Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Finite-Time Regret of Thompson Sampling Algorithms for Exponential Family Multi-Armed Bandits

We study the regret of Thompson sampling (TS) algorithms for exponential family bandits, where the reward distribution is from a one-dimensional exponential family, which covers many common reward distributions including Bernoulli, Gaussian, Gamma, Exponential, etc. We propose a Thompson sampling algorithm, termed ExpTS, which uses a novel sampling distribution to avoid the under-estimation of the optimal arm. We provide a tight regret analysis for ExpTS, which simultaneously yields both the finite-time regret bound as well as the asymptotic regret bound. In particular, for a $K$-armed bandit with exponential family rewards, ExpTS over a horizon $T$ is sub-UCB (a strong criterion for the finite-time regret that is problem-dependent), minimax optimal up to a factor $\sqrt{\log K}$, and asymptotically optimal, for exponential family rewards. Moreover, we propose ExpTS$^+$, by adding a greedy exploitation step in addition to the sampling distribution used in ExpTS, to avoid the over-estimation of sub-optimal arms. ExpTS$^+$ is an anytime bandit algorithm and achieves the minimax optimality and asymptotic optimality simultaneously for exponential family reward distributions. Our proof techniques are general and conceptually simple and can be easily applied to analyze standard Thompson sampling with specific reward distributions.
Ensembles for Uncertainty Estimation: Benefits of Prior Functions and Bootstrapping

In machine learning, an agent needs to estimate uncertainty to efficiently explore and adapt and to make effective decisions. A common approach to uncertainty estimation maintains an ensemble of models. In recent years, several approaches have been proposed for training ensembles, and conflicting views prevail with regards to the importance of various ingredients of these approaches. In this paper, we aim to address the benefits of two ingredients -- prior functions and bootstrapping -- which have come into question. We show that prior functions can significantly improve an ensemble agent's joint predictions across inputs and that bootstrapping affords additional benefits if the signal-to-noise ratio varies across inputs. Our claims are justified by both theoretical and experimental results.
Unitary Fermi superfluid near the critical temperature: Thermodynamics and sound modes from elementary excitations

We compare recent experimental results [Science 375 , 528 (2022)] of the superﬂuid unitary Fermi gas near the critical temperature with a thermodynamic model based on the elementary excitations of the system. We ﬁnd good agreement between experimental data and our theory for several quantities such as ﬁrst sound, second sound, and superﬂuid fraction. We also show that mode mixing between ﬁrst and second sound occurs. Finally, we characterize the response amplitude to a density perturbation: close to the critical temperature both ﬁrst and second sound can be excited through a density perturbation, whereas at lower temperatures only the ﬁrst sound mode exhibits a signiﬁcant response.
UHD Image Deblurring via Multi-scale Cubic-Mixer

Currently, transformer-based algorithms are making a splash in the domain of image deblurring. Their achievement depends on the self-attention mechanism with CNN stem to model long range dependencies between tokens. Unfortunately, this ear-pleasing pipeline introduces high computational complexity and makes it difficult to run an ultra-high-definition image on a single GPU in real time. To trade-off accuracy and efficiency, the input degraded image is computed cyclically over three dimensional ($C$, $W$, and $H$) signals without a self-attention mechanism. We term this deep network as Multi-scale Cubic-Mixer, which is acted on both the real and imaginary components after fast Fourier transform to estimate the Fourier coefficients and thus obtain a deblurred image. Furthermore, we combine the multi-scale cubic-mixer with a slicing strategy to generate high-quality results at a much lower computational cost. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm performs favorably against the state-of-the-art deblurring approaches on the several benchmarks and a new ultra-high-definition dataset in terms of accuracy and speed.
Finite conjugacy classes and split exact cochain complexes

We study the cohomology of isometric group actions on (super) reflexive Banach spaces with a focus on the relation between finite conjugacy classes and split exactness of cochain complexes. In particular, we show that, if a uniformly convex Banach module has no almost invariant vectors under the FC-centre of the acting group, then the associated cochain complex is split exact. Other similar rigidity results are established that are related to prior work of Bader, Furman, Gelander, Monod [2], Bader, Rosendal, Sauer [3] and Nowak [11].
FedPop: A Bayesian Approach for Personalised Federated Learning

Personalised federated learning (FL) aims at collaboratively learning a machine learning model taylored for each client. Albeit promising advances have been made in this direction, most of existing approaches works do not allow for uncertainty quantification which is crucial in many applications. In addition, personalisation in the cross-device setting still involves important issues, especially for new clients or those having small number of observations. This paper aims at filling these gaps. To this end, we propose a novel methodology coined FedPop by recasting personalised FL into the population modeling paradigm where clients' models involve fixed common population parameters and random effects, aiming at explaining data heterogeneity. To derive convergence guarantees for our scheme, we introduce a new class of federated stochastic optimisation algorithms which relies on Markov chain Monte Carlo methods. Compared to existing personalised FL methods, the proposed methodology has important benefits: it is robust to client drift, practical for inference on new clients, and above all, enables uncertainty quantification under mild computational and memory overheads. We provide non-asymptotic convergence guarantees for the proposed algorithms and illustrate their performances on various personalised federated learning tasks.
PixSelect: Less but Reliable Pixels for Accurate and Efficient Localization

Accurate camera pose estimation is a fundamental requirement for numerous applications, such as autonomous driving, mobile robotics, and augmented reality. In this work, we address the problem of estimating the global 6 DoF camera pose from a single RGB image in a given environment. Previous works consider every part of the image valuable for localization. However, many image regions such as the sky, occlusions, and repetitive non-distinguishable patterns cannot be utilized for localization. In addition to adding unnecessary computation efforts, extracting and matching features from such regions pro-duce many wrong matches which in turn degrades the localization accuracy and efficiency. Our work addresses this particular issue and shows by exploiting an interesting concept of sparse 3D models that we can exploit discriminatory environment parts and avoid useless image regions for the sake of a single image localization. Interestingly, through avoiding selecting keypoints from non-reliable image regions such as trees, bushes, cars, pedestrians, and occlusions, our work acts naturally as an outlier filter. This makes our system highly efficient in that minimal set of correspondences is needed and highly accurate as the number of outliers is low. Our work exceeds state-of-the-art methods on outdoor Cambridge Landmarks dataset. With only relying on single image at inference, it outweighs in terms of accuracy methods that exploit pose priors and/or reference 3D models while being much faster. By choosing as little as 100 correspondences, it surpasses similar methods that localize from thousands of correspondences, while being more efficient. In particular, it achieves, compared to these methods, an improvement of localization by 33% on OldHospital scene. Furthermore, It outstands direct pose regressors even those that learn from sequence of images. Our work will be publicly available.
Intermittent noxious stimulation following spinal cord contusion injury impairs locomotor recovery and reduces spinal BDNF-TrkB signaling in adult rats

Intermittent nociceptive stimulation following a complete transection or contused spinal cord injury (SCI) has been shown to exert several short and long lasting negative consequences. These include maladaptive spinal plasticity, enhanced mechanical allodynia and impaired functional recovery of locomotor and bladder functions. The neurotrophin, brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been shown to play an important role in adaptive plasticity and also to restore functions following SCI. This suggests that the negative behavioral effects of shock are most likely related to corresponding changes in BDNF spinal levels. In this study we investigated the cellular effects of nociceptive stimulation in contused adult rats focusing on BDNF, its receptor, TrkB, and the subsequent downstream signaling system. The goal was to determine whether the behavioral effect of stimulation is associated with concomitant cellular changes induced during the initial post-injury period. Quantitative RT-PCR and western blotting were used to assess changes in the mRNA and/or protein levels of BDNF, TrkB and the downstream signaling proteins CAMKII and ERK1/2 at 1 hour, 24 hours and 7 days following administration of intermittent noxious shock to the tail of contused subjects. In addition, recovery of locomotor function (BBB score) was assessed daily for the first week post injury. The results showed that, while nociceptive stimulation failed to induce any changes in gene expression at 1 hour, it significantly reduced the expression of BDNF, TrkB, ERK2 and CAMKII, at 24 hours. In general, changes in gene expression were spatially localized to the dorsal spinal cord. In addition, locomotor recovery was impaired by shock. Evidence is also provided suggesting that shock engages a neuronal circuitry without having any negative effects on neuronal survival at 24 hours. These results suggest that nociceptive activity following SCI decreases BDNF and TrkB levels, which may significantly contribute to diminished functional recovery.
A randomized controlled trial of contingency management for psycho-stimulant use in community mental health outpatients with co-occurring serious mental illness

Objective— The primary objective of this study was to determine if contingency management was associated with increased stimulant drug abstinence in community mental health outpatients with serious mental illness and stimulant dependence. Secondary objectives were to determine if contingency management was associated with reductions in use of other substances, psychiatric symptoms, HIV-risk behavior, and inpatient service utilization. Method— A randomized controlled design compared outcomes of 176 outpatients with serious mental illness and stimulant dependence. Participants were randomized to three months of contingency management for stimulant abstinence plus treatment-as-usual or treatment-as-usual with reinforcement for study participation only. Urine drug tests, self-report, clinician-report, and service utilization outcomes were assessed during three-month treatment and three-month follow-up periods. Results— While participants in the contingency management condition were less likely to complete the treatment period (n=38; 42%) than those assigned to the control condition (n=55; 65%), X 2 (1)=9.8, p =0.02; those assigned to the contingency management condition were 2.4 (CI=1.9-3.0) times more likely to submit a stimulant-negative urine test during treatment. Participants assigned to contingency management experienced significantly lower levels of alcohol use, injection drug use, psychiatric symptoms, and were five times less likely than those assigned to the control condition to be admitted for psychiatric hospitalization, X 2 (1)=5.4,
Mountain gloom and mountain glory revisited: A survey of conservation, connectivity, and climate change in mountain regions

Mountain regions have played a significant role in the history of biodiversity conservation, and promise to play an even larger part in future efforts to respond to climate change. After an historical overview of scientific research into mountain ecosystems, biodiversity conservation in mountain regions is examined in light of the ever-expanding research agenda on landscape connectivity and corridor ecology . An array of potential beneficial and deleterious effects of ‘wildlife corridors’ is then discussed, along with a description of the conceptual scientific underpinnings of wildlife corridors in the field of island biogeography, metapopulation dynamics, and landscape ecology. The effects of climate change on mountain ecosystems are then reviewed, focusing on the premise that the protection and restoration of corridors consti- tute the most comparatively effective prospect for protecting mountain biodiversity in the long term. We conclude that three distinct research communities—the mountain research commu- nity, the corridor ecology community, and the climate change community—will have to provide mutual support in answering four critical questions: (1) What do we need to know about mountain biodiversity and how it interacts with human communities in the mountains? (2) In what ways can the establishment of ‘on-the-ground’ corridors provide sufficient connec- tivity between ‘natural’ communities, species, and populations in mountain regions? (3) To what degree will anthropogenic climate change require us to modify our response to the first two questions? (4) How can we best build resilience into mountain ecosystems?
Risk Factors for Cancer Body mass index trajectories across adulthood and smoking in relation to prostate cancer risks: the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study

Background: Previously we showed that adulthood body mass index (BMI) trajectories that result in obesity were associated with elevated risks of fatal prostate cancer (PCA). To further explore this relationship, we conducted a study within the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study. Methods: Among 153 730 eligible men enrolled in the NIH-AARP cohort from 1995 to 1996 (median follow-up1⁄415.1 years), we identified 630 fatal PCA cases and 16 896 incident cases. BMI was assessed for ages 18, 35 and 50 and at study entry, enabling examination of latent class-identified BMI trajectories. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using Cox proportional hazards regression. Results: BMI at study entry (mean age1⁄4 63, HR1⁄41.12; 95% CI1⁄4 1.01, 1.24, per 5-unit increase) and maximum BMI during adulthood (HR1⁄4 1.12; 95% CI1⁄41.02, 1.24, per 5-unit increase) shared modest associations with increased risk of fatal PCA. Smoking status likely modified the relationship between BMI trajectories and fatal PCA (Pinteraction 1⁄4 0.035 via change-in-estimate variable section, P1⁄4 0.065 via full a priori model). Among never-smokers, BMI trajectory of normal weight to obesity was associated with increased risk of fatal disease (HR1⁄42.37; 95% CI1⁄4 1.38, 4.09), compared with the maintained normal weight trajectory, whereas there was no association among former or currentsmokers. Total and non-aggressive PCA exhibited modest inverse associations with BMI at all ages, whereas no association was observed for aggressive PCA. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Epidemiological Association 2018. This work is written by US Government employees and is in the public domain in the US. 464 International Journal of Epidemiology, 2019, 464–473 doi: 10.1093/ije/dyy219 Advance Access Publication Date: 29 October 2018
Anti-TNF treatment of IFN induced lupus nephritis reduces the renal macrophage response but does not alter glomerular immune complex formation

Objective— To analyze the mechanism for the therapeutic effects of TNF α inhibition in a murine model SLE. Methods— We used the IFN induced NZB/W model of SLE nephritis and treated mice with TNFR2-Ig after TNF expression was detected in the kidneys. Autoantibodies were measured by ELISA and autoantibody forming cells by ELISpot. Activation of splenocytes was analyzed by flow cytometry. Kidneys were harvested and analyzed using flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry, ELISA, Western blot and real-time PCR. Results— TNFR2-Ig treatment stabilized nephritis and markedly prolonged survival. Autoantibody production and systemic immune activation were not inhibited but the renal response to glomerular immune complex deposition was attenuated. This was associated with decreases in renal production of chemokines, renal endothelial cell activation, interstitial F4/80 hi macrophage accumulation, tubular damage and oxidative stress. In contrast, perivascular lymphoid aggregates containing B cells, T cells and dendritic cells accumulated unabated. Conclusions— Our data suggest that TNF α is a critical cytokine that amplifies the response of the nephron to immune complex deposition but it has less influence on the response of the systemic vasculature to inflammation.
Gravitational waves from the collapse of rotating stellar cores

The gravitational quadrupole (and also the octupole and the hexadecapole) waves resulting from four different numerical collapse models for rotating 1.36 M ○. −iron cores of 20 M ○. −stars are calculated. The gravitational dynamics of each core collapse is treated at the Newtonian level since the highest appearing values of the central density and the velocity are 2.6 10 14 g/cm 3 and 8 10 9 cm/s, respectively
Backbone and side-chain resonance assignments of the membrane localization domain from Pasteurella multocida toxin

1 H, 13 C, and 15 N chemical shift assignments are presented for the isolated four-helical bundle membrane localization domain (MLD) from Pasteurella multocida toxin (PMT) in its solution state. We have assigned 99% of all backbone and side-chain carbon atoms, including 99% of all backbone residues excluding proline amide nitrogens. Secondary chemical shift analysis using TALOS+ demonstrates four helices, which align with those observed within the MLD in the crystal structure of the C-terminus of PMT (PDB 2EBF) and confirm the use of the available crystal structures as templates for the isolated MLDs.
IGF System in Cancer IGF System and Cancer Risk

Insulin-like growth factor (IGF) plays an important role in tissue growth and development. As such, several studies have demonstrated the association between circulating levels of IGF-1 and -II and cancer risk. In patients with acromegaly, an endocrine disorder which is characterized by a hypersecretion of growth hormone (GH) and consequently higher endogenous IGF, several studies have shown a 2-fold increased risk of gastrointestinal cancers [1–4]. Other studies have shown a modest association between higher circulating IGF-1 and -2 levels and an increased risk for prostate, breast, colorectal, and ovarian cancer [5–11]. However, several other studies do not show a similar increase in cancer risk [12–19]. Exogenous recombinant GH has been proposed as a potential cancer-promoting agent but no convincing link between cancer risk and its use in children or adults have been identified [20, 21]. The role of IGF in cancer risk is multifactorial and taken together, the preponderance of data suggests a slight increased risk of some cancers due to higher activity of the IGF system. Conversely, patients with congenital deficiencies in IGF-1 have a protective effect against developing cancer [22].
Genetic polymorphisms in 5-FU related enzymes predict pathologic response following neoadjuvant chemoradiation for rectal cancer

Background— Patients with rectal cancer undergo preoperative neoadjuvant chemoradiation with approximately 70% exhibiting pathologic down-staging in response to treatment. There is currently no accurate test to predict patients who are likely to be complete responders to therapy. 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is regularly used in the neoadjuvant treatment of rectal cancer. Genetic polymorphisms affect the activity of thymidylate synthase (TS), an enzyme involved in 5-FU metabolism. This may account for observed differences in response to neoadjuvant treatment between patients. Detection of such polymorphisms might identify patients likely to have a complete response to neoadjuvant therapy and perhaps allow them to avoid surgery. Methods— DNA was isolated from whole blood taken from patients with newly diagnosed rectal cancer who received neoadjuvant therapy (n=50). Response to therapy was calculated with a tumor regression score, based upon histology, from the time of surgery. PCR was performed targeting the promoter region of TS. PCR products were separated using electrophoresis to determine whether patients were homozygous for a double-tandem repeat (2R), a triple-tandem repeat (3R), or heterozygous (2R/3R). A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), 3G or 3C, may also be present in the second repeat unit of the 3R allele. Restriction fragment length polymorphism assays were performed in patients with at least one 3R allele using HaeIII. Results— Patients with at least one TS 3G allele were more likely to have complete or partial pathological response to 5-FU neoadjuvant therapy (OR 10.4 95% CI 1.3–81.6) (p=0.01) than those without at least one 3G allele. Conclusions— Identification of patients with specific genetic polymorphisms in enzymes involved in 5-FU metabolism appears to predict the likelihood of complete or partial pathologic response of rectal cancer to preoperative neoadjuvant therapy.