Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Proteomics of Stored Red Blood Cell Membrane and Storage-Induced Microvesicles Reveals the Association of Flotillin-2 With Band 3 Complexes

The storage of erythrocyte concentrates (ECs) induces lesions that notably affect metabolism, protein activity, deformability of red blood cells (RBCs), as well as the release of oxygen. Band 3 is one of the proteins affected during the ex vivo aging of RBCs. This membrane protein is an anion transporter, an anchor site for the cytoskeleton and other membrane proteins as well as a binding site for glycolytic enzymes and bears blood group antigens. In the present study, band 3 complexes were isolated from RBCs stored for 7 and 42 days in average (n = 3), as well as from microvesicles (n = 3). After extraction of membrane proteins with a deoxycholate containing buffer, band 3 complexes were co-immunoprecipitated on magnetic beads coated with two anti-band 3 antibodies. Both total membrane protein extracts and eluates (containing band 3 complexes) were separated on SDS-PAGE and analyzed by bottom-up proteomics. It revealed that three proteins were present or absent in band 3 complexes stemming from long-stored or short-stored ECs, respectively, whereas the membrane protein contents remained equivalent. These potential markers for storage-induced RBC aging are adenylosuccinate lyase (ADSL), α-adducin and flotillin-2, and were further analyzed using western blots. ADSL abundance tended to increase during storage in both total membrane protein and band 3 complexes, whereas α-adducin mainly tended to stay onto the membrane extract. Interestingly, flotillin-2 was equivalently present in total membrane proteins whereas it clearly co-immunoprecipitated with band 3 complexes during storage (1.6-fold-change, p = 0.0024). Moreover, flotillin-2 was enriched (almost threefold) in RBCs compared to microvesicles (MVs) (p < 0.001) and the amount found in MVs was associated to band 3 complexes. Different types of band 3 complexes are known to exist in RBCs and further studies will be required to better understand involvement of this protein in microvesiculation during the storage of RBCs.
The economic status of parents with serious mental illness in the United States.

OBJECTIVE Parents with serious mental illness may be vulnerable to financial insecurity, making successful parenting especially difficult. We explored relationships among parenting, serious mental illness, and economic status in a nationally representative sample. METHOD The sample included all working-age participants from the 2009 and 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (n = 77,326). Two well-established scales of mental health distinguished participants with none, mild, moderate, and serious mental illness. We compared economic status by parenthood status and mental illness severity. RESULTS Rates of employment were low for parents with serious mental illness (38% full time and 17% part time among mothers; 60% full time and 9% part time among fathers) compared with parents with no mental illness (50% full time and 19% part time among mothers; 85% full time and 5% part time among fathers). Mothers and fathers with serious mental illness were twice as likely to fall below the U.S. Census poverty threshold as their peers without mental illness. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE Parents with serious mental illness are less likely to be employed than those without mental illnesses, and are highly likely to be living in poverty. Reducing poverty by helping parents with serious mental illness achieve better jobs and education is likely to translate into family stability and better outcomes.
of Agricultural & Food Industrial Organization Economics of Private Labels : A Survey of Literature

This paper is a survey of the recent literature devoted to the economics of private labels. After providing some statistics about the development of private labels for different products in different OECD countries, the survey outlines what the literature says about the factors that favor the development of private labels, the reasons retailers introduce private labels, and the consequences of their development for the relationship between manufacturers and retailers. Issues that are less frequently addressed in the literature are also highlighted. The survey closes with discussing the impact of the development of private labels on welfare.
Condom use

A survey of more than 1,600 women in 8 cities across the United States indicates that women who rely on birth control devices to prevent pregnancy are less likely to use condoms to prevent sexually transmitted disease (STD). Among women who rely on condoms for contraception, 22 percent said they did not use them when having sex with a causal partner. Forty-two percent of women who used hormonal contraception neglected to use condoms; 37 percent of those surgically sterilized did not use condoms. The failure to use condoms leaves women vulnerable to HIV and other STDs.
Corporate social responsibility in the 1920s: an institutional perspective

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to better understand the origins of modern corporate social responsibility. The paper seeks to examine some factors that enabled the new industrial corporation to expand its role in society.Design/methodology/approach – Using institutional theory, this paper describes how some of the institutional characteristics of the modern corporation itself provided some opportunities or challenges in terms of gaining social legitimacy.Findings – The institutional features of the corporation, its technology and management created new demands on the corporation by society. These in turn led to the development of such concepts of corporate social responsibility as: public relations, service, trusteeship, and public welfare.Research limitations/implications – Future research on social legitimacy should focus on demands placed by the institutional characteristics of new organizations. Other research might include comparative studies of corporate legitimacy in Europe or Asia or an ex.
Gastric Cancer Screening by Combined Determination of Serum Helicobacter pylori Antibody and Pepsinogen Concentrations: ABC Method for Gastric Cancer Screening

Objective: Gastroscopy combined with gastric mucosa biopsies is currently regarded as a gold standard for diagnosis of gastric cancer. However, its application is restricted in clinical practice due to its invasive property. A new noninvasive population screening process combining the assay of anti-Helicobacter pylori antibody and serum pepsinogen (PG) (ABC method) is adopted to recognize the high-risk patients for further endoscopy examination, avoiding the unnecessary gastroscopy for most population and saving the cost consumption for mass screening annually. Nevertheless, controversies exist for the grouping of ABC method and the intervals of gastroscopy surveillance for each group. In this review, we summarized these popular concerned topics for providing useful references to the healthcare practitioner in clinical practice. Data Sources: The PubMed databases were systematically searched from the inception dates to November 22, 2017, using the keywords “Helicobacter pylori,” “Pepsinogens,” and “Stomach Neoplasms. ” Study Selection: Original articles and reviews on the topics were selected. Results: Anti-H. pylori antibody and serum PG concentration showed significant changes under the different status of H. pylori infection and the progression of atrophic gastritis, which can be used for risk stratification of gastric cancer in clinic. In addition, anti-H. pylori antibody titer can be used for further risk stratification of gastric cancer contributing to determine better endoscopy surveillance interval. Conclusions: The early detection and diagnosis of gastric cancer benefit from the risk stratification, but the cutoff values for H. pylori antibody and serum PG concentration require further modification.
Open spaces, bounded places: Does the American west's arid landscape yield dense metropolitan growth?

Abstract This article presents data on the 50 largest metropolitan areas in the United States to compare the metropolitan population density in the eastern and western parts of the country. The data show that the West often has more densely settled metropolitan areas than the East, especially when compared with the Southeast. The difference is due in part to the arid and rugged environment in the West. The article also develops a new understanding of Sunbelt development by comparing its eastern and western halves. The growth patterns of the Sunbelt are often contrasted with those of the Northeast and Midwest, the assumption being that its newer metropolitan areas share a common, lower‐density urban form. However, this study shows that intraregional differences within the Sunbelt make such comparisons difficult and deceptive.
External auditors' reliance on internal auditors and its impact on audit fees: An empirical investigation

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate the perceptions of a sample of Jordanian external auditors for the importance given by them to a number of factors which may influence their reliance on an internal auditor during their external audit. The paper also examines the relationship, if any, between the degree of reliance on the internal and external audit fees. Design/methodology/approach - A sample of 100 external auditors is employed to investigate the perceptions of external auditors as to the importance given by them to a number of factors which may influence their reliance on an internal auditor during their external audit. Also, a cross-sectional multiple regression analysis is conducted to examine the impact of this reliance on audit fees. Findings - The results of the paper indicate that external auditors in Jordan consider the objectivity, competence and work performance of internal auditors as very important factors affecting their reliance decisions. It is found that “objectivity” had the highest mean score (4.353), followed by “competence” (4.188) and “work performance” (4.156). The results of the multiple regression analysis indicated that the size of the audited company is the most important variable in explaining the variation in audit fees paid by the sample companies. As for the reliance variable, it is found insignificant. Originality/value - It is believed that no previous research has examined these issues on the basis of Jordanian data. Thus, the current paper aims to extend the literature on these topics on a developing country with different characteristics. The results of this paper will be of concern to companies in their attempt to reduce external audit fees. Audit firms may also benefit from the paper in terms of reducing the efforts of external auditors due to the understanding and cooperation between external and internal auditors.
The Bureaucratic Politics of Welfare‐State Crisis: Sweden in the 1990s

This article suggests that key bureaucrats play a decisive role in times of welfare crisis. It argues that key bureaucrats, through their advice, define both the type of welfare crisis and the range of possible solutions, which have at least two important consequences: First, it broadens the distribution of welfare cuts, as key bureaucrats—contrary to politicians—have no interests in targeting special voter groups. Second, it enables political compromises, as both the government and the opposition trust the key bureaucrats' expertise. These suggestions are tested empirically in a case study of Sweden in the 1990s. It shows that key bureaucrats did indeed influence both the distribution of the cuts and enabled a compromise between the center-right government and the Social Democratic opposition.
Resurrecting an extinct salmon evolutionarily significant unit: archived scales, historical DNA and implications for restoration

Archival scales from 603 sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka), sampled from May to July 1924 in the lower Columbia River, were analysed for genetic variability at 12 microsatellite loci and compared to 17 present‐day O. nerka populations—exhibiting either anadromous (sockeye salmon) or nonanadromous (kokanee) life histories—from throughout the Columbia River Basin, including areas upstream of impassable dams built subsequent to 1924. Statistical analyses identified four major genetic assemblages of sockeye salmon in the 1924 samples. Two of these putative historical groupings were found to be genetically similar to extant evolutionarily significant units (ESUs) in the Okanogan and Wenatchee Rivers (pairwise FST = 0.004 and 0.002, respectively), and assignment tests were able to allocate 77% of the fish in these two historical groupings to the contemporary Okanogan River and Lake Wenatchee ESUs. A third historical genetic grouping was most closely aligned with contemporary sockeye salmon in Redfish Lake, Idaho, although the association was less robust (pairwise FST = 0.060). However, a fourth genetic grouping did not appear to be related to any contemporary sockeye salmon or kokanee population, assigned poorly to the O. nerka baseline, and had distinctive early return migration timing, suggesting that this group represents a historical ESU originating in headwater lakes in British Columbia that was probably extirpated sometime after 1924. The lack of a contemporary O. nerka population possessing the genetic legacy of this extinct ESU indicates that efforts to reestablish early‐migrating sockeye salmon to the headwater lakes region of the Columbia River will be difficult.
Source-receptor relationships for airborne measurements of CO 2 , CO and O 3 above Siberia: a cluster-based approach

Abstract. We analysed results of three intensive aircraft campaigns above Siberia (April and September 2006, August 2007) with a total of ~70 h of continuous CO2, CO and O3 measurements. The flight route consists of consecutive ascents and descents between Novosibirsk (55° N, 82° E) and Yakutsk (62° N, 129° E). We performed retroplume calculations with the Lagrangian particle dispersion model FLEXPART for many short segments along the flight tracks. To reduce the extremely rich information on source regions provided by the model calculation into a small number of distinct cases, we performed a statistical clustering – to our knowledge for the first time – into potential source regions of the footprint emission sensitivities obtained from the model calculations. This technique not only worked well to separate source region influences but also resulted in clearly distinct tracer concentrations for the various clusters obtained. High CO and O3 concentrations were found associated with agricultural fire plumes originating from Kazakhstan in September 2006. A statistical analysis indicates that summer uptake of CO2 is largely explained (~50% of variance) by air mass exposure to uptake by Siberian and sub-arctic ecosystems. This resulted in an average 5 to 10 ppm difference with overlaying air masses. Stratosphere-troposphere exchange is found to strongly influence the observed O3 mixing ratios in spring, but not in summer. European emissions contributed to high O3 concentrations above Siberia in April 2006 and August 2007, while emissions from North Eastern China also contributed to higher O3 mixing ratios in summer, but tend to lower mixing ratios in spring, when the airmass aerosol burden is important. In the lower troposphere, large-scale deposition processes in the boreal and sub-arctic boundary layer is a large O3 sink, resulting in a ~20 ppb difference with overlaying air masses. Lagrangian footprint clustering is very promising and could also be advantageously applied to the interpretation of ground based measurements including calculation of tracers' sources and sinks.
Growth and the Real Exchange Rate - Evidence from Eleven Countries

There are conflicting theories about the effect of real exchange rate movements on output growth. Expenditure switching models suggest that a real depreciation leads to an increase in net exports due to the increase in competitiveness of the export sector, and hence to an increase in output growth. Contractionary depreciation models, on the other hand, suggest that real depreciations can reduce output growth. In this paper we examine the evidence on the impact of real exchange rate movements on the real economy for a number of countries. We find that different countries have had quite different experiences with respect to the response of output growth to exchange rate changes, and we offer some suggestions as to why this has been the case.
The Solute Diffusion Coefficient in Variably Compacted, Unsaturated Volcanic Ash Soils

The solute diffusion coefficient in soil (Ds) and its dependency on the soil water content (θ), soil type, and compaction govern the transport and fate of dissolved chemicals in the soil vadose zone. Only a few studies have quantified solute diffusivity (Ds/D0, where Ds and D0 are the solute diffusion coefficients in soil and pure water, respectively) for variably compacted soils with different textures. We measured the Ds for KCl on five different soils from Japan: two volcanic ash soils (Andisols) at different bulk densities, two sandy soils, and a loamy soil. The Ds was measured across a wide range of θ using the half‐cell method. The Ds/D0 values for Andisols with bimodal pore size distribution were comparatively lower than for the other soils. Opposite to the behavior for sandy soils, the Ds/D0 for Andisols at a given θ decreased markedly with increasing bulk density under wet conditions but increased with increasing bulk density under dry conditions. Data for all soil types including sandy soils with unimodal pore size distribution implied a two‐region behavior when plotted as log(Ds/D0) vs. θ. We suggest that the similar behavior across soil types can be explained by regions of low and high water phase connectivity for relatively structureless soils and by high intraaggregate and low interaggregate water phase tortuosity for aggregated soils. Among a number of tested predictive models for Ds/D0, the Penman–Millington–Quirk model, which requires knowledge of only θ and total porosity, performed best across soil types.
A Critical Look at the Principles of Electromagnetic Time Reversal and its Consequences

A plethora of papers can be found in the scientific literature talking about time reversal. The term time reversal exists in the publications in a variety of different fields, such as ultrasonics, acoustics, wireless communications, electromagnetics, antennas and propagation, optics, physics, and philosophy. The term time reversal by itself sounds very interesting, and can provide many interpretations that are fascinating. However, due to a loose use of this term, it may in many cases lead to fallacious interpretations and conclusions if it is not interpreted in strict scientific terms. The main goal of this paper is to explain the appropriate definition of the term time reversal in electrical engineering in general, and in electromagnetics for wireless communications, to be specific. However, the motivation of the work presented in this paper is not to raise a controversy about time reversal and its related research. Rather, the aim of this work is to highlight the basic electrical engineering fundamentals that are necessary to study time reversal and to correctly define it, and to then accordingly interpret the results. Hence, the true and fallacious benefits of electromagnetic time reversal will be exposed. To serve this purpose, the paper is divided into two parts. First, a detailed literature review is presented. The true history of the term time reversal in electrical engineering is traced. In this part, most of the reported definitions of time reversal and its claimed capabilities are summarized. Some problems with the application of time reversal in electromagnetics are discussed, both theoretically and practically. All of the time-reversal papers talk about reciprocal networks, so the fact of the non-reciprocity of a single-antenna system in the time domain (the way we generally interpret it) is presented, to prove theoretically that there is a problem with how we interpret time reversal in electromagnetics. Finally, practical examples are shown, where time reversal is used in a wireless system and in an acoustic de-reverberation problem. The exact capabilities of time reversal in electrical engineering are exposed in those experiments.
Noninvasive Estimation of Pressure Changes Using 2-D Vector Velocity Ultrasound: An Experimental Study With In Vivo Examples

A noninvasive method for estimating intravascular pressure changes using 2-D vector velocity is presented. The method was first validated on computational fluid dynamic (CFD) data and with catheter measurements on phantoms. Hereafter, the method was tested in vivo at the carotid bifurcation and at the aortic valve of two healthy volunteers. Ultrasound measurements were performed using the experimental scanner SARUS, in combination with an 8 MHz linear array transducer for experimental scans and a carotid scan, whereas a 3.5-MHz phased array probe was employed for a scan of an aortic valve. Measured 2-D fields of angle-independent vector velocities were obtained using synthetic aperture imaging. Pressure drops from simulated steady flow through six vessel geometries spanning different degrees of diameter narrowing, running from 20%–70%, showed relative biases from 0.35% to 12.06%, depending on the degree of constriction. Phantom measurements were performed on a vessel with the same geometry as the 70% constricted CFD model. The derived pressure drops were compared to pressure drops measured by a clinically used 4F catheter and to a finite-element model. The proposed method showed peak systolic pressure drops of −3 kPa ± 57 Pa, while the catheter and the simulation model showed −5.4 kPa ± 52 Pa and −2.9 kPa, respectively. An in vivo acquisition of 10 s was made at the carotid bifurcation. This produced eight cardiac cycles from where pressure gradients of −227 ± 15 Pa were found. Finally, the aortic valve measurement showed a peak pressure drop of −2.1 kPa over one cardiac cycle. In conclusion, pressure gradients from convective flow changes are detectable using 2-D vector velocity ultrasound.
School outcomes in New South Wales and Queensland: a regression discontinuity approach

This paper examines the differences in school (NAPLAN) outcomes between New South Wales and Queensland. It shows that there are pronounced differences in Year 3 NAPLAN results between these states, though these dissipate when later class years are considered. The reasons for these state effects in school outcomes are explored using an empirical framework grounded in the regression discontinuity literature. There is no systematic evidence of school-specific unobservables that are linearly related to the distance of schools from the New South Wales–Queensland border that account for this state effect. In other words, the lower outcomes of schools in Queensland relative to schools in New South Wales appear to be a pure institutional phenomenon. This conclusion carries over to the various sensitivity tests undertaken based on the partition of the sample by school sector and by distance from the border. Accordingly, the border effects are expected to be eroded by the recent reforms to the school starting age in Queensland and by the national curriculum currently proposed for implementation in Australia.