HumanRecon: Neural Reconstruction of Dynamic Human Using Geometric Cues and Physical Priors

Recent methods for dynamic human reconstruction have attained promising reconstruction results. Most of these methods rely only on RGB color supervision without considering explicit geometric constraints. This leads to existing human reconstruction techniques being more prone to overfitting to color and causes geometrically inherent ambiguities, especially in the sparse multi-view setup. Motivated by recent advances in the field of monocular geometry prediction, we consider the geometric constraints of estimated depth and normals in the learning of neural implicit representation for dynamic human reconstruction. As a geometric regularization, this provides reliable yet explicit supervision information, and improves reconstruction quality. We also exploit several beneficial physical priors, such as adding noise into view direction and maximizing the density on the human surface. These priors ensure the color rendered along rays to be robust to view direction and reduce the inherent ambiguities of density estimated along rays. Experimental results demonstrate that depth and normal cues, predicted by human-specific monocular estimators, can provide effective supervision signals and render more accurate images. Finally, we also show that the proposed physical priors significantly reduce overfitting and improve the overall quality of novel view synthesis. Our code is available at:~\href{https://github.com/PRIS-CV/HumanRecon}{https://github.com/PRIS-CV/HumanRecon}

An improved system for competent cell preparation and high efficiency plasmid transformation using different Escherichia coli strains

This paper describes an efficient bacterial transformation system that was established for the preparation of competent cells, plasmid preparation, and for the storage in bacterial stocks in our laboratory. Using this method, a number of different plasmids have been amplified for further experiments. Competent cells for bacterial transformation were prepared by the calcium chloride method with an optimum concentration of 75 mM. Three different strains of Escherichia coli that were tested are DH5\u3b1, TG1 and XL1 blue, and the most efficient strain being XL1 blue. The optimal optical density (OD600) range for competent cell preparation varied for each of the strains investigated, and for XL1 blue it was 0.15-0.45; for TG1 it was 0.2-0.5; and for DH5\u3b1 it was 0.145-0.45. The storage time of competent cells and its correlation to transformation efficiency has been studied, and the result showed that competent cells can be stored at -20\ub0C for 7 days and at -70\ub0C for 15 days. Three critical alterations to previous methods have been made, which are the changing of the normal CaCl2 solution to TB solution, the changing of the medium from LB to S.O.C., and addition of DMSO or PEG8000 during transformation of competent cells with plasmids. Changing the medium from LB to S.O.C., resulted in much faster growth of transformants, and the transformation efficiency was increased. Addition of DMSO or PEG8000 raised transformation efficiencies by 100-300 fold. Our improved bacterial transformation system can raise the transformation efficiency about 103 times, making it becoming a highly efficient bacterial transformation system

Study of tissue engineered vascularised oral mucosa-like structures based on ACVM-0.25% HLC-I scaffold in vitro and in vivo

AbstractPurpose To explore the feasibility of constructing tissue-engineered vascularised oral mucosa-like structures with rabbit ACVM-0.25% HLC-I scaffold and human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs), human gingival epithelial cells (HGECs) and vascular endothelial-like cells (VEC-like cells).Method Haematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) staining, immunohistochemical, immunofluorescence, 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine (EdU) staining and scanning electron microscope (SEM) were performed to detect the growth status of cells on the scaffold complex. After the scaffold complex implanted into nude mice for 28 days, tissues were harvested to observe the cell viability and morphology by the same method as above. Additionally, biomechanical experiments were used to assess the stability of composite scaffold.Results Immunofluorescence and Immunohistochemistry showed positive expression of Vimentin, S100A4 and CK, and the induced VEC-like cells had the ability to form tubule-like structures. In vitro observation results showed that HGFs, HGECs and VEC-like had good compatibility with ACVM-0.25% HLC-I and could be layered and grow in the scaffold. After implanted, the mice had no immune rejection and no obvious scar repair on the body surface. The biomfechanical test results showed that the composite scaffold has strong stability.Conclusion The tissue-engineered vascularised complexes constructed by HGFs, HGECs, VEC-like cells and ACVM-0.25% HLC-I has good biocompatibility and considerable strength

The application of composite scaffold materials based on decellularized vascular matrix in tissue engineering: a review

Abstract Decellularized vascular matrix is a natural polymeric biomaterial that comes from arteries or veins which are removed the cellular contents by physical, chemical and enzymatic means, leaving only the cytoskeletal structure and extracellular matrix to achieve cell adhesion, proliferation and differentiation and creating a suitable microenvironment for their growth. In recent years, the decellularized vascular matrix has attracted much attention in the field of tissue repair and regenerative medicine due to its remarkable cytocompatibility, biodegradability and ability to induce tissue regeneration. Firstly, this review introduces its basic properties and preparation methods; then, it focuses on the application and research of composite scaffold materials based on decellularized vascular matrix in vascular tissue engineering in terms of current in vitro and in vivo studies, and briefly outlines its applications in other tissue engineering fields; finally, it looks into the advantages and drawbacks to be overcome in the application of decellularized vascular matrix materials. In conclusion, as a new bioactive material for building engineered tissue and repairing tissue defects, decellularized vascular matrix will be widely applied in prospect

Targeting JWA for Cancer Therapy: Functions, Mechanisms and Drug Discovery

Tumor heterogeneity limits the precision treatment of targeted drugs. It is important to find new tumor targets. JWA, also known as ADP ribosylation factor-like GTPase 6 interacting protein 5 (ARL6IP5, GenBank: AF070523, 1998), is a microtubule-associated protein and an environmental response gene. Substantial evidence shows that JWA is low expressed in a variety of malignancies and is correlated with overall survival. As a tumor suppressor, JWA inhibits tumor progression by suppressing multiple oncogenes or activating tumor suppressor genes. Low levels of JWA expression in tumors have been reported to be associated with multiple aspects of cancer progression, including angiogenesis, proliferation, apoptosis, metastasis, and chemotherapy resistance. In this review, we will discuss the structure and biological functions of JWA in tumors, examine the potential therapeutic strategies for targeting JWA and explore the directions for future investigation

Application of magnetic resonance image compilation (MAGiC) in the diagnosis of middle-aged and elderly women with osteoporosis

Abstract Objective To investigate the feasibility of diagnosing osteoporosis (OP) in women through magnetic resonance image compilation (MAGiC). Methods A total of 110 patients who underwent lumbar magnetic resonance imaging and dual X-ray absorptiometry examinations were collected and divided into two groups according bone mineral density: osteoporotic group (OP) and non-osteoporotic group (non-OP). The variation trends of T1 (longitudinal relaxation time), T2 (transverse relaxation time) and BMD (bone mineral density) with the increase of age, and the correlation of T1 and T2 with BMD were examined by establishing a clinical mathematical model. Results With the increase of age, BMD and T1 value decreased gradually, while T2 value increased. T1 and T2 had statistical significance in diagnosing OP (P < 0.001), and there is moderate positive correlation between T1 and BMD values (R = 0.636, P < 0.001), while moderate negative correlation between T2 and BMD values (R=-0.694, P < 0.001). Receiver characteristic curve test showed that T1 and T2 had high accuracy in diagnosing OP (T1 AUC = 0.982, T2 AUC = 0.978), and the critical values of T1 and T2 for evaluating osteoporosis were 0.625s and 0.095s, respectively. Besides, the combined utilization of T1 and T2 had higher diagnostic efficiency (AUC = 0.985). Combined T1 and T2 had higher diagnostic efficiency (AUC = 0.985). Function fitting results of OP group: BMD=-0.0037* age − 0.0015*T1 + 0.0037*T2 + 0.86, sum of squared error (SSE) = 0.0392, and non-OP group: BMD = 0.0024* age − 0.0071*T1 + 0.0007*T2 + 1.41, SSE = 0.1007. Conclusion T1 and T2 value of MAGiC have high efficiency in diagnosing OP by establishing a function fitting formula of BMD with T1, T2 and age

Quantifying the Uncertainty of Short-Term Vegetation Anomalies Detection Using Eo-Based Coarse-Resolution Vegetation Products

Satellite-based Earth Observation systems archived a variety of vegetation products during the last 50 years, which can reveal regional to global ecosystem dynamics across diverse spatiotemporal scales. The anomaly metrics such as Vegetation Condition Index (VCI) defined by comparing the current vegetation growth condition to historical average status based on long-term EO-based vegetation products were widely used to delineate abnormal vegetation variation exerted by either climatic or anthropogenic factors (e.g., droughts, wildfires). However, currently available long-term vegetation products may differ from each other in terms of sensors (observational platform or spectral bands), bio-physical definitions (e.g., NDVI, EVI, LAI, and VOD), spatiotemporal resolution, as well as the time-spans, which results in inconsistency across these vegetation products. Taking the VCI as an example, this study evaluated the uncertainty of vegetation anomalies detected based on different vegetation products over the middle reach of the Yangtze River by explicitly considering the effect of sensors, biophysical definitions, and time-spans. The preliminary results showed that VCI derived from NDVI products from different sensors (AVHRR vs. MODIS) induced significant inconsistent anomalies over most landscapes. The differences resulting from products with different biophysical definitions (NDVI vs. EVI, LAI, and VOD) are much lower than those from different sensors but still significant over specific areas. As for the time-spans, the 20-year NDVI based VCI presented a considerable reduction in variance over the study area on average compared to VCI calculated based on 5-year NDVI. In summary, caution should be taken when applying EO-based vegetation products for vegetation anomalies mapping, especially for quantitative assessment.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Optical and Laser Remote Sensin

Maximized nanodrug-loaded mesenchymal stem cells by a dual drug-loaded mode for the systemic treatment of metastatic lung cancer

<p>Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), exhibiting tumor-tropic and migratory potential, can serve as cellular carriers to improve the effectiveness of anticancer agents. However, several challenges, such as the safety issue, the limited drug loading, the conservation of stemness and migration of MSCs, still remain in the MSC-based delivery system. In the present study, a novel nano-engineered MSC delivery system was established by loading doxorubicin (DOX)–polymer conjugates for the systemic treatment of pulmonary metastasis of breast cancer. For the first time, a dual drug-loaded mode, endocytosis and membrane-bound, was adopted to achieve the maximum amount of DOX conjugates in MSCs. The <i>in vitro</i> studies revealed the loaded MSCs possessed multifunctional properties, including preservation of the stemness and migration of MSCs, excellent stability of drug loading, acid sensitive drug release and obvious cytotoxicity against 4T1 cells. The <i>in vivo</i> studies confirmed that the loaded MSCs mainly located and long stayed in the lung where the foci of metastatic tumor situated. Importantly, loaded MSCs can significantly inhibit the tumor growth and prolong the life span of tumor-bearing mice in contrast with DOX and DOX-conjugate. The present loaded MSCs system suggested a promising strategy to solve several issues existed in cell-based delivery systems. Especially for the problem of low drug loading, the strategy, simultaneously loading nanodrug in cells’ internal and membrane, might be the most desirable method so far and could be developed as a generalizable manner for cell-mediated tumor-targeted therapy.</p