Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Creating ventures: decision factors in new venture creation

Purpose The purpose of this pilot study was to identify the key factors that influence the decisions of entrepreneurs who are considering the creation of a new venture. The pilot was conducted to explore the cognitive antecedents of entrepreneurial decision-making and whether specific factors contribute to the decision to create a new venture. Design/methodology/approach The study utilised an inductive and interpretive research design within a constructivist paradigm. The sample comprised entrepreneurs situated in a business incubation unit who engaged in a series of semi-structured interviews. The results of this study will be used to refine the questions asked in preparation for a larger sample using in-depth interviews with identified entrepreneurs. The resulting narrative in this pilot was subjected to discourse analysis and is categorised into relevant themes. Findings The findings in this pilot study reveal that factors such as technological advancement, market opportunity, competition, customer demand and prevailing market conditions have a significant influence on the decision-making process involved in creating a new venture. Research limitations/implications Although the pilot has identified several factors in entrepreneurial decision-making, further work will be needed in the research design to be able to expose the cognitive processes associated with each factor. The aim is to identify the common cognitive characteristics associated with thinking through the decision to create a new venture with a much larger sample of entrepreneurs. Originality/value The value of this research lies in exploring and developing a better understanding of the antecedent cognitive processes used by entrepreneurs for identifying unique, innovative new ideas and converting them into exploitable products or services through new venture creation.
Physical and financial impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbate knee pain: A longitudinal study of a large-scale general population

ABSTRACT Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the changes in knee pain, a dominant cause of physical disability, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, and to identify factors affecting the changes in knee pain. Methods We analysed the pre- and post-COVID-19 longitudinal data set of the Nagahama Study. Knee pain was assessed using the Knee Society Score (KSS). The estimated KSS from the age and sex using regression model in the pre- and post-COVID-19 data set was compared. Factors including the activity score, educational level, and various impacts of COVID-19 were analysed for correlation analyses with changes in KSS. Results Data collected from 6409 participants showed statistically significant differences in KSS, pre- (mean = 22.0; SD = 4.4) and post-COVID-19 (mean = 19.5; SD = 6.4). Low activity score (p = .008), low educational level (p < .001), and undesirable financial impact (p = .030) were independently associated with knee pain exacerbation. Conclusion The harmful effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on knee pain were suggested. People should be encouraged to engage in physical activities, such as walking, despite the state of emergency. Furthermore, social support for economically disadvantaged groups may improve healthcare access, preventing the acute exacerbations of knee pain.
[Impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on total and cause-specific mortality in Rome (Italy) in 2020].

OBJECTIVES to estimate the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on total and cause-specific mortality in people residing and dead in the Municipality of Rome (Italy) in 2020, and to describe the causes of death of subjects with SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed by molecular test. DESIGN descriptive analysis of total and cause-specific mortality in 2020 in Rome and comparison with a reference period (2015-2018 for total mortality and 2018 for cause-specific mortality); descriptive analysis of cause-specific mortality in the cohort of SARS-CoV-2 infected subjects. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS 27,471 deaths registered in the Lazio mortality-cause Registry, relating to people residing and died in the municipality of Rome in 2020, 2,374 of which died from COVID-19.MAIN OUCOME MEASURES: all-cause mortality by month, gender, age group and place of death, cause-specific mortality (ICD-10 codes). RESULTS in the municipality of Rome in 2020, an excess of mortality from all causes equal to +10% was observed, with a greater increase in the months of October-December (+27%, +56%, and +26%, respectively) in people aged 50+, with the greatest contribution from the oldest age groups (80+) who died in the nursing homes or at home. Lower mortality was observed in the age groups 0-29 years (-30%) and 40-49 years (-13%). In 2020, COVID-19 represents the fourth cause of death in Rome after malignant tumours, diseases of the circulatory system, and respiratory diseases. Excess mortality was observed from stroke and pneumonia (both in men and women), from respiratory diseases (in men), from diabetes, mental disorders, dementia and Parkinson's disease (in women). On the contrary, mortality is lower for all cancers, for diseases of the blood and haematopoietic organs and for the causes of the circulatory system. The follow-up analysis of SARS-CoV-2 positive subjects residing in Rome shows that a share of deaths (about 20%) reports other causes of death such as cardiovascular diseases, malignant tumours, and diseases of the respiratory system on the certificate collected by the Italian National Statistics Institute. CONCLUSIONS the 2020 mortality study highlighted excesses for acute and chronic pathologies, indicative of possible delays in the diagnosis or treatment of conditions indirectly caused by the pandemic, but also a share of misclassification of the cause of death that is recognized as COVID-19 death.
Processing of information from the parafascicular nucleus of the thalamus through the basal ganglia

Accumulating evidence implicates the parafascicular nucleus of the thalamus (Pf) in basal ganglia (BG)‐related functions and pathologies. Despite Pf connectivity with all BG components, most attention is focused on the thalamostriatal system and an integrated view of thalamic information processing in this network is still lacking. Here, we addressed this question by recording the responses elicited by Pf activation in single neurons of the substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr), the main BG output structure in rodents, in anesthetized mice. We performed optogenetic activation of Pf neurons innervating the striatum, the subthalamic nucleus (STN), or the SNr using virally mediated transcellular delivery of Cre from injection in either target in Rosa26‐LoxP‐stop‐ChR2‐EYFP mice to drive channelrhodopsin expression. Photoactivation of Pf neurons connecting the striatum evoked an inhibition often followed by an excitation, likely resulting from the activation of the trans‐striatal direct and indirect pathways, respectively. Photoactivation of Pf neurons connecting the SNr or the STN triggered one or two early excitations, suggesting partial functional overlap of trans‐subthalamic and direct thalamonigral projections. Excitations were followed in about half of the cases by an inhibition that might reflect recruitment of intranigral inhibitory loops. Finally, global Pf stimulation, electrical or optogenetic, elicited similar complex responses comprising up to four components: one or two short‐latency excitations, an inhibition, and a late excitation. These data provide evidence for functional connections between the Pf and different BG components and for convergence of the information processed through these pathways in single SNr neurons, stressing their importance in regulating BG outflow.
Does effort-cost decision-making relate to real-world motivation in people living with HIV?

ABSTRACT Introduction: Low motivation is frequent in older people with HIV, yet poorly understood. Effort-cost decision-making (ECDM) tasks inspired by behavioral economics have shown promise as indicators of motivation or apathy. These tasks assess the willingness to exert effort to earn a monetary reward, providing an estimate of the subjective “cost” of effort for each participant. Here we sought evidence for a relationship between ECDM task performance and self-reported motivation in a cross-sectional study involving 80 middle-aged and older people with well-controlled HIV infection, a chronic health condition with a high burden of mental and cognitive health challenges. Methods: Participants attending a regular follow-up visit for a Canadian longitudinal study of brain health in HIV completed a computerized ECDM task and a self-report measure of motivation. Other brain health measures were available, collected for the parent study (cognition, depression, anxiety, and vitality, as well as self-reported time spent on real-world leisure activities). Results: Contrary to our hypothesis, we found no relationship between ECDM performance and self-reported motivation. However, those willing to accept higher effort in the ECDM task also reported more time engaged in real-world activities. This association had a small-to-moderate effect size. Conclusions: The behavioral economics construct of subjective cost of effort, measured with a laboratory ECDM task, does not relate to motivation in people living with chronic HIV. However, the task shows some relationship with real-world goal-directed behavior, suggesting this construct has potential clinical relevance. More work is needed to understand how the subjective cost of effort plays out in clinical symptoms and everyday activities.
Thalassaemia is paradoxically associated with a reduced risk of in‐hospital complications and mortality in COVID‐19: Data from an international registry

Although numerous patient‐specific co‐factors have been shown to be associated with worse outcomes in COVID‐19, the prognostic value of thalassaemic syndromes in COVID‐19 patients remains poorly understood. We studied the outcomes of 137 COVID‐19 patients with a history of transfusion‐dependent thalassaemia (TDT) and transfusion independent thalassaemia (TIT) extracted from a large international cohort and compared them with the outcomes from a matched cohort of COVID‐19 patients with no history of thalassaemia. The mean age of thalassaemia patients included in our study was 41 ± 16 years (48.9% male). Almost 81% of these patients suffered from TDT requiring blood transfusions on a regular basis. 38.7% of patients were blood group O. Cardiac iron overload was documented in 6.8% of study patients, whereas liver iron overload was documented in 35% of study patients. 40% of thalassaemia patients had a history of splenectomy. 27.7% of study patients required hospitalization due to COVID‐19 infection. Amongst the hospitalized patients, one patient died (0.7%) and one patient required intubation. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) was required in almost 5% of study patients. After adjustment for age‐, sex‐ and other known risk factors (cardiac disease, kidney disease and pulmonary disease), the rate of in‐hospital complications (supplemental oxygen use, admission to an intensive care unit for CPAP therapy or intubation) and all‐cause mortality was significantly lower in the thalassaemia group compared to the matched cohort with no history of thalassaemia. Amongst thalassaemia patients in general, the TIT group exhibited a higher rate of hospitalization compared to the TDT group (p = 0.001). In addition, the rate of complications such as acute kidney injury and need for supplemental oxygen was significantly higher in the TIT group compared to the TDT group. In the multivariable logistic regression analysis, age and history of heart or kidney disease were all found to be independent risk factors for increased in‐hospital, all‐cause mortality, whereas the presence of thalassaemia (either TDT or TIT) was found to be independently associated with reduced all‐cause mortality. The presence of thalassaemia in COVID‐19 patients was independently associated with lower in‐hospital, all‐cause mortality and few in‐hospital complications in our study. The pathophysiology of this is unclear and needs to be studied in vitro and in animal models.
Attitudes towards refugees: Introducing a short three‐dimensional scale

Abstract Many researchers subscribe to the three‐component conceptualization of attitudes, the idea that attitudes have cognitive, affective, and behavioural (intentional) components. Yet, these components are rarely considered simultaneously in scales, especially those measuring attitudes towards refugees. Moreover, it is debated how these components relate to one another. We present the development and validation of a six‐item short‐scale to measure attitudes towards refugees based on three surveys (Study 1: N = 330; Study 2a: N = 2,083; Study 2b: N = 2,174). We assessed the performance of this scale with respect to three rivalling attitude conceptualizations (one‐factor, three‐factor, and second‐order factor model). We found that a three‐factor or second‐order factor conceptualization fitted best to the data. The scale had excellent psychometric properties. We hope that our work stimulates a wave of relevant research on attitudes towards refugees that applies this scale, and contributes to the debate on the conceptualization of attitudes in general.
Dialysis and extracorporeal therapies for enhanced elimination of toxic ingestions and poisoning

Poisoning and toxic ingestions cause significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Extracorporeal therapies such as dialysis, hemoperfusion, and plasma exchange are selectively applied to patients with severe intoxications unresponsive to standard interventions and can be lifesaving. Extracorporeal therapies are a complex but fundamental aspect of the practice of nephrology. Without high‐quality evidence to guide implementation, an understanding of toxicokinetics and the physiochemical principles of the enhanced elimination techniques is especially important. This review provides a comphrensive, user‐friendly outline of the application of extracorporeal therapy in the poisoned patient.
Gastric Cancer Cell-Derived Kynurenines Hyperactive Regulatory T Cells to Promote Chemoresistance via the IL-10/STAT3/BCL2 Signaling Pathway

Chemotherapy resistance is frequently observed in gastric cancer patients and is associated with poor prognosis; tryptophan (Trp) catabolism has been recognized as a key metabolic regulator of many types of cancer progression. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) and Trp metabolite kynurenine (Kyn) were analyzed using tumor tissues. Chemotherapy resistance induced by IL-10 or Treg was detected by flow cytometry assay. The activation of STAT3/BCL2 signaling pathways in gastric cells cocultured by Treg was illustrated by western blotting. Patients' Treg and human gastric cancer organoid model were established to examine the anticancer effects of STAT3 inhibitor. We found that a higher level of IL-10 secreted by Kyn-induced Tregs was responsible for the 5-fluorouracil-induced resistance of gastric cancer cell lines. STAT3 and BCL2 knockout significantly abrogated Treg supernatant- or IL-10-induced chemoresistance in SGC7901 and BGC823 cell lines. Furthermore, STAT3 inhibitor significantly reduced the organoid and clonogenicity of organoids cocultured with Treg. Our data suggested that tumor-derived Kyn may hyperactivate Tregs and induce chemoresistance through the IL-10/STAT3/BCL2 signaling pathway.
Exposure to Phlebotomus perniciosus sandfly vectors is positively associated with Toscana virus and Leishmania infantum infection in human blood donors in Murcia Region, southeast Spain

Abstract Antibodies against Phlebotomus perniciosus sandfly salivary gland homogenate (SGH) and recombinant protein rSP03B, sandfly‐borne Toscana virus (TOSV), Sandfly Fever Sicilian virus (SFSV) and Leishmania, as well as DNA of the latter parasite, were investigated in 670 blood samples from 575 human donors in Murcia Region, southeast Spain, in 2017 and 2018. The estimated SGH and rSP03B seroprevalences were 69% and 88%, respectively, although correlation between test results was relatively low (ρ = 0.39). Similarly, TOSV, SFSV and Leishmania seroprevalences were 26%, 0% and 1%, respectively, and Leishmania PCR prevalence was 2%. Prevalences were significantly greater in 2017, overdispersed and not spatially related to each other although both were positively associated with SGH but not to rSP03B antibody optical densities, questioning the value of the latter as a diagnostic marker for these infections in humans.
A case report of low grade fetal lung adenocarcinoma with TP53 mutation

Abstract Rationale: Fetal lung adenocarcinoma (FLAC) is a rare malignant tumor that occurs in the alveolar epithelium. FLAC, as a distinct entity, is a malignancy with a very low incidence, accounting for less than 0.5% of all lung tumors, with a high rate of misdiagnosis due to its rarity, lack of typical presentation and imaging signs. According to histopathological differences, FLAC is further divided into 2 types: low-grade FLAC and high-grade FLAC. In the article, we report a young woman who was diagnosed with low-grade fetal-type lung adenocarcinoma. Patient concerns: An 18-year-old female patient was admitted due to cough and chest distress. Diagnosis: The final pathological examination confirmed that the lesion was a low-grade fetal lung adenocarcinoma. Interventions: The patient underwent thoracoscopic left lower lobectomy and regional lymph node dissection. Outcomes: The postoperative course was stable, and no recurrence was observed 1 year after operation. Lessons: To the best of our knowledge, there are no previous case reports of low-grade fetal-type adenocarcinoma, TP53 gene mutation, and the significance of its mutation is not extensively studies. FLAC, although extremely rare, is considered in the differential diagnosis of lung cancer. In addition, biopsy, histopathology, and specific immunohistochemical staining of larger tissue specimens are helpful for accurate diagnosis of FLAC.
UNTOLD STORY: CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PROBLEMS AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON STUDENT-TEACHERS’ TEACHING

This article proposes strategies to handle classroom management problems commonly faced by English student-teachers. These propositions are inspired by a partial result of an action research involving 12 student-teachers undertaking a teaching practicum subject at five junior high schools in a municipally of West Sumatera, Indonesia. Based on the results of observations and interviews it was found that classroom management problems brought about several constraints for the student-teachers in reaching their teaching objectives. They frequently stopped their activities for a while for the disturbances made by the students and thus they often could not realize their plans well. Sometimes they were not able to organize the students and their activities which in turn caused problems. Thus, it can be concluded that problems are most likely due to the students’ low motivation and very limited English ability and the student-teachers’ lack of classroom management skills. The problems decreased after applying some strategies which were derived from discussions with the supervisors (i.e. the researchers). In fact, the student-teachers were able to focus more on what and how to teach rather than how to handle their students’ behavior problems. In effect, they could teach effectively. The strategies are setting classroom-agreed rules, personal approaches, and application of variety of techniques. Before explaining these strategies, an account of the student-teachers’ classroom management problems and how they handled them will be given briefly.
New Onset Biopsy-Proven Nephropathies after COVID Vaccination

Introduction: To date, almost 7 billion doses of the different types of vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 have been administered worldwide. Although the severity of new cases of SARS-CoV-2 has progressively decreased, and the pressure on national health systems has declined, the development of de novo glomerular injuries has been suggested. Methods: This study aimed to examine the patients who were hospitalized in our Unit between April and November 2021 and underwent renal biopsy for new-onset urinary abnormalities (UA) and/or renal impairment within 3 months of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. Results: We identified 17 patients who developed UA and/or renal insufficiency within 3 months of vaccination. Minimal change disease was the most common disease in our cohort (5 patients, 29.4%) followed by acute tubulointerstitial nephritis (TIN; 3 patients, 17.6%), membranous nephropathy (3 patients, 17.6%), and rapidly progressive IgA nephropathy (2 patients, 11.8%). The other 4 patients had a diagnosis of membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (1 patient), systemic lupus erythematosus (1 patient), ANCA-associated vasculitis (1 patient), and tip-variant focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (1 patient), respectively. Eight out of the 17 patients (47.1%) developed acute kidney injury. Two patients with acute TIN had to start hemodialysis that was discontinued after 1 and 2 months, respectively, due to the recovery of renal function. All patients underwent treatment with corticosteroids and/or immunosuppressants. Discussion: Although it is not possible to conclusively determine whether there is a causal relationship between SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and new-onset nephropathies, based on the appearance of UA and/or renal insufficiency shortly after vaccination, we hypothesize that the immune response to the COVID-19 vaccine may be a trigger of nephropathies. Therefore, our results highlight the need for pharmacovigilance. However, this report should not lead to vaccine hesitation during this pandemic as the benefits of vaccination strongly outweigh the potential risks.
NMR-derived secondary structure of the full-length Ox40 mRNA 3′UTR and its multivalent binding to the immunoregulatory RBP Roquin

Abstract Control of posttranscriptional mRNA decay is a crucial determinant of cell homeostasis and differentiation. mRNA lifetime is governed by cis-regulatory elements in their 3′ untranslated regions (UTR). Despite ongoing progress in the identification of cis elements we have little knowledge about the functional and structural integration of multiple elements in 3′UTR regulatory hubs and their recognition by mRNA-binding proteins (RBPs). Structural analyses are complicated by inconsistent mapping and prediction of RNA fold, by dynamics, and size. We here, for the first time, provide the secondary structure of a complete mRNA 3′UTR. We use NMR spectroscopy in a divide-and-conquer strategy complemented with SAXS, In-line probing and SHAPE-seq applied to the 3′UTR of Ox40 mRNA, which encodes a T-cell co-receptor repressed by the protein Roquin. We provide contributions of RNA elements to Roquin-binding. The protein uses its extended bi-modal ROQ domain to sequentially engage in a 2:1 stoichiometry with a 3′UTR core motif. We observe differential binding of Roquin to decay elements depending on their structural embedment. Our data underpins the importance of studying RNA regulation in a full sequence and structural context. This study serves as a paradigm for an approach in analysing structured RNA-regulatory hubs and their binding by RBPs.