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.

A large eddy simulation on the effect of buildings on urban flows

Shiguang Miao,Ning Zhang,Weimei Jiang 한국풍공학회 2006 Wind and Structures, An International Journal (WAS Vol.9 No.1

Economic Feasibility Analysis of Rainwater Harvesting System at Typical Public Buildings in Guangzhou

Chen Shiguang,Zhang Yu 대한환경공학회 2021 대한환경공학회지 Vol.43 No.3

Objectives:Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is one of the most promising alternative water sources, since rainwater can easily be collected and used without significant treatment for non-potable purposes. However, the economical viability of these systems is not always assured. The objective of this study is to assess the potential water saving and financial performance of an RWH systems for a typical multifunctional building (with a rooftop area of 2,725 m2) in Guangzhou, China. Methods:The water saving and economic feasibility of the RWH system were examined using a yield after supply model for fourteen rainwater tank schemes (from 1 m3 to 30 m3). Results and Discussion:According to the simulation results, an annual potable water saving of 3,923.56 m3 can be achieved and a corresponding annual revenue of 11,496.04 CNY can be obtained from the RWH system. The economic viability expressed by benefit cost ratio is 1.50 and by payback periods are within 6.26 year, respectively. Sensitivity analysis indicates that the water price is the most important factor affecting the economic viability of an RWH systems. The widespread implementation of rainwater harvesting systems in the public buildings will not only lead to economic savings, but also go further to relive pressure on urban drainage systems and natural water body. Therefore, the actual benefits achieved by a RWH system will be greater than we predicted in current study. Conclusions:These results demonstrating that the application of RWH system is a very promising adaptation strategy for coping with the water crisis and climate change in urban areas of southern China.

Performance of an innovative gravity-driven micro-filtration technology for roof rainwater treatment

Chen Shiguang,Sun Hongwei,Chen Qiuli 대한환경공학회 2021 Environmental Engineering Research Vol.26 No.6

Rainwater harvesting has become an important strategy to achieve the goal of sustainable development in urban areas. The latest emerged gravity driven micro-filtration technology can effectively reduce turbidity and bacteria to a very low level but still have disadvantages of low removal of dissolved organic substances and low permeate flux. An innovative gravity driven micro-filtration technique using ceramic flat sheet membrane as filter module was established and introduced to the treatment of rainwater that was harvested from a typical official building in GuangZhou, South China. The performance of this process has been evaluated in terms of pollutants (e.g. pH, turbidity, total dissolved solids (TDS), CODcr, NH3-N, DOC, UV254, total Coliforms and E.coli) removal efficiency, and the permeate flux profiles. Results shows that the removal rates of turbidity, TDS, CODcr, NH3-N, DOC, UV254, Coliforms and E.coli were 92.2%, 91.9%, 65.5%, 42.6%, 76.9%, 61%, 96.9% and 95.5%, respectively. The GDM system can run continuously for 60 days without back washing, and the permeate flux stabilized at 22~45 L/(m2·h) under a constant water head of 20 kPa. Experimental results demonstrated that the GDM system employing a ceramic flat membrane can significantly improve the organics removal in rainwater.

Performance of an innovative gravity-driven micro-filtration technology for roof rainwater treatment

Chen Shiguang,Sun Hongwei,Chen Qiuli 대한환경공학회 2021 Environmental Engineering Research Vol.26 No.6

Rainwater harvesting has become an important strategy to achieve the goal of sustainable development in urban areas. The latest emerged gravity driven micro-filtration technology can effectively reduce turbidity and bacteria to a very low level but still have disadvantages of low removal of dissolved organic substances and low permeate flux. An innovative gravity driven micro-filtration technique using ceramic flat sheet membrane as filter module was established and introduced to the treatment of rainwater that was harvested from a typical official building in GuangZhou, South China. The performance of this process has been evaluated in terms of pollutants (e.g. pH, turbidity, total dissolved solids (TDS), CODcr, NH₃-N, DOC,UV254, total Coliforms and E.coli) removal efficiency, and the permeate flux profiles. Results shows that the removal rates of turbidity, TDS, CODcr, NH₃-N, DOC,UV254, Coliforms and E.coli were 92.2%, 91.9%, 65.5%, 42.6%, 76.9%, 61%, 96.9% and 95.5%, respectively. The GDM system can run continuously for 60 days without back washing, and the permeate flux stabilized at 22~45 L/(m<SUP>2</SUP>·h) under a constant water head of 20 kPa. Experimental results demonstrated that the GDM system employing a ceramic flat membrane can significantly improve the organics removal in rainwater.

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.

A large eddy simulation on the effect of buildings on urban flows

Zhang, Ning,Jiang, Weimei,Miao, Shiguang Techno-Press 2006 Wind and Structures, An International Journal (WAS Vol.9 No.1

The effect of buildings on flow in urban canopy is one of the most important problems in local/micro-scale meteorology. A large eddy simulation model is used to simulate the flow structure in an urban neighborhood and the bulk effect of the buildings on surrounding flows is analyzed. The results demonstrate that: (a) The inflow conditions affect the detailed flow characteristics much in the building group, including: the distortion or disappearance of the wake vortexes, the change of funneling effect area and the change of location, size of the static-wind area. (b) The bulk effect of the buildings leads to a loss of wind speed in the low layer where height is less than four times of the average building height, and this loss effect changes little when the inflow direction changes. (c) In the bulk effect to environmental fields, the change of inflow direction affects the vertical distribution of turbulence greatly. The peak value of the turbulence energy appears at the height of the average building height. The attribution of fluctuations of different components to turbulence changes greatly at different height levels, in the low levels the horizontal speed fluctuation attribute mostly, while the vertical speed fluctuation does in high levels.

MicroRNA-203 As a Stemness Inhibitor of Glioblastoma Stem Cells

Deng, Yifan,Zhu, Gang,Luo, Honghai,Zhao, Shiguang Korean Society for Molecular and Cellular Biology 2016 Molecules and cells Vol.39 No.8

Glioblastoma stem cells (GBM-SCs) are believed to be a subpopulation within all glioblastoma (GBM) cells that are in large part responsible for tumor growth and the high grade of therapeutic resistance that is so characteristic of GBM. MicroRNAs (miR) have been implicated in regulating the expression of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes in cancer stem cells, including GBM-SCs, and they are a potential target for cancer therapy. In the current study, miR-203 expression was reduced in $CD133^+$ GBM-SCs derived from six human GBM biopsies. MicroRNA-203 transfected GBM-SCs had reduced capacity for self-renewal in the cell sphere assay and increased expression of glial and neuronal differentiation markers. In addition, a reduced proliferation rate and an increased rate of apoptosis were observed. Therefore, miR-203 has the potential to reduce features of stemness, specifically in GBM-SCs, and is a logical target for GBM gene therapy.

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>

MicroRNA-203 As a Stemness Inhibitor of Glioblastoma Stem Cells

Gang Zhu,Yifan Deng,Honghai Luo,Shiguang Zhao 한국분자세포생물학회 2016 Molecules and cells Vol.39 No.8

Glioblastoma stem cells (GBM-SCs) are believed to be a subpopulation within all glioblastoma (GBM) cells that are in large part responsible for tumor growth and the high grade of therapeutic resistance that is so characteristic of GBM. MicroRNAs (miR) have been implicated in regulating the expression of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes in cancer stem cells, including GBM-SCs, and they are a potential target for cancer therapy. In the current study, miR-203 expression was reduced in CD133+ GBM-SCs derived from six human GBM biopsies. MicroRNA-203 transfected GBM-SCs had reduced capacity for self-renewal in the cell sphere assay and increased expression of glial and neuronal differentiation markers. In addition, a reduced proliferation rate and an increased rate of apoptosis were observed. Therefore, miR-203 has the potential to reduce features of stemness, specifically in GBM-SCs, and is a logical target for GBM gene therapy.