SportsMOT: A Large Multi-Object Tracking Dataset in Multiple Sports Scenes

Multi-object tracking in sports scenes plays a critical role in gathering players statistics, supporting further analysis, such as automatic tactical analysis. Yet existing MOT benchmarks cast little attention on the domain, limiting its development. In this work, we present a new large-scale multi-object tracking dataset in diverse sports scenes, coined as \emph{SportsMOT}, where all players on the court are supposed to be tracked. It consists of 240 video sequences, over 150K frames (almost 15\times MOT17) and over 1.6M bounding boxes (3\times MOT17) collected from 3 sports categories, including basketball, volleyball and football. Our dataset is characterized with two key properties: 1) fast and variable-speed motion and 2) similar yet distinguishable appearance. We expect SportsMOT to encourage the MOT trackers to promote in both motion-based association and appearance-based association. We benchmark several state-of-the-art trackers and reveal the key challenge of SportsMOT lies in object association. To alleviate the issue, we further propose a new multi-object tracking framework, termed as \emph{MixSort}, introducing a MixFormer-like structure as an auxiliary association model to prevailing tracking-by-detection trackers. By integrating the customized appearance-based association with the original motion-based association, MixSort achieves state-of-the-art performance on SportsMOT and MOT17. Based on MixSort, we give an in-depth analysis and provide some profound insights into SportsMOT. The dataset and code will be available at https://deeperaction.github.io/datasets/sportsmot.html

MVDream: Multi-view Diffusion for 3D Generation

We propose MVDream, a multi-view diffusion model that is able to generate geometrically consistent multi-view images from a given text prompt. By leveraging image diffusion models pre-trained on large-scale web datasets and a multi-view dataset rendered from 3D assets, the resulting multi-view diffusion model can achieve both the generalizability of 2D diffusion and the consistency of 3D data. Such a model can thus be applied as a multi-view prior for 3D generation via Score Distillation Sampling, where it greatly improves the stability of existing 2D-lifting methods by solving the 3D consistency problem. Finally, we show that the multi-view diffusion model can also be fine-tuned under a few shot setting for personalized 3D generation, i.e. DreamBooth3D application, where the consistency can be maintained after learning the subject identity.Comment: Our project page is https://MV-Dream.github.i

Magnetoelectric Effect at the Ni/HfO\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e Interface Induced by Ferroelectric Polarization

Driven by the technological importance of the recently discovered ferroelectric HfO2, we explore a magnetoelectric effect at the HfO2-based ferroelectric-ferromagnetic interface. Using density-functionaltheory calculations of the Ni/HfO2/Ni (001) heterostructure as a model system, we predict a stable and sizable ferroelectric polarization in a few-nm-thick HfO2 layer. For the Ni/HfO2 interface with opposite polarization directions (pointing to or away from the interface), we find a sizable difference in the interfacial Ni—O bonding, resulting in dissimilar degrees of depletion of the electron density around the interface. The latter affects the relative population of the exchange-split majority and minority spin bands at the interface and thus the interfacial magnetic moments. The sizable change in the interface magnetization with ferroelectric polarization reversal of HfO2 manifests a significant ferroelectrically induced magnetoelectric effect at the Ni/HfO2 interface. Our results reveal promising prospects of ferroelectric-ferromagnetic composite multiferroics based on HfO2-based ferroelectric materials

AutoConv: Automatically Generating Information-seeking Conversations with Large Language Models

Information-seeking conversation, which aims to help users gather information through conversation, has achieved great progress in recent years. However, the research is still stymied by the scarcity of training data. To alleviate this problem, we propose AutoConv for synthetic conversation generation, which takes advantage of the few-shot learning ability and generation capacity of large language models (LLM). Specifically, we formulate the conversation generation problem as a language modeling task, then finetune an LLM with a few human conversations to capture the characteristics of the information-seeking process and use it for generating synthetic conversations with high quality. Experimental results on two frequently-used datasets verify that AutoConv has substantial improvements over strong baselines and alleviates the dependence on human annotation. In addition, we also provide several analysis studies to promote future research.Comment: Accepted to ACL 2023 Main Conference (Short

Effect of Ultrasound on the Stability of Partial Nitrification: Under the Interference of Aeration Rate

The fluctuation of dissolved oxygen is one of the primary cause of disruptions to the consistent operation of partial nitrification, and the level of dissolved oxygen is mainly controlled by the aeration rate. This study investigated the influence of ultrasonic treatment on the stability of partial nitrification of activated sludge under different aeration conditions. After being treated with ultrasound (energy density = 0.20 W·mL−1, treatment time = 10 min), partial nitrification process operated stably for 67 days, with the nitrite accumulation rate above 83.89 %. The effluent contained 42.50 mg·L−1 of nitrite, much higher than the control reactor (0.30 mg·L−1). The gap between the specific ammonia and nitrite oxidation rates widened continuously as the aeration rate increased, and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria activity did not recover even under conditions with a very high oxygen content. Further analysis showed that ultrasonic treatment had obvious stripping effect on excess extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), especially loosely bound EPS and protein. Additionally, long-term ultrasonic treatment promoted the enrichment of Nitrosomonas and strongly inhibited Nitrotoga. Based on these findings, it appears that under conditions of high aeration rate, ultrasound effectively suppress the recovery of Nitrotoga activity and improve the stability of partial nitrification

NewsDialogues: Towards Proactive News Grounded Conversation

Hot news is one of the most popular topics in daily conversations. However, news grounded conversation has long been stymied by the lack of well-designed task definition and scarce data. In this paper, we propose a novel task, Proactive News Grounded Conversation, in which a dialogue system can proactively lead the conversation based on some key topics of the news. In addition, both information-seeking and chit-chat scenarios are included realistically, where the user may ask a series of questions about the news details or express their opinions and be eager to chat. To further develop this novel task, we collect a human-to-human Chinese dialogue dataset \ts{NewsDialogues}, which includes 1K conversations with a total of 14.6K utterances and detailed annotations for target topics and knowledge spans. Furthermore, we propose a method named Predict-Generate-Rank, consisting of a generator for grounded knowledge prediction and response generation, and a ranker for the ranking of multiple responses to alleviate the exposure bias. We conduct comprehensive experiments to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method and further present several key findings and challenges to prompt future research.Comment: Accepted to ACL 2023 Conference (Long Paper; Findings

Does energy-consuming rights trading policy achieve urban pollution and carbon reduction? A quasi-natural experiment from China

Energy-consuming rights trading (ECRT) policy represents a critical policy instrument for China striving to achieve its “dual carbon” objectives, captivating significant attention for its potential to reduce pollution and carbon emissions. This study utilizes panel data from 290 Chinese cities spanning 2010 to 2021, leveraging the ECRT policy as a quasi-natural experiment. Employing Difference-in-Differences (DID) and Propensity Score Matching-Difference-in-Differences (PSM-DID) methodologies, we assess the effect of the ECRT policy on urban pollution and carbon reduction levels. The findings indicate: 1) Relative to non-demonstration cities, the ECRT policy significantly enhances pollution and carbon reduction levels in demonstration cities; this conclusion remains robust after rigorous testing. 2) Heterogeneity analysis indicates that the policy’s effect on pollution and carbon reduction is more significant in the central and western regions, and particularly evident in key and resource-based cities. 3) Mechanism tests demonstrate that the policy facilitates urban pollution and carbon reduction by cultivating green technological innovation and industrial structure upgrading. Therefore, to further advance the ECRT policy, it is necessary to expand the breadth, depth, and flexibility of policy implementation, while also optimizing environmental regulations to fully leverage the system’s potential in enhancing urban pollution and carbon emissions

Unconventional polarization switching mechanism in (Hf, Zr)O2 ferroelectrics

HfO$_{2}$-based ferroelectric thin films are promising for their application in ferroelectric devices. Predicting the ultimate magnitude of polarization and understanding its switching mechanism are critical to realize the optimal performance of these devices. Here, a generalized solid-state variable cell nudged elastic band (VCNEB) method is employed to predict the switching pathway associated with domain-wall motion in (Hf, Zr)O$_{2}$ ferroelectrics. It is found that the polarization reversal pathway, where three-fold coordinated O atoms pass across the nominal unit-cell boundaries defined by the Hf/Zr atomic planes, is energetically more favorable than the conventional pathway where the O atoms do not pass through these planes. This finding implies that the polarization orientation in the orthorhombic Pca2$_{1}$ phase of HfO$_{2}$ nd its derivatives is opposite to that normally assumed, predicts the spontaneous polarization magnitude of about 70 ${\mu}$C/cm$^{2}$ that is nearly 50% larger than the commonly accepted value, signifies a positive intrinsic longitudinal piezoelectric coefficient, and suggests growth of ferroelectric domains, in response to an applied electric field, structurally reversed to those usually anticipated. These results provide important insights into the understanding of ferroelectricity in HfO$_{2}$-based ferroelectrics.Comment: 34 pages, 28 figure

The association between FGF21 and diabetic erectile dysfunction: Evidence from clinical and animal studies

Erectile dysfunction (ED), a complication of diabetes mellitus (DM), affects 50–75% of men with diabetes. Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is a liver-derived metabolic regulator which plays a role in insulin-independent glucose uptake in adipocytes. We designed a clinical study and an animal experiment to investigate the relationship between FGF21 and DM-induced ED. The clinical study enrolled 93 participants aged \u3e 18 years (61 patients with type 2 DM and 32 healthy controls) from Taian City Central Hospital (TCCH) in Shandong Province, China, amongst whom the association between serum FGF21 and diabetic ED was analyzed. To further validate this association, we developed animal model of diabetic ED using Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Serum FGF21 concentration and FGF21 mRNA expression in penile samples of the rats were determined with Western blotting and quantitative real-time PCR. Among the 93 participants, the level of serum FGF21 was negatively correlated with the IIEF-5 score (r = -0.74, P \u3c 0.001). The analysis on the performance of FGF21 for ED diagnosis showed that the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was 0.875 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.803 to 0.946). In the animal experiment, the levels of serum FGF21, 2-Δ Δ Ct values of FGF21 mRNA expression, and relative levels of FGF21 in penile samples were higher in the ED group compared to the DM and control groups. Our findings demonstrated an association between the FGF21 level and diabetic ED, indicating the potential of this cytokine in predicting diabetic ED

Computed Tomography-Based Radiomics in Predicting T Stage and Length of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Background: Because of the superficial and infiltrative spreading patterns of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), an accurate assessment of tumor extent is challenging using imaging-based clinical staging. Radiomics features extracted from pretreatment computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging have shown promise in identifying tumor characteristics. Accurate staging is essential for planning cancer treatment, especially for deciding whether to offer surgery or radiotherapy (chemotherapy) in patients with locally advanced ESCC. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the predictive potential of contrast-enhanced CT-based radiomics as a non-invasive approach for estimating pathological tumor extent in ESCC patients. Methods: Patients who underwent esophagectomy between October 2011 and September 2017 were retrospectively studied and included 116 patients with pathologically confirmed ESCC. Contrast-enhanced CT from the neck to the abdomen was performed in all patients during the 2 weeks before the operation. Radiomics features were extracted from segmentations, which were contoured by radiologists. Cluster analysis was performed to obtain clusters with similar radiomics characteristics, and chi-squared tests were used to assess differences in clinicopathological features and survival among clusters. Furthermore, a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator was performed to select radiomics features and construct a radiomics model. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to evaluate the predictive ability of the radiomics signatures. Results: All 116 ESCC patients were divided into two groups according to the cluster analysis. The chi-squared test showed that cluster-based radiomics features were significantly correlated with T stage (p = 0.0254) and tumor length (p = 0.0002). Furthermore, CT radiomics signatures exhibited favorable predictive performance for T stage (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.86, sensitivity = 0.77, and specificity = 0.87) and tumor length (AUC = 0.95, sensitivity = 0.92, and specificity = 0.91). Conclusions: CT contrast radiomics is a simple and non-invasive method that shows promise for predicting pathological T stage and tumor length preoperatively in ESCC patients and may aid in the accurate assessments of patients in combination with the existing examinations