bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cradle-to-cradle zero discharge production planning system for the pulp and paper industry using a fuzzy hybrid optimization model
Authors: Jeng Shiou-Yun , Lin Chun-Wei , Tseng Ming-Lang , Jantarakolica Tatre
Published: November 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a cradle-to-cradle (C2C) zero discharge production planning system with a fuzzy hybrid optimization model that uses fuzzy comprehensive evaluation to establish fuzzy indicators, and then defuzzify the fuzzy indicators to construct a fuzzy multiobjective programming (FMOP) model.

Design/methodology/approach

The FMOP model pursues overall satisfaction using a particle swarm optimization algorithm to produce the best output values for the maximum waste paper recovery rate, the condensate reuse quality and minimum total cost of the zero discharge production planning system.

Findings

Recovered waste heat is seldom recycled and consumed in Taiwan. There is a need to capture and utilize heat recovery and use it in the production process supply. In contrast, waste materials are used as resources to perform waste paper recovery and recycle the waste heat of evaporation collection in the production process.

Originality/value

This paper develops a system to establish the best output value for an overall high satisfaction level. According to the results, the waste paper recovery rate is 99.8 percent, condensate reuse quality water is 102.6 tons and the total cost of the zero discharge production planning system is NT$1,312,012.
Ancestry Estimation Using Cranial and Postcranial Macromorphoscopic Traits
Authors: Spiros Micayla C. , Hefner Joseph T.
Published: November 2019

Ancestry estimation methods using macromorphoscopic (MMS) traits commonly focus exclusively on cranial morphology. The objective of this study was to demonstrate the value of postcranial MMS traits, highlighting a combined cranial/postcranial trait approach to ancestry estimation using quadratic discriminant function and a variety of machine learning classification models including artificial neural networks (aNN), random forest models, and support vector machine. Eight cranial and eleven postcranial MMS traits were collected from the Terry and Bass Skeletal Collections (American Black = 81; American White = 173). Our classification models using cranial and postcranial traits correctly classified 88–92% of the sample, improving classification accuracies by nearly fifteen percent over models relying exclusively on cranial data. These same results demonstrate the importance of a multivariate statistical framework incorporating cranial and postcranial data and the nearly unlimited potential of machine learning models to improve the accuracy of ancestry estimates over traditional methods of analysis. To facilitate implementation in casework, one of the more robust models (aNN) is incorporated into a web‐based application, ComboMaMD Analytical, to facilitate cranial and postcranial MMS traits analysis for ancestry estimation.
Liposomal Encapsulated Ethanolic Coconut Husk Extract: Antioxidant and Antibacterial Properties
Authors: Olatunde Oladipupo Odunayo , Benjakul Soottawat , Vongkamjan Kitiya , Amnuaikit Thanaporn
Published: November 2019

Characteristics of liposomal encapsulated ethanolic coconut husk extract (LE‐ECHE) prepared using two levels of lipid phase (LP) containing soybean phosphatidylcholine/cholesterol mixture of 4:1 mol ratio (60 and 80 µmol/mL) and two ECHE concentrations (1% and 2%) were investigated. Poly‐dispersity index, zeta‐potential, and particle size of LE‐ECHE samples were 0.22% to 0.28%, −70.4 to −53.63 mV, and 232 to 697.65 nm, respectively. Encapsulation efficiency of all samples was 75.25% to 90.11%. LE‐ECHE prepared with LP content of 60 µmol/mL and 1% ECHE (LP60‐EC1) was milky, whereas UN‐EC1 (un‐encapsulated ECHE) was brownish in color. ECHE retained its antioxidant activity even after entrapment in liposome, although higher activity was recorded for UN‐EC1. Encapsulation of ECHE in liposome enhanced antibacterial properties of ECHE. Hence, LP60‐EC1 showed promising potential as a delivery based system for lowering dark color, a drawback associated with ECHE as well as improving the antibacterial properties of ECHE.

Practical Application

Ethanolic coconut husk extract (ECHE) contains polyphenols with diverse biological activities such as antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. However, there are limited applications of ECHE in food industries, mainly because of its distinctive dark brown color. A homogeneous and stable liposomal system was demonstrated to be an efficient delivery based system for ECHE. Remarkably, antimicrobial property of ECHE was enhanced with liposomal encapsulation, whereas antioxidant activities of ECHE were retained. Also, liposomal encapsulation was shown as the potential technique to mask the undesirable dark brown, a drawback associated with ECHE for wider application.
Massive extrusion of calcium hydroxide paste containing barium sulphate during endodontic treatment
Authors: Montenegro Fonsêca Jéssica , Rangel Palmier Natália , Amaral‐Silva Gleyson Kleber , Aristizabal Arboleda Lady Paola , Affonso Almeida José Flávio , de Goes Mario Fernando , Agustin Vargas Pablo , Ajudarte Lopes Marcio , Santos‐Silva Alan Roger
Published: November 2019

A 31‐year‐old woman was referred for the evaluation of persistent lower lip numbness following endodontic treatment of tooth #36. Imaging examinations showed a large amount of radiopaque/hyperdense material spread in an angiographic distribution in the left mandibular body region. Laboratory analyses of tooth #36 and adjacent periapical tissue, surgically extracted in an external Service due to acute pain following endodontic treatment, identified chronic inflammatory reaction and birefringent crystalloid foreign bodies rich in barium and sulphur, leading to the diagnosis of alveolar nerve injury due to accidental extrusion of intracanal dressing material composed of calcium hydroxide [Ca(OH)2] paste incorporated with barium sulphate. Clinicians should be aware that Ca(OH)2 when in contact with periapical tissues may lead to persistent toxicities, such as necrosis, pain and paraesthesia. Therefore, injectable Ca(OH)2 systems should be used with caution because they can cause paste extrusion and damage to the lower alveolar nerve.
Multivariate analysis of TU wave complex on electrocardiogram in Andersen–Tawil syndrome with KCNJ2 mutations
Authors: Horigome Hitoshi , Ishikawa Yasuhiro , Kokubun Norito , Yoshinaga Masao , Sumitomo Naokata , Lin Lisheng , Kato Yoshiaki , Tanabe‐Kameda Yuri , Ohno Seiko , Nagashima Masami , Horie Minoru
Published: November 2019

Background

The exact differences between the TU wave complex of ATS1 and that of healthy individuals remain to be investigated. We sought to characterize the TU wave complex of Andersen–Tawil syndrome type 1 (ATS1) using high frequency electrocardiogram (ECG) data.

Methods

Electrocardiograms were recorded as time series data with a 2 kHz frequency ECG amplifier in 13 patients with ATS1 (positive for KCNJ2 mutation, ATS1 group) and age‐matched healthy individuals (control group). Conventional ECG parameters were measured, and principal component analysis (PCA) and independent component analysis (ICA) were applied to the TU wave complex.

Results

Time from T peak (Tp) to U peak (Up), time from bottom (B) to Up, and time from B to U end (BUe, U duration) (0.232 ± 0.018 vs. 0.165 ± 0.017, p < .0001), where B is the lowest point between T and U waves, were all longer in the ATS1 group than the control group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that BUe could completely differentiate the two groups. PCA ratios in the ATS1 group were significantly larger than the control group (26.5 ± 12.3 vs. 10.4 ± 6.2, p = .0005). ICA revealed 1 or 2 U‐wave‐specific independent components (ICs) that exclusively comprise the U wave in ATS1, whereas U waves in the control group were composed of some ICs that also comprised T waves.

Conclusions

U‐wave‐related temporal parameters, particularly BUe, and the existence of U‐wave‐specific ICs, extracted in the ICA, are useful for differentiation of U waves in ATS1 from those in healthy individuals.
Laparoscopic surgery for repeated cecal volvulus with intestinal malrotation: A case report
Authors: Abe Shinya , Tamura Noriyasu , Hamasaki Shunsuke , Umetani Naoyuki
Published: November 2019

This is the first report of laparoscopic surgery for an advanced‐age patient with cecal volvulus accompanied by intestinal malrotation. A 96‐year‐old woman who had previously undergone laparotomy for cecal volvulus underwent emergency laparoscopic surgery for recurrent volvulus. Because the cecum was about to rupture but not ischemic, we untwist the intestinal volvulus and fixed the cecum to the abdominal wall with a single suture. Five days after the surgery, the volvulus between the suture and the hepatic flexure of the colon recurred. We performed a second laparoscopic surgery in which we fixed the right side of the colon to the abdominal wall after diagnosing intestinal malrotation. Given its positioning, the sign of malrotation would not have been visible on preoperative CT images. As shown by this case, intestinal malrotation might lie behind the repeated cecal volvulus, and laparoscopic surgery may be a good option for volvulus with intestinal malrotation, even in cases with obstruction.
Aberrant structural covariance networks in youth at high familial risk for mood disorder
Authors: Heinze Kareen , Shen Xueyi , Hawkins Emma , Harris Mathew A. , de Nooij Laura , McIntosh Andrew M. , Wood Stephen J. , Whalley Heather C.
Published: November 2019

Objectives

Current research suggests significant disruptions in functional brain networks in individuals with mood disorder, and in those at familial risk. Studies of structural brain networks provide important insights into synchronized maturational change but have received less attention. We aimed to investigate developmental relationships of large‐scale brain networks in mood disorder using structural covariance (SC) analyses.

Methods

We conducted SC analysis of baseline structural imaging data from 121 at the time of scanning unaffected high risk (HR) individuals (29 later developed mood disorder after a median time of 4.95 years), and 89 healthy controls (C‐well) with no familial risk from the Scottish Bipolar Family Study (age 15‐27, 64% female). Voxel‐wise analyses of covariance were conducted to compare the associations between each seed region in visual, auditory, motor, speech, semantic, executive‐control, salience and default‐mode networks and the whole brain signal. SC maps were compared for (a) HR(all) versus C‐well individuals, and (b) between those who remained well (HR‐well), versus those who subsequently developed mood disorder (HR‐MD), and C‐well.

Results

There were no significant differences between HR(all) and C‐well individuals. On splitting the HR group based on subsequent clinical outcome, the HR‐MD group however displayed greater baseline SC in the salience and executive‐control network, and HR‐well individuals showed less SC in the salience network, compared to C‐well, respectively (P < .001).

Conclusions

These findings indicate differences in network‐level inter‐regional relationships, especially within the salience network, which precede onset of mood disorder in those at familial risk.
Order‐restricted inference for clustered ROC data with application to fingerprint matching accuracy
Authors: Zhang Wei , Tang Larry L. , Li Qizhai , Liu Aiyi , Lee Mei‐Ling Ting
Published: November 2019

Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve is commonly used to evaluate and compare the accuracy of classification methods or markers. Estimating ROC curves has been an important problem in various fields including biometric recognition and diagnostic medicine. In real applications, classification markers are often developed under two or more ordered conditions, such that a natural stochastic ordering exists among the observations. Incorporating such a stochastic ordering into estimation can improve statistical efficiency (Davidov and Herman, 2012). In addition, clustered and correlated data arise when multiple measurements are gleaned from the same subject, making estimation of ROC curves complicated due to within‐cluster correlations. In this article, we propose to model the ROC curve using a weighted empirical process to jointly account for the order constraint and within‐cluster correlation structure. The algebraic properties of resulting summary statistics of the ROC curve such as its area and partial area are also studied. The algebraic expressions reduce to the ones by Davidov and Herman (2012) for independent observations. We derive asymptotic properties of the proposed order‐restricted estimators and show that they have smaller mean‐squared errors than the existing estimators. Simulation studies also demonstrate better performance of the newly proposed estimators over existing methods for finite samples. The proposed method is further exemplified with the fingerprint matching data from the National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Database 4.
PO‐322 exerts potent immunosuppressive effects in vitro and in vivo by selectively inhibiting SGK1 activity
Authors: Lai Yi , Luo Xing‐Yan , Guo Hui‐Jie , Wang Si‐Yu , Xiong Jing , Yang Shu‐Xia , Li Li‐Mei , Zou Qiang , Mo Chun‐Fen , Wang Yan‐Tang , Liu Yang
Published: November 2019

Background and Purpose

Immunosuppressive drugs have shown great promise in treating autoimmune diseases in recent years. A series of novel oxazole derivatives were screened for their immunosuppressive activity. PO‐322 [1H‐indole‐2,3‐dione 3‐(1,3‐benzoxazol‐2‐ylhydrazone)] was identified as the most effective of these compounds. Here, we have investigated the mechanism(s) underlying the inhibition of T‐cell proliferation in vitro by PO‐322, as well as its effects on the delayed‐type hypersensitivity (DTH) response and imiquimod‐induced dermatitis in vivo.

Experimental Approach

T‐cell proliferation and apoptosis were analysed with flow cytometry. Cell viability was assessed with a CCK‐8 assay. Protein kinase activity was assessed by SelectScreen Kinase Profiling Services. The phosphorylation of signal‐regulated molecules was measured by Western blot. Cytokine levels were determined by elisa. The effect of PO‐322 on DTH and imiquimod‐induced dermatitis was evaluated in BALB/c mice.

Key Results

PO‐322 inhibited human T‐cell proliferation with anti‐CD3/anti‐CD28 mAbs or alloantigen without significant cytotoxicity. Importantly, PO‐322 was a selective inhibitor of the serum‐ and glucocorticoid‐regulated kinase 1 (SGK1) and decreased NDRG1 phosphorylation but not p70S6K, STAT5, Akt, or ERK1/2 phosphorylation. Furthermore, PO‐322 inhibited IFN‐γ, IL‐6, and IL‐17 expression but not IL‐10 expression. Finally, treatment with PO‐322 was safe and effective for ameliorating the DTH response and imiquimod‐induced dermatitis in mice.

Conclusions and Implications

PO‐322 exerted immunosuppressive activity in vitro and in vivo by selectively inhibiting SGK1 activity. PO‐322 represents a potential lead compound for the design and development of new drugs for the treatment of autoimmune diseases.
Protection for maturing industries: Evidence from Canadian trade patterns and trade policy, 1870–1913
Authors: Keay Ian
Published: November 2019

As industries mature, experience is accumulated, productivity increases, trade performance improves on domestic and international markets and learning potential dissipates. Using theory‐consistent empirical specifications, I find a strong, robust negative relationship linking tariff rates to trade performance for manufactured products that matured during the first decade after Canada prioritized protectionist policy objectives in 1879. This relationship also holds at a more aggregate industry level, where I can use other measures of maturity, control for import penetration, use historically contemporaneous trade elasticity estimates, link trade performance to trade restrictiveness and effective rates of protection and where I can instrument for import penetration and trade performance using a two‐stage IV–GMM estimation approach. The results suggest that after 1890 the Canadian government carefully cut tariffs on products produced by maturing Canadian producers and this retreat from protectionism significantly lowered the static deadweight losses resulting from Canadian trade policy during the post‐1890 period.
Kinase activity of ERBB3 contributes to intestinal organoids growth and intestinal tumorigenesis
Authors: Nguyen Anh Thai‐Quynh , Lee So‐young , Chin Hyun Jung , Le Quy Van‐Chanh , Lee Daekee
Published: November 2019

As a member of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) family, ERBB3 plays an essential role in development and disease independent of inherently inactive kinase domain. Recently, ERBB3 has been found to bind to ATP and has catalytic activity in vitro. However, the biological function of ERBB3 kinase activity remains elusive in vivo. Here we have identified the physiological function of inactivated ERBB3 kinase activity by creating Erbb3‐K740M knockin mice in which ATP cannot bind to ERBB3. Unlike Erbb3 knockout mice, kinase‐inactive Erbb3K740M homozygous mice were born in Mendelian ratios and showed normal development. After dextran sulfate sodium‐induced colitis, the kinase‐inactive Erbb3 mutant mice showed normal recovery. However, the outgrowth of ileal organoids by neuregulin‐1 treatment was more attenuated in Erbb3 mutant mice than in WT mice. Moreover, in combination with the ApcMin mouse, the proportion of polyps less than 1 mm in diameter in mutant mice was higher than in control mice and an increase in the number of apoptotic cells was observed in polyps from mutant mice compared with polyps from control mice. Taken together, the ERBB3 kinase activity contributes to the outgrowth of ileal organoids and intestinal tumorigenesis, and the development of ERBB3 kinase inhibitors, including epidermal growth factor receptor family members, can be a potential way to target colorectal cancer.
Making Sense of Number Words and Arabic Digits: Does Order Count More?
Authors: Sella Francesco , Lucangeli Daniela , Cohen Kadosh Roi , Zorzi Marco
Published: November 2019

The ability to choose the larger between two numbers reflects a mature understanding of the magnitude associated with numerical symbols. The present study explores how the knowledge of the number sequence and memory capacity (verbal and visuospatial) relate to number comparison skills while controlling for cardinal knowledge. Preschool children’s (N = 140, Mage‐in‐months = 58.9, range = 41–75) knowledge of the directional property of the counting list as well as the spatial mapping of digits on the visual line were assessed. The ability to order digits on the visual line mediated the relation between memory capacity and number comparison skills while controlling for cardinal knowledge. Beyond cardinality, the knowledge of the (spatial) order of numbers marks the understanding of the magnitude associated with numbers.
Real‐Time Analytic Antialiased Text for 3‐D Environments
Authors: Ellis A. , Hunt W. , Hart J.
Published: November 2019

Text is a crucial component of 3‐D environments and virtual worlds for user interfaces and wayfinding. Implementing text using standard antialiased texture mapping leads to blurry and illegible writing which hinders usability and navigation. While super‐sampling removes some of these artifacts, distracting artifacts can still impede legibility, especially for recent high‐resolution head‐mounted displays. We propose an analytic antialiasing technique that efficiently computes the coverage of text glyphs, over pixel footprints, designed to run at real‐time rates. It decomposes glyphs into piecewise‐biquadratics and trapezoids that can be quickly area‐integrated over a pixel footprint to provide crisp legible antialiased text, even when mapped onto an arbitrary surface in a 3‐D virtual environment.
Figure Skating Simulation from Video
Authors: Yu Ri , Park Hwangpil , Lee Jehee
Published: November 2019

Figure skating is one of the most popular ice sports at the Winter Olympic Games. The skaters perform several skating skills to express the beauty of the art on ice. Skating involves moving on ice while wearing skate shoes with thin blades; thus, it requires much practice to skate without losing balance. Moreover, figure skating presents dynamic moves, such as jumping, artistically. Therefore, demonstrating figure skating skills is even more difficult to achieve than basic skating, and professional skaters often fall during Winter Olympic performances. We propose a system to demonstrate figure skating motions with a physically simulated human‐like character. We simulate skating motions with non‐holonomic constraints, which make the skate blade glide on the ice surface. It is difficult to obtain reference motions from figure skaters because figure skating motions are very fast and dynamic. Instead of using motion capture data, we use key poses extracted from videos on YouTube and complete reference motions using trajectory optimization. We demonstrate figure skating skills, such as crossover, three‐turn, and even jump. Finally, we use deep reinforcement learning to generate a robust controller for figure skating skills.
Practical Foldover‐Free Volumetric Mapping Construction
Authors: Su Jian-Ping , Fu Xiao-Ming , Liu Ligang
Published: November 2019

In this paper, we present a practically robust method for computing foldover‐free volumetric mappings with hard linear constraints. Central to this approach is a projection algorithm that monotonically and efficiently decreases the distance from the mapping to the bounded conformal distortion mapping space. After projection, the conformal distortion of the updated mapping tends to be below the given bound, thereby significantly reducing foldovers. Since it is non‐trivial to define an optimal bound, we introduce a practical conformal distortion bound generation scheme to facilitate subsequent projections. By iteratively generating conformal distortion bounds and trying to project mappings into bounded conformal distortion spaces monotonically, our algorithm achieves high‐quality foldover‐free volumetric mappings with strong practical robustness and high efficiency. Compared with existing methods, our method computes mesh‐based and meshless volumetric mappings with no prescribed conformal distortion bounds. We demonstrate the efficacy and efficiency of our method through a variety of geometric processing tasks.
A Generalized Cubemap for Encoding 360° VR Videos using Polynomial Approximation
Authors: Xiao J. Y. , Tang J.T. , Zhang X. Y.
Published: November 2019

360° VR videos provide users with an immersive visual experience. To encode 360° VR videos, spherical pixels must be mapped onto a two‐dimensional domain to take advantage of the existing video encoding and storage standards. In VR industry, standard cubemap projection is the most widely used projection method for encoding 360° VR videos. However, it exhibits pixel density variation at different regions due to projection distortion. We present a generalized algorithm to improve the efficiency of cubemap projection using polynomial approximation. In our algorithm, standard cubemap projection can be regarded as a special form with 1st‐order polynomial. Our experiments show that the generalized cubemap projection can significantly reduce the projection distortion using higher order polynomials. As a result, pixel distribution can be well balanced in the resulting 360° VR videos. We use PSNR, S‐PSNR and CPP‐PSNR to evaluate the visual quality and the experimental results demonstrate promising performance improvement against standard cubemap projection and Google's equi‐angular cubemap.
Visibility‐Aware Progressive Farthest Point Sampling on the GPU
Authors: Brandt Sascha , Jähn Claudius , Fischer Matthias , auf der Heide Friedhelm Meyer
Published: November 2019

In this paper, we present the first algorithm for progressive sampling of 3D surfaces with blue noise characteristics that runs entirely on the GPU. The performance of our algorithm is comparable to state‐of‐the‐art GPU Poisson‐disk sampling methods, while additionally producing ordered sequences of samples where every prefix exhibits good blue noise properties. The basic idea is, to reduce the 3D sampling domain to a set of 2.5D images which we sample in parallel utilizing the rasterization hardware of current GPUs. This allows for simple visibility‐aware sampling that only captures the surface as seen from outside the sampled object, which is especially useful for point‐based level‐of‐detail rendering methods. However, our method can be easily extended for sampling the entire surface without changing the basic algorithm. We provide a statistical analysis of our algorithm and show that it produces good blue noise characteristics for every prefix of the resulting sample sequence and analyze the performance of our method compared to related state‐of‐the‐art sampling methods.
Style Mixer: Semantic‐aware Multi‐Style Transfer Network
Authors: Huang Zixuan , Zhang Jinghuai , Liao Jing
Published: November 2019

Recent neural style transfer frameworks have obtained astonishing visual quality and flexibility in Single‐style Transfer (SST), but little attention has been paid to Multi‐style Transfer (MST) which refers to simultaneously transferring multiple styles to the same image. Compared to SST, MST has the potential to create more diverse and visually pleasing stylization results. In this paper, we propose the first MST framework to automatically incorporate multiple styles into one result based on regional semantics. We first improve the existing SST backbone network by introducing a novel multi‐level feature fusion module and a patch attention module to achieve better semantic correspondences and preserve richer style details. For MST, we designed a conceptually simple yet effective region‐based style fusion module to insert into the backbone. It assigns corresponding styles to content regions based on semantic matching, and then seamlessly combines multiple styles together. Comprehensive evaluations demonstrate that our framework outperforms existing works of SST and MST.
Distribution Update of Deformable Patches for Texture Synthesis on the Free Surface of Fluids
Authors: Gagnon Jonathan , Guzmán Julián E. , Vervondel Valentin , Dagenais François , Mould David , Paquette Eric
Published: November 2019

We propose an approach for temporally coherent patch‐based texture synthesis on the free surface of fluids. Our approach is applied as a post‐process, using the surface and velocity field from any fluid simulator. We apply the texture from the exemplar through multiple local mesh patches fitted to the surface and mapped to the exemplar. Our patches are constructed from the fluid free surface by taking a subsection of the free surface mesh. As such, they are initially very well adapted to the fluid's surface, and can later deform according to the free surface velocity field, allowing a greater ability to represent surface motion than rigid or 2D grid‐based patches. From one frame to the next, the patch centers and surrounding patch vertices are advected according to the velocity field. We seek to maintain a Poisson disk distribution of patches, and following advection, the Poisson disk criterion determines where to add new patches and which patches should e flagged for removal. The removal considers the local number of patches: in regions containing too many patches, we accelerate the temporal removal. This reduces the number of patches while still meeting the Poisson disk criterion. Reducing areas with too many patches speeds up the computation and avoids patch‐blending artifacts. The final step of our approach creates the overall texture in an atlas where each texel is computed from the patches using a contrast‐preserving blending function. Our tests show that the approach works well on free surfaces undergoing significant deformation and topological changes. Furthermore, we show that our approach provides good results for many fluid simulation scenarios, and with many texture exemplars. We also confirm that the optical flow from the resulting texture matches the fluid velocity field. Overall, our approach compares favorably against recent work in this area.
FontRNN: Generating Large‐scale Chinese Fonts via Recurrent Neural Network
Authors: Tang Shusen , Xia Zeqing , Lian Zhouhui , Tang Yingmin , Xiao Jianguo
Published: November 2019

Despite the recent impressive development of deep neural networks, using deep learning based methods to generate large‐scale Chinese fonts is still a rather challenging task due to the huge number of intricate Chinese glyphs, e.g., the official standard Chinese charset GB18030‐2000 consists of 27,533 Chinese characters. Until now, most existing models for this task adopt Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) to generate bitmap images of Chinese characters due to CNN based models' remarkable success in various applications. However, CNN based models focus more on image‐level features while usually ignore stroke order information when writing characters. Instead, we treat Chinese characters as sequences of points (i.e., writing trajectories) and propose to handle this task via an effective Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) model with monotonic attention mechanism, which can learn from as few as hundreds of training samples and then synthesize glyphs for remaining thousands of characters in the same style. Experimental results show that our proposed FontRNN can be used for synthesizing large‐scale Chinese fonts as well as generating realistic Chinese handwritings efficiently.
A PatchMatch‐based Approach for Matte Propagation in Videos
Authors: Backes Marcos H. , Oliveira Manuel M.
Published: November 2019

Despite considerable advances in natural image matting over the last decades, video matting still remains a difficult problem. The main challenges faced by existing methods are the large amount of user input required, and temporal inconsistencies in mattes between pairs of adjacent frames. We present a temporally‐coherent matte‐propagation method for videos based on PatchMatch and edge‐aware filtering. Given an input video and trimaps for a few frames, including the first and last, our approach generates alpha mattes for all frames of the video sequence. We also present a user scribble‐based interface for video matting that takes advantage of the efficiency of our method to interactively refine the matte results. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach by using it to generate temporally‐coherent mattes for several natural video sequences. We perform quantitative comparisons against the state‐of‐the‐art sparse‐input video matting techniques and show that our method produces significantly better results according to three different metrics. We also perform qualitative comparisons against the state‐of‐the‐art dense‐input video matting techniques and show that our approach produces similar quality results while requiring only about 7% of the amount of user input required by such techniques. These results show that our method is both effective and user‐friendly, outperforming state‐of‐the‐art solutions.
Reliable Rolling‐guided Point Normal Filtering for Surface Texture Removal
Authors: Sun Y. , Chen H. , Qin J. , Li H. , Wei M. , Zong H.
Published: November 2019

Semantic surface decomposition (SSD) facilitates various geometry processing and product re‐design tasks. Filter‐based techniques are meaningful and widely used to achieve the SSD, which however often leads to surface either under‐fitting or over‐fitting. In this paper, we propose a reliable rolling‐guided point normal filtering method to decompose textures from a captured point cloud surface. Our method is built on the geometry assumption that 3D surfaces are comprised of an underlying shape (US) and a variety of bump ups and downs (BUDs) on the US. We have three core contributions. First, by considering the BUDs as surface textures, we present a RANSAC‐based sub‐neighborhood detection scheme to distinguish the US and the textures. Second, to better preserve the US (especially the prominent structures), we introduce a patch shift scheme to estimate the guidance normal for feeding the rolling‐guided filter. Third, we formulate a new position updating scheme to alleviate the common uneven distribution of points. Both visual and numerical experiments demonstrate that our method is comparable to state‐of‐the‐art methods in terms of the robustness of texture removal and the effectiveness of the underlying shape preservation.
No impact on the incidence rate of adenoidectomy 1998‐2014 on a national level in Denmark by the use of nasal steroid and the introduction of pneumococcal vaccines
Authors: Grønlund Casper , Howitz Michael Frantz , Djurhuus Bjarki Ditlev
Published: November 2019

Objective

To describe trends in incidence rates of adenoidectomy in children in Denmark from 1998‐2014 and to look for possible explanatory factors such as intranasal steroids and pneumococcal vaccination.

Design

A nationwide, population‐based, retrospective, interrupted time‐series analysis, using data from Danish registries.

Setting

Hospitals and private Ear, Nose and Throat clinics.

Participants

Children who underwent adenoidectomy from 1998 to 2014 in Denmark.

Main outcome measure

Adenoidectomy.

Methods

The National Patient Register and the National Health insurance Service Register were used to identify all adenoidectomies performed in children. The National Prescription Register supplied data on intranasal steroids.

Results

A total of 174,557 adenoidectomies were identified, distributed among 153 022 children. The annual incidence rate was stable at around 11 per 1000 person‐years from 1998 to 2004. A decrease was seen from 2004 reaching 7.9 in 2009, followed by an increase to 9.1 in 2014. The highest age‐specific incidence rates were seen at 2‐3 years of age. An estimated 14% of children born in 2014 will have had adenoidectomy performed before turning 16 years old. The proportion of adenoidectomies performed in private clinics compared with hospitals was 90%.

Conclusion

From 1998 to 2004 the incidence rate of adenoidectomy in children in Denmark was among the highest in the world with around 11 per 1000 person‐years. A decrease to 7.9 was seen from 2004 to 2009. We found no inverse correlation on a national level between the incidence rates of adenoidectomy and intranasal steroid, nor the introduction of the pneumococcal vaccine. The amount of intranasal steroids used in children in Denmark was negligible compared with adenoidectomy.
Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic bioequivalence of proposed biosimilar MYL‐1501D with US and European insulin glargine formulations in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Heise Tim , Donnelly Charles , Barve Abhijit , Aubonnet Patrick
Published: November 2019

Aims

To report phase 1 bioequivalence results comparing MYL‐1501D, US reference insulin glargine (US IG), and European reference insulin glargine (EU IG).

Materials and methods

The double‐blind, randomized, three‐way crossover study compared the pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) characteristics of MYL‐1501D, US IG and EU IG. In total, 114 patients with type 1 diabetes (T1DM) received 0.4 U/kg of each study treatment under automated euglycaemic clamp conditions. Insulin metabolite M1 concentrations, insulin glargine (IG) and glucose infusion rates (GIRs) were assessed over 30 hours. Primary PK endpoints were area under the serum IG concentration–time curve from 0 to 30 hours (AUCins.0–30h) and maximum serum IG concentration (Cins.max). Primary PD endpoints were area under the GIR–time curve from 0 to 30 hours (AUCGIR0–30h) and maximum GIR (GIRmax).

Results

Bioequivalence among MYL‐1501D, US IG and EU IG was demonstrated for the primary PK and PD endpoints. Least squares mean ratios were close to 1, and 90% confidence intervals were within 0.80 to 1.25. The PD GIR–time profiles were nearly superimposable. There were no noticeable differences in the safety profiles of the three treatments, and no serious adverse events were reported.

Conclusions

Equivalence with regard to PK and PD characteristics was shown among MYL‐1501D, US IG and EU IG in patients with T1DM, and each treatment was well tolerated and safe.
Cholinergic denervation in patients with idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder
Authors: Gersel Stokholm M. , Iranzo A. , Østergaard K. , Serradell M. , Otto M. , Bacher Svendsen K. , Garrido A. , Vilas D. , Fedorova T.D. , Santamaria J. , Møller A. , Gaig C. , Hiraoka K. , Brooks D.J. , Okamura N. , Borghammer P. , Tolosa E. , Pavese N.
Published: November 2019

Background and purpose

Cholinergic dysfunction appears to play a role in the cognitive impairment observed in Parkinson’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies. The occurrence of cholinergic dysfunction in the early stages of these conditions, however, has not been investigated. The objective of this study was to investigate cholinergic function in patients with idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder (iRBD), a disorder recognized to be an early stage of both Parkinson’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies.

Methods

A total of 21 patients with polysomnography‐confirmed iRBD with no evidence of parkinsonism and cognitive impairment and 10 controls underwent positron emission tomography (PET) to assess brain acetylcholinesterase levels (11C‐donepezil PET) and nigrostriatal dopaminergic function (18F‐DOPA PET). Clinical examination included the Movement Disorder Society–Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale part III, Mini Mental State Examination and Montreal Cognitive Assessment.

Results

The 11C‐donepezil PET was successfully performed in 17 patients with iRBD and nine controls. Compared with controls, patients with iRBD showed a mean 7.65% reduction in neocortical 11C‐donepezil levels (P = 0.005). Bilateral superior temporal cortex, occipital cortex, cingulate cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex showed the most significant reductions at voxel level.

Conclusion

Reduced neocortical 11C‐donepezil binding in our patients indicates cholinergic denervation and suggests that the projections from the nucleus basalis of Meynert, which supplies cholinergic innervation to the neocortex, are dysfunctional in iRBD. Longitudinal studies will clarify if these changes are predictive of future cognitive impairment in these patients.
Integrating collaborative research in marine science: Recommendations from an evaluation of evolving science‐industry partnerships in Dutch demersal fisheries
Authors: Steins Nathalie A. , Kraan Marloes L. , van der Reijden Karin J. , Quirijns Floor J. , van Broekhoven Wouter , Poos Jan Jaap
Published: November 2019

The increasingly complex nature of marine resource management calls for stronger stakeholder participation in advancing knowledge and developing management approaches. Studies on stakeholder involvement in marine resource management have primarily focussed on participation in resource use negotiation and not on participation in science. Using fishers' knowledge research frameworks, we evaluate over 15 years of science‐industry research collaboration (SIRC) in Dutch demersal fisheries. Four key lessons emerge: (a) Capacity building in SIRC works multiple ways and triggers shifts in the fishers' knowledge research spectrum; (b) Successful SIRC depends on acceptance of industry collected data for scientific advice, which necessitates close involvement of end‐users from the outset to provide feedback and obtain support; (c) (Fisher) participation raises often‐overlooked equity questions and may result in selection bias; and (d) The governance context strongly influences structure of SIRC and integration of SIRC knowledge. To ensure a sustainable, continuous process of stakeholder participation and use of their knowledge in marine resources research, collaborative research should be embedded in the institutional frameworks for science and management. It demands continuous maintenance of the relationship between scientists and stakeholders in the context of management developments, calls for reflection about selection and equity considerations, and requires continuous attention for communication with all parties involved at different levels. The lessons learnt in science‐industry research collaboration in fisheries are also relevant for the wider field of marine science, where stakeholder participation is necessary but not yet common.
Caulobacter crescentus β sliding clamp employs a noncanonical regulatory model of DNA replication
Authors: Jiang Xuguang , Zhang Linjuan , An Jiancheng , Wang Mingxing , Teng Maikun , Guo Qiong , Li Xu
Published: November 2019

The eubacterial β sliding clamp (DnaN) plays a crucial role in DNA metabolism through direct interactions with DNA, polymerases, and a variety of protein factors. A canonical protein–DnaN interaction has been identified in Escherichia coli and some other species, during which protein partners are tethered into the conserved canonical hydrophobic crevice of DnaN via the consensus β‐binding motif. Caulobacter crescentus is an excellent research model for use in the investigation of DNA replication and cell‐cycle regulation due to its unique asymmetric cell division pattern with restricted replication initiation; however, little is known about the specific features of C. crescentus DnaN (CcDnaN). Here, we report a significant divergence in the association of CcDnaN with proteins based on docking analysis and crystal structures that show that the β‐binding motifs of its protein partners bind a novel pocket instead of the canonical site. Pull‐down and isothermal titration calorimetry results revealed that mutations within the novel pocket disrupt protein–CcDnaN interactions. It was also shown by replication and regulatory inactivation of DnaA assays that mediation of protein interaction by the novel pocket is closely related to the performance of CcDnaN during replication and the DnaN‐mediated regulation process. Moreover, assessments of clamp competition showed that DNA does not compete with protein partners when binding to the novel pocket. Overall, our structural and biochemical analyses provide strong evidence that CcDnaN employs a noncanonical protein association pattern.
Overview of the geometrical influence on the fatigue strength of steel butt welds by a nonlocal approach
Authors: Livieri Paolo , Tovo Roberto
Published: November 2019

The paper deals with the high‐cycle fatigue behaviour of steel butt‐welded joints in the as‐welded condition, under constant amplitude loading. It tackles the problem of strength assessment by changing the geometrical shape and features of the weldment. This investigation considers the recommendations available in design standards, particularly referring to the Eurocodes, and it re‐analyses experimental data where a clear profile of the actual weld shape is available. For the available weld profiles, numerical investigations are shown by applying the Implicit Gradient approach for the evaluation of the nonlocal effective stress in the fatigue strength assessment. The results are very promising since the nonlocal approach significantly agrees with design standard recommendations in conventional cases, but it is also able to provide specific indications on the influence of the geometrical features, as well as the tip radius and opening angles, specifying their influence when no explicitly detailed indications are available in the design standards.
A Revisited Purification of Li for ‘Na Breakthrough’ and its Isotopic Determination by MC‐ICP‐MS
Authors: Xu Lin , Luo Chongguang , Wen Hanjie
Published: November 2019

The accurate and precise determination of Li isotopic composition by MC‐ICP‐MS suffers from the poor performance of traditional column chromatography. Previously established chromatographic processes cannot completely remove Na in complex geological samples, which is currently interpreted to be a result of Na breakthrough. In this study, Na breakthrough during single‐column purification was found to differ between simply artificial Na‐containing sample solutions, where a little Na residue was found, and silicate rocks, where a large amount of breakthrough occurred. A revised two‐step column purification for Li using 0.5 and 0.3 mol l−1 HCl as eluents was designed to remove the Na. This modified method achieves high‐efficiency Li purification from Na and consequently avoiding high Na/Li ratio interference for subsequent MC‐ICP‐MS analyses. The proposed method was validated by the analysis of a series of reference materials, including Li2CO3 (IRMM‐016, ‐0.10‰), basalt (BCR‐2: 2.68‰; BHVO‐2: 4.39‰), andesite (AGV‐2: 6.46‰; RGM‐2: 2.59‰), granodiorite (GSP‐2: −0.87‰) and seawater (CASS‐5, 30.88‰). This work reports early Na appearance prior to the elution curves in chromatography and emphasises its influence for subsequent Li isotope measurement. Based on the findings, the established two‐step method would be more secure than single‐column chemistry for Li purification.
Achieving the unimaginable: Health equity in haemophilia
Authors: Skinner Mark W. , Nugent Diane , Wilton Pam , O’Mahony Brian , Dolan Gerry , O’Hara Jamie , Berntorp Erik
Published: November 2019

Historically, treatment based on the availability of clotting factor replacement has resulted in an arcane guideline for the correction of factor deficiencies in people with haemophilia (PwH). While all other disease entities seek to restore function to a normal level, PwH are restricted to factor nadirs still equivalent to mild or moderate disease, resulting in continued risk of bleeding. A new treatment paradigm is needed based on the defined needs of PwH. A treatment model was developed by a panel of haemophilia providers, patient advocates and health economists to establish specific treatment milestones and targeted outcomes. The panel defined a series of treatment milestones to characterize the activity and outcomes linked to level of factor deficiency correction. All agreed that the ultimate goal should be ‘functional cure’ and ‘health equity’. Seven levels to achieving a functional cure were identified, (a) Sustain life; (b) Minimal joint impairment; (c) Freedom from any spontaneous bleeds; (d) Attainment of ‘normal’ mobility; (e) Able to sustain minor trauma without additional intervention; (f) Ability to sustain major surgery or trauma; and (g) Normal haemostasis. A parallel set of patient‐reported outcomes to achieve health equity was identified. These guidelines are now comparable with other disorders where the goal is to replace missing proteins to attain normal activity levels. As we are no longer limited by plasma supply due to the manufacture of recombinant factors, mimetics, and the early success of gene therapy, health equity is now achievable.