Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Achieving Model Fairness in Vertical Federated Learning

Vertical federated learning (VFL) has attracted greater and greater interest since it enables multiple parties possessing non-overlapping features to strengthen their machine learning models without disclosing their private data and model parameters. Similar to other machine learning algorithms, VFL faces demands and challenges of fairness, i.e., the learned model may be unfairly discriminatory over some groups with sensitive attributes. To tackle this problem, we propose a fair VFL framework in this work. First, we systematically formulate the problem of training fair models in VFL, where the learning task is modelled as a constrained optimization problem. To solve it in a federated and privacy-preserving manner, we consider the equivalent dual form of the problem and develop an asynchronous gradient coordinate-descent ascent algorithm, where some active data parties perform multiple parallelized local updates per communication round to effectively reduce the number of communication rounds. The messages that the server sends to passive parties are deliberately designed such that the information necessary for local updates is released without intruding on the privacy of data and sensitive attributes. We rigorously study the convergence of the algorithm when applied to general nonconvex-concave min-max problems. We prove that the algorithm finds a $\delta$-stationary point of the dual objective in $\mathcal{O}(\delta^{-4})$ communication rounds under mild conditions. Finally, the extensive experiments on three benchmark datasets demonstrate the superior performance of our method in training fair models.
Sparse Factorization of Large Square Matrices

Square matrices appear in many machine learning problems and models. Optimization over a large square matrix is expensive in memory and in time. Therefore an economic approximation is needed. Conventional approximation approaches factorize the square matrix into a number matrices of much lower ranks. However, the low-rank constraint is a performance bottleneck if the approximated matrix is intrinsically high-rank or close to full rank. In this paper, we propose to approximate a large square matrix with a product of sparse full-rank matrices. In the approximation, our method needs only $N(\log N)^2$ non-zero numbers for an $N\times N$ full matrix. We present both non-parametric and parametric ways to find the factorization. In the former, we learn the factorizing matrices directly, and in the latter, we train neural networks to map input data to the non-zero matrix entries. The sparse factorization method is tested for a variety of synthetic and real-world square matrices. The experimental results demonstrate that our method gives a better approximation when the approximated matrix is sparse and high-rank. Based on this finding, we use our parametric method as a scalable attention architecture that performs strongly in learning tasks for long sequential data and defeats Transformer and its several variants.
LOF: Structure-Aware Line Tracking based on Optical Flow

Lines provide the significantly richer geometric structural information about the environment than points, so lines are widely used in recent Visual Odometry (VO) works. Since VO with lines use line tracking results to locate and map, line tracking is a crucial component in VO. Although the state-of-the-art line tracking methods have made great progress, they are still heavily dependent on line detection or the predicted line segments. In order to relieve the dependencies described above to track line segments completely, accurately, and robustly at higher computational efficiency, we propose a structure-aware Line tracking algorithm based entirely on Optical Flow (LOF). Firstly, we propose a gradient-based strategy to sample pixels on lines that are suitable for line optical flow calculation. Then, in order to align the lines by fully using the structural relationship between the sampled points on it and effectively removing the influence of sampled points on it occluded by other objects, we propose a two-step structure-aware line segment alignment method. Furthermore, we propose a line refinement method to refine the orientation, position, and endpoints of the aligned line segments. Extensive experimental results demonstrate that the proposed LOF outperforms the state-of-the-art performance in line tracking accuracy, robustness, and efficiency, which also improves the location accuracy and robustness of VO system with lines.
Effect of pre-training scale on intra- and inter-domain, full and few-shot transfer learning for natural and X-Ray chest images

Increasing model, data and compute budget scale in the pre-training has been shown to strongly improve model generalization and transfer learning in vast line of work done in language modeling and natural image recognition. However, most studies on the positive effect of larger scale were done in scope of in-domain setting, with source and target data being in close proximity. To study effect of larger scale for both in-domain and out-of-domain setting when performing full and few-shot transfer, we combine here for the first time large, openly available medical X-Ray chest imaging datasets to reach a scale for medical imaging domain comparable to ImageNet-1k, routinely used for pre-training in natural image domain. We then conduct supervised pre-training, while varying network size and source data scale and domain, being either large natural (ImageNet-1k/21k) or large medical chest X-Ray datasets, and transfer pre-trained models to different natural or medical targets11Repository: https://github.com/SLAMPAI/large-scale-pretraining-transfer, We observe strong improvement due to larger pre-training scale for intra-domain natural-natural and medical-medical transfer. For inter-domain natural-medical transfer, we find improvements due to larger pre-training scale on larger X-Ray targets in full shot regime, while for smaller targets and for few-shot regime the improvement is not visible. Remarkably, large networks pre-trained on very large natural ImageNet-21k are as good or better than networks pre-trained on largest available medical X-Ray data when performing transfer to large X-Ray targets. We conclude that substantially increasing model and generic, medical domain-agnostic natural image source data scale in the pre-training can enable high quality out-of-domain transfer to medical domain specific targets, removing dependency on large medical domain-specific source data often not available in the practice.
Crocetin Exerts Its Anti-inflammatory Property in LPS-Induced RAW264.7 Cells Potentially via Modulation on the Crosstalk between MEK1/JNK/NF-κB/iNOS Pathway and Nrf2/HO-1 Pathway

Crocetin is a main bioactive component with a carotenoid skeleton in Gardenia jasminoides, a typical traditional Chinese medicine with a long history in Southeast Asia. Crocetin is being commonly consumed as spices, dyes, and food colorants. Recent pharmacological studies had implied that crocetin may possess potent anti-inflammatory properties; however, the underlying molecular mechanism is not fully elucidated. In the present study, the regulatory effect of crocetin on redox balance was systematically investigated in lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) stimulated RAW264.7 cells. The results showed that crocetin dose-dependently inhibited LPS-induced nitric oxide production and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression in RAW264.7 cells. Molecular data revealed that crocetin exerted its anti-inflammatory property by inhibiting the MEK1/JNK/NF-κB/iNOS pathway and activating the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway. The shRNA-knockdown (KD) of MEK1 and ERK1 confirmed that the activation of MEK1 and inhibition of JNK mediated the anti-inflammatory effect of crocetin. Moreover, the pull-down assay and computational molecule docking showed that crocetin could directly bind to MEK1 and JNK1/2. It is noticed that both KD and knockout (KO) of HO-1 gene blocked this action. More detailed data have shown that HO-1-KO blocked the inhibition of p-IκB-α by crocetin. These data indicated that crocetin exerted its anti-inflammatory property via modulating the crosstalk between the MEK1/JNK/NF-κB/iNOS pathway and the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway, highlighting HO-1 as a major player. Therefore, the present study reveals that crocetin can act as a potential candidate for redox-balancing modulation in charge of its anti-inflammatory and chemopreventive effect, which strengthens its potency in the subsequent clinic application in the near future.
Oral Candidal Load and Oral Health Status in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Patients: A Case-Cohort Study

Objective The objective of this study was to determine the candidal load of the patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and evaluate the oral health status of subjects with COPD. Material and Methods. N = 112 COPD subjects and N = 100 control subjects were included in the study. The selection of COPD cases was confirmed based on the set criteria from the American College of Physicians. The oral health status was assessed as per WHO criteria to determine the score of decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT), significant caries index (SiC), community periodontal index and treatment needs (CPITN), and oral hygiene index-simplified (OHI-S). Gram staining was performed to identify Candida using the whole saliva. Quantitative evaluation of the candidal load was carried out using Sabouraud Dextrose Agar (SDA). Chrome agar was used to differentiate between the commensal carriages. A statistical analysis paired t-test and 95% confidence interval (CI) for proportions was carried out using STATA software. Results Candidal growth was found in 21.42% (n = 24) of COPD cases and 1.1% (n = 11) of control cases (p < 0.05) (95% CI 0.45, 0.59). The DMFT score was 8.26 in COPD subjects and 4.6 in controls, the SiC score was 16.42 in COPD subjects and 10.25 in controls, and the CPITN score for both COPD and control cases was score 2. Conclusion In conclusion, there was a higher candidal load among subjects suffering from COPD. Theophylline medication can be a risk factor for increased candidal load in COPD patients.
Electrochemical Behavior of Titanium Ions in Various Molten Alkali Chlorides

Cyclic voltammetry and square wave voltammetry were performed for TiCl3 at 1023 K, in molten LiCl, LiCl-KCl, NaCl-CsCl and CsCl, respectively. The anodic process from Ti(III) to Ti(IV) is a simple reversible process in all the alkali chloride melts. Ti(III) can be reduced directly to Ti in one step, in CsCl, while Ti(II) will appear before Ti in LiCl, LiCl-KCl and NaCl-CsCl. The electrode potentials of redox couples of titanium species decrease with the decrease of the polarization power of solvent alkali ion.
Single-virus content mixing assay reveals cholesterol-enhanced influenza membrane fusion efficiency

In order to infect a cell, enveloped viruses must first undergo membrane fusion, which proceeds through a hemifusion intermediate, followed by the formation of a fusion pore through which the viral genome is transferred to a target cell. Single-virus fusion studies to elucidate the dynamics of content mixing typically require extensive fluorescent labeling of viral contents. The labeling process must be optimized depending on the virus identity and strain and can potentially be perturbative to viral fusion behavior. Here, we introduce a single-virus assay where content-labeled vesicles are bound to unlabeled influenza A virus (IAV) to eliminate the problematic step of content-labeling virions. We use fluorescence microscopy to observe individual, pH-triggered content mixing and content loss events between IAV and target vesicles of varying cholesterol compositions. We show that target membrane cholesterol increases the efficiency of IAV content mixing and decreases the fraction of content mixing events that result in content loss. These results are consistent with previous findings that cholesterol stabilizes pore formation in IAV entry and limits leakage following pore formation. We also show that content loss due to hemagglutinin fusion peptide engagement with the target membrane is independent of composition. This approach is a promising strategy for studying the single-virus content mixing kinetics of other enveloped viruses. Statement of Significance To replicate, enveloped viruses, like influenza A virus, must successfully deliver their contents to a host cell through viral membrane fusion. Most single-virus fusion assays require extensive fluorescent labeling of virions which can be perturbative to fusion kinetics. Here, we utilize content-labeled vesicles in a single-virus content mixing assay, which eliminates the need to fluorescently label virus contents. We use this assay to show that target membrane cholesterol increases the fraction of stable influenza virus content mixing events. This assay also enables the study of target membrane destabilization due to viral fusion peptide engagement.
Neural shifts in alpha rhythm's dual functioning during empathy

Alpha oscillations are unique in their capacity to relay neuronal information through a dual‐process named “gating by inhibition”: rhythmic enhancement inhibits task‐irrelevant regions while rhythmic suppression engages task‐relevant regions in the brain. A social‐cognitive process that operates by relying on the suppression of the alpha rhythm in the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) is the ability to generate empathy. This phenomenon has been evidenced in dozens of electrophysiological studies targeting adult human subjects. Yet, recent studies on the neurodevelopment of empathy indicate that in younger age, empathy does not involve alpha suppression in S1 but only enhancement. More interestingly, right before adulthood, this rhythm is still enhanced, but in a remarkable shift, a pattern of suppression emerges. In this registered magnetoencephalography (MEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, we will capture frequency‐decomposed neural activity particularly at the alpha range and its corresponding hemodynamic response and target subjects at around 20 years old as a unique time‐window in development that allows investigating in parallel both low‐alpha suppression and high‐alpha enhancement. We aim to address two questions: (a) Does alpha power suppression in the S1 region during empathy correspond to BOLD increase in this region? (b) What is the functional role of alpha power enhancement during empathy development (BOLD signal increase or decrease)? Addressing these questions will particularly advance knowledge on the process of empathy in the brain, and the way in which it is underpinned by alpha oscillations. Moreover, examining these experimental outcomes can potentially lay the ground for future studies that would further examine the role of alpha oscillations in empathy during the course of development.
Serine/threonine kinase 17b (STK17B) signalling regulates Purkinje cell dendritic development and is altered in multiple spinocerebellar ataxias

Serine/threonine kinase 17b (STK17B, also known as DRAK2) is known to be a downstream effector of protein kinase C (PKC) in the immune system, in particular T lymphocytes. PKC activity also plays a critical role for dendritic development and synaptic maturation and plasticity in cerebellar Purkinje cells. We present evidence that STK17B is strongly expressed in mouse cerebellar Purkinje cells starting in the early postnatal period and remaining highly expressed throughout adult stages and that STK17B is a target of PKC phosphorylation in the cerebellum. STK17B overexpression potentiates the morphological changes of Purkinje cells seen after PKC activation, suggesting that it is a downstream effector of PKC. A phosphorylation mimetic STK17B variant induced a marked reduction of Purkinje cell dendritic tree size, whereas the inhibition of STK17B with the novel compound 16 (Cpd16) could partially rescue the morphological changes of the Purkinje cell dendritic tree after PKC activation. These findings show that STK17B signalling is an important downstream effector of PKC activation in Purkinje cells. Furthermore, STK17B was identified as a molecule being transcriptionally downregulated in mouse models of SCA1, SCA7, SCA14 and SCA41. The reduced expression of STK17B in these mouse models might protect Purkinje cell dendrites from the negative effects of overactivated PKC signalling. Our findings provide new insights in the role of STK17B for Purkinje cell dendritic development and the pathology of SCAs.
Anterior patterning genes induced by Zic1 are sensitive to retinoic acid and its metabolite, 4‐oxo‐RA

Development of paired sensory organs is a highly complex and coordinated process. These organs arise from ectodermal thickenings in the cephalic region known as cranial placodes. We have previously shown that Zic1 is a critical regulator for the formation of the pre‐placodal region (PPR), the common territory for the development of all cranial placodes in Xenopus laevis.
Time perspective stands out as the time variable that reliably separates anxious and nonanxious individuals

Background: It is well-recognized that emotions and emotional disorders may alter the experience of time. Yet relatively little is known about different aspects of psychological time in relation to anxiety. The purpose of the present study was to explore several aspects of temporal processing, including time perspective, prospective and retrospective time estimation, in persons with anxiety symptoms. Methods: A total of 110 individuals with varying degrees of anxiety participated in two studies. They were assigned to two groups (anxiety–control) based on their scores on anxiety measurements. Participants also completed an inventory of time perspective and several time estimation tasks which were analyzed on a group-level. Depressive symptoms were assessed and used as a covariate in the second study. Results: Anxiety was significantly associated with Past Negative and Future Negative time perspectives as measured by the Swedish Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (S-ZTPI), even when controlling for the effect of depressive symptoms. No other significant differences were found. Conclusion: Exploring time perspective in persons with anxious symptoms may provide important insights into features of anxiety. These findings may offer new ways of conceptualizing anxiety and provide suggestions for treatment strategies.
Antibacterial, sustained drug release and biocompatibility studies of electrospun poly(ε-caprolactone)/chloramphenicol blend nanofiber scaffolds

Controlled drug release and antibacterial properties of electrospun nanofiber depend on slow release of drug molecules to the targeted area by diffusion and antibacterial properties of drug embedded in the nanofiber. In the present study, chloramphenicol (CAP), an antibacterial drug has been incorporated in poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) nanofibers in the weight content of 5–20 wt% by electrospinning. It was found that the fiber diameter and hydrophilic nature of nanofibers increased with increase in CAP content. The latter phenomenon is expected to facilitate biocompatibility of scaffolds. The scaffolds showed excellent antibacterial properties against gram positive (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis) as well as gram negative (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Flavobacterium devorans) bacterial strains commonly associated with wound and burn infections. In-vitro drug release studies were carried out in phosphate buffer saline at pH ∼ 7.4. The release was found to be saturated in about 20 days and the maximum release was ∼80%. Nanofiber scaffolds with 5 wt% CAP content showed the highest release rate among the scaffolds studied, which could be attributed to the smaller fiber diameter of this scaffold leading to higher surface area. The composite nanofiber scaffolds were further studied for cell adhesion, proliferation and toxicity using human colon colorectal epithelial cells (HCT 116 WT) in vitro. The cells are found to show excellent adhesion and proliferation on both PCL and CAP embedded scaffolds in large numbers. However, CAP loaded scaffolds showed better cell proliferation than that of neat PCL counterpart.
Long-term regulating mechanisms of phytoplankton biomass in a traditional shellfish aquaculture area

Using 14 years of environmental data, we investigated distribution of thermohaline properties and phytoplankton biomass in Mali Ston Bay, which is the major shellfish farming area on the eastern Adriatic coast. Sampling was conducted biweekly during summer and monthly during the rest of the year throughout period 1999–2012. Due to strong river inflow and many submarine springs, continuous thermohaline stratification was recorded throughout the entire investigated period. The salinity effect on stratification was more pronounced compared to temperature effect which was mostly expressed in summer. Phytoplankton biomass increased throughout the period 1999–2012, while a negative trend in salinity was observed for the surface layer. Seasonal biomass pattern showed two biomass peaks: the first in late winter/early spring and the second (less pronounced) in the autumn. Regarding phytoplankton size fraction ; such as microplankton and nanoplankton, each component was equally represented in all seasons. Despite continuous enrichment from the Neretva River and underwater springs, lack of significant correlation between phytoplankton biomass and nutrients indicate that nutrients are quickly utilized by phytoplankton and transferred further into food web. Water column was well oxygenized throughout investigated period having high transparency and high diversity of phytoplankton taxa. According to all investigated parameters, and the fact that Mali Ston Bay is naturally productive area, and also aquaculture area, it is hypothesized whether this area could be considered as oligotrophic environment or not.
Successful pregnancy achieved by in vitro fertilization after fertility-preserving treatments in an infertile woman with borderline ovarian tumor and endometrial complex atypical hyperplasia : a case report

Accounting for 10-15% of epithelial ovarian tumors, borderline ovarian tumors (BOTs) are also termed as low malignant potential tumors. To this regard, since BOTs are more likely to affect younger women, and conservative surgery has become the recommended management for women who wish to retain their fertility [1]. Fertility-preserving surgery has proved to be effective and safe because the reported postoperative spontaneous pregnancies rate can reach 54%, while the lethal recurrence maintains less than 0.5% [2]. Since endometrial complex atypical hyperplasia (CAH) is a precursor to invasive disease with high risk of progression compared with simple hyperplasia, hysterectomy is regarded as the best treatment. However, for those fertile women with pregnancy demands, high-dose progestin therapy to allow for future fertility may be most appropriate as prior studies have documented high regression rates [3]. It was reported that 10-35% women with BOTs present a previous history of infertility [2], for whom assisted reproductive technology (ART), a technology that has been confirmed to result in a significantly higher live birth rate than spontaneous pregnancy in people with CAH [4], can be an option. However, it is still unclear whether the function of the ovary or endometrium in those patients will influence the success rate of ART, and whether it will place those patients at the risk of disease recurrence. Here the authors present a case of a successful application of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) in an infertile patient with BOT and a history of CAH, which caused problems when deciding on the treatment strategy in light of the rare concurrence of abnormalities in both the ovary and endometrium. After fertilitypreserving surgery, a successful of pregnancy was achieved by IVF and the patient finally took home twin babies.