InternEvo: Efficient Long-sequence Large Language Model Training via Hybrid Parallelism and Redundant Sharding

Large language models (LLMs) with long sequences begin to power more and more fundamentally new applications we use every day. Existing methods for long-sequence LLM training are neither efficient nor compatible with commonly-used training algorithms such as FlashAttention. We design InternEvo to address these issues. InternEvo decouples all of the sharding dimensions into a new hierarchical space, and systematically analyzes the memory and communication cost of LLM training. Then, it generates an effective hybrid parallelism strategy. We design a new selective overlap mechanism to mitigate the communication overhead introduced by the hybrid parallelism. We also implement memory management techniques to reduce GPU memory fragmentation. Evaluation results show that InternEvo generates parallelization strategies that match or outperform existing methods in model FLOPs utilization

Cell Cycle Arrest and Apoptosis in HT-29 Cells Induced by Dichloromethane Fraction From Toddalia asiatica (L.) Lam.

The roots of Toddalia asiatica (L.) Lam. (TA) has been often used in Chinese folk medicine to treat different diseases, including but not limited to arthritis, injuries, stomachache, and even tumors. However, the anti-cancer effects and the action mechanisms of TA remain elusive. Therefore, we firstly evaluated the effects of different extracts of TA on the growth of human colon cancer cells, and then tried to further elucidate their underlying molecular mechanisms. As a result, the dichloromethane fraction (DF) was found to possess the highest anti-proliferative activity with IC50 value at 18 μg/mL among all of the four extracts from TA, and strongly inhibited HT-29 cell growth and halted cell cycle progression in G2/M phase. DF also induced phosphatidylserine externalization and activated caspases -8, -9, and -3, suggesting DF induced apoptosis through intrinsic and extrinsic pathways. Furthermore, we found that HT-29 cell cycle arrest induced by DF could be the result of reactive oxygen species (ROS), as the ROS scavenger N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) attenuating it. Taken together, these results indicated that DF induced cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase and apoptosis in HT-29 cells, and could be a promising source for developing natural therapeutics for colon cancer

Syntheses of Benzo[d]Thiazol-2(3H)-One Derivatives and Their Antidepressant and Anticonvulsant Effects

Thirty-four new benzo[d]thiazol derivatives 2a–2i, 3a–3r, and 4a–4g were synthesized and investigated for their potential antidepressant and anticonvulsant effects. In a forced swimming test, 2c and 2d showed the highest antidepressant and anticonvulsant effects. 2c and 2d displayed a higher percentage decrease in immobility duration (89.96% and 89.62%, respectively) than that of fluoxetine (83.62%). In the maximal electroshock seizure test, 3n and 3q showed the highest anticonvulsant effect, with ED50 values of 46.1 and 64.3 mg kg−1, and protective indices of 6.34 and 4.11, respectively, which were similar to those of phenobarbital or valproate. We also found that the mechanism for the antidepressant activity of 2c and 2d may be via increasing the concentrations of serotonin and norepinephrine

Synthesis, potential anticonvulsant and antidepressant effects of 2-(5-methyl-2,3-dioxoindolin-1-yl)acetamide derivatives

A new series of 2-(5-methyl-2,3-dioxoindolin-1-yl)acetamide derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their anticonvulsive activity in a pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-evoked convulsion model and antidepressant activity in the forced swimming test (FST) model. Eleven synthesized compounds were found to be protective against PTZ-induced seizure and showed the anticonvulsant activity. In addition, four of the synthesized compounds (4l, 4m, 4p and 4q) showed potent antidepressant-like activity. Among these compounds, compound 4l was found to have the most potent antidepressant-like activity, and significantly reduced the duration of immobility time at 100 mg/kg dose level when compared to the vehicle control, which is similar to the reference drug fluoxetine

Fast capture and efficient removal of bloom algae based on improved dielectrophoresis process

A dielectrophoresis (DEP) method for direct capture and fast removal of Anabaena was established in this work. The factors affecting the removal efficiency of Anabaena were investigated systematically, leading to optimized experimental conditions and improved DEP process equipment. The experimental results showed that our improved DEP method could directly capture Anabaena in eutrophic water with much enhanced removal efficiency of Anabaena from high-concentration algal bloom-eutrophication-simulated solution. The removal rate could increase by more than 20% after applying DEP at 15 V compared with a pure filtration process. Moreover, the removal rate could increase from 38.76% to 80.18% in optimized experimental conditions (the initial concentration of 615 μg/L, a flow rate of 0.168 L/h, an AC voltage of 15 V, and frequency of 100 kHz). Optical microscopic images showed that the structure of the captured algae cells was intact, indicating that the DEP method could avoid the secondary pollution caused by the addition of reagents and the release of phycotoxins, providing a new practical method for emergent treatment of water bloom outbreaks

Prognostic Value of Holter Monitoring in Light Chain Amyloidosis

(1) Background: To evaluate the predictive value of Holter monitoring for overall survival (OS) of patients with light chain amyloidosis (AL amyloidosis). (2) Methods: 137 patients with newly diagnosed AL amyloidosis who underwent Holter monitoring within 6 months of diagnosis were included. The primary outcome was OS. Landmark analysis was conducted at one-year follow-up. Independent predictors were determined using the log-rank test and multivariate Cox regression analysis. (3) Results: 131 (95.6%) patients received non-transplant therapy, and 32 (23.4%) underwent daratumumab-based chemotherapy. After a median follow-up of 20.3 months, 47 deaths occurred. Atrial tachycardia (AT), conduction delay, and non-sustained ventricular tachycardia (NSVT) were associated with poor OS one year beyond diagnosis in univariate analyses (patients with vs. without AT: 57.3% [95% confidence interval (CI): 47.2–67.4] vs. 81.0% (95% CI: 74.8–87.2), p = 0.039; patients with vs. without NSVT: 33.3% (95% CI: 8.5–58.1) vs. 75.3% (95% CI: 69.8–80.8), p = 0.024; patients with vs. without conduction delay: 41.7% (95% CI: 24.4–59.0) vs. 75.4% (95% CI: 69.7–81.1), p = 0.003]. AT [hazard ratio (HR): 2.6; 95% CI: 1.0–6.5; p = 0.049) and conduction delay (HR: 4.3; 95% CI: 1.3–14.3; p = 0.016) were independent predictors of OS after accounting for age and 2012 Mayo stage. (4) Conclusion: AT and conduction delay in Holter monitoring are independent predictors of poor OS one year beyond diagnosis in AL amyloidosis

Remote Meta-C–H Activation Using a Pyridine-Based Template: Achieving Site-Selectivity via the Recognition of Distance and Geometry

[Image: see text] The pyridyl group has been extensively employed to direct transition-metal-catalyzed C–H activation reactions in the past half-century. The typical cyclic transition states involved in these cyclometalation processes have only enabled the activation of ortho-C–H bonds. Here, we report that pyridine is adapted to direct meta-C–H activation of benzyl and phenyl ethyl alcohols through engineering the distance and geometry of a directing template. This template takes advantage of a stronger σ-coordinating pyridine to recruit Pd catalysts to the desired site for functionalization. The U-shaped structure accommodates the otherwise highly strained cyclophane-like transition state. This development illustrates the potential of achieving site selectivity in C–H activation via the recognition of distal and geometric relationship between existing functional groups and multiple C–H bonds in organic molecules