Background: Computed tomography (CT) enables quantification of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, helping in outcome prediction. Methods: From 1 to 22 March 2020, patients with pneumonia symptoms, positive lung CT scan, and confirmed SARS-CoV-2 on reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were consecutively enrolled. Clinical data was collected. Outcome was defined as favourable or adverse (i.e., need for mechanical ventilation or death) and registered over a period of 10 days following CT. Volume of disease (VoD) on CT was calculated semi-automatically. Multiple linear regression was used to predict VoD by clinical/laboratory data. To predict outcome, important features were selected using a priori analysis and subsequently used to train 4 different models. Results: A total of 106 consecutive patients were enrolled (median age 63.5 years, range 26-95 years; 41/106 women, 38.7%). Median duration of symptoms and C-reactive protein (CRP) was 5 days (range 1-30) and 4.94 mg/L (range 0.1-28.3), respectively. Median VoD was 249.5 cm 3 (range 9.9-1505) and was predicted by lymphocyte percentage (p = 0.008) and CRP (p < 0.001). Important variables for outcome prediction included CRP (area under the curve [AUC] 0.77), VoD (AUC 0.75), age (AUC 0.72), lymphocyte percentage (AUC 0.70), coronary calcification (AUC 0.68), and presence of comorbidities (AUC 0.66). Support vector machine had the best performance in outcome prediction, yielding an AUC of 0.92. Conclusions: Measuring the VoD using a simple CT post-processing tool estimates SARS-CoV-2 burden. CT and clinical data together enable accurate prediction of short-term clinical outcome.

Based on the results, objective guidelines are provided to minimize information loss when using smoothing and decimation on 3D meshes.

Photogrammetry (PH) is relatively cheap, easy to use, flexible and portable but its power and limitations have not been fully explored for studies of small animals. Here we assessed the accuracy of PH for the reconstruction of 3D digital models of bat skulls by evaluating its potential for evolutionary morphology studies at interspecific (19 species) level. Its reliability was assessed against the performance of micro CT scan (µCT) and laser scan techniques (LS). We used 3D geometric morphometrics and comparative methods to quantify the amount of size and shape variation due to the scanning technique and assess the strength of the biological signal in relation to both the technique error and phylogenetic uncertainty. We found only minor variation among techniques. Levels of random error (repeatability and procrustes variance) were similar in all techniques and no systematic error was observed (as evidenced from principal component analysis). Similar levels of phylogenetic signal, allometries and correlations with ecological variables (frequency of maximum energy and bite force) were detected among techniques. Phylogenetic uncertainty interacted with technique error but without affecting the biological conclusions driven by the evolutionary analyses. Our study confirms the accuracy of PH for the reconstruction of challenging specimens. These results encourage the use of PH as a reliable and highly accessible tool for the study of macro evolutionary processes of small mammals.

The evolutionary relationship between the base and face of the cranium is a major topic of interest in primatology. Such areas of the skull possibly respond to different selective pressures. Yet, they are often said to be tightly integrated. In this paper, we analyzed shape variability in the cranial base and the facial complex in Cercopithecoidea and Hominoidea. We used a landmark-based approach to single out the effects of size (evolutionary allometry), morphological integration, modularity, and phylogeny (under Brownian motion) on skull shape variability. Our results demonstrate that the cranial base and the facial complex exhibit different responses to different factors, which produces a little degree of morphological integration between them. Facial shape variation appears primarily influenced by body size and sexual dimorphism, whereas the cranial base is mostly influenced by functional factors. The different adaptations affecting the two modules suggest they are best studied as separate and independent units, and that-at least when dealing with Catarrhines-caution must be posed with the notion of strong cranial integration that is commonly invoked for the evolution of their skull shape.

Both methods demonstrated to be much faster, cheaper, and more accurate than other conventional approaches. The tools we presented are available as add-ons in existing software within the R platform. Because of ease of application, and unrestrained availability of the methods proposed, these tools can be widely used by paleoanthropologists, paleontologists and anatomists.

Use of Zn sponges has been recently proposed as an effective means of limiting the shape change and dendrite formation issues, affecting the anodes of electrically rechargeable Zn-based batteries. This paper contributes to this field of research with in situ X-ray computed microtomography (XCMT) monitoring of the morphological and chemical changes undergone by Zn-sponge anodes during electrochemical cycling. Starting from a pristine anode, fabricated in the discharged state, this was first charged and then subjected to a representative series of charge–discharge sequences and, in correspondence, it was studied by XCMT in order to determine (i) the volume fractions of Zn and ZnO, porosity, and their space arrangement and (ii) the degree of connectivity of the elemental Zn framework. Good stability of the metal framework, reversibility of the Zn and ZnO phases, and their space distribution, with a limited alteration of the pore structure, were observed over more than 60 charge–discharge cycles.

Members of the hominins – namely the so-called ‘australopiths’ and the species of the genus Homo – are known to possess short and deep mandibles and relatively small incisors and canines. It is commonly assumed that this suite of traits evolved in early members of the clade in response to changing environmental conditions and increased consumption of though food items. With the emergence of Homo, the functional meaning of mandible shape variation is thought to have been weakened by technological advancements and (later) by the control over fire. In contrast to this expectation, we found that mandible shape evolution in hominins is exceptionally rapid as compared to any other primate clade, and that the direction and rate of shape change (from the ape ancestor) are no different between the australopiths and Homo. We deem several factors including the loss of honing complex, canine reduction, and the acquisition of different diets may have concurred in producing such surprisingly high evolutionary rates. This study reveals the evolution of mandibular shape in hominins has strong morpho-functional and ecological significance attached.

Objectives The statistical analysis of fossil remains is essential to understand the evolution of the genus Homo. Unfortunately, the human fossil record is straight away scarce and plagued with severe loss of information caused by taphonomic processes. The recently developed field of Virtual Anthropology helps to ameliorate this situation by using digital techniques to restore damaged and incomplete fossils. Materials and methods We present the package Arothron, an R software suite meant to process and analyze digital models of skeletal elements. Arothron includes tools to digitally extract virtual cavities such as cranial endocasts, to statistically align disarticulated or broken bony elements, and to visualize local variations between surface meshes and landmark configurations. Results We describe the main functionalities of Arothron and illustrate their usage through reproducible case studies. We describe a tool for segmentation of skeletal cavities by showing its application on a malleus bone, a Neanderthal tooth, and a modern human cranium, reproducing their shape and calculating their volume. We illustrate how to digitally align a disarticulated model of a modern human cranium, and how to combine piecemeal shape information on individual specimens into one. In addition, we present useful visualization tools by comparing the morphological differences between the right hemisphere of the Neanderthal and the modern human brain. Conclusions The Arothron R package is designed to study digital models of fossil specimens. By using Arothron, scientists can handle digital models with ease, investigate the inner morphology of 3D skeletal models, gain a full representation of the original shapes of damaged specimens, and compare shapes across specimens.