Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of menopausal hormone therapy and alternative methods, health benefits experienced by peri- and postmenopausal Polish women

The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of menopausal symptoms, and the use of menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) and nonconventional methods of alleviating menopausal symptoms and their health benefits in peri- and postmenopausal women. A sample of 349 peri- or postmenopausal women were studied, all of whom had experienced menopausal symptoms. A pre-tested questionnaire was used to assess the kinds of menopausal symptoms experienced, the types of therapies used, and the health benefits of using MHT or alternative therapies (AT). The mean age of peri- and postmenopausal women was 49.55 (±2.51) and 61.32 (±6.77) years, respectively. The most common symptoms in both groups of peri- and postmenopausal women related to mental health. Altogether 45% of women used MHT and 27.8% AT. Those using MHT reported significant benefits in their sexual life (p < 0.001), whereas those using AT reported significant benefits of better sexual life (p < 0.001), skin condition (p < 0.001), and physical activity (p < 0.05). This study indicated that the most common symptoms connected with the menopausal transition were mental ailments. In order to prevent them, the women more frequently applied MHT in comparison to alternative methods, with postmenopausal women using MHT more often than perimenopausal women. Satisfaction was found with both conventional and alternative treatments for the relief of menopausal symptoms.
Evaluation of Medication Adherence Levels of Hypertension Patients in an Educational Family Health Center

Objectives: Non-adherence to medical and non-medical treatment is the main reason for uncontrolled hypertension (HT) worldwide. It was aimed to evaluate the medication adherence levels of patients with HT in this study. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, patients with HT who applied to an educational family health center from August 2018 to November 2018 and received HT treatment for at least 6 months were included in the study. The form consisted of questions about sociodemographic characteristics, medical information, and life-style habits. Morisky, Green, and Levine’s Adherence Scale (MGL) was used to determine patients’ adherence to pharmacotherapy. Results: A total of 186 patients were included in the study. According to the MGL scale, 26 (14.0%) of the participants were found to be non-adherent to their medication. According to blood pressure measurement results, 89 (47.8%) patients had uncontrolled HT. When sociodemographic characteristics and medication compliance were evaluated, 14 (8.8%) of university and above, 30 (18.8%) were in high school, 21 (13.0%) in secondary school, 64 (40.0%) were in primary school, 14 (8.8%) of literate, and 17 (10.6%) of illiterate patients were found to be adherent to drug therapy (p=0.035). While 87 (54.4%) of the patients whose blood pressure was normotensive were adherent to drug therapy, 73 (45.6%) of the patients who had uncontrolled HT were adherent to drug therapy (p=0.132). Conclusion: It was observed that high education level was effective in increasing adherence to drug therapy. Interestingly, there was no significant difference between medication adherence and providing blood pressure control in patients.
Characterising strategic collaboration of large Swiss municipalities

ABSTRACT By analysing legislative programmes of all Swiss municipalities having more than 20,000 inhabitants (in 2018) and in two different time periods (2010 and 2020), this study examines the general place of collaboration in municipal strategies, by paying attention to the various public fields and degree of complexity in terms of actor constellations. As in real life, collaboration occupies also an important part of the large Swiss municipal governments’ strategic reflections. Yet, a certain gap exists regarding the weight given to public fields. Indeed, politically selling fields seem to get more place in legislative programmes than in real life. Collaboration, such as planned in municipal strategies, involves a large diversity of actors and thereby achieves a certain complexity which clearly goes beyond the intermunicipal level. The degree of complexity does not evolve over time but inhabitants become a strategically more important collaborative actor for municipalities.
Artificial Tears: Biological Role of Their Ingredients in the Management of Dry Eye Disease

Dry eye disease (DED) is the most common ocular surface disease, characterized by insufficient production and/or instability of the tear film. Tear substitutes are usually the first line of treatment for patients with DED. Despite the large variety of tear substitutes available on the market, few studies have been performed to compare their performance. There is a need to better understand the specific mechanical and pharmacological roles of each ingredient composing the different formulations. In this review, we describe the main categories of ingredients composing tear substitutes (e.g., viscosity-enhancing agents, electrolytes, osmo-protectants, antioxidants, lipids, surfactants and preservatives) as well as their effects on the ocular surface, and we provide insight into how certain components of tear substitutes may promote corneal wound healing, and/or counteract inflammation. Based on these considerations, we propose an approach to select the most appropriate tear substitute formulations according to the predominant etiological causes of DED.
Antisense Therapy Attenuates Phospholamban p.(Arg14del) Cardiomyopathy in Mice and Reverses Protein Aggregation

Inherited cardiomyopathy caused by the p.(Arg14del) pathogenic variant of the phospholamban (PLN) gene is characterized by intracardiomyocyte PLN aggregation and can lead to severe dilated cardiomyopathy. We recently reported that pre-emptive depletion of PLN attenuated heart failure (HF) in several cardiomyopathy models. Here, we investigated if administration of a Pln-targeting antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) could halt or reverse disease progression in mice with advanced PLN-R14del cardiomyopathy. To this aim, homozygous PLN-R14del (PLN-R14 Δ/Δ) mice received PLN-ASO injections starting at 5 or 6 weeks of age, in the presence of moderate or severe HF, respectively. Mice were monitored for another 4 months with echocardiographic analyses at several timepoints, after which cardiac tissues were examined for pathological remodeling. We found that vehicle-treated PLN-R14 Δ/Δ mice continued to develop severe HF, and reached a humane endpoint at 8.1 ± 0.5 weeks of age. Both early and late PLN-ASO administration halted further cardiac remodeling and dysfunction shortly after treatment start, resulting in a life span extension to at least 22 weeks of age. Earlier treatment initiation halted disease development sooner, resulting in better heart function and less remodeling at the study endpoint. PLN-ASO treatment almost completely eliminated PLN aggregates, and normalized levels of autophagic proteins. In conclusion, these findings indicate that PLN-ASO therapy may have beneficial outcomes in PLN-R14del cardiomyopathy when administered after disease onset. Although existing tissue damage was not reversed, further cardiomyopathy progression was stopped, and PLN aggregates were resolved.
Investigation of particle erosion of polytetrafluoroethylene and its composites

Modern-day engineering applications favor polymers and polymer composites on the grounds of their high specific properties. They can offer many different advantages compared to metals; such as high strength-to-weight ratio, ease of production, but their erosion resistance is weaker. In polymer composites, material loss occurs because of high-speed and repeated exposure to erosive particles, therefore service performance and life of the parts are adversely affected. Due to this, it is crucial to predict the particle erosion that may occur in engineering applications and to know the erosive wear behavior of the materials well. Polytetrafluoroethylene and its composites are widely used in tribological applications because of their load-carrying capacity, self-lubricating, and low-density properties, but there is inadequate literature on particle erosion behavior. In this study, particle erosion behaviors of polytetrafluoroethylene, its randomly oriented short glass fiber, and carbon particle and bronze particle-reinforced composites were investigated under different test conditions. Two different types of erosive particles (garnet and alumina) were used to present the effect of erodent type on particle erosion behavior. After particle erosion tests, surface topographies were examined by an optical profilometer, and surface morphologies were examined by scanning electron microscopy. It has been found that the type of reinforcement and the type of erodent significantly affects the particle erosion behavior of polytetrafluoroethylene and its composites.
Mental Health Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Ontario’s Youth: A Cross-Sectional Study

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a significant impact on the mental health and wellbeing of Ontario's youth. Our study investigated the psychological impacts of COVID-19 on the pediatric population of Ontario, using a survey derived from the Revised Children's Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS) system to identify children who may benefit from seeking professional help. Our cross-sectional study examined the potential risk factors that contributed to worsening mental health and wellbeing in children, including changes in sleep patterns, appetite, and physical activity levels, as well as the diagnosis of a family member with COVID-19. Our study found that 24%, 9.4%, and 15.5% of participants exhibited symptoms of depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), respectively, according to the RCADS system. Furthermore, there were significant associations between the presence of symptoms and the diagnosis of a family member with COVID-19 or a frontline worker in the family. This suggests a need to create interventions to support the families of frontline workers and those directly affected by a COVID-19 diagnosis.
A person-centred approach to understanding self-regulation in homework using latent profile analysis

Abstract The current investigation used latent profile analysis (LPA) to categorise students according to their strategies for managing mathematics homework. A sample of 918 Chinese students in grades 7–9 rated their use of seven homework management strategies; namely, arranging the environment, managing time, monitoring motivation, managing emotion, cognitively reappraising information, and handling both conventional and technological distractions. LPA identified five distinct profiles that could be labelled: High Across All Strategies, Moderate Across All Strategies, Low Across All Strategies, Low Except for Handling Distractions, and Low Handling Distractions. Profile membership was related to homework effort, completion, and mathematics achievement. Students who profiled high across all strategies outperformed the other groups on these outcome variables. Taken together, the study’s results offer insight into self-regulation of homework behaviour that can have important implications for homework research and practices.
The Religious/Spiritually Integrated Practice Assessment Scale for Educators: A National Survey of Social Work Faculty

ABSTRACT Although there has been increased attention to religion and spirituality (RS) over the past few decades in social work, little is understood about the delivery of this content within the social work curriculum and social work educators’ views and behaviors regarding training students on this area of practice. The current study attempts to address this by (a) describing the development and validation of the Religious/Spiritually Integrated Practice Assessment Scale for Educators (RSIPAS-EDU); (b) describing a national sample of 833 master of social work (MSW) educators’ self-efficacy, attitudes, perceived feasibility, behaviors, and overall orientation toward training students to integrate clients’ RS in practice; and (c) indicating MSW faculty charactertistics that predict their orientation toward this topic in social work education. The results suggest that the RSIPAS-EDU is reliable (α=.96) and valid overall and across the four subscales, and that while MSW faculty indicate high levels of self-efficacy, positive attitudes, and relatively few barriers, fewer reported engagement with training students to integrate clients’ RS. Further, the three predictors of their overall RSIPAS-EDU score included intrinsic religiosity, prior training (course or continuing education), and knowledge of empirically supported interventions that integrate clients’ RS. Implications for social work education and future studies are discussed.
Does feedback targeting text comprehension triggers the use of reading strategies or changes in readers' attitudes? A meta‐analysis

Background: Previous meta-analyses have shown that feedback targeting text comprehension given when students perform a reading task positively in ﬂ uences learning from text. So far, differences in the effects of feedback were explained by design features, such as the timing and richness of feedback. In the present study, we aim to investigate cognitive and affective processes that might be triggered by feedback targeting text comprehension. Method: Two meta-analyses were performed on feedback intervention studies that included statistics for both the effect of feedback targeting text comprehension on the use of reading strategies ( k = 8) or readers ’ attitudes towards the reading task ( k = 10) and the effect of feedback on reading comprehension. We ﬁ rst tested whether feedback signi ﬁ cantly affected the use of reading strategies or readers ’ attitudes. We then performed a meta-regression analysis to test if the magnitude of the effect significantly predicted gains in reading comprehension. Results: Feedback targeting text comprehension had a positive and signi ﬁ cant impact on the use of reading strategies ( g + = 0.61) and on reading comprehension ( g + = 0.34). Additionally, the magnitude of the effect on the use of reading strategies was positively related to the magnitude of the effect on reading comprehension. Feedback targeting text comprehension did not in ﬂ uence readers ’ attitudes towards the reading task. Also, no signi ﬁ cant effect of feedback was found for reading comprehension in these studies. Conclusions: Feedback targeting text comprehension helps students to apply reading strategies more often and/or more ef ﬁ ciently, even when they read new texts without the help of feedback. This transfer of practiced reading strategies in turn fosters reading comprehension. Due to the scarce number of studies,
Morphological and Biochemical Variation in Carrot Genetic Resources Grown under Open Field Conditions: The Selection of Functional Genotypes for a Breeding Program

Carrot (Daucus carota), one of the most economically important root vegetables, shows a wide range of morphological and biochemical diversity. However, there is a lack of simultaneous systematic study regarding the biochemical composition and morphological characteristics in carrot genetic resources, which is crucial for crop improvement. For this reason, the morphological characteristics, carotenoids, and free sugar content of 180 carrot genetic resources grown in open field conditions from March to June 2020 were accessed to select the lines for a potential breeding program. Altogether, 15 qualitative and 4 quantitative agronomical characteristics were evaluated and grouped into four categories based on root color (orange, yellow, white, and purple). Three carotenoids (lutein, α-carotene, and β-carotene) and three free sugars (fructose, glucose, and sucrose) were also analyzed. The results revealed wide genetic variation in both qualitative and quantitative traits. Most of the genetic resources were orange (n = 142), followed by white (n = 16), yellow (n = 14), and purple (n = 8). Carotenoid profile and content were highly dependent on root color and showed wide genetic variability, while sugar content and profile were independent of the root color. Alpha- and β- carotene were the major carotenoids in orange carrots representing 43.3 and 41.0% of total carotenoids. In contrast, lutein was most dominant in other colored carrots (79.7–98.6% of total carotenoids). In most of the genetic resources, sucrose was the most dominant free sugar, followed by glucose and fructose. The results of this study showed that some genetic resources elevated carotenoid and sugar content. The morphological and biochemical diversity observed in this study might be useful for improving the agronomic traits and biochemical content of carrot lines for breeding programs.
The data will not save us: Afropessimism and racial antimatter in the COVID-19 pandemic

The Trump Administration's governance of COVID-19 racial health disparities data has become a key front in the viral war against the pandemic and racial health injustice. In this paper, I analyze how the COVID-19 pandemic joins an already ongoing racial spectacle and system of structural gaslighting organized around “racial health disparities” in the United States and globally. The field of racial health disparities has yet to question the domain assumptions that uphold its field of investigation; as a result, the entire reform program called for by racial health disparities science is already featured on the menu of the white supremacist power structure. The societal infrastructure that produces scientific knowledge about patterns of health and disease in the human population needs to confront its structural position as part of the racial spectacle organized around racial health disparities in the United States. This paper offers an interpretation of racial antimatter to explain why the data will not save us in the COVID-19 pandemic, drawing on articulations of racial spectacle and structural gaslighting within critical race theory and Afropessimist thought. By positioning events in the COVID-19 pandemic together within the same racially speculative frame, I show how the collection of racial health disparities data came up against white supremacists’ political ambitions in a time-space where the demand for human life to matter and the iterative regeneration of racial antimatter collided. This paper highlights the need for ongoing analysis of the unfolding and future spectacles organized around racial health disparities.
Effectiveness of using near-infrared vein visualizers by nurses in promoting successful peripheral venous catheterization in patients receiving chemotherapy

Objective: Visibility and palpability of peripheral veins may affect peripheral intravenous catheterization (PIVC) failure and complications. A near-infrared (NIR) vein visualizer is recommended to select peripheral veins with low visibility. Chemotherapy reduces the number of peripheral veins suitable for PIVC; however, no study has shown that NIR vein visualizers can prevent PIVC failures during chemotherapy. We investigated the effectiveness of using an NIR vein visualizer by nurses for PIVC during chemotherapy. Technical Report: We investigated the vein characteristics (i.e., visibility, palpability), PIVC difficulty before puncture, and success or failure. The study field was a chemotherapy room at the General Hospital (Shizuoka, Japan). The study participants were nurses who performed PIVC in patients receiving chemotherapy. Six nurses were enrolled, and eighty-four PIVC cases were obtained (with duplicate patients). There were 34 cases in the NIR vein visualizer group and 50 in the standard insertion group; the NIR vein visualizer group had a significantly higher number of difficult PIVC cases (p < .01). Peripheral veins with successful PIVC in the NIR vein visualizer group had significantly higher visibility and palpability than those with PIVC failure (p < .05). Conclusions: During chemotherapy, nurses used an NIR vein visualizer for the peripheral veins deemed difficult to catheterize; PIVC was successfully performed in the peripheral veins with high palpability. The results showed that an NIR vein visualizer facilitates successful PIVC during chemotherapy.
A high gain wide dynamic range transimpedance amplifier for optical receivers

As the front-end preamplifiers in optical receivers, transimpedance amplifiers (TIAs) are commonly required to have a high gain and low input noise to amplify the weak and susceptible input signal. At the same time, the TIAs should possess a wide dynamic range (DR) to prevent the circuit from becoming saturated by high input currents. Based on the above, this paper presents a CMOS transimpedance amplifier with high gain and a wide DR for 2.5 Gbit/s communications. The TIA proposed consists of a three-stage cascade pull push inverter, an automatic gain control circuit, and a shunt transistor controlled by the resistive divider. The inductive-series peaking technique is used to further extend the bandwidth. The TIA proposed displays a maximum transimpedance gain of 88.3 dBΩ with the −3 dB bandwidth of 1.8 GHz, exhibits an input current dynamic range from 100 nA to 10 mA. The output voltage noise is less than 48.23 nV/√Hz within the −3 dB bandwidth. The circuit is fabricated using an SMIC 0.18 μm 1P6M RFCMOS process and dissipates a dc power of 9.4 mW with 1.8 V supply voltage.
Students’ efficacy profiles and outcomes of perceived relation-inferred self-efficacy support in physical education

ABSTRACT Studies based on efficacy beliefs have reported the importance of the relation-inferred self-efficacy (RISE) of students in physical education (PE). To better understand the role of perceived RISE support in student efficacy profiles and outcomes in PE, this study was to: (a) test the mediating effect of RISE in the relationships between the 3 dimensions of RISE support (i.e., positive recognition, task assignment, and relationship establishment) and self-efficacy; and (b) identify the relationship among the 3 dimensions of RISE support, RISE, self-efficacy, and outcomes (i.e., effort, enjoyment, and helping others). A 2-stage study employing structural equation modelling was conducted. The first stage included 372 middle school students with an average age of 14.13 ± 0.96 years, and the second included 402 middle school students with an average age of 13.90 ± 0.97 years. The first-stage results indicated that the relationships between the 3 dimensions of RISE support and self-efficacy were mediated by RISE. The second-stage results demonstrated that the 3 dimensions of RISE support positively predicted RISE and self-efficacy, which in turn positively predicted the outcomes. These findings provide insights into the efficacy profiles and outcomes of perceived RISE support. From a practical perspective, we suggest that RISE support strategies be applied in PE classes.
Board diligence, independence, size, and firm performance: Evidence from Saudi Arabia

The aim of this paper is to examine the possible association between the effectiveness of Board of Directors (BOD) and firm performance (FP). For the purpose of this analysis, data is derived from firms listed in the materials sector of the Saudi Exchange Market’s Tadawul All Share Index (TASI). Using pooled OLS regression analysis and the dependent variables of ROA and ROE as a proxy for FP, while board meetings (BMEET), independence and board size (BSIZE) are used as explanatory variables, the results reveal that frequent BMEET may not lead to improved FP. Moreover, the results show that BMEET frequency is negatively associated with FP. Independent members do not provide additional efficiency leading to better FP. As for the BSIZE, the findings indicate that larger boards are associated with lower FP. Such findings offer insights into the effect of BSIZE on FP. The results are of interest to decision makers, policymakers and investors.