Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Biomechanical Factors Predisposing to Knee Injuries in Junior Female Basketball Players

This cross-sectional observational study aims to determine isokinetic normality data at different speeds, and isometric data of ankle and knee joints, in healthy basketball players aged 15–16 years old. The participants were recruited through non-probabilistic convenience sampling. Sociodemographic, anthropometric, and biomechanical variables were collected. The study involved 42 participants. Right-leg dominance was higher in women (85.7%) than in men (78.6%). Men had a higher weight, height, and body mass index compared to women. Statistically significant differences were observed between sex and height (p < 0.001). Significant differences were found between sexes in knee flexor and extensor strength at different isokinetic speeds (30°, 120°, and 180°/s), except for the maximum peak strength knee flexion at 180°/s in the right leg. In the ankle, the variables inversion, eversion, and work strength values at different isokinetic speeds and full RoM, by sex, were not significantly different, except for the right (p = 0.004) and the left (p = 0.035) ankle full RoM. The study found lower knee extensor strength in women, indicating the need to improve knee flexor/extensor strength in women to match that of men, as seen in other joints. The results can guide the development of preventive and therapeutic interventions for lower limb injuries in basketball players.
Molecular Analysis of Carbapenem and Aminoglycoside Resistance Genes in Carbapenem-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa Clinical Strains: A Challenge for Tertiary Care Hospitals

Carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) strains have become a global threat due to their remarkable capability to survive and disseminate successfully by the acquisition of resistance genes. As a result, the treatment strategies have been severely compromised. Due to the insufficient available data regarding P. aeruginosa resistance from Pakistan, we aimed to investigate the resistance mechanisms of 249 P. aeruginosa strains by antimicrobial susceptibility testing, polymerase chain reaction for the detection of carbapenemases, aminoglycoside resistance genes, extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs), sequence typing and plasmid typing. Furthermore, we tested silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) to evaluate their in vitro sensitivity against antimicrobial-resistant P. aeruginosa strains. We observed higher resistance against antimicrobials in the general surgery ward, general medicine ward and wound samples. Phenotypic carbapenemase-producer strains comprised 80.7% (201/249) with 89.0% (179/201) demonstrating genes encoding carbapenemases: blaNDM-1 (32.96%), blaOXA48 (37.43%), blaIMP (7.26%), blaVIM (5.03%), blaKPC-2 (1.12%), blaNDM-1/blaOXA48 (13.97%), blaOXA-48/blaVIM (1.68%) and blaVIM/blaIMP (0.56%). Aminoglycoside-modifying enzyme genes and 16S rRNA methylase variants were detected in 43.8% (109/249) strains: aac(6′)-lb (12.8%), aac(3)-lla (12.0%), rmtB (21.1%), rmtC (11.0%), armA (12.8%), rmtD (4.6%), rmtF (6.4%), rmtB/aac(3)-lla (8.2%), rmtB/aac(6′)-lla (7.3%) and rmtB/armA (3.6%). In total, 43.0% (77/179) of the strains coharbored carbapenemases and aminoglycoside resistance genes with 83.1% resistant to at least 1 agent in 3 or more classes and 16.9% resistant to every class of antimicrobials tested. Thirteen sequence types (STs) were identified: ST235, ST277, ST234, ST170, ST381, ST175, ST1455, ST1963, ST313, ST207, ST664, ST357 and ST348. Plasmid replicon types IncFI, IncFII, IncA/C, IncL/M, IncN, IncX, IncR and IncFIIK and MOB types F11, F12, H121, P131 and P3 were detected. Meropenem/AgNPs and Amikacin/AgNPs showed enhanced antibacterial activity. We reported the coexistence of carbapenemases and aminoglycoside resistance genes among carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa with diverse clonal lineages from Pakistan. Furthermore, we highlighted AgNP’s potential role in handling future antimicrobial resistance concerns.
Safeguarding Stability and Enhancing Profitability: The Case of Islamic Banking in Indonesia

This study examines the impact of crises, non-performing financing variables, exchange rates, inflation, and interest rates on Islamic banks' short-term and long-term profitability in Indonesia. Profitability (ROA) fluctuations are also assessed in consideration of exogenous shocks. This analysis uses the Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) to examine monthly data from 2007 to 2023. The results suggest that non-performing financing (NPF), exchange rates (BIRT), and inflation (IFLS) have a substantial impact on the long term. While the crisis variable exhibits a relatively less substantial influence, interest rates reveal distinct short-term and long-term impacts. The Impulse Response Function data indicate that NPF, KURS, and IFLS have a negligible effect on ROA. NPF primarily influences ROA variation, as determined by the Forecast Error Variance Decomposition; KURS follows suit. Islamic Banks' management must diligently oversee non-performing loans, exchange rates, and inflation and astutely devise interest rate strategies. The factors impacting the profitability of Islamic banks in Indonesia are thoroughly examined in this study.
Millennial-Scale Changes of Intermediate Water Ventilation, Productivity and Nutrient Supply in the Okhotsk Sea and Subarctic North Pacific During the Last 18,000 Years

The modern North Pacific plays a critical role in marine biogeochemical cycles, as it is today the largest natural oceanic sink of CO2 and harbors some of the most biologically productive and least oxygenated regions of the World Ocean. This capacity to sequester CO2 is limited by variations in the region’s biological productivity, and the efficient utilization of preformed nutrients supplied to the upper mixed layer, particularly in the Pacific’s subarctic latitudes and marginal seas. Changes in the oxygenation of deeper water masses, on the other hand, are influenced by the remineralization of the settling organic matter through the water column. Today, the entire North Pacific is only weakly ventilated by North Pacific Intermediate Water (NPIW), which receives its relatively higher oxygen concentrations largely from a precursor, the Okhotsk Sea Intermediate Water (OSIW). Past ventilation patterns of OSIW likely have changed profoundly on millennial timescales, making this water mass a prime candidate for shaping variations in deglacial circum-Pacific Oxygen Minimum Zones and reported peaks in biogenic productivity, but their paleoceanographic history over the last glacial termination is not well understood. In this thesis I present a comprehensive multi-proxy-based reconstruction of Okhotsk Sea Intermediate Water ventilation and productivity variations over the last glacial termination and the Holocene. The results are based on a set of high-resolution AMS C-dated sediment cores that were retrieved directly from the source region of modern OSIW formation. Benthic-planktic C ages and epibenthic stable carbon isotopes show decreases in OSIW oxygenation during deglacial warm phases from c. 14.7 to 13 ka (Bølling-Allerød) and c. 11.4 to 9 ka (Preboreal), but no concomitant decreases in ventilation ages. I hypothesize that these transient oxygenation decreases are mainly tied to rapid, significantly enhanced organic matter remineralization within OSIW, in line with multi-proxy evidence for maxima in primary productivity and increased supply of organic matter to the mid-depth water column. Palynological and sedimentological evidence suggests that millennial-scale maxima in fluvial freshwater runoff from the Amur were a primary driver of these significant changes in OSIW oxygen and nutrient concentrations, with runoff changes most likely linked to changes in the East Asian Monsoon and the postglacial melting of permafrost soils in the Siberian hinterland. Correlation of ventilation minima with maxima in nutrient utilization in the open North Pacific implies increased OSIW-sourced mid-depth lateral supply of micronutrients, silicate and organic matter into distant oceanic regions, analog to modern ocean conditions. By invoking such export from marginal seas, the upper ocean open North Pacific was possibly partially relieved from Fe-limiting conditions by
Exploring quality of life post sudden onset hearing loss: A convergent parallel approach

Background Sudden onset hearing loss (SOHL) is rare and presents differently to individuals; hence, it is complex to diagnose. The impact on the quality of life (QoL) varies for individuals and their support structure. However, the exploration of research designs is warranted. Objectives This study explored the lived experiences of adults post-SOHL diagnosis and the impact on the QoL. Facilitators of emotional and social aspects of counselling provided by audiologists post-SOHL diagnosis were established. Method This was a convergent parallel research study. Data were collected from the two primary participants and three secondary participants, face-to-face and telephonically. The Hearing Handicap Inventory for Adults (HHIA) screening tool and the semi-structured interviews were used for data collection. The data sets were analysed independently, viz. descriptive analysis and thematic analysis, to confirm the impact on the QoL post-SOHL diagnosis. Results The HHIA scores obtained were 84% and 50% for P1 and P2, respectively. Key themes that emerged from the interviews revealed that communication difficulties mostly impacted the QoL, which in turn influenced their mental and social well-being. Aural rehabilitation was perceived as ineffective support, thus the inability to reduce the impact on the QoL post-SOHL diagnosis. Conclusion The integrated findings indicated the impact on the QoL post-SOHL diagnosis. Convergent parallel methods should be considered by researchers to understand rare auditory pathologies and their impact on the QoL. Contribution Person-centred care (PCC) and family-centred care (FCC) are facilitators of counselling that audiologists can employ as QoL management strategies post-SOHL diagnosis.
EXPLORING small letter delta18O IN THE WATERS WITHIN A TEMPERATE FOREST ECOSYSTEM AND THE EVALUATION OF THE PECLET EFFECT IN A STEADY STATE LEAF WATER MODEL

EXPLORING δO IN THE WATERS WITHIN A TEMPERATE FOREST ECOSYSTEM AND THE EVALUATION OF THE PECLET EFFECT IN A STEADY STATE LEAF WATER MODEL Mark C. Halliday Advisor: University of Guelph, 2011 Professor J. Warland This thesis attempted to determine whether precipitation at CFB Borden, Ontario Canada is derived from recycled or marine source water using δO and to explore the enrichment of leaf water in three temperate forest trees. The d-excess values and rainfall intensity were used as indicators of recycled water and were found to suggest that precipitation at Borden is not derived from recycled water. The leaves of ash, aspen and maple showed significant enrichment in δO over xylem water. Maple leaves were significantly more enriched over the leaves of ash and aspen (p-value = 0.0019), despite source water not being significantly different (p-value = 0.1782). Modelling leaf water demonstrated the need for the inclusion of the Peclet effect in the steady state model for ash and aspen leaves, however for maple, the Peclet effect is insignificant. The non-steady state model used measured values of δET, which were uncertain and lead to poor model predictions.
Determinants of Customer Inertia - An Investigation of Mobile Phone Services

Purpose – In ongoing service sectors, some companies have high customer retention in spite of frequent consumer dissatisfaction and high complaint rates. This retention results from customer inertia. This paper aims to identify what influences this inertial behavior. Design/methodology/approach – Two competing conceptual models were conceived: a Base Model, which considers mediating effects, and a Rival Model, which considers only the direct effects on customer inertia. A survey was undertaken in Brazil. Mobile phone customers were targeted. A questionnaire was built and data were collected online as well as in person. Structural equation modeling was applied. Findings – Only direct effects on customer inertia were confirmed. The Rival Model outperformed the Base Model on a set of criteria (e.g., greater explanatory power for Customer Inertia and more simplicity). The Rival Model offers a moderate explanation (R 2 =0.370), some sound structural path coefficients, and appropriate psychometric properties for the latent constructs. Originality/value – The paper complements and adds to existing research by evaluating customer inertia as an important outcome within ongoing service markets. Market isomorphism, a new concept, is included in the analysis. Results from a developing country are described, helping to generalize to a broader set of countries.
The loss of plant functional groups increased arthropod diversity in an alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau

Plant species loss, driven by global changes and human activities, can have cascading effects on other trophic levels, such as arthropods, and alter the multitrophic structure of ecosystems. While the relationship between plant diversity and arthropod communities has been well-documented, few studies have explored the effects of species composition variation or plant functional groups. In this study, we conducted a long-term plant removal experiment to investigate the impact of plant functional group loss (specifically targeting tall grasses and sedges, as well as tall or short forbs) on arthropod diversity and their functional groups. Our findings revealed that the removal of plant functional groups resulted in increased arthropod richness, abundance and the exponential of Shannon entropy, contrary to the commonly observed positive correlation between plant diversity and consumer diversity. Furthermore, the removal of different plant groups had varying impacts on arthropod trophic levels. The removal of forbs had a more pronounced impact on herbivores compared to graminoids, but this impact did not consistently cascade to higher-trophic arthropods. Notably, the removal of short forbs had a more significant impact on predators, as evidenced by the increased richness, abundance, the exponential of Shannon entropy, inverse Simpson index and inverse Berger-Parker index of carnivores and abundance of omnivores, likely attributable to distinct underlying mechanisms. Our results highlight the importance of plant species identity in shaping arthropod communities in alpine grasslands. This study emphasizes the crucial role of high plant species diversity in controlling arthropods in natural grasslands, particularly in the context of plant diversity loss caused by global changes and human activities.
Skin Color Measurements: Usefulness of the Metric Hue Angle of Uniform Color Spaces for Dermatological Treatment

Skin color is predominantly determined by pigments such as hemoglobin, melanin, carotene and bilirubin. The quantiflcation of experimentally induced color changes is widely used method in dermatology and cosmetics since the color response can be used as an indicator of skin properties, drug properties and skin protection properties. The present study, we examined the usefulness of hue angle was calculated from the uniform color space. Metric hue angle is expected to correspond well to the appearance of skin color than the chromaticity coordinates or tristimulus values. 1. INTRODUCTION Skin color and its variations are important in difierent flelds such as cosmetics, dermatology, and medicine, as well as computer rendering (1,2). The diversity of skin colors among people, or according to difierent locations on the same person, at difierent times depends mostly on three main characteristic parameters. The concentration of melanosomes, the concentration of red blood cells, and the oxygen saturation of blood. The determination of these three parameters are of great interest. Previous studies to determine one or two of them have used the re∞ectance and absorbance spectra measured on real skin. For instance, the light propagation by the modifled Beer-Lambert law and use a multiple regression analysis to determine the concentration of melanin and blood. Others use re∞ectance measurements at selected bands to estimate the melanin index and the erythema index, or the CIELAB coordinates to evaluate the individual typology angle that is related to the skin's pigmentation. How do the colours that we see on the surface arise? Light emitted by a source interacts with the surface and the interior of an object and through these interactions (mainly absorption and scatter) the spectral composition of the light is altered. The changes re∞ect the structure and optical properties of the materials constituting the object and in this sense the light remitted from the object encodes its properties. If this encoding is understood, it should be possible to deduce the structure and composition of the object from its color. Conventionally, Munsell color system and CIE color space have been used in the evaluation of skin color. However, these methods may not correspond to the subjective feeling has been pointed out. In this paper we examined the usefulness of metric hue angle was calculated from the uniform color space. Metric hue angle is expected to correspond well to the appearance of skin color than the chromaticity coordinates or tristimulus values. The focus areas of this work are as follows: a) examined the difierences in the various color spaces using a standard skin color samples, and b) measuring the skin color such as cheeks and forehead of subjects by using a commercially available instruments. 2. STRUCTURE AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE SKIN
Polycentric versus hierarchical tertiary centres: comparing San Diego and Tijuana

ABSTRACT This article presents and tests an explanatory model of the size and distribution of intraurban tertiary (retail and services) sub-centres/centres in San Diego and Tijuana. The study shows that the determinants of sub-centres differ between cities and are related to differences in the levels of national development. The developed country city is polycentric, with a structure of centres depending mainly on external economies and racial segregation; while the developing country city has a hierarchy of centres a la Christaller, and the degree of centrality (GC) depends on internal and external economies and the proximity of consumers with diverse preferences and higher income.
Amphibian Alliance for Zero Extinction sites in Chiapas and Oaxaca

The potential for numerous amphibian species to go extinct in Oaxaca and Chiapas is high and worthy of being considered a major environmental problem. This report summarizes the findings of a project aimed at gathering information at 16 sites in southern Mexico which had been identified in 2005 as being essential to the continued existence of 22 highly threatened amphibian species, the hope being that it could help initiate conservation action. Site and species information are presented as a series of profiles.
Regional Microglial Response in Entorhino–Hippocampal Slice Cultures to Schaffer Collateral Lesion and Metalloproteinases Modulation

Microglia and astrocytes are essential in sustaining physiological networks in the central nervous system, with their ability to remodel the extracellular matrix, being pivotal for synapse plasticity. Recent findings have challenged the traditional view of homogenous glial populations in the brain, uncovering morphological, functional, and molecular heterogeneity among glial cells. This diversity has significant implications for both physiological and pathological brain states. In the present study, we mechanically induced a Schaffer collateral lesion (SCL) in mouse entorhino–hippocampal slice cultures to investigate glial behavior, i.e., microglia and astrocytes, under metalloproteinases (MMPs) modulation in the lesioned area, CA3, and the denervated region, CA1. We observed distinct response patterns in the microglia and astrocytes 3 days after the lesion. Notably, GFAP-expressing astrocytes showed no immediate changes post-SCL. Microglia responses varied depending on their anatomical location, underscoring the complexity of the hippocampal neuroglial network post-injury. The MMPs inhibitor GM6001 did not affect microglial reactions in CA3, while increasing the number of Iba1-expressing cells in CA1, leading to a withdrawal of their primary branches. These findings highlight the importance of understanding glial regionalization following neural injury and MMPs modulation and pave the way for further research into glia-targeted therapeutic strategies for neurodegenerative disorders.
The Jordanian Kidney Transplant Experience: A Glorious Past and a Challenging Present

Jordan was one of the first Arab countries to enact legislation governing organ donation and transplantation. Jordan has seen an increase in the frequency of kidney transplants performed utilizing organs from living donors since that time. Jordan has been a reputable regional center for kidney transplantation and has a long history of excellence in the field. Jordan's low rate of kidney transplants from deceased donors, Despite the legality of the Jordanian constitution, the availability of highly skilled nephrologists and transplant surgeons as well as advanced health care is quite alarming and could be caused by a number of different factors. The absence of a formal government plan to control brain death donation is the most important factor. The goals of this study are to provide a description of the current state of kidney transplantation in Jordan, a summary of the most significant barriers to expanding kidney transplantation efforts that focus on kidneys donated by deceased donors, and suggestions for increasing the number of kidney transplants from brain dead donors.