Visual ageing of human faces in three dimensions using morphable models and projection to latent structures

We present an approach to synthesising the effects of ageing on human face images using three-dimensional modelling. We extract a set of three dimensional face models from a set of two-dimensional face images by fitting a Morphable Model. We propose a method to age these face models using Partial Least Squares to extract from the data-set those factors most related to ageing. These ageing related factors are used to train an individually weighted linear model. We show that this is an effective means of producing an aged face image and compare this method to two other linear ageing methods for ageing face models. This is demonstrated both quantitatively and with perceptual evaluation using human raters.Postprin

Thoughts on financial derivatives, systematic risk, and central banking: a review of some recent developments

This paper critically reviews the literature examining the role of central banks in addressing systemic risk. We focus on how the growth in derivatives markets might affect that role. Analysis of systemic risk policy is hampered by the lack of a consensus theory of systemic risk. We propose a set of criteria that theories of systemic risk should satisfy, and we critically discuss a number of theories proposed in the literature. We argue that concerns about systemic effects of derivatives appear somewhat overstated. In particular, derivative markets do not appear unduly prone to systemic disturbances. Furthermore, derivative trading may increase informational efficiency of financial markets and provide instruments for more effective risk management. Both of these effects tend to reduce the danger of systemic crises. However, the complexity of derivative contracts (in particular, their high implicit leverage and nonlinear payoffs) do complicate the process of regulatory oversight. In addition, derivatives may make the conduct of monetary policy more difficult. Most theories of systemic risk imply a critical role for central banks as the ultimate provider of liquidity. However, the countervailing danger of moral hazard must be recognized and addressed through vigilant supervision.Banks and banking, Central ; Derivative securities ; Risk

Prioritizing Regional Wildlife Conservation by Rejuvenating the Western Hemisphere Convention on Nature Protection

Last year, parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (“CBD”), representing nearly every nation, signed a milestone agreement committing, among other things, to conserve thirty percent of Earth’s lands and oceans to stave off the rapid diminution of the planet’s biodiversity. Implementing these global commitments will require not only strong domestic measures, but also enhanced regional cooperation targeting the conservation of the region’s migratory wildlife and shared resources. Although the United States is the sole major holdout from the CBD, it can still reassert its leadership in regional wildlife conservation by rejuvenating the Convention on Nature Protection and Wildlife Preservation in the Western Hemisphere (“Western Hemisphere Convention”)

Prioritizing Regional Wildlife Conservation by Rejuvenating the Western Hemisphere Convention on Nature Protection

Last year, parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (“CBD”), representing nearly every nation, signed a milestone agreement committing, among other things, to conserve thirty percent of Earth’s lands and oceans to stave off the rapid diminution of the planet’s biodiversity. Implementing these global commitments will require not only strong domestic measures, but also enhanced regional cooperation targeting the conservation of the region’s migratory wildlife and shared resources. Although the United States is the sole major holdout from the CBD, it can still reassert its leadership in regional wildlife conservation by rejuvenating the Convention on Nature Protection and Wildlife Preservation in the Western Hemisphere (“Western Hemisphere Convention”)

Distribution of independent components of binocular natural images

An influential theory of the function of early processing in the visual cortex is that it forms an efficient coding of ecologically valid stimuli. In particular, correlations and differences between visual signals from the two eyes are believed to be of great importance in solving both depth from disparity and binocular fusion. Techniques such as independent-component analysis have been developed to learn efficient codings from natural images; these codings have been found to resemble receptive fields of simple cells in V1. However, the extent to which this approach provides an explanation of the functionality of the visual cortex is still an open question. We compared binocular independent components with physiological measurements and found a broad range of similarities along with a number of key differences. In common with physiological measurements, we found components with a broad range of both phase- and position-disparity tuning. However, we also found a larger population of binocularly anticorrelated components than have been found physiologically. We found components focused narrowly on detecting disparities proportional to half-integer multiples of wavelength rather than the range of disparities found physiologically. We present the results as a detailed analysis of phase and position disparities in Gabor-like components generated by independent-component analysis trained on binocular natural images and compare these results to physiology. We find strong similarities between components learned from natural images, indicating that ecologically valid stimuli are important in understanding cortical function, but with significant differences that suggest that our current models are incomplete

Serum Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha Associates with Myocardial Oxygen Demand and Exercise Tolerance in Postmenopausal Women

The functional implications of serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), a marker of oxidative stress, on hemodynamic parameters at rest and during physical exertion are unclear. The aims of this investigation were to examine the independent associations of TNF-α on myocardial oxygen demand at rest and during submaximal exercise, while also evaluating the association of TNF-α on exercise tolerance. Forty, postmenopausal women, provided blood samples and completed a modified-Balke protocol to measure maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max). Large artery compliance was measured by pulse contour analyses while rate-pressure product (RPP), an index of myocardial oxygen demand, was measured at rest and during two submaximal workloads (i.e., ≈55% and ≈75% VO2max). RPP was calculated by dividing the product of heart rate and systolic blood pressure (via auscultation) by 100. Exercise tolerance corresponded with the cessation of the graded exercise test. During higher-intensity exertion, ≈75% VO2max, multiple linear regression revealed a positive association (r = 0.43; p = 0.015) between TNF-α and RPP while adjusting for maximal heart rate, VO2max, large artery compliance, and percent body fat. Path analyses revealed a significant indirect effect of large artery compliance on exercise tolerance through TNF-α, β = 0.13, CI [0.03, 0.35], indicating greater levels of TNF-α associated with poorer exercise tolerance. These data suggest TNF-α independently associates with myocardial oxygen demand during physical exertion, thus highlighting the utility of higher-intensity efforts to expose important phenomena not apparent at rest. TNF-α also appears to be indirectly associated with the link between large artery compliance and exercise tolerance

A Randomized Trial of Realignment Therapy for Treatment of Medial Tibiofemoral Osteoarthritis

Objectives: The objective of this 30-week randomized crossover trial was to determine whether a multi-modal realignment therapy would be successful in relieving pain and improving function among persons with medial tibiofemoral OA. METHODS: We conducted a double blind, randomized crossover trial of a multi-modal realignment therapy for persons with medial tibiofemoral OA. Trial participants met ACR criteria for OA with knee pain, aching or stiffness on most days of the past month and radiographic evidence of a definite osteophyte with predominant medial tibiofemoral OA. We tested two different treatments: A) CONTROL TREATMENT consisting of a neutral knee brace (no valgus angulation), flat unsupportive foot orthoses, and shoes with a flexible midsole; and B) ACTIVE TREATMENT consisting of a valgus knee brace, customized neutral foot orthoses, and shoes designed for motion control. For each subject, the trial lasted 30 weeks, including 12 weeks each of active and control treatment separated by a 6-week washout period. The primary outcome of the linear regression model was change in knee pain and function as assessed by the WOMAC Osteoarthritis Index. RESULTS: 80 participants with medial tibiofemoral OA were randomized. Their mean age was 62 years, mean BMI was 34 kg/m2 and mean WOMAC pain score was 9.2 (0-20 scale). There was no evidence of a carryover effect. The regression model demonstrated that the mean difference in pain between the active and control treatments was -1.82 units (95% confidence interval: -3.05 to -0.60 [p=0.004]) on the WOMAC pain scale, indicating a small, but statistically significant decrease in pain with the multi-modal active treatment. For WOMAC function the realignment intervention had a non-significant effect on function with a -2.90 unit decrease (95% CI -6.60 to 0.79) compared with the control condition (p=0.12). CONCLUSION: Multi-modal realignment therapy decreases pain in persons with medial tibiofemoral OA

Teach Students, Empower Patients, Act Collaboratively and Meet Health Goals: An Early Interprofessional Clinical Experience in Transformed Care

Purpose: Transformation of care teaching is often didactic and conceptual instead of practical and operational. Clinical environments, slow to transform, limit student exposure to key experiences that characterize transformed care. We describe the design and implementation of TEAM Clinic (Teach students, Empower patients, Act collaboratively, Meet health goals) – an early clinical learning experience to address this gap. Methods: The TEAM Clinic curriculum was based on a review of existing curricula and best practice recommendations for the transformation of care. Three key elements were selected as the focus for a low-volume, high-service clinic: patient centeredness, interprofessional collaboration and team-based care. Learners and medically and socially complex patients were recruited for voluntary participation and completed anonymous surveys about the experience during and afterward. Results: Nine first-year medical students, two first-year social work students and one pharmacy resident were integrated into the interprofessional team. Students were assigned roles adapted to their level and skill set; deliberate interprofessional pairing was assigned to broaden perspectives on scope and role of team members. Upon completion of this two-semester experience, 11 of the 12 learners returned surveys; all rated the experience as positive (strongly agree or agree) on the Authentic Clinical Interprofessional Experience – Evaluation of Interprofessional Site tool. Patient surveys indicated satisfaction with multiple aspects of the visit. Conclusion: TEAM Clinic provided a practical example of transformation of care teaching in a not-yet-transformed environment. Logistical barriers included space, schedule and staffing. Facilitators included alignment with the goals of core curricula and faculty. Limitations included that this description of these curricula and this pilot come early in our longitudinal development of TEAM Clinic, constraining our ability to measure behavioral changes around interprofessional education, teamwork or patient centeredness. Next steps would examine the trajectory to these outcomes in the preclinical student group

THE RELATIONSHIP OF TIBIAL BONE PERFUSION TO PAIN IN KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS.

Objective To confirm altered perfusion within tibial bone marrow lesions (BMLs) and improve our understanding on the relationship between BMLs and pain in knee osteoarthritis (OA). Methods Participants with moderate to severe knee OA were recruited and pain was assessed using the pain subscale of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC). Subchondral tibial BMLs were identified and graded on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) proton density-weighted (PDW) fat suppressed images. A pharmacokinetic model was used to analyze perfusion parameters on dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE) MRI which represent transfer rates in and out of the BMLs. The relation between perfusion and pain was evaluated using multivariable linear regression after adjustment for BML grade, age, gender and body mass index (BMI). Results There were 37 participants (mean age 64.9 years, range 46–86) with radiographic Kellgren and Lawrence grades of 3 and 4 in the study knee; 75.6% had BMLs that were classified grades 1 and 2. The mean WOMAC pain score was 10.3 (0–20 scale). There was a significant correlation between BML Kel (rate of contrast elimination) and BML grade (P = 0.001 univariate, P = 0.002 multivariate analyses), although we did not demonstrate any significant multivariate association between BML perfusion and pain. We also found an inverse relationship between pain at sleep and BML grade (P < 0.05). Conclusions The absence of any significant association between bone perfusion and pain implies that the relationship of tibial BMLs to pain in OA is still incompletely understood. BMLs are just one component of the whole knee joint and are formed from various causes, all of which interact and collectively contribute to the genesis of pain in OA