Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Being fit and feeling pleased: The mediational role of physical self-efficacy in UAE women residents

High prevalence of mood disorders among women in the UAE might be derived from low levels of physical activity. The present study aimed to explore the underlying mechanism through which physical activity affects mood by examining the possible mediating role of physical self-efficacy. A cross-sectional investigation was performed on a population opportunistically sampled among women in the UAE (n = 160). The analysis was based on the Baron and Kenny four steps mediation model which allowed the identification of the mediation effect through a series of simple and multiple linear regression analyses. The results confirmed that physical self-efficacy mediates the relationship between physical activity and mood but only partially. In consequence, exercise-based interventions designed to improve mood should also include physical self-efficacy enhancement, as this may constitute a complementary mechanism of mood regulation. Implications for women in the UAE are discussed in light of such results.
VLT photometry in the Antlia cluster: the giant ellipticals NGC 3258 and NGC 3268 and their globular cluster systems

We present a deep Very Large Telescope (VLT) photometry in the regions surrounding the two dominant galaxies of the Antlia cluster, the giant ellipticals NGC 3258 and NGC 3268. We construct the luminosity functions of their globular cluster systems (GCSs) and determine their distances through the turn-over magnitudes. These distances are in good agreement with those obtained by the SBF method. There is some, but not conclusive, evidence that the distance to NGC 3268 is larger by several Mpc. The GCSs colour distributions are bimodal but the brightest globular clusters (GCs) show a unimodal distribution with an intermediate colour peak. The radial distributions of both GCSs are well fitted by de Vaucouleurs laws up to 5 arcmin. Red GCs present a steeper radial density profile than the blue GCs, and follow closely the galaxies’ brightness profiles. Total GC populations are estimated to be about 6000 ± 150 GCs in NGC 3258 and NGC 4750 ± 150 GCs in NGC 3268. We discuss the possible existence of GCs in a field located between the two giant galaxies (intracluster GCs). Their luminosity functions and number densities are consistent with the two GCSs overlapping in
Calling forth the change-makers

Reflexivity theory can contribute in important ways to our understanding of how societies contend with climate change. Avoiding the catastrophic effects of “dangerous climate change” will require substantial change, yet emissions continue to rise. Social scientific research on climate change mitigation is dominated by a relatively small number of macro-theoretical frameworks, plus a rather large and disparate empirical literature on individual cognitions, attitudes and behaviors. We apply Archer’s reflexivity theory to a survey sample drawn from Alberta, Canada, showing that unique predispositions toward reflexivity offer strong predictors of willingness to engage in climate-related mitigative behaviors.
Vitamin D Deficiency Is Not Associated with Changes in Retinal Geometric Parameters in Young People with Type 1 Diabetes

Changes in retinal geometric parameters predict risk and progression of diabetic retinopathy (DR). We have shown that vitamin D deficiency (VDD) is associated with DR. We hypothesized that VDD mediates changes in retinal geometric parameters. Retinal vascular geometric parameters were assessed using a semiautomated computer program in photographs from young people with type 1 diabetes (T1D) (n = 481) and summarized as central retinal arteriolar and venular equivalents (CRAE, CRVE), fractal dimension, length-diameter ratio, branching angle and curvature tortuosity. Parameters were compared between those with and without DR and VDD (25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration ≤ 50 nmol/L). Retinal vascular geometric parameters were also compared across quartiles of vitamin D levels. Median CRVE was higher in patients with DR compared with those without (median (IQR) CRVE 247.3 μm (31.3) versus 238.8 μm (23.5), P = 0.01). Fractal dimension was marginally greater in patients without VDD (1.49 (0.06) versus 1.47 (0.07) P = 0.03). There was no difference in CRAE, CRVE, length-diameter ratio, branching angle, and curvature tortuosity between those with and without VDD and across quartiles of 25OHD. In conclusion, DR is associated with higher CRVE in young people with T1D; however, VDD is not associated with changes in retinal vascular geometric measures, suggesting an earlier role in the time course of DR pathogenesis.
Plasticity and Awareness of Bodily Distortion

Knowledge of the body is filtered by perceptual information, recalibrated through predominantly innate stored information, and neurally mediated by direct sensory motor information. Despite multiple sources, the immediate prediction, construction, and evaluation of one's body are distorted. The origins of such distortions are unclear. In this review, we consider three possible sources of awareness that inform body distortion. First, the precision in the body metric may be based on the sight and positioning sense of a particular body segment. This view provides information on the dual nature of body representation, the reliability of a conscious body image, and implicit alterations in the metrics and positional correspondence of body parts. Second, body awareness may reflect an innate organizational experience of unity and continuity in the brain, with no strong isomorphism to body morphology. Third, body awareness may be based on efferent/afferent neural signals, suggesting that major body distortions may result from changes in neural sensorimotor experiences. All these views can be supported empirically, suggesting that body awareness is synthesized from multimodal integration and the temporal constancy of multiple body representations. For each of these views, we briefly discuss abnormalities and therapeutic strategies for correcting the bodily distortions in various clinical disorders.
Motivating Wealth-Constrained Actors

We examine how owners of productive resources (e.g. public enterprises or financial capital) optimally allocate their resources among wealth-constrained operators of unknown ability. Optimal allocations exhibit: (1) shared enterprise profit--the resource owner always shares the operator's profit; (2) dispersed enterprise ownership--resources are widely distributed among operators of varying ability; (3) limited benefits of competition--the owner may not benefit from increased competition for the resource; and, sometimes (4) diluted incentives for the most capable--more capable operators receive smaller shares of the returns they generate. Implications for privatizations and venture capital arrangements are explored.
The Meaning of African American College Women’s Experiences Attending a Predominantly White Institution: A Phenomenological Study

Abstract:Because both race and gender are important to the development of African American women, student affairs professionals need to understand the unique experiences of African American women within the context of the college environment. In this phenomenological study, we examined African American women’s lived experiences as college students at a predominantly White institution with a purpose of exploring what meaning African American women ascribe to those experiences. Findings describe the experiences of these women, including themes of multiple worlds, belonging, expectations, awareness of their surroundings, and coping. We suggest implications for college administrators, student affairs professionals, and faculty, as well as offer ideas for future research.
The subdwarf luminosity function

Using data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Early Data Release and SuperCOSMOS Sky Survey scans of POSS-I plates we identify a sample of �2600 subdwarfs using reduced proper motion methods and strict selection criteria. This forms one of the largest and most reliable samples of candidate subdwarfs known, and enables us to determine accurate luminosity functions along many different lines of sight. We derive the subdwarf luminosity function with unprecedented accuracy to MV . 13, finding good agreement with recent local estimates but discrepancy with results for the more distant spheroid. This provides further evidence that the inner and outer parts of the stellar halo cannot be described by a single density distribution. We also find that the form of the inner spheroid density profile within distances of 2.5 kpc is closely matched by a power law with an index of α = 3.15± 0.3.
Sensitivity-dependent model of protein–protein interaction networks

The scale free structure p(k) ∼ k−γ of protein–protein interaction networks can be reproduced by a static physical model in simulation. We inspect the model theoretically, and find the key reason for the model generating apparent scale free degree distributions. This explanation provides a generic mechanism of ‘scale free’ networks. Moreover, we predict the dependence of γ on experimental protein concentrations or other sensitivity factors in detecting interactions, and find experimental evidence to support the prediction.
Reverse logistics: a study of bullwhip in continuous time

A simple dynamic model of a hybrid manufacturing/remanufacturing system is developed. In particular the model is used to study an infinite horizon, continuous time, APIOBPCS (automatic pipeline inventory and order based production control system) model. We specifically highlight the effect of remanufacturing lead-time and the return rate on the bullwhip produced by the ordering policy. Our results clearly show that a larger return rate leads to less bullwhip, thus returns can be used to absorb demand fluctuations to some extent. Longer remanufacturing lead-times have less impact at reducing bullwhip than shorter lead-times. We conclude, within our specified system, that bullwhip is always less with returns than without returns.
Mechanical Strength Properties of RCA Concrete Made by a Modified EMV Method

This study used two types of Recycled Concrete Aggregates (RCAs) with the same original virgin aggregate, but with different amounts of residual mortars. To verify that the mechanical properties of the concrete were affected by changing the unit volume of residual mortar, fresh mortar, and total mortar of the concrete, a series of paving concrete mixes were made using a modified equivalent mortar volume (EMV) mix design, along with a conventional American Concrete Institute (ACI) mix design. The test results showed that the RCA concrete with the conventional mix design, which led to a prominent decrease in compressive strength and elastic modulus at each age, had 10% greater total mortar volume than that with the modified EMV mix design. As for the conventional ACI mix, it appears that the replacement ratio of RCA and the volume of the residual mortar in RCA directly affect the modulus of elasticity as well as the compressive strength of concrete. However, for the modified EMV mix, the modulus of elasticity of the concrete may be increased to be equivalent to the companion concrete with natural aggregate by controlling the new mortar volume so that the total mortar volume remains the same regardless of the RCA replacement ratio. It was observed that the smaller new volume requirement makes the RCA paving concrete more environmentally friendly and economically profitable.
Myeloid-derived suppressor cells as a novel target for the control of osteolytic bone disease

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) from mice bearing bone metastases differentiate into functional osteoclasts in vitro and in vivo, through a signaling pathway that relies on nitric oxide. In addition, MDSC-targeting drugs have been shown to robustly inhibit osteolysis. Thus, MDSC stand out as novel osteoclast progenitors and hence as candidate targets for the control of osteolytic bone disease.
Is Social Network Platform Integration Valuable for a Bond-Based Online Community ? A Randomized Field Experiment and Archival Data Analysis

Research on online communities has generated multiple insights into why people join and contribute to online communities. From this research, a theoretical understanding of how to design online communities is emerging. We contribute to this understanding by investigating the impact of an increasingly common but understudied design option available to online communities: whether to integrate with a social network platform such as Facebook or Google+. Social network platform integration may provide several benefits to an online community, including creating more social interaction opportunities for members and helping members share personal information with each other to facilitate the creation of social bonds. Theory suggests that both of these factors (opportunities for interaction and disclosure of personal data) enhance the success of bond-based online communities, i.e., those in which member attachment to the community is driven by social bonds with other members. However, some elements of the theory have not been tested, and the theory does not consider the possibility that interaction opportunities and disclosure of personal information might harm the online community by creating information privacy concerns among users. To address this gap, we tested the effect of implementing the “Login with Facebook” feature on new member registration and member social bond formation in an online virtual world community. Using a randomized field experiment as well as archival data analysis, we found that Facebook integration led to lower registration and lower social bond formation. I.e., it had a consistently negative effect on the online community. In addition to contributing to theory about the design of online communities, our results are also of practical interest to managers of online communities who have implemented or are planning to implement social network platform integration as well as to social network platforms who would like for their integration services to be more widely adopted.
The Variance Risk Premium around the World Job Market Paper

This paper investigates the variance risk premium in an international setting. First, I provide new evidence on the basic stylized facts traditionally documented for the US. I show that while the variance premiums in several countries are, on average, positive and display signi cant time variation, they do not predict local equity returns in countries other than the US. Then, I extend the domestic model in Bollerslev, Tauchen and Zhou (2009) to an international setting. In light of the qualitative implications of my model, I provide empirical evidence that the US variance outperforms all other countriesvariance premiums in predicting local and foreign equity returns. JEL Classi cation: E44, F36, G12, G13, G15.
Wage Differentials, Discrimination and Inequality: A Cautionary Note on the Juhn, Murphy and Pierce Decomposition Method

This paper shows how difficult it is to study the roles of discrimination and unobserved skills when studying changes in racial and gender wage gaps over time by examining merits and shortcomings of a popular decomposition method by Juhn, Murphy and Pierce (1991). The JMP method shows that wage dispersion can offer a compelling explanation of the wage gap. However, JMP have to rely on a few strong assumptions in order to derive their decomposition equation which introduces wage inequality as the price of unobserved skills (the standard deviation of the residuals) into their decomposition equation.
Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Relationship between Zinc Serum Level and Attention Abstract Background and Objective: With regard to high prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and its being significantly affected by nutritional factors, we aimed to determine the relationship between zinc serum level and ADHD. Material and Methods: This ex-post- facto (causal comparative research) design study was conducted on 60 children, selected via convenience sampling. Thirty of them were ADHD children diagnosed by a psychiatrist using DSM IV checklist, as a case group, and the rest were healthy ones located in control group. Having their family informed consent, their Zinc level was measured via Colorimetric method. Results: The results show that Zinc serum level of ADHD children are lower than that of healthy ones. Using t- test, it was indicated that the difference is not significant. Besides, the result of Pearson correlation coefficient showed that there is no significant relation between Zinc and ADHD. Conclusion: given that the zinc level was lower in ADHD children, the difference was not significant. Therefore, we recommend conducting further research with a larger sample size.
And Justice for All: Determinants and Effects of Probation Officers’ Processing Decisions Regarding First-Time Juvenile Offenders

When a youth is accused of committing a crime, juvenile justice system arbiters, such as probation officers, interview both the youth and the youth’s guardian to gather information before deciding to either process the youth formally or informally. Factors about a youth that are unrelated to the criminal charge may contribute to arbiters’ processing decisions. Such extralegal factors include demographic characteristics and characteristics of the youth’s context (e.g., home environment, peer delinquency). Little is known about how extralegal factors other than age and race affect youth processing. The present study draws on data from probation officer assessment interviews with 359 male, first-time, low-level juvenile offenders, as well as longitudinal self-report and official records of a youth’s reoffending after his first arrest, to determine how extralegal factors affect probation processing decisions, and whether processing is associated with youth reoffending and rearrest. The results indicate that even after taking into account legal factors and demographic characteristics, youth are more likely to be processed formally if they refuse to comment on the charge, if their probation officers believe their guardians to be relatively more disapproving of their friends, and if their probation officers perceive their home environments to be more problematic. Although youth who are processed formally self-report reoffending at the same rate as youth who are processed informally, youth who are processed formally are more likely to be rearrested in the subsequent 6 months. Implications for how processing decisions may promote sustained involvement in the juvenile justice system are discussed.
Efficacy and Safety of Low-Dose Cyclosporine with Everolimus and Steroids in de novo Heart Transplant Patients: A Multicentre, Randomized Trial

A six-month, multicenter, randomized, open-label study was undertaken to determine whether renal function is improved using reduced-exposure cyclosporine (CsA) versus standard-exposure CsA in 199 de novo heart transplant patients receiving everolimus and steroids ± induction therapy. Mean C2 levels were at the low end of the target range in standard-exposure patients (n = 100) and exceeded target range in reduced-exposure patients (n = 99) throughout the study. Mean serum creatinine at Month 6 (the primary endpoint) was 141.0 ± 53.1 μmol/L in standard-exposure patients versus 130.1 ± 53.7 μmol/L in reduced-exposure patients (P = 0.093). The incidence of biopsy-proven acute rejection ≥3A at Month 6 was 21.0% (21/100) in the standard-exposure group and 16.2% (16/99) in the reduced-exposure group (n.s.). Adverse events and infections were similar between treatment groups. Thus, everolimus with reduced-exposure CsA resulted in comparable efficacy compared to standard-exposure CsA. No renal function benefits were demonstrated; that is possibly related to poor adherence to reduced CsA exposure.
Functional study of a monoclonal antibody to IgE Fc receptor (Fc epsilon R2) of eosinophils, platelets, and macrophages

An IgM mAb (BB10) was produced by immunization of mice with human eosinophils purified according to their abnormal low density ("hypodense" cells), and previously shown to exhibit increased IgE- dependent antiparasite cytotoxicity. This BB10 antibody, selected for positive fluorescence staining of hypodense blood or lung eosinophils and low or negative staining of normodense eosinophils or neutrophils, could strongly inhibit IgE-dependent cytotoxicity of human eosinophils and platelets. The specificity for the IgE Fc receptor was suggested by the high levels of inhibition of IgE rosettes formed by eosinophils after incubation with the purified IgM fraction of BB10, whereas other receptors (Fc gamma R, CR1) were not affected. On the other hand, BB10, able to inhibit rat eosinophil Fc epsilon R, did not react with the IgE Fc receptor on mast cells or basophils. A technique using radioiodinated BB10 allowed us to quantify the specific binding of BB10 to human eosinophils and platelets. Competition experiments revealed a crossinhibition between the binding of BB10 and IgE, suggesting the specificity of BB10 for the IgE binding site of eosinophil, platelet, and monocyte Fc epsilon R. Three proteins having extrapolated Mr of 32,000, 43,000-45,000, and 97,000 were found in the platelet extract eluted from a BB10 or from an IgE immunosorbent column. These findings confirm the similarities between IgE Fc receptors on human eosinophils, platelets, and macrophages, already observed with polyclonal antibodies directed against the B lymphocyte Fc epsilon receptor. They suggest, moreover, that the mAb BB10 can represent a good reagent for further investigations on the structure and the functions of this IgE Fc receptor (Fc epsilon R2).