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Extracting gait biometrics from videos has been receiving rocketing attention given its applications, such as person re-identification. Although deep learning arises as a promising solution to improve the accuracy of most gait recognition algorithms, the lack of enough training data becomes a bottleneck. One of the solutions to address data deficiency is to generate synthetic data. However, gait data synthesis is particularly challenging as the inter-subject and intra-subject variations of walking style need to be carefully balanced. In this paper, we propose a complete 3D framework to synthesize unlimited, realistic, and diverse motion data. In addition to walking speed and lighting conditions, we emphasize two key factors: 3D gait motion style and character appearance. Benefiting from its 3D nature, our system can provide various gait-related data, such as accelerometer data and depth map, not limited to silhouettes. We conducted various experiments using the off-the-shelf gait recognition algorithm and draw the following conclusions: (1) the real-to-virtual gap can be closed when adding a small portion of real-world data to a synthetically trained recognizer; (2) the amount of real training data needed to train competitive gait recognition systems can be reduced significantly; (3) the rich variations in gait data are helpful for investigating algorithm performance under different conditions. The synthetic data generator, as well as all experiments, will be made publicly available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porous frameworks constructed via noncovalent interactions show wide potential in molecular separation and gas adsorption. However, it remains a major challenge to prepare these materials from low-symmetry molecular building blocks. Herein, we report a facile strategy to fabricate noncovalent porous crystals through modular self-assembly of a low-symmetry helicene racemate. The P and M enantiomers in the racemate first stack into right- and left-handed triangular prisms, respectively, and subsequently the two types of prisms alternatively stack together into a hexagonal network with one-dimensional channels with a diameter of 14.5 Å. Remarkably, the framework reveals high stability upon heating to 275 °C, majorly due to the abundant π-interactions between the complementarily engaged helicene building blocks. Such porous framework can be readily prepared by fast rotary evaporation, and is easy to recycle and repeatedly reform. The refined porous structure and enriched π-conjugation also favor the selective adsorption of a series of small molecules. Porous frameworks constructed via noncovalent interactions show potential in molecular separation and gas adsorption but it is challenging to prepare these materials from low symmetry molecular building blocks. Herein, the authors report a strategy to fabricate noncovalent porous crystals through modular self-assembly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: No effective therapeutic agents for calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) are available currently. Dietary supplementation has been proposed as a novel treatment modality for various diseases. As a flavanone, hesperetin is widely abundant in citrus fruits and has been proven to exert protective effects in multiple diseases. However, the role of hesperetin in CAVD remains unclear. Methods: Human aortic valve interstitial cells (VICs) were isolated from aortic valve leaflets. A mouse model of aortic valve stenosis was constructed by direct wire injury (DWI). Immunoblotting, immunofluorescence staining, and flow cytometry were used to investigate the roles of sirtuin 7 (Sirt7) and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) in hesperetin-mediated protective effects in VICs. Results: Hesperetin supplementation protected the mice from wire-injury-induced aortic valve stenosis; in vitro, hesperetin inhibited the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced activation of NF-κB inflammatory cytokine secretion and osteogenic factors expression, reduced ROS production and apoptosis, and abrogated LPS-mediated injury to the mitochondrial membrane potential and the decline in the antioxidant levels in VICs. These benefits of hesperetin may have been obtained by activating Nrf2–ARE signaling, which corrected the dysfunctional mitochondria. Furthermore, we found that hesperetin could directly bind to Sirt7 and that the silencing of Sirt7 decreased the effects of hesperetin in VICs and potently abolished the ability of hesperetin to increase Nrf2 transcriptional activation. Conclusions: Our work demonstrates that hesperetin plays protective roles in the aortic valve through the Sirt7–Nrf2–ARE axis; thus, hesperetin might be a potential dietary supplement that could prevent the development of CAVD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an effective framework to automatically construct 3D quadrilateral meshes of complicated geometry and arbitrary topology adapted for parametric studies. The input is a triangulation of the solid 3D model's boundary provided from B-Rep CAD models or scanned geometry. The triangulated mesh is decomposed into a set of cuboids in two steps: pants decomposition and cuboid decomposition. This workflow includes an integration of a geometry-feature-aware pants-to-cuboids decomposition algorithm. This set of cuboids perfectly replicates the input surface topology. Using aligned global parameterization, patches are re-positioned on the surface in a way to achieve low overall distortion, and alignment to principal curvature directions and sharp features. Based on the cuboid decomposition and global parameterization, a 3D quadrilateral mesh is extracted. For different parametric instances with the same topology but different geometries, the MEG-IsoQuad method allows to have the same representation: isotopological meshes holding the same connectivity where each point on a mesh has an analogous one into all other meshes. Faithful 3D numerical charts of parametric geometries are then built using standard data-based techniques. Geometries are then evaluated in real-time. The efficiency and the robustness of the proposed approach are illustrated through a few parametric examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several theories of ethnicity emphasize the analysis of intergroup relations. They neglect, however, the conflation of ideas and values structuring these relations—notably the cross-cultural aggregates of shared cultural meanings that underlie forms of cooperation and competition between interacting groups. In this article, I explore this kind of process through a multisite ethnography of the Xiu gugu (“refining of orphaned bones”), a ritual that the Chaozhou people of northeast Guangdong province, an ethnic subgroup of the Han, perform periodically. The celebration of this rite in Chaozhou is compared to versions resulting of the ritual in Malay Muslim and Thai Buddhist contexts. In the latter case, close conceptions of malevolent death underlie a fascinating interethnic cooperation, with most of the unfortunate dead whose bones are “refined” during the Chaozhou ritual being Thai. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is based on ethnographic and documentary research that concerns shantangs, Chinese charitable temples, in Southeast Asia and in the Chao-Shan region of Guangdong in China. Unlike the shantangs as benevolent societies in late Ming and Qing China, the shantangs described in this article not only emphasize charitable activities, they are also temples that honor Song Dafeng as a deity. I show that the religious nature of these shantangs account for their resilience, while the tradition of charity helps to promote their secular and benevolent image, especially when there is a need to emphasize their existence as non-superstitious organizations. I also describe the agency of the local elite--and especially merchants--in the development of shantangs in Southeast Asia and China. KEYWORDS: shantangs--Chinese benevolent societies--Chinese charitable temples--religion in China--Chinese religion in Southeast Asia, SHANTANG, translated into English as 'benevolent society' or 'philanthropic association' or literally 'charitable hall,' is a kind of Chinese organization that focuses on charity. This article describes the shantangs in [...]