Online Multi-Agent Decentralized Byzantine-robust Gradient Estimation

In this paper, we propose an iterative scheme for distributed Byzantineresilient estimation of a gradient associated with a black-box model. Our algorithm is based on simultaneous perturbation, secure state estimation and two-timescale stochastic approximations. We also show the performance of our algorithm through numerical experiments

On the problem of revenue sharing in multi-domain federations

Part 5: Cooperation and CollaborationInternational audienceAutonomous System alliances or federations are envisioned to emerge in the near future as a means of selling end-to-end quality assured services through interdomain networks. This collaborative paradigm mainly responds to the ever increasing Internet traffic volumes that requires assured quality, and constitutes a new business opportunity for Network Service Providers (NSPs). However, current Internet business rules are not likely to satisfy all involved partners in this emerging scenario. How the revenue is shared among NSPs must be agreed in advance, and should enforce economical incentives to join an alliance and remain in it, so that the alliance remains stable. In this paper, we work on the scenario of such federations, where service selling is formulated as a Network Utility Maximization (NUM) problem. In this context, we formally formulate the properties the revenue sharing (RS) method should fulfill and argue why the existing methods are not suitable. Finally, we propose a family of solutions to the RS problem such that the economical stability and efficiency of the alliance in the long term is guaranteed. The proposed method is based on solving a series of Optimization Problems and considering statistics on the incomes

The PV potential of vertical façades: a classic approach using experimental data from Burgos, Spain

Potential photovoltaic (PV) production from vertical façades facing the four cardinal points of the compass are calculated from daily average vertical global insolation readings measured in Burgos, Spain. Ten-minute data sets are collected over forty-five months, from January 2014 to September 2017, in the experimental campaign to produce estimates of daily average insolation levels, from which the PV potential of the vertical surfaces was calculated. Given the scarcity of data on Global Vertical Insolation (GVI), the main sky-related variables were processed in four classic decomposition models (Isotropic, Circumsolar, Klucher, and Hay) to predict the insolation values. Both the experimentally measured GVI values and those calculated with the models were then compared using the statistical indicators RMSE and MBE. The results highlighted the economic viability of Building Integrated PhotoVoltaic (BIPV) facilities, even on the north-facing façades, in comparison with the horizontal facility at the same location.Regional Government of Castile and Leon (Junta de Castilla-León) (Ref. BU034U16) through the European Regional Development Fund, and from the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness, under the I + D + i State Programme Challenges for Society (Ref. ENE-2014-54601-

Daily data of global vertical Insolation in the four cardinal orientations in Burgos, Spain

Daily data of Global, Diffuse and Beam Horizontal Insolation and Global Vertical (North, South, East and West orientations) insolation recorded in Burgos, Spain, are presented in this paper. Ten-minute irradiance data sets are collected over forty-five months in the experimental campaign to produce estimates of daily insolation levels. This data was derived in association with the article titled: “The PV Potential of Vertical Façades: a classic approach using experimental data from Burgos, Spain” (Díez-Mediavilla et al., in press) [1]. This dataset can be used to develop and test new solar radiation and daylight models and estimate the thermal load and lighting needs in buildings for the improvement of energy efficiency.Regional Government of Castilla y Leon (Junta de Castilla-León) (Ref. BU034U16) through the European Regional Development Fund, and from the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness, under the I+D+i State Program Challenges for Society (Ref. ENE-2014–54601-R

PlA2 Polymorphism of Platelet Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa and C677T Polymorphism of Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (MTHFR), but Not Factor V Leiden and Prothrombin G20210A Polymorphisms, Are Associated with More Severe Forms of Legg-Calvé-Perthes Disease

The possible association of common polymorphic variants related to thrombophilia (the rs6025(A) allele encoding the Leiden mutation, rs1799963(A), i.e., the G20210A mutation of the prothrombin F2 gene, the rs1801133(T) variant of the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene that encodes an enzyme involved in folate metabolism, and rs5918(C), i.e., the "A2" allele of the platelet-specific alloantigen system that increases platelet aggregation induced by agonists), with the risk of Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease (LCPD) and the degree of hip involvement (Catterall stages I to IV) was analyzed in a cohort study, including 41 children of ages 2 to 10.9 (mean 5.4, SD 2.2), on the basis of clinical and radiological criteria of LCPD. In 10 of the cases, hip involvement was bilateral; thus, a total of 51 hips were followed-up for a mean of 75.5 months. The distribution of genotypes among patients and 118 controls showed no significant differences, with a slightly increased risk for LCPD in rs6025(A) carriers (OR: 2.9, CI: 0.2-47.8). Regarding the severity of LCPD based on Catterall classification, the rs1801133(T) variant of the MTHFR gene and the rs5918(C) variant of the platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa were associated with more severe forms of Perthes disease (Catterall III-IV) (p < 0.05). The four children homozygous for mutated MTHFR had a severe form of the disease (Stage IV of Catterall) and a higher risk of non-favorable outcome (Stulberg IV-V).This research was funded by a grant from the Spanish government, 2002–2005, grant number FIS (00/0015) and University of Cantabria code 06.3842.64001 and The APC was funded by University of Cantabria-IDIVAL

Tritordeum breads are well tolerated with preference over gluten-free breads in non-celiac wheat-sensitive patients and its consumption induce changes in gut bacteria

[Backgound] The ingestion of wheat and other cereals are related to several gut disorders. The specific components responsible for non-celiac wheat-sensitivity (NCWS) may include gluten and other compounds. Tritordeum is a new cereal derived from crossing durum wheat with a wild barley species, which differs from bread wheat in its gluten composition. In the present work, we examined the response of NCWS patients to tritordeum bread Gastrointestinal symptoms as well as tritordeum acceptability, gluten immunogenic peptides excretion, and the composition and structure of the intestinal microbiota were evaluated.[Results] Gastrointestinal symptoms of the subjects showed no significant change between the gluten-free bread and the tritordeum bread. Participating subjects rated tritordeum bread higher than the gluten-free bread. Analysis of the bacterial gut microbiota indicated that tritordeum consumption does not alter the global structure and composition of the intestinal microbiota, and only a few changes in some butyrate-producing bacteria were observed. [Conclusions] All the results derived from acceptability, biochemical and microbiological tests suggest that tritordeum may be tolerated by a sub-set of NCWS sufferers who do not require strict exclusion of gluten from their diet. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.This research was funded by Junta de Andalucía, Consejería de Conocimiento, Investigación y Universidad, project AT-5985 and the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER)

Persistent COVID-19 symptoms 1 year after hospital discharge: A prospective multicenter study

Objective To determine the health status and exercise capacity of COVID-19 survivors one year after hospital discharge. Methods This multicenter prospective study included COVID-19 survivors 12 months after hospital discharge. Participants were randomly selected from a large cohort of COVID-19 patients who had been hospitalized until 15th April 2020. They were interviewed about persistent symptoms, underwent a physical examination, chest X-ray, and a 6-minute walk test (6MWT). A multivariate analysis was performed to determine the risk factors for persistent dyspnea. Results Of the 150 patients included, 58% were male and the median age was 63 (IQR 54-72) years. About 82% reported >= 1 symptoms and 45% had not recovered their physical health. The multivariate regression analysis revealed that the female sex, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and smoking were independent risk factors for persistent dyspnea. Approximately 50% completed less than 80% of the theoretical distance on the 6MWT. Only 14% had an abnormal X-ray, showing mainly interstitial infiltrates. A third of them had been followed up in outpatient clinics and 6% had undergone physical rehabilitation. Conclusion Despite the high rate of survivors of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic with persistent symptomatology at 12 months, the follow-up and rehabilitation of these patients has been really poor. Studies focusing on the role of smoking in the persistence of COVID-19 symptoms are lacking

Buenas Prácticas en los Programas Universitarios para Mayores en España

Ana Isabel Muñoz Alcón y Francisco Trullén Galve (Universidad Catolica de Ávila); María P. García de la Torre y Francisco Ascón Belver (Universidad de A Coruña); M. Isabel Luis Rico, Ángel Gañán Adánez, Tamara de la Torre Cruz, Vanesa Baños Martínez (Universidad de Burgos); Yolanda Lázaro Fernández y Jaime Cuenca Amigo (Universidad de Deusto); Camino Caballero Posado (Universidad de Extremadura); Mª Adoración Holgado Sánchez y Mª Teresa Ramos Bernal (Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca); Sara Serrate González, Javier Alba Barrios y José Manuel Muñoz Rodríguez; Miguel Ángel Nombela Castaño (Universidad de Vigo

Changing Trends in the Global Consumption of Treatments Used in Hospitalized Patients for COVID-19: A Time Series Multicentre Study

Aim: To analyze trends in the prescription of COVID-19 treatments for hospitalized patients during the pandemic. Methods: Multicenter, ecological, time-series study of aggregate data for all adult patients with COVID-19 treated in five acute-care hospitals in Barcelona, Spain, between March 2020 and May 2021. Trends in the monthly prevalence of drugs used against COVID-19 were analyzed by the Mantel-Haenszel test. Results: The participating hospitals admitted 22,277 patients with COVID-19 during the study period, reporting an overall mortality of 10.8%. In the first months of the pandemic, lopinavir/ritonavir and hydroxychloroquine were the most frequently used antivirals, but these fell into disuse and were replaced by remdesivir in July 2020. By contrast, the trend in tocilizumab use varied, first peaking in April and May 2020, declining until January 2021, and showing a discrete upward trend thereafter. Regarding corticosteroid use, we observed a notable upward trend in the use of dexamethasone 6 mg per day from July 2020. Finally, there was a high prevalence of antibiotics use, especially azithromycin, in the first three months, but this decreased thereafter. Conclusions: Treatment for patients hospitalized with COVID-19 evolved with the changing scientific evidence during the pandemic. Initially, multiple drugs were empirically used that subsequently could not demonstrate clinical benefit. In future pandemics, stakeholders should strive to promote the early implementation of adaptive randomized clinical trials