One-dimensional hexagonal boron nitride conducting channel

Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) is an insulating two-dimensional (2D) material with a large bandgap. Although known for its interfacing with other 2D materials and structural similarities to graphene, the potential use of hBN in 2D electronics is limited by its insulating nature. Here, we report atomically sharp twin boundaries at AA???/AB stacking boundaries in chemical vapor deposition???synthesized few-layer hBN. We find that the twin boundary is composed of a 6???6??? configuration, showing conducting feature with a zero bandgap. Furthermore, the formation mechanism of the atomically sharp twin boundaries is suggested by an analogy with stacking combinations of AA???/AB based on the observations of extended Klein edges at the layer boundaries of ABstacked hBN. The atomically sharp AA???/AB stacking boundary is promising as an ultimate 1D electron channel embedded in insulating pristine hBN. This study will provide insights into the fabrication of single-hBN electronic devices

Token-Scaled Logit Distillation for Ternary Weight Generative Language Models

Generative Language Models (GLMs) have shown impressive performance in tasks such as text generation, understanding, and reasoning. However, the large model size poses challenges for practical deployment. To solve this problem, Quantization-Aware Training (QAT) has become increasingly popular. However, current QAT methods for generative models have resulted in a noticeable loss of accuracy. To counteract this issue, we propose a novel knowledge distillation method specifically designed for GLMs. Our method, called token-scaled logit distillation, prevents overfitting and provides superior learning from the teacher model and ground truth. This research marks the first evaluation of ternary weight quantization-aware training of large-scale GLMs with less than 1.0 degradation in perplexity and no loss of accuracy in a reasoning task

Notch signaling is required for maintaining stem-cell features of neuroprogenitor cells derived from human embryonic stem cells

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Studies have provided important findings about the roles of Notch signaling in neural development. Unfortunately, however, most of these studies have investigated the neural stem cells (NSCs) of mice or other laboratory animals rather than humans, mainly owing to the difficulties associated with obtaining human brain samples. It prompted us to focus on neuroectodermal spheres (NESs) which are derived from human embryonic stem cell (hESC) and densely inhabited by NSCs. We here investigated the role of Notch signaling with the hESC-derived NESs.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>From hESCs, we derived NESs, the <it>in-vitro </it>version of brain-derived neurospheres. NES formation was confirmed by increased levels of various NSC marker genes and the emergence of rosette structures in which neuroprogenitors are known to reside. We found that Notch signaling, which maintains stem cell characteristics of <it>in-vivo</it>-derived neuroprogenitors, is active in these hESC-derived NESs, similar to their <it>in-vivo </it>counterpart. Expression levels of Notch signaling molecules such as NICD, DLLs, JAG1, HES1 and HES5 were increased in the NESs. Inhibition of the Notch signaling by a γ-secretase inhibitor reduced rosette structures, expression levels of NSC marker genes and proliferation potential in the NESs, and, if combined with withdrawal of growth factors, triggered differentiation toward neurons.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our results indicate that the hESC-derived NESs, which share biochemical features with brain-derived neurospheres, maintain stem cell characteristics mainly through Notch signaling, which suggests that the hESC-derived NESs could be an <it>in-vitro </it>model for <it>in-vivo </it>neurogenesis.</p

Interleukin-2 induces the in vitro maturation of human pluripotent stem cell-derived intestinal organoids.

Human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)-derived intestinal organoids (hIOs) form 3D structures organized into crypt and villus domains, making them an excellent in vitro model system for studying human intestinal development and disease. However, hPSC-derived hIOs still require in vivo maturation to fully recapitulate adult intestine, with the mechanism of maturation remaining elusive. Here, we show that the co-culture with human T lymphocytes induce the in vitro maturation of hIOs, and identify STAT3-activating interleukin-2 (IL-2) as the major factor inducing maturation. hIOs exposed to IL-2 closely mimic the adult intestinal epithelium and have comparable expression levels of mature intestinal markers, as well as increased intestine-specific functional activities. Even after in vivo engraftment, in vitro-matured hIOs retain their maturation status. The results of our study demonstrate that STAT3 signaling can induce the maturation of hIOs in vitro, thereby circumventing the need for animal models and in vivo maturation

Finite element modeling of twin steel box-girder bridges for redundancy evaluation

textBridge redundancy can be described as the capacity that a bridge has to continue carrying loads after suffering the failure of one or more main structural components without undergoing significant deformations. In the current AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specification, two-girder bridges are classified as fracture critical, which implies that these bridges are not inherently redundant. Therefore, two-girder bridges require more frequent and detailed inspections than other types of bridges, resulting in greater costs for their operation. Despite the fracture-critical classification of two-girder bridges, several historical events involving the failure of main load-carrying members in two-girder bridges constructed of steel plate girders have demonstrated their ability to have significant reserve load carrying capacity. Relative to the steel plate girder bridges, steel box-girder bridges have higher torsional stiffness and more structural elements that might contribute to load redistribution in the event of a fracture of one or more bridge main members. These observations initiated questions on the inherent redundancy that twin box-girder bridges might possess. Given the high costs associated with the maintenance and the inspection of these bridges, there is interest in accurately characterizing the redundancy of bridge systems. In this study, twin steel box-girder bridges, which have become popular in recent years due to their aesthetics and high torsional resistance, were investigated to characterize and to define redundancy sources that could exist in this type of bridge. For this purpose, detailed finite element bridge models were developed with various modeling techniques to capture critical aspects of response of bridges suffering severe levels of damage. The finite element models included inelastic material behavior and nonlinear geometry, and they also accounted for the complex interaction of the shear studs with the concrete deck under progressing levels of damage. In conjunction with the computational analysis approach, three full-scale bridge fracture tests were carried out during this research project, and data collected from these tests were utilized to validate the results obtained from the finite element models.Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineerin

Selecting Network-Level Project Sections for Sustainable Pavement Management in Texas

In recent years, the increasing gap between available funding and preservation needs has influenced district pavement engineers to select and prioritize projects to effectively use funding. However, currently, projects are often selected after an informal assessment, based on local conditions and local district engineers’ experience, in the absence of a statewide systematic process. The primary objective of this study is to determine network-level project sections for effective sustainable pavement management using logistic regression analysis. A large volume of inventory data, documented using pavement-management information systems (PMIS), was used to develop the logistic regression (LR) model for selecting candidate sections. The LR model was subsequently validated using a single 50/50 split sample method. The findings of this study will assist the Austin, Texas, USA district to select and evaluate candidate projects. Furthermore, the study will eventually contribute to improved efficiency in project selection and prioritization by reducing not only the amount of time necessary to review the district PMIS data to identify project candidates, but also the potential for human error

Effect of Temperature, pH, and Reaction Duration on Microbially Induced Calcite Precipitation

In this study, the amount of calcite precipitate resulting from microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP) was estimated in order to determine the optimal conditions for precipitation. Two microbial species (Staphylococcus saprophyticus and Sporosarcina pasteurii) were tested by varying certain parameters such as (1) initial potential of hydrogen (pH) of urea-CaCl2 medium, (2) temperature during precipitation, and (3) the reaction duration. The pH values used for testing were 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10, the temperatures were 20, 30, 40, and 50 &deg;C, and the reaction durations were 2, 3, and 4 days. Maximum calcite precipitation was observed at a pH of 7 and temperature of 30 &deg;C. Most of the precipitation occurred within a reaction duration of 3 days. Under similar conditions, the amount of calcite precipitated by S. saprophyticus was estimated to be five times more than that by S. pasteurii. Both the species were sensitive to temperature; however, S. saprophyticus was less sensitive to pH and required a shorter reaction duration than S. pasteurii

Numerical Analysis of Laterally Loaded Piles Affected by Bedrock Depth

This study investigates the lateral behavior of pile foundations socketed into bedrocks using 3D finite difference analysis. The lateral load-displacement curve, pile deflection, and bending moment distribution were obtained for different bedrock depths between 3 and 20 m. It was discovered that bedrocks that have a depth of 7 m (7D) or less influence the lateral behavior of the pile. The p-y curves were collected at depths of 2.0–4.5 m, and the effect of the bedrock on the curves was evaluated. It was observed that the p-y curves were significantly affected by the material properties of the bedrock if the rock is located in close proximity (within 3D), but the effect is diminished if the p-y curves were 3.5 m (3.5D) or farther from the bedrock