Current Discourse Space in Sino-American Economic News on “The Belt and Road”

To unveil the covert relation between cognitive perceptions and language use, and to probe into the cognitive mechanism revealed by news discourses, the authors set out to analyze the economic news semantically and textually, in an attempt to grasp a preliminary picture of different cognitive patterns of the Chinese and Americans on “The Belt and Road” (B&R), drawing insights on how people from different cultural backgrounds interpret B&R and its promotion, based on the current discourse space (CDS) analysis. The findings show that the variation of CDS frame applied in both Chinese and American news reports exists in dynamic linguistic representations, which sheds light on the substantial roles that mass media plays in affecting news readers’ perceiving manners or cognitive patterns. The authors emphatically claim that the promotion of B&R still has a long way to go until it reaches the highland of positive and objective social cognitive perceptions embedded in people from various backgrounds. This research provides evidences to identify interdependencies between particular CDS models that allow inferences about the CDS frames of a certain situation evoked by the news agencies and their discourse writers from different cultural backgrounds and from different political stances

Functional Mapping of Plant Growth in Arabidopsis thaliana

Most traits important to agriculture, biology, and biomedicine are complex traits, determined by both genetic and environmental factors. The complex traits that change their phenotypes over different stages of development are called dynamic traits. Traditional quantitative trait loci (QTLs) mapping approaches ignore the dynamic changes of complex traits. Functional mapping, as a powerful statistical tool, can not only map QTLs that control the developmental pattern and process of complex traits, but also describe the dynamic changes of complex traits. In this study, we used functional mapping to identify those QTLs that affect height growth in 10th generation recombinant inbred lines derived from two different Arabidopsis thaliana accessions. Functional mapping identified 48 QTLs that are related to height traits. The growth curves of different genotypes can be drawn for each significant locus. By GO gene function annotations, we found that these QTLs detected are associated with the synthesis of biological macromolecules and the regulation of biological functions. Our findings provide unique insights into the genetic control of height growth of A. thaliana and will provide a theoretical basis for the study of complex traits

An Implementation of Multimodal Fusion System for Intelligent Digital Human Generation

With the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI), digital humans have attracted more and more attention and are expected to achieve a wide range of applications in several industries. Then, most of the existing digital humans still rely on manual modeling by designers, which is a cumbersome process and has a long development cycle. Therefore, facing the rise of digital humans, there is an urgent need for a digital human generation system combined with AI to improve development efficiency. In this paper, an implementation scheme of an intelligent digital human generation system with multimodal fusion is proposed. Specifically, text, speech and image are taken as inputs, and interactive speech is synthesized using large language model (LLM), voiceprint extraction, and text-to-speech conversion techniques. Then the input image is age-transformed and a suitable image is selected as the driving image. Then, the modification and generation of digital human video content is realized by digital human driving, novel view synthesis, and intelligent dressing techniques. Finally, we enhance the user experience through style transfer, super-resolution, and quality evaluation. Experimental results show that the system can effectively realize digital human generation. The related code is released at https://github.com/zyj-2000/CUMT_2D_PhotoSpeaker

T2I-CompBench: A Comprehensive Benchmark for Open-world Compositional Text-to-image Generation

Despite the stunning ability to generate high-quality images by recent text-to-image models, current approaches often struggle to effectively compose objects with different attributes and relationships into a complex and coherent scene. We propose T2I-CompBench, a comprehensive benchmark for open-world compositional text-to-image generation, consisting of 6,000 compositional text prompts from 3 categories (attribute binding, object relationships, and complex compositions) and 6 sub-categories (color binding, shape binding, texture binding, spatial relationships, non-spatial relationships, and complex compositions). We further propose several evaluation metrics specifically designed to evaluate compositional text-to-image generation. We introduce a new approach, Generative mOdel fine-tuning with Reward-driven Sample selection (GORS), to boost the compositional text-to-image generation abilities of pretrained text-to-image models. Extensive experiments and evaluations are conducted to benchmark previous methods on T2I-CompBench, and to validate the effectiveness of our proposed evaluation metrics and GORS approach. Project page is available at https://karine-h.github.io/T2I-CompBench/.Comment: Project page: https://karine-h.github.io/T2I-CompBench

Underwater target detection based on improved YOLOv7

Underwater target detection is a crucial aspect of ocean exploration. However, conventional underwater target detection methods face several challenges such as inaccurate feature extraction, slow detection speed and lack of robustness in complex underwater environments. To address these limitations, this study proposes an improved YOLOv7 network (YOLOv7-AC) for underwater target detection. The proposed network utilizes an ACmixBlock module to replace the 3x3 convolution block in the E-ELAN structure, and incorporates jump connections and 1x1 convolution architecture between ACmixBlock modules to improve feature extraction and network reasoning speed. Additionally, a ResNet-ACmix module is designed to avoid feature information loss and reduce computation, while a Global Attention Mechanism (GAM) is inserted in the backbone and head parts of the model to improve feature extraction. Furthermore, the K-means++ algorithm is used instead of K-means to obtain anchor boxes and enhance model accuracy. Experimental results show that the improved YOLOv7 network outperforms the original YOLOv7 model and other popular underwater target detection methods. The proposed network achieved a mean average precision (mAP) value of 89.6% and 97.4% on the URPC dataset and Brackish dataset, respectively, and demonstrated a higher frame per second (FPS) compared to the original YOLOv7 model. The source code for this study is publicly available at https://github.com/NZWANG/YOLOV7-AC. In conclusion, the improved YOLOv7 network proposed in this study represents a promising solution for underwater target detection and holds great potential for practical applications in various underwater tasks

Characterization of marine shale in Western Hubei Province based on unmanned aerial vehicle oblique photographic data

The marine shale in the Sinian Doushantuo Formation of Qinglinkou outcrop section is well developed, but the current characterization methods for outcrops are unsatisfactory. In this paper, the data of outcrop in the field study area were collected by Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, then processed and interpreted by oblique photography technology combined with manual investigation. Subsequently, we established a quantitative geological knowledge database of the shale formations and carried out the typical section of anatomy analysis. The results showed that the high-precision image information captured by unmanned aerial vehicle oblique photography technology can be well coupled with a three-dimensional coordinate system. The three-dimensional digital model was used to characterize the lithologic assemblage, thickness and distribution characteristics of the target reservoir. Based on this digital model, we established the three-dimensional lithology and the total organic carbon models of the outcrop area. The spatial distribution characteristics of interbedding between marine dolomite and shale in the outcrop area were displayed, and the distribution of total organic carbon was revealed under lithological constraints. The models are beneficial for the analysis and prediction of the lithology and total organic carbon, which is of great significance to the understanding of shale gas sweet spots.Cited as: Yin, S., Feng, K., Nie, X., Chen, Q., Liu, Y., Wang, P. Characterization of marine shale in Western Hubei Province based on unmanned aerial vehicle oblique photographic data. Advances in Geo-Energy Research, 2022, 6(3): 252-263. https://doi.org/10.46690/ager.2022.03.0

Organic & Hybrid Photonic Crystals for Controlling Light-Matter Interaction Processes

Organic & Hybrid Photonic Crystals for Controlling Light-Matter Interaction Processe

Ruminal microbiota and muscle metabolome characteristics of Tibetan plateau yaks fed different dietary protein levels

IntroductionThe dietary protein level plays a crucial role in maintaining the equilibrium of rumen microbiota in yaks. To explore the association between dietary protein levels, rumen microbiota, and muscle metabolites, we examined the rumen microbiome and muscle metabolome characteristics in yaks subjected to varying dietary protein levels.MethodsIn this study, 36 yaks were randomly assigned to three groups (n = 12 per group): low dietary protein group (LP, 12% protein concentration), medium dietary protein group (MP, 14% protein concentration), and high dietary protein group (HP, 16% protein concentration).Results16S rDNA sequencing revealed that the HP group exhibited the highest Chao1 and Observed_species indices, while the LP group demonstrated the lowest. Shannon and Simpson indices were significantly elevated in the MP group relative to the LP group (P < 0.05). At the genus level, the relative abundance of Christensenellaceae_R-7_group in the HP group was notably greater than that in the LP and MP groups (P < 0.05). Conversely, the relative abundance of Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group displayed an increasing tendency with escalating feed protein levels. Muscle metabolism analysis revealed that the content of the metabolite Uric acid was significantly higher in the LP group compared to the MP group (P < 0.05). The content of the metabolite L-(+)-Arabinose was significantly increased in the MP group compared to the HP group (P < 0.05), while the content of D-(-)-Glutamine and L-arginine was significantly reduced in the LP group (P < 0.05). The levels of metabolites 13-HPODE, Decanoylcarnitine, Lauric acid, L-(+)-Arabinose, and Uric acid were significantly elevated in the LP group relative to the HP group (P < 0.05). Furthermore, our observations disclosed correlations between rumen microbes and muscle metabolites. The relative abundance of NK4A214_group was negatively correlated with Orlistat concentration; the relative abundance of Christensenellaceae_R-7_group was positively correlated with D-(-)-Glutamine and L-arginine concentrations.DiscussionOur findings offer a foundation for comprehending the rumen microbiome of yaks subjected to different dietary protein levels and the intimately associated metabolic pathways of the yak muscle metabolome. Elucidating the rumen microbiome and muscle metabolome of yaks may facilitate the determination of dietary protein levels

Efficacy and safety of Chinese herbal medicine in post-stroke epilepsy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Poststroke epilepsy (PSE) is a common complication of strokes that seriously affects the recovery and quality of life of patients, and effective treatments are needed. Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) adjunctive therapy is a viable treatment option, but current evidence is insufficient to support its efficacy and safety. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of CHM adjunctive therapy in the treatment of PSE.Methods: A systematic search of eight databases was conducted to identify PSE-related randomized clinical trials from the inception of each database through October 2023. The methodological quality assessment was conducted by RoB 2.0, meta-analysis was conducted by RevMan 5.3 and Stata 15.1, and evidence quality was evaluated by GRADE.Results: Twenty-three RCTs involving 1,901 PSE patients were identified. We found that orally administered CHM plus conventional Western medicine (CWM) was superior to CWM monotherapy in increasing the 75% responder rate (RR 1.46, 95% CI: 1.31 to 1.62, p < 0.00001), decreasing the seizure duration (MD -1.01, 95% CI: −1.30 to −0.72, p < 0.00001), improving total responder rate (RR 1.29, 95% CI: 1.20 to 1.37, p < 0.00001), reducing epileptiform discharges (EDs) (MD -2.02.46, 95% CI: −2.64 to −1.40, p < 0.00001), and decreasing the number of leads involved in epileptiform discharge (MD -3.92, 95% CI: −5.15 to −2.68, p < 0.00001). Furthermore, intravenously administered CHM plus CWM was superior regarding 75% responder rate (RR 1.39, 95% CI: 1.24 to 1.56, p < 0.00001), total responder rate (RR 1.29, 95% CI: 1.20 to 1.39, p < 0.00001), EDs (MD -3.92, 95% CI: −5.15 to −2.68, p < 0.00001), and the number of leads involved in epileptiform discharge (MD -1.82, 95% CI: −2.62 to −1.02, p < 0.00001). However, regarding the 50%–75% responder rate, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups for either oral (RR 1.00, 95% CI: 0.77 to 1.29, p = 0.98) or injectable CHM (RR 0.95, 95% CI: 0.67 to 1.33, p = 0.75). Both orally administered CHM plus CWM (RR 0.56, 95% CI: 0.35 to 0.90, p = 0.02) and intravenously administered CHM plus CWM (RR 0.64, 95% CI: 0.45 to 0.90, p = 0.010) caused fewer AEs than CWM. Furthermore, the levels of evidence ranged from low to high due to publication bias and heterogeneity.Conclusion: CHM adjuvant therapy may be an effective and safe therapy for PSE. However, due to the poor quality of clinical data, more well-designed RCTs are needed to confirm these findings.Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?RecordID=364356, identifier PROSPERO (CRD42022364356