GANHead: Towards Generative Animatable Neural Head Avatars

To bring digital avatars into people's lives, it is highly demanded to efficiently generate complete, realistic, and animatable head avatars. This task is challenging, and it is difficult for existing methods to satisfy all the requirements at once. To achieve these goals, we propose GANHead (Generative Animatable Neural Head Avatar), a novel generative head model that takes advantages of both the fine-grained control over the explicit expression parameters and the realistic rendering results of implicit representations. Specifically, GANHead represents coarse geometry, fine-gained details and texture via three networks in canonical space to obtain the ability to generate complete and realistic head avatars. To achieve flexible animation, we define the deformation filed by standard linear blend skinning (LBS), with the learned continuous pose and expression bases and LBS weights. This allows the avatars to be directly animated by FLAME parameters and generalize well to unseen poses and expressions. Compared to state-of-the-art (SOTA) methods, GANHead achieves superior performance on head avatar generation and raw scan fitting.Comment: Camera-ready for CVPR 2023. Project page: https://wsj-sjtu.github.io/GANHead

The bZIP Transcription Factor MoAP1 Mediates the Oxidative Stress Response and Is Critical for Pathogenicity of the Rice Blast Fungus Magnaporthe oryzae

Saccharomyces cerevisiae Yap1 protein is an AP1-like transcription factor involved in the regulation of the oxidative stress response. An ortholog of Yap1, MoAP1, was recently identified from the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae genome. We found that MoAP1 is highly expressed in conidia and during invasive hyphal growth. The Moap1 mutant was sensitive to H2O2, similar to S. cerevisiae yap1 mutants, and MoAP1 complemented Yap1 function in resistance to H2O2, albeit partially. The Moap1 mutant also exhibited various defects in aerial hyphal growth, mycelial branching, conidia formation, the production of extracellular peroxidases and laccases, and melanin pigmentation. Consequently, the Moap1 mutant was unable to infect the host plant. The MoAP1-eGFP fusion protein is localized inside the nucleus upon exposure to H2O2, suggesting that MoAP1 also functions as a redox sensor. Moreover, through RNA sequence analysis, many MoAP1-regulated genes were identified, including several novel ones that were also involved in pathogenicity. Disruption of respective MGG_01662 (MoAAT) and MGG_02531 (encoding hypothetical protein) genes did not result in any detectable changes in conidial germination and appressorium formation but reduced pathogenicity, whereas the mutant strains of MGG_01230 (MoSSADH) and MGG_15157 (MoACT) showed marketed reductions in aerial hyphal growth, mycelial branching, and loss of conidiation as well as pathogenicity, similar to the Moap1 mutant. Taken together, our studies identify MoAP1 as a positive transcription factor that regulates transcriptions of MGG_01662, MGG_02531, MGG_01230, and MGG_15157 that are important in the growth, development, and pathogenicity of M. oryzae

Tunable Surface Wrinkling on Shape Memory Polymers with Application in Smart Micromirror

Surfaces with tunable topological features enable important applications, such as optical devices, precision metrology, adhesion, and&nbsp; wetting. In this study, we demonstrate a facile method to fabricate and control the surface morphologies by combining thin film wrinkling&nbsp; and thermal expansion. This approach utilizes self-assembled surface wrinkling induced by shape recovery of shape memory polymers and&nbsp; localized thermal expansion caused by Joule heating. Recovering the prestrain in the SMP substrate induces global wrinkling of the thin film&nbsp; on the substrate. Joule heating in the SMP by a heating wire embedded in the substrate induces thermal expansion of the substrate in a&nbsp; localized area, which leads to disappearance of the wrinkling pattern. This effect is reversed when heating is stopped, leading to reversible&nbsp; and repeatable tuning of the surface morphology in a controllable localized surface region. With metal coating, the SMP surface&nbsp; can be switched from specular to diffuse reflectance with respond to external Joule heating. Finally, we demonstrate a smart micromirror&nbsp; device with its diffuse reflectance tunable between 13.5% to 81.9% in visible light region. This approach provides a method to modulate&nbsp; surface diffusivity by controlling its surface morphologies, with potential applications in optical display and optical microelectromechanical (MEMS) devices.</p

The dynamic change of microbial communities in crude oil contaminated soils from oilfields in China

To study the biodegradability of microbial communities in crude oil contamination, crude oil-contaminated soil samples from different areas of China were collected. Using polyphasic approach, this study explored the dynamic change of the microbial communities during natural accumulation in oilfield and how the constructed bioremediation systems reshape the composition of microbial communities. The abundance of oil-degrading microbes was highest when oil content was 3%–8%. This oil content is potentially optimal for oil-degrading bacteria proliferate. During a ∼12 months natural accumulation, the quantity of oil-degrading microbes increased from 105 to 108 cells/g of soil. A typical sample of Liaohe (LH, oil-contaminated site near Liaohe river, Liaoning Province, China) was remediated for 50 days to investigate the dynamic change of microbial communities. The average FDA (a fluorescein diacetate approach) activities reached 0.25 abs/h·g dry soil in the artificially enhanced repair system, 32% higher than the 0.19 abs/h·g dry soil in natural circumstances. The abundance of oil-degrading microbes increased steadily from 0.001 to 0.068. During remediation treatment, oil content in the soil sample was reduced from 6.0% to 3.7%. GC-MS analysis indicated up to 67% utilization of C10–C20 normal paraffin hydrocarbons, the typical compounds that undergo microbial degradation

A radiative cooling structural material.

Reducing human reliance on energy-inefficient cooling methods such as air conditioning would have a large impact on the global energy landscape. By a process of complete delignification and densification of wood, we developed a structural material with a mechanical strength of 404.3 megapascals, more than eight times that of natural wood. The cellulose nanofibers in our engineered material backscatter solar radiation and emit strongly in mid-infrared wavelengths, resulting in continuous subambient cooling during both day and night. We model the potential impact of our cooling wood and find energy savings between 20 and 60%, which is most pronounced in hot and dry climates

Amine-responsive bilayer films with improved illumination stability and electrochemical writing property for visual monitoring of meat spoilage

Amine-responsive bilayer films were developed by using agar (AG), anthocyanins (AN), gellan gum (GG) and TiO2 nanoparticles for visual monitoring of meat spoilage. The AG-AN layer worked as the sensing layer to volatile amines, while GG-TiO2 layer served as the light barrier layer and simultaneously the conducting layer to improve the illumination stability and electrochemical writing ability of the AG-AN layer, respectively. The Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images and X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra indicated the successful fabrication of bilayer films. Illumination experiments showed that the incorporation of TiO2 in the GG-TiO2 layer significantly improved the illumination stability of AN in the AG-AN layer. Meanwhile, electrochemical writing process could be easily conducted on the AG-AN layer in the presence of GG-TiO2 layer, indicating the feasibility of ink-free printing on bilayer biopolymer films. The AG-AN/GG-2%TiO2 film presented a limit of detection of 0.018 mM to trimethylamine (TMA), a typical basic gas generated during meat spoilage. Based on its good illumination stability and sensing ability to basic gases, the AG-AN/GG-2%TiO2 film exhibited rose red-to-green color changes along with the spoilage of pork and silver carp, indicating its great potential for monitoring meat spoilage in intelligent food packaging

A Genome Wide Association Study Identifies Common Variants Associated with Lipid Levels in the Chinese Population

Plasma lipid levels are important risk factors for cardiovascular disease and are influenced by genetic and environmental factors. Recent genome wide association studies (GWAS) have identified several lipid-associated loci, but these loci have been identified primarily in European populations. In order to identify genetic markers for lipid levels in a Chinese population and analyze the heterogeneity between Europeans and Asians, especially Chinese, we performed a meta-analysis of two genome wide association studies on four common lipid traits including total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) in a Han Chinese population totaling 3,451 healthy subjects. Replication was performed in an additional 8,830 subjects of Han Chinese ethnicity. We replicated eight loci associated with lipid levels previously reported in a European population. The loci genome wide significantly associated with TC were near DOCK7, HMGCR and ABO; those genome wide significantly associated with TG were near APOA1/C3/A4/A5 and LPL; those genome wide significantly associated with LDL were near HMGCR, ABO and TOMM40; and those genome wide significantly associated with HDL were near LPL, LIPC and CETP. In addition, an additive genotype score of eight SNPs representing the eight loci that were found to be associated with lipid levels was associated with higher TC, TG and LDL levels (P = 5.52×10-16, 1.38×10-6 and 5.59×10-9, respectively). These findings suggest the cumulative effects of multiple genetic loci on plasma lipid levels. Comparisons with previous GWAS of lipids highlight heterogeneity in allele frequency and in effect size for some loci between Chinese and European populations. The results from our GWAS provided comprehensive and convincing evidence of the genetic determinants of plasma lipid levels in a Chinese population

The clinical relevance of oliguria in the critically ill patient : Analysis of a large observational database

Funding Information: Marc Leone reports receiving consulting fees from Amomed and Aguettant; lecture fees from MSD, Pfizer, Octapharma, 3 M, Aspen, Orion; travel support from LFB; and grant support from PHRC IR and his institution. JLV is the Editor-in-Chief of Critical Care. The other authors declare that they have no relevant financial interests. Publisher Copyright: © 2020 The Author(s). Copyright: Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.Background: Urine output is widely used as one of the criteria for the diagnosis and staging of acute renal failure, but few studies have specifically assessed the role of oliguria as a marker of acute renal failure or outcomes in general intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Using a large multinational database, we therefore evaluated the occurrence of oliguria (defined as a urine output 16 years) patients in the ICON audit who had a urine output measurement on the day of admission were included. To investigate the association between oliguria and mortality, we used a multilevel analysis. Results: Of the 8292 patients included, 2050 (24.7%) were oliguric during the first 24 h of admission. Patients with oliguria on admission who had at least one additional 24-h urine output recorded during their ICU stay (n = 1349) were divided into three groups: transient - oliguria resolved within 48 h after the admission day (n = 390 [28.9%]), prolonged - oliguria resolved > 48 h after the admission day (n = 141 [10.5%]), and permanent - oliguria persisting for the whole ICU stay or again present at the end of the ICU stay (n = 818 [60.6%]). ICU and hospital mortality rates were higher in patients with oliguria than in those without, except for patients with transient oliguria who had significantly lower mortality rates than non-oliguric patients. In multilevel analysis, the need for RRT was associated with a significantly higher risk of death (OR = 1.51 [95% CI 1.19-1.91], p = 0.001), but the presence of oliguria on admission was not (OR = 1.14 [95% CI 0.97-1.34], p = 0.103). Conclusions: Oliguria is common in ICU patients and may have a relatively benign nature if only transient. The duration of oliguria and need for RRT are associated with worse outcome.publishersversionPeer reviewe