Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluating the Asymmetry of Muscle Activation and Strength in Paralympic Powerlifting Athletes

Background: Strength training is a complex task, as it requires a combination of many variables. In paralympic powerlifting (PP) asymmetries for the evaluation of activation, and static force indicators have been increasingly studied. Objective: To investigate the asymmetries in the strength and muscle activation indicators, before and after a training session of PP athletes. Methodology: Twelve elite athletes from the PP participated in the study, and asymmetry was evaluated through surface electromyography (sEMG) and static strength indicators. Evaluations were made before and after a protocol of five series of five repetitions (5 × 5), with 80% of 1-Maximum Repetition (1RM). Results: In the pectoral muscles, there were differences in the non-dominant limbs between the before and after in the sEMG. There were differences in the pectoralis muscle in the non-dominant limb between moments before (110.75 ± 59.52%) and after (130.53 ± 98.48%, p < 0.001), and there was no difference in triceps activation. In the Maximum Isometric Strength (MIF), there was a difference in the non-dominant limb between before (710.36 ± 129.36) and after (620.27 ± 69.73; p < 0.030). There was a difference before in the dominant (626.89 ± 120.16; 95% CI 550.55–703.24) and non-dominant (710.36 ± 129.36; p = 0.011) limbs. There was no difference in time to MIF. Conclusion: PP athletes showed small levels of asymmetry before and after training, and adaptation to training tends to promote fewer asymmetries.
Robotic Parenchymal-Sparing Pancreatectomy: A Systematic Review

Simple Summary Non-anatomic pancreatic resections such as enucleation, duodenum-preserving partial pancreatic head resection, central pancreatectomy, and uncinate resection allow for the preservation of more pancreatic parenchyma than standard resections, i.e., Whipple and distal pancreatectomy. These lead to a significantly lesser degree of endocrine and exocrine insufficiency. Robotic approaches are increasingly being adopted for these technically challenging parenchymal-sparing procedures. The aim of our study was to evaluate the use and added value of the robotic approach compared to open approaches and standard anatomic resections. We carried out a systematic review of the available literature surrounding robotic parenchymal-sparing pancreatectomy and found that while postoperative pancreatic fistula remains common, severe complications are exceedingly rare, and rates of endocrine and exocrine insufficiency are negligible after these procedures. Abstract Background: Parenchymal-sparing approaches to pancreatectomy are technically challenging procedures but allow for preserving a normal pancreas and decreasing the rate of postoperative pancreatic insufficiency. The robotic platform is increasingly being used for these procedures. We sought to evaluate robotic parenchymal-sparing pancreatectomy and assess its complication profile and efficacy. Methods: This systematic review consisted of all studies on robotic parenchymal-sparing pancreatectomy (central pancreatectomy, duodenum-preserving partial pancreatic head resection, enucleation, and uncinate resection) published between January 2001 and December 2022 in PubMed and Embase. Results: A total of 23 studies were included in this review (n = 788). Robotic parenchymal-sparing pancreatectomy is being performed worldwide for benign or indolent pancreatic lesions. When compared to the open approach, robotic parenchymal-sparing pancreatectomies led to a longer average operative time, shorter length of stay, and higher estimated intraoperative blood loss. Postoperative pancreatic fistula is common, but severe complications requiring intervention are exceedingly rare. Long-term complications such as endocrine and exocrine insufficiency are nearly nonexistent. Conclusions: Robotic parenchymal-sparing pancreatectomy appears to have a higher risk of postoperative pancreatic fistula but is rarely associated with severe or long-term complications. Careful patient selection is required to maximize benefits and minimize morbidity.
Preserving Intangible Cultural Heritage to Facilitate a Transition towards Sustainability : A Case Study of Tibet's Tourism Industry

The purpose of this paper is to give suggestions for how to preserve intangible cultural heritage (ICH) towards sustainability. We will use Tibet as a case study. Understanding the importance of ICH for tourism, we scrutinize ICH through the lens of strategic sustainable development (SSD) and use tourism as a leverage point to enter into a real life situation. ICH is the root of all cultural expression. Without guarding ICH there is little meaning to the physical culture that remains and, ultimately, tourism declines. ICH is a new topic and there is little research and few ideas as to how to guide its preservation. We offer recommendations which include identifying the stakeholders, educating them, adequate marketing research especially in tourism, investing on technology of dematerialization and searching substitutions under the guidelines of the Golden Rule within the social sustainability context. Our contributions is to build a vision of success for preserving Tibetan ICH via tourism within the constraints of the four sustainability principles, and then demonstrate some prioritized actions in order to develop towards sustainability.
Publication Trends in Annals of Library and Information Studies: A Bibliometric Analysis

A bibliometric analysis of articles published in Annals of Library and Information Studies for the period from 2006 to 2015 have been undertaken. The data were downloaded from the Indian Citation Index database. This study aims at analyzing the research output performance of Library scientists on library & information science subjects. The analyses include year-wise publication of articles, authorship patterns, institutions-wise publication of contributions, state wise, city wise and country wise publication of articles. A total of 335 articles were published in the journal with an average of 33.5 articles per year. The journal had received articles from 19 countries. The result showed that out of 335 articles, majority of the articles were contributed by joint authors (218; 65.07%). Most of the articles were contributed from Delhi and USA also has contributed 4 articles for the period.
Methotrexate Chemotherapy Causes Growth Impairments, Vitamin D Deficiency, Bone Loss, and Altered Intestinal Metabolism—Effects of Calcitriol Supplementation

Simple Summary Vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency is prevalent in childhood cancer patients and survivors; however, the underlying etiology and effectiveness of vitamin D supplementation in preventing chemotherapy-induced bone loss are unclear. This study aimed to use a rat model to investigate whether methotrexate chemotherapy-induced vitamin D deficiency is related to intestinal damage and whether vitamin D supplementation can attenuate the resultant bone loss. We found that methotrexate chemotherapy causes vitamin D deficiency, bone growth impairments, bone loss, and altered intestinal vitamin D metabolism, which are associated with intestinal damage, and vitamin D supplementation inhibits methotrexate-induced bone loss due to its effect in suppressing methotrexate-induced bone lysis. This study has provided a mechanistic insight into vitamin D deficiency caused by methotrexate chemotherapy (which is commonly used in childhood oncology), and it has produced experimental evidence for the effectiveness of vitamin D supplementation in preventing chemotherapy-induced bone loss (commonly found in cancer patients and survivors). Abstract Vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency is prevalent in childhood cancer patients and survivors after chemotherapy; further studies are needed to investigate the underlying aetiology and effectiveness of vitamin D supplementation in preventing chemotherapy-induced bone loss. This study used a rat model of treatment with antimetabolite methotrexate to investigate whether methotrexate chemotherapy causes vitamin D deficiency and if vitamin D supplementation attenuates the resultant bone loss. Methotrexate treatment (five daily injections) decreased serum vitamin D levels (from 52 to <30 ng/mL), reduced body and bone lengthening and tibial trabecular bone volume, and altered intestinal vitamin D metabolism, which was associated with intestinal mucosal damage known to cause malabsorption of nutrients, including dietary vitamin D and calcium. During the early stage after chemotherapy, mRNA expression increased for vitamin D activation enzyme CYP27B1 and for calcium-binding protein TRPV6 in the intestine. During the intestinal healing stage, expression of vitamin D catabolism enzyme CYP24 increased, and that of TRPV6 was normalised. Furthermore, subcutaneous calcitriol supplementation diminished methotrexate-induced bone loss due to its effect suppressing methotrexate-induced increased bone resorption. Thus, in young rats, methotrexate chemotherapy causes vitamin D deficiency, growth impairments, bone loss, and altered intestinal vitamin D metabolism, which are associated with intestinal damage, and vitamin D supplementation inhibits methotrexate-induced bone loss.
Kūkū te kererū, ketekete te kākā: The role of literature in indigenous methods of naming native and introduced birds to Aotearoa New Zealand

This thesis describes the role of academic literature in indigenous epistemology with a focus on indigenous methods of naming native and introduced birds to Aotearoa New Zealand. The story of the role of academic literature in mātauranga Māori transmission presented in this thesis, describes a narrative of indigenous people being increasingly excluded from transmission of mātauranga Māori in literature production. Importantly the exclusion of original sources from participation in literature production and revision resulted in a high degree of persistent error in academic literature presenting oral narratives and te reo Māori bird names. Currently, te reo Māori names of native and introduced birds are represented in English language academic literature, as subject matter or topic of interest predominately within a scientific research paradigm, in the fields of linguistics, ornithology, ethnology or disciplines where these are combined such as ethnoornithology or folk-taxonomy. Research inquiry conducted in this study is influenced by a potential to explore indigenous methods of naming in terms of what they reveal about our ways of being (ontology) and our ways of knowing (epistemology). This thesis presents two literature reviews and the findings of seven semi-structured interviews to explore the complexities of the role of academic literature in indigenous epistemology with a focus on indigenous methods of naming native and indigenous birds to Aotearoa New Zealand. Exploring indigenous methods of naming in this way provides an opportunity to tease out the influence of translation, Western scientific paradigms and the medium of academic literature on the transmission of mātauranga Māori as well as identify opportunities and limitations for indigenous epistemology offered through the medium of academic literature. A comprehensive index of te reo Māori bird names with attention to the variety of linguistic nuances of geographically specific vernacular presented consistently in the context of indigenous methods of naming, potentially provides an accessible
Enterococcus faecalis a Major Cause of STD: A New Evidence

The current study aimed to highlight the relationship of Enterococcus faecalis with sexually transmitted diseases (STD) as an uncommon cause of this infection. Thirty samples of urethral swabs were collected from male patients diagnosed by the specialist physician with sexually transmitted diseases according to clinical signs and history of the disease. The swabs were inoculated on the medium of blood and chocolate agar and diagnosed by classical methods, then confirmed using vitek-2 technique. The incidence of E. faecalis isolates was 16.6%. This study also dealt with investigation of antibiotic resistanceoofobacteriaotoovancomycin,olevofloxacin, erythromycin, and tetracycline depending on the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) using vitek-2 compact system, and the results showed that 20 %, 60 %, 80 % and 100 % of isolates were resistant to vancomycin, levofloxacin, erythromycin, and tetracycline respectively. This study concluded the existence of a relationship between this bacterium and STD by isolating it as the only cause in hypersexuality patients.
Experimental Study of Shear Performance of High-Strength Concrete Deep Beams with Longitudinal Reinforcement with Anchor Plate

As a transfer member at the discontinuous place of vertical load, the deep beam has a complex stress mechanism and many influencing factors, such as compressive strength of concrete, shear span ratio, and reinforcement ratio. At the same time, the stress analysis principle of traditional shallow beams is no longer applicable to the design and calculation of deep-beam structure. The main purpose of this paper was to use the strut-and-tie model to analyze its stress mechanism, and to verify the applicability of the model. Nine high-strength concrete deep-beam specimens with longitudinal reinforcement with an anchor plate of the same size were tested by two-point concentrated loading method. The effects of shear span ratio (0.3, 0.6, and 0.9), longitudinal reinforcement ratio (0.67%, 1.05%, and 1.25%), horizontal reinforcement ratio (0.33%, 0.45%, and 0.50%), and stirrup reinforcement ratio (0.25%, 0.33%, and 0.50%) on the failure mode, deflection curve, characteristic load, crack width, steel bar, and concrete strain of the specimens were analyzed. The results showed that the failure mode of deep-beam specimens was diagonal compression failure. The normal section cracking load was about 15 to 20% of the ultimate load, and the inclined section cracking load was about 30~40% of the ultimate load. The shear span ratio increased from 0.3 to 0.9, and the bearing capacity decreased by 32.9%. When the longitudinal reinforcement ratio increased from 0.67% to 1.25%, the ultimate load increased by 42.6%. The shear span ratio and longitudinal reinforcement ratio have a significant effect on the bearing capacity of the high-strength concrete deep beams with longitudinal reinforcement with an anchor plate. The shear capacity of nine high-strength concrete deep-beam specimens with longitudinal reinforcement with an anchor plate was calculated by national standards, and the results were compared with the calculation results of the Tan–Tang model, the Tan–Cheng model, SSTM, and SSSTM. The analysis showed that the softened strut-and-tie model takes into account the softening effect of compressive concrete, and is a more accurate mechanical model, which can be applied to predict the shear capacity of high-strength concrete deep-beam members with longitudinal reinforcement with an anchor plate.
Hydric soil properties as influenced by land-use in Southeast Virginia wet flats

The accuracy of the growing season used by regulators in hydric soil and wetland hydrology and the validity of ignoring land use in these definitions is questionable. This study compared measured air and soil temperature with various growing season dates and indicators, and determined the relationships between the hydrology, air and soil temperature. Water table depths, air temperature at 1-m height, soil temperature at 15-, 30-, and 50-cm depths, and CO2 efflux were measured at 12 plots representing three land-use treatments (forest, field, and bare ground) at two restored wet flats in the thermic Great Dismal Swamp ecosystem. The forest was driest treatment. The forest air was the warmest in winter and coldest in summer, opposite of the bare ground. The forest soil at 50 cm was the warmest in winter and coolest in summer, opposite of the bare ground. Land use affected hydrology, air, and soil temperatures through the presence of surface litter and differences in shading, albedo, and ET. The regulatory frost-free period fell in between the measured frost-free period and the measured 5 °C soil temperature period. Based on CO2 efflux and soil temperature at 50 cm, the biological growing season of native plants and microbes should be year-round for forested areas, one week shorter for early-successional fields, and two weeks shorter for active cropland rather than March to November for all land uses. Changing the growing season definition of forested, thermic wet flats to year-round designation must be considered and studied carefully to avoid jeopardizing wetland hydrology qualifications.
Quantifying the glacial meltwater contribution to mountainous streams using stable water isotopes: What are the opportunities and limitations?

This study aims to determine the opportunities and limitations of using stable water isotopes to quantify the glacial meltwater contribution to mountainous streams. For this purpose, three partially glaciated catchments in the Swiss Alps were selected as the study area. In the three catchments, stable isotope analysis (δ18O and δ2H) was conducted of the streams and the end‐members that contribute to the stream discharge (glacial meltwater, rain, snow). The investigations revealed that the contribution of glacial meltwater to mountainous streams can be quantified using stable water isotopes if three criteria are met: (A) The snow meltwater contribution to mountainous streams must be negligible due to its highly variable stable isotope signature; (B) the groundwater input needs to be either insignificant during this snow‐free period or the groundwater residence time must be short such that groundwater contribution does not delay the end‐member signal arriving in the streams; and (C) the isotope signal of the glacial melt end‐member needs to be distinct from the other end‐members. One of the three investigated catchments fulfilled these criteria in August and September, and the glacial meltwater contribution to the mountainous streams could be estimated based on stable water isotopes. During this time period, the glacial meltwater contribution to the stream discharge corresponded to up to 85% ± 2% and to 28.7% ± 10% of the total annual discharge, respectively. This high glacial meltwater contribution demonstrates that the mountainous stream discharges in August and September will probably strongly decrease in the future due to global warming‐induced deglaciation. Overall, this study demonstrates that many hydrogeological conditions need to be met so that stable water isotopes can be used to quantify the glacial meltwater contribution to mountainous streams. This highlights the challenges when using stable water isotopes for hydrograph separation and serves as a guide for future stable water isotope studies in mountainous regions.
Private equity performance: can you learn the recipe for success?

In this thesis, I study the relationship between private equity fund managers’ experience and fund returns. Previous private equity research has focused mainly on the performance persistence of fund returns and the contribution of this paper is to study the learning effect of private equity funds’ general partners. The data used in this thesis is collected from the SDC Platinum VentureXpert and the EurekaHedge Private Equity database. I restrict the study to US buyout and venture capital funds with vintages from 1980 to 2001. The VentureXpert data has an extensive coverage of funds in 1980’s and 1990’s whereas the EurekaHedge contains data on more recent funds. To investigate experience, I use the fund sequence as a proxy for the general partner’s experience. To investigate the performance, I study the effect of experience on the successful divestment rate of the portfolio companies as well as different performance measure multiples that are commonly used in private equity research. The central findings of the study imply that the managers’ experience correlates highly with fund returns particularly as for venture capital. The same relationship is observable for buyout funds, as well, but not to the same extent. I also find a negative correlation between the fund size and the performance as for VC funds. Private Equity performance: Can you learn the recipe for success?
Research on the Association Between Periodontitis and COPD

Abstract Periodontitis is a common chronic bacteria-initiated inflammatory disease that is closely associated with various systemic diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Periodontitis and COPD share similar risk factors, pathology and microorganisms. Epidemiological and clinical research have shown positive correlation between the two diseases. Individuals with severe periodontitis had a higher risk of developing COPD. Moreover, the relative risk of COPD in severe periodontitis was much higher compared to people without periodontal disease and patients with mild to moderate periodontitis. COPD patients with periodontitis had a higher frequency of COPD exacerbation and periodontal treatment demonstrated some control of COPD. However, the nature of periodontitis affecting COPD still needs further exploration. Periodontitis caused microbial and immune imbalances of the lung through several aspects: (I) under periodontitis status, periodontal pathogens directly caused the lung inflammatory reaction after inhalation and colonization on the lung, (II) periodontitis status promoted the oral colonization of pneumonia-associated pathogens, (III) periodontitis status affected the respiratory epithelium structure and (IV) periodontitis status caused imbalances in neutrophils, macrophages and inflammatory cytokines. In this review, we conclude the association between periodontitis and COPD through several aspects and further discuss the potential mechanism by which periodontitis affects COPD.