Algorithms on Minimizing the Maximum Sensor Movement for Barrier Coverage of a Linear Domain

In this paper, we study the problem of moving $n$ sensors on a line to form a barrier coverage of a specified segment of the line such that the maximum moving distance of the sensors is minimized. Previously, it was an open question whether this problem on sensors with arbitrary sensing ranges is solvable in polynomial time. We settle this open question positively by giving an $O(n^2 \log n)$ time algorithm. For the special case when all sensors have the same-size sensing range, the previously best solution takes $O(n^2)$ time. We present an $O(n \log n)$ time algorithm for this case; further, if all sensors are initially located on the coverage segment, our algorithm takes $O(n)$ time. Also, we extend our techniques to the cycle version of the problem where the barrier coverage is for a simple cycle and the sensors are allowed to move only along the cycle. For sensors with the same-size sensing range, we solve the cycle version in $O(n)$ time, improving the previously best $O(n^2)$ time solution.Comment: This version corrected an error in the proof of Lemma 2 in the previous version and the version published in DCG 2013. Lemma 2 is for proving the correctness of an algorithm (see the footnote of Page 9 for why the previous proof is incorrect). Everything else of the paper does not change. All algorithms in the paper are exactly the same as before and their time complexities do not change eithe

New insights into the reaction of tricalcium silicate (C3S) with solutions to the end of the induction period

Although dissolution theory is widely used, in certain circumstance, it seems to be unable to explain the hydration of C3S. In this article, more attention is paid to the nucleation of hydration products. We find that the precipitation of C-S-H is a nonclassical nucleation process. It starts with nucleation of primary particles and then grows by particle attachment. A sharp increase in the reaction rate after induction period may come from the accelerating growth rate of C-S-H instead of dissolution of etch pits. The duration of induction period relates to the size of primary floc. Potassium salts influence the primary globule floc size and mitigate the effect from Al. The pH impacts ion species in solution to affect the dissolution and precipitation. A hypothesis regarding the dissolution of C3S and nucleation of C-S-H within the near-surface region may narrow the gap between dissolution theory and protective layer theory

Demethylation of the miR-146a promoter by 5-Aza-2’-deoxycytidine correlates with delayed progression of castration-resistant prostate cancer

BACKGROUND: Androgen deprivation therapy is the primary strategy for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer; however, after an initial regression, most patients will inevitably develop a fatal androgen-independent tumor. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms of the transition to androgen independence prostate cancer is critical to identify new ways to treat older patients who are ineligible for conventional chemotherapy. METHODS: The effects of 5-Aza-2’-deoxycytidine (5-Aza-CdR) on the viability and the apoptosis of the androgen-dependent (LNCaP) and androgen-independent (PC3) cell lines were examined by MTS assay and western blot analysis for the activation of caspase-3. The subcutaneous LNCaP xenografts were established in a nude mice model. MiR-146a and DNMTs expressions were analyzed by qRT-PCR and DNA methylation rates of LINE-1 were measured by COBRA-IRS to determine the global DNA methylation levels. The methylation levels of miR-146a promoter region in the different groups were quantified by the bisulfite sequencing PCR (BSP) assay. RESULTS: We validated that 5-Aza-CdR induced cell death and increased miR-146a expression in both LNCaP and PC3 cells. Notably, the expression of miR-146a in LNCaP cells was much higher than in PC3 cells. MiR-146a inhibitor was shown to suppress apoptosis in 5-Aza-CdR-treated cells. In a castrate mouse LNCaP xenograft model, 5-Aza-CdR significantly suppressed the tumors growth and also inhibited prostate cancer progression. Meanwhile, miR-146a expression was significantly enhanced in the tumor xenografts of 5-Aza-CdR-treated mice and the androgen-dependent but not the androgen-independent stage of castrated mice. In particular, the expression of miR-146a was significantly augmented in both stages of the combined treatment (castration and 5-Aza-CdR). Additionally, the methylation percentage of the two CpG sites (−444 bp and −433 bp), which were around the NF-κB binding site at miR-146a promoter, showed the lowest methylation levels among all CpG sites in the combined treatment tumors of both stages. CONCLUSION: Up-regulating miR-146a expression via the hypomethylation of the miR-146a promoter by 5-Aza-CdR was correlated with delayed progression of castration-resistant prostate cancers. Moreover, site-specific DNA methylation may play an important role in miR-146a expression in androgen-dependent prostate cancer progression to androgen-independent prostate cancer and therefore provides a potentially useful biomarker for assessing drug efficacy in prostate cancer

An LLM-free Multi-dimensional Benchmark for MLLMs Hallucination Evaluation

Despite making significant progress in multi-modal tasks, current Multi-modal Large Language Models (MLLMs) encounter the significant challenge of hallucination, which may lead to harmful consequences. Therefore, evaluating MLLMs' hallucinations is becoming increasingly important in model improvement and practical application deployment. Previous works are limited in high evaluation costs (e.g., relying on humans or advanced LLMs) and insufficient evaluation dimensions (e.g., types of hallucination and task). In this paper, we propose an LLM-free multi-dimensional benchmark AMBER, which can be used to evaluate both generative task and discriminative task including object existence, object attribute and object relation hallucination. Based on AMBER, we design a low-cost and efficient evaluation pipeline. Additionally, we conduct a comprehensive evaluation and detailed analysis of mainstream MLLMs including GPT-4V(ision), and also give guideline suggestions for mitigating hallucinations. The data and code of AMBER are available at https://github.com/junyangwang0410/AMBER.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure

Assembly of a high-dielectric constant thin TiOX layer directly on H-terminated semiconductor diamond

A high-dielectric constant (high-k) TiOx thin layer was fabricated on hydrogen-terminated diamond (H-diamond) surface by low temperature oxidation of a thin titanium layer in ambient air. The metallic titanium layer was deposited by sputter deposition. The dielectric constant of the resultant TiOx was calculated to be around 12. The capacitance density of the metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) based on the TiOx/H-diamond was as high as 0.75 µF/cm2 contributed from the high-k value and the very thin thickness of the TiOx layer. The leakage current was lower than 10-13 A at reverse biases and 10-7A at the forward bias of -2 V. The MOS field-effect transistor based on the high-k TiOx/H-diamond was demonstrated. The utilization of the high-k TiOx with a very thin thickness brought forward the features of an ideally low subthreshold swing slope of 65 mV per decade and improved drain current at low gate voltages. The advantages of the utilization high-k dielectric for diamond MOSFETs are anticipated

Techno-economic assessment of electrolytic hydrogen in China considering wind-solar-load characteristics

Hydrogen production by electrolysis is considered an essential means of consuming renewable energy in the future. However, the current assessment of the potential of renewable energy electrolysis for hydrogen production is relatively simple, and the perspective is not comprehensive. Here, we established a Combined Wind and Solar Electrolytic Hydrogen system, considering the influence of regional wind-solar-load characteristics and transmission costs to evaluate the hydrogen production potential of 31 provincial-level regions in China in 2050. The results show that in 2050, the levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) in China’s provincial regions will still be higher than 10 ¥/kg, which is not cost-competitive compared to the current hydrogen production from fossil fuels. It is more cost-effective to deploy wind turbines than photovoltaic in areas with similar wind and solar resources or rich in wind resources. Wind-solar differences impact LCOH, equipment capacity configuration, and transmission cost composition, while load fluctuation significantly impacts LCOH and electricity storage configuration. In addition, the sensitivity analysis of 11 technical and economic parameters showed differences in the response performance of LCOH changes to different parameters, and the electrolyzer conversion efficiency had the most severe impact. The analysis of subsidy policy shows that for most regions (except Chongqing and Xizang), subsidizing the unit investment cost of wind turbines can minimize LCOH. Nevertheless, from the perspective of comprehensive subsidy effect, subsidy cost, and hydrogen energy development, it is more cost-effective to take subsidies for electrolysis equipment with the popularization of hydrogen

Remote Sensing / An object-based semantic classification method for high resolution remote sensing imagery using ontology

Geographic Object-Based Image Analysis (GEOBIA) techniques have become increasingly popular in remote sensing. GEOBIA has been claimed to represent a paradigm shift in remote sensing interpretation. Still, GEOBIAsimilar to other emerging paradigmslacks formal expressions and objective modelling structures and in particular semantic classification methods using ontologies. This study has put forward an object-based semantic classification method for high resolution satellite imagery using an ontology that aims to fully exploit the advantages of ontology to GEOBIA. A three-step workflow has been introduced: ontology modelling, initial classification based on a data-driven machine learning method, and semantic classification based on knowledge-driven semantic rules. The classification part is based on data-driven machine learning, segmentation, feature selection, sample collection and an initial classification. Then, image objects are re-classified based on the ontological model whereby the semantic relations are expressed in the formal languages OWL and SWRL. The results show that the method with ontologyas compared to the decision tree classification without using the ontologyyielded minor statistical improvements in terms of accuracy for this particular image. However, this framework enhances existing GEOBIA methodologies: ontologies express and organize the whole structure of GEOBIA and allow establishing relations, particularly spatially explicit relations between objects as well as multi-scale/hierarchical relations.(VLID)219563

Identification of the main flavonoids of Abelmoschus manihot (L.) medik and their metabolites in the treatment of diabetic nephropathy

Introduction: Huangkui capsule (HKC) is made from the ethanol extract of Abelmoschus manihot (L.) Medik [Malvaceae; abelmoschi corolla] and received approval from the China Food and Drug Administration (Z19990040) in 1999. Currently, HKC is used for treatment of the patients with diabetic nephropathy (DN) in China. The bioactive chemical constituents in HKC are total flavonoids of A. manihot (L.) Medik (TFA). The present study aims to identify the primary flavonoid metabolites in HKC and TFA and their metabolism fates in db/db mice, the animal model for the study of type 2 diabetes and DN.Methods: HKC (0.84 g/kg/d) and TFA (0.076 g/kg/d) or vehicle were respectively administered daily via oral gavage in db/db mice for 4 weeks. The metabolism fate of the main metabolites of HKC in serum, liver, kidney, heart, jejunum, colon, jejunal contents, colonic contents, and urine of db/db mice were analyzed with a comprehensive metabolite identification strategy.Results and Discussion: In db/db mice administered with HKC and TFA, 7 flavonoid prototypes and 38 metabolites were identified. The related metabolic pathways at Phases I and II reactions included dehydroxylation, deglycosylation, hydrogenation, methylation, glucuronidation, sulphation, and corresponding recombined reactions. Quercetin, isorhamnetin, quercetin sulphate, quercetin monoglucuronide, and isorhamnetin monoglucuronide presented a high exposure in the serum and kidney of db/db mice. Thereby, the present study provides a pharmacodynamic substance basis for better understanding the mechanism of A. manihot (L.) Medik for medication of DN

Large scale fabrication of nitrogen vacancy-embedded diamond nanostructures for single-photon source applications

Some color centers in diamond can serve as quantum bits which can be manipulated with microwave pulses and read out with laser, even at room temperature. However, the photon collection efficiency of bulk diamond is greatly reduced by refraction at the diamond/air interface. To address this issue, we fabricated arrays of diamond nanostructures, differing in both diameter and top end shape, with HSQ and Cr as the etching mask materials, aiming toward large scale fabrication of single-photon sources with enhanced collection efficiency made of nitrogen vacancy (NV) embedded diamond. With a mixture of O2 and CHF3 gas plasma, diamond pillars with diameters down to 45 nm were obtained. The top end shape evolution has been represented with a simple model. The tests of size dependent single-photon properties confirmed an improved single-photon collection efficiency enhancement, larger than tenfold, and a mild decrease of decoherence time with decreasing pillar diameter was observed as expected. These results provide useful information for future applications of nanostructured diamond as a single-photon source