Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
HST and VLT Investigations of the Fragments of Comet C/1999 S4 (LINEAR)

At least 16 fragments were detected in images of comet C/1999 S4 (LINEAR) taken on 5 August 2000 with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and on 6 August with the Very Large Telescope (VLT). Photometric analysis of the fragments indicates that the largest ones have effective spherical diameters of about 100 meters, which implies that the total mass in the observed fragments was about 2 × 109 kilograms. The comet's dust tail, which was the most prominent optical feature in August, was produced during a major fragmentation event, whose activity peaked on UT 22.8 ± 0.2 July 2000. The mass of small particles (diameters less than about 230 micrometers) in the tail was about 4 × 108 kilograms, which is comparable to the mass contained in a large fragment and to the total mass lost from water sublimation after 21 July 2000 (about 3 × 108 kilograms). HST spectroscopic observations during 5 and 6 July 2000 demonstrate that the nucleus contained little carbon monoxide ice (ratio of carbon monoxide to water is less than or equal to 0.4%), which suggests that this volatile species did not play a role in the fragmentation of C/1999 S4 (LINEAR).
Refining calcium test for the diagnosis of medullary thyroid cancer: cutoffs, procedures, and safety.

CONTEXT Calcitonin (CT) measurement is crucial to the early diagnosis and the follow-up of medullary thyroid cancer (MTC). If the evaluation of stimulated CT levels is required, a provocative test can be performed, being the high-dose Ca test recently reintroduced in clinical practice. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to identify gender-specific thresholds for MTC diagnosis in a large series of patients who underwent the Ca test. PATIENTS AND METHODS A total of 91 patients (49 females and 42 males) underwent the Ca test (calcium gluconate, 25 mg/kg) before thyroidectomy and both basal CT (bCT) and stimulated CT (sCT) were compared with histological results by receiver operating characteristic plot analyses. To evaluate possible side effects of Ca administration, cardiac function has been extensively studied. RESULTS bCT levels were found to harbor the same accuracy as sCT in the preoperative diagnosis of MTC. The best Ca thresholds for the identification of MTC were >26 and >68 for bCT and >79 and >544 pg/mL for sCT in females and males, respectively. The high tolerability and safety of the Ca test was demonstrated and advice offered to be followed before and during the test. CONCLUSIONS Gender-specific bCT and sCT cutoffs for the identification of C-cell hyperplasia and/or MTC have been defined. The bCT and sCT were found to have a similar accuracy, indicating that serum CT assays with improved functional sensitivity may likely decrease the relevance of the stimulation test in several conditions. Finally, systematic cardiac monitoring confirms the safety of the Ca test.
Purposes, Causes and Consequences of Excessive Internet Use among Turkish Adolescents

Problem Statement :Excessive internet use,particularly problematic and negative consequences of internet use, is rapidly increasing among children and adolescentsthroughout the World and in Turkey. While the internet provides potential advantages for users in terms of the academic support, sharing ideas & feelings, and freedom of expression, it also has some adverse effects such as wasting time, exhibiting antisocial behaviors, and causing relationship problems. Excessive use could also be manifested as absenteeism, academic failure and problems in interpersonal relationships with other students. In this context, determining the motivations behind the excessive use of the internet could be beneficial in an educational setting. Purpose of the Study : The purpose of this study is to determine the aims, causes and consequences of excessive internet use among adolescents and examine the aims of excessive internet use in terms of gender and grade level. Method : In this study, a quantitative method was used as the research design. As the research aims require in-depth opinions, data triangulation was also used. The study group consisted of 91 high school students who use the internet excessively. The study group were selected by screening1,587 students living in the Istanbul province during the 2012–2013 academic year who were internet users for “41 hours or more a week. ” Data was collected by the Internet Use Purposes Scale (IPUS) and a semi-structured questionnaire. Findings : The purposes of excessive internet use among these adolescents weresocialization, learning and general culture, meeting psychological needs, entertainment, and education. There are a significant differences between the opinions of the adolescents in the entertainment and learning g excessive use causes multifaceted adverse effects on adolescents, including social, physical, academic, psychological and mental problems. In this context, meaning of “knowledge” and “socialization” for the adolescents should be researched by the academia. Programmes should be designed to meet the students’ learning and psycho-social developmental needs at schools and in real life. Artistic, sports and cultural activities must be increased in real life and school settings. Keywords : Internet addiction, adolescent, guidance and psychological counseling, school psychology
Physical activity and psychological well-being in advanced age: a meta-analysis of intervention studies.

A meta-analysis examined data from 36 studies linking physical activity to well-being in older adults without clinical disorders. The weighted mean-change effect size for treatment groups (d(C). = 0.24) was almost 3 times the mean for control groups (d(C). = 0.09). Aerobic training was most beneficial (d(C). = 0.29), and moderate intensity activity was the most beneficial activity level (d(C). = 0.34). Longer exercise duration was less beneficial for several types of well-being, though findings are inconclusive. Physical activity had the strongest effects on self-efficacy (d(C). = 0.38), and improvements in cardiovascular status, strength, and functional capacity were linked to well-being improvement overall. Social-cognitive theory is used to explain the effect of physical activity on well-being.
The Mass Dependence of Stellar Rotation in the Orion Nebula Cluster

We have determined new rotation periods for 404 stars in the Orion Nebula cluster (ONC) using the Wide Field Imager attached to the MPG/ESO 2.2 m telescope on La Silla, Chile. Mass estimates are available for 335 of these, and most have M < 0.3 M☉. We confirm the existence of a bimodal period distribution for the higher mass stars in our sample and show that the median rotation rate decreases with increasing mass for stars in the range 0.1 M☉ < M < 0.4 M☉. While the spread in angular momentum J at any given mass is more than a factor of 10, the majority of lower mass stars in the ONC rotate at rates approaching 30% of their critical breakup velocity, as opposed to 5%-10% for solar-like stars. This is a consequence of both a small increase in observed specific angular momentum (j = J/M) and a larger decrease in the critical value of j with decreasing mass. Perhaps the most striking fact, however, is that j varies by so little—less than a factor of 2—over the interval 0.1-1.0 M☉. The distribution of rotation rates with mass in the ONC (with an age of ~1 Myr) is similar in nature to what is found in the Pleiades (with an age of ~100 Myr). These observations provide a significant new guide and test for models of stellar angular momentum evolution during the protostellar and pre-main-sequence phases.
The link between perceived human resource management practices, engagement and employee behaviour: a moderated mediation model

This study contributes to our understanding of the mediating and moderating processes through which human resource management (HRM) practices are linked with behavioural outcomes. We developed and tested a moderated mediation model linking perceived HRM practices to organisational citizenship behaviour and turnover intentions. Drawing on social exchange theory, our model posits that the effect of perceived HRM practices on both outcome variables is mediated by levels of employee engagement, while the relationship between employee engagement and both outcome variables is moderated by perceived organisational support and leader–member exchange. Overall, data from 297 employees in a service sector organisation in the UK support this model. This suggests that the enactment of positive behavioural outcomes, as a consequence of engagement, largely depends on the wider organisational climate and employees' relationship with their line manager. Implications for practice and directions for future research are discussed.
The Role of Group Interaction in Collective Efficacy and CSCL Performance

Although research has identified the importance of interaction behaviors in computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL), very few attempts have been made to carry out in-depth analysis of interaction behaviors. This study thus applies both qualitative (e.g., content analyses, interviews) and quantitative methods in an attempt to investigate the role of interaction behaviors (i.e., cooperative processes, cognitive involvement) in group motivation (i.e., collective efficacy) and group performance in CSCL. A total of 35 college students generated 387 cooperative processes and 421 cognitive ideas during the collaborative process over six weeks. The results indicated that the quality of interaction behaviors was positively related to CSCL performance. High performance groups were more involved in complex cooperative processes, and expressed more cognitive ideas at both high and low cognitive levels than low performance groups. For the role of interaction in collective efficacy, the quantity rather than quality of interaction behaviors played a more critical role in constructing collective efficacy. High efficacy groups had more cooperative processes and cognitive ideas than low collective efficacy groups. The interviews also revealed that group interaction played a mediating role in constructing collective efficacy. For the role of collective efficacy in group performance, the results also show that the high efficacy groups performed better than the low efficacy groups. Implications and suggestions for future research are also provided.
Molecular Characteristics and Risk Factors in Endometrial Cancer: What Are the Treatment and Preventative Strategies?

Objectives: The growing prevalence of endometrial cancer has made it necessary to characterize its molecular and clinical properties and to develop new strategies in treating this disease. A number of molecular and genetic events have been observed in endometrial cancers, which have enabled us to have a better understanding of the biology and development of the disease. For example, PTEN/AKT pathway and its downstream targets and the mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) pathway have been shown to play an important role in endometrial cancer pathogenesis. Novel therapies, such as drugs that target cellular pathways, for example, mTOR inhibitor deforolimus, an analog of rapamycin, have been developed and used in clinical trials to treat women with progressive endometrial cancer. This review outlines the data on the molecular and translational aspects of endometrial cancers and the risk factors. Methods: A literature search was performed using PubMed and OvidSP entering the words endometrial cancer and molecular characteristics and endometrial cancer and risk factors. Results: An evidence-based summary of the data on the molecular and translational aspects of endometrial cancers and risk factors was obtained. Conclusions: Clear understanding of the cellular and molecular pathways and risk factors involved in endometrial tumorigenesis may allow us to identify women at risk of developing endometrial cancer and possibly intervene to prevent cancer development.
A bandwidth trading marketplace for mobile data offloading

The Radio Access Network (RAN) infrastructure represents the most critical part for capacity planning, which usually accounts for peak traffic conditions. A promising approach to increase the RAN capacity and simultaneously reduce its energy consumption is represented by the opportunistic utilization of third party Wi-Fi access devices. In order to foster the utilization of unexploited Internet connections, we propose a new and open market, where a mobile operator can lease the bandwidth made available by third parties (residential users or private companies) through their access points to increase the network capacity and save large amounts of energy. We formulate the offloading problem as a reverse auction considering the most general case of partial covering of the traffic to be offloaded. We discuss the conditions (i) to offload the maximum amount of data traffic according to the capacity of third party access devices, (ii) to foster the participation of access point owners (individual rationality), and (iii) to prevent market manipulation (incentive compatibility). Finally, we propose a greedy algorithm that solves the offloading problem in polynomial time, even for large-size network scenarios.
Explaining the Religion Gap in Support for Radical Right Parties in Europe

Abstract Across Europe populist radical right (PRR) parties advertise themselves as defenders of Christian identity and values, but they do not seem to strongly attract religious Christian voters. This article tests a general framework for understanding this religion gap in 13 countries. Findings extend earlier research on religiosity and radical right attitudes, provide insight on East-West differences in the PRR phenomenon, and lend conditional support to the notion of a “vaccine effect” suggested by prior research.
Use of radioactive substances in diagnosis and treatment of neuroendocrine tumors

Abstract Radionuclides are needed both for nuclear medicine imaging as well as for peptide-receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) of neuroendocrine tumors (NET). Imaging is important in the initial diagnostic work-up and for staging NETs. In therapy planning, somatostatin receptor imaging (SRI) is used when treatment is targeted at the somatostatin receptors as with the use of somatostatin analogues or PRRT. SRI with gamma camera technique using the tracer 111In-DTPA-octreotide has for many years been the backbone of nuclear imaging of NETs. However, increasingly PET tracers for SRI are now used. 68Ga-DOTATATE, 68Ga-DOTATOC and 68Ga-DOTANOC are the three most often used PET tracers. They perform better than SPECT tracers and should be preferred. FDG-PET is well suited for visualization of most of the somatostatin receptor-negative tumors prognostic in NET patients. Also 11C-5-HTP, 18F-DOPA and 123I-MIBG may be used in NET. However, with FDG-PET and somatostatin receptor PET at hand we see limited necessity of other tracers. PRRT is an important tool in the treatment of advanced NETs causing complete or partial response in 20% and minor response or tumor stabilization in 60% with response duration of up to 3 years. Grade 3–4 kidney or bone marrow toxicity is seen in 1.5% and 9.5%, respectively, but are completely or partly reversible in most patients. 177Lu-DOTATATE seems to have less toxicity than 90Y-DOTATOC. However, until now only retrospective, non-randomized studies have been performed and the role of PRRT in treatment of NETs remains to be established.
Are You Smiling, or Have I Seen You Before? Familiarity Makes Faces Look Happier

It is clear that unreinforced repetition (familiarization) influences affective responses to social stimuli, but its effects on the perception of facial emotion are unknown. Reporting the results of two experiments, we show for the first time that repeated exposure enhances the perceived happiness of facial expressions. In Experiment 1, using a paradigm in which subjects’ responses were orthogonal to happiness in order to avoid response biases, we found that faces of individuals who had previously been shown were deemed happier than novel faces. In Experiment 2, we replicated this effect with a rapid “happy or angry” categorization task. Using psychometric function fitting, we found that for subjects to classify a face as happy, they needed less actual happiness to be present in the face if the target was familiar than if it was novel. Critically, our results suggest that familiar faces appear happier than novel faces because familiarity selectively enhances the impact of positive stimulus features.
Population differences and the effect of vaginal progesterone on preterm birth in women with threatened preterm labor*

Abstract Objective: Threatened preterm labor (tPTL) is a complication of pregnancy. Identification of women and clinical definition differs between countries. This study investigated differences in tPTL and effectiveness of vaginal progesterone to prevent preterm birth (PTB) between two countries. Methods: Secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) from Argentina and Switzerland comparing vaginal progesterone to placebo in women with tPTL (n = 379). Cox proportional hazards analysis was performed to compare placebo groups of both countries and to compare progesterone to placebo within each country. We adjusted for baseline differences. Iatrogenic onset of labor or pregnancy beyond gestational age of interest was censored. Results: Swiss and Argentinian women were different on baseline. Risks for delivery <14 days and PTB < 34 and < 37 weeks were increased in Argentina compared to Switzerland, HR 3.3 (95% CI 0.62–18), 54 (95% CI 5.1–569) and 3.1 (95% CI 1.1–8.4). In Switzerland, progesterone increased the risk for delivery <14 days [HR 4.4 (95% CI 1.3–15.7)] and PTB <37 weeks [HR 2.5 (95% CI 1.4–4.8)], in Argentina there was no such effect. Conclusion: In women with tPTL, the effect of progesterone may vary due to population differences. Differences in populations should be considered in multicenter RCTs.
Factors relating to home telehealth acceptance and usage compliance

Aim This paper investigates the acceptance of in-home telehealth by frail older adults and carers of the Transition Care Program (TCP), and evaluates telehealth acceptance as a predictor for usage compliance. Method A stratified random sample of participants was allocated to one of five groups: either a control group or to receive telehealth monitoring of their vital signs for a period of 12 or 24 weeks; with or without a medical alarm pendant. Results Before being trained in and using telehealth, the majority of participants and carers demonstrated acceptance of the technology by reporting that they perceived it would be “useful” and “easy to use. ” This acceptance was also reported post-TCP (up to 12 weeks of usage). The “perceived ease of use” of the telehealth equipment increased significantly from pre-telehealth training and usage to post-TCP (up to 12 weeks of usage) (P = 0.001). There was no change, (pre-training and usage to post-TCP) in the “perceived usefulness” of the telehealth equipment. The telehealth acceptance constructs of “ease of use” and “usefulness,” at pre-telehealth training and usage, approached statistical significance as a predictor of future compliance (P = 0.06). “Perceived ease of use,” at pre-training and usage, had a positive relationship with future compliance (P = 0.02). Conclusion There is currently limited knowledge about the influences and determinants of home telehealth compliance in frail older people and their carers, potentially a significant user group for the technology into the future. This study’s finding that frail older people and their carers perceive that home telehealth is useful and easy to use demonstrates their acceptance of home telehealth as a therapeutic tool. Further, perceived ease of use of home telehealth is a significant predictor of compliance with frail older people and their carers’ use of home telehealth. Additional research is required in order to identify other influences and determinants of home telehealth compliance with this group. Knowledge about the influences and determinants of home telehealth compliance may assist the development of targeted interventions aimed at encouraging high compliance with users who are recording lower reading rates.
Can non-human primates serve as models for investigating dengue disease pathogenesis?

Dengue Virus (DV) infects between 50 and 100 million people globally, with public health costs totaling in the billions. It is the causative agent of dengue fever (DF) and dengue hemorrhagic fever/dengue shock syndrome (DHF/DSS), vector-borne diseases that initially predominated in the tropics. Due to the expansion of its mosquito vector, Aedes spp. , DV is increasingly becoming a global problem. Infected individuals may present with a wide spectrum of symptoms, spanning from a mild febrile to a life-threatening illness, which may include thrombocytopenia, leucopenia, hepatomegaly, hemorrhaging, plasma leakage and shock. Deciphering the underlining mechanisms responsible for these symptoms has been hindered by the limited availability of animal models that can induce classic human pathology. Currently, several permissive non-human primate (NHP) species and mouse breeds susceptible to adapted DV strains are available. Though virus replication occurs in these animals, none of them recapitulate the cardinal features of human symptomatology, with disease only occasionally observed in NHPs. Recently our group established a DV serotype 2 intravenous infection model with the Indian rhesus macaque, which reliably produced cutaneous hemorrhages after primary virus exposure. Further manipulation of experimental parameters (virus strain, immune cell expansion, depletion, etc.) can refine this model and expand its relevance to human DF. Future goals include applying this model to elucidate the role of pre-existing immunity upon secondary infection and immunopathogenesis. Of note, virus titers in primates in vivo and in vitro, even with our model, have been consistently 1000-fold lower than those found in humans. We submit that an improved model, capable of demonstrating severe pathogenesis may only be achieved with higher virus loads. Nonetheless, our DV coagulopathy disease model is valuable for the study of select pathomechanisms and testing DV drug and vaccine candidates.
NHE6 Protein Possesses a Signal Peptide Destined for Endoplasmic Reticulum Membrane and Localizes in Secretory Organelles of the Cell*

The NHE6 protein is a unique Na+/H+ exchanger isoform believed to localize in mitochondria. It possesses a hydrophilic N-terminal portion that is rich in positively charged residues and many hydrophobic segments. In the present study, signal sequences in the NHE6 molecule were examined for organelle localization and membrane topogenesis. When the full-length protein was expressed in COS7 cells, it localized in the endoplasmic reticulum and on the cell surface. Furthermore, the protein was fully N-glycosylated. When green fluorescent protein was fused after the second (H2) or third (H3) hydrophobic segment, the fusion proteins were targeted to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane. The localization pattern was the same as that of fusion proteins in which green fluorescent protein was fused after H2 of NHE1. In an in vitro system, H1 behaved as a signal peptide that directs the translocation of the following polypeptide chain and is then processed off. The next hydrophobic segment (H2) halted translocation and eventually became a transmembrane segment. The N-terminal hydrophobic segment (H1) of NHE1 also behaved as a signal peptide. Cell fractionation studies using antibodies against the 15 C-terminal residues indicated that NHE6 protein localized in the microsomal membranes of rat liver cells. All of the NHE6 molecules in liver tissue possess an endoglycosidase H-resistant sugar chain. These findings indicate that NHE6 protein is targeted to the ER membrane via the N-terminal signal peptide and is sorted to organelle membranes derived from the ER membrane.