Streaming Monte Carlo Pose Estimation for Autonomous Object Modeling

This work contributes the optimization of a streaming pose estimation particle filter and its integration into an autonomous object modeling approach. The particle filter is advanced by an additional pose optimization in the particle weighting step. By integrating the method into the autonomous object modeling approach, the repositioning of objects is enabled, which is often necessary in order to acquire complete models. Experiments show that the usage of iterative closest point is too restrictive for general transformations. The used Monte Carlo method enables a robust pose estimation without loss of time and with high precision. Further, it is shown that the overall modeling results are improved clearly

Von Christian Kracht bis Günter Grass : Die Kritik am negativen Gedächtnis und der Wandel in der deutschen Erinnerungskultur

fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Heart rate variability is related to disease severity in children and young adults with pulmonary hypertension

Background: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is frequently associated with an increase in sympathetic tone. This may adversely affect cardiac autonomic control. Knowledge about the clinical impact of autonomic dysfunction in patients with PH is limited. We aimed to assess whether parameters of heart rate variability (HRV) are related to disease severity in children with PH. Methods: Parameters of HRV [SDNN, standard deviation of normal-to-normal intervals and SDANN, standard deviation of mean values for normal-to-normal intervals over 5 min] were determined from Holter electrocardiograms of 17 patients with PH without active intracardial shunt (10 female, mean age 12.8 ± 8.7 years). Patients were allocated to two groups according to their disease severity: patients with moderate PH [ratio of pulmonary to systemic arterial pressure (PAP/SAP ratio) 0.75) (n = 6). An additional group of five adolescents with Eisenmenger syndrome (PAP/SAP ratio 1.13 ± 0.36) was included. Results: Children with severe PH had significantly lower values of HRV [SDNN (73.8 ± 21.1 vs. 164.9 ± 38.1 ms), SDANN (62.2 ± 19.0 vs. 139.5 ± 33.3 ms)] compared to patients with moderate PH (p = 0.0001 for all). SDNN inversely correlated with ratio of PAP/SAP of PH patients without shunt (r = -0.82; p = 0.0002). Eisenmenger patients showed no significant difference of HRV [SDNN 157.6 ± 43.2 ms, SDANN 141.2 ± 45.3 ms] compared to patients with moderate PH without shunt (p > 0.05 for all). Conclusion: According to our results, children with severe PH may have alterations in HRV. Since HRV appears to be related to disease severity, it may therefore serve as an additional diagnostic marker of PH. Remarkably, although Eisenmenger patients have systemic pulmonary arterial pressures, they seem to have preserved HRV, which might reflect a more favorable autonomic adaptation

Development and Integration of DOPS as Formative Tests in Head and Neck Ultrasound Education : Proof of Concept Study for Exploration of Perceptions

In Germany, progress assessments in head and neck ultrasonography training have been carried out mainly theoretically and lack standardisation. Thus, quality assurance and comparisons between certified courses from various course providers are difficult. This study aimed to develop and integrate a direct observation of procedural skills (DOPS) in head and neck ultrasound education and explore the perceptions of both participants and examiners. Five DOPS tests oriented towards assessing basic skills were developed for certified head and neck ultrasound courses on national standards. DOPS tests were completed by 76 participants from basic and advanced ultrasound courses (n = 168 documented DOPS tests) and evaluated using a 7-point Likert scale. Ten examiners performed and evaluated the DOPS after detailed training. The variables of “general aspects” (6.0 Scale Points (SP) vs. 5.9 SP; p = 0.71), “test atmosphere” (6.3 SP vs. 6.4 SP; p = 0.92), and “test task setting” (6.2 SP vs. 5.9 SP; p = 0.12) were positively evaluated by all participants and examiners. There were no significant differences between a basic and advanced course in relation to the overall results of DOPS tests (p = 0.81). Regardless of the courses, there were significant differences in the total number of points achieved between individual DOPS tests. DOPS tests are accepted by participants and examiners as an assessment tool in head and neck ultrasound education. In view of the trend toward “competence-based” teaching, this type of test format should be applied and validated in the future

Impact of renal function on eligibility for chemotherapy and survival in patients who have undergone radical nephro‐ureterectomy

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/99046/1/bju11649.pd

2,8-Disubstituted-1,6-Naphthyridines and 4,6-Disubstituted-Isoquinolines with Potent, Selective Affinity for CDK8/19

We demonstrate a designed scaffold-hop approach to the discovery of 2,8-disubstituted-1,6-naphthyridine- and 4,6-disubstituted-isoquinoline-based dual CDK8/19 ligands. Optimized compounds in both series exhibited rapid aldehyde oxidase-mediated metabolism, which could be abrogated by introduction of an amino substituent at C5 of the 1,6-naphthyridine scaffold or at C1 of the isoquinoline scaffold. Compounds 51 and 59 were progressed to in vivo pharmacokinetic studies, and 51 also demonstrated sustained inhibition of STAT1SER727 phosphorylation, a biomarker of CDK8 inhibition, in an SW620 colorectal carcinoma human tumor xenograft model following oral dosing

Clinical sequencing identifies potential actionable alterations in a high rate of urachal and primary bladder adenocarcinomas.

OBJECTIVE Administration of targeted therapies provides a promising treatment strategy for urachal adenocarcinoma (UrC) or primary bladder adenocarcinoma (PBAC); however, the selection of appropriate drugs remains difficult. Here, we aimed to establish a routine compatible methodological pipeline for the identification of the most important therapeutic targets and potentially effective drugs for UrC and PBAC. METHODS Next-generation sequencing, using a 161 cancer driver gene panel, was performed on 41 UrC and 13 PBAC samples. Clinically relevant alterations were filtered, and therapeutic interpretation was performed by in silico evaluation of drug-gene interactions. RESULTS After data processing, 45/54 samples passed the quality control. Sequencing analysis revealed 191 pathogenic mutations in 68 genes. The most frequent gain-of-function mutations in UrC were found in KRAS (33%), and MYC (15%), while in PBAC KRAS (25%), MYC (25%), FLT3 (17%) and TERT (17%) were recurrently affected. The most frequently affected pathways were the cell cycle regulation, and the DNA damage control pathway. Actionable mutations with at least one available approved drug were identified in 31/33 (94%) UrC and 8/12 (67%) PBAC patients. CONCLUSIONS In this study, we developed a data-processing pipeline for the detection and therapeutic interpretation of genetic alterations in two rare cancers. Our analyses revealed actionable mutations in a high rate of cases, suggesting that this approach is a potentially feasible strategy for both UrC and PBAC treatments

Strontium isotope fractionation of planktic foraminifera and inorganic calcite

We have investigated the strontium isotope fractionation (Δ88/86Srcarb–aq) between inorganic calcite and aqueous Sr2+ ions by precipitation experiments at a constant temperature of 25 °C and precipitation rates (R) ranging from 102.3 to 104.2 μmol/m2/h. Strontium isotope ratios were measured using the 87Sr–84Sr double spike technique. It was found that strontium isotope fractionation in these calcites is strongly dependent on the precipitation rate: View the MathML source The measured δ88/86Sr values are significantly correlated with previously measured δ44/40Ca and Sr/Ca values of the same calcite samples: Δ88/86Srcarb–aq=+0.18∗Δ44/40Cacarb–aq-0.01 View the MathML source The slope of 88Sr/86Sr versus 44Ca/40Ca fractionation is 0.18 ± 0.04 and compatible with a kinetic fractionation during dehydration of the strontium and calcium ions, but not with isotope fractionation in a diffusive boundary layer. Using published equilibrium Δ44/40Cacarb–aq and View the MathML source values we estimate the equilibrium isotope fractionation of strontium to be very close to zero (Δ88/86Sreq(carb–aq) = −0.01 ± 0.06‰). This estimate is confirmed by strontium isotope values of natural inorganic calcites that precipitated very slowly in basalts of the ocean crust. The results from the inorganic calcites are used to explain strontium isotope fractionation of planktic foraminifera. Specimens of two warm water species (Globigerinoides ruber and Globigerinoides sacculifer) were picked from the Holocene section of a Caribbean sediment core. We found no significant difference in δ88/86Sr between the two species. In addition, G. ruber specimens from Marine Isotope Stage 2 in the same core show δ88/86Sr values identical to the Holocene specimens. The strontium isotopes of both foraminifera species are strongly fractionated (Δ88/86Srcarb–aq = −0.248 ± 0.005‰) when compared to published data of other major marine calcifiers. Applying the results from the inorganic precipitation experiments we find that the strong foraminiferal strontium isotope fractionation can be explained by calcification in a largely open system at high precipitation rates, comparable in magnitude to rates known from scleractinian reef corals. This interpretation is in good agreement with the kinetic calcification model for planktic foraminifera by Kisakürek et al. (2011), which was based on calcium isotopes and elemental Sr/Ca ratios