Proteus: Simulating the Performance of Distributed DNN Training

DNN models are becoming increasingly larger to achieve unprecedented accuracy, and the accompanying increased computation and memory requirements necessitate the employment of massive clusters and elaborate parallelization strategies to accelerate DNN training. In order to better optimize the performance and analyze the cost, it is indispensable to model the training throughput of distributed DNN training. However, complex parallelization strategies and the resulting complex runtime behaviors make it challenging to construct an accurate performance model. In this paper, we present Proteus, the first standalone simulator to model the performance of complex parallelization strategies through simulation execution. Proteus first models complex parallelization strategies with a unified representation named Strategy Tree. Then, it compiles the strategy tree into a distributed execution graph and simulates the complex runtime behaviors, comp-comm overlap and bandwidth sharing, with a Hierarchical Topo-Aware Executor (HTAE). We finally evaluate Proteus across a wide variety of DNNs on three hardware configurations. Experimental results show that Proteus achieves $3.0\%$ average prediction error and preserves order for training throughput of various parallelization strategies. Compared to state-of-the-art approaches, Proteus reduces prediction error by up to $133.8\%$

pH-Responsive Host–Guest Complexation in Pillar[6]arene-Containing Polyelectrolyte Multilayer Films

A water-soluble, anionic pillar[6]arene derivative (WP6) is applied as monomeric building block for the layer-by-layer self-assembly of thin polyelectrolyte multilayer films, and its pH-dependent host–guest properties are employed for the reversible binding and release of a methylviologen guest molecule. The alternating assembly of anionic WP6 and cationic diazo resin (DAR) is monitored in-situ by a dissipative quartz crystal microbalance (QCM-D). In solution, the formation of a stoichiometric inclusion complex of WP6 and cationic methylviologen (MV) as guest molecule is investigated by isothermal titration calorimetry and UV-vis spectroscopy, respectively, and attributed to electrostatic interactions as primary driving force of the host–guest complexation. Exposure of WP6-containing multilayers to MV solution reveals a significant decrease of the resonance frequency, confirming MV binding. Subsequent release is achieved by pH lowering, decreasing the host–guest interactions. The dissociation of the host–guest complex, release of the guest from the film, as well as full reversibility of the binding event are identified by QCM-D. In addition, UV-vis data quantify the surface coverage of the guest molecule in the film after loading and release, respectively. These findings establish the pH-responsiveness of WP6 as a novel external stimulus for the reversible guest molecule recognition in thin films

New Method to Evaluate the Crosslinking Degree of Resin Finishing Agent with Cellulose Using Kjeldahl Method and Arrhenius Formula

In anti-wrinkle finishing, the crosslinking degree of fabric is mainly determined by wrinkle recovery angle, stiffness, and viscosity, these indicators can only reflect the finishing effect from a macro perspective, which cannot reflect whether the crosslinking is sufficient, and it is difficult to quantify the crosslinking degree. In this paper, we combined the Kjeldahl method with the Arrhenius formula and proposed a method to analyze the crosslinking degree of dimethyloldihydroxyethyleneurea (two-dimensional (2D) resin) with cotton cellulose during delayed-cure finishing for the first time. The nitrogen content of completed fabrics during storage was measured by the Kjeldahl method, and the reaction rate equation of the 2D resin and cellulose under normal temperature conditions was calculated. The results show that the nitrogen content is more suitable to indicate the crosslinking degree, and the apparent activation energy was 28.271 kJ/mol and the pre-finger factor was 0.622, which indicated that the 2D resin was prone to cross-linking with cotton fabrics during storage. During long-term storage, the relative errors between the calculated and measured values of the nitrogen content were within ±5%, and the accuracy was higher than the traditional evaluation method. The stability of 2D resins during the storage of delayed-curing finishing was also analyzed through this method

The complete chloroplast genome of Keteleeria evelyniana

Here, we report the complete chloroplast genome of Keteleeria evelyniana. The genome is 116,940 bp in size, which is comprised of a large single-copy (LSC) region of 74,075 bp, a small single-copy (SSC) region of 40,425 bp, and two short inverted repeat (IR) regions of 1,220 bp. The overall GC content of the plastome was 38.5%. The new sequence comprised 103 unique genes, including 74 protein-coding genes, 4 rRNA genes, and 25 tRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis showed that K.evelyniana was close to Keteleeria hainanensis and Keteleeria davidiana

The complete chloroplast genome of Pinus densata

Here, we report the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of Pinus densata. The complete chloroplast genome is 119,617 bp in length. There were 112 genes in the genome, including 73 protein-coding genes, 35 tRNA genes, and 4 rRNA genes. The overall GC was 38.5%, and the base of A, C, G, and T were 30.6, 19.3, 19.2, and 30.9%, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis showed that P. densata was relatively closely related to Pinus tabuliformis. These data may providing useful information for the phyletic evolution of P. densata within the Pinaceae family