4 research outputs found
Strain Analysis by a Total Generalized Variation Regularized Optical Flow Model
In this paper we deal with the important problem of estimating the local
strain tensor from a sequence of micro-structural images realized during
deformation tests of engineering materials. Since the strain tensor is defined
via the Jacobian of the displacement field, we propose to compute the
displacement field by a variational model which takes care of properties of the
Jacobian of the displacement field. In particular we are interested in areas of
high strain. The data term of our variational model relies on the brightness
invariance property of the image sequence. As prior we choose the second order
total generalized variation of the displacement field. This prior splits the
Jacobian of the displacement field into a smooth and a non-smooth part. The
latter reflects the material cracks. An additional constraint is incorporated
to handle physical properties of the non-smooth part for tensile tests. We
prove that the resulting convex model has a minimizer and show how a
primal-dual method can be applied to find a minimizer. The corresponding
algorithm has the advantage that the strain tensor is directly computed within
the iteration process. Our algorithm is further equipped with a coarse-to-fine
strategy to cope with larger displacements. Numerical examples with simulated
and experimental data demonstrate the very good performance of our algorithm.
In comparison to state-of-the-art engineering software for strain analysis our
method can resolve local phenomena much better
Role of lipid apheresis in changing times
During the last decades, LDL-apheresis was established as an extracorporeal treatment option for patients with severe heterozygous or homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) that is resistant to conventional treatment strategies such as diet, drugs, and changes in lifestyle. Nearly half a century ago, the first LDL-apheresis treatment was performed by plasma exchange in a child with homozygous FH
Characterizing Long COVID: Deep Phenotype of a Complex Condition.
BACKGROUND: Numerous publications describe the clinical manifestations of post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC or long COVID ), but they are difficult to integrate because of heterogeneous methods and the lack of a standard for denoting the many phenotypic manifestations. Patient-led studies are of particular importance for understanding the natural history of COVID-19, but integration is hampered because they often use different terms to describe the same symptom or condition. This significant disparity in patient versus clinical characterization motivated the proposed ontological approach to specifying manifestations, which will improve capture and integration of future long COVID studies.
METHODS: The Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) is a widely used standard for exchange and analysis of phenotypic abnormalities in human disease but has not yet been applied to the analysis of COVID-19.
FINDINGS: We identified 303 articles published before April 29, 2021, curated 59 relevant manuscripts that described clinical manifestations in 81 cohorts three weeks or more following acute COVID-19, and mapped 287 unique clinical findings to HPO terms. We present layperson synonyms and definitions that can be used to link patient self-report questionnaires to standard medical terminology. Long COVID clinical manifestations are not assessed consistently across studies, and most manifestations have been reported with a wide range of synonyms by different authors. Across at least 10 cohorts, authors reported 31 unique clinical features corresponding to HPO terms; the most commonly reported feature was Fatigue (median 45.1%) and the least commonly reported was Nausea (median 3.9%), but the reported percentages varied widely between studies.
INTERPRETATION: Translating long COVID manifestations into computable HPO terms will improve analysis, data capture, and classification of long COVID patients. If researchers, clinicians, and patients share a common language, then studies can be compared/pooled more effectively. Furthermore, mapping lay terminology to HPO will help patients assist clinicians and researchers in creating phenotypic characterizations that are computationally accessible, thereby improving the stratification, diagnosis, and treatment of long COVID.
FUNDING: U24TR002306; UL1TR001439; P30AG024832; GBMF4552; R01HG010067; UL1TR002535; K23HL128909; UL1TR002389; K99GM145411