3D Face Synthesis Driven by Personality Impression

Synthesizing 3D faces that give certain personality impressions is commonly needed in computer games, animations, and virtual world applications for producing realistic virtual characters. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to synthesize 3D faces based on personality impression for creating virtual characters. Our approach consists of two major steps. In the first step, we train classifiers using deep convolutional neural networks on a dataset of images with personality impression annotations, which are capable of predicting the personality impression of a face. In the second step, given a 3D face and a desired personality impression type as user inputs, our approach optimizes the facial details against the trained classifiers, so as to synthesize a face which gives the desired personality impression. We demonstrate our approach for synthesizing 3D faces giving desired personality impressions on a variety of 3D face models. Perceptual studies show that the perceived personality impressions of the synthesized faces agree with the target personality impressions specified for synthesizing the faces. Please refer to the supplementary materials for all results.Comment: 8pages;6 figure

Sharp Multiple Instance Learning for DeepFake Video Detection

With the rapid development of facial manipulation techniques, face forgery has received considerable attention in multimedia and computer vision community due to security concerns. Existing methods are mostly designed for single-frame detection trained with precise image-level labels or for video-level prediction by only modeling the inter-frame inconsistency, leaving potential high risks for DeepFake attackers. In this paper, we introduce a new problem of partial face attack in DeepFake video, where only video-level labels are provided but not all the faces in the fake videos are manipulated. We address this problem by multiple instance learning framework, treating faces and input video as instances and bag respectively. A sharp MIL (S-MIL) is proposed which builds direct mapping from instance embeddings to bag prediction, rather than from instance embeddings to instance prediction and then to bag prediction in traditional MIL. Theoretical analysis proves that the gradient vanishing in traditional MIL is relieved in S-MIL. To generate instances that can accurately incorporate the partially manipulated faces, spatial-temporal encoded instance is designed to fully model the intra-frame and inter-frame inconsistency, which further helps to promote the detection performance. We also construct a new dataset FFPMS for partially attacked DeepFake video detection, which can benefit the evaluation of different methods at both frame and video levels. Experiments on FFPMS and the widely used DFDC dataset verify that S-MIL is superior to other counterparts for partially attacked DeepFake video detection. In addition, S-MIL can also be adapted to traditional DeepFake image detection tasks and achieve state-of-the-art performance on single-frame datasets.Comment: Accepted at ACM MM 2020. 11 pages, 8 figures, with appendi

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

Near infrared-II photothermal and colorimetric synergistic sensing for intelligent onsite dietary myrosinase profiling

Myrosinase (Myr) is a type of critical β-thioglucosidase enzyme activator essential for sustaining many functional foods to perform their health-promoting functions. An accurate and reliable Myr test is meaningful for food quality and dietary nutrition assessments, whereas the currently reported methods do not guarantee specificity and have high reliance on instrumentation, which are not suitable for rapid and onsite Myr screening especially in complex systems from various sources. Herein, we present a unique NIR-II absorption-based photothermal-responsive colorimetric biosensor for anti-interference onsite Myr determination and realization of rapid visualized outputs with the aid of smartphone calculation. Typically, assisted by glucose oxidase (GOx), Myr specifically converts the sinigrin substrate into hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) that can oxidize 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) catalyzed by AuNPs to form a charge transfer complex (CTC) with NIR-II absorption and photothermal characters. Delightfully, such a proposed method is able to determine Myr within a wide range of 0 to 172.5 mU/mL with a detection limit down to 2.96 mU/mL. Moreover, simple, rapid, and real-time visual Myr identification in actual food-sourced samples could also be readily achieved by smartphone readout processing, with the promising advantages of anti-interference, high accuracy, and low cost as well as labor-saving and intelligence engagement, thus providing great feasibility for precise measurement in complex and dynamic dietary sample analysis. Overall, our proposed method presents a novel technology for onsite dietary Myr enzyme profiling, which is promising to be applied in the food industry for nutritional composition profiles, freshness evaluation, and quality assessment.Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)Ministry of Education (MOE)This work is supported by MOE Tier 1 RG4/22, RG6/20, A*Star SERC A1983c0028, A20E5c0090, awarded at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (No. 51929201). L.Q. gratefully acknowledges financial support from the China Scholarship Council (NO.202006860052) and the Postgraduate Research & Practice Innovation Program of Jiangsu Province (KYCX21-1327)

Management of coronary disease in patients with advanced kidney disease

BACKGROUND Clinical trials that have assessed the effect of revascularization in patients with stable coronary disease have routinely excluded those with advanced chronic kidney disease. METHODS We randomly assigned 777 patients with advanced kidney disease and moderate or severe ischemia on stress testing to be treated with an initial invasive strategy consisting of coronary angiography and revascularization (if appropriate) added to medical therapy or an initial conservative strategy consisting of medical therapy alone and angiography reserved for those in whom medical therapy had failed. The primary outcome was a composite of death or nonfatal myocardial infarction. A key secondary outcome was a composite of death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or hospitalization for unstable angina, heart failure, or resuscitated cardiac arrest. RESULTS At a median follow-up of 2.2 years, a primary outcome event had occurred in 123 patients in the invasive-strategy group and in 129 patients in the conservative-strategy group (estimated 3-year event rate, 36.4% vs. 36.7%; adjusted hazard ratio, 1.01; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.79 to 1.29; P=0.95). Results for the key secondary outcome were similar (38.5% vs. 39.7%; hazard ratio, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.79 to 1.29). The invasive strategy was associated with a higher incidence of stroke than the conservative strategy (hazard ratio, 3.76; 95% CI, 1.52 to 9.32; P=0.004) and with a higher incidence of death or initiation of dialysis (hazard ratio, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.04 to 2.11; P=0.03). CONCLUSIONS Among patients with stable coronary disease, advanced chronic kidney disease, and moderate or severe ischemia, we did not find evidence that an initial invasive strategy, as compared with an initial conservative strategy, reduced the risk of death or nonfatal myocardial infarction

Health status after invasive or conservative care in coronary and advanced kidney disease

BACKGROUND In the ISCHEMIA-CKD trial, the primary analysis showed no significant difference in the risk of death or myocardial infarction with initial angiography and revascularization plus guideline-based medical therapy (invasive strategy) as compared with guideline-based medical therapy alone (conservative strategy) in participants with stable ischemic heart disease, moderate or severe ischemia, and advanced chronic kidney disease (an estimated glomerular filtration rate of &lt;30 ml per minute per 1.73 m2 or receipt of dialysis). A secondary objective of the trial was to assess angina-related health status. METHODS We assessed health status with the Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) before randomization and at 1.5, 3, and 6 months and every 6 months thereafter. The primary outcome of this analysis was the SAQ Summary score (ranging from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating less frequent angina and better function and quality of life). Mixed-effects cumulative probability models within a Bayesian framework were used to estimate the treatment effect with the invasive strategy. RESULTS Health status was assessed in 705 of 777 participants. Nearly half the participants (49%) had had no angina during the month before randomization. At 3 months, the estimated mean difference between the invasive-strategy group and the conservative-strategy group in the SAQ Summary score was 2.1 points (95% credible interval, 120.4 to 4.6), a result that favored the invasive strategy. The mean difference in score at 3 months was largest among participants with daily or weekly angina at baseline (10.1 points; 95% credible interval, 0.0 to 19.9), smaller among those with monthly angina at baseline (2.2 points; 95% credible interval, 122.0 to 6.2), and nearly absent among those without angina at baseline (0.6 points; 95% credible interval, 121.9 to 3.3). By 6 months, the between-group difference in the overall trial population was attenuated (0.5 points; 95% credible interval, 122.2 to 3.4). CONCLUSIONS Participants with stable ischemic heart disease, moderate or severe ischemia, and advanced chronic kidney disease did not have substantial or sustained benefits with regard to angina-related health status with an initially invasive strategy as compared with a conservative strategy

Reduction of cardiac imaging tests during the COVID-19 pandemic: The case of Italy. Findings from the IAEA Non-invasive Cardiology Protocol Survey on COVID-19 (INCAPS COVID)

Background: In early 2020, COVID-19 massively hit Italy, earlier and harder than any other European country. This caused a series of strict containment measures, aimed at blocking the spread of the pandemic. Healthcare delivery was also affected when resources were diverted towards care of COVID-19 patients, including intensive care wards. Aim of the study: The aim is assessing the impact of COVID-19 on cardiac imaging in Italy, compare to the Rest of Europe (RoE) and the World (RoW). Methods: A global survey was conducted in May–June 2020 worldwide, through a questionnaire distributed online. The survey covered three periods: March and April 2020, and March 2019. Data from 52 Italian centres, a subset of the 909 participating centres from 108 countries, were analyzed. Results: In Italy, volumes decreased by 67% in March 2020, compared to March 2019, as opposed to a significantly lower decrease (p &lt; 0.001) in RoE and RoW (41% and 40%, respectively). A further decrease from March 2020 to April 2020 summed up to 76% for the North, 77% for the Centre and 86% for the South. When compared to the RoE and RoW, this further decrease from March 2020 to April 2020 in Italy was significantly less (p = 0.005), most likely reflecting the earlier effects of the containment measures in Italy, taken earlier than anywhere else in the West. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic massively hit Italy and caused a disruption of healthcare services, including cardiac imaging studies. This raises concern about the medium- and long-term consequences for the high number of patients who were denied timely diagnoses and the subsequent lifesaving therapies and procedures

International Impact of COVID-19 on the Diagnosis of Heart Disease

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has adversely affected diagnosis and treatment of noncommunicable diseases. Its effects on delivery of diagnostic care for cardiovascular disease, which remains the leading cause of death worldwide, have not been quantified. Objectives: The study sought to assess COVID-19's impact on global cardiovascular diagnostic procedural volumes and safety practices. Methods: The International Atomic Energy Agency conducted a worldwide survey assessing alterations in cardiovascular procedure volumes and safety practices resulting from COVID-19. Noninvasive and invasive cardiac testing volumes were obtained from participating sites for March and April 2020 and compared with those from March 2019. Availability of personal protective equipment and pandemic-related testing practice changes were ascertained. Results: Surveys were submitted from 909 inpatient and outpatient centers performing cardiac diagnostic procedures, in 108 countries. Procedure volumes decreased 42% from March 2019 to March 2020, and 64% from March 2019 to April 2020. Transthoracic echocardiography decreased by 59%, transesophageal echocardiography 76%, and stress tests 78%, which varied between stress modalities. Coronary angiography (invasive or computed tomography) decreased 55% (p &lt; 0.001 for each procedure). In multivariable regression, significantly greater reduction in procedures occurred for centers in countries with lower gross domestic product. Location in a low-income and lower–middle-income country was associated with an additional 22% reduction in cardiac procedures and less availability of personal protective equipment and telehealth. Conclusions: COVID-19 was associated with a significant and abrupt reduction in cardiovascular diagnostic testing across the globe, especially affecting the world's economically challenged. Further study of cardiovascular outcomes and COVID-19–related changes in care delivery is warranted