Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The nature of V359 Centauri revealed: New long-period SU UMa-type dwarf nova

We detected four outbursts of V359 Cen (possible nova discovered in 1939) between 1999 and 2002. Time-resolved CCD photometry during two outbursts (1999 and 2002) revealed that V359 Cen is actually a long-period SU UMa-type dwarf nova with a mean superhump period of 0.08092(1) d. We identified its supercycle length as 307‐397 d. This secure identification of the superhump period precludes the previously supposed possibility that V359 Cen could be related to a WZ Sge-type system with a long persistence of late superhumps. The outburst characteristics of V359 Cen are, however, rather unusual in its low
Iterative multi - view plane fitting

Machine system for continuous formation of molecularly oriented plastic bottles by blowing heat-conditioned parisons comprising a modular unit including a parison forming section for simultaneously forming a plurality, preferably four, of parisons in injection molds, each mold having a neck ring assembly; a blowing or bottle forming section for simultaneously blowing the same number of bottles in blow molds as there are parisons in the parison forming section, and an invert arm assembly having a plurality of arms constructed and arranged between said parison forming section and bottle forming section so that the extreme end of each invert arm will retain the neck ring assembly of the injection mold, and in a first position the arms and neck rings are in operable association with the parison injection molds and in a second position are in operable association with the blow molds. In the method of operation, the arms of the invert arm assembly retain the neck rings of the parison forming molds, the parisons are simultaneously molded, the invert arm and neck ring assembly inverted, i.e., rotated 180 degrees, depositing the formed parisons and neck rings in operable association with an open blow mold. After blow mold closing, the neck rings are opened and the invert arms carrying the neck rings are again inverted, i.e., rotated 180 degrees in the opposite direction, to the first invert movement, and the cycle begins again. The machine system provides for rapid manufacture of bottles, is compact, and makes efficient use of machine components.
Understanding Foreign Future and Deconstructing Polish Past: The Experiences of Schooling Under a Communist Rule Recollected by Contemporary Polish Migrants

The article elaborates on the recollections of schooling under the communist rule in Poland as presented in biographical interviews with contemporary Polish migrants living in the United Kingdom, Germany, and Norway. An analysis of childhood and schooling nexus is elicited on two platforms, specifically as (1) interviewees’ first-hand experiences of school life and (2) through the picture they paint by comparing their education pathways with those of their children growing up abroad. The focus is on how the need to reflect on one’s past of an upbringing under a communist rule is necessitated by encountering the contrasting schooling systems abroad. The analysis can help deepen the understanding of Polish socialist childhood.
The chornobyl nuclear disaster and subsequent creation of a wildlife preserve

To the Editor: Following a recent research expedition to the Chornobyl region, a U.S. Department of Energy official asked us to assess the ecological impacts of the April 1986 Chornobyl disaster on populations of animals. We replied that, although a quantitative assessment is difficult, the net ecological impact has been positive. After a long pause, the perplexed official asked how it could be possible that the worst nuclear power plant accident in history, releasing between 100 and 200 million Curies of radiation into the environment, could produce positive ecological consequences. The answer was simple—hu-mans have evacuated the contaminated zone. Mention of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster usually brings thoughts of death, destruction, cancer, massive economic loss, and other negative images. Clearly, the economic impacts have been devastating for the Ukrainian economy, and the harmful effects such as elevated cancer rates in humans [1–3] and the killing of pine trees in the Red Forest are real [4,5]. However, the sum effect for the flora and fauna in the highly radioactive, restricted zone has been overwhelmingly positive in favor of biodiversity and abundance of individuals [6]. Our 12 expeditions to the most radioactive areas of these zones reveal that animal life is abundant. Parts of the 10-km exclusion zone around Reactor 4 are strikingly, yet deceptively, beautiful (Fig. 1). Only the clicks and whistles of our electronic equipment indicated that the habitat was contaminated with radioactivity. During recent visits to Chornobyl, we experienced numerous sightings of moose (Alces alces), roe deer (Capreol capreo-lus), Russian wild boar (Sus scrofa), foxes (Vulpes vulpes), river otter (Lutra canadensis), and rabbits (Lepus europaeus) within the 10-km exclusion zone. We observed none of those taxa except for a single rabbit outside the 30-km zone, although the time and extent of search in each region was comparable. The top carnivores, wolves and eagles, as well as the endangered black stork are more abundant in the 30-km zone than outside of that area. Trapping of small rodents in the most radioactive area within the 10-km zone has yielded greater success rates than in uncontaminated areas [7]. Diversity of flowers and other plants in the highly radioactive regions is impressive and equals that observed in protected habitats outside the zone. In reality, radioactivity at the level associated with the Chornobyl meltdown does have discernible, negative impacts on plant and animal life [4,5]. However, the benefit of excluding humans from this highly …
Nucleation and growth of new particles in Po Valley, Italy

Aerosol number distribution measurements are reported at San Pietro Capofiume (SPC) station (44°39' N, 11°37' E) for the time period 2002–2005. The station is located in Po Valley, the largest industrial, trading and agricultural area in Italy with a high population density. New particle formation was studied based on observations of the particle size distribution, meteorological and gas phase parameters. The nucleation events were classified according to the event clarity based on the particle number concentrations, and the particle formation and growth rates. Out of a total of 769 operational days from 2002 to 2005 clear events were detected on 36% of the days whilst 33% are clearly non-event days. The event frequency was high during spring and summer months with maximum values in May and July, whereas lower frequency was observed in winter and autumn months. The average particle formation and growth rates were estimated as ~6 cm −3 s −1 and ~7 nm h −1 , respectively. Such high growth and formation rates are typical for polluted areas. Temperature, wind speed, solar radiation, SO 2 and O 3 concentrations were on average higher on nucleation days than on non-event days, whereas relative and absolute humidity and NO 2 concentration were lower; however, seasonal differences were observed. Backtrajectory analysis suggests that during majority of nucleation event days, the air masses originate from northern to eastern directions. We also study previously developed nucleation event correlations with environmental variables and show that they predict Po Valley nucleation events with variable success.
Oncotargets and Therapy Dovepress Dovepress Bc200 Lncrna a Potential Predictive Marker of Poor Prognosis in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients Xin-guang Cao 2,4

hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms Objective: To explore the expression and prognosis significance of BC200 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients who received radical resection. Methods: We used quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction to detect the expression level of BC200 in cancer tissue and paired adjacent normal tissue samples from 70 ESCC patients who received radical surgical resection and analyzed the correlation of the relative expression level of BC200 with clinical-pathological features and prognosis. Results: We found that the relative expression of BC200 was significantly higher in ESCC tissues compared with adjacent normal tissue samples (P=0.023). But the expression of BC200 were not related to clinical-pathological features, such as age, TNM stages, and histological grade (P.0.05). Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that high expression levels of BC200 were correlated with poor prognosis in ESCC patients. Patients with a high level of BC200 had a shorter disease-free survival and overall survival than those with low BC200 expression (P=0.034 and P=0.031, respectively). On multivariate analysis, the hazard ratio (HR) of BC200 expression was 2.17 (95% confidence interval [CI]=1.12–4.19, P=0.022) for disease-free survival and 2.24 (95% CI=1.12–4.49, P=0.023) for overall survival. Conclusion: Our results indicate that high expression of BC200 reflects poor prognosis and could serve as a novel predictive marker for ESCC patients who received radical resection.
HuD Distribution Changes in Response to Heat Shock but Not Neurotrophic Stimulation

Cellular stress leads to a change in distribution of RNA-binding proteins. HuR, a member of the ELAV/Hu family of RNA-binding proteins, is nuclear in distribution and following heat shock is found in large cytoplasmic stress granules where translation is inhibited. HuD, another ELAV/Hu RNA-binding protein, stabilizes the GAP-43 mRNA in response to nerve growth factor (NGF) stimulation in PC12 cells. We were interested in determining the nuclear distribution of HuD and if neurotrophic stimulation induced changes in the distribution of HuD. In PC12 cells, we found, as expected, that HuR translocates from the nucleus to the cytoplasm in response to heat shock. In response to heat shock, HuD forms large cytoplasmic stress granules, consistent with a role for HuD in the cessation of translation. In unstimulated cells, HuD is distributed in small granules in the cytoplasm and is consistently present at low levels in the nucleus. Stimulation of PC12 cells with NGF induces neuronal differentiation including outgrowth of neurites and increased levels of GAP-43 protein, whereas HuD remains localized in small cytoplasm granules and is still present in the nucleus. These results suggest that, following neurotrophic stimulation, the lack of changes in HuD distribution are due to continued steady state of HuD nuclear shuttling in PC12 cells, or that HuD is not normally shuttled from the nucleus in response to NGF. (J Histochem Cytochem 54:1129-1138, 2006)
Quantum computational gradient estimation

Classically, determining the gradient of a black-box function f:R^p->R requires p+1 evaluations. Using the quantum Fourier transform, two evaluations suffice. This is based on the approximate local periodicity of exp(2*pi*i*f(x)). It is shown that sufficiently precise machine arithmetic results in gradient estimates of any required accuracy.
Synchronization of chaotic systems via hybrid impulsive and switching control

In this paper, a new hybrid impulsive and switching control strategy for chaos synchronization is developed. Using switched Lyapunov functions, several new criteria for exponential stability and asymptotical stability of hybrid impulsive and switching nonlinear systems are established and, particularly, some simple sufficient conditions for driving the synchronization error to zero are proposed. A typical example, the Chua's chaotic circuit, is given for illustrating and visualizing the theoretical results.
Hidden gauginos of an unbroken U(1): Cosmological constraints and phenomenological prospects

We study supersymmetric scenarios where the dark matter is the gaugino of an unbroken hidden U(1) which interacts with the visible world only via a small kinetic mixing with the hypercharge. Strong constraints on the parameter space can be derived from avoiding overclosure of the Universe and from requiring successful Big Bang Nucleosynthesis and structure formation. We find that for typical values of the mixing parameter, scenarios with neutralino NLSP are excluded, while scenarios with slepton NLSP are allowed when the mixing parameter lies in the range χ ~ (10−13−10−10). We also show that if the gravitino is the LSP and the hidden U(1) gaugino the NLSP, the bounds on the reheating temperature from long lived charged MSSM relics can be considerably relaxed and we comment on the signatures of these scenarios at future colliders. Finally, we discuss the case of an anomalously small mixing, χ << 10−16, where the neutralino becomes a decaying dark matter candidate, and derive constraints from gamma ray experiments.
Towards an abstraction layer for security assurance measurements: (invited paper)

Measurement of any complex, operational system is challenging due to the continuous independent evolution of the components. Security risks introduce another dimension of dynamicity, reflected to risk management and security assurance activities. The availability of different measurements and their properties will vary during the overall system lifecycle. To be useful, a measurement framework in this context needs to be able to adapt to both the changes in the target of measurement and in the available measurement infrastructure. In this study, we introduce a taxonomy-based approach for relating the available and attainable measurements to the measurement requirements of security assurance plans by providing an Abstraction Layer that makes it easier to manage these dynamic features. The introduced approach is investigated in terms of a security assurance case example of firewall functionality in a Push E-mail service system.
The Adoption of Online Shopping Assistants: Perceived Similarity as an Antecedent to Evaluative Beliefs

Research Article Sameh Al-Natour American University of Sharjah salnatour@aus.edu Izak Benbasat University of British Columbia izak.benbasat@sauder.ubc. ca Ron Cenfetelli University of British Columbia ron.cenfetelli@sauder.ubc. ca In recent work, researchers have supplemented traditional IS adoption models with new constructs that capture users’ relational, social, and emotional beliefs. These beliefs have given rise to questions regarding their antecedents and the nature of the user-artifact relationship. This paper sheds light on these questions by asserting that users perceive and respond to information technology (IT) artifacts as social partners and form perceptions about their social characteristics. Subsequently, users’ perceptions of the similarity of these characteristics to their own affect evaluations of these artifacts. Within the context of online shopping and using an automated shopping assistant, our paper draws upon social psychology and human-computer interaction research in developing hypotheses regarding the effects of perceived personality similarity (PPS) and perceived decision process similarity (PDPS) on a number of beliefs (enjoyment, social presence, trust, ease of use, and usefulness). The results indicate that PDPS acts as an antecedent to these beliefs, while the effects of PPS are largely mediated by PDPS. Furthermore, the results reveal that the effects of perceived similarity, in general, exceed those of the effects of the individual assessments of the user’s and the assistant’s personalities and decision processes. These results have important implications for IS design. They highlight the importance of designing artifacts that can be matched to users’ characteristics. They also underscore the importance of considering similarity perceptions rather than solely focusing on perceptions of the IT artifact’s characteristics; a common approach in IS adoption research.
How Gratitude Influences Customer Word-Of-Mouth Intentions and Involvement: The Mediating Role of Affective Commitment

This current research examines how gratitude and affective commitment work together to improve customer–organizational relationships. Using theories from services marketing and consumer psychology, we develop and test a customer relationship model. The results empirically demonstrate that affective commitment mediates the relationship between gratitude and customer word-of-mouth intentions and involvement. For theorists, our customer relationship model offers a better psychological explanation of how a customers’ emotional response of gratitude generates benefits for organizations. We suggest managers should invest in stimulating both customer gratitude and affective commitment to improve positive word-of-mouth intentions and customer involvement subsequently.
Instrumental Variable Estimation for Duration Data: A Reappraisal of the Illinois Reemployment Bonus Experiment

We propose an Instrumental Variable method for Generalised Accelerated Failure Time (GAFT) models that adjust for possible endogeneity of the intervention of interest, without suffering the problems of the intention-to-treat method. We develop an estimatiom procedure that collapses to the linear Rank Estimation procedure for GAFT models with only exogenous variables This is accomplished by using a model that transforms the duration such that for the population parameters, this transformed duration is independent of the instrument. The estimator is used to re-analyse data from the Illinois reemploymnet Bonus experiment
Criatividade, Motivação para Aprender, Ambiente Familiar e Superdotação: Um Estudo Comparativo

Este estudo comparou alunos superdotados e nao superdotados em relacao a percepcao do clima de sala de aula para criatividade, do ambiente familiar e motivacao para aprender. Participaram 107 alunos de 4a serie do Ensino Fundamental. Entre eles, 41 frequentavam um programa de atendimento ao aluno superdotado. Tres instrumentos foram empregados: Escala sobre Clima para a Criatividade em Sala de Aula, Escala de Avaliacao da Motivacao para Aprender de Alunos do Ensino Fundamental e Escalas de Qualidade de Interacao Familiar. Diferencas entre os alunos superdotados e nao superdotados foram observadas no que diz respeito a percepcao do clima de sala de aula e a motivacao para aprender. Ambos os grupos avaliaram satisfatoriamente o ambiente familiar. Palavras-chave : criatividade; motivacao para aprender; superdotacao; familia.
Lipid-Mediated Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in the Pathogenesis of Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative movement disorder of unknown etiology. PD is characterized by the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, depletion of dopamine in the striatum, abnormal mitochondrial and proteasomal functions, and accumulation of α-synuclein that may be closely associated with pathological and clinical abnormalities. Increasing evidence indicates that both oxidative stress and inflammation may play a fundamental role in the pathogenesis of PD. Oxidative stress is characterized by increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) and depletion of glutathione. Lipid mediators for oxidative stress include 4-hydroxynonenal, isoprostanes, isofurans, isoketals, neuroprostanes, and neurofurans. Neuroinflammation is characterized by activated microglial cells that generate proinflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-α and IL-1β. Proinflammatory lipid mediators include prostaglandins and platelet activating factor, together with cytokines may play a prominent role in mediating the progressive neurodegeneration in PD.
A Generalized Convection-Diffusion Model for Subgrid Transport in Porous Media

Models for transport in heterogeneous subsurface formations usually require some type of treatment for subgrid effects. In this work, a generalized nonlinear convection-diffusion model for subgrid transport in two-dimensional systems is developed and applied. The model, although somewhat heuristic, is motivated by previous findings within both the stochastic and the deterministic frameworks. The numerical calculation of the diffusive and convective subgrid terms is described. The model is applied to several example cases involving heterogeneous permeability fields and different global boundary conditions. Both linear and nonlinear fine scale flux functions are considered. Coarse scale results for oil cut (fraction of oil in the produced fluid) and the global saturation fieldgenerated using the new subgrid model are shown to be in consistently better agreement with reference fine scale solutions than are coarse scale results using standard subgrid treatments. Extensions of the method required to treat more.
Stability conditions of constrained delay systems via positive invariance

A delay system is represented by a linear difierence equation. The system parameters and the delays are assumed to be unperfectly known. The output vector is perturbed by a bounded external disturbance vector. The addressed problem is to characterize conditions which guarantee that the output vector remains in a given domain deflned by a set of symmetrical linear constraints. This problem is solved by imposing positive invariance conditions. These conditions also imply delay independent asymptotic stability of the associated deterministic system. The notion of distance to instability is then analyzed through the concept of stability radius. The possible use of these new robust stability conditions for controlling an input-output delay model is then presented. An application is flnally proposed ; it concerns an inventory control problem for a simple production loop subject to constraints on inventory levels.
Applying Transtheoretical Model to Promote Physical Activities Among Women

Background: Physical activity is one of the most important indicators of health in communities but different studies conducted in the provinces of Iran showed that inactivity is prevalent, especially among women. Objectives: Inadequate regular physical activities among women, the importance of education in promoting the physical activities, and lack of studies on the women using transtheoretical model, persuaded us to conduct this study with the aim of determining the application of transtheoretical model in promoting the physical activities among women of Isfahan. Materials and Methods: This research was a quasi-experimental study which was conducted on 141 women residing in Isfahan, Iran. They were randomly divided into case and control groups. In addition to the demographic information, their physical activities and the constructs of the transtheoretical model (stages of change, processes of change, decisional balance, and self-efficacy) were measured at 3 time points; preintervention, 3 months, and 6 months after intervention. Finally, the obtained data were analyzed through t test and repeated measures ANOVA test using SPSS version 16. Results: The results showed that education based on the transtheoretical model significantly increased physical activities in 2 aspects of intensive physical activities and walking, in the case group over the time. Also, a high percentage of people have shown progress during the stages of change, the mean of the constructs of processes of change, as well as pros and cons. On the whole, a significant difference was observed over the time in the case group (P < 0.01). Conclusions: This study showed that interventions based on the transtheoretical model can promote the physical activity behavior among women.