Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fairness and Diversity in Public Resource Allocation Problems

In this article, we address important extensions to the problem of allocating indivisible items to a population of agents: The agents are partitioned into disjoint groups on the basis of attributes (e.g., ethnicity) and we want the overall utility of the allocation to respect some notion of diversity and/or fairness with respect to these groups. We study two specific incarnations of this general problem. First, we address a constrained optimization problem, inspired by diversity quotas in some real-world allocation problems, where the items are also partitioned into blocks and there is an upper bound on the number of items from each block that can be assigned to agents in each group. We theoretically analyze the price of diversity – a measure of the overall welfare loss due to these capacity constraints – and report experiments based on two real-world data sets (Singapore public housing and Chicago public school admissions) comparing this constrained optimization-based approach with a lottery mechanism with similar quotas. Next, instead of imposing hard constraints, we cast the problem as a variant of fair allocation of indivisible goods – we treat each group of agents as a single entity receiving a bundle of items whose valuation is the maximum total utility of matching agents in that group to items in that bundle; we present algorithms that achieve a standard relaxation of envy-freeness in conjunction with specific efficiency criteria.
Pharmacokinetics of intravenous administered two different high doses of ascorbic acid in healthy beagle dogs

Objective: We performed a randomized two-way crossover study to evaluate the pharmacokinetic profiles of two high-dose ascorbic acid (AA) after IV infusion in healthy beagle dogs. Materials and Methods: The dogs were administered IV AA at two doses of 1.5 and 3 gm/kg for 4 h, and the AA concentration in plasma and urine pH was measured before and after administration. Results: The plasma concentrations of AA in both groups peaked 3 h after administration. Among the two groups, the urine pH was not significantly different (p = 0.1299–0.7944). High-dose IV AA did not induce serious adverse events in dogs. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that the high dose of AA which reaches the therapeutic dose for cancer and supports the safety of high-dose IV AA in dogs.
Nutritional Labels for Data and Models

An essential ingredient of successful machine-assisted decision-making, particularly in high-stakes decisions, is interpretability –– allowing humans to understand, trust and, if necessary, contest, the computational process and its outcomes. These decision-making processes are typically complex: carried out in multiple steps, employing models with many hidden assumptions, and relying on datasets that are often used outside of the original context for which they were intended. In response, humans need to be able to determine the “ﬁtness for use” of a given model or dataset, and to assess the methodology that was used to produce it. To address this need, we propose to develop interpretability and transparency tools based on the concept of a nutritional label, drawing an analogy to the food industry, where simple, standard labels convey information about the ingredients and production processes. Nutritional labels are derived automatically or semi-automatically as part of the complex process that gave rise to the data or model they describe, embodying the paradigm of interpretability-by-design. In this paper we further motivate nutritional labels, describe our instantiation of this paradigm for algorithmic rankers, and give a vision for developing nutritional labels that are appropriate for different contexts and stakeholders.
Stage-specific concurrent chemoradiotherapy with or without induction chemotherapy for locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a retrospective, population-based study

Purpose This large population-based analysis aims to investigate whether the additional induction chemotherapy to concurrent chemoradiotherapy improved overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) for locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LRANPC). Patients and Methods The study group comprised 3,980 patients who were treated either with IC+CCRT (1,888 patients) or CCRT alone (2,092 patients) between January 1998 and June 2013. Survival outcomes were compared using Cox proportional hazards regression models with adjustments for confounding provided by propensity score methods. Primary outcome variables included OS and DFS. Results Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that CCRT and IC+CCRT were of similar benefit to OS (P=0.099), whereas there was a marginal benefit of CCRT to DFS (P=0.063) in the overall cohort, which showed no differences between the two treatment regimens using multivariate Cox analysis and propensity score. Interestingly, for patients with 2D radiationtherapy (2DRT), CCRT had OS and DFS benefits for stage III, with 5-year and 10-year OS for CCRT vs IC+CCRT being 88% and 75% vs 81% and 67%, respectively (P=0.002); 5-year and 10-year DFS for CCRT vs IC+CCRT being 84% and 74% vs 76% and 66%, respectively (P=0.002). In contrast, IC + CCRT had OS and DFS benefits for stage IVa-b, with 5-year and 10-year OS for CCRT vs IC+CCRT being 71% and 55% vs 76% and 60%, respectively (P=0.037, HR=0.786); 5-year and 10-year DFS for CCRT vs IC+CCRT were 64% and 50% vs 69% and 58%, respectively (P=0.038, HR=0.801). No difference was found in intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) subgroup. Conclusion Our study indicates that CCRT and IC+CCRT may have similar OS and DFS benefits for overall LRANPC. Stage-specific chemoradiotherapy may be administered based on the greatest benefit of IC+CCRT for stage IVa-b patients and CCRT alone for stage III patients received 2DRT. The optimal chemotherapy pattern in combination with IMRT needs further investigation. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT02604472
Does Topical Proparacaine Improve Postoperative Comfort After Strabismus Surgery?

Background Strabismus surgery is often performed on children and adults as a quick-turnover, outpatient procedure under general anesthesia. Ideal methods to reduce post-operative pain and nausea are not yet perfected. We postulated that a simple topical anesthetic drop after surgery might help. Methods In a prospective study of oculocardiac reflex (OCR) and strabismus surgery, a cohort of ongoing patients either received proparacaine immediately post-op, or none. Co-variables were Intraoperative opioid and OCR, patient age, type of surgery. Several post-operative recovery outcome variables were prospectively monitored. Results Sixty strabismus surgery patients (age 15±22 years) received proparacaine 1% while another 80 (16.5±22 years) received none; both received topical antibiotic-steroid ointment. Pain and nausea (Likert scale) were not impacted by covariables complexity of case, age less than 3.5, OCR >33% drop, intraoperative opioid or neuro-status. Immediate post-op heart rate was lower if OCR >33% and if opioids used. Time until discharge was shorter in younger patients. Proparacaine did not impact outcome variables, except in patients younger than 3.5 years when post-op pain was worse. Conclusion Post-op topical anesthetic either produced no difference, or worsened post-op pain and recovery. This prospective study does not support the use of topical anesthetic drop to reduce post-strabismus pain and nausea. Clinical trials registration NCT03672435, Strabismus Recovery With Proparacaine and Oculocardiac Reflex (OCRprop).
Smart Mandolin and Musical Haptic Gilet: effects of vibro-tactile stimuli during live music performance

In this paper we investigate the role of haptic stimuli in affecting the perception of live music. We designed a study where a smart mandolin performer played live for audience members wearing a gilet-based musical haptic wearable, which provided vibro-tactile sensations in response to the performed music. Six performances were conducted, each of which involved audiences of two people for a total of twelve participants. Results showed that the audio-haptic experience was not homogeneous across participants, who could be grouped as those appreciative of the vibrations and those less appreciative of them. The causes for a lack of appreciation of the haptic experience were mainly identified as the sensation of unpleasantness caused by the vibrations in certain parts of the body and the lack of the comprehension of the relation between what was felt and what was heard. Based on the reported results, we offer suggestions for practitioners interested in designing wearables for enriching the musical experience of audiences of live music via the sense of touch. Such suggestions point towards the need of mechanisms of personalization, systems able to minimize the latency between the sound and the vibrations, and a time of adaptation to the vibrations.
Determinants Of Patient Experience With Low Back Pain Interdisciplinary Care: A Pre-Post Interventional Study

Background and purpose Measuring patients’ experiences of health services has become an essential part of quality of care reporting and a means for identifying opportunities for improvement. This study aimed to evaluate change in patient experience in an interdisciplinary primary care program and to estimate the impact on patient experience of sociodemographic, function, pain and general health status, resource utilization, and process variables. Patients and methods A 6-month interdisciplinary care program for individuals with low back pain (LBP) was implemented at four primary care settings and evaluated using an observational pre/post study design. The change in patient experience was evaluated using the Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care questionnaire (PACIC) completed at baseline and 6 months post-intervention (n=132). Descriptive and multivariable analyses were performed using SAS version 9.3. Results The average patient age was 57 (SD: 14) years of age and the majority were female (53%). The mean overall PACIC score was 2.6 (SD: 1.1) at baseline and 3.6 (SD: 0.9) at 6 months. The experience of care improved for 62% of the participants based on the minimal clinically important difference (MCID). No significant determinants of overall PACIC change score were identified in the multivariable regression models. Conclusion The lack of association of hypothesized determinants requires further examination of the properties of the PACIC and with a larger sample. Future investigation is needed on the relationship between improved patient experience and outcomes.
Antibacterial Activity of Fusidic Acid and Sodium Fusidate Nanoparticles Incorporated in Pine Oil Nanoemulgel

Purpose Fusidic acid (FA) and sodium fusidate (SF) have problems in their skin penetration and stability resulting in a reduction in their potency; therefore, the objective of this study was to develop FA and SF nanoemulgels to improve the antibacterial activity of the drugs. Methods FA and SF nanoemulgel formulations were prepared by the incorporation of FA and SF nanoemulsions with Carbopol hydrogel. First, the drugs were screened for their solubility in different oils and surfactants to choose the suitable oil and surfactants for the drugs, and then the drug nanoemulsion formulations were prepared by a self-nanoemulsifying technique using Tween 80, Span 20 and pine oil. The drug nanoemulgels were evaluated for their particle size, polydispersity index (PDI), rheological behaviour, drug release and anti-microbial activity. Results Based on the solubility test, pine oil was the best solubilising oil for both drugs, Tween 80 and Span 20 showed the highest solubilising ability for both the drugs among the surfactants; therefore, they were chosen as surfactant and co-surfactant, respectively. The optimum self-nanoemulsifying formulations showed a particle size for fusidic acid and Sodium fusidate of 140.58 nm and 151.86 nm respectively, and both showed a low PDI below 0.3. After incorporating both drug SNEDDS formulations with Carbopol at different concentrations, the results of the drugs particle size and PDI showed no significant difference. The zeta potential results for both drugs nanoemulgels showed a negative potential with more than 30 mV. All nanoemulgel formulations showed pseudo-plastic behaviour with the highest release pattern at 0.4% Carbopol. The antibacterial activity of both drug nanoemulgel formulations showed superiority over the market product. Conclusion Nanoemulgel is a promising delivery system for FA and SF that helps in improving the stability and antibacterial activities of the drugs.
Incremental analysis in machine learning

Supervised learning requires data to be labeled. However, labels may not always be available, or creating a labeled dataset may be costly. Even when the data is labeled, labeling is often inconsistent, incomplete and inaccurate. If the data changes over time, a model also needs to be retrained periodically. A machine learning model, therefore, needs to learn from data "in the wild", not just from an initial training dataset. This problem can be addressed by techniques that combine clustering and classification with user feedback. The paper describes one such technique in the form of a pattern: Incremental Analysis. The target audience includes developers who do not have much experience with using machine learning in dynamic environments. This is the first of a number of planned papers on patterns for machine learning.
Prototyping Usability and User Experience: A Simple Technique to Agile Teams

In the last 15 years, since the Agile Manifesto emerged, many researchers and professionals have attempted to associate agile methodologies with Usability and User Experience (UX). This association happens to create a model that allows for delivering valuable software. However, most of the approaches identified in the literature that combine these concepts demand a lot of knowledge, cost, time, and, resources. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a more accessible technique and help in the cost and the deadline of the project. For this reason, we created a technique that integrates the most popular agile technique, prototyping, with two of the most important software quality criteria, Usability and UX. As a result, the technique called "User Experience and Usability Guideline for Agile Project" (UXUG-AP) has guidelines focusing on Usability and UX characteristics which support the software design. The technique was designed to be used by agile teams, independently of the amount of resources, project size, and the agile methodology adopted.
Phenotypic Properties of Collagen in Dentinogenesis Imperfecta Associated with Osteogenesis Imperfecta

Introduction Dentinogenesis imperfecta type 1 (OIDI) is considered a relatively rare genetic disorder (1:5000 to 1:45,000) associated with osteogenesis imperfecta. OIDI impacts the formation of collagen fibrils in dentin, leading to morphological and structural changes that affect the strength and appearance of teeth. However, there is still a lack of understanding regarding the nanoscale characterization of the disease, in terms of collagen ultrastructure and mechanical properties. Therefore, this research presents a qualitative and quantitative report into the phenotype and characterization of OIDI in dentin, by using a combination of imaging, nanomechanical approaches. Methods For this study, 8 primary molars from OIDI patients and 8 primary control molars were collected, embedded in acrylic resin and cut into longitudinal sections. Sections were then demineralized in 37% phosphoric acid using a protocol developed in-house. Initial experiments demonstrated the effectiveness of the demineralization protocol, as the ATR-FTIR spectral fingerprints showed an increase in the amide bands together with a decrease in phosphate content. Structural and mechanical analyses were performed directly on both the mineralized and demineralized samples using a combination of scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and Wallace indentation. Results Mesoscale imaging showed alterations in dentinal tubule morphology in OIDI patients, with a reduced number of tubules and a decreased tubule diameter compared to healthy controls. Nanoscale collagen ultrastructure presented a similar D-banding periodicity between OIDI and controls. Reduced collagen fibrils diameter was also recorded for the OIDI group. The hardness of the (mineralized) control dentin was found to be significantly higher (p<0.05) than that of the OIDI (mineralized) dentine. Both the exposed peri- and intratubular dentinal collagen presented bimodal elastic behaviors (Young’s moduli). The control samples presented a stiffening of the intratubular collagen when compared to the peritubular collagen. In case of the OIDI, this stiffening in the collagen between peri- and intratubular dentinal collagen was not observed and the exposed collagen presented overall a lower elasticity than the control samples. Conclusion This study presents a systematic approach to the characterization of collagen structure and properties in OIDI as diagnosed in dentin. Structural markers for OIDI at the mesoscale and nanoscale were found and correlated with an observed lack of increased elastic moduli of the collagen fibrils in the intratubular OIDI dentin. These findings offer an explanation of how structural changes in the dentin could be responsible for the failure of some adhesive restorative materials as observed in patients affected by OIDI.
The Outcomes Of Serial Cerebrospinal Fluid Removal In Elderly Patients With Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus

Purpose Elderly patients with iNPH (idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus) might be potentially high-risk surgical patients. Our purpose was to investigate the outcome of serial removal of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the patients with iNPH who refused to have the ventriculoperitoneal or lumboperitoneal shunt surgery or had contraindications to them. Patients and methods There were 42 patients, with a median age of 78 years. Recurrent CSF removal was performed when the patients had deteriorated gait which was defined as >10% pre-removal change on the average of two walking trials during timed up and go (TUG). All the patients underwent mini-mental status examination (MMSE), frontal assessment battery (FAB), Stroop test, Tinetti Performance Oriented Mobility Assessment (POMA), TUG and nine-hole peg test (NHPT) with the dominant hand, before and after CSF removal. Results Thirty-five patients had two CSF removal procedures with a mean interim period of 7.4 months ranging from 1.5 to 35 months. Thirteen patients had three CSF removal procedures. The mean TUG scores were decreased after the first, second and third procedures (p<0.001; p<0.001; p=0.007; respectively). The POMA scores including both gait and balance components improved after the first and second procedures (p<0.05; for each). After the third procedure, the increase in POMA-balance score was statistically significant (p<0.05). After the first procedure, the FAB scores and NHPT scores were significantly improved (p<0.02). The median follow-up duration of the patients was 34.5 months. Conclusion The deterioration of gait disturbance may be improved, and cognitive decline may be stabilized, at least postponed, by applying recurrent CSF removal in those unshunted patients with iNPH.
Lymph Node Yield Following Packet Submission After Isolation By Surgeon During Gastrectomy

Purpose To compare the lymph node yields of lymph node packet submission (PS), packet submission after isolation by surgeons (PSI), and en bloc lymph node submission (EBS) after gastrectomy. Methods We conducted a prospective study including 118 gastric cancer patients who underwent gastrectomy between June 2016 and August 2016. We also retrospectively reviewed 607 patients who underwent gastrectomy from May 2015 to May 2016. Following gastrectomy, lymph node specimens were either submitted en bloc (EBS group), divided into packets with accompanying adipose tissue according to the lymph node stations (PS group), or isolated individually based on the surgeon’s visualization and palpation before submission to the Pathology Department (PSI group). Results The average lymph node yield was significantly higher in the PSI compared with the PS group in the prospective study (46.5±19.4 vs 31.8±11.1), and significantly higher in the PS compared with the EBS group in the retrospective study (31.5±12.6 vs 23.9±8.9) (both P<0.001). There was no significant difference in positive lymph node yields in either of these comparisons (prospective study, P=0.581; retrospective study, P=0.489). The survival curve indicated no significant difference between the PS and PSI groups (log rank P=0.957); however, these three groups share different lymph node ratio (LNR). Conclusion PSI could yield more lymph nodes than PS or EBS with a lower LNR at pathological examination. However, the difference in lymph nodes harvested had no impact on survival, which may need further investigation.
Profile of Tofacitinib in the Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis: An Evidence-Based Review of Recent Data

Abstract Recent advances in the understanding of the pathophysiology of ulcerative colitis (UC) have led to the expansion of our therapeutic arsenal. Conventional treatment options, including aminosalicylates, corticosteroids, thiopurines, and calcineurin inhibitors, fail to control the disease in a significant proportion of patients. Approximately 25–50% of the patients treated with tumor necrosis factor antibodies (anti-TNFα) are primary and secondary non-responders to therapy. Tofacitinib is a novel orally administered small synthetic molecule that inhibits a homologous family of enzymes, termed Janus kinases that modulate multiple key cytokines involved in the pathogenesis of UC. Phase II and III trials showed promising results in UC, leading the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to approve its administration for the induction and maintenance of remission in moderate-to-severe UC. Herein, we review tofacitinib for the management of UC, its mechanism of action pharmacokinetic properties, efficacy, and safety.