Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spike-Aware Training and Timing Window Optimization for Energy-Efficient Inference in Conversion-Based Spiking Neural Networks

Spiking Neural Networks (SNNs) are a promising alternative to traditional Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) due to their ability to operate in low-power event-driven mode. However, training SNNs from scratch remains challenging, and conversion-based SNNs derived from pre-trained DNNs have become popular. In this paper, we focus on generating learnable parameters for the inference phase by analyzing the timing window of rate-coded spiking activation using N-MNIST digit classification. We compare the training accuracy of a non-spiking ANN model with the spike ignored and spike-aware spiking activation models trained at different time intervals. We also use regularization to control the mean spike rate of neurons and include a moving-average pooling layer to improve classification accuracy. We provide insights into optimizing the timing window of rate-coded spiking activation for energy-efficient and accurate SNN inference. Our results show that spike-aware training with regularization and moving-average pooling improves convergence and achieves high accuracy. These findings can help improve the training of SNNs for various AI applications.
Remote, Disconnected, or Detached? Examining the Effects of Psychological Disconnectedness and Cynicism on Employee Performance, Wellbeing, and Work–Family Interface

Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations worldwide have implemented remote working arrangements that have blurred the work–family boundaries and brought to the forefront employees’ sense of disconnectedness from their workplace (i.e., organizational disconnectedness) as a concern for multiple organizational outcomes. Cynicism, a job burnout subdimension, refers to a negative and excessively detached response to relational overload at work. While both workplace disconnectedness and cynicism involve a toxic sense of detachment, they refer to different psychological mechanisms. The present study aims to examine how employee workplace disconnectedness differs from their cynicism, and how both constructs differentially exert their detrimental effects on employee performance, work–family interface, and wellbeing. Using anonymous survey data collected online in 2021 and 2022 from a sample of in-person and flexible workers nested within organizations, conceptual distinctiveness between workplace disconnectedness and cynicism was supported. Measurement invariance across the two groups was supported, and subsequent structural invariance analyses suggested a similar pattern of results for flexible and in-person workers. Specifically, compared to disconnectedness, cynicism exerted higher negative effects on mental health and higher positive effects on cognitive failures and family-to-work conflict. Conversely, compared to cynicism, disconnectedness exerted higher negative effects on performance and work-to-family conflict. That is, feeling indifferent toward others particularly affects mental health and errors, while feeling excluded especially hampers productivity and family life. Theoretical and practical (e.g., inclusive leadership, support groups) implications of these results are discussed in light of the globally rising rates of hybrid work arrangements and related costs for employee wellbeing and productivity.
The Efficacy and Tolerability of the Use of Combined Versus Single Analgesic and Prophylactic Medications in Severe Migraine

Background: Migraine is a common cause of primary headaches that may interfere with normal daily activities for which different modalities of treatment had been used. In the present study different types of analgesics and prophylactic medications had been evaluated for their efficacy and tolerability. Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of: 1. Combined analgesic, Excedrin (aspirin with paracetamol and caffeine) in comparison with single analgesic, diclofenac, as a therapy for severe migraine attack. Combined prophylactic, amitriptyline, or propranolol with pizotifen in comparison with pizotifen alone as prophylactic drugs for severe migraine. Materials & Methods: Part (1): 80 patients with severe migraine were enrolled and randomly assigned to receive an oral tablet of either Excedrin (aspirin 250 mg, acetaminophen 250mg, caffeine 65mg) four times daily when needed (n=40) or diclofenac 50mg twice daily when needed as abortive treatment for migraine attack, in addition to the use of pizotifen twice a day in both subgroups for 10 days duration. Part (2): 46 patients who showed good response from part one of the study were divided randomly into three subgroups with different prophylactic regimens. oral pizotifen 0.5mg tablet twice a day, n=16. oral pizotifen 0.5mg twice a day with propranolol 20mg tablet twice a day, n=15. oral pizotifen 0.5mg tablet twice a day with amitriptyline 10mg tablet once at night. n=15. Efficacy was assessed by determining the patients' number exhibiting improvement with no or mild headache. Tolerability is no or minimal side effects or interactions. Results: Part (1): A good response to treatment was obtained in 30% of the diclofenac group vs 85% of the Excedrin group (P<0.01). Part (2): A good response to treatment was obtained in 33.3% of the pizotifen group vs 60% of pizotifen with propranolol group (P< 0.05) vs 87.5% of pizotifen with amitriptyline group (P< 0.01). Conclusion: Combined medications are more effective than single medications in the treatment & prophylaxis of severe migraine.
Why trains stay on tracks

In this article, we give both qualitative and quantitative explanations of why a train stays on its track, in spite of perturbations that could cause it to derail. We show that train stability originates from the conical shape of the wheels, which gives rise to a restoring normal force in response to a lateral disturbance. We first demonstrate translational stabilization in a simple situation where the rails are assumed frictionless and the steering motion of the wheel is neglected. We then develop a more comprehensive model, taking friction and steering into account. We show that rolling friction couples the rotational motion to the translational motion, enhancing overall stability. Finally, we find approximate formulae for the parameters governing stability, and show good agreement with parameters of a real railway coach.
Caregiving, Gender, and Health: The Moderating Role of Age

Unpaid caregiving by family or friends has increased over the recent years, with a simultaneous decline in the health of caregivers. Yet, limited research has examined the interrelationships between caregiving status, gender, age and health, or how dimensions of caregiving (type of care, relationship with care recipient) complicate these relationships. Using data from 428,395 U.S. adults from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), I find that young adult men and women providing personal care report poorer self-rated health than noncaregivers. Regarding the relationship with care recipient, young adults caring for a spouse/partner report the poorest self-rated health, and particularly women. Overall, caregiving tends to be more adversely associated with health among young adults when the type of care provided is personal or when they have an ill spouse/partner to care for, both of which can be construed as off-timed from the life course perspective.
The Therapeutic Value of Solanum Steroidal (Glyco)Alkaloids: A 10-Year Comprehensive Review

Steroidal (glycol)alkaloids S(G)As are secondary metabolites made of a nitrogen-containing steroidal skeleton linked to a (poly)saccharide, naturally occurring in the members of the Solanaceae and Liliaceae plant families. The genus Solanum is familiar to all of us as a food source (tomato, potato, eggplant), but a few populations have also made it part of their ethnobotany for their medicinal properties. The recent development of the isolation, purification and analysis techniques have shed light on the structural diversity among the SGAs family, thus attracting scientists to investigate their various pharmacological properties. This review aims to overview the recent literature (2012–2022) on the pharmacological benefits displayed by the SGAs family. Over 17 different potential therapeutic applications (antibiotic, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, etc.) were reported over the past ten years, and this unique review analyzes each pharmacological effect independently without discrimination of either the SGA’s chemical identity or their sources. A strong emphasis is placed on the discovery of their biological targets and the subsequent cellular mechanisms, discussing in vitro to in vivo biological data. The therapeutic value and the challenges of the solanum steroidal glycoalkaloid family is debated to provide new insights for future research towards clinical development.
Enhanced Systemic Humoral Immune Response Induced in Mice by Generalized Modules for Membrane Antigens (GMMA) Is Associated with Affinity Maturation and Isotype Switching

Generalized Modules for Membrane Antigens (GMMA) are outer membrane vesicles derived from Gram-negative bacteria that can be used to design affordable subunit vaccines. GMMA have been observed to induce a potent humoral immune response in preclinical and clinical studies. In addition, in preclinical studies, it has been found that GMMA can be exploited as optimal antigen carriers for both protein and saccharide antigens, as they are able to promote the enhancement of the antigen-specific humoral immune response when the antigen is overexpressed or chemically conjugated to GMMA. Here we investigated the mechanism of this GMMA carrier effect by immunizing mice and using factor H binding protein and GMMA of Neisseria meningitidis B as an antigen–GMMA model. We confirmed that the antigen displayed on the GMMA surface increased the antigen-specific IgG production and, above all, the antibody functionality measured by the serum bactericidal activity. We found that the enhancement of the bactericidal capacity induced by GMMA carrying the antigen on the surface was associated with the increase in antibody affinity to the antigen, and with the switching toward IgG subclasses with more bactericidal potential. Thus, we conclude that the potent carrier effect of GMMA is due to their ability to promote a better quality of humoral immunity.
Relationships between the Physical Activity Intensity and the Medical Expenditure of Middle-Aged and Elderly People: Parsing from the CHARLS Database

There are many studies on the impact of physical activity on health but few studies on the relationship between physical activity and medical expenditure among the elderly. Based on the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey (CHARLS) database and selected 4456 valid samples, this paper used a two-part model to analyze the effects of high, moderate, and low physical activity intensity on medical expenditure. It is found that the intensity of physical activity was negatively correlated with medical expenditure, and the medical expenditure of the high physical activity intensity group was significantly lower than that of the low physical activity intensity group. For example, compared to people with no physical activity, the total medical expenditure decreased by 22.4%, 40.4%, and 62.5% per week in those with low, moderate, and high physical activity intensity. Thus, the government should provide more places for the elderly to exercise, planning special exercise areas for the elderly in community playgrounds, such as a dancing square, which will also help the elderly to increase their amount of exercise per week and develop a daily exercise habit.
Combining 16S Sequencing and qPCR Quantification Reveals Staphylococcus aureus Driven Bacterial Overgrowth in the Skin of Severe Atopic Dermatitis Patients

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is an inflammatory skin disease with a microbiome dysbiosis towards a high relative abundance of Staphylococcus aureus. However, information is missing on the actual bacterial load on AD skin, which may affect the cell number driven release of pathogenic factors. Here, we combined the relative abundance results obtained by next-generation sequencing (NGS, 16S V1-V3) with bacterial quantification by targeted qPCR (total bacterial load = 16S, S. aureus = nuc gene). Skin swabs were sampled cross-sectionally (n = 135 AD patients; n = 20 healthy) and longitudinally (n = 6 AD patients; n = 6 healthy). NGS and qPCR yielded highly inter-correlated S. aureus relative abundances and S. aureus cell numbers. Additionally, intra-individual differences between body sides, skin status, and consecutive timepoints were also observed. Interestingly, a significantly higher total bacterial load, in addition to higher S. aureus relative abundance and cell numbers, was observed in AD patients in both lesional and non-lesional skin, as compared to healthy controls. Moreover, in the lesional skin of AD patients, higher S. aureus cell numbers significantly correlated with the higher total bacterial load. Furthermore, significantly more severe AD patients presented with higher S. aureus cell number and total bacterial load compared to patients with mild or moderate AD. Our results indicate that severe AD patients exhibit S. aureus driven increased bacterial skin colonization. Overall, bacterial quantification gives important insights in addition to microbiome composition by sequencing.
Effects of Music on the Quality of Life of Family Caregivers of Terminal Cancer Patients: A Randomised Controlled Trial

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of listening to self-chosen music on the quality of life of family caregivers of cancer patients receiving palliative home care. A total of 82 family caregivers were assigned either to the intervention group (n = 41) or to the control group (n = 41) in this double-blind, multicentre, randomised controlled clinical trial. The recruitment period was between July 2020 and September 2021. The intervention group received individualised pre-recorded music in daily 30 min sessions for 7 consecutive days. The control group was given a recorded repetition of the basic therapeutic training education also in 30 min sessions for 7 consecutive days. The primary endpoint assessed was the caregivers’ quality of life (Quality of Life Family Version and European Quality of Life visual analogue scale) before and after the intervention. The secondary endpoint was their perceived satisfaction with the intervention (Client Satisfaction Questionnaire). The music intervention was successful, producing a tangible improvement in the caregivers’ quality of life (p < 0.01) and satisfaction with the care provided (p = 0.002). The intervention was not only effective but produced no adverse effects. This study encourages the use of self-chosen music as a complementary intervention in nursing care for family caregivers of palliative cancer patients.
Determining the number of factors with potentially strong within-block correlations in error terms

ABSTRACT We develop methods to estimate the number of factors when error terms have potentially strong correlations in the cross-sectional dimension. The information criteria proposed by Bai and Ng (2002) require the cross-sectional correlations between the error terms to be weak. Violation of this weak correlation assumption may lead to inconsistent estimates of the number of factors. We establish two data-dependent estimators that are consistent whether the error terms are weakly or strongly correlated in the cross-sectional dimension. To handle potentially strong cross-sectional correlations between the error terms, we use a block structure in which the within-block correlation may either be weak or strong, but the between-block correlation is limited. Our estimators allow imperfect knowledge and a moderate misspecification of the block structure. Monte-Carlo simulation results show that our estimators perform similarly to existing methods for cases in which the conventional weak correlation assumption is satisfied. When the error terms have a strong cross-sectional correlation, our estimators outperform the existing methods.
Flourishing through The Spectrum: Toward an affective-oriented composite pedagogical model?

The concept of models-based practice has arguably provided the field of sport pedagogy with the means, lens, and tools with which to start to transform the discipline into a more desirable, equitable, and purposeful space. Despite this, there remains a need to experiment with this concept further in non-traditional ways and to continue to construct new pedagogical models meant to serve youth in ever-changing pluralist societies. The purpose of this paper, therefore, was to outline an affective-oriented composite pedagogical model, titled The Spectrum Model, by drawing from Mosston and Ashworth's theory for the spectrum of teaching and learning and neo-Aristotelian virtue ethics. To achieve this goal, I begin by highlighting the need for studying the synergy between the spectrum and models-based practice more closely. Thereafter, I attempt to clarify spectrum theory, virtue ethics, and the concept of models-based practice. Finally, I conclude by presenting two broad main ideas, three critical elements, six intended learning aspirations, and a series of suggested pedagogies acting to inform the proposed Spectrum Model. This model has the potential to influence how practitioners and scholars understand the spectrum of teaching and learning within the broader notion of models-based practice. The application and integration of moral philosophy into a well-established pedagogical framework might also help pedagogues of all kinds to envision how they could help youth to obtain a fully flourishing lifestyle through their teaching.
Spinal Cord Blood Vessels in Aged Mice Show Greater Levels of Hypoxia-Induced Vascular Disruption and Microglial Activation

In response to chronic mild hypoxia (CMH, 8% O2), spinal cord blood vessels launch a robust angiogenic response that is associated with transient disruption of the blood–spinal cord barrier (BSCB) which, in turn, triggers a microglial vasculo-protective response. Because hypoxia occurs in many age-related conditions, the goal of this study was to define how aging influences these responses by comparing events in young (8–10 weeks) and aged (20 months) mice. This revealed that aged mice had much greater (3–4-fold) levels of hypoxic-induced BSCB disruption than young mice and that, while the early stage of the angiogenic response in aged mice was no different to young mice, the maturation of newly formed vessels was significantly delayed. Interestingly, microglia in the spinal cords of aged mice were much more activated than young mice, even under normoxic conditions, and this was further enhanced by CMH, though, surprisingly, this resulted in reduced microglial clustering around leaky blood vessels and diminished vasculo-protection. Vascular disruption was associated with loss of myelin in spinal cord white matter (WM) in both young and aged mice. Furthermore, it was notable that the spinal cord of aged mice contained a lower density of Olig2+ oligodendroglial cells even under normoxic conditions and that CMH significantly reduced the density of Olig2+ cells in spinal cord WM of the aged, but not the young, mice. These results demonstrate that spinal cord blood vessels of aged mice are much more vulnerable to the damaging effects of hypoxia than young mice, in part due to the reduced vasculo-protection conferred by chronically activated microglial cells. These observations may have implications for the pathogenesis and/or treatment of spinal cord diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and suggest that an improvement in microglial function could offer therapeutic potential for treating these age-related conditions.
Structural Analysis of Micro-Entrepreneurs’ Performance in Islamic Microfinance Institution: A Moderating Effect of Geographical Location

Micro-entrepreneurs have contributed significantly to the socio-economic development of low-income households, which ensures long-term economic prosperity. Despite this, financial constraint is one of the primary challenges that micro-entrepreneurs face. Formal financial institutions regard them as a high-risk and high-cost market segment. Acknowledging their financial constraints, Islamic microfinance institutions, such as Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM), are essential in providing the necessary financial as sistance based on the Shari’ah concept. As evident from a growing body of research, entrepreneurial success is also dependent on other entrepreneur attributes such as social capital, human capital, and ICT usage. Thus, this study aimed to examine effect of Islamic microfinancing, social capital, human capital, and ICT usage on micro-entrepreneurs’ performance, focusing on Islamic microfinance institution in Malaysia. This study also aimed to identify whether a geographical location moderated for ICT usage that may influence micro-entrepreneurs’ performance. A total of 416 micro-entrepreneurs as clients of AIM were involved and selected from the states of Selangor and Pahang, representing urban and rural regions. The partial least squares – structural equation model (PLS-SEM) investigated the relationship among the variables. The study found that Islamic microfinancing, social capital, human capital, and ICT usage significantly influenced the micro-entrepreneurs’ performance. Geographical location has a moderating effect on ICT usage and the micro-entrepreneurs’ performance. This study can provide a theoretical contribution to the extension of the resource-based view (RBV) as a fundamental theory in predicting performance. In terms of practical contribution, the findings would be beneficial for Islamic microfinance institutions to develop a more effective action plan for achieving their objectives, such as improving infrastructure, increasing knowledge and awareness about ICT usage, and shifting business strategies to the digital economy. However, this study is limited to the selected respondents, specifically micro-entrepreneurs from AIM. Thus, future research could expand on a different set of data collection
Physicochemical Characterization of Thermally Processed Goose Bone Ash for Bone Regeneration

Goose bone is traditionally applied for many ailments including bone fractures. Goose bone that consists of calcium phosphate plays a major role in bone regeneration. In this study, the production of goose bone ash (GBA) was translated from a traditional process into one of a laboratory scale via thermal and mechanical methods. The GBA was thermally processed via calcination at 300 °C and 900 °C. The differences in physicochemical properties between studied GBA (SGBA) and commercial GBA (CGBA) were elucidated via Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electron diffraction X-Ray (EDX). The morphological properties of SGBA and CGBA were characterized using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) in which nano-sized particles were detected. The results showed that the SGBA of 300 °C had comparable physicochemical properties to those of CGBA. A high processing temperature was associated with decreasing organic compounds and increasing crystallinity. The finding from EDX suggests that sintering at 900 °C (SGBA 900) demonstrated the presence of hydroxyapatite in the mineralogical phase and had a Ca/P atomic ratio of 1.64 which is comparable to the ideal stoichiometric ratio of 1.67. Findings from this study could be used for the further exploration of GBA as a potential material for bone regeneration via the elucidation of their biological properties in the next experimental setting.