bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
High‐throughput genotyping of KIR2DL2/L3, KIR3DL1/S1, and their HLA class I ligands using real‐time PCR
Authors: Koehler R. N. , Walsh A. M. , Moqueet N. , Currier J. R. , Eller M. A. , Eller L. A. , Wabwire‐Mangen F. , Michael N. L. , Robb M. L. , McCutchan F. E. , Kijak G. H.
Published: June 2009

Killer immunoglobulin‐like receptors (KIRs) expressed on natural killer cells are critical components of innate immunity. Interactions between KIRs and their human leukocyte antigen (HLA) ligands have been shown to influence autoimmune and infectious disease course in defined populations. However, the low throughput and high cost of current methods impede confirmation of the universality of these findings. To support large epidemiology surveys, we developed a high‐throughput real‐time polymerase chain reaction‐based assay to identify carriers of KIR3DL1, KIR3DS1, KIR2DL2, and KIR2DL3 and their HLA ligands. The platform performed with 100% sensitivity and specificity in detection of carrier and non‐carrier on reference samples. The application of this platform will further clarify the nature and impact of the KIR–HLA epistatic interaction on disease course in large global population‐based studies.
Water relations of the tos1 tomato mutant at contrasting evaporative demand
Authors: Jurado Oliva , Albacete Alfonso , Martínez‐Ballesta M. Carmen , Carvajal Micaela , Pérez‐Alfocea Francisco , Dodd Ian C. , Romero‐Aranda M. Remedios
Published: June 2009

The tos1 (tomato osmotically sensitive) mutant, isolated from an in vitro screen of root growth during osmotic stress, was less sensitive to exogenous ABA, but accumulated more ABA under osmotic stress than WT plants. We assessed growth and water relations characteristics of hydroponically grown tos1 seedlings (in the absence of osmotic stress) at low and high evaporative demands. Growth of tos1 was severely inhibited at both high and low evaporative demands. Twenty DAS, WT and tos1 genotypes had a similar leaf water and turgor potential, but mature tos1 plants (45 day old) showed a significant diurnal loss of leaf turgor, with recovery overnight. Increased evaporative demand increased turgor loss of tos1 plants. High evaporative demand at the beginning of the day decreased stomatal conductance of tos1, without diurnal recovery, thus whole plant transpiration was decreased. De‐topped tos1 seedlings showed decreased root hydraulic conductance and had a 1.4‐fold increase in root ABA concentration. Impaired root function of tos1 plants failed to meet transpirational water demand and resulted in shoot turgor loss, stomatal closure and growth inhibition.
Reproductive Compensation of Cotton after Salt Stress Relief at Different Growth Stages
Authors: Khorsandi F. , Anagholi A.
Published: June 2009

Differential salt sensitivity during growth stages and reproductive compensation of plants after salt stress relief are important factors for adopting appropriate irrigation strategies with saline waters. Consequently, recovery of cotton after exposure to different levels of salt stress was evaluated. An outdoor, sand culture experiment was conducted with cotton. Water salinities were 2, 10 and 20 dS m−1, and the growth phases were vegetative (G1), reproductive (G2) and boll development (G3). G1 and G3 were the least and the most salt tolerant phases, respectively. The significant yield reduction in all of the saline water treatments as compared to control was mainly due to the reduction in number of bolls per plants. In general, cotton plants were capable of producing seed cotton under salt stress, as well as, after salt stress relief. However, as the salt stress severity increased the ability of cotton to compensate yield loss decreased. Irrigation of cotton at G1 stage with either moderate (10 dS m−1) or high (20 dS m−1) salinity waters should be avoided. Moderate saline water could be applied either at G2 or G3 stage. High salinity water can be used for irrigation only at G3 stage to produce acceptable cotton seed yield.
A Comparison of Screening Criteria for Salt Tolerance in Wheat under Field and Controlled Environmental Conditions
Authors: El‐Hendawy S. E. , Ruan Y. , Hu Y. , Schmidhalter U.
Published: June 2009

Although many screening criteria have been suggested to distinguish between genotypes for their salt tolerance under controlled environmental conditions, there is a need to test these criteria in the field. Saline soils are often complex and, therefore, unlikely to show a simple relationship to controlled conditions. To address this deficit, different agronomic and physiological screening criteria for salt tolerance in wheat at different stages were examined under both field and controlled conditions. Four wheat genotypes differing in their salt‐tolerance levels were grown in salt‐affected soil at two different locations and also under greenhouse conditions. Dry weight and leaf area of the upper and lower two leaves of the main stem and total dry weight at Zadoks scale 47 were measured in plants grown under field conditions. The concentrations of Cl−, Na+, K+ and Ca2+ in the upper and lower two leaves of the main stem at Zadoks scale 47 and different yield components were measured in plants grown under both conditions. Our results indicate that measurements derived from the upper two leaves of the main stem were generally more effective as screening criteria than those from the lower two leaves. Correlation coefficients between grain yield and either dry weight or leaf area of the upper two leaves of the main stem indicated that dry weight is inferior to leaf area as a screening criterion under field conditions. Number of sterile spikelets per plant performed well under both conditions, whereas the number of spikelets per plant and 1000‐grain weight failed to distinguish the differences of salt‐tolerance levels among genotypes accurately. Weight and number of grains per plant and number of fertile spikes per plant were poor criteria under controlled conditions, but effective under field conditions. The maintenance of low Cl− and Na+ concentrations in the upper two leaves offered the best guide to salt tolerance under both conditions. Potassium concentration was a poor criterion compared with the selectivity of K+ over Na+, which was useful under both field and controlled conditions. Calcium concentration and Ca2+ over Na+ selectivity in the upper and/or lower two leaves of the main stem were also effective in ranking genotypes according to their salt tolerance under both field and controlled conditions. Therefore, we conclude that simple measurements of the upper two leaves of the main stem including a straightforward measurement of leaf area, visually estimating the number of sterile spikelets, and a quick, practical determination of Na+ and Ca2+ concentration constitute effective criteria to screen wheat genotypes for salt tolerance under both field and controlled conditions.
Evaluation of Common Bean for Drought Tolerance in Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico
Authors: Porch T. G. , Ramirez V. H. , Santana D. , Harmsen E. W.
Published: June 2009

Drought tolerance is an increasingly important trait in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) due to the reduction in water resources, a shift in production areas and increasing input costs. The objective of this study was to evaluate 29 genotypes for drought tolerance under drought stress (DS) and reduced stress treatments in Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico. The use of DS and reduced stress treatments facilitated the identification of drought tolerant germplasm that also had good yield potential under more optimal conditions. Based on the results of seed yield under DS and reduced stress conditions, and DS indices, including the geometric mean (GM), stress tolerance index (STI) and percent yield reduction (YR), genotypes were identified with greater yield potential under the tested environment. Based on average GM over the 2 years, the superior common bean genotypes identified were SEA 5, G 21212, A 686, SEN 21 and SER 21. These genotypes performed well in both years and under both treatment conditions and thus may serve as parents for DS improvement and genetic analysis.
Alleviation of Water Deficit Stress Effects by Foliar Application of Ascorbic Acid on Zea mays L.
Authors: Dolatabadian A. , Modarres Sanavy S. A. M. , Sharifi M.
Published: June 2009

The effects of water‐deficit stress and foliar application of ascorbic acid were studied in leaves of Zea mays L. (single cross 704). The activity of antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, catalase and polyphenol oxidase was clearly increased by water‐deficit stress. Foliar application of ascorbic acid reduced stress‐induced and antioxidative enzymes activities. Proline and malondialdehyde levels were decreased in water‐deficit stressed plants by ascorbic acid application. It seems that, ascorbic acid application helps the plants for better resistance under the stress by inactivation and scavenging of free radicals. Chlorophyll content was also decreased by water‐deficit stress. The significant decrease of chlorophyll content was obtained in stressed plant than control. Ascorbate was oxidized to dehydroascorbate whereupon total ascorbate was decreased and dehydroascorbate was increased in leaves. The results of the present study indicated that ascorbic acid reduced the harmful effects of reactive oxygen species and improved plant resistance to water stress. In brief, ascorbic acid treatment reduced the damaging action of drought and decreased enzyme activity due to scavenging of reactive oxygen species; thereupon it may be effective for the improvement of stressed plants in arid and semi‐arid regions.
Temporally mediated responses of the diversity of coffee mites to agroforestry management
Authors: Teodoro A. V. , Klein A.‐M. , Tscharntke T.
Published: June 2009

Managed agroecosystems have been emphasized for their biodiversity, however, it remains unclear how biodiversity is affected by management practices over time. We assessed the seasonal response of the community of coffee‐inhabiting mites to agroforestry management (simple‐shade agroforests, complex‐shade agroforests and abandoned coffee agroforests) in Ecuador. Species richness of coffee mites was negatively affected by management intensification, with more species in less‐disturbed abandoned agroforests compared to simple‐shade agroforests in the dry (but not in the rainy) season. Overall, the community of coffee‐inhabiting mites varied seasonally, with more species and higher densities in the dry season than in the rainy season. In conclusion, our results show that the coffee mite community responded both to seasonal changes and to management of agroforests, and that vegetationally diverse habitats such as complex‐shade and, in particular, abandoned coffee agroforests contribute to the conservation of mite diversity.
Mating performance of sterile Mexican fruit fly Anastrepha ludens (Dipt., Tephritidae) males used as vectors of Beauveria bassiana (Bals.) Vuill
Authors: Novelo‐Rincón L. F. , Montoya P. , Hernández‐Ortíz V. , Liedo P. , Toledo J.
Published: June 2009

Field cage tests were carried out to determine the sexual competitiveness, copulation duration and sperm transfer of sterile and wild Mexican fruit fly, Anastrepha ludens (Loew), males that were treated or not treated with Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin conidia immediately before mating tests. No significant differences in sexual competitiveness were found between untreated sterile males and sterile males treated with conidia, indicating that the presence of conidia did not significantly reduce mating performance. However, both types of sterile males were less competitive than wild untreated males. There were no significant differences in copulation duration and the quantity of sperm transferred between the two groups of sterile males. A positive correlation was found between copulation duration and the quantity of sperm transferred. The four treatments exhibited significant differences regarding the quantity of transferred spermatozoids stored in the spermathecae but there were no differences in the percentages of total sperm stored in each spermatheca. Our results support the idea of using sterile flies as vectors of B. bassiana conidia in controlling fruit fly populations, while, at the same time, reducing the exposure of and harmful effects on non‐target organisms.
Spontaneous electrical and Ca2+signals in the mouse renal pelvis that drive pyeloureteric peristalsis
Authors: Lang Richard J , Hashitani Hikaru , Tonta Mary A , Bourke Justin L , Parkington Helena C , Suzuki Hikaru
Published: June 2009

1. Peristalsis in the smooth muscle cell (SMC) wall of the pyeloureteric system is unique in physiology in that the primary pacemaker resides in a population of atypical SMCs situated near the border of the renal papilla.

2. Atypical SMCs display high‐frequency Ca2+transients upon the spontaneous release of Ca2+from inositol 1,4,5‐trisphosphate (IP3)‐dependent stores that trigger cation‐selective spontaneous transient depolarizations (STDs). In the presence of nifedipine, these Ca2+transients and STDs seldom propagate > 100 μm. Synchronization of STDs in neighbouring atypical SMCs into an electrical signal that can trigger action potential discharge and contraction in the typical SMC layer involves a coupled oscillator mechanism dependent on Ca2+entry through L‐type voltage‐operated Ca2+channels.

3. A population of spindle‐ or stellate‐shaped cells, immunopositive for the tyrosine receptor kinase kit, is sparsely distributed throughout the pyeloureteric system. In addition, Ca2+transients and action potentials of long duration occurring at low frequencies have been recorded in a population of fusiform cells, which we have termed interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC)‐like cells.

4. The electrical and Ca2+signals in ICC‐like cells are abolished upon blockade of Ca2+release from either IP3‐ or ryanodine‐dependent Ca2+stores. However, the spontaneous Ca2+signals in atypical SMCs or ICC‐like cells are little affected inW/W−vtransgenic mice, which have extensive lesions of their intestinal ICC networks.

5. In summary, we have developed a model of pyeloureteric pacemaking in which atypical SMCs are indeed the primary pacemakers, but the function of ICC‐like cells has yet to be determined.
Dielectric breakdown of an unpoled piezoelectric material with a conductive channel
Authors: LIN S. , BEOM H. G. , TAO D. , KIM Y. H.
Published: June 2009

The dielectric breakdown of an unpoled piezoelectric ceramic, PZT807, with a conductive channel, is investigated. Cylindrical bar specimens with a conductive channel are used for breakdown tests of the unpoled piezoelectric ceramic under purely electrical loads. Narrow tubular channels emanating from the head of the initial channel are observed in the specimens after breakdown occurs. The radius of the tubular channel that is created at the surface of the initial channel head is insensitive to various types of channel formation. The problem of a fine tubular channel that emanates from the initial channel head is numerically solved to evaluate the three‐dimensional J integral, which is directly related to the energy that is available at breakdown, at the initiation of a new channel in the specimen. The critical J integral at the onset of breakdown is obtained.
The comparative pressure‐flow plot properties of radiological bladder neck and prostatic obstruction
Authors: Idriz Sanjin , Bishara Samuel , Kirkham Alex , Rickards David , Julian P. , Shah R. , Malone‐Lee James
Published: June 2009

OBJECTIVES

To test the hypotheses that: (i) significant differences should exist in pressure/flow data between radiologically determined bladder neck and prostatic obstruction; (ii) these differences should inform understanding of the pathophysiology of male outflow obstruction. The biomechanics of the voiding/pressure/flow plot imply that a urodynamic assessment trace should identify outflow obstruction and characterise the urethral viscoelastic properties. Micturating cystourethrograms (MCUG) images might provide a useful diagnostic dichotomy for testing these assumptions.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The pressure/flow data from 71 men who also provided video‐urodynamic imaging data that a radiologist could classify unequivocally as showing bladder neck obstruction (42) or prostatic obstruction (29) were analysed. The following variables were recorded: the detrusor pressure at initiation of voiding (Pdet.open); the detrusor pressure at the end of voiding (Pdet.close); the detrusor pressure at maximum flow rate (Qmax), (Pdet.Qmax), and Qmax. The urethral resistance relation (URR) was drawn onto the pressure‐flow plot and the gradient of the URR, ΔPdet/ΔQ, was calculated.

RESULTS

There were significant between group differences in Pdet.open (95% confidence interval of the difference 5.2–28.6, U = 352, P = 0.003); Pdet.close (0.2–15.0, U = 428, P = 0.034); Pdet.Qmax (0.0–18.9, U = 439, P = 0.05); Qmax and ΔPdet/ΔQ did not distinguish between the MCUG groups (95% confidence interval of the difference 2.3–18, U = 111; P = 0.004). The best‐fit model from linear combinations of the data achieved an area under the receiver operator curve of 0.72 for discriminating between the MCUG groups.

CONCLUSIONS

The urodynamic assessment identified interesting and coherent biomechanical differences, and could distinguish between the obstructions with a moderate degree of accuracy.
The Use and Abuse of Accounting in the Public Sector Financial Management Reform Program in Australia
Authors: BARTON ALLAN
Published: June 2009

Accrual accounting has been central to financial management reforms designed to promote greater efficiency, effectiveness and accountability in the Australian public sector. This is the setting for the article; however, the issues covered apply to all nations that have reformed their public sectors over recent years. The results of the reforms have been mixed. While accrual accounting has had some beneficial results for the above purposes, the benefits have been offset by aspects of accounting misuse resulting largely from adoption of the business model of accrual accounting, termination of the former cash accounting system, and adoption of some questionable marketization reforms which appear to be more driven by the objective of reducing the size of government rather than enhancing efficiency of operations. Because Treasury believed that the business model was not appropriate for budget fiscal policy purposes, it introduced a second combined accrual and cash accounting system—the Government Finance Statistics system. The use of two accrual accounting systems reporting different results caused much confusion in parliament.
Interaction between Foreign and Domestic Investors in the Korean Stock and Futures Markets*
Authors: Song Young‐Rae , Yang Yong‐Jun , Oh Hyung‐Sik
Published: June 2009

The present paper analyzes the behavioral relations of major investor groups in the stabilized Korean stock and futures markets after the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Investor groups cannot be classified as positive or negative feedback traders on market returns when both stock and futures markets are considered, which is inconsistent with the results in Ghysels and Seon (2005). Foreign investors and domestic institutions tend to take opposite positions in both markets. The impact of foreign investors on the basis change is significantly negative in the futures market, whereas domestic institutions have a negative relation in the stock market. This supports the view that selling activity of foreign investors in the futures market pulls the futures price down compared with the index value and, consequently, induces the reverse cash‐and‐carry trade of domestic institutions. This relationship, which negatively influenced the Korean economy during the crisis, as shown in Ghysels and Seon (2005), still exists in the Korean financial markets.
Dietary Diversity, Food Security and Undernourishment: The Vietnamese Evidence*
Authors: Mishra Vinod , Ray Ranjan
Published: June 2009

As is widely known, Vietnam experienced a rise in living standards and a decline in expenditure poverty during the first half of the 1990s. This paper extends this knowledge by providing evidence on the Vietnamese experience of food security, undernourishment and poverty from the late 1990s to the early part of the new millennium. The results suggest that poor households did not experience increases in food consumption, calorie intake and dietary diversity of the same magnitude as non‐poor households. Nevertheless, Vietnam experienced impressive reductions in both calorie deprivation and expenditure poverty at the turn of the century. Non‐poor households, in particular, experienced spectacular increases in calorie intake and dietary diversity during the period 1997/1998–2004. This paper also reports regression results which point to the role of urbanization and improvement in education levels in promoting dietary diversity and nutrient intake. The present study finds evidence of sharp regional differences in calorie intake and calorie costs, which suggests that the authorities should set provincial poverty lines, contrary to the current practice adopted by Vietnam's General Statistical Office.
Specular Effects on the GPU: State of the Art
Authors: Szirmay‐Kalos László , Umenhoffer Tamás , Patow Gustavo , Szécsi László , Sbert Mateu
Published: June 2009

This survey reviews algorithms that can render specular, i.e. mirror reflections, refractions, and caustics on the GPU. We establish a taxonomy of methods based on the three main different ways of representing the scene and computing ray intersections with the aid of the GPU, including ray tracing in the original geometry, ray tracing in the sampled geometry, and geometry transformation. Having discussed the possibilities of implementing ray tracing, we consider the generation of single reflections/refractions, interobject multiple reflections/refractions, and the general case which also includes self‐reflections or refractions. Moving the focus from the eye to the light sources, caustic effect generation approaches are also examined.
Procedural Arrangement of Furniture for Real‐Time Walkthroughs
Authors: Germer T. , Schwarz M.
Published: June 2009

This paper presents a procedural approach to generate furniture arrangements for large virtual indoor scenes. The interiors of buildings in 3D city scenes are often omitted. Our solution creates rich furniture arrangements for all rooms of complex buildings and even for entire cities. The key idea is to only furnish the rooms in the vicinity of the viewer while the user explores a building in real time. In order to compute the object layout we introduce an agent‐based solution and demonstrate the flexibility and effectiveness of the agent approach. Furthermore, we describe advanced features of the system, like procedural furniture geometry, persistent room layouts, and styles for high‐level control.
Evenly Spaced Streamlines for Surfaces: An Image‐Based Approach
Authors: Spencer Benjamin , Laramee Robert S. , Chen Guoning , Zhang Eugene
Published: June 2009

We introduce a novel, automatic streamline seeding algorithm for vector fields defined on surfaces in 3D space. The algorithm generates evenly spaced streamlines fast, simply and efficiently for any general surface‐based vector field. It is general because it handles large, complex, unstructured, adaptive resolution grids with holes and discontinuities, does not require a parametrization, and can generate both sparse and dense representations of the flow. It is efficient because streamlines are only integrated for visible portions of the surface. It is simple because the image‐based approach removes the need to perform streamline tracing on a triangular mesh, a process which is complicated at best. And it is fast because it makes effective, balanced use of both the CPU and the GPU. The key to the algorithm's speed, simplicity and efficiency is its image‐based seeding strategy. We demonstrate our algorithm on complex, real‐world simulation data sets from computational fluid dynamics and compare it with object‐space streamline visualizations.
Volumetric Billboards
Authors: Decaudin Philippe , Neyret Fabrice
Published: June 2009

We introduce an image‐based representation, called volumetric billboards, allowing for the real‐time rendering of semi‐transparent and visually complex objects arbitrarily distributed in a 3D scene. Our representation offers full parallax effect from any viewing direction and improved anti‐aliasing of distant objects. It correctly handles transparency between multiple and possibly overlapping objects without requiring any primitive sorting. Furthermore, volumetric billboards can be easily integrated into common rasterization‐based renderers, which allows for their concurrent use with polygonal models and standard rendering techniques such as shadow‐mapping.

The representation is based on volumetric images of the objects and on a dedicated real‐time volume rendering algorithm that takes advantage of the GPU geometry shader. Our examples demonstrate the applicability of the method in many cases including levels‐of‐detail representation for multiple intersecting complex objects, volumetric textures, animated objects and construction of high‐resolution objects by assembling instances of low‐resolution volumetric billboards.
Editing Object Behaviour in Video Sequences
Authors: Scholz Volker , El‐Abed Sascha , Seidel Hans‐Peter , Magnor Marcus
Published: June 2009

While there are various commercial‐strength editing tools available today for still images, object‐based manipulation of real‐world video footage is still a challenging problem. In this system paper, we present a framework for interactive video editing. Our focus is on footage from a single, conventional video camera. By relying on spatio‐temporal editing techniques operating on the video cube, we do not need to recover 3D scene geometry. Our framework is capable of removing and inserting objects, object motion editing, non‐rigid object deformations, keyframe interpolation, as well as emulating camera motion. We demonstrate how movie shots with moderate complexity can be persuasively modified during post‐processing.
Interactive Pixel‐Accurate Free Viewpoint Rendering from Images with Silhouette Aware Sampling
Authors: Hornung A. , Kobbelt L.
Published: June 2009

We present an integrated, fully GPU‐based processing pipeline to interactively render new views of arbitrary scenes from calibrated but otherwise unstructured input views. In a two‐step procedure, our method first generates for each input view a dense proxy of the scene using a new multi‐view stereo formulation. Each scene proxy consists of a structured cloud of feature aware particles which automatically have their image space footprints aligned to depth discontinuities of the scene geometry and hence effectively handle sharp object boundaries and occlusions. We propose a particle optimization routine combined with a special parameterization of the view space that enables an efficient proxy generation as well as robust and intuitive filter operators for noise and outlier removal. Moreover, our generic proxy generation allows us to flexibly handle scene complexities ranging from small objects up to complete outdoor scenes. The second phase of the algorithm combines these particle clouds in real‐time into a view‐dependent proxy for the desired output view and performs a pixel‐accurate accumulation of the colour contributions from each available input view. This makes it possible to reconstruct even fine‐scale view‐dependent illumination effects. We demonstrate how all these processing stages of the pipeline can be implemented entirely on the GPU with memory efficient, scalable data structures for maximum performance. This allows us to generate new output renderings of high visual quality from input images in real‐time.
Adaptive Interleaved Sampling for Interactive High‐Fidelity Rendering
Authors: Dubla P. , Debattista K. , Chalmers A.
Published: June 2009

Recent advances have made interactive ray tracing (IRT) possible on consumer desktop machines. These advances have brought about the potential for interactive global illumination (IGI) with enhanced realism through physically based lighting. IGI, unlike IRT, has a much higher computational complexity. Furthermore, since non‐primary rays constitute the majority of the computation, the rays are predominantly incoherent, making impractical many of the methods that have made IRT possible. Two methods that have already shown promise in decreasing the computational time of the GI solution are interleaved sampling and adaptive rendering. Interleaved sampling is a generalized sampling scheme that smoothly blends between regular and irregular sampling while maintaining coherence. Adaptive rendering algorithms adjust rendering quality, non‐uniformally, using a guidance scheme. While adaptive rendering has shown to provide speed‐up when used for off‐line rendering it has not been utilized in IRT due to its naturally incoherent nature. In this paper, we combine adaptive rendering and interleaved sampling within a component‐based solution into a new approach we term adaptive interleaved sampling. This allows us to tailor new adaptive heuristics for interleaved sampling of the individual components of the GI solution significantly improving overall performance. We present a novel component‐based IGI framework for which we achieve interactive frame rates for a range of effects such as indirect diffuse lighting, soft shadows and single scatter homogeneous participating media.
GPU Rendering of Relief Mapped Conical Frusta
Authors: Bhagvat D. , Jeschke S. , Cline D. , Wonka P.
Published: June 2009

This paper proposes to use relief‐mapped conical frusta (cones cut by planes) to skin skeletal objects. Based on this representation, current programmable graphics hardware can perform the rendering with only minimal communication between the CPU and GPU. A consistent definition of conical frusta including texture parametrization and a continuous surface normal is provided. Rendering is performed by analytical ray casting of the relief‐mapped frusta directly on the GPU. We demonstrate both static and animated objects rendered using our technique and compare to polygonal renderings of similar quality.
Interactive Fibre Structure Visualization of the Heart
Authors: Peeters T. H. J. M. , Vilanova A. , Romeny B. M. ter Haar
Published: June 2009

The heart consists of densely packed muscle fibres. The orientation of these fibres can be acquired by using Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) ex vivo. A good way to visualize the fibre structure in a cross section of the heart is by showing short line segments originating from the cross section and aligned with the local direction of the fibres. If the line segments are placed dense enough, one can see how the fibre orientations change. However, generation of the line segments takes time and thus the user has to wait for new geometry to be generated when the plane defining the cross section is changed. We present a new direct rendering method for the visualization of the 3D vector field in a 2D user‐definable cross section of a heart. On the intersection of the plane with the vector field, the full 3D vectors are rendered as 3D line segments with a local ray casting approach. No preprocessing of the data is needed and no geometry is generated. This technique allows a fast inspection of the data to identify interesting areas where further analysis is necessary (e.g. quantification or generation of streamlines). We also show how the technique is generalized to other glyph shapes than line segments by implementing ellipsoids.
4. Paths and Semipaths: Reconceptualizing Structural Cohesion in Terms of Directed Relations
Authors: Grannis Rick
Published: June 2009

In a groundbreaking article, Moody and White (2003) introduced the concept of structural cohesion, simultaneously characterizing emergent communities and their internally embedded layers by the number of node-independent paths interconnecting individuals. Like many studies, however, they “corrected” the directionality discovered in some of their data. While often done for important purposes, doing so potentially confounds structural cohesion with unrelated concepts. Some relations, especially those relating to the dynamic aspects of social life, are inherently directed, in whole or in part, and it may prove worthwhile to respect this directionality. In this article, I recast structural cohesion in terms of directed social relations and identify four distinct ways of measuring it. In two example data sets—hiring relations among graduate programs and trust relations among neighborhood residents—I show that only strong embeddedness, a type of structural cohesion emerging from directed relations, proves to be a powerful, robust, independent explanatory factor. I further show that if the directionality in the data in these examples had been “corrected,” the importance of structural cohesion would have been dramatically undervalued.
1. DNA Collection in a Randomized Social Science Study of College Peer Effects
Authors: Guo Guang , Hardie Jessica Halliday , Owen Craig , Daw Jonathan K. , Fu Yilan , Lee Hedwig , Lucas Amy , McKendry-Smith Emily , Duncan Greg
Published: June 2009

We describe the DNA collection processes of an initial pilot and full study, which is designed to investigate joint peer and genetic effects on health behaviors and attitudes in a college campus setting. In the main study, 2664 (79.5%) students completed a Web survey and 2080 (78.7% of the survey completers after adjusting for the ineligible) provided a saliva DNA sample. The response rate for completing both the survey and the DNA portion of the study is 62.5%. Our DNA yields are of high quality. Overall, our experiences and results demonstrate that genetic data can be successfully collected as a part of traditional social science survey research projects. To aid others in doing so, we provide extensive details of our data collection experiences and offer recommendations to future researchers seeking to do or evaluate similar work.
3. An Empirical Test of Respondent-Driven Sampling: Point Estimates, Variance, Degree Measures, and Out-of-Equilibrium Data
Authors: Wejnert Cyprian
Published: June 2009

This paper, which is the first large-scale application of respondent-driven sampling (RDS) to nonhidden populations, tests three factors related to RDS estimation against institutional data using two Web RDS samples of university undergraduates. First, two methods of calculating RDS point estimates are compared. RDS estimates calculated using both methods coincide closely, but variance estimation, especially for small groups, is problematic for both methods. In one method, the bootstrap algorithm used to generate confidence intervals is found to underestimate variance. In the other method, where analytical variance estimation is possible, confidence intervals tend to overestimate variance. Second, RDS estimates are found to be robust against varying measures of individual degree. Results suggest the standard degree measure currently employed in most RDS studies is among the best-performing degree measures. Finally, RDS is found to be robust against the inclusion of out-of-equilibrium data. The results show that valid point estimates can be generated with RDS analysis using real data, but that further research is needed to improve variance estimation techniques.
Sunitinib efficacy in the treatment of metastatic skin adnexal carcinomas: report of two patients with hidradenocarcinoma and trichoblastic carcinoma
Authors: Battistella M , Mateus C , Lassau N , Chami L , Boukoucha M , Duvillard P , Cribier B , Robert C
Published: June 2009

Background  Adnexal carcinomas are rare and diverse cutaneous tumours. They are locally aggressive and have the potential for distant metastasis. Metastatic adnexal carcinomas are very resistant to conventional chemotherapies. Sunitinib, an oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is reportedly effective for the treatment of various solid cancers. Its use in adnexal carcinomas has never been reported.

Observations  The first patient had metastatic clear cell hidradenocarcinoma and was stabilized over 8 months with sunitinib, before she relapsed. The second patient had a metastatic malignant hair follicle tumour (trichoblastic carcinoma) and achieved a partial remission with sunitinib, and disease stabilized after 10 months. Dynamic contrast‐enhanced ultrasound (DCE‐US) performed to evaluate tumour vascularization during treatment depicted a dramatic and early decrease in the tumour blood volume.

Conclusions  Sunitinib was effective in controlling the disease in our two patients. DCE‐US using linear raw data may have an early predictive value for tumour response to sunitinib. Further studies involving larger cohorts of patients are warranted in order to confirm the efficacy of sunitinib in these rare tumours.
Dermatological future of european patients with atopic dermatitis
Authors: Misery L , Boussetta S , Shooneman P , Taieb C
Published: June 2009

Background  The dermatological becoming of children presenting with atopic dermatitis (AD) is not well known.

Objective  We performed a study on the presence of AD and other dermatological diseases in subjects with a previous history of AD.

Methods  An opinion poll was conducted in eight countries through a telephone interview: Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland.

Results  Among 4369 interviewees, 12.25% declared a history of AD in infancy and 12.4% declared to suffer from a dermatological disease (27% of patients had a history of AD and 10.3% did not have it). Current declared cases of atopic eczema or contact eczema were more frequent in patients with previous history of AD (39.3% vs. 21.5%), whereas these patients appeared less affected by rosacea (2.9% vs. 7.9%). Some differences were observed between different countries.

Conclusion  The main interests of this study are the large number of subjects, originating from eight different countries, and its focus on the dermatological future of patients with AD, which is not limited to AD itself.
Acquired reactive perforating collagenosis: a clinicopathologic study of 15 cases from Saudi Arabia
Authors: Satti MB , Aref AH , Raddadi AA , Al‐Ghamdi FA
Published: June 2009

Background  Perforating dermatoses include a family of disease characterized by transepidermal elimination of collagen. Despite being described many years ago in association with systemic disease, it is still clinically misdiagnosed.

Objective  A retrospective clinical and pathologic review that will increase clinical and pathologic diagnostic awareness of this entity and explore associated systemic disease.

Patients and methods  In this report, we present from Saudi Arabia for the first time details of a series of patients seen at the King Abdulaziz Medical City, WR, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, during the period 2002–2009.

Results  The study revealed 15 histologically confirmed cases of acquired reactive perforating collagenosis (ARPC). Patients were predominantly adult females with a mean age of 54 years. The lesions were pruritic, predominantly multiple, erythematous excoriated papules and umblicated nodules centrally crusted with an average duration of 6 months, involving the extremities with or without the trunk in 12 patients. Associated systemic disease included diabetes mellitus in 12 patients and chronic renal failure on dialysis in 8 patients. The provisional clinical differential diagnosis included perforating collagenosis in only eight patients.

Conclusion  ARPC is not uncommon in Saudi Arabia. The noduloulcerative lesions involve predominantly the extremities, and diabetes mellitus is the most common associate. It is hoped that this article will increase awareness for recognition of this entity to start appropriate therapy.
The period prevalence of oral lichen planus in a cohort of patients with vulvar lichen sclerosus
Authors: Saunders H , Buchanan JAG , Cooper S , Hollowood K , Sherman V , Wojnarowska F
Published: June 2009

Background  Lichen sclerosus and lichen planus are chronic inflammatory mucocutaneous disorders that may coexist.

Objective  The aim of this study was to estimate the period prevalence of oral lichen planus in a cohort of patients with vulvar lichen sclerosus and to document their clinical characteristics.

Methods  We report a series of cases of vulvar lichen sclerosus presenting to two dermatologist‐led vulvar clinics in Oxfordshire, England between 1997 and 2007 with coexistent clinical signs of oral lichen planus.

Results  Thirteen cases with coexistent vulvar lichen sclerosus and oral lichen planus were identified, of which five had oral biopsies. Four oral biopsies showed histological features consistent with lichen planus. One oral biopsy was not diagnostic but compatible with oral lichen planus. No cases of oral lichen sclerosus were identified. The period prevalence of oral lichen planus was 6 per 1000 cases of vulvar lichen sclerosus.

Conclusion  The period prevalence of oral lichen planus in women with vulvar lichen sclerosus (0.6%) is similar to that reported for oral lichen planus in the general population (1–2%).
Development of goat cheese whey‐flavoured beverages
Authors: TRANJAN BÁRBARA C , CRUZ ADRIANO G , WALTER EDUARDO H M , FARIA JOSE A F , BOLINI HELENA M A , MOURA MIRIAM R L , CARVALHO LUCIA M J
Published: June 2009

Beverages made from goat cheese whey, flavoured with strawberry and peach pulp, were processed and submitted to physicochemical analysis and affective tests. The beverages exhibited similar values with respect to all the analyses of the proximate composition and little variation in pH and titratable acidity during refrigerated storage. They also showed low caloric value. For colour, aroma and consistency acceptability, there was no significant difference ( P > 0.05) among peach and strawberry flavoured samples. The flavour acceptability was higher for the strawberry beverage than for the peach one ( P = 0.05). A positive purchase intent for strawberry flavoured beverage was reported by 76% of the consumers, while 50% affirmed a similar intention for the peach‐flavoured product. The beverages produced showed potential for commercialization, serving as an additional alternative product derived from goat milk, with minimal additional cost to the dairy plant.
Proteolytic processing of TAR DNA binding protein‐43 by caspases produces C‐terminal fragments with disease defining properties independent of progranulin
Authors: Dormann Dorothee , Capell Anja , Carlson Aaron M. , Shankaran Sunita S. , Rodde Ramona , Neumann Manuela , Kremmer Elisabeth , Matsuwaki Takashi , Yamanouchi Keitaro , Nishihara Masugi , Haass Christian
Published: June 2009

Neuronal and glial deposition of misfolded, proteolytically processed, polyubiquitinated and abnormally phosphorylated C‐terminal fragments (CTFs) of the TAR DNA binding protein‐43 (TDP‐43) is a pathological hallmark of frontotemporal lobar degeneration with ubiquitin positive inclusions (FTLD‐U) and certain cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. We demonstrate that TDP‐43 can be proteolytically processed by caspases upon induction of apoptosis to a major 35 kDa and a minor 25 kDa CTF. These fragments are initially soluble, but over time they accumulate as insoluble and pathologically phosphorylated derivatives. However, proteolytic processing appears not to be absolutely required for the deposition of insoluble TDP‐43 species, since a caspase resistant mutant of TDP‐43 is also converted into insoluble species. Phosphorylation at S409/410 apparently occurs late during the conversion of soluble to insoluble TDP‐43, suggesting that phosphorylation is not a prerequisite for aggregation. Loss of function of the progranulin (PGRN) gene causes FTLD‐U with TDP‐43 positive inclusions and has been suggested to lead to caspase activation and subsequent TDP‐43 processing. However, siRNA‐mediated knockdown of PGRN in cell culture as well as a PGRN gene knockout in mice failed to cause the formation of the disease characterizing CTFs of TDP‐43. Our findings therefore suggest that caspase‐mediated processing generates CTFs of similar biochemical properties as those occurring in nuclear and cytoplasmic deposits of FTLD‐U patients independent of PGRN levels.
Brain sterol dysregulation in sporadic AD and MCI: relationship to heme oxygenase‐1
Authors: Hascalovici Jacob R. , Vaya Jacob , Khatib Soliman , Holcroft Christina A. , Zukor Hillel , Song Wei , Arvanitakis Zoe , Bennett David A. , Schipper Hyman M.
Published: June 2009

The objective of this study was to ascertain the impact of aging and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) on brain cholesterol (CH), CH precursors, and oxysterol homeostasis. Altered CH metabolism and up‐regulation of heme oxygenase‐1 (HO‐1) are characteristic of AD‐affected neural tissues. We recently determined that HO‐1 over‐expression suppresses total CH levels by augmenting liver X receptor‐mediated CH efflux and enhances oxysterol formation in cultured astroglia. Lipids and proteins were extracted from postmortem human frontal cortex derived from subjects with sporadic AD, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and no cognitive impairment (n = 17 per group) enrolled in the Religious Orders Study, an ongoing clinical‐pathologic study of aging and AD. ELISA was used to quantify human HO‐1 protein expression from brain tissue and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry to quantify total CH, CH precursors, and relevant oxysterols. The relationships of sterol/oxysterol levels to HO‐1 protein expression and clinical/demographic variables were determined by multivariable regression and non‐parametric statistical analyses. Decreased CH, increased oxysterol and increased CH precursors concentrations in the cortex correlated significantly with HO‐1 levels in MCI and AD, but not no cognitive impairment. Specific oxysterols correlated with disease state, increasing neuropathological burden, neuropsychological impairment, and age. A model featuring compensated and de‐compensated states of altered sterol homeostasis in MCI and AD is presented based on the current data set and our earlier in vitro work.
Late‐Holocene succession of dinoflagellates in an Antarctic fjord using a multi‐proxy approach: paleoenvironmental genomics, lipid biomarkers and palynomorphs
Authors: BOERE A. C. , ABBAS B. , RIJPSTRA W. I. C. , VERSTEEGH G. J. M. , VOLKMAN J. K. , SINNINGHE DAMSTÉ J. S. , COOLEN M. J. L.
Published: June 2009

Recent work has shown that paleoenvironmental genomics, i.e. the application of genomic tools to analyze preserved DNA in sedimentary records, is a promising approach to reconstruct the diversity of past planktonic communities. This provides information about past ecological and environmental changes. A major advantage of this approach is that individual species, including those that did not leave other characteristic markers, can be identified. In this study, we determined which dinoflagellate marker (i.e. 18S rDNA, dinosterol or dinocysts) provided the most detailed information about the late‐Holocene succession of dinoflagellates in an Antarctic Fjord (Ellis Fjord, Vestfold Hills). The preserved rDNA revealed two intervals in the 2750‐year‐old sediment record. The dinoflagellate diversity was the highest until ∼1850 cal yr bp and included phylotypes related to known dinosterol producers. A lower concentration of dinosterol in sediments <1850 cal yr bp coincided with a community shift towards a predominance of the autotrophic sea‐ice dinoflagellate Polarella glacialis, which is not a source of dinosterol. Remarkably, cultures of P. glacialis are known to produce other diagnostic sterols, but these were not recovered here. In addition, conspicuous resting cysts of P. glacialis were not preserved in the analyzed sediments. Overall, dinocysts were rare and the paleoenvironmental genomics approach revealed the highest diversity of dinoflagellates in Ellis Fjord, and was the only approach that recorded a shift in dinoflagellate composition at ∼1850 cal yr bp indicative of a colder climate with more extensive ice cover – this timing coincides with a period of changing climate reported for this region.