Cybersex in Portuguese chatrooms: a study of sexual behaviors related to online sex

The present article is about a particular form of sexual activity on the Internet: cybersex in chatrooms-in Portuguese by Portuguese people. This study aims to identify the reasons for engaging in cybersex on chats and the behavioral domains that characterize this activity. To carry out the study, we developed a self-report questionnaire that we made available on a website. The sample was collected online (n = 400) through the Portuguese Internet Relay Chat. Factor analyses revealed seven domain structures: (a) social skills, (b) preference for cybersex, (c) filter for a later date, (d) sex by phone, (e) fantasies, (f) using masks, and (g) impact on real relationships. We found a huge variety of sexual attitudes and behaviors connected to cybersex in chatrooms and the existence of two major trends: (a) people that use these chats as a starting place for offline relationships (online anonymity prevents the fear of rejection and social sanctions in real life), and (b) people who want and prefer online sex without any interest in further real contacts

Managerial coaching, envolvimento no trabalho e intenção de saída

O Managerial Coaching refere-se à prática de Coaching exercida pelo Líder sobre os seus colaboradores. O Coaching é uma prática de desenvolvimento tanto pessoal como profissional que, quando aplicada dentro de uma cultura organizacional, é considerada uma promotora de bem-estar e melhoria. O presente estudo tem como objetivo analisar a relação existente entre o Managerial Coaching (MC) e o Envolvimento no Trabalho (ET) dos colaboradores, assim com, nas suas Intenções de Saída (IT). Pretende-se também perceber a diferença de perceção do Managerial Coaching para a geração dos Millennials (a maior força de trabalho deste momento no mercado) e outras gerações. Para o estudo foi aplicado um questionário, divulgado exclusivamente online, a 312 profissionais. Os resultados sugerem a existência de relações significativas entre as variáveis em estudo, mais concretamente que: 1) as Competências de Managerial Coaching estão positivamente relacionadas com o nível de Envolvimento no Trabalho; 2) as Competências de Managerial Coaching estão negativamente relacionadas com as Intenções de Saída; 3) o nível de Envolvimento no Trabalho está negativamente relacionado com as Intenções de Saída; 4) não existe uma diferença significativa de perceção do Managerial Coaching entre os Millennials e as outras gerações; 5) é suportada a hipótese de que os Millennials têm maior intenção de saída dos seus atuais empregos do que as outras gerações; 6) é suportada a hipótese de que os Millennials têm um menor nível de Envolvimento no Trabalho do que as outras gerações. Neste estudo conclui-se que o Coaching é um poderoso “KIT de ferramentas” para os líderes, que promove uma melhoria no desempenho e no potencial dos colaboradores, que gera um maior nível de Envolvimento no Trabalho e que, por sua vez, reduz de forma substancial as intenções que estes têm em abandonar as suas empresa

H-Ferritin Is Essential for Macrophages' Capacity to Store or Detoxify Exogenously Added Iron

Macrophages are central cells both in the immune response and in iron homeostasis. Iron is both essential and potentially toxic. Therefore, iron acquisition, transport, storage, and release are tightly regulated, by several important proteins. Cytosolic ferritin is an iron storage protein composed of 24 subunits of either the L- or the H-type chains. H-ferritin differs from L-ferritin in the capacity to oxidize Fe2+ to Fe3+. In this work, we investigated the role played by H-ferritin in the macrophages' ability to respond to immune stimuli and to deal with exogenously added iron. We used mice with a conditional deletion of the H-ferritin gene in the myeloid lineage to obtain bone marrow-derived macrophages. These macrophages had normal viability and gene expression under basal culture conditions. However, when treated with interferon-gamma and lipopolysaccharide they had a lower activation of Nitric Oxide Synthase 2. Furthermore, H-ferritin-deficient macrophages had a higher sensitivity to iron-induced toxicity. This sensitivity was associated with a lower intracellular iron accumulation but a higher production of reactive oxygen species. These data indicate that H-ferritin modulates macrophage response to immune stimuli and that it plays an essential role in protection against iron-induced oxidative stress and cell death.Tis work was fnanced by FEDER - Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional funds through the COMPETE2020 - Operacional Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalization (POCI), Portugal 2020, and by Portuguese funds through FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia/Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior in the framework of the project PTDC/IMI-MIC/1683/2014 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-016590). PFO and MGA acknowledge FCT for the Investigador FCT 2015. We thank the valuable collaboration of the following i3S Scientifc Platforms: Cell Culture and Genotyping Core Facility (CCGen), [Histology and Electron Microscopy Service (HEMS), and BioSciences Screening], member of the PPBI (PPBI-POCI-01-0145-FEDER-022122)], Animal Facility, and Flow Cytometry Unit (TraCy). We acknowledge Lukas Kuhn (Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research, Lausanne, Switzerland) for kindly providing the frst breeding pairs of Fth1−/− mice. Te authors also acknowledge Marisa Castro, from Departamento de Biologia Molecular from ICBAS, Clara Bento, from i3S, and Edgar Pinto from LAQV – REQUIMTE for technical assistance at diferent stages of the project

Stereology shows that damaged liver recovers after protein refeeding

Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the putative effects of a low-protein diet on the three-dimensional structure of hepatocytes and determine whether this scenario could be reversed by restoring the adequate levels of protein to the diet. Methods: Using design-based stereology, the total number and volume of hepatocytes were estimated in the liver of mice in healthy and altered (by protein malnutrition) conditions and after protein renutrition. Results: This study demonstrated a 65% decrease in the liver volume (3302 mm3 for the control for undernourished versus 1141 mm3 for the undernourished group) accompanied by a 46% reduction in the hepatocyte volume (8223 μm3 for the control for undernourished versus 4475 μm3 for the undernourished group) and a 90% increase in the total number of binucleate hepatocytes (1 549 393 for the control for undernourished versus 2 941 353 for the undernourished group). Reinstating a normoproteinic diet (12% casein) proved to be effective in restoring the size of hepatocytes, leading to an 85% increase in the total number of uninucleate hepatocytes (15 988 560 for the undernourished versus 29 600 520 for the renourished group), and partially reversed the liver atrophy. Conclusions: Awareness of these data will add to a better morphologic understanding of malnutrition-induced hepatopathies and will help clinicians improve the diagnosis and treatment of this condition in humans and in veterinary practice

Implementation of relativistic coupled cluster theory for massively parallel GPU-accelerated computing architectures

In this paper, we report a reimplementation of the core algorithms of relativistic coupled cluster theory aimed at modern heterogeneous high-performance computational infrastructures. The code is designed for efficient parallel execution on many compute nodes with optional GPU coprocessing, accomplished via the new ExaTENSOR back end. The resulting ExaCorr module is primarily intended for calculations of molecules with one or more heavy elements, as relativistic effects on electronic structure are included from the outset. In the current work, we thereby focus on exact 2-component methods and demonstrate the accuracy and performance of the software. The module can be used as a stand-alone program requiring a set of molecular orbital coefficients as starting point, but is also interfaced to the DIRAC program that can be used to generate these. We therefore also briefly discuss an improvement of the parallel computing aspects of the relativistic self-consistent field algorithm of the DIRAC program

Place of death in patients with lung cancer: a retrospective cohort study from 2004-2013

Introduction: Many patients with cancer die in an acute hospital bed, which has been frequently identified as the least preferred location, with psychological and financial implications. This study looks at place and cause of death in patients with lung cancer and identifies which factors are associated with dying in an acute hospital bed versus at home. Methods and Findings: We used the National Lung Cancer Audit linked to Hospital Episode Statistics and Office for National Statistics data to determine cause and place of death in those with lung cancer; both overall and by cancer Network. We used multivariate logistic regression to compare features of those who died in an acute hospital versus those who died at home. Results: Of 143627 patients identified 40% (57678) died in an acute hospital, 29% (41957) died at home and 17% (24108) died in a hospice. Individual factors associated with death in an acute hospital bed compared to home were male sex, increasing age, poor performance status, social deprivation and diagnosis via an emergency route. There was marked variation between cancer Networks in place of death. The proportion of patients dying in an acute hospital ranged from 28% to 48%, with variation most notable in provision of hospice care (9% versus 33%). Cause of death in the majority was lung cancer (86%), with other malignancies, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and ischaemic heart disease (IHD) comprising 9% collectively. Conclusions: A substantial proportion of patients with lung cancer die in acute hospital beds and this is more likely with increasing age, male sex, social deprivation and in those with poor performance status. There is marked variation between Networks, suggesting a need to improve end-of-life planning in those at greatest risk, and to review the allocation of resources to provide more hospice beds, enhanced community support and ensure equal access