3D Environment Research Articles

An analysis of the use of 3D game engine technology in visualising sustainability data

Purpose Responding to calls for accountants to engage with modern technologies and explore data visualisation within a three-dimensional (3D) environment, this study aims to explore whether social and environmental accounting (SEA) data visualisation is a promising use case for 3D game engine technology. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on visual perception and embodiment theories, this study uses photo-elicitation, a qualitative research method, to explore the usefulness of two-dimensional (2D) and 3D visualisations of sustainability information in a 3D virtual environment. This study provides three stimuli: numerical data, 2D visualisations and 3D visualisations, and asks open-ended questions regarding future applications. Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted with academics, preparers and users of sustainability reports to obtain responses to these stimuli. Findings The key finding is that visualisation of SEA information may indeed be a strong use case for 3D game technology, but only for certain data and for certain audiences. Presenting information within a 3D virtual environment offered enhanced engagement and contextual understanding but reduced navigation speed and data clarity. Participants were enthusiastic about the potential of a museum-like experience, incorporating interactivity and community, but felt that the appropriate audience was more likely to be novices than experts. Practical implications This study suggests that deploying 3D game engine technology can be a powerful tool for presenting sustainability information but requires significant resources. The optimum audience is likely to be novices, and a key design principle is to ensure the virtual environment supports, rather than overwhelms, the information presented within that environment. Originality/value This study introduces a novel application of 3D visualisation technology within the SEA context, offering original insights into its potential to enhance user understanding and decision-making capabilities. This study highlights the technology’s value not as a replacement for traditional reporting but as a supplementary educational tool. The study also provides a novel setting for the photo-elicitation method, demonstrating this approach’s utility in a 3D environment.

In vitro bioprinted 3D model enhancing osteoblast-to-osteocyte differentiation

In vitrobone models are pivotal for understanding tissue behavior and cellular responses, particularly in unravelling certain pathologies' mechanisms and assessing the impact of new therapeutic interventions. A desirablein vitrobone model should incorporate primary human cells within a 3D environment that mimics the mechanical properties characteristics of osteoid and faithfully replicate all stages of osteogenic differentiation from osteoblasts to osteocytes. However, to date, no bio-printed model using primary osteoblasts has demonstrated the expression of osteocytic protein markers. This study aimed to develop bio-printedin vitromodel that accurately captures the differentiation process of human primary osteoblasts into osteocytes. Given the considerable impact of hydrogel stiffness and relaxation behavior on osteoblast activity, we employed three distinct cross-linking solutions to fabricate hydrogels. These hydrogels were designed to exhibit either similar elastic behavior with different elastic moduli, or similar elastic moduli with varying relaxation behavior. These hydrogels, composed of gelatin (5% w/v), alginate (1%w/v) and fibrinogen (2%w/v), were designed to be compatible with micro-extrusion bioprinting and proliferative. The modulation of their biomechanical properties, including stiffness and viscoelastic behavior, was achieved by applying various concentrations of cross-linkers targeting both gelatin covalent bonding (transglutaminase) and alginate chains' ionic cross-linking (calcium). Among the conditions tested, the hydrogel with a low elastic modulus of 8 kPa and a viscoelastic behavior over time exhibited promising outcomes regarding osteoblast-to-osteocyte differentiation. The cessation of cell proliferation coincided with a significant increase in alkaline phosphatase activity, the development of dendrites, and the expression of the osteocyte marker PHEX. Within this hydrogel, cells actively influenced their environment, as evidenced by hydrogel contraction and the secretion of collagen I. This bio-printed model, demonstrating primary human osteoblasts expressing an osteocyte-specific protein, marks a significant achievement. We envision its substantial utility in advancing research on bone pathologies, including osteoporosis and bone tumors.

Simulation methods realized by virtual reality modeling language for 3D animation considering fuzzy model recognition

The creation of 3D animation increasingly prioritizes the enhancement of character effects, narrative depth, and audience engagement to address the growing demands for visual stimulation, cultural enrichment, and interactive experiences. The advancement of virtual reality (VR) animation is anticipated to require sustained collaboration among researchers, animation experts, and hardware developers over an extended period to achieve full maturity. This article explores the use of Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) in generating 3D stereoscopic forms and environments, applying texture mapping, optimizing lighting effects, and establishing interactive user responses, thereby enriching the 3D animation experience. VRML’s functionality is further expanded through the integration of script programs in languages such as Java, JavaScript, and VRML Script via the Script node. The implementation of fuzzy model recognition within 3D animation simulations enhances the identification of textual, musical, and linguistic elements, resulting in improved frame rates. This study also analyzes the real-time correlation between the number of polygons and frame rates in a virtual museum animation scene. The findings demonstrate that the frame rate of the 3D animation within this virtual setting consistently exceeds 40 frames per second, thereby ensuring robust real-time performance, preserving the quality of 3D models, and optimizing rendering speed and visual effects without affecting the system’s responsiveness to additional functions.

High-Yield Bioproduction of Extracellular Vesicles from Stem Cell Spheroids via Millifluidic Vortex Transport.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are emerging as novel therapeutics, particularly in cancer and degenerative diseases. Nevertheless, from both market and clinical viewpoints, high-yield production methods using minimal cell materials are still needed. Herein, a millifluidic cross-slot chip is proposed to induce high-yield release of biologically active EVs from less than three million cells. Depending on the flow rate, a single vortex forms in the outlet channels, exposing transported cellular material to high viscous stresses. Importantly, the chip accommodates producer cells within their physiological environment, such as human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) spheroids, while facilitating their visualization and individual tracking within the vortex. This precise control of viscous stresses at the spheroid level allows for the release of up to 30000 EVs per cell at a Reynolds number of ≈400, without compromising cellular integrity. Additionally, it reveals a threshold initiating EV production, providing evidence for a stress-dependent mechanism governing vesicle secretion. EVs mass-produced at high Reynolds displayed pro-angiogenic and wound healing capabilities, as confirmed by proteomic and cytometric analysis of their cargo. These distinct molecular signatures of these EVs, compared to those derived from monolayers, underscore the critical roles of the production method and the 3D cellular environment in EV generation.

CNSC-70. THE ROLE OF MAP4K4 IN TUMOR CELL INVASION OBSERVED IN A 3D IN VITRO MODEL OF PEDIATRIC GLIOBLASTOMA

Abstract Several CNS tumors such as pediatric glioblastoma (pGBM), diffuse midline glioma (DMG), and medulloblastoma (MB) are characterized by local invasive spread and dissemination of tumor cells into surrounding brain tissue. As identified by our group in a genome-wide CRISPR screen and several others, MAP4K4 is a mediator of cell invasion in several cancers, including glioblastoma and medulloblastoma. Recently, we validated the pro-invasive role of MAP4K4 in a panel of pGBM cell lines. To further validate this finding in the context of pGBM cellular invasion, we performed 3D Matrigel timelapse invasion assays. We performed single- and multi-spheroid encapsulation to track spheroid invasion and cell-to-cell interactions between multiple spheroids. Tumor spheroids were cultured in a round-bottom, non-adherent well plate encapsulated in a Matrigel matrix and treated with a MAP4K4 small molecule inhibitor (PF06260933 dihydrochloride) or had a MAP4K4 knockout performed with Cas9 editing. Cell invasion was recorded over 72 hours and three-dimensional structures were stained for actin and imaged 10 days post-initial seeding. We show that MAP4K4 KO (p ~ 0.00033), small-molecule inhibition in the presence of a TGFB receptor agonist (SRI-011381), (p ~ 0.001) and with drug alone (p ~ 0.013) decreased spheroid invasion and prevented single-cell invasion of pGBM cells (SF188) into the matrix. More surprisingly, abrogation of MAP4K4 prevented individual spheroids in a multi-spheroid co-culture, from forming integrated glioma networks through the formation of tube-like structures in the matrix. Based on our initial findings, it appears that MAP4K4 is necessary for single-cell invasion into a three-dimensional matrix. It also appears that MAP4K4 is required for cell-to-cell connections to form between spheroids in the 3D environment to allow for the formation of higher-ordered and spatially organized structures. Future directions include studying how MAP4K4 allows for the formation of glioma tumor networks in pediatric GBM.

Path planning for submersible surface ships in a three-dimensional environment considering safety distance

Currently, path planning for an unmanned ship is usually performed in a single domain on the water surface or underwater, and little research exists on path planning for a three-dimensional (3D) environment where the ship crosses the water’s surface and underwater. The existing 3D path planning research still has improvement possibilities in reserving a safe distance between the ship and the obstacles. In this paper, path planning for a submersible surface ship (SSS) in a 3D environment is carried out based on an ant colony algorithm. Path safety is enhanced by introducing constraints related to boat width to keep the path at a safe distance from obstacles. By extracting key points, the length of the path is further reduced. The algorithmic procedure with the objective of the shortest time was obtained by assigning different speeds to the SSS sailing at the same depth and across different depths. The rationality and superiority of the method given in this paper are verified in several sets of simulations and comparative experiments. The paper concludes that path selection is more inclined to choose the water surface as the depth of the obstacles increases and the density of the obstacles decreases.

A Hybrid ARO Algorithm and Key Point Retention Strategy Trajectory Optimization for UAV Path Planning

Path planning is a fundamental research issue for enabling autonomous flight in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). An effective path planning algorithm can greatly improve the operational efficiency of UAVs in complex environments like urban and mountainous areas, thus offering more extensive coverage for various tasks. However, existing path planning algorithms often encounter problems such as high computational costs and a tendency to become trapped in local optima in complex 3D environments with multiple constraints. To tackle these problems, this paper introduces a hybrid multi-strategy artificial rabbits optimization (HARO) for efficient and stable UAV path planning in complex environments. To realistically simulate complex scenarios, we introduce spherical and cylindrical obstacle models. The HARO algorithm balances exploration and exploitation phases using a dual exploration switching strategy and a population migration memory mechanism, enhancing search performance and avoiding local optima. Additionally, a key point retention trajectory optimization strategy is proposed to reduce redundant path points, thus lowering flight costs. Experimental results confirm the HARO algorithm’s superior search performance, planning more efficient and stable paths in complex environments. The key point retention strategy effectively reduces flight costs during trajectory optimization, thereby enhancing adaptability.

MURP: Multi-Agent Ultra-Wideband Relative Pose Estimation With Constrained Communications in 3D Environments

MURP: Multi-Agent Ultra-Wideband Relative Pose Estimation With Constrained Communications in 3D Environments

Ro2En: Robust Neural Environment Encoder for Domain Generalization of Fast Motion Planning

This paper discusses a new issue named domain generalization of fast motion planning in 3D environments, which benefits agility-required robot applications such as autonomous driving and uncrewed aerial vehicle obstacle avoidance flight. The existing work shows that conventional spatial search-based planning algorithms cannot meet the real-time requirement due to high time costs. The end-to-end neural network-based methods achieve an excellent balance between performance and planning speed in the seen environments, but are hard to transfer to new scenarios. To overcome this limitation, we propose a novel Robust Environment Encoder (Ro2En) approach to domain generalization of fast motion planning. Specifically, by demonstrating the reconstructed environment, we find that the previous environment encoder cannot encode the volume information properly, i.e., a volume collapse ensues, which leads to noisy environment modeling. Inspired by this observation, a dual-task auto-encoder is developed. It can not only reconstruct the point cloud of the obstacles, but also align their geometric centers. Experiment results showed that in the new scenarios, Ro2En outperformed previous state-of-the-art conventional and neural alternatives with a much smaller performance variation.

Tracking Small Extracellular Vesicles Using a Minimally Invasive PicoGreen Labeling Strategy.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are cell-secreted lipid bilayer delimited particles that mediate cellular communication. These tiny sacs of cellular information play an important role in cell communication and alter the physiological process under both normal and pathological conditions. As such, tracking EVs can provide valuable information regarding the basic understanding of cell communication, the onset of early malignancy, and biomarker discovery. Most of the current EV-tracking strategies are invasive, altering the natural characteristics of EVs by modifying the lipid bilayer with lipophilic dyes or surface proteins with fluorescent reporters. The invasive labeling strategies could alter the natural processes of EVs and thereby have major limitations for functional studies. Here, we report an alternative minimally invasive EV labeling strategy using PicoGreen (PG), a small molecule that fluoresces at 520 nm when bound to dsDNA. We show that PG binds to dsDNA associated with small EVs (50-200 nm), forming a stable and highly fluorescent PG-DNA complex in EVs (PG-EVs). In both 2D cell culture and 3D organoid models, PG-EV showed efficient tracking properties, including a high signal-to-noise ratio, time- and concentration-dependent uptake, and the ability to traverse a 3D environment. We further validated PG-EV tracking using dual-labeled EVs following two orthogonal labeling strategies: (1) Bioconjugation via surface amine labeling and (2) donor cell engineering via endogenously expressing mCherry-tetraspanin (CD9/CD63/CD81) reporter proteins. Our study has shown the feasibility of using PG-EV as an effective EV tracking strategy that can be applied for studying the functional role of EVs across multiple model systems.

Rotating cell culture system-induced injectable self-assembled microtissues with epidermal stem cells for full-thickness skin repair.

Epidermal stem cells (EpSCs) are crucial for wound healing and tissue regeneration, and traditional culture methods often lead to their inactivation. It is urgent to increase the yield of high quality EpSCs. In this study, primary EpSCs were isolated and cultured in a serum-free, feeder-free culture system. EpSCs are then expanded in a dynamic 3D environment using a rotating cell culture system (RCCS) with biodegradable porous microcarriers (MC). Over a period of 14 days, the cells self-assembled into microtissues with superior cell proliferation compared to 3D static culture. Immunofluorescence and qPCR analyses consistently showed that the stemness of the 3D microtissues was preserved, especially the COL17A1 associated with anti-aging was highly expressed in RCCS induced microtissues. In vivo experiments demonstrated that the group treated with 3D microtissues loaded with EpSCs showed enhanced early wound healing, and the injectable 3D microtissues were more conducive to maintaining cell viability and differentiation potential. Our study provides valuable insights into the dynamic 3D culture of EpSCs and introduces an injectable therapy using 3D microtissues loaded with EpSCs, which provides a new and effective approach for cell delivery and offering a promising strategy for guiding the regeneration of full-thickness skin defects.

Immersive remote telerobotics: foveated unicasting and remote visualization for intuitive interaction

Abstract Precise and efficient performance in remote robotic teleoperation relies on intuitive interaction. This requires both accurate control actions and complete perception (vision, haptic, and other sensory feedback) of the remote environment. Especially in immersive remote teleoperation, the complete perception of remote environments in 3D allows operators to gain improved situational awareness. Color and Depth (RGB-D) cameras capture remote environments as dense 3D point clouds for real-time visualization. However, providing enough situational awareness needs fast, high-quality data transmission from acquisition to virtual reality rendering. Unfortunately, dense point-cloud data can suffer from network delays and limits, impacting the teleoperator’s situational awareness. Understanding how the human eye works can help mitigate these challenges. This paper introduces a solution by implementing foveation, mimicking the human eye’s focus by smartly sampling and rendering dense point clouds for an intuitive remote teleoperation interface. This provides high resolution in the user’s central field, which gradually reduces toward the edges. However, this systematic visualization approach in the peripheral vision may benefit or risk losing information and burdening the user’s cognitive load. This work investigates these advantages and drawbacks through an experimental study and describes the overall system, with its software, hardware, and communication framework. This will show significant enhancements in both latency and throughput, surpassing 60% and 40% improvements in both aspects when compared with state-of-the-art research works. A user study reveals that the framework has minimal impact on the user’s visual quality of experience while helping to reduce the error rate significantly. Further, a 50% reduction in task execution time highlights the benefits of the proposed framework in immersive remote telerobotics applications.

The Optimal Entry Point and Trajectory for Pedicle Screws to Avoid Superior Facet Joint Violation and Pedicle Penetration.

Background Accuracy is crucial in surgeries involving pedicle screws. This study aimed to determine the optimal screw entry points and trajectory angles for the pedicle screw technique used in the surgical treatment of lumbar instability. Methods To achieve this goal, a comparison was made between the screw entry points and trajectories determined using the commonly used intersection technique and those created in a three-dimensional (3D) simulation environment. Thirty-two cases of lumbar degenerative spondylolisthesis, selected from surgeries between 2018 and 2023, were included. Preoperative lumbar computed tomography (CT) images were converted into 3D models, and simulations for pedicle screw placement were conducted. Results Using the intersection technique, upper facet damage was noted in 31.3% of L1, 37.5% of L2, 6.3% of L3, and 31.3% of L5 segments. Adjustments to entry points and angles in the 3D environment were made to determine optimal trajectories. The revised screw angles showed statistically significant improvements at L1, L2, and L5 segments compared to the intersection technique. Conclusions The intersection technique does not appear safe in preserving the superior facet joint. A more lateral and caudal pedicle entry should be preferred in the upper segments, and at L5, a more lateral pedicle entry should be used. Consequently, the screw angles should be adjusted accordingly.

ColMA‐based bioprinted 3D scaffold allowed to study tenogenic events in human tendon stem cells

AbstractThe advent of bioprinting has enabled the creation of precise three‐dimensional (3D) cell cultures suitable for biomimetic in vitro models. In this study, we developed a novel protocol for 3D printing methacrylated collagen (ColMa, or PhotoCol®) combined with tendon stem/progenitor cells (hTSPCs) derived from human tendon explants. Although pure ColMa has not previously been proposed as a printable hydrogel, this paper outlines a robust and highly reproducible pipeline for bioprinting this material. Indeed, we successfully fabricated a 3D bioengineered scaffold and cultured it for 21 days under perfusion conditions with medium supplemented with growth/differentiation factor‐5 (GDF‐5). This bioprinting pipeline and the culture conditions created an exceptionally favorable 3D environment, enabling the cells to proliferate, exhibit tenogenic behaviors, and produce a new collagen type I matrix, thereby remodeling the surrounding environment. Indeed, over the 21‐day culture period under perfusion condition, tenomodulin expression showed a significant upregulation on day 7, with a 2.3‐fold increase, compared to days 14 and 21. Collagen type I gene expression was upregulated nearly 10‐fold by day 14. This trend was further confirmed by western blot analysis, which revealed a statistically significant difference in tenomodulin expression between day 21 and both day 7 and day 14. For type I collagen, significant differences were observed between day 0 and day 21, as well as between day 0 and day 14, with a p‐value of 0.01. These results indicate a progressive over‐expression of type I collagen, reflecting cell differentiation towards a proper tenogenic phenotype. Cytokines, such as IL‐8 and IL‐6, levels peaked at 8566 and 7636 pg/mL, respectively, on day 7, before decreasing to 54 and 46 pg/mL by day 21. Overall, the data suggest that the novel ColMa bioprinting protocol effectively provided a conducive environment for the growth and proper differentiation of hTSPCs, showcasing its potential for studying cell behavior and tenogenic differentiation.

Gain-based Green Ant Colony Optimization for 3D Path Planning on Remote Sensing Images

Metaheuristic algorithms are powerful methods for handling complexities in 3D environments because of their adaptability property. This paper proposes a gain-based, green-ant colony optimization (GGACO) method for 3D path planning on remote sensing images. Shortest paths do not always imply minimum energy consumption. Moreover, computational complexity tends to increase in the case of higher-dimensional data. A novel method is proposed to alleviate this issue, one that provides an efficient path with minimum energy consumption by adding a gain quantity during its search. The results are validated using performance measures, viz., path length, time, and energy cost. Real-time images, along with their corresponding ground truth and “digital surface models (DSM)”, have been sourced from the “International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS)”. Comparisons have been made against state-of-the-art algorithms and analyzed. Finally, the convergence and stability of the proposed method have been verified; it has been found that the proposed method outperforms the existing method by 6%, 11% and 5% regarding length, computation time, and energy, respectively.

Three-Dimensional (3D) Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) Substrates for Sensing Low-Concentration Molecules in Solution.

The use of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) in liquid solutions has always been challenging due to signal fluctuations, inconsistent data, and difficulties in obtaining reliable results, especially at very low analyte concentrations. In our study, we introduce a new method using a three-dimensional (3D) SERS substrate made of silica microparticles (SMPs) with attached plasmonic nanoparticles (NPs). These SMPs were placed in low-concentration analyte solutions for SERS analysis. In the first approach to perform SERS in a 3D environment, glycerin was used to immobilize the particles, which enabled high-resolution SERS imaging. Additionally, we conducted time-dependent SERS measurements in an aqueous solution, where freely suspended SMPs passed through the laser focus. In both scenarios, EFs larger than 200 were achieved, which enabled the detection of low-abundance analytes. Our study demonstrates a reliable and reproducible method for performing SERS in liquid environments, offering significant advantages for the real-time analysis of dynamic processes, sensitive detection of low-concentration molecules, and potential applications in biomolecular interaction studies, environmental monitoring, and biomedical diagnostics.

Construction of oral cancer microenvironment model using 3D culture technology and search for new therapeutic targets

There remains much to be discovered and understood about the subtypes of cancer associated-fibroblasts (CAFs) in oral cancer. At the Faculty of Dentistry, Niigata University in Japan, Dr Kenta Haga is investigating the tumour microenvironment and CAFs. To do this, he and his team are using 3D culture technology in their studies as 3D culture models are considered to be more useful and more faithful to the biological characteristics and drug resistance of cancer than 2D cultures. This is because cells are never in 2D in the human body; they are all placed in a 3D structural environment. In their latest study, the researchers utilised their experimental model to recreate the cancer microenvironment and evaluate the proliferation and invasion of cancer cells over time. They have incorporated CAFs into a collagen gel, seeded oral cancer cells and established the basic technology for a 3D culture model with a two-layered structure that has a tumour layer and an interstitial layer to mimic squamous cell carcinoma. The team has been able to investigate the interaction of CAFs with oral cancer cells by in vitro, in vivo and in human oral cancer specimens. In order to understand the complex tumour microenvironment they are seeking to analyse the effects of CAFs on the invasive and proliferative potential for cancer cells. If they can elucidate the intercellular network in the tumour microenvironment, this will lead to novel treatment strategies for cancer. Haga and the team have already demonstrated that the TGF-β/SOX9 pathway plays an important role in CAFs promoting epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) in oral cancer.

Metaverse-based cardiac magnetic resonance simulation to overcome claustrophobia (META-MRI): a feasibility trial

Abstract Background Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging (CMR) is crucial for diagnosing and stratifying cardiac disease, but up to 10% of patients face challenges due to claustrophobia. Conventional methods for overcoming claustrophobia have limited success. The metaverse, an immersive 3D environment using virtual and augmented reality, is under investigation for healthcare applications. A metaverse-based VR CMR simulation program was developed to assist patients with claustrophobia, but its clinical effectiveness is unexplored. Methods The META-MRI study involved 450 patients screened, with 32 enrolled. They were randomly assigned to intervention (Metaverse-based simulation + standard care) or control (standard care alone). The Metaverse program used a VR headset within the Aimedis metaverse platform. Training sessions occurred before scheduled CMR exams, with anxiolytic treatment when necessary. Primary endpoints included successful CMR completion, anxiety assessment using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and usability through a questionnaire. Results Patients in the intervention group (n=16) completed Metaverse training successfully. During simulations, anxiety decreased (STAI scores: 73 ± 8 to 51 ± 11, p=0.02). Intervention group completion rate was significantly higher (81%) than the control group (37%) during real CMR exams (p=0.01). Usability scores indicated moderate satisfaction. Discussion The metaverse-based program significantly improved CMR completion rates and reduced anxiety levels in patients with severe claustrophobia compared to standard care alone. Traditional methods for claustrophobia have limitations, making the metaverse a promising tool. Despite promising results, further research is necessary, considering identified usability issues and economic implications. Conclusion This feasibility trial demonstrates the effectiveness of a metaverse-based simulation program in enhancing compliance with CMR exams for patients with severe claustrophobia. The strategy, combined with standard care, led to reduced anxiety and increased CMR completion. Further investigation with larger cohorts is required to validate these findings, addressing usability concerns and assessing the cost-effectiveness of incorporating the metaverse into routine clinical practice.Clinical and demographic characteristics

Human amniotic membrane scaffold enhances adipose mesenchymal stromal cell mitochondrial bioenergetics promoting their regenerative capacities.

The human amniotic membrane (hAM) has been applied as a scaffold in tissue engineering to sustain stem cells and enhance their regenerative capacities. We investigated the molecular and biochemical regulations of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) cultured on hAM scaffold in a three-dimensional (3D) setting. Culture of adipose-MSCs (AMSCs) on decellularized hAM showed significant improvement in their viability, proliferative capacity, resistance to apoptosis, and enhanced MSC markers expression. These cultured MSCs displayed altered expression of markers associated with pro-angiogenesis and inflammation and demonstrated increased potential for differentiation into adipogenic and osteogenic lineages. The hAM scaffold modulated cellular respiration by upregulating glycolysis in MSCs as evidenced by increased glucose consumption, cellular pyruvate and lactate production, and upregulation of glycolysis markers. These metabolic changes modulated mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and altered the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), expression of OXPHOS markers, and total antioxidant capacity. They also significantly boosted the urea cycle and altered the mitochondrial ultrastructure. Similar findings were observed in bone marrow-derived MSCs (BMSCs). Live cell imaging of BMSCs cultured in the same 3D environment revealed dynamic changes in cellular activity and interactions with its niche. These findings provide evidence for the favorable properties of hAM as a biomimetic scaffold for enhancing the in vitro functionality of MSCs and supporting their potential usefulness in clinical applications.

AEFF-SSC: an attention-enhanced feature fusion for 3D semantic scene completion

Abstract Three-dimensional (3D) occupancy perception technology aims to enable autonomous vehicles to observe and understand dense 3D environments. Estimating the complete geometry and semantics of a scene solely from visual images is challenging. However, humans can easily conceive the complete form of objects based on partial key information and their own experience. This ability is crucial for recognizing and interpreting the surrounding environment. To equip 3D occupancy perception systems with a similar capability, a 3D semantic scene completion method called AEFF-SSC is proposed. This method deeply explores boundary and multi-scale information in voxels, aiming to reconstruct 3D geometry more accurately. We have specifically designed an attention-enhanced feature fusion module that effectively fuses image feature information from different scales and focuses on feature boundary information, thereby more efficiently extracting voxel features. Additionally, we introduce a semantic segmentation module driven by a 3D attention-UNet network. This module combines a 3D U-Net network with a 3D attention mechanism. Through feature fusion and feature weighting, it aids in restoring 3D spatial information and significantly improves the accuracy of segmentation results. Experimental verification on the SemanticKITTI dataset demonstrates that AEFF-SSC significantly outperforms other existing methods in terms of both geometry and semantics. Specifically, within a 12.8 m × 12.8 m area ahead, our geometric occupancy accuracy has achieved a significant improvement of 71.58%, and at the same time, the semantic segmentation accuracy has also increased remarkably by 54.20%.