Virtual Projection: Exploring Optical Projection as a Metaphor for Multi-Device Interaction

Figure 1. Virtual Projection is inspired by its optical counterpart for transferring information between handhelds and stationary displays such as tabletops, PC displays or large public displays. By fixing the virtual projection to the display, the frustum can also be used to (a) select regions, (b) interactively apply filters, and (c) post multiple views. Handheld optical projectors provide a simple way to overcome the limited screen real-estate on mobile devices. We present virtual projection (VP), an interaction metaphor inspired by how we intuitively control the position, size, and orientation of a handheld optical projector’s image. VP is based on tracking a handheld device without an optical projector and allows selecting a target display on which to position, scale, and orient an item in a single gesture. By relaxing the optical projection metaphor, we can deviate from modeling perspective projection, for example, to constrain scale or orientation, create multiple copies, or offset the image. VP also supports dynamic filtering based on the projection frustum, creating overview and detail applications, and selecting portions of a larger display for zooming and panning. We show exemplary use cases implemented using our optical feature-tracking framework and present the results of a user study demonstrating the effectiveness of VP in complex interactions with large displays. Author Keywords Interaction technique; mobile device; handheld projection

Leaching behavior and ecotoxicological effects of different game shot materials in freshwater

Lead-based game shot used in hunting near waters is considered a main reason for lead-poisoning of waterfowl and aquatic organisms, prompting discussion about alternatives. This study provides a first comparison of the leaching behavior and resulting ecotoxicological impacts of shot exposed to freshwater, comprising lead-based and alternative shots containing bismuth, copper, steel, tungsten, and zinc. Ecotoxicological effect assessment was based on the acute Daphnia magna 48 h toxicity test according to the EN ISO 6341:2012 guideline. Strong leaching of copper (up to 4.22 μmol/L) and zinc (up to 41.12 μmol/L) from three types of alternative game shot caused significantly increased immobilization rates of up to 100%. In contrast, even the highest leaching of lead did not significantly impair Daphnia mobility. Highest concentrations of dissolved metal ions only matched the declared main components of the respective shots in 3 out of 9 cases. These results demonstrate that metal release from alternative game shot is an underestimated ecotoxicological risk, particularly since release of copper and zinc from alternative shots was demonstrated to be more hazardous for aquatic biota than conventional lead shot. There is an urgent need of managing the use of shot ammunition near waterbodies based on realistic ecotoxicological risk assessments

Leaching behavior and ecotoxicological effects of different game shot materials in freshwater

Lead-based game shot used in hunting near waters is considered a main reason for lead-poisoning of waterfowl and aquatic organisms, prompting discussion about alternatives. This study provides a first comparison of the leaching behavior and resulting ecotoxicological impacts of shot exposed to freshwater, comprising lead-based and alternative shots containing bismuth, copper, steel, tungsten, and zinc. Ecotoxicological effect assessment was based on the acute Daphnia magna 48 h toxicity test according to the EN ISO 6341:2012 guideline. Strong leaching of copper (up to 4.22 μmol/L) and zinc (up to 41.12 μmol/L) from three types of alternative game shot caused significantly increased immobilization rates of up to 100%. In contrast, even the highest leaching of lead did not significantly impair Daphnia mobility. Highest concentrations of dissolved metal ions only matched the declared main components of the respective shots in 3 out of 9 cases. These results demonstrate that metal release from alternative game shot is an underestimated ecotoxicological risk, particularly since release of copper and zinc from alternative shots was demonstrated to be more hazardous for aquatic biota than conventional lead shot. There is an urgent need of managing the use of shot ammunition near waterbodies based on realistic ecotoxicological risk assessments

Multidisciplinary lifestyle intervention is associated with improvements in liver damage and in surrogate scores of NAFLD and liver fibrosis in morbidly obese patients

Purpose Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the hepatic manifestation of the metabolic syndrome. Particularly morbidly obese patients are at risk of developing progressive liver disease. Nutritional and lifestyle intervention is recommended as the standard of care in NAFLD. However, there is a striking lack of evidence to support the efficacy of lifestyle intervention to treat NAFLD in morbidly obese patients. Here, we aimed to assess the impact of lifestyle intervention on NAFLD in the morbidly obese in a real-world setting. Methods 136 obese patients were included in an industry-independent, multiprofessional lifestyle intervention program with a lead-in phase of 12 weeks of formula diet and a total of 48 weeks intensive counselling. Body weight and markers of the metabolic syndrome were analyzed. Presence of NAFLD was screened for by use of non-invasive markers of fatty liver, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and liver fibrosis. Results Weight loss goals (i.e. > 5% or > 10% of initial body weight, respectively, depending on baseline BMI) were achieved in 89.7% of subjects in the intention-to-treat analysis and 93.9% in the per-protocol analysis. This was associated with a pronounced improvement in serum ALT values. The percentage of subjects who fulfilled non-invasive criteria for fatty liver dropped from 95.2 to 54.8%. Risk of NASH improved and the number of patients at risk of liver fibrosis declined by 54.1%. Conclusion Lifestyle intervention was associated with a marked improvement of serum ALT and an improvement of surrogate scores indicative of NAFLD and, importantly, advanced fibrosis, in a real-world cohort of morbidly obese patients

FoxP1 Stimulates Angiogenesis by Repressing the Inhibitory Guidance Protein Semaphorin 5B in Endothelial Cells

<p>Forkhead box (Fox) transcription factors are important regulators of cardiovascular development and several Fox-proteins have recently been shown to modulate embryonic and post-natal angiogenesis. However, the role of the FoxP subfamily, which is highly expressed in cardiovascular tissue, has not been investigated so far. Here, we show that the transcription factor FoxP1 is the highest expressed FoxP-protein in endothelial cells and that it is upregulated at the site of neovascularization during hindlimb ischemia in mice. Silencing of FoxP1 results in a strong inhibition of proliferation, tube formation and migration of cultured endothelial cells. Accordingly, knockdown of FoxP1 in zebrafish was followed by a disruption of intersomitic vascular formation. Using gene expression profiling, we show that FoxP1 induces a specific change of the endothelial transcriptome and functions as a suppressor of semaphorin 5B, which has previously been described as a neuronal inhibitory factor. Our findings now demonstrate that semaphorin 5B also acts as a FoxP1-dependent suppressor of endothelial cell proliferation, migration and sprouting, mediating the effects of FoxP1. In summary, our data indicate that the transcription factor FoxP1 is essential for the angiogenic function of endothelial cells and functions as a suppressor of the inhibitory guidance cue semaphorin 5B, suggesting an important function of FoxP1 in the regulation of neovascularization.</p>