cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Lengthening strategies for Peyronie’s disease

Loss of penile length is a common complaint of men with Peyronie's disease (PD), both before and after corrective intervention, which has a significant negative effect on patient quality of life. We sought to identify and describe the methods by which penile length can be preserved or increased. We conducted an extensive, systematic literature review, based on a search of the PUBMED database for articles published between 1990 and 2015. Articles with the key words "Peyronie's disease", "penile length" and/or "penile lengthening" were reviewed if they contained subjective or objective penile length outcomes. Only English-language articles that were related to PD and penile size were included. We found no evidence in the literature that medical therapy alone increases penile length. Classic inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) placement, plication procedures, and the Nesbit procedure appear likely to maintain or decrease penile length. Plaque incision (PI) and grafting appears likely to maintain or increase penile length, but is complicated by risk of post-operative erectile dysfunction (ED). There are several surgical procedures performed concomitantly with IPP placement that may be suitable treatment options for men with comorbid ED, and consistently increase penile length with otherwise good outcomes concerning sexual function. These include the subcoronal penile prosthesis (scIPP), Egydio circumferential technique, the sliding technique, the modified sliding technique (MoST), and the multiple slice technique (MuST). In addition, adjuvant therapies such as penile traction therapy (PTT), post-operative inflation protocols, suspensory ligament relaxation, lipectomy, and adjuvant medical therapy for glans engorgement appear to increase subjective and/or objective penile length for men at high risk of decreased penile length after PD surgery. Considering the psychological burden of length loss in men with PD, providers with adequate volume and expertise should attempt, if possible, to maintain or increase penile length for men undergoing surgical intervention. There are several evidence-based, safe, and effective ways to increase penile length for these men and multiple emerging adjuvant therapies that may help ensure adequate length.
Wavelet Denoising and Its Application in the Data-processing of some Helicopter Semi-physical Simulation

Pointing to the data obtained from semi-physical simulation of certain helicopter which mainly has low-frequency noise,a data-processing method of depressing and filtering noise from the signal,using the pagoda-structure re-constructing arithmetic and the wavelet transform principle,is proposed.The result of simulation shows that the method is practical and efficient on off-line data-processing.
Visualizing Clathrin-Mediated IgE Receptor Internalization by Electron and Atomic Force Microscopy

A significant step in the immunoglobulin E (IgE) receptor signaling pathway in mast cell membranes is receptor internalization by clathrin-coated vesicles. Visualization in native membrane sheets of the emerging clathrin lattice structures containing the IgE receptor and associated signaling partners has been accomplished with high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM). More recently, membrane sheets with labeled clathrin have also been characterized with atomic force microscopy (AFM) in combination with fluorescence imaging. We discuss here the procedure for creating fixed, native cell membrane sheets, labeling with immunogold or fluorescent labels, and utilization for TEM or AFM/fluorescence imaging of clathrin-mediated IgE internalization.
Elective procedure for peptic ulcer: a disappearing operation.

We retrospectively reviewed all the operative procedures performed for benign peptic ulcer disease in a regional hospital during the past 6 years. The indications were hemorrhage, perforation, obstruction, chronicity, and gastrocolic. No operation for chronicity has been performed since 1986. Only in perforation was there a statistical difference between male and female. Two hundred forty-six patients were admitted for bleeding, 108 were given transfusions and 38 required operative intervention for control of bleeding. The average units of blood given to patients with bleeding, who underwent operative intervention and recovered, was 7.2. The 6 deaths in this group were in patients who received 15.7 units of blood
Calcium-entry blockers during porcine cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

1. Calcium-entry blockers increase the intramyo-cardial pH and decrease the intramyocardial P co 2 of ischaemic canine myocardium. However, the evidence documenting improvements in myocardial acidosis and in myocardial resuscitability after administration of calcium-entry blockers during cardiac arrest is incomplete. We therefore compared the effects of verapamil (0.05 mg/kg) and diltiazem (0.075 mg/kg) with those of saline placebo in an established porcine model of cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. 2. After verapamil, six of 11 animals were successfully resuscitated; after diltiazem, five of 10; and after saline placebo, six of 10. Coronary perfusion and mean aortic pressures together with end-tidal CO 2 concentration during precordial compression were predictive of resuscitation, independently of the drug or placebo. 3. Coronary vein pH decreased to 6.91 ± 0.06 units (mean ± sem) with concurrent increases in P co 2 to levels exceeding 100 mmHg. Coronary vein lactate increased to a maximum of 7.5 ± 0.6 mmol/l. Coronary vein acidaemia was accompanied by decreases in intramyocardial pH to 6.64 ± 0.06 units. However, each of these differences between success and failure of resuscitation was unrelated to treatment with calcium-entry blockers. 4. Accordingly, neither verapamil nor diltiazem selectively altered coronary perfusion pressure, attenuated intramyocardial acidosis or improved resuscitability after porcine cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Academic Faith Integration: Introduction to a New Section Within Christian Higher Education

ABSTRACTThe following article lays out the rationale and vision for a new section of Christian Higher Education focused on academic faith integration. The section editor provides a brief history of this central aspect of Christian higher education, including some of the opportunities, challenges, and critiques expressed within the scholarly conversation and among Christian university faculty. A definition of academic faith integration is offered, followed by a set of research prompts designed to introduce readers of this journal to the kinds of contributions that are being sought, as well as key criteria that will be used in the review process.
Quantum Interference Effects in Disordered Sub-micron Wires and Rings

The low temperature transport properties of small disordered normal conductors exhibit a wealth of quantum interference phenomena. When the sample size becomes comparable to the distance electrons can propagate without losing phase coherence, these quantum interference effects manifest themselves as random conductance fluctuations in a wire and periodic oscillations in a loop as the magnetic field applied to the sample is changed. We will briefly review the current status of this field by discussing the origin of these quantum interference effects and how the measurement technique affects the details of the data analysis. A discussion of the non-local properties of small structures is presented as well as some of the problems associated with determining the phase coherence length.
La simulación como estrategia didáctica en el aprendizaje y la resolución de problemas lógicos

En este articulo, que es el resultado de una investigacion cuasi experimental, se determina el efecto de la simulacion como estrategia didactica en la resolucion de problemas logicos en la catedra Desarrollo de Habilidades del Pensamiento (D.H.P-2). El trabajo se sustenta en la teoria cognitiva del Aprendizaje Significativo y en su desarrollo intervinieron dos grupos, uno experimental y otro de control. Cada grupo estuvo conformado por 29 estudiantes, para una muestra total de 58 participantes (estudiantes), los cuales fueron sometidos a una prueba de conocimientos previos en operaciones basicas matematicas, una preprueba de contenido sobre problemas de logica y una posprueba de contenido para medir el rendimiento alcanzado al final. La simulacion como estrategia didactica se aplico al grupo experimental y, al de control, la tecnica expositiva. Los resultados evidencian que los estudiantes del grupo experimental obtuvieron un mayor rendimiento academico y cambios significativos en su aprendizaje. Abstract This article, which is the result of a quasi-experimental research, determines the effect of simulation as a teaching strategy in solving logical problems in the development of thinking skills (D.H.P-2) Chair. The research is based on the cognitive theory of significant learning and its development involved two groups, one experimental and another one control. Each group consisted of 29 students, in a total sample of 58 participants (students), who were subjected to a test of previous knowledge in basic mathematical operations a pre-test of content about logic problems and a post-test to measure performance content reached in the end. Simulation as a didactic strategy and the expository technique were applied to both the experimental and control group. The results show that students in the experimental group obtained higher academic performance and significant changes occurred in their learning. a pre-test of content about logic problems and a post-test to measure performance content reached in the end. Simulation as a didactic strategy and the expository technique were applied to both the experimental and control group. The results show that students in the experimental group obtained higher academic performance and significant changes occurred in their learning.
Are Crowdfunding Platforms Active and Effective Intermediaries

Crowdfunding platform due diligence comprises background checks, site visits, credit checks, cross checks, account monitoring, and third party proof on listed projects. Based on data from over 70% of Canadian platforms over the years 2013-2016, we find that due diligence application is associated with busyness of platform employees, sophistication of platform service indicated by fee structure, and type or complexity of campaigns. We hypothesize that due diligence facilitates fund-raising by screening lower quality projects and mitigating information asymmetries between project issuers and funders. Regression results confirm our hypothesis: due diligence is associated with higher percentage of successful campaigns and larger amount of capital raised on a platform.
A density functional theory study of the catalytic role of Ti atoms in reversible hydrogen storage in the complex metal hydride, NaAlH4

Presence of ∼2-4 % Ti is critical for reversible hydrogenation/rehydrogenation in NaAlH4. We have investigated the probable catalytic role of Ti in this complex multi-step process. The present part of our study concentrates on the rehydrogenation reaction, i.e., the reverse reaction that forms NaAlH4 from its constituent binary hydrides. First principles calculations using density functional theory (DFT) show that a particular arrangement of Ti atoms on the surface of Al metal promotes the chemisorption of molecular hydrogen. We also present comparisons with existing experimental data (EXAFS and TEM) to support the existence of such an arrangement on the surface.
Managing Concurrent Medications

Managing concurrent medications is a balancing act and in the case of RLS, with very limited evidence-based guidelines. It compels the physician to consider the most appropriate treatment for each of the disorders with its own symptomatology, as well as the possible interactions with other conditions, medications, age and person specific parameters. RLS is a lifetime condition, implying the need to adapt concurrent medications to the current patient condition. It is also a disorder with a natural progression that can compound the effects of some concurrent medications. It is therefore, important to regularly review medications’ lists, to devise individual treatment plans and to alert the patients and the other providers to possible interactions.
Control design of nonlinear networked control systems via Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy model

The paper discusses control design of nonlinear networked systems which are described by the Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy time-delay systems. In the networked control system, the information is exchanged with packets through a network where the data packets encounter delays. Sine the control signal is delayed, the closed-loop system with the controller can be modeled as a fuzzy system with time-varying delays in sensor and actuator modes. Based on Lyapunov-Krasovskii stability theorem, the control design problem of a nonlinear networked control system which has time-varying delays is considered. Multiple Lyapunov-Krasovskii function with multiple integral functions allows us to obtain drastically less conservative conditions for a networked control system to be asymptotically stable. Based on this approach, a novel control design method for a networked control system is proposed.
The Hietzing Years

ABSTRACTIn the field of psychoanalytic pedagogy of the late 1920s, Anna Freud and Dorothy Tiffany Burlingham were the pacesetters. They launched the Hietzing School during Vienna’s years of remarkable strides in social welfare, cultural innovation, and concurrently advancing fascism. Along with Erik H. Erikson, Peter Blos, August Aichhorn, and Eva Rosenfeld–among others–in a log cabin built in a suburban backyard, they crafted a new pedagogy for the modern child in the context of individual and group development. The small school led to further Freud–Burlingham endeavors, including the Jackson Nursery in Vienna, and the Hampstead War Nurseries and the Hampstead Child Therapy Course and Clinic in London. Arguably more valuable, however, are the many theories that emerged from the school: child analysis, psychoanalytic pedagogy, self-regulation, adolescent psychology, self and identity. Endearingly called the “Matchbox School” by its students and faculty, the Hietzing School closed in 1932, yet it left an o...
Roger harrington and shielded planar microwave electromagnetic analysis

Roger Harrington had major influence in many areas of electromagnetics with his formalization of the method of moments. This paper describes his influence in the early application of the method of moments to analysis of shielded planar microwave circuits. This narrative is based on the author's personal experience starting as a graduate student under Roger Harrington in developing and then commercializing method of moments over a period of 35 years.
Postmodern Aging and the Loss of Meaning

This article reviews several authors' perspectives on the advantages and disadvantages of a global postmodern society and its effect on the affluent and not-so-affluent elderly. Without the socioeconomic supports of the past, the not-so-affluent elderly may find themselves insecure and anxious about their core identity in a postmodern world, while the affluent elderly with the resources to consume postmodern society's growing array of medical procedures, technological devices, etc. may benefit from the multiple, shifting identities characteristic of postmodern culture. Without recognition of what aging has to teach us about the human condition, several authors see a loss of existential/spiritual meaning in postmodern society.
Valve replacement in children. A fifteen-year perspective

Between 1965 and 1980, 64 children form 1 to 19 years of age have undergone replacement of the aortic, mitral, or tricuspid valve at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. Three of these patients have had successful second valve replacements 4 to 12 years after the initial operation. During the first 5 year period of this review, the hospital mortality was 31%, whereas only one of 33 children having valve replacement during the most recent 5 year period died early after operation (hospital mortality, 1976 to 1980, 3%). Thromboembolic complications have been seen in only two patients in this group, for an incidence of 0.8% per patient-year. Among patients receiving long-term warfarin anticoagulation, there has been only one major bleeding episode in 133 patient-years of follow-up. The type of valve prosthesis implanted during this 15 year period has changed greatly. Ninety-four percent of the prostheses placed during the initial 5 year period were the caged-poppet type of valve, whereas tilting disc, central flow, and tissue valve substitutes have been implanted more recently. Eight of the 10 patients most recently undergoing valve replacement have received St. Jude Medical prostheses, and postoperative catheterization studies have confirmed the excellent hemodynamic performance of these valves, even in patients with prostheses of very small annular diameter. Despite the disappointing occurrence of premature tissue valve failure in the young population, valve replacement in children currently is safer and there is a wider variety of technically satisfactory valve substitutes available for implantation today.
Upper Holocene Sediments of the Black Sea: Summary of Leg 4 Box Cores (1988 Black Sea Oceanographic Expedition)

The 1988 R/V Knorr Black Sea Oceanographic Expedition has provided a unique opportunity to study many aspects of the sediments of the Black Sea basin. Box cores collected during Leg 4 of the 1988 expedition revealed a wide range of uppermost Holocene sedimentary facies sampled over a broad region of the southern basin, including cores from two transects across the intersection of the water- column oxic/anoxic interface with the basin-margin substrate. The sediments collected during Leg 4 include: 1) muddy gray turbidite layers from the deep basin ranging in thickness from a few to several tens of centimeters and characterized by a predominance of fine grain sizes [fine silt—clay] and strong textural and chemical homogeneity, 2) an array of closely-spaced sediment types collected at basin-margin stations spanning the oxycline/substrate intersection which vary from a highly bioturbated, shell-rich oxic facies to dark-gray to black, water-rich, laminated muds from the anoxic zone and 3) coccolith-rich, microlaminated Unit 1 sediments of the abyssal Black Sea consisting of couplets of alternating white [coccolith-dominated] and dark-brown to black [siliciclastic-dominated] millimeter-scale laminae thought to reflect a strong depositional seasonality. These sediments are described in detail in terms of their physical and, to a lesser degree, chemical properties.
Multiplexed surface-enhanced Raman immunoimaging in vivo with gold nanostars (Conference Presentation)

The interactions of programmed death protein-1 (PD-1) on T cells with its ligand, PD-L1, strongly contributes to an immunosuppressive microenvironment. Blockades of PD-L1 have shown long-term survival in patients. However, <30% of patients respond to PD-L1 blockade, in part due to inaccurate identification of PD-L1 expression. An unmet clinical need exists for noninvasive detection techniques. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) imaging mediated by gold nanostructures has gained interest as a pre-clinical noninvasive diagnostic tool due to the high spatial resolution, portability, low cost, and rapid analysis. In this work, we demonstrate the use of gold nanostars conjugated with Raman tags for multiplexed SERS and simultaneous diagnosis of PD-L1 and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in vivo. Nanostars conjugated with anti-PDL1 antibodies/DTNB Raman molecule, and nanostars conjugated with anti-EGFR antibodies/pMBA Raman molecules were concurrently introduced to mice. Longitudinal Raman analysis demonstrated maximum accumulation of nanostars occurred 6h post IV delivery when strong increases in SERS signals for both Raman tags were observed. Raman signals decreased by 30% when both targeted receptors were pre-blocked with antibody (IP), indicating both the sensitivity and specificity of our platform in distinguishing tumors with varied expression of PD-L1 and EGFR. Furthermore, ex-vivo Raman maps provided assessment of biomarker status with cellular-resolution, and nanostars distribution in tumors. Finally, gold contents in organs were quantified with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to evaluate their pharmacokinetics and biodistribution. This work shows gold nanostars-mediated SERS imaging provides a quantitative measure of PD-L1 to allow predictive and personalized immunotherapies with minimal toxicities.
A Legacy of War: Refugees from Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia

Indochinese refugees were a product of the longest war in modern history -- the thirty-year Vietnam War and its metastasis into Laos and Cambodia in the late 1960s and early 1970s. An immensely complex conflict that still creates bitter controversy, the war was a tragedy of staggering proportions for Americans and Vietnamese, Cambodians and Laotians alike. With the exception of the American Civil War a century earlier, the Vietnam War became the most divisive event in U.S. history. If the war divided America, it devastated Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. The war also produced a massive refugee population for whom the United States assumed a historic responsibility. After the end of the war in 1975, over two million refugees fled Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. The 1975 refugee exodus was only the start of an extraordinary emigration which took many unexpected turns and lasted for years. By the early 1990s over one million had been resettled in the U.S., 750,000 in other Western countries (principally Canada, Australia and France), and many others still languished in refugee camps from the Thai-Cambodian border to Hong Kong. But an era was coming to a close, while a new phase of the Indochinese diaspora was opening. The end of the Cold War in 1989, the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, U.N.-supervised elections in Cambodia in 1993, and the end of the U.S. trade embargo against Vietnam in 1994 were but the most remarkable events of a compressed period of rapid and fundamental change in international relations that transformed the nature of refugee resettlement in the United States. For a sizable and rapidly growing generation of young Vietnamese, Laotian, and Cambodian Americans now rooted in communities throughout the United States and speaking accentless English, a new era was dawning in which the legacy of war was increasingly receding in practical importance. Vietnamese, Laotian and Cambodian Americans now form a sizable and diverse component of the Asian-origin population in the United States. If the studies reviewed here are any indication, the future of the Vietnamese, Cambodian, Lao, Hmong and ethnic Chinese generations now coming of age in the United States will likely be as diverse as their past, and will be reached by multiple paths. In their diversity they are writing yet another chapter in the history of the American population and society, and in the process they are becoming, quintessentially, Americans.
Mobile Source Air Pollution Control

This article offers a comprehensive overview of mobile source emissions control including the history of Clean Air Act subchapter II development. It covers federal and state emission control requirements for motor vehicles and other mobile source.
Model-Based Systems Engineering Implementation Considerations

As organizations strive to implement Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), there are significant discussions about model-based languages, tools, and the potential benefits of MBSE. However, discussions not occurring, but should be, are the implementation challenges. Issues such as: (i) a comprehensive understanding or the organization’s vision and goals for the MBSE environment; (ii) establishing a comprehensive model – the proverbial “single source of technical truth;” (iii) the governance and management of the MBSE environment; (iv) establishing an infrastructure and support environment that allows for collaboration and communication across stakeholders; and, (v) realizing the need, and establishing a plan, for organizational culture change. This paper discusses implementation challenges, associated with those five issues, that must be overcome to transition to a true MBSE environment. This narrative is important because the successful realization of a MBSE environment requires a well-planned implementation to fundamentally change the way organizations perform systems engineering.
Examiner Inconsistency: Evidence from Refugee Appeals

Different judges, doctors, loan officers, and patent examiners make different decisions, generating costly uncertainty over ultimate outcomes. In this paper, I use multiple-stage decisionmaking institutions to identify nonparametric bounds on disagreement between decision-makers. I bound disagreement to at least 17% of all Canadian refugee appeals, 150% larger than the estimate using existing methods and substantial relative to an average approval rate of 14%. I aggregate disagreement into judge-specific measures of quality, and find that quality improves with experience, declines with workload, and is higher for judges appointed under a nonpartisan regime. Finally, I adopt my method to test and reject the typical examiner-assignment monotonicity assumption.
Release of calcium ions from particulate monosodium titanates for dental mineralization applications.

PURPOSE The calcium ion [Ca(II)] release from monosodium titanates (MST) complexed to calcium ions [Ca(II)], referred to as MST-Ca(II), was examined under varying incubation times, pH conditions, and ion equilibrium disruptions. METHODS Sample supernatants were analyzed for Ca(II) using the QuantiChrom Calcium Assay Kit. RESULTS No Ca(II) was detected in native MST (control) supernatants but was detected in MST-Ca(II) supernatants. At pH 7, Ca(II) release increased from 0 to 2.5 mg/dL over 3 days (P< 0.05 compared to MST control), remaining constant over the completed incubation times. At pH 5, 15 mg/dL of Ca(II) was immediately released with no further release. When the pH was modulated pH 4 to pH 9, Ca(II) concentration dropped from 25 mg/dL to ~0 mg/dL. Finally, when equilibrium was disrupted by partial replacement of the supernatant with sterile water, Ca(II) release was ongoing, reaching a cumulative total of 20 mg/dL over 35 days. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE The current results suggest that particulate MST-Ca(II) complexes exhibit sustained release of calcium, and that release might be customized by conditions of pH and ionic strength. Thus, these complexes appear promising for biological applications where calcium-mediated mineralization or re-mineralization are desired.
Primary Intraocular Lens Implantation

Primary intraocular lens (IOL) implantation is performed when a cataract is removed and an IOL is implanted at the time of cataract surgery. Lensectomy is recommended for any visually significant lens opacity in a child. Patients who are less than 7 months of age are left aphakic in the developed world. However, in developing countries primary IOL implantation is more common in infancy. IOL power selection is dependent on the age of the child at the time of cataract surgery. Implanting a lens that results in residual hyperopia is common practice. When placing an IOL, lenses can be placed in the capsular bag and sulcus or fixated to the fused anterior and posterior capsular remnants. Placement depends on surgical preference and stability of the capsule. A posterior capsulotomy should be created at the time of primary IOL implantation in young children since posterior capsular opacification (PCO) universally occurs without treatment. In older children the posterior capsule can be left intact and an in-office neodymium:YAG capsulotomy of the posterior capsulotomy can be performed at a later date when the posterior capsule begins to opacify.
The chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay and ChIP-qPCR

Abstract Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) of epigenetic modifications (epiChIP) coupled with quantitative PCR (qPCR), is the current Gold Standard in epigenetic research and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future. The combination of epiChIP and qPCR seems like a match made in heaven, but in reality, it is a relationship fraught with obstacles and hidden pitfalls and generating high quality ChIP data takes time, patience and practice. This chapter aims towards outlining the history and development of ChIP-qPCR, highlight inherent challenges and illuminate pathways around obstacles by discussing the key component parts of the assay: affinity reagents, chromatin preparation, dynamic range, chromatin precipitation, qPCR and data analysis and presentation. The aim is to outline the steps needed to successfully harness the full power of the ChIP/epiChIP assay to generate reliable and reproducible results.
FingerMap: a new approach to predict soft material 3D objects printability

Soft material 3D printing through liquid deposition modelling (LDM) is a challenging manufacturing process where yield stress control is mandatory. Indeed, the higher the yield stress value, the more complex the 3D printed structure can be. In a bid to go one step further, this report proposes a new approach enabling the prediction of soft material 3D printability as a function of the material’s properties and shape. The prediction consists in numerical simulation to anticipate, in silico, the collapse of a voxelised 3D design, called FingerMap. To do so, a calibration of the program using three silicone formulations (with increasing yield stress value) was first performed to define a printability domain according to mass/surface ratio, overhang angle and the z-position of each voxel. Then, two anatomical 3D models (ear and aortic valve) were used to demonstrate the capacity of the tool to predict printability. Good correlations between theoretical and experimental results were obtained. The proposed in silico simulation tool was then proven to be useful for LDM, even if some limitations were identified, particularly in the case of materials exhibiting complex rheological behaviours such as time-dependent rheological properties.
Bacterial chemolithoautotrophy via manganese oxidation

Manganese is one of the most abundant elements on Earth. The oxidation of manganese has long been theorized1—yet has not been demonstrated2–4—to fuel the growth of chemolithoautotrophic microorganisms. Here we refine an enrichment culture that exhibits exponential growth dependent on Mn(II) oxidation to a co-culture of two microbial species. Oxidation required viable bacteria at permissive temperatures, which resulted in the generation of small nodules of manganese oxide with which the cells associated. The majority member of the culture—which we designate ‘Candidatus Manganitrophus noduliformans’—is affiliated to the phylum Nitrospirae (also known as Nitrospirota), but is distantly related to known species of Nitrospira and Leptospirillum. We isolated the minority member, a betaproteobacterium that does not oxidize Mn(II) alone, and designate it Ramlibacter lithotrophicus. Stable-isotope probing revealed 13CO2 fixation into cellular biomass that was dependent upon Mn(II) oxidation. Transcriptomic analysis revealed candidate pathways for coupling extracellular manganese oxidation to aerobic energy conservation and autotrophic CO2 fixation. These findings expand the known diversity of inorganic metabolisms that support life, and complete a biogeochemical energy cycle for manganese5,6 that may interface with other major global elemental cycles. A co-culture of two newly identified microorganisms—‘Candidatus Manganitrophus noduliformans’ and Ramlibacter lithotrophicus—exhibits exponential growth that is dependent on manganese(II) oxidation, demonstrating the viability of this metabolism for supporting life.
Maturation of female common snook Centropomus undecimalis: implications for managing protandrous fishes

The assumption for hermaphroditic fish species that mature individuals of the terminal sex arise directly from mature individuals of the primary sex has led to the use of sex ratios as a proxy for age at maturity (A50 ). Timing of transition and deficient energy reserves, however, can result in a delay between transition and spawning. To test the assumption of female maturity and investigate the relationship between maturation and energy reserves, common snook, Centropomus undecimalis, a protandrous hermaphrodite, were collected from river, estuary, inlet, and offshore habitats on the east coast of Florida during 2010-2015. Immature females were observed every month, with lowest proportions during the peak spawning months of July and August. When calculated based on sex ratio, A50 (8.1 years) overestimated the age at which 50% of the female population was, in fact, mature (4.1-4.9 years). Best fit models indicate that mesenteric fat index (IF ) and hepatosomatic index (IH ) were significantly affected by gonad phase, month, and size, and weakly by habitat. In post hoc analysis, immature female IF did not differ significantly from developing and regenerating females, but immature female IH was significantly lower than that for all mature phases except animals in the regressing phase. While immature females may have sufficient energy in terms of fat, it appears that energy is not allocated to reproductive processes, as evidenced by lower IH . But approximately 95% of females were spawning-capable during peak spawning months, suggesting that the energy threshold at which immature females reach maturity is met by most females each spawning cycle. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Effects of intensive versus standard office-based hypertension treatment strategy on white-coat effect and masked uncontrolled hypertension: From the SPRINT ABPM ancillary study

Guidelines recommend using out-of-office blood pressure (BP) measurements to confirm the diagnoses of hypertension and in the titration of antihypertensive medication. The prevalence of out-of-offi...
Overview of stem cells therapy in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Background: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease of upper and lower motor neurons with high burden on society. Despite tremendous efforts over the last sev...
“I Am Iron Man”: Priming Improves the Learnability and Memorability of User-Elicited Gestures

Priming is used as a way of increasing the diversity of proposals in end-user elicitation studies, but priming has not been investigated thoroughly in this context. We conduct a distributed end-user elicitation study with 167 participants, which had three priming groups: a no-priming control group, sci-fi priming, and a creative mindset group. We evaluated the gestures proposed by these groups in a distributed learnability and memorability study with 18 participants. We found that the user-elicited gestures from the sci-fi group were significantly faster to learn, requiring an average of 1.22 viewings to learn compared to 1.60 viewings required to learn the control gestures, and 1.56 viewings to learn the gestures elicited from the creative mindset group. In addition, both primed gesture groups had higher memorability with 80% of the sci-fi-primed gestures and 73% of the creative mindset group gestures were recalled correctly after one week without practice compared to 43% of the control group gestures.
Abstract LB261: BRAF inhibitor reprograms cancer-associated fibroblasts to elicit matrix remodeling and therapeutic escape in melanoma

The tumor stroma and its cellular components are known to play important roles in tumor resilience towards treatment but remain to be urgently characterized in melanoma targeted therapy. By performing a paired-analysis of melanoma tissue samples collected from the patients before and after combined BRAF inhibitors (BRAFi)/MEK inhibitors (MEKi) treatment, we discovered that the number of intratumoral cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) increased significantly in BRAFi/MEKi-treated melanoma stroma comparing with the samples before the therapy. Those intratumoral CAFs exhibit increased amounts of nuclear β-catenin under BRAFi/MEKi therapy. Further studies show that BRAFi not only leads to increased β-catenin nuclear accumulation in CAFs and enhances their biological properties, suggesting BRAFi induces a new resistant phenotype in CAFs. In both in vitro and in vivo models, depleting β-catenin in CAFs abolishes their ability to elicit melanoma cell growth and drug resistance. BRAFi induces BRAF and CRAF dimerization and subsequently the activation of MEK/ERK signaling in CAFs, leading to the inactivation of the β-catenin destruction complex. RNA-Seq data reveals that nuclear β-catenin is a major regulator of CAF phenotype. We identify matricellular protein periostin (POSTN) as a downstream effector of β-catenin. In melanoma, POSTN is uniquely expressed in CAFs, and BRAFi can specifically upregulate POSTN production in CAFs but not in melanoma cells. Recombinant POSTN contributes to melanoma cell BRAFi/MEKi resistance and can compensate for the loss of β-catenin in CAFs. By reactivating ERK pathway in melanoma cells through PI3K/AKT signaling, POSTN compensates for the loss of β-catenin in CAFs in conferring melanoma cell BRAFi/MEKi resistance. In summary, our data reveal a novel resistance mechanism in melanoma that is elicited by BRAFi-induced non-canonical nuclear β-catenin signaling in CAFs and reveal POSTN as an important matrix target to eliminate BRAFi/MEKi resistance in melanoma. Citation Format: Tianyi Liu, Linli Zhou, Yuhang Zhang. BRAF inhibitor reprograms cancer-associated fibroblasts to elicit matrix remodeling and therapeutic escape in melanoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr LB261.
Humans reconfigure target and distractor processing to address distinct task demands

When faced with distraction, we can focus more on goal-relevant information (targets) or focus less goal-conflicting information (distractors). How people decide to distribute cognitive control across targets and distractors remains unclear. To help address this question, we developed a parametric attentional control task with a graded manipulation to both target discriminability and distractor interference. We find that participants exert independent control over target and distractor processing. We measured control adjustments through the influence of incentives and previous conflict on target and distractor sensitivity, finding that these have dissociable influences on control. Whereas incentives preferentially led to target enhancement, conflict on the previous trial preferentially led to distractor suppression. These distinct drivers of control altered sensitivity to targets and distractors early in the trial, and were promptly followed by reactive reconfiguration towards task-appropriate feature sensitivity. Finally, we provide a process-level account of these findings by show that these control adjustments are well-captured by an evidence accumulation model with attractor dynamics over feature weights. These results help establish a process-level account of control configuration that provides new insights into how multivariate attentional signals are optimized to achieve task goals.
Toxoplasma gondii contamination at an animal agriculture facility: Environmental, agricultural animal, and wildlife contamination indicator evaluation

Abstract Toxoplasma gondii is a parasite of significant public health importance. We attempted to detect T. gondii contamination and assess advantages and disadvantages of contamination indicators through surveilling soil, wildlife, cats (Felis catus), and cows (Bos taurus) on a farm in Tennessee, U.S. in 2016 and 2017. Twenty-two soil samples were collected from the farm and subjected to oocyst flotation, DNA extraction, and polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) targeting 18S ribosomal RNA (18S rRNA) gene to detect and identify T. gondii. Three samples (13.6%) were positive for the parasite; however, T. gondii DNA was not consistently detected from repeated tests. Blood samples were collected from small mammals, cats, and mesopredators live-trapped on the farm, and serum from 30 of the farm's cows were obtained. Serological testing by the modified agglutination test (MAT; cutoff 1:50) found 2.5% (1/40) of small mammals, 52.9% (9/17) of raccoons (Procyon lotor), and 50% (1/2) of domestic cats were seropositive for T. gondii antibodies. No antibodies were found in 16 opossums (Didelphis virginiana), two skunks (Mephitis mephitis), and 30 cows. Small mammal tissue samples were subjected to PCR-RFLP detection. Four out of 29 (13.7%) tissue samples were positive for T. gondii; however, T. gondii DNA was not consistently detected during repeated PCR-RFLP testing. Our results indicate the ability to detect T. gondii varies greatly by contamination indicator. We found detection of soil oocysts to be challenging, and results suggest limited utility of the method performed. The ability to detect T. gondii in animals was highly variable among species. Our research emphasizes the importance of a holistic approach when surveilling for T. gondii to compensate for shortcomings of each contamination indicator. Future research should be conducted to further investigate the most effective T. gondii surveillance methods and species with increased sample sizes at other agricultural facilities.
La presqu'île du divin : objectivité de la raison théologique chez Bernard Lonergan

Ce livre presente la pensee du philosophe et theologien canadien Bernard Lonergan (1904-1984), jesuite, considere outre-Atlantique comme l'un des grands penseurs contemporains. Son projet de reconcilier foi et raison se traduit par une methode dans laquelle la conversion personnelle, qu'elle soit intellectuelle, morale ou religieuse, joue un role essentiel. Il reforme le recit theologique, en lui preservant sa base dogmatique, tout en le hissant au niveau des exigences contemporaines de la raison subjective, et envisage les conditions effectives d'une subjectivite authentique, condition d'une veritable objectivite. Il rehabilite la theologie rationnellement en meme temps qu'il l'habilite a remplir sa fonction mediatrice entre religion revelee et culture. Une telle entreprise est le fruit d'une enquete gnoseologique qui devoile l'ouverture transcendantale de la structure de l'esprit du sujet connaissant, et fait de sa propre experience le lieu eminent du rapport entre les dimensions heuristique, metaphysique et religieuse.
Structural Geology: Lines and intersecting planes

Definitions Line: the geometrical element generated by a moving point; it has only extension along the path of the point. Lines may be rectilinear (straight) or curvilinear (curved). Only straight lines are treated here. Plunge: the vertical angle measured downward from the horizontal to a line (Fig. 3.1a). Pitch: the angle between the strike direction and a line in a specified plane (Fig. 3.1b). Rake is synonymous. Trend: the horizontal direction of the vertical plane containing the line, specified by its bearing or azimuth. Linear structures There are two types of structural lines. They may exist in their own right, such as the long axes of mineral grains or streaks of mineral aggregates; elongate rock bodies and drill holes may also be considered linear for some purposes. Other lines occur in conjunction with structural planes; examples include striations on fault surfaces, mineral lineation on foliation planes and lines formed by the intersection of planes. The orientation of a line in space is specified by its trend and plunge. As with planes, there is a set of map symbols for structural lines, also with three parts. A trend line . An arrowhead giving the direction of downward inclination. A plunge angle written near the arrowhead. The arrow should be uniform in length and long enough so that its trend can be accurately measured on the map. Because its length is not scaled, this symbol is not a vector.
ALTERATIONS IN RENAL FUNCTION AS A RESULT OF PROLONGED IN-UTERO RITODRINE (IUR) EXPOSURE

Ritodrine (R), a B-sympathomimetic tocolytic agent, has been reported to cause metabolic and cardiovascular changes in both mother and fetus. Recently, reduced inulin clearance, increased plasma renin activity, and increased urinary arginine vasopressin excretion were demonstrated on day 1 in infants exposed to IUR. These renal function tests, however, are not clinically applicable We compared serum creatinine (Cr) in 10 IUR-exposed infants (mean R exposure 6.7 ± 4.8 days) and 11 controls (C) in the first week of life. There was no significant difference between R and C groups in gestational age (30.6 ± 1.4 vs 29.6 ± 2 wks), weight (1308 ± 247 vs 1195 ± 359 grms), or apgar score at 1 (5.5 ± 1.4 vs 5.3 ± 3.3) and 5 minutes (7.5 ± 1.1 vs 8.0 ± 1.4). Infants exposed to prolonged IUR demonstrated increased Cr on days 1 through 6. None demonstrated clinical signs of renal failure. Careful monitoring of renal function,fluid,electrolytes and therapeutic drug levels is indicated in infants with prolonged IUR.
Israel and the Bomb

Israeli strategist Zeev Maoz’s controversial article, “The Mixed Blessing of Israel’s Nuclear Policy,” calls for Israel to disband its nuclear weapons program and join with Arab states in the region to create a “nuclear weapons–free zone.”1 The article, however, ignores the history of Israeli-Arab relations, especially the unending Arab call for Israel’s annihilation and the indisputable record of Arab and Iranian noncompliance with international legal obligations. Most ominously, this record includes Iran’s recently revealed pursuit of nuclear weapons while party to the 1968 Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. How little has been learned in some academic quarters. Should Israeli leaders take seriously Maoz’s call to renounce nuclear weapons, they might as well agree to commit national suicide. Deprived of its nuclear deterrent, Israel would be at the mercy of governments that unambiguously profess genocide against a country half the size of Lake Michigan. Admittedly, it is difacult to imagine nuclear weapons as anything other than inherently evil implements of destruction. Yet there are circumstances wherein possession of such weapons will be all that protects a state from catastrophic war. Moreover, because nuclear weapons may deter international aggression, their possession could also protect neighboring states (friends and foes alike) from war-related or even nuclearinoicted harm. It follows that not all members of the “nuclear club” need be a menace; rather, some may provide a distinct and indispensable beneat to world peace and security. An obvious case is the State of Israel. If deprived of its nuclear forces because of misconceived hopes for regional cooperation, the Jewish state could become vulnerable to overwhelming attacks. Indeed, even if pertinent Arab states were to abide by the expectations of a nuclear weapons–free zone—a presumption unsupported by the region’s history—their combined conventional, chemical, and biological capabilities could eventually overwhelm the Israeli state. Although Israeli existential vulnerability might be prevented in principle by instituting parallel forms of conventional/chemical/biological weapons disarmament among enemy Arab states and Iran, such parallel steps would never occur. As history shows,