Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MaSS: Multi-attribute Selective Suppression

The recent rapid advances in machine learning technologies largely depend on the vast richness of data available today, in terms of both the quantity and the rich content contained within. For example, biometric data such as images and voices could reveal people’s attributes like age, gender, sentiment, and origin, whereas location/motion data could be used to infer people’s activity levels, transportation modes, and life habits. Along with the new services and applications enabled by such technological advances, various governmental policies are put in place to regulate such data usage and protect people’s privacy and rights. As a result, data owners often opt for simple data obfuscation (e.g., blur people’s faces in images) or withholding data altogether, which leads to severe data quality degradation and greatly limits the data’s potential utility. Aiming for a sophisticated mechanism which gives data owners fine-grained control while retaining the maximal degree of data utility, we propose Multi-attribute Selective Suppression, or MaSS, a general framework for performing precisely targeted data surgery to simultaneously suppress any selected set of attributes while preserving the rest for downstream machine learning tasks. MaSS learns a data modifier through adversarial games between two sets of networks, where one is aimed at suppressing selected attributes, and the other ensures the retention of the rest of the attributes via general contrastive loss as well as explicit classification metrics. We carried out an extensive evaluation of our proposed method using multiple datasets from different domains including facial images, voice audio, and video clips, and obtained promising results in MaSS’ generalizability and capability of suppressing targeted attributes without negatively affecting the data’s usability in other downstream ML tasks.
Benchmarking Visual Localization for Autonomous Navigation

This work introduces a simulator-based benchmark for visual localization in the autonomous navigation context. The dynamic benchmark enables investigation of how variables such as the time of day, weather, and camera perspective affect the navigation performance of autonomous agents that utilize visual localization for closed-loop control. The experimental part of the paper studies the effects of four such variables by evaluating state-of-the-art visual localization methods as part of the motion planning module of an autonomous navigation stack. The results show major variation in the suitability of the different methods for vision-based navigation. To the authors' best knowledge, the proposed benchmark is the first to study modern visual localization methods as part of a complete navigation stack. We make the benchmark available at https://github.com/lasuomela/carla_vloc_benchmark.
LiteTransformerSearch: Training-free Neural Architecture Search for Efficient Language Models

The Transformer architecture is ubiquitously used as the building block of large-scale autoregressive language models. However, finding architectures with the optimal trade-off between task performance (perplexity) and hardware constraints like peak memory utilization and latency is non-trivial. This is exacerbated by the proliferation of various hardware. We leverage the somewhat surprising empirical observation that the number of decoder parameters in autoregressive Transformers has a high rank correlation with task performance, irrespective of the architecture topology. This observation organically induces a simple Neural Architecture Search (NAS) algorithm that uses decoder parameters as a proxy for perplexity without need for any model training. The search phase of our training-free algorithm, dubbed Lightweight Transformer Search (LTS), can be run directly on target devices since it does not require GPUs. Using on-target-device measurements, LTS extracts the Pareto-frontier of perplexity versus any hardware performance cost. We evaluate LTS on diverse devices from ARM CPUs to NVIDIA GPUs and two popular autoregressive Transformer backbones: GPT-2 and Transformer-XL. Results show that the perplexity of 16-layer GPT-2 and Transformer-XL can be achieved with up to 1.5x, 2.5x faster runtime and 1.2x, 2.0x lower peak memory utilization. When evaluated in zero and one-shot settings, LTS Pareto-frontier models achieve higher average accuracy compared to the 350M parameter OPT across 14 tasks, with up to 1.6x lower latency. LTS extracts the Pareto-frontier in under 3 hours while running on a commodity laptop. We effectively remove the carbon footprint of hundreds of GPU hours of training during search, offering a strong simple baseline for future NAS methods in autoregressive language modeling.
First -psrncrpletF S udyF ofF PhononF Lrfe rmeF andF LowFLa rceFThesmalFConduc rvr yFofFMonolayesF γ-GeSe:FAFCompasa rveFS udy

F Germanium selenide (GeSe) is a unique two-dimensional (2D) material showing various polymorphs stable at ambient condition. Recently, a new phase with a layered hexagonal lattice ( γ -GeSe) was synthesized with ambient stability and extraordinary electronic conductivity even higher than graphite while its monolayer is semiconducting. In this work, via using first-principles derived force constants and Boltzmann transport theory we explore the lattice thermal conductivity ( 𝜅 𝑙 ) of the monolayer γ -GeSe, together with a comparison with monolayer α -GeSe and β -GeSe. The 𝜅 𝑙 of γ -phase is relatively low (5.50 W/mK), comparable with those of α - and β phases. The acoustic branches in α -GeSe are well separated from the optical branches, limiting scattering channels in the phase space, while for β -GeSe and γ -GeSe the acoustic branches are resonant with the low-frequency optical branches facilitating more phonon-phonon scattering. For γ -GeSe, the cumulative 𝜅 𝑙 is isotropic and phononic representative mean free path (rMFP) is the shortest (17.07 nm) amongst the three polymorphs, indicating that the 𝜅 𝑙 of the γ phase is less likely to be affected by the size of the sample, while for α -GeSe the cumulative 𝜅 𝑙 grows slowly with mean free path and the rMFP is longer (up to 20.56 and 35.94 nm along zigzag and armchair direction, respectively), showing a stronger size-dependence of 𝜅 𝑙 . Our work suggests that GeSe polymorphs with overall low thermal conductivity are promising contenders for thermoelectric and thermal management applications.
Interplanetary sources of space weather disturbances in 1997 to 2000

Seventy‐five disturbed intervals from 1997 through 2000 were analyzed and selected on the basis of space weather effect occurrences such as significant compression of the dayside magnetosphere, strong magnetic storms, ionospheric perturbations, relativistic electron enhancements, and increases in the rate of data failures and radiation doses on board the Mir station. Solar wind disturbances were considered as the main factor influencing the Earth's magnetosphere. We distinguished four geoeffective interplanetary (IP) phenomena: interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICME), interplanetary forward shocks with compressed region (IS), fast solar wind streams from coronal holes (CH), and corotating interaction regions (CIR) between the CH and relatively slow ambient solar wind. Each selected interval was studied and classified under the IP phenomena that it was a direct consequence of. It was found that IP phenomena “containing” ISs, ICMEs, and CIRs were mostly responsible for geosynchronous magnetopause crossings, strong geomagnetic storms, and intensification of geomagnetically induced currents. The fast solar wind streams from coronal holes controlled mainly geosynchronous relativistic electron enhancements. The rate of data failures and variations of the radiation dose on board the Mir station were related to both IS‐ICME and CIR‐CH phenomena. Such a relationship was interpreted in terms of (1) decrease of cutoff threshold for solar energetic particles due to the magnetospheric compression and/or ring current intensification on the main phase of geomagnetic storms and (2) intensive relativistic electron precipitation from the outer radiation belt and its contribution to the radiation conditions at low altitudes during recovery phase of recurrent magnetic storms.
Complex rotation numbers

We investigate the notion of complex rotation number which was introduced by V.I. Arnold in 1978. Let $f: \mathbb R/\mathbb Z \to \mathbb R/\mathbb Z$ be an orientation preserving circle diffeomorphism and let $\omega \in \mathbb C/\mathbb Z$ be a parameter with positive imaginary part. Construct a complex torus by glueing the two boundary components of the annulus $\{z \in \mathbb C/\mathbb Z \mid 0< \Im(z)< \Im({\omega})\}$ via the map $f+{\omega}$. This complex torus is isomorphic to $\mathbb C/(\mathbb Z+{\tau} \mathbb Z)$ for some appropriate ${\tau} \in \mathbb C/\mathbb Z$. According to Moldavskis (2001), if the ordinary rotation number $\operatorname{rot} (f+\omega_0)$ is Diophantine and if ${\omega}$ tends to $\omega_0$ non tangentially to the real axis, then ${\tau}$ tends to $\operatorname{rot} (f+\omega_0)$. We show that the Diophantine and non tangential assumptions are unnecessary: if $\operatorname{rot} (f+\omega_0)$ is irrational then ${\tau}$ tends to $\operatorname{rot} (f+\omega_0)$ as ${\omega}$ tends to $\omega_0$. This, together with results of N.Goncharuk (2012), motivates us to introduce a new fractal set, given by the limit values of ${\tau}$ as ${\omega}$ tends to the real axis. For the rational values of $\operatorname{rot} (f+\omega_0)$, these limits do not necessarily coincide with $\operatorname{rot} (f+\omega_0)$ and form a countable number of analytic loops in the upper half-plane.
Study of KRAS-Related miRNA Expression in Colorectal Cancer

Introduction Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common digestive system tumors and seriously threatens the lives of patients. The choice of treatment options and the prognosis of CRC patients are closely related to the KRAS genotype. Notably, microRNAs (miRNAs) have great application value in the diagnosis and treatment of CRC. Methods The current study used qRT–PCR to analyze the expression of KRAS-targeting miRNAs and determine the correlation between miRNA expression and KRAS gene expression among patients with varying genotypes. The effect of the KRAS gene on the prognosis of patients with cancer was determined. Results Eighty-two differentially expressed miRNAs were identified between CRC tumor and normal tissues: 58 dysregulated miRNAs were identified in patients with KRAS mutations, and 62 aberrantly expressed miRNAs were detected in patients with wild-type KRAS. Thirteen miRNAs were abnormally expressed in KRAS-mutant patients compared with KRAS wild-type patients. Some miRNAs not only acted as biomarkers for CRC but also indicated the genotype of KRAS. Conclusion This finding is very important for patients who must choose from clinical treatment options based on KRAS results. Thus, the abnormal expression of miRNAs has great application potential for the selection of chemotherapy regimens for patients with cancer. The relationship between differential miRNA expression and the KRAS genotype is very important for studying related mechanisms in CRC.
Coral reef fish assemblages exhibit signs of depletion in two protected areas from the eastern of Los Canarreos archipelago (Cuba, Caribbean Sea)

Understanding the impact of marine protected areas on the distribution and composition of fishes is key to the protection and management of coral reef ecosystems, and especially for fish-based activities such as SCUBA diving and recreational fishing. The aim of this research is to compare the ichthyofauna structure in three areas in the eastern part of Los Canarreos archipelago in Cuba with different management schemes: Cayo Campos-Cayo Rosario Fauna Refuge (CCCR), Cayo Largo Ecological Reserve (CL) and non-protected area (nMPA), and considering habitat differences and depth variation. A total of 131 video transects were conducted using diver operated stereo-video (stereo-DOV) in November, 2015 in backreef and forereef along the CCCR, CL and the adjacent nMPA. We recorded 84 species and 27 functional groups suggesting high complementarity of functions. Several multispecies schools were observed along surveys, which explain the biomass peaks in some sites, mainly for Lutjanidae, Haemulidae and Carangidae. A concerning issue was the bare representation of critical functional groups and threatened species. The effect of sites nested within habitats was significant and the most important driver structuring fish assemblages, while MPA condition was not evident. Favorable habitat features (habitat heterogeneity and surrounding coastal ecosystems) are likely enhancing fish assemblages and counteracting the effects of pouching derived from insufficient management. We recommend immediate actions within a strategy of precautionary management including, but not limited to, the appointment of staff for the administration of CL, frequent monitoring and effective enforcement.
On the nature of CP Pup

We present new X-ray and optical spectra of the old nova CPPup (nova Pup 1942) obtained with Chandra and the CTIO 4m telescope. The X-ray spectrum reveals a multitemperature optically thin plasma reaching a maximum temperature of 36 +19 16 keV absorbed by local complex neutral material. The time resolved optical spectroscopy confirms the presence of the �1.47hr period, with cycle-to-cycle amplitude changes, as well as of an additional long term modulation which is suggestive either of a longer period or of non-Keplerian velocities in the emission line regions. These new observational facts add further support to CPPup as a magnetic cataclysmic variable (mCV). We compare the mCV and the non-mCV scenarios and while we cannot conclude whether CPPup is a long period system, all observational evidences point at an intermediate polar (IP) type CV.
Prevalence of Multidrug-Resistant Pathogens Causing Bloodstream Infections in an Intensive Care Unit

Introduction Bloodstream infections are the most severe infections that cause the highest mortality rate, especially in patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). In this study, we aimed to analyze the distribution, resistance patterns and prevalence of MDR (multidrug-resistant) pathogens isolated in blood samples collected from patients with severe invasive infections hospitalized in the ICU. Methods A retrospective study of bacterial pathogens was performed on 490 patients admitted to the ICU between 2017 and 2020. The resistance patterns were analyzed using Vitek 2 Compact system. Results In total, 617 bacterial isolates were obtained. Four hundred and twenty-seven isolates (69.21%) were Gram positive and 190 isolates (30.79%) were Gram negative bacteria. The most frequently isolated micro-organisms identified in the blood samples for the entire period (2017–2020) were Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) (318–51.54%), followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (70–11.34%), Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (58–9.40%), Acinetobacter baumannii (45–7.29%) and Enterococcus faecalis (42–6.80%). The number of Klebsiella pneumoniae strains significantly increased in 2020, compared to the previous year (p < 0.05). The Acinetobacter baumannii prevalence was significantly higher in the age group of 20–64 years (10.89%) and over 65 years (3.53%) (p < 0.001). The difference between the prevalence of CoNS in the elderly (67.84%) and in adults (20–64 years) (52.47%) was also statistically significant (p < 0.001). High rates of MDR were found for Acinetobacter baumannii (97.77%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (65%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (50%), Enterococcus faecalis (47.61%) and MRSA (46.55%). More than 60% of the Klebsiella pneumoniae strains were found to be resistant to carbapenems. Conclusion The study revealed an alarming prevalence of MDR strains isolated in blood samples of the patients admitted to the ICU, indicating the necessity of consistent application of the measures to control.
Pyroptosis and Intervertebral Disc Degeneration: Mechanistic Insights and Therapeutic Implications

Abstract Low back pain (LBP) is a common problem worldwide, resulting in great patient suffering and great challenges for the social health system. Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration (IVDD) is widely acknowledged as one of the key causes of LBP. Accumulating evidence suggests that aberrant pyroptosis of IVD cells is involved in the pathogenesis of IVDD progression, however, the comprehensive roles of pyroptosis in IVDD have not been fully established, leaving attempts to treat IVDD with anti-pyroptosis approaches questionable. In this review, we summarize the characteristics of pyroptosis and emphasize the effects of IVD cell pyroptosis on the pathological progression of IVDD, including secretion of cytokines, nucleus pulposus cell apoptosis and autophagy, accelerated extracellular matrix degradation, annulus fibrosus rupture, cartilage endplate calcification, vascularization, sensory and sympathetic fiber neoinnervation, and infiltrating lymphatic vessels. Finally, we discuss several interventions used to treat IVDD by targeting pyroptosis. This review provides novel insights into the crucial role of IVD cell pyroptosis in IVDD pathogenesis, and could be informative for developing novel therapeutic approaches for IVDD and LBP.
Lattice SU(3) thermodynamics and the onset of perturbative behaviour

We present the equation of state (pressure, trace anomaly, energy density and entropy density) of the SU(3) gauge theory from lattice field theory in an unprecedented precision and temperature range. We control both finite size and cut-off effects. The studied temperature window ($0.7. 1000 T_c$) stretches from the glueball dominated system into the perturbative regime, which allows us to discuss the range of validity of these approaches. From the critical couplings on fine lattices we get $T_c/\Lambdamsbar=1.26(7)$ and use this ratio to express the perturbative free energy in $T_c$ units. We also determine the preferred renormalization scale of the Hard Thermal Loop scheme and we fit the unknown $g^6$ order perturbative coefficient at extreme high temperatures $T>100T_c$. We furthermore quantify the nonperturbative contribution to the trace anomaly using two simple functional forms.
Progression of non-anemic macrocytosis to anemia in HIV-positive persons receiving zidovudine-containing regimens in a resource-limited setting

Background Non-anemic macrocytosis is frequently observed among HIV-positive persons treated with zidovudine in resource-limited settings. Although zidovudine-associated anemia is well recognized, the probability and predictors of progression from non-anemic macrocytosis to anemia are still unknown. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted among HIV-positive persons receiving zidovudine-containing antiretroviral therapy (ART) with non-anemic macrocytosis. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses were used to determine the probability and predictive factors of progression from non-anemic macrocytosis to anemia, respectively. Results Of 318 HIV-positive persons, 59.4% were male; mean age was 44.3 years. The median follow-up duration was 5.8 years. The probabilities of progression to anemia at 1, 3 and 4 years were estimated at 9.4, 17.3 and 21.3%, respectively. Almost all anemia was mild asymptomatic. Duration of zidovudine use [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.141; 95% confidence interval (CI),1.036-1.256; p = . 007], CD4 count prior to start zidovudine [HR = 0.991; 95%CI,0.982-0.999; p = . 038], and hematocrit level at development of macrocytosis [HR = 0.683; 95%CI,0.541-0.861; p = . 001] were significant factors to predict progression to anemia. Conclusion Non-anemic macrocytosis in HIV-positive persons receiving zidovudine-containing ART can progress to anemia. Longer duration of zidovudine use, lower CD4 cell counts at ART initiation, and lower hematocrit level at development of macrocytosis are predictive factors for progression to anemia.
The origin of carbonate mud and implications for global climate

Significance The Bahama Banks produce huge volumes of carbonate mud. These sediments represent a major sink in the modern carbon cycle, and likely an even larger sink in the ancient carbon cycle. Yet, it is still debated where and how carbonate mud is formed. We use geochemical fingerprinting to show that mud cannot be derived from the breakdown and mixing of any combination of known carbonate grains or skeletal sources. Rather, mud represents a distinct seawater precipitate. We use ancient sedimentary and modern oceanographic evidence to show that high seawater alkalinity is required to produce carbonate mud. Finally, we illustrate how the size and strength of the shallow carbonate factory plays a first-order control in setting global pCO2 and climate.
Identification of Patients With Ovarian Cancer Experiencing the Highest Benefit From Bevacizumab in the First-Line Setting on the Basis of Their Tumor-Intrinsic Chemosensitivity (KELIM): The GOG-0218 Validation Study

PURPOSE In patients with high-grade ovarian cancer, predictors of bevacizumab efficacy in first-line setting are needed. In the ICON-7 trial, a poor tumor intrinsic chemosensitivity (defined by unfavorable modeled cancer antigen-125 [CA-125] ELIMination rate constant K [KELIM] score) was a predictive biomarker. Only the patients with high-risk disease (suboptimally resected stage III, or stage IV) exhibiting unfavorable KELIM score < 1.0 had overall survival (OS) benefit from bevacizumab (median: 29.7 v 20.6 months; hazard ratio [HR], 0.78). An external validation study in the GOG-0218 trial was performed. METHODS In GOG-0218, 1,873 patients were treated with carboplatin-paclitaxel ± concurrent-maintenance bevacizumab/placebo. Patient KELIM values were calculated with CA-125 kinetics during the first 100 chemotherapy days by the Lyon University team. The association between KELIM score (favorable ≥ 1.0, or unfavorable < 1.0) and bevacizumab benefit for progression-free survival (PFS)/OS was independently assessed by NGR-GOG using univariate/multivariate analyses. RESULTS KELIM was assessable in 1,662 patients with ≥ 3 CA-125 available values. An unfavorable KELIM score was associated with bevacizumab benefit compared with placebo (PFS: HR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.59 to 0.82; OS: HR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.73 to 1.03), whereas a favorable KELIM was not (PFS: HR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.79 to 1.17; OS: HR, 1.11; 95% CI, 0.89 to 1.39). The highest benefit was observed in patients with a high-risk disease exhibiting unfavorable KELIM, for PFS (median: 9.1 v 5.6 months; HR, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.78), and for OS (median: 35.1 v 29.1 months; HR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.65 to 0.97). CONCLUSION This GOG-0218 trial investigation validates ICON-7 findings about the association between poor tumor chemosensitivity and benefit from concurrent-maintenance bevacizumab, suggesting that bevacizumab may mainly be effective in patients with poorly chemosensitive disease. Bevacizumab may be prioritized in patients with a high-risk and poorly chemosensitive disease to improve their PFS/OS (patient KELIM score calculator available on the Biomarker Kinetics website).
Measuring food insecurity: An introduction to tools for human biologists and ecologists

Food insecurity is a significant and growing concern undermining the wellbeing of 30% of the global population. Food in/security is a complex construct consisting of four dimensions: availability, access, utilization, and stability, making it challenging to measure. We provide a toolkit human biologists/ecologists can use to advance research on this topic.