Efficient multi-view ray tracing using edge detection and shader reuse

Stereoscopic rendering and 3D stereo displays are quickly becoming mainstream. The natural extension is autostereoscopic multi-view displays, which by the use of parallax barriers or lenticular lenses, can accommodate many simultaneous viewers without the need for active or passive glasses. As these displays, for the foreseeable future, will support only a rather limited number of views, there is a need for high-quality interperspective antialiasing. We present a specialized algorithm for efficient multi-view image generation from a camera line using ray tracing, which builds on previous methods for multi-dimensional adaptive sampling and reconstruction of light elds. We introduce multi-view silhouette edges to detect sharp geometrical discontinuities in the radiance function. These are used to significantly improve the quality of the reconstruction. In addition, we exploit shader coherence by computing analytical visibility between shading points and the camera line, and by sharing shading computations over the camera line

Genome analysis and comparative genomics of a Giardia intestinalis assemblage E isolate

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Giardia intestinalis </it>is a protozoan parasite that causes diarrhea in a wide range of mammalian species. To further understand the genetic diversity between the <it>Giardia intestinalis </it>species, we have performed genome sequencing and analysis of a wild-type <it>Giardia intestinalis </it>sample from the assemblage E group, isolated from a pig.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We identified 5012 protein coding genes, the majority of which are conserved compared to the previously sequenced genomes of the WB and GS strains in terms of microsynteny and sequence identity. Despite this, there is an unexpectedly large number of chromosomal rearrangements and several smaller structural changes that are present in all chromosomes. Novel members of the VSP, NEK Kinase and HCMP gene families were identified, which may reveal possible mechanisms for host specificity and new avenues for antigenic variation. We used comparative genomics of the three diverse <it>Giardia intestinalis </it>isolates P15, GS and WB to define a core proteome for this species complex and to identify lineage-specific genes. Extensive analyses of polymorphisms in the core proteome of <it>Giardia </it>revealed differential rates of divergence among cellular processes.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results indicate that despite a well conserved core of genes there is significant genome variation between <it>Giardia </it>isolates, both in terms of gene content, gene polymorphisms, structural chromosomal variations and surface molecule repertoires. This study improves the annotation of the <it>Giardia </it>genomes and enables the identification of functionally important variation.</p

Nemertean taxonomy- Implementing changes in the higher ranks, dismissing Anopla and Enopla

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The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: Physical Properties and Purity of a Galaxy Cluster Sample Selected via the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect

We present optical and X-ray properties for the first confirmed galaxy cluster sample selected by the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect from 148 GHz maps over 455 square degrees of sky made with the Atacama Cosmology Telescope. These maps, coupled with multi-band imaging on 4-meter-class optical telescopes, have yielded a sample of 23 galaxy clusters with redshifts between 0.118 and 1.066. Of these 23 clusters, 10 are newly discovered. The selection of this sample is approximately mass limited and essentially independent of redshift. We provide optical positions, images, redshifts and X-ray fluxes and luminosities for the full sample, and X-ray temperatures of an important subset. The mass limit of the full sample is around 8e14 Msun, with a number distribution that peaks around a redshift of 0.4. For the 10 highest significance SZE-selected cluster candidates, all of which are optically confirmed, the mass threshold is 1e15 Msun and the redshift range is 0.167 to 1.066. Archival observations from Chandra, XMM-Newton, and ROSAT provide X-ray luminosities and temperatures that are broadly consistent with this mass threshold. Our optical follow-up procedure also allowed us to assess the purity of the ACT cluster sample. Eighty (one hundred) percent of the 148 GHz candidates with signal-to-noise ratios greater than 5.1 (5.7) are confirmed as massive clusters. The reported sample represents one of the largest SZE-selected sample of massive clusters over all redshifts within a cosmologically-significant survey volume, which will enable cosmological studies as well as future studies on the evolution, morphology, and stellar populations in the most massive clusters in the Universe.Comment: 20 pages, 15 figures, 6 tables. Accepted for publication in ApJ. Higher resolution figures available at: http://peumo.rutgers.edu/~felipe/e-prints

Feasibility of Frequent Patient-Reported Outcome Surveillance in Patients Undergoing Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation

Patient-reported outcomes (PROs), including symptoms and health-related quality of life (HRQOL), provide a patient-centered description of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT)-related toxicity. These data characterize the patient experience after HCT and may have prognostic usefulness for long-term outcomes after HCT. We conducted a study of 32 patients after HCT (10 autologous HCT recipients, 11 full-intensity conditioning allogeneic HCT recipients, and 11 reduced-intensity conditioning allogeneic HCT recipients) to determine the feasibility of weekly electronic PRO collection from HCT until day (D) +100. We used questions from the PRO version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events to capture symptoms, and the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Global Health scale to measure physical and mental HRQOL. The vast majority (94%) of patients used the electronic PRO system, with only 6% opting for paper-and-pencil only. The median weekly percentage of participants who completed the surveys was 100% in all cohorts through hospital discharge, and remained 100% for the autologous HCT and reduced-intensity allogeneic HCT cohorts through D+100. Patients were satisfied with the electronic system, giving high marks for readability, comfort, and questionnaire length. Symptom severity varied by absolute level and type of symptom across the 3 cohorts, with the full-intensity allogeneic HCT cohort exhibiting the greatest median overall symptom severity, peaking at D+7. Median physical health HRQOL scores decreased with time in the 3 cohorts, and HRQOL was generally correlated with overall symptom severity. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of frequent electronic PROs in the early post-HCT period. Future studies in larger populations to explore predictive models using frequent PRO data for outcomes, including long-term HRQOL and survival, are warranted

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: Sunyaev Zel'dovich Selected Galaxy Clusters at 148 GHz in the 2008 Survey

We report on twenty-three clusters detected blindly as Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) decrements in a 148 GHz, 455 square-degree map of the southern sky made with data from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope 2008 observing season. All SZ detections announced in this work have confirmed optical counterparts. Ten of the clusters are new discoveries. One newly discovered cluster, ACT-CL J0102-4915, with a redshift of 0.75 (photometric), has an SZ decrement comparable to the most massive systems at lower redshifts. Simulations of the cluster recovery method reproduce the sample purity measured by optical follow-up. In particular, for clusters detected with a signal-to-noise ratio greater than six, simulations are consistent with optical follow-up that demonstrated this subsample is 100% pure. The simulations further imply that the total sample is 80% complete for clusters with mass in excess of 6x10^14 solar masses referenced to the cluster volume characterized by five hundred times the critical density. The Compton y -- X-ray luminosity mass comparison for the eleven best detected clusters visually agrees with both self-similar and non-adiabatic, simulation-derived scaling laws.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures, Accepted for publication in Ap

Draft Genome Sequencing of Giardia intestinalis Assemblage B Isolate GS: Is Human Giardiasis Caused by Two Different Species?

Giardia intestinalis is a major cause of diarrheal disease worldwide and two major Giardia genotypes, assemblages A and B, infect humans. The genome of assemblage A parasite WB was recently sequenced, and the structurally compact 11.7 Mbp genome contains simplified basic cellular machineries and metabolism. We here performed 454 sequencing to 16× coverage of the assemblage B isolate GS, the only Giardia isolate successfully used to experimentally infect animals and humans. The two genomes show 77% nucleotide and 78% amino-acid identity in protein coding regions. Comparative analysis identified 28 unique GS and 3 unique WB protein coding genes, and the variable surface protein (VSP) repertoires of the two isolates are completely different. The promoters of several enzymes involved in the synthesis of the cyst-wall lack binding sites for encystation-specific transcription factors in GS. Several synteny-breaks were detected and verified. The tetraploid GS genome shows higher levels of overall allelic sequence polymorphism (0.5 versus <0.01% in WB). The genomic differences between WB and GS may explain some of the observed biological and clinical differences between the two isolates, and it suggests that assemblage A and B Giardia can be two different species

Species and abundance of ectoparasitic flies (Diptera) in pied flycatcher nests in Fennoscandia

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