Towards Lifelong Scene Graph Generation with Knowledge-ware In-context Prompt Learning

Scene graph generation (SGG) endeavors to predict visual relationships between pairs of objects within an image. Prevailing SGG methods traditionally assume a one-off learning process for SGG. This conventional paradigm may necessitate repetitive training on all previously observed samples whenever new relationships emerge, mitigating the risk of forgetting previously acquired knowledge. This work seeks to address this pitfall inherent in a suite of prior relationship predictions. Motivated by the achievements of in-context learning in pretrained language models, our approach imbues the model with the capability to predict relationships and continuously acquire novel knowledge without succumbing to catastrophic forgetting. To achieve this goal, we introduce a novel and pragmatic framework for scene graph generation, namely Lifelong Scene Graph Generation (LSGG), where tasks, such as predicates, unfold in a streaming fashion. In this framework, the model is constrained to exclusive training on the present task, devoid of access to previously encountered training data, except for a limited number of exemplars, but the model is tasked with inferring all predicates it has encountered thus far. Rigorous experiments demonstrate the superiority of our proposed method over state-of-the-art SGG models in the context of LSGG across a diverse array of metrics. Besides, extensive experiments on the two mainstream benchmark datasets, VG and Open-Image(v6), show the superiority of our proposed model to a number of competitive SGG models in terms of continuous learning and conventional settings. Moreover, comprehensive ablation experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of each component in our model

Model test study on bearing effect prestressing anchors in shallow buried tunnels

The use of prestressing anchor active support technology in tunnel engineering is becoming morecommon.However, the support characteristics and mechanism of action have not been fully understood for shallow, large-span rocky tunnels.In order to investigate the bearing characteristics of the surrounding rock under the prestressed anchor support system, a concealed excavation station of Qingdao Metro Line 6 was used as the engineering background, and based on the similarity principle of formulating experimental materials for stratum and support structure modelling, the bearing characteristics of the anchors under the prestressed anchor and ordinary anchor support were investigated by hydraulic loading tests.The results indicate that: ① The interaction between prestressed anchors and the surrounding rock creates a load-bearing anchor solid that can effectively support most of the overlying loads.The application of prestressed anchors during the overburden loading process increased the warning load value of tunnel instability damage by 42.8% and the ultimate load value by 41.2%.② The overburden loading process involved the prestressing anchors going through the tight anchorage load holding stage and the de-anchorage unloading stage.Simultaneously, the lining underwent the strain accumulation stage, strain surge stage, and strain release stage during the overlay loading process.③ The prestressed anchor under active support has better force synergy with the rock body than an ordinary anchor, without the axial force mutation phenomenon.This allows the support performance of the anchor to be fully utilized.Additionally, the prestressed active support effectively inhibits the development of fissures and significantly improves the overall stability of the tunnel

Treatment with organic manure inoculated with a biocontrol agent induces soil bacterial communities to inhibit tomato Fusarium wilt disease

IntroductionOrganic manure, plant growth-promoting microorganisms, and biocontrol agents are widely used to sustainably control soil-borne diseases. However, how and whether organic manure inoculated with biocontrol agents alters soil microbiota and reduces disease severity is poorly understood.MethodsHere, we examined changes to the soil microbial community, soil properties, and incidence of Fusarium wilt disease in response to several fertilization regimes. Specifically, we studied the effects of inorganic chemical fertilization (CF), organic manure fertilization (OF), and Erythrobacter sp. YH-07-inoculated organic manure fertilization (BF) on the incidence of Fusarium wilt in tomato across three seasons.ResultsBF-treated soils showed increased microbial abundance, richness, and diversity compared to other treatments, and this trend was stable across seasons. BF-treated soils also exhibited a significantly altered microbial community composition, including increased abundances of Bacillus, Altererythrobacter, Cryptococcus, and Saprospiraceae, and decreased abundances of Chryseolinea and Fusarium. Importantly, BF treatment significantly suppressed the incidence of Fusarium wilt in tomato, likely due to direct suppression by Erythrobacter sp. YH-07 and indirect suppression through changes to the microbial community composition and soil properties.DiscussionTaken together, these results suggest that Erythrobacter sp. YH-07-inoculated organic manure is a stable and sustainable soil amendment for the suppression of Fusarium wilt diseases

Silicon Fertilizer Application Promotes Phytolith Accumulation in Rice Plants

In this study, a pot experiment was designed to elucidate the effect of varying dosages of silicon (Si) fertilizer application in Si-deficient and enriched paddy soils on rice phytolith and carbon (C) bio-sequestration within phytoliths (PhytOC). The maximum Si fertilizer dosage treatment (XG3) in the Si-deficit paddy soil resulted in an increase in the rice phytolith content by 100.77% in the stem, 29.46% in the sheath and 36.84% in the leaf compared to treatment without Si fertilizer treatment (CK). However, the maximum Si fertilizer dosage treatment (WG3) in the Si -enriched soil increased the rice phytolith content by only 32.83% in the stem, 27.01% in the sheath and 32.06% in the leaf. Overall, Si fertilizer application significantly (p < 0.05) increased the content of the rice phytoliths in the stem, leaf and sheath in both the Si-deficient and enriched paddy soils, and the statistical results showed a positive correlation between the amount of Si fertilizer applied and the rice phytolith content, with correlation coefficients of 0.998 (p < 0.01) in the Si-deficient soil and 0.952 (p < 0.05) in the Si-enriched soil. In addition, the existence of phytoliths in the stem, leaf, and sheath of rice and its content in the Si-enriched soil were markedly higher than that in the Si-deficient soil. Therefore, Si fertilizer application helped to improve the phytolith content of the rice plant

Mechanism and kinetics of uric acid adsorption on nanosized hydroxyapatite coating

Uric acid (UA) produced from purine metabolism is rather harmful to human health when its concentration is high. To better understand the application of hydroxyapatite (HAP) as an adsorbent for UA removal, quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) technique was employed to in situ investigate the adsorption behavior of UA on nanosized HAP coatings. This work was mainly focused on the mechanism and kinetics of UA adsorption. The obtained results showed that nanosized HAP coatings produced physical adsorption for UA, and the driving force of UA adsorption on HAP coatings was electrostatic interaction. The adsorption kinetic parameter estimated from the in situ frequency measurement was about 3.08 × 106 L/mol. The obtained information suggests that QCM measurement provides a useful method for monitoring the interaction between HAP and UA. Keywords: Uric acid, Nanosized hydroxyapatite coating, Mechanism, Kinetics, Quartz crystal microbalanc

Experimental and DFT studies on aggregation behavior of dodecylsulfonate-based surface active ionic liquids in water and ethylammonium nitrate

The present work aims to systematically study the aggregation behavior of one halogen-free surface active ionic liquid (SAIL), i.e., 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolum dodecylsulfonate ([C(4)mim][C12H25SO3]), in water and ethylammonium nitrate (EAN), respectively. Multiple-state ordered aggregates, viz. lyotropic liquid crystals (LLCs) (normal hexagonal and laminar lyotropic liquid phases, i.e. H-1 and L-alpha phases) and lamellar gels, were facilely tuned only by the concentration of SAIL or solvent type. Furthermore, it is particularly interesting that LLC phases were constructed in H2O while lamellar gels were obtained in the EAN media environment, which were characterized by polarized optical microscopy (POM) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). According to the investigative SAXS patterns, some structural parameters were calculated, suggesting that a higher concentration of SAIL results in a denser arrangement whereas an opposite trend generates because of a higher temperature. FT-IR spectra and density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that both strong H-bonding and electrostatic interactions between EAN and the headgroups of [C(4)mim][C12H25SO3] facilitate gelation. For the self-assembled lamellar gels formed by [C(4)mim][C12H25SO3] in EAN, a thermally reversible sol-gel transition was observed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The rheological results show that the H1 phase formed by [C(4)mim][C12H25SO3] in water exhibits a viscoelastic gel-like behavior among the whole frequency region while L-alpha phase displays a viscous behavior at lower frequencies and an elastic behavior at higher frequencies. This work is expected to set a basis for application of the eco-friendly halogen-free SAIL in some fields, e.g. electrochemistry, supramolecular chemistry and drug delivery. (c) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Analysis of Arch Forming Factors of Shallow Buried Hard Rock Tunnel under Overlying Load

To investigate the arching effect of shallow buried hard rock tunnels under overlying load, the engineering scenario of a subway station on Qingdao Metro Line 6 is utilized. A large-scale tunnel loading model test is conducted, in conjunction with finite element numerical simulations, to analyze the impact of various overburden ratios on strata arching. The results show that: when the tunnel excavation span is certain, with an increase in the overlying rock mass, the stress diffusion process of the surrounding rock can be better accomplished to form the arch effect. This means that the thickness of the overburden of the tunnel determines whether or not the surrounding rock appears to have a stratified arch effect. When the tunnel overlying rock thickness is certain, the span of the tunnel determines the shape of the formation into an arch, that is, the curvature of the arch. The joint surface is an important factor in tunnel stability. When the overlying load increases to a certain value, the rock mass at the joint plane slips relatively, leading to the displacement phenomenon of the surrounding rock, which then affects the formation and shape of the formation arch