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ABSTRACTThe gastrointestinal (GI) epithelium plays a major role in nutrient absorption, barrier formation, and innate immunity. The development of organoid-based methodology has significantly impacted the study of the GI epithelium, particularly in the fields of mucosal biology, immunity, and host-microbe interactions. Various effects on the GI epithelium, such as genetics and nutrition, impact patients and alter disease states. Thus, incorporating these effects into organoid-based models will facilitate a better understanding of disease progression and offer opportunities to evaluate therapeutic candidates. One condition that has a significant effect on the GI epithelium is malnutrition, and studying the mechanistic impacts of malnutrition would enhance our understanding of several pathologies. Therefore, the goal of this study was to begin to develop methodology to generate viable malnourished organoids with accessible techniques and resources that can be used for a wide array of mechanistic studies. By selectively limiting distinct macronutrient components of organoid media, we were able to successfully culture and evaluate malnourished organoids. Genetic and protein-based analyses were used to validate the approach and confirm the presence of known biomarkers of malnutrition. Additionally, as proof-of-concept, we utilized malnourished organoid-derived monolayers to evaluate the effect of malnourishment on barrier formation and the ability of the bacterial pathogen Shigella flexneri to infect the GI epithelium. This work serves as the basis for new and exciting techniques to alter the nutritional state of organoids and investigate the related impacts on the GI epithelium.

Abstract Background Young men who have sex with men (YMSM) are disproportionately impacted by the HIV epidemic in the USA, and a large number of new infections among YMSM occur in the context of main or primary partnerships. At the same time, healthy romantic relationships promote health and wellbeing by improving social support and encouraging healthy behaviors. Thus, we created 2GETHER: a relationship education and HIV prevention program for young male couples. 2GETHER is delivered face-to-face in a university setting and is composed of two group sessions and two individualized skills coaching sessions. We observed strong support of the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of 2GETHER in a pilot trial. Methods We are conducting an attention-matched randomized controlled trial (RCT) to test the efficacy of 2GETHER relative to a control condition based on a well-validated positive affect enhancement program. Enrollment occurred between August 2017 and March 2021 in Chicago and surrounding areas, and we enrolled and randomized 128 dyads (N = 256 individuals). Follow-up is ongoing and we will examine primary and secondary behavioral outcomes at 12 months post-intervention, with interim follow-up at 3, 6, and 9 months post-intervention. The primary biomedical outcome is sexually transmitted infection incidence at a 12-month follow-up. Discussion 2GETHER is innovative in that it places an equal emphasis on relationship skill building and HIV prevention. Thus, the program has the potential to impact numerous health-related outcomes. Despite challenges related to the recruitment of couples and the COVID-19 pandemic, we were able to enroll a robust sample of young male couples with sufficient power to detect effects on study outcomes. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03186534 .

Review of Richard Berquist, _From Human Dignity to Natural Law_

Interiority, in relation to my practice, is the inherent curiosity to the notions of process, time and duration. It is a practice of mark making, marking time, making time, and time making; foregrounding duration and marking an occurrence. My technique is one of working responsively to interiors, allowing particular temporal conditions to surface within specific sites and situations. The marks – whether they be on a canvas, a house, a building, or within a gallery – materialise immateriality and allow the residue of particular processes to be assembled as collections of materialised and spatialised time. This paper discusses an artist residency undertaken in Detroit, USA 2017. Informed by existing watermarks, stains and rust encountered within abandoned spaces in Detroit, I initially responded by using found materials such as charcoal and ash from burnt houses, plant materials and liquids, to assemble process-based compositions on canvas. Further temporal interventions were then assembled in a number of situations within Detroit. This paper, and practice, notions that interiority is a field of interiors where the indeterminate is celebrated through the force of duration; immersion in time as flow. The temporal, material and immaterial are considered as a dynamic and confluence of forces; assembled in time, materialising immateriality.

Invasion biology is the study of the reproduction, dispersal and ecological impact of organisms that occur outside of their native range, including exotic pests and biological control agents. Alien species cost California agriculture billions of dollars annually in control measures and crop damage. Societal trends toward increased travel and import of plant and animal products suggest that exotic species will continue to enter California. Understanding the principles of the invasion process will help to predict which species will invade, where invaders will become established, and the effects of invasions on agricultural, urban and natural environments. Improved understanding of the invasion process should contribute to public policies designed to prevent or contain invasions, especially of potential pests that are not yet in the state and whose biology is poorly described.

Medflies have been captured in California 11 different years since 1975, and every year since 1986. Ten eradication programs have been mounted against this pest at a cost of over $150 million. While considerable scientific debate still exists on the nature of the medfly problem in the state, most agriculturalists agree that the problem is probably long-term. This paper provides a brief historical background of the medfly in the state, reviews existing control technologies and outlines future research needs and directions.

OBJECTIVE: To identify complications associated with and short- and long-term outcomes of surgical intervention for treatment of esophageal foreign bodies (EFBs) in dogs. ANIMALS: 63 client-owned dogs. PROCEDURESP: atient records from 9 veterinary hospitals were reviewed to identify dogs that underwent surgery for removal of an EFB or treatment or an associated esophageal perforation between 2007 and 2019. Long-term follow-up data were obtained via a client questionnaire. RESULTS: 54 of the 63 (85.7%) dogs underwent surgery after an unsuccessful minimally invasive procedure or subsequent evidence of esophageal perforation was identified, Esophageal perforation was present at the time of surgery in 42 (66.7%) dogs. Most dogs underwent a left intercostal thoracotomy (37/63 [58.7%]). Intraoperative complications occurred in 18 (28.6%) dogs, and 28 (50%) dogs had a postoperative complication. Postoperative complications were minor in 14 of the 28 (50%) dogs. Dehiscence of the esophagotomy occurred in 3 dogs. Forty-seven (74.6%) dogs survived to discharge. Presence of esophageal perforation preoperatively, undergoing a thoracotomy, and whether a gastrostomy tube was placed were significantly associated with not surviving to discharge. Follow-up information was available for 38 of 47 dogs (80.9%; mean follow-up time, 46.5 months). Infrequent vomiting or regurgitation was reported by 5 of 20 (25%) owners, with 1 dog receiving medication. CLINICALRELEVANCE: Results suggested that surgical management of EFBs can be associated with a high success rate. Surgery should be considered when an EFB cannot be removed safely with minimally invasive methods or esophageal perforation is present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although there is a modest amount of literature analyzing the career prospects of athletes in United States (U.S.) based football, basketball, and baseball leagues, little is known about the career prospects of professional soccer players in the U.S. In our analysis of Major League Soccer players, using a sample of approximately 1,100 players and 3,435 player-year observations, we identify the time-varying and time-constant variables that affect player career duration. Initial career expectancy was 2.4 years, more than a quarter of all players exit the league after one year, and the risks of career exit never fall below 12%. In addition, relative to U.S.-born players, foreign-born players face a disproportionately high exit rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)–based methods are widely used to isolate DNA from plant tissues, but the unique chemical composition of secondary metabolites among plant species has necessitated optimization. Research articles often cite a “modified” CTAB protocol without explicitly stating how the protocol had been altered, creating non‐reproducible studies. Furthermore, the various modifications that have been applied to the CTAB protocol have not been rigorously reviewed and doing so could reveal optimization strategies across study systems. We surveyed the literature for modified CTAB protocols used for the isolation of plant DNA. We found that every stage of the CTAB protocol has been modified, and we summarized those modifications to provide recommendations for extraction optimization. Future genomic studies will rely on optimized CTAB protocols. Our review of the modifications that have been used, as well as the protocols we provide here, could better standardize DNA extractions, allowing for repeatable and transparent studies.

Abstract Premise The use of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) is an effective and inexpensive method of extracting DNA from plants. The CTAB protocol is frequently modified to optimize DNA extractions, but experimental approaches rarely perturb a single variable at a time to systematically infer their effect on DNA quantity and quality. Methods and Results We investigated how chemical additives, incubation temperature, and lysis duration affected DNA quantity and quality. Altering those parameters influenced DNA concentrations and fragment lengths, but only extractant purity was significantly affected. CTAB and CTAB plus polyvinylpyrrolidone buffers produced the highest DNA quality and quantity. Extractions from silica gel–preserved tissues had significantly higher DNA yield, longer DNA fragments, and purer extractants compared to herbarium‐preserved tissues. Conclusions We recommend DNA extractions of silica gel–preserved tissues that include a shorter and cooler lysis step, which results in purer extractions compared to a longer and hotter lysis step, while preventing fragmentation and reducing time.

The article discusses the major violations of international law concerning Israel's invasion and assault on Gaza Strip for twenty-two days in 2008 and 2009. It mentions the evidence that Israel has committed several violations of the said law which amount to war crimes and is sufficient to justify further investigation. It also notes that Hamas forces had committed war crimes during the fight by undertaking indiscriminate attacks against the civilians of Israel, but on a lesser scale.

Genes encoding methanogenic methylamine methyltransferases all contain an in-frame amber (UAG) codon that is read through during translation. We have identified the UAG-encoded residue in a 1.55 angstrom resolution structure of the Methanosarcina barkeri monomethylamine methyltransferase (MtmB). This structure reveals a homohexamer comprised of individual subunits with a TIM barrel fold. The electron density for the UAG-encoded residue is distinct from any of the 21 natural amino acids. Instead it appears consistent with a lysine in amide-linkage to (4R,5R)-4-substituted-pyrroline-5-carboxylate. We suggest that this amino acid be named L-pyrrolysine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]