Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Approach-Motivated Positive Affect Reduces Breadth of Attention

Research has found that positive affect broadens attention. However, these studies have manipulated positive affect that is low in approach motivation. Positive affect that is high in approach motivation should reduce the breadth of attention, as organisms shut out irrelevant stimuli as they approach desired objects. Four studies examined the attentional consequences of approach-motivated positive-affect states. Results were consistent with predictions. Participants showed less global attentional focus after viewing high-approach-motivating positive stimuli than after viewing low-approach-motivating positive stimuli (Study 1) or neutral stimuli (Study 2). Study 3 found that greater trait approach motivation resulted in less global attentional focus after participants viewed approach-motivating positive stimuli. Study 4 manipulated affect and approach motivation independently. Greater approach-motivated positive affect caused lower global focus. High-approach-motivated positive affect reduces global attentional focus, whereas low-approach-motivated positive affect increases global attentional focus. Incorporating the intensity of approach motivation into models of positive affect broadens understanding of the consequences of positive affect.
Ribose biosynthesis and evidence for an alternative first step in the common aromatic amino acid pathway in Methanococcus maripaludis

An acetate-requiring mutant of Methanococcus maripaludis allowed efficient labeling of riboses following growth in minimal medium supplemented with [2-(13)C]acetate. Nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectroscopic analysis of purified cytidine and uridine demonstrated that the C-1' of the ribose was about 67% enriched for 13C. This value was inconsistent with the formation of erythrose 4-phosphate (E4P) exclusively by the carboxylation of a triose. Instead, these results suggest that either (i) E4P is formed by both the nonoxidative pentose phosphate and triose carboxylation pathways or (ii) E4P is formed exclusively by the nonoxidative pentose phosphate pathway and is not a precursor of aromatic amino acids.
Hepatitis B Reactivation During Immunosuppressive Therapy or Cancer Chemotherapy, Management, and Prevention: A Comprehensive Review

Context Due to the close relationship between the immune system and the hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication, it is essential to monitor patients with current or past HBV infection under any type of immunosuppression. Cancer chemotherapy, immunosuppressive therapies in autoimmune diseases, and immunosuppression in solid organ and stem cell transplant recipients are the major reasons for hepatitis B virus reactivation (HBVr). In this review, the challenges associated with HBVr are discussed according to the latest studies and guidelines. We also discuss the role of treatments with different risks, including anti-CD20 agents, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) inhibitors, and other common immunosuppressive agents in various conditions. Evidence Acquisition Through an electronic search of the PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus databases, we selected the studies associated with HBVr in different conditions. The most recent recommendations were collected in order to reach a consensus on how to manage patients at risk of HBVr. Results It was found that the positive hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), the high baseline HBV DNA level, the positive hepatitis B virus e antigen (HBeAg), and an absent or low hepatitis B surface antibody (HBsAb) titer prior to starting treatment are the most important viral risk factors. Furthermore, rituximab, anthracycline, and different types of TNF-α inhibitors were identified as the high-risk therapies. By analyzing the efficiency of prophylaxis on the prevention of HBVr, it was concluded that those with a high risk of antiviral resistance should not be used in long-term immunosuppressants. Receiving HBV antiviral agents at the commencement of immunosuppressant therapy or chemotherapy was demonstrated to be effective in decreasing the risk of HBVr. Prophylaxis could also be initiated before the start of therapy. For most immune suppressive regimes, antiviral therapy should be kept up for at least 6 months after the cessation of immunosuppressive drugs. However, the optimal time of prophylaxis keeping should be increased in cases associated with rituximab or hematopoietic stem cell transplants. According to the latest studies and guidelines from different bodies, recommendations regarding screening, monitoring, and management of HBVr are outlined. Conclusions Identification of patients at the risk of HBVr before immunosuppressive therapy is an undeniable part of treatment. Starting the antiviral therapy, based on the type of immunosuppressive drugs and the underlying disease, could lead to better management of disease.
Relative Performance, Risk and Entry in the Mutual Fund Industry

Abstract This paper analyses the impact of the emergence of new funds on the portfolio decisions of mutual fund managers who are evaluated on the basis of relative performance within a dynamic model. Recent theoretical literature has pointed to the inefficiencies in portfolio selection caused by relative performance evaluation of fund managers. We find that the on-going process of creation of new funds, by posing an entry threat to the incumbent fund managers, greatly alleviates these inefficiencies. Hence the transitory market structure that characterises the mutual fund industry could explain why relative performance evaluation is widely in use.
Randomised controlled trial of animal facilitated therapy with dolphins in the treatment of depression

Abstract Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of animal facilitated therapy with dolphins, controlling for the influence of the natural setting, in the treatment of mild to moderate depression and in the context of the biophilia hypothesis. Setting The study was carried out in Honduras, and recruitment took place in the United States and Honduras. Design Single blind, randomised, controlled trial. Participants Outpatients, recruited through announcements on the internet, radio, newspapers, and hospitals. Results Of the 30 patients randomly assigned to the two groups of treatment, two dropped out of the treatment group after the first week and three withdrew their consent in the control group after they had been randomly allocated. For the participants who completed the study, the mean severity of the depressive symptoms was more reduced in the treatment group than in the control group (Hamilton rating scale for depression, P = 0.002; Beck depression inventory, P = 0.006). For the sample analysed by modified intention to treat and last observation carried forward, the mean differences for the Hamilton and Beck scores between the two groups was highly significant (P = 0.007 and P = 0.012, respectively). Conclusions The therapy was effective in alleviating symptoms of depression after two weeks of treatment. Animal facilitated therapy with dolphins is an effective treatment for mild to moderate depression, which is based on a holistic approach, through interaction with animals in nature.
Automatic Feature Selection for Biological Shape Classification in Σ YNERGOS

This work reports the development of a versatile framework allowing the characterization and analysis of computer vision techniques as well as their applications to biological shapes, with attention focused on neural cells. The proposed framework has been implemented within the Σynergos system, a powerful imaging laboratory that includes, among other features, tools for performance assessment of computer vision techniques, image databases, real-time processing by using distributed systems and interface with the Internet. The motivations for the development of such a framework: (i) the importance of biological shape analysis; (ii ) its potential as an effective tool for the systematic assessment of image processing and analysis techniques; and (iii ) the possibil ity of conducting extensive characterizations of biological shapes. The paper describes an experiment to assess multiscale shape features for complexity characterization, which have been adopted for the classification of two types of ganglion neural cells (cat), namely α and β. This experiment involves: (1) a training stage where the k-means clustering algorithm learns the prototypes of each class from the database; (2) the neurons in the database are classified; (3) the classification results are compared to the original classes; and (4) the number of misclassifications is determined. The genetic algorithm is used as a means of effectively investigating the N-dimensional spaces defined by the parameter configurations.
How effective is your facilitation?: group-level analytics of MOOC forums

The facilitation of interpersonal relationships within a respectful learning climate is an important aspect of teaching practice. However, in large-scale online contexts, such as MOOCs, the number of learners and highly asynchronous nature militates against the development of a sense of belonging and dyadic trust. Given these challenges, instead of conventional instruments that reflect learners' affective perceptions, we suggest a set of indicators that can be used to evaluate social activity in relation to the participation structure. These group-level indicators can then help teachers to gain insights into the evolution of social activity shaped by their facilitation choices. For this study, group-level indicators were derived from measuring information exchange activity between the returning MOOC posters. By conceptualizing this group as an identity-based community, we can apply exponential random graph modelling to explain the network's structure through the configurations of direct reciprocity, triadic-level exchange, and the effect of participants demonstrating super-posting behavior. The findings provide novel insights into network amplification, and highlight the differences between the courses with different facilitation strategies. Direct reciprocation was characteristic of non-facilitated groups. Exchange at the level of triads was more prominent in highly facilitated online communities with instructor's involvement. Super-posting activity was less pronounced in networks with higher triadic exchange, and more pronounced in networks with higher direct reciprocity.
The Equity Premium Puzzle: Can Income Help?

None of the attempts to solve the equity premium puzzle has proved to be completely successful. In this paper I argue that implementing the income in the utility function can considerably contribute to the explanation of the equity premium puzzle. Empirical evidence supports this idea. Further support is provided by both macroeconomic theory and continuous time modelling. Empirical evidence shows that taking income into consideration could solve the risk free rate puzzle as well. A theoretical model, which includes income and disentangles dividends as a specific form of income, is developed and its discrete and continuous versions are tested with U.S. data. The tests show that the predicted values of risk free return and equity premium are close to the historically observed ones. Thus the model considerably contributes for the solution of the risk free rate puzzle as well.
Participação Feminina na Produção Científica em Finanças nos EnANPAD’s de 2000 a 2010

Este artigo teve por objetivo investigar a participacao feminina na producao cientifica da divisao de financas publicada nos EnANPAD’s de 2000 a 2010. Trata-se de uma pesquisa bibliometrica, quantitativa, que aborda a Lei de Lotka utilizando-se o modelo Lagrangiano de Poisson, em que foram analisados 506 artigos. Destes, 27 sao de autoria exclusivamente feminina e 184 de autoria mista (feminino e masculino). Contudo, houve supremacia masculina. A maior preferencia feminina foi pela subarea de financas corporativas e, a masculina, de mercados financeiros e de capitais. Nas pesquisas em conjunto o mainstream foi em financas corporativas; seguida de mercados financeiros e de capitais; de investimentos; derivativos e gestao de riscos e; financas internacionais. Os temas mais abordados foram governanca corporativa e agency , politicas de financiamento e estrutura de capital, gestao de fundos ou carteiras e asset pricing . A analise da produtividade dos autores, por genero, revelou que, tanto feminina quanto masculina, nao tiveram aderencia a distribuicao de Poisson e a Lei. E, parece haver uma tendencia de crescimento positivo da participacao das mulheres nas publicacoes em financas, sugerindo que elas tem conquistado espaco em uma area matematica com forte vies masculino, como acontece em outras areas.
The Bangor Gambling Task: Characterising the Performance of Survivors of Traumatic Brain Injury

The Bangor Gambling Task (BGT, Bowman & Turnbull, 2004) is a simple test of emotion-based decision making, with contingencies varying across five blocks of 20 trials. This is the first study to characterise BGT performance in survivors of traumatic brain injury (TBI) relative to healthy controls. The study also aimed to explore sub-groups (cluster analysis), and identify predictors of task performance (multiple regression). Thirty survivors of TBI and thirty-nine controls completed the BGT and measures of processing speed, pre-morbid IQ, working memory, and executive function. Results showed that survivors of TBI made more gamble choices than controls (total BGT score), although the groups did not significantly differ when using a cut-off score for ‘impaired’ performance. Unexpectedly, the groups did not significantly differ in their performance across the blocks; however, the cluster analysis revealed three subgroups (with survivors of TBI and controls represented in each cluster). Findings also indicated that only age and group were significant predictors of overall BGT performance. In conclusion, the study findings are consistent with an individual difference account of emotion-based decision making, and a number of issues need to be addressed prior to recommending the clinical use of the BGT.
The Role of Customer Engagement Behavior in Value Co-Creation

Recent developments in marketing and service research highlight the blurring of boundaries between firms and customers. The concept of customer engagement (CE) aggregates the multiple ways customer behaviors beyond transactions may influence the firm. However, the term is embryonic and academics and practitioners alike lack understanding on how CE contributes to value co-creation. This article marks the first attempt to conceptualize the role of customer engagement behavior (CEB) in value co-creation within a multistakeholder service system. We combine the theoretical perspectives of CE and value co-creation research to the analysis of a rich case study of a public transport service system involving consumers, communities, businesses, and governmental organizations. Our findings describe drivers for CEB, identify four types of CEB, and explore the value outcomes experienced by various stakeholders. This article proposes that CEB affects value co-creation by virtue of customers’ diverse resource contributions toward the focal firm and/other stakeholders that modify and/or augment the offering, and/or affect other stakeholders’ perceptions, preferences, expectations, or actions toward the firm or its offering. Through inducing broader resource integration, CEB makes value co-creation a system-level process. We offer nine research propositions explicating the connections CEB has to value co-creation by focal customers, the focal firm, and other stakeholders. Our research suggests that firms should focus greater attention on the resources that customers can contribute, explore the potential to engage diverse stakeholders around a common cause, and employ organically emerging systems that provide opportunities for more extensive value co-creation.
Prevalence of deleterious ATM germline mutations in gastric cancer patients

Besides CDH1, few hereditary gastric cancer predisposition genes have been previously reported. In this study, we discovered two germline ATM mutations (p.Y1203fs and p.N1223S) in a Chinese family with a history of gastric cancer by screening 83 cancer susceptibility genes. Using a published exome sequencing dataset, we found deleterious germline mutations of ATM in 2.7% of 335 gastric cancer patients of different ethnic origins. The frequency of deleterious ATM mutations in gastric cancer patients is significantly higher than that in general population (p=0.0000435), suggesting an association of ATM mutations with gastric cancer predisposition. We also observed biallelic inactivation of ATM in tumors of two gastric cancer patients. Further evaluation of ATM mutations in hereditary gastric cancer will facilitate genetic testing and risk assessment.
Expression signatures of long non-coding RNAs in early brain injury following experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage

Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is an important cause of mortality in stroke patients. Long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs) have important functions in brain disease, however their expression profiles in SAH remain to be elucidated. The present study aimed to investigate the expression signatures of LncRNAs and mRNAs in early brain injury (EBI) following SAH in a rat model. Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into an SAH group and a sham operation group. The expression signatures of the LncRNAs and mRNAs in the temporal lobe cortex were investigated using a rat LncRNAs array following experimental SAH. The results revealed that there were 144 downregulated and 64 upregulated LncRNAs and 181 downregulated and 221 upregulated mRNAs following SAH. Additionally, two upregulated (BC092207, MRuc008hvl) and three downregulated (XR_006756, MRAK038897, MRAK017168) LncRNAs were confirmed using reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The differentially expressed mRNAs were further analyzed using the Gene Ontology and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) databases. The pathway analysis results provided by the KEGG database indicated that eight pathways associated with inflammation were involved in EBI following SAH. In conclusion, these results demonstrated that the expression profiles of the LncRNAs and mRNAs were significantly different between the SAH-induced EBI group and the sham operation group. These differently expressed LncRNAs may be important in EBI following SAH.
Early onset multiple sclerosis: A longitudinal study

Objective To evaluate the clinical course of MS in individuals with onset of MS before age 16. Methods Patients with onset of MS before age 16 (n = 116) with complete clinical information on the clinical course from the MS Clinic at The University of British Columbia (UBC) Site Hospital computerized database (MS-COSTAR) were included in this study. The data were compared to those from the Canadian natural history study for MS clinic attendees, regardless of age at onset. Results The mean duration of observation was 19.76 ± 0.90 years; the mean age at MS onset was 12.73 ± 0.25 years. Only three cases (2.6%) had a primary progressive (PP) MS course. To date, 60 (53.1%) of 113 subjects have developed secondary progressive (SP) MS. The 50% probability for SPMS was reached 23 years after onset. For patients with relapsing remitting (RR) or SPMS the mean disease duration from onset to the time of confirmed Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) 3.0 was 16.03 ± 1.17 years (at mean age 28.47 ± 1.14); mean duration from onset to the time of EDSS 6.0 was 19.39 ± 1.43 years (at mean age 32.32 ± 1.44). Annual relapse rate was 0.54 ± 0.05 per year. The correlation between the number of relapses during the first year of disease and the course of the disease was also significant. Conclusions The prevalence of early onset MS (3.6%) in our study confirms the previous findings on early onset MS. A RR course was seen in the majority of cases of early onset MS. A high frequency of relapses, early age at permanent disability, and the presence of malignant cases raise the question of possible early use of disease-modifying therapy in patients with early onset MS.
Culture and conformity: A meta-analysis of studies using Asch's (1952b, 1956) line judgment task.

A meta-analysis of conformity studies using an Asch-type line judgment task (1952b, 1956) was conducted to investigate whether the level of conformity has changed over time and whether it is related crogs-culturally to individualism-collectivism. The fiterature search produced 133 studies drawn from 17 countries. An analysis of U.S. studies found that conformity has declined since the 1950s. Results from 3 surveys were used to assess a country's individualism-collectivism, and for each survey the measures were found to be significantly related to conformity. Collectivist countries tended to show higher levels of conformity than individualist countries. Conformity research must attend more to cultural variables and to their role in the processes involved in social influence. The view has long been held that conformity is to some extent a product of cultural conditions, and it is a stable feature of popular stereotypes that some national groups are conforming and submissive, whereas others are independent and self-assertive (e.g., Peabody, 1985 ). Likewise, the extent to which dissidence is tolerated in a society will vary at different points in its history, and several commentators have suggested that the relatively high levels of conformity found in experiments conducted in the early 1950s (notably Asch, 1952b, 1956) was in part a product of the McCarthy era (e.g., Larsen, 1974; Mann, 1980; Perrin & Spencer, 1981 ). Although Asch's ( 1952b, 1956) seminal research is often interpreted as demonstrating that conformity is fundamental to group processes (Friend, Rafferty, & Bramel, 1990), Asch was as much concerned with those factors that enabled individuals to resist group pressure, factors which he saw as rooted in a society's values and socialization practices. That we have found the tendency to conformity in our society so strong that reasonably intelligent and well-meaning young people are willing to call White Black is a matter of concern. It raises questions about our ways of education and about the values that guide our conduct. (Asch, 1955, p. 34)
Structure–function analysis of the ribozymes of chrysanthemum chlorotic mottle viroid: a loop–loop interaction motif conserved in most natural hammerheads

Loop–loop tertiary interactions play a key role in the folding and catalytic activity of natural hammerhead ribozymes. Using a combination of NMR spectroscopy, site-directed mutagenesis and kinetic and infectivity analyses, we have examined the structure and function of loops 1 and 2 of the (+) and (–) hammerheads of chrysanthemum chlorotic mottle viroid RNA. In both hammerheads, loop 1 is a heptanucleotide hairpin loop containing an exposed U at its 5′ side and an extrahelical U at its 3′-side critical for the catalytic activity of the ribozyme in vitro and for viroid infectivity in vivo, whereas loop 2 has a key opened A at its 3′-side. These structural features promote a specific loop–loop interaction motif across the major groove. The essential features of this tertiary structure element, base pairing between the 5′ U of loop 1 and the 3′ A of loop 2, and interaction of the extrahelical pyrimidine of loop 1 with loop 2, are likely shared by a significant fraction of natural hammerheads.