Place recognition using line-junction-lines in urban environments

Place recognition plays a vital role in eliminating accumulated drift from visual odometry in SLAM system. Bag- of-Words (BoW) -based approach is the most popular solution due to its efficiency and robustness. We propose to use Line- Junction-Line (LJL) to build a BoW for place recognition in urban environments. LJL is a simple structure of two lines with their intersection. Different from point features which are detected based on pixel intensity patterns, it represents structure with physical existence, which is more robust to challenging scenarios. Moreover, its descriptor is distinctive and encodes the relationship between the two lines. Experiments on KITTI dataset show the effectiveness of the proposed method compared to loop detection using BoW trained with either point or line features.NRF (Natl Research Foundation, S’pore)Accepted versio

Recent Advances in Flexible Resistive Random Access Memory

Flexible electronic devices have received great attention in the fields of foldable electronic devices, wearable electronic devices, displays, actuators, synaptic bionics and so on. Among them, high-performance flexible memory for information storage and processing is an important part. Due to its simple structure and non-volatile characteristics, flexible resistive random access memory (RRAM) is the most likely flexible memory to achieve full commercialization. At present, the minimum bending radius of flexible RRAM can reach 2 mm and the maximum ON/OFF ratio (storage window) can reach 108. However, there are some defects in reliability and durability. In the bending process, the cracks are the main cause of device failure. The charge trap sites provided by appropriate doping or the use of amorphous nanostructures can make the conductive filaments of flexible RRAM steadier. Flexible electrodes with high conductivity and flexible dielectric with stable storage properties are the main development directions of flexible RRAM materials in the future

Recent Advances in Flexible Resistive Random Access Memory

Flexible electronic devices have received great attention in the fields of foldable electronic devices, wearable electronic devices, displays, actuators, synaptic bionics and so on. Among them, high-performance flexible memory for information storage and processing is an important part. Due to its simple structure and non-volatile characteristics, flexible resistive random access memory (RRAM) is the most likely flexible memory to achieve full commercialization. At present, the minimum bending radius of flexible RRAM can reach 2 mm and the maximum ON/OFF ratio (storage window) can reach 108. However, there are some defects in reliability and durability. In the bending process, the cracks are the main cause of device failure. The charge trap sites provided by appropriate doping or the use of amorphous nanostructures can make the conductive filaments of flexible RRAM steadier. Flexible electrodes with high conductivity and flexible dielectric with stable storage properties are the main development directions of flexible RRAM materials in the future

Thermal ablation versus radiotherapy for inoperable stage III non-small cell lung cancer: a propensity score matching analysis

AbstractObjective To compare the survival benefits of thermal ablation (TA) and radiotherapy in inoperable patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).Method A retrospective analysis was conducted using the data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program. Propensity score matching (PSM) was conducted to balance potential baseline confounding factors. Survival analyses were conducted using Kaplan–Meier and Cox regression methods.Results The present study included 33,393 inoperable patients with stage III NSCLC, including 106 patients treated with TA and 33,287 patients treated with radiotherapy. No statistical difference in overall survival (OS) (p = .065) or cancer-specific survival (CSS) (p = .996) was found between the patients treated with TA and those treated with radiotherapy. Using 1:3 matching, a matched cohort of 420 patients (105 patients treated with TA, 315 patients treated with radiotherapy) was identified. The differences in OS (p = .177) and CSS (p = .605) were still not significant between the radiotherapy and TA groups after PSM. According to subgroup analyses, TA showed comparable survival benefits in almost all subgroups compared to radiotherapy.Conclusion For inoperable stage III NSCLC, the survival benefit of TA was comparable to radiotherapy. TA may be a potential therapeutic modality for inoperable stage III NSCLC

From Traditional to Novel Printed Electrochromic Devices: Material, Structure and Device

Electrochromic materials have been considered as a new way to achieve energy savings in the building sector due to their potential applications in smart windows, cars, aircrafts, etc. However, the high cost of manufacturing ECDs using the conventional manufacturing methods has limited its commercialization. It is the advantages of low cost as well as resource saving, green environment protection, flexibility and large area production that make printing electronic technology fit for manufacturing electrochromic devices. This paper reviews the progress of research on printed electrochromic devices (ECDs), detailing the preparation of ECDs by screen printing, inkjet printing and 3D printing, using the scientific properties of discrete definition printing method. Up to now, screen printing holds the largest share in the electrochromic industry due to its low cost and large ink output nature, which makes it suitable especially for printing on large surfaces. Though inkjet printing has the advantages of high precision and the highest coloration efficiency (CE) can be up to 542 ± 10 cm2C–1, it has developed smoothly, and has not shown rigid needs. Inkjet printing is suitable for the personalized printing production of high precision and small batch electronic devices. Since 3D printing is a new manufacturing technology in the 21st century, with the characteristics of integrated molding and being highly controllable, which make it suitable for customized printing of complex devices, such as all kinds of sensors, it has gained increasing attention in the past decade. Finally, the possibility of combining screen printing with inkjet printing to produce high performance ECDs is discussed

Cu-doped W18O49 nanowire reticular films for electrochromic supercapacitors

The method of improving the electrochromic properties of tungsten oxide by doping has attracted great interest. In this study, we successfully fabricated nanostructured tungsten oxide with different copper doping concentrations by a solvothermal method using copper chloride dihydrate and tungsten hexachloride as precursors. We found that the area-specific capacitance of the films gradually increased with the increase in doping concentration. The products were characterized by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and chronoamperometry. The results show that the films we fabricated are reticular structures composed of nanowires. The doping of copper can improve the electron conductivity and shorten the ion transmission distance, thus improving energy storage properties. When the doping concentration is 7% and the annealing temperature is 200 °C, the film had the largest surface capacitance of 17.89 mF/cm2 and the capacitance retention reached 58.23%

Emergence and Causality in Complex Systems: A Survey of Causal Emergence and Related Quantitative Studies

Emergence and causality are two fundamental concepts for understanding complex systems. They are interconnected. On one hand, emergence refers to the phenomenon where macroscopic properties cannot be solely attributed to the cause of individual properties. On the other hand, causality can exhibit emergence, meaning that new causal laws may arise as we increase the level of abstraction. Causal emergence (CE) theory aims to bridge these two concepts and even employs measures of causality to quantify emergence. This paper provides a comprehensive review of recent advancements in quantitative theories and applications of CE. It focuses on two primary challenges: quantifying CE and identifying it from data. The latter task requires the integration of machine learning and neural network techniques, establishing a significant link between causal emergence and machine learning. We highlight two problem categories: CE with machine learning and CE for machine learning, both of which emphasize the crucial role of effective information (EI) as a measure of causal emergence. The final section of this review explores potential applications and provides insights into future perspectives

Real‐world comprehensive diagnosis and “Surgery + X” treatment strategy of early‐stage synchronous multiple primary lung cancer

Abstract Background Diagnosing and treating synchronous multiple primary lung cancers (sMPLC) are complex and challenging. This study aimed to report real‐world data on the comprehensive diagnosis and treatment of patients with early‐stage sMPLC. Materials and Methods A single‐center cohort study was carried out and a large number of patients with early‐stage sMPLC were included. A single‐ or two‐stage surgery was performed to remove the primary and co‐existing lesions. The “X” strategies, including ablation, SBRT, and EGFR‐TKIs treatment, were applied to treat the high‐risk residual lesions. Wide panel‐genomic sequencing was performed to assess the genetic heterogeneity of the co‐existing lesions. Results A total of 465 early‐stage sMPLC patients with 1198 resected lesions were included. Despite most patients being histologically different or harboring different genetic alternations, about 7.5% of the patients had the same histological type and driver gene mutation changes, comprehensive re‐evaluation is thus needed. The “Surgery + X” strategy showed remarkable efficacy and safety in treating multiple lesions. Follow‐up data revealed that the T2 stage (p = 0.014) and the solid presence of a primary lesion (p < 0.001) were significantly related to tumor recurrence. And a T2‐stage primary tumor had a significantly higher rate of developing new lesions after the initial surgery (p < 0.001). Conclusions In real‐world practice, histopathological and radiological evaluation combined with genetic analyses could be a robust diagnostic approach for sMPLC. The “Surgery + X” treatment strategy showed remarkable efficacy, superiority, and safety in the clinical treatment of early‐stage sMPLC

Dental functional status with and without tooth replacement in a Chinese adult population.

Contains fulltext : 110823.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)The objective of this study is to investigate the prevalence of missing teeth and prosthodontic replacements in a Chinese adult population using a hierarchical dental functional classification system. A total of 1,462 dentate subjects over 40 years from Shandong Province, China were included and categorized in the functional classification system with and without tooth replacements. Depending on replacements, subjects could be reclassified (promoted) to categories reflecting higher functionality. "Promotions" were considered indicators for prosthodontic effectiveness. Homogeneities after dichotomization into functional categories appeared to be moderate to good. In the ">/=10 teeth in each jaw" branch, mean number of teeth and posterior occluding pairs were 27.93 +/- 2.74 and 7.10 +/- 1.94, respectively. In the branch "<10 teeth in each jaw," these figures were 16.17 +/- 5.54 and 1.49 +/- 1.45. Fixed dental prostheses (FDPs) added on average 3.5 artificial teeth; 46% of subjects with FDP promoted to a higher functional level. For removable dental prostheses (RDPs), these numbers were 8.5% and 79%, respectively. Promotion value per tooth added was significantly higher for FDPs. The classification system was able to quantify the effectiveness of teeth replacements. It was shown that RDPs were more effective when higher numbers of teeth were replaced, while FDPs were more effective per artificial tooth added.1 augustus 201

PSCA and MUC1 in non-small-cell lung cancer as targets of chimeric antigen receptor T cells

© 2017 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. In recent years, immunotherapies, such as those involving chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells, have become increasingly promising approaches to non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment. In this study, we explored the antitumor potential of prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA)-redirected CAR T and mucin 1 (MUC1)-redirected CAR T cells in tumor models of NSCLC. First, we generated patient-derived xenograft (PDX) mouse models of human NSCLC that maintained the antigenic profiles of primary tumors. Next, we demonstrated the expression of PSCA and MUC1 in NSCLC, followed by the generation and confirmation of the specificity and efficacy of PSCA- and MUC1-targeting CAR T cells against NSCLC cell lines in vitro. Finally, we demonstrated that PSCA-targeting CAR T cells could efficiently suppress NSCLC tumor growth in PDX mice and synergistically eliminate PSCA + MUC1 + tumors when combined with MUC1-targeting CAR T cells. Taken together, our studies demonstrate that PSCA and MUC1 are both promising CAR T cell targets in NSCLC and that the combinatorial targeting of these antigens could further enhance the antitumor efficacy of CAR T cells.Link_to_subscribed_fulltex