Two-dimensional Noncommutative atom Gas with Anandan interaction

Landau like quantization of the Anandan system in a special electromagnetic field is studied. Unlike the cases of the AC system and the HMW system, the torques of the system on the magnetic dipole and the electric dipole don't vanish. By constructing Heisenberg algebra, the Landau analog levels and eigenstates on commutative space, NC space and NC phase space are obtained respectively. By using the coherent state method, some statistical properties of such free atom gas are studied and the expressions of some thermodynamic quantities related to revolution direction are obtained. Two particular cases of temperature are discussed and the more simple expressions of the free energy on the three spaces are obtained. We give the relation between the value of $\sigma$ and revolution direction clearly, and find Landau like levels of the Anandan system are invariant and the levels between the AC system and the HMW system are interchanged each other under Maxwell dual transformations on the three spaces. The two sets of eigenstates labelled by $\sigma$ can be related by a supersymmetry transformation on commutative space, but the phenomenon don't occur on NC situation. We emphasize that some results relevant to Anandan interaction are suitable for the cases of AC interaction and HMW interaction under special conditions.Comment: Latex, 10 page

Private Model Compression via Knowledge Distillation

The soaring demand for intelligent mobile applications calls for deploying powerful deep neural networks (DNNs) on mobile devices. However, the outstanding performance of DNNs notoriously relies on increasingly complex models, which in turn is associated with an increase in computational expense far surpassing mobile devices' capacity. What is worse, app service providers need to collect and utilize a large volume of users' data, which contain sensitive information, to build the sophisticated DNN models. Directly deploying these models on public mobile devices presents prohibitive privacy risk. To benefit from the on-device deep learning without the capacity and privacy concerns, we design a private model compression framework RONA. Following the knowledge distillation paradigm, we jointly use hint learning, distillation learning, and self learning to train a compact and fast neural network. The knowledge distilled from the cumbersome model is adaptively bounded and carefully perturbed to enforce differential privacy. We further propose an elegant query sample selection method to reduce the number of queries and control the privacy loss. A series of empirical evaluations as well as the implementation on an Android mobile device show that RONA can not only compress cumbersome models efficiently but also provide a strong privacy guarantee. For example, on SVHN, when a meaningful $(9.83,10^{-6})$-differential privacy is guaranteed, the compact model trained by RONA can obtain 20$\times$ compression ratio and 19$\times$ speed-up with merely 0.97% accuracy loss.Comment: Conference version accepted by AAAI'1

Towards sustainable chemical fertilizer management in China : from theory to farm household

Over the past few decades, Chinas grain production has expanded drastically. On the one hand, this has eliminated food shortages and allowed China to feed its huge and still growing population. On the other hand, the rapid growth in grain productivity has come at a heavy cost. Excessive fertilizer use has led to a variety of negative consequences that threaten national food security and environmental sustainability. Since the 2010s, the Chinese government and academia have made considerable efforts to reduce the consumption of chemical fertilizers and improve nutrient management. These include a wide range of regulations to control or guide chemical fertilizer use, policies to eliminate subsidies for the fertilizer industry, and nationwide promotion of scientific fertilizer application methods. In response to these efforts, Chinas overall fertilizer application rate has been declining since 2016. However, China still applies far more fertilizers than its crops need, and the current crop Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE) and Phosphorus Use Efficiency (PUE) in China are both below the global average. Therefore, reducing dependence on chemical fertilizers for crop production and sustainably feeding a large population remains a key challenge for China. This dissertation aims to contribute to sustainable nutrient management in China by providing a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of fertilizer use and management at the national, regional, farm and household levels. In the first study (Chapter 2), a systematic review of the historical development and current status of chemical fertilizer use and management in China at the national level is presented. In addition, fertilizer nutrient surpluses are estimated for 30 provinces in China and the regional and temporal variations are visualized. In the second study (Chapter 3), the relationship between fertilizer nutrient surpluses and the regional economy at the provincial level is examined within the framework of the Environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis. A panel cointegration approach is employed, using time-series data from 1988 to 2019. In the third study (Chapter 4), the research focus is further narrowed to the farm household resolution. Using cross-sectional survey data from 774 maize-growing farms in northern China in 2019, the study investigates the role of farm characteristics, farmers knowledge, perceptions, and socioeconomic context in farmers fertilizer use strategies. The studies confirm that by 2021, China has reached zero growth in fertilizer use and fertilizer nutrient surpluses at the national and regional level. However, regions with a high proportion of cash crops, such as the southeast coast and northwest, still suffer from high nutrient surpluses. Furthermore, in circa 2012, China has reached its EKC turning point between fertilizer nutrient surpluses and GDP per capita. With further economic growth, the fertilizer surpluses in most Chinese provinces will decrease, indicating a moderating of the tension between economic development and the environment. Looking at the farm and household level, the study shows that in northern China, small farms are more likely to overuse fertilizers in maize cultivation without further yield improvement. Current extension programs have had a positive impact on farmers fertilizer use strategies and environmental awareness; nevertheless, the coverage and effectiveness of trainings should be improved. In summary, the dissertation identifies the following key factors that impede sustainable chemical fertilizer management in China: small farm size; regional economic dependence on cash crops; the large discrepancy between farmers practices and scientific production guidelines; and the shrinking and aging of Chinas rural labor force. To address these aspects, the dissertation proposes recommendations at the national strategic level, policy level and implementation level, respectively. The findings and recommendations of this dissertation can serve as a robust decision support and scientific basis for policy makers, stakeholders and researchers in the field of sustainable nutrient management in China.In den letzten Jahrzehnten ist die Getreideproduktion in China drastisch gestiegen. Einerseits hat dies die Nahrungsmittelknappheit beseitigt und China in die Lage versetzt, seine riesige und wachsende Bevölkerung zu ernähren. Andererseits wurde der rasche Anstieg der Getreideproduktivität mit einem hohen Preis bezahlt. Der übermäßige Einsatz von Düngemitteln führte zu einer Reihe negativer Konsequenzen, die die nationale Ernährungssicherheit und die ökologische Nachhaltigkeit bedrohen. Seit den 2010er Jahren haben die chinesische Regierung und die Wissenschaft erhebliche Anstrengungen unternommen, um den Einsatz von chemischen Düngemitteln zu reduzieren und das Nährstoffmanagement zu verbessern. Dazu gehören eine Vielzahl von Vorschriften zur Kontrolle und Steuerung des Einsatzes von chemischen Düngemitteln, Maßnahmen zur Abschaffung von Subventionen für die Düngemittelindustrie und die landesweite Förderung wissenschaftlicher Methoden zur Verwendung von Düngemitteln. In Folge dieser Bemühungen ist die Gesamtmenge des verwendeten Düngers in China seit 2016 rückläufig. Allerdings wird in China immer noch weit mehr Düngemittel ausgebracht als nötig und die derzeitige Stickstoffnutzungseffizienz (NUE) und Phosphornutzungseffizienz (PUE) in China liegen beide unter dem weltweiten Durchschnitt. Daher bleibt die Verringerung der Abhängigkeit von chemischen Düngemitteln für die Pflanzenproduktion und die nachhaltige Ernährung einer großen Bevölkerung eine zentrale Herausforderung für China. Diese Dissertation soll einen Beitrag zum nachhaltigen Nährstoffmanagement in China leisten, indem sie einen umfassenden und tiefgehenden Einblick über den Düngemitteleinsatz und -management auf nationaler, regionaler, betrieblicher und Haushaltsebene gewährt. Die erste Studie (Kapitel 2) gibt einen systematischen Überblick über die historische Entwicklung und den derzeitigen Stand der Nutzung von chemischen Düngemitteln in China auf nationaler Ebene. Darüber hinaus werden die Düngeüberschüsse für 30 Provinzen in China berechnet und die regionalen und zeitlichen Schwankungen dargestellt. In der zweiten Studie (Kapitel 3) wird die Beziehung zwischen Düngemittelüberschüssen und der regionalen Wirtschaft auf Provinzebene im Rahmen der Umwelt-Kuznets-Kurve (EKC) Hypothese untersucht. Es wird ein Panel-Kointegrationsansatz mit Zeitreihendaten von 1988 bis 2019 verwendet. In der dritten Studie (Kapitel 4) wird der Forschungsschwerpunkt weiter auf die Ebene der landwirtschaftlichen Haushalte eingegrenzt. Unter Verwendung von Querschnittserhebungsdaten von 774 Maisbetrieben in Nordchina aus dem Jahr 2019 untersucht die Studie den Einfluss verschiedener Faktoren auf die Einsatzstrategie von Düngemitteln wie betriebliche Merkmale, Wissen und Auffassungen der Landwirte und sozioökonomischer Kontext. Die Studien bestätigen, dass China seit 2021 auf regionaler und nationaler Ebene ein Nullwachstum beim Düngemitteleinsatz und bei Düngemittelüberschüssen erreicht hat. Jedoch leiden Regionen deren Produktion einen hohen Anteil an Cash Crops aufweist, wie die Südostküste und der Nordwesten, immer noch unter hohen Düngemittelüberschüssen. Darüber hinaus hat China um das Jahr 2012 den EKC-Wendepunkt zwischen Düngemittelüberschüssen und BIP pro Kopf erreicht. Mit weiterem Wirtschaftswachstum werden die Düngemittelüberschüsse in den meisten chinesischen Provinzen abnehmen, was auf einen Nachlass des Spannungsverhältnisses zwischen wirtschaftlicher Entwicklung und Umwelt hindeutet. Beim Betrachten einzelner Betriebe und Haushalte zeigt die Studie, dass in Nordchina kleine Betriebe zum übermäßigen Verbrauch von Düngemittel, welcher sich nicht in Ertragssteigerungen widerspiegelt, neigen. Die derzeitigen Beratungsprogramme haben sich positiv auf die Strategien und das Umweltbewusstsein der Landwirte beim Düngemitteleinsatz ausgewirkt. Die Reichweite und Wirksamkeit von Schulungen sollte jedoch verbessert werden. Zusammenfassend werden in der Dissertation die folgenden Schlüsselfaktoren identifiziert, die ein nachhaltiges Management chemischer Düngemittel in China behindern: geringe Betriebsgröße, regionale wirtschaftliche Abhängigkeit von Cash Crops, starke Diskrepanz zwischen den Praktiken der Landwirte und der wissenschaftlichen Produktionsrichtlinien sowie Chinas schrumpfende und alternde ländliche Arbeitskräfte. Um die oben genannten Probleme anzugehen, werden in dieser Dissertation Vorschläge für eine nationale Strategie, für die Politik und für deren Realisierung vorgetragen. Die Ergebnisse und Vorschläge dieser Dissertation können politischen Entscheidungsträgern, Interessengruppen und Forschern im Bereich des nachhaltigen Nährstoffmanagements in China als fundierte Entscheidungsgrundlage und wissenschaftliche Basis dienen

Proteomic and transcriptomic analysis of near-isogenic soybean lines differing in seed protein content

This thesis provides insights to molecular mechanisms and regulatory networks as related to changes in seed protein content in near-isogenic soybean lines. The insights of metabolic regulations from this study will help to point out the factors that may change overall seed composition during seed development, and guide enhancement of protein and oil accumulation in soybean. Ultimately, the understanding of metabolic regulations from this study will guide the expansion of marketability and the increase in economic value of soybean. This thesis focuses on identifying genes and proteins that are important in controlling soybean seed composition by a combination of proteomic and transcriptomic analyses of near-isogenic soybean lines differing in seed protein content

Identification and control of a Pseudomonas spp (P. fulva and P. putida) bloodstream infection outbreak in a teaching hospital in Beijing, China

SummaryObjectivesAn outbreak of bacteremia caused by Pseudomonas spp (P. fulva and P. putida) was first identified in our hospital in the summer of 2010 and reoccurred in the following year. Based on the epidemiological data collected in these 2 years, we initiated an investigation on the source of the outbreak. The aim of this study was to report the results of the investigation, as well as the intervention strategies that resulted in successful control of the outbreak.MethodsAn infection control team was set up consisting of infectious disease specialists, microbiologists, infection control practitioners, and head nurses. The microbiology and medical records of case-patients with P. fulva or P. putida bloodstream infections were reviewed. Environmental samples and intravenous (IV) solutions from the wards and the pharmacy center were collected for culturing. The molecular characteristics of the bacterial isolates were studied by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Strict infection control strategies were implemented.ResultsA total of 20 case-patients from five inpatient wards were identified during three summer seasons from 2010 to 2012. Nineteen of them recovered with proper antibiotics. Unfortunately one died from complications of heart failure. A total of 19 isolates of P. fulva and four of P. putida were identified, of which 20 were from blood, two from environmental surface samples from the hospital pharmacy, and one from an in-use compounded solution from a case-patient in the cardiology ward. Molecular analysis revealed that the P. fulva isolated from the in-use compounded solution (5% glucose solution containing insulin, isosorbide dinitrate, and potassium magnesium aspartate) and the environmental samples had the same PFGE type as the clinical isolates.ConclusionsThe investigation identified that contaminated IV solution was the source of the P. fulva bacteremia, which prompted us to implement intensified control measures that resulted in successful control of the outbreak

Experimental Measurement-Device-Independent Quantum Steering and Randomness Generation Beyond Qubits

In a measurement-device-independent or quantum-refereed protocol, a referee can verify whether two parties share entanglement or Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) steering without the need to trust either of the parties or their devices. The need for trusting a party is substituted by a quantum channel between the referee and that party, through which the referee encodes the measurements to be performed on that party's subsystem in a set of nonorthogonal quantum states. In this Letter, an EPR-steering inequality is adapted as a quantum-refereed EPR-steering witness, and the trust-free experimental verification of higher dimensional quantum steering is reported via preparing a class of entangled photonic qutrits. Further, with two measurement settings, we extract $1.106\pm0.023$ bits of private randomness per every photon pair from our observed data, which surpasses the one-bit limit for projective measurements performed on qubit systems. Our results advance research on quantum information processing tasks beyond qubits.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figure