Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Coulomb interactions in high-coherence femtosecond electron pulses from tip emitters

Tip-based photoemission electron sources offer unique properties for ultrafast imaging, diffraction, and spectroscopy experiments with highly coherent few-electron pulses. Extending this approach to increased bunch-charges requires a comprehensive experimental study on Coulomb interactions in nanoscale electron pulses and their impact on beam quality. For a laser-driven Schottky field emitter, we assess the transverse and longitudinal electron pulse properties in an ultrafast transmission electron microscope at a high photoemission current density. A quantitative characterization of electron beam emittance, pulse duration, spectral bandwidth, and chirp is performed. Due to the cathode geometry, Coulomb interactions in the pulse predominantly occur in the direct vicinity to the tip apex, resulting in a well-defined pulse chirp and limited emittance growth. Strategies for optimizing electron source parameters are identified, enabling advanced ultrafast transmission electron microscopy approaches, such as phase-resolved imaging and holography.
Pectin and Zinc Alginate: The Right Inner/Outer Polymer Combination for Core-Shell Drug Delivery Systems

Core-shell beads loaded with betamethasone were developed using co-axial prilling as production technique and pectin plus alginate as polymeric carriers. During this study, many operative conditions were intensively investigated to find the best ones necessary to produce uniform core-shell particle systems in a reproducible way. Particularly, feed solutions’ composition, polymers mass ratios and the effect of the main process parameters on particles production, micromeritics, inner structure, drug loading and drug-release/swelling profiles in simulated biological fluids were studied. The optimized core-shell formulation F5 produced with a pectin core concentration of 4.0% w/v and an alginate shell concentration of 2.0% w/v (2:1 core:shell ratio) acted as a sustained drug delivery system. It was able to reduce the early release of the drug in the upper part of the gastro-intestinal tract for the presence of the zinc-alginate gastro-resistant outer layer and to specifically deliver it in the colon, thanks to the selectivity of amidated low methoxy pectin core for this district. Therefore, these particles may be proposed as colon targeted drug delivery systems useful for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) therapy.
Are Corporate Bond Defaults Contagious across Sectors?

Corporate bond defaults in different sectors often increase suddenly at roughly similar times, although some sectors see default rates jump earlier than others. This could reflect contagion among sectors—specifically, defaults in one sector leading to credit stresses in other sectors of the economy that would not otherwise have seen stresses. To complicate matters, simple correlation-based tests for contagion are often biased, reflecting increased volatility in periods of stress. This paper uses sectoral default data from over 30 sectors to test for signs of contagion over the past 30 years. While jumps in sectoral default rates do often coincide, there is no consistent evidence of contagion across different periods of stress from unbiased test results. Instead, coincident jumps in sectoral default rates are likely to reflect common macroeconomic shocks.
Docetaxel with or without Ramucirumab after Platinum-Based Chemotherapy and Checkpoint Inhibitors in Advanced Urothelial Carcinoma: A Pre-Specified Subgroup Analysis from the Phase 3 RANGE Trial

BACKGROUND: The phase 3 RANGE trial found ramucirumab/docetaxel improved progression-free survival (PFS) versus placebo/docetaxel (median 4.1 vs 2.8 months; hazard ratio [HR]=0.757, p=0.0118) for treatment of platinum-refractory metastatic urothelial carcinoma (UC). Some patients received an immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) prior to RANGE. In other studies, unselected patients with platinum-refractory UC exhibited an overall response rate (ORR) of 15-31% to ICIs. OBJECTIVE: Efficacy and safety data from the subgroup of patients treated with prior ICI were examined using prespecified analyses to compare outcomes between RANGE treatment arms. METHODS: Randomized, double-blind RANGE study (n=530) took place July 2015-April 2017 in 23 countries. Forty-five patients (8.5%) received prior ICI. PFS was evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier method and unstratified Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS: 17 ramucirumab/docetaxel arm, 28 placebo/docetaxel arm patients were treated with an ICI. The prior-ICI ramucirumab subgroup had worse Bellmunt scores at baseline versus placebo (score of 2-3:70.6% vs 25%, respectively). Most patients (84.4%) received the ICI immediately following platinum and immediately prior to RANGE. ORR to prior ICI was 6.7% Responses were achieved by 5/17 (29.4%) on ramucirumab/docetaxel, compared to 2/28 (7.1%) on placebo/docetaxel. Median PFS was 3.15 months on ramucirumab/docetaxel versus 2.73 months on placebo/docetaxel (HR=0.786, 95% CI=0.404-1.528, p=0.4877). The frequency of grade≥3 adverse events was similar between arms. Limitations include sample size and treatment setting of the analyzed population. CONCLUSIONS: Ramucirumab/docetaxel may provide a clinical benefit with acceptable safety in the third-line setting for metastatic UC patients whose disease has progressed on both prior platinum chemotherapy and ICI therapy.
Stability and Dynamic Aggregation of Bare and Stabilized Zero-Valent Iron Nanoparticles under Variable Solution Chemistry

Surface modification of nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) using polymer stabilizers (e.g., sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, CMC) is usually used to minimize aggregation, increase stability, and enhance transport of nZVI. We investigated the stability and dynamic aggregation of bare and CMC–nZVI as affected by variations in pH, ionic strength (IS), and nZVI particle concentration. CMC coating of nZVI resulted in smaller hydrodynamic size and larger zeta potential. The largest hydrodynamic size of nZVI was associated with bare nZVI at high IS (100 mM), pH close to the point of zero charge (PZC, 7.3–7.6), and larger particle concentration (1.0 g L−1). The increase in the zeta potential of CMC–nZVI reached one- to four-fold of that for bare nZVI, and was greater at pH values close to PZC, high IS, and larger particle concentration. The stability of CMC–nZVI was increased by 61.8, 93.1, and 57.5% as compared to that of bare nZVI at IS of 1, 50 and 100 mM, respectively. Calculations of Derjaguin, Landau, Verwey and Overbeek (DLVO) interaction energy were in agreement with stability results, and showed the formation of substantial energy barriers at low IS indicating greater nZVI stability. Our results suggest that at IS above 50 mM and nZVI particle concentration larger than 0.1 g L−1, the likelihood of nZVI aggregation is high. Nevertheless, CMC polymer stabilizer would enhance the stability and transport of nZVI even under these unfavorable solution chemistry conditions.
Audiovisual Speaker Tracking Using Nonlinear Dynamical Systems With Dynamic Stream Weights

Data fusion plays an important role in many technical applications that require efficient processing of multimodal sensory observations. A prominent example is audiovisual signal processing, which has gained increasing attention in automatic speech recognition, speaker localization and related tasks. If appropriately combined with acoustic information, additional visual cues can help to improve the performance in these applications, especially under adverse acoustic conditions. A dynamic weighting of acoustic and visual streams based on instantaneous sensor reliability measures is an efficient approach to data fusion in this context. This article presents a framework that extends the well-established theory of nonlinear dynamical systems with the notion of dynamic stream weights for an arbitrary number of sensory observations. It comprises a recursive state estimator based on the Gaussian filtering paradigm, which incorporates dynamic stream weights into a framework closely related to the extended Kalman filter. Additionally, a convex optimization approach to estimate oracle dynamic stream weights in fully observed dynamical systems utilizing a Dirichlet prior is presented. This serves as a basis for a generic parameter learning framework of dynamic stream weight estimators. The proposed system is application-independent and can be easily adapted to specific tasks and requirements. A study using audiovisual speaker tracking tasks is considered as an exemplary application in this work. An improved tracking performance of the dynamic stream-weight-based estimation framework over state-of-the-art methods is demonstrated in the experiments.
Just how many species of Spirula are there ? A morphometric approach

We compare 110 Spirula shells from five geographical areas. Morphometry provides a criterion for determining when shell growth ends (decrease in whorl height). Characteristics of adult shells apparently vary with geographical origin: specimens from Madagascar, New Zealand and Brazil are larger than those from North-West Africa and Australia. These findings challenge the monospecific status of the genus Spirula but fall short of proving the occurrence of more than one species. Supplementary molecular investigations are called for.
Aspirin-triggered proresolving mediators stimulate resolution in cancer

Significance Strong epidemiologic evidence indicates that aspirin is a powerful antitumorigenic agent. We now demonstrate that aspirin-triggered resolvins achieve the antitumor and chemopreventive activity of aspirin without toxicity, identifying a mechanism for aspirin’s anticancer activity. Our results suggest that differentiating between suppression and resolution of inflammation is highly relevant in cancer biology, revealing a class of endogenous antitumor mechanisms. These results have pivotal implications for cancer therapy and chemoprevention; unlike anti-inflammatory drugs, aspirin-triggered resolvins are active at nanogram doses and are not immunosuppressive. The antitumorigenic activity of aspirin-triggered resolvins may be harnessed to “mimic” aspirin without incurring aspirin-induced toxicity, such as bleeding, to contain minimal residual disease. Inflammation in the tumor microenvironment is a strong promoter of tumor growth. Substantial epidemiologic evidence suggests that aspirin, which suppresses inflammation, reduces the risk of cancer. The mechanism by which aspirin inhibits cancer has remained unclear, and toxicity has limited its clinical use. Aspirin not only blocks the biosynthesis of prostaglandins, but also stimulates the endogenous production of anti-inflammatory and proresolving mediators termed aspirin-triggered specialized proresolving mediators (AT-SPMs), such as aspirin-triggered resolvins (AT-RvDs) and lipoxins (AT-LXs). Using genetic and pharmacologic manipulation of a proresolving receptor, we demonstrate that AT-RvDs mediate the antitumor activity of aspirin. Moreover, treatment of mice with AT-RvDs (e.g., AT-RvD1 and AT-RvD3) or AT-LXA4 inhibited primary tumor growth by enhancing macrophage phagocytosis of tumor cell debris and counter-regulating macrophage-secreted proinflammatory cytokines, including migration inhibitory factor, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, and C-C motif chemokine ligand 2/monocyte chemoattractant protein 1. Thus, the pro-resolution activity of AT-resolvins and AT-lipoxins may explain some of aspirin’s broad anticancer activity. These AT-SPMs are active at considerably lower concentrations than aspirin, and thus may provide a nontoxic approach to harnessing aspirin’s anticancer activity.
Interference among Multiple Vibronic Modes in Two-Dimensional Electronic Spectroscopy

Vibronic coupling between electronic and vibrational states in molecules plays a critical role in most photo-induced phenomena. Many key details about a molecule’s vibronic coupling are hidden in linear spectroscopic measurements, and therefore nonlinear optical spectroscopy methods such as two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy (2D ES) have become more broadly adopted. A single vibrational mode of a molecule leads to a Franck–Condon progression of peaks in a 2D spectrum. Each peak oscillates as a function of the waiting time, and Fourier transformation can produce a spectral slice known as a ‘beating map’ at the oscillation frequency. The single vibrational mode produces a characteristic peak structure in the beating map. Studies of single modes have limited utility, however, because most molecules have numerous vibrational modes that couple to the electronic transition. Interactions or interference among the modes may lead to complicated peak patterns in each beating map. Here, we use lineshape-function theory to simulate 2D ES arising from a system having multiple vibrational modes. The simulations reveal that the peaks in each beating map are affected by all of the vibrational modes and therefore do not isolate a single mode, which was anticipated.
Scaling‐up evidence‐based obesity interventions: A systematic review assessing intervention adaptations and effectiveness and quantifying the scale‐up penalty

Maximizing the benefits of investments in obesity research requires effective interventions to be adopted and disseminated broadly across populations (scaled‐up). However, interventions often need considerable adaptation to enable implementation at scale, a process that can reduce the effects of interventions. A systematic review was undertaken for trials that sought to deliver an obesity intervention to populations on a larger scale than a preceding randomized controlled trial (RCT) that established its efficacy. Ten scaled‐up obesity interventions (six prevention and four treatment) were included. All trials made adaptations to interventions as part of the scale‐up process, with mode of delivery adaptations being most common. A meta‐analysis of body mass index (BMI)/BMI z score (zBMI) from three prevention RCTs found no significant benefit of scaled‐up interventions relative to control (standardized mean difference [SMD] = 0.03; 95% CI, −0.09 to 0.15, P = 0.639 − I2 = 0.0%). All four treatment interventions reported significant improvement on all measures of weight status. Pooled BMI/zBMI data from prevention trials found significantly lower effects among scaled‐up intervention trials than those reported in pre–scale‐up efficacy trials (SMD = −0.11; 95% CI, −0.20 to −0.02, P = 0.018 − I2 = 0.0%). Across measures of weight status, physical activity/sedentary behaviour, and nutrition, the effects reported in scaled‐up interventions were typically 75% or less of the effects reported in pre–scale‐up efficacy trials. The findings underscore the challenge of scaling‐up obesity interventions.
Absorbance thickness in the formation of biofilm produced by Candida albicans due to glucose , lactose , protein ( soy ) and iron induction

Candida albicans (C. albicans) is a major cause of Candidiasis in the oral cavity. Carbohydrates and protein are required by the fungI to grow when it is infecting the soft tissues of the oral cavity. Whereas in Candidiasis therapy, reducing the carbohydrate diet and increasing intake of iron and vitamins must be done to inhibit the growth of C. albicans in the soft tissue of the oral cavity. The aim of this study to determine the thickness of absorbance in the formation of biofilm from C. albicans induced by various materials such as Glucose, Lactose, Protein (Soy) and Iron. The experimental study grow C. albicans on Saboraud Dextrose Agar with 4 types of treatment as follow group A, the C. albicans is induced by 5% Glucose, group B is induced by 5% lactose, group C is induced by soy protein and group D is induced by Iron (5% FeCl2). Whereas group E is the growth control of C. albicans without any induction. Each treatment was replicated with 6 times, then stained with Crystal Violet. A microplate assay was used to carry out tests. The average of Optical Density (OD) is read with a wavelength of 492 each group as follow A = 0.197; B = 0.279; C = 0.297; D = 0.177 and E = 0.053. C. albicans biofilm induced by protein and lactose materials had much thicker OD than induced by glucose and iron. The conclusion of this study that the thickness of absorbance in the formation of C. albicans biofilms is influenced by the demand of the growth factors of C. albicans. Experimental article (J Int Dent Med Res 2019; 12(4): 1305-1309)
The Effect of Aerobic Exercise on White Matter Hyperintensity Progression May Vary by Sex

RÉSUMÉ Cette étude a exploré l’efficacité de l’entraînement aérobie (EA) pour atténuer la progression de l’hyperintensité de la matière blanche (HMB) et les différences liées au sexe pour cette intervention. Un essai contrôlé randomisé a été mené pour évaluer l’effet de l’EA sur la cognition de personnes ayant un déficit cognitif d’origine vasculaire. Les participants ont été répartis aléatoirement entre deux groupes : 6 mois d’EA ou soins standards (groupe contrôle). Dans un sous-groupe de participants, l’imagerie par résonance magnétique a été utilisée pour quantifier le volume affecté par la HMB. Un modèle d’analyse de la covariance a permis de mettre en évidence une interaction sexe x groupe significative (p = 0,03). En effet, les femmes du groupe EA ont démontré une plus grande progression de l’hyperintensité de la matière blanche que les femmes du groupe contrôle (p = 0,05) pendant la durée de cette étude (6 mois). Chez les hommes, aucune différence n’a été observée entre les deux groupes (p = 0,31). Dans le groupe EA, les hommes ont montré une progression significativement moindre de la HMB, comparativement aux femmes (p = 0,01) après 6 mois. Ainsi, les effets de l’EA sur la progression de la HMB pourraient varier selon le sexe, et l’EA pourrait freiner la progression de la HMB chez les hommes, mais non chez les femmes. ABSTRACT This study explored the efficacy of aerobic training (AT) in mitigating white matter hyperintensity (WMH) progression and whether these changes are sex dependent. This was an exploratory analysis of a randomized controlled trial assessing the effect of AT on cognition in people with vascular cognitive impairment. Participants were randomized to a 6 month AT or usual care (control [CON]) group. A subset completed magnetic resonance imaging to quantify WMH volume. Using an analysis of covariance model, we found a significant sex × group interaction (p = .03). Over the 6 month study, AT females demonstrated greater WMH progression than CON females (p = .05). Among males, there was no significant between-group difference (p = .31). Within the AT group, males demonstrated significantly less WMH progression than females (p = .01) at 6 months. Therefore, the effects of AT on WMH progression may vary by sex; that is, AT may curtail WMH progression in males but not females.
Associations of protein intake in early childhood with body composition, height, and insulin-like growth factor I in mid-childhood and early adolescence.

BACKGROUND Early protein intake may program later body composition and height growth, perhaps mediated by insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I). In infancy, higher protein intake is consistently associated with higher IGF-I concentrations and more rapid growth, but associations of protein intake after infancy with later growth and IGF-I are less clear. OBJECTIVES Our objective was to examine associations of protein intake in early childhood (median 3.2 y) with height, IGF-I, and measures of adiposity and lean mass in mid-childhood (median 7.7 y) and early adolescence (median 13.0 y), and with changes in these outcomes over time. We hypothesized that early childhood protein intake programs later growth. METHODS We studied 1165 children in the Boston-area Project Viva cohort. Mothers reported children's diet using food-frequency questionnaires. We stratified by child sex and examined associations of early childhood protein intake with mid-childhood and early adolescent BMI z score, skinfold thicknesses, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) fat mass, DXA lean mass, height z score, and IGF-I concentration. We adjusted linear regression models for race/ethnicity, family sociodemographics, parental and birth anthropometrics, breastfeeding status, physical activity, and fast food intake. RESULTS Mean protein intake in early childhood was 58.3 g/d. There were no associations of protein intake in early childhood with any of the mid-childhood outcomes. Among boys, however, each 10-g increase in early childhood total protein intake was associated with several markers of early adolescent size, namely BMI z score (0.12 higher; 95% CI: 0.01, 0.23), DXA lean mass index (1.34% higher; 95% CI: -0.07%, 2.78%), and circulating IGF-I (5.67% higher; 95% CI: 0.30%, 11.3%). There were no associations with fat mass and no associations with any adolescent outcomes among girls. CONCLUSIONS Early childhood protein intake may contribute to programming lean mass and IGF-I around the time of puberty in boys, but not to adiposity development. This study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02820402.
Pediatric Cancer Outcomes in an Intensive Care Unit in Pakistan

PURPOSE Although cancer is uncommon, it is a significant cause of pediatric morbidity and mortality in the developing world. The need for intensive care in pediatric oncology has increased with more intense chemotherapeutic interventions. It is important to identify patients who will benefit from management in the intensive care unit (ICU), given the resource limitation in developing countries. In this review, we examine our institutional experience with pediatric patients with cancer needing ICU care. METHODS A retrospective chart review from December 2015 to June 2017 was performed with institutional review board approval for all pediatric oncology patients admitted to the ICU. Data collection included age, diagnosis, disease stage, Pediatric Risk of Mortality (PRISM III) score, and therapeutic interventions. RESULTS We reviewed 59 pediatric oncology ICU medical records. There were 36 boys (61%) and 23 girls (39%). The median age was 4 years. Average stay in the ICU was 4.6 days. Three significant reasons for ICU referral were respiratory distress, sepsis, and circulatory collapse. There were 34 ICU survivors (57.6%). Among those who survived the ICU, 20 patients (58.8%) later died of therapy-related complications. Factors related to increased ICU mortality included the need for mechanical ventilation, the need for inotropic support, the number of failing organs, and a high PRISM III score. CONCLUSION The mortality rate for pediatric oncology patients admitted to the ICU in developing countries is higher than in developed countries. Mortality was significantly related to the need for mechanical ventilation. PRISM III scoring can help identify patients who can benefit from ICU treatment, which is expensive in resource-limited low- and middle-income countries such as Pakistan.