Chalcogenide Ovonic Threshold Switching Selector

Today’s explosion of data urgently requires memory technologies capable of storing large volumes of data in shorter time frames,a feat unattain-able with Flash or DRAM.Intel Optane,commonly referred to as three-dimensional phase change memory,stands out as one of the most promising candidates.The Optane with cross-point architecture is constructed through layering a storage element and a selector known as the ovonic threshold switch(OTS).The OTS device,which employs chalcogenide film,has thereby gathered increased attention in recent years.In this paper,we begin by providing a brief introduction to the discovery process of the OTS phenomenon.Subsequently,we summarize the key elec-trical parameters of OTS devices and delve into recent explorations of OTS materials,which are categorized as Se-based,Te-based,and S-based material systems.Furthermore,we discuss various models for the OTS switching mechanism,including field-induced nucleation model,as well as several carrier injection models.Additionally,we review the progress and innovations in OTS mechanism research.Finally,we highlight the successful application of OTS devices in three-dimensional high-density memory and offer insights into their promising performance and extensive prospects in emerging applications,such as self-selecting memory and neuromorphic computing.

A study of the soil water potential threshold values to trigger irrigation of ‘Shimizu Hakuto’ peach at pivotal fruit developmental stages

Water management is an important practice that affects fruit size and quality.Effective implementation of irrigation scheduling requires knowledge of the appropriate indicators and thresholds,which are established manly based on the effects of water deficits on final fruit quality.Few studies have focused on the real-time effects of water status on fruit and shoot growth.To establish soil water potential (ψ_(soil)) thresholds to trigger irrigation of peach at pivotal fruit developmental stages,photogrammetry,^(13)C labelling,and other techniques were used in this study to investigate real-time changes in stem diameter,fruit projected area,net leaf photosynthetic rate (P_(n)),and allocation of photoassimilates to fruit under soil water potential conditions ranging from saturation to stress in 6-year-old Shimizu hakuto’peach.Stem growth,fruit growth,and P_n exhibited gradually decreasing sensitivity to water deficits during fruit developmental stages I,II,and III.Stem diameter growth was significantly inhibited whenψ_(soil)dropped to-8.5,-7.6,and-5.4 k Pa,respectively.Fruit growth rate was low,reaching zero when theψ_(soil)was-9.0 to-23.1,-14.9 to-21.4,and-16.5 to-23.3 k Pa,respectively,and P_ndecreased significantly when theψ_(soil)reached-24.2,-22.7,and-20.4 kPa,respectively.In addition,more photoassimilates were allocated to fruit under moderateψ_(soil)conditions (-10.1 to-17.0 k Pa) than under otherψ_(soil)values.Our results revealed threeψ_(soil)thresholds,-10.0,-15.0,and-15.0 kPa,suitable for triggering irrigation during stages I,II,and III,respectively.These thresholds can be helpful for controlling excessive tree vigor,maintaining rapid fruit growth and leaf photosynthesis,and promoting the allocation of more photoassimilates to fruit.

Epidemic threshold influenced by non-pharmaceutical interventions in residential university environments

The control of highly contagious disease spreading in campuses is a critical challenge.In residential universities,students attend classes according to a curriculum schedule,and mainly pack into classrooms,dining halls and dorms.They move from one place to another.To simulate such environments,we propose an agent-based susceptible–infected–recovered model with time-varying heterogeneous contact networks.In close environments,maintaining physical distancing is the most widely recommended and encouraged non-pharmaceutical intervention.It can be easily realized by using larger classrooms,adopting staggered dining hours,decreasing the number of students per dorm and so on.Their real-world influence remains uncertain.With numerical simulations,we obtain epidemic thresholds.The effect of such countermeasures on reducing the number of disease cases is also quantitatively evaluated.

Evaluation of rainfall threshold models for debris flow initiation in the Jiangjia Gully,Yunnan Province,China

Systematically determining the discriminatory power of various rainfall properties and their combinations in identifying debris flow occurrence is crucial for early warning systems.In this study,we evaluated the discriminatory power of different univariate and multivariate rainfall threshold models in identifying triggering conditions of debris flow in the Jiangjia Gully,Yunnan Province,China.The univariate models used single rainfall properties as indicators,including total rainfall(R_(tot)),rainfall duration(D),mean intensity(I_(mean)),absolute energy(Eabs),storm kinetic energy(E_(s)),antecedent rainfall(R_(a)),and maximum rainfall intensity over various durations(I_(max_dur)).The evaluation reveals that the I_(max_dur)and Eabs models have the best performance,followed by the E_(s),R_(tot),and I_(mean)models,while the D and R_(a)models have poor performances.Specifically,the I_(max_dur)model has the highest performance metrics at a 40-min duration.We used logistic regression to combine at least two rainfall properties to establish multivariate threshold models.The results show that adding D or R_(a)to the models dominated by Eabs,E_(s),R_(tot),or I_(mean)generally improve their performances,specifically when D is combined with I_(mean)or when R_(a)is combined with Eabs or E_(s).Including R_(a)in the I_(max_dur)model,it performs better than the univariate I_(max_dur)model.A power-law relationship between I_(max_dur)and R_(a)or between Eabs and R_(a)has better performance than the traditional I_(mean)–D model,while the performance of the E_(s)–R_(a)model is moderate.Our evaluation reemphasizes the important role of the maximum intensity over short durations in debris flow occurrence.It also highlights the importance of systematically investigating the role of R_(a)in establishing rainfall thresholds for triggering debris flow.Given the regional variations in rainfall patterns worldwide,it is necessary to evaluate the findings of this study across diverse watersheds.

Impacts of proppant distribution on development of tight oil reservoirs with threshold pressure gradient

Field evidence indicates that proppant distribution and threshold pressure gradient have great impacts on well productivity.Aiming at the development of unconventional oil reservoirs in Triassic Chang-7 Unit,Ordos Basin of China,we presented an integrated workflow to investigate how(1)proppant placement in induced fracture and(2)non-linear flow in reservoir matrix would affect well productivity and fluid flow in the reservoir.Compared with our research before(Yue et al.,2020),here we extended this study into the development of multi-stage fractured horizontal wells(MFHWs)with large-scale complicated fracture geometry.The integrated workflow is based on the finite element method and consists of simulation models for proppant-laden fluid flow,fracture flow,and non-linear seepage flow,respectively.Simulation results indicate that the distribution of proppant inside the induced cracks significantly affects the productivity of the MFHW.When we assign an idealized proppant distribution instead of the real distribution,there will be an overestimation of 44.98%in daily oil rate and 30.63%in cumulative oil production after continuous development of 1000 days.Besides,threshold pressure gradient(TPG)also significantly affects the well performance in tight oil reservoirs.If we simply apply linear Darcy’s law to the reservoir matrix,the overall cumulative oil production can be overrated by 77%after 1000 days of development.In general,this research provides new insights into the development of tight oil reservoirs with TPG and meanwhile reveals the significance of proppant distribution and non-linear fluid flow in the production scenario design.

The Toxic Effects of Strong Chlorin Disinfectant on Mangroves and Emission Thresholds

In this study, based on the simulated discharge results of chemical disinfectants, hypocotyl germination concentration gradient pre-test and concentration gradient determination experiment were set up respectively. Laboratory cultivation was conducted to compare and analyze the root germination and germination indexes, three mangrove hypocotyls of Kandelia candel (Linn.) Druce, Ceriopstagal C.B. Rob. and Bruguiera sexangula var. Rhynchopetalas’ efficiency of cumulative root germination, cumulative germination and the cumulative expansion of the second pair of leaves, one-way analysis of variance was used to obtain the tolerance threshold of three mangrove hypocotyls to strong chlorin disinfectant. The study determined that the by-products of strong chlorin disinfectant, the toxic threshold concentrations of Kandelia candel (Linn.) Druce, Ceriopstagal C.B. Rob. and Bruguiera sexangula var. rhynchopetala are close to 0.55 mg/L, 0.55 mg/L and 0.25 mg/L, respectively. This concentration range is lower than the average concentration of 1.183 mg/L of active chlorine emitted from strong chlorine concentrate during pond clearing in high-level shrimp ponds, indicating that transient emissions of strong chlorine concentrate during pond clearing can have a toxic effect on mangrove plants. The strength of tolerance of the embryonic axes of the three mangrove species to effective chlorine contamination was, Ceriopstagal C.B. Rob. stronger than Bruguiera sexangula var. rhynchopetala, and Kandelia candel (Linn.) Druce is the weakest.

Research on the Threshold Effect of China’s Pharmaceutical Export Trade on Internal and External R&D Investment

Objective To study the threshold effect of export trade on internal and external R&D investment in China’s pharmaceutical industry,and to provide reference for some pharmaceutical enterprises to improve the investment.Methods The panel data of pharmaceutical industry in 25 provinces and cities in China from 2009 to 2019 were selected to conduct empirical analysis by establishing a threshold regression model,and a better export trade interval was obtained.Results and Conclusion There is a threshold value for the effect of new product export on both internal and external R&D expenditures,and the threshold values are 845.2788 million yuan and 318.4198 million yuan,respectively.There is a single threshold effect of export trade on both internal and external R&D investment in China’s pharmaceutical industry,and the effect of export trade on internal and external R&D investment changes from negative to positive as the export trade develops from low to high.

Research on the Impact of China’s Foreign Trade Technology Spillover on Green Total Factor Productivity of Countries Along the“Belt and Road”:Based on the Institutional Quality Threshold Effect

China’s growing trade with countries along the“Belt and Road”Initiative is accompanied by a focus on green development.Based on the panel data from 2007 to 2018,this paper establishes a threshold regression model to empirically analyze the institutional quality threshold effect of China’s foreign trade technology spillover on the GTFP of countries along the“Belt and Road.”The results show that China’s foreign trade technology spillover has a significant institutional quality double threshold effect on the green total factor productivity of the countries along the“Belt and Road.”As the institutional quality of the countries along the“Belt and Road”crosses a specific threshold value,the impact of China’s foreign trade technology spillover on the green total factor productivity of the countries along the“Belt and Road”has a significant positive promoting effect,and corresponding suggestions are put forward.

Eco-economic evolution, emergy evaluation and policy options for the sustainable development of Tibet

As economies and ecological support systems become more interdependent, new disciplines are needed to 'bridge the gap' of understanding between societies and nature. It is now clear that neither ecology nor economics alone can address the problems of our global commons. New measures of wealth, of value, of contributions and production are needed that acknowledge the 'natural capital' and 'ecosystem services' provided from healthy environments. A new interface is now being recognized termed 'eco-economics'. It is an ambitious and necessary attempt to understand the affairs of humanity and nature as a single, interdependent system. New tools are being invested to measure wealth. services and production fairly and equitably. In this report we use systems analysis approach to study the combined ecological-economic system of Tibet We use an alternative measure of value, based on real contributions to system performance, termed EMERGY, spelt with an 'M'. It is an accounting unit of total contributions, direct and indirect. used in generating a product or service. It is a concept derived from understanding whole systems, their interactions and interdependence, and the resources driving and maintaining them. This broader approach will help us to investigate Tibetan resources utilization and potentialities and exchange. Emergy analysis allows comparison and incroporation of environmental costs and benefits with variables of traditional economic costs and benefits to provide a more comprehensive perspective for public policy directives. Through this research, we think: 1) China has made a great effort in making Tibet develop from a closed regional system to a more and more opened regional system which is very important to the sustainable development of Tibet. 2) The increase of economic development and population growth has a close relationship with the total emergy storage and use in transportation. Education in modern science and technology increased the shared emergy of Tibetans to modern science and technology and stimulated the process of matching material and energy imports from outside with local resources. 3) There is great potential to develop hydropower and geothermal reserves that may stimulate not only economic development but also the better use of environment. 4) The better trained population can increase the empower of Tibet eco-economic system. Future development needs all kinds of talent exchanges with the outside system to develop education. 3) Compared with the Tibet economic system, Taiwan economic system is much more competitive. GNP and emergy use are very useful functions for comparing the competitive power of different ecological economic systems.

Degree of coupling and coordination of eco-economic system and the influencing factors： a case study in Yanchi County, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China

Based on the statistical data, we analyzed and evaluated the degree of coupling and coordination of the eco-economic system in Yanchi County for the period spanning from 1983 to 2014. The eco-economic system can be divided into socioeconomic and ecological sub-systems and their relationship can reveal the interaction state between the two sub-systems and help the local government to establish a coordinated development mode. An index system was constructed to assess the development of the two sub-systems before the evaluation of the degree of coupling and coordination. The principal component regression analysis was adopted to quantitatively assess the influences of natural, economic and social factors on the degree of coupling and coordination of the eco-economic system. Results showed that, from 1983 to 2014, the development trends of both sub-systems were increasing with the ecological sub-system having more fluctuations. The degree of coupling and coordination of the eco-economic system in the study area increased gradually from 1983 to 2014, but experienced five different development stages from the verge of disorder to favorable coordination. The development of the local social and economic conditions was the most important factor influencing the degree of coupling and coordination. The second most important factor was the financial support from the local government. In addition, the environment protection policies also played undeniable roles. Due to the diversity of the influence factors, the government should take comprehensive measures to promote the sustainable development of the eco-economic system.

Research on Functional Characteristics of Karst Eco-economic Compound System in Guizhou Province

Based on the eco-economy theory,this paper analyzed the characteristics of the components of eco-economic compound system of karst region in Guizhou Province.The functional characteristics of eco-economic compound system of karst region in Guizhou Province were analyzed.The functional characteristics were as follows:low biological production of Guizhou Province;weak capacity of ecosystem;slow speed of storage and accumulation of material and serious environmental pollution;low production and efficiency of energy;serious wastes of energy.On the basis of functional characteristics of eco-economic compound System in Karst region.Some views in terms of maintenance and reconstruction of compound system,were put forward,including laying stress on improving ecological system;choosing and cultivating the advanced species that suit the Karst region;improving the amount and speed of material accumulation,at the same time,introducing into advanced production technologies and management experience;reducing the energy efficiency of each section in economic system and improving the transformation efficiency of energy.

Yield of Agricultural Eco-economic System in Dongting Rim

To analyze the efficiency of the agro-ecosystem of Dongting Rim in Hunan Province,this paper adopted the emergy theory to study the agricultural output of this region during 2001 to 2010.The results showed that the value of regional agricultural emergy output increased by44.68%to(6.50 E)sej,but lower than the growth of non-agricultural industry output.Compared with 2001,the emergy output of planting industry was(4.10E)sej in 2010 which occupied 63.09%of the total agricultural emergy output and got an increase of 2.93 percentage points,while the emergy output of stock farming got a decrease of 2.87 percentage points.The growth of fishery emergy output was not in conformity with the characteristics of Dongting Rim in Hunan.From the contrast between emergy output and economic output,we could find that the economic return ratio of planting industry and fishery industry were lower than those of forestry industry and stock farming industry,which indicated that it is necessary to improve the economic benefits of planting industry and fishery industry which were the traditional industries with advantages of the Dongting Rim in Hunan.

Volatile threshold switching memristor:An emerging enabler in the AIoT era

With rapid advancement and deep integration of artificial intelligence and the internet-of-things,artificial intelligence of things has emerged as a promising technology changing people’s daily life.Massive growth of data generated from the devices challenges the AIoT systems from information collection,storage,processing and communication.In the review,we introduce volatile threshold switching memristors,which can be roughly classified into three types:metallic conductive filament-based TS devices,amorphous chalcogenide-based ovonic threshold switching devices,and metal-insulator transition based TS devices.They play important roles in high-density storage,energy efficient computing and hardware security for AIoT systems.Firstly,a brief introduction is exhibited to describe the categories(materials and characteristics)of volatile TS devices.And then,switching mechanisms of the three types of TS devices are discussed and systematically summarized.After that,attention is focused on the applications in 3D cross-point memory technology with high storage-density,efficient neuromorphic computing,hardware security(true random number generators and physical unclonable functions),and others(steep subthreshold slope transistor,logic devices,etc.).Finally,the major challenges and future outlook of volatile threshold switching memristors are presented.

Emergy Analysis of Sustainability of Eco-economic System in Sichuan's Baisha River Valley

Using emergy analysis method,I conduct quantitative analysis of social,economic and natural systems in Sichuan's Baisha River valley during the period 2002-2006,through the establishment of indicators.I compare the emergy of Baisha River valley,with that of Xinjiang's Manas River valley and Sichuan Province,and evaluate the sustainable development conditions in Baisha River valley,in order to provide corresponding reference for the development and utilization of Baisha River valley in the future.The results show that from the perspective of emergy input of economic system,Baisha River valley is a typical ecological and economic zone with rich resources to be developed;in terms of the development of natural conditions and utilization of ecological resources,the resource utilization intensity of Baisha River valley is weak and the environmental loading ratio there is low,thus the level of emergy yield needs to be improved;the system of Baisha River valley has enormous capacity for sustainable development and good potential for development.

Chest computed tomography findings of the Omicron variants of SARS-CoV-2 with different cycle threshold values

BACKGROUND The Omicron variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARSCoV-2)mainly infects the upper respiratory tract.This study aimed to determine whether the probability of pulmonary infection and the cycle threshold(Ct)measured using the fluorescent polymerase chain reaction(PCR)method were related to pulmonary infections diagnosed via computed tomography(CT).AIM To analyze the chest CT signs of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infections with different Ct values,as determined via PCR.METHODS The chest CT images and PCR Ct values of 331 patients with SARS-CoV-2Omicron variant infections were retrospectively collected and categorized into low(<25),medium(25.00-34.99),and high(≥35)Ct groups.The characteristics of chest CT images in each group were statistically analyzed.RESULTS The PCR Ct values ranged from 13.36 to 39.81,with 99 patients in the low,155 in the medium,and 77 in the high Ct groups.Six abnormal chest CT signs were detected,namely,focal infection,patchy consolidation shadows,patchy groundglass shadows,mixed consolidation ground-glass shadows,subpleural interstitial changes,and pleural changes.Focal infections were less frequent in the low Ct group than in the medium and high Ct groups;these infections were the most common sign in the medium and high Ct groups.Patchy consolidation shadows and pleural changes were more frequent in the low Ct group than in the other two groups.The number of patients with two or more signs was greater in the low Ct group than in the medium and high Ct groups.CONCLUSION The chest CT signs of patients with pulmonary infection caused by the Omicron variants of SARSCoV-2 varied depending on the Ct values.Identification of the characteristics of Omicron variant infection can help subsequent planning of clinical treatment.

Remaining useful life prediction of aero-engines based on random-coefficient regression model considering random failure threshold

Remaining useful life(RUL)prediction is one of the most crucial components in prognostics and health management(PHM)of aero-engines.This paper proposes an RUL prediction method of aero-engines considering the randomness of failure threshold.Firstly,a random-coefficient regression(RCR)model is used to model the degradation process of aeroengines.Then,the RUL distribution based on fixed failure threshold is derived.The prior parameters of the degradation model are calculated by a two-step maximum likelihood estimation(MLE)method and the random coefficient is updated in real time under the Bayesian framework.The failure threshold in this paper is defined by the actual degradation process of aeroengines.After that,a expectation maximization(EM)algorithm is proposed to estimate the underlying failure threshold of aeroengines.In addition,the conditional probability is used to satisfy the limitation of failure threshold.Then,based on above results,an analytical expression of RUL distribution of aero-engines based on the RCR model considering random failure threshold(RFT)is derived in a closed-form.Finally,a case study of turbofan engine is used to demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of the RUL prediction method and the parameters estimation method of failure threshold proposed.

An Information Entropy-Based Methodology to Construct the Avulsion Threshold in the Tail Reach of the Estuarine Alluvial Plain

Channel avulsion is a natural phenomenon that occurs abruptly on alluvial river deltas,which can affect the channel stability.The causes for avulsion could be generally categorized as topography-and flood-driven factors.However,previous studies on avulsion thresholds usually focused on topography-driven factors due to the centurial or millennial avulsion timescales of the world’s most deltas,but neglected the impacts of flood-driven factors.In the current study,a novel demarcation equation including the two driven factors was proposed,with the decadal timescale of avulsion being considered in the Yellow River Estuary(YRE).In order to quantify the contributions of different factors in each category,an entropy-based methodology was used to calculate the contributing weights of these factors.The factor with the highest weight in each category was then used to construct the demarcation equation,based on avulsion datasets associated with the YRE.An avulsion threshold was deduced according to the demarcation equation.This avulsion threshold was then applied to conduct the risk assessment of avulsion in the YRE.The results show that:two dominant factors cover respectively geomorphic coefficient representing the topography-driven factor and fluvial erosion intensity representing the flood-driven factor,which were thus employed to define a two dimensional mathematical space in which the demarcation equation can be obtained;the avulsion threshold derived from the equation was also applied in the risk assessment of avulsion;and the avulsion threshold proposed in this study is more accurate,as compared with the existing thresholds.

基于Simple Thresholding和CUSUM联合算法的L波段太阳射电流量可观测频段分析

L波段太阳射电爆发是导航系统不稳定的潜在影响因素,通过L波段内精密太阳射电流量的监测可以实时发现太阳射电爆发干扰导航事件,为此,云南天文台拟建立一个L波段多频点太阳射电监测系统。无线电环境的有效评估对于该监测系统观测数据的稳定获取至关重要。介绍了监测平台的无线电监测准备研究,通过对云南天文台L波段无线电环境进行100 h的测试,提出一种基于Simple Thresholding算法和CUSUM(Cumulative Sum)算法的改进阈值算法,遴选出介于北斗B1,B2和B3频点,全球定位系统L1和L2频点之间7个5 MHz无线电干扰较少的无线电通带,分别为1551~1555 MHz,1596~1600 MHz,1161~1165 MHz,1221~1225 MHz,1246~1250 MHz,1291~1295 MHz和1231~1235 MHz,其洁净率分别为98.329%,98.301%,98.315%,98.335%,98.224%,97.650%和98.260%,均符合太阳观测需求,为下一步接收机的设计和信号处理提供了依据。

Improved quantum(t,n)threshold group signature

Threshold signature is an important branch of the digital signature scheme,which can distribute signature rights and avoid the abuse of signature rights.With the continuous development of quantum computation and quantum information,quantum threshold signatures are gradually becoming more popular.Recently,a quantum(t,n)threshold group signature scheme was analyzed that uses techniques such as quantum-controlled-not operation and quantum teleportation.However,this scheme cannot resist forgery attack and does not conform to the design of a threshold signature in the signing phase.Based on the original scheme,we propose an improved quantum(t,n)threshold signature scheme using quantum(t,n)threshold secret sharing technology.The analysis proves that the improved scheme can resist forgery attack and collusion attack,and it is undeniable.At the same time,this scheme reduces the level of trust in the arbitrator during the signature phase.

Threshold-type memristor-based crossbar array design and its application in handwritten digit recognition

Neuromorphic computing simulates the operation of biological brain function for information processing and can potentially solve the bottleneck of the Von Neumann architecture.Inspired by the real characteristics of physical memristive devices,we propose a threshold-type nonlinear voltage-controlled memristor mathematical model which is used to design a novel memristor-based crossbar array.The presented crossbar array can simulate the synaptic weight in real number field rather than only positive number field.Theoretical analysis and simulation results of a 2×2 image inversion operation validate the feasibility of the proposed crossbar array and the necessary training and inference functions.Finally,the presented crossbar array is used to construct the neural network and then applied in the handwritten digit recognition.The Mixed National Institute of Standards and Technology(MNIST)database is adopted to train this neural network and it achieves a satisfactory accuracy.