LLM4TS: Two-Stage Fine-Tuning for Time-Series Forecasting with Pre-Trained LLMs

In this work, we leverage pre-trained Large Language Models (LLMs) to enhance time-series forecasting. Mirroring the growing interest in unifying models for Natural Language Processing and Computer Vision, we envision creating an analogous model for long-term time-series forecasting. Due to limited large-scale time-series data for building robust foundation models, our approach LLM4TS focuses on leveraging the strengths of pre-trained LLMs. By combining time-series patching with temporal encoding, we have enhanced the capability of LLMs to handle time-series data effectively. Inspired by the supervised fine-tuning in chatbot domains, we prioritize a two-stage fine-tuning process: first conducting supervised fine-tuning to orient the LLM towards time-series data, followed by task-specific downstream fine-tuning. Furthermore, to unlock the flexibility of pre-trained LLMs without extensive parameter adjustments, we adopt several Parameter-Efficient Fine-Tuning (PEFT) techniques. Drawing on these innovations, LLM4TS has yielded state-of-the-art results in long-term forecasting. Our model has also shown exceptional capabilities as both a robust representation learner and an effective few-shot learner, thanks to the knowledge transferred from the pre-trained LLM

Experimental study on critical heat flux characteristics of R134a flow boiling in horizontal helically-coiled tubes

Critical heat flux (CHF) experiments were performed to study the R134a CHF characteristics in horizontal helically-coiled tubes. The stainless steel test sections were heated uniformly, with tube inner diameters of 3.8e11 mm, coil diameters of 135e370 mm, helical pitches of 40e105 mm and heated lengths of 0.85e7.54 m. The experimental conditions are pressures of 0.30e1.10 MPa, mass fluxes of 60e480 kg m 2 s 1, inlet qualities of 0.32e0.36 and heat fluxes of 6.0 103e9.0 104Wm 2. It was found that the wall temperatures jumped abruptly once the CHF occurred. The CHF values decrease with increasing heated lengths, coil diameters and inner diameters, but the DNB (departure from nucleate boiling) CHF seems independent when length-to-diameter L/di> 200. The coil-to-diameter ratios are more important than length-to-diameter ratios for CHF in helically-coiled tubes, while the helical pitches have little effect on CHF. The CHF value increases greatly with increasing mass flux and decreases smoothly with increasing pressure. It decreases nearly linearly with increasing inlet and critical qualities, but it varies more acutely at xcr< 0.5 than higher critical qualities. New correlations for R134a flow boiling CHF in horizontal helically-coiled tubes were developed for applications

Biodegradable Luminescent Silicon Quantum Dots for Two Photon Imaging Applications

Cadmium- and lead-based quantum dots are normally coated for biological applications, because their degradation may result in the release of toxic heavy metal ions. Here, we synthesize silicon quantum dots that are expected to biodegrade to non-toxic products. A chitosan coating is used to render the silicon quantum dots stable in storage conditions and biodegradable at physiological conditions. The applications of these particles are demonstrated in cellular imaging with single and two-photon excitation. These results open the door for a new generation of silicon quantum dots that may have a wide variety of applications derived from the flexibility of chitosan

THE ELECTROMYOGRAPHY CHARACTERISTICS BETWEEN DIFFERENT LEVELS OF SOCCER PLAYER ON INSTEP KICKING

This study improves kicking performance by comparing muscle activity between different levels of players. Twelve soccer players in the college cup in division I and division II volunteered to participate in this study. A VlCON motion capture system (200 Hz) was used to capture the kicking motion including back-swing and forward-swing. The Noraxon electromyography system was used to collect and analyze the percentage of maximum voluntary contraction on rectus femoris, bicepsfemoris, tibialis anterior, and gastrocnemius. The Mann-Whilney U (a = -05) test was applied to assess significant differences in this study. The results indicated that division II players had a greater percentage maximum voluntary contraction in tibialis anterior in the back-swing. To avoid stiff movements in soccer kicks, division II players should decrease muscle contraction in the tiblalis anterior In the back-swing

Managing compliance with the World Anti-Doping Code: China's strategies and their implications

With the problems of doping in sport becoming more serious, the World Anti-Doping Code was drafted by the World Anti-Doping Agency in 2003 and became effective one year later. Since its passage, the Code has been renewed four times, with the fourth and latest version promulgated in January 2015. The Code was intended to tackle the problems of doping in sports through cooperation with governments to ensure fair competition as well as the health of athletes. To understand China’s strategies for managing compliance with the Code and also the implications behind those strategies, this study borrows ideas from theories of compliance. China’s high levels of performance in sport, judged by medal success, have undoubtedly placed the country near the top of the global sports field. Therefore, how China acts in relation to international organizations, and especially how it responds to the World Anti-Doping Agency, is highly significant for the future of elite sport and for the world anti-doping regime. Through painstaking efforts, the researchers visited Beijing to conduct field research four times and interviewed a total of 22 key sports personnel, including officials at the General Administration of Sports of China, the China Anti-Doping Agency, and individual sport associations, as well as sport scholars and leading officials of China’s professional sports leagues. In response to the World Anti-Doping Agency, China developed strategies related to seven institutional factors: ‘monitoring’, ‘verification’, ‘horizontal linkages’, ‘nesting’, ‘capacity building’, ‘national concern’ and ‘institutional profile’. As for the implications, the Chinese government is willing and able to comply with the World Anti-Doping Agency Code. In other words, the Chinese government is willing to pay a high price in terms of money, manpower and material resources so that it can recover from the disgrace suffered as a result of doping scandals in the 1990s. The government wants to ensure that China’s prospects as a participant, bidder and host of mega sporting events are not compromised, especially as the host of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing

Do resting brain dynamics predict oddball evoked-potential?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The oddball paradigm is widely applied to the investigation of cognitive function in neuroscience and in neuropsychiatry. Whether cortical oscillation in the resting state can predict the elicited oddball event-related potential (ERP) is still not clear. This study explored the relationship between resting electroencephalography (EEG) and oddball ERPs. The regional powers of 18 electrodes across delta, theta, alpha and beta frequencies were correlated with the amplitude and latency of N1, P2, N2 and P3 components of oddball ERPs. A multivariate analysis based on partial least squares (PLS) was applied to further examine the spatial pattern revealed by multiple correlations.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Higher synchronization in the resting state, especially at the alpha spectrum, is associated with higher neural responsiveness and faster neural propagation, as indicated by the higher amplitude change of N1/N2 and shorter latency of P2. None of the resting quantitative EEG indices predict P3 latency and amplitude. The PLS analysis confirms that the resting cortical dynamics which explains N1/N2 amplitude and P2 latency does not show regional specificity, indicating a global property of the brain.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study differs from previous approaches by relating dynamics in the resting state to neural responsiveness in the activation state. Our analyses suggest that the neural characteristics carried by resting brain dynamics modulate the earlier/automatic stage of target detection.</p

An overview of the Phalaenopsis orchid genome through BAC end sequence analysis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Phalaenopsis </it>orchids are popular floral crops, and development of new cultivars is economically important to floricultural industries worldwide. Analysis of orchid genes could facilitate orchid improvement. Bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) end sequences (BESs) can provide the first glimpses into the sequence composition of a novel genome and can yield molecular markers for use in genetic mapping and breeding.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We used two BAC libraries (constructed using the <it>Bam</it>HI and <it>Hin</it>dIII restriction enzymes) of <it>Phalaenopsis equestris </it>to generate pair-end sequences from 2,920 BAC clones (71.4% and 28.6% from the <it>Bam</it>HI and <it>Hin</it>dIII libraries, respectively), at a success rate of 95.7%. A total of 5,535 BESs were generated, representing 4.5 Mb, or about 0.3% of the <it>Phalaenopsis </it>genome. The trimmed sequences ranged from 123 to 1,397 base pairs (bp) in size, with an average edited read length of 821 bp. When these BESs were subjected to sequence homology searches, it was found that 641 (11.6%) were predicted to represent protein-encoding regions, whereas 1,272 (23.0%) contained repetitive DNA. Most of the repetitive DNA sequences were gypsy- and copia-like retrotransposons (41.9% and 12.8%, respectively), whereas only 10.8% were DNA transposons. Further, 950 potential simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were discovered. Dinucleotides were the most abundant repeat motifs; AT/TA dimer repeats were the most frequent SSRs, representing 253 (26.6%) of all identified SSRs. Microsynteny analysis revealed that more BESs mapped to the whole-genome sequences of poplar than to those of grape or <it>Arabidopsis</it>, and even fewer mapped to the rice genome. This work will facilitate analysis of the <it>Phalaenopsis </it>genome, and will help clarify similarities and differences in genome composition between orchids and other plant species.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Using BES analysis, we obtained an overview of the <it>Phalaenopsis </it>genome in terms of gene abundance, the presence of repetitive DNA and SSR markers, and the extent of microsynteny with other plant species. This work provides a basis for future physical mapping of the <it>Phalaenopsis </it>genome and advances our knowledge thereof.</p

Effects of Functional Electrical Stimulation on Peak Torque and Body Composition in Patients with Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury

The aim of this study was to investigate the change in body composition, leg girths, and muscle strength of patients with incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI) after functional electrical stimulation cycling exercises (FESCE). Eighteen subjects with incomplete SCI were recruited. Each patient received FESCE three times per week for 8 weeks. Body composition, thigh and calf girths of bilateral legs, muscle strength of bilateral knee flexors and extensors were measured before and after 4 and 8 weeks of FESCE. A significant increase in bilateral thigh girth after 4 weeks of FESCE and significant increase in muscular peak torque of knee flexion and extension were found after 8 weeks of training. Besides, lean body mass increased significantly after complete treatment. FESCE can increase the thigh girth and muscular peak torque of patients with incomplete spinal cord injury