Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Subclinical Thyroid Dysfunction and the Risk of Cognitive Decline: a Meta-Analysis 1 of Prospective Cohort Studies

37 Context : While both overt hyper- and hypothyroidism are known to lead to cognitive impairment, data on 38 the association between subclinical thyroid dysfunction and cognitive function are conflicting. 39 Objective : To determine the risk of dementia and cognitive decline associated with subclinical thyroid 40 dysfunction among prospective cohort studies. 41 Data Sources : Search in MEDLINE and EMBASE (inception until November 2014) and reference lists of 42 key articles without language restrictions. 43 Study Selection : Two physicians identified prospective cohorts that assessed thyroid function at baseline 44 and cognitive outcomes (dementia; Mini-Mental State Examination, MMSE). 45 Data Extraction : Data were extracted by one reviewer following standardized protocols and verified by a 46 second reviewer. Both reviewers independently assessed study quality. The primary outcomes were de- 47 mentia and decline in cognitive function measured by MMSE. We calculated risk ratios and 95% confi- 48 dence intervals using random-effects models. 49 Data Synthesis : Eleven prospective cohorts followed 16,805 participants during a median follow-up of 50 44.4 months. Five studies analyzed the risk of dementia in subclinical hyperthyroidism (n=6410), six in 51 subclinical hypothyroidism (n=7401). Five studies analyzed MMSE decline in subclinical hyperthyroid- 52 ism (n=7895), seven in subclinical hypothyroidism (n=8960). In random-effects models, the pooled ad- 53 justed RR for dementia in subclinical hyperthyroidism was 1.67 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04-2.69) 54 and 1.14 (95%CI 0.84-1.55) in subclinical hypothyroidism versus euthyroidism, both without evidence of 55 significant heterogeneity (I 2 =0.0%). Sensitivity analyses pooling only studies with formal outcome adjudi- 56 cation or population-based studies yielded similar results. The pooled mean MMSE decline from baseline 57 to follow-up (mean 32 months) did not significantly differ between subclinical hyper- or hypothyroidism 58 versus euthyroidism. variability studies
Role of host- and pathogen-associated lipids in directing the immune response in mycobacterial infections, with emphasis on Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis

Abstract Mycobacteria have a complex cell wall with a high lipid content that confers unique advantages for bacterial survival in the hostile host environment, leading to long-term infection. There is a wealth of evidence suggesting the role cell wall-associated lipid antigens play at the host–pathogen interface by contributing to bacterial virulence. One pathway that pathogenic mycobacteria use to subvert host immune pathways to their advantage is host cholesterol/lipid homeostasis. This review focuses on the possible role of pathogen- and host-associated lipids in the survival and persistence of pathogenic mycobacteria with emphasis on Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis. We draw upon literature in diverse areas of infectious and metabolic diseases and explain a mechanism by which mycobacterial-induced changes in the host cellular energy state could account for phenomena that are a hallmark of chronic mycobacterial diseases.
Total Factor Productivity in Thai Agriculture Measurement and Determinants

This paper studies total factor productivity (TFP) in Thai agriculture to provide better empirical evidence on the TFP measure and the factors influencing it. It employs time-series data at an aggregate level over the period 1970-2006 for both crops and livestock,individually, using the conventional growth accounting framework. The TFP measures are then used to investigate their determinants using the error correction modeling technique. The results confirm the general expectation from previous studies that TFP makes an important contribution to output growth and that agricultural research plays an important role in determining TFP in both the crop and livestock sectors.
NF-κB activation by the Toll-IL-1 receptor domain protein MyD88 adapter-like is regulated by caspase-1

Toll-like receptors (TLRs)-2 and -4 are important proteins in innate immunity, recognizing microbial products and eliciting host defense responses. Both use the adapter proteins MyD88 and MyD88 adapter-like (Mal) to activate signaling pathways. Here we report that Mal but not MyD88 interacts with caspase-1, the enzyme that processes the precursors of the proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-18. The interaction was found in a yeast two-hybrid screen and was confirmed by reciprocal GST pull-downs and coimmunoprecipitation of endogenous proteins. We were unable to implicate Mal in regulating caspase-1 activation. However, we found that Mal was cleaved by caspase-1 and that inhibition of caspase-1 activity blocked TLR2- and TLR4-mediated NF-κB and p38 MAP kinase activation but not IL-1 or TLR7 signaling, which are Mal independent. These responses, and the induction of TNF, were also attenuated in caspase-1-deficient cells. Finally, unlike wild-type Mal, a mutant Mal, which was not cleaved by caspase-1, was unable to signal and acted as a dominant negative inhibitor of TLR2 and TLR4 signaling. Our study therefore reveals a role for caspase-1 in the regulation of TLR2 and TLR4 signaling pathways via an effect on Mal. This functional interaction reveals an important aspect of the coordination between TLRs and caspase-1 during the innate response to pathogens.
Changes in Students' Self-Regulation Based on Different Teaching Methodologies.

This study addressed the question: "What instructional techniques are most effective in helping students learn how to self-regulate their learning? " An integrated model based on current research in self-regulated learning (SRL) was used to explain changes in students' SRL. Five key instructional practices were identified and embedded into a math curriculum: (1) guide self-beliefs, goal setting, and expectations; (2) promote reflective dialogue; (3) provide corrective feedback; (4) connect abstract concepts; and (5) link to new experiences. Data were collected from 78 students attending a New England community college. Analysis of variance, correlations, and path analyses were used to determine differences between the treatment and comparison groups' perceptions of their SRL preto post-semester. The results suggest that students who learned through SRL-embedded teaching methods became more effective in SRL, a finding that emphasizes the critical role that instructors play in the SRL process by providing cues within the instructional setting. The results also indicate that SRL is an integrated process. The paper suggests that future research in SRL should focus on methods that capture the interrelationship among the SRL variables. (Contains 49 references.) (Author/SM) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. 1 PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY
The Education Debate

Introduction to key concepts: education policy, economic necessity and public service reform Class, comprehensives and continuities: a short history of English education policy Current policy models and The UK government's approach to public service reform Current key issues: forms of policy and forms of equity A sociology of education policy: past, present and future.
Prognostic significance and normal values of 2D strain to assess right ventricular systolic function in chronic heart failure.

BACKGROUND Normal values and the prognostic significance of right ventricle (RV)-2D strain in chronic heart failure (CHF) patients are unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS Between 2005 and 2010, we prospectively enrolled 43 controls and 118 stable CHF patients. Standard echocardiographic variables, tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion, peak systolic velocity of tricuspid annular motion using tissue Doppler imaging, and RV and left ventricle (LV) 2D-strain were measured. The primary outcome was death or emergency transplantation or emergency ventricular assist device implantation or acute heart failure. RV-2D strain was measurable in 39 controls (58±17 years, 50% men), whose median value was 30% (95% confidence interval [95%CI], 39%; 20%); and in 104 CHF patients (80% men, mean age 57±11 years, and mean LV ejection fraction 29%±8%), whose median value was 19% (95%CI, 34%; 9%). During the mean follow-up of 37±14 months, 44 experienced the primary outcome. By Cox proportional hazards multivariate analysis, only RV-2D strain and log B-type natriuretic peptide independently predicted experiencing the primary outcome within the first year. The best RV-2D strain cut-off by receiver-operating characteristics analysis was 21%, and patients with values >21% were at greatest risk (χ(2)-log-rank test=14.1, P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS RV-2D strain is a strong independent predictor of severe adverse events in patients with CHF and may be superior to other systolic RV or LV echocardiographic variables.
Cognitive profiles in childhood and adolescence differ between adult psychotic and affective symptoms: a prospective birth cohort study

Background Differences between verbal and non-verbal cognitive development from childhood to adulthood may differentiate between those with and without psychotic symptoms and affective symptoms in later life. However, there has been no study exploring this in a population-based cohort. Method The sample was drawn from the MRC National Survey of Health and Development, and consisted of 2384 study members with self-reported psychotic experiences and affective symptoms at the age of 53 years, and with complete cognitive data at the ages of 8 and 15 years. The association between verbal and non-verbal cognition at age 8 years and relative developmental lag from age 8 to 15 years, and both adult outcomes were tested with the covariates adjusted, and mutually adjusted for verbal and non-verbal cognition. Results Those with psychotic experiences [thought interference (n = 433), strange experience (n = 296), hallucination (n = 88)] had lower cognition at both the ages of 8 and 15 years in both verbal and non-verbal domains. After mutual adjustment, lower verbal cognition at age 8 years and greater verbal developmental lag were associated with higher likelihood of psychotic experiences within individuals, whereas there was no association between non-verbal cognition and any psychotic experience. In contrast, those with case-level affective symptoms (n = 453) had lower non-verbal cognition at age 15 years, and greater developmental lag in the non-verbal domain. After adjustment, lower non-verbal cognition at age 8 years and greater non-verbal developmental lag were associated with higher risk of case-level affective symptoms within individuals. Conclusions These results suggest that cognitive profiles in childhood and adolescence differentiate psychiatric disease spectra.
Increasing Persistence: Research-based Strategies for College Student Success

"What a gem! This is a requisite text for enrollment practitioners, higher education scholars, and progressive public policy makers dedicated to understanding the processes involved in increasing student retention and success rates. The authors' data-focused approach identifies many of the best practices and fundamental efforts that can make a positive impact at most colleges and universities. Increasing Persistence provides an ideal organizational framework for developing student retention plans. #Jay W. Goff, vice president of enrollment and retention management, Saint Louis University
Research into International Competitiveness in 2000–2008

KTU Department of Economics and InternationalTrade carried out the research in 1999 – 2008 that createdthe background for the teaching of masters and doctors inEconomics and Management programs at the Department.In the period of 1999 – 2008 the journal “EngineeringEconomics” has accepted 85 articles, written by theresearches of the Department. All the articles may beclassified according to the fields of analysis into followingfour groups: international competitiveness of nations andcompanies; competition environment and internationaltrade features in specific industries and markets; internationalfinance and investments and risk management; economiccycles and foreign debt control.Because of the space limitations the aim of this articleis to cover the first two topics with the hope to analyze theother two in the next paper.International competitiveness of nations and companiesis discussed in 8 articles.It was found that competition intensity can bedescribed by these main factors: market shares distribution,market rate of growth, market profitability. The first factor– market shares distribution – is analyzed by usingmathematical-statistical methods, Stackelberg marketclassification and graphics market shares interpretation.The second factor – market rate of growth – can beexplained in such way: when market rate of growth higher,then market capacity is bigger, and competition is not sohigh, and vice versa. Another way for the evaluation of thesecond factor can be the concept of demand for productlife cycle. The third factor – market profitability – can beexplained in such way: when market profitability is higher,then sellers can get higher profit and this means thatcompetition of this market becomes higher. Thecompetitiveness management information systemmaintenance includes such blocks: product linedescription, market segments characteristics description,market competition intensity level, product demand lifecycle stage. Cluster based economic development is the keyto regional competitiveness. Cluster Based RegionalCompetitiveness Development Model has five stages:mobilisation, cluster development, diagnosis, collaborativestrategy and implementation.Competition environment and international tradefeatures in specific industries and markets is discussed in17 articles. It is shown that Baltic States are competingexporters of similar sectors of commodities. While demandin Eastern markets is shrinking, export conditions to theEU countries are getting more attractive. This encouragesBaltic States exports to the EU. Lithuania is exportingmineral products, textiles and textile article, machinery,mechanical appliances and electrical equipment, productsof chemical industries. Latvia and Estonia keep strongexport positions in these sectors too. The EU internalmarket is supposed to be an area without any tradebarriers, but there is still much to do achieving reallyunhampered flow of goods and services in Europe. It wasfound that the legal basis of the EU permits the possibilityto misuse health and safety requirements as a hamper offull economic integration of the expanding EU family.
PHYLOGENY OF CRANES (GRUIFORMES: GRUIDAE) BASED ON CYTOCHROME-B DNA SEQUENCES

ABS? RACr. --DNA sequences spanning 1,042 nucleotide bases of the mitochondrial cytochrome-b gene are reported for all 15 species and selected subspecies of cranes and an outgroup, the Limpkin (Aramus guarauna). Levels of sequence divergence coincide approximately with current taxonomic ranks at the subspecies, species, and subfamilial level, but not at the generic level within Gruinae. In particular, the two putative species of Balearica (B. pavonina and B. regulorum) are as distinct as most pairs of gruine species. Phylogenetic analysis of the sequences produced results that are strikingly congruent with previous DNADNA hybridization and behavior studies. Among gruine cranes, five major lineages are identified. Two of these comprise single species (Grus leucogeranus, G. canadensis), while the others are species groups: Anthropoides and Bugeranus; G. antigone, G. rubicunda, and G. vipio; and G. grus, G. monachus, G. nigricollis, G. americana, and G. japonensis. Within the latter group, G. monachus and G. nigricollis are sister species, and G. japonensis appears to be the sister group to the other four species. The data provide no resolution of branching order for major groups, but suggest a rapid evolutionary diversification of these lineages. Received 19 March 1993, accepted 19 August 1993. THE 15 EXTANT SPECIES of cranes comprise the nominate family (Gruidae) of the order Gruiformes, and are currently divided into two subfamilies, Balearicinae and Gruinae (Brodkorb 1967). Balearicine cranes are anatomically unspecialized relative to gruines and are represented by only two extant species in the genus Balearica (the crowned cranes of Africa). Gruines share derived anatomical features such as an anteriorly sculpted sternum (often associated with tracheal coiling inside keel) in which the furcular process is fused to the anteroventral tip of the keel. Three extant gruine genera are recognized: Grus (10 species), Anthropoides (2 species), and Bugeranus (1 species). These genera are defined on the basis of soft anatomical features, although their monophyly has not been addressed by phylogenetic analysis. Fossil balearicines are known from the lower Eocene and later deposits in Eurasia, whereas Gruines date from the late Miocene (Brodkorb 1967). Evolutionary relationships among cranes have been addressed with a variety of different approaches during the past two decades. Archibald (1976) derived the species groups shown in Table 1 on the basis of similarities in unison
A pilot study of plasma metabolomic patterns from patients treated with ketamine for bipolar depression: evidence for a response‐related difference in mitochondrial networks

(R,S)‐ketamine produces rapid and significant antidepressant effects in approximately 65% of patients suffering from treatment‐resistant bipolar depression (BD). The genetic, pharmacological and biochemical differences between ketamine responders and non‐responders have not been identified. The purpose of this study was to employ a metabolomics approach, a global, non‐targeted determination of endogenous metabolic patterns, to identify potential markers of ketamine response and non‐response.
An ATR‐dependent function for the Ddx19 RNA helicase in nuclear R‐loop metabolism

Coordination between transcription and replication is crucial in the maintenance of genome integrity. Disturbance of these processes leads to accumulation of aberrant DNA:RNA hybrids (R‐loops) that, if unresolved, generate DNA damage and genomic instability. Here we report a novel, unexpected role for the nucleopore‐associated mRNA export factor Ddx19 in removing nuclear R‐loops formed upon replication stress or DNA damage. We show, in live cells, that Ddx19 transiently relocalizes from the nucleopore to the nucleus upon DNA damage, in an ATR/Chk1‐dependent manner, and that Ddx19 nuclear relocalization is required to clear R‐loops. Ddx19 depletion induces R‐loop accumulation, proliferation‐dependent DNA damage and defects in replication fork progression. Further, we show that Ddx19 resolves R‐loops in vitro via its helicase activity. Furthermore, mutation of a residue phosphorylated by Chk1 in Ddx19 disrupts its interaction with Nup214 and allows its nuclear relocalization. Finally, we show that Ddx19 operates in resolving R‐loops independently of the RNA helicase senataxin. Altogether these observations put forward a novel, ATR‐dependent function for Ddx19 in R‐loop metabolism to preserve genome integrity in mammalian cells.
Bioluminescence Imaging Reveals Systemic Dissemination of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 in the Absence of Interferon Receptors

ABSTRACT Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) can produce disseminated, systemic infection in neonates and patients with AIDS or other immunocompromising diseases, resulting in significant morbidity and mortality in spite of antiviral therapy. Components of host immunity that normally limit HSV-1 to localized epithelial and neuronal infection remain incompletely defined. We used in vivo bioluminescence imaging to determine effects of type I and II interferons (IFNs) on replication and tropism of HSV-1 infection in mice with genetic deficiency of type I, type II, or both type I and II IFN receptors. Following footpad or ocular infection of mice lacking type I IFN receptors, HSV-1 spread to parenchymal organs, including lung, liver, spleen, and regional lymph nodes, but mice survived. Deletion of type I and II IFN receptors produced quantitatively greatest and most widespread dissemination of virus to visceral organs and the nervous system, and these mice invariably died after ocular or footpad infection. Type II receptor knockout and wild-type mice had comparable viral replication and localization, with no systemic spread of HSV-1 or lethality. Therefore, while isolated deficiency of type II IFN receptors did not affect pathogenesis, loss of these receptors in combination with genetic deletion of type I receptors had a profound effect on susceptibility to HSV-1. These data demonstrate different effects of type I and II IFNs in limiting systemic dissemination of HSV-1 and further validate the use of bioluminescence imaging for studies of viral pathogenesis.
Board Independence, Monitoring, and CEO Pay Disparity

This paper analyzes how board independence affects a board's monitoring intensity and the CEO pay disparity. We consider a corporate tournament model with a novel feature that the board of directors may lack independence. This has significant implications for a board's monitoring and rewarding policies. Our results provide several empirical implications, including: (i) the CEO pay disparity increases with the board's equity holding; (ii) the CEO pay disparity can decrease with the board's monitoring intensity; (iii) the board's monitoring intensity increases with the level of board independence; and (iv) the CEO pay disparity can increase or decrease with the level of board independence, depending on the relative sizes of the contracting effect and the monitoring effect defined in the current paper. These implications are robust to limited liability concerns, alternative definitions of board dependence, biases in tournaments, and external recruitment threats. Overall, our results suggest that the trends of CEO pay disparity can be partly explained by the trends in the nature of board independence.For robustness checks, we show that: (iv) the CEO pay disparity becomes smaller when the required minimum pay rises; (v) the CEO pay disparity is higher in a biased tournament than in an unbiased tournament; (vi) the threat of external recruitment reduces the resource input level and can widen (shrink) the CEO pay disparity if the uncertainty of internal performance measure is great (weak) relative to the uncertainty of the external contestant's ability; and (vii) if the board appoints an external CEO, the CEO pay disparity (defined as the pay gap between the external CEO and the winner of corporate tournament) increases with the performance and the mean ability level of the external contestant, whereas it decreases with the ability level of internal contestants and the cost of hiring an external CEO (which may be caused by the inexperience of the external CEO, the disincentives of internal staff, and the loss of the benefits from diverted company resources by internal contestants), which implies that the less independent the board, the smaller the CEO pay disparity.