Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Resting Energy Expenditure, Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Insulin Resistance in Obese Patients

Objective: The aim of our study was to determine whether energy expenditure modified by increasing body mass over the wide range of body mass index (BMI) was related to insulin resistance, cardiovascular risk factors and dietary intakes. Subjects and Methods: A population of 87 obese non-diabetic outpatients was analyzed prospectively. Indirect calorimetry, tetrapolar electrical bioimpedance, serial assessment of nutritional intake using written 3-day food records and biochemical analyses were performed. Results: The mean age was 45.1 ± 16.7 years and the mean BMI was 35.2 ± 5.2. Indirect calorimetry showed a resting metabolic rate (RMR) of 1,732.2 ± 406.6 kcal/day and oxygen consumption of 266.2 ± 63.3 ml/min. RMR corrected by fat-free mass was 36.8 ± 14.1 kcal/day/kg. Serial assessment of nutritional intake using written 3-day food records showed a calorie intake of 1,660 ± 551.7 cal/day, a carbohydrate intake of 168.63 ± 76.6 g/day, a fat intake of 72.1 ± 26.42 g/day and a protein intake of 81.1 ± 23.3 g/day. Insulin, HOMA, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, waist circumference, fat mass, waist-to-hip ratio were higher in the third BMI tertile than in the first and second tertiles. No differences were detected in calorie intake, carbohydrate intake, fat intake, protein intake, drinking and alcoholic habit among BMI tertiles. RMR was similar in the different tertiles and the corrected RMR by fat-free mass was higher in first tertile than in the second and third tertiles (44.2 ± 20.7 vs. 34.5 ± 9.1 vs. 33.1 ± 8.5 kcal/kg/day; p < 0.05). In multivariate analysis with a dependent variable (RMR), the fat-free mass remained in the model (F = 7.8; p < 0.05), with an increase of 10.1 (95% CI 3.6–17.5) kcal/day with each 1 kg of fat-free mass adjusted by age and sex. Conclusion: Resting energy expenditure in obese patients is not related to the BMI, insulin resistance and dietary intake. RMR is related to fat-free mass in a multivariant model.
Phenotypic diversity of campylobacter isolates from sporadic cases of human enteritis in Northern Ireland

jejuni, C. coli and C. lari remain the most common cause of acute bacterial enteritis in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, resulting in approximately 3000 positive results per annum and a trend that continues to rise. Most recent data for the year 2000 records 1001 positive results in Northern Ireland, which approximates to 59 cases per 100,000 individuals. This compares with a rate of 106 and 127 cases per 100,000 individuals for England & Wales and Scotland, respectively. A recent UK epidemiological study, however, estimates that the true prevalence of this infection is approximately 10-fold higher, due to patient under-reporting. Campylobacter spp. occupy a natural reservoir in the intestine of a wide range of feral and domesticated animal and birds, and enter the human food chain on raw animal products such as poultry, red meat and offal. Nonpasteurised milk has been the source of several large outbreaks and campylobacters can be found in inland and coastal waters as a result of faecal contamination by animals and sewage discharge. Human infections with Campylobacter spp. arise from direct contact with animals or with naturally contaminated raw or undercooked food products. Fortunately, large outbreaks of disease are rare and the majority of infections are sporadic. However, the vehicle of infection in most cases remains unidentified. The epidemiology of C. jejuni enteritis is hampered by a lack of a standardised identification and typing scheme. Few laboratories in the UK identify isolates to the species level and fewer still utilise any of the recognised typing schemes. The consequence of inadequate identification is scanty information about the frequency and distribution of the strain types that cause human infection and where they are to be found in the food chain. Differences in the attack rate between England & Wales and Northern Ireland merit further examination, as there is approximately 50% fewer laboratory-reported cases of campylobacteriosis per 100,000 population in Northern Ireland compared to Britain. Clarification of the reasons for these differences may permit the introduction of effective intervention controls to reduce the incidence of the disease within the British Isles. Hence, it may be postulated that such differences are attributed to social behaviour and food Phenotypic diversity of campylobacter isolates from sporadic cases of human enteritis in Northern Ireland
Abnormal Visual Scanning of Emotionally Evocative Natural Scenes in Huntington’s Disease

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative movement disorder associated with deficits in the processing of emotional stimuli, including alterations in the self-reported subjective experience of emotion when presented with pictures of emotional scenes. The aim of this study was to determine whether individuals with HD, compared to unaffected controls, display abnormal visual scanning of emotionally evocative natural scenes. Using eye-tracking, we recorded eye-movements of 25 HD participants (advanced pre-symptomatic and early symptomatic) and 25 age-matched unaffected control participants during a picture viewing task. Participants viewed pictures of natural scenes associated with different emotions: anger, fear, disgust, happiness, or neutral, and evaluated those pictures on a valence rating scale. Individuals with HD displayed abnormal visual scanning patterns, but did not differ from controls with respect to their valence ratings. Specifically, compared to controls, HD participants spent less time fixating on the pictures and made longer scan paths. This finding highlights the importance of taking visual scanning behavior into account when investigating emotion processing in HD. The visual scanning patterns displayed by HD participants could reflect a heightened, but possibly unfocussed, search for information, and might be linked to attentional deficits or to altered subjective emotional experiences in HD. Another possibility is that HD participants may have found it more difficult than controls to evaluate the emotional valence of the scenes, and the heightened search for information was employed as a compensatory strategy.
Molecular Systematics of the Genus Acidithiobacillus: Insights into the Phylogenetic Structure and Diversification of the Taxon

The acidithiobacilli are sulfur-oxidizing acidophilic bacteria that thrive in both natural and anthropogenic low pH environments. They contribute to processes that lead to the generation of acid rock drainage in several different geoclimatic contexts, and their properties have long been harnessed for the biotechnological processing of minerals. Presently, the genus is composed of seven validated species, described between 1922 and 2015: Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans, A. ferrooxidans, A. albertensis, A. caldus, A. ferrivorans, A. ferridurans, and A. ferriphilus. However, a large number of Acidithiobacillus strains and sequence clones have been obtained from a variety of ecological niches over the years, and many isolates are thought to vary in phenotypic properties and cognate genetic traits. Moreover, many isolates remain unclassified and several conflicting specific assignments muddle the picture from an evolutionary standpoint. Here we revise the phylogenetic relationships within this species complex and determine the phylogenetic species boundaries using three different typing approaches with varying degrees of resolution: 16S rRNA gene-based ribotyping, oligotyping, and multi-locus sequencing analysis (MLSA). To this end, the 580 16S rRNA gene sequences affiliated to the Acidithiobacillus spp. were collected from public and private databases and subjected to a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis. Oligotyping was used to profile high-entropy nucleotide positions and resolve meaningful differences between closely related strains at the 16S rRNA gene level. Due to its greater discriminatory power, MLSA was used as a proxy for genome-wide divergence in a smaller but representative set of strains. Results obtained indicate that there is still considerable unexplored diversity within this genus. At least six new lineages or phylotypes, supported by the different methods used herein, are evident within the Acidithiobacillus species complex. Although the diagnostic characteristics of these subgroups of strains are as yet unresolved, correlations to specific metadata hint to the mechanisms behind econiche-driven divergence of some of the species/phylotypes identified. The emerging phylogenetic structure for the genus outlined in this study can be used to guide isolate selection for future population genomics and evolutionary studies in this important acidophile model.
Some properties of thin beds

Six thin-bed models as represented by six two-termed reflectivity series are convolved with a Ricker 31 Hz zero-phase wavelet to simulate vertical plane-wave propagation. The absolute maximum amplitude (ANA) and the peak frequency jPF) of the resultant composite wavelet are studied. It is found that for unequal polarity, the AMA increases with thickness, and vice versa for equal polarity in the range of thickness between zero and one-eighth of the predominant wavelength. The functional dependence is, in general, non-linear, except in the case of unequal polarity and equal strength. The PF decreases quadratically as a function of thickness for the equal polarity models. For the unequal polarity models, it first increases with thickness and then decreases. But for the unequal polarity and equal strength model (Widess' model, 1973), the PF of the composite wavelet is found to be m fo for thickness for which the thin-bed assumption is valid, where fo is the PF of the input wavelet. Mathematical expressions for the AMA and the PF have also been derived.
Gravity waves on ice‐covered water

Gravity waves propagating on the surface of ice-covered water of finite depth are considered. The ice layer is viewed as a suspension, with an effective viscosity much greater than that of water and a density slightly less than that of water. It is treated as a viscous liquid, and the water beneath it is treated as an inviscid liquid. The linearized motion of gravity waves is analyzed for this two-layer model, and the dispersion equation is obtained. It is solved numerically for waves of any length. It is also simplified for waves short compared to the layer thickness and for waves long compared to the layer thickness. This equation yields dispersion and strong attenuation, both of which depend upon the effective viscosity of the suspension.
Clinical Significance of Varying Degrees of Vancomycin Susceptilibity in Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia

We conducted a retrospective study of the clinical aspects of bacteremia caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) with heterogeneously reduced susceptibility to vancomycin. Bloodstream MRSA isolates were screened for reduced susceptibility by using brain-heart infusion agar, including 4 mg/L vancomycin with and without 4% NaCl. Patients whose isolates exhibited growth (case-patients) were compared with those whose isolates did not (controls) for demographics, coexisting chronic conditions, hospital events, antibiotic exposures, and outcomes. Sixty-one (41%) of 149 isolates exhibited growth. Subclones from 46 (75%) of these had a higher MIC of vancomycin than did their parent isolates. No isolates met criteria for vancomycin heteroresistance. No differences in potential predictors or in outcomes were found between case-patients and controls. These data show that patients with vancomycin-susceptible MRSA bacteremia have similar baseline clinical features and outcomes whether or not their bacterial isolates exhibit growth on screening media containing vancomycin.
Somatosensory temporal discrimination in essential tremor and isolated head and voice tremors

The aim of this study was to investigate the somatosensory temporal discrimination threshold in patients with essential tremor (sporadic and familial) and to evaluate whether somatosensory temporal discrimination threshold values differ depending on the body parts involved by tremor. We also investigated the somatosensory temporal discrimination in patients with isolated voice tremor. We enrolled 61 patients with tremor: 48 patients with essential tremor (31 patients with upper limb tremor alone, nine patients with head tremor alone, and eight patients with upper limb plus head tremor; 22 patients with familial vs. 26 sporadic essential tremor), 13 patients with isolated voice tremor, and 45 healthy subjects. Somatosensory temporal discrimination threshold values were normal in patients with familial essential tremor, whereas they were higher in patients with sporadic essential tremor. When we classified patients according to tremor distribution, somatosensory temporal discrimination threshold values were normal in patients with upper limb tremor and abnormal only in patients with isolated head tremor. Temporal discrimination threshold values were also abnormal in patients with isolated voice tremor. Somatosensory temporal discrimination processing is normal in patients with familial as well as in patients with sporadic essential tremor involving the upper limbs. By contrast, somatosensory temporal discrimination is altered in patients with isolated head tremor and voice tremor. This study with somatosensory temporal discrimination suggests that isolated head and voice tremors might possibly be considered as separate clinical entities from essential tremor. © 2015 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Maximal sets of numbers not containing k+1 pairwise coprime integers

For positive integers k, n let f(n, k) be the maximal cardinality of subsets of integers in the interval < 1, n > , which don’t have k + 1 pairwise coprimes. The set E(n, k) of integers in < 1, n > , which are divisible by one of the first k primes, certainly does not have k + 1 pairwise coprimes. Whereas we disproved in [1] an old conjecture of Erdös ([4], [5], [6], [7]) by showing that the equality (1) f(n, k) = |E(n, k)| does not always hold, we prove here that (1) holds for every k and all relative to k sufficiently large n .
Seasons and Life Cycles

A conceptual framework explains how individual species' responses to climate warming affect the length of the growing season. An apparent contradiction has arisen in studies of plant phenological response to climatic warming: Field and satellite data at the community and biome levels indicate a lengthening of the growing season across much of the Northern Hemisphere (1–6) and—where data exist—in the Southern Hemisphere (5, 7, 8), yet life history observations of individual species suggest that many species often shorten their life cycle in response to warming (9–12). Here, we pair evolutionary and ecological viewpoints to resolve this conundrum.
Storage Reserve Accumulation in Arabidopsis: Metabolic and Developmental Control of Seed Filling

Abstract In the life cycle of higher plants, seed development is a key process connecting two distinct sporophytic generations. Seed development can be divided into embryo morphogenesis and seed maturation. An essential metabolic function of maturing seeds is the deposition of storage compounds that are mobilised to fuel post-germinative seedling growth. Given the importance of seeds for food and animal feed and considering the tremendous interest in using seed storage products as sustainable industrial feedstocks to replace diminishing fossil reserves, understanding the metabolic and developmental control of seed filling constitutes a major focus of plant research. Arabidopsis thaliana is an oilseed species closely related to the agronomically important Brassica oilseed crops. The main storage compounds accumulated in seeds of A. thaliana consist of oil stored as triacylglycerols (TAGs) and seed storage proteins (SSPs). Extensive tools developed for the molecular dissection of A. thaliana development and metabolism together with analytical and cytological procedures adapted for very small seeds have led to a good description of the biochemical pathways producing storage compounds. In recent years, studies using these tools have shed new light on the intricate regulatory network controlling the seed maturation process. This network involves sugar and hormone signalling together with a set of developmentally regulated transcription factors. Although much remains to be elucidated, the framework of the regulatory system controlling seed filling is coming into focus.
Source coding theory for a triangular communication system

A rate-distortion problem is considered for a triangular communication system (TCS), which has one encoder f and two decoders g/sub X/ and g/sub Y/. The encoder f maps correlated source outputs (X/sup K/,Y/sup K/) to two codewords W/sub X/ and W/sub Y/, which are sent to g/sub X/ and g/sub Y/, respectively. The decoders g/sub X/ and g/sub Y/ can communicate with each other via rate-constrained channels as many times as they need, and g/sub X/ reproduces X/spl circ//sup K/ while g/sub Y/ reproduces Y/spl circ//sup K/. The admissible rate-distortion region is determined for this TCS. Furthermore, the relations between the TCS and the Gray-Wyner (1974) system, Wyner's (1974) common information, Yamamoto's cascade communication system (1981), and the successive refinement system are discussed.
ANISOTROPY OF SMALL STRAIN STIFFNESS OF TICINO AND KENYA SANDS FROM SEISMIC WAVE PROPAGATION MEASURED IN TRIAXIAL TESTING

The small strain stiffness and anisotropic nature of two sands with different geological origin have been determined via laboratory seismic tests performed in a triaxial cell. Dry triaxial reconstituted specimens of Ticino river silica sand (TS) and of Kenya carbonatic sand (KS) were subjected to isotropic and anisotropic states of effective stress ; then both shear and constrained compression waves were propagated in vertical, horizontal and oblique directions by means of five couples of piezoelectric transducers especially arranged in the specimens. The propagated compression and shear waves allow the assessment of the constrained M0 and shear G0 moduli respectively, at very small strains where, as a first approximation many soils can be assumed, from an engineering point of view, to behave as an elastic cross-anisotropic medium with a vertical axis of symmetry. This paper, after a brief description of the novel measuring technique adopted and of the tested materials, summarises the test results and their interpretation in order to separate the effects of the fabric anisotropy from those produced by the state of effective stresses on soil stiffness. The stiffness and anisotropic response of the two tested sands are compared. Finally the results enable us to establish five independent constants of the cross-anisotropic elasticity model, which appears to be appropriate to reproduce the behaviour at small strain of the two sands.
Scutelluid trilobites from the Silurian of New South Wales

Abstract: Twenty‐six species (nineteen of them formally named) of scutelluid trilobites belonging to eight genera are described from limestones of the lower Wenlock to Ludlow Mirrabooka Formation and its stratigraphical equivalents in the Orange district of New South Wales. Two genera, Borenoria and Mirrabooka, are new. Japonoscutellum, previously employed mainly for several species from Japan, is a globally widely distributed genus in rocks of middle Llandovery to Ludlow age and includes a number of species previously assigned to Kosovopeltis. Japonoscutellum is remarkably diverse in the faunas from Orange where it is represented by eleven species, one of them known also from Kazakhstan. Flexiscutellum and Tosacephalus are regarded as junior synonyms of Decoroscutellum and Kosovopeltis, respectively. The homology of various scutelluid cephalic structures is discussed, in particular the cephalic borders and border furrows that have routinely been misidentified; the term ‘bolus’ is introduced for the variably developed swelling that is enclosed by S1 on the glabella of most scutelluids. New species are Australoscutellum iota, A. microps, A. pulex, A. trica, Borenoria cirrita, Decoroscutellum planes, Eoscutellum annosum, Illaenoscutellum tryo, Japonoscutellum borenorense, J. crassum, J. diascetum, J. gephyricum, J. guttulatum, J. serangicum, J. strabo, Kosovopeltis trepida, K. xynon and Mirrabooka harryi. Some of these trilobites show strong affinity with species from the Kurosegawa Terrane of south‐western Japan and the Chu‐Ili Terrane of Kazakhstan, as previously reported also for the effaced Illaenina from the same limestones. Australoscutellum and Mirrabooka are presently known only from eastern Australia. The new genus Securifrons is proposed for several species previously assigned to Kosovopeltis or Eokosovopeltis from the Sandbian or Katian to Llandovery of North Greenland, Canada, Scotland, South China and New South Wales.
The Discovery of Diamonds in Chromitites of the Hegenshan Ophiolite, Inner Mongolia, China

Diamond, moissanite and a variety of other minerals, similar to those reported from ophiolites in Tibet and northern Russia, have recently been discovered in chromitites of the Hegenshan ophiolite of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt, north China. The chromitites are small, podiform and vein‐like bodies hosted in dunite, clinopyroxene‐bearing peridotite, troctolite and gabbro. All of the analysed chromite grains are relatively Al‐rich, with Cr# [100Cr/(Cr+Al)] of about 47–53. Preliminary studies of mainly disseminated chromitite from ore body No. 3756 have identified more than 30 mineral species in addition to diamond and moissanite. These include oxides (mostly hematite, magnetite, rutile, anatase, cassiterite, and quartz), sulfides (pyrite, marcasite and others), silicates (magnesian olivine, enstatite, augite, diopside, uvarovite, pyrope, orthoclase, zircon, sphene, vesuvianite, chlorite and serpentine) and others (e.g., calcite, monazite, glauberite, iowaite and a range of metallic alloys). This study demonstrates that diamond, moissanite and other exotic minerals can occur in high‐Al, as well as high‐Cr chromites, and significantly extends the geographic and age range of known diamond‐bearing ophiolites.
The Dominance of Food Supply in Changing Demographic Factors across Africa: A Model Using a Systems Identification Approach

Demographic indicators linked to general health have been strongly linked to economic development. However, change in such indicators is also associated with other factors such as climate, water availability, and diet. Here, we use a systems modelling approach, bringing together a range of environmental, economic, dietary, and health factors, to seek possible dominant causes of demographic change across Africa. A continent-wide, north-south transect of countries allows for the exploration of a range of climates, while a longitudinal transect from the Atlantic to the Red Sea provides a range of socio-economic factors within the similar climatic regime of Sahelian Africa. While change in national life expectancy and death rate since 1960 is modelled to be linked to a varying number and type of factors across the transects, the dominant factor in improving these demographic indicators across the continent is food availability. This has been strongly modulated by HIV infection rates in recent decades in some countries.