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

Banxia Baizhu Tianma Decoction for Essential Hypertension: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Objectives. To assess the current clinical evidence of Banxia Baizhu Tianma Decoction (BBTD) for essential hypertension (EH). Search Strategy. Electronic databases were searched until July 2012. Inclusion Criteria. We included randomized clinical trials testing BBTD against placebo, antihypertensive drugs, or combined with antihypertensive drugs against antihypertensive drugs. Data Extraction and Analyses. Study selection, data extraction, quality assessment, and data analyses were conducted according to Cochrane standards. Results. 16 randomized trials were included. Methodological quality of the included trials was evaluated as generally low. 2 trials compared prescriptions based on BBTD using alone with antihypertensive drugs. Meta-analysis showed no significant effect of modified BBTD compared with captopril in systolic blood pressure (MD: −0.75 (−5.77, 4.27); P=0.77) and diastolic blood pressure (MD: −0.75 (−2.89, 1.39); P=0.49). 14 trials compared the combination of BBTD or modified BBTD plus antihypertensive drugs with antihypertensive drugs. Meta-analysis showed there are significant beneficial effect on systolic blood pressure in the combination group compare to the antihypertensive drugs (MD: −4.33 (−8.44, −0.22); P=0.04). The safety of BBTD is uncertain. Conclusions. There is encouraging evidence of BBTD for lowering SBP, but evidence remains weak. Rigorously designed trials are warranted to confirm these results

Functional Haplotypes of the hTERT Gene, Leukocyte Telomere Length Shortening, and the Risk of Peripheral Arterial Disease

Background: The development of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is heterogeneous even in the presence of similar risk factors. Our aim was to determine whether inter-individual differences in leukocyte telomere length contribute to the susceptibility of PAD. Methods A total of 485 patients with PAD (defined by the ankle-brachial index) and 970 age- and gender-matched controls were recruited from seven rural communities in Henan Province in China. The relative leukocyte telomere length was determined by a quantitative PCR-based method. Two common promoter variants of the hTERT gene were genotyped to assess their effects on telomere length and the risk of PAD. In vivo luciferase assay was performed to study the transcriptional activity. Results: After adjustment for vascular risk factors and genetic variants in the hTERT gene, individuals in the lowest and middle tertiles of telomere length had a significantly higher risk of PAD than did those in the highest tertile (odds ratio [OR] 1.73, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.29–2.49 in the middle tertile; 3.15, 95%CI 2.31–4.29 in the lowest tertile). Haplotype analysis using the 2 variants (rs2735940 and rs2853669) showed that subjects with the at-risk C-C haplotype had shorter telomere length than those individuals with the T-T haplotype and consistently had 1.30-fold (OR 1.30, 95%CI 1.06–1.58; P = 0.005) increased risk for PAD. The C-C haplotype had 43% lowered transcription activity of hTERT promoter (P<0.001). Conclusion: The associations between the functional haplotype of hTERT gene and telomere length and the risk of atherosclerotic PAD suggested that mean leukocyte telomere length may independently serve as a potential predictor of PAD

Resistance Switching Behavior in Rectangle-Nano-Pattern SrTiO3 Induced by Simple Annealing.

The tunability of semi-conductivity in SrTiO3 single crystal substrates has been realized by a simple encapsulated annealing method under argon atmosphere. This high temperature annealing-induced property changes are characterized by the transmission spectra, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and synchrotron-based X-ray absorption (XAS). We find the optical property is strongly influenced by the annealing time (with significant decrease of transmittance). A sub gap absorption at ~427 nm is detected which is attributed to the introduction of oxygen vacancy. Interestingly, in the SEM images, annealing-induced regularly rectangle nano-patterns are directly observed which is contributed to the conducting filaments. The XAS of O K-edge spectra shows the changes of electronic structure by annealing. Very importantly, resistance switching response is displayed in the annealed SrTiO3 single crystal. This suggests a possible simplified route to tune the conductivity of SrTiO3 and further develop novel resistance switching materials

Hepatitis C Virus Induced a Novel Apoptosis-Like Death of Pancreatic Beta Cells through a Caspase 3-Dependent Pathway

Epidemiological and experimental studies have suggested that Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is associated with the development of type 2 diabetes. Pancreatic beta cell failure is central to the progression of type 2 diabetes. Using virus infection system, we investigate the influence of HCV infection on the fate of the insulinoma cell line, MIN6. Our experiments demonstrate that the HCV virion itself is indispensable and has a dose- and time-dependent cytopathic effect on the cells. HCV infection inhibits cell proliferation and induces death of MIN6 cells with apoptotic characteristics, including cell surface exposure of phosphatidylserine, decreased mitochondrial membrane potential, activation of caspase 3 and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase, and DNA fragmentation in the nucleus. However, the fact that HCV-infected cells exhibit a dilated, low-density nucleus with intact plasma and nuclear membrane indicates that a novel apoptosis-like death occurs. HCV infection also causes endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Further, HCV RNA replication was detected in MIN6 cells, although the infection efficiency is very low and no progeny virus particle generates. Taken together, our data suggest that HCV infection induces death of pancreatic beta cells through an ER stress-involved, caspase 3-dependent, special pathway