2.5D human pose estimation for shadow puppet animation

( Shiguang Liu ),( Guoguang Hua ),( Yang Li ) 한국인터넷정보학회 2019 KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Syst Vol.13 No.4

Digital shadow puppet has traditionally relied on expensive motion capture equipments and complex design. In this paper, a low-cost driven technique is presented, that captures human pose estimation data with simple camera from real scenarios, and use them to drive virtual Chinese shadow play in a 2.5D scene. We propose a special method for extracting human pose data for driving virtual Chinese shadow play, which is called 2.5D human pose estimation. Firstly, we use the 3D human pose estimation method to obtain the initial data. In the process of the following transformation, we treat the depth feature as an implicit feature, and map body joints to the range of constraints. We call the obtain pose data as 2.5D pose data. However, the 2.5D pose data can not better control the shadow puppet directly, due to the difference in motion pattern and composition structure between real pose and shadow puppet. To this end, the 2.5D pose data transformation is carried out in the implicit pose mapping space based on self-network and the final 2.5D pose expression data is produced for animating shadow puppets. Experimental results have demonstrated the effectiveness of our new method.

Anionic defect engineering of transition metal oxides for oxygen reduction and evolution reactions

Zhu, Yunmin,Liu, Xi,Jin, Shiguang,Chen, Huijun,Lee, Wonyoung,Liu, Meilin,Chen, Yan The Royal Society of Chemistry 2019 Journal of materials chemistry. A, Materials for e Vol.7 No.11

<P>The development of cost-effective catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is crucial for enhancing the energy efficiency of many electrochemical energy conversion and storage devices. Owing to their low cost and high activity, transition metal oxides have attracted much attention as alternative electrocatalysts to replace the currently used noble metal-based catalysts. Anion defects (<I>e.g.</I>, oxygen vacancies, interstitials, and anion dopants) can significantly change the electronic structure of oxides or the stability of adsorbed intermediates, thus greatly enhancing the electrocatalytic activities of the oxide surface. Anionic defect engineering represents a potential new direction for rational design of high-performance electrocatalysts. In this review, recent progress in manipulating the anion defects in transition metal oxides for enhancing their activity and stability is summarized and the proposed mechanisms for enhanced performance are discussed in detail. Challenges and prospects are also discussed in the development of a new generation of highly efficient ORR and OER electrocatalysts.</P>

Prevalence of Depression in Ankylosing Spondylitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Lijuan Zhang,Yaping Wu,Shiguang Liu,Weiyi Zhu 대한신경정신의학회 2019 PSYCHIATRY INVESTIGATION Vol.16 No.8

The aim of this study was to provide a summary estimate of depression prevalence among people with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in comparison to those without AS. A systematic literature search was conducted using PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, Web of Science, the Cochrane database library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang Database from their inception to December 2016. The results showed that thirty-one eligible studies involving 8,106 patients were analyzed. Fifteen methods of defining depression were reported. The overall pooled prevalence of depression was 35% (95% CI, 28–43%), with high between-study heterogeneity (I2=98.8%, p<0.001). The relative risk of depression among people with AS was 1.76 (95% CI: 1.21–2.55, eight studies, n=3,006) compared with people without AS. The depression score [standardized mean difference (SMD)=0.43, 95% CI: 0.19–0.67, seven studies, n=549] was higher in AS patients than in controls. The main influence on depression prevalence was the sample size and country of origin. In conclusion, one-third of people with AS experience symptoms of depression. Depression was more prevalent in AS patients than in controls. Further research is needed to identify effective strategies for preventing and treating depression among AS patients.

Fascia Suture Technique Is a Simple Approach to Reduce Postmastectomy Seroma Formation

Yizi Cong,Jianqiao Cao,Guangdong Qiao,Song Zhang,Xinjie Liu,Xiaoming Fang,Haidong Zou,Shiguang Zhu 한국유방암학회 2020 Journal of breast cancer Vol.23 No.5

Purpose: Seroma formation is a common complication in breast cancer patients undergoing mastectomy, and it negatively affects patient recovery after surgery. The present study aimed to evaluate a simple method using fascia suture technique to fix the flap and reduce the incidence of seroma. Methods: A single-center, prospective, randomized controlled trial was carried out among 160 patients who had undergone mastectomy from May 2018 to September 2019. All patients were randomly divided into the fascia suture group (n = 80) or control group (n = 80) and were followed up for at least 3 months for the assessment of immediate and late complications after surgery. Results: No significant differences were observed between the 2 groups with regard to the basic characteristics. Duration of surgery in the fascia suture group was longer by about 6 minutes compared with that in the control group (114.93 ± 13.67 minutes vs. 108.81 ± 15.20 minutes, p = 0.008). The fascia suture group had a shorter duration of drain placement (10.99 ± 3.26 days vs. 13.85 ± 5.37 days, p < 0.001), a smaller volume of the total drainage (460.95 ± 242.92 mL vs. 574.83 ± 285.23 mL, p = 0.007), and the first 3-day drainage (224.96 ± 101.01 mL vs. 272.3 ± 115.47 mL, p = 0.006), compared with the control group. The incidence of seroma formation (G2 or G3) was significantly lower in the fascia suture group compared with the control group (28.8% vs. 12.5%, p = 0.033). Besides, there was no statistical difference between the 2 groups in the assessment of other complications, including postoperative pain, hematoma, surgical site infections, flap necrosis, and skin dimpling (all p > 0.050). Conclusion: The fascia suture technique is a simple and effective method for reducing seroma formation and should be used to prevent seroma formation after mastectomy.

Synthesis of Biocompatible PEG-Based Star Polymers with Cationic and Degradable Core for siRNA Delivery

Cho, Hong Y.,Srinivasan, Abiraman,Hong, Joanna,Hsu, Eric,Liu, Shiguang,Shrivats, Arun,Kwak, Dan,Bohaty, Andrew K.,Paik, Hyun-jong,Hollinger, Jeffrey O.,Matyjaszewski, Krzysztof American Chemical Society 2011 Biomacromolecules Vol.12 No.10

<P>Star polymers with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) arms and a degradable cationic core were synthesized by the atom transfer radical copolymerization (ATRP) of poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate macromonomer (PEGMA), 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA), and a disulfide dimethacrylate (cross-linker, SS) via an “<I>arm-first</I>” approach. The star polymers had a diameter ∼15 nm and were degraded under redox conditions by glutathione treatment into individual polymeric chains due to cleavage of the disulfide cross-linker, as confirmed by dynamic light scattering. The star polymers were cultured with mouse calvarial preosteoblast-like cells, embryonic day 1, subclone 4 (MC3T3-E1.4) to determine biocompatibility. Data suggest star polymers were biocompatible, with ≥80% cell viability after 48 h of incubation even at high concentration (800 μg/mL). Zeta potential values varied with N/P ratio confirming complexation with siRNA. Successful cellular uptake of the star polymers in MC3T3-E1.4 cells was observed by confocal microscopy and flow cytometry after 24 h of incubation.</P><P><B>Graphic Abstract</B> <IMG SRC='http://pubs.acs.org/appl/literatum/publisher/achs/journals/content/bomaf6/2011/bomaf6.2011.12.issue-10/bm2006455/production/images/medium/bm-2011-006455_0006.gif'></P><P><A href='http://pubs.acs.org/doi/suppl/10.1021/bm2006455'>ACS Electronic Supporting Info</A></P>