N=2\mathcal{N} = 2 Schur index and line operators

4d $\mathcal{N} = 2$ SCFTs and their invariants can be often enriched by non-local BPS operators. In this paper we study the flavored Schur index of several types of N = 2 SCFTs with and without line operators, using a series of new integration formula of elliptic functions and Eisenstein series. We demonstrate how to evaluate analytically the Schur index for a series of $A_2$ class-$\mathcal{S}$ theories and the $\mathcal{N} = 4$ SO(7) theory. For all $A_1$ class-$\mathcal{S}$ theories we obtain closed-form expressions for SU(2) Wilson line index, and 't Hooft line index in some simple cases. We also observe the relation between the line operator index with the characters of the associated chiral algebras. Wilson line index for some other low rank gauge theories are also studied.Comment: 72 pages, 9 figures, 5 table

Pregnancy outcomes in women with active anorexia nervosa: a systematic review

Background: It is a common misconception that women with active anorexia nervosa (AN) are less likely to conceive. Pregnancies in women with AN are considered high risk. The purpose of this systematic review was to explore pregnancy complications in women with active AN, including maternal, fetal, and neonatal complications. Methods: The authors conducted a systematic review in accordance with PRISMA statement guidelines with stringent selection criteria to include studies on patients with active AN during pregnancy. Results: There were 21 studies included in our review. Anaemia, caesarean section, concurrent recreational substance use, intrauterine growth restriction, preterm birth, small-for-gestation (SGA) birth, and low birth weight were the most reported pregnancy complications in women with active AN, while the rates of gestational diabetes and postpartum haemorrhage were lower. Discussion: Women with active AN have a different profile of pregnancy complications comparing to malnourished women and women in starvation. We recommend early discussion with women diagnosed with AN regarding their fertility and pregnancy complications. We recommend clinicians to aim to improve physical and psychological symptoms of AN as well as correction of any nutritional deficiency ideally prior to conception. Management of pregnancies in women with active AN requires regular monitoring, active involvement of obstetricians and psychiatrist. Paediatric follow-up postpartum is recommended to ensure adequate feeding, wellbeing and general health of the infants. Psychiatric follow-up is recommended for mothers due to risk of worsening symptoms of AN during perinatal period

FedHM: Efficient Federated Learning for Heterogeneous Models via Low-rank Factorization

One underlying assumption of recent federated learning (FL) paradigms is that all local models usually share the same network architecture and size, which becomes impractical for devices with different hardware resources. A scalable federated learning framework should address the heterogeneity that clients have different computing capacities and communication capabilities. To this end, this paper proposes FedHM, a novel heterogeneous federated model compression framework, distributing the heterogeneous low-rank models to clients and then aggregating them into a full-rank model. Our solution enables the training of heterogeneous models with varying computational complexities and aggregates them into a single global model. Furthermore, FedHM significantly reduces the communication cost by using low-rank models. Extensive experimental results demonstrate that FedHM is superior in the performance and robustness of models of different sizes, compared with state-of-the-art heterogeneous FL methods under various FL settings. Additionally, the convergence guarantee of FL for heterogeneous devices is first theoretically analyzed

Effects of soft robotic exoskeleton for gait training on clinical and biomechanical gait outcomes in patients with sub-acute stroke: a randomized controlled pilot study

BackgroundAnkle function impairment is a critical factor impairing normal walking in survivors of stroke. The soft robotic exoskeleton (SRE) is a novel, portable, lightweight assistive device with promising therapeutic potential for gait recovery during post-stroke rehabilitation. However, whether long-term SRE-assisted walking training influences walking function and gait quality in patients following subacute stroke is unknown. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to assess the therapeutic effects of SRE-assisted walking training on clinical and biomechanical gait outcomes in the rehabilitation of patients with subacute stroke.MethodsA group patients who had experienced subacute stroke received conventional rehabilitation (CR) training combined with 10-session SRE-assisted overground walking training (30 min per session, 5 sessions/week, 2 weeks) (SRE group, n = 15) compared with the control group that received CR training only (CR group, n = 15). Clinical assessments and biomechanical gait quality measures were performed pre-and post-10-session intervention, with the 10-Minute Walk Test (10MWT) and 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT) used to define the primary clinical outcome measures and the Functional Ambulation Category, Fugl-Meyer Assessment for Lower Extremity (FMA-LE) subscale, and Berg Balance Scale defined the secondary outcome measures. The gait quality outcome measures included spatiotemporal and symmetrical parameters during walking.ResultsAfter the 10-session intervention, the SRE and CR groups exhibited significant within-group improvements in all clinical outcome measures (p < 0.05). Between-comparison using covariance analyses demonstrated that the SRE group showed greater improvement in walking speed during the 10MWT (p < 0.01), distance walked during the 6MWT (p < 0.05), and FMA-LE scores (p < 0.05). Gait analyses showed that the SRE group exhibited significantly improved spatiotemporal symmetry (p < 0.001) after 10-session training, with no significant changes observed in the CR group.ConclusionCompared with CR training, SRE-assisted walking training led to greater improvements in walking speed, endurance, and motor recovery. Our findings provide preliminary evidence that SRE may be considered for inclusion in intensive gait training clinical rehabilitation programs to further improve walking function in patients who have experienced stroke

PD-1+ IFN-γ+ subset of CD8+ T cell in circulation predicts response to anti–PD-1 therapy in NSCLC

BackgroundTreatment with programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) antibodies has minimal response rates in patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and, actually, they are treated with chemotherapy combined with anti–PD-1 therapy clinically. Reliable markers based on circulating immune cell subsets to predict curative effect are still scarce.MethodsWe included 30 patients with NSCLC treated with nivolumab or atezolizumab plus platinum drugs between 2021 and 2022. Whole blood was collected at baseline (before treatment with nivolumab or atezolizumab). The percentage of circulating PD-1+ Interferon-γ (IFN-γ+) subset of CD8+ T cell was determined by flow cytometry. The proportion of PD-1+ IFN-γ+ was calculated after gating on CD8+ T cells. Neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), relative eosinophil count (%), and Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) concentration at baseline of included patients were extracted from electronic medical records.ResultsThe percentage of circulating PD-1+ IFN-γ+ subset of CD8+ T cell at baseline in responders was significantly higher than those in non-responders (P < 0.05). Relative eosinophil count (%) and LDH concentration in responders showed no significance between non-responders and responders. NLR in responders was significantly lower than those in non-responders (P < 0.05). Receiver operation characteristic (ROC) analysis found that the areas under the ROC curve for PD-1+ IFN-γ+ subset of CD8+ T cell and NLR were 0.7781 (95% CI, 0.5937–0.9526) and 0.7315 (95% CI, 0.5169–0.9461). Moreover, high percentage of PD-1+ IFN-γ+ subset in CD8+ T cells was relevant to long progression-free survival in patients with NSCLC treated with chemotherapy combined with anti–PD-1 therapy.ConclusionThe percentage of circulating PD-1+ IFN-γ+ subset of CD8+ T cell could be a potential marker at baseline to predict early response or progression in patients with NSCLC receiving chemotherapy combined with anti–PD-1 therapy