bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Toward high-quality modal contact sound
Authors: Zheng Changxi , James Doug L.
Published: July 2011

Contact sound models based on linear modal analysis are commonly used with rigid body dynamics. Unfortunately, treating vibrating objects as "rigid" during collision and contact processing fundamentally limits the range of sounds that can be computed, and contact solvers for rigid body animation can be ill-suited for modal contact sound synthesis, producing various sound artifacts. In this paper, we resolve modal vibrations in both collision and frictional contact processing stages, thereby enabling non-rigid sound phenomena such as micro-collisions, vibrational energy exchange, and chattering. We propose a frictional multibody contact formulation and modified Staggered Projections solver which is well-suited to sound rendering and avoids noise artifacts associated with spatial and temporal contact-force fluctuations which plague prior methods. To enable practical animation and sound synthesis of numerous bodies with many coupled modes, we propose a novel asynchronous integrator with model-level adaptivity built into the frictional contact solver. Vibrational contact damping is modeled to approximate contact-dependent sound dissipation. Results are provided that demonstrate high-quality contact resolution with sound.
HDR-VDP-2
Authors: Mantiuk Rafat , Kim Kil Joong , Rempel Allan G. , Heidrich Wolfgang
Published: July 2011

Visual metrics can play an important role in the evaluation of novel lighting, rendering, and imaging algorithms. Unfortunately, current metrics only work well for narrow intensity ranges, and do not correlate well with experimental data outside these ranges. To address these issues, we propose a visual metric for predicting visibility (discrimination) and quality (mean-opinion-score). The metric is based on a new visual model for all luminance conditions, which has been derived from new contrast sensitivity measurements. The model is calibrated and validated against several contrast discrimination data sets, and image quality databases (LIVE and TID2008). The visibility metric is shown to provide much improved predictions as compared to the original HDR-VDP and VDP metrics, especially for low luminance conditions. The image quality predictions are comparable to or better than for the MS-SSIM, which is considered one of the most successful quality metrics. The code of the proposed metric is available on-line.
A versatile HDR video production system
Authors: Tocci Michael D. , Kiser Chris , Tocci Nora , Sen Pradeep
Published: July 2011

Although High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging has been the subject of significant research over the past fifteen years, the goal of acquiring cinema-quality HDR images of fast-moving scenes using available components has not yet been achieved. In this work, we present an optical architecture for HDR imaging that allows simultaneous capture of high, medium, and low-exposure images on three sensors at high fidelity with efficient use of the available light. We also present an HDR merging algorithm to complement this architecture, which avoids undesired artifacts when there is a large exposure difference between the images. We implemented a prototype high-definition HDR-video system and we present still frames from the acquired HDR video, tonemapped with various techniques.
Building volumetric appearance models of fabric using micro CT imaging
Authors: Zhao Shuang , Jakob Wenzel , Marschner Steve , Bala Kavita
Published: July 2011

The appearance of complex, thick materials like textiles is determined by their 3D structure, and they are incompletely described by surface reflection models alone. While volume scattering can produce highly realistic images of such materials, creating the required volume density models is difficult. Procedural approaches require significant programmer effort and intuition to design specialpurpose algorithms for each material. Further, the resulting models lack the visual complexity of real materials with their naturally-arising irregularities.

This paper proposes a new approach to acquiring volume models, based on density data from X-ray computed tomography (CT) scans and appearance data from photographs under uncontrolled illumination. To model a material, a CT scan is made, resulting in a scalar density volume. This 3D data is processed to extract orientation information and remove noise. The resulting density and orientation fields are used in an appearance matching procedure to define scattering properties in the volume that, when rendered, produce images with texture statistics that match the photographs. As our results show, this approach can easily produce volume appearance models with extreme detail, and at larger scales the distinctive textures and highlights of a range of very different fabrics like satin and velvet emerge automatically---all based simply on having accurate mesoscale geometry.
Differential domain analysis for non-uniform sampling
Authors: Wei Li-Yi , Wang Rui
Published: July 2011

Sampling is a core component for many graphics applications including rendering, imaging, animation, and geometry processing. The efficacy of these applications often crucially depends upon the distribution quality of the underlying samples. While uniform sampling can be analyzed by using existing spatial and spectral methods, these cannot be easily extended to general non-uniform settings, such as adaptive, anisotropic, or non-Euclidean domains.

We present new methods for analyzing non-uniform sample distributions. Our key insight is that standard Fourier analysis, which depends on samples' spatial locations, can be reformulated into an equivalent form that depends only on the distribution of their location
differentials
. We call this differential domain analysis. The main benefit of this reformulation is that it bridges the fundamental connection between the samples' spatial statistics and their spectral properties. In addition, it allows us to generalize our method with different computation kernels and differential measurements. Using this analysis, we can quantitatively measure the spatial and spectral properties of various non-uniform sample distributions, including adaptive, anisotropic, and non-Euclidean domains.
Articulated swimming creatures
Authors: Tan Jie , Gu Yuting , Turk Greg , Liu C. Karen
Published: July 2011

We present a general approach to creating realistic swimming behavior for a given articulated creature body. The two main components of our method are creature/fluid simulation and the optimization of the creature motion parameters. We simulate two-way coupling between the fluid and the articulated body by solving a linear system that matches acceleration at fluid/solid boundaries and that also enforces fluid incompressibility. The swimming motion of a given creature is described as a set of periodic functions, one for each joint degree of freedom. We optimize over the space of these functions in order to find a motion that causes the creature to swim straight and stay within a given energy budget. Our creatures can perform path following by first training appropriate turning maneuvers through offline optimization and then selecting between these motions to track the given path. We present results for a clownfish, an eel, a sea turtle, a manta ray and a frog, and in each case the resulting motion is a good match to the real-world animals. We also demonstrate a plausible swimming gait for a fictional creature that has no real-world counterpart.
Color compatibility from large datasets
Authors: O'Donovan Peter , Agarwala Aseem , Hertzmann Aaron
Published: July 2011

This paper studies color compatibility theories using large datasets, and develops new tools for choosing colors. There are three parts to this work. First, using on-line datasets, we test new and existing theories of human color preferences. For example, we test whether certain hues or hue templates may be preferred by viewers. Second, we learn quantitative models that score the quality of a five-color set of colors, called a
color theme
. Such models can be used to rate the quality of a new color theme. Third, we demonstrate simple proto-types that apply a learned model to tasks in color design, including improving existing themes and extracting themes from images.
LR
Authors: Gurung Topraj , Luffel Mark , Lindstrom Peter , Rossignac Jarek
Published: July 2011

We propose LR (
Laced Ring
)---a simple data structure for representing the connectivity of manifold triangle meshes. LR provides the option to store on average either 1.08 references per triangle or 26.2 bits per triangle. Its construction, from an input mesh that supports constant-time adjacency queries, has linear space and time complexity, and involves ordering most vertices along a nearly-Hamiltonian cycle. LR is best suited for applications that process meshes with fixed connectivity, as any changes to the connectivity require the data structure to be rebuilt. We provide an implementation of the set of standard random-access, constant-time operators for traversing a mesh, and show that LR often saves both space and traversal time over competing representations.
Example-based elastic materials
Authors: Martin Sebastian , Thomaszewski Bernhard , Grinspun Eitan , Gross Markus
Published: July 2011

We propose an example-based approach for simulating complex elastic material behavior. Supplied with a few poses that characterize a given object, our system starts by constructing a space of prefered deformations by means of interpolation. During simulation, this example manifold then acts as an additional elastic attractor that guides the object towards its space of prefered shapes. Added on top of existing solid simulation codes, this example potential effectively allows us to implement inhomogeneous and anisotropic materials in a direct and intuitive way. Due to its example-based interface, our method promotes an art-directed approach to solid simulation, which we exemplify on a set of practical examples.
High-quality passive facial performance capture using anchor frames
Authors: Beeler Thabo , Hahn Fabian , Bradley Derek , Bickel Bernd , Beardsley Paul , Gotsman Craig , Sumner Robert W. , Gross Markus
Published: July 2011

We present a new technique for passive and markerless facial performance capture based on
anchor frames
. Our method starts with high resolution per-frame geometry acquisition using state-of-the-art stereo reconstruction, and proceeds to establish a single triangle mesh that is propagated through the entire performance. Leveraging the fact that facial performances often contain repetitive subsequences, we identify
anchor frames
as those which contain similar facial expressions to a manually chosen reference expression. Anchor frames are automatically computed over one or even multiple performances. We introduce a robust image-space tracking method that computes pixel matches directly from the reference frame to all anchor frames, and thereby to the remaining frames in the sequence via sequential matching. This allows us to propagate one reconstructed frame to an entire sequence in parallel, in contrast to previous sequential methods. Our anchored reconstruction approach also limits tracker drift and robustly handles occlusions and motion blur. The parallel tracking and mesh propagation offer low computation times. Our technique will even automatically match anchor frames across different sequences captured on different occasions, propagating a single mesh to all performances.
Realtime performance-based facial animation
Authors: Weise Thibaut , Bouaziz Sofien , Li Hao , Pauly Mark
Published: July 2011

This paper presents a system for performance-based character animation that enables any user to control the facial expressions of a digital avatar in realtime. The user is recorded in a natural environment using a non-intrusive, commercially available 3D sensor. The simplicity of this acquisition device comes at the cost of high noise levels in the acquired data. To effectively map low-quality 2D images and 3D depth maps to realistic facial expressions, we introduce a novel face tracking algorithm that combines geometry and texture registration with pre-recorded animation priors in a single optimization. Formulated as a maximum a posteriori estimation in a reduced parameter space, our method implicitly exploits temporal coherence to stabilize the tracking. We demonstrate that compelling 3D facial dynamics can be reconstructed in realtime without the use of face markers, intrusive lighting, or complex scanning hardware. This makes our system easy to deploy and facilitates a range of new applications, e.g. in digital gameplay or social interactions.
Bounded biharmonic weights for real-time deformation
Authors: Jacobson Alec , Baran Ilya , Popović Jovan , Sorkine Olga
Published: July 2011

Object deformation with linear blending dominates practical use as the fastest approach for transforming raster images, vector graphics, geometric models and animated characters. Unfortunately, linear blending schemes for skeletons or cages are not always easy to use because they may require manual weight painting or modeling closed polyhedral envelopes around objects. Our goal is to make the design and control of deformations simpler by allowing the user to work freely with the most convenient combination of handle types. We develop linear blending weights that produce smooth and intuitive deformations for points, bones and cages of arbitrary topology. Our weights, called bounded biharmonic weights, minimize the Laplacian energy subject to bound constraints. Doing so spreads the influences of the controls in a shape-aware and localized manner, even for objects with complex and concave boundaries. The variational weight optimization also makes it possible to customize the weights so that they preserve the shape of specified essential object features. We demonstrate successful use of our blending weights for real-time deformation of 2D and 3D shapes.
Two-scale particle simulation
Authors: Solenthaler Barbara , Gross Markus
Published: July 2011

We propose a two-scale method for particle-based fluids that allocates computing resources to regions of the fluid where complex flow behavior emerges. Our method uses a low- and a high-resolution simulation that run at the same time. While in the coarse simulation the whole fluid is represented by large particles, the fine level simulates only a subset of the fluid with small particles. The subset can be arbitrarily defined and also dynamically change over time to capture complex flows and small-scale surface details. The low- and high-resolution simulations are coupled by including feedback forces and defining appropriate boundary conditions. Our method offers the benefit that particles are of the same size within each simulation level. This avoids particle splitting and merging processes, and allows the simulation of very large resolution differences without any stability problems. The model is easy to implement, and we show how it can be integrated into a standard SPH simulation as well as into the incompressible PCISPH solver. Compared to the single-resolution simulation, our method produces similar surface details while improving the efficiency linearly to the achieved reduction rate of the particle number.
Converting 3D furniture models to fabricatable parts and connectors
Authors: Lau Manfred , Ohgawara Akira , Mitani Jun , Igarashi Takeo
Published: July 2011

Although there is an abundance of 3D models available, most of them exist only in virtual simulation and are not immediately usable as physical objects in the real world. We solve the problem of taking as input a 3D model of a man-made object, and automatically generating the parts and connectors needed to build the corresponding physical object. We focus on furniture models, and we define formal grammars for IKEA cabinets and tables. We perform lexical analysis to identify the primitive parts of the 3D model. Structural analysis then gives structural information to these parts, and generates the connectors (i.e. nails, screws) needed to attach the parts together. We demonstrate our approach with arbitrary 3D models of cabinets and tables available online.
Make it home
Authors: Yu Lap-Fai , Yeung Sai-Kit , Tang Chi-Keung , Terzopoulos Demetri , Chan Tony F. , Osher Stanley J.
Published: July 2011

We present a system that automatically synthesizes indoor scenes realistically populated by a variety of furniture objects. Given examples of sensibly furnished indoor scenes, our system extracts, in advance, hierarchical and spatial relationships for various furniture objects, encoding them into priors associated with ergonomic factors, such as visibility and accessibility, which are assembled into a cost function whose optimization yields realistic furniture arrangements. To deal with the prohibitively large search space, the cost function is optimized by simulated annealing using a Metropolis-Hastings state search step. We demonstrate that our system can synthesize multiple realistic furniture arrangements and, through a perceptual study, investigate whether there is a significant difference in the perceived functionality of the automatically synthesized results relative to furniture arrangements produced by human designers.
Layered 3D
Authors: Wetzstein Gordon , Lanman Douglas , Heidrich Wolfgang , Raskar Ramesh
Published: July 2011

We develop tomographic techniques for image synthesis on displays composed of compact volumes of light-attenuating material. Such volumetric attenuators recreate a 4D light field or high-contrast 2D image when illuminated by a uniform backlight. Since arbitrary oblique views may be inconsistent with any single attenuator, iterative tomographic reconstruction minimizes the difference between the emitted and target light fields, subject to physical constraints on attenuation. As multi-layer generalizations of conventional parallax barriers, such displays are shown, both by theory and experiment, to exceed the performance of existing dual-layer architectures. For 3D display, spatial resolution, depth of field, and brightness are increased, compared to parallax barriers. For a plane at a fixed depth, our optimization also allows optimal construction of high dynamic range displays, confirming existing heuristics and providing the first extension to multiple, disjoint layers. We conclude by demonstrating the benefits and limitations of attenuation-based light field displays using an inexpensive fabrication method: separating multiple printed transparencies with acrylic sheets.
Circular arc structures
Authors: Bo Pengbo , Pottmann Helmut , Kilian Martin , Wang Wenping , Wallner Johannes
Published: July 2011

The most important guiding principle in computational methods for freeform architecture is the balance between cost efficiency on the one hand, and adherence to the design intent on the other. Key issues are the simplicity of supporting and connecting elements as well as repetition of costly parts. This paper proposes so-called circular arc structures as a means to faithfully realize freeform designs without giving up smooth appearance. In contrast to non-smooth meshes with straight edges where geometric complexity is concentrated in the nodes, we stay with smooth surfaces and rather distribute complexity in a uniform way by allowing edges in the shape of circular arcs. We are able to achieve the simplest possible shape of nodes without interfering with known panel optimization algorithms. We study remarkable special cases of circular arc structures which possess simple supporting elements or repetitive edges, we present the first global approximation method for principal patches, and we show an extension to volumetric structures for truly three-dimensional designs.
HOT
Authors: Mullen Patrick , Memari Pooran , de Goes Fernando , Desbrun Mathieu
Published: July 2011

We introduce Hodge-optimized triangulations (HOT), a family of well-shaped primal-dual pairs of complexes designed for fast and accurate computations in computer graphics. Previous work most commonly employs barycentric or circumcentric duals; while barycentric duals guarantee that the dual of each simplex lies within the simplex, circumcentric duals are often preferred due to the induced orthogonality between primal and dual complexes. We instead promote the use of weighted duals ("power diagrams"). They allow greater flexibility in the location of dual vertices while keeping primal-dual orthogonality, thus providing a valuable extension to the usual choices of dual by only adding one additional scalar per primal vertex. Furthermore, we introduce a family of functionals on pairs of complexes that we derive from bounds on the errors induced by diagonal Hodge stars, commonly used in discrete computations. The minimizers of these functionals, called HOT meshes, are shown to be generalizations of Centroidal Voronoi Tesselations and Optimal Delaunay Triangulations, and to provide increased accuracy and flexibility for a variety of computational purposes.
Evaluating Aftereffects of Short-Duration Transcranial Random Noise Stimulation on Cortical Excitability
Authors: Chaieb Leila , Paulus Walter , Antal Andrea
Published: July 2011

A 10-minute application of highfrequency (100–640 Hz) transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) over the primary motor cortex (M1) increases baseline levels of cortical excitability, lasting around 1 hr poststimulation Terney et al. (2008). We have extended previous work demonstrating this effect by decreasing the stimulation duration to 4, 5, and 6 minutes to assess whether a shorter duration of tRNS can also induce a change in cortical excitability. Single-pulse monophasic transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was used to measure baseline levels of cortical excitability before and after tRNS. A 5- and 6-minute tRNS application induced a significant facilitation. 4-minute tRNS produced no significant aftereffects on corticospinal excitability. Plastic after effects after tRNS on corticospinal excitability require a minimal stimulation duration of 5 minutes. However, the duration of the aftereffect of 5-min tRNS is very short compared to previous studies using tRNS. Developing different transcranial stimulation techniques may be fundamental in understanding how excitatory and inhibitory networks in the human brain can be modulated and how each technique can be optimised for a controlled and effective application.
Investigation of Hepatoprotective Activity of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells in the Mouse Model of Liver Injury
Authors: Chiang Chih-Hung , Chang Ching-Chih , Huang Hui-Chun , Chen Yi-Jen , Tsai Ping-Hsing , Jeng Shaw-Yeu , Hung Shuen-Iu , Hsieh Jung-Hung , Huang Hsu-Shan , Chiou Shih-Hwa , Lee Fa-Yauh , Lee Shou-Dong
Published: July 2011

To date liver transplantation is the only effective treatment for end‐stage liver diseases. Considering the potential of pluripotency and differentiation into tridermal lineages, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) may serve as an alternative of cell‐based therapy. Herein, we investigated the effect of iPSC transplantation on thioacetamide‐ (TAA‐) induced acute/fulminant hepatic failure (AHF) in mice. Firstly, we demonstrated that iPSCs had the capacity to differentiate into hepatocyte‐like cells (iPSC‐Heps) that expressed various hepatic markers, including albumin, α‐fetoprotein, and hepatocyte nuclear factor‐3β, and exhibited biological functions. Intravenous transplantation of iPSCs effectively reduced the hepatic necrotic area, improved liver functions and motor activity, and rescued TAA‐treated mice from lethal AHF. 1,1′‐dioctadecyl‐3,3,3′,3′‐tetramethylindocarbocyanine perchlorate cell labeling revealed that iPSCs potentially mobilized to the damaged liver area. Taken together, iPSCs can effectively rescue experimental AHF and represent a potentially favorable cell source of cell‐based therapy.
Quaternary Salts of Chitosan: History, Antimicrobial Features, and Prospects
Authors: de Britto Douglas , Celi Goy Rejane , Campana Filho Sergio Paulo , Assis Odilio B. G.
Published: July 2011

Recently, increasing attention has been paid to water-soluble derivatives of chitosan at its applications. The chemical characteristics and the antimicrobial properties of these salts can play significant role in pharmacological and food areas mainly as carriers for drug delivery systems and as antimicrobial packaging materials. In the current paper, a historical sequence of the main preparative methods, physical chemistry aspects, and antimicrobial activity of chitosan quaternized derivatives are presented and briefly discussed. In general, the results indicated that the quaternary derivatives had better inhibitory effects than the unmodified chitosan.
Millimeter-Wave Rotational Spectrum, Barrier to Internal Rotation, and DFT Calculation of o-Tolunitrile
Authors: Jaman A. I. , Kumar P. Hemant , Bangal P. R.
Published: July 2011

The millimeter-wave rotational spectra of o-tolunitrile (C6H4CH3CN) have been investigated in the ground torsional state in the frequency range 50.0–75.0 GHz. Many high-J rotational lines with large A-E splitting due to internal rotation of the methyl top have been assigned. A least squares analysis of the A-E splitting of 92 transitions resulted in the determination of accurate values of internal rotation parameters. The observed parameters were compared with the previously reported experimental values and DFT calculation results.
SVD-Aided Power Allocation and Iterative Detection Scheme for Turbo-BLAST System with Imperfect Channel State Information
Authors: Chen Xiaomin , Yu Xiangbin , Xu Dazhuan
Published: July 2011

A new technique that combines adaptive power allocation and iterative detection based on singular value decomposition (SVD) is introduced for the modified Turbo-BLAST system with imperfect channel state information (I-CSI). At the transmitter, in order to maximize the capacity performance, the MIMO channel is decomposed into several parallel eigen subchannels by SVD, and then proper power based on the water-filling principle is allocated to every subchannel subject to the total transmit power constraint. At the receiver, the modified MMSE detector taking the CSI imperfection into account is used to remove the coantenna interference, and then the turbo idea is employed for iterative detection to lower the system BER. As a result, the BER performance is effectively enhanced. Numerical results show that the introduced SVD-aided adaptive power allocation method is valid to improve not only the capacity but also the BER performance in the presence of channel state information imperfection, while the iterative detector can further lower the BER results.
Prediction of RNA‐Binding Proteins by Voting Systems
Authors: Peng C. R. , Liu L. , Niu B. , Lv Y. L. , Li M. J. , Yuan Y. L. , Zhu Y. B. , Lu W. C. , Cai Y. D.
Published: July 2011

It is important to identify which proteins can interact with RNA for the purpose of
protein annotation, since interactions between RNA and proteins influence the
structure of the ribosome and play important roles in gene expression. This paper
tries to identify proteins that can interact with RNA using voting systems. Firstly
through Weka, 34 learning algorithms are chosen for investigation. Then simple
majority voting system (SMVS) is used for the prediction of RNA‐binding proteins,
achieving average ACC (overall prediction accuracy) value of 79.72% and MCC
(Matthew’s correlation coefficient) value of 59.77% for the
independent testing dataset. Then mRMR (minimum redundancy maximum relevance)
strategy is used, which is transferred into algorithm selection. In addition, the
MCC value of each classifier is assigned to be the weight of the
classifier’s vote. As a result, best average MCC values are attained
when 22 algorithms are selected and integrated through weighted votes, which are
64.70% for the independent testing dataset, and ACC value is 82.04% at this
moment.
Nonsegmental Vitiligo and Autoimmune Mechanism
Authors: Oiso Naoki , Suzuki Tamio , Fukai Kazuyoshi , Katayama Ichiro , Kawada Akira
Published: July 2011

Nonsegmental vitiligo is a depigmented skin disorder showing acquired, progressive, and depigmented lesions of the skin, mucosa, and hair. It is believed to be caused mainly by the autoimmune loss of melanocytes from the involved areas. It is frequently associated with other autoimmune diseases, particularly autoimmune thyroid diseases including Hashimoto's thyroiditis and Graves' disease, rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, psoriasis, pernicious anemia, systemic lupus erythematosus, Addison's disease, and alopecia areata. This indicates the presence of genetically determined susceptibility to not only vitiligo but also to other autoimmune disorders. Here, we summarize current understanding of autoimmune pathogenesis in non-segmental vitiligo.
Combining Legendre′s Polynomials and Genetic Algorithm in the Solution of Nonlinear Initial‐Value Problems
Authors: Guimarães Osvaldo , Piqueira José Roberto C. , Lobo Netto Marcio
Published: July 2011

This work develops a method for solving ordinary differential equations, that is, initial‐value problems, with solutions approximated by using Legendre′s polynomials. An iterative procedure for the adjustment of the polynomial coefficients is developed, based on the genetic algorithm. This procedure is applied to several examples providing comparisons between its results and the best polynomial fitting when numerical solutions by the traditional Runge‐Kutta or Adams methods are available. The resulting algorithm provides reliable solutions even if the numerical solutions are not available, that is, when the mass matrix is singular or the equation produces unstable running processes.
Podocyte Injury Associated with Mutantα-Actinin-4
Authors: Cybulsky Andrey V. , Kennedy Chris R. J.
Published: July 2011

Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is an important cause of proteinuria and nephrotic syndrome in humans. The pathogenesis of FSGS may be associated with glomerular visceral epithelial cell (GEC; podocyte) injury, leading to apoptosis, detachment, and “podocytopenia”, followed by glomerulosclerosis. Mutations inα-actinin-4 are associated with FSGS in humans. In cultured GECs,α-actinin-4 mediates adhesion and cytoskeletal dynamics. FSGS-associatedα-actinin-4 mutants show increased binding to actin filaments, compared with the wild-type protein. Expression of anα-actinin-4 mutant in mouse podocytesin vivoresulted in proteinuric FSGS. GECs that express mutantα-actinin-4 show defective spreading and motility, and such abnormalities could alter the mechanical properties of the podocyte, contribute to cytoskeletal disruption, and lead to injury. The potential for mutantα-actinin-4 to injure podocytes is also suggested by the characteristics of this mutant protein to form microaggregates, undergo ubiquitination, impair the ubiquitin-proteasome system, enhance endoplasmic reticulum stress, and exacerbate apoptosis.
Optimal Control for Multistage Nonlinear Dynamic System of Microbial Bioconversion in Batch Culture
Authors: Wang Lei , Xiu Zhilong , Zhang Yuduo , Feng Enmin
Published: July 2011

In batch culture of glycerol biodissimilation to 1,3‐propanediol (1,3‐PD), the
aim of adding glycerol is to obtain as much 1,3‐PD as possible. Taking the yield
intensity of 1,3‐PD as the performance index and the initial concentration
of biomass, glycerol, and terminal time as the control vector, we propose an
optimal control model subject to a multistage nonlinear dynamical system and
constraints of continuous state. A computational approach is constructed to
seek the solution of the above model. Firstly, we transform the optimal control
problem into the one with fixed terminal time. Secondly, we transcribe the
optimal control model into an unconstrained one based on the penalty functions
and an extension of the state space. Finally, by approximating the control
function with simple functions, we transform the unconstrained optimal control
problem into a sequence of nonlinear programming problems, which can be
solved using gradient‐based optimization techniques. The convergence analysis
and optimality function of the algorithm are also investigated. Numerical results
show that, by employing the optimal control, the concentration of 1,3‐PD at
the terminal time can be increased, compared with the previous results.
About Nystagmus Transformation in a Case of Apogeotropic Lateral Semicircular Canal Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo
Authors: Vannucchi Paolo , Pecci Rudi
Published: July 2011

There are two forms of lateral semicircular canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo: geotropic and apogeotropic. When the pathophysiological mechanism of the apogeotropic form is that of canalolithiasis, we can observe a transformation from an apogeotropic nystagmus into a geotropic one. Usually, this phenomenon happens simultaneously on both sides, thus enabling us to observe a right-beating paroxysmal positional nystagmus when the patient lies on the right side and a left-beating paroxysmal positional nystagmus on the left side. We describe a case in which the transformation occurred gradually, so that, after three head rotations from side to side in supine position, there was a right nystagmus beating toward the ground (geotropic) with the patient on the right side and a right nystagmus beating away from the ground (apogeotropic) on the left side. However, after further rotations we observed the nystagmus transformation also on the left side, with a geotropic nystagmus on both sides. The phenomenon of gradual transformation could happen because initially only a part of the debris moved from the anterior to the posterior aspect of the canal during head rotations.
Hypoglycemic Properties of Oxovanadium (IV) Coordination Compounds with Carboxymethyl‐Carrageenan and Carboxymethyl‐Chitosan in Alloxan‐Induced Diabetic Mice
Authors: Zhang Hongyu , Yi Yuetao , Feng Dawei , Wang Yipeng , Qin Song
Published: July 2011

In order to avoid low absorption, incorporation, and undesirable side effects of inorganic oxovanadium compounds, the antidiabetic activities of organic oxovanadium (IV) compounds in alloxan‐induced diabetic mice were investigated. Vanadyl carboxymethyl carrageenan (VOCCA) and vanadyl carboxymethyl chitosan (VOCCH) were synthesized and administrated through intragastric administration in different doses for 20 days in alloxan‐induced diabetic mice. Glibenclamide was administrated as the positive control.
Our results showed that low‐dose group, middle‐dose group, and high‐dose group of VOCCA and VOCCH could significantly reduce the levels of blood glucose (P < 0.05) compared with untreated group, but not in normal mice. Besides, high‐dose groups of VOCCA and VOCCH exhibited more significant hypoglycemic activities (P < 0.01). After treated with VOCCH, the oral glucose tolerance of high‐dose group of VOCCH was improved compared with model control group (P < 0.05).
Relevance of VEGF and Nephrin Expression in Glomerular Diseases
Authors: Bertuccio Claudia A.
Published: July 2011

The glomerular filtration barrier is affected in a large number of acquired and inherited diseases resulting in extensive leakage of plasma albumin and larger proteins, leading to nephrotic syndrome and end-stage renal disease. Unfortunately, the molecular mechanisms governing the development of the nephrotic syndrome remain poorly understood. Here, I give an overview of recent investigations that have focused on characterizing the interrelationships between the slit diaphragm components and podocytes-secreted VEGF, which have a significant role for maintaining the normal podocyte structure and the integrity of the filtering barrier.
A Practical Approach to the Diagnosis of Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
Authors: Jaiyeoba Oluwatosin , Soper David E.
Published: July 2011

The diagnosis of acute pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is usually based on clinical criteria and can be challenging for even the most astute clinicians. Although diagnostic accuracy is advocated, antibiotic treatment should be instituted if there is a diagnosis of cervicitis or suspicion of acute PID. Currently, no single test or combination of diagnostic indicators have been found to reliably predict PID, and laparoscopy cannot be recommended as a first line tool for PID diagnosis. For this reason, the clinician is left with maintaining a high index of suspicion for the diagnosis as he/she evaluates the lower genital tract for inflammation and the pelvic organs for tenderness in women with genital tract symptoms and a risk for sexually transmitted infection. This approach should minimize treating women without PID with antibiotics and optimize the diagnosis in a practical and cost-effective way.
Positive Solution of Fourth‐Order Integral Boundary Value Problemwith Two Parameters
Authors: Chai Guoqing
Published: July 2011

The author investigates the fourth‐order integral boundary value problem with two parameters , where nonlinear term function f is allowed to change sign. Applying the fixed point index theorem on cone together with the operator spectrum theorem, some results on the existence of positive solution are obtained.
On Water Density Fluctuations with Helices of Hydrogen Bonds
Authors: Shimkevich Alexander , Shimkevich Inessa
Published: July 2011

An adaptive model is developed here for the liquid water density fluctuations as momentary dense clusters with helices of hydrogen bonds and nondense tetrahedral clusters of ice. This model can be useful for explanation of liquid water structural anomalies including the high quantity of hydrogen bonds with quasitetrahedral orientation in the nonordered liquid water. The topology of such clusters is essentially differed from the one of the crystalline ice. From this and only this point of view, the liquid water can be considered as a two-structural fluid by dynamic forming the two topological kinds of clusters as a consequence of condensed-matter density fluctuations. Another feature of the dense-water-part clusters is helical ordering of protons which can realize coherent vibrations. A spectral series of such vibrations is determined as a function of the number of molecules into the helical cluster.
Appetitive and Dietary Effects of Consuming an Energy-Dense Food (Peanuts) with or between Meals by Snackers and Nonsnackers
Authors: Devitt A. A. , Kuevi A. , Coelho S. B. , Lartey A. , Lokko P. , Costa N. , Bressan J. , Mattes R. D.
Published: July 2011

Background. Energy-dense foods are inconsistently implicated in elevated energy intake (EI). This may stem from other food properties and/or differences in dietary incorporation, that is, as snacks or with meals.Objective. Assess intake pattern and food properties on acute appetitive ratings (AR) and EI.Design. 201 normal and overweight adults consuming a standard lunch. Test loads of 1255.2 kJ (300 kcal) were added to the lunch or provided as snack. Loads (peanuts, snack mix, and snack mix with peanuts) were energy, macronutrient, and volumetrically matched with a lunch portion as control. Participants completed meal and snack sessions of their randomly assigned load.Results. No differences were observed in daily EI or AR for meal versus snack or treatment versus control. Consumption of peanuts as a snack tended to strengthen dietary compensation compared to peanuts or other loads with a meal.Conclusions. Inclusion of an energy-dense food as a snack or meal component had comparable influence on AR and EI. Peanuts tended to elicit stronger dietary compensation when consumed as a snack versus with a meal. If substantiated, this latter observation suggests that properties other than those controlled here (energy, macronutrient content, and volume) modify AR and EI.
Magnetic Anisotropy at Nanoscale
Authors: Gutowski Marek W.
Published: July 2011

Nanoscale objects often behave differently than their “normal-sized” counterparts. Sometimes it is enough to be small in just one direction to exhibit unusual features. One example of such a phenomenon is a very specific in-plane magnetic anisotropy observed sometimes in very thin layers of various materials. Here we recall a peculiar form of the free energy functional nicely describing the experimental findings but completely irrelevant and thus never observed in larger objects.
Probiotics, Nuclear Receptor Signaling, and Anti-Inflammatory Pathways
Authors: Yoon Sonia S. , Sun Jun
Published: July 2011

There is increased investigation of the human microbiome as it relates to health and disease. Dysbiosis is implicated in various clinical conditions including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Probiotics have been explored as a potential treatment for IBD and other diseases. The mechanism of action for probiotics has yet to be fully elucidated. This paper discusses novel mechanisms of action for probiotics involving anti-inflammatory signaling pathways. We highlight recent progress in probiotics and nuclear receptor signaling, such as peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) and vitamin D receptor (VDR). We also discuss future areas of investigation.
Endothelial Cells Create a Stem Cell Niche in Glioblastoma by Providing NOTCH Ligands That Nurture Self-Renewal of Cancer Stem-Like Cells
Authors: Zhu Thant S. , Costello Mark A. , Talsma Caroline E. , Flack Callie G. , Crowley Jessica G. , Hamm Lisa L. , He Xiaobing , Hervey-Jumper Shawn L. , Heth Jason A. , Muraszko Karin M. , DiMeco Francesco , Vescovi Angelo L. , Fan Xing
Published: July 2011

One important function of endothelial cells in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is to create a niche that helps promote self-renewal of cancer stem-like cells (CSLC). However, the underlying molecular mechanism for this endothelial function is not known. Since activation of NOTCH signaling has been found to be required for propagation of GBM CSLCs, we hypothesized that the GBM endothelium may provide the source of NOTCH ligands. Here, we report a corroboration of this concept with a demonstration that NOTCH ligands are expressed in endothelial cells adjacent to NESTIN and NOTCH receptor-positive cancer cells in primary GBMs. Coculturing human brain microvascular endothelial cells (hBMEC) or NOTCH ligand with GBM neurospheres promoted GBM cell growth and increased CSLC self-renewal. Notably, RNAi-mediated knockdown of NOTCH ligands in hBMECs abrogated their ability to induce CSLC self-renewal and GBM tumor growth, both in vitro and in vivo. Thus, our findings establish that NOTCH activation in GBM CSLCs is driven by juxtacrine signaling between tumor cells and their surrounding endothelial cells in the tumor microenvironment, suggesting that targeting both CSLCs and their niche may provide a novel strategy to deplete CSLCs and improve GBM treatment. Cancer Res; 71(18); 6061–72. ©2011 AACR.
Randomized Phase II Trial of Custirsen (OGX-011) in Combination with Docetaxel or Mitoxantrone as Second-line Therapy in Patients with Metastatic Castrate-Resistant Prostate Cancer Progressing after First-line Docetaxel: CUOG Trial P-06c
Authors: Saad Fred , Hotte Sebastien , North Scott , Eigl Bernie , Chi Kim , Czaykowski Piotr , Wood Lori , Pollak Michael , Berry Scott , Lattouf Jean-Baptiste , Mukherjee Som D. , Gleave Martin , Winquist Eric
Published: July 2011

Purpose: Clusterin (CLU) is an antiapoptotic, stress-induced protein conferring treatment resistance when overexpressed. This study tested custirsen, a CLU inhibitor, in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) progressing during or within 6 months of initial docetaxel therapy.

Patients and Methods: Men were randomized to receive either docetaxel + prednisone + custirsen (DPC) or mitoxantrone + prednisone + custirsen (MPC).

Results: Forty-two patients received study treatment. Toxicity was similar in both arms. Twenty patients treated with DPC received a median of 8 cycles; overall survival (OS) was 15.8 months. Median time to pain progression (TTPP) was 10.0 months; 10 of 13 (77%) evaluable patients had pain responses. Three of 13 (23%) evaluable patients had objective partial responses. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) declines of 90% or more, 50% or more, and 30% or more occurred in 4 (20%), 8 (40%), and 11 (55%) patients, respectively.

Twenty-two patients treated with MPC received a median of 6 cycles; OS was 11.5 months. The median TTPP was 5.2 months; 6 of 13 (46%) evaluable patients had pain responses. No objective responses were observed. PSA declines of 50% or more and 30% or more occurred in 6 (27%) and 7 (32%) patients, respectively.

Low serum CLU levels during treatment showed superior survival for patients based on modeling with proportional hazard regression with a time-dependent covariate and different landmarks.

Conclusions: Custirsen plus either docetaxel or mitoxantrone was feasible in patients with progressive mCRPC following first-line docetaxel therapy. Pain relief was higher than expected, with interesting correlations between serum CLU and survival. A phase III trial evaluating the pain palliation benefit of custirsen with taxane therapy is ongoing. Clin Cancer Res; 17(17); 5765–73. ©2011 AACR.
Status of RASSF1A in Uveal Melanocytes and Melanoma Cells
Authors: Calipel Armelle , Abonnet Véronique , Nicole Olivier , Mascarelli Frédéric , Coupland Sarah E. , Damato Bertil , Mouriaux Frédéric
Published: July 2011

RASSF1A gene, found at the 3p21.3 locus, is a tumor suppressor gene frequently hypermethylated in human cancers. In this study, we report that compared with melanocytes in normal choroid, RASSF1A is downregulated in uveal melanoma samples and in uveal melanoma cell lines. LOH at 3p21.3 was detected in 50% of uveal melanoma. Moreover, methylation of the RASSF1A promoter was detected in 35 of 42 tumors (83%) and RASSF1A was also weakly expressed at the mRNA level. These data indicate that LOH at the RASSF1A locus or RASSF1A promoter methylation may partly account for the suppression of RASSF1A expression observed in uveal melanoma. Furthermore, following ectopic expression in three RASSF1A-deficient melanoma cell lines (OCM-1, Mel270, and 92.1), RASSF1A weakly reduces cell proliferation and anchorage-independent growth of uveal melanoma cells without effect on ERK1/2 activation, cyclin D1 and p27Kip1 expression. This study explored biological functions and underlying mechanisms of RASSF1A in the ERK1/2 pathway in normal uveal melanocytes. We showed that siRNA-mediated depletion of RASSF1A increased ERK1/2 activation, cyclin D1 expression, and also decreased p27Kip1 expression in normal uveal melanocytes. Moreover, that the depletion of RASSF1A induced senescence-associated β-galactosidase activity and increased p21Cip1 expression suggests that RASSF1A plays a role in the escape of cellular senescence in normal uveal melanocytes. Interestingly, we found that RASSF1A was epigenetically inactivated in long-term culture of uveal melanocytes. Taken together, these data show that depletion of RASSF1A could be an early event observed during senescence of normal uveal melanocytes and that additional alterations are acquired during malignant transformation to uveal melanoma. Mol Cancer Res; 9(9); 1187–98. ©2011 AACR.