Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modification of α-lactose monohydrate as a direct compression excipient using roller compaction

Abstract Roller compaction was used to prepare a direct-compressed lactose excipient using crystalline α-lactose monohydrate. The effect of various roller compaction process parameters (compaction pressure, compaction repetition, and speed ratio) on the characteristics of compacted α-lactose monohydrate was investigated. Results were compared with data obtained using industrial spray-dried lactose and lactose samples with different degrees of crystallinity. XRPD analysis revealed that roller compaction reduced the crystallinity of α-lactose monohydrate, and the resulting material is similar to spray-dried lactose in behavior as a direct compression excipient. Roller compaction introduced desirable characteristics to the raw α-lactose monohydrate by inducing changes in crystallinity and particle morphology. Scanning electron microscopy results indicated that the compaction process converted some of the original torpedo-shaped crystals of α-lactose monohydrate into a more cylindrical shape with rounded edges. Compaction pressure and repetition of compaction have a significant effect on the modification of the crystallinity of the processed, raw α-lactose monohydrate.
Functional characterization of unique enzymes in Xanthomonas euvesicatoria related to degradation of arabinofurano-oligosaccharides on hydroxyproline-rich glycoproteins

In this study, we clarified the functions of three uncharacterized enzymes, XCV2724, XCV2728, and XCV2729, in Xanthomonas euvesicatoria, the causal agent of bacterial spot of tomato and pepper. The genes corresponding to the three enzymes are homologs of hypBA1, hypBA2, and hypAA from Bifidobacterium longum and are unique to Xanthomonas spp. among plant pathogenic bacteria. Functional characterization of the recombinant enzymes expressed using microbial systems revealed that they degrade the arabinofurano-oligosaccharides present on hydroxyproline (Hyp)-rich glycoproteins (HRGPs) such as extensin and solanaceous lectins in plant cell walls. These enzymes work coordinately to degrade the oligosaccharides. First, XeHypAA (XCV2728), belonging to the glycoside hydrolase (GH) 43 family, releases L-arabinose from L-arabinofuranose (Araf)-α1,3-Araf-ß1,2-Araf-ß1,2-Araf-ß-Hyp (Ara4-Hyp), cleaving its α1,3 bond; second, XeHypBA2 (XCV2729), belonging to the GH121 family, releases the disaccharide Araf-ß1,2-Araf from Araf-ß1,2-Araf-ß1,2-Araf-ß-Hyp (Ara3-Hyp); finally, XeHypBA1 (XCV2724), belonging to GH family 127, releases L-arabinose from Araf-ß-Hyp (Ara-Hyp). In summary, the main oligosaccharide structure of Ara4-Hyp on the HRGPs is degraded to Ara3-Hyp, then to Ara-Hyp, and finally to Ara monosaccharides by the action of these three enzymes. HRGPs containing oligosaccharide substrates have been reported to contribute to plant defense, and interestingly, the promoter region of the operon (xehypBA2 and xehypAA) contains the plant-inducible promoter box for binding the regulator protein HrpX involved in pathogenicity. We then analyzed the expression level of the operon gene in hrp-inducing medium and in plants and constructed gene-deletion mutants. However, although the operon was evidently upregulated by HrpX, three single-gene deletion mutants (ΔxehypBA1, ΔxehypBA2, ΔxehypAA) and even a triple-gene deletion mutant (ΔxehypBA1-BA2-AA) remained pathogenic, and had no effect on nonhost resistance, either, indicating that these three enzymes are not involved in either pathogenicity or nonhost resistance reactions. This is the first report of enzymes in plant pathogenic bacteria that catalyze the degradation of Hyp-linked-L-arabinofuranosides in plant cell walls.
Switchable Rashba effect by dipole moment switching in an Ag2Te monolayer

Because of the surface depolarization field, there is a critical thickness for ferroelectricity in ultrathin ferroelectric films, hindering miniaturization of high-density nonvolatile memory storage devices. A controllable Rashba effect by external electric field via switchable dipole moment could be a promising way to control and manipulate the spin degrees of freedom in spintronics. Here, based on first principles calculations, we show that non-planar Ag2Te monolayer, which has been recently predicted to be a topological insulator, possess a switchable out-of-plane electric dipole moment. The switching of the dipole can be realized by the penetration of Te atoms through the hexagonal Ag-plane. Additionally, non-planar Ag2Te shows a giant Rashba spin-splitting ( eV Å) due to the out-of-plane electric dipole moment. Our tight binding model indicates that the origin of such large is the large inversion symmetry breaking term ( eV), which is one order of magnitude larger in non-planar Ag2Te monolayer compared with other Rashba materials. Interestingly, the Rashba effect can be turned on/off by the phase transition from non-planar to planar structure via Te displacement. Moreover, the spin-texture can be completely reversed because of switchable electric dipole moment. Our work shows a new way to realize ferroelectric-like dipole moment switching and consequently switchable Rashba spin-splitting, which may facilitate a nonvolatile electrical control of the spin degrees of freedom, down to the monolayer thickness, promising potential applications to electrically controlled spintronic devices.
Low-Risk Gestational Trophoblastic Neoplasia in Manitoba: Experience With Alternating Methotrexate and Dactinomycin

Objectives The aim of this study was to review the treatment and outcomes of low-risk gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) in Manitoba over more than 3 decades, with a focus on those treated with alternating methotrexate and dactinomycin, a protocol that has only rarely been described. Materials and Methods We retrospectively reviewed all patients with GTN referred to CancerCare Manitoba from January 1977 to December 2012. Cases were classified as low risk as per the modified WHO-FIGO prognostic scoring system (score, ⩽6). Demographic, treatment, and outcomes data were abstracted, and descriptive statistics and time-to-event analysis were performed. The low-risk protocol used at CancerCare Manitoba consists of alternating single-agent use of methotrexate and dactinomycin, each for 5 days, on a 14-day cycle. Results Sixty-seven cases of GTN were identified, of which 52 were low risk. Thirty-nine patients were initiated on alternating methotrexate and dactinomycin. Thirty-four (87.2%) achieved primary cure on this regimen, with a median of 4.4 cycles administered (range, 2–7). Median time to response was 56 days. One patient achieved cure after receiving a repeat course of methotrexate as their final cycle. Second-line multiagent chemotherapy was required by 4 patients. Two patients experienced grade 3 toxicities, and none greater than grade 3. There were no recurrences. Conclusions Alternating methotrexate and dactinomycin is an effective treatment protocol for low-risk GTN, with high rates of primary cure and acceptable toxicity.
A New InSAR Phase Demodulation Technique Developed for a Typical Example of a Complex, Multi-Lobed Landslide Displacement Field, Fels Glacier Slide, Alaska

Landslides can have complex, spatially strongly inhomogeneous surface displacement fields with discontinuities from multiple active lobes that are deforming while failing on nested slip surfaces at different depths. For synthetic aperture radar interferometry (InSAR), particularly at lower resolutions, these characteristics can cause significant aliasing of the wrapped phase. In combination with steep terrain and seasonal snow cover, causing layover and temporal decorrelation, respectively, traditional phase unwrapping can become unfeasible, even after topographic phase contributions have been removed with an external high-resolution digital surface model (DSM). We present a novel method: warp demodulation that reduces the complexity of the phase unwrapping problem for noisy and/or aliased, low-resolution interferograms of discontinuous landslide displacement. The key input to our warp demodulation method is a single (or several) reference interferogram(s) from a high-resolution sensor mode such as TerraSAR-X Staring Spotlight with short temporal baseline and good coherence to allow localization of phase discontinuities and accurate unwrapping. The task of constructing suitable phase surfaces to approximate individual to-be-demodulated interferograms from the reference interferogram is made difficult by strong and spatially inhomogeneous temporal, seasonal, and interannual variations of the landslide with individual lobes accelerating or decelerating at different rates. This prevents using simple global scaling of the reference. Instead, our method uses an irregular grid of small patches straddling strong spatial gradients and phase discontinuities in the reference to find optimum local scaling factors that minimize the residual phase gradients across the discontinuities after demodulation. Next, for each to-be-demodulated interferogram, from these measurements we interpolate a spatially smooth global scaling function, which is then used to scale the (discontinuous) reference. Demodulation with the scaled reference leads to a residual phase that is also spatially smooth, allowing it to be unwrapped robustly after low-pass filtering. A key assumption of warp demodulation is that the locations of the phase discontinuities can be mapped in the reference and that they are stationary in time at the scale of the image resolution. We carry out extensive tests with simulated data to establish the accuracy, robustness, and limitations of the new method with respect to relevant parameters, such as decorrelation noise and aliasing along phase discontinuities. A realistic parameterization of the method is demonstrated for the example of the Fels Glacier Slide in Alaska using a recent late-summer high-resolution staring spotlight interferometric image pair from TerraSAR-X to demodulate. We show warp demodulation results for also recent but early-summer, partially incoherent interferograms of the same sensor, as well as for older and coarser aliased interferograms from RADARSAT-2, ALOS-1, and ERS.
Phase 3 Study of OnabotulinumtoxinA Distributed Between Frontalis, Glabellar Complex, and Lateral Canthal Areas for Treatment of Upper Facial Lines

BACKGROUND Although commonly practiced, simultaneous onabotulinumtoxinA injections to multiple facial areas have not been investigated in prospective studies. OBJECTIVE Evaluate safety and efficacy of onabotulinumtoxinA for treatment of forehead lines (FHL) distributed between the frontalis (20 U) and glabellar complex (20 U), with or without simultaneous lateral canthal areas (crow's feet lines [CFL], 24 U) treatment. METHODS Subjects with moderate to severe FHL were randomized (2:2:1) to onabotulinumtoxinA 40 U, onabotulinumtoxinA 64 U, or placebo. After 180 days, subjects could receive up to 2 additional open-label onabotulinumtoxinA 64 U treatments. RESULTS The intent-to-treat (ITT) population comprised 787 subjects, and the modified ITT (mITT) population (subjects with psychological impact) comprised 568. After 30 days, onabotulinumtoxinA 40 U and 64 U significantly improved investigator- and subject-assessed FHL severity by at least 2 Facial Wrinkle Scale (FWS) grades in 45.6% and 53.0% of ITT subjects, respectively, versus 0.6% receiving placebo (both, p < .0001). Significantly more mITT subjects receiving onabotulinumtoxinA achieved investigator- and subject-assessed FWS ratings of none/mild versus placebo (p < .0001). OnabotulinumtoxinA was well tolerated. CONCLUSION OnabotulinumtoxinA distributed between the frontalis and glabellar complex, with or without additional CFL injections, was safe and effective for treatment of moderate to severe FHL.
Implicit Mesh Generation using Volumetric Subdivision

In this paper, we present a novel approach for a tighter integration of 3D modeling and physically-based simulation. Instead of modeling 3D objects as surface models, we use a volumetric subdivision representation. Volumetric modeling operations allow designing 3D objects in similar ways as with surface-based modeling tools. Encoding the volumetric information already in the design mesh drastically simplifies and speeds up the mesh generation process for simulation. The transition between design, simulation and back to design is consistent and computationally cheap. Since the subdivision and mesh generation can be expressed as a precomputable matrix-vector multiplication, iteration times can be greatly reduced compared to common modeling and simulation setups. Therefore, this approach is especially well suited for early-stage modeling or optimization use cases, where many geometric changes are made in a short time and their physical effect on the model has to be evaluated frequently. To test our approach, we created, simulated and adapted several 3D models. Additionally, we measured and evaluated the timings for generating and applying the matrices for different subdivision levels. For comparison, we also measured the tetrahedral meshing functionality offered by CGAL for similar numbers of elements. For changing topology, our implicit meshing approach proves to be up to 70 times faster than creating the tetrahedral mesh only based on the outer surface. Without changing the topology and by precomputing the matrices, we achieve a speed-up of up to 2800.
After serendipity strikes: Creating value from encountered information

Existing research into serendipitous information encountering has focused on how people stumble upon information, rather than how they create value from the information encountered. This online diary study with follow‐up interviews provides an enriched understanding of the subjective value of information encounters and the motivators, barriers and actions involved in creating value from them. We leverage our findings to generate design suggestions for digital information tools aimed at assisting in creating value from encountered information.
Disciplinary assessment of scientific content by higher‐order citation mining

Discovery of disciplinary fields, their relationships, and key contributors is an important research field of modern scientometrics. In this contribution, we study the problem of disciplinary/interdisciplinary interpretation of scientific content in the context of higher‐order citation graphs. In doing so, we introduce the general approach for representing scientific publishers (conferences, journals) and their relationships by means of multi‐dimensional tensor models. Consequently, tensor decomposition methods allow us to identify scientific fields in terms of key authorities, hubs and topical context expressed by keywords and/or fields of study.
Evaluation of features to predict the usefulness of online reviews

Checking online reviews before purchasing goods or using services has become increasingly common. However, it is difficult to select useful reviews, and concerns about fake reviews are growing. Many online review systems use recency and user‐generated usefulness votes in order to prioritize reviews for users, but there is much room for improvement. In this work, we focus on evaluating the effectiveness of a large number of features for predicting the usefulness of online reviews, including features that have not been commonly evaluated in prior work (e.g., social network measures). Features were grouped into hierarchical categories that might represent factors impacting perceived usefulness of Yelp users. Using all features, a binary classifier achieved a high level of accuracy (0.889). Additionally, a feature ablation study found that several feature groups yielded statistically significant improvements. Interestingly, many of the features that improved performance are not the types of measures that are displayed to users in commercial online review services such as Yelp and are the measures that are rarely used to prioritize reviews for users. Our study results suggest different types of information that online review services might want to use in ranking and displaying reviews for users.
Yet another method for author co‐citation analysis: A new approach based on paragraph similarity

Co‐citation analysis has been widely adopted to represent the intellectual structure of a discipline. In general, all co‐cited author pairs are regarded equal. With the development of computer technology and easy accessibility of machine readable full‐text articles, new weighting schemes for measuring co‐citation strength (CCS) have been proposed. However, in previous studies, only distance and sentence similarity are used to adjust CCS when applying co‐citation analysis. In this study, we propose a new approach to measuring CCS based on paragraph similarity. Investigation was carried out to compare our approach and traditional author co‐citation analysis (TACA), as well as other different parametric ACAs. Preliminary results show that TACA and distance‐based ACA (DACA) share many commonalities. In contrast, similarity‐based ACAs reveal the different structure from that of TACA and DACA. However, differences in resulting network structure were still found between paragraph‐similarity‐based ACA (PACA) and sentence‐similarity‐based ACA (SACA). Compared to SACA, PACA produces less number of factors and clusters and moderate size of clusters.
Identifying a subpopulation with higher likelihoods of early response to treatment in a heterogeneous rare disease: a post hoc study of response to teduglutide for short bowel syndrome

Purpose Teduglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-2 analog, has demonstrated efficacy in reducing parenteral support (PS) among patients with short bowel syndrome with intestinal failure (SBS–IF). This study aims to identify a subpopulation of SBS–IF patients for whom teduglutide has an especially pronounced effect. Patients and methods Data were from a 24-week, Phase III trial (Study of Teduglutide Effectiveness in Parenteral Nutrition-Dependent SBS Subjects; NCT00798967) that randomized SBS–IF patients with PS dependency to receive teduglutide (n=43) or placebo (n=43). Two prediction models (1 for each arm) were developed for response, defined as 20% reduction in weekly PS at Weeks 20 and 24. Potential predictors included demographics, disease characteristics, and concomitant medications. Patients were then ranked based on the effect score, an individualized predicted response rate difference with teduglutide versus placebo. A subpopulation of patients with a pronounced benefit from teduglutide versus placebo was identified. Baseline characteristics and clinical outcomes were compared between patients included versus those not included in the subpopulation. Results Six predictors of response to teduglutide were selected: older age, volvulus as the cause of major intestinal resection, baseline PS volume >6 L per week, longer time since start of PS dependency, absence of ileocecal valve, and lower percentage of colon remaining. Higher percentage of colon remaining and volvulus were the selected predictors for response to placebo. A subpopulation of patients more likely to respond to teduglutide was identified as those with the top 60% effect scores. The difference in response rate between teduglutide and placebo was 62% in the subpopulation, which was substantially higher than the difference of 33% in the overall population. Mean PS day reduction was also significantly higher for teduglutide compared to placebo in the subpopulation. Conclusion Pretreatment characteristics as predictors of response to teduglutide versus placebo within 24 weeks were identifiable in the clinical trial population of SBS–IF patients.
Kliniczna ocena układu autonomicznego

Autonomiczny uklad nerwowy, charakteryzujący sie skomplikowaną budową oraz pelniący zlozone funkcje kontrolujące prace narządow wewnetrznych, wymaga wielokierunkowej oceny klinicznej. Konieczne jest uwzglednienie danych z wywiadu, dokladne badanie przedmiotowe oraz wykonanie przynajmniej kilku testow (klinicznych, elektrofizjologicznych, farmakologicznych), opartych na roznych lukach odruchowych. Badanie kliniczne chorych z dysautonomią powinno obejmowac ocene funkcji źrenic, potliwości skory, temperatury ciala, reakcji naczynioruchowych, do czego lekarz moze wykorzystac kilka testow - miedzy innymi test ortostatyczny, test ściskania, ocene poposilkowego ciśnienia tetniczego krwi oraz pomiar jego dobowych wahan, jak rowniez test oziebienia. Znaczący wplyw dodatkowych czynnikow wewnetrznych i zewnetrznych na funkcje ukladu autonomicznego powoduje koniecznośc standaryzowania badania klinicznego u chorych z dysautonomią.
Towards a Design Space for Personalizing the Presentation of Recommendations

Although personalization plays a major role in the development of recommender systems, the presentation of recommendations–and especially the way in which it can be adapted to suit the user’s needs– has received relatively little attention from the research community. We introduce a design space for personalizing the presentation of recommendations and propose several dimensions that should be a part of it. Moreover, we present our initial insights about possible interactive mechanisms as well as potential evaluation criteria. Our goal is to provide a systematic way of designing personalized recommendation content, which should prove beneficial for other researchers working on this topic. In the longer term, we are interested to investigate whether such personalized presentation implementations influence the perceived trustworthiness of the recommendations.
Transmission dynamics among participants initiating antiretroviral therapy upon diagnosis of early acute HIV-1 infection in Thailand

Objective: To assess transmission characteristics in a predominantly MSM cohort initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) immediately following diagnosis of acute HIV-1infection (AHI). Methods: A longitudinal study (2009–2017) was performed in participants with AHI (n = 439) attending a single clinic in Bangkok. Plasma samples obtained prior to ART were used to obtain HIV-1 pol sequences and combined with clinical and epidemiologic data to assess transmission dynamics (cluster formation and size) using phylogenetic analysis. Clusters were estimated using maximum likelihood, genetic distance of 1.5% and visual inspection. The potential transmitter(s) in a cluster was determined using time to viral suppression and interview data. Results: The cohort was predominantly MSM (93%) and infected with HIV-1 CRF01_AE (87%). Medians (ranges) for age and viral load prior to ART were 26 (18–70) years and 5.9 (2.5–8.2) log10 HIV-1 RNA copies/ml. Median time from history of HIV-1 exposure to diagnosis was 19 (3–61) days. Viral suppression was observed in 388 of 412 (94%) participants at a median time of 12 weeks following ART. Twenty-six clusters with median cluster size of 2 (2–5) representing 62 of 439 (14%) participants were observed. Younger age was associated with cluster formation: median 28 versus 30 years for unique infections (P = 0.01). A potential transmitter was identified in 11 of 26 (42%) clusters. Conclusion: Despite high rates of viral suppression following diagnosis and treatment of AHI within a cohort of young Thai MSM, HIV-1 transmission continued, reflecting the need to expand awareness and treatment access to the entire MSM population.