OCR-RTPS: An OCR-based real-time positioning system for the valet parking

Obtaining the position of ego-vehicle is a crucial prerequisite for automatic control and path planning in the field of autonomous driving. Most existing positioning systems rely on GPS, RTK, or wireless signals, which are arduous to provide effective localization under weak signal conditions. This paper proposes a real-time positioning system based on the detection of the parking numbers as they are unique positioning marks in the parking lot scene. It does not only can help with the positioning with open area, but also run independently under isolation environment. The result tested on both public datasets and self-collected dataset show that the system outperforms others in both performances and applies in practice. In addition, the code and dataset will release later.Comment: 25 pages, 9 figure

Receptor-like cytoplasmic kinase ScRIPK in sugarcane regulates disease resistance and drought tolerance in Arabidopsis

IntroductionReceptor-like cytoplastic kinases (RLCKs) are known in many plants to be involved in various processes of plant growth and development and regulate plant immunity to pathogen infection. Environmental stimuli such as pathogen infection and drought restrict the crop yield and interfere with plant growth. However, the function of RLCKs in sugarcane remains unclear.Methods and resultsIn this study, a member of the RLCK VII subfamily, ScRIPK, was identified in sugarcane based on sequence similarity to the rice and Arabidopsis RLCKs. ScRIPK was localized to the plasma membrane, as predicted, and the expression of ScRIPK was responsive to polyethylene glycol treatment and Fusarium sacchari infection. Overexpression of ScRIPK in Arabidopsis enhanced drought tolerance and disease susceptibility of seedlings. Moreover, the crystal structure of the ScRIPK kinase domain (ScRIPK KD) and the mutant proteins (ScRIPK-KD K124R and ScRIPK-KD S253A|T254A) were characterized in order to determine the activation mechanism. We also identified ScRIN4 as the interacting protein of ScRIPK.DiscussionOur work identified a RLCK in sugarcane, providing a potential target for sugarcane responses to disease infection and drought, and a structural basis for kinase activation mechanisms

PL - 029 Responses of Urine and Blood Biochemical Markers to Exercise-induced Body Fluid Losses in Elite Chinese Road Cyclists

Objective To examine biochemistry parameters regarding exercise induced fatigue, e.g. Sweat Loss (SL), Creatine Kinase (CK), Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH), Blood Urinary Nitrogen (BUN), etc. Methods This study examined Sweat Loss and blood biochemistry biomarkers regarding fatigue and muscle injury among elite cyclists under a training mode of 120 min moderate workload at 50 - 70% VO2max, then, 10 min relaxation, and then, followed up with a 20 min of spinning session over 85% VO2max. 12 healthy elite Chinese male cyclists (22.6 ± 2.9 years old, 78.3 ± 5.7 kg in weight, 184.6 ± 4.3 cm in height) were recruited. They performed four exercise performance tests throughout this study with 15 days washout period in between. Blood serum tests and urine tests were taken both pre- and post-exercise tests, and dynamic cardio-respiratory hardware (MetaMax 3B, Cortex Biophysik, Germany) was applied during each of their test. There were 2 different sport beverages available. The fluid replacement plan was a double blind crossover design. The volume of fluid intake was in accordance with ACSM recommendation for fluid replacement. Those who were assigned with sport beverage A (6% carbohydrate with 1% peptide) for the first and second performance tests, will be re-assigned to sport beverage B (6% carbohydrate without peptide) for the third and fourth performance tests, vice versa. Notes were taken for the volume of fluid intake to calculate the estimated Sweat Loss. Results We found 91.7% trials have increased LDH, 88.9% trials have increased CK, and 100% trials have been observed increased BUN right after exercise performance test. Even with sufficient water supply, athletes hydration status were getting worse after exercise performance test, their urine USG results were 1.024 ± 0.006 and 1.027 ± 0.006 for pre- and post-exercise performance test respectively. Their dehydration status quantified by the percentage change in body mass (%BM) was 1.86% ± 1.03% with a 95% confidence interval ranging from 1.57% to 2.15%. Conclusions Though, with sufficient water supply, athletes hydration status were getting worse after exercise performance test considering Sweat Loss and blood biochemistry indicators regarding fatigue and muscle injury

Deciphering the Bacterial Microbiome in Huanglongbing-Affected Citrus Treated with Thermotherapy and Sulfonamide Antibiotics

<div><p>Huanglongbing (HLB) is a serious citrus disease that threatens the citrus industry. In previous studies, sulfonamide antibiotics and heat treatment suppressed ‘<i>Candidatus</i> Liberibacter asiaticus’ (Las), but did not completely eliminate the Las. Furthermore, there are few reports studying the bacterial microbiome of HLB-affected citrus treated by heat and sulfonamide antibiotics. In this study, combinations of heat (45°C or 40°C) and sulfonamide treatment (sulfathiazole sodium–STZ, or sulfadimethoxine sodium—SDX) were applied to HLB-affected citrus. The bacterial microbiome of HLB-affected citrus following thermotherapy and/or chemotherapy was characterized by PhyloChip^TMG3-based metagenomics. Our results showed that the combination of thermotherapy at 45°C and chemotherapy with STZ and SDX was more effective against HLB than thermotherapy alone, chemotherapy alone, or a combination of thermotherapy at 40°C and chemotherapy. The PhyloChip^TMG3-based results indicated that 311 empirical Operational Taxonomic Units (eOTUs) were detected in 26 phyla. <i>Cyanobacteria</i> (18.01%) were dominant after thermo-chemotherapy. Thermotherapy at 45°C decreased eOTUs (64.43%) in leaf samples, compared with thermotherapy at 40°C (73.96%) or without thermotherapy (90.68%) and it also reduced bacterial family biodiversity. The eOTU in phylum <i>Proteobacteria</i> was reduced significantly and eOTU_28, representing “<i>Candidatus</i> Liberibacter,” was not detected following thermotherapy at 45°C. Following antibiotic treatment with SDX and STZ, there was enhanced abundance of specific eOTUs belonging to the families <i>Streptomycetaceae</i>, <i>Desulfobacteraceae</i>, <i>Chitinophagaceae</i>, and <i>Xanthomonadaceae</i>, which may be implicated in increased resistance to plant pathogens. Our study further develops an integrated strategy for combating HLB, and also provides new insight into the bacterial microbiome of HLB-affected citrus treated by heat and sulfonamide antibiotics.</p></div

Efficacy of thermo-chemotherapy against citrus HLB.

<p>Efficacy of thermo-chemotherapy against citrus HLB.</p

Bacterial families detected and biodiversity indices in the HLB-affected citrus treated with thermo-chemotherapy.

<p>Bacterial families detected and biodiversity indices in the HLB-affected citrus treated with thermo-chemotherapy.</p

HLB-affected citrus treated with thermo-chemotherapy.

<p><b>A:</b> Thermotherapy at 45°C; <b>B:</b> Combination of thermotherapy at 45°C and chemotherapy with STZ; <b>C:</b> Combination of thermotherapy at 45°C and chemotherapy with SDX; <b>D:</b> Thermotherapy at 40°C; <b>E:</b> Combination of thermotherapy at 40°C and chemotherapy with STZ; <b>F:</b> Combination of thermotherapy at 40°C and chemotherapy with SDX; <b>G:</b> Without thermotherapy and chemotherapy (Kept at room temperature—RT); <b>H:</b> Chemotherapy with STZ at room temperature (RT); <b>I:</b> Chemotherapy with SDX at room temperature (RT).</p

Relative proportions of eOTUs in the microbiome at the phylum level in HLB-affected citrus treated with combination of thermotherapy at 45°C, 40°C, and room temperature and chemotherapy with tap water, STZ and SDX.

<p>Relative proportions of eOTUs in the microbiome at the phylum level in HLB-affected citrus treated with combination of thermotherapy at 45°C, 40°C, and room temperature and chemotherapy with tap water, STZ and SDX.</p

Progress on Dissecting and Controlling the Citrus Huanglongbing Complex

Citrus huanglongbing (HLB) is a century-old and emerging disease that impedes citrus production worldwide. ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ (Las) is the globally prevalent species of HLB bacteria. Here we describe our molecular characterizations of Las, and our newly-developed control methods for citrus HLB. From a genomics standpoint, we revealed Las has a significantly reduced genome (1.26Mb) and unique features adapted to its intracellular life style.&nbsp; Although the genome is small, Las contains at least two prophages that make up ca. 1/16 of the entire genome. Frequent recombination and reasssortment of these prophages/phages may contribute to Las’s evolving diversity and plasticity. There are at least 9 different types of Las populations that may co-exist in a single infection, but some exist preferentially in different hosts and different geographical locations. Furthermore, different Las populations may account for titer variations, such as the extreme low titer of Las bacteria (detected by our qPCR method) from seed-transmitted citrus and infected Murraya paniculata. From a functional genomics standpoint, we revealed Las encodes a functional ATP translocase and acts as an “energy parasite”. To modulate host energy biosyntheses and/or defense responses, Las encodes two novel autotransporter proteins that target to mitochondria. To compete for the limited zinc nutrient, Las encodes a ZuABC high affinity zinc uptake system. To avoid host defense machinery, Las encodes a functional flagellin that slowly triggers the citrus basal defense response. Although HLB is extremely difficult to manage, our newly-developed thermotherapy and chemotherapy methods provide potential components of an integrated control strategy for this devastating disease. In addition to the molecular characterization of the Las bacterium and its responses to stress, we have also revealed the dynamics of the microbial community (over 7000 OTUs-“species”) in HLB-affected citrus plants and how the microbial community responds to antibiotic treatments and seasonal variations

Evidence of Oxygen Activation in the Reaction between an N‑Heterocyclic Carbene and M₃N@<i>I</i>_<i>h</i>(7)–C₈₀: An Unexpected Method of Steric Hindrance Release

We herein demonstrate for the first time the unexpected oxygen-involving reaction between M₃N@<i>I</i>_<i>h</i>(7)–C₈₀ (M = Sc, Lu) and 1,3-bis­(diisopropylphenyl)­imidazol-2-ylene (<b>1</b>). By introducing a tiny amount of oxygen into the reaction, unprecedented products (<b>2a</b> for Sc₃N@C₈₀ and <b>3a</b> for Lu₃N@C₈₀) with the normal carbene center C2 singly bonded to a triple hexagonal junction (THJ) cage carbon together with an oxygen atom bridging the same THJ carbon atom and a neighboring carbon atom forming an epoxy structure are obtained. In situ mechanism study, in combination with theoretical calculations, reveals that the bond-breaking peroxidation facilitates the formation of the unexpected products <b>2a</b> and <b>3a</b>, providing new insight into fullerene chemistry