Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Use of penile extender device in the treatment of penile curvature as a result of Peyronie's disease. Results of a phase II prospective study.

INTRODUCTION Pilot experiences have suggested that tension forces exerted by a penile extender may reduce penile curvature as a result of Peyronie's disease. AIM To test this hypothesis in a Phase II study using a commonly marketed brand of penile extender. METHODS Peyronie's disease patients with a curvature not exceeding 50 degrees with mild or no erectile dysfunction (ED) were eligible. Fifteen patients were required to test the efficacy of the device assuming an effect size of >0.8, consistent with an "important" reduction in penile curvature. Changes in penile length over baseline and erectile function (EF) domain scores of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) constituted secondary end points. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Patients were counselled on the use of the penile extender for at least 5 hours per day for 6 months. Photographic pictures of the erect penis and measurements were carried out at baseline, at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months (end of study). The IIEF-EF domain scores were administered at baseline and at the end of study. Treatment satisfaction was assessed at end of study using a nonvalidated institutional 5-item questionnaire. RESULTS Penile curvature decreased from an average of 31 degrees to 27 degrees at 6 months without reaching the effect size (P = 0.056). Mean stretched and flaccid penile length increased by 1.3 and 0.83 cm, respectively at 6 months. Results were maintained at 12 months. Overall treatment results were subjectively scored as acceptable in spite of curvature improvements, which varied from "no change" to "mild improvement. " CONCLUSIONS In our study, the use of a penile extender device provided only minimal improvements in penile curvature but a reasonable level of patient satisfaction, probably attributable to increased penile length. The selection of patients with a stabilized disease, a penile curvature not exceeding 50 degrees, and no severe ED may have led to outcomes underestimating the potential efficacy of the treatment.
Cellular Mechanisms of Tissue Fibrosis PKC / midkine pathway drives hypoxia-induced proliferation and differentiation of human lung epithelial cells

Hanying Zhang, Miyako Okamoto, Evgeniy Panzhinskiy, W. Michael Zawada, and Mita Das Department of Animal Sciences, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming; Kawahara Clinic, Tokyo, Japan; Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Department of Geriatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas; and Department of Internal Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas
The Clinical Utilization of Circulating Cell Free DNA (CCFDNA) in Blood of Cancer Patients

Qualitative and quantitative testing of circulating cell free DNA (CCFDNA) can be applied for the management of malignant and benign neoplasms. Detecting circulating DNA in cancer patients may help develop a DNA profile for early stage diagnosis in malignancies. The technical issues of obtaining, using, and analyzing CCFDNA from blood will be discussed.
Local Cerebral Blood Flow Following Transient Cerebral Ischemia: I. Onset of Impaired Reperfusion within the First Hour Following Global Ischemia

Using the hydrogen clearance technique, local cerebral blood flow (LCBF) in 22 dogs was estimated at 6 parietal sites prior to and following 5 min of total global ischemia. Ischemia was immediately followed by an initial reactive hyperemia during which the electrocorticogram (ECoG) usually began to recover, and within the first 30 min, most of the LCBF's decreased to subnormal values. This onset of hypoperfusion was accompanied by a concomitant decrease in ECoG activity. Two animals that maintained normal local perfusion after the initial hyperemia recovered ECoG activity quickly. These results suggest that the subsequent poor reperfusion was caused by an increased microvascular resistance rather than by blood aggregates, increased blood viscosity, or a variety of other mechanisms which have been proposed. Increased vascular tonus was, at least, partly responsible for the increased vascular resistance. This report supports the hypothesis that impaired reperfusion (which occurs some time after an initial hyperemia) may be responsible for ultimate neuronal death, rather than the period of global ischemic hypoxia per se.
USING AN INDIVIDUAL BASED MODEL TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON THE REPRODUCTIVE PHENOLOGY OF EELGRASS (ZOSTERA MARINA L.) ALONG A LATITUDINAL GRADIENT

Title of Thesis: USING AN INDIVIDUAL BASED MODEL TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON THE REPRODUCTIVE PHENOLOGY OF EELGRASS (ZOSTERA MARINA L.) ALONG A LATITUDINAL GRADIENT Jessica Lynn Foley, Master of Science 2017 Thesis Directed By: Associate Professor, Dr. Lora A. Harris Marine-Estuarine-Environmental Sciences I explored the effects of climate change on the reproductive biology of the clonal marine angiosperm Zostera marina L. (eelgrass) using an individual-based model. The model captures whole plant ontogeny, morphology, and ecophysiology from seed to reproductive adult to simulate the plasticity of eelgrass in response to environmental variables. Using a latitudinal gradient as a proxy for climate change, virtual seeding experiments were performed in three locations along the East coast of the United States. I simulated the impacts of increased temperatures on Z. marina’s biomass, reproductive phenology, and life history. Warmer temperatures resulted in a modeled decrease of Z. marina’s total biomass, as well as altered reproductive timing and strategy. These results have implications for long term predictions of Z. marina persistence in its traditional biogeographic range, and indicate adaptation via shifts in phenology and reproductive strategy may interact to dampen some negative consequences of increased temperatures. USING AN INDIVIDUAL BASED MODEL TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON THE REPRODUCTIVE PHENOLOGY OF EELGRASS (ZOSTERA MARINA L.) ALONG A LATITUDINAL GRADIENT
Accounting for Individual Differences in Bradley-Terry Models by Means of Recursive Partitioning

The preference scaling of a group of subjects may not be homogeneous, but different groups of subjects with certain characteristics may show different preference scalings, each of which can be derived from paired comparisons by means of the Bradley-Terry model. Usually, either different models are fit in predefined subsets of the sample or the effects of subject covariates are explicitly specified in a parametric model. In both cases, categorical covariates can be employed directly to distinguish between the different groups, while numeric covariates are typically discretized prior to modeling. Here, a semiparametric approach for recursive partitioning of Bradley-Terry models is introduced as a means for identifying groups of subjects with homogeneous preference scalings in a data-driven way. In this approach, the covariates that—in main effects or interactions—distinguish between groups of subjects with different preference orderings, are detected automatically from the set of candidate covariates. One main advantage of this approach is that sensible partitions in numeric covariates are also detected automatically.
Enhancing the public value of mobile fintech services through cybersecurity awareness antecedents: A novel framework in Jordan

The study aimed to link cybersecurity awareness and its antecedents to discover the level of public value of using mobile financial services from the perspective of ‘citizens in the government context in Jordan. The quantitative approach was customized to serve the purposes of this study. A convenience sampling method was used based on 550 e-survey Jordanians from whom data were collected. A total of 449 responses were used in the analysis process. A structural equation model was specified to evaluate the developed research model. The results revealed that all hypotheses are accepted at less than P&lt;0.001, cybersecurity awareness and predictions of financial services systems play a significant role in determining the use of financial services systems and generating the value of using financial services. Moreover, combining cybersecurity awareness with public value theory is an important approach to measure the performance of government institutions, especially in the financial services industry. Therefore, these results can be used to develop financial services and meet Jordanians’ requirements. Therefore, providing well-understood dimensions that influence the value of microfinance service use among Jordanians is a necessary process that probably ensures long-term sustainability of microfinance services. Finally, future efforts can explore the benefits and challenges of adopting digital transformation technologies in the public sector and financial services. Furthermore, the term government resilience is likely provided new insights to enhance public administration performance based on technology trends. Digital transformation, integrating government flexibility with the existing research model may influence the overall value of Mobile Fintech Services in Jordan.
The Open Calculus of Constructions (Part II): An Equational Type Theory with Dependent Types for Programming, Specification, and Interactive Theorem Proving

The open calculus of constructions integrates key features of Martin-Lof's type theory, the calculus of constructions, membership equational logic, and rewriting logic into a single uniform language. The two key ingredients are dependent function types and conditional rewriting modulo equational theories. We explore the open calculus of constructions as a uniform framework for programming, specification and interactive verification in an equational higher-order style. By having equational logic and rewriting logic as executable sublogics we preserve the advantages of a first-order semantic and logical framework and we provide a foundation for a broad spectrum of applications ranging from what could be called executable mathematics, involving symbolic computations and logical proofs, to software and system engineering applications, involving symbolic execution and analysis of nondeterministic and concurrent systems.
Incidentally Detected Enhancing Breast Lesions on Chest Computed Tomography

Objective To evaluate the nature and imaging appearance of incidental enhancing breast lesions detected on a routine contrast-enhanced chest CT. Materials and Methods Twenty-three patients with incidental enhancing breast lesions on contrast-enhanced chest CT were retrospectively reviewed. The breast lesions were reviewed by unenhanced and enhanced CT, and evaluated by observing the shapes, margins, enhancement patterns and backgrounds of breast lesions. A histopathologic diagnosis or long-term follow-up served as reference standard. Results Sixteen (70%) patients had malignant breast lesions and seven (30%) had benign lesions. In 10 patients, the breast lesions were exclusively detected on contrast-enhanced CT. Using unenhanced CT, breast lesions with fibroglandular backgrounds were prone to be obscured (p < 0.001). Incidental primary breast cancer showed an non-significant trend of a higher percentage irregular margin (p = 0.056). All of the four incidental breast lesions with non-mass-like enhancement were proven to be malignant. Conclusion Routine contrast-enhanced chest CT can reveal sufficient details to allow for the detection of unsuspected breast lesions, in which some cases may be proven as malignant. An irregular margin of incidental enhancing breast lesion can be considered a suggestive sign of malignancy.
Mineral compositional controls on the porosity of black shales from the Wufeng and Longmaxi Formations (Southern Sichuan Basin and its surroundings) and insights into shale diagenesis

The effects of brittle minerals in shale diagenesis on shale pores remain controversial and it is difficult to quantify directly. However, the relationship between brittle minerals and shale pores could provide indirect guidance regarding diagenesis processes in post-mature marine shales. In this study, the pore size distribution was determined, and the relationship between pore volume and shale composition was examined in shale samples with different total organic carbon contents from the Wufeng and Longmaxi Formations, with the objective of distinguishing pore size ranges in organic matter and inorganic minerals, respectively, and studying shale diagenesis. The samples of the Wufeng and Longmaxi shales are composed of clay minerals, calcite, dolomite, quartz, feldspar, and some minor components. The pore size distributions, which were determined using nitrogen adsorption isotherm analysis of shale and kerogen, show similar trends for pore sizes less than approx. 6.5 nm but different trends for larger pore sizes. Mercury injection saturation shows that macropores account for 14.4–22% of the total pore volume. Based on a series of crossplots describing the relationships between shale composition and pore volume or porosity associated with different pore sizes as well as on scanning electron microscopy observations, organic matter pores were found to comprise most of the micro-mesopores (pore diameters < 6.5 nm). Organic matter pores and intraparticle pores associated with carbonate constitute the majority of mesopores (pore diameters 6.5–50 nm). Finally, interparticle pores associated with quartz comprise the majority of the macropores. The mesopores associated with carbonate were formed by dissolution during diagenesis, whereas the macropores associated with quartz are the remainders of the original interparticle pores. Mesopore volumes increase with increasing carbonate content while macropore volumes decrease due to the ‘pore size controlled solubility’ effect, which causes dissolved calcium carbonate to precipitate in larger macropores.
Use of Signals in the Terminal QRS Complex to Identify Patients with Ventricular Tachycardia After Myocardial Infarction

Small, high-frequency electrocardiographic signals were recorded from the body surface in 39 patients with and 27 patients without ventricular tachycardia (VT). All patients were in normal sinus rhythm, had a previous myocardial infarction, were not taking antiarrhythmic drugs, and did not have bundle branch block. Bipolar X, Y, Z leads were signal averaged and processed by a bidirectional digital filter that allowed low-amplitude signals to be detected in the terminal QRS complex and ST segment. The high-pass filter frequency was 25 Hz.Patients with VT had a lower amplitude of high-frequency signal in the late QRS complex. In the last 40 msec of the filtered QRS complex, the patients with VT had 14.9 - 14.4 MV of high-frequency signal; patients without VT had 73.8 ± 47.7 gV (p < 0.0001). Ninety-two percent of the patients with VT had less than 25 pV of high-frequency voltage; only 7% of patients without VT had less than 25 MV (p < 0.0001). Patients with VT had a longer QRS duration than those without VT, 139 ± 26 vs 95 4- 10 msec (p < 0.0001). The QRS duration was longer than 120 msec in 72% of the patients with VT but in none of thepatients without VT (p < 0.0001). In all patients there was no separate and discrete high-frequency signal in the ST segment. Advanced signal processing of the ECG accurately identified the patients in the study with VT after myocardial infarction.
Bargaining within the Supply Chain and Its Implications in an Industry

Our main objective is to investigate the influence of the bargaining power within a chain on its industry. As a building block, we first discuss the implications of bargaining within a single chain by considering an asymmetric Nash bargaining over the wholesale price (BW). We show that both Manufacturer Stackelberg (MS) and vertical integration (VI) strategies are special cases of the BW contract. We then develop the Nash equilibrium in an industry with two supply chains that use BW. We identify the profit-maximizing (coordinating) bargaining power within this industry. We show that when a chain is not monopolistic, VI does not coordinate the chain and that the MS contract, where the manufacturer has all the bargaining power, is coordinating when competition is intense. We find that the main determinant of the equilibrium in mature industries is to respond well to the actions of the competing chain rather than to directly maximize the profit of each chain. That is, the equilibrium does not necessarily maximize the profit of the entire industry. While a coordination of the industry could then increase the profitability of both chains, such a coordination is likely against antitrust law. Moreover, if one chain cannot change its actions, the other chain may unilaterally improve its profitability by deviating from the equilibrium. Our results lead to several predictions supported by empirical findings, such as that in competitive industries chains will work “close to” the MS contract.
Revisiting Plus-Strand DNA Synthesis in Retroviruses and Long Terminal Repeat Retrotransposons: Dynamics of Enzyme: Substrate Interactions

Although polypurine tract (PPT)-primed initiation of plus-strand DNA synthesis in retroviruses and LTR-containing retrotransposons can be accurately duplicated, the molecular details underlying this concerted series of events remain largely unknown. Importantly, the PPT 3′ terminus must be accommodated by ribonuclease H (RNase H) and DNA polymerase catalytic centers situated at either terminus of the cognate reverse transcriptase (RT), and in the case of the HIV-1 enzyme, ∼70Å apart. Communication between RT and the RNA/DNA hybrid therefore appears necessary to promote these events. The crystal structure of the HIV-1 RT/PPT complex, while informative, positions the RNase H active site several bases pairs from the PPT/U3 junction, and thus provides limited information on cleavage specificity. To fill the gap between biochemical and crystallographic approaches, we review a multidisciplinary approach combining chemical probing, mass spectrometry, NMR spectroscopy and single molecule spectroscopy. Our studies also indicate that nonnucleoside RT inhibitors affect enzyme orientation, suggesting initiation of plus-strand DNA synthesis as a potential therapeutic target.
Distinct Expression Levels of ALS, LIP, and SAP Genes in Candida tropicalis with Diverse Virulent Activities

Candia tropicalis is an increasingly important human pathogen, causing nosocomial fungemia among patients with neutropenia or malignancy. However, limited research has been published concerning its pathogenicity. Based on the phenotypes of C. tropicalis in our previous study, we selected nine representative strains with different activities of virulence factors (adhesion, biofilm formation, secreted aspartic proteinases, and hemolysins), and one reference strain, ATCC750. The present study aimed to investigate the filamentation ability, the expression of virulence genes (ALST1-3, LIP1, LIP4, and SAPT1-4) and the cell damage of C. tropicalis strains with diverse virulences. C. tropicalis exhibited strain-dependent filamentation ability, which was positively correlated with biofilm formation. Reverse transcriptase PCR analysis showed that the ALST3 and SAPT3 genes had the highest expression in their corresponding genes for most C. tropicalis. The expressions of virulence genes, except ALST3 on polystyrene, were upregulated compared with growth in the planktonic and on human urinary bladder epithelial cell line (TCC-SUP) surface. Clustering analysis of virulence genes showed that isolates had a high biofilm forming ability on polystyrene formed a group. Lactate dehydrogenase assays showed that the cell damage induced by C. tropicalis markedly increased with longer infection time (24 and 48 h). Strain FXCT01, isolated from blood, caused the most serious cell damage; while ZRCT52, which had no filamentation ability, caused the least cell damage. Correlation analysis demonstrated significant correlation existed between adhesion on epithelial cells or the expression of ALST2-3 and cell damage. Overall, our results supported the view that adhesion and filamentation may play significant roles in the cell damage caused by C. tropicalis.
Northern goshawk ecology: An assessment of current knowledge and information needs for conservation and management

The contentious and litigious history associated with managing Northern Goshawks (Accipiter gentilis) has focused much research attention toward understanding this species’ life history. Results from these studies address many key information needs that are useful to managers and decision makers, but many pressing information needs exist to address key conservation questions. Our goal was to assess the current state of knowledge in light of recent research. We focused on published information, but we also include unpublished studies if necessary to address key information needs. We included key European studies, for areas where there is little information for North American populations. Based on our assessment of current knowledge, we review goshawk conservation and management in terms of threats, ecological relationships; information needs, survey and monitoring, managing in the face of uncertainty, and the increasing demands for science-based management. We conclude by offering our understandings or qualified insights relative to some of the most salient issues confronting goshawk conservation and management.
Pegasparaginase silent inactivation during therapy for NK/T cell lymphoma

Abstract Natural Killer/T cell (NK/T cell) lymphoma is a rare, yet aggressive T cell lymphoma, which often displays resistance to traditional chemotherapies. Asparagainse (ASNase), through its unique mechanism of action, has become a vital component in the treatment of NK/T cell lymphoma. However, because ASNase is of bacterial origin, antibody formation can render the therapy ineffective, even in the absence of clinical hypersensitivity, which has been coined ‘silent inactivation. ’ While the phenomenon of silent inactivation of PEG-ASNase is well documented in the treatment of ALL, it has not been described in NK/T cell lymphoma patients. Herein, we report a case series of six patients treated for NK/T cell lymphoma with PEG-ASNase who subsequently developed silent inactivation identified using therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM). The goal of this manuscript is to alert clinicians of this phenomenon, and review the importance of TDM in NK/T cell lymphoma patients receiving ASNase.