Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Advanced SeqSLAM using Discriminative Information for Light-Rail Localization at High Frame Rate

In recent years, vision-based localization technology in driving assistance sys-tem has drawn much attention. In this paper, an Advanced SeqSLAM method is proposed to solve the problem of localization due to the high similarity of scenes in high-accuracy scene matching of light rail system. In this method, salient regions with discriminative information are extracted from high-similarity frames of reference sequences by oﬀ-line processing, and binary feature descriptors are generated in these regions to improve the speed and precision of scene matching. Compared with the local features, the error of the proposed scene matching method is reduced by 31.43% and the computation time is reduced by 94.22% in the Hong Kong MTR dataset. Compared with the scene tracking algorithm of SeqSLAM, the precision of scene tracking based on proposed binary features in salient regions is increased by 9.84% compared without signiﬁcant increase of running time in the Nordland dataset. The experimental results show that the proposed method improves the performance of the light rail localization.
Very Early Recurrence After Liver Resection for Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma: Considering Alternative Treatment Approaches.

Importance Although surgery offers the best chance of a potential cure for patients with localized, resectable intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), prognosis of patients remains dismal largely because of a high incidence of recurrence. Objective To predict very early recurrence (VER) (ie, recurrence within 6 months after surgery) following resection for ICC in the pre- and postoperative setting. Design, Setting, and Participants Patients who underwent curative-intent resection for ICC between May 1990 and July 2016 were identified from an international multi-institutional database. The study was conducted at The Ohio State University in collaboration with all other participating institutions. The data were analyzed in December 2019. Main Outcomes and Measures Two logistic regression models were constructed to predict VER based on pre- and postoperative variables. The final models were used to develop an online calculator to predict VER and the tool was internally and externally validated. Results Among 880 patients (median age, 59 years [interquartile range, 51-68 years]; 388 women [44.1%]; 428 [50.2%] white; 377 [44.3%] Asian; 27 [3.2%] black]), 196 (22.3%) developed VER. The 5-year overall survival among patients with and without VER was 8.9% vs 49.8%, respectively (P < .001). A preoperative model was able to stratify patients relative to the risk for VER: low risk (6-month recurrence-free survival [RFS], 87.7%), intermediate risk (6-month RFS, 72.3%), and high risk (6-month RFS, 49.5%) (log-rank P < .001). The postoperative model similarly identified discrete cohorts of patients based on probability for VER: low risk (6-month RFS, 90.0%), intermediate risk (6-month RFS, 73.1%), and high risk (6-month RFS, 48.5%) (log-rank, P < .001). The calibration and predictive accuracy of the pre- and postoperative models were good in the training (C index: preoperative, 0.710; postoperative, 0.722) as well as the internal (C index: preoperative, 0.715; postoperative, 0.728; bootstrapping resamples, n = 5000) and external (C index: postoperative, 0.672) validation data sets. Conclusion and Relevance An easy-to-use online calculator was developed to help clinicians predict the chance of VER after curative-intent resection for ICC. The tool performed well on internal and external validation. This tool may help clinicians in the preoperative selection of patients for neoadjuvant therapy as well as during the postoperative period to inform surveillance strategies.
Interfacial Polarization in Thermoplastic Basalt Fiber-Reinforced Composites

The aim of this work was to study the interfacial behavior of basalt-fiber-reinforced thermoplastic blends of polypropylene and poly(butylene terephthalate) (PP/PBT). We examined the effect of two compatibilizers and two basalt fiber (BF) sizings: commercial (REF) and experimental (EXP). Differential scanning calorimetry was used to assess the influence of BFs on the phase structure of obtained composites. Furthermore, dielectric relaxation spectroscopy was used for the first time to non-destructively study the interfacial adhesion within an entire volume of BF-reinforced composites by assessing the α relaxation, DC conductivity, and Maxwell–Wagner–Sillars (MWS) polarization. The fiber–matrix adhesion was further investigated using the Havriliak–Negami model. Using complex plane analysis, the dielectric strength, which is inversely related to the adhesion, was calculated. The composites reinforced with EXP fibers showed significantly lower values of dielectric strength compared to the REF fibers, indicating better adhesion between the reinforcement and blend matrix. Static bending tests also confirmed improved fiber adhesion with EXP fibers, while also suggesting a synergistic effect between compatibilizer and sizing in enhancing interfacial properties. Thus, we conclude that substantially improved adhesion of PP/PBT BF-reinforced composites is the result of mutual interactions of functional groups of blend matrix, mostly from blend compatibilizer, and fiber surface due to sizing.
Editorial

"looking beyond the hurly-burly to broader perspectives on theory, research and education policy can provide greater clarity about the whole MFL undertaking. " In view of the new DIES policy statement on language learning published in February (DIES, 2002) and the National Strategy for Languages due to appear in November, it seems appropriate to look at one of the key functions of the Language Learning Journal, namely as a forum for critical debate. Of course, critical reflection is unlikely to be the paramount concern of the language teacher burdened by immediate practical matters. The broader aims of modern foreign languages may seem remote to the colleague facing an imminent OFSTED inspection or preparing students for highstakes exams. Certainly, the LLJdoes carry articles intended to meet the practical needs of its readers, as do the language-spec i f ic ALL journals . However, looking beyond the hurly-burly to broader perspectives on theory, research and education policy can provide greater clarity about the whole MFL undertaking.
Patterns of dissociation in the processing of verb meanings in brain-damaged subjects

In recent years an increasing amount of research has focused on the ways in which knowledge associated with verbs can be impaired by brain damage. Many different methods have been used to investigate verb processing disorders, but most of these methods have only been employed in a small number of studies and with relatively small numbers of subjects. As a consequence, very little information is available on the variety of disorders that are possible. In order to explore this issue further, we administered a standardised battery of six tests to a group of 89 brain-damaged subjects. The tests differ systematically with respect to the kinds of verb processing mechanisms on which they depend. The goal of the experiment was to investigate how the patterns of associations and dissociations that emerged across the tests could shed light on the organisation of the functional architecture that underlies the meanings of verbs and the computational operations that are used to manipulate them. Of the 89 subjects, 30 were impaired on at least one of the six tests. These subjects manifested a total of 22 distinct performance profiles across the tests, and each test dissociated from all of the others. These findings suggest that each test has at least some unique processing requirements that can be independently disrupted. A statistical factor analysis indicted that several distinct factors accounted for 93% of the variance among impaired performances. These factors are interpretable in terms of the major processing similarities and differences across the tests. Some of the results from the study are consistent with previous research on verb disorders. Specifically, tests involving verb production were more difficult than tests involving verb comprehension, and tests involving linguistic stimuli were more difficult than tests involving pictorial stimuli. Other aspects of our results are entirely new. Most importantly, a dissociation was found between tests that require referential processing, i.e., mapping verbs onto actions in the world, and tests that require analytic or inferential processing, i.e., decomposing verb meanings into their component semantic features. Thus, the study has significant implications for theories of the nature of verb processing.
Repressed Gene Expression of Photosynthetic Antenna Proteins Associated with Yellow Leaf Variation as Revealed by Bulked Segregant RNA-seq in Tea Plant Camellia sinensis.

The young leaves and shoots of albino tea cultivars are usually characterized as having yellow or pale color, high amino acid, and low catechin. Increasing attention has been paid to albino tea cultivars in recent years, because their tea generally shows high umami and reduced astringency. However, the genetic mechanism of yellow-leaf variation in albino tea cultivar has not been elucidated clearly. In this study, bulked segregant RNA-seq (BSR-seq) was performed on bulked yellow- and green-leaf hybrid progenies from a leaf color variation population. A total of 359 and 1134 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in the yellow and green hybrid bulked groups (Yf vs. Gf) and parent plants (Yp vs. Gp), respectively. The significantly smaller number of DEGs in Yf vs. Gf than in Yp vs. Gp indicated that individual differences could be reduced within the same hybrid progeny. Analysis of Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes revealed that photosynthetic antenna protein was most significantly enriched in either the bulked groups or their parents. Interaction was found among light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b -binding proteins (LHC), heat shock proteins (HSPs), and enzymes involved in cuticle formation. Combined with the transcriptomic expression profile, results showed that the repressed genes encoding LHC was closely linked to aberrant chloroplast development in yellow-leaf tea plants. Furthermore, the photoprotection and light stress response possessed by genes involved in HSP protein interaction and cuticle formation were discussed. The expression profile of DEGs was verified via quantitative real-time PCR analysis of the bulked samples and other F1 individuals. In summary, using BSR-seq on a hybrid population eliminated certain disturbing effects of genetic background and individual discrepancy, thereby helping this study to intensively focus on the key genes controlling leaf color variation in yellow-leaf tea plants.
Using psychophysical performance to predict short-term ocular dominance plasticity in human adults

Binocular rivalry has become an important index of visual performance, both to measure ocular dominance or its plasticity, and to index bistable perception. We investigated its interindividual variability across 50 normal adults and found that the duration of dominance phases in rivalry is linked with the duration of dominance phases in another bistable phenomenon (structure from motion). Surprisingly, it also correlates with the strength of center–surround interactions (indexed by the tilt illusion), suggesting a common mechanism supporting both competitive interactions: center–surround and rivalry. In a subset of 34 participants, we further investigated the variability of short-term ocular dominance plasticity, measured with binocular rivalry before and after 2 hours of monocular deprivation. We found that ocular dominance shifts in favor of the deprived eye and that a large portion of ocular dominance variability after deprivation can be predicted from the dynamics of binocular rivalry before deprivation. The single best predictor is the proportion of mixed percepts (phases without dominance of either eye) before deprivation, which is positively related to ocular dominance unbalance after deprivation. Another predictor is the duration of dominance phases, which interacts with mixed percepts to explain nearly 50% of variance in ocular dominance unbalance after deprivation. A similar predictive power is achieved by substituting binocular rivalry dominance phase durations with tilt illusion magnitude, or structure from motion phase durations. Thus, we speculate that ocular dominance plasticity is modulated by two types of signals, estimated from psychophysical performance before deprivation, namely, interocular inhibition (promoting binocular fusion, hence mixed percepts) and inhibition for perceptual competition (promoting longer dominance phases and stronger center–surround interactions).
Locomotion, posture, and the foramen magnum in primates: Reliability of indices and insights into hominin bipedalism

The position (FMP) and orientation (FMO) of the foramen magnum have been used as proxies for locomotion and posture in extant and extinct primates. Several indices have been designed to quantify FMP and FMO but their application has led to conflicting results. Here, we test six widely used indices and two approaches (univariate and multivariate) for their capability to discriminate between postural and locomotor types in extant primates and fossil hominins. We then look at the locomotion of australopithecines and Homo on the base of these new findings. The following measurements are used: the opisthocranion–prosthion (OP–PR) and the opisthocranion–glabella (OP–GL) indices, the basion–biporion (BA–BP) and basion–bicarotid chords, the foramen magnum angle (FMA), and the basion–sphenoccipital ratio. After exploring the indices variability using principal component analysis, pairwise comparisons are performed to test for the association between each index and the locomotor and postural habits. Cranial size and phylogeny are taken into account. Our analysis indicates that none of the indices or approaches provides complete discrimination across locomotor and postural categories, although some differences are highlighted. FMA and BA–BP distinguish respectively obligate and facultative bipeds from all other groups. For what concerns posture, orthogrades and pronogrades differ with respects to OP–PR, OP–GL, and FMA. Although the multivariate approach seems to have some discrimination power, the results are most likely driven by facial and neurocranial variability embedded in some of the indices. These results demonstrate that indices relying on the anteroposterior positioning of the foramen may not be appropriate proxies for locomotion among primates. The assumptions about locomotor and postural habits in fossil hominins based on foramen magnum indices should be revised in light of these new findings.
Allele frequency of hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HYPP) in quarter horses from Mexico

Hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HYPP) is an autosomal co-dominant genetic disease of Quarter-mile horses which originated by a point mutation of the gene coding the sodium channel protein in the plasmatic membrane of muscular cells. The mutation affects both dominant homozygous and heterozygous animals with myotonia, unpredictable muscular paralysis, weakness and collapse. In some cases, death can occur due to paralysis of the hearth or respiratory muscles. Detection of affected animals can be achieved by a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) test. Based on the fact that the mutation originated in the stallion “Impressive”, whose genetic material is known to have been used in Mexico, it is possible that HYPP have been disseminated among Mexican Quarter horses. Blood samples were obtained by random sampling from 51 Quarter horses and subjected to PCR-RFLP analysis. The results obtained showed 43 recessive homozygous (N/N, normal, 84.3%), seven heterozygous (N/H, affected, 13.7%) and one dominant homozygous (H/H, affected, 2%). Allelic frequencies found were N = 0.157 and n = 0.843. The total of 15.7% affected animals can be considered a relatively high frequency of the disease; therefore, molecular diagnosis of HYPP is recommended to prevent a further spread of the mutation among Mexican Quarter horses. Key words: HYPP, quarter horse, PCR-RFLP, Mexico.
Awareness in Reading: EFL Students' Metacognitive Knowledge of Reading Strategies in an Acquisition-poor Environment

Although studies on L2 learning strategies are a major strand of second-language research, recent research interest has focussed on language learners' metacognitive knowledge or awareness of strategies. Previous research has shed important light on the amelioration in L2 educational practices, but little research is focused on EFL learners in input-poor environments. This paper reports on a study of 10 Chinese EFL readers' metacognitive knowledge of strategies in learning to read EFL in the People's Republic of China (PRC), a typical acquisition-poor environment. The EFL readers' metacognitive knowledge of strategies was analysed and interpreted from a broad metacognitive perspective within Flavell's model (1987), which has been adopted in L2 studies by researchers such as Wenden (1991; 1998) and Goh (1998) to analyse learners' strategies or their metacognitive knowledge of language learning. EFL readers' knowledge of reading strategies was examined through analysing the mentalistic data (Cohen, 1996) obtained through retrospective interviews. The study found that the PRC EFL readers' metacognitive knowledge of reading strategies had close links to their EFL proficiency. The results suggest that the available studies on PRC EFL readers have not adequately addressed the issue. Implications for learner training and recommendations for further research are also explored.
Practice makes a hemisphere perfect: The advantage of interhemispheric recruitment is eliminated with practice

As task performance improves with practice, oftentimes fewer brain areas are recruited to aid in processing. However, relatively little research has investigated how practice affects interactions between brain regions. Given prior work indicating that interhemispheric division of processing is most advantageous when task demands are high, we predicted that interactions between the cerebral hemispheres would be less advantageous after practice than before practice. This hypothesis was confirmed by reanalysis of data from two previously published studies. Practice reduced (1) the degree to which interhemispheric interaction facilitated performance for two letter‐matching tasks (Experiment 1), and (2) the extent to which interhemispheric interaction reduced interference in a global–local perception task (Experiment 2). These findings illustrate the dynamic nature of neural recruitment in response to changing task demands.
Emergency Event Topic Clustering Based on Keyword Co-occurrence

Internet information is an important source of urban emergency events; however, how to quickly identify urban emergency thematic events from large-scale data remains a challenge. At present, the existing common methods mainly use LDA to conduct topic analysis, and then the topic number is furtherly judged by its perplexity; but it often leads to problems with too many topics and even no obvious discrimination between topics. Thus, based on the perplexity of topics, an emergency event topic clustering method was proposed to furtherly analyze the LDA topics information by the co-occurrence degree of topic keywords. This method is applied in the microblog data set collected from seven oﬃcial traﬃc microblogs in Fuzhou, and the results show that ﬁve key topic categories which are worthy of attention are discovered, including weather information in Fuzhou, safety tips for citizens, traﬃc news, traﬃc congestion and alteration of routes and stations. Veriﬁcations show that these topics can be considered as the main types of information published by the oﬃcial Weibo related to transportation in Fuzhou; so it could provide a feasible method for the automatic perception discovery of urban emergency events.
Ex-situ Management of Ammonium Contamination in Water using Eight Aquatic Plants

The study was conducted to determine the ammonium (NH4+) level in drinking and surface waters of Lucknow and to assess the NH4 + accumulation potential of 8 aquatic plants. Ammonium level in drinking water was higher than permissible limit (PL) i.e. 0.5 mg L-1. A few urban sites showed 6-8 folds high NH4+ over the PL. Ammonium in the periurban and rural site was comparatively lower, though it was still 2-4 folds higher than PL. On the other hand, all surface water sites, except one residential site (Aashiana), showed NH4 + level less than PL (5 mg L-1). Eight aquatic plants viz. Peltandra virginica, Utricularia vulgaris, Eichhornia crassipes, Trapa natans, Mimulus glabratus, Marsilea quadrifolia, Pistia stratiotes and Polygonum persicaria were investigated and cultured in 10 L plastic pots for 15 days (d) under simulated net house conditions. Reduction in NH4+ level in water and its simultaneous increase in plant tissues was recorded at 5th, 10th and 15th d. Pistia stratiotes was found more efficient and removed NH4 + upto 70%. Highest accumulation of NH4+ i.e. 46% was noticed in the tissues of Pistia stratiotes.
THE ENHANCEMENT OF BACTERIAL PHAGOCYTOSIS BY SERUM

The role of serum factors in the phagocytosis of pneumococci was studied employing a spectrophotometric assay which measures reduced nitro blue tetrazolium (NBT) dye. Dye reduction occurs within the phagocyte shortly after bacterial ingestion as measured by the phagocytic index technique and by the uptake of 125I-pneumococci. Bacteria prepared with γG antibody were not phagocytosed unless a small volume of fresh normal serum was added. Using fresh sera deficient in single complement components, it was demonstrated that the first four components are necessary for optimal bacterial phagocytosis. When highly purified complement components were added to the antibody-coated pneumococci, enhancement of phagocytosis was achieved only with the sequential addition of C1, C4, C2, and C3. Evidence has been presented that human C3 bound to an immune complex exhibits peptidase activity and that this activity is essential for phagocytosis. A heat-labile, dialyzable serum cofactor which enhances C3 peptidase activity enhanced the phagocytosis of pneumococci prepared with purified complement components. A second phagocytosis-promoting cofactor, which is not a complement component, was found to be a heat-labile, 5–6S, beta pseudoglobulin. This protein may stabilize C3 peptidase activity or inhibit enzymatic inactivation of C3.
The effect of abscisic acid on rate of photosynthesis and transpiration in six barley genotypes under water stress

For six barley genotypes evaluated from various climatic areas mild water stress resulted in reduced gas exchange parameters (P N a E). For all (except the Mexican Namoi) there was a fall in the water use efficiency (WUE). The largest fall was recorded for the French genotype Adagio. Treating the plants with abscisic acid under a mild water stress resulted in all genotypes showing further, statistically significant reductions in P N (except for the wild W 154) and E in comparison with untreated plants. ABA under mild water stress supported the plant’s water conservation and in a number of cases also improved the WUE (for the Czech genotype Maridol, the English Braemar, the French Adagio, the Israeli wild W 154 and partially in the Yugoslavian Novosadski).