Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Examination of common mistakes for successful leveraging the Kano model and proposal for enhancement

The Kano model has been recognised for almost forty years as an effective tool for revealing implicit customer ideas that are often unclear and difficult to describe by relating the fulfilment of offering quality attributes to customer satisfaction. So has the Kano methodology for realising the model in practice in product design and development, strategic thinking, business planning, etc. Despite their success, it has long been reported that the Kano classification of customer requirements needs to reflect the level of customer satisfaction accurately. Researchers have focused on increasing the model’s accuracy throughout the years, especially by introducing much more quantitative approaches to the Kano categorisation. Still, the traditional one remains well-accepted in practice as it is the most straightforward logical procedure that non-experts can follow. Rather than introducing complexity, this research focuses on improving the traditional Kano model without altering its procedure by creating awareness of common mistakes when implementing the model and suggesting incorporating a couple of steps to avoid them. It is crucial to understand the selection of the five answer choices and their compatibility with the Kano evaluation table. Few case studies are available to illustrate how sensitive to common mistakes the outcomes are.
Coastal Evolution: Wave-dominated coasts

Introduction Wave-dominated sedimentary coasts comprise accumulations of detrital sand and gravel-sized material which undergo high levels of physical reworking, interspersed with periods of burial before finally being deposited as the coastal deposits we see today (Davis & Hayes, 1984). Quite commonly sediments tend to be of clean sand and gravel, often quite well sorted and abraded, containing relatively high proportions of more resistant minerals and rock types such as quartz, chert and heavy minerals. Waves and wave-induced currents are the dominant mechanisms for moving and depositing sand on shorefaces and beaches of the open coast, although winds, river discharge, tidal currents and Ekman flows variously act as transporting agents landward of the beach, in estuaries and seaward of the shoreface. In relation to the shoreface and beach, open coastal types are determined by four factors: (i) substrate gradient, (ii) wave energy versus tidal range; (iii) sediment supply versus accommodation volume (Swift & Thome, 1991); and (iv) rates of sea-level change. At one extreme are steep, high-energy, sediment-deficient coasts that have bedrock cropping out as headlands, with negligible sand at their base and relatively deep water offshore (autochthonous, accommodation-dominated coast of Swift & Thorne, 1991). At the other extreme are low-gradient, low-energy coasts that are typically muddy with a coastal fringe of wetland vegetation. Here, incident wave action is dissipated over very shallow offshore gradients such as those associated with deltaic environments at river mouths (autochthonous, sediment-supply dominated coast of Swift & Thorne, 1991; see Chapter 3). But even here, rare high-energy events such as cyclones can cause episodes of wave reworking leading to the formation of cheniers.
Associations of Depressive Symptoms with Subjective Cognitive Decline in Elderly People—A Cross-Sectional Analysis from the AgeWell.de-Study

To develop effective dementia prevention strategies, it is necessary to understand risk factors, associated factors and early signs of dementia. Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) is the earliest form of dementia. The aim of this study is to assess depression as a factor that is significantly associated with SCD. The data of 1030 general practitioner patients from the AgeWell.de-study (60–77 years; CAIDE dementia risk score ≥ 9) were analysed. A descriptive analysis was conducted using validated instruments like the Geriatric depression scale (GDS), Lubben social network scale (LSNS-6) and education classes according to CASMIN (Comparative Analysis of Social Mobility in Industrial Nations). A multivariate regression model with the dependent variable SCD was calculated. Of the 1030 participants, 5.9% had depressive symptoms and 31.3% SCD. The group with depressive symptoms showed significantly higher body-mass-index (p = 0.005), lower education class (p = 0.022), lower LSNS-6 score (p < 0.001), higher sports activity (p < 0.001), and more sleeping problems (p = 0.026). In the regression model a higher GDS-score [Odds ratio (OR): 1.219 (p < 0.001)], more sleeping problems [OR: 1.550 (p = 0.017)] and higher education class [middle/high: OR: 1.474/1.875 (p = 0.037/0.004)] were significantly associated with SCD. This study identified depressive symptoms, sleeping problems, and higher education classes as factors associated with SCD, which can represent an early form of dementia.
Neuroprotection in metabolic syndrome by environmental enrichment. A lifespan perspective

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is defined by the concurrence of different metabolic conditions: obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and hyperglycemia. Its incidence has been increasingly rising over the past decades and has become a global health problem. MetS has deleterious consequences on the central nervous system (CNS) and neurological development. MetS can last several years or be lifelong, affecting the CNS in different ways and treatments can help manage condition, though there is no known cure. The early childhood years are extremely important in neurodevelopment, which extends beyond, encompassing a lifetime. Neuroplastic changes take place all life through — childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age — are highly sensitive to environmental input. Environmental factors have an important role in the etiopathogenesis and treatment of MetS, so environmental enrichment (EE) stands as a promising non-invasive therapeutic approach. While the EE paradigm has been designed for animal housing, its principles can be and actually are applied in cognitive, sensory, social, and physical stimulation programs for humans. Here, we briefly review the central milestones in neurodevelopment at each life stage, along with the research studies carried out on how MetS affects neurodevelopment at each life stage and the contributions that EE models can provide to improve health over the lifespan.
Climate Change Adaptation for Smallholder Farmers in Rural Communities: the Case of Mkomazi Sub-Catchment, Tanzania

Climate adaptation is today a priority for developing countries particularly LDCs. Agriculture is an important sector worldwide but nowhere other than in the developing world is it the most crucial aspect to deal with. However, this sector is one of the most vulnerable and sensitive to change and variability of the climate. Changes in farming practices in the Mkomazi sub-catchment, Tanzania (for example, shifts in crop production areas, crop growing patterns and type of crops grown most) were reported and observed. However, the real factors motivating such changes in the area remained unknown. Thus, the objective of this research was to explore, analyze and explain factors that motivate smallholder farmers in Mkomazi sub-catchment to change their farming practices over time.
Advances in fluvial dynamics and stratigraphy

Partial table of contents: Turbulent Flow in Rivers (J. Williams). The Fluid Dynamics of Small--scale Alluvial Bedforms (J. Best). Entrainment of Sediments from Deposits of Mixed Grain Sizes and Densities (P. Komar). Unsteady Transport of Sand Gravel Mixtures (R. Kuhnle). Modelling the Sediment Transport Process (A. Kelsey). Reconstructing Fluvial Channel Morphology from Sedimentary Sequences (C. Bristow). The Prediction and Modelling of Subsurface Fluvial Stratigraphy (C. North). Index.
Transformational leadership and innovative work behavior

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the mediating role of psychological empowerment and the moderating role of self-construal (independent and interdependent) on the relationship between transformational leadership and employees’ innovative work behavior (IWB). Design/methodology/approach – A total of 639 followers and 87 leaders filled out questionnaires from cross-industry sample of five most innovative companies of China. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the relations. Findings – Results revealed that psychological empowerment mediated the relationship between transformational leadership and IWB. The research established that transformational leadership positively influences IWB which includes idea generation as well as idea implementation. The results also showed that the relationship between transformational leadership and IWB was stronger among employees with a higher interdependent self-construal and a lower independent self-construal. Originality/value – This study ad.
The "Return" of British-Born Cypriots to Cyprus

My thesis is the product of an in-depth qualitative study of the ‘return’ of British-born Cypriots to Cyprus. By specifically focusing on the second generation, my thesis seeks to rectify the lacuna in research on the second generation’s connections to the ethnic homeland, capitalising on these migrants’ positionalities with respect to questions of home and belonging. The thesis consists of eight chapters: Chapter 1 introduces the context in which the research was conducted; Chapter 2 provides the historical and geographical background for the Cypriot migration experience; Chapter 3 presents the methodological and ethical context in which my research was conducted; Chapters, 4, 5, 6 are the main empirical chapters, discussing the British-born Greek-Cypriot returnees’ experiences, motives and viewpoints, from childhood memories to today’s adult experiences; Chapter 7 provides an additional comparative angle through the inclusion of a subsample of British-born Turkish Cypriots; and finally, Chapter 8, my concluding chapter, revisits the research questions, draws comparisons with other empirical studies on second-generation return, and re-evaluates my methodological framework. Through the voices and life-narratives of second-generation British-Cypriot ‘return’ migrants – following a biographical timeline – the multifaceted perspectives in which notions of ‘return’, ‘home’ and ‘belonging’ can be viewed and experienced in a migratory context are revealed. My study shows the complexities and ambivalences involved when exploring ideas of ‘identity’ and ‘return’, views of ‘home’, and feelings of ‘belonging’ in the ancestral homeland – demonstrating how boundaries of such notions are blurred, eroded and re-established by a new generation of migrants, reflecting their time, experiences, choices and ideologies. My findings deconstruct the meaning of ‘return’, move beyond the primordial cultural confines of notions of ‘belonging’, and challenge the simple dichotomy of ‘home’ versus ‘away’, revealing new similarities (and differences) beyond such predefined labels and categories, which form the building blocks for new, contemporary, ways and spaces of belonging.
Ability of Saudi mothers to appropriately and accurately use dosing devices to administer oral liquid medications to their children

Background Most liquid medications are packaged with administration devices, which may be used inappropriately or inaccurately, and sometimes are not used at all. Because of the importance of their proper use for children’s health, this study was designed to assess Saudi mothers’ experiences with measuring cups, syringes, and droppers for oral liquid medications; to compare accuracy of dosing across these devices; and to determine the effects of mothers’ education statuses and pharmacist counseling on dosing accuracy. Methods This was a cross-sectional study in which mothers were observed as they used a set of commonly available dosing devices which are a dosing cup, syringe, and dropper. Interviews were conducted in the outpatient pharmacy waiting area in several tertiary hospitals and primary clinics in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia between March and April 2013. Saudi women who were mothers of children aged 12 years old or younger and who gave their consent were eligible. Caregivers other than mothers and subjects with vision problems or cognitive/physical disabilities were excluded. We gathered demographic information such as age, number of children, and education status. Subjects were asked if they had had counseling on how to use measuring devices and which device they preferred. Then, the mothers were required to demonstrate how to measure 5 mL of paracetamol (acetaminophen) syrup using a cup and a syringe and 1 mL of paracetamol syrup using a dropper. Dosing errors were evaluated visually as overdosing, underdosing, or no error (if the dose was accurate). The data were entered into Microsoft Excel and evaluated using Stata 11.1. Logistic regression was employed to determine relationships. Results The results revealed that 58% of participants measured an accurate dose of paracetamol using the oral dosing syringe versus 50% of participants using the dropper and 51% using the dosing cup. In general, participants measured more than the intended dose with the dosing cup and less than the intended dose with the dropper. Furthermore, we found that dosing accuracy for each type of instrument was significantly influenced by the mothers’ education status. Among the study participants, 77% had not had previous counseling on the use of liquid medication measuring devices. However, dosing errors were not affected by previous counseling. Conclusion Among mothers using measuring devices, the most accurate doses were found to be measured with the use of the oral syringe, whereas the most errors were made with the use of the dropper. Moreover, education status had a significant effect on dosing errors. The use of a pictographic diagram could improve the mothers’ dosing abilities and, thus, reduce dosing errors.
Dynamic evaluation of blood immune cells predictive of response to immune checkpoint inhibitors in NSCLC by multicolor spectrum flow cytometry

Introduction Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) only benefit a subset of cancer patients, underlining the need for predictive biomarkers for patient selection. Given the limitations of tumor tissue availability, flow cytometry of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) is considered a noninvasive method for immune monitoring. This study explores the use of spectrum flow cytometry, which allows a more comprehensive analysis of a greater number of markers using fewer immune cells, to identify potential blood immune biomarkers and monitor ICI treatment in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Methods PBMCs were collected from 14 non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients before and after ICI treatment and 4 healthy human donors. Using spectrum flow cytometry, 24 immune cell markers were simultaneously monitored using only 1 million PBMCs. The results were also compared with those from clinical flow cytometry and bulk RNA sequencing analysis. Results Our findings showed that the measurement of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells by spectrum flow cytometry matched well with those by clinical flow cytometry (Pearson R ranging from 0.75 to 0.95) and bulk RNA sequencing analysis (R=0.80, P=1.3 x 10-4). A lower frequency of CD4+ central memory cells before treatment was associated with a longer median progression-free survival (PFS) [Not reached (NR) vs. 5 months; hazard ratio (HR)=8.1, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.5–42, P=0.01]. A higher frequency of CD4-CD8- double-negative (DN) T cells was associated with a longer PFS (NR vs. 4.45 months; HR=11.1, 95% CI 2.2–55.0, P=0.003). ICIs significantly changed the frequency of cytotoxic CD8+PD1+ T cells, DN T cells, CD16+CD56dim and CD16+CD56- natural killer (NK) cells, and CD14+HLDRhigh and CD11c+HLADR + monocytes. Of these immune cell subtypes, an increase in the frequency of CD16+CD56dim NK cells and CD14+HLADRhigh monocytes after treatment compared to before treatment were associated with a longer PFS (NR vs. 5 months, HR=5.4, 95% CI 1.1-25.7, P=0.03; 7.8 vs. 3.8 months, HR=5.7, 95% CI 169 1.0-31.7, P=0.04), respectively. Conclusion Our preliminary findings suggest that the use of multicolor spectrum flow cytometry helps identify potential blood immune biomarkers for ICI treatment, which warrants further validation.
A novel 3D biofabrication strategy to improve cell proliferation and differentiation of human Wharton’s jelly mesenchymal stromal cells for cell therapy and tissue engineering

Purpose: Obtaining sufficient numbers of cells in a short time is a major goal of cell culturing in cell therapy and tissue engineering. However, current bidimensional (2D) culture methods are associated to several limitations, including low efficiency and the loss of key cell differentiation markers on cultured cells. Methods: In the present work, we have designed a novel biofabrication method based on a three-dimensional (3D) culture system (FIBRIAGAR-3D). Human Wharton’s jelly mesenchymal stromal cells (HWJSC) were cultured in 3D using 100%, 75%, 50%, and 25% concentrations of fibrin-agarose biomaterials (FA100, FA75, FA50 and FA25 group) and compared with control cells cultured using classical 2D systems (CTR-2D). Results: Our results showed a significant increase in the number of cells generated after 7 days of culture, with cells displaying numerous expansions towards the biomaterial, and a significant overexpression of the cell proliferation marker KI67 was found for the FA75 and FA100 groups. TUNEL and qRT-PCR analyses demonstrated that the use of FIBRIAGAR-3D was not associated with an induction of apoptosis by cultured cells. Instead, the 3D system retained the expression of typical phenotypic markers of HWJSC, including CD73, CD90, CD105, NANOG and OCT4, and biosynthesis markers such as types-I and IV collagens, with significant increase of some of these markers, especially in the FA100 group. Finally, our analysis of 8 cell signaling molecules revealed a significant decrease of GM-CSF, IFN-g, IL2, IL4, IL6, IL8, and TNFα, suggesting that the 3D culture system did not induce the expression of pro-inflammatory molecules. Conclusion: These results confirm the usefulness of FIBRIAGAR-3D culture systems to increase cell proliferation without altering cell phenotype of immunogenicity and opens the door to the possibility of using this novel biofabrication method in cell therapy and tissue engineering of the human cornea, oral mucosa, skin, urethra, among other structures.
Use of remote sensing in assessment of soil and ecosystem carbon status.

Quantitative assessment of carbon exchange between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere is one of the critical subjects in environmental policy-making as well as in related sciences since the carbon stock in ecosystems plays an important role in the global carbon cycle. Remote sensing is a vital tool for geospatial data acquisition for direct and indirect assessment of ecosystem carbon dynamics at local, regional and global scales. Remote sensing has unique merits compared the other methods i.e., especially in 1) wide area observation, 2) periodical and continuous measurement, 3) a wide range of spectral signatures are available, 4) digital data are suitable for processing, standardization, archiving and on-line distribution, 5) signatures from various sensors and platforms can be used synthetically, and 6) long-term and consistent archives allow chrono-sequential analysis. In this paper, the potential and practical use of remotely sensed signatures for assessment of soil and ecosystem carbon stock will be presented through some case studies.
Neural Prediction Errors enable Analogical Visual Reasoning in Human Standard Intelligence Tests

Deep neural networks have long been criticized for lacking the ability to perform analogical visual reasoning. Here, we propose a neural network model to solve Raven’s Progressive Matrices (RPM) — one of the standard intelligence tests in human psychology. Specifically, we de-sign a reasoning block based on the well-known concept of prediction error (PE) in neuroscience. Our reasoning block uses convolution to extract abstract rules from high-level visual features of the 8 context images and generates the features of a predicted answer. PEs are then calculated between the predicted features and those of the 8 candidate answers, and are then passed to the next stage. We further integrate our novel reasoning blocks into a residual network and build a new Pred ictive R easoning N etwork (PredRNet). Extensive experiments show that our proposed PredRNet achieves state-of-the-art average performance on several important RPM benchmarks. PredRNet also shows good generalization abilities in a variety of out-of-distribution scenarios and other visual reasoning tasks. Most importantly, our PredRNet forms low-dimensional representations of abstract rules and minimizes hierarchical prediction errors during model training, supporting the critical role of PE minimization in visual reasoning. Our work highlights the potential of using neuroscience theories to solve abstract visual reasoning problems in artificial intelligence. The code is available at https://github.com/ZjjConan/AVR-PredRNet.
Population estimates of English small towns, 1550-1851

This volume.stems from the ongoing research work since 1985 of the Small Towns Project at the Centre for Urban History Leicester University.The Small Towns Project has three main concerns: 1. the collection of static population data on English small towns from the 16th to the 19th centuries; 2. the collection of aggregative parish register data; 3. the collection of economic principally occupational material. Data is being stored on the Leicester University main-frame (DEC VAX) computer. From the detailed analysis of this material it is intended to plot national and regional trends in the economic and demographic development of small towns in England before and during the Industrial Revolution. [This volume] is intended as an initial preliminary listing of data currently held by the project. (EXCERPT)
Factors associated with adherence to medication among depressed patients from saudi arabia: a cross-sectional study

Background: Several studies have investigated the factors associated with adherence to antidepressants, with inconsistent conclusions. However, no similar study has investigated this issue among patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder in Saudi Arabia. The aim of this study is to explore patients’ adherence to antidepressant medications, and the factors associated with adherence. Methods: A non-experimental cross-sectional design was used to measure adherence to antidepressants among major depressive disorder patients, and the factors associated with adherence. The patients were recruited from the outpatient clinic at the Al-Amal Complex for Mental Health in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, between August 2013 and January 2014. Eligible participants met with one of the research coordinators for assessment of their adherence. Adherence was investigated indirectly by use of the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale, and patients’ beliefs were assessed through the Beliefs about Medicine Questionnaire. Information about the severity of their depression, demographics, and other study variables were collected. Results: A total of 403 patients met the inclusion criteria and participated in the study. Of those, 203 (50.37%) were females, while the remaining 200 (49.6%) were males. There was an average age of 39 years (standard deviation, ± 11 years). Half of the patients (52.9%) reported low adherence to their antidepressant medication, with statistically significant differences between the low adherence and high adherence scores relating to sex, age, and duration of illness. Conclusion: Low medication adherence is a common problem among major depressive disorder patients in Saudi Arabia. Medication-taking behavior among depressed patients is influenced by several factors, mainly patients’ beliefs regarding antidepressants. This study has improved the understanding of the factors associated with adherence to antidepressants.