Study on inhomogeneous cooling behavior of extruded profile with unequal and large thicknesses during quenching using thermo-mechanical coupling model

The interfacial heat transfer coefficient between hot profile surface and cooling water was determined by using inverse heat conduction model combined with end quenching experiment. Then, a Deform-3 D thermo-mechanical coupling model for simulating the on-line water quenching of extruded profile with unequal and large thicknesses was developed. The temperature field, residual stress field and distortion of profile during quenching were investigated systematically. The results show that heat transfer coefficient increases as water flow rate increases. The peak heat transfer coefficient with higher water flow rates appears at lower interface temperatures. The temperature distribution across the cross-section of profile during quenching is severe nonuniform and the maximum temperature difference is 300 ℃ at quenching time of 3.49 s. The temperature difference through the thickness of different parts of profile first increases sharply to a maximum value, and then gradually decreases. The temperature gradient increases obviously with the increase of thickness of parts. After quenching, there exist large residual stresses on the inner side of joints of profile and the two ends of part with thickness of 10 mm. The profile presents a twisting-type distortion across the cross-section under non-uniform cooling and the maximum twisting angle during quenching is 2.78°.

The comparison between laser screw welding and resistant spot welding of lap joint with large thickness ratio

The present paper investigates the welding forming,microstructure and shear tensile test of lap joints with large thickness ratio which were fabricated by laser screw welding(LSW)and resistant spot welding(RSW).The comparison was conducted on two kinds of lap joints,galvanized sheet and hot pressed steel(GS-HPS),galvanized sheet and high strength steel(GS-HS).The microstructure and fracture morphology were analyzed by optical microscope.It was demonstrated that with large thickness ratio the sound lap joint of GS-HS could be obtained by LSW regardless of the irradiation of laser beam from thick metal to sheet or otherwise,and the morphology shows it is better when the laser is irradiated on the thick metal.Nevertheless,when the laser beam was applied on thick metal of HPS,blind hole or blowhole was formed in the center of joint,which is attributed to the shrinkage during solidification of the molten pool.Small pores or dispersed porosity appeared on the faying face of the joint without predetermined gap which provides the degassing.However,the increase of predetermined gap could reduce the shear strength and nugget size.Two kinds of joints made by LSW have superior shear strength than those made by RSW when the laser were applied on galvanized sheet.

Fabrication and Property of SiC Ceramic with Large Thickness/Diameter Ratios

Silicon carbide ceramics with different thicknesses/diameter ratios were prepared by using ultra-fine silicon carbide powder with the sintering additives of 1.0 wt% boron and 1.5 wt% carbon. The influence of thickness/diameter ratio on the microstructure and density of SiC ceramics was investigated in detail. The experimental results show that the addition of boron and carbon sintering aids can promote the densification process of SiC ceramic, leading to the low sintering temperature and improve mechanical properties. At 1950 ℃, SiC ceramic with a density of 99% exhibits Young's modulus, hardness, and flexural strength of 476 MPa, 28.3 GPa, and 334 MPa, respectively. It is found that long holding time has a positive effect on the uniformity of the microstructure and density distribution of SiC ceramics with large thickness/diameter ratios. Additionally, the sintering additive of boron can solid-solve into SiC, and then facilitate the phase transformation of SiC to form 6H-SiC and 4H-SiC composite ceramics.

Prediction of methane emissions during the extraction of close-to-roof layer of a seam of large thickness

Prediction of methane emissions at the stage of longwall planning constitutes the basis for the determination of the appropriate method and parameters of ventilation and selection of prevention means including the methane drainage technol- ogy. The growth of methane saturation of coal seams with the extraction depth, with simultaneously increasing output concen- tration, contributes to the increase of the quantity of methane emitted into longwall areas. The subject matter of the article has been directed at the predicted quantity of methane emissions into planned longwalls with roof caving in the layer of seams adjacent to the roof of large thickness. The performed prognostic calculations of methane emissions into the longwall working were referred to two sources, i.e. methane liberated during coal mining by means of a cutter-loader and methane originating from the degasification of the floor layer destressed by the longwall conducted in the close-to-roof layer. The calculations of predictions allow to refer to the planned longwall, on account of the emitting methane, with possible and safe output quantity. Planning of extraction in the close-to-roof layer of a seam of large thickness with roof caving is especially important in con- ditions of increasing methane saturation with the depth of deposition and should be preceded by a prognostic analysis for de- termining the extraction possibilities of the planned longwall.

Delicate chemical structure regulation of nonfullerene acceptor for efficient and large thickness organic solar cells

Inspired by the success of CH-series acceptors, a small-molecular acceptor, CH-Tz was reported by adopting a new conjugationextended electron-deficient unit([1,2,5]thiadiazolo[3,4-b]pyrazine) on the central core. Owing to the enhanced inter-/intramolecular interactions, CH-Tz exhibited near-infrared absorption and an effective three-dimensional molecular packing network in its single crystal. When blended with polymer donor PM6, the binary device achieved a high power conversion efficiency(PCE) of 18.54%, with a notable short-circuit current density(J_(sc)) of 27.54 m A cm-2and an excellent fill factor(FF) over 80%,which can be partly ascribed to the balanced charge transport properties in the blend film. After employing D18-Cl as the third component, an enhanced PCE of 18.85% was achieved due to a more obvious fiber network. Impressively, the CH-Tz-based OSC devices show excellent thermal stability and thickness insensitivity. Record-breaking Jscof 28.92 m A cm-2was reached for PM6:D18-Cl:CH-Tz ternary device with a thickness of 560 nm. Besides, CH-Tz shows potential in fabricating multicomponent high-performance organic solar cells, where over 19% efficiency could be realized in the quaternary device. Our work advances the strong influence of electron-deficient central units on molecular photovoltaic properties and guides the design of acceptors for stable and large-thickness organic solar cells.

Hydromassage of macular hole edges for large and persistent full-thickness macular holes

●AIM:To introduce the macular hole(MH)hydromassage technique as a potentially beneficial approach for the treatment of large or persistent MH.●METHODS:This retrospective observational case series comprised 16 consecutive patients(17 eyes)diagnosed with MH.Inclusion criteria involved a hole aperture diameter larger than 600μm or the presence of an unclosed MH larger than 600μm following the previous vitrectomy.Standard MH repair procedures were administered in all cases,involving the manipulation and aspiration of the hole margin through the application of water flow with a soft-tip flute needle.A comprehensive assessment was conducted for each case before and after surgery,and optical coherence tomography(OCT)images were captured at every follow-up point.●RESULTS:The mean preoperative aperture diameter was 747±156μm(range 611-1180μm),with a mean base diameter of 1390±435μm(range 578-2220μm).Following surgery,all cases achieved complete anatomical closure of MH,with 13 cases(76.5%)exhibiting type 1 closure and 4 cases(23.5%)demonstrating type 2 closure.No significant differences were observed in the preoperative OCT variables between the two closure types.Eyes with type 1 closure showed a significantly improved visual acuity(0.70±0.10,range 0.50-0.80)compared to those with type 2 closure(0.90±0.12,range 0.80-1.00,P=0.014).●CONCLUSION:The MH hydromassage technique demonstrates promising results,achieving acceptable closure rates in cases of large or persistent MH.This technique may serve as an effective adjunctive maneuver during challenging MH surgery.

Modeling and simulation of solvent behavior and temperature distribution within long stick propellants with large web thickness undergoing drying

Drying is a complicated physical process which involves simultaneous heat and mass transfer in the removal of solvents inside propellants.Inappropriate drying techniques may result in the formation of a hard skin layer near the surface to block the free access of most solvent through for long stick propellants with large web thickness,which lead to lower drying efficiency and worse drying quality.This study aims to gain a comprehensive understanding of drying process and clarify the mechanism of the blocked layer near the propellant surface.A new three-dimensional coupled heat and mass transfer(3D-CHMT)model was successfully developed under transient conditions.The drying experiment results show that the 3DCHMT model could be applied to describe the drying process well since the relative error of the content of solvent between simulation and experiment values is only 5.5%.The solvent behavior simulation demonstrates that the mass transfer process can be divided into super-fast(SF)and subsequent minorfast(MF)stages,and the SF stage is vital to the prevention of the blocked layer against the free access for solvent molecules inside propellant grains.The effective solvent diffusion coefficient(Deff)of the propellant surface initially increases from 3.4×10^(-6)to 5.3×10^(-6)m^(2)/s as the temperature increases,and then decreases to 4.1×10^(-8)m^(2)/s at 60-100 min.The value of Deffof surface between 0-1.4 mm has a unique trend of change compared with other regions,and it is much lower than that of the internal at100 min under simulation conditions.Meanwhile,the temperature of the propellant surface increases rapidly at the SF stage(0-100 min)and then very slowly thereafter.Both the evolution of Deffand temperature distribution demonstrate that the blocked layer near the propellant surface has been formed in the time period of approximately 0-100 min and its thickness is about 1.4 mm.To mitigate the formation of blocked layer and improve its drying quality of finial propellant products effectively,it should be initially dried at lower drying temperature(30-40℃)in 0-100 min and then dried at higher drying temperature(50-60℃)to reduce drying time for later drying process in double base gun propellants.The present results can provide theoretical guidance for drying process and optimization of drying parameters for long stick propellants with large web thickness.

The influence of inter-band rock on rib spalling in longwall panel with large mining height

In order to improve rib stability,failure criteria and instability mode of a thick coal seam with inter-band rock layer are analysed in this study.A three-dimensional mechanical model is established for the rib by considering the rock layer.A safety factor is defined foy the rib,and it is observed that the safety factor exhibits a positive correlation with the thickness and strength of the inter-band rock.A calculation method for determining critical parameters of the rock layer is presented to ensure the rib stability.It is revealed that incomplete propagation of the fracture at the hard rock constitutes a fundamental prerequisite for ensuring the rib stability.The influence of the position of the inter-band rock in the coal seam on failure mechanism of the rib was thoroughly investigated by developing a series of physical models for the rib at the face area.The best position for the inter-band rock in the coal seam is at a height of 1.5 m away from the roof line,which tends to provide a good stability state for the rib.For different inter-band rock positions,two ways of controlling rib by increasing supports stiffness and flexible grouting reinforcement are proposed.

Frontogenesis and Frontolysis of a Cold Filament Driven by the Cross-Filament Wind and Wave Fields Simulated by a Large Eddy Simulation

The variations of the frontogenetic trend of a cold filament induced by the cross-filament wind and wave fields are studied by a non-hydrostatic large eddy simulation. Five cases with different strengths of wind and wave fields are studied.The results show that the intense wind and wave fields further break the symmetries of submesoscale flow fields and suppress the levels of filament frontogenesis. The changes of secondary circulation directions—that is, the conversion between the convergence and divergence of the surface cross-filament currents with the downwelling and upwelling jets in the filament center—are associated with the inertial oscillation. The filament frontogenesis and frontolysis caused by the changes of secondary circulation directions may periodically sharpen and smooth the gradient of submesoscale flow fields.The lifecycle of the cold filament may include multiple stages of filament frontogenesis and frontolysis.

Large animal models for Huntington's disease research

Huntington'sdisease(HD)isahereditary neurodegenerative disorder for which there is currently no effectivetreatmentavailable.Consequently,the development of appropriate disease models is critical to thoroughly investigate disease progression.The genetic basis of HD involves the abnormal expansion of CAG repeats in the huntingtin(HTT)gene,leading to the expansion of a polyglutamine repeat in the HTT protein.Mutant HTT carrying the expanded polyglutamine repeat undergoes misfolding and forms aggregates in the brain,which precipitate selective neuronal loss in specific brain regions.Animal models play an important role in elucidating the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders such as HD and in identifying potential therapeutic targets.Due to the marked species differences between rodents and larger animals,substantial efforts have been directed toward establishing large animal models for HD research.These models are pivotal for advancing the discovery of novel therapeutic targets,enhancing effective drug delivery methods,and improving treatment outcomes.We have explored the advantages of utilizing large animal models,particularly pigs,in previous reviews.Since then,however,significant progress has been made in developing more sophisticated animal models that faithfully replicate the typical pathology of HD.In the current review,we provide a comprehensive overview of large animal models of HD,incorporating recent findings regarding the establishment of HD knock-in(KI)pigs and their genetic therapy.We also explore the utilization of large animal models in HD research,with a focus on sheep,non-human primates(NHPs),and pigs.Our objective is to provide valuable insights into the application of these large animal models for the investigation and treatment of neurodegenerative disorders.

Evolution and Prospects of Foundation Models: From Large Language Models to Large Multimodal Models

Since the 1950s,when the Turing Test was introduced,there has been notable progress in machine language intelligence.Language modeling,crucial for AI development,has evolved from statistical to neural models over the last two decades.Recently,transformer-based Pre-trained Language Models(PLM)have excelled in Natural Language Processing(NLP)tasks by leveraging large-scale training corpora.Increasing the scale of these models enhances performance significantly,introducing abilities like context learning that smaller models lack.The advancement in Large Language Models,exemplified by the development of ChatGPT,has made significant impacts both academically and industrially,capturing widespread societal interest.This survey provides an overview of the development and prospects from Large Language Models(LLM)to Large Multimodal Models(LMM).It first discusses the contributions and technological advancements of LLMs in the field of natural language processing,especially in text generation and language understanding.Then,it turns to the discussion of LMMs,which integrates various data modalities such as text,images,and sound,demonstrating advanced capabilities in understanding and generating cross-modal content,paving new pathways for the adaptability and flexibility of AI systems.Finally,the survey highlights the prospects of LMMs in terms of technological development and application potential,while also pointing out challenges in data integration,cross-modal understanding accuracy,providing a comprehensive perspective on the latest developments in this field.

Evaluating Privacy Leakage and Memorization Attacks on Large Language Models (LLMs) in Generative AI Applications

The recent interest in the deployment of Generative AI applications that use large language models (LLMs) has brought to the forefront significant privacy concerns, notably the leakage of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and other confidential or protected information that may have been memorized during training, specifically during a fine-tuning or customization process. We describe different black-box attacks from potential adversaries and study their impact on the amount and type of information that may be recovered from commonly used and deployed LLMs. Our research investigates the relationship between PII leakage, memorization, and factors such as model size, architecture, and the nature of attacks employed. The study utilizes two broad categories of attacks: PII leakage-focused attacks (auto-completion and extraction attacks) and memorization-focused attacks (various membership inference attacks). The findings from these investigations are quantified using an array of evaluative metrics, providing a detailed understanding of LLM vulnerabilities and the effectiveness of different attacks.

Stability evaluation method of large cross-section tunnel considering modification of thickness-span ratio in mechanized operation

Purpose-This study aims to research the large cross-section tunnel stability evaluation method corrected after considering the thickness-span ratio.Design/methodology/approach-First,taking the Liuyuan Tunnel of Huanggang-Huangmei High-Speed Railway as an example and taking deflection of the third principal stress of the surrounding rock at a vault after tunnel excavation as the criterion,the critical buried depth of the large section tunnel was determined.Then,the strength reduction method was employed to calculate the tunnel safety factor under different rock classes and thickness-span ratios,and mathematical statistics was conducted to identify the relationships of the tunnel safety factor with the thickness-span ratio and the basic quality(BQ)index of the rock for different rock classes.Finally,the influences of thickness-span ratio,groundwater,initial stress of rock and structural attitude factors were considered to obtain the corrected BQ,based on which the stability of a large cross-section tunnel with a depth of more than 100 m during mechanized operation was analyzed.This evaluation method was then applied to Liuyuan Tunnel and Cimushan No.2 Tunnel of Chongqing Urban Expressway for verification.Findings-This study shows that under different rock classes,the tunnel safety factor is a strict power function of the thickness-span ratio,while a linear function of the BQ to some extent.It is more suitable to use the corrected BQ as a quantitative index to evaluate tunnel stability according to the actual conditions of the site.Originality/value-The existing industry standards do not consider the influence of buried depth and span in the evaluation of tunnel stability.The stability evaluation method of large section tunnel considering the correction of overburden span ratio proposed in this paper achieves higher accuracy for the stability evaluation of surrounding rock in a full or large-section mechanized excavation of double line high-speed railway tunnels.

Research status and application of artificial intelligence large models in the oil and gas industry

This article elucidates the concept of large model technology,summarizes the research status of large model technology both domestically and internationally,provides an overview of the application status of large models in vertical industries,outlines the challenges and issues confronted in applying large models in the oil and gas sector,and offers prospects for the application of large models in the oil and gas industry.The existing large models can be briefly divided into three categories:large language models,visual large models,and multimodal large models.The application of large models in the oil and gas industry is still in its infancy.Based on open-source large language models,some oil and gas enterprises have released large language model products using methods like fine-tuning and retrieval augmented generation.Scholars have attempted to develop scenario-specific models for oil and gas operations by using visual/multimodal foundation models.A few researchers have constructed pre-trained foundation models for seismic data processing and interpretation,as well as core analysis.The application of large models in the oil and gas industry faces challenges such as current data quantity and quality being difficult to support the training of large models,high research and development costs,and poor algorithm autonomy and control.The application of large models should be guided by the needs of oil and gas business,taking the application of large models as an opportunity to improve data lifecycle management,enhance data governance capabilities,promote the construction of computing power,strengthen the construction of“artificial intelligence+energy”composite teams,and boost the autonomy and control of large model technology.

Shallow Convection Dataset Simulated by Three Different Large Eddy Models

Shallow convection plays an important role in transporting heat and moisture from the near-surface to higher altitudes,yet its parameterization in numerical models remains a great challenge,partly due to the lack of high-resolution observations.This study describes a large eddy simulation(LES)dataset for four shallow convection cases that differ primarily in inversion strength,which can be used as a surrogate for real data.To reduce the uncertainty in LES modeling,three different large eddy models were used,including SAM(System for Atmospheric Modeling),WRF(Weather Research and Forecasting model),and UCLA-LES.Results show that the different models generally exhibit similar behavior for each shallow convection case,despite some differences in the details of the convective structure.In addition to grid-averaged fields,conditionally sampled variables,such as in-cloud moisture and vertical velocity,are also provided,which are indispensable for calculation of the entrainment/detrainment rate.Considering the essentiality of the entraining/detraining process in the parameterization of cumulus convection,the dataset presented in this study is potentially useful for validation and improvement of the parameterization of shallow convection.

Optimization of Fixture Number in Large Thin-Walled Parts Assembly Based on IPSO

There are lots of researches on fixture layout optimization for large thin-walled parts.Current researches focus on the positioning problem,i.e.,optimizing the positions of a constant number of fixtures.However,how to determine the number of fixtures is ignored.In most cases,the number of fixtures located on large thin-walled parts is determined based on engineering experience,which leads to huge fixture number and extra waste.Therefore,this paper constructs an optimization model to minimize the number of fixtures.The constraints are set in the optimization model to ensure that the part deformation is within the surface profile tolerance.In addition,the assembly gap between two parts is also controlled.To conduct the optimization,this paper develops an improved particle swarm optimization(IPSO)algorithm by integrating the shrinkage factor and adaptive inertia weight.In the algorithm,particles are encoded according to the fixture position.Each dimension of the particle is assigned to a sub-region by constraining the optional position range of each fixture to improve the optimization efficiency.Finally,a case study on ship curved panel assembly is provided to prove that our method can optimize the number of fixtures while meeting the assembly quality requirements.This research proposes a method to optimize the number of fixtures,which can reduce the number of fixtures and achieve deformation control at the same time.

Tree mycorrhizal associations determine how biodiversity,large trees,and environmental factors drive aboveground carbon stock in temperate forests

Biodiversity,large trees,and environmental conditions such as climate and soil have important effects on forest carbon stocks.However,recent studies in temperate forests suggest that the relative importance of these factors depends on tree mycorrhizal associations,whereby large-tree effects may be driven by ectomycorrhizal(EM)trees,diversity effects may be driven by arbuscular mycorrhizal(AM)trees,and environment effects may depend on differential climate and soil preferences of AM and EM trees.To test this hypothesis,we used forest-inventory data consisting of over 80,000 trees from 631 temperate-forest plots(30 m×30 m)across Northeast China to examine how biodiversity(species diversity and ecological uniqueness),large trees(top 1%of tree diameters),and environmental factors(climate and soil nutrients)differently regulate aboveground carbon stocks of AM trees,EM trees,and AM and EM trees combined(i.e.total aboveground carbon stock).We found that large trees had a positive effect on both AM and EM tree carbon stocks.However,biodiversity and environmental factors had opposite effects on AM vs.EM tree carbon stocks.Specifically,the two components of biodiversity had positive effects on AM tree carbon stocks,but negative effects on EM tree carbon stocks.Environmental heterogeneity(mean annual temperature and soil nutrients)also exhibited contrasting effects on AM and EM tree carbon stocks.Consequently,for the total carbon stock,the positive large-tree effect far surpasses the diversity and environment effect.This is mainly because when integrating AM and EM tree carbon stock into total carbon stock,the opposite diversity-effect(also environment-effect)on AM vs.EM tree carbon stock counteracts each other while the consistent positive large-tree effect on AM and EM tree carbon stock is amplified.In summary,this study emphasized a mycorrhizal viewpoint to better understand the determinants of overarching aboveground carbon profile across regional forests.

Case study on the mechanics of NPR anchor cable compensation for large deformation tunnel in soft rock in the Transverse Mountain area,China

A study was conducted to analyze the deformation mechanism of strongly weathered quartz schist in the Daliangshan Tunnel,located in the western Transverse Mountain area.A large deformation problem was experienced during the tunnel construction.To mitigate this problem,a support system was designed incorporating negative Poisson ratio(NPR)anchor cables with negative Poisson ratio effect.Physical model experiments,field experiments,and numerical simulation experiments were conducted to investigate the compensation mechanical behavior of NPR anchor cables.The large deformations of soft rocks in the Daliangshan Tunnel are caused by a high ground stress,a high degree of joint fracture development,and a high degree of surrounding rock fragmentation.A compensation mechanics support system combining long and short NPR anchor cables was suggested to provide sufficient counter-support force(approximately 350 kN)for the surrounding rock inside the tunnel.Comparing the NPR anchor cable support system with the original support system used in the Daliangshan tunnel showed that an NPR anchor cable support system,combining cables of 6.3 m and 10.3 m in length,effectively prevented convergence of surrounding rock deformation,and the integrated settlement convergence value remained below 300 mm.This study provides an effective scientific basis for resolving large deformation problems in deeply buried soft rocks in western transverse mountain areas.

Features of sampling stream sediments of large river valleys under cryolithogenesis conditions in the Balygychan-Sugoy trough,North-East of Russia

Comprehensive research has been implemented to raise the efficiency of the geochemical survey of stream sediments(SSs)that formed under the cryolithogenesis conditions.The authors analysed the composition,structure and specific features of the formation of exogenous anomalous geochemical fields(AGFs)identified through SSs of large river valleys of IV order.In our case,these were the valleys of Maly Ken,Ken and Tap Rivers.These rivers are located in the central and southern parts of the Balygychan-Sugoy trough enclosed in the Magadan region,North-East of Russia.The authors proposed a new technique to sample loose alluvium of SSs in the large river valleys along the profiles.The profiles were located across the valleys.The AGFs of Au,Ag,Pb,Zn,Sn,Bi,Mo and W were studied.Correlations between elements have been established.These elements are the main indicator elements of Au-Ag,Ag-Pb,Sn-Ag,Mo-W and Sn-W mineralization occurring on the sites under study.The results obtained were compared with the results of geochemical surveys of SSs.It is concluded that the AGFs recognized along the profiles reflect the composition and structure of eroded and drained ore zones,uncover completely and precisely the pattern of element distribution in loose sediments of large water flows.The alluvium fraction<0.25 mm seems to be most significant in a practical sense,as it concentrated numerous ore elements.Sampling of this fraction in the river valleys of IV order does not cause any difficulty,for this kind of material is plentiful.The developed technique of alluvium sampling within large river valleys is efficient in searching for diverse mineralization at all stages of prognostic prospecting.It is applicable for geochemical survey of SSs performed at different scales both in the North-East of Russia,as well as other regions with similar climatic conditions,where the SSs are formed under the cryolithogenesis conditions.

The Immense Impact of Reverse Edges on Large Hierarchical Networks

Hierarchical networks are frequently encountered in animal groups,gene networks,and artificial engineering systems such as multiple robots,unmanned vehicle systems,smart grids,wind farm networks,and so forth.The structure of a large directed hierarchical network is often strongly influenced by reverse edges from lower-to higher-level nodes,such as lagging birds’howl in a flock or the opinions of lowerlevel individuals feeding back to higher-level ones in a social group.This study reveals that,for most large-scale real hierarchical networks,the majority of the reverse edges do not affect the synchronization process of the entire network;the synchronization process is influenced only by a small part of these reverse edges along specific paths.More surprisingly,a single effective reverse edge can slow down the synchronization of a huge hierarchical network by over 60%.The effect of such edges depends not on the network size but only on the average in-degree of the involved subnetwork.The overwhelming majority of active reverse edges turn out to have some kind of“bunching”effect on the information flows of hierarchical networks,which slows down synchronization processes.This finding refines the current understanding of the role of reverse edges in many natural,social,and engineering hierarchical networks,which might be beneficial for precisely tuning the synchronization rhythms of these networks.Our study also proposes an effective way to attack a hierarchical network by adding a malicious reverse edge to it and provides some guidance for protecting a network by screening out the specific small proportion of vulnerable nodes.