The Journey/DAO/TAO of Embodied Intelligence: From Large Models to Foundation Intelligence and Parallel Intelligence

THE tremendous impact of large models represented by ChatGPT[1]-[3]makes it necessary to con-sider the practical applications of such models[4].However,for an artificial intelligence(AI)to truly evolve,it needs to possess a physical“body”to transition from the virtual world to the real world and evolve through interaction with the real environments.In this context,“embodied intelligence”has sparked a new wave of research and technology,leading AI beyond the digital realm into a new paradigm that can actively act and perceive in a physical environment through tangible entities such as robots and automated devices[5].

Weakly Supervised Network with Scribble-Supervised and Edge-Mask for Road Extraction from High-Resolution Remote Sensing Images

Significant advancements have been achieved in road surface extraction based on high-resolution remote sensingimage processing. Most current methods rely on fully supervised learning, which necessitates enormous humaneffort to label the image. Within this field, other research endeavors utilize weakly supervised methods. Theseapproaches aim to reduce the expenses associated with annotation by leveraging sparsely annotated data, such asscribbles. This paper presents a novel technique called a weakly supervised network using scribble-supervised andedge-mask (WSSE-net). This network is a three-branch network architecture, whereby each branch is equippedwith a distinct decoder module dedicated to road extraction tasks. One of the branches is dedicated to generatingedge masks using edge detection algorithms and optimizing road edge details. The other two branches supervise themodel’s training by employing scribble labels and spreading scribble information throughout the image. To addressthe historical flaw that created pseudo-labels that are not updated with network training, we use mixup to blendprediction results dynamically and continually update new pseudo-labels to steer network training. Our solutiondemonstrates efficient operation by simultaneously considering both edge-mask aid and dynamic pseudo-labelsupport. The studies are conducted on three separate road datasets, which consist primarily of high-resolutionremote-sensing satellite photos and drone images. The experimental findings suggest that our methodologyperforms better than advanced scribble-supervised approaches and specific traditional fully supervised methods.

An Analysis of The Road from the Perspective of Community Theory

As one of the representatives of Anthropocene fiction, Cormac McCarthy’s The Road focuses on the protagonists’ looking for hope for living. It can be inferred when analyzed with Tönnies’ theory that a community is constructed within the relationship between father and son, together with other characters that are involved in the narration. Accordingly, the changing process of community is demonstrated in a progressive sequence of blood-geopolitics-spirit, revealing a sense of progression in an Anthropocene context. This paper analyzes and explores the process of evolution in three dimensions reflected in the novel: construction, crisis, and the reconstruction of community. It is considered that The Road conveys powerful calls of the yearn for the survival of the individual, which can be regarded as a reflection of the human condition in reality. Meanwhile, its distinct and full-scale evolution of community process expressed in the novel also presents a referentiality to the age of Anthropocene.

Discourse Analysis of the Belt and Road Initiative From the Perspective of Central Asian Countries: A Case Study of the Republic of Kazakhstan

This study employs Norman Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis(CDA)three-dimensional model,using the Republic of Kazakhstan as a case study,to delve into the discourse construction of China’s Belt and Road Initiative(BRI)in Central Asian countries.Through detailed analysis of policy documents,media reports,and public discussions in Central Asian countries,this paper reveals how the BRI constructs specific social practices,discourse events,and textual meanings within these nations.The findings indicate that through this global development strategy,China has not only strengthened its economic ties with Central Asian countries but has also exerted profound influences on political,cultural,and social levels.

Landslide characteristics and its impact on tourism for two roadside towns along the Kathmandu Kyirong Highway

Frequent landslide events affect the Kathmandu Kyirong Highway(KKH),one of the most strategic Sino-Nepal highways,with multiple social effects.Amongst them,the impacts on local tourism,although being substantial,have not been studied so far.The aim of this research is to analyze the characteristics of such landslides and their influence on road damages and/or blockages as well as on local tourism industry.We analyzed the co-seismic landslides triggered by the Gorkha Earthquake,2015(7.8 Mw),the post-seismic landslides that occurred during the monsoons following the earthquake,as well as landslides which occurred or reactivated in 2018,with relation to the damage that they caused to the highway.High resolution satellite images from 2015 to 2018,and field data were used for the analysis.The Langtang avalanche that locates off the highway was also mapped due to its high impacts on tourism.Between 2015 and 2018,the number of road damaging landslides in the Betrawati-Rasuwagadhi section of KKH(where Dhunche and Syafrubesi towns are located)was 101 in the main track(MT)and 103 in the new track(NT),with respective average density of 1.46/km and 3.63/km.The dominant observed landslide types were debris slides and rock falls.Landslides were mostly concentrated in the locations with the following characteristics:1)having higher elevated area,2)being located with the‘main central thrust’and other lineaments’belts,3)belonging to the Proterozoic lesser Himalayan rocks,4)having a slope gradient of 25°-45°,5)having northern,western and southern slope aspect,6)being subjected to average annual rainfall of higher than 1,000 mm,and 7)having less than 4 km distance from the past earthquake epicenters.The results further indicated that 7 rain-induced and 4 co-and post-seismic landslides have great impact on tourist flows.An impact analysis was also assessed through a door to door questionnaire survey with local hotel operators from Dhunche and Syafrubesi towns(n=29+31).The results reveal that out of six rigorously affected sectors by landslides leading to road blockage,tourism business is the most impacted livelihood sector in these towns.The reduction of visitors in different hotels ranged from 50%-100%in Dhunche and 70%-100%in Syafrubesi for the first year aftermath of the tremor.This is higher than the respective 5%-50%tourist reduction due to raininduced landslides.Using as a reference the base year 2014,the income loss of hotels in both towns was found to be 50%-100%in 2015,20%-100%in 2016,5%-75%in 2017,and similar to 35%in 2018.These results provide insights on the synergic effect of contributing factors for cut slope as well as down slope instability along mountainous motorways and their impact on income sources for local communities.

The Exploration of Translator's Subjectivity and Styles——From Four English Versions of Tao Te Ching

Tao Te Ching is chosen as the object of this study due to its everlasting charm and profound thoughts within 5000 characters.The thesis chooses versions translated by Arthur Waley(1889～1966),James Legge(1815～1897),Lin Yutang(1895～1976) and Gu Zheng kun(1951～) as the study cases on the account of their different cultural background and historical context,and also of their respective pur poses and interpretations.The translation products of these four translators are selected to analyze the subjectivity played by each of them and to explore to which extent the style and characteristics of the translators could influence the translation versions.

Discussion on the theoretical basis of strengthening Yang from "Doing Nothing" in Tao Te Ching

Background:As described in Tao Te Ching,Tao does nothing but can accomplish everything.Methods:Exploring this artistic concept through the image“valley spirit dies not”,we see it produce“Names”from“Having No Name”.Results:The role of essence in the body is similar to the“Doing Nothing”way of Tao,and through strengthening Yang,Yang Qi can be unblocked so as to restore the nature of“Doing Nothing”and generate Qi,essence,blood,and bodily fluids to treat disease.

Comparison of Keyword Translations in Tao Teh Ching From the Perspective of Skopos Theory

Tao Teh Ching,which is commonly regarded as the greatest book of Taoism in China,is rich in meaning and profound in annotation.In spite of its limited length,it has a great impact on Chinese philosophy.Due to its great popularity,the number of its translations remains increasing,and the translations by different translators vary from each other.The authors make comparison between James Legge’s and Lin Yutang’s translations of some keywords in Tao Teh Ching.By studying the two translators’personal experiences and basing on the Skopos Theory,they find out that the translators apply different translation strategies because of their cultural backgrounds and translation purposes.

The Influences of Taoism on Landscape Architecture

Based on interpretation of Dao De Jing(a book written by LAO Zi),the connotation of "Tao" had been analyzed and it emphasized that Taoism is the most basic and eternal universal law transcending physical existence and the origin of all changes.It pointed out that garden art was integrated art of time and space,Taoism had made profound effect on Chinese landscape art,and its philosophical thought was the important theoretical support for garden artistic creation.On this basis,it laid stress on great influence on artistic creation of Chinese garden produced by Taoist dialectical thoughts and Taoist thoughts such as "Taoism following nature","unity between heaven and human",and "immortal belief";and found ideological source for Chinese landscape art to pursue artistic spirit of natural beauty,uphold designing principle of harmonious coexistence between human and nature,and take supernatural being and fairyland legend as the design version.It also analyzed that Taoist philosophical thought happened to coincide with contrast methods of garden art involving tangibility and intangibility,falsehood and reality,internality and externality,bigness and smallness,highness and lowness,rising and falling,sparseness and denseness,exposedness and unexposedness,and so on.It highlighted artistic charm of "prospect generating beyond images" as the core connotation of Chinese classical garden art;emphasized frequently-used me-thods for garden spatial organization,spatial guidance and indication,layout pattern,arrangement of scenic spots and disposition of landscaping plants which were produced under the influence of Taoism,making Chinese garden be of more implicitness,interestingness and orient glamour.

The Landscape Design of Roads Afforestation of Jiangnan New District in Mudanjiang Municipality

Based on road characters in Jiangnan New District in Mudanjiang Municipality,four typical roads were selected to carry out road afforestation design with consideration of local building features and local vegetations,in order to integrate both of landscape effects,in terms of improving and beautifying city environment,and of ecological effects,such as filtering air,reducing temperature,increasing humidity,and reducing noise.

Road or Lu, Is It Still a Question?—On Translation of Road and Street Names from the Perspective of Functional Theories

The translation of road names from Chinese into English applies no specific standards up to date. Whether the roads should be re ferred in accordance with the nearby position or some symbolic buildings or simply be represented by a phonetic pronunciation which has no specific meaning in English has provoked some heated discussion. In this paper I employ the skopos theory and other relevant theories to put forward a new perspective of translating road and street names, with same emphasis on that of generic name and on specific name. Some illustrations will be made on the defects of the writing standard set by relevant Chinese laws and regulations as well as resolutions of the United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names, i.e. the adoption of a Single Romanization System, and Lu to be the generic name in China's case. Also, I will further probe the existing translations of road and street names in major Chinese cities, most of which to be Road, either go against relevant laws or fail to inform foreign visitors. Finally, I will come up with the suggestion of ap plication of a combination of Lu and Road in translation of road and street names in accordance with functional approaches.

Evaluation of slope stability through rock mass classification and kinematic analysis of some major slopes along NH-1A from Ramban to Banihal, North Western Himalayas

The network of Himalayan roadways and highways connects some remote regions of valleys or hill slopes,which is vital for India’s socio-economic growth.Due to natural and artificial factors,frequency of slope instabilities along the networks has been increasing over last few decades.Assessment of stability of natural and artificial slopes due to construction of these connecting road networks is significant in safely executing these roads throughout the year.Several rock mass classification methods are generally used to assess the strength and deformability of rock mass.This study assesses slope stability along the NH-1A of Ramban district of North Western Himalayas.Various structurally and non-structurally controlled rock mass classification systems have been applied to assess the stability conditions of 14 slopes.For evaluating the stability of these slopes,kinematic analysis was performed along with geological strength index(GSI),rock mass rating(RMR),continuous slope mass rating(CoSMR),slope mass rating(SMR),and Q-slope in the present study.The SMR gives three slopes as completely unstable while CoSMR suggests four slopes as completely unstable.The stability of all slopes was also analyzed using a design chart under dynamic and static conditions by slope stability rating(SSR)for the factor of safety(FoS)of 1.2 and 1 respectively.Q-slope with probability of failure(PoF)1%gives two slopes as stable slopes.Stable slope angle has been determined based on the Q-slope safe angle equation and SSR design chart based on the FoS.The value ranges given by different empirical classifications were RMR(37-74),GSI(27.3-58.5),SMR(11-59),and CoSMR(3.39-74.56).Good relationship was found among RMR&SSR and RMR&GSI with correlation coefficient(R 2)value of 0.815 and 0.6866,respectively.Lastly,a comparative stability of all these slopes based on the above classification has been performed to identify the most critical slope along this road.

Risk assessment of oil and gas investment environment in countries along the Belt and Road Initiative

With the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative, China is deepening its cooperation in oil and gas resources with countries along the Initiative. In order to better mitigate risks and enhance the safety of investments, it is of significant importance to research the oil and gas investment environment in these countries for China's overseas investment macro-layout. This paper proposes an indicator system including 27 indicators from 6 dimensions. On this basis, game theory models combined with global entropy method and analytic hierarchy process are applied to determine the combined weights, and the TOPSIS-GRA model is utilized to assess the risks of oil and gas investment in 76 countries along the Initiative from 2014 to 2021. Finally, the GM(1,1) model is employed to predict risk values for 2022-2025. In conclusion, oil and gas resources and political factors have the greatest impact on investment environment risk, and 12 countries with greater investment potential are selected through cluster analysis in conjunction with the predicted results. The research findings may provide scientific decisionmaking recommendations for the Chinese government and oil enterprises to strengthen oil and gas investment cooperation with countries along the Belt and Road Initiative.

Investigation into extremely acidic hydrothermal fluids off Kueishan Tao, Taiwan, China

Kueishan Tao (24°51′N, 121°55′E) is located at a tectonic junction of the fault system extension of Taiwan and the southern rifting end of the Okinawa Trough. A cluster of over 30 vents, at a water depth of about 10-20 m off the eastern tip of the tao emits hy-drothermal fluids and volcanic gases such as H2S. A sulfur chimney or mound, formed by condensation of the sulfur contained in the hydrothermal fluid, can usually be seen around the vents. The tallest chimney reaches 6 m. Vents discharging a yellowish fluid have temperatures between 92 and 116 ℃ and flow rates as high as 158 t/h; vents discharging a whitish fluid have lower temperatures of between 48 and 62 ℃ and lower flow rates of about 7.0 t/h. These world-record, breaking low pH (as low as 1.52) fluids are totally different from those found in the black and white-chimneys of the mid-ocean ridges. Magnesium and SiO2 data indicate that these hydrothermal fluids probably originate from a depth of 915-1 350 m below the surface.While the ratios of major ions relative to the sodium of these hydrothermal fluids are quite similar to open ocean water, the ratios of SO4 and chloride to sodium seem to be higher for some of the vents. It is suggested that the volcanic gases contribute SO4 and chlorine to the fluids, hence increasing their ratios relative to sodium. Some hydrothermal fluids, however, are found to be depleted of the major elements which can have been caused by phase separation. The concentrations of iron and manganese in the fluids are much lower than those found in the mid-ocean ridges, while the aluminium content is higher. Four species of benthos (Xenograpsus testudi-natus, a snail, a sea anemone, and a Sipuncala), 1 species of algae (Corallinaceae), and 1 species of fish (Siganus fusescens) were recorded near the hydrothermal vents. A mitochondria DNA sequence comparison of Xenograpsus testudinatus with 6 other decapod species shows the greatest number of nitrogen base differences in the DNA fragments from 225 to 270. The gene diversity in this DNA region possibly results from the unusual habitat. A sediment core was collected at a pond near the eastern side of the tao. No volcanic ash could be detected in the core sample spanning 3 620 a.

A Brief Discussion on the Development of the Silk-Weaving Industry Along the “Southern Silk Road” in Yunnan

Ancient Yunnan was one of the most significant regions along China’s ancient“Southern Silk Road.”During the Nanzhao period(738–902)of the late Tang Dynasty,Yunnan’s silk-weaving industry underwent a qualitative leap as skilled silk craftsmen from the Bashu area migrated to Yunnan and introduced mulberry planting,silkworm breeding,and advanced silk-weaving techniques from Sichuan to the region.Consequently,people in Yunnan gradually acquired expertise in brocade weaving and embroidery.Many even mastered complex silk-weaving techniques.The development and progress of the silk-weaving industry in the ancient Yunnan region were intricately linked to the economic function and value of silk as both a commodity and currency along the“Southern Silk Road.”The local government in ancient Yunnan was greatly motivated by the economic interests brought by the development of silk-related industries and recognized the significance of developing the local silk industry.They even initiated a campaign to capture skilled silk craftsmen from Sichuan,aiming to foster the growth of the silk-weaving industry in Yunnan.After years of dedicated efforts from the local government in ancient Yunnan,the region emerged as a significant hub for silk production along China’s ancient“Southern Silk Road.”Despite the devastation caused by the wars in other parts of the country,Yunnan’s silk industry continued to thrive and provide ample silk products to sustain trade along this renowned route.In the contemporary era,amidst the decline of the silk-weaving industry in eastern China,Yunnan has proposed an industrial development strategy known as“relocating the silk-weaving industry from east to west.”This involves introducing advanced silk production techniques from the eastern regions into Yunnan to enhance and enrich its local silk industry,thereby establishing it as a traditional national sector and securing a competitive position within the global silk market.The historical experience of Yunnan’s silk industry demonstrated that economic development opportunities can only be seized through proactive endeavors rather than passive anticipation.The modern Yunnan silk industry,which upholds its historical traditions,continues to actively engage in international high-end technical cooperation,thus ensuring the enduring vitality of the ancient“Southern Silk Road.”

The coordinated evolution of ecological environment,public service,and tourism economy along the Silk Road Economic Belt,using the Dual-Carbon Targets

Carbon peak and carbon neutrality(dual-carbon)are important targets for the international response to climate change.The Silk Road Economic Belt is a strategic resource region and is important for future ecological environment and tourism development.Based on the“dual-carbon”targets,the Single index quantification,Multiple index synthesis,and Poly-criteria integration evaluation model were used in this study to measure the coordinated development index of the ecological environment,public service,and tourism economy along the Silk Road Economic Belt and to analyze its spatial and temporal evolution.Further,it explores the dynamic evolution and development trend of the three systems using the Kernel Density and Grey Markov Prediction Model.The results show that the coordinated development index along this region needs to be improved during the study period.Furthermore,the coordinated development index of the Southwest region is relatively higher than that of the Northwest region.From the development trend of the three systems,all of them develop in a stable manner;however,the tourism economy system is easily affected by external disturbances.The coordinated development index of the three systems changes dynamically and tends to be in a good state of coordination.There is a certain spatial and temporal heterogeneity.The gravity center of the coordinated development index has been in the Southwest region.During the forecast period,the coordinated development index along this region will improve significantly,while insufficient and unbalanced development will continue.

Characteristics of grassland degradation and driving forces in the source region of the Yellow River from 1985 to 2000

The source region of the Yellow River is located in the middle east of the Tibetan Plateau in northwest China. The total area is about 51,700 km^2, mainly covered by grassland （79%）, unused land （16%） and water （4%）. The increasing land utilization in this area has increased the risk of environmental degradation. The land use/cover data （1985 and 2000） provided by the Data Center of Resources and Environment in the Chinese Academy of Sciences were used to analyze the land cover change in the source region of the Yellow River. DEM （1：250,000） data, roads and settlement data were used to analyze the spatial characteristics of grasslands degradation. The ArcGIS 9 software was used to convert data types and do the overlay, reclassification and zonal statistic analysis. Results show that grassland degradation is the most important land cover change in the study area, which occupied 8.24% of the region＇s total area. Human activities are the main causes of the grassland degradation in the source region of the Yellow River： 1） the degradation rate is higher on the sunny slope than on the shady slope; 2） the grassland degradation rate decreases with an increase in the elevation, and it has a correlation coefficient of -0.93; 3） the nearer to the settlements the grassland is, the higher the degradation rate. Especially within a distance range of 12 km to the settlements, the grassland degradation rate is highly related with the distance, with a coefficient of -0.99; and 4） in the range of 4 km, the degradation rate decreases with the increase of distance to the roads, with a correlation coefficient of -0.98. Besides some physical factors, human activities have been the most important driving forces of the grassland degradation in the source region of the Yellow River since 1985. To resolve the degradation problems, population control is essential, and therefore, it can reduce the social demand of livestock products from the grassland. To achieve sustainable development, it needs to improve the management of grassland ecosystem.

Water in the Mogao Grottoes,China:where it comes from and how it is driven

The Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes in China was designated as a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1987 and is famous for its cultural relics. Water is the most active factor that harms the relics in the caves as it damages the grotto murals and painted sculptures. Thus, determining the water sources and driving forces of water movement is a key issue for protecting these cultural relics. These issues have troubled relics protectors for a long time. In this study, the authors chose a representative cave in the Mogao Grottoes and, by completely sealing the cave to make a closed system, measured the water vapor from the surrounding rock. This was accomplished by installing a condensation-dehumidification temperature-humidity control system for the collection of water vapor. The results show that there is continuous evaporation from the deep surrounding rock into the cave. The daily evaporation capacity is determined to be 1.02 g/（d·m2）. The water sources and driving forces of water movement were further analyzed according to the character of the water evaporation and by monitoring the temperature and humidity of the surrounding rock. It was found that the water vapor in the cave derives from phreatic water. Moreover, the yearly fluctuation of temperature in the surrounding rock and geothermal forces are the basic powers responsible for driving phreatic evaporation. Under the action of the yearly temperature fluctuations, decomposition and combination of bound water acts as a ＂pump＂ that drives phreatic water migration and evaporation. When the temperature rises, bound water decomposes and evaporates; and when it falls, the rock absorbs moisture. This causes the phreatic water to move from deep regions to shallow ones. Determining the source and dynamic foundation of the water provides a firm scientific basis for protecting the valuable cultural relics in the caves.

Spatial distribution pattern of seafloor hydrothermal vents to the southeastern Kueishan Tao offshore Taiwan Island

Investigations of the diffusion activities both within and outside the seafloor hydrothermal vents, as well as related mineral genesis, have been one of the key focuses of ocean biogeochemistry studies. Many hy- drothermal vents are distributed close to the southern Okinawa Trough on the less-than-30-m deep shallow seafloor off Kueishan Tao, northeast of Taiwan Island. Investigations of temperature, pH and Eh at four depths of hydrothermal plume were carried out near Kueishan Tao at the white （24.83°N, 121.9°E） and yellow （24.83°N, 121.96°E） vents. An 87 h of temperature time series observation-undertaken near the white vent showed that tide is the main factor affecting the background environment. Based on the observed data, 3-dimensional sliced diffusion fields were obtained and analyzed. It was concluded that the plume diffused mainly from north to south due to ebb tide. The yellow vent＇s plume could effect as far as the white vent surface. From the temperature diffusion field, the vortices of the plume were observed. The Eh negative abnormality was a better indicator to search for hydrothermal plumes and locate hydrothermal vents than high temperature and low pH abnormalities.

Durability and microstructure analysis of the road base material prepared from red mud and flue gas desulfurization fly ash

The present study aimed to investigate the durability and microstructure evolution of road base materials(RBM)prepared from red mud and flue gas desulfurization fly ash.The durability testing showed that the strength of RBM with the blast furnace slag addition of 1wt%,3wt%and 5wt%reached 3.81,4.87,and 5.84 MPa after 5 freezing–thawing(F–T)cycles and reached 5.21,5.75,and 6.98 MPa after 20 weting–drying(W–D)cycles,respectively.The results also indicated that hydration products were continuously formed even during W–D and F–T exposures,resulting in an increase of the strength and durability of RBM.The observed increase of macropores(>1μm)after F–T and W–D exposures suggested that the mechanism of RBM deterioration is pore enlargement due to cracks that develop inside their matrix.Moreover,the F–T exposure showed a greater negative effect on the durability of RBM compared to the W–D exposure.The leaching tests showed that sodium and heavy metals were solidified below the minimum requirement,which indicates that these wastes are suitable for use as a natural material replacement in road base construction.