Recreating Daily life in Pompeii

[EN] We propose an integrated Mixed Reality methodology for recreating ancient daily life that features realistic simulations of animated virtual human actors (clothes, body, skin, face) who augment real environments and re-enact staged storytelling dramas. We aim to go further from traditional concepts of static cultural artifacts or rigid geometrical and 2D textual augmentations and allow for 3D, interactive, augmented historical character-based event representations in a mobile and wearable setup. This is the main contribution of the described work as well as the proposed extensions to AR Enabling technologies: a VR/AR character simulation kernel framework with real-time, clothed virtual humans that are dynamically superimposed on live camera input, animated and acting based on a predefined, historically correct scenario. We demonstrate such a real-time case study on the actual site of ancient Pompeii.The work presented has been supported by the Swiss Federal Office for Education and Science and the EU IST programme, in frame of the EU IST LIFEPLUS 34545 and EU ICT INTERMEDIA 38417 projects.Magnenat-Thalmann, N.; Papagiannakis, G. (2010). Recreating Daily life in Pompeii. Virtual Archaeology Review. 1(2):19-23. https://doi.org/10.4995/var.2010.4679OJS192312P. MILGRAM, F. KISHINO, (1994) "A Taxonomy of Mixed Reality Visual Displays", IEICE Trans. Information Systems, vol. E77-D, no. 12, pp. 1321-1329R. AZUMA, Y. BAILLOT, R. BEHRINGER, S. FEINER, S. JULIER, B. MACINTYRE, (2001) "Recent Advances in Augmented Reality", IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications, November/December http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/38.963459D. STRICKER, P. DÄHNE, F. SEIBERT, I. CHRISTOU, L. ALMEIDA, N. IOANNIDIS, (2001) "Design and Development Issues for ARCHEOGUIDE: An Augmented Reality-based Cultural Heritage On-site Guide", EuroImage ICAV 3D Conference in Augmented Virtual Environments and Three-dimensional Imaging, Mykonos, Greece, 30 May-01 JuneW. WOHLGEMUTH, G. TRIEBFÜRST, (2000)"ARVIKA: augmented reality for development, production and service", DARE 2000 on Designing augmented reality environments, Elsinore, Denmark http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/354666.354688H. TAMURA, H. YAMAMOTO, A. KATAYAMA, (2001) "Mixed reality: Future dreams seen at the border between real and virtual worlds", Computer Graphics and Applications, vol.21, no.6, pp.64-70 http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/38.963462M. PONDER, G. PAPAGIANNAKIS, T. MOLET, N. MAGNENAT-THALMANN, D. THALMANN, (2003) "VHD++ Development Framework: Towards Extendible, Component Based VR/AR Simulation Engine Featuring Advanced Virtual Character Technologies", IEEE Computer Society Press, CGI Proceedings, pp. 96-104 http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/cgi.2003.1214453Archaeological Superintendence of Pompeii (2009), http://www.pompeiisites.orgG. PAPAGIANNAKIS, S. SCHERTENLEIB, B. O'KENNEDY , M. POIZAT, N.MAGNENAT-THALMANN, A. STODDART, D.THALMANN, (2005) "Mixing Virtual and Real scenes in the site of ancient Pompeii",Journal of CAVW, p 11-24, Volume 16, Issue 1, John Wiley and Sons Ltd, FebruaryEGGES, A., PAPAGIANNAKIS, G., MAGNENAT-THALMANN, N., (2007) "Presence and Interaction in Mixed Reality", The Visual Computer, Springer-Verlag Volume 23, Number 5, MaySEO H., MAGNENAT-THALMANN N. (2003), An Automatic Modeling of Human Bodies from Sizing Parameters. In ACM SIGGRAPH, Symposium on Interactive 3D Graphics, pp19-26, pp234. http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/641480.641487VOLINO P., MAGNENAT-THALMANN N. (2006), Resolving Surface Collisions through Intersection Contour Minimization. In ACM Transactions on Graphics (Siggraph 2006 proceedings), 25(3), pp 1154-1159. http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/1179352.1142007http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/1141911.1142007PAPAGIANNAKIS, G., SINGH, G., MAGNENAT-THALMANN, N., (2008) "A survey of mobile and wireless technologies for augmented reality systems", Journal of Computer Animation and Virtual Worlds, John Wiley and Sons Ltd, 19, 1, pp. 3-22, February http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cav.22

Self adaptive animation based on user perspective

In this paper we present a new character animation technique in which the animation adapts itself based on the change in the user's perspective, so that when the user moves and their point of viewing the animation changes, then the character animation adapts itself in response to that change. The resulting animation, generated in real-time, is a blend of key animations provided a priori by the animator. The blending is done with the help of efficient dual-quaternion transformation blending. The user's point of view is tracked using either computer vision techniques or a simple user-controlled input modality, such as mouse-based input. This tracked point of view is then used to suitably select the blend of animations. We show a way to author and use such animations in both virtual as well as augmented reality scenarios and demonstrate that it significantly heightens the sense of presence for the users when they interact with such self adaptive animations of virtual character

A virtual 3D mobile guide in the INTERMEDIA project

In this paper, we introduce a European research project, interactive media with personal networked devices (INTERMEDIA) in which we seek to progress beyond home and device-centric convergence toward truly user-centric convergence of multimedia. Our vision is to make the user the multimedia center: the user as the point at which multimedia services and the means for interacting with them converge. This paper proposes the main research goals in providing users with a personalized interface and content independent of physical networked devices, and space and time. As a case study, we describe an indoors, mobile mixed reality guide system: Chloe@University. With a see-through head-mounted display (HMD) connected to a small wearable computing device, Chloe@University provides users with an efficient way to guide someone in a building. A 3D virtual character in front of the user guides him/her to the required destinatio

Lunar Tractive Forces and Renal Stone Incidence

Background. Several factors are implicated in renal stone formation and peak incidence of renal colic admissions to emergency departments (ED). Little is known about the influence of potential environmental triggers such as lunar gravitational forces. We conducted a retrospective study to test the hypothesis that the incidence of symptomatic renal colics increases at the time of the full and new moon because of increased lunar gravitational forces. Methods. We analysed 1500 patients who attended our ED between 2000 and 2010 because of nephrolithiasis-induced renal colic. The lunar phases were defined as full moon ± 1 day, new moon ± 1 day, and the days in-between as “normal” days. Results. During this 11-year period, 156 cases of acute nephrolithiasis were diagnosed at the time of a full moon and 146 at the time of a new moon (mean of 0.4 per day for both). 1198 cases were diagnosed on “normal” days (mean 0.4 per day). The incidence of nephrolithiasis in peak and other lunar gravitational phases, the circannual variation and the gender-specific analysis showed no statistically significant differences. Conclusion. In this adequate powered longitudinal study, changes in tractive force during the different lunar phases did not influence the incidence of renal colic admissions in emergency department

High CD10 expression in lymph node metastases from surgically treated prostate cancer independently predicts early death

Patients with nodal positive prostate cancers are an important cohort with poorly defined risk factors. CD10 is a cell surface metallopeptidase that has been suggested to play a role in prostate cancer progression. CD10 expression was evaluated in 119 nodal positive prostate cancer patients using tissue microarrays constructed from primary tumors and lymph node metastases. All patients underwent radical prostatectomy and standardized extended lymphadenectomy. They had no neoadjuvant therapy and received deferred androgen deprivation. In the primary tumor, high CD10 expression was significantly associated with earlier death from disease when compared with low CD10 expression (5-year survival 73.7% vs. 91.8%; p = 0.043). In the metastases, a high CD10 expression was significantly associated with larger total size of metastases (median 11.4 vs. 6.5mm; p = 0.015), earlier death of disease (5-year survival 71.5% vs. 87.3%; p = 0.017), and death of any cause (5-year survival 70.0% vs. 87.2%; p = 0.001) when compared with low CD10 expression. CD10 expression in the metastases added independent prognostic information for overall survival (p = 0.029) after adjustment for Gleason score of the primary tumor, nodal tumor burden, and resection margins. In conclusion, a high CD10 expression in prostate cancer predicts early death. This information is inherent in the primary tumors and in the lymph node metastases and might help to personalize patient managemen

Use of Gold Markers for Setup in Image-Guided Fractionated High-Dose-Rate Brachytherapy as a Monotherapy for Prostate Cancer

Background and Purpose: : In order to use a single implant with one treatment plan in fractionated high-dose-rate brachytherapy (HDR-B), applicator position shifts must be corrected prior to each fraction. The authors investigated the use of gold markers for X-ray-based setup and position control between the single fractions. Patients and Methods: : Caudad-cephalad movement of the applicators prior to each HDR-B fraction was determined on radiographs using two to three gold markers, which had been inserted into the prostate as intraprostatic reference, and one to two radiopaque-labeled reference applicators. 35 prostate cancer patients, treated by HDR-B as a monotherapy between 10/2003 and 06/2006 with four fractions of 9.5 Gy each, were analyzed. Toxicity was scored according to the CTCAE Score, version 3.0. Median follow-up was 3 years. Results: : The mean change of applicators positions compared to baseline varied substantially between HDR-B fractions, being 1.4 mm before fraction 1 (range, -4 to 2 mm), -13.1 mm before fraction 2 (range, -36 to 0 mm), -4.1 mm before fraction 3 (range, -21 to 9 mm), and -2.6 mm at fraction 4 (range, -16 to 9 mm). The original position of the applicators could be readjusted easily prior to each fraction in every patient. In 18 patients (51%), the applicators were at least once readjusted > 10 mm, however, acute or late grade ≥ 2 genitourinary toxicity was not increased (p = 1.0) in these patients. Conclusion: : Caudad position shifts up to 36 mm were observed. Gold markers represent a valuable tool to ensure setup accuracy and precise dose delivery in fractionated HDR-B monotherapy of prostate cance

No Survival Differences among Germ-Cell Cancer Patients from Urban and Rural Areas

INTRODUCTION Germ-cell cancer (GCC) is curable in the majority of men. However, previous reports have described inferior outcomes in men living in rural as compared to urban residential areas. METHODS We identified all GCC patients treated at two large university hospitals in Zürich and Bern, both in Switzerland, between 2010 and 2020 by retrospective chart review. In 400 patients from Zürich and 274 patients from Bern, details on presentation, diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes were abstracted from medical records. For follow-up, we contacted referring centers or private physicians. Residential region was allocated according to the Federal Statistical Office of Switzerland. RESULTS We found no differences in initial presentation (clinical stage I [CSI] versus de novo metastatic), relapse rate in CSI patients, response in metastatic patients (favorable vs. unfavorable), progression-free survival (PFS) or overall survival (OS) between patients from urban as compared to suburban or rural residential areas. PFS at 3 years for CSI patients was 78% (95% confidence interval 72-82%) and OS at 5 years was 98% (95% confidence interval 96-99%). PFS at 3 years for de novo metastatic patients was 74% (95% confidence interval 68-79%) and OS at 5 years was 86% (95% confidence interval 80-90%). CONCLUSION Treatment outcomes in GCC patients were excellent and comparable to international standards at both centers irrespective of the residential area of patients documenting equal access to high-level oncological care at both centers

No Survival Differences among Germ-Cell Cancer Patients from Urban and Rural Areas.

INTRODUCTION Germ-cell cancer (GCC) is curable in the majority of men. However, previous reports have described inferior outcomes in men living in rural as compared to urban residential areas. METHODS We identified all GCC patients treated at two large university hospitals in Zürich and Bern, both in Switzerland, between 2010 and 2020 by retrospective chart review. In 400 patients from Zürich and 274 patients from Bern, details on presentation, diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes were abstracted from medical records. For follow-up, we contacted referring centers or private physicians. Residential region was allocated according to the Federal Statistical Office of Switzerland. RESULTS We found no differences in initial presentation (clinical stage I [CSI] versus de novo metastatic), relapse rate in CSI patients, response in metastatic patients (favorable vs. unfavorable), progression-free survival (PFS) or overall survival (OS) between patients from urban as compared to suburban or rural residential areas. PFS at 3 years for CSI patients was 78% (95% confidence interval 72-82%) and OS at 5 years was 98% (95% confidence interval 96-99%). PFS at 3 years for de novo metastatic patients was 74% (95% confidence interval 68-79%) and OS at 5 years was 86% (95% confidence interval 80-90%). CONCLUSION Treatment outcomes in GCC patients were excellent and comparable to international standards at both centers irrespective of the residential area of patients documenting equal access to high-level oncological care at both centers

Tumor regression grade of urothelial bladder cancer after neoadjuvant chemotherapy: a novel and successful strategy to predict survival.

Histopathologic tumor regression grades (TRGs) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy predict survival in different cancers. In bladder cancer, corresponding studies have not been conducted. Fifty-six patients with advanced invasive urothelial bladder cancer received neoadjuvant chemotherapy before cystectomy and lymphadenectomy. TRGs were defined as follows: TRG1: complete tumor regression; TRG2: >50% tumor regression; TRG3: 50% or less tumor regression. Separate TRGs were assigned for primary tumors and corresponding lymph nodes. The prognostic impact of these 2 TRGs, the highest (dominant) TRG per patient, and competing tumor features reflecting tumor regression (ypT/ypN stage, maximum diameter of the residual tumor) were determined. Tumor characteristics in initial transurethral resection of the bladder specimens were tested for response prediction. The frequency of TRGs 1, 2, and 3 in the primary tumors were n=16, n=19, and n=21; corresponding data from the lymph nodes were n=31, n=9, and n=16. Interobserver agreement in determination of the TRG was strong (κ=0.8). Univariately, all evaluated parameters were significantly (P≤0.001) related to overall survival; however, the segregation of the Kaplan-Meier curves was best for the dominant TRG. In multivariate analysis, only dominant TRG predicted overall survival independently (P=0.035). In transurethral resection specimens of the chemotherapy-naive bladder cancer, the only tumor feature with significant (P<0.03) predictive value for therapy response was a high proliferation rate. In conclusion, among all parameters reflecting tumor regression, the dominant TRG was the only independent risk factor. A favorable chemotherapy response is associated with a high proliferation rate in the initial chemotherapy-naive bladder cancer. This feature might help personalize neoadjuvant chemotherapy