Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Removal of sulfapyridine by ferrate(VI): efficiency, influencing factors and oxidation pathway

ABSTRACT The removal of sulfapyridine (SPY) by ferrate(VI) in aqueous solutions under a broad range of reaction conditions, including ferrate(VI) dosage, solution pH, natural organic matter and coexisting inorganic ions, was systematically investigated and the oxidation pathway of SPY by ferrate(VI) was deeply explored. Results showed that 500 µg/L of SPY was efficiently decomposed (86%) within 1 min by 5 mg/L ferrate(VI) at pH 5.6. The increment in ferrate(VI) dosage was surely favorable for SPY removal. The best SPY degradation was achieved at pH 5.6, under or above which the removal decreased. The introduction of inorganic ions in solutions retarded SPY removal. Ten oxidation intermediates were identified and the cleavages of C–S and S–N bonds might be the primary ways of SPY oxidation by ferrate(VI). GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
The Cambridge handbook of sociolinguistics

Introduction: the sociolinguistic enterprise Rajend Mesthrie Part I. Foundations of Sociolinguistics: 1. Power, social differentiation and language John Baugh 2. Linguistic anthropology Alessandro Duranti 3. Social psychology and language Peter Robinson and Abigail Locke 4. Orality and literacy in sociolinguistics Lowry Hemphill 5. Sign languages Ceil Lucas and Bob Bayley Part II. Interaction, Style and Discourse: 6. Conversation and interaction Cynthia Gordon 7. Pragmatics and discourse Jan Blommaert 8. Style Nikolas Coupland Part III. Social and Regional Dialectology: 9. Language, class and status Gregory Guy 10. Language and region Bill Kretzschmar 11. Language and place Barbara Johnstone 12. Language, gender, sexuality Natalie Schilling 13. Language and ethnicity Carmen Fought Part IV. Multilingualism and Language Contact: 14. Multilingualism and multiculturalism Ana Deumert 15. Pidgins, creoles and other contact varieties John Singler and Silvia Kouwenberg 16. Code switching Pieter Muysken 17. Language maintenance, shift and endangerment Nicholas Ostler 18. Colonisation, globalisation and world Englishes Edgar Schneider Part V. Applied Sociolinguistics: 19. Language planning and policy James Tollefson 20. Language and the law Diana Eades 21. Language and the media Susan McKay 22. Language and education Christopher Stroud and Kathleen Heugh.
23 years of managing diabetic ketoacidosis at Auckland Hospital

AIMS To examine the length of stay and need for intensive care of people admitted with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) to a single centre between 1988 and 2011. METHODS Patients aged ≥15 years admitted for the first time with DKA (plasma glucose ≥ 10mmol/L and a bicarbonate concentration ≤15mmol/L and a pH <7.35, and raised plasma or urine ketones or anion gap) to Auckland City Hospital from 1988-2011 were identified retrospectively. The patients were divided into four cohorts (1988-1996; 1997-2001; 2002-2006; 2007-2011). Over this time period there was no significant change to the insulin infusion protocol. RESULTS There were 576 admissions with DKA in 388 people over the 23 years. The mean age of the patients and glucose concentration at presentation to hospital fell significantly over time. The admission pH and bicarbonate concentration was higher in more recent cohorts. The length of stay and need for intensive care admission fell significantly over time, but the number of patients subsequently readmitted with DKA remained high. In-hospital mortality remained low. CONCLUSIONS DKA remains an important reason for admission to this hospital, but the severity of DKA at presentation has reduced over time. The need for intensive care admission and length of stay has fallen dramatically.
IMPACT OF MORBID OBESITY ON PULMONARY FUNCTION

Introduction: While studies have examined the effects of mild-moderate obesity on pulmonary function, there have been no large studies that have specifically looked at the impact of morbid obesity, especially with regard to the influence of gender and age. Some studies have demonstrated an increased incidence of asthma among obese patients, suggesting that this may be due to a decrease in airway caliber, although there is little evidence to support this. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of morbid obesity on pulmonary function with a particular emphasis on the influence of gender and age. By including a large number of patients in the study, the goal was to also get some insight into the association between obesity and asthma. Material and methods: Pulmonary function test results were collected on 433 patients with a body mass index BMI ≥40 kg/m who were being evaluated for bariatric surgery between January 2001 and August 2006. Results: BMI had a significant impact on the forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1), expiratory reserve volume (ERV), residual volume (RV), total lung capacity (TLC) and partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood (PaO2). In addition, there were significant differences in pulmonary function based on the gender and age of the patient. FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC, ERV, TLC and PaO2 were all significantly reduced in males compared to females. Similarly, FVC was significantly reduced among subjects >40 years when compared to those ≤40 years. Conclusions: Our study demonstrated the effects of morbid obesity on pulmonary function. It also established the greater impact of obesity in men, which along with the absence of an obstructive impairment in almost all our patients suggests that asthma maybe being over-diagnosed in obese patients, especially women.
Research Through Design & Research Through Education

The very definition of a university is a place where research and education are intertwined. When there is no research, a university will look like a place for vocational training, and when there are no students to teach, the university is no more than a research institution. This convention of research and education is firstly explained as a practice where research (as in the generation of new knowledge) informs education. So that education develops constantly and is ensured of the latest insights in the discipline. In a more sophisticated integration of research and education, the two pillars of university practice mutually support each other. In this paper we want to shed light on this mutual support alongside nine years of experience with design research in education, going beyond the mere practices of using students as simple test subjects filling in questionnaires, and proposing different levels of design research results instead.
Patients excluded from an antidepressant efficacy trial.

BACKGROUND The impact of exclusion criteria on antidepressant trials is rarely investigated and poorly understood. We describe specific reasons for exclusion from a double-blind comparative trial and analyze the selection procedure and its impact on treatment outcome. METHOD A 6-week randomized double-blind trial for depressive disorders recruited patients through outpatient psychiatric services, private offices, and health care centers. Of the 612 consecutive patients interviewed for a diagnosis according to DSM-III-R, 209 (34%) finally entered the trial. RESULTS 86% of the included patients had no comorbid psychiatric disorder, whereas a third of those excluded had at least one (p < .00001). Patients were excluded for having chronic alcohol or drug misuse (17%), receiving antidepressant drugs (15%), or having physical problems precluding their ability to take either of the drugs studied (14%). Some patients could not be included because of a referral to other modes of treatment (19%) or organizational difficulties (16%). The excluded patients less often suffered from major depressive disorder than those who were included in the trial. In particular, patients excluded because of suicidal thoughts or intent more often had a history of previous major depressive episodes (p = .006) compared with the included patients. The most important sociodemographic factors related to exclusion from the trial were male sex and unmarried status. CONCLUSION Patients with previous depressive episodes or comorbid disorders were more likely to be excluded from the antidepressant efficacy trial. Data on the efficacy of antidepressant drugs on this patient population are still only infrequently obtained.
p‐Type MoS2 and n‐Type ZnO Diode and Its Performance Enhancement by the Piezophototronic Effect

A plasma-induced p-type MoS2 flake and n-type ZnO film diode, which exhibits an excellent rectification ratio, is demonstrated. Under 365 nm optical irradiation, this p-n diode shows a strong photoresponse with an external quantum efficiency of 52.7% and a response time of 66 ms. By increasing the pressure on the junction to 23 MPa, the photocurrent can be enhanced by a factor of four through the piezophototronic effect.
Crystal Structure of DnaK Protein Complexed with Nucleotide Exchange Factor GrpE in DnaK Chaperone System

Background: The Hsp70 chaperone cycle mediates stress-denatured protein refolding. Results: We present the structure of a DnaK-GrpE complex containing the DnaK interdomain linker and substrate-binding domain. Conclusion: Interaction between the DnaK linker/lid regions and the GrpE N-terminal α-helix and disordered region are essential for function. Significance: The structure provides a framework for studies concerning interaction of full-length DnaK and GrpE. The conserved, ATP-dependent bacterial DnaK chaperones process client substrates with the aid of the co-chaperones DnaJ and GrpE. However, in the absence of structural information, how these proteins communicate with each other cannot be fully delineated. For the study reported here, we solved the crystal structure of a full-length Geobacillus kaustophilus HTA426 GrpE homodimer in complex with a nearly full-length G. kaustophilus HTA426 DnaK that contains the interdomain linker (acting as a pseudo-substrate), and the N-terminal nucleotide-binding and C-terminal substrate-binding domains at 4.1-Å resolution. Each complex contains two DnaKs and two GrpEs, which is a stoichiometry that has not been found before. The long N-terminal GrpE α-helices stabilize the linker of DnaK in the complex. Furthermore, interactions between the DnaK substrate-binding domain and the N-terminal disordered region of GrpE may accelerate substrate release from DnaK. These findings provide molecular mechanisms for substrate binding, processing, and release during the Hsp70 chaperone cycle.
Long-time follow-up after UPPP for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Results of sleep apnea recordings and subjective evaluation 6 months and 2 years after surgery.

Fifty unselected consecutive patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) underwent uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP). The diagnosis was based on the patient's history and recording of respiration movements (Static Charge Sensitive Bed. SCSB) and oximetry, alone or combined with polysomnography. Renewed SCSB oximetry recordings were used to evaluate the success of the treatment. Six months postoperatively 40% of the patients were classified as non-responders, i.e. their oxygen desaturation indices (ODI) were reduced by less than 50% or were still above 20. The mean body mass index (BMI) was significantly higher in the non-responder group. A second recording with complete data was obtained in 45 patients after an average of 21 months. It was found that 9 patients who had been responders in the first postoperative recording had become non-responders. Only 18 of the patients with complete data could be verified as responders after 2 years. The patients who relapsed showed a significant increase in mean BMI between the first and second postoperative recordings compared to the patients who remained responders. There were no significant differences between responders and non-responders concerning age or preoperative severity of OSAS expressed as ODI, nadir SaO2 and percentage of obstructive periodic breathing. Of the non-responders, 47% in the first postoperative recording and 52% in the second reported complete recovery from excessive daytime sleepiness. This subjective improvement was not correlated to the objective results. The conclusions of this study are thus that one postoperative recording is not enough to estimate the outcome of UPPP and that statements of the patient's subjective recovery alone must not be used for this purpose.
Incentive effects in the demand for health care: a bivariate panel count data estimation

This paper contributes in three dimensions to the literature on health care demand. First, it features the first application of a bivariate random effects estimator in a count data setting, to permit the efficient estimation of this type of model with panel data. Second, it provides an innovative test of adverse selection and confirms that high-risk individuals are more likely to acquire supplemental add-on insurance. Third, the estimations yield that in accordance with the theory of moral hazard, we observe a much lower frequency of doctor visits among the self-employed, and among mothers of small children. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Information, Role Models and Perceived Returns to Education Experimental Evidence from Madagascar

This brief summarizes the information, role models and perceived returns to education experimental evidence from Madagascar. This paper shows that increasing perceived returns to education strengthens incentives for schooling when agents underestimate the actual returns. The author conducted a field experiment in Madagascar to study alternative ways to provide additional information about the returns to education: simply providing statistics versus using a role model, an actual person sharing his and her success story. Some argue that role models may be more effective than providing statistics to a largely illiterate population. However, this proposition depends on how households update their beliefs based on the information the role model brings. Motivated by a model of belief formation, the author randomly assigns schools to the role model intervention, the statistics intervention, or a combination of both. The author fined that providing statistics reduced the large gap between perceived returns and the statistics provided. As a result, it improved average test scores by 0.2 standard deviations. For those whose initial perceived returns were below the statistics, test scores improved by 0.37 standard deviations. Student attendance in statistics schools is also 3.5 percentage points higher than attendance in schools without statistics. Consistent with the theory, seeing a role model of poor background has a larger impact on poor children's test scores than seeing someone of rich background. Combining a role model with statistics leads to smaller treatment effects than statistics alone, also consistent with the theory. The key implication of my results is that households lack information, but are able to process new information and change their decisions in a sophisticated manner.
Complex mechanical conditioning of cell‐seeded agarose constructs can influence chondrocyte biosynthetic activity

Articular cartilage with its inherently poor capacity for self‐regeneration represents a primary target for tissue engineering strategies, with approaches focusing on the in vitro generation of neo‐cartilage using chondrocyte‐seeded 3D scaffolds subjected to mechanical conditioning. Although uniaxial compression regimens have significantly up‐regulated proteoglycan synthesis, their effects on the synthesis of collagen have been modest. Articular cartilage is subjected to shear forces during joint motion. Accordingly, this study utilized an apparatus to apply biaxial loading to chondrocytes seeded within agarose constructs with endplates. The chondrocytes yielded a monotonic increase in proteoglycan synthesis both in free swelling culture up to day 8 and when the constructs were subjected to dynamic compression alone (15% amplitude at a frequency of 1 Hz for 48 h). However, when dynamic shear (10% amplitude at 1 Hz) was superimposed on dynamic compression, total collagen synthesis was also up‐regulated, within 3 days of culture, without compromising proteoglycan synthesis. Histological analysis revealed marked collagen deposition around individual chondrocytes. A significant proportion (50%) of collagen was released into the culture medium, suggesting that it had only been partially synthesized in its mature state. The overall biosynthetic activity was enhanced more when the biaxial stimulation was applied in a continuous mode as opposed to intermittent loading. Results of the present study strongly suggest that proteoglycan and collagen synthesis may be triggered by uncoupled mechanosensitive cellular responses. The proposed in vitro model and the prescribed conditioning protocols demonstrated that a short pre‐culture period is preferable to long free swelling culture condition as it enables a significantly higher up‐regulation of collagen. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 1614–1625. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Experimental mucosal induction of uveitis with the 60‐kDa heat shock protein‐derived peptide 336 – 351

Subcutaneous (s.c.) immunization of rats with the human 60‐kDa heat shock protein (HSP)‐derived peptide 336 – 351 induced clinical and/or histological uveitis in 80 % of rats. Subsequent experiments to prevent the development of uveitis by oral or nasal administration of the peptide have failed. Instead, uveitis was induced in 74.6 % of rats given the peptide orally (5 times), in 75 % given the peptide nasally (5 times) or 91.7 % of those administered the peptide by both routes (10 times). Histological examination showed that any one route of administration of the peptide elicited iridocyclitis in 42.2 % but loss of photoreceptors only in 4.9 % of rats. In contrast, sequential administrations of the peptide by a combined mucosal‐s.c. route resulted in iridocyclitis in only 25 % but loss of photoreceptors in 40 % of animals. Examination of mRNA from CD4‐enriched splenic cells by reverse transcription‐PCR failed to yield significant differences in Th1 or Th2 cytokines. Treatment with monoclonal antibody (mAb) to CD4 yielded a dose‐dependent decrease in uveitis from 82 % to 25 %. Similarly, treatment with IL‐4 significantly decreased the development of uveitis from 68 % to 30.4 %. Conversely, treatment of the rats with mAb to CD8 greatly enhanced the onset of uveitis (from about 22 days in the controls to 11 days) and all the rats developed uveitis by day 24. Thus, CD4+ cells mediate, whereas CD8+ cells suppress the development of uveitis. We suggest that this novel experimental mucosal model of induction of uveitis by the human 60‐kDa HSP‐derived peptide 336 – 351, which is specific in stimulating T cell responses in Behcet's disease, is consistent with the oro‐genital onset of this disease and the development of uveitis.
Carbon dioxide reactivity by consecutive technetium-99m-HMPAO SPECT in patients with a chronically obstructed major cerebral artery.

UNLABELLED In the management of major cerebral artery obstruction, cerebral perfusion reserve is key to introducing cerebral revascularization surgery. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of assessing cerebral perfusion reserve by consecutive 99mTc-hexamethyl-propyleneamine oxime (99mTc-HMPAO) SPECT with 5% carbon dioxide (CO2) inhalation. METHODS The CO2 inhalation and consecutive 99mTc-HMPAO SPECT study was performed on 30 chronic ischemic cerebrovascular disease patients with unilateral major cerebral artery obstruction and on 27 patients without. CO2 reactivity was expressed as the percent increase of 99mTc-HMPAO accumulation from the baseline (%Change) and as a constant k' that was the ratio of 99mTc-HMPAO accumulation per 1 mmHg change of end-tidal CO2 tension by exponential curve fitting. RESULTS The mean %Change and k' in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) territory on the side without an obstructive lesion or in the cerebellum ranged from 10.0% to 11.1% and from 0.98% to 1.13% per mmHg, respectively. In the MCA territory, an obstructive lesion was noted in 5.9% versus 0.54% per mmHg in the contralateral MCA territory (p < 0.01). Eleven of 30 patients with major cerebral artery obstruction revealed significant asymmetry in the k' value between bilateral MCA territories. CONCLUSION The results showed compromised cerebral perfusion reserve in the obstructed major cerebral artery territory. The present method was proven clinically useful for evaluating cerebral perfusion reserve in patients with unilateral major cerebral artery obstruction.
Channel Measurement and Characterization for HSR U-Shape Groove Scenarios at 2.35 GHz

For the design and performance evaluation of broadband wireless communication systems in High-Speed Railway (HSR) environments, it is of crucial importance to have accurate and realistic propagation channel model. Based on real measurement data in U-Shape Groove (USG) scenarios at 2.35 GHz on Zhengzhou-Xi'an (ZX) HSR in China, the channel fading characteristics such as path loss, shadowing, K factor, time dispersivity and Doppler effects are specialized. These technical guidelines will promote the development of the wireless communication system under HSR.
Association of High‐Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin T and N‐Terminal Pro–Brain‐Type Natriuretic Peptide With Left Ventricular Structure: J‐HOP Study

Although both high‐sensitivity cardiac troponin T (Hs‐cTnT) and N‐terminal pro–brain‐type natriuretic peptide (NT‐proBNP) levels are higher among patients with cardiac structural abnormalities than among those with apparently normal hearts, there is considerable overlap between the groups. The authors evaluated 1336 patients who had ≥1 cardiovascular risk factors, underwent echocardiography, and had Hs‐cTnT and NT‐proBNP measured and excluded patients with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. The patients in the highest Hs‐cTnT category in quintiles had an increased likelihood of abnormal relative wall thickness compared with those in the lowest category (odds ratio, 1.66; 95% confidence interval, 1.17–2.36; P<.01). However, no such association was found in the category of NT‐proBNP. The patients in the highest NT‐proBNP category had an increased likelihood of abnormal LV diastolic dimension/body surface area compared with those in the lowest category (odds ratio, 2.11; 95% confidence interval, 1.17–3.79; P<.05). However, no such association was found in the category of Hs‐cTnT. The data suggest that the measurement of Hs‐cTnT and NT‐proBNP might provide information on cardiac structural abnormalities.
Sonographic Characterisation of Radiation-Induced Carotid Artery Stenosis

Background and Purpose: To study the distribution, extent and sonographic characterisation of radiation-induced carotid artery stenosis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients. Methods: The distribution of plaques, the extent of stenosis, and the sonographic characterisation of the plaque at maximum stenosis were recorded in 71 NPC patients. The results were compared with the ultrasound results of a control group of 142 patients presenting with symptoms of cerebrovascular disease or carotid bruit. Results: NPC patients had a higher incidence of carotid stenosis (77 vs. 50.7%). The common carotid arteries were most commonly affected by radiation-induced stenosis (93/142 vs. 37/284 in the control group), whereas the carotid bulb was the most commonly affected (56/284) site in the control group. Significantly more NPC patients had moderate-to-severe stenosis (21/71 vs. 27/142). Analysis of the sonographic appearance of radiation-induced and atherosclerotic plaques showed more diffuse involvement in the post-radiation group. Non-calcified plaques and intraplaque hypoechoic foci were also more frequent in the post-radiation group. Conclusions: Radiation-induced carotid stenosis is more diffuse in distribution, is associated with more severe luminal stenosis and has different sonographic plaque characterisation compared with carotid stenosis without radiation exposure.