Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Heterogeneous ozonation kinetics of 4-phenoxyphenol in the presence of photosensitizer

Abstract. In this work we have quantitatively measured the degradation of 4-phenoxyphenol adsorbed on silica particles following oxidative processing by gas-phase ozone. This was performed under dark conditions and in the presence of 4-carboxybenzophenone under simulated sunlight irradiation of the particles surface. At the mixing ratio of 60 ppb which corresponds to strongly polluted ozone areas, the first order of decay of 4-phenoxyphenol is k1=9.95×10−6 s−1. At a very high ozone mixing ratio of 6 ppm the first order rate constants for 4-phenoxyphenol degradation were the following: k1=2.86×10−5 s−1 under dark conditions and k1=5.58×10−5 s−1 in the presence of photosensitizer (4-carboxybenzophenone) under light illumination of the particles surface. In both cases, the experimental data follow the modified Langmuir-Hinshelwood equation for surface reactions. The Langmuir-Hinshelwood and Langmuir-Rideal mechanisms for bimolecular surface reactions are also discussed along with the experimental results. Most importantly, the quantities of the oligomers such as 2-(4-Phenoxyphenoxy)-4-phenoxyphenol and 4-[4-(4-Phenoxyphenoxy)phenoxy]phenol formed during the heterogeneous ozonolysis of adsorbed 4-phenoxyphenol were much higher under solar light irradiation of the surface in comparison to the dark conditions.
Chemical characteristics and relative bioavailability of supplemental organic zinc sources for poultry and ruminants.

Eight commercially available organic Zn products and reagent-grade ZnSO4 x 7H2O (Zn Sulf) were evaluated by polarographic analysis, and solubility in . 1 M K2HPO4-KH2PO4 buffer (pH 5), . 2 M HCl-KCl buffer (pH 2), and deionized water. Fractions from these solubility tests were evaluated by gel filtration chromatography for structural integrity. Degree of chelation was generally positively related to chelation effectiveness determined by polarography. The organic sources were Zn methionine complex A (Zn MetA), Zn methionine complex B (Zn MetB), Zn polysaccharide complex (Zn Poly), Zn lysine complex (Zn Lys), Zn amino acid chelate (Zn AA), Zn proteinate A (Zn ProA), Zn proteinate B (Zn ProB), and Zn proteinate C (Zn ProC). Three experiments were conducted to estimate the relative bioavailability of Zn from the organic Zn supplements for chicks and lambs when added at high dietary levels to practical diets. Bone Zn concentration increased (P < .001) as dietary Zn increased in both experiments. When Zn Sulf was assigned a value of 100% as the standard, multiple linear regression slope ratios of bone Zn from chicks fed 3 wk regressed on dietary Zn intake gave estimated relative bioavailability values of 83 +/- 14.6 and 139 +/- 16.9 for Zn AA and Zn ProA, respectively, in Exp. 1 and 94 +/- 11.6, 99 +/- 8.8, and 108 +/- 11.4 for Zn Poly, Zn ProB, and Zn ProC, respectively, in Exp. 2. In Exp. 3, 42 lambs were fed diets containing Zn Sulf, Zn ProA, Zn AA, or Zn MetB for 21 d. Based on multiple linear regression slope ratios of liver, kidney, and pancreas Zn and liver metallothionein concentrations on added dietary Zn, bioavailability estimates relative to 100% for Zn Sulf were 130, 110, and 113 for Zn ProA, Zn AA, and Zn MetB, respectively. Except for Zn ProA, which was greater, the organic Zn supplements had bioavailability values similar to that of Zn Sulf for chicks and lambs. Bioavailability of organic Zn products was inversely related to solubility of Zn in pH 5 buffer in chicks (r2 = .91) and pH 2 buffer in lambs (r2 = .91), but not to an estimate of degree of chelation.
Why Do Some Insurers become Systemically Relevant?

Are some insurers relevant for the stability of the financial system? And if yes, what firm fundamentals and aspects of insurers’ business models cause them to destabilize an entire financial sector? We find that several insurers did indeed contribute significantly to the instability of the U.S. financial sector during the recent financial crisis. We empirically confirm that insurers that were most exposed to systemic risk were on average larger, relied more heavily on non-policyholder liabilities and had higher ratios of investment income to net revenues. Contrary to current conjectures of insurance regulators, we find that the contribution of insurers to systemic risk is only driven by insurer size.
Foreign-Owned Banks in the United States: Earning Market Share or Buying It?

Foreign-owned U.S. banks have been chronically unprofitable for more than a decade. The authors employ a profit efficiency model introduced by Allen N. Berger, Diana Hancock, and David B. Humphrey (1993), modified to be less sensitive to variations in asset size, to estimate the relative profit efficiency of 62 foreign-owned and 240 U.S.-owned banks between 1985 and 1990. Their results indicate that foreign-owned banks were significantly less profit efficient than were U.S.-owned banks primarily due to foreign banks reliance on expensive purchased funds. For foreign-owned banks, the results are consistent with a strategy of sacrificing profits in exchange for fast growth and increased market share during the 1980s. Copyright 1996 by Ohio State University Press.
Excess kurtosis of conditional distribution for daily stock returns: the case of Japan

Not only the unconditional distribution but also the conditional distribution of daily asset returns are known to be leptokurtic. Thus, some authors have suggested using ARCH-type models with leptokurtic distributions such as the t-distribution and the generalized error distribution (GED) for the conditional distribution. The purpose of this paper examines what distribution is fit for the conditional distribution of daily Japanese stock returns. In particular, we estimate an exponential GARCH (EGARCH) model developed by Nelson (1991) jointly with the generalized t-distribution, which nests both the Student's t-distribution and the generalized error distribution (GED) employed by other researchers. It is shown that the Student's t-distribution is suited for capturing the excess kurtosis of conditional distribution for daily Japanese stock returns, which does not depend on sample period and is consistent with what Bollerslev et al. (1994) have found by fitting a similar model to daily US stock returns.
Initial public reactions to carbon capture and storage (CCS): differentiating general and local views

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is considered a potential climate change mitigation option, but public opposition may hamper its implementation. A quasi-experimental approach is used to examine whether ‘not in my back yard’ (NIMBY) sentiments can be anticipated at the initial stage when CO2 storage locations have been selected and communicated to the public. Furthermore, the psychological structure of initial reactions to CO2 storage plans is studied to ascertain the differences between people living in the direct vicinity of a proposed CO2 storage location (i.e. onsite residents) and people who do not (i.e. offsite residents). The results indicate that initial reactions to local CCS plans are not necessarily dominated by NIMBY sentiments. For onsite residents as well as offsite residents, trust in government affects their judgements of the risks and benefits associated with CCS, which in turn affects their inclination to protest against CCS plans. Onsite residents’ inclination to protest is affected by their perceptions of local safety risks, but this is less of a concern for offsite residents. The inclination to protest against CCS is unrelated to concern about climate change.
Intracoronary and Noninvasive Imaging for Prediction of Distal Embolization and Periprocedural Myocardial Infarction During Native Coronary Artery Percutaneous Intervention

The incidence of periprocedural myocardial infarction (MI) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) ranges from 2% to 50%, depending on the clinical presentation, type of procedure, choice of biomarker (creatine kinase [CK]-MB or troponin), and the threshold used to qualify the diagnosis.1 Because of this heterogeneity of definition, the prognostic implications of periprocedural MI are controversial.2 However, several studies have demonstrated that periprocedural MI is associated with worse in-hospital, short-term, and long-term clinical outcomes, including death, recurrent MI, and need for revascularization.3–5 Various mechanisms can lead to periprocedural MI, such as side branch occlusion or vessel spasm; however, distal embolization of atheroma or thrombus seems to be a dominant cause.6 In a cardiac MRI (cMRI) study of patients undergoing complex native coronary PCI, elevated troponin levels post-PCI correlated with new myocardial enhancement because of side branch occlusion in 43% of cases and in the apical myocardium distal to the stent in 57% of cases, as would be expected with distal embolization.7 Numerous studies have documented the occurrence of distal embolization during both elective and urgent PCI and have characterized its histopathologic substrate. In an analysis of catheter-retrieved materials from human studies of patients undergoing PCI for acute coronary syndrome (ACS),8 those with no-reflow had significantly higher amounts of visible atheroma and microscopic components such as platelet–fibrin complexes, cholesterol crystals, and macrophages.8 In another study of 37 lesions in 35 patients undergoing elective PCI, microscopic particles were captured by embolic protection devices (EPDs) in 28 (75.6%) lesions.9 Thrombotic components (fibrin strand–entrapped platelets, leukocytes, and red cells) accounted for the majority (≈75%) of captured debris, whereas plaque components (fibrous tissue, calcium spots, acellular amorphous material, macrophages, foam cells, and cholesterol clefts) accounted for the minority (≈25%). 9 Similar findings were demonstrated among 33 …
The Impact of Frontline Employees’ Work–Family Conflict on Customer Satisfaction

When hotel employees feel stress from conflicts between work and family, some of the resulting exhaustion is inevitably reflected in their interactions with customers. This study paired two hundred hotel employees and customers in an analysis of customer satisfaction as it relates to employees’ service behavior, which is affected by the emotional, mental, and physical toll of work–family conflict. Employees’ exhaustion and emotional displays contain a mixed set of effects on customer satisfaction. The findings reveal that employees’ family interfering with work is linked to physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion, while work interfering with family does not have the same effect. Higher levels of physical exhaustion increased the likelihood that employees would display faked positive emotions and simultaneously suppress negative emotions. Customers could spot the fakery, but they judged that the fake positive emotions enhanced the employees’ role performance. At the same time, however, customer satisfaction was diminished when employees’ emotional displays were obviously not genuine. Thus, hotel managers may be interested in determining whether family issues are impinging on employees’ work responsibilities, given that the outcome may be reduced customer satisfaction.
Overlapping Identities under Liberalization: Gender and Caste in India

This article reviews the major theories on identity and economic outcomes to reiterate that identity affects the material well‐being of individuals. Based on two rounds of data from the National Family and Health Survey, this article attempts to examine changes in two of the several identities in India, namely, the gender‐caste overlap. The Gender‐Caste Development Index (GCDI) from an earlier exercise is used to assess changes in the material standard of living of women within broad caste groups. It turns out that, despite improvements in educational outcomes, substantial intercaste gaps persist within Indian women with major regional variation. The data points cover the period 1992–93 to 1998–99, the start of the liberalization of the Indian economy. Since the data points are separated by only 6–7 years, firm conclusions are not possible; however, based on the evidence from the GCDI, this article comments on the possible links between early liberalization and intergroup disparity.
Leisure-Time Sport among Physical Education Students: A Time Trend Analysis of Sport Participation Styles

Abstract The aim of this study is to uncover a time trend analysis of styles in active sport participation. Basic styles of sport participation are selected and compared from a time trend perspective, covering a 27-year period. The data were collected via questionnaire from different samples of male and female first-year university students in physical education. Sport participation data from 1972 (males only), 1976 (females)/1977 (males), 1982, 1988/93 and 1998/99 are considered and compared. Principal components analysis was used to explore basic dimensions of sport participation at each time interval. The 1972–82 style analysis of the males’ sport participation resulted in a triptych of styles consisting of competitive/traditional, local recreational, and conspicuous recreational sport activities. For the girls, the 1976–82 period yielded a competitive/traditional versus an ostentatiously recreational style pattern. Between 1982 and 1999 active sport participation as a leisure activity did not basically further diverge into different styles of participation. Rather, participation in the different modes of sport participation seems to have intensified. The results are interpreted in a broader approach of style analysis in leisure research and from the perspective of societal changes with regard to sports. It is concluded that style analysis may offer a valuable contribution to research on active sport participation.
Stage-Specific Expression of Surface Antigens by Toxoplasma gondii as a Mechanism to Facilitate Parasite Persistence1

Toxoplasma persists in the face of a functional immune system. This success critically depends on the ability of parasites to activate a strong adaptive immune response during acute infection with tachyzoites that eliminates most of the parasites and to undergo stage conversion to bradyzoites that encyst and persist predominantly in the brain. A dramatic change in antigenic composition occurs during stage conversion, such that tachyzoites and bradyzoites express closely related but antigenically distinct sets of surface Ags belonging to the surface Ag 1 (SAG1)-related sequence (SRS) family. To test the contribution of this antigenic switch to parasite persistence, we engineered parasites to constitutively express the normally bradyzoite-specific SRS9 (SRS9c) mutants and tachyzoite-specific SAG1 (SAG1c) mutants. SRS9c but not wild-type parasites elicited a SRS9-specific immune response marked by IFN-γ production, suggesting that stage-specificity of SRS Ags determines their immunogenicity in infection. The induction of a SRS9-specific immune response correlated with a continual decrease in the number of SRS9c cysts persisting in the brain. In contrast, SAG1c mutants produced reduced brain cyst loads early in chronic infection, but these substantially increased over time accompanying a hyperproduction of IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-10, and severe encephalitis. We conclude that stage-specific expression of SRS Ags is among the key mechanisms by which optimal parasite persistency is established and maintained.
Muslime in der Schweiz

So prägen zwei Positionen entscheidend die Debatte in der Schweiz: Zum einen ist das Saïda Keller-Messahli mit ihrem Forum für einen fortschrittlichen Islam. Keller-Messahli ist stark in den Medien präsent und vertritt die Auff assung, dass Religion in den privaten Bereich gehört und der Islam weitreichender Reformen bedarf. Auf der Homepage des Vereins sind fünf weitere Personen genannt, es besteht auch ein Beratungsangebot. Insgesamt stehen jedoch die medialen Aktivitäten einer Einzelperson im Vordergrund – und weit weniger der Aufb au einer Religionsgemeinschaft . Auf der anderen Seite fi ndet man den vom Konvertiten Nicolas Blancho präsidierten „Islamischen Zentralrat Schweiz“ (IZRS), der im Zusammenhang mit der Diskussion um ein Minarettverbot entstand, welches in der Schweiz seit 2009 Teil der Bundesverfassung ist. Immer wieder ist es dieser Gruppe mit rund 40 aktiven und einer weit größeren Zahl an passiven Mitgliedern gelungen, öffentliches Aufsehen zu erregen und ein gewisses Spektrum an jungen Muslimen anzusprechen. Dem IZRS geht es darum, eine muslimische Identität gezielt als Antithese zur schweizerischen Gesellschaft und zu einem westlichen Lebensstil zu positionieren. So wie der IZRS in einem Konfl ikt entstanden ist, möchte er Muslime darin unterstützen, bestimmte Praktiken wie den Gesichtsschleier in der Öff entlichkeit zu vertreten und dabei auf Konfl ikte zu setzen.
‘Identical’ twins with discordant karyotypes

A chromosomal abnormality in one of the fetuses of a monozygotic twin pregnancy is a rare phenomenon. In the prenatal unit of our cytogenetics laboratory we have recently come across two such heterokaryotypic twin pregnancies. In both cases ultrasound abnormalities were detected in one fetus of each twin pair. Chromosomal analysis showed that one twin pregnancy was discordant for trisomy 21 and the other for 45,X. Ultrasonographic examination suggested a monochorionic twin pregnancy in each case and DNA studies confirmed that both sets of twins were monozygotic. Both pregnancies were terminated. Biopsies taken from different sites of the placentas showed chromosomal mosaicism in both cases. There was no clear correlation between the karyotype found close to the site of the umbilical cord insertion in the placenta and the karyotype of the fetus. Sampling of amniotic fluid from both sacs is recommended in diamniotic twin pregnancies if one (or both) of the fetuses has ultrasound abnormalities, even if the twins are apparently monochorionic. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Advertising, Competition, and Market-Share Instability

Advertising can promote market power by differentiating products, by establishing brand loyalty among consumers, and by raising the costs of entry. On the other hand, advertising can be a source of valuable information to consumers that leads to an erosion in the market shares of individual sellers. The empirical relationship between advertising and market share instability across industries sheds light on the competitive implications of advertising and promotional activities. Prior tests of this relationship rely on market share observations from the Census of Manufactures that are reported only every five years. The present study, by contrast, employs a data set consisting of annual market share observations for 163 four-digit manufacturing industries over the period 1978–88. The empirical results show a positive and statistically significant ceteris paribus relationship between advertising intensity and market share instability, thereby lending support to the hypothesis that advertising is generally pr.
Predictive factors used to justify hysterectomy after loop conization: increasing age and severity of disease.

OBJECTIVE To determine the interpretability and significance of the traditional factors used to predict residual dysplasia in hysterectomy specimens after loop conization. MATERIALS AND METHODS Loop electrosurgical cervical conization was performed on 372 patients. Ninety three women had a hysterectomy within 6 months of the loop conization. Residual disease was defined as cervical intraepithelial neoplasia or cancer in the hysterectomy specimen. RESULTS Of the 93 patients having a subsequent hysterectomy, 36 (38.7%) has residual disease in their hysterectomy specimen. The mean age of the patients with residual disease in the post loop conization hysterectomy specimen was 42.22. The mean age of those free of residual disease was 29.42. By multivariate analysis, dysplasia involving the ectocervical margin (p = 0.34) and the endocervical margin (p = 0.35) was not predictive of disease in the hysterectomy specimens. Endocervical curettage (p = 0.005), glandular involvement (p = 0.01), loop conization pathology findings (p < 0.05) and cytological examination (p < 0.001) were predictive of residual dysplasia. CONCLUSIONS Cytological reports, increasing age, severity of disease, gland involvement and endocervical curettage were the only factors that accurately predicted residual dysplasia. The presence or absence of dysplasia in the loop conization, ectocervical margin and endocervical margin was not predictive of residual dysplasia in post loop conization hysterectomy specimens.
Pathogenesis of Recalcitrant Chronic Rhinosinusitis: The Emerging Role of Innate Immune Cells

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a major part of the recalcitrant inflammatory diseases of the upper airway that needs enormous socioeconomic burden. T helper (Th) 2 type immune responses recruiting eosinophils were the most well-known immune players in CRS pathogenesis especially in western countries. By the piling up of a vast amount of researches to elucidate the pathogenic mechanism of CRS recently, heterogeneous inflammatory processes were found to be related to the phenotypes of CRS. Recently more cells other than T cells were in the focus of CRS pathogenesis, such as the epithelial cell, macrophage, innate lymphoid cells, and neutrophils. Here, we reviewed the recent research focusing on the innate immune cells related to CRS pathogenesis.
How Much Carbon Pricing is in Countries' Own Interests? The Critical Role of Co-Benefits

This paper calculates, for the top 20 emitting countries, how much pricing of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions would be in their own national interests due to domestic co-benefits (leaving aside the global climate benefits). On average, second-best domestic prices are substantial, $57.5 per ton of CO2 (for year 2010), reflecting primarily health co-benefits from reduced air pollution at coal plants and, in some cases, reductions in automobile externalities net of fuel taxes/subsidies. Pricing co-benefits reduces CO2 emissions from the top 20 emitters by 13.5%. However, co-benefits vary dramatically across countries (e.g., with population exposure to pollution) and differentiated pricing of CO2 emissions therefore yields higher net benefits (by 23%) than uniform pricing. Importantly, the efficiency case for pricing carbon’s co-benefits hinges critically on weak prospects (for the foreseeable future) for comprehensive internalization of other externalities through other (more efficient) pricing instruments.
K‐ras mutations in endometrial carcinomas with microsatellite instability

K‐ras mutations are known to occur in hyperplasias and carcinomas of the endometrium. No clear correlation has been found yet between K‐ras mutations and microsatellite instability (MI) in these lesions. Fifty‐eight endometrial carcinomas (ECs) and 22 endometrial hyperplasias (EHs) were analysed for K‐ras mutation by single‐strand conformational polymorphism analysis (SSCP), restriction analysis, and DNA sequencing. MI status had been established previously at five dinucleotide loci and was reconfirmed with markers BAT‐25 and BAT‐26 by SSCP. K‐ras mutations were detected in 11 ECs (18.9%). All 11 tumours were endometrioid carcinomas. K‐ras mutations were more frequent in MI‐positive (6/14, 42.8%) than in MI‐negative tumours (5/44, 11.3%) (p=0.017). Methylation‐related transitions were detected in five of the six MI‐positive tumours but in only one of the five MI‐negative carcinomas. K‐ras mutation was identified in only one atypical EH (1/22, 4.5%); in this case, the EH co‐existed with EC and both lesions exhibited MI. The results support a close relationship between K‐ras mutations and the phenomenon of MI in endometrial carcinomas. The frequent occurrence of methylation‐related transitions in these tumours may indicate a cause–effect relationship with the altered methylation status which has been described in association with MI. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.