PICO: Accelerating All k-Core Paradigms on GPU

Core decomposition is a well-established graph mining problem with various applications that involves partitioning the graph into hierarchical subgraphs. Solutions to this problem have been developed using both bottom-up and top-down approaches from the perspective of vertex convergence dependency. However, existing algorithms have not effectively harnessed GPU performance to expedite core decomposition, despite the growing need for enhanced performance. Moreover, approaching performance limitations of core decomposition from two different directions within a parallel synchronization structure has not been thoroughly explored. This paper introduces an efficient GPU acceleration framework, PICO, for the Peel and Index2core paradigms of k-core decomposition. We propose PeelOne, a Peel-based algorithm designed to simplify the parallel logic and minimize atomic operations by eliminating vertices that are 'under-core'. We also propose an Index2core-based algorithm, named HistoCore, which addresses the issue of extensive redundant computations across both vertices and edges. Extensive experiments on NVIDIA RTX 3090 GPU show that PeelOne outperforms all other Peel-based algorithms, and HistoCore outperforms all other Index2core-based algorithms. Furthermore, HistoCore even outperforms PeelOne by 1.1x - 3.2x speedup on six datasets, which breaks the stereotype that the Index2core paradigm performs much worse than the Peel in a shared memory parallel setting

Origin of Improved Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting in Mixed Perovskite Oxides

Owing to the versatility in their chemical and physical properties, transition metal perovskite oxides have emerged as a new category of highly efficient photocatalysts for photoelectrochemical water splitting. Here, to understand the underlying mechanism for the enhanced photoelectrochemical water splitting in mixed perovskites, we explore ideal epitaxial thin films of the BiFeO3-SrTiO3 system. The electronic struture and carrier dynamics are determined from both experiment and density-functional theory calculations. The intrinsic phenomena are measured in this ideal sytem, contrasting to commonly studied polycrstalline solid solutions where extrinsic structural features obscure the intrinsic phenomena. We determined that when SrTiO3 is added to BiFeO3 the conduction band minimum position is raised and an exponential tail of trap states from hybridized Ti 3d and Fe 3d orbitals emerges near the conduction band edge. The presence of these trap states strongly suppresses the fast electron-hole recombination and improves the photocurrent density in the visible-light region, up to 16 times at 0 VRHE compared to the pure end member compositions. Our work provides a new design approach for optimising the photoelectrochemical performance in mixed perovksite oxides.Comment: 7 pages and 5 figure

Copulatory pattern and behavior in a semi-captive population of Eld's deer

Male copulatory patterns, female multiple copulation and male post-copulatory guarding were studied in Eld’s deer Cervus eldi in Datian National Nature Reserve, China. Mating behavior in 18 females and 11 males from a group of 61 semi-captive Eld’s deer were observed. The majority (55.8%) of copulations occurred between 15:00–19:00 h. The ejaculatory mount was preceded by an average of 5.1 prior mounts. Successful copulation consisted of a single thrust with ejaculation during one intromission, with no lock. This copulatory pattern is classified as pattern No. 15 (no lock, no intravaginal thrusting, single intromission, and multiple ejaculation) and No. 16 (no lock, no intravaginal thrusting, single intromission, and single ejaculation) under Dewsbury’s scheme (1972) and as No. 16 (no lock, no thrusting, single and brief intromission) under Dixson’s classification (1998). Copulation frequency was 1.5 ± 0.9 times for males/ females with the same female/male per day. The duration of the final mount, which included ejaculation, was brief (3.4 ± 1.3 s), and ejaculation usually terminated copulation. Eleven females copulated more than once in this study: three of them copulated with several males (multi-male copulations) and the remainder copulated with a single male (repeated copulations). Our results indicate that some female Eld’s deer may seek multiple copulations to be a strategy to improve the genetic quality of their offspring or to avoid harassment. Post-copulatory guarding of females by males followed all copulations, with dominant males guarding for significantly longer than subordinate males. Dominant males appear to be more effective at post-copulatory guarding than subordinate males. Subordinate males engaged in a quicker pre-copulatory phase to improve their chances of finishing copulation before being forced to accede to dominant males [Current Zoology 57 (3): 284–292, 2011]

Sulfur biological cycle of the different Suaeda salsa marshes in the intertidal zone of the Yellow River estuary, China

To evaluate the sulfur (S) biological cycle status in the marshes of the intertidal zone, this study explored the S biogeochemical processes in the two Suaeda salsa marshes [middle S. salsa marsh (MSM) and low S. salsa marsh (LSM)] of the Yellow River estuary during April 2008 to November 2009. Results showed that soil S fluctuated seasonally and varied with depth in both MSM and LSM. The variations in S content in different parts of plant were significantly influenced by water and salinity. The S. salsa litter in MSM and LSM released S to the decomposition environment throughout the year. The S absorption coefficients of S. salsa in MSM and LSM were very low (0.0031 and 0.0004, respectively), while the S biological cycle coefficients were high (0.9014 and 0.8625, respectively). The S turnovers among compartments of MSM and LSM indicated that the uptake amounts of roots were 1.237 and 0.160 g m(-2) yr(-1) and the values of aboveground parts were 3.885 and 1.276 g m(-2) yr(-1), the re-translocation quantities from aboveground parts to roots were 2.770 and 1.138 g m(-2) yr(-1), the translocation amounts from roots to soil were 0.154 and 0.018 g m(-2) yr(-1), the translocation quantities from aboveground living bodies to litter were 1.115 and 0.138 g m(-2) yr(-1), and the annual return quantities from litter to soil were less than 1.096 and 0.188 g m(-2) yr(-1), respectively. Although S was not a limiting nutrient in S. salsa marshes; its high biological cycle rate might significantly inhibit the production and emission of methane (CH4), which had important significances to reduce CH4 emission from the Yellow River estuary. The S quantitative relationships determined in the compartment model might provide some scientific basis for us to reveal the special inhibition mechanism in future studies. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.To evaluate the sulfur (S) biological cycle status in the marshes of the intertidal zone, this study explored the S biogeochemical processes in the two Suaeda salsa marshes [middle S. salsa marsh (MSM) and low S. salsa marsh (LSM)] of the Yellow River estuary during April 2008 to November 2009. Results showed that soil S fluctuated seasonally and varied with depth in both MSM and LSM. The variations in S content in different parts of plant were significantly influenced by water and salinity. The S. salsa litter in MSM and LSM released S to the decomposition environment throughout the year. The S absorption coefficients of S. salsa in MSM and LSM were very low (0.0031 and 0.0004, respectively), while the S biological cycle coefficients were high (0.9014 and 0.8625, respectively). The S turnovers among compartments of MSM and LSM indicated that the uptake amounts of roots were 1.237 and 0.160 g m(-2) yr(-1) and the values of aboveground parts were 3.885 and 1.276 g m(-2) yr(-1), the re-translocation quantities from aboveground parts to roots were 2.770 and 1.138 g m(-2) yr(-1), the translocation amounts from roots to soil were 0.154 and 0.018 g m(-2) yr(-1), the translocation quantities from aboveground living bodies to litter were 1.115 and 0.138 g m(-2) yr(-1), and the annual return quantities from litter to soil were less than 1.096 and 0.188 g m(-2) yr(-1), respectively. Although S was not a limiting nutrient in S. salsa marshes; its high biological cycle rate might significantly inhibit the production and emission of methane (CH4), which had important significances to reduce CH4 emission from the Yellow River estuary. The S quantitative relationships determined in the compartment model might provide some scientific basis for us to reveal the special inhibition mechanism in future studies. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Policy Mobilities and the China Model: Pairing Aid Policy in Xinjiang

This paper seeks to make a contribution to on-going debates about how to conceptualize the “China model” by emphasizing the top-down regional coordination strategies of China in the context of policy mobilities. The notion of policy mobilities is a hot issue through which to analyze how successful political ideas are often mobilized, imitated, adapted, and reused in new places by various actors through learning the global “best” experiences. However, policy mobilities should be employed as a frame within a specific political-economy context and the “institutional geometries”, especially in China which is characterized by centralization of state power and impressive economic growth recently. In this paper, we argue that the case of pairing aid policy in China, in which diffused policy ideas regarding advanced development initiatives are transferred and adopted in relatively underdeveloped areas, serves as a key part of the China model to balance regional development. Drawing on a case study of pairing aid policy in Xinjiang, the paper explores the ways in which the advanced industries, cadres, and investments from 19 developed coastal provinces or cities were mobilized by the state power network: (1) Transferring cadres and technicians from developed areas to directly work in Xinjiang temporally; (2) mobilizing the industrial policy package to attract labor-intensive and resource-oriented firms located in the industrial zones of Xinjiang; and (3) mobilizing a part of fiscal investments from donating areas to expand recipients’ direct investments. By doing this, we illustrate how higher-level authority can develop more state powers to transfer regional cadres, capital, and projects from developed areas to less developed ones, as well as how mobilized policies can be entrepreneurially adopted and flexibly mutated in the context of various local conditions