Deep Image: Scaling up Image Recognition

We present a state-of-the-art image recognition system, Deep Image, developed using end-to-end deep learning. The key components are a custom-built supercomputer dedicated to deep learning, a highly optimized parallel algorithm using new strategies for data partitioning and communication, larger deep neural network models, novel data augmentation approaches, and usage of multi-scale high-resolution images. Our method achieves excellent results on multiple challenging computer vision benchmarks.Comment: This paper has been withdrawn by the authors due to a mistake related to ImageNet server submission

Long-term regional evidence of the effects of livestock grazing on soil microbial community structure and functions in surface and deep soil layers

10 páginas.- 6 figuras.- referencias.- Supplementary data to this article can be found online at https://doi. org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2022.108629Grazing by livestock can affect plant biodiversity and topsoil functions. However, experimental evidence on whether these impacts are limited to the topsoil or penetrate into deep layers (via changes in soil environment and resource locations) of soil is lacking, especially for soil microbial biomass and diversity. Here, we used paired grazed and ungrazed (fenced) plots at 10 locations across the Mongolian Plateau to investigate how long-term (>10 years) livestock grazing affects the biomass, diversity, composition, and function of microbial communities in surface (0–20 cm) and deep soil layers (40–60 cm). Livestock grazing increased bacterial diversity by 5–9% in both soil layers but increased fungal diversity by 10% only in the topsoil. Livestock grazing also strongly altered bacterial and fungal community composition in both soil layers. Livestock grazing decreased soil C mineralization rates by 11–25% in both soil layers, and decreased soil N mineralization rates by 16% and bacterial biomass by 20% only in the topsoil. The grazing-induced increase in microbial diversity in both soil layers was mainly explained by the changes in plant C:N ratio and plant biomass rather than by soil abiotic variables, especially for the deep soil layer. The grazing-induced negative effects on ecosystem functions (soil C and N mineralization) were mainly associated with soil abiotic variables together with plant variables or microbial diversity in the surface soil layer and were mainly associated with plant variables and soil microbial diversity in the deep soil layer. Overall, our regional field experiment provides the first evidence that the strong effects of livestock grazing on soil microbial biomass, diversity, composition, and function can penetrate the deep soil in arid and semi-arid grasslands. This knowledge suggests that models should consider the dynamic interactions between land use and both soil microbial diversity and biomass across soil depths in global drylands.This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31570450 and 31630010), and the Youth Innovation Promotion Association of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (2015061). M.D-B. is also supported by a Ramón y Cajal grant from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (RYC2018-025483-I), and by the BES grant agreement No LRB17\1019 (MUSGONET)Peer reviewe

Data_Sheet_1_Fifty-year habitat subdivision enhances soil microbial biomass and diversity across subtropical land-bridge islands.docx

Although habitat loss and subdivision are considered main causes of sharp declines in biodiversity, there is still great uncertainty concerning the response of soil microbial biomass, diversity, and assemblage to habitat subdivision at the regional scale. Here, we selected 61 subtropical land-bridge islands (with small, medium, and large land areas) with a 50-year history of habitat subdivision and 9 adjacent mainland sites to investigate how habitat subdivision-induced unequal-sized patches and isolation affects biomass, diversity, and assemblages of soil bacteria and fungi. We found that the soil bacterial and fungal biomass on all unequal-sized islands were higher than that on mainland, while soil bacterial and fungal richness on the medium-sized islands were higher than that on mainland and other-sized islands. The habitat subdivision-induced increases in microbial biomass or richness were mainly associated with the changes in subdivision-specified habitat heterogeneities, especial for soil pH and soil moisture. Habitat subdivision reduced soil bacterial dissimilarity on medium-sized islands but did not affect soil fungal dissimilarity on islands of any size. The habitat fragment-induced changes in soil microbial dissimilarity were mainly associated with microbial richness. In summary, our results based on the responses of soil microbial communities from subtropical land-bridge islands are not consistent with the island biogeographical hypotheses but are to some extent consistent with the tradeoff between competition and dispersal. These findings indicate that the response of soil microbial communities to habitat subdivision differed by degree of subdivision and strongly related to habitat heterogeneity, and the distribution of microbial diversity among islands is also affected by tradeoff between competition and dispersal.</p

Facile ball-milled synthesis of SnS2-carbon nanocomposites with superior lithium storage

A facile high-energy ball-milling method was developed to synthesize SnS2-carbon (SnS2/C-x (x = 40, 50, 60 wt%)) nanocomposites. The results showed that as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), the SnS2-C nanocomposites exhibited high discharge capacity and excellent cycling stability. For the optimized SnS2/C-50 wt% nanocomposite, a discharge capacity as high as 700 mA h g−1 and the initial coulombic efficiency of 80.8% were achieved at a current density of 100 mA g−1. The unique structure with SnS2 nanoparticles (NPs) embedded into carbon network provided abundant Li-ion storage sites, high electronic conductivity and fast ion diffusion. The ball-milled synthesis is applicable for large-scale preparation of new sulfide-based anode materials with good performance for LIBs. Keywords: SnS2-carbon, Nanocomposites, Ball milling, Anode, Lithium-ion batter

Identification and Genomic Characterization of <i>Escherichia albertii</i> in Migratory Birds from Poyang Lake, China

Escherichia albertii is an emerging zoonotic foodborne enteropathogen leading to human gastroenteritis outbreaks. Although E. albertii has been isolated from birds which have been considered as the potential reservoirs of this bacterium, its prevalence in migratory birds has rarely been described. In this study, E. albertii in migratory birds from Poyang Lake was investigated and characterized using whole genome sequencing. Eighty-one fecal samples from nine species of migratory birds were collected and 24/81 (29.6%) tested PCR-positive for E. albertii-specific genes. A total of 47 isolates was recovered from 18 out of 24 PCR-positive samples. All isolates carried eae and cdtB genes. These isolates were classified into eight E. albertii O-genotypes (EAOgs) (including three novel EAOgs) and three E. albertii H-genotypes (EAHgs). Whole genome phylogeny separated migratory bird-derived isolates into different lineages, some isolates in this study were phylogenetically closely grouped with poultry-derived or patient-derived strains. Our findings showed that migratory birds may serve as an important reservoir for heterogeneous E. albertii, thereby acting as potential transmission vehicles of E. albertii to humans

Q63, a novel DENV2 RdRp non-nucleoside inhibitor, inhibited DENV2 replication and infection

Dengue virus (DENV) annually infects 400 million people worldwide. Unfortunately, there is lack of widely protective vaccine or drugs against DENV. The viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) of NS5 protein is highly conserved among different DENV subtypes, thus presenting itself as an attractive target for drug design. In the current research, SPRi was performed to screen compounds against DENV2 RdRp and 5(1H)-Quinazolinone,2-(4-bromophenyl)-2,3,4,6,7,8-hexahydro-7,7-dimethyl-1,3-diphenyl (Q63) was successfully screened out with a KD of 0.9 μM. Then, ITC and molecular docking assay was performed to access the binding mechanism between Q63 and DENV2 RdRp. Meanwhile, Q63 also decreased the intermediate dsRNA production, which was the product of RdRp. Further the antiviral effects of Q63 were evaluated on mosquito C6/36 cells and mammalian BHK-21 cells. Q63 reduced CPE and cell toxicity effect after DENV2 infection on C6/36 and BHK-21 cells, with an EC50 of 2.08 μM. Time of addition assay revealed that Q63 affected the early genome RNA replication stage, including genome RNA replication. In addition, Q63 down-regulated STAT1 phosphorylation, ISG15 and ISG54 after DENV2 infection. In summary, Q63 was found to be a novel RdRp non-nucleoside inhibitor and a potential lead compound for coping with DENV infectious disease in the future. Keywords: RdRp inhibitor, Quinazolinone derivative, DENV2 infectio

High-efficiency phase-locking experiment of modular Ka-band coaxial magnetrons

The first full demonstration of a high-efficiency phase-locking mechanism was accomplished in the millimeter-wave (mm wave) bands. Two modular Ka-band coaxial magnetrons were fabricated and phase-locked. The coaxial magnetron consisted of a conventional structure and a carefully designed coupling port that included an RF window. The coupling ports of two magnetrons were connected by coupling bridges to phase lock the coaxial magnetrons in zero-phase and π-phase difference mode, reaching phase-locking efficiencies of 93.4% and 95.6%, respectively. Two phase-locking modes were both verified by a mode detection system based on a symmetrical E-plane T-junction and a high bandwidth, high sample rate oscilloscope. Signals from the oscilloscope confirmed that phase-locking occurred after 25 ns and was reproducible from pulse to pulse. With higher power and more coaxial magnetrons in arrays, 1 MW may be achievable at Ka-band

Enrichment of Ni–Mo–V via pyrometallurgical reduction from spent hydrogenation catalysts and the multi-reaction mechanism

Spent hydrogenation catalysts are important secondary resources due to richness in the valuable metals of Ni, Mo and V. Recovery of valuable metals from spent catalysts has high economic value and environmental benefits since they are hazardous wastes as well. Traditional recycling processes including hydrometallurgical leaching and soda roasting-leaching have disadvantages such as generating large amounts of wastewater, long process, and low recovery efficiency of valuable metals. Thus, this paper proposed synergistic enrichment of Ni, Mo and V via pyrometallurgical reduction at 1400–1500\ua0\ub0C. The melting temperature and viscosity of slag were reduced through slag designing by software FactSage 7.1. The phase diagram of Al2O3-CaO-SiO2-Na2O-B2O3 was drawn, and low-temperature region (≤ 1300\ua0\ub0C) was selected as target slag composition. Ni, Mo, and V can be collaborative captured and recovered through the mutual solubility at molten state. Increasing the melting temperature and the amount of CaO, Na2O and C were conducive to improving the metals recovery rates. The kilogram-scale experiments were carried out, and the recovery efficiencies of Ni, Mo and V were 98.3%, 95.3% and 97.9% under optimized conditions: at 1500\ua0\ub0C, with the basicity of 1.0, 13.1 wt% SiO2, 7.0 wt% B2O3, 7.7 wt% Na2O and 20.0 wt% C. The distribution behavior of valuable metals was clarified by investigating the melting process of slag and the reduction in valuable metals. Ni was preferentially reduced and acted as a capturing agent, which captured other metals to form NiMoV alloys. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Single cell RNA sequencing unravels mechanisms underlying senescence-like phenotypes of alveolar macrophages

Summary: Alveolar macrophages (AMs) are resident innate immune cells that play vital roles in maintaining lung physiological functions. However, the effects of aging on their dynamics, heterogeneity, and transcriptional profiles remain to be fully elucidated. Through single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), we identified CBFβ as an indispensable transcription factor that ensures AM self-renewal. Intriguingly, despite transcriptome similarities of proliferating cells, AMs from aged mice exhibited reduced embryonic stem cell–like features. Aged AMs also displayed compromised DNA repair abilities, potentially leading to obstructed cell cycle progression and an elevation of senescence markers. Consistently, AMs from aged mice exhibited impaired self-renewal ability and reduced sensitivity to GM-CSF. Decreased CBFβ was observed in the cytosol of AMs from aged mice. Similar senescence-like phenotypes were also found in human AMs. Taken together, these findings suggest that AMs in aged hosts demonstrate senescence-like phenotypes, potentially facilitated by the abrogated CBF β activity

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) Relating to Avian Influenza (H10N8) among Farmers’ Markets Workers in Nanchang, China

<div><p>Three cases of avian influenza virus H10N8 were reported in Nanchang, China, as of April 2014. To identify the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) related to H10N8 among farmers’ market workers, a cross-sectional survey was conducted in 63 farmers’ markets in Nanchang. Using the resulting data, characteristics of poultry and non-poultry workers’ knowledge, attitudes, and practice were described. Results suggest that interventions targeting high-risk workers should be developed and implemented by public health agencies to prevent the spread of H10N8. Additionally policies that encourage farmers’ market workers to receive influenza vaccine should be developed, adopted, and enforced.</p></div