Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spanish Version of the Caregiver Contribution to Self-Care of Heart Failure Index (CC-SCHFI): A Psychometric Evaluation

Background: The Caregiver Contribution to Self-Care of Heart Failure (CC-SCHFI) is a theoretically driven instrument to measure the extent to which caregivers support heart failure (HF) patients to perform self-care. The CC-SCHFI measures caregivers’ contribution to self-care maintenance and self-care management and caregiver confidence in contributing to heart failure patients’ self-care. To date, the CC-SCHFI has never been tested in Spanish-speaking populations. Purpose: To translate the CC-SCHFI from English into Spanish and to test its psychometric characteristics. Method: CC-SCHFI translation and back-translation were performed according to the Beaton et al. methodology. Data from a cross-sectional study conducted in an outpatient clinic in Spain were used for the analysis. Psychometric analysis was performed with exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with oblique rotation. Results: Caregivers had a mean age of 60.5 years (SD 14,9) and the majority were female (85%). Data from 220 caregivers were analyzed. From EFA, using the principal axis factoring method, we extracted two factors in the self-care maintenance subscale (“treatment adherence behaviors” and “symptom control and maintenance behaviors”), two in the self-care monitoring subscale (“illness behaviors” and “prevention behaviors”) and one factor for the self-efficacy subscale. The Pearson’s rank correlation coefficients between SCHFI and CCSCHFI showed significant correlation in each subdimension.
Durability of high belite cement as new technical solution for concrete

The study presents an investigation on the durability performance of concretes produced with an industrial scale high belite cement. This binder, thanks to the high amount of C-S-H gel and the lower C3S/C2S ratio, is characterized by high durability properties. Good resistance to freeze/thaw cycles, very low chloride migration and excellent resistance to sulfate attack were demonstrated. Theaccelerated carbonation test revealed that the belite cement, due to the high C2S phase amount, is able to increase its strength over time when exposed to high CO2 concentration. Durability and strength results were compared with those of CEM I, CEM II, and CEM III. In addition, a comparison of the performance of a self-compacting concrete produced with high belite cement and CEM I (as reference) is also presented. The results show that the self-compacting concrete with the high belite cement is able to reach sufficient strengths already after 1 day of hydration, with a low heat development and improved durability properties, compared to CEM I.
Does Proactive Green Technology Innovation Improve Financial Performance? Evidence from Listed Companies with Semiconductor Concepts Stock in China

Academia and business alike are paying increasing attention to innovation in green technology due to the potential environmental and financial performance benefits. However, a limited amount of research has been carried out on the effect of proactive green technology innovation on corporate financial performance. This study examines the effects of two dimensions of proactive green technology innovation, namely, proactive green process innovation and proactive green product innovation, on corporate financial performance. Moreover, the moderating role of absorptive capacity on these relationships is introduced. The proposed hypotheses were tested empirically using a dynamic panel dataset of 126 Chinese listed semiconductor concept stocks from 2010 to 2020 and a difference-GMM approach. It was found that proactive green process innovation has a significant positive effect on both short-term and long-term corporate financial performance. Moreover, proactive green product innovation has a significant positive effect on long-term corporate financial performance. However, it does not improve short-term corporate financial performance. In addition, absorptive capacity has a positive moderating effect on the relationship between proactive green process innovation and both short-term and long-term corporate financial performance, and shows a positive moderating effect on the relationship between proactive green product innovation and long-term financial performance. However, it has a significant negative moderating effect on short-term corporate financial performance. Thus, we suggest that firms adopt more supportive proactive green technology innovation practices in order to improve their financial performance.
A novel perspective suggesting high sustained energy expenditure may be net protective against cancer

Abstract Energy expenditure (EE) is generally viewed as tumorigenic, due to production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that can damage cells and DNA. On this basis, individuals within a species that sustain high EE should be more likely to develop cancer. Here, we argue the opposite, that high EE may be net protective effect against cancer, despite high ROS production. This is possible because individuals that sustain high EE have a greater energetic capacity (=greater energy acquisition, expenditure and ability to up-regulate output), and can therefore allocate energy to multiple cancer-fighting mechanisms with minimal energetic trade-offs. Our review finds that individuals sustaining high EE have greater antioxidant production, lower oxidative stress, greater immune function and lower cancer incidence. Our hypothesis and literature review suggest that EE may indeed be net protective against cancer, and that individual variation in energetic capacity may be a key mechanism to understand the highly individual nature of cancer risk in contemporary human populations and laboratory animals. Lay summary The process of expending energy generates reactive oxygen species that can lead to oxidative stress, cell and DNA damage, and the accumulation of this damage is thought to be a major contributor to many ageing related diseases that include cancer. Here, we challenge this view, proposing how and why high energy expenditure (EE) may actually be net protective against cancer, and provide literature support for our hypothesis. We find individuals with high sustained EE have greater energetic capacity and thus can invest more in repair to counter oxidative stress, and more in immune function, both of which reduce cancer risk. Our hypothesis provides a novel mechanism to understand the highly individual nature of cancer, why taller individuals are more at risk, why physically active individuals have lower cancer risk, and why regular exercise can reduce cancer risk.
Analysis of the Heat Resistance of Multilayer Clothing Packages

Clothing fabrics are rarely used individually as the only layer protecting the body against different outer factors. Especially in cold climates, human attire is usually composed of several layers constituting together a multilayer set of textile materials. The purpose of this work was to analyse the impact of the number of layers on the thermal resistance of multi-layer clothing packages. Two-, three- and four-layer packages were made from woven fabrics of different structure. The packages were tested for thermal resistance by means of a Permetest instrument, made by Sensora (Czech Republic). The tests were carried out for individual materials forming the layers of the packages and for entire packages. Based on the research conducted and analysis of the results, it was found that the number of layers has a significant impact on the thermal resistance of multi-layer clothing packages. The thermal resistance of the multilayer textile packages measured was a little lower than the sum of the thermal resistance of the particular layers creating the packages. On the basis of the results, the thermal contact resistance and boundary effect were also discussed.
Theorizing the speaker and speakerness in applied linguistics

In this Forum Discussion paper, we put forward the concept of ‘speakerness’ and discuss how this notion can be of relevance to the professions associated with language teaching and learning. By ‘speakerness’ we understand the processes through which social actors get defined by their language practices. We connect this concept with the ongoing debates around so-called ‘non-native’ speakers of English, which have clear implications for ‘non-native teachers’. We revisit these debates by widening the scope; that is, by making connections with another controversy around speakerness, namely that around the so-called ‘new speakers’ of European minority languages. By aligning the two strands of debate, we argue that they respond to common trajectories of nation-building and colonial expansion articulated through the ways in which nationalist and colonialist discourses have constructed languages and deployed them as means of state and colonial rule. After tracing the historical origins of the notion of ‘native speaker’ and summarizing the debates on ‘non-native speakers’ and ‘new speakers’, we point to the ways in which a critical engagement with the concept of speakerness can throw light on other sociolinguistic areas in which the issue of speaker legitimacy is often recruited to naturalize inequalities of race, class or gender.
Warm Mix Asphalt Demonstration Projects in Louisiana: Case Study of Five to Eight Years of Field Performance

Warm mix asphalt (WMA) technology has gained popularity in recent years because of its ability to enhance mixture compaction at relatively low temperatures and to improve environmental sustainability. The role of WMA in sustainable pavement technology means that there is a need for comprehensive research in relation to its field performance. The objective of this study was to evaluate the field performance of WMA pavement sections that have been in service for five to eight years. Four rehabilitation projects were evaluated throughout the State of Louisiana. The study included field and laboratory experiments. In the field experiment, WMA test sections were evaluated along with companion conventional hot mix asphalt (HMA) mixture sections on each project. Pavement performance indicators (rutting, roughness, and cracking) from the Louisiana Pavement Management System (PMS) were analyzed. The laboratory experiment consisted of evaluation of mixtures from each project to determine mechanical performance indicators such as loaded wheel tracking (LWT) rut depth, flow number, semi-circular bend energy release rate (SCB Jc), and dissipated creep strain energy (DCSE). An analysis was conducted to rank the capability of laboratory mechanical performance properties to predict field performance. Generally, WMA test sections were found to exhibit similar or better rutting and cracking performance compared with their companion control HMA sections. In addition, the LWT rut depth was found to be a better indicator of field rutting performance than the flow number parameter. It is worth noting that the SCB Jc parameter was found to correctly rank more field cracking indicators than the DCSE parameter and therefore it may be a better indicator of field cracking performance.
The Dysregulation of the Renin–Angiotensin System in COVID-19 Studied by Serum Proteomics: Angiotensinogen Increases with Disease Severity

(1) Background: ACE and CPN serum activity correlated with disease severity in an earlier study of 45 hospitalized COVID-19 patients. The serum protein profile was investigated in the same cohort here to shed more light on the involvement of the renin–angiotensin system (RAS). (2) Methods: High-definition mass spectrometry-based protein expression analysis was performed, followed by multivariate statistical and network analyses. (3) Results: The protein profiles of hospitalized patients (HoP) differed significantly from those of convalescent and healthy probands. Surprisingly, HoP samples separated into six groups according to their protein profiles: group (G) 1 represented the youngest and the least afflicted patients, and G6 the oldest and critically ill patients. At least two major pathophysiological schemes were indicated based on differing involvement of the kallikrein-kinin system (KKS), the RAS and complement activation. The serum angiotensinogen concentration increased with disease severity. (4) Conclusions: The important role of the RAS in the response to COVID-19 infection was substantiated, but other pathways such as the KKS, plasminogen activation and complement activation influence the systemic response to the infection.
News, Threats, and Trust: How COVID-19 News Shaped Political Trust, and How Threat Perceptions Conditioned This Relationship

This study explores shifts in political trust during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland, examining the role that media consumption and threat perceptions played in individuals’ trust in politics. We combine panel surveys taken before and during the first nation-wide lockdown with webtracking data of participants' online behaviour to paint a nuanced picture of media effects during the crisis. Our work has several findings. First, political trust, an attitude known for its stability, increased following lockdown. Second, consumption of mainstream news on COVID-19 directly hindered this increase, with those reading more news having lower over-time trust, while the relatively minor alternative news consumption had no direct effect on political trust. Third, threat perceptions a) to health and b) from the policy response to the pandemic, have strong and opposite effects on political trust, with threats to health increasing trust, and threats from the government policy response decreasing it. Lastly, these threat perceptions condition the effect of COVID-19 news consumption on political trust: perceptions of threat had the power to both exacerbate and mute the effect of media consumption on government trust during the pandemic. Notably, we show that the expected negative effect of alternative news on political trust only exists for those who did not think COVID-19 posed a threat to their health, while public service news consumption reduced the negative effect produced by government threat perceptions. The paper therefore advances our understanding of the nuanced nature of media effects, particularly as relates to alternative media, especially during moments of crisis.
Methotrexate for the Placenta in situ in Advanced Abdominal Pregnancy: A Case of Remaining Intra-Abdominal Infection and Myelosuppression after Methotrexate Treatment

Advanced abdominal pregnancy is a kind of rare but life-threatening ectopic pregnancy, in addition to maternal and foetal safety until the birth, the placenta management after the foetus is out, is another challenge to obstetricians. Here we presented a 33-week primary advanced abdominal pregnancy case; the patient in this case experienced a laparotomy, which showed placenta adhesion to abdominal viscera, so the placenta was left in situ . Methotrexate was used to accelerate the degradation of the placenta, however, severe intra-abdominal infection and myelosuppression emerged soon, which had never been reported in similar published cases. It is still controversial whether methotrexate should be used for placenta management in advanced abdominal pregnancy, and the dose and frequency of this drug as well as patients’ condition should be comprehensively evaluated when methotrexate therapy is considered.
Effects of Rhythm Step Training on Physical and Cognitive Functions in Adolescents: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Rhythm step training (RST) for sensorimotor dual tasks is in the spotlight as it provides physical activity that is fun and allows participants to express various and creative movements, although it lacks a scientific evidence base. Therefore, this study was to investigate how RST affects the physical and cognitive functions of adolescents. Materials and Methods: A total of sixty-six female middle-schoolers were divided into non-exercise group (control group, CON, n = 22), step training group (STG, n = 22), and rhythm step training group (RSTG, n = 22). To verify the combined effects of music-based rhythm and exercise, the program was conducted for 45 min/session a day, three times a week for 12 weeks. Results: RST scores increased significantly in the STG and RSTG compared to the CON after 12 weeks. Specifically, the Δ% of RST scores in the RSTG (11.44%) was higher than those of STG (9.01%) and CON (3.91%). By the end of the experiment, the power (p < 0.001), agility (p < 0.001), muscle endurance (p < 0.001), dynamic or static balance (p < 0.001), and gait velocity (p < 0.001) of RSTG were significantly improved compared to the others. The Δ% of all variables in RSTG was higher than those of the CON or STG. In addition, the verbal memory (p < 0.001) and attention (p < 0.001) of cognitive function were significantly improved in RSTG. Specifically, there was more of an increase in Δ% of RSTG for verbal memory (7.52%) and attention (10.33%) than in the CON (verbal memory, 3.34%; attention, 5.83%) or STG (verbal memory, 5.85%; attention, 5.43%). Conclusions: This study confirms that RST had a positive effect on the physical and cognitive functions of female middle-schoolers. We propose that rhythmic exercise combined with music is beneficial for adolescents’ physical and cognitive health.
Genetic Distribution of Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae in Seoul Korea, 2018~2020

(http://creativecommons.org/ license/by-nc/3.0/). The present study was carried out to describe the prevalence and characteristics of CPEs among the CRE strains isolated from adult and children patients. A total of 8,147 clinical isolates were obtained from blood, urine, stool, sputum, lesion, bile, pus, tracheal aspiration, and etc., hospitals from 2018 to 2020. Species identification was confirmed by Bruker Biotyper MALDI-TOF MS (Bruker Daltonics GmbH, Bremen, Germany) and VITEK 2 (bioM é rieux, Marcy l'Etoile, France). K. pneumoniae , which was detected in 4,690 (58.9%), was the most common isolated CRE, followed by Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) (detected in 1,747 [20.8%]), Enterobacter cloacae complex (502 [6.0%]), Citrobacter koseri (265 [3.1%]), Klebsiella aerogenes (254 [3.0%]), and Citrobacter freundii (220 [2.6%]). More than half of the detected CPE types were KPC-2 (58.6%), followed by NDM-1 (7.4%), NDM-5 (3.4%). Co-existence of NDM-5 and OXA-181 was detected in E. coli (60/63, 95.2%) followed by K. pneumoniae (3/63, 4.8%). These findings provide good basic data for comprehensive surveillance of CREs suggesting that KPC Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemases ( Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemases) and NDM (New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase) are widespread in
Molecular Mechanisms Underlying the Effects of Olive Oil Triterpenic Acids in Obesity and Related Diseases

Dietary components exert protective effects against obesity and related metabolic and cardiovascular disturbances by interfering with the molecular pathways leading to these pathologies. Dietary biomolecules are currently promising strategies to help in the management of obesity and metabolic syndrome, which are still unmet medical issues. Olive oil, a key component of the Mediterranean diet, provides an exceptional lipid matrix highly rich in bioactive molecules. Among them, the pentacyclic triterpenic acids (i.e., oleanolic acid) have gained clinical relevance in the last decade due to their wide range of biological actions, particularly in terms of vascular function, obesity and insulin resistance. Considering the promising effects of these triterpenic compounds as nutraceuticals and components of functional foods against obesity and associated complications, the aim of our review is to decipher and discuss the main molecular mechanisms underlying these effects driven by olive oil triterpenes, in particular by oleanolic acid. Special attention is paid to their signaling and targets related to glucose and insulin homeostasis, lipid metabolism, adiposity and cardiovascular dysfunction in obesity. Our study is aimed at providing a better understanding of the impact of dietary components of olive oil in the long-term management of obesity and metabolic syndrome in humans.
Tree Height Estimation from Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Imagery and Its Sensitivity on Above Ground Biomass Estimation in Dry Afromontane Forest, Northern Ethiopia

Tree height is a parameter useful for calculating above-ground forest biomass and is mostly measured traditionally by ground survey. On the other hand, measuring the forest tree height and biomass estimation through field survey is labor-intensive and time-consuming. The application of remote sensing for forest above-ground biomass (AGB) estimation without forest destruction is important in order to estimate the carbon sequestration potential of the forest. The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is an elating technology, which can help to estimate tree height and it is evolving at a rapid speed. Moreover, assessing the relationship between estimated and measured tree height is necessary for the future application of estimated tree height on AGB estimation. However, tree height estimation from photogrammetric UAV imagery in the dry Afromontane Forest and its sensitivity to AGB estimation are not investigated. Thus, this study aimed to assess the accuracy of tree height estimated from photogrammetric UAV imagery and the sensitivity of the estimated tree height on AGB estimation. Photogrammetric UAV acquired images and sample trees height measured on the ground were collected in Desa’a dry Afromontane Forest, Northern Ethiopia. Tree height was estimated from photogrammetric UAV acquired images and compared with tree heights measured on the ground. Moreover, the sensitivity of the estimated tree height on AGB estimation was investigated. The estimated tree height explained 89% of the tree height measured in the field. A considerable difference between estimated and measured tree height has an insignificant effect on AGB estimation. Thus, in the dry land Afromontane Forest the application of UAV aerial imagery for tree height estimation is promising to estimate AGB.
Utilization of fruit extract as acidulant on physicochemical and sensory properties of cottage cheese with addition calcium chloride

This research aimed to determine the effect of the type of fruit extract as an acidulant and calcium chloride concentration on the physicochemical and organoleptic properties of cottage cheese. The research used a completely randomized design (CRD) with two factors and three repetitions to produce 27 treatments. Data analysis using ANOVA was continued with Duncan's new multiple range test (DNMRT) at a significance level of 5%. The first factor was the type of fruit extract as an acidulant (A) which consists of three levels. that was wuluh starfruit 30% (A1). lime 7.5% (A2). lemon 7.5% (A3) and concentration of calcium chloride (B) which consists of three levels (0.01% (B1). 0.02% (B2). and 0.03% (B3)). Parameters observed included pH. titratable acidity. water content. yield. calcium. fat content. protein content. ash. hardness and organoleptic analysis including taste. aroma. color. and hardness. The results of the treatment of fruit extract as an acidulant and calcium chloride concentration significantly affected the pH value. titratable acidity. yield. water content. hardness. yield. calcium. fat content. protein content. ash. and organoleptic tests. Cottage cheese treated with 7.5% lemon acidulant and 0.02% calcium chloride was the best treatment with pH 5.14. titratable acidity 2.99%. water content 62.04%. yield 24.98%. calcium 1.152 mg/100 g. 0.074% fat. 17.89% protein. 12.45 of hardness. and taste not sour. not fruity. moderate yellowish-white color. and not hard.