From GPT-4 to Gemini and Beyond: Assessing the Landscape of MLLMs on Generalizability, Trustworthiness and Causality through Four Modalities

Multi-modal Large Language Models (MLLMs) have shown impressive abilities in generating reasonable responses with respect to multi-modal contents. However, there is still a wide gap between the performance of recent MLLM-based applications and the expectation of the broad public, even though the most powerful OpenAI's GPT-4 and Google's Gemini have been deployed. This paper strives to enhance understanding of the gap through the lens of a qualitative study on the generalizability, trustworthiness, and causal reasoning capabilities of recent proprietary and open-source MLLMs across four modalities: ie, text, code, image, and video, ultimately aiming to improve the transparency of MLLMs. We believe these properties are several representative factors that define the reliability of MLLMs, in supporting various downstream applications. To be specific, we evaluate the closed-source GPT-4 and Gemini and 6 open-source LLMs and MLLMs. Overall we evaluate 230 manually designed cases, where the qualitative results are then summarized into 12 scores (ie, 4 modalities times 3 properties). In total, we uncover 14 empirical findings that are useful to understand the capabilities and limitations of both proprietary and open-source MLLMs, towards more reliable downstream multi-modal applications

Forecasting Fine-Grained air quality using data mining

There are many factors that impact air quality in one area, like traffic flow, volume of emissions from factories, meteorology in real time and so on. We try to use as many as possible sources and the optimization method to predict the Fine-Grained air quality in real-time.MSc/MAComputer Scienc

Climate and litter traits affect the response of litter decomposition to soil fauna

International audienceObjectives Soil fauna plays a crucial role in contributing to litter breakdown, accelerating the decomposition rate and enhancing the biogeochemical cycle in terrestrial ecosystems. Comprehending the specific fauna role of functional species in litter decomposition is challenging due to their vast numbers and diversity. Climate and litter quality are widely acknowledged as dominant drives of litter decomposition across large spatial scales. However, the pattern of climate and litter quality modulates the effect of soil fauna on litter decomposition remains largely unexplored. To address this gap, we conducted an extensive analysis using data from 81 studies to investigate how climate and litter traits affects soil fauna in the decomposition. Data description The paper describes fauna body size, climate zones (tropical, subtropical and temperate), ecosystem types (forest, grassland, wetland and farmland), soil types (sand, loam and clay), decomposed duration ( 360 days), litter initial traits, average annual temperature and precipitation. The litter traits encompass various parameters such as concentrations of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, lignin, cellulose, total phenol, condensed tannin, hydrolysable tannin and other nutrient traits. These comprehensive datasets provide valuable insights into the role of soil fauna on the decomposition at global scale. Furthermore, the data will give researchers keys to assess how climate, litter quality and soil fauna interact to determine decomposition rates

Pore Structure Multifractal Characteristics of Coal Reservoirs in the Central and Eastern Qinshui Basin and Influencing Factors

The heterogeneity of the pore structure of coal reservoirs affects the desorption and diffusion characteristics of coalbed methane, and determining its distribution law is conducive to improving the theory of coalbed methane development. The central and eastern parts of the Qinshui Basin are rich in coalbed methane resources, but the heterogeneity characteristics of the pore structure of coal reservoirs are not clear. NMR has the advantages of being fast, non-destructive and full-scale, and multifractal can describe the self-similarity of NMR T2 curve at different scales so as to analyze the complexity of pore distribution. Based on this, 15 samples with different coal ranks were collected from the central and eastern Qinshui Basin (Ro,max between 1.54 and 2.78%), and quantitative pore characterization experiments such as low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) and low-temperature liquid nitrogen adsorption (LTN2A) were conducted. Based on multifractal theory, the heterogeneity law of pore structure was quantitatively evaluated, and its influencing factors were elucidated. The results showed that the BJH pore volume of coal samples in the study area ranged from 0.0005–0.0028 cm3/g, with an average of 0.0014 cm3/g, and the BET specific surface area was 0.07–2.52 m2/g, with an average of 0.41 m2/g. The NMR T2 spectrum peaked at 0.1–1, 10–100 and 100–1000 ms, and the spectrum was mostly bimodal or trimodal, indicating that pores of different pore sizes were developed. There were great differences in the pore structure of different coal ranks; high-rank coal was dominated by micropores, and the proportion of mesopores and macropores of medium-rank coal was higher. The pore structure of coal samples showed obvious multifractal characteristics, and the fractal characteristics of the sparse region (low-value information) were more significant; they dominated the pore distribution and had a stronger influence on the distribution of pore space. Pore structure heterogeneity is closely related to the degree of coalification, and with the increase in coalification, it is closely related to coal lithotype and quality, and high mineral and inertinite contents lead to the enhancement of pore structure heterogeneity in coal reservoirs, while Ro,max, Mad and vitrinite group contents have opposite effects. The research results provide theoretical guidance for the subsequent exploration and development of coalbed methane in the region

Synergistic effect of phytochemicals on cholesterol metabolism and lipid accumulation in HepG2 cells

Abstract Background Crocin (CRO), chlorogenic acid (CGA), geniposide (GEN), and quercetin (QUE) are all natural compounds with anti-obesity properties, in particular, hypolipidemic effects, which have been widely used for the treatment of obesity-related metabolic diseases. However, it is not yet known whether these compounds interact synergistically. Here, we investigated the effects and molecular mechanisms of CRO, CGA, GEN, QUE, and a combination of all four compounds (CCGQ), on lipid accumulation in human hepatoma (HepG2 cells). Methods The optimal concentration of CRO, CGA, GEN, QUE to stimulate HepG2 cells proliferation was determined using MTT assay. HepG2 cells were pretreated with 10 μmol/L simvastatin, 1 μmol/L CRO, 30 μmol/L CGA, 10 μmol/L GEN, 10 μmol/L QUE, and CCGQ (a combination of 1 μmol/L CRO, 30 μmol/L CGA, 10 μmol/L GEN, and 10 μmol/L QUE) for 24 or 48 h. Oil red O staining and extracellular TC and TG levels were detected. The RT-PCR was used to observe on cholesterol metabolism-related gene expression. Immunocytochemistry and western-blot assayed the 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme (HMGCR) protein expression in HepG2 cells. Results Compared to those of control, we demonstrated that treating HepG2 cells for 48 h with CCGQ resulted in a strong synergistic effect, causing a marked decrease in lipid deposition in comparison to individual treatments, in both triglyceride and total cholesterol (CRO, 5.74- and 1.49-folds; CGA, 3.38- and 1.12-folds; GEN, 4.04- and 1.44-folds; QUE, 3.36- and 1.24-folds; simvastatin, 5.49- and 1.83-folds; and CCGQ, 7.75- and 2.20-folds), and Oil red O staining assays. In addition, CCGQ treatment increased ATP-binding cassette transporter (ABCA1), cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase (CYP7A1), and AMP-activated protein kinase 2α (AMPKα2) mRNA expression, while decreasing sterol regulatory element binding protein 2 (SREBP2), and liver X receptor alpha (LXRα) mRNA expression. Notably, CCGQ was more effective in decreasing HMGCR expression than the individual treatments. Conclusion The CCGQ combination has potential, both as a complementary therapy for hyperlipemia, and in preventing further obesity-related complications

Two Facile Aniline-Based Hypercrosslinked Polymer Adsorbents for Highly Efficient Iodine Capture and Removal

Effective capture and safe disposal of radioactive iodine (129I or 131I) during nuclear power generation processes have always been a worldwide environmental concern. Low-cost and high-efficiency iodine removal materials are urgently needed. In this study, we synthesized two aniline-based hypercrosslinked polymers (AHCPs), AHCP-1 and AHCP-2, for iodine capture in both aqueous and gaseous phases. They are obtained by aniline polymerization through Friedel–Crafts alkylation and Scholl coupling reaction, respectively, with high chemical and thermal stability. Notably, AHCP-1 exhibits record-high static iodine adsorption (250 wt%) in aqueous solution. In the iodine vapor adsorption, AHCP-2 presents an excellent total iodine capture (596 wt%), surpassing the most reported amorphous polymer adsorbents. The rich primary amine groups of AHCPs promote the rapid physical capture of iodine from iodine water and iodine vapor. Intrinsic features such as low-cost preparation, good recyclability, as well as excellent performance in iodine capture indicate that the AHCPs can be used as potential candidates for the removal of iodine from radioactive wastewater and gas mixtures

Application of pectin hydrolyzing bacteria in tobacco to improve flue-cured tobacco quality

To study the relationship between the diversity of the surface microbial community and tobacco flavor, and to improve tobacco quality using microorganisms. The microbial community composition and diversity of 14 samples of flue-cured tobacco from tobacco-producing areas in Yunnan with varying grades were analyzed by high-throughput sequencing. PICRUSt was used for predicting microbial functions. A strain of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens W6-2 with the ability to degrade pectin was screened from the surface of flued-cured tobacco leaves from Yunnan reroasted tobacco leave. The enzyme preparation was prepared through fermentation and then applied for treating flue-cured tobacco. The improvement effect was evaluated by measuring the content of macromolecule and the changes in volatile components, combined with sensory evaluations. The bacterial communities on the surface of flue-cured tobacco exhibited functional diversity, consisting primarily of Variovorax, Pseudomonas, Sphingomonas, Burkholderia, and Bacillus. These bacterial strains played a role in the aging process of flue-cured tobacco leaves by participating in amino acid metabolism and carbohydrate metabolism. These metabolic activity converted complex macromolecules into smaller molecular compounds, ultimately influence the smoking quality and burning characteristics of flue-cured tobacco. The pectinase preparation produced through fermentation using W6-2 has been found to enhance the aroma and sweetness of flue-cured tobacco, leading to improved aroma, reduced impurities, and enhanced smoothness. Additionally, the levels of pectin, cellulose, and hemicellulose decreased, while the levels of water-soluble sugar and reducing sugar increased, and the contents of esters, ketones, and aldehydes increased, and the contents of benzoic acid decreased. The study revealed the correlation between surface microorganisms and volatile components of Yunnan tobacco leaves, and the enzyme produced by the pectin-degrading bacteria W6-2 effectively improved the quality of flue-cured tobacco