Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effects of stance width during barbell hip thrust on power and velocity output among adolescent Silat athletes

Background and Study Aim. In the physically demanding combat sport of Silat, strength and power dominate. Consequently, applying various stance widths during barbell hip thrusts may tailor athletes' lower-body exercises to individual needs. This has the potential to optimize performance. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact on performance of power, speed, and stance width among Silat combat athletes. Material and Methods. Participants performed 10RM tests in three stance widths: wider than shoulder width (WSW), normal shoulder width (NSW), and narrower than shoulder width (NRW). This was done using a 72-hour counterbalance cross-over study design. Power and velocity were measured and analyzed using a mixed ANOVA design. Results. The results indicated a significant main effect of stance width on power (F(2,56) = 3.086, p < 0.05) and velocity (F(2,56) = 3.683, p < 0.03) output. Both males and females demonstrated the highest power in NRW (M = 413.26, SD = 131.76; M = 239.53, SD = 111.16), followed by WSW and NSW. A strong positive correlation between power and velocity was observed for all stance widths: WSW (r(28) = 0.77, p < 0.001), NSW (r(28) = 0.79, p < 0.001), and NRW (r(28) = 0.89, p < 0.001). NRW was associated with superior power production, while WSW facilitated higher velocity. Conclusion. The results of this study demonstrate the importance of considering a variety of stance width techniques during exercise due to their effects on power and velocity during the barbell hip thrust exercise. Coaches can tailor training programs with a velocity-targeted strength and conditioning approach to enhance performance and competitiveness. Further research should investigate different athlete groups and age levels to refine training methodologies.
The influence of topographic variables on treeline trees under different environmental conditions

Abstract Aiming to analyze the site conditions of treeline trees at the highest elevations, we investigated 360 km of treelines in the Upper Valtellina, Italian Alps. We analyzed approximately five trees per km and determined the environmental factors limiting treeline elevation by distinguishing between geomorphologic constraints (mean elevation 2355 m), climatic constraints (2530 m), and human impacts (2335 m). Up to 82% of the 1814 analyzed treeline trees were influenced by geomorphological constraints, whereas human impacts influenced only 3% of the trees. Climatic treelines (15% of trees) were most common in the western sector. Moreover we analyzed the frequency distributions of elevation, slope, and aspect. Elevation was the most important variable that was also strongly associated with climatic treelines. The slope variable was more strongly associated with treelines limited by geomorphology than by climate. By reconstructing the altitudinal dynamics at the Mt. Confinale study site, we found rates of an ongoing treeline upward shift of up to 2.6 m/y in the period 2000–2009. Our results indicate that climatic conditions related to the ongoing air temperature rise in this region will likely enhance the treeline shift, especially at high elevations (>2400 m a.s.l.) and on non-extreme slopes (<45°).
Incidental Indeterminate Renal Lesions: Distinguishing Non-Enhancing from Potential Enhancing Renal Lesions Using Iodine Quantification on Portal Venous Dual-Layer Spectral CT

The purpose of our study is to determine a threshold for iodine quantification to distinguish definitely non-enhancing benign renal lesions from potential enhancing masses on portal venous dual-layer spectral computed tomography (CT) to reduce the need for additional multiphase CT. In this single-center retrospective study, patients (≥18 years) scanned between April 2021 and January 2023 following the local renal CT protocol were included. Exclusion criteria were patients without renal lesions, lesions smaller than 10 mm, only fat-containing lesions, abscesses or infarction, follow-up after radiofrequent ablation, wrong scan protocol, or artefacts. Scans were performed on a dual layer detector-based spectral CT (CT 7500, Philips Healthcare, Best, The Netherlands). Iodine concentration (mgI/mL) in renal lesions was determined using spectral data. Analyses were performed for all lesions and for lesions of >30 HU on portal venous CT. Enhancement on multiphase CT (≥20 ΔHU from true unenhanced (TUE) to portal venous phase (PVP) CT) was used as reference standard. To determine thresholds for iodine concentration receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, area under the curve (AUC) and 95% confidence intervals were calculated. To obtain thresholds for definite (non-)enhancement, 100% sensitivity with maximum specificity and 100% specificity with maximum sensitivity were noted. Data were measured using one reader. To assess interobserver agreement, a second reader performed measurements on the PVP CT scans. A total of 103 patients (62 years ± 14, 68 men) were included. We measured 328 renal lesions, 56 enhancing lesions (17%) in 38 patients and 272 non-enhancing lesions (83%) in 86 patients. The threshold for non-enhancing lesions was 0.76 mgI/mL or lower (100% sensitivity, 76% specificity). The threshold for a definite enhancing mass was 1.69 mgI/mL or higher (100% specificity, 78% sensitivity). A total of 77% of indeterminate lesions (>30 HU on PVP CT) in our study could be definitely characterized. Renal lesions can be definitively classified as non-enhancing or enhancing on PVP spectral CT using thresholds of 0.76 mgI/mL or 1.69 mgI/mL, respectively, eliminating the need for multiphase imaging.
Ultrawide In-Band Self-Interference Suppression Using Bandpass Filter-Based RF Cancellers

An RF front-end based self-interference (SI) cancellation technique is reported for in-band full duplex (IBFD) communications. It is based on a simple and compact single-stage cancellation method in which a tuneable bandpass filter (BPF) alongside a static attenuator and a static phase shifter are incorporated in the RF canceller. By tuning the centre frequency and the inter-resonator coupling of the BPF, high SI suppression (20-40 dB) can be obtained within more than 1.5:1 of the frequency range. The operating principles of the ultra-wide SI cancellation concept are presented via a thorough design analysis that considers practical realization aspects and tuning effects. For proof-of-concept validation purposes a two-antenna system comprising ultra-wideband monopole antennas, and a BPF-based RF canceller was designed, manufactured and tested at S-band. It exhibited a >20 dB of isolation between 2.21-3.41 GHz (1.5:1).
Germination and density of weeds as influenced by waste water irrigation in wheat

The impact of waste water irrigation on weeds in wheat was studied during rabi season of 2008. It was observed that higher weed density was recorded in waste water irrigated sites as compared with tubewell water. The effect of untreated drain water was subsequently tested on major weed such as Avena ludoviciana in lab. The results revealed that the drain water increased the weed germination and promoted the shoot and root length of A. ludoviciana in wheat.
ECOSYSTEM DISTURBANCE IN ICELAND

Iceland is an example of a fragile northern ecosystem where livestock grazing in conjunction with highly erodible volcanic soils and a harsh climate have combined to cause extensive vegetational degradation and soil erosion since settlement in A.D. 874. At the time of settlement about 65? o of Iceland is thought to have been vegetated. Birch (Betula pubescens) woodlands at lower elevations are thought to have covered at least 25% of the country. Willows (Salix spp.) and other dwarf shrubs were dominant above 300 to 400 m elevation. This vegetation evolved in the absence of herbivores and was vulnerable to grazing by livestock introduced at the time of settlement. At present less than 25%o of Iceland is vegetated. Remnants of former birch woodlands occupy only I o of the land area. The value of remaining vegetation for grazing, outdoor recreation, and other purposes has been greatly reduced. Extensive, accelerated soil erosion and continued degradation of vegetation by livestock constitute the most serious environmental problems in Iceland today.
Evaluation of Trace Elements Levels and Construction of Auxiliary Prediction Model in Patients with Diabetes Ketoacidosis in Type 1 Diabetes

Background Trace elements play an important role in reflecting physical metabolic status, but have been rarely evaluated in diabetes ketoacidosis (DKA). Since clinical biochemical parameters are the first-line diagnostic data mastered by clinical doctors and DKA has a rapid progression, it is crucial to fully utilize clinical data and combine innovative parameters to assist in assessing disease progression. The aim of this study was to evaluate the levels of trace elements in DKA patients, followed by construction of predictive models combined with the laboratory parameters. Methods A total of 96 T1D individuals (48 DKA patients) were collected from the First Hospital of Jilin University. Serum calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), iron (Fe) and selenium (Se) were measured by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry, and the data of biochemical parameters were collected from the laboratory information system. Training and validation sets were used to construct the model and examine the efficiency of the model. The lambda-mu-sigma method was used to evaluate the changes in the model prediction efficiency as the severity of the patient’s condition increases. Results Lower levels of serum Mg, Ca and Zn, but higher levels of serum Fe, Cu and Se were found in DKA patients. Low levels of total protein (TP), Zn and high levels of lipase would be an efficient combination for the prediction of DKA (Area under curves for training set and validation set were 0.867 and 0.961, respectively). The examination test confirmed the clinical applicability of the constructed models. The increasing predictive efficiency of the model was found with NACP. Conclusion More severe oxidative stress in DKA led to further imbalance of trace elements. The combination of TP, lipase and Zn could predict DKA efficiently, which would benefit the early identification and prevention of DKA to improve prognosis.
Tectonic rotation about the termination of a major strike-slip fault, Marlborough Fault System, New Zealand

The Marlborough fault system comprises a series of major right-lateral strike-slip faults that link the Alpine fault to the Hikurangi subduction zone in the Pacific/Australia plate boundary zone in New Zealand. All of the major active faults of the Marlborough fault system have continuous traces except for the Clarence fault which terminates abruptly near the Ward syncline. Paleomagnetic data from upper Miocene and lower Pliocene sedimentary rocks between the Marlborough faults indicate a consistent post-early Pliocene regional clockwise rotation of about 20°. An additional rotation of about 10° is evident at many localities near the termination of the Clarence fault. It is proposed that the additional rotation, relative to the rest of the region, is caused by a velocity gradient that likely exists between the active Awatere fault and the termination of the Clarence fault. The existence of such a velocity gradient is consistent with inferences from geodetic strain data which suggest that one-third of the displacement in the Marlborough fault system occurs between the Awatere and Clarence faults. The kinematics of rotation can be modelled by treating the area as a rigid block that pivots about the termination of the Clarence fault. The block rotation model satisfies field constraints on the styles of deformation observed at the boundaries of the block and is consistent with available paleomagnetic and geodetic data.
The Influence of Coal Mining on Water Resources in the Kuye River Basin

Coal mining exerts serious effects on water resources in the Yellow River Basin,and also has influence on discharge into the Yellow River.It is very important for the Yellow River health to study the effects of coal mining on hydrological cycle and runoff change mechanism.This paper aims at Kuye River in the middle Yellow River,where there are many large-scale coal mines.According to the hydrological data from 1955 to 2005 and information about coal mining since 1978,the effects of coal mining on hydrological cycle were carried out with mathematical statistics and YRWBM(Yellow River Water Balance Model) model.The results show that hydro-geological conditions have changed greatly due to coal mining activities,being the main reason for the reduction of runoff;the water volume reduced by 1.97×108 m3/a,making up 54.8% of the total water change,and the impact of coal mining on water resources is approximately 5.27 m3/t.Coal mining is one of the key factors which contributes to runoff changes,and land use,water structural adjustment and human water use also have effects on water change.How to further separate the different elements of human activities which affect the hydrology of the watershed is still a problem.
The method of fundamental solutions for detection of cavities in EIT

In this paper, the method of fundamental solutions (MFS) is used to solve numerically an inverse problem which consists of finding an unknown cavity within a region of interest based on given boundary Cauchy data. A range of examples are used to demonstrate that the technique is very effective at locating cavities in both two- and three-dimensional geometries for exact input data. The technique is then developed to include a regularisation parameter that enables cavities to be located accurately and stably even for noisy input data.
Investigating the adoption of indigenous knowledge in mitigating climate-linked challenges

Indigenous knowledge (IK) plays a crucial role in rural African communities by contributing to the development of mitigation and adaptation strategies, enhancing resilience to climate-related challenges. However, there is limited documentation of its application in South Africa. This study investigates the adoption of IK in the Vhembe district, focusing on general use, disease prediction and farming practices. Results indicate that the respondents possessed a rich reservoir of IK, with 76.1% affirming its use for different purposes. Most respondents (75.3%) use IK for farming, with 63.1% using it for disease prediction. Most participants (74.3%) reported adequate confidence levels in their use of IK for general purposes. Respondents who had stayed longer in Vhembe reported higher confidence levels in using IK, as did those above 66 years old in using this knowledge system for disease prediction. The use of IK indicators for early warning of malaria outbreaks was also documented. Investigating and documenting IK use in communities could inform the basis for preservation and hence, enhance IK recognition. The integration of IK in the development of early warning systems may enhance their relevance and effectiveness in combating the effects of climate change and infectious diseases.
Mosquito-borne flaviviruses and type I interferon: catch me if you can!

Mosquito-borne flaviviruses include many viruses that are important human pathogens, including Yellow fever virus, Dengue virus, Zika virus and West Nile virus. While these viruses have long been confined to tropical regions, they now pose a global public health concern, as the geographical distribution of their mosquito vectors has dramatically expanded. The constant threat of flavivirus emergence and re-emergence underlines the need for a better understanding of the relationships between these viruses and their hosts. In particular, unraveling how these viruses manage to bypass antiviral immune mechanisms could enable the design of countermeasures to limit their impact on human health. The body’s first line of defense against viral infections is provided by the interferon (IFN) response. This antiviral defense mechanism takes place in two waves, namely the induction of type I IFNs triggered by viral infection, followed by the IFN signaling pathway, which leads to the synthesis of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs), whose products inhibit viral replication. In order to spread throughout the body, viruses must race against time to replicate before this IFN-induced antiviral state hinders their dissemination. In this review, we summarize our current knowledge on the multiple strategies developed by mosquito-borne flaviviruses to interfere with innate immune detection and signaling pathways, in order to delay, if not prevent, the establishment of an antiviral response.
Recent updates on medical management of Glaucoma.

Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. It is estimated to affect more than 110 million people globally by the year 2040. The disease is characterised by progressive loss of the retinal ganglion cells resulting in characteristic visual field defects. Modulating intraocular pressure is the widely accepted and practiced strategy in managing glaucoma. While most of the available drugs either suppressed aqueous formation or shunted it across the uveo-scleral pathways, rho kinase inhibitors have been introduced targeting the trabecular meshwork. Latanoprostene Bunod and its combination with Latanoprost, and Omidenepeg Isopropyl are new additions soon to be available in India. Durysta, a sustained release Bimatoprost implant is already approved in United States and other implants involving Travoprost are in pipeline. Neuroprotection is the ultimate goal in glaucoma management and recent trials with neurotrophic factors, glutamate antagonists, stem cells and antioxidant therapy have been encouraging. Coenzyme Q10 with vitamin E combination (Coqun) eye drops have demonstrated efficacy as an adjunct antiglaucoma therapy. While Brain Derived Neurotrophic factor have demonstrated efficacy in animal studies, experimental study with Nerve Growth Factor eye drops have shown promising results in humans. Stem cell research has a great potential in neuroprotection but still is in infancy. Concerns such as mode of delivery, graft survival and potential side effects remain to be known before stem cell therapy comes to the fore of clinical management of glaucoma. The present provides an overview of the recent developments in the wide arena of medical management of glaucoma.
Adjustment of mixed nonlinear models on Blackberry fruit growth

Abstract Blackberry fruits belong to the genus Rubus, are fruits more cultivated in temperate climate in the summer, with low luminosity and low temperature in the winter. These fruits have as characteristic the quickperishingafter harvest and regression models, more specifically, nonlinear models, single or double sigmoid growth curve, are more recommended to model the growth of living beings. Several authors have used these models, considering only the average data of individuals under study; however, they do not consider the variability between them. One way to better capture the variability between individuals is by using mixed-effects nonlinear models that, by definition, combine the fixed and random part in the same model. Data used in this work were diameter and length of ‘Choctaw’ blackberry fruits, . The random effects of models were tested on parameters, with some steps, in order to reach the most appropriate model. For fixed-effects models, the least squares method was used, and for mixed models, the restricted likelihood was used. To reach the model that best fits data, the fit quality criteria (R2, AIC c and TRV) were used. For fruit diameter, the simple sigmoid nonlinear model was the logistic with random effect in ß1 and ß2, and for fruit length, the model was the Logistic + Logistic, with random effect in ß1 and ß4.
Habitat use by spotted-necked otters in the KwaZulu-Natal Drakensberg, South Africa

The habitat preferences of the spotted-necked otter Lutra maculicollis were determined in a catchment of the KwaZulu-Natal Drakensberg, South Africa. Riverbank vegetation and human disturbance were the main factors determining the presence or absence of otters. Decrease in the use of islands and reeds in dams during the summer wet season was recorded; otters used rocky and tree-sheltered riverine habitat in the winter dry season.
Developing Sustainability Indicators by Communities: Lessons Learned from the Spatial Planning of Kembang Tanjong District

Developing sustainability indicators from below has rarely been done in Indonesia. This may be because indicators for certain aspects of sustainable development are beyond ordinary people’s perception to comprehend, especially those related to ecological functions which can only be figured out by the associated experts. However, when participatory approach to development is preferable because of its many advantages compared to the top down one, sustainability indicators should consequently be settled on with communities. In the spatial planning of Kembang Tanjong, a tsunami affected district in Aceh Province, sustainable development indicators were defined using community participation approach. Field observation, problem mapping and focus group discussions involving no less than 40 key persons of the community were conducted during the planning process, and 17 indicators of five categories were finally agreed to be applied in planning the district. It becomes evident that not only has the community’s identification of the indicators been proven to be a sort of innovation in Indonesian spatial planning practices, but also assisted in empowering the people themselves, especially in monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the spatial plan, something that people have almost been powerless.
Polyphyllin VII induces CTC anoikis to inhibit lung cancer metastasis through EGFR pathway regulation

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are cells that detach from the primary tumor and enter the bloodstream, playing a crucial role in the metastasis of lung cancer. Unfortunately, there is currently a lack of drugs specifically designed to target CTCs and prevent tumor metastasis. In this study, we present evidence that polyphyllin VII, a potent anticancer compound, effectively inhibits the metastasis of lung cancer by inducing a process called anoikis in CTCs. We observed that polyphyllin VII had significant cytotoxicity and inhibited colony formation, migration, and invasion in both our newly established cell line CTC-TJH-01 and a commercial lung cancer cell line H1975. Furthermore, we found that polyphyllin VII induced anoikis and downregulated the TrkB and EGFR-MEK/ERK signaling pathways. Moreover, activation of TrkB protein did not reverse the inhibitory effect of polyphyllin VII on CTCs, while upregulation of EGFR protein effectively reversed it. Furthermore, our immunodeficient mouse models recapitulated that polyphyllin VII inhibited lung metastasis, which was associated with downregulation of the EGFR protein, and reduced the number of CTCs disseminated into the lungs by inducing anoikis. Together, these results suggest that polyphyllin VII may be a promising compound for the treatment of lung cancer metastasis by targeting CTCs.