438 research outputs found
Advancing Wound Filling Extraction on 3D Faces: A Auto-Segmentation and Wound Face Regeneration Approach
Facial wound segmentation plays a crucial role in preoperative planning and
optimizing patient outcomes in various medical applications. In this paper, we
propose an efficient approach for automating 3D facial wound segmentation using
a two-stream graph convolutional network. Our method leverages the Cir3D-FaIR
dataset and addresses the challenge of data imbalance through extensive
experimentation with different loss functions. To achieve accurate
segmentation, we conducted thorough experiments and selected a high-performing
model from the trained models. The selected model demonstrates exceptional
segmentation performance for complex 3D facial wounds. Furthermore, based on
the segmentation model, we propose an improved approach for extracting 3D
facial wound fillers and compare it to the results of the previous study. Our
method achieved a remarkable accuracy of 0.9999986\% on the test suite,
surpassing the performance of the previous method. From this result, we use 3D
printing technology to illustrate the shape of the wound filling. The outcomes
of this study have significant implications for physicians involved in
preoperative planning and intervention design. By automating facial wound
segmentation and improving the accuracy of wound-filling extraction, our
approach can assist in carefully assessing and optimizing interventions,
leading to enhanced patient outcomes. Additionally, it contributes to advancing
facial reconstruction techniques by utilizing machine learning and 3D
bioprinting for printing skin tissue implants. Our source code is available at
\url{https://github.com/SIMOGroup/WoundFilling3D}
Application of Self-Supervised Learning to MICA Model for Reconstructing Imperfect 3D Facial Structures
In this study, we emphasize the integration of a pre-trained MICA model with
an imperfect face dataset, employing a self-supervised learning approach. We
present an innovative method for regenerating flawed facial structures,
yielding 3D printable outputs that effectively support physicians in their
patient treatment process. Our results highlight the model's capacity for
concealing scars and achieving comprehensive facial reconstructions without
discernible scarring. By capitalizing on pre-trained models and necessitating
only a few hours of supplementary training, our methodology adeptly devises an
optimal model for reconstructing damaged and imperfect facial features.
Harnessing contemporary 3D printing technology, we institute a standardized
protocol for fabricating realistic, camouflaging mask models for patients in a
laboratory environment
3D Bio-printed Scaffold-free Nerve Constructs with Human Gingiva-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Promote Rat Facial Nerve Regeneration
Despite the promising neuro-regenerative capacities of stem cells, there is currently no licensed stem cell-based product in the repair and regeneration of peripheral nerve injuries. Here, we explored the potential use of human gingiva-derived mesenchymal stem cells (GMSCs) as the only cellular component in 3D bio-printed scaffold-free neural constructs that were transplantable to bridge facial nerve defects in rats. We showed that GMSCs have the propensity to aggregate into compact 3D-spheroids that could produce their own matrix. When cultured under either 2D- or 3D-collagen scaffolds, GMSC spheroids were found to be more capable of differentiating into both neuronal and Schwann-like cells than their adherent counterparts. Using a scaffold-free 3D bio-printer system, nerve constructs were printed from GMSC spheroids in the absence of exogenous scaffolds and allowed to mature in a bioreactor. In vivo transplantation of the GMSC-laden nerve constructs promoted regeneration and functional recovery when used to bridge segmental defects in rat facial nerves. Our findings suggest that GMSCs represent an easily accessible source of MSCs for 3D bio-printing of scaffold-free nervous tissue constructs with promising potential application for repair and regeneration of peripheral nerve defects. © 2018 The Author(s)
12CO emission from EP Aqr: Another example of an axi-symmetric AGB wind?
The CO(1-0) and (2-1) emission of the circumstellar envelope of the AGB star
EP Aqr has been observed using the IRAM PdBI and the IRAM 30-m telescope. The
line profiles reveal the presence of two distinct components centered on the
star velocity, a broad component extending up to ~10 km/s and a narrow
component indicating an expansion velocity of ~2 km/s. An early analysis of
these data was performed under the assumption of isotropic winds. The present
study revisits this interpretation by assuming instead a bipolar outflow nearly
aligned with the line of sight. A satisfactory description of the observed flux
densities is obtained with a radial expansion velocity increasing from ~2 km/s
at the equator to ~10 km/s near the poles. The angular aperture of the bipolar
outflow is ~45 deg with respect to the star axis, which makes an angle of ~13
deg with the line of sight. A detailed study of the CO(1-0) to CO(2-1) flux
ratio reveals a significant dependence of the temperature on the star latitude,
smaller and steeper at the poles than at the equator at large distances from
the star. Under the hypothesis of radial expansion and of rotation invariance
about the star axis, the effective density has been evaluated in space as a
function of star coordinates. Evidence is found for an enhancement of the
effective density in the northern hemisphere of the star at angular distances
in excess of ~3" and covering the whole longitudinal range. The peak velocity
of the narrow component is observed to vary slightly with position on the sky,
a variation consistent with the model and understood as the effect of the
inclination of the star axis with respect to the line of sight. While the
phenomenological model presented here reproduces well the general features of
the observations, significant differences are also revealed, which would
require a better spatial resolution to be properly described.Comment: accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic
The morpho-kinematics of the circumstellar envelope around the AGB star EP Aqr
ALMA observations of CO(1-0) and CO(2-1) emissions of the circumstellar
envelope of EP Aqr, an oxygen-rich AGB star, are reported. A thorough analysis
of their properties is presented using an original method based on the
separation of the data-cube into a low velocity component associated with an
equatorial outflow and a faster component associated with a bipolar outflow. A
number of important and new results are obtained concerning the distribution in
space of the effective emissivity, the temperature, the density and the flux of
matter. A mass loss rate of (1.60.4)10 solar masses per year is
measured. The main parameters defining the morphology and kinematics of the
envelope are evaluated and uncertainties inherent to de-projection are
critically discussed. Detailed properties of the equatorial region of the
envelope are presented including a measurement of the line width and a precise
description of the observed inhomogeneity of both morphology and kinematics. In
particular, in addition to the presence of a previously observed spiral
enhancement of the morphology at very small Doppler velocities, a similarly
significant but uncorrelated circular enhancement of the expansion velocity is
revealed, both close to the limit of sensitivity. The results of the analysis
place significant constraints on the parameters of models proposing
descriptions of the mass loss mechanism, but cannot choose among them with
confidence.Comment: 26 pages, 31 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
Observation of narrow polar jets in the nascent wind of oxygen-rich AGB star EP Aqr
Using ALMA observations of CO(2-1), SiO(5-4) and
SO(16-17) emissions of the circumstellar envelope
of AGB star EP Aqr, we describe the morpho-kinematics governing the nascent
wind. Main results are: 1) Two narrow polar structures, referred to as jets,
launched from less than 25 au away from the star, build up between 20 au
and 100 au to a velocity of 20 \kms. They fade away at larger
distances and are barely visible in CO data. 2) SO, SiO and CO emissions
explore radial ranges reaching respectively 30 au, 250 au and 1000 au
from the star, preventing the jets to be detected in SO data. 3) Close to
the star photosphere, rotation (undetected in SiO and CO data) and isotropic
radial expansion combine with probable turbulence to produce a broad SO
line profile ( 7.5 \kms\ FWHM). 4) A same axis serves as axis of rotation
close to the star, as jet axis and as axi-symmetry axis at large distances. 5)
A radial wind builds up at distances up to 300 au from the star, with
larger velocity near polar than equatorial latitudes. 6) A sharp depletion of
SiO and CO emissions, starting near the star, rapidly broadens to cover the
whole blue-western quadrant, introducing important asymmetry in the CO and
particularly SiO observations. 7) The C/C abundance ratio is
measured as 92. 8) Plausible interpretations are discussed, in particular
assuming the presence of a companion.Comment: 18 pages, 16 figures, MNRAS accepte
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