Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Magnetic property studies of manganese-phosphate complexes.

Phosphoric acid forms two distinct coordination compounds with manganese salts in aqueous media, a two-dimensional layered structure, [Mn(HPO4). (H2O)3], 1, under ambient conditions, and a three-dimensional synthetic mineral, [Mn5(mu-OH2)2(HPO4)2(PO4)2(H2O)2], 2, under hydrothermal procedures, at 120 degrees C. In compound 1, the oxygen atom of the doubly deprotonated phosphoric acid interconnects the metal centers to form a layered structure. The neutral hydrophilic layers of 1 are separated by 5.5 A and may potentially intercalate hydrophilic organic guest molecules. The metal centers in 2 are octahedral and bridged by PO4(3-), HPO4(2-), and OH2 groups to form a complex three-dimensional network. XPS analysis on 1 and 2 confirms that manganese exists in the +2 oxidation state. Compound 2 is a poor ion exchanger, but some improvement is observed on partial dehydration. The magnetic properties of both 1 and 2 were studied in detail to examine the amplitude of the magnetic interactions through phosphate ligand bridges. While 1 reveals dominant antiferromagnetic interactions between the spin carriers, a complete investigation of the magnetic properties of 2 revealed its true nature to be a glassy magnet.
Increased Levels of Cell-Free Human Placental Lactogen mRNA at 28-32 Gestational Weeks in Plasma of Pregnant Women With Placenta Previa and Invasive Placenta

We compared the levels of cell-free human placental lactogen (hPL) messenger RNA (mRNA) in maternal plasma at 28 to 32 weeks of gestation between women with diagnosis of placenta previa or invasive placenta and women with an uneventful pregnancy. Sensitivity and specificity of hPL mRNA for the prediction of invasive placenta were further explored. Plasma hPL mRNA were quantified by real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction in women with placenta previa (n = 13), invasive placenta (n = 5), and normal pregnancies (n = 92). Median (range) hPL mRNA was significantly higher in women with placenta previa, 782 (10-2301) copies/mL of plasma, and in those with invasive placenta, 615 (522-2102) copies/mL of plasma, when compared to normal pregnancies, 90 (4-4407) copies/mL of plasma, P < . 01 and P < . 05, respectively. We found a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 61.5% for the prediction of invasive placenta among women with placenta previa. In conclusion, expression of hPL mRNA is increased in plasma of women with placenta previa and invasive placenta at 28 to 32 weeks of gestation.
Elementary School‐Age Children's Developmental Understanding of the Causes of Cancer

&NA; This study examines children's conceptual understanding and factual knowledge of the causes of cancer. Using a standardized, developmentally based, semistructured interview (ASK [AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) Survey for Kids]), 784 children (43% black, 38% white, and 18% Hispanic; 48% female) in kindergarten through sixth grade attending six public elementary/middle schools in New Haven, Connecticut, were asked open‐ended questions about the causes of cancer and, for comparison, the causes of colds and AIDS. Responses were scored for level of conceptual understanding and coded for factual content and factual accuracy. The level of conceptual understanding for causality of cancer increased consistently as grade level increased. When comparisons were made among the illnesses, children's level of conceptual understanding was significantly lower for the causes of cancer than for the causes of colds (p < .0001), but not significantly different from that of AIDS. Although the single most frequent cause of cancer mentioned was cigarettes/smoking (24%), more than one in five students stated that casual contact or contagion was a cause of cancer. More children cited casual contact/contagion than cited the following factually accurate or logically contributory causes combined: poor diet, air/water pollution or overexposure to sun, alcohol, and old age. Slightly more than one half of students in kindergarten through sixth grade worried about getting cancer, and the vast majority (80%) knew that cancer could be fatal. Children have a less sophisticated conceptual understanding of cancer than of colds and a very limited factual knowledge base for cancer, and thus they have the capacity to increase both their understanding and knowledge. These results have implications for the creation of developmentally appropriate cancer prevention curricula for elementary school‐age children.
Optical Fiber-Coupled Ocular Spectrometer for Measurement of Drug Concentration in the Anterior Eye—Applications in Pharmaceuticals Research

This paper describes in detail a novel optoelectronic system designed to measure drug absorption in the anterior segment of the eye following topical application of drug formulations. This minimally invasive measurement technique offers both a method for determining drug concentration in human eyes, and demonstrates an alternative to current testing processes in model animals, which require paracentesis of the anterior chamber of the eye. The optoelectronic technique can be used with formulations, which possess appropriate spectral characteristics, namely unique absorption or fluorescence spectra. Preliminary experiments using our measurement system have been performed in rabbit and man, where we have been successful in achieving the direct measurement of topically applied brimonidine, an alpha-2 agonist used in the treatment of glaucoma. This demonstrates the feasibility of performing real-time, in vivo testing of ophthalmic drug formulations in the eye of human test subjects. We further demonstrate the novel application of the optoelectronic system for detection of topically applied UV-absorbing compounds in rabbit cadaver eyes, with a view to evaluating potential ocular sunscreen formulations. In summary, this method can be applied for the rapid comparison of the penetration of different drug formulations into the anterior eye at greatly reduced cost and time.
Financial crisis and the market efficiency in the Chinese equity markets

We examine the behavior of the Chinese equity markets to determine whether the equity markets are efficient or not. A previously unexplored database provides the source for observing market behavior of the two principal equity markets in China. These markets have unique characteristics different from those in the more established markets in the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan, among others. In particular, we study the role of the financial crises. Our observations suggest that differences in statistical measures occurred before and after the financial crises. In addition, conclusions are drawn about the market efficiency of the Chinese equity markets that are based on well-known analytical methods. On the basis of the analysis, we observe that the equity markets of both exchanges were not efficient before the financial crisis and became efficient to some extent in terms of the weak-form efficiency markets hypothesis during the financial crisis. Finally, note that some changes in the Chinese financial markets occurred during and after the crises to alleviate the premium paid in Chinese markets relative to the same firms’ share in the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
Phagocytic processing of antigens for presentation by class II major histocompatibility complex molecules

Microbes and other particulate antigens (Ags) are internalized by phagocytosis and then reside in plasma membrane‐derived phagosomes. The contribution of phagosomes to the degradation of Ags has long been appreciated. It has been unclear, however, whether peptides derived from these degraded antigens bind class II major histocompatibility complex (MHC‐II) molecules within phagosomes or within endocytic compartments that receive Ag fragments from phagosomes. Recent experiments have demonstrated that phagosomes containing Ag‐ conjugated latex beads express a full complement of Ag‐processing molecules, e.g. MHC‐II molecules, invariant chain, H2‐DM and proteases sufficient to degrade bead‐ associated Ag. These phagosomes mediate the formation of peptide–MHC‐II complexes, which are transported to the cell surface and presented to T cells. Phagosomes acquire both newly synthesized and plasma membrane‐derived MHC‐II molecules, but the formation of peptide–MHC‐II complexes in phagosomes primarily involves newly synthesized MHC‐II molecules. The content and traffic of phagosomal proteins vary considerably with the type of Ag ingested. Pathogenic microbes can alter phagosome composition and function to reduce Ag processing. For example, Mycobacterium tuberculosis blocks the maturation of phagosomes and reduces the ability of infected cells to present exogenous soluble protein Ags.
Interventions to reduce social isolation and loneliness among older people: an integrative review

Loneliness and social isolation are major problems for older adults. Interventions and activities aimed at reducing social isolation and loneliness are widely advocated as a solution to this growing problem. The aim of this study was to conduct an integrative review to identify the range and scope of interventions that target social isolation and loneliness among older people, to gain insight into why interventions are successful and to determine the effectiveness of those interventions. Six electronic databases were searched from 2003 until January 2016 for literature relating to interventions with a primary or secondary outcome of reducing or preventing social isolation and/or loneliness among older people. Data evaluation followed Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Co-ordinating Centre guidelines and data analysis was conducted using a descriptive thematic method for synthesising data. The review identified 38 studies. A range of interventions were described which relied on differing mechanisms for reducing social isolation and loneliness. The majority of interventions reported some success in reducing social isolation and loneliness, but the quality of evidence was generally weak. Factors which were associated with the most effective interventions included adaptability, a community development approach, and productive engagement. A wide range of interventions have been developed to tackle social isolation and loneliness among older people. However, the quality of the evidence base is weak and further research is required to provide more robust data on the effectiveness of interventions. Furthermore, there is an urgent need to further develop theoretical understandings of how successful interventions mediate social isolation and loneliness.
How Gambling Corruptors Fix Football Matches

Abstract How do gambling corruptors fix football matches? How do a group of disparate players and gamblers come together, organize themselves and then perform a con in front of a large audience including their own team-mates and officials? This paper examines the difficulties and challenges faced by corruptors in both organizing this type of fraud and approaching the players. It is based on both quantitative and qualitative methods of research: over 220 interviews with players, referees, sports/law enforcement officials, as well as gambling industry representatives and corruptors; the creation of several databases including the Fixed Match Database which has over 130 legally certified examples of fixed matches, and a control group of 120 matches that can be presumed to be played honestly: and finally the collection of police or other transcripts of corruptors taped while attempting to corrupt matches. The findings are that the corruptors have five distinct stages in fixing matches – access, set-up, calling the fix, performance and payment - and that their methods of approaching players are similar to the business strategies of some erotic dancers.
The Impact of High and Growing Government Debt on Economic Growth: An Empirical Investigation for the Euro Area

This paper investigates the average impact of government debt on per-capita GDP growth in twelve euro area countries over a period of about 40 years starting in 1970. It finds a non-linear impact of debt on growth with a turning point — beyond which the government debt-to-GDP ratio has a deleterious impact on long-term growth — at about 90-100% of GDP. Confidence intervals for the debt turning point suggest that the negative growth effect of high debt may start already from levels of around 70-80% of GDP, which calls for even more prudent indebtedness policies. At the same time, there is evidence that the annual change of the public debt ratio and the budget deficit-to-GDP ratio are negatively and linearly associated with per-capita GDP growth. The channels through which government debt (level or change) is found to have an impact on the economic growth rate are: (i) private saving; (ii) public investment; (iii) total factor productivity (TFP) and (iv) sovereign long-term nominal and real interest rates. From a policy perspective, the results provide additional arguments for debt reduction to support longer-term economic growth prospects.
State-Dependent Interference Channel With Correlated States

This paper investigates the Gaussian state-dependent interference channel (IC) and Z-IC, in which two receivers are corrupted respectively by two different but correlated states that are noncausally known to two transmitters but are unknown to the receivers. Three interference regimes are studied, and the capacity region boundary or the sum capacity boundary is characterized either fully or partially under various channel parameters. In particular, the impact of the correlation between states on cancellation of state and interference as well as achievability of capacity is explored with numerical illustrations. For the very strong interference regime, the capacity region is achieved by the scheme where the two transmitters implement a cooperative dirty paper coding. For the strong but not very strong interference regime, the sum-rate capacity is characterized by rate splitting, layered dirty paper coding, and successive cancellation. For the weak interference regime, the sum-rate capacity is achieved via dirty paper coding individually at two receivers as well as treating interference as noise. This paper also provides the achievable region for the state-dependent IC with each state known at its corresponding transmitter.
Enteric Coccidia in Free-ranging American Bison (Bison bison) in Montana

Four Eimeria species have been reported from American bison (Bison bison): E. auburnensis, E. bovis, E. brasiliensis, and E. canadensis. We report on finding two additional species: E. ellipsoidalis and E. zuernii. In 1993, the prevalence of these six species in 31 yearling bison in a recently-established herd on private ranchland in Montana (USA) was: E. bovis, 97%; E. canadensis, 90%; E. zuernii, 32%; E. ellipsoidalis, 32%; E. auburnensis, 9.7%; and E. brasiliensis, 3.2%. Eimerian oocysts also were recovered from five (14%) of 36 bison in 1993 from West Yellowstone; the species involved were: E. canadensis, E. bovis, E. zuernii and E. auburnensis.
DNA Damage from Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Measured by Benzo[a]pyrene-DNA Adducts in Mothers and Newborns from Northern Manhattan, The World Trade Center Area, Poland, and China

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), of which benzo[a]pyrene is a representative member, are combustion-related environmental pollutants and include known carcinogens. Laboratory animal studies indicate that the dose of PAHs to the fetus is on the order of a 10th that to the mother and that there is heightened susceptibility to PAH-induced carcinogenesis during the fetal and infancy periods. Carcinogen-DNA adducts, a measure of procarcinogenic genetic damage, are considered a biomarker of increased cancer risk. Here we compare the levels of benzo[a]pyrene-DNA adducts as a proxy for PAH-DNA damage measured in maternal blood and newborn cord blood obtained at delivery in four different populations of mothers (total of 867) and newborns (total of 822), representing a 30-fold range of exposure to ambient PAHs. The populations include residents in Northern Manhattan, participants in a study of the effects of the World Trade Center disaster, residents in Krakow, Poland, and residents in Tongliang, China. Mean adduct concentrations in both maternal and cord blood and the proportion of samples with detectable adducts, increased across the populations [Northern Manhattan < World Trade Center (WTC) < Krakow < Tongliang], consistent with the trend in estimated ambient exposure to PAHs (P < 0.001). For mothers, the means in the respective populations were Northern Manhattan (0.21 adducts per 108 nucleotides), WTC (0.23 adducts per 108 nucleotides), Krakow (0.28 adducts per 108 nucleotides), Tongliang (0.31 adducts per 108 nucleotides); the corresponding means in the newborns were Northern Manhattan (0.23), WTC (0.24), Krakow (0.29), Tongliang (0.31). The percentage of mothers with detectable levels of adducts in the respective populations were Northern Manhattan (36.8%), WTC (57.5%), Krakow (72.9%), Tongliang (73.4%); the corresponding percentages among the newborns were Northern Manhattan (42.4%), WTC (60.6%), Krakow (71.1%), Tongliang (79.5%). Despite the estimated 10-fold lower PAH dose to the fetus based on laboratory animal experiments, the adduct levels in the newborns were similar to or higher than in the mothers. This study suggests that the fetus may be 10-fold more susceptible to DNA damage than the mother and that in utero exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons may disproportionately increase carcinogenic risk. The data support preventive policies to limit PAH exposure to pregnant women and children.
The Role of End-of-Course Exams and Minimum Competency Exams in Standards-Based Reforms

Excerpt] Educational reformers and most of the American public believe that most teachers ask too little of their pupils. These low expectations, they believe, result in watered down curricula and a tolerance of mediocre teaching and inappropriate student behavior. The result is that the prophecy of low achievement becomes self-fulfilling. Although research has shown that learning gains are substantially larger when students take more demanding courses2, only a minority of students enroll in these courses. There are several reasons for this. Guidance counselors in many schools allow only a select few into the most challenging courses. While most schools give students and parents the authority to overturn counselor recommendations, many families are unaware they have that power or are intimidated by the counselor’s prediction of failure in the tougher class. As one student put it: “African-American parents, they settle for less, not knowing they can get more for their students. ”
Face Transplantation: A Review of the Technical, Immunological, Psychological and Clinical Issues with Recommendations for Good Practice

Three years ago, the Working Party on Facial Transplantation concluded that until there was more information available about risks any potential patient would be exposed to, it would be unwise to proceed with transplantation of the human face. Over the last three years, there has been a deepening understanding of the potential psychological problems of facial transplantation as well as a very considerable debate on the ethical aspects of the procedure. Further data on experimental work in animal models of facial transplantation as well as medium-term follow-up data from 24 hand and forearm transplants in 18 patients has now become available. Furthermore, a partial facial transplantation has been performed in France and a second one in China. In this second edition of the report, the technical, immunological, psychological, and ethical issues are discussed again in the light of this developing knowledge. In particular, there has been a major expansion of the sections on the psychological and societal issues, as well as the ethical and legal problems of facial transplantation. The working party still has considerable reservations about facial transplantation. Although it accepts that on balance the risks cannot be precisely quantified, they remain substantial. Therefore, if patients are allowed to make an informed choice to proceed, they must be very carefully selected and protected in the process, along with the families of both the donors and the recipients. To achieve this, the working party insists that 15 minimum requirements, described at the end of this report, must be fulfilled before it would be appropriate for a research ethics committee/institutional review board to approve of a proposal to undertake facial transplantation.
An Economic policy and legal analysis of the Micro Finance Institutions (Development & Regulation) Bill, 2011

In response to the Second Micro Finance Crisis in Andhra Pradesh, which took place in October 2010, the Ministry of Finance has pro- posed a new Micro Finance Institutions (Development & Regulation) Bill. This paper undertakes a detailed analysis of the draft Bill in terms of both economic policy and law. This analysis reveals many weak links, including: a lack of clarity on the objectives of the Bill; an insufficient focus on protection of the rights of the micro-borrower; lack of clarity about the definition of thrift; the loss of accountability that comes with multiple regulatory agencies; concerns about the rule of law; and constitutional issues about powers of the Centre versus the State Government.
Coagulation patterns following haemoglobin‐based oxygen carrier resuscitation in severe uncontrolled haemorrhagic shock in swine

summary Massive blood loss due to penetrating trauma and internal organ damage can cause severe haemorrhagic shock (HS), leading to a severely compromised haemostatic balance. This study evaluated the effect of bovine polymerized haemoglobin (Hb) (Hb‐based oxygen carrier, HBOC) resuscitation on haemostasis in a swine model of uncontrolled HS. Following liver injury/HS, swine received HBOC (n= 8), Hextend (HEX) (n= 8) or no resuscitation (NON) (n= 8). Fluids were infused to increase mean arterial pressure above 60 mmHg and to reduce heart rate to baseline. At 4 h, the animals were eligible for blood transfusions. Prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time, fibrinogen, thromboelastography (TEG) and platelet function analyser closure time (PFA‐CT) were compared by using mixed statistical model. At 4 h, blood loss (% estimated blood volume) was comparable for HBOC (65·5 ± 18·5%) and HEX (80·8 ± 14·4%) and less for NON (58·7 ± 10·1%; P < 0·05). Resuscitation‐induced dilutional coagulopathy was observed with HBOC and HEX, as indicated by reduced haematocrit, platelets and fibrinogen (P < 0·05). At 4 h, PT was higher in HEX than in HBOC groups (P < 0·01). In the early hospital phase, a trend to increased TEG reaction time and PFA‐CT indicates that dilutional effects persist in HBOC and HEX groups. PFA‐CT returned to baseline later with HBOC than with HEX (48 vs. 24 h) following blood transfusion. At 4 h, all surviving HEX animals (n= 3) required transfusion, in contrast to no HBOC (n= 7) or NON (n= 1) animals. In this severe uncontrolled HS model, successful resuscitation with HBOC produced haemodilutional coagulopathy less than or similar to that produced by resuscitation with HEX.