Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis of methanol, ethanol and propanol in aqueous environmental matrices

A method for analysis of methanol, ethanol, and propanol at submicromolar levels in aqueous samples has been developed. It involves enzymatic oxidation of the alcohols to their corresponding aldehydes using alcohol oxidase. The resulting aldehydes are derivatized to their respective hydrazones using 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH). These hydrazones are separated and quantified using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) at 370nm. Comparison of samples with and without enzyme, allows for indirect determination of the alcohol concentration by reversed phase HPLC. The optimum conditions for the enzyme reaction were 40 minutes at 40 ± 0.1°C, pH 8.5, and addition of 100 µL of alcohol oxidase (2 units mL-1). Alcohol concentrations in enzyme blanks were 0.44 ± 0.01 µM for methanol, 0.050 ± 0.004 µM for ethanol, and 0.15 ± 0.04 µM for propanol. Limits of detection were 0.03 µM, 0. 02µM, and 0.14 µM for methanol, ethanol, and propanol respectively. Percent conversions under optimum conditions were 90.1% ± 2% RSD for methanol, 40% ± 3% RSD for ethanol, and 7% ± 3% RSD for propanol. Alcohol concentrations in rain events in southeastern NC were dependent on storm origin and varied from 0.08-0.91 µM for methanol and 0.08-0.23 µM for ethanol. Conditions for propanol analysis are still being optimized. Percentages of carbon from methanol and ethanol in dissolved organic carbon in rain events 570A, 573, and 574 were 3.1%, 0.4%, and 3.5% respectively.
The Dark Side of Institutional Shareholders Activism in Emerging Markets: Evidence from China's Non-Tradable Share Reform

The study aims to analyze the role of institutional investors in mediating the interest conflicts between blockholders and minority shareholders in emerging markets. China's Non-tradable Share Reform provides us a perfect research environment. Before the reform, the ownership of Chinese public firms was concentrated in one or several blockholders. This part of block shares was non-tradable, and tradable shares were held by minority shareholders and institutional investors like mutual funds. Chinese government launched Non-tradable Share Reform in 2005, giving non-tradable shares liquidity rights. At the same time, non-tradable share owners had to compensate tradable share owners, such as offering a certain percentage of shares to them. The compensation schemes were advanced by non-tradable share owners and must be supported by two-thirds of votes cast by tradable share owners. Our study finds that institutional investors did actively participate in voting, but their number and holdings were reversely related with the compensation level. Our results suggest that institutional investors played shareholder activism in this reform, but their activism served for blockholder's interests rather than minority shareholders'.
TIME STUDY ON DEVELOPMENT AND REPAIR OF LUNG INJURY FOLLOWING OZONE EXPOSURE IN RATS

The aim of this study was to investigate the time course of lung injury in rats during acute and subchronic ozone exposure and during postexposure recovery. Rats were continuously exposed to 0.4 ppm ozone (~0.8 mg O 3 /m 3) for 1, 3, 7, 28, or 56 days. Recovery from 3 days of exposure was studied at day 7, 14, and 28; recovery from 7 days of exposure was studied at day 14, 28, and 56, recovery from 28 days of exposure was studied at day 35 and 56, and recovery from 56 days of exposure was studied at day 136. The study included a correlated biochemical and morphological analysis of inflammatory responses, structural changes, and collagen content. The acute inflammatory response, as measured by an increase of polymorphonuclear cells and plasma protein in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, reached a maximum at day 1 and resolved largely within 6 days during ongoing exposure. Numbers of macrophages in BAL fluid increased progressively up to day 56, and slowly returned to near control levels when exposure was followed by postexposure recovery. Histological examination and morphometry of the lungs revealed centriacinar inflammatory responses throughout ozone exposure. Centriacinar thickening of septa was observed at day 7. Ductular septa, thickened progressively at days 7, 28, and 56 of exposure, showed increased collagen upon exposure at day 28, which was further enhanced at exposure at day 56. Increased collagen content in lungs, as measured biochemically by hydroxyproline concentration, was observed at exposure day 56. Collagen content was not different from control at day 56 when 7 or 28 days of exposure was followed by postexposure recovery. After continuous ozone exposure, respiratory bronchioles were present in an increasing degree, and remained present after a recovery period. The results of this study clearly show that after continuous exposure to O 3 some acute effects, such as protein and albumin content, and neutrophil influx in BAL fluid, returned to control levels within a few days. However, other parameters, such as the alveolar macrophage response and structural changes such as the presence of terminal bronchioles, thickening of ductular septa by enhanced cellularity, and collagen formation, persisted or progressively increased during continued exposure. Postexposure recovery seems to partly resolve these subchronic responses (macrophages response, septal cellularity), whereas other effects (collagen increase and respiratory bronchioles formation) do not disappear.
Economic Links and Counterparty Risk

Counterparty risk is an important determinant of corporate credit spreads. However, there are only a few techniques available to isolate it from other factors. In this paper we describe a model of financial networks that is suitable for the construction of proxies for counterparty risk. Using data on the U.S. supplier-customer network of public companies, we find that, for each supplier, counterparties' leverage and jump risk are significant determinants of corporate credit spreads. Our findings are robust after controlling for several idiosyncratic, industry, and market factors.
Exploring the benefits of vendor managed inventory

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the performance increase achieved by vendor managed inventory (VMI) under different levels of outside supply capacity, demand uncertainty, and lead time.Design/methodology/approach – The study uses discrete event simulation to explore the performance increase achieved by VMI under different supply chain scenarios.Findings – The analysis suggests that when implementing a VMI program, the capacity restrictions of suppliers have to be taken into consideration even though they have not participated in the program. Furthermore, the results also show that unless the retailer provides additional information to the distributor to resolve the uncertainty, higher levels of uncertainty in market demand create significant reductions in the savings realized by VMI. Finally, this study proves that, regardless of lead time horizons, VMI provides nearly the same level of performance increase as long as the ratio of the retailer's lead time to that of the supplier's remain.
Testosterone is associated with age-related changes in bone health status, muscle strength and body composition in men

Objective: Variations in testosterone levels are associated with several outcomes of aging. The present study aimed to examine the relationship between age-related decline of testosterone levels and changes in bone health status, handgrip strength, body fat percentage and fat-free mass. Materials and methods: A total of 335 Malaysian Chinese and Malay men aged 40 years and above were recruited for this study. Their body compositions, calcaneal speed of sound and handgrip strength were measured and their blood was collected. Linear regression analysis was done to examine the relationship among age, testosterone levels and outcomes of aging. Results: The results indicated significant changes in all testosterone measurements, sex hormone binding globulin level, calcaneal speed of sound, handgrip strength, body fat percentage and fat-free mass with age (p < 0.05). Age-dependent decline in bioavailable and free testosterone levels were significantly associated with reduction in calcaneal speed of sound, fat-free mass and handgrip strength (p < 0.05). Age-dependent decline in the total testosterone level was significantly associated with an increase in body fat percentage among the elderly men (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Testosterone levels are associated with changes in outcome of aging such as bone health status, muscle strength and body composition, and the relationships are age-dependent.
Association between angiotensin I-converting enzyme gene polymorphism and susceptibility to cancer: a meta analysis.

BACKGROUND Angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) gene plays an important role in the pathogenesis of cancers. The association between ACE insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism and the risk of various cancers has been studied. However, the results of these studies remain conflicting. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the association between ACE I/D polymorphism and the risk of cancers. METHODS PubMed, Embase, ScienceDirect, Springer, CNKI, Wanfang, Weipu, CBM databases and Google Scholar were searched for case-control studies on ACE I/D polymorphism and the risk of cancers, published up to Dec 31, 2013. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess the strength of the association between ACE I/D polymorphism and cancer risk. RESULTS Thirty-five published studies with 5007 cases and 8173 controls were included. Overall, there were no significant association between ACE I/D polymorphism and the risk of cancers (II vs. ID+DD OR = 1.05, 95% CI = 0.89-1.23, I vs. D OR = 1.00, 95% CI = 0.89-1.13). However, when stratified by ethnicity, we found a significant association between this polymorphism and cancer risk in Caucasians (II vs. ID+DD: OR = 1.43, 95% CI = 1.02-2.00, I vs. D: OR = 1.23, 95% CI 1.01-1.49). CONCLUSION ACE I/D polymorphism is associated with the cancer risk in Caucasians.
Information and Expression in a Digital Age

This article examines the role of the Internet as a source of political information and a sphere for public expression. Informational media use, whether traditional news sources or online public affairs content, is expected to foster interpersonal political discussion and online civic messaging, contributing to increased civic participation. Using two-wave national panel survey data, three types of synchronous structural equation models are tested: cross sectional (relating individual differences), fixed effects (relating intraindividual change), and auto regressive (relating aggregate change). All models reveal that online media complement traditional media to foster political discussion and civic messaging. These two forms of political expression, in turn, influence civic participation. Other variable orderings are tested to compare the theorized model to alternative causal specifications. Results reveal that the model produces the best fit, empirically and theoretically, with the influence of the Internet, rivaling the mobilizing power of traditional modes of information and expression.
Neonatal outcomes and four‐year follow‐up after spontaneous or iatrogenic preterm prelabor rupture of membranes before 24 weeks

Objective. To assess the neonatal outcome and four‐year follow‐up of pregnancies complicated by preterm prelabor rupture of membranes (PPROM) before 24 weeks. Design. Retrospective study. Setting. University Hospital of Saint Etienne, tertiary level center, France. Methods. Obstetric and neonatal records of 38 pregnancies and 44 fetuses born between 1999 and 2004 (six years) with PPROM between 14 and 23 + 6 weeks of gestation were studied. We analyzed spontaneous (group A) and iatrogenic PPROM (Group B) cases, including maternal, fetal, placental, and neonatal characteristics. Surviving infants were followed until the age of four. Results. Median gestational age at PPROM was 21 weeks [range 15–23 + 6]. Of the 38 women with PPROM, 22 (A) had spontaneous PPROM and 16 (B) underwent an invasive procedure during pregnancy. Expectant management was applied to 25 women: 12 (13 fetuses) from group A and 13 (16 fetuses) from group B. Median latency from PPROM to delivery was 35 days [range 1–163 days]. The two groups showed significant differences. The overall survival rate was 59% (17 fetuses) and three babies from group A died in the hospital. Survival rate of infants discharged from hospital was 48% (14/29). Of 14 surviving infants, 71% had a normal neurological and developmental outcome at four years. Only two infants from group A survived without obvious sequelae. Conclusion. Pregnancy after iatrogenic PPROM had a better prognosis than after spontaneous PPROM. Intensive management with corticosteroids and antibiotics appeared to be helpful. Neonatal survival in spontaneous PPROM before 24 weeks remained very poor and discussing pregnancy termination in these cases seems legitimate.
Injury pattern, injury severity, and mortality in 33,495 hospital-admitted victims of motorized two-wheeled vehicle crashes in The Netherlands

BACKGROUND: Road traffic accidents involving motorized two-wheeled vehicle (MTV) riders often result in severe morbidity and mortality. The aim of this nationwide study is to describe the influence of the type of motorized two-wheeled vehicle on the patient injury severity and mortality on hospitalization, after MTV accidents in The Netherlands. METHODS: Data from the Institute for Road Safety Research and the Hospital Trauma Databases were analyzed. All MTV crash victims admitted to Dutch hospitals from 1993 to 2008 were included. Logistic regression analysis was performed on sex, age, type of MTV, Injury Severity Score, and Abbreviated Injury Scale to calculate the relative risks of severe trauma and mortality for motor and light-moped riders according to the Mantel and Haenszel procedure (RRmh). RESULTS: Among 33,495 MTV crash victims, 10,607 were motorcyclists, 19,708 moped riders, and 3,180 light-moped riders. In the light-moped rider group head injury, especially severe head injury was most common in light-moped riders, and the prevalence of severe trauma (17.1%) and mortality (4.2%) was highest, compared with motorcyclists and moped riders. In elderly crash victims (>55 years), the risk to sustain severe trauma was almost twofold higher in light-moped riders compared with moped riders (RRmh: 1.79). Young motorcyclists (<25 years) had highest chances of dying (RRmh: 1.64). CONCLUSION: Hospitalized light-moped riders show more severe head injuries, severe trauma, and higher mortality than moped riders and motorcyclists. Young motorcyclists and elderly light-moped riders are most vulnerable, with highest chances of severe trauma and mortality. Continuing improvement of the MTV safety is urgent. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II, epidemiological study.
Global Market and Currency Risk in Finnish Stock Market

Using conditional international asset pricing models, this paper investigates whether global market and currency risks are priced in the Finnish stock market. We take the view of Finnish investors and study the pricing of the market portfolio and industry portfolios using monthly data from 1987 to 2000. The results give strong support for the pricing of the global market risk yet the local market risk is also priced suggesting mild segmentation. We find strong support for the pricing of currency risk. This suggest that Finnish investors should be concerned with the currency risk even when investing in domestic stocks.
“What is there in a name?”: A literature review on chronic and aggressive periodontitis

The objective of this review is to bring the reader up-to-date on the current understanding of chronic and aggressive forms of periodontitis and the implications for diagnosis and treatment of these diseases. The only difference between chronic periodontitis and aggressive periodontitis with regard to tissue destruction appear to be perhaps the magnitude, sequelae, and control of the response. While there may be some differences in the cellular infiltrate between these two diseases, the molecular mediators and pathologic processes are generally the same.
Diabetes and Insulin Therapy are associated with Increased Risk of Hospitalization for Infection but not Mortality: A Longitudinal Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND Epidemiologic and experimental evidence suggests that individuals with diabetes are at increased risk of infection. We sought to examine the association of diabetes and insulin therapy with hospitalization for infection and 28-day mortality. METHODS We performed a prospective cohort study using data from 30,239 community-dwelling participants aged ≥45 years enrolled in the REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study. We defined diabetes as fasting glucose ≥126 mg/L (or glucose ≥200 mg/L for those not fasting), the use of insulin or oral hypoglycemic agents, or self-reported history. We identified infection-related hospitalizations over 2003-2012. We fit Cox proportional hazards models to assess the association of diabetes with hazard rates of infection and logistic regression models for 28-day mortality. RESULTS Among 29,683 REGARDS patients with complete follow-up, 7,375 had diabetes. Over a median follow-up period of 6.5 years, we identified 2,593 first and 3,411 total infection hospitalizations. In adjusted analyses, participants with diabetes had increased hazard of infection (hazard ratio [HR] 1.50; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.37-1.64) compared to those without diabetes. Participants with diabetes hospitalized for infection did not have increased odds of 28-day mortality (odds ratio [OR] 0.94; CI: 0.67-1.32). Participants receiving insulin therapy had greater hazard of infection (HR 2.18; CI: 1.90-2.51), but no increased odds of mortality (OR 1.07; CI: 0.67-1.71). CONCLUSIONS Diabetes is associated with increased risk of hospitalization for infection. However, we did not find an association with 28-day mortality. Insulin therapy conferred an even greater risk of hospitalization, without increased mortality.
Recurrent Disease in Juvenile Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma: Prognostic Factors, Treatments, and Outcomes

The overall prognosis in pediatric differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) is excellent. Recurrent disease is frequent, however, and requires additional treatment. We analyzed the probability of recurrence, prognostic factors, treatment, and outcome of juvenile DTC. Methods: Fifty-one DTC patients (32 girls and 19 boys; ≤20 y old; mean age, 16.5 y) were treated with 131I (radioiodine, or radioactive iodine [RAI]); the median follow-up was 10 y. Patients underwent different initial treatments: 46 patients received total thyroidectomy and RAI, 3 patients received total thyroidectomy, and 3 patients received subtotal thyroidectomy. The probability of recurrence and prognostic factors were tested with the Kaplan–Meier method. Results: Initially, 36 of 51 patients achieved complete remission, 14 of 51 achieved partial remission, and 1 of 51 had progressive disease. By the follow-up, 11 of 51 patients (21.6%) had developed recurrent disease; the median appearance time was 4 y (range, 1–15 y). The probabilities of recurrence were 16.7% at 5 y, 22.3% at 10 y, and 33.3% at 15 and 23 y after the initial treatments. Factors that were strongly predictive of recurrence were age (P = 0.001), initial treatment (P = 0.0001), and tumor multifocality (P = 0.011). Sex, nodal metastases at presentation, distal metastases at presentation, histologic type of the tumor, T stage, and clinical stage had no influence on relapse (P = 0.180, P = 0.786, P = 0.796, P = 0.944, P = 0.352, and P = 0.729, respectively). Patients with recurrent disease, partial remission, and progressive disease were retreated, with either surgery or surgery and RAI, receiving cumulative activities of up to 40 GBq. The overall outcome in our patients was excellent: 90.2% complete remission, 3.92% partial remission, 1.96% stable disease, 1.96% disease-related death, and 1.96% another cause of death. Conclusion: Younger age at diagnosis, less radical primary surgery without subsequent RAI, and tumor multifocality are factors that are strongly prognostic for recurrence. For reducing the rate of relapse and improving surveillance for recurrent disease, total thyroidectomy followed by RAI appears to be the most beneficial initial treatment for patients with juvenile DTC. The use of RAI seems to be safe, with no adverse effects on subsequent fertility and pregnancy or secondary malignancy.
Pulmonary fibroblasts stimulate the proliferation of cell lines from human lung adenocarcinomas

Human lung cancer cell lines are widely used to test anticancer drugs. These in-vitro tests, however, preclude the detection of responses to paracrine factors from surrounding stroma. We have cocultured pulmonary fibroblasts CCD-19Lu, from a healthy donor, or HLF-A, from a patient with epidermoid carcinoma of the lung, with two human pulmonary adenocarcinoma cell lines to test the hypothesis that the fibroblasts stimulate the growth of the tumor cells. Both fibroblast cell lines significantly increased the proliferation of the pulmonary adenocarcinoma cell lines in 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assays, with HLF-A fibroblasts yielding the most pronounced responses. The proliferation of the pulmonary adenocarcinoma cell lines in coculture with fibroblasts was blocked by antibodies against the transforming growth factor-&agr; and amphiregulin. In addition, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction showed expression of mRNA for amphiregulin and transforming growth factor-&agr; in all cell lines, whereas mRNA for the epidermal growth factor was detected only in pulmonary adenocarcinoma cell lines. Western blot analysis revealed that medium containing growth factors released by each fibroblast cell line activated extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 in the both tested pulmonary adenocarcinoma cell lines, but activated Akt kinase only in A549 cells. Assessment of protein levels for cyclin D1 and cyclin E by Western blots demonstrated pronounced increases of both proteins in each pulmonary adenocarcinoma cell line, whereas protein levels for cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21 remained unchanged. Immunocytochemical analysis showed positive immunoreactivity for P-extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2, cyclin D1 and cyclin E in pulmonary adenocarcinoma cells cocultured with fibroblasts or exposed to fibroblast-conditioned media. Our data suggest that the growth of pulmonary adenocarcinoma is stimulated by amphiregulin and transforming growth factor-&agr; released from pulmonary fibroblasts. This may contribute to the disappointing clinical responses to anticancer drugs, which have shown promise in tests with lung cancer cell lines.