Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Systematic appraisal of lactose intolerance as cause of increased need for oral thyroxine.

CONTEXT An increased need for T4 has been described in patients with different gastrointestinal disorders. However, there is a lack of systematic studies assessing the need for T4 in hypothyroid patients with lactose intolerance, a widespread and often occult disorder. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to assess the replacement T4 dose required in hypothyroid patients with lactose intolerance. DESIGN This was a cohort study. SETTING The study was conducted at an outpatient endocrinology unit in a University Hospital. PATIENTS The replacement T4 dose has been analyzed, from 2009 to 2012, in 34 hypothyroid patients due to Hashimoto's thyroiditis and lactose intolerance and being noncompliant with a lactose-free diet. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE An individually tailored T4 dose was measured. RESULTS In all patients with isolated Hashimoto's thyroiditis, target TSH (median TSH 1.02 mU/L) was obtained at a median T4 dose of 1.31 μg/kg/d. In patients with lactose intolerance, only five of 34 patients reached the desired TSH (median TSH 0.83 mU/L) with a similar T4 dose (1.29 μg/kg/d). In the remaining 29 patients, the T4 dose was progressively increased and the target TSH (median TSH 1.21 mU/L) was attained at a median T4 dose of 1.81 μg/kg/d (+38%, P < .0001). In six of these patients, other gastrointestinal disorders were diagnosed, and their median T4 requirement was higher (2.04 μg/kg/d; +55%; P = .0032). In the remaining 23 patients with isolated lactose intolerance, a median T4 dose of 1.72 μg/kg/d (+31% P < .0001) has been required to attain pharmacological thyroid homeostasis. CONCLUSIONS These findings show that lactose intolerance significantly increased the need for oral T4 in hypothyroid patients.
The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists

Buddhist-derived meditation practices are currently being employed as a popular form of health promotion. While meditation programs draw inspiration from Buddhist textual sources for the benefits of meditation, these sources also acknowledge a wide range of other effects beyond health-related outcomes. The Varieties of Contemplative Experience study investigates meditation-related experiences that are typically underreported, particularly experiences that are described as challenging, difficult, distressing, functionally impairing, and/or requiring additional support. A mixed-methods approach featured qualitative interviews with Western Buddhist meditation practitioners and experts in Theravāda, Zen, and Tibetan traditions. Interview questions probed meditation experiences and influencing factors, including interpretations and management strategies. A follow-up survey provided quantitative assessments of causality, impairment and other demographic and practice-related variables. The content-driven thematic analysis of interviews yielded a taxonomy of 59 meditation-related experiences across 7 domains: cognitive, perceptual, affective, somatic, conative, sense of self, and social. Even in cases where the phenomenology was similar across participants, interpretations of and responses to the experiences differed considerably. The associated valence ranged from very positive to very negative, and the associated level of distress and functional impairment ranged from minimal and transient to severe and enduring. In order to determine what factors may influence the valence, impact, and response to any given experience, the study also identified 26 categories of influencing factors across 4 domains: practitioner-level factors, practice-level factors, relationships, and health behaviors. By identifying a broader range of experiences associated with meditation, along with the factors that contribute to the presence and management of experiences reported as challenging, difficult, distressing or functionally impairing, this study aims to increase our understanding of the effects of contemplative practices and to provide resources for mediators, clinicians, meditation researchers, and meditation teachers.
ENCOUNTER FREQUENCY DOES NOT PREDICT PREDATION FREQUENCY IN TROPICAL DEAD-SHELL ASSEMBLAGES

Abstract Predation is frequently suggested to be a key biotic process that can shape ecological communities and drive coevolution. The premise behind these hypotheses is that predators select prey to ensure maximum gain per unit effort; for example, by selecting species that are more abundant or accessible. In this study, we tested for predator selectivity in a tropical molluscan assemblage by quantifying the influence of relative abundance (encounter frequency) on predation frequencies. We collected macromollusks (> 4 mm) from 15 sites in three soft-sediment reef lagoons at One Tree Reef (southern Great Barrier Reef, Australia). Dead mollusks were counted and identified to species level (61 species, n = 8131), and species predation frequencies were calculated as the proportion of shells with drill holes. We found that in this infauna-dominated community, levels of drilling predation were low (7.14% on average), and there was no evidence that predators selected prey based on encounter frequency. This result was consistent across prey species and lagoons. Thus, drilling predators did not specialize on more accessible prey species and were not a major cause of mortality in this modern macromollusk assemblage. Since drilling gastropods are size selective, lack of selectivity in our samples only applies to the prey size range considered. Detailed studies of prey morphological traits, as well as accounting for predator non-consumptive effects could shed light on the preferences and relevance of drilling gastropods in this soft-sediment carbonate reef assemblage.
Model Simulations of a Mesocosm Experiment Investigating the Response of a Low Nutrient Low Chlorophyll (LNLC) Marine Ecosystem to Atmospheric Deposition Events

Atmospheric deposition of nitrogen and phosphorus represents an important source of nutrients, enhancing the marine productivity in oligotrophic areas, e.g. the Mediterranean. A comprehensive biogeochemical model (ERSEM) was setup and customized to simulate a mesocosm experiment, where dissolved inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus by means of atmospheric dust (single addition/SA and repetitive addition/RA in three successive doses) was added in controlled tanks and compared with a control (blank), all with Cretan Sea (Eastern Mediterranean) water. Observations on almost all components of the pelagic ecosystem in a ten-day period allowed investigating the effect of atmospheric deposition and the pathways of the added nutrients. The model was able to reasonably capture the observed variability of different ecosystem components and reproduce the main features of the experiment. An enhancement of primary production and phytoplankton biomass with added nutrients was simulated, in agreement with observations. A significant increase of bacterial production was also reproduced, while the model underestimated the observed increase and variability in bacterial biomass, but this deviation could be partly removed considering a lower carbon conversion factor from cell abundance data. A slightly stronger overall response was simulated with the single dust addition, compared to the repetitive that showed a few days delay. The simulated carbon pathways indicated that nutrient additions did not modify the microbial food web structure, but just increased its trophic status. Changes in model assumptions and parameter set that were necessary to reproduce the observed variability in the mesocosm experiment were discussed through a series of sensitivity simulations. Bacterial production was assumed to be mostly affected by the in situ produced labile organic matter, while it was further stimulated by the addition of inorganic nutrients, adopting a function of external nutrient concentrations for bacteria nutrient limitation. The effective increase in phytoplankton nutrient uptake rate was necessary, in order to reproduce the observed primary production, under such low nutrient concentrations, as also the increase of the grazers growth rate. The model was thus tuned to better work under very low nutrient concentrations, such as those found in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Calcium‐dependent inactivation of high‐threshold calcium currents in human dentate gyrus granule cells

1 Dentate gyrus granule cells acutely dissociated from hippocampal slices obtained from chronic temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) patients displayed a high‐voltage activated (HVA) Ca2+ conductance with a pronounced Ca2+‐dependent inactivation. 2 Inactivation time constants and peak HVA Ca2+ current (ICa) amplitudes did not differ between perforated patch and whole‐cell recordings without added exogenous Ca2+ buffers, indicating that the Ca2+‐dependent characteristics of ICa inactivation were well preserved in whole‐cell recordings. 3 Inactivation time constants correlated with whole‐cell ICa, and were increased when Ca2+ was replaced with Ba2+ in the external solution or 5 mm BAPTA was added to the pipette solution. 4 In recordings without added exogenous Ca2+ buffers, the time course of ICa inactivation was comparable between human TLE and kindled rat granule cells. Conversely, the time course of ICa in human TLE granule cells loaded with 5 mm intracellular BAPTA resembled that observed in buffer‐free recordings from control rat neurones. 5 The loss of a putative intraneuronal Ca2+ buffer, the Ca2+‐binding protein calbindin (CB), from human granule cells during TLE may result in the pronounced Ca2+‐dependent ICa inactivation. This process could serve a neuroprotective role by significantly decreasing Ca2+ entry during prolonged trains of action potentials known to occur during seizures.
Spinal cord atrophy and disability in multiple sclerosis over four years: application of a reproducible automated technique in monitoring disease progression in a cohort of the interferon β-1a (Rebif) treatment trial

Background: Pathology in the cervical spinal cord is considered an important cause of disability in multiple sclerosis. However, the majority of serial studies have failed to find a correlation between spinal cord atrophy and disability. Objectives: To use a highly reproducible and accurate method to quantify spinal cord area change on three dimensional magnetic resonance imaging and relate this to disability change in patients with multiple sclerosis. Methods: 38 patients with multiple sclerosis (20 with the relapsing–remitting (RRMS) form and 18 with the secondary progressive (SPMS) form) were imaged at baseline and at months 6, 12, 18, and 48 during two treatment trials of the high dose subcutaneous thrice weekly interferon β-1a (IFNβ, Rebif). Thirty one healthy subjects were also imaged at baseline. Upper cervical cord area (UCCA) was measured using Sobel edge detection. Results: The intraobserver coefficient of variation of the method was 0.42%. A significant reduction in UCCA was detected at month 6 in the placebo group (p = 0.04) and at month 12 for INFβ (p = 0.03). The mean reduction of UCCA at month 48 was 5.7% for patients initially on placebo who received treatment at 24 months (RRMS) or at 36 months (SPMS), and 4.5% for those on IFNβ throughout the study (p = 0.35). The change in UCCA was significantly correlated with change in the expanded disability status scale at month 12 (r = 0.4, p = 0.016), month 18 (r = 0.32, p = 0.05), and month 48 (r = 0.4, p = 0.016) in the total cohort. Conclusions: Despite the small number of patients studied and the possible confounding effects of interferon treatment, this study showed that edge detection is reproducible and sensitive to changes in spinal cord area, and that this change is related to changes in clinical disability. This suggests a role for measurement of spinal cord atrophy in monitoring disease progression and possible treatment effects in clinical trails.
Epidemiological characterization of a nosocomial outbreak of extended spectrum β‐lactamase Escherichia coli ST‐131 confirms the clinical value of core genome multilocus sequence typing

Enhanced precision of epidemiological typing in clinically suspected nosocomial outbreaks is crucial. Our aim was to investigate whether single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis and core genome (cg) multilocus sequence typing (MLST) of whole genome sequencing (WGS) data would more reliably identify a nosocomial outbreak, compared to earlier molecular typing methods. Sixteen isolates from a nosocomial outbreak of ESBL E. coli ST‐131 in southeastern Sweden and three control strains were subjected to WGS. Sequences were explored by SNP analysis and cgMLST. cgMLST clearly differentiated between the outbreak isolates and the control isolates (>1400 differences). All clinically identified outbreak isolates showed close clustering (≥2 allele differences), except for two isolates (>50 allele differences). These data confirmed that the isolates with >50 differing genes did not belong to the nosocomial outbreak. The number of SNPs within the outbreak was ≤7, whereas the two discrepant isolates had >700 SNPs. Two of the ESBL E. coli ST‐131 isolates did not belong to the clinically identified outbreak. Our results illustrate the power of WGS in terms of resolution, which may avoid overestimation of patients belonging to outbreaks as judged from epidemiological data and previously employed molecular methods with lower discriminatory ability.
Quantum confinement in amorphous TiO2 films studied via atomic layer deposition

Despite the significant recent increase in quantum-based optoelectronics device research, few deposition techniques can reliably create the required functional nanoscale systems. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) was used here to study the quantum effects attainable through the use of this ångström-level controlled growth process. Size-dependent quantum confinement has been demonstrated using TiO2 layers of nanoscale thickness applied to the surfaces of silicon wafers. TiO2 films were deposited at 100 °C using TiCl4 and H2O2 in a viscous flow ALD reactor, at a rate of 0.61 Å/cycle. The low-temperature process was utilized to guarantee the amorphous deposition of TiO2 layers and post-deposition thermal annealing was employed to promote crystallite-size modification. Hydrogen peroxide significantly reduced the residual chlorine that remained from a typical TiCl4–H2O ALD process at this temperature, down to 1.6%. Spectroscopic ellipsometry was used to quantify the optical properties both below and above the bandgap energy. A central composite design was employed to map the surface response of the film thickness-dependent bandgap shift for the as-deposited case and up to a thermal annealing temperature of 550 °C. The Brus model was used to develop a correlation between the amorphous TiO2 film thickness and the quantum length to promote equivalent bandgap shifts.
INCREASING THE COMPETITIVE STRENGTHS OF TANZANIAN TOURISM FIRMS-THE STRATEGIC ROLE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

This study investigates the relationship between information technology (IT) and firms’ competitive advantage. A conceptual model hypothesizing the relationship between human and IT resources and their influence on firms’ capabilities and competitive advantage is conceived. Market and resource-based views are applied to investigate what differentiates firms’ performance as they deploy IT. Confirmatory factor analysis is used to validate the model and test the hypothesized relationships using 217 cases of SMTEs in Tanzania. The findings demonstrate that IT value depends on both IT and human resources. Industry-specific skills, knowledge and experience and managements’ skills, knowledge and experience of IT determine firms’ performance, not only general business skills, knowledge and experience. Operational effectiveness and strategic positioning also determine competitive advantage but integrity and innovation do not. We add the concept “extended firms’ IT resources and competences”, the vendors, services and expertise that complement IT resources and the competences owned and controlled by firms.
Acquired Activation of the Akt/Cyclooxygenase-2/Mcl-1 Pathway Renders Lung Cancer Cells Resistant to Apoptosis

Acquired apoptosis resistance plays an important role in acquired chemoresistance in cancer cells during chemotherapy. Our previous observations demonstrated that acquired tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand resistance in lung cancer cells was associated with Akt-mediated stabilization of cellular FLICE-like inhibitory protein (c-FLIP) and Mcl-1. In this report, we determined that these cells also have acquired resistance to apoptosis induced by chemotherapeutics such as cisplatin and doxorubicin (Adriamycin), which was detected in vitro in cell cultures and in vivo in xenografted tumors. We further found that cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is dramatically overexpressed in cells with acquired apoptosis resistance. COX-2 seems to be a crucial mediator in acquired apoptosis resistance because suppressing COX-2 activity with a chemical inhibitor or reducing COX-2 protein expression level with COX-2 small interfering RNA dramatically alleviated resistance to therapeutic-induced apoptosis. Inhibiting Akt markedly suppressed COX-2 expression, suggesting COX-2 is a downstream effector of this cell survival kinase-mediated apoptosis resistance. Furthermore, the expression of Mcl-1 but not c-FLIP was significantly reduced when COX-2 was suppressed, and knockdown of Mcl-1 substantially sensitized the cells to apoptosis. Our results establish a novel pathway that consists of Akt, COX-2, and Mcl-1 for acquired apoptosis resistance, which could be a molecular target for circumventing acquired chemoresistance in lung cancer.
Managerial Ability and Credit Ratings

We test whether credit rating analysts consider managerial ability as a credit risk factor and find that higher-ability managers obtain more favorable credit ratings. Controlling for past performance, these results suggest that managerial ability is itself a significant credit rating factor. Cross-sectional analyses indicate that managerial ability is beneficial specifically in firms facing financial or competitive pressure. We find that high ability managers mitigate the adverse impact on ratings of other credit risk factors including negative earnings and low interest coverage. Our results contribute to a growing literature documenting economic benefits to hiring and retaining high quality management.
An efficient iterative algorithm for joint frequency synchronization and channel estimation in OFDM systems

We propose an efficient joint frequency synchronization and channel estimation algorithm based on maximum-likelihood criterion for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing systems. By incorporating a linear minimum mean square error combiner into the algorithm, an iterative process will smoothly lead us to the solutions for both the ML frequency offset and channel estimator without any exhaustive search or simplified approximation as required in most existing algorithms. Moreover, unlike many existing algorithms for which the ML estimator mean square errors will move above and away from Cramer-Rao bounds as signal-to-noise ratio value becomes large, our ML estimator MSEs continue to be tightly close to CRBs at large SNRs with a good tracking range.
Oral Live Vaccine Strain-Induced Protective Immunity against Pulmonary Francisella tularensis Challenge Is Mediated by CD4+ T Cells and Antibodies, Including Immunoglobulin A

ABSTRACT Francisella tularensis is an intracellular gram-negative bacterium and the etiological agent of pulmonary tularemia. Given the high degrees of infectivity in the host and of dissemination of bacteria following respiratory infection, immunization strategies that target mucosal surfaces are critical for the development of effective vaccines against this organism. In this study, we have characterized the efficacy of protective immunity against pneumonic tularemia following oral vaccination with F. tularensis LVS (live vaccine strain). Mice vaccinated orally with LVS displayed colocalization of LVS with intestinal M cells, with subsequent enhanced production of splenic antigen-specific gamma interferon and of systemic and mucosal antibodies, including immunoglobulin A (IgA). LVS-vaccinated BALB/c mice were highly protected against intranasal (i.n.) SCHU S4 challenge and exhibited significantly less bacterial replication in the lungs, liver, and spleen than mock-immunized animals. Depletion of CD4+ T cells significantly abrogated the protective immunity, and mice deficient in B cells or IgA displayed partial protection against SCHU S4 challenge. These results suggest that oral vaccination with LVS induces protective immunity against i.n. challenge with F. tularensis SCHU S4 by a process mediated cooperatively by CD4+ T cells and antibodies, including IgA.
Hierarchical Coordination of a Community Microgrid With AC and DC Microgrids

In this paper, a community microgrid with multiple ac and dc microgrids is introduced and analyzed. Individual microgrids with different frequency and voltage requirements would operate as self-controlled entities, which could also cooperate with neighboring microgrids for providing back-up operations in the community microgrid. A hierarchical coordination strategy with primary, secondary, and tertiary coordination is proposed for the economic operation of an islanded community microgrid. The hierarchical strategy is also applied to a grid-connected community microgrid and the results are discussed. The simulation results verify that the proposed hierarchical coordination strategy is an effective and efficient way for coordinating microgrid flows in an islanded community microgrid, while maintaining the rated frequency and voltage with each microgrid. The simulation results also demonstrate the economic operation of a grid-connected community microgrid in which individual microgrids operate as autonomous agents, while satisfying the community objectives.
Dental homologies in lamniform sharks (Chondrichthyes: Elasmobranchii)

The dentitions of lamniform sharks are said to exhibit a unique heterodonty called the “lamnoid tooth pattern. ” The presence of an inflated hollow “dental bulla” on each jaw cartilage allows the recognition of homologous teeth across most modern macrophagous lamniforms based on topographic correspondence through the “similarity test. ” In most macrophagous lamniforms, three tooth rows are supported by the upper dental bulla: two rows of large anterior teeth followed by a row of small intermediate teeth. The lower tooth row occluding between the two rows of upper anterior teeth is the first lower anterior tooth row. Like the first and second lower anterior tooth rows, the third lower tooth row is supported by the dental bulla and may be called the first lower intermediate tooth row. The lower intermediate tooth row occludes between the first and second upper lateral tooth rows situated distal to the upper dental bulla, and the rest of the upper and lower tooth rows, all called lateral tooth rows, occlude alternately. Tooth symmetry cannot be used to identify their dental homology. The presence of dental bullae can be regarded as a synapomorphy of Lamniformes and this character is more definable than the “lamnoid tooth pattern. ” The formation of the tooth pattern appears to be related to the evolution of dental bullae. This study constitutes the first demonstration of supraspecific tooth‐to‐tooth dental homologies in nonmammalian vertebrates. J. Morphol. 251:38–72, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.