bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
BO-LSTM: Classifying relations via long short-term memory networks along biomedical ontologies
Authors: Lamurias Andre , Clarke Luka A. , Couto Francisco M.
Published: June 2018

Recent studies have proposed deep learning techniques, namely recurrent neural networks, to improve biomedical text mining tasks. However, these techniques rarely take advantage of existing domain-specific resources, such as ontologies. In Life and Health Sciences there is a vast and valuable set of such resources publicly available, which are continuously being updated. Biomedical ontologies are nowadays a mainstream approach to formalize existing knowledge about entities, such as genes, chemicals, phenotypes, and disorders. These resources contain supplementary information that may not be yet encoded in training data, particularly in domains with limited labeled data.

We propose a new model, BO-LSTM, that takes advantage of domain-specific ontologies, by representing each entity as the sequence of its ancestors in the ontology. We implemented BO-LSTM as a recurrent neural network with long short-term memory units and using an open biomedical ontology, which in our case-study was Chemical Entities of Biological Interest (ChEBI). We assessed the performance of BO-LSTM on detecting and classifying drug-drug interactions in a publicly available corpus from an international challenge, composed of 792 drug descriptions and 233 scientific abstracts. By using the domain-specific ontology in addition to word embeddings and WordNet, BO-LSTM improved both the F1-score of the detection and classification of drug-drug interactions, particularly in a document set with a limited number of annotations. Our findings demonstrate that besides the high performance of current deep learning techniques, domain-specific ontologies can still be useful to mitigate the lack of labeled data.

Author summary

A high quantity of biomedical information is only available in documents such as scientific articles and patents. Due to the rate at which new documents are produced, we need automatic methods to extract useful information from them. Text mining is a subfield of information retrieval which aims at extracting relevant information from text. Scientific literature is a challenge to text mining because of the complexity and specificity of the topics approached. In recent years, deep learning has obtained promising results in various text mining tasks by exploring large datasets. On the other hand, ontologies provide a detailed and sound representation of a domain and have been developed to diverse biomedical domains. We propose a model that combines deep learning algorithms with biomedical ontologies to identify relations between concepts in text. We demonstrate the potential of this model to extract drug-drug interactions from abstracts and drug descriptions. This model can be applied to other biomedical domains using an annotated corpus of documents and an ontology related to that domain to train a new classifier.
Coupled Mixed Model for Joint Genetic Analysis of Complex Disorders with Two Independently Collected Data Sets
Authors: Wang Haohan , Pei Fen , Vanyukov Michael M. , Bahar Ivet , Wu Wei , Xing Eric P.
Published: June 2018

In the last decade, Genome-wide Association studies (GWASs) have contributed to decoding the human genome by uncovering many genetic variations associated with various diseases. Many follow-up investigations involvejoint analysisof multiple independently generated GWAS data sets. While most of the computational approaches developed for joint analysis are based on summary statistics, the joint analysis based on individual-level data with consideration of confounding factors remains to be a challenge. In this study, we propose a method, called Coupled Mixed Model (CMM), that enables a joint GWAS analysis on two independently collected sets of GWAS data with different phenotypes. The CMM method does not require the data sets to have the same phenotypes as it aims to infer the unknown phenotypes using a set of multivariate sparse mixed models. Moreover, CMM addresses the confounding variables due to population stratication, family structures, and cryptic relatedness, as well as those arising during data collection such as batch effects that frequently appear in joint genetic studies. We evaluate the performance of CMM using simulation experiments. In real data analysis, we illustrate the utility of CMM by an application to evaluating common genetic associations for Alzheimers disease and substance use disorder using datasets independently collected for the two complex human disorders. Comparison of the results with those from previous experiments and analyses supports the utility of our method and provides new insights into the diseases.

The software is available athttps://github.com/HaohanWang/CMM
FMRFa receptor stimulated Ca2+signals alter the activity of flight modulating central dopaminergic neurons inDrosophila melanogaster
Authors: Ravi Preethi , Trivedi Deepti , Hasan Gaiti
Published: June 2018

Neuropeptide signaling influences animal behavior by modulating neuronal activity and thus altering circuit dynamics. Insect flight is a key innate behavior that very likely requires robust neuromodulation. Cellular and molecular components that help modulate flight behavior are therefore of interest and require investigation. In a genetic RNAi screen for G-protein coupled receptors that regulate flight bout durations, we earlier identified several receptors, including the receptor for the neuropeptide FMRFa (FMRFaR). To further investigate modulation of insect flight by FMRFa we generated CRISPR-Cas9 mutants in the gene encoding theDrosophilaFMRFaR. The mutants exhibit significant flight deficits with a focus in dopaminergic cells. Expression of a receptor specific RNAi in adult central dopaminergic neurons resulted in progressive loss of sustained flight. Further, genetic and cellular assays demonstrated that FMRFaR stimulates intracellular calcium signaling through the IP3R and helps maintain neuronal excitability in a subset of dopaminergic neurons for positive modulation of flight bout durations.

Author summary

Neuropeptides play an important role in modulating neuronal properties such as excitability and synaptic strength and thereby influence innate behavioral outputs. In flying insects, neuromodulation of flight has been primarily attributed to monoamines. In this study, we have used the genetically amenable fruit fly,Drosophila melanogasterto identify a neuropeptide receptor that is required in adults to modulate flight behavior. We show from both knockdown and knockout studies that the neuropeptide receptor,FMRFaR, present on a few central dopaminergic neurons, modulates the duration of flight bouts. Overexpression of putative downstream molecules, the IP3R, an intracellular Ca2+-release channel, and CaMKII, a protein kinase, significantly rescue the flight deficits induced by knockdown of theFMRFaR. Our data support the idea that FMRFaR and CaMKII help maintain optimal membrane excitability of adult dopaminergic neurons required to sustain longer durations of flight bouts. We speculate that the ability to maintain longer flight bouts in natural conditions enhances the individual’s capacity to search and reach food sources as well as find sites suitable for egg laying.
Identification of key genes related to dexamethasone-resistance in acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Authors: Chen Qiuni , Chen Shixin , Shi Yuye , Tao Shandong , Chen Wei , Wang Chunling , Yu Liang
Published: June 2018

Drug resistance is the main cause of poor chemotherapy response in acute leukemia. Despite the extensive use of dexamethasone(DEX) in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia for many years, the mechanisms of dexamethasone – resistance has not been fully understood. We choose GSE94302 from GEO database aiming to identify key genes that contribute to the DEX resistance in acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Differentially expressed gene(DEGs) are selected by using GEO2R tools. A total of 837 DEGs were picked out, including 472 up-regulated and 365 down-regulated DEGs. All the DEGs were underwent gene ontology(GO) analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Gene and Genome(KEGG) pathway analysis. In addition, the DEGs-encoded protein-protein interaction (PPI) was screened by using Cytoscape and Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes(STRING). Total 20 genes were found as key genes related to DEX resistance with high degree of connectivity, includingCDK1, PCNA, CCNB1, MYC, KPNA2, AURKA, NDC80, HSPA4, KIF11, UBE2C, PIK3CG, CD44, CD19, STAT1, DDX41, LYN, BCR, CD48, JAK1andITGB1. They could be used as biomarkers to identify the DEX-resistant acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Attentional modulation of orthographic neighborhood effects during reading: Evidence from event-related brain potentials in a psychological refractory period paradigm
Authors: Rabovsky Milena , Conrad Markus , Álvarez Carlos J. , Paschke-Goldt Jörg , Sommer Werner
Published: June 2018

It is often assumed that word reading proceeds automatically. Here, we tested this assumption by recording event-related potentials during a psychological refractory period (PRP) paradigm, requiring lexical decisions about written words. Specifically, we selected words differing in their orthographic neighborhood size – the number of words that can be obtained from a target by exchanging a single letter – and investigated how influences of this variable depend on the availability of central attention. As expected, when attentional resources for lexical decisions were unconstrained, words with many orthographic neighbors elicited larger N400 amplitudes than those with few neighbors. However, under conditions of high temporal overlap with a high priority primary task, the N400 effect disappeared. This finding indicates strong attentional influences on the incidental processing of orthographic neighbors during word reading, providing novel evidence against the automaticity of processes involved in word reading. Furthermore, in conjunction with the observation of an underadditive interaction between stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) and orthographic neighborhood size in lexical decision performance, commonly taken to indicate automaticity, our results raise issues concerning the standard logic of cognitive slack in the PRP paradigm.
Analysis of Cell Viability by the MTT Assay
Authors: Kumar Priti , Nagarajan Arvindhan , Uchil Pradeep D.
Published: June 2018

Among viability assays that depend on the conversion of substrate to chromogenic product by live cells, the MTT assay is still among one of the most versatile and popular assays. The MTT assay involves the conversion of the water-soluble yellow dye MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] to an insoluble purple formazan by the action of mitochondrial reductase. Formazan is then solubilized and the concentration determined by optical density at 570 nm. The result is a sensitive assay with excellent linearity up to ∼106 cells per well. As with the alamarBlue assay, small changes in metabolic activity can generate large changes in MTT, allowing one to detect cell stress upon exposure to a toxic agent in the absence of direct cell death. The assay has been standardized for adherent or nonadherent cells grown in multiple wells. The protocol uses a standard 96-well plate. This can be scaled up, however, to suit a different plate format. Plate 500–10,000 cells per well in a 96-well plate. The assay has good linearity up to 106 cells.
Combined texture and microstructure analysis of deformed crystals by high-energy X-ray diffraction
Authors: Yuan Hao , Chen Zhe , Buslaps Thomas , Honkimäki Veijo , Borbély András
Published: June 2018

It is shown that high-energy X-ray diffraction allows a fast and accurate texture and microstructure analysis of crystals, which can help to set up optimal industrial procedures for materials manufacturing. This paper presents the experimental and theoretical aspects of quantitative texture analysis using high-energy synchrotron beams. Intensity corrections are less important in this approach than in classical laboratory methods; however, the most important correction, related to the Lorentz factor, can introduce relative fraction changes of up to about 40% compared to the uncorrected case. The resolution of the orientation density function also influences the results. For example, the usual 5° resolution leads to relative deviations of up to 30% in the fraction of some components. The method allowed detection of small changes taking place during the recovery and continuous recrystallization of a cold-rolled Al–TiB2 nanocomposite. Texture information was combined with the results of line profile analysis, evidencing the evolution of the average dislocation density and coherent domain size of the selected grain families. It was found that recovery, as described in terms of dislocation annihilation and coherent domain coarsening, takes place at similar rates in all components.
Insights into the evolution of bacterial flagellar motors from high-throughput in situ electron cryotomography and subtomogram averaging
Authors: Rossmann Florian M. , Beeby Morgan
Published: June 2018

In situ structural information on molecular machines can be invaluable in understanding their assembly, mechanism and evolution. Here, the use of electron cryotomography (ECT) to obtain significant insights into how an archetypal molecular machine, the bacterial flagellar motor, functions and how it has evolved is described. Over the last decade, studies using a high-throughput, medium-resolution ECT approach combined with genetics, phylogenetic reconstruction and phenotypic analysis have revealed surprising structural diversity in flagellar motors. Variations in the size and the number of torque-generating proteins in the motor visualized for the first time using ECT has shown that these variations have enabled bacteria to adapt their swimming torque to the environment. Much of the structural diversity can be explained in terms of scaffold structures that facilitate the incorporation of additional motor proteins, and more recent studies have begun to infer evolutionary pathways to higher torque-producing motors. This review seeks to highlight how the emerging power of ECT has enabled the inference of ancestral states from various bacterial species towards understanding how, and `why', flagellar motors have evolved from an ancestral motor to a diversity of variants with adapted or modified functions.
Warning systems as social processes for Bangladesh cyclones
Authors: Kelman Ilan , Ahmed Bayes , Esraz-Ul-Zannat Md , Saroar Md Mustafa , Fordham Maureen , Shamsudduha Mohammad
Published: June 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to connect the theoretical idea of warning systems as social processes with empirical data of people’s perceptions of and actions for warning for cyclones in Bangladesh.

Design/methodology/approach

A case study approach is used in two villages of Khulna district in southwest Bangladesh: Kalabogi and Kamarkhola. In total, 60 households in each village were surveyed with structured questionnaires regarding how they receive their cyclone warning information as well as their experiences of warnings for Cyclone Sidr in 2007 and Cyclone Aila in 2009.

Findings

People in the two villages had a high rate of receiving cyclone warnings and accepted them as being credible. They also experienced high impacts from the cyclones. Yet evacuation rates to cyclone shelters were low. They did not believe that significant cyclone damage would affect them and they also highlighted the difficulty of getting to cyclone shelters due to poor roads, leading them to prefer other evacuation options which were implemented if needed.

Originality/value

Theoretical constructs of warning systems, such as the First Mile and late warning, are rarely examined empirically according to people’s perceptions of warnings. The case study villages have not before been researched with respect to warning systems. The findings provide empirical evidence for long-established principles of warning systems as social processes, usually involving but not relying on technical components.
Managerial strategies to promote employee brand consistent behavior
Authors: Quaratino Luca , Mazzei Alessandra
Published: June 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of managerial strategies in promoting employee brand consistent behavior. Using a recently developed holistic model of behavioral branding, that suggests that a wide array of managerial strategies affects the branding process, this study addresses two specific questions: what communication strategies, in the opinion of managers, sustain employee brand consistent behavior? And what are the most important factors, both contextual and related to their cognitive-emotional states, that employees think affect their brand ambassadorship behavior?

Design/methodology/approach

A long-term research program was conducted based on a multiple methods research strategy to answer the two questions. The choice of different methods was mainly based on the specific characteristics of the two targets: communication managers and employees. The first one based on interviews with 32 managers, and the second one based on a case study of a single company.

Findings

The results show that enablement-oriented strategies are more effective than communication-oriented strategies in sustaining employee brand builder roles. Weak employee commitment, unsatisfactory external communication, and low levels of motivation are strong contextual factors inhibiting employee attitudes to brand ambassadorship, one of the most relevant employee brand consistent behaviors in competitive contexts. The main practical implication is that companies should engage employees as brand ambassadors, not by means of prescriptions of in-role behavior, but enablement strategies leading to authentic and voluntary behaviors; besides, that companies should put a significant effort in “preparing the soil,” i.e. investing in enhancing employee commitment, level of motivation, and understanding/alignment with the external communication.

Practical implications

The main practical implication is that companies should engage employees as brand ambassadors not by means of in-role behavior prescriptions rather by means of enablement strategies leading to authentic and voluntary behaviors. Besides, managers should invest significant efforts in enhancing employee motivation, commitment, and understanding/alignment to external communication as they represent key factors in sustaining brand ambassadorship behaviors.

Originality/value

The values of the study lies in having highlighted the crucial role of enablement-oriented strategies, and the relevance of specific contextual variables affecting the attitude of employee toward brand consistent behaviors.
Big Five personality traits in simulated negotiation settings
Authors: Falcão Pedro Fontes , Saraiva Manuel , Santos Eduardo , Cunha Miguel Pina e
Published: June 2018

Purpose

After a hiatus in the research on individual differences in negotiation, there has been a surge of renewed interest in recent years followed by several new findings. The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects that personality, as structured by the five-factor model, have over negotiation behavior and decision making in order to create new knowledge and prescribe advice to negotiators.

Design/methodology/approach

This study replicates observations from earlier studies but with the innovation of using a different methodology, as data from a sample of volunteer participants were collected in regard to their personality and behavior during two computerized negotiation simulations, one with the potential for joint gains and the other following a more traditional bargaining scenario.

Findings

Significant results for both settings were found, with the personality dimensions of agreeableness, conscientiousness, and extraversion systematically reoccurring as the most statistically relevant, although expressing different roles according to the type of negotiation and measure being registered. The findings thus suggest a multidimensional relationship between personality and situational variables in which specific traits can either become liabilities or assets depending upon whether the potential for value creation is present or not.

Originality/value

The new findings on the impacts of personality traits on both distributive and integrative negotiations allow negotiators to improve their performance and to adapt to specific distributive or integrative negotiation situations.
Security questions education: exploring gamified features and functionalities
Authors: Micallef Nicholas , Arachchilage Nalin Asanka Gamagedara
Published: June 2018

Purpose

Security questions are one of the techniques used to recover forgotten passwords. However, security questions have both security and memorability limitations. To limit their security vulnerabilities, stronger answers need to be used. As serious games can motivate users to change their security behaviour, the purpose of this paper is to explore the features and functionalities that users would require in a serious game that educates them to provide stronger answers to security questions.

Design/methodology/approach

A lab study was conducted to collect users’ feedback on the desired game features and functionalities. In Stage 1, participants selected security questions/answers. In Stage 2, participants played a game and evaluated the usability and the provided features.

Findings

The main findings reveal that most participants found the current features and functionalities to be desirable; socially oriented functionalities (e.g. getting help from other players) did not seem desirable because users feared that their acquaintances could gain access to their security questions.

Originality/value

This research recommends that designers of serious games for security education should: use intrinsic rewards to motivate users to have a better learning experience; provide easier challenges during the training period and provide harder challenges only when the game determines that the users learned to play the game; and design their games for mobile devices because even users who usually do not play games would play a security education game on a mobile device.
Identifying and predicting the factors affecting end-users’ risk-taking behavior
Authors: Alohali Manal , Clarke Nathan , Li Fudong , Furnell Steven
Published: June 2018

Purpose

The end-user has frequently been identified as the weakest link; however, motivated by the fact that different users react differently to the same stimuli, identifying the reasons behind variations in security behavior and why certain users could be “at risk” more than others is a step toward protecting and defending users against security attacks. This paper aims to explore the effect of personality trait variations (through the Big Five Inventory [BFI]) on users’ risk level of their intended security behaviors. In addition, age, gender, service usage and information technology (IT) proficiency are analyzed to identify what role and impact they have on behavior.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors developed a quantitative-oriented survey that was implemented online. The bi-variate Pearson two-tailed correlation was used to analyze survey responses.

Findings

The results obtained by analyzing 538 survey responses suggest that personality traits do play a significant role in affecting users’ security behavior risk levels. Furthermore, the results suggest that BFI score of a trait has a significant effect as users’ online personality is linked to their offline personality, especially in the conscientiousness personality trait. Additionally, this effect was stronger when personality was correlated with the factors of IT proficiency, gender, age and online activity.

Originality/value

The contributions of this paper are two-fold. First, with the aid of a large population sample, end-users’ security practice is assessed from multiple domains, and relationships were found between end-users’ risk-taking behavior and nine user-centric factors. Second, based upon these findings, the predictive ability for these user-centric factors were evaluated to determine the level of risk a user is subject to from an individual behavior perspective. Of 28 behaviors, 11 were found to have a 60 per cent or greater predictive ability, with the highest classification of 92 per cent for several behaviors. This provides a basis for organizations to use behavioral intent alongside personality traits and demographics to understand and, therefore, manage the human aspects of risk.
In their own words: employee attitudes towards information security
Authors: Ashenden Debi
Published: June 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to uncover employee attitudes towards information security and to address the issue of social acceptability bias in information security research.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used personal construct psychology and repertory grids as the foundation for the study in a mixed-methods design. Data collection consisted of 11 in-depth interviews followed by a survey with 115 employee responses. The data from the interviews informed the design of the survey.

Findings

The results of the interviews identified a number of themes around individual responsibility for information security and the ability of individuals to contribute to information security. The survey demonstrated that those employees who thought the that organisation was driven by the need to protect information also thought that the risks were overstated and that their colleagues were overly cautious. Conversely, employees who thought that the organisation was driven by the need to optimise its use of information felt that the security risks were justified and that colleagues took too many risks.

Research limitations/implications

The survey findings were not statistically significant, but by breaking the survey results down further across business areas, it was possible to see differences within groups of individuals within the organisation.

Originality/value

The literature review highlights the issue of social acceptability bias and the problem of uncovering weakly held attitudes. In this study, the use of repertory grids offers a way of addressing these issues.
An analysis of medical waste management practices in the health care sector in Colombo
Authors: Gunawardana Kennedy Degaulle
Published: June 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the type of waste generation and the management of waste in order to reduce pollution in the health care sector with special reference to Colombo, Sri Lanka. The paper further aims to determine the relationship between top management and staff attitudes toward waste management and to identify the level of technology used in medical waste management in various types of health care organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey questionnaire was developed using the designed conceptual framework to achieve the objectives of the study.

Findings

The study identifies that, though governments provide legislations and regulatory support, organizations of any size must have a positive attitude, awareness, capability and technology to initiate improvements for waste management processes and be prepared to adapt to new trends. Developing positive attitudes and improved knowledge on changes in waste management technology will assist in encouraging organizations to invest in this area.

Research limitations/implications

The scope of this project is limited to private health care institutions in the Colombo district in Sri Lanka from where data were gathered.

Originality/value

Health care center waste management is a relatively new discipline in the Sri Lankan health sector. This study provides an opportunity for management to identify the level of waste generated by health care institutions and the methods followed for the disposal of waste. Environmental groups can gain benefit through this project, since they can identify whether the private institutes in the health care sector are following world-accepted methods in disposing of waste.
Cambridge Analytica, independent research and the national interest
Authors: Laterza Vito
Published: June 2018

This guest editorial addresses some of the ethical issues raised by the Cambridge Analytica case. The author criticizes expert opinions downplaying the scandal and links Cambridge Analytica's operations to the growth of academic research influenced by state security agendas.
Small acts and personal politics: On helping to save the orangutan via social media
Authors: CHUA LIANA
Published: June 2018

In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest among political and media analysts in the value and utility of online activism. This article seeks to shed new light on this debate by thinking through popular responses to orangutan causes on social media. Rather than focusing on the (in)efficacy of such responses, the author describes a pervasive, public ethos of small acts – one built around the interactive affordances of social media – that frames self‐consciously ordinary, non‐professional supporters’ efforts to help save the orangutan. She suggests that taking these activities seriously as projects of ‘helping’ and doing ‘good’ can also push the anthropology of social media beyond its current focus on ‘activism’ towards a more nuanced appreciation of the different shades and scales of ‘acting’ online.
The Labour Market Effects of ‘Working for Families’ In New Zealand
Authors: Creedy John , Mercante Joseph , Mok Penny
Published: June 2018

This article examines, using a behavioural microsimulation model for New Zealand, the impact of the major package of welfare reforms collectively referred to as ‘Working for Families’ (WfF). These reforms were announced in May 2004 and involved a phased introduction of changes, with annual modifications from October 2004 until April 2007. Concentrating on welfare payments for families with dependent children, this remains a cornerstone of the New Zealand welfare system. The simulation takes a backward‐looking perspective, by comparing labour supply under the 2008 database and tax structure with that obtained using the 2008 data and 2004 tax structure (suitably adjusted for inflation).
Are Founder CEOs Effective Innovators?
Authors: Kim Jonghwan (Simon) , Koo KwangJoo (KJ)
Published: June 2018

This paper investigates the effectiveness of founder CEOs on firm innovation. We examine our research question using the number of patent citations as a proxy for firm innovation and a novel dataset of founder CEOs in S&P 1,500 firms over a 15‐year period from 1994 to 2008. Our main results show that a founder CEO is associated with an increase in citations, suggesting that founder CEOs are more effective in stimulating innovation compared to professional CEOs. Overall, these findings support the argument that a founder CEO plays an important role in facilitating firm innovation through more risk‐taking.
Foundations of Statistical Algorithms With References to R Packages. By C.WeihsO.MersmannU.Ligges. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press. 2015. 500 pages. UK£44.99 (hardback). ISBN 978‐1‐4398‐7885‐9
Authors: Curran J. M.
Published: June 2018

The main contribution of this book is to provide an overview of the foundational algorithms that underlie modern statistical computing tools. There is very real pedagogical value in having, at least, a passing acquaintance with some of the basic techniques used to solve standard problems in statistical computing, such as random number generation, numerical linear algebra, optimization and quadrature
Accessory lacrimal gland tumours of the eye region
Authors: Mulay Kaustubh , Rasmussen Peter K. , Aggarwal Ekta , Honavar Santosh G. , Heegaard Steffen
Published: June 2018

Purpose

Tumours of the accessory lacrimal glands (ALGs) are rare and need to be differentiated from other tumours involving the eyelids and caruncle. We report on a consecutive series of patients with ALG tumours and describe the clinical characteristics.

Methods

A retrospective case series including all patients who were operated for ALG tumours at two different centres.

Results

The study included 27 patients diagnosed with ALG tumours. Mean age at presentation was 55.9 years (range, 24–81 years; median, 56 years). Overall, a slight male preponderance was observed (M:F = 1.4:1). Histologically, pleomorphic adenoma was the commonest diagnosis (24 of 27; 88.9%), followed by adenoid cystic carcinoma (2 of 27; 7.4%) and oncocytoma (one of 27; 3.7%). A complete surgical excision was curative in all patients.

Conclusion

Accessory lacrimal gland (ALG) tumours are rare and may therefore pose diagnostic difficulties for clinicians. Histopathological examination of these tumours is the cornerstone of the diagnostic evaluation. Complete surgical excision is the treatment of choice in these tumours.
Experiences of Reframing during Self‐Directed Weight Loss and Weight Loss Maintenance: Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies
Authors: Hartmann‐Boyce Jamie , Nourse Rebecca , Boylan Anne‐Marie , Jebb Susan A. , Aveyard Paul
Published: June 2018

Background

Reframing means changing the way that a person thinks or feels about a weight loss attempt or weight loss maintenance to enhance its experience or facilitate its success. Although participants have described this, it has not been explored in the academic literature. Here, we set out to systematically review qualitative studies to examine the ways in which people use and experience reframing in self‐directed weight loss.

Methods

Seven electronic databases were searched to January 2017 for qualitative studies of adults with overweight or obesity attempting to lose weight or maintain weight loss through self‐directed behavior change. Studies must have contained some information pertinent to reframing. Thematic synthesis was used to identify descriptive and analytical themes from the available data.

Results

We included 23 studies, representing 723 participants. No study focused specifically on reframing. Most studies involved people who had tried to lose weight previously. In the most common examples of reframing, participants spoke of construing previous weight management attempts as “dieting”, whereas in current attempts they used reframing to move away from this concept. Participants spoke of finding reframing helpful because it removed the sense of depriving themselves and instead allowed them to construe the food choices as healthful. Likewise, the language of dieting created a sense of temporary effort, while construing this as a way of life allowed continuation of conscious control over energy balance without the feeling of undue effort. In some cases, these changes were bolstered by change in self‐identity.

Conclusions

Some people construe deliberate weight loss as a form of deprivation and cognitively reframe to avoid the negative emotions this creates and to prevent relapse. Reframing the dietary regimen as about healthy eating and a new way of life made weight control seem less burdensome for these participants and they felt able to maintain their efforts.
Current and Future Treatments for Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension in the Newborn
Authors: Pedersen Jonas , Hedegaard Elise R. , Simonsen Ulf , Krüger Marcus , Infanger Manfred , Grimm Daniela
Published: June 2018

Persistent pulmonary hypertension in newborn (PPHN) is a serious and possibly fatal syndrome characterized by sustained foetal elevation of pulmonary vascular resistance at birth. PPHN may manifest secondary to other conditions as meconium aspiration syndrome, infection and congenital diaphragmatic hernia. This MiniReview provides the reader with an overview of current and future treatment options for patients with PPHN without congenital diaphragmatic hernia. The study is based on systematic searches in the databases PubMed and Cochrane Library and registered studies on Clinicaltrials.gov investigating PPHN. Inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) is well documented for treatment of PPHN, but 30% fail to respond to iNO. Other current treatment options could be sildenafil, milrinone, prostaglandin analogues and bosentan. There are several ongoing trials with sildenafil, but evidence is lacking for the other treatments and/or for the combination with iNO. Currently, there is no evidence for effect in PPHN of other treatments, for example tadalafil, macitentan, ambrisentan, riociguat and selexipag used for pulmonary arterial hypertension in adults. Experimental studies in animal models for PPHN suggest effect of a series of approaches including recombinant human superoxide dismutase, L‐citrulline, Rho‐kinase inhibitors and peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor‐γ agonists. We conclude that iNO is the most investigated and the only approved pulmonary vasodilator for infants with PPHN. In the iNO non‐responders, sildenafil currently seems to be the best alternative either alone or in combination with iNO. Systematic and larger clinical studies are required for testing the other potential treatments of PPHN.
Multiple Scattering in Inhomogeneous Participating Media Using Rao‐Blackwellization and Control Variates
Authors: Szirmay‐Kalos László , Magdics Milán , Sbert Mateu
Published: June 2018

Rendering inhomogeneous participating media requires a lot of volume samples since the extinction coefficient needs to be integrated along light paths. Ray marching makes small steps, which is time consuming and leads to biased algorithms. Woodcocklike approaches use analytic sampling and a random rejection scheme guaranteeing that the expectations will be the same as in the original model. These models and the application of control variates for the extinction have been successful to compute transmittance and single scattering but were not fully exploited in multiple scattering simulation. Our paper attacks the multiple scattering problem in heterogeneous media and modifies the light–medium interaction model to allow the use of simple analytic formulae while preserving the correct expected values. The model transformation reduces the variance of the estimates with the help of Rao‐Blackwellization and control variates applied both for the extinction coefficient and the incident radiance. Based on the transformed model, efficient Monte Carlo rendering algorithms are obtained.
PCPNet Learning Local Shape Properties from Raw Point Clouds
Authors: Guerrero Paul , Kleiman Yanir , Ovsjanikov Maks , Mitra Niloy J.
Published: June 2018

In this paper, we propose PCPNET, a deep‐learning based approach for estimating local 3D shape properties in point clouds. In contrast to the majority of prior techniques that concentrate on global or mid‐level attributes, e.g., for shape classification or semantic labeling, we suggest a patch‐based learning method, in which a series of local patches at multiple scales around each point is encoded in a structured manner. Our approach is especially well‐adapted for estimating local shape properties such as normals (both unoriented and oriented) and curvature from raw point clouds in the presence of strong noise and multi‐scale features. Our main contributions include both a novel multi‐scale variant of the recently proposed PointNet architecture with emphasis on local shape information, and a series of novel applications in which we demonstrate how learning from training data arising from well‐structured triangle meshes, and applying the trained model to noisy point clouds can produce superior results compared to specialized state‐of‐the‐art techniques. Finally, we demonstrate the utility of our approach in the context of shape reconstruction, by showing how it can be used to extract normal orientation information from point clouds.
Motion Sickness Simulation Based on Sensorimotor Control
Authors: Hu Chen‐Hui , Lin Wen‐Chieh
Published: June 2018

Sensorimotor control is an essential mechanism for human motions, from involuntary reflex actions to intentional motor skill learning, such as walking, jumping, and swimming. Humans perform various motions according to different task goals and physiological sensory perception; however, most existing computational approaches for motion simulation and generation rarely consider the effects of human perception. The assumption of perfect perception (i.e., no sensory errors) of existing approaches restricts the generated motion types and makes dynamical reactions less realistic. We propose a general framework for sensorimotor control, integrating a balance controller and a vestibular model, to generate perception‐aware motions. By exploiting simulated perception, more natural responses that are closer to human reactions can be generated. For example, motion sickness caused by the impairments in the function of the vestibular system induces postural instability and body sway. Our approach generates physically correct motions and reasonable reactions to external stimuli since the spatial orientation estimation by the vestibular system is essential to preserve balance. We evaluate our framework by demonstrating standing balance on a rotational platform with different angular speeds and duration. The generated motions show that either faster angular speeds or longer rotational duration cause more severe motion sickness. Our results demonstrate that sensorimotor control, integrating human perception and physically‐based control, offers considerable potential for providing more human‐like behaviors, especially for perceptual illusions of human beings, including visual, proprioceptive, and tactile sensations.
A Survey on Data‐driven Dictionary‐based Methods for 3D Modeling
Authors: Lescoat Thibault , Ovsjanikov Maks , Memari Pooran , Thiery Jean‐Marc , Boubekeur Tamy
Published: June 2018

Dictionaries are very useful objects for data analysis, as they enable a compact representation of large sets of objects through the combination of atoms. Dictionary‐based techniques have also particularly benefited from the recent advances in machine learning, which has allowed for data‐driven algorithms to take advantage of the redundancy in the input dataset and discover relations between objects without human supervision or hard‐coded rules. Despite the success of dictionary‐based techniques on a wide range of tasks in geometric modeling and geometry processing, the literature is missing a principled state‐of‐the‐art of the current knowledge in this field. To fill this gap, we provide in this survey an overview of data‐driven dictionary‐based methods in geometric modeling. We structure our discussion by application domain: surface reconstruction, compression, and synthesis. Contrary to previous surveys, we place special emphasis on dictionary‐based methods suitable for 3D data synthesis, with applications in geometric modeling and design. Our ultimate goal is to enlight the fact that these techniques can be used to combine the data‐driven paradigm with design intent to synthesize new plausible objects with minimal human intervention. This is the main motivation to restrict the scope of the present survey to techniques handling point clouds and meshes, making use of dictionaries whose definition depends on the input data, and enabling shape reconstruction or synthesis through the combination of atoms.
Functionality Representations and Applications for Shape Analysis
Authors: Hu R. , Savva M. , van Kaick O.
Published: June 2018

A central goal of computer graphics is to provide tools for designing and simulating real or imagined artifacts. An understanding of functionality is important in enabling such modeling tools. Given that the majority of man‐made artifacts are designed to serve a certain function, the functionality of objects is often reflected by their geometry, the way that they are organized in an environment, and their interaction with other objects or agents. Thus, in recent years, a variety of methods in shape analysis have been developed to extract functional information about objects and scenes from these different types of cues. In this report, we discuss recent developments that incorporate functionality aspects into the analysis of 3D shapes and scenes. We provide a summary of the state‐of‐the‐art in this area, including a discussion of key ideas and an organized review of the relevant literature. More specifically, the report is structured around a general definition of functionality from which we derive criteria for classifying the body of prior work. This definition also facilitates a comparative view of methods for functionality analysis. We focus on studying the inference of functionality from a geometric perspective, and pose functionality analysis as a process involving both the geometry and interactions of a functional entity. In addition, we discuss a variety of applications that benefit from an analysis of functionality, and conclude the report with a discussion of current challenges and potential future works.
Therapeutic plasma exchange in paediatric neurology: a critical review and proposed treatment algorithm
Authors: Eyre Michael , Hacohen Yael , Barton Carmen , Hemingway Cheryl , Lim Ming
Published: June 2018

Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) has been a key immunotherapeutic strategy in numerous neurological syndromes, predominantly during the acute phase of illness. This paper reviews the indications, strength of evidence, and safety of TPE in children with neurological conditions. The rarity of these immune conditions in children, alongside an often incomplete understanding of their pathobiology, has limited the development of a robust scientific rationale for TPE therapy and the feasibility of conducting larger controlled trials. TPE continues to be used, but is a costly therapy with common adverse effects. Uncertainty remains over how to compare the different TPE methods, the optimal dosage of therapy, and monitoring and integration of TPE with other immunotherapies. Further studies are also required to define the indications and benefits of TPE and assess evolving technologies such as immunoadsorption.

What this paper adds

Studies investigating therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) are small and mainly uncontrolled.

They provide evidence for the efficacy of TPE in childhood neuro‐inflammatory conditions.

TPE is generally well tolerated provided key adverse effects are anticipated and avoided.

Systematic dosing and objective assessment of treatment effect should be priorities for future research.
Effect of the Argentine ant on the specialist myrmecophilous cricket Myrmecophilus kubotai in western Japan
Authors: Takahashi Naoki , Touyama Yoshifumi , Kameyama Takeshi , Ito Fuminori
Published: June 2018

Effects of the Argentine ant on myrmecophilous animals living inside ant nests have been rarely studied to date. We investigated whether the “specialist” myrmecophilous cricket Myrmecophilus kubotai Maruyama that lives only in colonies of a Japanese native ant, Tetramorium tsushimae Emery, could live with the Argentine ant. In the field, the cricket was never found in nests of the Argentine ant. Our experiments showed that the cricket could not survive in artifical nests of the Argentine ant under laboratory conditions.