Click on the blue word to follow us
A new day starts with research information
DAILY NEWS
Focus at home and abroad
Research Information Today
DAY BY DAY
2023
March 31st
foreword
it's here,
To provide you with the latest scientific research information,
Experiments and hot spots are indispensable for you!
1. Which picture is the real person? Automatic detection tool is here
Only one of the following four pictures is a real person, and the others are drawn by Midjourney. Can you guess which one it is?
A few days ago, Midjourney released the fifth version of commercial AI (artificial intelligence) image generation service (hereinafter referred to as Midjourney V5), which has attracted the attention of netizens. The company's designer Adam fard left the above-mentioned no-prize quiz on social media.
"Wait a minute, I'll make an appointment with the ophthalmology department first" "Midjourney will help me generate a pair of eyes by the way"... The bad replies from netizens all hinted that the human naked eye seems to be unable to resist the magic attack of AI.
However, the technical team of Zhongke Ruijian quickly gave the correct answer-only the little girl is a real person! Zhongke Ruijian was established in 2020. Its core members are from the Digital Content Synthesis and Forgery Detection Laboratory of the Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
"Ruijian Turing" detection results for content generated by Midjourney
"To defeat magic, it must be magic itself, and to counter AI must rely on AI." Jin Zhiwei, technical director of Zhongke Ruijian, introduced to "China Science Daily" that the image generation content detection tool "Ruijian Turing" developed by the technical team can target Midjourney generates content detection results.
Jin Zhiwei told the "China Science Daily": "Once the new forgery generation technology is released, through fine-tuning, the corresponding detection model can be quickly differentiated on the basis of the base model."
The generation and detection of data are mutually antagonistic and mutually reinforcing. How to "feed" and "feed" the model accurately and efficiently is another key to making the model "grow into an expert". To this end, the Zhongke Ruijian technical team integrated the data generation process and developed a fully automated digital content generation platform.
This time, for Midjourney V5's adversarial AIGC content (using artificial intelligence technology to generate content) detection model training framework, the Zhongke Ruijian technical team reproduced it based on the multi-modal generation model base during the training data preparation stage that lasted several months More than ten kinds of diffusion models were developed, and finally terabytes of high-quality data were generated.
"The training computing power we currently use as a whole is equivalent to 100 Nvidia A100 training for 3 months." Jin Zhiwei revealed that in the future, Zhongke Ruijian will realize more "nirvana" through algorithm breakthroughs, product innovations, and system construction, creating Internet digital content security infrastructure in the new era, using technology to make the world more credible. <1>
2. Combining two Nobel Prizes, a new type of microchip comes out
For the first time, physicists at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands have combined two Nobel Prize-winning technologies to create a new technology on a microchip.
Such microchips can measure distances to materials with high precision, for example underwater or in medical imaging. Since the technique uses sound vibrations instead of light, it is suitable for high-precision position measurement in opaque materials. This could lead to new technologies for monitoring Earth's climate and human health.
A microchip basically consists of a thin piece of ceramic shaped like a trampoline. The "trampoline" has holes to enhance its interaction with the laser and is one-thousandth the thickness of a human hair. If a simple laser beam is aimed at them, the surface of the "trampoline" starts to vibrate violently.
By measuring the laser light reflected from the vibrating surface, the team noticed a comb-like vibrational pattern that they hadn't seen before. They realized that the comb-like features of the trampoline could serve as a ruler for precisely measuring distances.
The new technology can use sound waves to measure the position of a material. What makes it special is that it does not require any sophisticated hardware, making it easy to produce.
"Just plugging in a laser and nothing else -- no complicated feedback loops or tweaking certain parameters. That makes it a very simple and low-power technology that's easier to miniaturize on a microchip." ’” said Richard Norte, corresponding author of the paper. “Once realized, we can put these microchip sensors anywhere because they are so small.”
The new technique is based on two unrelated Nobel Prize-winning technologies, optical trapping and frequency combs. "These two concepts are often related to light, but don't really overlap in any way. We've uniquely combined them to create an easy-to-use microchip technology based on sound waves. This ease of use may be beneficial to people." How you measure the world around you has a big impact," Norte said.
When the researchers aimed the laser beam at the tiny "trampoline," they realized that the force the laser exerted on the "trampoline" produced overtone vibrations in the "trampoline's" membrane.
"These forces are called optical trapping because they use light to trap particles in a single point," Norte explained. "This technique, which won a Nobel Prize in 2018, allows us to manipulate the smallest particles with extreme precision."
"Optical frequency combs, which won a Nobel Prize in 2005, are used in laboratories around the world for very precise time measurements and distance measurements," Norte said. sound vibrations instead of light. Acoustic frequency combs travel better than light waves through opaque materials."
The technology could be used in precise underwater measurements, medical imaging and quantum technology, among other things. <2>
3. Realization of high-voltage in-situ quantum magnetic detection based on silicon carbide color centers
Recently, Liu Xiaodi, a researcher at the Institute of Solid State Physics, Hefei Institute of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, cooperated with Professor Li Chuanfeng, Professor Xu Jinshi, and researcher Wang Junfeng (now Sichuan University) of the University of Science and Technology of China, and realized the first color center based on silicon vacancies in silicon carbide in the world. High-voltage in situ quantum magnetic detection. This technology is of great significance in the field of high-voltage superconducting and magnetic materials.
Rendering of high-voltage in-situ magnetic detection based on Si-vacancy color centers of SiC anvils
At present, high-pressure technology has been widely used in many fields, including physics, materials science, geophysics and chemistry. In recent years, hydride systems have achieved near-room-temperature superconductivity under high pressure, which has attracted great attention. However, in-situ high-resolution magnetic measurement has always been a difficult problem in high-voltage scientific research, and has restricted the progress of research on the Meissner effect and magnetic phase transition behavior of high-voltage superconductors.
In response to this problem, the research team studied the spin system of silicon carbide color centers and found that silicon carbide color centers can be used for high-voltage magnetic detection research. Further, the research team processed the silicon carbide counter-anvil to replace the commonly used diamond counter-anvil. The shallow silicon vacancy color center was generated by ion implantation on the silicon carbide anvil surface, and the shallow color center was used to realize the original under high pressure. bit magnetic detection. The silicon vacancy color center in silicon carbide has only a single axis. Due to the special symmetry of its electronic structure, the zero-field splitting of the electron spin of the color center is not sensitive to temperature, which can well avoid the diamond NV color center in high-voltage sensing. Difficult analysis of multi-axis spectra and temperature changes in applications.
Using a diamond anvil to generate a high-pressure environment, and studying the optical and spin properties of silicon carbide double-vacancy defects under high pressure
Optical detection of magnetic resonance peaks of di-vacancy PL6 defects at different pressures, and detection of pressure-induced magnetic phase transitions in NdFeB Nd2Fe14B materials using this defect
The research team studied the optical and spin properties of the silicon vacancy color center under high pressure, and found that its spectrum will be blue-shifted, and its spin zero-field splitting value changes little with pressure, which is much smaller than the change slope of the diamond NV color center of 14.6 MHz/GPa, which will facilitate the measurement and analysis of photodetection magnetic resonance spectroscopy at high pressure. Based on this, the research team observed the pressure-induced magnetic phase transition of NdFeB magnets at about 7 GPa through silicon vacancy color center optical detection magnetic resonance technology, and measured the critical temperature-pressure phase diagram of the YBCO superconductor.
The experiment developed a high-voltage in-situ magnetic detection technology based on solid-state color center spin. Compared with diamond, silicon carbide material has mature processing technology, can be grown and prepared in large size, and is cheap. The anvil prepared by it can provide a larger sample volume in the low pressure area. The integration of magnetic sensors in these SiC anvils provides an excellent research platform for high-voltage superconducting magnetic detection and the study of phase transitions in magnetic materials. <3>
4. The Austrian team developed a rechargeable oxygen-ion battery
A research team at the Technical University of Vienna in Austria has recently fabricated a rechargeable oxygen-ion battery using oxide ceramics, which is relatively low in cost and has a long service life, suitable for occasions that require large-scale storage of electrical energy.
Vienna University of Technology recently issued a press release saying that some oxide ceramics can conduct both ions and electrons, and have been used to make power generation devices such as fuel cells. The school's research team used this mixed conductive ceramic material as an electrode to develop a battery for energy storage. It relies on oxygen ions moving back and forth between electrodes to generate electricity, just as lithium-ion batteries rely on the movement of lithium ions.
The oxygen-ion battery contains no combustible materials, eliminating the risk of fire. The oxygen lost during use can be directly replenished from the air through the auxiliary electrode, so that the power storage capacity can be continuously "regenerated" to achieve a long service life. Relevant papers will be published in the American journal Advanced Energy Materials.
The researchers said that the energy density of the new battery is lower than that of lithium-ion batteries, so it is not suitable for products such as smartphones and electric vehicles, but its power storage capacity can be maintained for a long time without fading, and it has practical value for industrial energy storage, such as storing wind power Electricity produced by electricity generation. In addition, the battery does not require the use of scarce, expensive materials. The prototype battery currently manufactured by the research team contains the rare earth element lanthanum, which is expected to be replaced by cheaper materials in the future, and related research is already in progress. <4>
5. The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed on the spot that the missing natural uranium in Libya has been found
The International Atomic Energy Agency said on the 15th of this month that inspectors found that about 2.5 tons of natural uranium previously declared by Libya to be stored at a location in the Sabha region was missing. The armed "National Army" in eastern Libya, which controls the relevant area, said on the 16th that the missing natural uranium was found about 5 kilometers away from the previous storage location, and it may have been stolen by the separatist forces in neighboring Chad as weapons and ammunition. On the 25th, inspectors confirmed on the spot that the missing natural uranium in a storage facility in southern Libya had been found.
The recovered natural uranium dates back to the reign of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. The Associated Press quoted experts as saying that natural uranium cannot be directly used for energy production and weapon manufacturing without enrichment, but if relevant technologies and equipment are mastered, each ton of natural uranium can be purified into about 5.4 kilograms of weapon-grade uranium.
When Gaddafi was in power, the United States and other Western countries worried that Libya supported terrorism and developed weapons of mass destruction, and imposed sanctions on Libya. In 2003, Libya had several secret negotiations with the United States and the United Kingdom on the issue of weapons of mass destruction. In December of the same year, it officially announced that it would voluntarily renounce the development of weapons of mass destruction and accept verification by the international community.
After Gaddafi's regime was overthrown by the opposition under Western military intervention in 2011, Libya fell into turmoil and division. <5>
Tripoli International Airport in Libya taken on June 3, 2020
6. Tritiated radioactive water leaked again, a nuclear power plant shut down for maintenance
At the end of November 2022, a nuclear power plant located in Minnesota reported to the regulatory authorities that a large amount of tritiated radioactive water had leaked. The company announced a few days ago that a new tritium-containing radioactive water leak was discovered in recent monitoring, and it decided to shut down the nuclear power plant and repair it.
Excellence Energy reported at the end of November last year that about 400,000 gallons (1 US gallon equals 3.785 liters) of tritiated radioactive water leaked from the company's nuclear power plant in Monticello, Minnesota. Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen. It took nearly four months for the accident to be made public, triggering concerns about public safety and doubts about information transparency in American public opinion.
Monticello nuclear power plant in Minnesota
Superior Energy said it implemented a short-term fix after the leak was located last year. Recent monitoring has revealed another leak, and hundreds of gallons of new tritiated radioactive water are expected to leak from the original leak point. A person in charge of the company said that the best solution is to shut down the nuclear power plant and carry out immediate and thorough repairs.
Residents near the nuclear power plant where the incident occurred expressed concern about the repeated leakage of tritiated radioactive water. They believe that the public should be given more information about the accident.
The Minnesota Department of Pollution Control and Health issued a joint statement a few days ago, saying that there is no evidence that the leak is or will pose a risk to public health, but will continue to monitor groundwater samples. They also called on the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission to release more information to the society to help residents better understand the situation. <6>
7. Beethoven's genome data shed light on his death
Beethoven was one of the greatest composers of all time, but he was plagued by health problems throughout his life.
1818 essentially lost his hearing. These problems undoubtedly affected his professional and emotional state. So much so that he left a will asking doctors to examine the body to determine the source of the pain.
Beethoven's hair is the best-preserved sample in Kevin Brown's collection
Nearly two centuries later, scientists analyzed the genome of Beethoven's hair and confirmed that he was infected with hepatitis B, but the cause of his death is still unknown. The team found many important genetic risk factors for liver disease, as well as evidence that Beethoven was infected with the hepatitis B virus at least a few months before his fatal illness. Researchers were unable to determine a genetic cause for Beethoven's deafness or gastrointestinal problems. Beethoven's hearing loss was associated with a number of possible causes. Based on the genomic data, the researchers ruled out gluten and lactose intolerance and irritable bowel syndrome as possible gastrointestinal problems.
The "talking notebook" that Beethoven used in the last decade of his life showed that he drank regularly, the study's lead author said. If Beethoven's alcohol consumption was high enough for a long enough time, the interaction with his genetic risk factors offered a possible explanation for his cirrhosis. <7>
8. New measurements of the W boson again support the Standard Model
Physicists analyzed the W boson produced by the Fermilab collider in April last year and found that the W boson is 0.1% heavier than the Standard Model predicts.
The collider detector center at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, where protons and antiprotons collide to create brief bursts of exotic particles
The numbers are small but the implications can be significant. If the conclusions can be independently verified, the discovery would imply the existence of an as yet undiscovered particle or force, and would lead to the first major rewriting of the laws of quantum physics in half a century. Physicists at CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC) ATLAS experiment analyzed data on the W boson produced at the LHC and found that its mass is still consistent with that predicted by the Standard Model. That's preliminary, but it reduces the chances that Fermilab's measurements are correct. <8>
Standard Model of Elementary Particles
9. Microsoft researchers say GPT-4 is the prototype of AGI
Researchers at Microsoft Research published the paper "Sparks of Artificial General Intelligence: Early experiments with GPT-4" on the preprint platform arXiv, praising GPT-4 as an early incomplete version of the AGI (General Artificial Intelligence) system. GPT-4 is a multimodal language model recently announced by OpenAI, and OpenAI's main partner is Microsoft. The researchers stress that GPT-4 was still under development at the time of their testing, and they tested using an early version of it.
To test GPT-4's ability to combine art and programming, the researchers asked GPT-4 to generate javascript code to generate random images in the style of the painter Kandinsky
GPT-4 implementation code process
GPT-4 shows more general intelligence than past models. In addition to being proficient in language, GPT-4 can also solve new problems in mathematics, programming, vision, medicine, law, psychology and other fields. On all these tasks, GPT-4 performs close to human performance. Tests by Microsoft researchers have shown that GPT-4 can solve moderately or even partially difficult problems on Leetcode, solve a difficult problem in the International Mathematical Olympiad in 2022, generate complete code for games based on high-level descriptions, and more. While GPT-4 is not perfect, it is on the way to AGI. <9>
problem solving code
10. Robot caterpillar demonstrates new method of soft robot locomotion
reptile inspired
Researchers at North Carolina State University have demonstrated a caterpillar-like soft robot that can move forward, backward and dive in tight spaces. The robot's motion is driven by a novel pattern of silver nanowires that use heat to control how the robot bends, allowing the user to steer the robot in either direction. Relevant research results were recently published in "Science Advances".
Design and manufacture of crawler crawler robot
Heating performance of a soft crawling robot
Two Crawling Modes of Tracked Robot
The speed of the crawling robot
The caterpillar robot consists of two layers of polymer, the bottom layer shrinks and the top layer expands when heated. Embedded in an expanding polymer layer, the pattern of silver nanowires includes multiple lead points. The researchers can control which parts of the nanowire pattern heat up by applying current to different lead points. How much to control the heat, and thus the direction and speed of the caterpillar robot's movement.
The next step, the researchers say, is to combine this method of soft robotic locomotion with sensors or other technologies for use in search or rescue equipment. <10>
references:
<1> "Which picture is the real person?" Automatic detection tool is here-News-sciencenet.cn
<2>https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-36953-8
<3>https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-023-01477-5
<4>The Austrian team developed a rechargeable oxygen-ion battery—News—Sciencenet.cn
<5>The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed on the spot that the missing natural uranium in Libya has been found—News—sciencenet.cn
<6> Tritiated radioactive water leaked again A nuclear power plant in Minnesota, USA was shut down for maintenance—News—sciencenet.cn
<7>https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/03/beethovens-genome-sequenced-for-first-time-yields-clues-on-cause-of-death/
https://news.sciencenet.cn/htmlnews/2023/3/496764.shtm
<8>https://arstechnica.com/?p=1926610
<9>https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.12712
<10>Robotic caterpillar demonstrates new approach to soft robot locomotion—News—Sciencenet.cn
END
Pay attention to the official account,
Enter the sea of knowledge of scientific research,
Arm your mind!