RVSL: Robust Vehicle Similarity Learning in Real Hazy Scenes Based on Semi-supervised Learning

Recently, vehicle similarity learning, also called re-identification (ReID), has attracted significant attention in computer vision. Several algorithms have been developed and obtained considerable success. However, most existing methods have unpleasant performance in the hazy scenario due to poor visibility. Though some strategies are possible to resolve this problem, they still have room to be improved due to the limited performance in real-world scenarios and the lack of real-world clear ground truth. Thus, to resolve this problem, inspired by CycleGAN, we construct a training paradigm called \textbf{RVSL} which integrates ReID and domain transformation techniques. The network is trained on semi-supervised fashion and does not require to employ the ID labels and the corresponding clear ground truths to learn hazy vehicle ReID mission in the real-world haze scenes. To further constrain the unsupervised learning process effectively, several losses are developed. Experimental results on synthetic and real-world datasets indicate that the proposed method can achieve state-of-the-art performance on hazy vehicle ReID problems. It is worth mentioning that although the proposed method is trained without real-world label information, it can achieve competitive performance compared to existing supervised methods trained on complete label information.Comment: Accepted by ECCV 202

Presynaptic actions of 4-Aminopyridine and γ-aminobutyric acid on rat sympathetic ganglia in vitro

Responses to bath-applications of 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) and -aminobutyric acid (GABA) were recorded intracellularly from neurones in the rat isolated superior cervical ganglion. 4-aminopyridine (0.1–1.0 mmol/l) usually induced spontaneous action potentials and excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs), which were blocked by hexamethonium. Membrane potential was unchanged; spike duration was slightly increased. Vagus nerve B-and C-fibre potentials were prolonged. In 4-AP solution (0.1–0.3 mmol/l), GABA (0.1 mmol/l), 3-aminopropanesulphonic acid or muscimol evoked bursts of spikes and EPSPs in addition to a neuronal depolarization. These bursts, which were not elicited by glycine, glutamate, taurine or (±)-baclofen, were completely antagonised by hexamethonium, tetrodotoxin or bicuculline methochloride. It is concluded that: (a) 4-AP has a potent presynaptic action on sympathetic ganglia; (b) presynaptic actions of GABA can be recorded postsynaptically in the presence of 4-AP; and (c) the presynaptic GABA-receptors revealed in this condition are similar to those on the postsynaptic membrane

Bioequivalence Evaluation of Two Formulations of Celecoxib 200 mg Capsules in Healthy volunteers by using a validated LC/MS/MS method

The bioequivalence study to compare a new formulation of celecoxib to its reference formulation was designed as an open-label, randomized, single-dose, two-way crossover, comparative bioavailability study by using a validated LC/MS/MS method. In order to determine the plasma concentrations of celecoxib, a sensitive LC/MS/MS method was developed. The method was validated to possess adequate specificity, linearity, precision, accuracy and stability. The linearity of calibration curve was assessed between the concentration intervals (5–2000 ng/mL) with a correlation coefficient over 0.999. Regarding pharmacokinetic investigation, the mean celecoxib AUC0-t values from the test and reference drug formulations were 7360.44 ± 1714.14 h•ng/mL and 7267.48 ± 2077.68 h•ng/mL, respectively, and the corresponding AUC0-∞ values were 8197.45 ± 2040.31 h•ng/mL and 7905.54 ± 2286.12 h•ng/mL, respectively. The Cmax of the test and reference drugs was 705.30 ± 290.63 ng/mL and 703.86 ± 329.91 ng/mL, respectively, and the corresponding Tmax was 3.4 ± 1.6 h and 2.9 ± 1.4 h. Lastly, the T1/2 values of the test and reference drugs were 13.9 ± 7.9 h and 12.9 ± 7.7 h, respectively. The 90% confidence intervals for AUC0-t, AUC0-∞, and Cmax were 97.00-108.85, 98.01-112.09, and 93.20-116.13, respectively, satisfying the bioequivalence criteria of 80-125% range. In conclusion, these results demonstrated that the bioequivalence of two formulations of celecoxib was established successfully by utilizing present developed LC/MS/MS method

The SNAPSHOT study protocol : SNAcking, Physical activity, Self-regulation, and Heart rate Over Time

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Measurement of cosmic-ray muons and muon-induced neutrons in the Aberdeen Tunnel Underground Laboratory

postprin

An apparatus for studying spallation neutrons in the Aberdeen Tunnel laboratory

postprin

Update on the Risk of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection

Chronic hepatitis B virus infection is an important cause of liver-related morbidity and mortality, with hepatocellular carcinoma being the most life-threatening complication. Because of the highly variable clinical course of the disease, enormous research efforts have been made with the aim of revealing the factors in the natural history that are relevant to hepatocarcinogenesis. These include epidemiological studies of predisposing risk groups, viral studies of mutations within the hepatitis B viral genome, and clinical correlation of these risk factors in predicting the likelihood of development of hepatocellular cancer in susceptible hosts. This update addresses these risks, with emphasis on the latest research relevant to hepatocarcinogenesis

Bacteremic community-acquired pneumonia due to Klebsiella pneumoniae: Clinical and microbiological characteristics in Taiwan, 2001-2008

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Klebsiella pneumoniae </it>is the major cause of community-acquired pyogenic infections in Taiwan. This retrospective study evaluated the clinical and microbiological characteristics of bacteremic community-acquired pneumonia due to <it>K. pneumoniae </it>in Taiwanese adults.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The clinical characteristics of bacteremic community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in adults due to <it>K. pneumoniae </it>were compared to those of adults with bacteremic CAP due to <it>Streptococcus pneumoniae </it>at a tertiary medical center in Taiwan from 2001-2008. Risk factors for mortality of bacteremic CAP due to <it>K. pneumoniae </it>were analyzed. All clinical isolates of <it>K. pneumoniae </it>were examined for capsular serotypes, hypermucoviscosity phenotype, aerobactin and <it>rmpA </it>gene.</p> <p>Results</p> <p><it>K. pneumoniae </it>was the dominant cause of bacteremic CAP and was associated with a more fulminant course and a worse prognosis than bacteremic CAP due to <it>Streptococcus pneumoniae</it>. Initial presentation with septic shock and respiratory failure were independent risk factors for both early and total mortality. Serotype K1 and K2 comprised around half of all isolates. There were no significant differences in the clinical characteristics of patients with bacteremic CAP due to K1/K2 and non-K1/K2 isolates. Hypermucoviscosity phenotype as well as the aerobactin and <it>rmpA </it>genes were highly prevalent in the <it>K. pneumoniae </it>isolates.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p><it>K. pneumoniae </it>continued to be the dominant cause of bacteremic CAP in Taiwanese adults during 2001-2008. Initial presentation with septic shock and respiratory failure were independent risk factors for both early and total mortality from <it>K. pneumoniae </it>bacteremic CAP. Serotypes K1/K2 comprised around half of all isolates, but did not predispose patients to a poor clinical outcome. Physicians should be aware of the poor prognosis of any patient with bacteremic <it>K. pneumoniae </it>CAP and monitor these patients more closely.</p

Semantics in active surveillance for men with localized prostate cancer - results of a modified Delphi consensus procedure

Active surveillance (AS) is broadly described as a management option for men with low-risk prostate cancer, but semantic heterogeneity exists in both the literature and in guidelines. To address this issue, a panel of leading prostate cancer specialists in the field of AS participated in a consensus-forming project using a modified Delphi method to reach international consensus on definitions of terms related to this management option. An iterative three-round sequence of online questionnaires designed to address 61 individual items was completed by each panel member. Consensus was considered to be reached if >= 70% of the experts agreed on a definition. To facilitate a common understanding among all experts involved and resolve potential ambiguities, a face-to-face consensus meeting was held between Delphi survey rounds two and three. Convenience sampling was used to construct the panel of experts. In total, 12 experts from Australia, France, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan, the UK, Canada and the USA participated. By the end of the Delphi process, formal consensus was achieved for 100% (n = 61) of the terms and a glossary was then developed. Agreement between international experts has been reached on relevant terms and subsequent definitions regarding AS for patients with localized prostate cancer. This standard terminology could support multidisciplinary communication, reduce the extent of variations in clinical practice and optimize clinical decision making.Peer reviewe

Studies of the Decay B+- -> D_CP K+-

We report studies of the decay B+- -> D_CP K+-, where D_CP denotes neutral D mesons that decay to CP eigenstates. The analysis is based on a 29.1/fb data sample of collected at the \Upsilon(4S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric e+ e- storage ring. Ratios of branching fractions of Cabibbo-suppressed to Cabibbo-favored processes involving D_CP are determined to be B(B- -> D_1 K-)/B(B- -> D_1 pi-)=0.125 +- 0.036 +- 0.010 and B(B- -> D_2 K-)/B(B- -> D_2 pi-)=0.119 +- 0.028 +- 0.006, where indices 1 and 2 represent the CP=+1 and CP=-1 eigenstates of the D0 - anti D0 system, respectively. We also extract the partial rate asymmetries for B+- -> D_CP K+-, finding A_1 = 0.29 +- 0.26 +- 0.05 and A_2 = -0.22 +- 0.24 +- 0.04.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures, submitted to Physical Review Letter