Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cardiomyopathy and heart failure secondary to anabolic-androgen steroid abuse

Abstract Bodybuilders often use anabolic-androgenic steroids to improve performance. We report a case of a 30-year-old male bodybuilder with anabolic-androgen steroid abuse while getting ready for a bodybuilding contest. He had New York Heart Association class IV heart failure, severe nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy, new-onset atrial fibrillation, cardiogenic pulmonary edema, and acute respiratory distress requiring mechanical ventilation. After 6 months of heart failure guideline–directed medical therapy, cessation of anabolic steroids, and maintenance of sinus rhythm, his ejection fraction improved.
Wheeling to London 2012 : the psycho-social health and well-being of Great Britain's Wheelchair Basketball players over time

The purpose of this PhD was to explore the psycho-social health (PSH) and well-being (WB) of Great Britain’s (GB) Wheelchair Basketball (WhB) players over time, starting from when they became disabled and culminating in the London 2012 Paralympic Games. The sample comprised 16 players (8 male, 8 female) and 4 coaches. They were interviewed on three occasions – 2 years before, within a year of and a year after London. Observations spanned this period, whilst data was also collected via two visual methods: auto-photography (AP) and timelining. All data was analysed using a thematic analytical approach. First the challenges to PSH and WB of being disabled are discussed, with the diversity of experience highlighted. Secondly in exploring the role of spinal units and story-tellers in initiating players into sport, a lottery which risked their PSH and WB is exposed. Whilst copious benefits of recreational disability sport are described, being a GB WhB player is revealed as an extreme health rollercoaster. Just as being a Paralympian offers perks and privileges, so too does it risk players becoming obsessed. Performance and health are shown to be uniquely related and yet not always simultaneously achievable. Finally, from the pride of wearing the jersey and competing at a home Paralympics, to shattered dreams and unfulfilled ambitions, London 2012 is relived. The research concludes that creating a ‘Healthy Paralympian’ is a challenging task and yet winning formula. Recommendations are made to realise this aim, whilst those which have already been adopted by GB WhB are also shared.
Hereditary Nonpolyposis Colorectal Cancer in Association with Crohn's Disease and Lynch Syndrome: The Importance of a Strict Endoscopic Surveillance

Crohn’s disease (CD) and Lynch syndrome (LS) are two different entities, yet both are associated with increased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). We present the case of a young female patient in long-standing remission of her ileocolonic luminal CD, and a family history of LS on a regular short interval (every 2 years) colonoscopy surveillance. Despite normal blood tests, fecal calprotectin, and ileocolonoscopy, her last colonoscopy showed an approximately 1.3–1.5 cm polyp in the cecum and mild UC-like colitis in the ascending colon. Histology confirmed the presence of a moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma (T2N0M0) with loss of PSM2 expression at immunohistochemistry, in line with a hereditary nonpolypoid CRC associated origin. Laparoscopic subtotal colectomy with ileorectal anastomosis was offered as the treatment of choice, which revealed a 2.4 cm exophytic ulcerated lesion and pathology confirmed invasive moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma (pT2N0M0). Patient will remain on close endoscopic surveillance for the rectum. Our case highlights the importance of a strict endoscopic surveillance in patients with long-standing CD colitis, especially in patients with additional risk factors. The aim of this article was to highlight the importance of a strict endoscopic surveillance in CD in association with LS regarding a higher risk of CRC, which mandates the adaptation of the endoscopic surveillance intervals as well as the surgical approach and postoperative management/surveillance.
Zimbro (Juniperus communis L.) as a Promising Source of Bioactive Compounds and Biomedical Activities: A Review on Recent Trends

Plant-derived products and their extracted compounds have been used in folk medicine since early times. Zimbro or common juniper (Juniperus communis) is traditionally used to treat renal suppression, acute and chronic cystitis, bladder catarrh, albuminuria, leucorrhea, and amenorrhea. These uses are mainly attributed to its bioactive composition, which is very rich in phenolics, terpenoids, organic acids, alkaloids, and volatile compounds. In the last few years, several studies have analyzed the huge potential of this evergreen shrub, describing a wide range of activities with relevance in different biomedical discipline areas, namely antimicrobial potential against human pathogens and foodborne microorganisms, notorious antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, antidiabetic, antihypercholesterolemic and antihyperlipidemic effects, and neuroprotective action, as well as antiproliferative ability against cancer cells and the ability to activate inductive hepato-, renal- and gastroprotective mechanisms. Owing to these promising activities, extracts and bioactive compounds of juniper could be useful for the development of new pharmacological applications in the treatment of several acute and chronic human diseases.
Anticancer Activity of Panchatikta Ghrita in 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) Induced Skin Carcinogenesis in Swiss Albino Mice

Aim of the present study was to evaluate the anticancer effect of orally administered Panchatikta ghrita (Ghee) in 7,12-Dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) induced skin carcinogenesis in Swiss albino mice. Skin squamous cell carcinoma was induced at the shaved back of mice by applying DMBA (25 μg in 0.1 ml acetone/ mice) twice weekly for 7 weeks. Tumor formation (100%) was observed in 7 weeks of treatment in DMBA alone. As during radio and chemotherapy body’s natural cells are also killed and low immunity develops, Panchatikta ghrita controls these adverse effects of both and helps better recovery and life styles. Oral administration of Panchatikta ghrita (Ghee) completely prevented the formation of skin tumors, hyperkeratosis, hyperplasia, epidermal erosion, dermal invasion and pearl formation. Results of the present study suggested that Panchatikta ghrita had potent anticancer and chemopreventive effect in DMBA induced skin carcinogenesis. Key words: Panchatikta ghrita, Chemoprevention, Hyperplasia, Epidermal erosion, Hyperkeratosis.
Erdosteine prevents contrast-induced renal oxidative stress damage in mice

Purpose: To investigate the protective effect of erdosteine on contrast-induced renal oxidative stress in mice. Methods: C57BL/6 mice were injected intraperitoneally with contrast medium to establish an acute kidney injury model (AKI). Renal function, blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine (SCr) were determined. Also, oxidative stress, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and reduced glutathione (GSH) were evaluated. And the renal tissue structure was examined by light microscopy, while Western blot (WB) and Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were used to determine the expressions of senescence-related factor, Nrf-2 and downstream antioxidant factor. Results: Erdosteine improved the renal structure of mice and significantly decreased serum BUN and SCr levels. In addition, erdosteine promoted the expression of antioxidant enzymes SOD1, SOD2, GPX1 and GPX3 in renal tissues, decreased the content of ROS, and inhibited the content of LDH and MDA in serum. Also, WB and RT-PCR results showed that erdosteine activated Nrf2 pathway, thereby alleviating contrast-induced renal injury. Conclusion: Erdosteine inhibits contrast-induced renal oxidative stress in mice and delays cell senescence by activating Nrf2 pathway. This will be of great significance in the treatment of contrast-induced nephropathy.
An Efficiency-Improved Single-Phase PFC Rectifier With Active Power Decoupling

Active power decoupling (APD) technology is an effective solution to store the double-line frequency ripple power in the single-phase system and remove the bulky aluminum electrolytic capacitors. However, APD introduces power loss because of adding extra switches operating at high frequency, which hurts the system efficiency inevitably. Addressing this issue, this article proposes an improved boost power factor correction (PFC) rectifier with a buck-type APD cell. An auxiliary circuit, composed of a resonant inductor and a diode, is added. With the developed modulation strategy, zero voltage switching of the switches both in the PFC and APD circuits is achieved, which improves the system efficiency significantly. This article first describes operating modes and then analyzes the soft-switching condition of each switch. Finally, a 300 W prototype is built and the experimental result shows that the efficiency is increased by 4%.
Optimally Distinct? Understanding the motivation and ability of organizations to pursue optimal distinctiveness (or not)

The question of how distinctive organizations should strive to be, compared to peers, has seen a resurgence of attention. A central focus in this stream of work has been on identifying optimal distinctiveness—distinctiveness that yields superior performance relative to peers. The resulting recommendation has been that organizations should strive to pursue such optimal distinctiveness. In this paper, we argue that organizations are neither equally motivated nor equally able to pursue optimal distinctiveness and explore the implications of variation in such motivation and ability. We focus on two questions, centered on (1) better understanding the extent to which organizations pursue optimal distinctiveness, for which we offer possible arguments based on four combinations of motivation and ability, and (2) the conditions that shape organizations’ ability and motivation to optimize their distinctiveness. We then offer a number of methodological suggestions that would support further inquiries into these questions and close by delineating a renewed research agenda for optimal distinctiveness.
A Generalized DFT Precoded Filter Bank System

The discrete Fourier transform (DFT) can be used as a precoding technique in a filter bank system to partially recover complex orthogonality. In this work, a proposal is made to make the waveform design more flexible through the introduction of a parameter called rate factor. With this parameter, we generalize the DFT precoded filter bank system and modify the data transmission format when compared to the conventional system. Such modification allows for better resource allocation and lower PAPR. Furthermore, theoretical and simulation results show better error performance in high mobility scenarios.
Of Waste and Waists: The Effect of Plate Material on Food Consumption and Waste

Two lab studies and three field studies indicate that plate disposability influences the amount of food wasted. The first lab study indicates that more food served on disposable (i.e., paper) plates is wasted than when the same food is served on permanent (i.e., hard plastic) plates. Study 2 employs an implicit association test (IAT) to confirm that disposable plates are strongly associated with behavior to stop eating while, simultaneously, permanent plates are more strongly associated with a keep eating behavior. Three field studies (3A, 3B, and 3C) indicate that this effect maintains when instead of being served a fixed quantity of food, participants select the amount and type of food.
Base Pressure Control with Annular Ribs

Abstract This paper presents the experimental results on the flow characteristics of a suddenly expanded flow from subsonic and sonic nozzles. The present study employs passive control in the form of a rib to investigate the base pressure for the enlarged duct. The nozzle pressure ratio (NPR) was varied from 1 to 7. The length to diameter ratio of the enlarged duct was varied from 0.5D to 6D. The aspect ratio of the rib was varied from 0.45 to 1.25. The experimental results showed that the base pressure was strongly influenced by the aspect ratio of the rib at a given L/D ratio. For L/D = 0.5, NPR 3 was found to be critical as seen from the increasing trend in base pressure with NPR. The present study explicitly reveals that, the base pressure in a suddenly expanded axi-symmetric duct can be controlled by employing a rib of appropriate aspect ratio as a passive control device.
WHIRLY protein functions in plants

Abstract Environmental stresses pose a significant threat to food security. Understanding the function of proteins that regulate plant responses to biotic and abiotic stresses is therefore pivotal in developing strategies for crop improvement. The WHIRLY (WHY) family of DNA‐binding proteins are important in this regard because they fulfil a portfolio of important functions in organelles and nuclei. The WHY1 and WHY2 proteins function as transcription factors in the nucleus regulating phytohormone synthesis and associated growth and stress responses, as well as fulfilling crucial roles in DNA and RNA metabolism in plastids and mitochondria. WHY1, WHY2 (and WHY3 proteins in Arabidopsis) maintain organelle genome stability and serve as auxiliary factors for homologous recombination and double‐strand break repair. Our understanding of WHY protein functions has greatly increased in recent years, as has our knowledge of the flexibility of their localization and overlap of functions but there is no review of the topic in the literature. Our aim in this review was therefore to provide a comprehensive overview of the topic, discussing WHY protein functions in nuclei and organelles and highlighting roles in plant development and stress responses. In particular, we consider areas of uncertainty such as the flexible localization of WHY proteins in terms of retrograde signalling connecting mitochondria, plastids, and the nucleus. Moreover, we identify WHY proteins as important targets in plant breeding programmes designed to increase stress tolerance and the sustainability of crop yield in a changing climate.
Market Power Mitigation in Transmission Expansion Planning Problems

The exercise of market power through network constraints in electricity markets can lead to high energy prices far from competitive prices. Traditional transmission expansion planning problem formulations do not consider strategic behavior of market agents. Therefore, they cannot capture the potential exercise of market power. In this paper, a predictor-corrector iterative algorithm is proposed to deal with market power mitigation in market-oriented transmission expansion planning problems. The predictor step consists of the solution of an equilibrium market model based on the conjectured supply function. The corrector step is a conventional transmission expansion planning posed as a mixed integer linear programming problem, where the feasible region is dynamically updated taking into account the results from the predictor step. Lerner index and other indices are used to quantify the potential market power. The algorithm finds the minimum cost expansion plan that avoids the exercise of market power through network congestion. The cost of this expansion plan is only slightly greater than the cost of a conventional expansion plan. The approach is illustrated using the 6-Bus Garver and the IEEE-24 RTS test systems.
Subject Librarians and VLEs in Irish Universities: level of involvement, attitudes and challenges

Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) are used by educational institutions as content delivery platforms that connect students, academics and administration together. In this context, subject librarians can utilise VLEs to increase visibility and use of library resources, improve collaboration with the faculty and enhance information literacy instruction delivery. The article reports on a study that aimed to identify trends in subject librarians’ use of VLEs and makes a contribution to a better understanding of influencing factors and challenges experienced by subject librarians in relation to their use of online tools and involvement in VLEs to deliver course-specific support.
The Case for Malnutrition Quality Measures and Nutrition-Focused Quality Improvement Programs (QIPs) in US Skilled Nursing Facilities

As skilled nursing in the United States moves to a value-based model, malnutrition care remains a critical gap area that is associated with multiple poor health outcomes, including hospital readmissions and declines in functional status, psychosocial well-being, and quality of life. Malnutrition is often undiagnosed/untreated, even though it impacts up to half of skilled nursing facility (SNF) residents, and COVID-19 infections/related symptoms have likely further increased this risk. In acute care, malnutrition quality measures have been both developed/tested, and nutrition-focused quality improvement programs (QIPs) have been shown to reduce costs and effectively improve care processes and patient outcomes. Less is known about such quality initiatives in SNF care. This perspective paper reviewed malnutrition-related quality measures and nutrition-focused QIPs in SNFs and nursing home care. It identified that although the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has had a nursing home Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI) program for 10 years and has had SNF quality measures for nearly 20 years, there are no malnutrition-specific quality measures for SNFs and very few published nutrition-focused QIPs in SNFs. This represents an important care gap that should be addressed to improve resident health outcomes as SNFs more fully move to a value-based care model.
Institutions in the politics of policy change: who can play, how they play in multiple streams

Abstract This article explores the politics of policy change by focusing on agenda setting through the lens of the Multiple Streams Approach (MSA), which has been travelling to ever-larger geographies. We aim to produce signposts for future case studies of policy change by bringing together insights from MSA and New Institutionalism. We ask: Which institutions should we focus on when studying agenda-setting politics in different geographies? How do these institutions shape MSA’s structural elements – problem stream, policy stream, political stream, policy windows, and policy entrepreneur? In answering these questions, we hope to weave not only formal but also informal institutions into MSA’s backbone more tightly. We bring together diverse case studies that are sufficiently abstract and whose findings travel easily across other institutional contexts. We revisit the structural elements of MSA and illustrate how key formal and informal rules structure the politics in these structural elements.
Spatial patterns of stand structure and canopy disturbance in a fire‐maintained
 Pinus palustris
 woodland

Question: Stand structural complexity is increasingly valued by forest managers to promote resilience, and quantitative spatial data from reference stands can help achieve these goals. We questioned how stand structural elements were spatially distributed across a Pinus palustris woodland. Specifically, we sought to quantify patterns of individual trees, tree clumps, openings, and canopy disturbance and examine spatial relationships between P . palustris saplings and P . palustris and Quercus spp. trees. Location: Fall Line Hills, Alabama, USA (32°56′12′′ N, 87°25′37′′ W). Methods: We recorded tree species, diameter, age, and location of all trees, and reconstructed canopy disturbance events across a 1- ha site in a P . palustris woodland. We used global point pattern analysis ( g(r) function) and a local spatial classification method (individuals, clumps, and openings) to examine the distribution of stand struc tural elements and canopy disturbance. Results: Trees were generally clustered by taxa and diameter. Pinus palustris saplings exhibited no spatial relationship with P . palustris trees, but were clustered around Quercus trees at variable distances. Approximately half of the trees in the stand occurred silvicultural to structural complexity resilience.
A iNoVAÇÃo dE Produtos FiNANCEiros No sEGMENto dE BANCos: uM Estudo soBrE A CoNtriBuiÇÃo dA tECNoloGiA dA iNForMAÇÃo FINANCIAL PRODUCTS INNOVATION IN THE BANK SEGMENT: A STUDY ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTION OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

This article intends to investigate how information technology is used in financial products innovation within the bank segment. It is supported by a qualitative exploratory research study in which seven top executives of large commercial banks that operate in Brazil were interviewed. In-depth interviews were conducted and the obtained data were treated with the techniques of Content Analysis. The results show that innovation is not essential for the survival of the studied commercial banks, as it involves high risks and costs, although it is essential to develop the competitive capacity of these institutions. Concerning information technology, it has provided comfort and prompt service for the customer, it is essential to increase the efficiency of the banking transactions, but it does not provide a competitive differential due to the fact that imitation practices are common in this segment.
The persistence of antiquity: language ideologies and perceptions of language vitality among Sakha speakers

ABSTRACT This paper explores language ideologies and attitudes among both urban and rural speakers of Sakha (Yakut) in the Far Eastern region of the Russian Federation. Like other non-Russian languages in the Soviet era, Sakha was subject to many repressive and often contradictory policies; while today there is a sizeable, growing population of speakers and the presence of top-down support for the language within the Sakha Republic’s government, many contemporary Sakha speakers still express uncertainty about the future of Sakha. Differing perceptions of linguistic value and vitality together with the sustenance or abandonment of connections with other local speakers all shape Sakha speakers’ beliefs about whether the language is flourishing or disappearing. By tracing the shifts in contemporary metalinguistic discourse that circulates as language ideologies, we can see that while there have been positive changes in Sakha language policy and practices, some ambiguities from the Soviet period still linger and continue to influence how speakers view the future of the language.
Discretized evolution of solitons in the achiral stripe phase of a Fe/Gd thin film

Understanding magnetic phase transitions from stripe to skyrmion textures provide fundamental scientific insights into the details of the intermediate topologies through which the system evolves. The solitonic nature of spin texture in both stripe and skyrmion phases has been observed in materials with Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction. Here we show that the field evolution in a dipolar interaction mediated Fe/Gd multilayer that exhibits achiral stripe textures behaves similar to a finite-sized chiral soliton lattice. As a function of magnetic field, the stripes exhibit discrete jumps in periodicity indicative of intermediate topologies as the stripes get wound into skyrmions.