This article proposes a new concept of 'contested multilateralism 2.0' to describe the puzzling institutional building efforts by non-ASEAN members after the 2008 global financial crisis (GFC) in the ...Asia-Pacific. It suggests that different to 'multilateralism 1.0' of the 1990s, which was mainly led by ASEAN, this wave of multilateralism has been initiated by other powers, such as the United States, China, Japan, Australia and South Korea, either by forming new institutions or by reinvigorating existing ones. This article advances an institutional balancing argument. It suggests that 'contested multilateralism 2.0' is a result of institutional balancing among major states under the conditions of high strategic uncertainty and high economic interdependence after the GFC. One unintended consequence may be that it could well lead to a more peaceful transformation of the regional order in the Asia-Pacific if regional security hotspots, such as the Korean crisis and the South China Sea dispute, can be managed appropriately.
Monolayer of 2D transition metal dichalcogenides, with a thickness of less than 1 nm, paves a feasible path to the development of ultrathin memristive synapses, to fulfill the requirements for ...constructing large‐scale high density 3D stacking neuromorphic chips. Herein, memristive devices based on monolayer n‐MoS2 on p‐Si substrate with a large self‐rectification ratio, exhibiting photonic potentiation and electric habituation, are successfully fabricated. Versatile synaptic neuromorphic functions, such as potentiation/habituation, short‐term/long‐term plasticity, and paired‐pulse facilitation, are successfully mimicked based on the inherent persistent photoconductivity performance and the volatile resistive switching behavior. These findings demonstrate the potential applications of ultrathin transition metal dichalcogenides for memristive synapses. These memristive synapses with the combination of photonic and electric neuromorphic functions have prospective in the applications of synthetic retinas and optoelectronic interfaces for integrated photonic circuits based on mixed‐mode electro‐optical operation.
Synergetic optical and electrical neuromorphic functions are demonstrated in the memristive synapses based on monolayer MoS2. These ultrathin artificial synapses with the behavior of photonic potentiation and electric habituation have prospective in the applications of synthetic retinas and optoelectronic interfaces for integrated photonic circuits based on the mixed electro‐optical operation.
This study integrates elements of neorealist and neoliberal theories with a model of institutional balancing that identifies the conditions under which this form of soft balancing occurs. ...Institutional balancing, i.e. countering pressures or threats through initiating, utilizing, and dominating multilateral institutions, is a new realist strategy for states to pursue security under anarchy. The interplay between the distribution of capabilities and strong economic interdependence shapes states' decisions on when and how to employ this strategy. Historical examples include: inclusive and exclusive efforts by Third World states and the superpowers to organize voting blocs in the UN during the Cold War; inclusive institutional balancing of ASEAN states to constrain China and ensure US support in the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) after the Cold War; exclusive institutional balancing of ASEAN states against the US in the ASEAN Plus Three (APT) summit after the Southeast Asian financial crisis. These examples illustrate the logic of institutional balancing under the conditions of bipolarity, incipient multipolarity, and unipolarity.
Artificial neurons with functions such as leaky integrate‐and‐fire (LIF) and spike output are essential for brain‐inspired computation with high efficiency. However, previously implemented artificial ...neurons, e.g., Hodgkin–Huxley (HH) neurons, integrate‐and‐fire (IF) neurons, and LIF neurons, only achieve partial functionality of a biological neuron. In this work, quasi‐HH neurons with leaky integrate‐and‐fire functions are physically demonstrated with a volatile memristive device, W/WO3/poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene): polystyrene sulfonate/Pt. The resistive switching behavior of the device can be attributed to the migration of protons, unlike the migration of oxygen ions normally involved in oxide‐based memristors. With multifunctions similar to their biological counterparts, quasi‐HH neurons are advantageous over the reported HH and LIF neurons, demonstrating their potential for neuromorphic computing applications.
Quasi‐Hodgkin–Huxley (HH) neurons with leaky integrate‐and‐fire functions are physically demonstrated by W/WO3/poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate/Pt memristive devices with a battery effect; in the device, proton migration plays a key role. With the help of a neuromorphic circuit, the neuron successfully emulates the multifunction of a biological neuron, being advantageous over previously reported HH and leaky integrate‐and‐fire neurons.
Memristors with synaptic functions are very promising for developing artificial neural networks. Compared with the extensively reported spike‐timing‐dependent plasticity (STDP), Bienenstock, Cooper, ...and Munro (BCM) learning rules, the most accurate model of the synaptic plasticity to date, are more compatible with the neural computing system; however, the progress in the realization of the BCM rules has been quite limited. The realized BCM rules so far mostly performs just the spike‐rate‐dependent plasticity (SRDP), however, without a tunable sliding frequency threshold, because the memristors used to realize the BCM rules do not have tunable forgetting rates. In this work, the BCM rules with a tunable sliding frequency threshold are biorealistically implemented in SrTiO3‐based second‐order memristors; the forgetting rate of the memristors is tuned by engineering the electrode/oxide interface through controlling the electrode composition. The approach of this work is precise and efficient, and the biorealistic implementation of the BCM rules in memristors improves the efficiency of the neural network for the artificial intelligent system.
Bienenstock, Cooper, and Munro (BCM) learning rules are the most accurate model of the synaptic plasticity and more compatible with spiking neural networks. The BCM rules with a tunable sliding frequency threshold are physically demonstrated in second‐order memristors with a tunable forgetting rate through interface engineering, which offers an efficient approach toward improving the efficiency of neural networks.
Abstract
We theoretically investigate the third-order nonlinear Hall effect by employing the quantum kinetic equation and present an analytic formula for the third-order harmonic conductivity, where ...the intraband and the mixed inter-band contributions caused by the external electric field as well as the multiphoton process dressed Berry curvature are unveiled. These results are applied in a two-dimensional Dirac system. We find that the third-order harmonic conductivity exhibits a crossover from the negative to positive value due to the intraband transition of the electrons in the low-frequency region, whereas a kink or dip structure due to the multiphoton process between the conduction and valence bands in the high-frequency region. In experiment, these features can be identified by detecting the transverse current. Our work deepens the understanding of the multiphoton process in the nonlinear transport of topological materials and enlightens a possible way to its characterization in experiments.
•Anammox biofilm removed nitrogen efficiently from low-strength wastewater.•High influent ammonium resulted in a dense biofilm by regulating protein in EPS.•Candidatus Kuenenia dominated in Anammox ...biofilm with low-strength wastewater.•Signal substances for QS were detected in Anammox biofilm reactors.•More QS processes occurred in Anammox biofilm with high influent ammonium.
Anammox-based nitrogen removal can advance sustainable wastewater treatment, especially for the main-stream wastewater treatment. Two lab-scale Anammox biofilm reactors fed with influent ammonium concentrations of 110 mg/L (Anammox-H) and 50 mg/L (Anammox-L) were operated, and nitrogen removal and mechanisms of quorum sensing (QS)/quorum quenching (QQ) were examined. The achieved nitrogen removal rates were 0.65 g N/L·d in Anammox-H and 0.25 g N/L·d in Anammox-L. Candidatus Kuenenia was dominant in both reactors. Higher contents of tight extracellular polymeric substance and hydrophobic amino acid confirmed that dense Anammox biofilm developed in Anammox-H. N-hexanoyl-l-homoserine lactone and N-octanoyl-l-homoserine lactone were detected in Anammox-H and Anammox-L. High concentrations of acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs) in water and biomass phases of Anammox-H were consistent with that more active QS processes existed in Anammox-H. Functional genes including hao, pmoA-amoC, nirK and narGZHY were detected and harbored by Candidatus Kuenenia stuttgartiensis, Nitrosomonas europaea and Lautropia sp. SCN 69-89. These organisms not only involved in nitrogen metabolism, but also in pyruvate, fatty acid and S-Adenosy-l-methionine synthesis (important for AHLs). Influent ammonium concentrations affected the balance between QQ and QS activities, resulting in different Anammox activity and biofilm morphology. This study advanced the Anammox application for low-strength wastewater, especially from the aspect of QQ and QS balance.
In the 12th Five-Year Plan period, Sichuan province has selected strategic emerging industries such as new-generation information technology, new energy, high-end equipment manufacturing, new ...materials, biology, energy conservation and environmental protection. However, its strategic emerging industries are still in the stage of cultivation and development, and there are some problems such as low industrial agglomeration and obvious industrial restructuring. In essence, this is because the focus of the development of strategic emerging industries is not clear enough, and the location advantages are not fully utilized to select the most suitable strategic emerging industries for the development of the region. This paper constructs a regional strategic emerging industries selection decision model, applies ARCGIS to study the spatial distribution of strategic emerging industries in Sichuan province, and uses fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method (FCEM) and analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to solve the priority of developing strategic emerging industries. Conclusions: Firstly, Sichuan province should give priority to the development of new generation information technology industry and new energy vehicle industry, then high-end equipment manufacturing industry, energy-saving and environmental protection industry and new energy industry, and finally biological industry and new material industry. The larger the coefficient of influence is, the higher the comprehensive score is, while the larger the coefficient of sensitivity is, the lower the comprehensive score is. Secondly, the number of enterprises in the new-generation information technology industry and the new energy vehicle industry is still not dominant in Sichuan province. Finally, the study found that the current development of strategic emerging industries in Sichuan province is extremely unbalanced in various regions, and the phenomenon of competition and reconstruction is obvious.
Age‐related cognitive decline is primarily attributed to the progressive weakening of synaptic function and loss of synapses, while age‐related gut microbial dysbiosis is known to impair synaptic ...plasticity and cognitive behavior by metabolic alterations. To improve the health of the elderly, the protective mechanisms of Oudemansiella raphanipes polysaccharide (ORP‐1) against age‐related cognitive decline are investigated. The results demonstrate that ORP‐1 and its gut microbiota‐derived metabolites SCFAs restore a healthy gut microbial population to handle age‐related gut microbiota dysbiosis mainly by increasing the abundance of beneficial bacteria Dubosiella, Clostridiales, and Prevotellaceae and reducing the abundance of harmful bacteria Desulfovibrio, strengthen intestinal barrier integrity by abolishing age‐related alterations of tight junction (TJ) and mucin 2 (MUC2) proteins expression, diminish age‐dependent increase in circulating inflammatory factors, ameliorate cognitive decline by reversing memory‐ and synaptic plasticity‐related proteins levels, and restrain hyperactivation of microglia‐mediated synapse engulfment and neuroinflammation. These findings expand the understanding of prebiotic–microbiota–host interactions.
ORP‐1 and its fermentation product SCFAs restore a healthy gut microbial population, strengthen intestinal barrier integrity by abolishing age‐related alterations of TJ and MUC2 proteins expression, diminish age‐dependent increase in circulating inflammatory factors, maintain synaptic integrity by reversing memory‐ and synaptic plasticity‐related proteins levels, restrain hyperactivation of microglia‐mediated synapse engulfment and neuroinflammation, and finally prohibit the development of age‐related cognitive decline.
In China, industrial pollution has become an urgent problem for policy makers and enterprise managers. To better support industrial development, we need to determine the effectiveness of policies ...through efficiency evaluation. China’s provincial industrial system consists of two stages: production and emission reduction. The emission reduction stage is composed of three parallel sub stages: solid waste treatment, waste gas treatment and wastewater treatment. In this process, the treatment capacity of industrial wastewater treatment facilities can be used as carry forward variable, which is not only the desirable output of the previous emission reduction stage, but also the input of the current emission reduction stage. Therefore, this paper proposes a dynamic hybrid two-stage data envelopment analysis (DEA) model for eco-efficiency evaluation of industrial systems, and applies it to a case study of Chinese regional industry. Applying the data collected from 2011 to 2015 to the model, the following conclusions can be drawn: (1) During the whole survey period, the average eco-efficiency was 0.9027. The overall eco-inefficiency of China’s provincial industrial system during the study period is mainly due to low efficiency of solid waste treatment and waste gas treatment. (2) The average eco-efficiency of provincial industrial system increased steadily from 2011 (0.6448) to 2014 (0.6777), but decreased slightly in 2015 (0.5908). (3) The carry forward treatment capacity of industrial wastewater treatment facilities has a remarkable impact on provincial industrial system efficiency scores, especially at the wastewater treatment stage (0.6002 vs 0.3691). (4) Provincial industrial system exists distinct geographical characteristics of low efficiency. This study has important guiding significance for policy makers and enterprise managers who are concerned about industrial pollution control.
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