Can Large Language Models Understand Real-World Complex Instructions?

Large language models (LLMs) can understand human instructions, showing their potential for pragmatic applications beyond traditional NLP tasks. However, they still struggle with complex instructions, which can be either complex task descriptions that require multiple tasks and constraints, or complex input that contains long context, noise, heterogeneous information and multi-turn format. Due to these features, LLMs often ignore semantic constraints from task descriptions, generate incorrect formats, violate length or sample count constraints, and be unfaithful to the input text. Existing benchmarks are insufficient to assess LLMs' ability to understand complex instructions, as they are close-ended and simple. To bridge this gap, we propose CELLO, a benchmark for evaluating LLMs' ability to follow complex instructions systematically. We design eight features for complex instructions and construct a comprehensive evaluation dataset from real-world scenarios. We also establish four criteria and develop corresponding metrics, as current ones are inadequate, biased or too strict and coarse-grained. We compare the performance of representative Chinese-oriented and English-oriented models in following complex instructions through extensive experiments. Resources of CELLO are publicly available at https://github.com/Abbey4799/CELLO

Influence of equalization enhanced phase noise on digital nonlinearity compensation in Nyquist-spaced superchannel transmission systems

In digital signal processing (DSP) based coherent optical communication systems, the effect of equalization enhanced phase noise (EEPN) will seriously degrade the transmission performance of high-capacity optical transmission system. In this paper, we have investigated the influence of EEPN on 9-channel 32-Gbaud dual-polarization 64-ary quadrature amplitude modulation (DP-64QAM) Nyquist-spaced superchannel optical field trial by using electronic dispersion compensation (EDC) and multi-channel digital backpropagation (MC-DBP). The deteriorations caused by EEPN on the signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) and achievable information rates (AIRs) in high-speed optical communication systems have been studied. The system performance versus back-propagated bandwidth under different laser linewidth have also been demonstrated. The SNR penalty due to the distortion of EEPN achieves ~5.11 dB when FF-DBP is implemented, which informs that FF-DBP is more susceptible to EEPN, especially when the LO laser linewidth is larger. The system AIR versus different transmission distance under different EEPN interference using EDC-only and MC-DBP have also been evaluated, which show that there is a trade-off on the selection of lasers and back-propagated bandwidths to achieve a target AIR

The modulation of acute methamphetamine on the neuronal network oscillations in rat hippocampal CA3 area.

Gamma frequency oscillations (γ, 30–100 Hz) have been suggested to underlie various cognitive and motor functions. The psychotomimetic drug methamphetamine (MA) enhances brain γ oscillations associated with changes in psychomotor state. Little is known about the cellular mechanisms of MA modulation on γ oscillations. We explored the effects of multiple intracellular kinases on MA modulation of γ induced by kainate in area CA3 of rat ventral hippocampal slices. We found that dopamine receptor type 1 and 2 (DR1 and DR2) antagonists, the serine/threonine kinase PKB/Akt inhibitor and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonists prevented the enhancing effect of MA on γ oscillations, whereas none of them affected baseline γ strength. Protein kinase A, phosphoinositide 3-kinase and extracellular signal-related kinases inhibitors had no effect on MA. We propose that the DR1/DR2-Akt-NMDAR pathway plays a critical role for the MA enhancement of γ oscillations. Our study provides an new insight into the mechanisms of acute MA on MA-induced psychosis

Stretchable Self-Healable Semiconducting Polymer Film for Active-Matrix Strain-Sensing Array

Skin-like sensory devidces shoud be stretchable and self-healable to meet the demands for future electronic skin applications. Despite recent notable advances in skin-inspired electronic materials, it remains challenging to confer these desired functionalities to an active semiconductor. Here, we report a strain-sensitive, stretchable, and autonomously self-healable semiconducting film achieved through blending of a polymer semiconductor and a self-healable elastomer, both of which are dynamically cross-linked by metal coordination. We observed that by controlling the percolation threshold of the polymer semiconductor, the blend film became strain sensitive, with a gauge factor of 5.75 x 105 at 100% strain in a stretchable transistor. The blend film is also highly stretchable (fracture strain, \u3e1300%) and autonomously self-healable at room temperature. We proceed to demonstrate a fully integrated 5 x 5 stretchable active-matrix transistor sensor array capable of detecting strain distribution through surface deformation

Modeling, Simulation, and Fabrication of a Fully Integrated, Acid-stable, Scalable Solar-Driven Water-Splitting System

A fully integrated solar-driven water-splitting system comprised of WO3/FTO/p^(+)n Si as the photoanode, Pt/TiO_2/Ti/n^(+)p Si as the photocathode, and Nafion as the membrane separator, was simulated, assembled, operated in 1.0 M HClO_4, and evaluated for performance and safety characteristics under dual side illumination. A multi-physics model that accounted for the performance of the photoabsorbers and electrocatalysts, ion transport in the solution electrolyte, and gaseous product crossover was first used to define the optimal geometric design space for the system. The photoelectrodes and the membrane separators were then interconnected in a louvered design system configuration, for which the light-absorbing area and the solution-transport pathways were simultaneously optimized. The performance of the photocathode and the photoanode were separately evaluated in a traditional three-electrode photoelectrochemical cell configuration. The photocathode and photoanode were then assembled back-to-back in a tandem configuration to provide sufficient photovoltage to sustain solar-driven unassisted water-splitting. The current–voltage characteristics of the photoelectrodes showed that the low photocurrent density of the photoanode limited the overall solar-to-hydrogen (STH) conversion efficiency due to the large band gap of WO_3. A hydrogen-production rate of 0.17 mL hr^−1 and a STH conversion efficiency of 0.24 % was observed in a full cell configuration for >20 h with minimal product crossover in the fully operational, intrinsically safe, solar-driven water-splitting system. The solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency, ηS_TH, calculated using the multiphysics numerical simulation was in excellent agreement with the experimental behavior of the system. The value of ηSTH was entirely limited by the performance of the photoelectrochemical assemblies employed in this study. The louvered design provides a robust platform for implementation of various types of photoelectrochemical assemblies, and can provide an approach to significantly higher solar conversion efficiencies as new and improved materials become available

LeafScope: A Portable High-Resolution Multispectral Imager for In Vivo Imaging Soybean Leaf

Portable devices for measuring plant physiological features with their isolated measuring chamber are playing an increasingly important role in plant phenotyping. However, currently available commercial devices of this type, such as soil plant analysis development (SPAD) meter and spectrometer, are dot meters that only measure a small region of the leaf, which does not perfectly represent the highly varied leaf surface. This study developed a portable and high-resolution multispectral imager (named LeafScope) to in-vivo image a whole leaf of dicotyledon plants while blocking the ambient light. The hardware system is comprised of a monochrome camera, an imaging chamber, a lightbox with different bands of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) array, and a microcontroller. During measuring, the device presses the leaf to lay it flat in the imaging chamber and acquires multiple images while alternating the LED bands within seconds in a certain order. The results of an experiment with soybean plants clearly showed the effect of nitrogen and water treatments as well as the genotype differences by the color and morphological features from image processing. We conclude that the low cost and easy to use LeafScope can provide promising imaging quality for dicotyledon plants, so it has great potential to be used in plant phenotyping

Antireflective GaN nanoridge texturing by metal-assisted chemical etching via a thermally dewetted Pt catalyst network for highly responsive ultraviolet photodiodes

Antireflective (AR) surface texturing is a feasible way to boost the light absorption of photosensitive materials and devices. As a plasma-free etching method, metal-assisted chemical etching (MacEtch) has been employed for fabricating GaN AR surface texturing. However, the poor etching efficiency of typical MacEtch hinders the demonstration of highly responsive photodetectors on an undoped GaN wafer. In addition, GaN MacEtch requires metal mask patterning by lithography, which leads to a huge processing complexity when the dimension of GaN AR nanostructure scales down to the submicron range. In this work, we have developed a facile texturing method of forming a GaN nanoridge surface on an undoped GaN thin film by a lithography-free submicron mask-patterning process via thermal dewetting of platinum. The nanoridge surface texturing effectively reduces the surface reflection in the ultraviolet (UV) regime, which can be translated to a 6-fold enhancement in responsivity (i.e., 115 A/W) of the photodiode at 365 nm. The results demonstrated in this work show that MacEtch can offer a viable route for enhanced UV light-matter interaction and surface engineering in GaN UV optoelectronic devices.Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)Ministry of Education (MOE)Submitted/Accepted versionThis work was supported by the A*STAR, Singapore, Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering (AME) Young Individual Research Grant (YIRG) and IRG under projects A2084c0066 and M21K2c0107, respectively, and the Ministry of Education, Singapore, under the Grant ACRF Tier 2 grant (T2EP50120-0001)

Producing microscale Ge textures via titanium nitride- and nickel-assisted chemical etching with CMOS-compatibiliyty

As an emerging anisotropic wet etching technique, metal-assisted chemical etching (MacEtch) has been widely employed for fabricating nano- and micro-structures of germanium (Ge) for potential infrared (IR) photonics and optoelectronics. However, traditional noble metal catalysts such as Au and Ag limit its application in complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) processes, as Au is considered as a detrimental deep-level impurity in Ge. In this work, the feasibility of exploring TiN and Ni as CMOS-compatible catalysts for Ge MacEtch is investigated. Both TiN and Ni catalysts exhibit inverse MacEtch behavior, resulting in formation of inverted pyramid and v-groove Ge microscale textures which exhibit outstanding IR antireflection performance. No catalyst delamination of TiN is observed during etching, while it can be avoided by inserting a Ti adhesive layer beneath Ni catalyst. Schottky contact barrier of metal catalyst with Ge is also investigated indicating similar hole injection efficiency among TiN, Ni, and Ti/Ni with Ge junction due to strong Fermi level pinning effect. The TiN- and Ni-assisted chemical etching of Ge shed light on CMOS-compatible Ge-based photonic and optoelectronic applications.Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)Ministry of Education (MOE)National Research Foundation (NRF)Submitted/Accepted versionThis work was mainly supported by A∗STAR Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering (AME) Young Individual Research Grant (YIRG) under Project A2084c0066 and Ministry of Education (MOE) under ACRF Tier 2 grant (T2EP50120-0003). It was also partially supported by the National Research Foundation Singapore programme NRF-CRP18-2017-02 and NRF-CRP19-2017-01; Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A18A7b0058); and Ministry of Education – Singapore (MOE2018-T2-1-176). Authors acknowledge the support of Nanyang NanoFabrication Centre (N2FC)

Inequity of maternal-child health services in ASEAN member states from 1993 to 2021

Abstract Introduction Inequity in maternal-child health services is a challenge to global health as it hinders the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Universal Health Coverage. Though the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has made remarkable achievements in maternal-child health, there remain gaps in reaching global goals. This study aimed to compare and investigate the inequity in maternal-child health (MCH) services in ASEAN member states to help guide policy decisions to improve equitable health services in the SDG era and beyond. Methods Using the WHO Health Inequality Monitor, we identified inequity summary measures for five MCH services in ASEAN member states from 1993 to 2021: antenatal care, births attended by skilled health personnel, diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP3) immunization, measles immunization, and polio immunization. We divided the analysis dimension of inequity into urban–rural inequity, economic status inequity, and sub-regional inequity. Trends of absolute and relative inequity in every dimension of MCH services in ASEAN member states were examined with the principal component analysis (PCA). Results The mean coverages of MCH services are 98.80% (Thailand), 86.72% (Cambodia), 84.54% (Viet Nam), 78.52 (Indonesia), 76.94% (Timor-Leste), 72.40% (Lao PDR), 68.10% (Philippines) and 48.52% (Myanmar) in 2021. Thailand have the lowest MCH services absolute inequity indexes of -1.945, followed by Vietnam (-1.449). Lao PDR and Myanmar have relatively higher MCH services absolute inequity indexes of 0.852 and 0.054 respectively. The service in Cambodia, Indonesia, and the Philippines is pro-specific regions (with subnational region absolute inequity indexes of -0.02, 0.01, and 1.01 respectively). The service in Myanmar is pro-rich (with economic status absolute inequity index of 0.43). The service in Lao PDR and Timor-Leste is pro-urban areas, pro-rich, and pro-specific regions. Conclusion The inequity of MCH services in ASEAN persists but is in a declining trend. Thailand and Vietnam have performed well in ensuring MCH services equity, while Laos and Myanmar are still facing serious inequity dilemmas. The progress of MCH service equity in Myanmar, Cambodia, the Philippines, and Indonesia is uneven. It is acceptable to learn from the successful experiences of Thailand and Vietnam to improve the equities in other ASEAN countries. Policies should be developed according to the specific types of MCH inequity in member states to improve equity levels