bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Crowd sculpting: A space‐time sculpting method for populating virtual environments
Authors: Jordao K. , Pettré J. , Christie M. , Cani M.‐P.
Published: June 2014

We introduce “Crowd Sculpting”: a method to interactively design populated environments by using intuitive deformation gestures to drive both the spatial coverage and the temporal sequencing of a crowd motion. Our approach assembles large environments from sets of spatial elements which contain inter‐connectible, periodic crowd animations. Such a “Crowd Patches” approach allows us to avoid expensive and difficult‐to‐control simulations. It also overcomes the limitations of motion editing, that would result into animations delimited in space and time. Our novel methods allows the user to control the crowd patches layout in ways inspired by elastic shape sculpting: the user creates and tunes the desired populated environment through stretching, bending, cutting and merging gestures, applied either in space or time. Our examples demonstrate that our method allows the space‐time editing of very large populations and results into endless animation, while offering real‐time, intuitive control and maintaining animation quality.
Clean color: Improving multi‐filament 3D prints
Authors: Hergel Jean , Lefebvre Sylvain
Published: June 2014

Fused Filament Fabrication is an additive manufacturing process by which a 3D object is created from plastic filament. The filament is pushed through a hot nozzle where it melts. The nozzle deposits plastic layer after layer to create the final object. This process has been popularized by the RepRap community.

Several printers feature multiple extruders, allowing objects to be formed from multiple materials or colors. The extruders are mounted side by side on the printer carriage. However, the print quality suffers when objects with color patterns are printed – a disappointment for designers interested in 3D printing their colored digital models. The most severe issue is the oozing of plastic from the idle extruders: Plastics of different colors bleed onto each other giving the surface a smudged aspect, excess strings oozing from the extruder deposit on the surface, and holes appear due to this missing plastic. Fixing this issue is difficult: increasing the printing speed reduces oozing but also degrades surface quality – on large prints the required speed level become impractical. Adding a physical mechanism increases cost and print time as extruders travel to a cleaning station.

Instead, we rely on software and exploit degrees of freedom of the printing process. We introduce three techniques that complement each other in improving the print quality significantly. We first reduce the impact of oozing plastic by choosing a better azimuth angle for the printed part. We build a disposable rampart in close proximity of the part, giving the extruders the opportunity to wipe oozing strings and refill with hot plastic. We finally introduce a toolpath planner avoiding and hiding most of the defects due to oozing, and seamlessly integrating the rampart. We demonstrate our technique on several challenging multiple color prints, and show that our tool path planner improves the surface finish of single color prints as well.
Efficient enforcement of hard articulation constraints in the presence of closed loops and contacts
Authors: Tomcin Robin , Sibbing Dominik , Kobbelt Leif
Published: June 2014

In rigid body simulation, one must distinguish between contacts (so‐called unilateral constraints) and articulations (bilateral constraints). For contacts and friction, iterative solution methods have proven most useful for interactive applications, often in combination with Shock‐Propagation in cases with strong interactions between contacts (such as stacks), prioritizing performance and plausibility over accuracy. For articulation constraints, direct solution methods are preferred, because one can rely on a factorization with linear time complexity for tree‐like systems, even in ill‐conditioned cases caused by large mass‐ratios or high complexity. Despite recent advances, combining the advantages of direct and iterative solution methods wrt. performance has proven difficult and the intricacy of articulations in interactive applications is often limited by the convergence speed of the iterative solution method in the presence of closed kinematic loops (i.e. auxiliary constraints) and contacts. We identify common performance bottlenecks in the dynamic simulation of unilateral and bilateral constraints and are able to present a simulation method, that scales well in the number of constraints even in ill‐conditioned cases with frictional contacts, collisions and closed loops in the kinematic graph. For cases where many joints are connected to a single body, we propose a technique to increase the sparsity of the positive definite linear system. A solution to these bottlenecks is presented in this paper to make the simulation of a wider range of mechanisms possible in real‐time without extensive parameter tuning.
On‐line real‐time physics‐based predictive motion control with balance recovery
Authors: Han Daseong , Noh Junyong , Jin Xiaogang , S. Shin Joseph , Y. Shin Sung
Published: June 2014

In this paper, we present an on‐line real‐time physics‐based approach to motion control with contact repositioning based on a low‐dimensional dynamics model using example motion data. Our approach first generates a reference motion in run time according to an on‐line user request by transforming an example motion extracted from a motion library. Guided by the reference motion, it repeatedly generates an optimal control policy for a small time window one at a time for a sequence of partially overlapping windows, each covering a couple of footsteps of the reference motion, which supports an on‐line performance. On top of this, our system dynamics and problem formulation allow to derive closed‐form derivative functions by exploiting the low‐dimensional dynamics model together with example motion data. These derivative functions and their sparse structures facilitate a real‐time performance. Our approach also allows contact foot repositioning so as to robustly respond to an external perturbation or an environmental change as well as to perform locomotion tasks such as stepping on stones effectively.
IISPH‐FLIP for incompressible fluids
Authors: Cornelis Jens , Ihmsen Markus , Peer Andreas , Teschner Matthias
Published: June 2014

We propose to use Implicit Incompressible Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (IISPH) for pressure projection and boundary handling in Fluid‐Implicit‐Particle (FLIP) solvers for the simulation of incompressible fluids. This novel combination addresses two issues of existing SPH and FLIP solvers, namely mass preservation in FLIP and efficiency and memory consumption in SPH. First, the SPH component enables the simulation of incompressible fluids with perfect mass preservation. Second, the FLIP component efficiently enriches the SPH component with detail that is comparable to a standard SPH simulation with the same number of particles, while improving the performance by a factor of 7 and significantly reducing the memory consumption. We demonstrate that the proposed IISPH‐FLIP solver can simulate incompressible fluids with a quantifiable, imperceptible density deviation below 0.1%. We show large‐scale scenarios with up to 160 million particles that have been processed on a single desktop PC using only 15GB of memory. One‐ and two‐way coupled solids are illustrated.
Rate‐distortion optimized compression of motion capture data
Authors: Váša L. , Brunnett G.
Published: June 2014

Lossy compression of motion capture data can alleviate the problems of efficient storage and transmission by exploiting the redundancy and the superfluous precision of the data. When considering the acceptable amount of distortion, perceptual issues have to be taken into account. Current state of the art methods reduce the data rate required for high quality storage of motion capture data using various techniques. Most of them, however, do not use the common tools of general data compression, such as the method of Lagrange multipliers, and thus they obtain sub‐optimal results, making it difficult to do a fair comparison of their performance.

In this paper, we present a general preprocessing step based on Lagrange multipliers, which allows to rigorously adjust the precision in each of the degrees of freedom of the input data according to the amount of influence the given degree of freedom has on the overall distortion. We then present a simple compression method based on Principal Component Analysis, which in combination with the proposed preprocessing achieves significantly better results than current state of the art methods. It allows optimization with respect to various distortion metrics, and we discuss the choice of the metric in two common but distinct scenarios, proposing a perceptually oriented comparison metric based on the relation of the problem at hand to the problem of compression of dynamic meshes.
Pose partitioning for multi‐resolution segmentation of arbitrary mesh animations
Authors: A. Vasilakis Andreas , Fudos Ioannis
Published: June 2014

We present a complete approach to efficiently deriving a varying level‐of‐detail segmentation of arbitrary animated objects. An over‐segmentation is built by combining sets of initial segments computed for each input pose, followed by a fast progressive simplification which aims at preserving rigid segments. The final segmentation result can be efficiently adjusted for cases where pose editing is performed or new poses are added at arbitrary positions in the mesh animation sequence. A smooth view of pose‐to‐pose segmentation transitions is offered by merging the partitioning of the current pose with that of the next pose. A perceptually friendly visualization scheme is also introduced for propagating segment colors between consecutive poses. We report on the efficiency and quality of our framework as compared to previous methods under a variety of skeletal and highly deformable mesh animations.
Parameter estimation and comparative evaluation of crowd simulations
Authors: Wolinski D. , J. Guy S. , Olivier A.‐H. , Lin M. , Manocha D. , Pettré J.
Published: June 2014

We present a novel framework to evaluate multi‐agent crowd simulation algorithms based on real‐world observations of crowd movements. A key aspect of our approach is to enable fair comparisons by automatically estimating the parameters that enable the simulation algorithms to best fit the given data. We formulate parameter estimation as an optimization problem, and propose a general framework to solve the combinatorial optimization problem for all parameterized crowd simulation algorithms. Our framework supports a variety of metrics to compare reference data and simulation outputs. The reference data may correspond to recorded trajectories, macroscopic parameters, or artist‐driven sketches. We demonstrate the benefits of our framework for example‐based simulation, modeling of cultural variations, artist‐driven crowd animation, and relative comparison of some widely‐used multi‐agent simulation algorithms.
Flower reconstruction from a single photo
Authors: Yan Feilong , Gong Minglun , Cohen‐Or Daniel , Deussen Oliver , Chen Baoquan
Published: June 2014

We present a semi‐automatic method for reconstructing flower models from a single photograph. Such reconstruction is challenging since the 3D structure of a flower can appear ambiguous in projection. However, the flower head typically consists of petals embedded in 3D space that share similar shapes and form certain level of regular structure. Our technique employs these assumptions by first fitting a cone and subsequently a surface of revolution to the flower structure and then computing individual petal shapes from their projection in the photo. Flowers with multiple layers of petals are handled through processing different layers separately. Occlusions are dealt with both within and between petal layers. We show that our method allows users to quickly generate a variety of realistic 3D flowers from photographs and to animate an image using the underlying models reconstructed from our method.
Human bone chips release of sclerostin and FGF‐23 into the culture medium: an in vitro pilot study
Authors: Brolese Eliane , Buser Daniel , Kuchler Ulrike , Schaller Benoit , Gruber Reinhard
Published: June 2014

Objective

Signaling molecules derived from osteocytes have been proposed as a mechanism by which autografts contribute to bone regeneration. However, there have been no studies that determined the role of osteocytes in bone grafts.

Material and method

Herein, it was examined whether bone chips and demineralized bone matrix release sclerostin and FGF‐23, both of which are highly expressed by osteocytes.

Results

Bone grafts from seven donors were placed in culture medium. Immunoassay showed that bone chips released sclerostin (median 1.0 ng/ml) and FGF‐23 (median 9.8 relative units/ml) within the first day, with declining levels overtime. Demineralized bone matrix also released detectable amounts of sclerostin into culture medium, while FGF‐23 remained close to the detection limit. In vitro expanded isolated bone cells failed to release detectable amounts of sclerostin and FGF‐23.

Conclusion

These results suggest that autografts but also demineralized bone matrix can release signaling molecules that are characteristically produced by osteocytes.
Bone remodeling at implants with different configurations and placed immediately at different depth into extraction sockets. Experimental study in dogs
Authors: Calvo‐Guirado José Luis , Gomez Moreno Gerardo , Aguilar‐Salvatierra Antonio , Mate Sanchez de Val Jose Eduardo , Abboud Marcus , Nemcovsky Carlos E.
Published: June 2014

Objectives

This study evaluated the effect of implant macrodesign and position, related to the bone crest, on bone‐to‐implant contact (BIC) and crestal bone (CB) in immediate implants.

Material and methods

The study comprised of six foxhound dogs in which 48 immediate implants were placed. Three types of implants from the same manufacturer with similar surface characteristics but different macrodesigns were randomly placed: Group A (external hex with no collar microthreads), Group B (internal hex and collar microrings), and Group C (internal conical connection and collar microrings). Half of the implants were placed leveled with the bone crest (control) and the remaining, 2 mm subcrestally (test). Block sections were obtained after 12 weeks and processed for mineralized ground sectioning. Statistical analysis consisted of nonparametric Friedman and Wilcoxon test.

Results

All implants were clinically stable and histologically osseointegrated. Mean BIC percentage within the control group was as follows: A: 42.52 ± 8.67, B: 35.19 ± 18.12, and C: 47.46 ± 11.50. Within the test group: A: 47.33 ± 5.23, B: 48.38 ± 11.63, and C: 54.88 ± 11.73. Differences between each subgroup in the test and the control groups were statistically significant. BIC was statistically significantly higher in the test (50.588 ± 8.663) than in the control (43.317 ± 9.851) group. Within both groups, differences between group C and the other 2 were statistically significant. Distance from the implant shoulder to the buccal CB was statistically significantly larger in the control than in the test group and between subgroups B and C in the control and test groups. Within the test groups, relative bone gain was noticed.

Conclusions

Subcrestal immediate implant positioning may lead to a relatively reduced CB resorption and increased BIC. Implants macrodesign with crestal microrings may enhance BIC in post‐extraction implants.
Anal intraepithelial neoplasia: a single centre 19 year review
Authors: Cotter M. B. , Kelly M. E. , O'Connell P. R. , Hyland J. , Winter D. C. , Sheahan K. , Gibbons D.
Published: June 2014

Aim

There is debate about whether the traditional three‐tiered grading of anal intraepithelial neoplasia (AIN) should be replaced by a more reproducible two‐tiered system. In this study, we review our experience with AIN to determine the most suitable classification system.

Method

We performed a retrospective review of all histological reports over a 19 year period. All specimens were graded on haemataloxin and eosin appearance and those with dysplasia had immunohistochemistry for p16 and Ki67 performed.

Results

Cases included 25 condyloma acuminata, 11 dysplastic cases and 24 invasive squamous cell carcinomas. On review, 18 were classified as condyloma acuminata without dysplasia. Seven had AIN I, five had AIN II and six had AIN III when using a three‐tiered system. All cases classified as dysplastic (n = 18) showed an increased proliferation index as measured by Ki67. p16 positivity was seen in all AIN III, two AIN II and none of the AIN I cases. Recurrence was not observed in any of the AIN I cases. Five of eleven AIN II and AIN III cases recurred or persisted at a similar, higher or lower grade. Both of the AIN II cases which recurred or persisted were p16 positive. None of the AIN II cases that were p16 negative recurred. Three of the p16‐positive AIN III cases did not recur. None of the 18 AIN cases progressed to carcinoma.

Conclusion

The findings support the slow progression of AIN as described in the literature. In our small series, a two‐tiered system with further subclassification of the traditional AIN II group using p16 appears to be clinically useful.
Action Attenuates the Effect of Visibility on Gesture Rates
Authors: Hostetter Autumn B.
Published: June 2014

Much evidence suggests that semantic characteristics of a message (e.g., the extent to which the message evokes thoughts of spatial or motor properties) and social characteristics of a speaking situation (e.g., whether there is a listener who can see the speaker) both influence how much speakers gesture. However, the Gesture as Simulated Action (GSA) framework (Hostetter & Alibali, ) predicts that these effects should not be independent but should interact such that the effect of visibility is lessened when a message evokes strong thoughts of action. This study tested this claim by comparing the gesture rates produced by speakers as they described 24 nouns that vary in how strongly they evoke thoughts of action. Further, half of the words were described with visibility between speaker and listener blocked. The results demonstrated a significant interaction as predicted by the GSA framework.
Network‐based identification of key proteins involved in apoptosis and cell cycle regulation
Authors: Wu L. , Zhou N. , Sun R. , Chen X. D. , Feng S. C. , Zhang B. , Bao J. K.
Published: June 2014

Objectives

Cancer cells differ from normal body cells in their ability to divide indefinitely and to evade programmed cell death. Crosstalk between apoptosis and cell cycle processes promotes balance between proliferation and death, and limits population growth and survival of cells. However, intricate relationships between them and how they are able to manipulate the fate of cancer cells still remain to be clarified. Identification of key factors involved in both apoptosis and cell cycle regulation may help to address this problem.

Materials and methods

Identification of such key proteins was carried out, using a series of bioinformatics methods, such as network construction and key protein identification.

Results

In this study, we computationally constructed human apoptotic/cell cycle‐related protein‐protein interactions (PPIs) networks from five experimentally supported protein interaction databases, and further integrated these high‐throughput data sets into a Naïve Bayesian model to predict protein functional connections. On the basis of modified apoptotic/cell cycle related PPI networks, we calculated and ranked all protein members involved in apoptosis and cell cycle regulation. Our results not only identified some already known key proteins such as p53, Rb, Myc and Src but also found that the proteasome, Cullin family members, kinases and transcriptional repressors play important roles in regulating apoptosis and the cell cycle. Furthermore, we found that the top 100 proteins ranked by PeC were enriched in some pathways such as those of cancer, the proteasome, the cell cycle and Wnt signalling.

Conclusions

We constructed the global human apoptotic/cell cycle related PPI network based on five online databases, and a Naïve Bayesian model. In addition, we systematically identified apoptotic/cell cycle related key proteins in cancer cells. These findings may uncover intricate relationships between apoptosis and cell cycle processes and thus provide further new clues towards future anticancer drug discovery.
Metastatic breast cancer: mechanisms and opportunities for cytology
Authors: Martins D. , Beca F. , Schmitt F.
Published: June 2014

Despite significant advances in diagnosis, surgical techniques, general patient care, and local and systemic adjuvant therapies, metastatic disease remains the most critical condition limiting the survival of patients with breast cancer. Therefore, the development of effective treatment against late‐arising metastasis has become the centre of clinical attention and is one of the current challenges in cancer research. A deeper understanding of the metastatic cascade is fundamental, and the need for repetitive tumour assessments for the evaluation of tumour evolution is a relatively new practice in routine medical care. As such, fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is ideally placed to monitor biological changes in metastasis that may affect treatment and response. As FNAC is a minimally invasive method, it can be performed repeatedly with relatively little trauma, and selective ancillary tests can be applied to FNAC specimens, including for tumour whose primary nature is known. Herein, we review how the linear and parallel models explain metastatic dissemination, thus influencing therapeutic and clinical decisions, and how cytology, together with immunocytochemistry and molecular analysis, can be a tool for routine clinical practice and clinical trials aimed at metastatic disease with a special emphasis on breast cancer.
The origin and maintenance of montane diversity: integrating evolutionary and ecological processes
Authors: Graham Catherine H. , Carnaval Ana C. , Cadena Carlos Daniel , Zamudio Kelly R. , Roberts Trina E. , Parra Juan Luis , McCain Christy M. , Bowie Rauri C. K. , Moritz Craig , Baines Stephen B. , Schneider Christopher J. , VanDerWal Jeremy , Rahbek Carsten , Kozak Kenneth H. , Sanders Nathan J.
Published: June 2014

Determining how ecological and evolutionary processes produce spatial variation in local species richness remains an unresolved challenge. Using mountains as a model system, we outline an integrative research approach to evaluate the influence of ecological and evolutionary mechanisms on the generation and maintenance of patterns of species richness along and among elevational gradients. Biodiversity scientists interested in patterns of species richness typically start by documenting patterns of species richness at regional and local scales, and based on their knowledge of the taxon, and the environmental and historical characteristics of a mountain region, they then ask whether diversity–environment relationships, if they exist, are explained mostly by ecological or evolutionary hypotheses. The final step, and perhaps most challenging one, is to tease apart the relative influence of ecological and evolutionary mechanisms. We propose that elucidating the relative influence of ecological and evolutionary mechanisms can be achieved by taking advantage of the replicated settings afforded by mountains, combined with targeted experiments along elevational gradients. This approach will not only identify potential mechanisms that drive patterns of species richness, but also allow scientists to generate more robust hypotheses about which factors generate and maintain local diversity.
Climate‐related range shifts – a global multidimensional synthesis and new research directions
Authors: Lenoir J. , Svenning J.‐C.
Published: June 2014

Poleward and upward shifts are the most frequent types of range shifts that have been reported in response to contemporary climate change. However, the number of reports documenting other types of range shifts – such as in east‐west directions across longitudes or, even more unexpectedly, towards tropical latitudes and lower elevations – is increasing rapidly. Recent studies show that these range shifts may not be so unexpected once the local climate changes are accounted for. We here provide an updated synthesis of the fast‐moving research on climate‐related range shifts. By describing the current state of the art on geographical patterns of species range shifts under contemporary climate change for plants and animals across both terrestrial and marine ecosystems, we identified a number of research shortfalls. In addition to the recognised geographic shortfall in the tropics, we found taxonomic and methodological shortfalls with knowledge gaps regarding range shifts of prokaryotes, lowland range shifts of terrestrial plants, and bathymetric range shifts of marine plants. Based on this review, we provide a research agenda for filling these gaps. We outline a comprehensive framework for assessing multidimensional changes in species distributions, which should then be contrasted with expectations based on climate change indices, such as velocity measures accounting for complex local climate changes. Finally, we propose a unified classification of geographical patterns of species range shifts, arranged in a bi‐dimensional space defined by species’ persistence and movement rates. Placing the observed and expected shifts into this bi‐dimensional space should lead to more informed assessments of extinction risks.
Beaver dams shift desert fish assemblages toward dominance by non‐native species (Verde River, Arizona, USA)
Authors: Gibson Polly P. , Olden Julian D. , O'Neill Matthew W.
Published: June 2014

The reintroduction of beaver (Castor canadensis) into arid and semi‐arid rivers is receiving increasing management and conservation attention in recent years, yet very little is known about native versus non‐native fish occupancy in beaver pond habitats. Streams of the American Southwest support a highly endemic, highly endangered native fish fauna and abundant non‐native fishes, and here we investigated the hypothesis that beaver ponds in this region may lead to fish assemblages dominated by non‐native species that favour slower‐water habitat. We sampled fish assemblages within beaver ponds and within unimpounded lotic stream reaches in the mainstem and in tributaries of the free‐flowing upper Verde River, Arizona, USA. Non‐native fishes consistently outnumbered native species, and this dominance was greater in pond than in lotic assemblages. Few native species were recorded within ponds. Multivariate analysis indicated that fish assemblages in beaver ponds were distinct from those in lotic reaches, in both mainstem and tributary locations. Individual species driving this distinction included abundant non‐native green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus) and western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) in pond sites, and native desert sucker (Catostomus clarkii) in lotic sites. Overall, this study provides the first evidence that, relative to unimpounded lotic habitat, beaver ponds in arid and semi‐arid rivers support abundant non‐native fishes; these ponds could thus serve as important non‐native source areas and negatively impact co‐occurring native fish populations.
Regional analysis of striatal and cortical amyloid deposition in patients with Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Ishibashi Kenji , Ishiwata Kiichi , Toyohara Jun , Murayama Shigeo , Ishii Kenji
Published: June 2014

We aimed to analyse the detailed distribution pattern of amyloid‐β (Aβ) in the striatum, and to examine whether there is any correlation between Aβ deposition levels in the striatum and cortical regions. Twenty patients with Alzheimer's disease underwent positron emission tomography using 11C‐Pittsburgh Compound B (11C‐PiB) to quantify the Aβ deposition. Volumes‐of‐interest analyses were performed on the ventral striatum (VST), pre‐commissural dorsal caudate (pre‐DCA), post‐commissural caudate (post‐CA), pre‐commissural dorsal putamen (pre‐DPU), and post‐commissural putamen (post‐PU), followed by exploratory voxel‐wise analyses. Volumes‐of‐interest analyses of 11C‐PiB binding showed: VST > pre‐DPU (P = 0.004), VST > pre‐DCA (P < 0.0001), pre‐DPU > post‐PU (P < 0.0001), and pre‐DCA > post‐CA (P < 0.0001), consistent with visual inspection of the 11C‐PiB images. Exploratory voxel‐wise analyses of 11C‐PiB binding showed a positive correlation between the VST and the medial part of the orbitofrontal area (P < 0.01 family‐wise error corrected). This study confirmed that there were ventral > dorsal, and anterior > posterior gradients of Aβ deposition in patients with Alzheimer's disease, and provided the first evidence of a robust correlation between Aβ deposition levels in the VST and the medial part of the orbitofrontal area. There are well‐known anatomical and functional links between these areas. These findings indicated that brain Aβ deposition was not randomly distributed, but had characteristic patterns related to anatomical connectivity and/or functional networks.
Changes of spatial and temporal frequency tuning properties of neurons in the middle temporal area of aged rhesus monkeys
Authors: Yuan Nini , Liang Zhen , Yang Yun , Li Guangxing , Zhou Yifeng
Published: June 2014

Aged humans exhibit severe deficits in visual motion perception and contrast sensitivity under various levels of spatial and temporal modulation. Previous studies indicated that many of these deficits are probably mediated by the neural degradation of the central visual system. To clarify the neuronal response mechanisms underlying the visual degradation during aging, we examined the spatial and temporal frequency tuning properties of neurons from anesthetised and paralysed aged monkeys at the middle temporal area (areaMT), which is downstream of the primary visual cortex in the visual processing pathway and thought to be critical for motion perception. We found that the preferred spatial and temporal frequencies, spatial resolution and high temporal frequency cutoff of areaMTneurons were reduced in aged monkeys, and were accompanied by the broadened tuning width of spatial frequency, elevated spontaneous activity, and decreased signal‐to‐noise ratio. These results showed that, for neurons in areaMT, aging significantly changed both the spatial and temporal frequency response tuning properties. Such evidence provides new insight into the changes occurring at the electrophysiological level that may be related to the aging‐related visual deficits, especially in processing spatial and temporal information.
Clinical evolution of Parkinson's disease and prognostic factors affecting motor progression: 9‐year follow‐up study
Authors: Reinoso G. , Allen J. C. , Au W.‐L. , Seah S.‐H. , Tay K.‐Y. , Tan L. C. S.
Published: June 2014

Background and purpose

There have been few long‐term studies that have characterized and charted the clinical progression of Parkinson's disease (PD). This study was therefore undertaken to understand the natural clinical evolution of treated PD patients and to identify the variables that predict greater progression in these patients.

Methods

A longitudinal linear mixed model analysis of motor score progression was performed on 576 PD patients derived from the National Neuroscience Institute Movement Disorders Database. Clinical and demographic variables were taken at baseline and formed the subgroups for comparison (gender, age at diagnosis, subtype, Mini‐Mental State Examination score and baseline motor score). Motor score progression was calculated at each patient follow‐up time point as the difference between Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) motor score at baseline and follow‐up scores.

Results

The overall annual motor score progression as measured by the change of UPDRS motor scores from baseline ranged from 0.62% to 3.67%. There are three distinct phases: improvement, stability, and steady progression. Patients returned to baseline score 2–2.5 years after diagnosis, with stability lasting to 7 years, followed by a period of steady progression. When analyzed longitudinally, male gender (P < 0.03), older age at diagnosis (P < 0.05), akinetic‐rigid subtype (P < 0.04), cognitive impairment (P < 0.005) and lower baseline motor score (P < 0.04) were associated with greater progression of motor scores.

Conclusions

Our results show that, when measured clinically, motor progression was non‐linear and that it occurred in distinct phases, all of which were affected by baseline demographic and clinical variables such as gender, age at diagnosis, disease subtype, cognitive status and baseline motor score.
Early onset epileptic encephalopathy caused by de novo SCN8A mutations
Authors: Ohba Chihiro , Kato Mitsuhiro , Takahashi Satoru , Lerman‐Sagie Tally , Lev Dorit , Terashima Hiroshi , Kubota Masaya , Kawawaki Hisashi , Matsufuji Mayumi , Kojima Yasuko , Tateno Akihiko , Goldberg‐Stern Hadassa , Straussberg Rachel , Marom Dafna , Leshinsky‐Silver Esther , Nakashima Mitsuko , Nishiyama Kiyomi , Tsurusaki Yoshinori , Miyake Noriko , Tanaka Fumiaki , Matsumoto Naomichi , Saitsu Hirotomo
Published: June 2014

Objective

De novo SCN8A mutations have been reported in patients with epileptic encephalopathy. Herein we report seven patients with de novo heterozygous SCN8A mutations, which were found in our comprehensive genetic analysis (target capture or whole‐exome sequencing) for early onset epileptic encephalopathies (EOEEs).

Methods

A total of 163 patients with EOEEs without mutations in known genes, including 6 with malignant migrating partial seizures in infancy (MMPSI), and 60 with unclassified EOEEs, were analyzed by target capture (28 samples) or whole‐exome sequencing (135 samples).

Results

We identified de novo SCN8A mutations in 7 patients: 6 of 60 unclassified EOEEs (10.0%), and one of 6 MMPSI cases (16.7%). The mutations were scattered through the entire gene: four mutations were located in linker regions, two in the fourth transmembrane segments, and one in the C‐terminal domain. The type of the initial seizures was variable including generalized tonic–clonic, atypical absence, partial, apneic attack, febrile convulsion, and loss of tone and consciousness. Onset of seizures was during the neonatal period in two patients, and between 3 and 7 months of age in five patients. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed cerebellar and cerebral atrophy in one and six patients, respectively. All patients with SCN8A missense mutations showed initially uncontrollable seizures by any drugs, but eventually one was seizure‐free and three were controlled at the last examination. All patients showed developmental delay or regression in infancy, resulting in severe intellectual disability.

Significance

Our data reveal that SCN8A mutations can cause variable phenotypes, most of which can be diagnosed as unclassified EOEEs, and rarely as MMPSI. Together with previous reports, our study further indicates that genetic testing of SCN8A should be considered in children with unclassified severe epilepsy.

A PowerPoint slide summarizing this article is available for download in the Supporting Information section here.
Quantitative analysis of surface electromyography during epileptic and nonepileptic convulsive seizures
Authors: Beniczky Sándor , Conradsen Isa , Moldovan Mihai , Jennum Poul , Fabricius Martin , Benedek Krisztina , Andersen Noémi , Hjalgrim Helle , Wolf Peter
Published: June 2014

Objective

To investigate the characteristics of sustained muscle activation during convulsive epileptic and psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES), as compared to voluntary muscle activation. The main goal was to find surface electromyography (EMG) features that can distinguish between convulsive epileptic seizures and convulsive PNES.

Methods

In this case–control study, surface EMG was recorded from the deltoid muscles during long‐term video–electroencephalography (EEG) monitoring in 25 patients and in 21 healthy controls. A total of 46 clinical episodes were recorded: 28 generalized tonic–clonic seizures (GTCS) from 14 patients with epilepsy, and 18 convulsive PNES from 12 patients (one patient had both GTCS and PNES). The healthy controls were simulating GTCS. To quantitatively characterize the signals we calculated the following parameters: root mean square (RMS) of the amplitude, median frequency (MF), coherence, and duration of the seizures, of the clonic EMG discharges, and of the silent periods between the cloni. Based on wavelet analysis, we distinguished between a low‐frequency component (LF 2–8 Hz) and a high‐frequency component (HF 64–256 Hz).

Results

Duration of the seizure, and separation between the tonic and the clonic phases distinguished at group‐level but not at individual level between convulsive PNES and GTCS. RMS, temporal dynamics of the HF/LF ratio, and the evolution of the silent periods differentiated between epileptic and nonepileptic convulsive seizures at the individual level. A combination between HF/LF ratio and RMS separated all PNES from the GTCS. A blinded review of the EMG features distinguished correctly between GTCS and convulsive PNES in all cases. The HF/LF ratio and the RMS of the PNES were smaller compared to the simulated seizures.

Significance

In addition to providing insight into the mechanism of muscle activation during convulsive PNES, these results have diagnostic significance, at the individual level. Surface EMG features can accurately distinguish convulsive epileptic from nonepileptic psychogenic seizures, even in PNES cases without rhythmic clonic movements.

A PowerPoint slide summarizing this article is available for download in the Supporting Information section here.
Energy potential for combustion and anaerobic digestion of biomass from low‐input high‐diversity systems in conservation areas
Authors: Van Meerbeek Koenraad , Appels Lise , Dewil Raf , Van Beek Jonathan , Bellings Lore , Liebert Kenny , Muys Bart , Hermy Martin
Published: June 2014

In this study, we assessed the potential for bioenergy production of Low‐Input High‐Diversity (LIHD) systems in temperate West‐European conservation areas. A wide range of seminatural ecosystems (wet and dry grasslands, marshes, tall‐herb vegetation and heathlands) was sampled. Because LIHD biomass is often scattered and discontinuously available, we only considered the potential for anaerobic digestion and combustion. Both technologies are suitable for decentralized biomass utilization. The gross energy yield showed a promising range between 46–277  GJ per hectare per mowing cycle (MC). The energy efficiency of the anaerobic digestion process was rather low (10–30%) with a methane energy yield of 5.5–35.5 GJ ha−1 MC−1, experimentally determined by batch digestion tests. The water content, functional group composition and biochemical composition (hemicellulose, cellulose, lignin and Kjeldahl nitrogen) of the biomass were analyzed to assess the suitability of different valorization pathways. On the basis of the results, we were able to propose recommendations regarding the appropriate conversion techniques. Biomass from plant communities with ‘late’ harvest dates (August–October) or a high fraction of woody species like heathland and dune slacks, is best valorized through combustion, while herbaceous biomass of ‘early’ harvested grasslands (June–July) and tall‐herb vegetation can better be digested. The main advantages of the production of bioenergy from LIHD biomass originating from conservation management are the minimization of the competition with food production and its potential to reconcile renewable energy policies and biodiversity goals.
Influence of sonication and high hydrostatic pressure on the quality of carrot juice
Authors: Jabbar Saqib , Abid Muhammad , Hu Bing , Muhammad Hashim Malik , Saeeduddin Muhammad , Lei Shicheng , Wu Tao , Zeng Xiaoxiong
Published: June 2014

The combined effects of ultrasound (US) and high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) on enzymes, micro‐organisms, colouring pigments, total polyphenols, ascorbic acid and physicochemical properties of carrot juice were investigated. Carrot juice was treated with sonication (20 kHz, 70% amplitude) and HHP (250, 350, 450 MPa) at room temperature for 10 min. For comparison, fresh carrots were water blanched (WB) at 100 °C for 4 min and carrot juice was then extracted. As results, highest improvements in colouring pigments were observed in WB and US‐HHP450 treatments, which also completely inactivated micro‐organisms. The highest reduction in enzymes was observed in WB treatment followed by US‐HHP450. Total polyphenol contents increased significantly in US, HHP and US‐HHP treatments with the highest increase in US‐HHP450, but it decreased significantly in WB treatment. Ascorbic acid contents significantly decreased in WB and HHP450, while increased in US and US‐HHP treatments. Results indicate that US‐HHP450 treatment improves the quality of carrot juice and serves as a good alternative for blanching treatment.
Profile of antioxidant and antibacterial activities of different solvent extracts from Rabdosia rubescens
Authors: Feng Sai‐Sai , Xu Jian‐Guo
Published: June 2014

The objective of this work was to investigate the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of different extracts from Rabdosia rubescens and to further evaluate the antibacterial mechanism of extracts. The results showed that 80% acetone extracts had the highest contents of total polyphenols (8.09 mg GAE g−1) and flavonoids (5.69 mg RE g−1) and exhibited the strongest antioxidant activities, followed by 80% methanol and 80% ethanol, and the lowest for hexane extracts. Others except for hexane extracts showed different antibacterial activities against Gram‐positive strains, while no inhibitory effects were found on tested Gram‐negative bacterial strains. Among these extracts, 80% acetone and ethanol extracts had relatively higher antibacterial activities with the lowest minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration values of 5 and 10 mg mL−1. The antibacterial mechanism of ethanol extracts against Staphylococcus aureus might be described as it disrupts cell wall, increases cell membrane permeability and then leads to the leakage of cell constituents.
Monthly variation of total lipid and fatty acid contents of Atlantic bonito, Sarda sarda (Bloch, 1793) of Black Sea
Authors: Balçik Misir Gülsüm , Tufan Bekir , Köse Sevim
Published: June 2014

This study represents significant monthly variations of total lipid and fatty acid composition of muscle and liver tissue of Black Sea bonito (P < 0.05). Average total lipids of bonito muscle and liver were 8.4% and 25.1%, respectively, and the highest polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) was observed in September and March as 52.9% and 46.6%, respectively. Bonito muscle was found to contain good amounts of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in a range of 252.0–1169.1 mg/100 g and 712.1–3324.1 g/100 g, respectively. Higher levels were found in liver at 3323.3 mg/100 g for EPA and 6996.5 mg/100 g for DHA. Although 25–100 g edible muscle is necessary to reach 1 g per day of EPA+DHA requirement for a healthy diet, only 9.8–87.9 g of bonito liver is enough to cover the recommended daily amount for these fatty acids. The results indicate that bonito livers constitute a rich and underexploited source of PUFAs.
Development of a flavour fingerprint by GC‐MS and GC‐O combined with chemometric methods for the quality control of Korla pear (Pyrus serotina Reld)
Authors: Tian Honglei , Zhan Ping , Deng Zeyuan , Yan Haiyan , Zhu Xinrong
Published: June 2014

Based on solid‐phase micro‐extraction/gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry (SPME/GC‐MS) and gas chromatography‐olfactometry (GC‐O), a new method was described for the first time to establish flavour fingerprint for the quality control of Korla pear. Twenty‐three batches of Korla pear collected from different regions in Xinjiang, China were analysed via GC‐MS, among which 21 were selected to establish the fingerprint. The results of the analysis were combined with GC‐O assessment to obtain 26 common odour‐active compounds as the characteristics of the Korla pear flavour fingerprint. The method for flavour fingerprint analysis was then validated on the basis of the relative retention time and relative peak area of the common peaks, sample stability and similarity analysis. The similarities in the 21 Korla pear samples were more than 0.80, thereby indicating that the samples from different batches were consistent to a particular extent. The chemometrics method (principal component analysis, PCA) was performed to develop a flavour fingerprint that is suitable for identifying and differentiating Korla pears and can be used for quality control.
Hazelnut milk fermentation using probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and inulin
Authors: Bernat Neus , Cháfer Maite , Chiralt Amparo , González‐Martínez Chelo
Published: June 2014

Following the consumer demand of healthy vegetable products due to their interesting nutritional profiles and potential functionalities, the fermentation process of hazelnut milk with Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and S. thermophilus was studied. The effect of different factors (glucose, inulin and inoculum contents) was analysed to ensure sufficient probiotic survivals in a minimum time. The shelf life of the optimised product was characterised in terms of its main physicochemical and quality parameters (probiotic survivals and sensory analysis). Results showed that the defined formulation allowed high probiotic survivals (≈108 cfu mL−1) throughout cold storage and >60% survived to the in vitro digestion process (≈105 cfu mL−1). Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG was no able to degrade inulin, which remained to exert health benefits in the host. The product was highly appreciated by the sensory panel during its shelf life despite the formation of a weak gel, which presented syneresis at the last storage time.
Proteolysis in dry‐aged loins manufactured with sonicated pork and inoculated with Lactobacillus casei ŁOCK 0900 probiotic strain
Authors: Stadnik Joanna , Stasiak Dariusz M. , Dolatowski Zbigniew J.
Published: June 2014

Selected parameters related to proteolysis were evaluated in dry‐aged loins manufactured with sonicated pork and inoculated with Lactobacillus casei ŁOCK 0900 probiotic strain. Dehydration, pH, water activity and total nitrogen content were not affected by ultrasound treatment. Neither sonication nor inoculation has an influence on L* and a* colour parameters. Sonication significantly influenced the pattern of proteolysis providing higher nonprotein nitrogen content (NPN) and proteolysis index (PI). The highest intensity of proteolysis, as assessed by NPN and PI, occurred in an inoculated sample. Neither sonication nor inoculation with L. casei had a significant effect on total viable counts. Loins inoculated with L. casei had the highest lactic acid bacteria count, followed by the sonicated and nonsonicated control. This research shows that sonication followed by inoculation with L. casei ŁOCK 0900 could be used as an effective measure to speed up the proteolytic changes in dry‐aged meat cuts.