BodyNet: Volumetric Inference of 3D Human Body Shapes

Human shape estimation is an important task for video editing, animation and fashion industry. Predicting 3D human body shape from natural images, however, is highly challenging due to factors such as variation in human bodies, clothing and viewpoint. Prior methods addressing this problem typically attempt to fit parametric body models with certain priors on pose and shape. In this work we argue for an alternative representation and propose BodyNet, a neural network for direct inference of volumetric body shape from a single image. BodyNet is an end-to-end trainable network that benefits from (i) a volumetric 3D loss, (ii) a multi-view re-projection loss, and (iii) intermediate supervision of 2D pose, 2D body part segmentation, and 3D pose. Each of them results in performance improvement as demonstrated by our experiments. To evaluate the method, we fit the SMPL model to our network output and show state-of-the-art results on the SURREAL and Unite the People datasets, outperforming recent approaches. Besides achieving state-of-the-art performance, our method also enables volumetric body-part segmentation.Comment: Appears in: European Conference on Computer Vision 2018 (ECCV 2018). 27 page

A transient helix in the disordered region of dynein light intermediate chain links the motor to structurally diverse adaptors for cargo transport

All animal cells use the motor cytoplasmic dynein 1 (dynein) to transport diverse cargo toward microtubule minus ends and to organize and position microtubule arrays such as the mitotic spindle. Cargo-specific adaptors engage with dynein to recruit and activate the motor, but the molecular mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Here, we use structural and dynamic nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis to demonstrate that the C-terminal region of human dynein light intermediate chain 1 (LIC1) is intrinsically disordered and contains two short conserved segments with helical propensity. NMR titration experiments reveal that the first helical segment (helix 1) constitutes the main interaction site for the adaptors Spindly (SPDL1), bicaudal D homolog 2 (BICD2), and Hook homolog 3 (HOOK3). In vitro binding assays show that helix 1, but not helix 2, is essential in both LIC1 and LIC2 for binding to SPDL1, BICD2, HOOK3, RAB-interacting lysosomal protein (RILP), RAB11 family-interacting protein 3 (RAB11FIP3), ninein (NIN), and trafficking kinesin-bind-ing protein 1 (TRAK1). Helix 1 is sufficient to bind RILP, whereas other adaptors require additional segments preceding helix 1 for efficient binding. Point mutations in the C-terminal helix 1 of Caenorhabditis elegans LIC, introduced by genome editing, severely affect development, locomotion, and life span of the animal and disrupt the distribution and transport kinetics of membrane cargo in axons of mechanosensory neurons, identical to what is observed when the entire LIC C-terminal region is deleted. Deletion of the C-terminal helix 2 delays dynein-dependent spindle positioning in the one-cell embryo but overall does not significantly perturb dynein function. We conclude that helix 1 in the intrinsically disordered region of LIC provides a conserved link between dynein and structurally diverse cargo adaptor families that is critical for dynein function in vivo.This work was financed by the Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER) through the Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), Portugal 2020 (RG); by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT)/Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior in the framework of the project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-030507 (RG); by FCT fellowships IF/01015/2013/CP1157/CT0006 (RG) and SFRH/ BPD/101898/2014 (DJB); by the European Research Council under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme, ERC grant agreement no. ERC-2013-StG-338410-DYNEINOME (RG), and by a start-up package of the University of Colorado (BV). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Effects of a psychoeducational intervention for direct care workers caring for people with dementia: results from a 6-month follow-up study

YesThis study aimed to assess the effects of a psycho-educational intervention, designed to improve direct care workers’ stress, burnout and job satisfaction and person-centered communicative behavior with people with dementia. A pretest-posttest control group design was conducted in four aged-care facilities. Two experimental facilities received a psycho-educational intervention; two control facilities received an education-only. Data were gathered from fifty three care workers at baseline, immediately and six months after the intervention, through self-administrated instruments and video-recorded morning care sessions. The experimental group showed a significant decrease in care workers’ burnout and a significant improvement in several communicative behaviors (e.g., involvement). Stress levels deteriorated at six months and no intervention effects were found for job satisfaction. The findings highlight the importance of providing care workers with both technical competences and tools for stress management as this might be associated with a reduction of their levels of exhaustion and improved communicative behaviors.Foundation for Science and Technolog

Solução glicosada hipertônica no mesentério e no peritônio de ratos: estudo macroscópico e microscópico

PURPOSE: The objective of the experimental study is to detect the macroscopic and microscopic alterations of the mesenterium and parietal peritoneum when hypertonic glucose aqueous solution 10%-25% is administrated into the peritoneal cavity of the rat. METHODS: 90 Wistar females young rats adults were used weighin between 180-250 g, numbered 1 to 90, establishing unique group and divided in three groups (A, B, C) of 30 animals chosen aleatory manner. 0,9% saline solution was used called control group, or group A, 10% glucose solution named group B, and in the others 30 was used 25% glucose solution named group C, differing in the observation period, (06h, 24h and 48h), but with the same procedure. A midline abdominal wall laparotomy was made and in the animals of the control group was injected 2 ml of a 0,9% saline solution into the peritoneal cavity. After, we made a suture in mass without to include the peritoneum. For the others groups (B, C) the rats received 10% glucose solution and 25% glucose solution injected into the peritoneal cavity respectively. All groups were kept under observation and the results were submitted to statistical analysis by a longitudinal and transversal comparative study. RESULTS: A new surgery was done in 6h, 24h and 48h, and we observed in macroscopic evaluation, the presence of fluid, serous uniforme and rosy all over the cavity. Vascular congestion was present. We dried out 90 fragments of mesenterium and 90 fragments of parietal peritonium bilateral. In the microscopic study, necrosis was not present. For the mesenterium histological study we observed 16 cases (17,8%) unspecific chronic inflammation, 30 cases (33,4%) hiperplasic linfonod, 10 cases (11,1%) high vascular congestion, 6 cases (6,6%) reaction fibrosis and 28 cases (31,1%) no alteration. For the parietal peritonium histological study we observed 6 cases (3,3%) reaction fibrosis and 174 cases (96,7%) no alteration. Giant cell was not present. In the statistical analisys statistic there is no significance between the groups (p>0,05). CONCLUSION: Hypertonic glucose solution and NaCl 0,9% on the mesenterium and parietal peritonium do not produce tissue necrosis in a rat and the inflammation process has the same intensity.OBJETIVO: Investigar as alterações macroscópicas e microscópicas do mesentério e do peritônio parietal quando se administra a solução aquosa de glicose hipertônica a 10% e a 25% na cavidade peritoneal de rato. MÉTODOS: 90 ratos fêmeas (n=90), adultos, Wistar, jovens, com peso variando de 180 a 250 gramas foram divididos em 3 sub-grupos (A, B e C) contendo cada um 30 animais com procedimentos idênticos, diferindo apenas no período de observação. Os números de 1 a 30 constituem o grupo A ou grupo-controle (NaCl 0,9%), os números de 31 a 60 constituem o grupo B ou grupo-glicose a 10% e os números de 61 a 90 constituem o grupo C ou grupo- glicose a 25%. Realizando-se posteriormente laparotomia com incisão mediana longitudinal de pele a 2 cm abaixo do processo Xiphoideus sterni, estendendo-se por 3 cm caudalmente na linha média ventral. A escolha do procedimento a ser realizado para introdução na cavidade peritoneal de 2 ml de uma solução de cloreto de sódio 0,9% (controle), de glicose hipertônica a 10% e de glicose hipertônica a 25%. Em períodos correspondentes às 6h, 24h e 48h de pós-operatório, os animais de cada grupo foram reoperados, sendo realizada avaliação macroscópica e microscópica além dos registros das alterações histológicas do mesentério e peritônio parietal. RESULTADOS: Na microscopia do mesentério observou-se que 30 animais (33,4%) apresentaram linfonodos hiperplásicos; 6 animais (6,6%) com fibrose reacional; 10 animais (11,1%) com intensa congestão vascular; 16 animais (17,8%) com inflamação crônica inespecífica; 28 casos (31,1%) sem alteração. A microscopia do peritônio revelou 6 casos com fibrose reacional (3,3%) 174 casos (96,7%) sem alteração histológica. CONCLUSÃO: As soluções de glicose a 10% e a 25% não causam necrose tecidual quando introduzidas na cavidade peritoneal. O processo reacional inflamatório é de igual intensidade tecidual comparando-se ao uso da solução de NaCl a 0,9%.UNCISAL DepartmentUFAL Morphology Department and Human AnatomyUNIFESP-EPM Surgery DepartmentUNIFESP, EPM, Surgery DepartmentSciEL

Cis and Trans Effects of Human Genomic Variants on Gene Expression

This work was funded by the Louis-Jeantet Foundation (http://www.jeantet.ch/), the European Research Council (Grant ID: 260927 http://erc.europa.eu/), the Swiss National Foundation (Grant ID: 130342 http://www.snf.ch), NCCR Frontiers In Genetics (http://www.frontiers-in-genetics.org), the UK Medical Research Council (http://www.mrc.ac.uk) and the Wellcome Trust (Grant ID: 092731).

Camouflaging in a Complex Environment—Octopuses Use Specific Features of Their Surroundings for Background Matching

Living under intense predation pressure, octopuses evolved an effective and impressive camouflaging ability that exploits features of their surroundings to enable them to “blend in.” To achieve such background matching, an animal may use general resemblance and reproduce characteristics of its entire surroundings, or it may imitate a specific object in its immediate environment. Using image analysis algorithms, we examined correlations between octopuses and their backgrounds. Field experiments show that when camouflaging, Octopus cyanea and O. vulgaris base their body patterns on selected features of nearby objects rather than attempting to match a large field of view. Such an approach enables the octopus to camouflage in partly occluded environments and to solve the problem of differences in appearance as a function of the viewing inclination of the observer

The extraordinary evolutionary history of the reticuloendotheliosis viruses

The reticuloendotheliosis viruses (REVs) comprise several closely related amphotropic retroviruses isolated from birds. These viruses exhibit several highly unusual characteristics that have not so far been adequately explained, including their extremely close relationship to mammalian retroviruses, and their presence as endogenous sequences within the genomes of certain large DNA viruses. We present evidence for an iatrogenic origin of REVs that accounts for these phenomena. Firstly, we identify endogenous retroviral fossils in mammalian genomes that share a unique recombinant structure with REVs—unequivocally demonstrating that REVs derive directly from mammalian retroviruses. Secondly, through sequencing of archived REV isolates, we confirm that contaminated Plasmodium lophurae stocks have been the source of multiple REV outbreaks in experimentally infected birds. Finally, we show that both phylogenetic and historical evidence support a scenario wherein REVs originated as mammalian retroviruses that were accidentally introduced into avian hosts in the late 1930s, during experimental studies of P. lophurae, and subsequently integrated into the fowlpox virus (FWPV) and gallid herpesvirus type 2 (GHV-2) genomes, generating recombinant DNA viruses that now circulate in wild birds and poultry. Our findings provide a novel perspective on the origin and evolution of REV, and indicate that horizontal gene transfer between virus families can expand the impact of iatrogenic transmission events

Androgen-regulated transcription of ESRP2 drives alternative splicing patterns in prostate cancer

Prostate is the most frequent cancer in men. Prostate cancer progression is driven by androgen steroid hormones, and delayed by androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). Androgens control transcription by stimulating androgen receptor (AR) activity, yet also control pre-mRNA splicing through less clear mechanisms. Here we find androgens regulate splicing through AR-mediated transcriptional control of the epithelial-specific splicing regulator ESRP2. Both ESRP2 and its close paralog ESRP1 are highly expressed in primary prostate cancer. Androgen stimulation induces splicing switches in many endogenous ESRP2-controlled mRNA isoforms, including splicing switches correlating with disease progression. ESRP2 expression in clinical prostate cancer is repressed by ADT, which may thus inadvertently dampen epithelial splice programmes. Supporting this, treatment with the AR antagonist bicalutamide (Casodex) induced mesenchymal splicing patterns of genes including FLNB and CTNND1. Our data reveals a new mechanism of splicing control in prostate cancer with important implications for disease progression.This article is freely available via Open Access. Click on the Publisher URL to access the full-text via the publisher's site