Several new infinite classes of 0-APN power functions over F2n\mathbb{F}_{2^n}

The investigation of partially APN functions has attracted a lot of research interest recently. In this paper, we present several new infinite classes of 0-APN power functions over $\mathbb{F}_{2^n}$ by using the multivariate method and resultant elimination, and show that these 0-APN power functions are CCZ-inequivalent to the known ones.Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2210.02207, arXiv:2210.15103 by other author

Bipartite Graph Pre-training for Unsupervised Extractive Summarization with Graph Convolutional Auto-Encoders

Pre-trained sentence representations are crucial for identifying significant sentences in unsupervised document extractive summarization. However, the traditional two-step paradigm of pre-training and sentence-ranking, creates a gap due to differing optimization objectives. To address this issue, we argue that utilizing pre-trained embeddings derived from a process specifically designed to optimize cohensive and distinctive sentence representations helps rank significant sentences. To do so, we propose a novel graph pre-training auto-encoder to obtain sentence embeddings by explicitly modelling intra-sentential distinctive features and inter-sentential cohesive features through sentence-word bipartite graphs. These pre-trained sentence representations are then utilized in a graph-based ranking algorithm for unsupervised summarization. Our method produces predominant performance for unsupervised summarization frameworks by providing summary-worthy sentence representations. It surpasses heavy BERT- or RoBERTa-based sentence representations in downstream tasks.Comment: Accepted by the 2023 Conference on Empirical Methods in Natural Language Processing (EMNLP 2023

Large Language Models are reasoners with Self-Verification

When a large language model (LLM) performs complex reasoning by chain of thought (CoT), it can be highly sensitive to individual mistakes. We have had to train verifiers to address this issue. As we all know, after human inferring a conclusion, they often check it by re-verifying it, which can avoid some mistakes. We propose a new method called self-verification that uses the conclusion of the CoT as a condition to build a new sample and asks the LLM to re-predict the original conditions which be masked. We calculate an explainable verification score based on the accuracy. This method can improve the accuracy of multiple arithmetics and logical reasoning datasets when using few-shot learning. we have demonstrated that LLMs can conduct explainable self-verification of their own conclusions and achieve competitive reasoning performance. Extensive experimentals have demonstrated that our method can help multiple large language models with self-verification can avoid interference from incorrect CoT. Code is available at \url{https://github.com/WENGSYX/Self-Verification

Mind the Propagation of States New Automatic Search Tool for Impossible Differentials and Impossible Polytopic Transitions (Full Version)

Impossible differentials cryptanalysis and impossible polytopic cryptanalysis are the most effective approaches to estimate the security of block ciphers. However, the previous automatic search methods of their distinguishers, impossible differentials and impossible polytopic transitions, neither consider the impact of key schedule in the single-key setting and the differential property of large S-boxes, nor apply to the block ciphers with variable rotations. Thus, unlike previous methods which focus on the propagation of the difference or $s$-difference, we redefine the impossible differentials and impossible $(s+1)$-polytopic transitions according to the propagation of state, which allow us to break through those limitations of the previous methods. Theoretically, we prove that traditional impossible differentials and impossible $(s+1)$-polytopic transitions are equivalent to part of our redefinitions, which have advantages from broader view. Technically, we renew the automatic search model and design an SAT-based tool to evaluate our redefined impossible differentials and impossible $(s+1)$-polytopic transitions efficiently. As a result, for GIFT64, we get the $6$-round impossible differentials which cannot be detected by all previous tools. For PRINTcipher, we propose the first modeling method for the key-dependent permutation and key-dependent S-box. For MISTY1, we derive 902 4-round impossible differentials by exploiting the differential property of S-boxes. For RC5, we present the first modeling method for the variable rotation and get 2.5-round impossible differentials for each version of it. More remarkable, our tool can be used to evaluate the security of given cipher against the impossible differentials, and we prove that there exists no 5-round 1 input active word and 1 output active word impossible differentials for AES-128 even consider the relations of 3-round keys. Besides, we also get the impossible $(s+1)$-polytopic transitions for PRINTcipher, GIFT64, PRESENT, and RC5, all of which can cover more rounds than their corresponding impossible differentials as far as we know

Mitochondrial Genome of an 8,400-Year-Old Individual from Northern China Reveals a Novel Sub-Clade under C5d

Ancient DNA studies have always refreshed our understanding of the human past that can’t be tracked by modern DNA alone. Until recently, ancient mitochondrial genomic studies in East Asia are still very limited. Here, we retrieved the whole mitochondrial genome of an 8,400-year- old individual from Inner Mongolia, China. Phylogenetic analyses show that the individual belongs to a previously undescribed clade under haplogroup C5d that was most probably originated in northern Asia and may have a very low frequency in extant populations that is not yet sampled. We further characterized the demographic history of mitochondrial haplogroups C5 and C5d, and found that C5 experienced a sharp increase in population size starting from around 4,000 years before present (BP). The time when intensive millet farming was built by populations who are associated with the lower Xiajiadian culture and was widely adopted in northern China. We caution that people related to haplogroup C5 may added this farming technology to their original way of life and that the various subsistence may provide abundant food sources and may further contribute to the increase of the population size

Ancient mitochondrial genomes reveal extensive genetic influence of the steppe pastoralists in Western Xinjiang

The population prehistory of Xinjiang has been a hot topic among geneticists, linguists, and archaeologists. Current ancient DNA studies in Xinjiang exclusively suggest an admixture model for the populations in Xinjiang since the early Bronze Age. However, almost all of these studies focused on the northern and eastern parts of Xinjiang; the prehistoric demographic processes that occurred in western Xinjiang have been seldomly reported. By analyzing complete mitochondrial sequences from the Xiabandi (XBD) cemetery (3,500–3,300 BP), the up-to-date earliest cemetery excavated in western Xinjiang, we show that all the XBD mitochondrial sequences fall within two different West Eurasian mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) pools, indicating that the migrants into western Xinjiang from west Eurasians were a consequence of the early expansion of the middle and late Bronze Age steppe pastoralists (Steppe_MLBA), admixed with the indigenous populations from Central Asia. Our study provides genetic links for an early existence of the Indo-Iranian language in southwestern Xinjiang and suggests that the existence of Andronovo culture in western Xinjiang involved not only the dispersal of ideas but also population movement.Introduction Materials and methods - Archaeological Background, Sampling, and Sequencing - Sequence Mapping and Mitochondrial DNA Haplogroup Determination - Analysis of Xiabandi Mitochondrial DNA Genomes Results - Mitochondrial DNA Authentication and Contamination Assessment - Major Bronze Age Steppe Pastoralist Origin of the Xiabandi Mitochondrial Haplogroups - Expansion of the Bronze Age Steppe Pastoralists as a Dynamic Process to Form the Genetic Landscape of Xiabandi Individuals Discussion Conclusion

Isolation and Characterization of 15 New Microsatellite Markers in Oncomelania hupensis, the Snail Intermediate Host of Schistosoma japonicum in Mainland China

Oncomelania hupensis is the unique intermediate host of Schistosoma japonicum, which plays a key role during the transmission of schistosomiasis. It is mainly found in the Yangtze River valley and mountains or hills in southwest China. In this paper, we described 15 new microsatellite makers in O. hupensis. Polymorphism of each locus was assessed in 80 individuals from four wild populations (n = 20 per population). The number of alleles per locus ranged from 6 to 29, with an average of 15.8. The observed (HO) and expected (HE) heterozygosities varied from 0.397 to 0.851 and from 0.696 to 0.948, respectively. These microsatellite markers will be useful for population genetic studies and genome mapping in O. hupensis

Continued spread of HIV among injecting drug users in southern Sichuan Province, China

OBJECTIVE: To estimate HIV prevalence among injecting drug users (IDUs) in a drug trafficking city in southwest Sichuan Province, China. METHODS: A total of 314 IDUs was invited to participate in the cross-sectional survey in 2004 through community outreach recruitment and peer referrals. Blood sample was taken for HIV antibody testing and a structured questionnaire was administered to collect information on socio-demographics, drug using and sexual behaviors. RESULTS: HIV prevalence among IDUs was 17.8% (56/314), about one half higher than that in previous survey in 2002 (11.3%, 43/379). Yi and other minority ethnicity (Odds ratio [OR], 3.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.7–5.8; P < 0.001), and total times of sharing injecting equipments 1–9 times versus none, OR, 2.7; 95% CI 1.2–6.2; P = 0.02; and ≥10 times versus none, OR, 7.5; 95% CI, 3.2–17.7; P < 0.001) were independent risk factors for HIV infection. CONCLUSION: IDUs with high prevalence rates of HIV and equipment sharing behavior in the drug trafficking city may serve a source for further spread of HIV to other areas in China. The increasing trend of HIV epidemic among IDUs underscores the urgency of scaling up interventions