The scatter plots for the true tested couplings versus the reconstructed ones. (a) Reconstruction for the symmetric SK model with k = 0; (b) inference for the asymmetric SK model with k = 1. Red dots, inferred couplings with asynchronous nMF approximation; black dots, inferred ones with equilibrium nMF approximation. The recovered asynchronous J_ij’s in (a) are symmetrized while no symmetrization for them in (b). The other parameters for both panels are g = 0.3, N = 20, θ = 0, L = 20 × 10⁷.