Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cross-device Federated Architecture Search

Federated learning (FL) has recently gained considerable attention due to its ability to learn on decentralised data while preserving client privacy. However, it also poses additional challenges related to the heterogeneity of the participating devices, both in terms of their computational capabilities and contributed data. Meanwhile, Neural Architecture Search (NAS) has been successfully used with centralised datasets, producing state-of-the-art results in constrained or unconstrained settings. However, such centralised datasets may not be always available for training. Most recent work at the intersection of NAS and FL attempts to alleviate this issue in a cross-silo federated setting, which assumes homogeneous compute environments with datacenter-grade hardware. In this paper we explore the question of whether we can design architectures of different footprints in a cross-device federated setting, where the device landscape, availability and scale are very different. To this end, we design our system, FedorAS , to discover and train promising architectures in a resource-aware manner when dealing with devices of varying capabilities holding non-IID distributed data. We present empirical evidence of its effectiveness across different settings, spanning across three different modalities (vision, speech, text), and showcase its better performance compared to state-of-the-art federated solutions, while maintaining resource efficiency.
Next Generation Sequencing for the Detection of Pathogens in Hip Surgery: Experience and Diagnostic Feasibility in a Tertiary Care Center in Argentina

Introduction: Early diagnosis of a periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) and identification of the pathogen are paramount. Next-gen-eration sequencing (NGS) can identify the nucleic acids in a given germ in a short period. To our knowledge, there are no reports of its use in the management of PJI in South America. Our objective was to demonstrate the diagnostic feasibility of the NGS technique on the samples obtained from a series of patients operated on in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Materials and Methods: A prospective series of 20 patients undergoing septic and aseptic hip revision surgery from December 2019 to March 2020 was analyzed. Intraoperative samples of synovial fluid, deep tissue, and intramedullary canal were obtained and sent to the NexGen Microgen laboratory (Texas, USA) for analysis. results: Seventeen patients were finally eligible to present a sample suitable for analysis. In 100% of the samples, NGS results were obtained within 72 hours of surgery. In one case, the NGS result reported a germ different from the one identified in the postoperative soft tissue cultures, allowing antibiotic therapy to be corrected. In another case, NGS identified Parabacteroides gordonii in aseptic revision surgery. In another patient, the NGS identified Morganella morganii , in which conventional postoperative cultures were negative in single-stage revision surgery. conclusion: In this study, we demonstrated the diagnostic feasibility of NGS, obtaining results within 72 hours immediately after surgery for pathogenic organisms in patients with PJI and negative cultures.
Coordinated Path-Following for Multi-Agent Fixed-Wing Aircraft

This work addresses the problem of coordinated path-following for ﬁxed-wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for a ﬁxed altitude set-point. The problem is partially decoupled by decomposing it ﬁrst in a path-following sub-problem by commanding the attitude of each UAV, and second in a sub-problem of coordinating their respective along-path parameters by adjusting their speeds about their nominal desired speed proﬁles. In relation to the path-following problem, two diﬀerent algorithms are considered. In the ﬁrst algorithm, the path is decomposed into a concatenation of straight-lines; the controller being linearisation-based. In the second algorithm, a vector ﬁeld curved path-following controller is considered, whose stability is explored through Lyapunov and input-to-state stability analysis, presenting conditions for which global asymptotic stability of the system may be concluded. With respect to the coordination, a proportional-integral consensus coordination control law is considered, valid for a communication topology with integral connectivity. Simulation results illustrating the functioning of both coordinated path-following algorithms are presented and discussed.
affecting expression of estrus measured by activity monitors and conception risk of lactating dairy cows

The objective of this study was to determine risk-factors affecting increase in physical activity during estrus and pregnancy per artificial insemination (P/ AI) in lactating dairy cows. Cows were monitored continuously by 2 automated activity monitors [a collar-mounted accelerometer (HT; Heatime, SCR Engineers, Netanya, Israel) and a leg-mounted pedometer (BO; Boumatic Heat-seeker-TX, Boumatic Dairy Equipment, Madison, WI)]. When an increase in activity was detected, body condition score (BCS) and blood samples were collected, ovaries were scanned by ultra-sonography, and, if the cow was eligible for breeding, artificial insemination was performed. Milk production and health-related data were recorded throughout the experimental period. Pregnancy diagnosis was performed at 42 ± 7 d of gestation. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation, ANOVA, and logistic regression. A total of 1,099 true events of estrus from 318 lactating Holstein cows were recorded, averaging 3.46 ± 1.1 events per cow. Positive predictive value for estrus episodes detected by the HT and BO systems were 89.6 and 85.5%, respectively. Mean peak activity at estrus (PA) recorded by the HT system was 71.6 ± 20.7 index-value, and 334.3 ± 155.7% relative increase by the BO system. Compared with primiparous, multiparous cows expressed estrus with lower PA (69.3 ± 0.8 vs. 75.9 ± 1.1 index for HT; 323.9 ± 6.0 vs. 354.8 ± 8.48% for BO) and shorter duration (DU; 10.7 ± 0.2 vs. 12.0 ± 0.3 h); DU was measured by HT only. Lower BCS was associated with decreased PA measured by both systems, estrus DU, and P/AI. Peak activity was weakly correlated with milk production on the day of artificial insemination (r = −0.20); however, when categorized into quartiles, the highest-yield cows had lower PA and DU. Follicle diameter was not correlated with PA or DU, but cows with greater concentrations of estradiol had higher PA. Cows with greater PA in both systems had greater P/AI than those with lower PA (36.5 vs. 24.6% for HT, 33.5 vs. 21.4% for BO). In conclusion, measurements of estrus events captured by automated activity monitors are correlated with BCS, parity, and secondary behavior signs related to estrus. Surprisingly, estrus intensity and duration were only weakly correlated with milk production, preovulatory follicle diameter, and concentrations of estradiol at estrus. Cows that had measurements of high-intensity estrus were significantly more fertile than low-intensity estrus.
Reconciling conflicting evidence for the cause of the observed early 21st century Eurasian cooling

Abstract. It is now well established that the Arctic is warming at a faster rate than the global average. This warming, which has been accompanied by a dramatic decline in sea ice, has been linked to cooling over the Eurasian subcontinent over recent decades, most dramatically during the period 1998–2012. This is a counter-intuitive impact under global warming given that land regions should warm more than ocean (and the global average). Some studies have proposed a causal teleconnection from Arctic sea-ice retreat to Eurasian wintertime cooling; other studies argue that Eurasian cooling is mainly driven by internal variability. Overall, there is an impression of strong disagreement between those holding the “ice-driven” versus “internal variability” viewpoints. Here, we offer an alternative framing showing that the sea ice and internal variability views can be compatible. Key to this is viewing Eurasian cooling through the lens of dynamics (linked primarily to internal variability with some potential contribution from sea ice; cools Eurasia) and thermodynamics (linked to sea-ice retreat; warms Eurasia). This approach, combined with recognition that there is uncertainty in the hypothesized mechanisms themselves, allows both viewpoints (and others) to co-exist and contribute to our understanding of Eurasian cooling. A simple autoregressive model shows that Eurasian cooling of this magnitude is consistent with internal variability, with some periods exhibiting stronger cooling than others, either by chance or by forced changes. Rather than posit a “yes-or-no” causal relationship between sea ice and Eurasian cooling, a more constructive way forward is to consider whether the cooling trend was more likely given the observed sea-ice loss, as well as other sources of low-frequency variability. Taken in this way both sea ice and internal variability are factors that affect the likelihood of strong regional cooling in the presence of ongoing global warming.
The SPIRITS Sample of Luminous Infrared Transients: Uncovering Hidden Supernovae and Dusty Stellar Outbursts in Nearby Galaxies

We present a systematic study of the most luminous (MIR [Vega magnitudes] brighter than −14) infrared (IR) transients discovered by the SPitzer InfraRed Intensive Transients Survey (SPIRITS) between 2014 and 2018 in nearby galaxies (D < 35 Mpc). The sample consists of nine events that span peak IR luminosities of M[4.5],peak between −14 and −18.2, show IR colors between 0.2 < ([3.6]–[4.5]) < 3.0, and fade on timescales between 55 days < tfade < 480 days. The two reddest events (AV > 12) show multiple, luminous IR outbursts over several years and have directly detected, massive progenitors in archival imaging. With analyses of extensive, multiwavelength follow-up, we suggest the following possible classifications: five obscured core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe), two erupting massive stars, one luminous red nova, and one intermediate-luminosity red transient. We define a control sample of all optically discovered transients recovered in SPIRITS galaxies and satisfying the same selection criteria. The control sample consists of eight CCSNe and one Type Iax SN. We find that 7 of the 13 CCSNe in the SPIRITS sample have lower bounds on their extinction of 2 < AV < 8. We estimate a nominal fraction of CCSNe in nearby galaxies that are missed by optical surveys as high as (90% confidence). This study suggests that a significant fraction of CCSNe may be heavily obscured by dust and therefore undercounted in the census of nearby CCSNe from optical searches.
Open Research Online Aram Dorsum: an extensive mid-Noachian age ﬂuvial depositional system in Arabia Terra, Mars

A major debate in Mars science is the nature of the early Mars climate, and the availability of precipitation and runoff. Observations of relict erosional valley networks have been proposed as evidence for extensive surface runoff around the Noachian ‐ Hesperian boundary. However, these valley networks only provide a time ‐ integrated record of landscape evolution, and thus, the timing, relative timescales and intensity of aqueous activity required to erode the valleys remain unknown. Here, we investigate an ancient ﬂ uvial sedimentary system in western Arabia Terra, now preserved in positive relief. This ridge, “ Aram Dorsum, ” is ﬂ at ‐ topped, branching, ~85 km long, and particularly well preserved. We show that Aram Dorsum was an aggradational alluvial system and that the existing ridge was once a large river channel belt set in extensive ﬂ ood plains, many of which are still preserved. Smaller, palaeochannel belts feed the main system; their setting and network pattern suggest a distributed source of water. The alluvial succession is up to 60 m thick, suggesting a formation time of 10 5 to 10 7 years by analogy to Earth. Our observations are consistent with Aram Dorsum having formed by long ‐ lived ﬂ ows of water, sourced both locally, and regionally as part of a wider alluvial system in Arabia Terra. This suggests frequent or seasonal precipitation as the source of water. Correlating our observations with previous regional ‐ scale mapping shows that Aram Dorsum
Self-Care Ability of the Elderly and Related Factors

Background: Self-care ability is a determinant factor in managing the daily lives of the elderly. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate self-care ability in the elderly and related factors. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, elderly people admitted to educational and medical hospitals in Zanjan in 2021 were selected by convenience sampling and 175 people over 60 years old evaluated with questionnaire including demographic information and self-care ability scale for elderly. Mean (standard deviation), frequency (percentage) and independent sample t-test were used to analyze data in SPSS 23. Results : The mean (SD) score of elderly self-care in this study was 53.86 (1.41). The results showed that self-care ability is low in most participants (68%). Women have significantly higher self-care ability than men (P=0.018). With increased age, Self-care ability decreased (P=0.0001). In illiterate and lower educated people, self-care ability is significantly lower (P=0.0001), and also rural residents have significantly less self-care ability than urban residents (P=0.0001). Elderly people who were married (P=0.0001) and had a source of income (P=0.0001) had a better level of self-care. Conclusion: Self-care ability is low in most elderly people, and self-care ability is worse in men, illiterate people, and villagers and self-care ability decreases with increasing age. It is suggested that simple programs be developed according to the age and level of literacy of the elderly.
Do elite colleges matter? The impact of elite college attendance on entrepreneurship decisions and career dynamics

We study the effects of attending an elite college on entrepreneurship decisions and career dynamics. We ﬁrst document that having an elite college degree is positively correlated with entrepreneurship (i.e., owning an incorporated business) but not with other self-employment (i.e., owning an unincorporated business). We then develop an overlapping generations model which captures the self-selection in education and career choices based on heterogeneous ability and family wealth endowments. Our estimates show that different career paths (employee, entrepreneur, and other self-employed) demand different types of human capital (employee, incorporated, and unincorporated human capital) and elite colleges improve these three types of human capital more than ordinary colleges. Our counterfactual experiment ﬁnds that shutting down elite colleges reduces the number of entrepreneurs but has little impact on other self-employed individuals. Providing subsidies to elite colleges is more efﬁcient than giving grants to non-elite colleges in encouraging entrepreneurship, improving intergenerational mobility, and increasing welfare. project
Layered-Garment Net: Generating Multiple Implicit Garment Layers from a Single Image

Recent research works have focused on generating human models and garments from their 2D images. However, state-of-the-art researches focus either on only a single layer of the garment on a human model or on generating multiple garment layers without any guarantee of the intersection-free geometric relationship between them. In reality, people wear multiple layers of garments in their daily life, where an inner layer of garment could be partially covered by an outer one. In this paper, we try to address this multi-layer modeling problem and propose the Layered-Garment Net (LGN) that is capable of generating intersection-free multiple layers of garments defined by implicit function fields over the body surface, given the person's near front-view image. With a special design of garment indication fields (GIF), we can enforce an implicit covering relationship between the signed distance fields (SDF) of different layers to avoid self-intersections among different garment surfaces and the human body. Experiments demonstrate the strength of our proposed LGN framework in generating multi-layer garments as compared to state-of-the-art methods. To the best of our knowledge, LGN is the first research work to generate intersection-free multiple layers of garments on the human body from a single image.
Face-to-face and online psychoeducational nursing interventions for anxiety management: an integrative review of the literatura

: Objective: To analyze the evidence found in the scientific literature of the impact of psycho-educational interventions on anxiety management, carried out online or in person with the participation of nursing professionals. Method: Narrative and integrative review of scientific literature by searching for publications in the main metasearch engines and in the indexed articles of the SciELO, MEDLINE and LILACS databases. Results/Discussion: The search for articles based on online psycho-educational interventions for anxiety management and nursing, provided 4,295 publications, of which, after the three stages of reading and filtering, only 11 were selected: two systematic reviews, eight RCTs and one quasi-experimental study. The psycho-educational aspect is transversal in each publication, being effective for the management of anxiety in various clinical situations. Although there are several studies that show the realization of face-to-face psycho-educational interventions led by nursing, we did not find any specific investigation or research carried out by nurses in an entirely online format. Conclusion: The intervention modalities, strategies and psycho-educational programs that take advantage of the ease of use and impact provided using ICT should be evaluated from the perspective of the clinical field in a more exhaustive way, since these tools facilitate the incorporation of psychoeducation into the clinical routine. The lack of evidence on the efficacy of these interventions when they are designed and implemented entirely by nurses makes it necessary to propose research that evaluates the results.
LOFT: Finding Lottery Tickets through Filter-wise Training

Recent work on the Lottery Ticket Hypothesis (LTH) shows that there exist ``\textit{winning tickets}'' in large neural networks. These tickets represent ``sparse'' versions of the full model that can be trained independently to achieve comparable accuracy with respect to the full model. However, finding the winning tickets requires one to \emph{pretrain} the large model for at least a number of epochs, which can be a burdensome task, especially when the original neural network gets larger. In this paper, we explore how one can efficiently identify the emergence of such winning tickets, and use this observation to design efficient pretraining algorithms. For clarity of exposition, our focus is on convolutional neural networks (CNNs). To identify good filters, we propose a novel filter distance metric that well-represents the model convergence. As our theory dictates, our filter analysis behaves consistently with recent findings of neural network learning dynamics. Motivated by these observations, we present the \emph{LOttery ticket through Filter-wise Training} algorithm, dubbed as \textsc{LoFT}. \textsc{LoFT} is a model-parallel pretraining algorithm that partitions convolutional layers by filters to train them independently in a distributed setting, resulting in reduced memory and communication costs during pretraining. Experiments show that \textsc{LoFT} $i)$ preserves and finds good lottery tickets, while $ii)$ it achieves non-trivial computation and communication savings, and maintains comparable or even better accuracy than other pretraining methods.
Estimating Fiscal Counter-cyclicality Coefficients

Fiscal balances fluctuate with economic activity, with the direction and strength of this correlation being determined by two forces. First, government policies determine how the overall government balance (and each of its components) responds to changes in economic conditions. Fiscal policy is said to be countercyclical if the government deficit increases during economic downturns. Second, fiscal policy has a feedback effect—often referred to as the fiscal ‘multiplier’ effect—whereby exogenous changes in the government balance affect aggregate demand. The interaction of these two forces determines the impact of fiscal policy on macroeconomic stabilization, that is, the reduction in output volatility attributable to fiscal policy. Fiscal policy has two broad components: discretionary policy from explicit government actions, and automatic stabilizers, which refer to built-in elements in the tax-and-benefit system that tend to mitigate economic fluctuations without explicit government action.
Multifunctional Derivatives of Spiropyrrolidine Tethered Indeno-Quinoxaline Heterocyclic Hybrids as Potent Antimicrobial, Antioxidant and Antidiabetic Agents: Design, Synthesis, In Vitro and In Silico Approaches

To combat emerging antimicrobial-resistant microbes, there is an urgent need to develop new antimicrobials with better therapeutic profiles. For this, a series of 13 new spiropyrrolidine derivatives were designed, synthesized, characterized and evaluated for their in vitro antimicrobial, antioxidant and antidiabetic potential. Antimicrobial results revealed that the designed compounds displayed good activity against clinical isolated strains, with 5d being the most potent (MIC 3.95 mM against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923) compared to tetracycline (MIC 576.01 mM). The antioxidant activity was assessed by trapping DPPH, ABTS and FRAP assays. The results suggest remarkable antioxidant potential of all synthesized compounds, particularly 5c, exhibiting the strongest activity with IC50 of 3.26 ± 0.32 mM (DPPH), 7.03 ± 0.07 mM (ABTS) and 3.69 ± 0.72 mM (FRAP). Tested for their α-amylase inhibitory effect, the examined analogues display a variable degree of α-amylase activity with IC50 ranging between 0.55 ± 0.38 mM and 2.19 ± 0.23 mM compared to acarbose (IC50 1.19 ± 0.02 mM), with the most active compounds being 5d, followed by 5c and 5j, affording IC50 of 0.55 ± 0.38 mM, 0.92 ± 0.10 mM, and 0.95 ± 0.14 mM, respectively. Preliminary structure–activity relationships revealed the importance of such substituents in enhancing the activity. Furthermore, the ADME screening test was applied to optimize the physicochemical properties and determine their drug-like characteristics. Binding interactions and stability between ligands and active residues of the investigated enzymes were confirmed through molecular docking and dynamic simulation study. These findings provided guidance for further developing leading new spiropyrrolidine scaffolds with improved dual antimicrobial and antidiabetic activities.
The Mental Health of Male Sexual Minority Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Nairobi, Kenya: A Aualitative Assessment

Very little information exists about the experiences of asylum seekers and refugees who are men who have sex with men (MSM). Therefore, this study explores the psychological distress of MSM asylum seekers and refugees in the Nairobi metropolitan area. We collected data using in-depth interviews transcribed verbatim, coded using NVivo 12 Plus, and analyzed using the six-step thematic analysis framework. Four major themes emerged from the study: psychological distress, traumatic stress symptoms, mental health care access, and coping strategies. Although we did not use any diagnoses, the results indicate that MSM asylum seekers and refugees share mental health problems with other refugees. However, MSM have specific needs that derive from their persecution based on their sexual minority status. The results confirm extant findings, as seen in the discussion, and encourage more research. Further research will inform collaborative, culturally sensitive, and targeted interventions that decrease adverse mental health outcomes for MSM asylum seekers and refugees in the Nairobi metropolitan area.