Distilling Inductive Bias: Knowledge Distillation Beyond Model Compression

With the rapid development of computer vision, Vision Transformers (ViTs) offer the tantalizing prospect of unified information processing across visual and textual domains. But due to the lack of inherent inductive biases in ViTs, they require enormous amount of data for training. To make their applications practical, we introduce an innovative ensemble-based distillation approach distilling inductive bias from complementary lightweight teacher models. Prior systems relied solely on convolution-based teaching. However, this method incorporates an ensemble of light teachers with different architectural tendencies, such as convolution and involution, to instruct the student transformer jointly. Because of these unique inductive biases, instructors can accumulate a wide range of knowledge, even from readily identifiable stored datasets, which leads to enhanced student performance. Our proposed framework also involves precomputing and storing logits in advance, essentially the unnormalized predictions of the model. This optimization can accelerate the distillation process by eliminating the need for repeated forward passes during knowledge distillation, significantly reducing the computational burden and enhancing efficiency

Normative data of liver size in Kashmiri adult population using ultra-sonography, India

Background: A number of disorders are accompanied by altered size of various abdominal organs like liver including infective, infestation, infiltrative, immunological and malignant conditions. Medical imaging has played an important role in helping physicians for taking normal anatomical dimensions and establishing diagnosis. This study was carried out to determine the normal standards of liver size and its relationship with body weight, height and body mass index.Methods: A cross sectional study was done in GMC Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India for a period of 18 months. 300 staff members in the age group of 19 to 55 years took part in this study.Results: The mean craniocaudal length of liver was 13.08±1.04cms. Authors found a significant correlation of liver size with body weight and body mass index.Conclusions: Body weight and BMI are important determining factors for liver size. Nomograms from this study can be beneficial for diagnosing pathological enlargement or reduction of liver in Kashmiri ethnic population

Effect of body mass on future long-term care use

Background: Obesity is a known predictor of disability and functional limitations, and, in turn, of health care use. In this study, we aim to explore whether obesity is also a significant risk factor for future long-term care use, overall and by type of care. Methods: We use multinomial logistic regression analysis on data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) for individuals aged 65 and older between 2002 and 2011. Selection issues are tackled using the rich set of control variables, exploiting the data’s longitudinal structure and accounting for loss to follow-up (including death). Control factors include health-related behaviours (physical activity, alcohol and tobacco consumption), functional limitations (related to ADLs, iADLs and mobility) and specific existing health conditions, notably diabetes, high blood pressure and cardio-vascular diseases. Results: We find that obese older people are 25% (p < 0.01) more likely to receive informal or privately-paid care in the future, but this does not hold for formal care. This is an additional direct effect after controlling for a wide range of health conditions and functional limitations. We document some evidence that this effect is due to the development of new functional limitations. Sensitivity analyses suggest that the results are robust to controlling for prediabetes, subjective health, depression, or unobserved heterogeneity. Conclusions: This study provides new evidence of a positive direct effect of obesity on the future use of long-term care services. Accordingly, it adds evidence of further economic benefits to any overall evaluation of policies to promote a healthy weight in the population, particularly in the older population

Body Mass, Physical Activity and Future Care Needs

Previous literature shows that Body Mass Index (obesity status) is a strong predictor of the disability and functional limitations. Relying on the data from the English Longitudinal Survey of Ageing over the period from 2002 to 2011, we find that obesity status is also a significant risk factor in determining future informal care needs but not formal care use, even after controlling for ADLs and IADLS and for specific existing health conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure, and CVD. Obese elderly are 1.7-1.8 times more likely to use informal care and privately paid care, but not formal care, in two-year’s time. Sensitivity analysis on a restricted sample shows that this result is not driven by prediabetes. We also find that physical activity is associated with a significantly lower likelihood of using any mode of care in the future, with the strongest effect for formal care use. Moreover, the effect of obesity on informal care use is larger for females, but the protective effect of physical activity is stronger for males

Exploring differences between private and public prices in the English care homes market

This work quantitatively assesses the potential reasons behind the difference in prices paid by care home residents in England. Evidence suggests that the price paid by private payers is higher than that paid for publicly-supported residents, and this is often attributed to the market power wielded by local authorities as the dominant purchaser in local markets. Estimations of private prices at local authority level are used to assess the difference in price paid between private and public prices, the fees gap, using data from 2008 to 2010. Controlling for local area and average care home characteristics, the results indicate that both care home and local authority market power play a role in the price determination of the market

Financial literacy and long-term care insurance coverage

This study assesses the impact of financial literacy on private long-term care insurance coverage as one potential explanation of the small size of the private insurance market. Findings from the recent literature suggest that financial literacy has a significant effect on a number of individual financial decisions. The analysis uses the SHARE dataset that contains rich information on demographic, health and socioeconomic characteristics of the elderly in Europe. More importantly, SHARE also contains information on current private insurance coverage and measures of current and past financial literacy levels. To account for the potentially endogenous relationship between insurance coverage and financial literacy an instrumental variables approach is used. Preliminary evidence indicates that financial literacy is important and those with more advanced knowledge are more likely to hold private insurance. The robustness of this result will be checked against different specifications of the model

Proyecto de ordenación territorial y plan general de desarrollo del municipio San José de Cusmapa en el contexto del proyecto "Aldeas del Milenio"

Proyecto de ordenación territorial y plan general de desarrollo del municipio San José de Cusmapa en el contexto del proyecto "Aldeas del Milenio

A PROSPECTIVE STUDY COMPARING TUBELESS MINI-PERCUTANEOUS NEPHROLITHOTOMY TO RETROGRADE INTRARENAL SURGERY FOR ≤2 CM RENAL STONES.

Objective: The present study aims to assess the safety and efficacy of tubeless mini-PCNL and RIRS in the management of renal stones of ⩽2 cm size. Patients and methods: This was a prospective study in 80 patients with renal stones of ⩽2 cm and were divided into two equal groups of patients choice: Group 1 were managed by tubeless mini-PCNL and Group 2 by RIRS using flexible ureteroscopy and laser. Intraoperative events like duration of surgery, stone clearance and complications were noted. Postoperative parameters taken into account were pain score, parenteral analgesic requirements, bleeding, need for blood transfusion, fever, hospital stay, cost of the procedure and number of days taken to return to normal work. Results: Both groups were comparable for preoperative parameters. Mean duration of surgery in group 1 and group 2 was 68.88 ± 7.20 minutes and 92.25 ± 14.62 minutes respectively (p&lt;0.00001). The mean haemoglobin fall in group 1 and group 2 was 0.47±0.24 g/dl and in group 2 was 0.28±0.18 g/dl respectively (p=0.00013). In group 2, residual stones were present in 4 patients (on follow-up at 3 weeks), while in group 1 there was no residual stones. The cost of the treatment was more in the RIRS group with statistically significant difference (p&lt;0.005). Conclusion: In a urological setup where LASER and flexible ureteroscope are not available, tubeless mini PCNL is a safe, efficacious and cost-effective option for the management of smaller (⩽ 2 cm) stones compared to RIRS procedure. Recommendations: Mini PCNL and RIRS are safe and feasible surgical options to manage ⩽ 2 cm renal stones. We recommend tubeless mini PCNL in a setup where LASER and flexible ureteroscope are not available

Branching pattern of marginal mandibular nerve-an anatomical study

Background: Marginal Mandibular nerve, a branch of facial nerve, emerges at the lower part of the anterior border of parotid gland. It supplies risorius, muscles of lower lip and chin and joins mental nerve. This nerve has an important relationship with the lower border of mandible and is likely to be damaged during procedures in or around the submandibular area and can lead to certain morbid conditions like deviation of angle of mouth, drooling of saliva and difficulty in phonation.Methods: Sixty formalin preserved specimens of head and neck were used for studying the branching pattern of marginal mandibular nerve. The present study was conducted in the department of Anatomy Govt Medical College Srinagar over a period of two and a half years from 2015 to 2017. Cadaveric dissection was also used in the study during the routine teaching of undergraduate MBBS and BDS students in the department. The photographs of the variations seen during the study were taken.Results: In Forty-seven specimens (78.33%) there was a single branch of marginal mandibular nerve, in 10 specimens (16.6%) there were two branches of marginal mandibular nerve and in three specimens (5.0%) the marginal mandibular nerve was having three branches.Conclusions: From the above study it was concluded that marginal mandibular nerve can have two or three branches. Therefore, it is advisable to take due care during surgical procedures in the lower part of face and upper part of neck to preserve marginal mandibular nerve and to ensure cosmesis and prevent morbidity