MGG: Accelerating Graph Neural Networks with Fine-grained intra-kernel Communication-Computation Pipelining on Multi-GPU Platforms

The increasing size of input graphs for graph neural networks (GNNs) highlights the demand for using multi-GPU platforms. However, existing multi-GPU GNN systems optimize the computation and communication individually based on the conventional practice of scaling dense DNNs. For irregularly sparse and fine-grained GNN workloads, such solutions miss the opportunity to jointly schedule/optimize the computation and communication operations for high-performance delivery. To this end, we propose MGG, a novel system design to accelerate full-graph GNNs on multi-GPU platforms. The core of MGG is its novel dynamic software pipeline to facilitate fine-grained computation-communication overlapping within a GPU kernel. Specifically, MGG introduces GNN-tailored pipeline construction and GPU-aware pipeline mapping to facilitate workload balancing and operation overlapping. MGG also incorporates an intelligent runtime design with analytical modeling and optimization heuristics to dynamically improve the execution performance. Extensive evaluation reveals that MGG outperforms state-of-the-art full-graph GNN systems across various settings: on average 4.41X, 4.81X, and 10.83X faster than DGL, MGG-UVM, and ROC, respectively

YOLOv6: A Single-Stage Object Detection Framework for Industrial Applications

For years, the YOLO series has been the de facto industry-level standard for efficient object detection. The YOLO community has prospered overwhelmingly to enrich its use in a multitude of hardware platforms and abundant scenarios. In this technical report, we strive to push its limits to the next level, stepping forward with an unwavering mindset for industry application. Considering the diverse requirements for speed and accuracy in the real environment, we extensively examine the up-to-date object detection advancements either from industry or academia. Specifically, we heavily assimilate ideas from recent network design, training strategies, testing techniques, quantization, and optimization methods. On top of this, we integrate our thoughts and practice to build a suite of deployment-ready networks at various scales to accommodate diversified use cases. With the generous permission of YOLO authors, we name it YOLOv6. We also express our warm welcome to users and contributors for further enhancement. For a glimpse of performance, our YOLOv6-N hits 35.9% AP on the COCO dataset at a throughput of 1234 FPS on an NVIDIA Tesla T4 GPU. YOLOv6-S strikes 43.5% AP at 495 FPS, outperforming other mainstream detectors at the same scale~(YOLOv5-S, YOLOX-S, and PPYOLOE-S). Our quantized version of YOLOv6-S even brings a new state-of-the-art 43.3% AP at 869 FPS. Furthermore, YOLOv6-M/L also achieves better accuracy performance (i.e., 49.5%/52.3%) than other detectors with a similar inference speed. We carefully conducted experiments to validate the effectiveness of each component. Our code is made available at https://github.com/meituan/YOLOv6.Comment: technical repor

Treatment expectations of patients and clinicians: a cross-sectional study

ImportanceUnderstanding treatment expectations of patients and their clinicians is of great importance in improving personalized medical services and enhancing patient safety systems.ObjectiveTo investigate treatment expectations of patients and their clinicians and compare differences between both, by using a pair of validated structured assessment tools covering three key aspects/dimensions of clinical interests.Design, setting, and participantsThis single-center cross-sectional study was conducted at Peking Union Medical College Hospital in China. The study enrolled patients aged 16 years and older receiving inpatient care and their clinicians. Patient recruitment was conducted from March 2023 to November 2023.AssessmentsIn addition to demographic and clinical characteristics, this study employed two validated structured assessment tools to evaluate treatment expectations among patients and their clinicians: the Hospitalized Patients’ Expectations for Treatment Scale-Patient version (HOPE-P) and its counterpart, the Hospitalized Patients’ Expectations for Treatment Scale-Clinician version (HOPE-C).ResultsA total of 233 patients (mean [SD] age, 52.3 [15.1] years; 108 [46.4%] female) along with their clinicians, who numbered 75 in total were enrolled in this study. The distribution of total scores for HOPE-P and HOPE-C displayed similar patterns, with most scores concentrated in the higher range (above 50% of the full score). The mean HOPE-P total score was higher than that of HOPE-C (mean [SD] score, 38.78 [4.86] vs 37.49 [4.32]; t = 3.12, P = 0.002). In Dimension 2, the HOPE-P score was higher than HOPE-C (23.67 [3.20] vs 21.72 [3.03]; t = 6.98, P < 0.001). However, in Dimensions 1 and 3, HOPE-P scored lower than HOPE-C (13.37 [2.44] vs 13.84 [1.73]; t = -2.384, P < 0.018; 1.74 [1.14] vs 1.94 [1.00]; t = -2.00, P = 0.047). Certain demographic and clinical characteristics led to variations in patients’ treatment expectations, including marital status, monthly family income, and smoking history.Conclusions and relevanceThis cross-sectional study revealed significant differences between patients’ and doctors’ treatment expectations. Notably, it highlighted the need for clinicians to focus on rationalizing patients’ expectations concerning treatment outcomes.Trial Registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry IdentifierChiCTR2300075262

Characterization of the complete chloroplast genome of medicinal tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia)

Melaleuca alternifolia is commonly known as the medicinal tea tree. The complete chloroplast (cp) genome sequence is 160,104 bp in length, with a quantitative molecule structure comprising two copies of inverted repeats (IRa and IRb) of 26,737 bp separated by a large single copy (LSC) of 88,151bp, a small single copy (SSC) of 18,479 bp. A total of 131 genes were identified including 84 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, eight rRNA genes and two pseudogene (Ψycf1, ΨinfA), respectively. Phylogenomic analysis suggests that M. alternifolia is closely related to the rest species of Myrtaceae with strong bootstrap values

Prediction of Crushing Response for Metal Hexagonal Honeycomb under Quasi-Static Loading

To provide a theoretical basis for metal honeycombs used for buffering and crashworthy structures, this study investigated the out-of-plane crushing of metal hexagonal honeycombs with various cell specifications. The mathematical models of mean crushing stress and peak crushing stress for metal hexagonal honeycombs were predicted on the basis of simplified super element theory. The experimental study was carried out to check the accuracy of mathematical models and verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach. The presented theoretical models were compared with the results obtained from experiments on nine types of honeycombs under quasi-static compression loading in the out-of-plane direction. Excellent correlation has been observed between the theoretical and experimental results

The Motility of β-Cyclodextrins Threaded on the Polyrotaxane Based Triblock Polymer and Its Influences on Mechanical Properties

Polyrotaxane (PR) has garnered increasing attention due to its unique structure and exceptional performance. In this study, a polypseudorotaxane (PPR) initiator was prepared through the self-assembly of bromine-capped Pluronic F68 and β-cyclodextrins (β-CD) in water. Polyrotaxane-containing triblock copolymers (PR copolymers) were successfully synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of butyl methacrylate (BMA) using the PPR initiator in the presence of Cu(I)Br/PMDETA. The structure of the PR copolymers was thoroughly characterized using infrared spectroscopy (IR), proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR), and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The mobility of β-CD in the PR copolymers was demonstrated through dielectric measurements. Mechanical tests, including tensile strength assessments, thermal mechanical analysis, and dynamic mechanical analysis, confirmed the excellent mechanical properties and good processability of the PR copolymer, attributed to the PBMA blocks. Furthermore, the mechanical properties were found to be modulated by the motility of the threaded β-CDs. Consequently, the superior mechanical properties and the high mobility of the threaded β-CDs suggest promising potential for the as-prepared PR polymer in various advanced applications

A Rural Land Share Cooperative System for Alleviating the Small, Scattered, and Weak Dilemma in Agricultural Development: The Cases of Tangyue, Zhouchong, and Chongzhou

“Small, scattered and weak”, i.e., small-scale arable land holdings, decentralized operation, and weak effectiveness are common agricultural development problems that most developing countries face. Promoting the moderate-scale operation and modernization development of agriculture under the premise of protecting social stability is a complex and systemic process. In the evolution of China’s agricultural business model and land system reform, the Land Shareholding Cooperative System (LSCS) emerged. However, few studies have focused on the relationship between rural land institution innovation and agricultural economic development. We found great potential in this approach in solving the dilemma of “small, scattered, weak” in agricultural development, while protecting farmers’ land property rights. We described the cases of Tangyue, Zhouchong, and Chongzhou in rural China through the research method to illustrate how this occurred. This approach takes full advantage of the combination of “cooperative” and “shareholding” while alleviating the incompatibility of the historical allocation of arable land with urbanization and agricultural development. Balancing the development of factor markets and protecting the welfare of members contributes to its effective implementation. This study provides valuable examples of agricultural development in similar areas and countries

Integrated transcriptome and proteome revealed that the declined expression of cell cycle-related genes associated with follicular atresia in geese

Abstract Background Geese exhibit relatively low reproductive performance, and follicular atresia is an important factor that restricts the egg production of geese. Systematic analysis of the regulation of follicle atresia in geese through transcriptome and proteome levels could provide meaningful information on clarifying the mechanism of follicle atresia in poultry. Result The granulosa cell layer was loose, disintegrated and showed apoptosis in atretic follicles and remained intact in normal follicles. The hormone levels of FSH and LH were significantly decreased in the atresia follicles compared to the normal follicles (P < 0.05). A total of 954 differentially expressed genes (DEGs, 315 increased and 639 decreased) and 161 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs, 61 increased and 100 decreased) were obtained in atresia follicles compared to normal follicles, of which, 15 genes were differentially expressed in both transcriptome and proteome. The DEGs were mainly enriched in sodium transmembrane transport, plasma membrane, and transmembrane transporter activity based on the GO enrichment analysis and in the cell cycle pathway based on the KEGG enrichment analysis. The DEPs were mainly enriched in localization, lysosome, and phospholipid-binding based on the GO enrichment analysis. Candidate genes Smad2/3, Smad4, Annexin A1 (ANXA1), Stromelysin-1 (MMP3), Serine/threonine-protein kinase (CHK1), DNA replication licensing factor (MCM3), Cyclin-A2 (CCNA2), mitotic spindle assembly checkpoint protein (MAD2), Cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1), fibroblast growth factor 12 (FGF12), and G1/S-specific cyclin-D1 (CCND1) were possibly responsible for the regulation of atresia. Conclusion The cell cycle is an important pathway for the regulation of follicular atresia. Sodium outflow and high expression of MMP3 and MMP9 could be responsible for structural destruction and apoptosis of follicular cells

Micromorphology and Mechanical and Dielectric Properties of Bismaleimide Composite Modified by Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes and Polyethersulfone

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were modified by oxidizing agent to obtain O-MWCNTs, and the surface of it was coated with active group. 4,4′-Diaminodiphenylmethane bismaleimide (MBMI) was used as matrix, 3,3′-diallyl bisphenol A (BBA) and bisphenol-A diallyl ether (BBE) were used as reactive diluent, polyethersulfone (PES) as toughening agent, and O-MWCNTs as modifier; OMWCNT/PES-MBAE composite was prepared through in situ sol-gel method. The effect of PES and OMWCNTs on the mechanical and dielectric properties of composite was analyzed, and the microstructure was examined by transmission electron microscope (TEM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The mechanism of composite toughened by PES and OMWCNTs was observed and analyzed. The results showed that Diels-Alder reaction between MBMI and allyl compounds occurred completely and unsaturated double bond disappeared. O-MWCNTs and PES resin dispersed smoothly in polymer matrix and were used as reinforcement, and PES resin and O-MWCNTs could synergistically improve the properties of the composite and exhibited a typical ductile fracture. The impact and bending strengths were 16.09 kJ/m2 and 153.57 MPa, which were 74.32% and 53.08% higher than those of the MBAE matrix, respectively, and the dielectric constant and the dielectric loss were 3.76 (100 Hz) and 2.79 × 10−3 (100 Hz), when the content of PES was 2 wt% and O-MWCNTs was 0.02 wt%. The outstanding properties of the material made it play an important role in high-performance insulating material applications