PL-CVIO: Point-Line Cooperative Visual-Inertial Odometry

Low-feature environments are one of the main Achilles' heels of geometric computer vision (CV) algorithms. In most human-built scenes often with low features, lines can be considered complements to points. In this paper, we present a multi-robot cooperative visual-inertial navigation system (VINS) using both point and line features. By utilizing the covariance intersection (CI) update within the multi-state constraint Kalman filter (MSCKF) framework, each robot exploits not only its own point and line measurements, but also constraints of common point and common line features observed by its neighbors. The line features are parameterized and updated by utilizing the Closest Point representation. The proposed algorithm is validated extensively in both Monte-Carlo simulations and a real-world dataset. The results show that the point-line cooperative visual-inertial odometry (PL-CVIO) outperforms the independent MSCKF and our previous work CVIO in both low-feature and rich-feature environments

Effect of Empoasca onukii Puncturing Aroma- and Taste-Active Metabolites of Qingxindamao Beauty Tea

To explore the effects of Empoasca onukii puncturing on metabolites in beauty tea produced from the cultivar Qingxindamao, sensory evaluation, ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were used to compare the sensory quality and metabolites of beauty tea processed from fresh tea leaves punctured or not punctured by E. onukii. The results showed that the quality of beauty tea with E. onukii puncturing was better. The contents of flavones, flavanols and their glycosides, phenolic acids, theaflavins, glycoside derivatives and tannins increased compared with beauty tea without E. onukii puncturing, while the contents of amino acids, saccharides and lipids decreased. Based on odor activity value (OAV) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), a total of five characteristic volatile components, including geraniol, linalool, β-myrcene, methyl salicylate and D-limonene, were identified

Study on driver’s braking intention identification based on functional near-infrared spectroscopy

Purpose - Cooperative driving refers to a notion that intelligent system sharing controlling with human driver and completing driving task together. One of the key technologies is that the intelligent system can identify the driver’s driving intention in real time to implement consistent driving decisions. The purpose of this study is to establish a driver intention prediction model. Design/methodology/approach - The authors used the NIRx device to measure the cerebral cortex activities for identifying the driver’s braking intention. The experiment was carried out in a virtual reality environment. During the experiment, the driving simulator recorded the driving data and the functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) device recorded the changes in hemoglobin concentration in the cerebral cortex. After the experiment, the driver’s braking intention identification model was established through the principal component analysis and back propagation neural network. Findings - The research results showed that the accuracy of the model established in this paper was 80.39 per cent. And, the model could identify the driver’s braking intent prior to his braking operation. Research limitations/implications - The limitation of this study was that the experimental environment was ideal and did not consider the surrounding traffic. At the same time, other actions of the driver were not taken into account when establishing the braking intention recognition model. Besides, the verification results obtained in this paper could only reflect the results of a few drivers’ identification of braking intention. Practical implications - This study can be used as a reference for future research on driving intention through fNIRS, and it also has a positive effect on the research of brain-controlled driving. At the same time, it has developed new frontiers for intention recognition of cooperative driving. Social implications - This study explores new directions for future brain-controlled driving and wheelchairs. Originality/value - The driver’s driving intention was predicted through the fNIRS device for the first time

The mutual interactions among Helicobacter pylori, chronic gastritis, and the gut microbiota: a population-based study in Jinjiang, Fujian

ObjectivesHelicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a type of bacteria that infects the stomach lining, and it is a major cause of chronic gastritis (CG). H. pylori infection can influence the composition of the gastric microbiota. Additionally, alterations in the gut microbiome have been associated with various health conditions, including gastrointestinal disorders. The dysbiosis in gut microbiota of human is associated with the decreased secretion of gastric acid. Chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) and H. pylori infection are also causes of reduced gastric acid secretion. However, the specific details of how H. pylori infection and CG, especially for CAG, influence the gut microbiome can vary and are still an area of ongoing investigation. The incidence of CAG and infection rate of H. pylori has obvious regional characteristics, and Fujian Province in China is a high incidence area of CAG as well as H. pylori infection. We aimed to characterize the microbial changes and find potential diagnostic markers associated with infection of H. pylori as well as CG of subjects in Jinjiang City, Fujian Province, China.ParticipantsEnrollment involved sequencing the 16S rRNA gene in fecal samples from 176 cases, adhering to stringent inclusion and exclusion criteria. For our study, we included healthy volunteers (Normal), individuals with chronic non-atrophic gastritis (CNAG), and those with CAG from Fujian, China. The aim was to assess gut microbiome dysbiosis based on various histopathological features. QIIME and LEfSe analyses were performed. There were 176 cases, comprising 126 individuals who tested negative for H. pylori and 50 who tested positive defined by C14 urea breath tests and histopathological findings in biopsies obtained through endoscopy. CAG was also staged by applying OLGIM system.ResultsWhen merging the outcomes from 16S rRNA gene sequencing results, there were no notable variations in alpha diversity among the following groups: Normal, CNAG, and CAG; OLGIM I and OLGIM II; and H. pylori positive [Hp (+)] and H. pylori negative [Hp (–)] groups. Beta diversity among different groups show significant separation through the NMDS diagrams. LEfSe analyses confirmed 2, 3, and 6 bacterial species were in abundance in the Normal, CNAG, and CAG groups; 26 and 2 species in the OLGIM I and OLGIM II group; 22 significant phylotypes were identified in Hp (+) and Hp (–) group, 21 and 1, respectively; 9 bacterial species exhibited significant differences between individuals with CG who were Hp (+) and those who were Hp (–).ConclusionThe study uncovered notable distinctions in the characteristics of gut microbiota among the following groups: Normal, CNAG, and CAG; OLGIM I and OLGIM II; and Hp (+) and Hp (–) groups. Through the analysis of H. pylori infection in CNAG and CAG groups, we found the gut microbiota characteristics of different group show significant difference because of H. pylori infection. Several bacterial genera could potentially serve as diagnostic markers for H. pylori infection and the progression of CG

Spatio-temporal characteristics of PM2.5 and O3 synergic pollutions and influence factors in the Yangtze River Delta

Since the implementation of pollution prevention and control action in China in 2013, particulate pollution has been greatly reduced, while ozone pollution has become gradually severe, especially in the economically developed eastern region. Recently, a new situation of air pollution has emerged, namely, enhanced atmospheric oxidation, ascending regional ozone pollution, and increasing particle and ozone synergic pollution (i.e., double-high pollution). Based on the long-term observation data from 2015 to 2021, we examined the spatio-temporal characteristics of urban PM2.5 and O3 pollution in the Yangtze River Delta and quantified the effects of meteorological and non-meteorological factors on pollution in four city clusters using stepwise multiple linear regression models. Temporally, PM2.5 decreased gradually year by year while, O3 increased in city clusters. Spatially, PM2.5 declined from northwest to southeast, while O3 decreased from northeast to southwest. Except for southern Zhejiang, other city clusters suffer from complex air pollution at different levels. In general, pollution intensity and frequency vary with city location and time. Single PM2.5 pollution mostly occurred in northern Anhui. Single O3 pollution occurred in central and southern Jiangsu and northern Zhejiang. Synergic pollutions of PM2.5 and O3 mainly occurred in central Jiangsu. The contributions (90%) of non-meteorological factors (e.g., anthropogenic emission) to PM2.5 decrease and O3 increase are far larger than that of meteorological factors (5%). Relative humidity, sea level pressure, and planetary boundary layer height are the most important meteorological factors to drive PM2.5 changes during pollution. Downward solar radiation, total cloud cover, and precipitation are the most important meteorological factors that affect O3 changes during pollution. The results provide insights into particulate and ozone pollution in the Yangtze River Delta and can help policymakers to formulate accurate air pollution prevention and control strategies at urban and city cluster scales in the future

SARS-CoV-2 Restructures Host Chromatin Architecture

Some viruses restructure host chromatin, influencing gene expression, with implications for disease outcome. Whether this occurs for SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19, is largely unknown. Here we characterized the 3D genome and epigenome of human cells after SARS-CoV-2 infection, finding widespread host chromatin restructuring that features widespread compartment A weakening, A-B mixing, reduced intra-TAD contacts and decreased H3K27ac euchromatin modification levels. Such changes were not found following common-cold-virus HCoV-OC43 infection. Intriguingly, the cohesin complex was notably depleted from intra-TAD regions, indicating that SARS-CoV-2 disrupts cohesin loop extrusion. These altered 3D genome/epigenome structures correlated with transcriptional suppression of interferon response genes by the virus, while increased H3K4me3 was found in the promoters of pro-inflammatory genes highly induced during severe COVID-19. These findings show that SARS-CoV-2 acutely rewires host chromatin, facilitating future studies of the long-term epigenomic impacts of its infection

Safety and feasibility of toripalimab plus lenvatinib with or without radiotherapy in advanced BTC

BackgroundToripalimab shows antitumor efficacy in cholangiocarcinoma. Radiotherapy (RT) may enhance systemic responses of PD-1 inhibitors and lenvatinib. This study was designed to assess the safety and feasibility of toripalimab plus lenvatinib with or without RT in advanced BTC.MethodsThis study involved 88 patients with advanced BTC receiving toripalimab plus lenvatinib with or without RT from the clinical trials (NCT03892577). Propensity score matching (PSM) (1:1) analysis was used to balance potential bias. The overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), and adverse events (AEs) were evaluated.ResultsAfter PSM, the final analysis included 40 patients: 20 receiving toripalimab plus lenvatinib without RT (NRT); 20 receiving toripalimab plus lenvatinib with RT. The AEs were more frequent in the RT group than in the NRT group without treatment-associated mortality. The addition of RT did not cause specific AEs. The median PFS was significantly longer with RT (10.8 versus 4.6 months, p<0.001). The median OS was 13.7 months with RT versus 9.2 months in the NRT group (p=0.008). The ORR was 35% (95% CI: 12.1-57.9) in the RT group versus 20% (95% CI: 0.8-39.2) in the NRT group.ConclusionsThe addition of RT may enhance the efficacy of toripalimab plus lenvatinib. Toripalimab plus lenvatinib with RT have a good safety profile without an increase in specific toxicities in advanced BTC patients

Efficacy and safety of lenvatinib combined with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors plus Gemox chemotherapy in advanced biliary tract cancer

BackgroundLenvatinib combined with anti-PD-1 antibodies and systemic chemotherapy has demonstrated a relatively high antitumor activity for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma in phase 2 clinical trials. However, its efficacy and safety in advanced biliary tract cancer (BTC) has not been reported in a real-world study.MethodsPatients with advanced BTC who received lenvatinib combined with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors plus oxaliplatin and gemcitabine (Gemox) chemotherapy were retrospectively screened. The overall survival, progression-free survival, objective response rate, disease control rate, clinical benefit rate, and safety were evaluated.ResultsFifty-seven patients with advanced BTC were included in the study. The median follow-up time was 15.1 (95% CI: 13.6–19.7) months. The median overall survival and progression-free survival were 13.4 (95% CI: 10.0–NA), and 9.27 (95% CI: 7.1–11.6) months, respectively. The objective response rate, disease control rate and clinical benefit rate were 43.9% (95% CI: 31.8%–56.7%), 91.2% (95% CI: 81.1%–96.2%), and 73.7% (95% CI: 61.0%–83.4%), respectively. Subgroup analysis revealed that the first-line treatment group had a longer median progression-free survival (12.13 vs. 6.77 months, P<0.01) and median overall survival (25.0 vs. 11.6 months, P=0.029) than the non-first-line treatment group. Moreover, three patients underwent conventional surgery after treatment. All patients (100%) experienced adverse events, and 45.6% (26/57) experienced grade 3 or 4 adverse events. The most commonly observed grade 3 or 4 adverse events was myelosuppression (7/57, 12.3%). No grade 5 adverse events were reported.ConclusionLenvatinib combined with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors and Gemox chemotherapy represents an effective and tolerable treatment option in patients with advanced BTC

Construction of a cross-species cell landscape at single-cell level.

Individual cells are basic units of life. Despite extensive efforts to characterize the cellular heterogeneity of different organisms, cross-species comparisons of landscape dynamics have not been achieved. Here, we applied single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to map organism-level cell landscapes at multiple life stages for mice, zebrafish and Drosophila. By integrating the comprehensive dataset of > 2.6 million single cells, we constructed a cross-species cell landscape and identified signatures and common pathways that changed throughout the life span. We identified structural inflammation and mitochondrial dysfunction as the most common hallmarks of organism aging, and found that pharmacological activation of mitochondrial metabolism alleviated aging phenotypes in mice. The cross-species cell landscape with other published datasets were stored in an integrated online portal-Cell Landscape. Our work provides a valuable resource for studying lineage development, maturation and aging

Broad-spectrum CRISPR-mediated inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 variants and endemic coronaviruses in vitro

A major challenge in coronavirus vaccination and treatment is to counteract rapid viral evolution and mutations. Here we demonstrate that CRISPR-Cas13d offers a broad-spectrum antiviral (BSA) to inhibit many SARS-CoV-2 variants and diverse human coronavirus strains with >99% reduction of the viral titer. We show that Cas13d-mediated coronavirus inhibition is dependent on the crRNA cellular spatial colocalization with Cas13d and target viral RNA. Cas13d can significantly enhance the therapeutic effects of diverse small molecule drugs against coronaviruses for prophylaxis or treatment purposes, and the best combination reduced viral titer by over four orders of magnitude. Using lipid nanoparticle-mediated RNA delivery, we demonstrate that the Cas13d system can effectively treat infection from multiple variants of coronavirus, including Omicron SARS-CoV-2, in human primary airway epithelium air-liquid interface (ALI) cultures. Our study establishes CRISPR-Cas13 as a BSA which is highly complementary to existing vaccination and antiviral treatment strategies