Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effect of positive autobiographical memory retrieval on decision-making under risk: A computational model-based analysis

Psychiatric disorders such as depressive and anxiety disorders are associated with altered decision-making under risk. Recent advances in neuroeconomics and computational psychiatry have further discomposed risk-based decision-making into distinct cognitive computational constructs and showed that there may be disorder-specific alterations in these constructs. As a result, it has been suggested these cognitive computational constructs may serve as useful behavioral biomarkers for these disorders. However, to date, little is known about what psychological or behavioral interventions can help to reverse and manage the altered cognitive computational constructs underlying risk-based decision-making. In the present study, we set out to investigate whether recalling positive autobiographical memories may affect risk-based decision-making in healthy volunteers using a description-based task. Specifically, based on theories of behavioral economics, we dissected risk preference into two cognitive computational constructs, utility sensitivity and probability weighting. We found that compared to recalling neutral memories, retrieving positive autobiographical memories increased utility sensitivity (Cohen's d = 0.447), indicating reduced risk aversion. Meanwhile, we also tested the influence of memory retrieval on probability weighting, the effect, however, was unreliable and requires further in-depth investigation. Of clinical relevance, the change in risk aversion after recalling positive memories was in the opposite direction compared to those reported in psychiatric disorders. These results argue for the potential therapeutic effect of positive autobiographical memory retrieval for the amendment of altered risk-based decision-making in psychiatric disorders.
Updates on mesenchymal stem cell therapies for articular cartilage regeneration in large animal models

There is an unmet need for novel and efficacious therapeutics for regenerating injured articular cartilage in progressive osteoarthritis (OA) and/or trauma. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are particularly promising for their chondrogenic differentiation, local healing environment modulation, and tissue- and organism-specific activity; however, despite early in vivo success, MSCs require further investigation in highly-translatable models prior to disseminated clinical usage. Large animal models, such as canine, porcine, ruminant, and equine models, are particularly valuable for studying allogenic and xenogenic human MSCs in a human-like osteochondral microenvironment, and thus play a critical role in identifying promising approaches for subsequent clinical investigation. In this mini-review, we focus on [1] considerations for MSC-harnessing studies in each large animal model, [2] source tissues and organisms of MSCs for large animal studies, and [3] tissue engineering strategies for optimizing MSC-based cartilage regeneration in large animal models, with a focus on research published within the last 5 years. We also highlight the dearth of standard assessments and protocols regarding several crucial aspects of MSC-harnessing cartilage regeneration in large animal models, and call for further research to maximize the translatability of future MSC findings.
Geraniol inhibits biofilm formation of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and increase the therapeutic effect of vancomycin in vivo

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is among the common drug resistant bacteria, which has gained worldwide attention due to its high drug resistance and infection rates. Biofilms produced by S. aureus are known to increase antibiotic resistance, making the treatment of S. aureus infections even more challenging. Hence, inhibition of biofilm formation has become an alternative strategy for controlling persistent infections. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of geraniol as a treatment for MRSA biofilm infection. The results of crystal violet staining indicated that 256 μg/mL concentration of geraniol inhibited USA300 biofilm formation by 86.13% and removed mature biofilms by 49.87%. Geraniol exerted its anti-biofilm effect by influencing the major components of the MRSA biofilm structure. We found that geraniol inhibited the synthesis of major virulence factors, including staphyloxanthin and autolysins. The colony count revealed that geraniol inhibited staphyloxanthin and sensitized USA300 cells to hydrogen peroxide. Interestingly, geraniol not only reduced the release of extracellular nucleic acids (eDNA) but also inhibited cell autolysis. Real-time polymerase chain reaction data revealed the downregulation of genes involved in biofilm formation, which verified the results of the phenotypic analysis. Geraniol increased the effect of vancomycin in eliminating USA300 biofilms in a mouse infection model. Our findings revealed that geraniol effectively inhibits biofilm formation in vitro. Furthermore, in combination with vancomycin, geraniol can reduce the biofilm adhesion to the implant in mice. This suggests the potential of geraniol as an anti-MRSA biofilm drug and can provide a solution for the clinical treatment of biofilm infection.
Testicular tissue cryopreservation for fertility preservation in prepubertal and adolescent boys: A 6 year experience from a Swiss multi-center network

Testicular tissue cryopreservation is the only option of fertility preservation in prepubertal boys. While it is considered experimental, since procedures to obtain mature spermatozoa from prepubertal testicular tissue are still under development, testicular tissue cryopreservation programs have emerged worldwide. Our aim was to study the feasibility and safety of a program of testicular tissue cryopreservation in prepubertal and adolescent boys facing gonadotoxic treatment in three University hospitals in Switzerland. Testicular tissue cryopreservation was accepted by 90% of families, with a total of 35 patients included. The average patient age was 8.5 years (range 7 months to 18.5 years). Malignancies were the most common diagnosis (31 patients, 88.6%) with 16 (45.7%) solid tumors and 15 (42.9%) hematological malignancies. Four (11.4%) patients had a benign condition. The main indication for testicular tissue cryopreservation was conditioning for hematologic stem cell transplantation (25 patients, 71.4%). Testicular tissue was cryopreserved according to the freezing protocol of Louvain Catholic University (Belgium), which includes either only immature testicular tissue freezing, or mature and immature testicular tissue freezing depending on the age of the patient and the presence or absence of haploid cells. The median number of spermatogonia per tubule cross-section was 2 (range 0–6) and spermatozoa were found in only one patient. Tumoral cells were found in one testicular biopsy of a leukemic patient. There were two minor adverse events and none of them required medical treatment or surgical revision. Five patients died during follow-up. Our data demonstrate the feasibility and safety of a program of testicular tissue cryopreservation coordinated by a multidisciplinary team of fertility preservation. Despite the experimental aspect of the procedure, the acceptation rate was high, which highlights the willingness of families and patients to participate in testicular tissue cryopreservation.
Spectroscopic Determination of Heavy Metals in Commercially Available and Household Chicken Meat in Quetta City

This research study was conducted to analyze the meat of both broiler and domestic chickens for heavy metals (Cd and Zn) through Atomic Absorption Spectrometer. The samples of both chickens were taken from different regions of Quetta City. The tissues such as heart, liver, muscles, kidney, and gizzard of both broiler and home-grown chickens were examined to detect the quantity of metals in them. This study showed higher concentration of Cd in all body parts of broiler chicken than domestic. However, it was found lower than that reported by Iwegbue et al. Gonzalez-Weller et al and Marriam et al (0.49–0.16 ppm). While on other hand, kidney, gizzard and liver of home-grown chicken showed higher level of zinc than broiler except heart and muscles. However, it showed the lower level of zinc than the study performed by Mariam et al in Lahore and Khan et al in Karachi. The current study concludes that both Cd and Zn were lower than the acceptable level 0.5 ppm and 10 – 50 ppm given by WHO/FAO respectively.
The Effect of Relational Transparency on the Performance of Employees of Commercial Banks in Kenya

The study investigated the effect of Relational Transparency on the performance of employees of commercial banks in Kenya. Relational Transparency was measured using four independent variables, namely: openness, truthfulness, self-disclosure and mutual trust. Performance of employees had four indicators, which included efficiency, productivity, turnover and quality of work output. The theory underpinning the study is Social Exchange Theory. A cross-sectional descriptive research design was used. The population was 31,605 employees of 38 commercial banks in Kenya. The study sample was 395 respondents, which was attained using proportionate stratified sampling method. A structured questionnaire was used to collect primary data from respondents. The study formulated the null hypothesis and tested it using the spearman correlation coefficient aided by the statistical package for social sciences. The results showed that relational transparency has a statistically significant influence on the performance of employees of commercial banks in Kenya. The findings would be useful to commercial banks in Kenya and other organizations in evaluating their leaders ‘relational transparency in order to improve performance of their employees.
Assessment of Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness in Nigerian Adults Using Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography

Objective: To measure the circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness in normal eyes of Nigerian adults using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Materials and methods: This was a cross-sectional study of normal eyes of Nigerian adults between July and September 2016 at the eye clinic of a tertiary hospital in Nigeria. Sociodemographic data, clinical history, and examination findings were obtained. Dipstick urinalysis and blood pressure measurements were performed. Circumpapillary RNFL thickness was measured with the Topcon 3D OCT-1 Maestro version 8.30 (Topcon Medical Systems, Inc., Oakland, NJ, USA), using the 3D optic nerve head analysis. Data were analyzed using the International Business Machine (IBM) Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Statistics, version 25.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) and the level of significance was set at P ≤ 0.05. Results: The study included 120 participants (240 eyes) with an age range of 18 to 53 years and a mean age of 34.06 ± 7.64 years. There were 59 (49.17%) males and 61 (50.83%) females. The average RNFL thickness in the right and left eyes was 112.26 ± 9.6 and 110.53 ± 9.14 μm, respectively. The average RNFL thickness for the Igbo ethnic group was 117.5 ± 7.69 and 115.04 ± 7.18 μm in the right and left eyes, respectively. The mean RNFL thickness for the inferior, superior, nasal, and temporal quadrants was 148.92 ± 15.77, 142.59 ± 16.48, 85.3 ± 15.39, and 71.89 ± 9.35 μm in the right eyes and 149.28 ± 16.03, 141.69 ± 13.33, 81.82 ± 13.59, and 68.8 ± 10.17 μm in the left eyes, respectively. Conclusion: This study showed the normal circumpapillary RNFL thickness values in Nigerian adults using SD-OCT. There were variations based on ethnicity that suggest it may be important to use ethnic-specific benchmarks when interpreting OCT results for the management of glaucoma.
Risk factors, complications, and outcomes of phacoemulsification cataract surgery complicated by retained lens fragments in Asian eyes: A 10-year retrospective study

PURPOSE: To study the risk factors, visual outcomes, and sequelae of phacoemulsification surgery complicated by retained lens fragments (RLFs). METHODS: This single-center case–control study enrolled consecutive eyes complicated by RLF and compared them to age- and gender-matched uneventful cataract surgery cases at a tertiary care teaching hospital. Biometric, intraoperative, and postoperative data were collected. The primary outcome measures were risk factors, visual outcomes, and rate of postoperative complications. RESULTS: The study and control groups included 282 and 289 eyes, respectively. The estimated incidence of RLF was 1.47% during the study. We found a statistically higher risk of RLF among diabetics (P < 0.001), those with a history of intravitreal injections (P = 0.001), eyes with dense nuclear sclerosis, anterior capsular cataract (P < 0.001), and posterior polar cataract (P = 0.01). There was a statistically higher risk of RLF in eyes with a higher mean preoperative visual acuity (logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution) (P < 0.001) and in cases performed by trainees (P < 0.001). Most eyes in the RLF group (n = 207, 73.4%) retained their preoperative vision or experienced a one-line improvement in visual acuity and 14 eyes (5.3%) experienced more than one-line improvement in vision. CONCLUSION: Although RLFs are rare, they can affect the quality of postoperative vision and outcomes of complicated phacoemulsification surgery.
Ultraviolet complete inflation: looking at inflation from fundamental physics

To completely describe the inflationary era in the early universe is an extremely ambitious task. The main reason is that its dynamics are highly sensitive to ultraviolet physics, making the knowledge of inflation dependent on our ignorance of what is happening at these energy scales. This is not necessarily a weakness of inflation as a paradigm; it is ultimately its most interesting characteristic. Accepting this lack of control on the details of inflationary dynamics brings observational cosmology and the search for an ultraviolet complete theory of gravity together. In this thesis, this duality is explored with the aim of making steps towards an efficient way of studying inflation and its predictions and signatures. This challenge is twofold; first, since fundamental theories are far from being able to explicitly determine the early universe physics, the construction of approximate toy models is unavoidable. For this reason, I identify the key issues for the building of a realistic inflation model, in particular the delicate flatness of the inflaton potential, the strong possibility of multifield dynamics and the necessity of a viable reheating, and in the light of these analyze how best to approximate an ultraviolet complete inflation. For this analysis, two different classes of case studies are presented: inflation in the brane picture and in a holography inspired scenario. On the other hand, since any toy model of an ultraviolet complete inflation necessarily presents a high level of complexity, the computation of predictions for observables is not trivial. For this purpose, I develop numerical tools that manage to compute these parameters efficiently and with a high level of accuracy for a broad range of inflation classes with more than one active field. For each case study, I determine the impact of the inclusion of microphysics contributions in the resulting observational signatures and confront them with data.
Exploring the Affordances and Effectiveness of a Digital Game in the Chinese Dual Language Immersion Classroom

: Recent studies have found that Chinese dual language immersion learners tend to lag behind their peers studying other languages in terms of literacy skills. Yet, teachers cannot simply prioritize literacy skills at the detriment of oral communicative skills. The present study explores how the integration of a digital game into the dual language immersion classroom affords opportunities for meaningful language use while also supporting learners’ vocabulary and reading development. In this study two sixth-grade Chinese dual language immersion classes play a digital game in eight sessions across four weeks. Audio data of students interacting with the researcher were recorded and seven affordances that emerged through in-class gameplay were identified. Further, results indicate that after 4 weeks of gameplay, students had significant vocabulary and reading comprehension gains and their reading gains were significantly associated with completion of a workbook supplemental to the game
Developing a Theoretical Framework for understanding eLearning Systems Success

Effective implementation, management, and success of e-Learning systems have drawn the attention of many researchers. However, e-Learning systems success research lacks models and frameworks addressing organisational dimensions along with lecturer and learner dimensions. Hence, the objective of this study was to explore the dimensions of e-Learning systems success to develop a broad framework to understand the e-Learning systems success dimensions. The overall success of an e-Learning system comprises a number of dimensions, all reflecting different aspects of e-Learning systems success. Based on a comprehensive review of literature, a three tier multidimensional framework of e-Learning systems success was derived. The dimensions are categorised as organisational dimensions, lecturer dimensions, and learner dimensions. The framework constitutes a source of ideas for e-Learning systems success dimensions appropriate for particular contexts. To develop a specific model, the relevant dimensions are to be adopted from the framework. The framework could be validated by formulating e-Learning systems success models that could be validated against survey data.
THE IMPORTANCE OF TEAMWORK ON EMPLOYEES’ PERFORMANCE – EVIDENCE FROM SELECTED MANUFACTURING COMPANIES IN LAKE ZONE REGIONS OF TANZANIA.

The purpose of this paper was to examine the importance of teamwork on employees’ performance in manufacturing companies in Lake Zone regions in Tanzania. Teamwork is one of the most important factors that help to improve employees’ performance in the organization. The study adopted survey research design and used a stratified random sampling technique to select a sample size of 102 respondents from manufacturing companies in Lake Zone regions. Data was collected using structured questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, Parametric tests (T-test) and regression analysis and the results presented using tables. The results of the study reveal that there is a positive significant relationship between teamwork and employee performance in manufacturing companies in Lake Zone regions in Tanzania.
Sleep in Elderly Patients under Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation: An Observational Study

ofelderlyadultswith Methods: It was a three-stage prospective observational study, which aimed to evaluate the patient’s subjective sleep quality, their circadian rhythm, and objective sleep parameters. The Richards-Camp-bell sleep questionnaire (RCSQ), 24-hour body temperature measurements, and 24-hour polysomno- graphy (PSG) were used to assess these features, respectively in patients undergoing PMV therapy. Results: Eight elderly participants completed 30 RCSQ surveys, and the average total score was 52.9 (cid:3) 20.3. Among the 19 elderly subjects who had their 24-hour body temperatures measured, only 21.1% were assessed as having a normal body temperature circadian rhythm. A total of 6 elderly patients un-derwent 24-hour PSG and their mean recording time was 22.8 (cid:3) 0.8 hours. The total sleep time was 411.1 (cid:3) 247.6 minutes, and the time spent in sleep stages N1, N2, N3 and REM was 23.1%,70.1%, 3.3% and 3.5% of total sleep, respectively. The majority of sleep (61.5 (cid:3) 14.5% of total sleep) occurred intermittently during the day as opposed to at night. Sleep efficiency was 33.7 (cid:3) 26.9% at night. Conclusions: Elderly patients receiving PMV in the RCC presented with poor subjective sleep quality, disrupted circadian rhythms, and disturbed and fragmented sleep.
The influence of online brand community on brand loyalty and the role of brand commitment How online brand community affects brand loyalty and what is the role of brand commitment in this constellation ?

I TABLE OF CONTENT . II LIST OF TABLES . IV LIST OF FIGURES . V 1. INTRODUCTION . 1 1.1. Context of the thesis . 1 1.2. Problem statement . 1 1.3. Research questions . 2 1.4. Methodology . 3 2. LITERATURE REVIEW . 4 2.1. Online brand community . 4 2.1.1. Concepts of brand, community and brand community . 4 2.1.2. Online brand community . 8 2.1.3. Online brand community on social networks . 11 2.1.4. Types of online brand communities . 12 2.1. 5. Types of members in online brand communities . 13 2.1. 6. Why customers decide to be a part of an online brand community? 15 2.2. Brand loyalty . 16 2.2.1. Brand loyalty in online community . 17 2.2.2. Behavioural and attitudinal loyalty . 17 2.2.3. Four phases of brand loyalty . 17 2.3. Brand trust . 19 2.3. 1. Brand trust in online community . 20 2.3. 2. Trust and loyalty . 21 2.3. 3. Trust and commitment . 22 2.4. Brand commitment . 23 2.4. 1. Brand commitment in online brand community . 24 2.4. 2. Brand commitment and brand loyalty . 25 2.5. Models of online brand communities . 25 2.5. 1. Customer centric model of brand community . 25 2.5. 2. Model of effect of brand community on brand loyalty . 27 3. RESEARCH MODEL AND HYPOTHESIS . 29
Effect of work- family conflict on employee’s psychological well-being: Role of emotional intelligence

The main objective in this study is to examine the moderating role of emotional intelligence on the relationship between work-family conflict and psychological well-being among employees in Malaysian service industry. The present study adopted Role Theory and Conservation of Resource Theory as the underpinning theories for its proposed conceptual framework. Based on the positivist paradigm, this study employed a quantitative method through questionnaires distribution. The data was obtained from the service employees sample (n = 250) in the area of Selangor and Klang Valley, Malaysia. The Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis results suggested that work-family conflict contributes significantly to employee’s psychological well-being. Meanwhile, emotional intelligence plays a significant role in moderating the relationship between work- family conflict and employee’s psychological well being.