Image-based photo hulls for fast and photo-realistic new view synthesis

We present an efficient image-based rendering algorithm that generates views of a scene's photo hull. The photo hull is the largest 3D shape that is photo-consistent with photographs taken of the scene from multiple viewpoints. Our algorithm, image-based photo hulls (IBPH), like the image-based visual hulls (IBVH) algorithm from Matusik et al. on which it is based, takes advantage of epipolar geometry to efficiently reconstruct the geometry and visibility of a scene. Our IBPH algorithm differs from IBVH in that it utilizes the color information of the images to identify scene geometry. These additional color constraints result in more accurately reconstructed geometry, which often projects to better synthesized virtual views of the scene. We demonstrate our algorithm running in a realtime 3D telepresence application using video data acquired from multiple viewpoints

Clinical and Epidemiological Characteristics of 1,420 European Patients with mild-to-moderate Coronavirus Disease 2019

Background: The clinical presentation of European patients with mild-to-moderate Covid-19 infection is still unknown. Objective: To study the clinical presentation of Covid-19 in Europe. Methods: Patients with positive diagnosis of Covid-19 were recruited from 18 European hospitals. Epidemiological and clinical data were obtained through a standardized questionnaire. Bayesian analysis was used for analyzing the relationship between outcomes. Results: 1,420 patients completed the study (962 females, 30.7% of health care workers). The mean age of patients was 39.17\ub112.09 years. The most common symptoms were headache (70.3%), loss of smell (70.2%), nasal obstruction (67.8%), cough (63.2%), asthenia (63.3%), myalgia (62.5%), rhinorrhea (60.1%), gustatory dysfunction (54.2%) and sore throat (52.9%). Fever was reported by on 45.4%. The mean duration of Covid-19 symptoms of mild-to-moderate cured patients was 11.5\ub15.7 days. The prevalence of symptoms significantly varied according to age and sex. Young patients more frequently had ear, nose, and throat complaints, whereas elderly individuals often presented fever, fatigue and loss of appetite. Loss of smell, headache, nasal obstruction and fatigue were more prevalent in female patients. The loss of smell was a key symptom of mild-to-moderate Covid19 patients and was not associated with nasal obstruction and rhinorrhea. Loss of smell persisted at least 7 days after the disease in 37.5% of cured patients. Conclusion: The clinical presentation of mild-to-moderate Covid-19 substantially varies according to the age and the sex characteristics of patients. Olfactory dysfunction seems to be an important underestimated symptom of mild-to-moderate Covid-19 that needs to be recognized as such by the WHO

Features of Mild-to-Moderate COVID-19 Patients with Dysphonia

Introduction To explore the prevalence of dysphonia in European patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 and the clinical features of dysphonic patients. Methods The clinical and epidemiological data of 702 patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 were collected from 19 European Hospitals. The following data were extracted: age, sex, ethnicity, tobacco consumption, comorbidities, general and otolaryngological symptoms. Dysphonia and otolaryngological symptoms were self-assessed through a 4-point scale. The prevalence of dysphonia, as part of the COVID-19 symptoms, was assessed. The outcomes were compared between dysphonic and non-dysphonic patients. The association between dysphonia severity and outcomes was studied through Bayesian analysis. Results A total of 188 patients were dysphonic, accounting for 26.8% of cases. Females developed more frequently dysphonia than males (p=0.022). The proportion of smokers was significantly higher in the dysphonic group (p=0.042). The prevalence of the following symptoms was higher in dysphonic patients compared with non-dysphonic patients: cough, chest pain, sticky sputum, arthralgia, diarrhea, headache, fatigue, nausea and vomiting. The severity of dyspnea, dysphagia, ear pain, face pain, throat pain and nasal obstruction was higher in dysphonic group compared with non-dysphonic group. There were significant associations between the severity of dysphonia, dysphagia and cough. Conclusion Dysphonia may be encountered in a quarter of patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 and should be considered as a symptom list of the infection. Dysphonic COVID-19 patients are more symptomatic than non-dysphonic individuals. Future studies are needed to investigate the relevance of dysphonia in the COVID-19 clinical presentation

Genetic correlations and genome-wide associations of cortical structure in general population samples of 22824 adults

Cortical thickness, surface area and volumes vary with age and cognitive function, and in neurological and psychiatric diseases. Here we report heritability, genetic correlations and genome-wide associations of these cortical measures across the whole cortex, and in 34 anatomically predefined regions. Our discovery sample comprises 22,824 individuals from 20 cohorts within the Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE) consortium and the UK Biobank. We identify genetic heterogeneity between cortical measures and brain regions, and 160 genome-wide significant associations pointing to wnt/β-catenin, TGF-β and sonic hedgehog pathways. There is enrichment for genes involved in anthropometric traits, hindbrain development, vascular and neurodegenerative disease and psychiatric conditions. These data are a rich resource for studies of the biological mechanisms behind cortical development and aging

Denial of long-term issues with agriculture on tropical peatlands will have devastating consequences

Non peer reviewe

The genetic architecture of the human cerebral cortex

The cerebral cortex underlies our complex cognitive capabilities, yet little is known about the specific genetic loci that influence human cortical structure. To identify genetic variants that affect cortical structure, we conducted a genome-wide association meta-analysis of brain magnetic resonance imaging data from 51,665 individuals. We analyzed the surface area and average thickness of the whole cortex and 34 regions with known functional specializations. We identified 199 significant loci and found significant enrichment for loci influencing total surface area within regulatory elements that are active during prenatal cortical development, supporting the radial unit hypothesis. Loci that affect regional surface area cluster near genes in Wnt signaling pathways, which influence progenitor expansion and areal identity. Variation in cortical structure is genetically correlated with cognitive function, Parkinson's disease, insomnia, depression, neuroticism, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Prolonged shear stress and KLF2 suppress constitutive proinflammatory transcription through inhibition of ATF2

Absence of shear stress due to disturbed blood flow at arterial bifurcations and curvatures leads to endothelial dysfunction and proinflammatory gene expression, ultimately resulting in atherogenesis. KLF2 has recently been implicated as a transcription factor involved in mediating the anti-inflammatory effects of flow. We investigated the effect of shear on basal and TNF-alpha-induced genomewide expression profiles of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Cluster analysis confirmed that shear stress induces expression of protective genes including KLF2, eNOS, and thrombomodulin, whereas basal expression of TNF-alpha-responsive genes was moderately decreased. Promoter analysis of these genes showed enrichment of binding sites for ATF transcription factors, whereas TNF-alpha-induced gene expression was mostly NF-kappa B dependent. Furthermore, human endothelial cells overlying atherosclerotic plaques had increased amounts of phosphorylated nuclear ATF2 compared with endothelium at unaffected sites. In HUVECs, a dramatic reduction of nuclear binding activity of ATF2 was observed under shear and appeared to be KLF2 dependent. Reduction of ATF2 with siRNA potently suppressed basal proinflammatory gene expression under no-flow conditions. In conclusion, we demonstrate that shear stress and KLF2 inhibit nuclear activity of ATF2, providing a potential mechanism by which endothelial cells exposed to laminar flow are protected from basal proinflammatory, atherogenic gene expressio