ShuffleNet: An Extremely Efficient Convolutional Neural Network for Mobile Devices

We introduce an extremely computation-efficient CNN architecture named ShuffleNet, which is designed specially for mobile devices with very limited computing power (e.g., 10-150 MFLOPs). The new architecture utilizes two new operations, pointwise group convolution and channel shuffle, to greatly reduce computation cost while maintaining accuracy. Experiments on ImageNet classification and MS COCO object detection demonstrate the superior performance of ShuffleNet over other structures, e.g. lower top-1 error (absolute 7.8%) than recent MobileNet on ImageNet classification task, under the computation budget of 40 MFLOPs. On an ARM-based mobile device, ShuffleNet achieves ~13x actual speedup over AlexNet while maintaining comparable accuracy

Structure and mechanism of a methyl transferase ribozyme

Known ribozymes in contemporary biology perform a limited range of chemical catalysis, but in vitro selection has generated species that catalyze a broader range of chemistry; yet, there have been few structural and mechanistic studies of selected ribozymes. A ribozyme has recently been selected that can catalyze a site-specific methyl transfer reaction. We have solved the crystal structure of this ribozyme at a resolution of 2.3 Å, showing how the RNA folds to generate a very specific binding site for the methyl donor substrate. The structure immediately suggests a catalytic mechanism involving a combination of proximity and orientation and nucleobase-mediated general acid catalysis. The mechanism is supported by the pH dependence of the rate of catalysis. A selected methyltransferase ribozyme can thus use a relatively sophisticated catalytic mechanism, broadening the range of known RNA-catalyzed chemistry. [Image: see text

Absence of Appl2 sensitizes endotoxin shock through activation of PI3K/Akt pathway

BACKGROUND: The adapter proteins Appl1 (adaptor protein containing pleckstrin homology domain, phosphotyrosine domain, and leucine zipper motif 1) and Appl2 are highly homologous and involved in several signaling pathways. While previous studies have shown that Appl1 plays a pivotal role in adiponectin signaling and insulin secretion, the physiological functions of Appl2 are largely unknown. RESULTS: In the present study, the role of Appl2 in sepsis shock was investigated by using Appl2 knockout (KO) mice. When challenged with lipopolysaccharides (LPS), Appl2 KO mice exhibited more severe symptoms of endotoxin shock, accompanied by increased production of proinflammatory cytokines. In comparison with the wild-type control, deletion of Appl2 led to higher levels of TNF-α and IL-1β in primary macrophages. In addition, phosphorylation of Akt and its downstream effector NF-κB was significantly enhanced. By co-immunoprecipitation, we found that Appl2 and Appl1 interacted with each other and formed a complex with PI3K regulatory subunit p85α, which is an upstream regulator of Akt. Consistent with these results, deletion of Appl1 in macrophages exhibited characteristics of reduced Akt activation and decreased the production of TNFα and IL-1β when challenged by LPS. CONCLUSIONS: Results of the present study demonstrated that Appl2 is a critical negative regulator of innate immune response via inhibition of PI3K/Akt/NF-κB signaling pathway by forming a complex with Appl1 and PI3K.published_or_final_versio

Research on Bending and Ballistic Performance of Three-Dimensional Ply-to-Ply Angle Interlock Kevlar/EP Armor Material

The three-dimensional (3D) shallow cross-bending composite material has many advantages in thickness and in-plane direction, such as high strength, high modulus, inter-layer shear strength, as well as large-area area bearing, energy absorption, etc., which has great application potential in the field of bulletproof armor. To prepare a protective material with both excellent bending performance and good ballistic performance, the effects of weft density and layering method on the bending performance and ballistic performance of three-dimensional ply-to-ply angle interlock (3DPPAI) Kevlar/EP armor materials were studied. The results showed that when the weft density of the material was 33 pieces/cm, its bending performance and ballistic resistance were the best. The 3DPPAI Kevlar/EP armor material prepared by orthogonal layup had more advantages in bending performance, and the unidirectional layup had better anti-ballistic performance. The research results will lay the foundation for structural optimization and engineering applications of such materials

Tree Species Distribution Change Study in Mount Tai Based on Landsat Remote Sensing Image Data

Located in the Mount Tai state-owned forest farm, this study adopted Landsat multispectral remote sensing data in 2000 and 2016 on the GEE (Google Earth Engine) platform and selected four phases of images each year according to the phenological period. By dealing with the current situation map of forestry resources in 2000 and the field survey data in 2016, the samples of tree species distribution in 2000 and 2016 were obtained. On the basis of topographic correction with the empirical rotation model, this study used the random forest (RF) classifier to classify tree species from remote sensing images in 2000 and 2016, achieving high classification accuracy. The results showed that, after 16 years of evolution, the percentage of pine species in the forest decreased from 55.69% to 50.22%, with a percentage decrease as high as 5.47%. The percentage of black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) increased from 10.15% in 2000 to 13.75% in 2016, with an increase of 3.60%. Quercus also had a positive growth in the area. This result reflected the expansion of black locust

Electrochemical cathodic protection powered by triboelectric nanogenerator

Metal corrosion is universal in the nature and the corrosion prevention for metals plays an important role everywhere in national economic development and daily life. Here a disk triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) with segmental structures is introduced as power source to achieve a special cathodic protection effect for steels. The output transferred charges and short-circuit current density of the TENG achieve 1.41 mC/min and 10.1 mA/m2, respectively, when the rotating speed is 1000 revolutions per minute (rpm). The cathodic protection potential, Tafel polarization curves and electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS) measurements are measured to evaluate the corrosion protection effect for the 403 stainless steel (403SS). The cathodic protection potential range from -320 mV to -5320 mV is achieved by changing rotation speeds and external resistance when the steel is coupled in a 0.5 m NaCl solution to the negative pole of the disk TENG. The corrosion tests results indicate that the TENG can produce 59.1% degree of protection for Q235 steels in 0.5 m NaCl solution. Furthermore, an application of marine corrosion prevention is presented by mounting the TENG onto a buoy. This work demonstrates a versatile, cost-effect and self-powered system to scavenging mechanical energy from environment, leading to effectively protect the metal corrosion without additional power sources. ? 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim

Tuning Light Emission of a Pressure-Sensitive Silicon/ZnO Nanowires Heterostructure Matrix through Piezo-phototronic Effects

Based on white light emission at silicon (Si)/ZnO hetrerojunction, a pressure-sensitive Si/ZnO nanowires heterostructure matrix light emitting diode (LED) array is developed. The light emission intensity of a single heterostructure LED is tuned by external strain: when the applied stress keeps increasing, the emission intensity first increases and then decreases with a maximum value at a compressive strain of 0.15–0.2%. This result is attributed to the piezo-phototronic effect, which can efficiently modulate the LED emission intensity by utilizing the strain-induced piezo-polarization charges. It could tune the energy band diagrams at the junction area and regulate the optoelectronic processes such as charge carriers generation, separation, recombination, and transport. This study achieves tuning silicon based devices through piezo-phototronic effect