Neural Colour Correction for Indoor 3D Reconstruction Using RGB-D Data.

With the rise in popularity of different human-centred applications using 3D reconstruction data, the problem of generating photo-realistic models has become an important task. In a multiview acquisition system, particularly for large indoor scenes, the acquisition conditions will differ along the environment, causing colour differences between captures and unappealing visual artefacts in the produced models. We propose a novel neural-based approach to colour correction for indoor 3D reconstruction. It is a lightweight and efficient approach that can be used to harmonize colour from sparse captures over complex indoor scenes. Our approach uses a fully connected deep neural network to learn an implicit representation of the colour in 3D space, while capturing camera-dependent effects. We then leverage this continuous function as reference data to estimate the required transformations to regenerate pixels in each capture. Experiments to evaluate the proposed method on several scenes of the MP3D dataset show that it outperforms other relevant state-of-the-art approaches.

Patterns of kidney function and risk assessment in a nationwide laboratory database: the Brazilian CHECK-CKD study.

BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a global health problem with rising prevalence, morbidity, mortality, and associated costs. Early identification and risk stratification are key to preventing progression to kidney failure. However, there is a paucity of data on practice patterns of kidney function assessment to guide the development of improvement strategies, particularly in lower-income countries. METHODS: A retrospective observational analysis was conducted in a nationwide laboratory database in Brazil. We included all adult patients with at least one serum creatinine assessment between June 2018 and May 2021. Our primary objective was to determine the proportion of patients with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) evaluations accompanied by predicted levels of urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (pACR) assessments within 12 months. RESULTS: Out of 4,5323,332 serum creatinine measurements, 42% lacked pACR measurements within 12 months. Approximately 10.8% of tests suggested CKD, mostly at stage 3a. The proportion of serum creatinine exams paired with pACR assessment varied according to the CKD stage. Internal Medicine, Cardiology, and Obstetrics/Gynecology were the specialties requesting most of the creatinine tests. Nephrology contributed with only 1.1% of serum creatinine requests for testing. CONCLUSION: Our findings reveal that a significant proportion of individuals with a creatinine test lack an accompanying urinary albuminuria measurement in Brazil, contrary to the recommendations of the international guidelines. Non-Nephrologists perform most kidney function evaluations, even among patients with presumable advanced CKD. This highlights the urge to incorporate in clinical practice the early detection of CKD and to encourage more collaborative multidisciplinary care to improve CKD management.

Beyond Work: The Role of "Family-Friendly" Practices in the Subjective Well-Being of Teleworkers and On-Site Workers in the COVID-19 Pandemic.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, telework emerged as a pivotal strategy to mitigate the spread of the virus. However, telework's feasibility was contingent on job roles. This gave rise to two distinct groups: teleworkers and on-site workers. However, the impacts of social support and well-being extended to both groups. This study investigated the link between organisational and supervisory family support and subjective well-being, examining work engagement as a mediator. Conducted in Portugal, this cross-sectional study surveyed 515 individuals via web-based questionnaires. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and multiple-group analysis. The findings revealed a positive correlation between perceived organisational family support (POFS) and work engagement for both groups. Additionally, perceived supervisory family support (PSFS) positively correlated with work engagement for telecommuters but not on-site workers. Furthermore, work engagement was positively associated with subjective well-being for both groups. Moreover, work engagement mediated the relationship between POFS and subjective well-being. This study enriches the literature by analysing POFS, PSFS, work engagement, and subjective well-being dynamics among teleworkers and on-site employees.

Insulin reference intervals in Brazilian adolescents by direct and indirect approaches: validation of a data mining method from laboratory data.

OBJECTIVE: To determine reference intervals (RI) for fasting blood insulin (FBI) in Brazilian adolescents, 12 to 17 years old, by direct and indirect approaches, and to validate indirectly determined RI. METHODS: Two databases were used for RI determination. Database 1 (DB1), used to obtain RI through a posteriori direct method, consisted of prospectively selected healthy individuals. Database 2 (DB2) was retrospectively mined from an outpatient laboratory information system (LIS) used for the indirect method (Bhattacharya method). RESULTS: From DB1, 29345 individuals were enrolled (57.65 % female) and seven age ranges and sex partitions were statistically determined according to mean FBI values: females: 12 and 13 years-old, 14 years-old, 15 years-old, 16 and 17 years-old; and males: 12, 13 and 14 years-old, 15 years-old, 16 and 17 years-old. From DB2, 5465 adolescents (67.5 % female) were selected and grouped according to DB1 partitions. The mean FBI level was significantly higher in DB2, on all groups. The RI upper limit (URL) determined by Bhattacharya method was slightly lower than the 90 % CI URL directly obtained on DB1, except for group female 12 and 13 years old. High agreement rates for diagnosing elevated FBI in all groups on DB1 validated indirect RI presented. CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrates that Bhattacharya indirect method to determine FBI RI in adolescents can overcome some of the difficulties and challenges of the direct approach.

A Systematic Review on Intervention Treatment in Pathological Gambling.

Over the last century, there has been a growing interest in researching pathological gambling, particularly in industrialized nations. Historically, gambling was widely perceived as morally questionable, condemned by religious groups. However, contemporary concerns have shifted towards the health repercussions of gambling disorders and broader societal impacts like increased crime and money laundering. Governments, aiming to mitigate social harm, often regulate or directly oversee gambling activities. The global surge in legal gambling has resulted in a substantial rise in its prevalence, popularity, and accessibility in the last two decades. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of global research on interventions for pathological gambling. Through a systematic search on platforms such as EBSCO, PubMed, and Web of Science, 13 relevant records were identified. The revised findings indicate a heightened occurrence of behavioral addictions, linking them to the early onset of gambling issues and their severe consequences. The research emphasizes the active role that clients play in the process of self-directed change and therapy. Therapists recognizing clients as both catalysts for change and potential obstacles can enhance their effectiveness. A common source of resistance arises when clients and therapists are in different stages of the change process, underlining the importance of therapists aligning with clients' readiness for change. Recognizing the urgent need for a better understanding of this problem in adolescents, this study emphasizes the necessity to tailor prevention and treatment plans based on gender and age-specific requirements.

Smooth muscle tumours of the uterus: MR imaging malignant predictive features-a 12-year analysis in a referral hospital in Portugal.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features that may help distinguish leiomyosarcomas from atypical leiomyomas (those presenting hyperintensity on T2-W images equal or superior to 50% compared to the myometrium). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The authors conducted a retrospective single-centre study that included a total of 57 women diagnosed with smooth muscle tumour of the uterus, who were evaluated with pelvic MRI, between January 2009 and March 2020. All cases had a histologically proven diagnosis (31 Atypical Leiomyomas-ALM; 26 Leiomyosarcomas-LMS). The MRI features evaluated in this study included: age at presentation, dimension, contours, intra-tumoral haemorrhagic areas, T2-WI heterogeneity, T2-WI dark areas, flow voids, cyst areas, necrosis, restriction on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values, signal intensity and heterogeneity after contrast administration in T1-WI, presence and location of unenhanced areas. The association between the MRI characteristics and the histological subtype was evaluated using Chi-Square and ANOVA tests. RESULTS: The MRI parameters that showed a statistically significance correlation with malignant histology and thus most strongly associated with LMS were found to be: irregular contours (p < 0.001), intra-tumoral haemorrhagic areas (p = 0.028), T2-WI dark areas (p = 0.016), high signal intensity after contrast administration (p = 0.005), necrosis (p = 0.001), central location for unenhanced areas (p = 0.026), and ADC value lower than 0.88 × 10-3 mm2/s (p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: With our work, we demonstrate the presence of seven MRI features that are statistically significant in differentiating between LMS and ALM.

How to Evaluate If Collaborative Augmented Reality Speaks to Its Users.

Augmented reality (AR) is increasingly considered to support scenarios of co-located and remote collaboration. Thus far, the core goal has been advancing the supporting technologies and assessing how they perform to inform design and development, thus providing support toward their maturity. Nevertheless, while understanding the performance and impact of supporting technology is indisputable groundwork, we argue that the field needs to adopt a framework that moves from answering questions about the proposed methods and technologies to a more holistic view, also encompassing collaboration. However, moving toward this goal challenges how evaluations are designed, adding complexity and raising several questions about what needs to be considered. In this article, we briefly examine the different dimensions entailed in collaborative AR and argue in favor of a distinctive evaluation framework that goes beyond current practice and sets its eyes on the elements that allow judging how collaboration unfolds while informing the role of the supporting technology.

Behavior of total alkaline phosphatase after radium-233 therapy in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer: a single-center, real-world retrospective study.

Objective: To describe the behavior of total alkaline phosphatase (tALP) in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer receiving radium-223 therapy, in a real-world scenario, and to describe overall survival (OS) among such patients. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study involving 97 patients treated between February 2017 and September 2020. Patients were stratified by the baseline tALP (normal/elevated). A tALP response was defined as a ≥ 30% reduction from baseline at week 12. For patients with elevated baseline tALP, we also evaluated treatment response as a ≥ 10% reduction in tALP after the first cycle of treatment. We defined OS as the time from the first treatment cycle to the date of death. Results: There was a significant reduction in the median tALP after each cycle of treatment (p < 0.05 for all). Data for tALP at week 12 were available for 71 of the 97 patients. Of those 71 patients, 26 (36.6%) responded. Elevated baseline tALP was observed in 47 patients, of whom 19 (40.4%) showed a response. Longer OS was observed in the patients with normal baseline tALP, in those with elevated baseline tALP that showed a response to treatment (≥ 10% reduction), and in those who received 5-6 cycles of therapy. Conclusion: The tALP may be used to predict which patients will benefit from treatment with a greater number of cycles of radium-223 therapy and will have longer OS.

Objetivo: Descrever o comportamento da fosfatase alcalina total (tALP) em pacientes com carcinoma de próstata metastático resistente a castração, submetidos a terapia com rádio-223 em um cenário do mundo real, e a sobrevida global (SG) desses pacientes. Materiais e Métodos: Estudo retrospectivo envolvento 97 pacientes, no período de fevereiro/2017 a setembro/2020. Os pacientes foram estratificados de acordo com a tALP basal (normal/elevada). A resposta à tALP foi definida como uma redução em relação à linha de base de ≥ 30% na semana-12. Para pacientes com tALP basal elevada, também foi avaliada a resposta ao tratamento como uma redução de ≥ 10% de tALP após o primeiro ciclo. A SG foi definida como o tempo entre o primeiro ciclo e a data do óbito. Resultados: A redução da tALP média após cada ciclo foi significativa (p < 0,05). A tALP na semana 12 estava disponível para 71 dos 97 pacientes. Desses 71 pacientes, 26 (36,6%) responderam. Dezenove (40,4%) dos 47 pacientes com tALP elevada apresentaram resposta. Foi observada uma SG mais longa nos pacientes com tALP basal normal, nos pacientes com tALP basal elevada que apresentaram resposta ao tratamento (redução de ≥ 10%) e nos pacientes que receberam 5-6 ciclos. Conclusão: A tALP pode ser usada para prever parte dos pacientes que se beneficiarão do tratamento com um maior número de ciclos e uma SG mais longa.

Chronic stroke survivors' perspective on the use of serious games to motivate upper limb rehabilitation - a qualitative study.

Upper limb paresis occurs quite commonly after stroke and may result in the affected limb's disuse or learned non-use. As a result, its cortical representation may be suppressed, further inhibiting its spontaneous utilization, resulting in motor function deterioration, increase in spasticity, joint stiffness and pain.The aim of this work was to involve stroke survivors in a qualitative study within a user centred design process to better understand the perspectives of stroke survivors on virtual reality - based serious games (SG) for upper limb rehabilitation during the chronic phase and use those insights to design a VR-based serious games which promotes activation of the affected cortical area.A qualitative research method was performed using a multi professional focus group discussion, including a representative group of stroke survivors.With the insights of this work, the authors initiated the design of a VR-based SG prototype for upper limb rehabilitation with two modes, one version to be played with any arm to pick a virtual hammer and hit targeted objects, and other version, a mirror version based on mirror therapy.

Behavior of total alkaline phosphatase after radium-233 therapy in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer: a single-center, real-world retrospective study / Estudo retrospectivo de vida-real, em centro único, para avaliação do comportamento da fosfatase alcalina total após terapia com rádio-223 no câncer de próstata resistente a castração

Abstract Objective: To describe the behavior of total alkaline phosphatase (tALP) in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer receiving radium-223 therapy, in a real-world scenario, and to describe overall survival (OS) among such patients. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study involving 97 patients treated between February 2017 and September 2020. Patients were stratified by the baseline tALP (normal/elevated). A tALP response was defined as a ≥ 30% reduction from baseline at week 12. For patients with elevated baseline tALP, we also evaluated treatment response as a ≥ 10% reduction in tALP after the first cycle of treatment. We defined OS as the time from the first treatment cycle to the date of death. Results: There was a significant reduction in the median tALP after each cycle of treatment (p < 0.05 for all). Data for tALP at week 12 were available for 71 of the 97 patients. Of those 71 patients, 26 (36.6%) responded. Elevated baseline tALP was observed in 47 patients, of whom 19 (40.4%) showed a response. Longer OS was observed in the patients with normal baseline tALP, in those with elevated baseline tALP that showed a response to treatment (≥ 10% reduction), and in those who received 5-6 cycles of therapy. Conclusion: The tALP may be used to predict which patients will benefit from treatment with a greater number of cycles of radium-223 therapy and will have longer OS.

Resumo Objetivo: Descrever o comportamento da fosfatase alcalina total (tALP) em pacientes com carcinoma de próstata metastático resistente a castração, submetidos a terapia com rádio-223 em um cenário do mundo real, e a sobrevida global (SG) desses pacientes. Materiais e Métodos: Estudo retrospectivo envolvento 97 pacientes, no período de fevereiro/2017 a setembro/2020. Os pacientes foram estratificados de acordo com a tALP basal (normal/elevada). A resposta à tALP foi definida como uma redução em relação à linha de base de ≥ 30% na semana-12. Para pacientes com tALP basal elevada, também foi avaliada a resposta ao tratamento como uma redução de ≥ 10% de tALP após o primeiro ciclo. A SG foi definida como o tempo entre o primeiro ciclo e a data do óbito. Resultados: A redução da tALP média após cada ciclo foi significativa (p < 0,05). A tALP na semana 12 estava disponível para 71 dos 97 pacientes. Desses 71 pacientes, 26 (36,6%) responderam. Dezenove (40,4%) dos 47 pacientes com tALP elevada apresentaram resposta. Foi observada uma SG mais longa nos pacientes com tALP basal normal, nos pacientes com tALP basal elevada que apresentaram resposta ao tratamento (redução de ≥ 10%) e nos pacientes que receberam 5-6 ciclos. Conclusão: A tALP pode ser usada para prever parte dos pacientes que se beneficiarão do tratamento com um maior número de ciclos e uma SG mais longa.

Risk Factors for Gambling Disorder: A Systematic Review.

Gambling disorder is a common and problematic behavioral disorder associated with depression, substance abuse, domestic violence, bankruptcy, and high suicide rates. In the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), pathological gambling was renamed "gambling disorder" and moved to the Substance-Related and Addiction Disorders chapter to acknowledge that research suggests that pathological gambling and alcohol and drug addiction are related. Therefore, this paper provides a systematic review of risk factors for gambling disorder. Systematic searches of EBSCO, PubMed, and Web of Science identified 33 records that met study inclusion criteria. A revised study acknowledges as risk factors for developing/maintaining a gambling disorder being a single young male, or married for less than 5 years, living alone, having a poor education, and struggling financially.

Environment-Aware Rendering and Interaction in Web-Based Augmented Reality.

This work presents a novel framework for web-based environment-aware rendering and interaction in augmented reality based on WebXR and three.js. It aims at accelerating the development of device-agnostic Augmented Reality (AR) applications. The solution allows for a realistic rendering of 3D elements, handles geometry occlusion, casts shadows of virtual objects onto real surfaces, and provides physics interaction with real-world objects. Unlike most existing state-of-the-art systems that are built to run on a specific hardware configuration, the proposed solution targets the web environment and is designed to work on a vast range of devices and configurations. Our solution can use monocular camera setups with depth data estimated by deep neural networks or, when available, use higher-quality depth sensors (e.g., LIDAR, structured light) that provide a more accurate perception of the environment. To ensure consistency in the rendering of the virtual scene a physically based rendering pipeline is used, in which physically correct attributes are associated with each 3D object, which, combined with lighting information captured by the device, enables the rendering of AR content matching the environment illumination. All these concepts are integrated and optimized into a pipeline capable of providing a fluid user experience even on middle-range devices. The solution is distributed as an open-source library that can be integrated into existing and new web-based AR projects. The proposed framework was evaluated and compared in terms of performance and visual features with two state-of-the-art alternatives.

Preoperative Embolization Of Carotid Body Tumours: Yes Or No?

INTRODUCTION: Carotid body tumours (CBT) are rare paragangliomas for which surgical resection is still the recommended treatment. Frequently they are a benign disorder, discovered as asymptomatic neck masses located at the carotid bifurcation. Preoperative embolization has been used to decrease tumor volume, intraoperative blood loss and nerve injuries.There is however still much controversy and some studies argue that this strategy could increase risks without benefit. This study aimed to investigate the impact of embolization on CBT resection outcomes.   Methods: We analyzed all electronic clinical records on consecutive patients treated in the last 10 years (January 2008 - January 2018) in our vascular surgery department. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to treatment: preoperative embolization and subsequent resection (PE) and resection alone (RA). The following variables were reviewed and compared between groups: age, gender, tumor size, surgery duration, days of hospitalization, complications and transfusion needs.   Results: Sixteen tumours were treated. Of these, 6 underwent PE and 10 underwent RA. Median follow-up was 54 months (IQR 78). All tumours were benign and no disease recurrence was detected. When compared, PE and RA groups had no differences in Shamblin classification (p=0.068), although tumor's median size was significantly bigger in CBT-PE (49mm v. 35,5mm, p=0,016).The days of hospitalization were significantly higher in the PE group (median 7 vs 3 p=0.012).  Concerning surgery time (201min v. 141min, p=0.093), cranial nerve injury (66.7% v. 20%, p=0.092) and need for intraoperative transfusion  (16,7% v. 10%, p=0.625), no differences were found.   Conclusions: The role of preoperative embolization in CBT has been questioned. In this study we found no benefits supporting embolization prior to surgery.

A Sequential Color Correction Approach for Texture Mapping of 3D Meshes.

Texture mapping can be defined as the colorization of a 3D mesh using one or multiple images. In the case of multiple images, this process often results in textured meshes with unappealing visual artifacts, known as texture seams, caused by the lack of color similarity between the images. The main goal of this work is to create textured meshes free of texture seams by color correcting all the images used. We propose a novel color-correction approach, called sequential pairwise color correction, capable of color correcting multiple images from the same scene, using a pairwise-based method. This approach consists of sequentially color correcting each image of the set with respect to a reference image, following color-correction paths computed from a weighted graph. The color-correction algorithm is integrated with a texture-mapping pipeline that receives uncorrected images, a 3D mesh, and point clouds as inputs, producing color-corrected images and a textured mesh as outputs. Results show that the proposed approach outperforms several state-of-the-art color-correction algorithms, both in qualitative and quantitative evaluations. The approach eliminates most texture seams, significantly increasing the visual quality of the textured meshes.

Post-traumatic stress disorder as a predictor for incident hypertension: a 3-year retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The goal of the present study was to investigate the association between PTSD and the onset of hypertension in previously normotensive individuals in a population living in the stressful environment of the urban slums while controlling for risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). METHODS: Participants were 320 normotensive individuals who lived in slums and were attending a family doctor program. Measurements included a questionnaire covering sociodemographic characteristics, clinical status and life habits, the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist - Civilian Version, and the Beck Depression Inventory. Incident hypertension was defined as the first occurrence at the follow-up review of the medical records of (1) systolic blood pressure of 140 mm Hg or higher or diastolic blood pressure of 90 mm Hg or higher, (2) the participant started taking antihypertensive medication, or (3) a new diagnosis of hypertension made by a physician. Differences in sociodemographic, clinical, and lifestyle characteristics between hypertensive and non-hypertensive individuals were compared using the χ2 and t tests. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: Six variables - age, educational level, body mass, smoking, diabetes, and PTSD diagnosis - showed a statistically significant (p ≤ 0.20) association with the hypertensive status. In the Cox regression, only PTSD diagnosis was significantly associated with incident hypertension (multivariate HR = 1.94; 95% CI 1.11-3.40). CONCLUSIONS: The present findings highlight the importance of considering a diagnostic hypothesis of PTSD in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

Immersive virtual reality for upper limb rehabilitation: comparing hand and controller interaction.

Virtual reality shows great potential as an alternative to traditional therapies for motor rehabilitation given its ability to immerse the user in engaging scenarios that abstract them from medical facilities and tedious rehabilitation exercises. This paper presents a virtual reality application that includes three serious games and that was developed for motor rehabilitation. It uses a standalone headset and the user's hands without the need for any controller for interaction. Interacting with an immersive virtual reality environment using only natural hand gestures involves an interaction that is similar to that of real life, which would be especially desirable for patients with motor problems. A study involving 28 participants (4 with motor problems) was carried out to compare two types of interaction (hands vs. controllers). All of the participants completed the exercises. No significant differences were found in the number of attempts necessary to complete the games using the two types of interaction. The group that used controllers required less time to complete the exercise. The performance outcomes were independent of the gender and age of the participants. The subjective assessment of the participants with motor problems was not significantly different from the rest of the participants. With regard to the interaction type, the participants mostly preferred the interaction using their hands (78.5%). All four participants with motor problems preferred the hand interaction. These results suggest that the interaction with the user's hands together with standalone headsets could improve motivation, be well accepted by motor rehabilitation patients, and help to complete exercise therapy at home.

An Augmented Reality Serious Game for Learning Intelligent Wheelchair Control: Comparing Configuration and Tracking Methods.

This work proposes an augmented reality serious game (ARSG) for supporting individuals with motor disabilities while controlling robotic wheelchairs. A racing track was used as the game narrative; this included restriction areas, static and dynamic virtual objects, as well as obstacles and signs. To experience the game, a prior configuration of the environment, made through a smartphone or a computer, was required. Furthermore, a visualization tool was developed to exhibit user performance while using the ARSG. Two user studies were conducted with 10 and 20 participants, respectively, to compare (1) how different devices enable configuring the ARSG, and (2) different tracking capabilities, i.e., methods used to place virtual content on the real-world environment while the user interacts with the game and controls the wheelchair in the physical space: C1-motion tracking using cloud anchors; C2-offline motion tracking. Results suggest that configuring the environment with the computer is more efficient and accurate, in contrast to the smartphone, which is characterized as more engaging. In addition, condition C1 stood out as more accurate and robust, while condition C2 appeared to be easier to use.

A Robust 3D-Based Color Correction Approach for Texture Mapping Applications.

Texture mapping of 3D models using multiple images often results in textured meshes with unappealing visual artifacts known as texture seams. These artifacts can be more or less visible, depending on the color similarity between the used images. The main goal of this work is to produce textured meshes free of texture seams through a process of color correcting all images of the scene. To accomplish this goal, we propose two contributions to the state-of-the-art of color correction: a pairwise-based methodology, capable of color correcting multiple images from the same scene; the application of 3D information from the scene, namely meshes and point clouds, to build a filtering procedure, in order to produce a more reliable spatial registration between images, thereby increasing the robustness of the color correction procedure. We also present a texture mapping pipeline that receives uncorrected images, an untextured mesh, and point clouds as inputs, producing a final textured mesh and color corrected images as output. Results include a comparison with four other color correction approaches. These show that the proposed approach outperforms all others, both in qualitative and quantitative metrics. The proposed approach enhances the visual quality of textured meshes by eliminating most of the texture seams.

Comparing Desktop vs. Mobile Interaction for the Creation of Pervasive Augmented Reality Experiences.

This paper presents an evaluation and comparison of interaction methods for the configuration and visualization of pervasive Augmented Reality (AR) experiences using two different platforms: desktop and mobile. AR experiences consist of the enhancement of real-world environments by superimposing additional layers of information, real-time interaction, and accurate 3D registration of virtual and real objects. Pervasive AR extends this concept through experiences that are continuous in space, being aware of and responsive to the user's context and pose. Currently, the time and technical expertise required to create such applications are the main reasons preventing its widespread use. As such, authoring tools which facilitate the development and configuration of pervasive AR experiences have become progressively more relevant. Their operation often involves the navigation of the real-world scene and the use of the AR equipment itself to add the augmented information within the environment. The proposed experimental tool makes use of 3D scans from physical environments to provide a reconstructed digital replica of such spaces for a desktop-based method, and to enable positional tracking for a mobile-based one. While the desktop platform represents a non-immersive setting, the mobile one provides continuous AR in the physical environment. Both versions can be used to place virtual content and ultimately configure an AR experience. The authoring capabilities of the different platforms were compared by conducting a user study focused on evaluating their usability. Although the AR interface was generally considered more intuitive, the desktop platform shows promise in several aspects, such as remote configuration, lower required effort, and overall better scalability.