Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Absolute quantification strategies in proteomics based on mass spectrometry

The strong need for quantitative information in proteomics has fueled the development of mass spectrometry-based analytical methods that are able to determine protein abundances. This article reviews mass spectrometry experiments aimed at providing an absolute quantification of proteins. The experiments make use of the isotope-dilution concept by spiking a known amount of synthetic, isotope-labeled reference peptide into the analyte sample. Quantification is achieved by comparing the mass spectrometry signal intensities of the reference with an endogenous peptide that is generated upon proteolytic cleavage of the target protein. In an analogous manner, the level of post-translational modification at a distinct residue within a target protein can be determined. Among the strengths of absolute quantification are low detection limits reaching subfemtomole levels, a high dynamic range spanning approximately five orders of magnitude, low requirements for sample clean-up, and a fast and straightforward method development. Recent studies have demonstrated the compatibility of absolute quantification with various mass spectrometry readout techniques and sample purification steps such as 1D gel electrophoresis, size-exclusion chromatography, isoelectric peptide focusing, strong cation exchange and reversed phase or affinity chromatography. Under ideal conditions, quantification errors and coefficients of variation below 5% have been reported. However, the fact that at the start of the experiment the analyte is a protein and the internal standard is a peptide, severe quantification errors may result due to the selection of unsuitable reference peptides and/or imperfect protein proteolysis. Within the ensemble of mass spectrometry-based quantification methods, absolute quantification is the method of choice in cases where absolute numbers, many repetitive experiments or precise levels of post-translational modifications are required for a few, preselected species of interest. Consequently, prominent application areas include biomarker quantification, the study of post-translational modifications such as phosphorylation or ubiquitination and the comparison of concentrations of interacting proteins.
Validity of Biosignal Processing System based on Haar Transform in IoT Application

In the Internet of Things (IoT) era, people are very interested in wearable devices such as smart watches. These devices measure individual physiological time series such as blood pressure, heart rate, and EEG. With this functionality, people can check the status of their own health. This healthcare service usually sends individual physiological time series to remote clusters for calculation. A remote healthcare service is particularly necessary for patients suffering from chronic and urgent diseases such as cardiovascular disease. It is also necessary to predict urgent signals for proper treatment. One method to predict urgent signals is by clustering physiological time series and comparing the new physiological time series with the previous time series in a cluster. It means searching the time series similar to risk features. In other words, the detection and comparison of features in time series are important. Therefore, in this study, we propose a biosignal processing system based on the Haar transform of time series in IoT applications. We discuss the validity of this system according to various perspectives. The Haar transform of a time series reflects the trend of the time series; thus, we can recognize the trend of the time series more easily. In addition, we can reduce the storage size of the time series. This is especially helpful because the volume of a time series is massive in the IoT era. Although the reduction of information in a time series can distort the similarity accuracy, it does not distort it significantly.
Integrated Reporting: Background, Measurement Issues, Approaches and an Agenda for Future Research

We discuss the background to integrated reporting, a new reporting framework focused on firmsâ€™ future value creation narrative. We consider why integrated reporting is an area of interest for the accounting profession, accountants, investors, regulators and managers. We provide an overview of the integrated reporting literature, discuss measurement and research design issues to take into account when designing studies on integrated reporting and identify approaches and set an agenda for future research.
ErbB4 Expression in Neural Progenitor Cells (ST14A) Is Necessary to Mediate Neuregulin-1β1-induced Migration*

Activation of the receptor tyrosine kinase ErbB4 leads to various cellular responses such as proliferation, survival, differentiation, and chemotaxis. Two pairs of naturally occurring ErbB4 isoforms differing in their juxtamembrane (JMa/JMb) and C termini (cyt1/cyt2) have been described. To examine the role of ErbB4 in neuron migration, we cloned and stably transfected each of the four ErbB4 isoforms in ST14A cells (a neural progenitor cell line derived from the striatum of embryonic day 14 rats) endogenously expressing the other members of the ErbB family: ErbB1, ErbB2, and ErbB3. Using immunoprecipitation assays, we showed that the neuregulin-1β1 (NRG1β1) stimulus induced ErbB4 tyrosine phosphorylation and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) recruitment and activation (as demonstrated by Akt phosphorylation) either directly (ErbB4 cyt1 isoform) or indirectly (ErbB4 cyt2 isoform). We examined the ability of the four ErbB4 isoforms to induce chemotaxis and cell proliferation in response to NRG1β1 stimulation. Using migration assays, we observed that only ErbB4-expressing cells stimulated with NRG1β1 showed a significant increase in migration, whereas the growth rate remained unchanged. Additional assays showed that inhibition of PI3K (but not of phospholipase Cγ) dramatically reduced migratory activity. Our data show that ErbB4 signaling via PI3K activation plays a fundamental role in controlling NRG1β1-induced migration.
Analysis of transportation mode choice using a comparison of artificial neural network and multinomial logit models

The transportation system around the globe is witnessing a dramatic change which possibly generating from the massive increase in the population. This contributed to a legitimate dilemma which is traffic congestion taking into consideration the accompanying problems that raised namely air pollution as well as traffic accidents. Public transportation is substantial and their importance reflects in both economic and social quality of each and every citizen life. Despite these facts, the public means of transportation is still to this day not the people’s choice to perform their daily trips, this applies, particularly, to private car users. The candid solution to this problem is to turn people’s attention to public transportation system (bus and vanpool) and simulate them to abandon their private cars. This study works on a comparison between two mode choice models, Multinomial logistic regression (MNL) and Artificial neural network (ANN) for the purpose of prediction of the behavioural transportation of mode choice with the purpose of evaluation of the accuracy levels in the predictability in each model. The results show that artificial neural network readily outperformed the multinomial logistic regression in the predictability of mode choice.
Patient-tailored scan delay for multiphase liver CT: improved scan quality and lesion conspicuity with a novel timing bolus method.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to compare scan quality and lesion conspicuity for late arterial and portal venous phase liver CT scans using fixed versus patient-tailored scan delay derived with an evidence-based timing bolus method. MATERIALS AND METHODS We retrospectively identified the cases of 73 patients who underwent both multiphase liver CT with fixed late arterial and portal venous phase scan delay times of 45 and 80 seconds and subsequent multiphase liver CT with patient-tailored scan delay determined with a timing bolus and a previously reported relation between the time to peak aortic and liver enhancement. Both late arterial and portal venous phase scans were graded in terms of scan quality. Hepatic lesion conspicuity (difference in attenuation between lesion and liver parenchyma) for hypervascular lesions (late arterial phase) and hypovascular lesions (portal venous phase) was recorded. RESULTS Patient-tailored scan delay reflected a wide range of times to peak aortic enhancement (mean, 24 seconds; range, 18-32 seconds) and yielded a greater proportion of optimal scans compared with fixed scan delay for both late arterial phase (92% versus 74%, p < 0.01) and portal venous phase (86% versus 70%, p < 0.05) scans. Mean hypervascular lesion conspicuity was greater for lesions imaged with patient-tailored scan delay rather than fixed scan delay (84.0 versus 57.0 HU, p < 0.01). CONCLUSION Compared with examinations with fixed scan delay, multiphase liver CT that incorporates patient-tailored scan delay produces more optimally timed late arterial and portal venous phase CT scans with greater lesion conspicuity.
Mounting of Biomaterials for Use in Ophthalmic Cell Therapies

When used as scaffolds for cell therapies, biomaterials often present basic handling and logistical problems for scientists and surgeons alike. The quest for an appropriate mounting device for biomaterials is therefore a significant and common problem. In this review, we provide a detailed overview of the factors to consider when choosing an appropriate mounting device including those experienced during cell culture, quality assurance, and surgery. By way of example, we draw upon our combined experience in developing epithelial cell therapies for the treatment of eye diseases. We discuss commercially available options for achieving required goals and provide a detailed analysis of 4 experimental designs developed within our respective laboratories in Australia, the United Kingdom, and Belgium.
Neurocognitive influences on health behavior in a community sample.

CONTEXT Dominant models of individual health behavior omit biological variables entirely and are composed almost exclusively of social-cognitive and conative variables. Research from the neurosciences suggests a role for brain function in explaining behaviors that require active self-regulation for consistent performance. However, the association between brain function and health behavior is underexplored. OBJECTIVE To examine the predictive power of executive function for 2 health risk behaviors and 2 health protective behaviors in healthy adults. DESIGN A cross-sectional community sample (N = 216) of adults 20-100 years of age were administered a battery of neuropsychological tests and completed self-report questionnaires regarding their health practices. It was hypothesized that poor performance on neuropsychological tests tapping executive function would be associated with poor health behavior tendencies. RESULTS Errors on the Stroop task were positively associated with health risk behavior and negatively associated with health protective behavior after controlling for demographics, education, and IQ. CONCLUSION Executive function is associated with health behavior tendencies. If the association is causal, explanatory models of individual health behavior should be revised to account for individual differences in biologically imbued self-regulatory abilities.
A High-Responsivity GaN Nanowire UV Photodetector

The authors report the conversion of β-Ga2O3 nanowires (NWs) to GaN NWs through ammonification and the fabrication of a GaN NW photodetector (PD). Compared with conventional 2-D GaN PDs, it was found that we could achieve a 1000 times larger photocurrent from the GaN NW PD. It was also found that dynamic response of the GaN NW PD was stable and reproducible with an on/off current contrast ratio of around 1000. Furthermore, it was found that UV-to-visible rejection ratio observed from the GaN NW PD was also larger, as compared to conventional 2-D GaN PDs.
Assay Development and Screening of Human DGAT1 Inhibitors with an LC/MS-Based Assay

Many attractive targets for therapeutic intervention are enzymes that catalyze biological reactions involving small molecules such as lipids, fatty acids, amino acid derivatives, nucleic acid derivatives, and cofactors. Some of the reactions are difficult to detect by methods commonly used in high-throughput screening (HTS) without specific radioactive or fluorescent labeling of substrates. In addition, there are instances when labeling has a detrimental effect on the biological response. Generally, applicable assay methodologies for detection of such reactions are thus required. Mass spectrometry (MS), being a label-free detection tool, has been actively pursued for assay detection in HTS in the past several years. The authors have explored the use of multiparallel liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) for high-throughput detection of biochemical reactions. In this report, we describe in detail the assay development and screening with a LC/MS-based system for inhibitors of human diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT1) with a chemical library of approximately 800,000 compounds. Several strategies and process improvements have been investigated to overcome technical challenges such as data variation and throughput. Results indicated that, through these innovative approaches, the LC/MS-based screening method is both feasible and suitable for high-throughput primary screening.
Balancing Faculty Careers and Family Work: Tenure-Track Women’s Perceptions of and Experiences with Work/Family Issues and Their Relationships to Job Satisfaction

Terry L. Rentner, Advisor This study investigates approximately 200 women tenure-track faculty members’ experiences with and perceptions of issues surrounding work and family issues in higher education at public comprehensive institutions in the Midwest. This study identified what women tenure-track faculty members at comprehensive universities who self-identify as caretakers perceive as normative experiences and expectations regarding work and family and the extent to which these perceptions differ from self-reported behaviors. In addition, the results reveal the extent to which women faculty members believe they experience cognitive dissonance and/or feelings of alienation regarding their understandings of work and family norms at their comprehensive institutions of higher education. Finally, the findings illustrate how women’s experiences with balancing work and family in higher education relate to elements of job satisfaction. Specifically, the less comfortable women faculty caretakers are with family talk at work in general, the less satisfied they are with their role as faculty member overall, the less satisfied they are institutional support to balance work and family, and the less satisfied they are with job security and potential for promotion. Each of the six hypotheses related to social norms theory revealed that women faculty believe their experiences with balancing work and family in higher education represent the minority of women faculty experiences, when in reality, their experiences are actually representative of the majority of self-reported women’s experiences with balancing work and family.
Characterization of long-term users of nicotine replacement therapy: evidence from a national survey.

INTRODUCTION Harm reduction involving partial or complete substitution of cigarettes with nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is likely to benefit smokers by reducing exposure to carcinogens and by increasing the likelihood of permanent cessation. This article aimed to assess the determinants of short- and long-term NRT use for harm reduction in order to inform interventions aimed at helping smokers struggling to quit to switch to complete NRT substitution. METHODS Data were used from the Smoking Toolkit Study, a population-based survey of adults in England aged 16 years and older (n = 9,224). Participants were asked about their sociodemographic characteristics and tobacco use. Attitudes toward smoking were also assessed using questions covering 4 factors: motives, identity, evaluations, and plans. RESULTS Concurrent short-term (<3 months) and long-term (≥ 3 months) NRT use was uncommon among smokers at 10.8% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 10.1-11.4) and 5.0% (95% CI = 4.6-5.4), respectively. Long-term NRT users had higher odds of being older, in nonmanual occupations, and more addicted than smokers with short-term or no NRT use (all p < .01). They reported lower odds of attempting to stop and higher odds of exhibiting a positive smoker identity than short-term users (p < .001). Conversely, long-term NRT users had higher odds of having made a recent quit attempt, to have plans to stop, and lower odds of a positive smoker identity than smokers not using NRT (all p < .001). CONCLUSIONS While users of NRT for harm-reduction purposes are a heterogeneous group, it appears they are more critical of smoking than never users and tend to positively modulate their behavior, setting them on a path toward cessation.
A Cost-Benefit Analysis of Universal Preschool Education: Evidence from a Spanish Reform

This study provides a cost-benefit analysis of expanding access to universal preschool education. We focus on a Spanish reform that lowered the age of eligibility for publicly provided universal preschool from age 4 to age 3. We extrapolate the benefits in terms of maternal employment and child development using â€˜natural experimentâ€™ evidence on the causal effects of this reform. In our base line estimation the benefit-cost ratio is around 4, indicating sizeable net societal benefits of the preschool investment. Our results show that the child development effects are the major determinant of the cost-benefit ratio; the employment gains for parents appear to play a minor role. Sensitivity tests show that, although the size of the societal gains is rather uncertain, in most scenarios the expansion of preschool generates positive societal returns. Furthermore, as sufficient high quality levels of preschool are required to generate significant improvements in (non-)cognitive skills of children and thereby long-run benefits for society, our cost-benefit analysis provides support for investing in high-quality preschool.
An interpersonal continuity of care measure for Medicare Part B claims analyses.

OBJECTIVES This article presents an interpersonal continuity of care measure. METHODS We operationalized continuity of care as no more than an 8-month interval between any two visits during a 2-year period to either (a) the same primary care physician or (b) the same physician regardless of specialty. Sensitivity analyses evaluated two interval censoring algorithms and two alternative intervals. We linked Medicare Part A and B claims to baseline survey data for 4,596 respondents to the Survey on Asset and Health Dynamics Among the Oldest Old. We addressed the potential for selection bias by using propensity score methods, and we explored construct validity. RESULTS Interpersonal continuity with a primary care physician was 17.3%, and interpersonal continuity of care with any physician was 26.1%. Older participants; men; individuals who lived alone; people who had difficulty walking; and respondents with medical histories of arthritis, cancer, diabetes, heart conditions, hypertension, and stroke were most likely to have continuity. Individuals who had never married, were widowed, were working, or had low subjective life expectancy were least likely to have continuity. DISCUSSION Researchers can measure interpersonal continuity of care using Medicare Part B claims. Replication of these findings and further construct validation, however, are needed prior to widespread adoption of this method.
Design of a miniature wideband radar experimental system

Wideband radars have been found more important both in civil and military applications. Micromation is one key technology for radars mounted at missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), satellites, etc. The scheme of a miniature wideband radar experimental system is introduced in this paper, while the design and implementation of a wideband signal generator is analyzed in detail. The radar is capable of 0.3m resolution in stripmap mode and implements the function of real time radar echoes acquisition, while it has a slant range of 5km and is no more than 4.5kg in weight. It is fabricated and carried out experiments with the radar mounted at a Cargrador ŏ UAV. Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images at finest resolution have been obtained and will also be presented.
Notes on the Baluchī Spoken in Persian Baluchistan

Ii. The material which follows has been gathered during some twelve months anthropological field work (spread over the last three years) in the Persian Province of Sistan and Baluchistan, excluding the sahristdn of Zabol or Sistan (hereafter referred to simply as the Province). The language of the Administration is of course Persian, but outside the major settlements few people are bilingual, and probably as much Urdu as Persian is known-which is very little. Baluchi is the lingua franca of all natives of the Province (except a few Persian and Sikh merchants in the main towns) both in the settlements and the nomad encampments. Another language, Jadgili-said to be derived from Sindhi, is spoken by a few thousand people-the Jadgil tribes-in Dashtiari in the extreme southeast of the Province, but these also use Baluchi as a lingua franca, and all the men are bilingual in these two languages. Brahui is not spoken in the Province (as defined above, though I am told it is spoken by nomadic communities within the area of the .ahristdn of Zabol) but its influence is evident in the vocabulary of all the Baluchi dialects. This influence has been noted on the other side of the border in Pakistan in particular by Morgenstierne (esp. 1I932a and b), and in a recent published comment on the relationship between the two languages it has been suggested that future research " will bring to the attention of linguistic scholars something unprecedented (I believe) in linguistic reporting, an instance of symbiosis over a large area of two genetically unrelated languages, between which there has taken place not only structural borrowing (demonstrated previously for these two languages) but even a structural borrowing which shows parallel divergences on the two sides " (Emeneau, 1964: 75-76). Morgenstierne (I 932a: 9 ff.) noted the scale of interchange of vocabulary between the two languages, and considered it likely that some communities (in Pakistani Baluchistan) had changed from one language to the other more than once. Furthermore, he did not consider that either of the two languages possessed any cultural predominance as compared with the other. 2. This is not the place to attempt to account for the modern line of division between Persian and Pakistani Baluchistan. It is a complicated story and we do not possess sufficient historical evidence to account for it satisfactorily. However, two things are relatively certain: i. the main factors were political-in the form of alliances and enmities between Baluch leaders. (I am preparing a monograph on the subject of Baluch political activities and concepts.) ii. the process may be said to have started with the " legitimization " of the Khanate of Kalat by Nadir Shah in 1739, which was later confirmed by the British in India. The British may be said to have fossilized the western extent of the influence of the Khan of Kalat and treated it as their