CrowdRec: 3D Crowd Reconstruction from Single Color Images

This is a technical report for the GigaCrowd challenge. Reconstructing 3D crowds from monocular images is a challenging problem due to mutual occlusions, server depth ambiguity, and complex spatial distribution. Since no large-scale 3D crowd dataset can be used to train a robust model, the current multi-person mesh recovery methods can hardly achieve satisfactory performance in crowded scenes. In this paper, we exploit the crowd features and propose a crowd-constrained optimization to improve the common single-person method on crowd images. To avoid scale variations, we first detect human bounding-boxes and 2D poses from the original images with off-the-shelf detectors. Then, we train a single-person mesh recovery network using existing in-the-wild image datasets. To promote a more reasonable spatial distribution, we further propose a crowd constraint to refine the single-person network parameters. With the optimization, we can obtain accurate body poses and shapes with reasonable absolute positions from a large-scale crowd image using a single-person backbone. The code will be publicly available at~\url{https://github.com/boycehbz/CrowdRec}.Comment: technical repor

Occluded Human Body Capture with Self-Supervised Spatial-Temporal Motion Prior

Although significant progress has been achieved on monocular maker-less human motion capture in recent years, it is still hard for state-of-the-art methods to obtain satisfactory results in occlusion scenarios. There are two main reasons: the one is that the occluded motion capture is inherently ambiguous as various 3D poses can map to the same 2D observations, which always results in an unreliable estimation. The other is that no sufficient occluded human data can be used for training a robust model. To address the obstacles, our key-idea is to employ non-occluded human data to learn a joint-level spatial-temporal motion prior for occluded human with a self-supervised strategy. To further reduce the gap between synthetic and real occlusion data, we build the first 3D occluded motion dataset~(OcMotion), which can be used for both training and testing. We encode the motions in 2D maps and synthesize occlusions on non-occluded data for the self-supervised training. A spatial-temporal layer is then designed to learn joint-level correlations. The learned prior reduces the ambiguities of occlusions and is robust to diverse occlusion types, which is then adopted to assist the occluded human motion capture. Experimental results show that our method can generate accurate and coherent human motions from occluded videos with good generalization ability and runtime efficiency. The dataset and code are publicly available at \url{https://github.com/boycehbz/CHOMP}

Intestinal fungi and antifungal secretory immunoglobulin A in Crohn’s disease

The human gastrointestinal tract harbors trillions of commensal microorganisms. Emerging evidence points to a possible link between intestinal fungal dysbiosis and antifungal mucosal immunity in inflammatory bowel disease, especially in Crohn’s disease (CD). As a protective factor for the gut mucosa, secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) prevents bacteria from invading the intestinal epithelium and maintains a healthy microbiota community. In recent years, the roles of antifungal SIgA antibodies in mucosal immunity, including the regulation of intestinal immunity binding to hyphae-associated virulence factors, are becoming increasingly recognized. Here we review the current knowledge on intestinal fungal dysbiosis and antifungal mucosal immunity in healthy individuals and in patients with CD, discuss the factors governing antifungal SIgA responses in the intestinal mucosa in the latter group, and highlight potential antifungal vaccines targeting SIgA to prevent CD

Antibiotics influence the risk of anti-drug antibody formation during anti-TNF therapy in Chinese inflammatory bowel disease patients

Aims: The formation of anti-drug antibodies (ADAs) during anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) therapy is reported to lead to reducing serum drug levels, which may bring about a loss of response to treatment. Previous research has suggested an association between specific antibiotic classes and ADA formation during anti-TNF therapy. However, there are few studies specifically examining this association in Chinese inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. Therefore, our study aimed to evaluate the possible effect of antibiotic use on ADA formation to anti-TNF therapy in Chinese patients with IBD.Methods: A total of 166 patients with IBD, including 149 with Crohn’s disease (CD) and 17 with ulcerative colitis (UC), were included in this retrospective analysis. These patients were initially treated with anti-TNF therapy (infliximab or adalimumab) after January 2018 and reviewed with available ADA levels before October 2023. After univariable analysis of all the variables, a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model was used to assess the association between antibiotic use and ADA development.Results: Among 166 IBD patients treated with infliximab (108/166, 65.1%) or adalimumab (58/166, 34.9%), 31 patients (18.7%) were measured as positive ADA levels. Cox proportional hazard model demonstrated an increased risk of ADA formation in IBD patients who used β-lactam-β-lactamase inhibitor combinations (BL-BLIs) (HR = 5.143, 95%CI 1.136–23.270, p = 0.033), or nitroimidazoles (HR = 4.635, 95%CI 1.641–13.089, p = 0.004) during 12 months before the ADA test. On the contrary, a reduced risk was noted in patients treated with fluoroquinolones (HR = 0.258, 95% CI 0.072–0.924, p = 0.037). Moreover, the median serum infliximab or adalimumab concentration in patients with positive ADA levels was significantly lower than that in patients with negative ADA levels (infliximab: 0.30 vs. 1.85 μg/mL, p < 0.0001; adalimumab: 0.45 vs. 7.55 μg/mL, p = 0.0121).Conclusion: ADA development is associated with various antibiotic classes. BL-BLIs and nitroimidazoles might increase the risk of ADA formation during anti-TNF therapy in Chinese IBD patients, while the treatment with fluoroquinolones could probably reduce such risk. There were certain limitations in the retrospective analysis of the study, therefore, the results are just for reference, and other studies are needed to further confirm our findings

The identification of gene signature and critical pathway associated with childhood-onset type 2 diabetes

In general, type 2 diabetes (T2D) usually occurs in middle-aged and elderly people. However, the incidence of childhood-onset T2D has increased all across the globe. Therefore, it is very important to determine the molecular and genetic mechanisms of childhood-onset T2D. In this study, the dataset GSE9006 was downloaded from the GEO (Gene Expression Omnibus database); it includes 24 healthy children, 43 children with newly diagnosed Type 1 diabetes (T1D), and 12 children with newly diagnosed T2D. These data were used for differentially expressed genes (DGEs) analysis and weighted co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). We identified 192 up-regulated genes and 329 down-regulated genes by performing DEGs analysis. By performing WGGNA, we found that blue module (539 genes) was highly correlated to cyan module (97 genes). Gene ontology (GO) and pathway enrichment analyses were performed to figure out the functions and related pathways of genes, which were identified in the results of DEGs and WGCNA. Genes with conspicuous logFC and in the high correlated modules were input into GeneMANIA, which is a plugin of Cytoscape application. Thus, we constructed the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network (92 nodes and 254 pairs). Eventually, we analyzed the transcription factors and references related to genes with conspicuous logFC or high-degree genes, which were present in both the modules of WGCNA and PPI network. Current research shows that EGR1 and NAMPT can be used as marker genes for childhood-onset T2D. Gestational diabetes and chronic inflammation are risk factors that lead to the development of childhood-onset T2D

GRK2 kinases in the primary cilium initiate SMOOTHENED-PKA signaling in the Hedgehog cascade.

During Hedgehog (Hh) signal transduction in development and disease, the atypical G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) SMOOTHENED (SMO) communicates with GLI transcription factors by binding the protein kinase A catalytic subunit (PKA-C) and physically blocking its enzymatic activity. Here, we show that GPCR kinase 2 (GRK2) orchestrates this process during endogenous mouse and zebrafish Hh pathway activation in the primary cilium. Upon SMO activation, GRK2 rapidly relocalizes from the ciliary base to the shaft, triggering SMO phosphorylation and PKA-C interaction. Reconstitution studies reveal that GRK2 phosphorylation enables active SMO to bind PKA-C directly. Lastly, the SMO-GRK2-PKA pathway underlies Hh signal transduction in a range of cellular and in vivo models. Thus, GRK2 phosphorylation of ciliary SMO and the ensuing PKA-C binding and inactivation are critical initiating events for the intracellular steps in Hh signaling. More broadly, our study suggests an expanded role for GRKs in enabling direct GPCR interactions with diverse intracellular effectors

Hotspots of biogeochemical activity linked to aridity and plant traits across global drylands

14 páginas.- 4 figuras.- 67 referencias.- The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-024-01670-7Perennial plants create productive and biodiverse hotspots, known as fertile islands, beneath their canopies. These hotspots largely determine the structure and functioning of drylands worldwide. Despite their ubiquity, the factors controlling fertile islands under conditions of contrasting grazing by livestock, the most prevalent land use in drylands, remain virtually unknown. Here we evaluated the relative importance of grazing pressure and herbivore type, climate and plant functional traits on 24 soil physical and chemical attributes that represent proxies of key ecosystem services related to decomposition, soil fertility, and soil and water conservation. To do this, we conducted a standardized global survey of 288 plots at 88 sites in 25 countries worldwide. We show that aridity and plant traits are the major factors associated with the magnitude of plant effects on fertile islands in grazed drylands worldwide. Grazing pressure had little influence on the capacity of plants to support fertile islands. Taller and wider shrubs and grasses supported stronger island effects. Stable and functional soils tended to be linked to species-rich sites with taller plants. Together, our findings dispel the notion that grazing pressure or herbivore type are linked to the formation or intensification of fertile islands in drylands. Rather, our study suggests that changes in aridity, and processes that alter island identity and therefore plant traits, will have marked effects on how perennial plants support and maintain the functioning of drylands in a more arid and grazed world.This research was supported by the European Research Council (ERC grant 647038 (BIODESERT) awarded to F.T.M.) and Generalitat Valenciana (CIDEGENT/2018/041). D.J.E. was supported by the Hermon Slade Foundation (HSF21040). J. Ding was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China Project (41991232) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of China. M.D.-B. acknowledges support from TED2021-130908B-C41/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/Unión Europea Next Generation EU/PRTR and the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation for the I + D + i project PID2020-115813RA-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033. O.S. was supported by US National Science Foundation (Grants DEB 1754106, 20-25166), and Y.L.B.-P. by a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Individual Fellowship (MSCA-1018 IF) within the European Program Horizon 2020 (DRYFUN Project 656035). K.G. and N.B. acknowledge support from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) SPACES projects OPTIMASS (FKZ: 01LL1302A) and ORYCS (FKZ: FKZ01LL1804A). B.B. was supported by the Taylor Family-Asia Foundation Endowed Chair in Ecology and Conservation Biology, and M. Bowker by funding from the School of Forestry, Northern Arizona University. C.B. acknowledges funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41971131). D.B. acknowledges support from the Hungarian Research, Development and Innovation Office (NKFI KKP 144096), and A. Fajardo support from ANID PIA/BASAL FB 210006 and the Millennium Science Initiative Program NCN2021-050. M.F. and H.E. received funding from Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (grant 39843). A.N. and M.K. acknowledge support from FCT (CEECIND/02453/2018/CP1534/CT0001, SFRH/BD/130274/2017, PTDC/ASP-SIL/7743/2020, UIDB/00329/2020), EEA (10/CALL#5), AdaptForGrazing (PRR-C05-i03-I-000035) and LTsER Montado platform (LTER_EU_PT_001) grants. O.V. acknowledges support from the Hungarian Research, Development and Innovation Office (NKFI KKP 144096). L.W. was supported by the US National Science Foundation (EAR 1554894). Y.Z. and X.Z. were supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (U2003214). H.S. is supported by a María Zambrano fellowship funded by the Ministry of Universities and European Union-Next Generation plan. The use of any trade, firm or product names does not imply endorsement by any agency, institution or government. Finally, we thank the many people who assisted with field work and the landowners, corporations and national bodies that allowed us access to their land.Peer reviewe

Abnormalities of Mitochondrial Dynamics in Neurodegenerative Diseases

Neurodegenerative diseases are incurable and devastating neurological disorders characterized by the progressive loss of the structure and function of neurons in the central nervous system or peripheral nervous system. Mitochondria, organelles found in most eukaryotic cells, are essential for neuronal survival and are involved in a number of neuronal functions. Mitochondrial dysfunction has long been demonstrated as a common prominent early pathological feature of a variety of common neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and Huntington’s disease (HD). Mitochondria are highly dynamic organelles that undergo continuous fusion, fission, and transport, the processes of which not only control mitochondrial morphology and number but also regulate mitochondrial function and location. The importance of mitochondrial dynamics in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases has been increasingly unraveled after the identification of several key fusion and fission regulators such as Drp1, OPA1, and mitofusins. In this review, after a brief discussion of molecular mechanisms regulating mitochondrial fusion, fission, distribution, and trafficking, as well as the important role of mitochondrial dynamics for neuronal function, we review previous and the most recent studies about mitochondrial dynamic abnormalities observed in various major neurodegenerative diseases and discuss the possibility of targeting mitochondrial dynamics as a likely novel therapeutic strategy for neurodegenerative diseases

Aged sweet corn (Zea mays L. saccharata Sturt) seeds trigger hormone and defense signaling during germination

Abstract: Seed ageing during storage or shipping can affect the yield and cost of agricultural production. Sweet corn is a naturally mutated corn cultivar with weak seed vitality during storage. In this study, we have shown that endogenous hormone level dynamics of fresh and aged sweet corn seeds were different during early geminating process. Transcriptomic assembling uncovered several novel transcripts during early stage of sweet corn germination in signal transduction and RNA processing pathways. Comparative transcriptomic profiling revealed that expression of many genes was activated earlier in aged seeds than fresh ones. Functional analyses showed that, as two major networks, plant hormone signaling and defense pathways were different between fresh and aged sweet corn seeds. Auxin, cytokinin, gibberellin, salicylic acid and jasmonic acid signaling pathways were activated earlier in aged seeds than fresh ones on the first day after imbibition. These results provided knowledge for understanding the ageing process of sweet corn seeds and several candidate genes for genetic study of seed ageing mechanism