obliterative stage of OIR, AI and 5'N activity were reduced throughout the retina. During the vasoproliferative stage, AI was markedly elevated at the edge of reforming vasculature as well as throughout the more posterior inner retina where 5'N activity also was elevated. AI was also in intravitreal neovascularization. CONCLUSIONS. Peak adenosine levels in the inner retina correlated temporally with active vasculogenesis. Adenosine and 5'N levels were reduced in hyperoxia and then returned to above normal levels during the vasoproliferative stage of OIR.
Radiation-Shielding Properties of Foam-Surrogate Heterogeneous Slabs of Stainless Steel, Aluminum, and Polyethylene

This research investigates the effect of heterogeneity in slabs of aluminum, stainless steel, and polyethylene on photon and neutron transmission. This work considers whether novel, heterogeneous c...
Strategic Organization from Spontaneous Anger: The First 48 Hours of the Ferguson Shooting

The fatal August 9, 2014 officer-involved shooting of a black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri, USA sparked a series of local protests. These protests ultimately culminated in the Black Lives Matter ...
Orientation to the Operating Room: An Introduction to the Surgery Clerkship for Third-Year Medical Students.

Introduction The operating room is a complex environment in which individual team members perform specific tasks according to their role. A simulation activity was created to introduce medical stud...
Validation of eye-tracking measures of social attention as a potential biomarker for autism clinical trials.

Social communication impairments are a core feature of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and this class of symptoms is a target for treatments for the disorder. Measures of social attention, assessed via eye-gaze tracking (EGT), have been proposed as an early efficacy biomarker for clinical trials targeting social communication skills. EGT measures have been shown to differentiate children with ASD from typical children; however, there is less known about their relationships with social communication outcome measures that are typically used in ASD clinical trials. In the present study, an EGT task involving viewing a videotape of an actor making bids for a child's attention was evaluated in 25 children with ASD aged 24-72 months. Children's attention to the actor during the dyadic bid condition measured via EGT was found to be strongly associated with five well-validated caregiver-reported outcome measures that are commonly used to assess social communication in clinical trials. These results highlight the convergent validity of EGT measures of social attention in relation to caregiver-reported clinical measures. EGT holds promise as a non-invasive, quantitative, and objective biomarker that is associated with social communication abilities in children with ASD. Autism Res 2018, 11: 166-174. © 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY Eye-gaze tracking (EGT), an automated tool that tracks eye-gaze patterns, might help measure outcomes in clinical trials investigating interventions to treat autism spectrum disorders. In this study, an EGT task was evaluated in children with ASD, who watched a video with an actor talking directly to them. Patterns of eye-gaze were associated with caregiver-reported measures of social communication that are used in clinical trials. We show EGT may be a promising objective tool measuring outcomes.
The Impact of Civil Gang Injunctions on Networked Violence Between the Bloods and the Crips

Comparing the centrality of gangs and changing structure in attack behavior, this study examines the effects of civil gang injunctions (CGIs) on violence involving 23 gangs (seven Bloods and 16 Cri...
Concurrent Participation in Federally-Funded Welfare Programs and Empowerment Toward Economic Self-Sufficiency

This research examined the impact of participation in federal means-tested welfare programs on the attainment and maintenance of economic self-sufficiency. Using the Survey of Income and Program Pa...
Context Dependence of Biological Circuits

It has been an ongoing scientific debate whether biological parameters are conserved across experimental setups with different media, pH values, and other experimental conditions. Our work explores this question using Bayesian probability as a rigorous framework to assess the biological context of parameters in a model of the cell growth controller in You et al. When this growth controller is uninduced, the E. coli cell population grows to carrying capacity; however, when the circuit is induced, the cell population growth is regulated to remain well below carrying capacity. This growth control controller regulates the E. coli cell population by cell to cell communication using the signaling molecule AHL and by cell death using the bacterial toxin CcdB. To evaluate the context dependence of parameters such as the cell growth rate, the carrying capacity, the AHL degradation rate, the leakiness of AHL, the leakiness of toxin CcdB, and the IPTG induction factor, we collect experimental data from the growth control circuit in two different media, at two different pH values, and with several induction levels. We define a set of possible context dependencies that describe how these parameters may differ with the experimental conditions and we develop mathematical models of the growth controller across the different experimental contexts. We then determine whether these parameters are shared across experimental contexts or whether they are context dependent. For each of these possible context dependencies, we use Bayesian inference to assess its plausibility and to estimate the parameters of the growth controller. Ultimately, we find that there is significant experimental context dependence in this circuit. Moreover, we also find that the estimated parameter values are sensitive to our assumption of a context relationship.
Partitioning Relationships for Chlorinated Organics Between Water and Particulates in the St. Clair, Detroit and Niagara Rivers

The suspended sediment/water partition coefficients have been measured for 19 chlorinated organics in 25 samples from the St. Clair, Detroit and Niagara Rivers. An excellent linear correlation (r2 = 0.87) between the organic-carbon corrected partition coefficient (KOC) and the octanol/water partition coefficient (KOW) was found (log KOC = 0.76 log KOC + 1.66). Using this equation plus another equation developed in this paper it is shown that the percentage of chemical in the “dissolved” and “particulate” phases in the study rivers could be estimated from a chemical’s Kow to within a factor of two. The paper also discusses the time required for equilibrium to be achieved between the “dissolved” and “particulate” phases, and the potential importance of biota such as algae in the partitioning process.
Criminal Commitment Contingency Structures

Approximately 5 years ago, while conducting an empirical inquiry into the administration of psychiatric justice in Arizona, we learned, from an interview with a superior court judge, of the following interesting incident: A criminal defendent in a rural county had been committed to the Arizona State Hospital as incompetent to stand trial (IST). After the defendant had been confined as IST for a few months, the superior court judge was visited by the County Board of Supervisors, who successfully urged the judge to dismiss the criminal charges and to recommit the patient pursuant to the civil commitment process.
Intrarenal Pheochromocytoma: Report of a Case

To our knowledge the first case of an intrarenal pheochromocytoma is reported. It is important to realize that an intrarenal or apparent intrarenal mass in a hypertensive patient might be a pheochromocytoma so that appropriate precautions can be taken.
Primary biliary cholangitis: Diagnosis and treatment

Abstract Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is an autoimmune disease that causes progressive destruction of the intrahepatic bile ducts. Although the pathogenesis of PBC is not completely understood, it is characterized by cholestatic inflammation resulting in a spectrum of cholangitis, varying degrees of fibrosis, and, potentially, cirrhosis. PBC affects all races; however, there have been few clinical studies of the disease in Asian countries, particularly in Southeast Asia, suggesting that PBC may be underreported in the Asian population. Here, we review the epidemiology, natural history, predictive and diagnostic features, and current and emerging treatments for PBC. Our goal is also to highlight current studies from Asian countries to provide a better understanding of PBC in this patient population.
The robotic era of radical prostatectomy: A retrospective analysis of patient characteristics in contemporary robotic and open prostatectomy

e16061 Background: As new treatment options become available without being tested in randomized controlled trials, trends in the patient populations receiving these novel therapies often emerge pri...
Development of hypophysiotropic neuron abnormalities in GH- and PRL-deficient dwarf mice.

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the development of hypophysiotropic neuron abnormalities in growth hormone (GH)- and prolactin (PRL)-deficient dwarf mice. Early developmental excess of somatostatin (SRIH) might account for GH deficit in Snell dwarfs, but the treatment of normal mice with SRIH failed to support the hypothesis. The elucidation of a pituitary-specific transcription factor mutation in the Snell dwarf confirms the primary pituitary mutation site in that strain. The initial normal differential progress of hypophysiotropic dopamine (DA), SRIH, and GH-releasing hormone neurons, followed by eventual regression, suggests that the hypothalamus of dwarf mice is genetically normal. Attempts to stimulate hypothalamic DA neurons by treatment with PRL in adult dwarf mice have led to only meager restoration in DA and TH. Morgan's results suggest that the adult dwarf hypothalamus has become refractory to pituitary hormone feedback. These observations indicate that alterations in both mRNA and peptide expression of hypothalamic hypophysiotropic factors in dwarf mice are a gradual developmental response to the primary absence of pituitary PRL and GH.
Large amplitude oscillatory shear: Simple to describe, hard to interpret

The response of a material to a periodic, large strain manifests the internal mechanisms by which the substance relieves stress. But Nature does not readily reveal her tricks.
Plant community dynamics following hazardous fuel treatments and mega-wildfire in a warm-dry mixed-conifer forest of the USA

Abstract The greater than 200,000 ha Wallow Fire of May-July 2011 burned through mixed-conifer and ponderosa pine forests in Arizona and New Mexico in the southwestern U.S. This “mega-fire” set the stage for an opportunistic study to examine understory plant community responses to pre-fire fuel reduction treatments in areas dominated by dry mixed-conifer forests. In 2016, five years after the fire, we remeasured nine pairs of treated and untreated sites that were installed in 2012 and compared understory characteristics including species cover, richness and community composition. Native plant cover was significantly higher (20% total cover) in areas that were treated for fuel reduction before the fire compared with untreated areas (17% cover), despite the variability in fire severity and tree mortality. Non-native plant cover was not significantly different between treated and untreated units. Herbaceous understory cover was negatively correlated (p
Malignant Bone Tumors of the Knee: How to Identify and Treat

Malignant bone tumors are rare conditions that may be encountered by nononcologic surgeons only a few times in their careers, but a delay in diagnosis or a misinterpretation of data can have limb and life-threatening consequences. Prior literature suggests that unplanned resection of sarcoma was associated with an increased risk of local recurrence, decreased 10-year survival, and increased amputation rate compared with planned resection. In addition to patient morbidity, missed diagnoses and unplanned excisions of malignant tumors lead to increased cost of treatment and higher likelihood of subsequent medicolegal action. According to the American Cancer Society, the 5-year survival of all combined cases of malignant bone tumors is approximately 70%. However, the survival rate of each type of malignant bone tumor varies, with multiple myeloma survival rates being much lower and lymphoma somewhat higher. These rates depend on many factors including grade, stage, and chemotherapy response. For example, the 10-year survival of localized osteosarcoma is almost 70%, yet rapidly declines to 20 to 30% in patients with metastases. This further emphasizes the elevated importance of prompt recognition and treatment of malignant bone tumors.
Weighted-Ball Velocity Enhancement Programs for Baseball Pitchers: A Systematic Review

Background:Weighted-implement training utilizing over- or underweight baseballs has increased in popularity at all levels in competitive baseball. However, there is no consensus on the efficacy or ...
Mii: An Automated Search Engine for Environment Modules

The use of environment modules in HPC systems is rapidly gaining traction due to the increasing complexity of managing research software. While environment modules improve organization for administrators, they can be unfriendly to end-users, especially those less familiar in UNIX-like shell environments. I created a search engine for modules that allows users to query available modules by the names of the commands they provide. Furthermore, I wrote integrations for the popular shells bash and zsh that completely automate the searching and the loading process.
Retinal Nerve Fibre Layer Thickness Increases with Decreasing Spectralis OCT Signal Strength in Normal Eyes

We sought to determine effect of signal strength on mean retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) using Spectralis optical coherence tomography (S-OCT). Thirty normal subjects (18 female, mean 37.9 years, range 24-61) were imaged with S-OCT using variably dense Bangerter foils to alter Q value (1 unit signal strength = 4 units Q). We found a statistically significant (p < 0.01) linear relationship (R = 0.8643) between Q and RNFL (1 unit decrease Q = 0.181 um mean RNFL increase). Unlike previous observations of Cirrus and Stratus OCT, we found RNFL thickness does not decrease with decreasing signal strength in S-OCT.
Photoaffinity probes for nematode pheromone receptor identification

Identification of pheromone receptors plays a central role for uncovering signaling pathways that underlie chemical communication in animals. Here, we describe the synthesis and bioactivity of photoaffinity probes for the ascaroside ascr#8, a sex-pheromone of the model nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans. Structure-activity studies guided incorporation of alkyne- and diazirine-moieties and revealed that addition of functionality in the sidechain of ascr#8 was well tolerated, whereas modifications to the ascarylose moiety resulted in loss of biological activity. Our study will guide future probe design and provides a basis for pheromone receptor identification via photoaffinity labeling in C. elegans.
Machine Learning Models to Predict Multiclass Protein Classifications

This paper investigates three machine learning models and a comparison was conducted using different performance measures to determine which algorithm would effectively predict protein classifications based on residue count, structure of molecular weight, and protein sequences. Decision Trees, Random Forests and Extra Trees models are applied on a structural protein sequences dataset. This dataset also contains other features for extraction methods and details on protein structures. Based on the experiments that were conducted on these models, it was demonstrated that Extra Trees model had comparable results but marginally better than the Decision Trees and Random Forests models.
Chapter 19 – Circulatory Arrest

The need for circulatory arrest during surgical clipping of intracranial aneurysms is uncommon given the recent advances in endovascular options and microsurgical techniques. However, intracranial aneurysms that are large, that are located in the posterior circulation, or that have failed conventional therapy may warrant a highly selective patient group to undergo circulatory arrest as the best and possibly only surgical option. Circulatory arrest permits decompression of the aneurysm, allows appropriate corridors during dissection, and facilitates definitive surgical clipping in patients who might not otherwise be candidates for conventional surgical management. While circulatory arrest, and the methods used to achieve it, is complicated and associated with high morbidity and mortality, for some patients the risk of the procedure is favorable to the natural history of large and complicated intracranial aneurysms. This chapter outlines deep hypothermic and adenosine-induced circulatory arrest methodology and their associated anesthesia management.
COVID-19-Related Home Confinement in Adults: Weight Gain Risks and Opportunities.

As the global COVID‐19 pandemic unfolds, over 90% of U.S. adult residents are confined to their homes, with restaurants, shops, schools, and workplaces shut down to prevent disease spread. While it is a priority to mitigate the immediate impact, one area of great concern is the long‐term effects of this pandemic on weight management in adults. As evident from previous research, small changes in body weight in relatively short time periods can become permanent and lead to substantial weight gain over time(1). Considering that the current situation could last a total of several months, this extended home confinement could exacerbate the problem of obesity in adults by substantially contributing to or exceeding annual weight gain.
Scale-free vertical tracking microscopy.

The behavior and microscale processes associated with freely suspended organisms, along with sinking particles underlie key ecological processes in the ocean. Mechanistically studying such multiscale processes in the laboratory presents a considerable challenge for microscopy: how to measure single cells at microscale resolution, while allowing them to freely move hundreds of meters in the vertical direction? Here we present a solution in the form of a scale-free, vertical tracking microscope, based on a ‘hydrodynamic treadmill’ with no bounds for motion along the axis of gravity. Using this method to bridge spatial scales, we assembled a multiscale behavioral dataset of nonadherent planktonic cells and organisms. Furthermore, we demonstrate a ‘virtual-reality system for single cells’, wherein cell behavior directly controls its ambient environmental parameters, enabling quantitative behavioral assays. Our method and results exemplify a new paradigm of multiscale measurement, wherein one can observe and probe macroscale and ecologically relevant phenomena at microscale resolution. Beyond the marine context, we foresee that our method will allow biological measurements of cells and organisms in a suspended state by freeing them from the confines of the coverslip. Scale-free vertical tracking microscopy based on a ‘hydrodynamic treadmill’ enables measuring long-range movements of freely suspended organisms with high spatiotemporal resolution.
Issues Arising Upon the Death of the Sole Member of a Single-Member LLC

Sole entrepreneurs overwhelmingly choose the single-member limited liability company (SMLLC) as the business entity for their operations. Consequently, simplicity of formation and operation of SMLLCs is highly desirable, both to facilitate entrepreneurship and to acknowledge that costs, lack of knowledge, bad advice, or a combination of them very often will cause sole entrepreneurs to forego professionally drafted documents and accept default SMLLC rules in the jurisdiction of formation.The death of the sole member is always an anticipated, indeed inevitable, occurrence, so one would expect that the default statutory rules and the widely available forms for SMLLCs would address this eventuality adequately. Unfortunately, that is not the case. In this Article, we address how SMLLC organizational documents should always address the death of the sole member of an SMLLC, and we conclude that a provision for the nonprobate transfer on death of the sole member’s interest should be included. We also address the federal tax consequences of death-time transfers of SMLLC interests, and we uncover a thorny conflict between federal income taxes, which disregard the entity, and federal transfer taxes, which regard the entity.
Victims or Burdens?: Angolan Refugees and Humanitarian Aid Organizations in the Democratic Republic of Congo, 1961-1963

The onset of the Angolan war of independence in 1961 set off a humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo. By the summer of 1962, the number of Angolans refugees rose to nearly 150,000...
"Watching the tsunami come": A case study of female healthcare provider experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic

As health systems rapidly respond to COVID-19, it is unclear how these changes influence the experiences and well-being of female healthcare providers (FHCPs), including the potential for FHCPs to develop compassion fatigue and secondary traumatic stress. We conducted qualitative interviews (n = 15) with FHCPs at three locations (Washington, California, and New York). Interviews explored FHCP's perspectives on how care delivery changed, processes of information delivery and decision-making, gender inclusion, and approaches to managing stress and well-being. An inductive coding process was used to generate themes. FHCPs described significant changes to the way they delivered care, and their work environments, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Five themes emerged that characterized the experiences of FHCPs during COVID-19, including conflicting feelings while providing care, managing information and decisions, balancing roles, coping and well-being, and considerations for moving forward. FHCPs experienced many impacts to their professional and personal lives during COVID-19 that further complicated their ability to manage stress and well-being. The themes identified through this work offer important lessons about how to support the well-being of FHCPs and signify the widespread potential for compassion fatigue among FHCPs as a result of COVID-19.
Plant-Based Milk Alternatives and Risk Factors for Kidney Stones and Chronic Kidney Disease

Objective Patients with kidney stones are counseled to eat a diet low in animal protein, sodium, and oxalate and rich in fruits and vegetables, with a modest amount of calcium, usually from dairy products. Restriction of sodium, potassium, and oxalate may also be recommended in patients with chronic kidney disease. Recently, plant-based diets have gained popularity owing to health, environmental, and animal welfare considerations. Our objective was to compare concentrations of ingredients important for kidney stones and chronic kidney disease in popular brands of milk alternatives. Design and Methods Sodium, calcium, and potassium contents were obtained from nutrition labels. The oxalate content was measured by ion chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Results The calcium content is highest in macadamia followed by soy, almond, rice, and dairy milk; it is lowest in cashew, hazelnut, and coconut milk. Almond milk has the highest oxalate concentration, followed by cashew, hazelnut, and soy. Coconut and flax milk have undetectable oxalate levels; coconut milk also has comparatively low sodium, calcium, and potassium, while flax milk has the most sodium. Overall, oat milk has the most similar parameters to dairy milk (moderate calcium, potassium and sodium with low oxalate). Rice, macadamia, and soy milk also have similar parameters to dairy milk. Conclusion As consumption of plant-based dairy substitutes increases, it is important for healthcare providers and patients with renal conditions to be aware of their nutritional composition. Oat, macadamia, rice, and soy milk compare favorably in terms of kidney stone risk factors with dairy milk, whereas almond and cashew milk have more potential stone risk factors. Coconut milk may be a favorable dairy substitute for patients with chronic kidney disease based on low potassium, sodium, and oxalate. Further study is warranted to determine the effect of plant-based milk alternatives on urine chemistry.
Negative Complexity of Formation: the Compact Dimensions Strike Back

We show that the vacuum-subtracted maximal volume, the proposed holographic dual to complexity of formation, can be negative when contributions from compact directions are included. We construct explicit solutions with arbitrarily negative complexity of formation in asymptotically AdS$_{4}\times S^{7}$ SUGRA. These examples rely critically on the compact directions, specifically the fact that the full eleven-dimensional spacetime is not asymptotically AdS$_{11}$. While there is some ambiguity in the extension of the holographic complexity proposal to the compact directions, we show that the two natural candidates can both have arbitrarily negative complexity of formation in SUGRA solutions. We further find examples in which complexity can even decrease at late times, including cases of both single-sided geometries and two-sided wormholes. In particular, we construct a cosmological wormhole with simultaneously negative and decreasing complexity of formation (as computed by volume) at late times. We find a distinguished role for relevant primaries in these constructions and comment on possible interpretations.
The Impact of Calorie Restriction on Mammary Cancer Development in an Experimental Model

Epidemiological evidence from different countries worldwide has suggested a positive association between the availability of fat in the diet and variations in breast cancer mortality rate (Goodwin and Boyd 1987; Schatzkin et al. 1989; Prentice et al. 1989). In the human diet, fat and calories are so tightly linked that it is difficult to evaluate these two effects separately. This problem can only be resolved in an experimental model in which the consumption of fat and calories can be individually controlled. Previous studies by Kritchevsky and coworkers (1984) suggested that caloric intake may be a greater determinant than dietary fat in modulating the development of chemically induced mammary tumorigenesis in rats. A subsequent report from Pariza’s laboratory (Boissonneault et al. 1986) indicated that tumor appearance does not depend on the amount of fat in the diet per se but rather on a complex interaction with respect to energy intake, energy retention, and body size. In a recent review article, Albanes (1987) evaluated the relation between total caloric intake, body weight, and tumorigenesis, as well as the independence of these effects from those of dietary fat, using data from 82 published experiments involving several tumor sites in mice. Multivariate regression analysis showed that, regardless of the level of dietary fat, tumor incidence increases with increasing caloric intake and body weight.
Measurement of Chronic Stress

Chronic stress refers to the perceived and actual negative life conditions that affect a person on a daily or continuing basis, and is found to predict a wide array of debilitating emotional and behavioral states; physiological and medical changes;and neurobiological changes in development, cognition, memory, and information processing. Measures of chronic stress have been developed to cover both perceived and actual experiences, primarily focused on specific domains (e.g., financial concerns, marital or caregiving relationships, discrimination), or on general experiences across multiple roles affecting daily life (e.g., work, marriage, parenting, health).Thisentry describes more commonly used specific or general measures of chronic stress, and discusses psychometric properties of diverse questionnaire and interview assessments.Further study is needed on improving assessment methods, the nature of the content and aspects of chronic stress that are particularly harmful, and biological mechanisms associated with exposure to chronic stress. Keywords: measurement in psychology; psychology of stress; chronic strain; chronic stress; ongoing difficulties; perceived stress; stress
Future Substitutes for Diesel Fuel in U.S. Truck and Railroad Freight Transportation

This paper explains why diesel fuel is the preferred fuel in freight transportation. It identifies possible substitute fuels for motor carriers and railroads that are currently available and under development. It identifies which of these substitutes are likely to be used in the near and medium term years and the circumstances under which they will be used. The paper discusses which fuel efficiency measures have been successfully adopted by railroads and motor carriers. Finally, it suggests opportunities for transportation researchers to evaluate investment options to improve fuel efficiencies in freight transportation.
Evaluating the University of North Texas' Digital Collections and Institutional Repository: An Exploratory Assessment of Stakeholder Perceptions and Use

This article discusses an exploratory assessment evaluating the University of North Texas' digital collections and institutional repository.
Seasonal variation of egg size and number in a Daphnia pulex population

Seasonal variation of egg size and number was examined in a Daphnia pulex population inhabiting a vernal pond. In this population, size at maturity declines at midseason, probably as an adaptive response to size-selective predation by larvae of the salamander Ambystoma. The larger early season individuals produce more and larger eggs than the smaller late season individuals. Age at maturity does not vary between seasons. Laboratory experiments indicate that temperature may affect egg size, egg number and size at maturity. However, field data suggest that temperature accounts for only a small fraction of the total variation in egg size and number. Indirect measures of nutrition indicate that food limitation does not cause the seasonal decline in egg size and number. The seasonal change in reproductive traits is well correlated with changes in invertebrate and vertebrate predation. Examination of predator feeding preferences and their impact on Daphnia mortality indicate that variation of reproductive traits is most likely a complex adaptation to changing predation regimes.
Effects of alcohol on pericardial adhesion formation in hypercholesterolemic swine

Objective Reoperative cardiac surgery is complicated in part because of extensive adhesions encountered during the second operation. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of alcohol with and without resveratrol (red wine vs vodka) on postoperative pericardial adhesion formation in a porcine model of hypercholesterolemia and chronic myocardial ischemia. Methods Male Yorkshire swine were fed a high-cholesterol diet to simulate conditions of coronary artery disease followed by surgical placement of an ameroid constrictor to induce chronic ischemia. Postoperatively, control pigs continued their high-cholesterol diet alone, whereas the 2 experimental groups had diets supplemented with red wine or vodka. Seven weeks after ameroid placement, all animals underwent reoperative sternotomy. Results Compared with controls, pericardial adhesion grade was markedly reduced in the vodka group, whereas there was no difference in the wine group. Intramyocardial fibrosis was significantly reduced in the vodka group compared with controls. There was no difference in expression of proteins involved in focal adhesion formation between any groups (focal adhesion kinase, integrin alpha-5, integrin beta-1, paxillin, vinculin, protein tyrosine kinase 2, protein kinase C e, and phosphorylated protein kinase C e). The wine group exhibited elevated C-reactive protein levels versus the control and vodka groups. Conclusions Postoperative vodka consumption markedly reduced the formation of pericardial adhesions and intramyocardial fibrosis, whereas red wine had no effect. Analysis of protein expression did not reveal any obvious explanation for this phenomenon, suggesting a post-translational effect of alcohol on fibrous tissue deposition. The difference in adhesion formation in the vodka versus wine groups may be due to increased inflammation in the wine group.
Demographic models of birth outcomes and infant mortality: an alternative measurement approach.

Most demographic studies use 2,500 grams of birth weight and 37 weeks of gestation as cutpoints for evaluating the effects of adverse birth outcomes on infant mortality. We propose an alternative strategy, which relies on continuous measures of birth outcomes, identifies an optimal combination of birth weight and gestational age for infant survival, and estimates the effects of adverse birth outcomes in terms of their departure from this “optimal point.” We illustrate the advantages of this approach by estimating a logistic model using data from the 1989–1991 NCHS linked birth/infant death files. Finally, we discuss future applications and methodological issues to be resolved in subsequent research.