bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Co-production of service experiences: insights from the cultural sector
Authors: Minkiewicz Joanna , Bridson Kerrie , Evans Jody
Published: October 2016

Purpose

The increased involvement of customers in their experience is a reality for all service organisations. The purpose of this paper is to explore the way organisations collaborate with customers to facilitate consumption of cultural experiences through the lens of co-production. Although organisations are typically an integral part of the co-production process, co-production is typically considered from a consumer angle. Aligned with the service ecosystem perspective and value-in-cultural context, this research aims to provide greater insight into the processes and resources that institutions apply to co-produce experiences with consumers and the drivers and inhibitors of such processes.

Design/methodology/approach

Case study research with three exemplar organisations, using in-depth interviews with key informants was used to investigate the processes organisations follow in co-producing the service experience with customers, as well as the drivers and inhibitors of organisational co-production of the service experience in the cultural sector.

Findings

The findings illuminate that cultural organisations are co-producing the service experience with their customers, as revealed through a number of key processes: inviting customers to actively participate in the experience, engaging customers and supporting customers in the co-production of the experience. Increasingly demanding consumers and a changing competitive landscape are strong external drivers of co-production. Visionary leadership and consumer-focussed employees are internal factors impelling organisations to co-produce experiences with consumers. A strong curatorial orientation, complex organisational structure, employee attitude and capability gaps and funding constraints are impediments towards organisations co-producing experiences with consumers.

Originality/value

This paper addresses a gap in Service-Dominant logic theory, arts/cultural marketing and broader services marketing literature by proposing a broadened conceptualisation of co-production of the service experience. This conceptualisation can be used as a platform to derive strategic imperatives for managers of service organisations. The findings highlight the key practices and resources that are central to organisations co-producing experience with customers. In this way, greater understanding of institutional logics and practices that underpin experience co-production emerges.
Toward service recovery strategies: the role of consumer-organization relationship norms
Authors: Hur JungYun (Christine) , Jang SooCheong (Shawn)
Published: October 2016

Purpose

Given the increasing importance of relationship management in service recovery encounters, this study aims to investigate the role of consumer–organization relationship norms (communal versus exchange) in connection with the service recovery process.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a thorough review of the previous literature, the model was developed. Using a scenario-based survey method, a total of 204 usable responses were obtained via self-administered questionnaires in the USA. Anderson and Gerbing’s two-step approach was used to assess the measurement and structural models.

Findings

The findings indicate that consumers’ recovery processes are influenced by relationship norms. For consumers in the communal relationship, perceived social recovery had a greater influence on satisfaction with the service recovery. Consumers in the exchange relationship reacted more sensitively to perceived economic recovery in terms of satisfaction with the service recovery.

Research limitations/implications

The focus of this study is restaurant consumers’ responses to service recovery in the context of an established relationship. Therefore, the results may not be generalizable for other consumers and segments.

Practical implications

The findings have important implications for increasing the understanding of consumer behavior in established relationships and suggesting effective recovery strategies.

Originality/value

This study investigates the effect of different relationship norms that could explain varying consumer responses to service recovery within a high-quality relationship. It also provides directions for improving consumers’ satisfaction with service recovery. This differs from previous studies that mainly focused on relationship quality.
Editorial: the changing nature of data
Authors: Baron Steve , Russell-Bennett Rebekah
Published: October 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper it to highlight the challenges of managing and handling data for services marketers that have been brought about by the contemporary environment and emerging schools of thought.

Design/methodology/approach

A comparison is made between conventional data collection and statistical analysis, and the need to glean information from large, pre-existing data sets for future contributions to service research.

Findings

For service marketers to tackle real world, large problem areas, there will be a need to develop methods of dealing with data which pre-exist in many forms, as well as data that are collected via well-established procedures.

Originality/value

The study should be an encouragement for services marketing researchers to develop innovative methods of data handling which recognize a world of burgeoning data sources and types.
Thai immigrants’ information seeking behaviour and perception of the public library’s role during the settlement process
Authors: Sirikul Pornpimol , Dorner Dan
Published: October 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how Thai immigrants who relocated to Auckland, New Zealand, looked for and found the information they needed during their settlement process.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used a qualitative methodology through semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions that were conducted with nine Thai immigrants living in the greater Auckland region. Mwarigha’s three stages of settlement and Dervin’s Sense-Making Methodology were used as theoretical frameworks for understanding the information-seeking behaviour of the Thai immigrants and their information needs and associated barriers to accessing information at different stages of the settlement process.

Findings

The information needs of Thai immigrants in Auckland were diverse based on the stage of each participant’s settlement process. The main information needs of the participants were for employment, English language-learning, housing, health and making connections. Their main information sources during settlement were family, friends and the internet. The participants saw Auckland Libraries as a useful source but did not take full benefit of the library’s services. The main barriers in accessing services were English language incompetence, lack of resources available in the Thai language, lack of time and library staff behaviour.

Research limitations/implications

The results of this study will provide library and information professionals with new insights into Thai immigrants’ information-seeking behaviour and their information needs, which may contribute to providing immigrants with the information tools they need to improve the quality of their lives in New Zealand. As this study is limited to Thai immigrants in Auckland only, there is a need to conduct a study on the information needs and seeking behaviour of Thai immigrants in other locales. It may be of interest to researchers to conduct a quantitative study of a larger sample to further generalise the findings.

Originality/value

There is minimal research that specifically investigates the information needs, sources and barriers to information experienced by immigrants throughout the settlement process. This study is unique in that it focuses on a specific ethnic community of Thais. The findings of this study can be a stepping stone towards further research to gain a deeper understanding of Thai and other immigrants’ information needs, sources, barriers and their perceptions towards public libraries.
Readers’ histories as a way of studying and understanding multicultural library communities
Authors: Dali Keren
Published: October 2016

Purpose

Personal readers’ histories have long had a respected place in reading research. They add a human, personalized dimension to the studies of reading practices, often reported through aggregate findings and generalized conclusions. Moreover, they introduce a private context of readers’ lives, which complements other reading contexts (e.g. historical, socio-economic and cultural) required for an understanding of reading behaviours. The purpose of this paper, based on a selected data set from a larger reading study, is to introduce a gallery of portraits of immigrant readers with the aim to facilitate the library practice with immigrant communities.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative face-to-face intensive interviews with immigrant readers.

Findings

The knowledge of reading contexts and the opportunity to see readers as individuals rather than anonymous statistics are crucial for librarians who come in contact with multicultural populations. Personal histories can also serve as a step in building interpersonal relationships between librarians and community members.

Originality/value

The value of the study is in introducing a methodological approach which, through collecting and writing reading histories, allows librarians to gain insight into the cultural practices of multicultural communities and to adjust their work accordingly. This approach can also be used as a prototype for researching other community groups.
Institutional resource centres and design education
Authors: Jha Banhi
Published: October 2016

Purpose

The physical environment of education is not contained within the classroom but extends to the library and archival resource centres in higher education institutes of design. The institutional resource centre (RC) includes textual and material repository sections which support institutional objectives by creating space and opportunity for interface between the learner and theoretical–practical aspects of the curriculum. This purpose of this paper is to highlight the role of the RC where the viewing of exhibits enhances the pedagogy of design education.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses the participant observation method to construct a case study of the experiential learning process in an institutional setting. It analyses how students make use of specialized design-related resources in libraries and adapt their approach to learn with, from and about objects as cultural artefacts.

Findings

The institutional resource centre provides opportunities for haptic experiences in design education that may be unavailable within the classroom. Design students make their own connections between the objects and the embedded lifeworld of the creator-artisan to create personalized meaning. The resultant combination of cognition and emotional responses to the exhibits stimulates diverse learning trajectories.

Originality/value

The collections of displayed design objects in the institutional RC enable students to appreciate cultural history by developing the understanding of fashion, textile and handcrafting traditions in India, thus stimulating cognitive and sensory learning. This is a manifestation of constructivism with the potential for diverse learning trajectories for design students. Thus it acts as an adjunct to classroom teaching-learning by facilitating a multi-faceted and holistic learning experience driven by a spirit of enquiry that supplements and supports pedagogic practices, enabling and encouraging self-learning.
Personalizing Nursing Home Compare and the Discharge from Hospitals to Nursing Homes
Authors: Mukamel Dana B. , Amin Alpesh , Weimer David L. , Ladd Heather , Sharit Joseph , Schwarzkopf Ran , Sorkin Dara H.
Published: October 2016

Objective

To test whether use of a personalized report card, Nursing Home Compare Plus (NHCPlus), embedded in a reengineered discharge process, can lead to better outcomes than the usual discharge process from hospitals to nursing homes.

Data Sources/Setting

Primary data collected in the Departments of Medicine and Surgery at a University Medical Center between March 2014 and August 2015.

Study Design

A randomized controlled trial in which patients in the intervention group were given NHCPlus. Participants included 225 patients or their family members/surrogates.

Data Collection

Key strokes of NHCPlus users were recorded to obtain information about usage. Users were surveyed about usability and satisfaction with NHCPlus. All participants were surveyed at discharge from the hospital. Survey data were merged with medical records.

Principal Findings

About 85 percent of users indicated satisfaction with NHCPlus. Compared to controls, intervention patients were more satisfied with the choice process (by 40 percent of the standard deviation p < .01), more likely to go to higher ranked five‐star nursing homes (OR = 1.8, p < .05), traveled to further nursing homes (IRR = 1.27, p < .10), and had shorter hospital stays (IRR = 0.84, p < .05).

Conclusions

Personalizing report cards and reengineering the discharge process may improve quality and may lower costs compared to the usual discharge process.
Patients as Partners in Learning from Unexpected Events
Authors: Etchegaray Jason M. , Ottosen Madelene J. , Aigbe Aitebureme , Sedlock Emily , Sage William M. , Bell Sigall K. , Gallagher Thomas H. , Thomas Eric J.
Published: October 2016

Importance

Patient safety experts believe that patients/family members should be involved in adverse event review. However, it is unclear how aware patients/family members are about the causes of adverse events they experienced.

Objective

To determine whether patients/family members interviewed could identify at least one contributing factor for the event they experienced. Secondary objectives included understanding the way patients/family members became aware of adverse events, the types of contributing factors patients/family members identified for different types of adverse events, and recommendations provided by patients/family members to address the contributing factors.

Design

We interviewed patients/family members using semistructured interviews to understand their perceptions about why these adverse events occurred. The adverse events occurred between 1991 and 2014.

Setting

Participants described adverse events that occurred in various types of health care organizations (i.e., hospitals, ambulatory facilities/clinics, and dental clinics).

Participants

We interviewed 72 patients and family members who each described a unique adverse event. Eligibility requirements were that patients/family members spoke English or Spanish and were aware of an adverse event that happened to them or a loved one.

Intervention(s) for Clinical Trials or Exposure(s) for Observational Studies

N/A.

Main Outcome(s) and Measure(s)

The main outcome was determining whether patients/family members could identify at least one contributing factor they perceived as related to the adverse event they described.

Results

Each participant identified at least one contributing factor and on average identified 3.67 contributing factors for their event. The most frequently mentioned contributing factors were Staff Qualifications/Knowledge (79 percent), Safety Policies/Procedures (74 percent), and Communication (64 percent). Participants knew about the contributing factors from personal observation only (32 percent), personal reasoning (11 percent), personal research (7 percent), record review (either their own medical records or reports they received in their own investigation; 6 percent), and being told by a physician (5 percent). Finally, patients/family members were able to provide recommendations that address each of the nine contributing factors we examined.

Conclusions and Relevance

Patients/family members identified contributing factors related to their adverse event. Given that these contributing factors might not be known to health care organizations because most participants stated that they were not involved in the analysis process, opportunities for organizational learning from patients are potentially being missed. Health care organizations should interview patients/family about the event that harmed them to help ensure a full understanding of the causes of the event.
Parinaud syndrome: a 25‐year (1991–2016) review of 40 consecutive adult cases
Authors: Shields Melissa , Sinkar Swati , Chan WengOnn , Crompton John
Published: October 2016

Purpose

To characterize the clinical features, aetiology and management of ophthalmic symptoms in adult patients with Parinaud syndrome.

Methods

This is a retrospective, non‐comparative observational case series. We reviewed 40 consecutive charts of adult patients with the clinical diagnosis of Parinaud syndrome at the Royal Adelaide Hospital Department of Ophthalmology in Adelaide, South Australia, between 1991 and 2016. Charts were reviewed for the following: (1) demographic information, (2) clinical presentation, (3) neuro‐ophthalmology signs, (4) aetiology of Parinaud syndrome, and (5) management. Examination findings were collected at initial evaluation, throughout the course of follow‐up, and at last follow‐up.

Results

All the cases were assessed by one of the authors (JLC). The commonest presenting symptoms were diplopia (67.5%) and blurred vision (25%) followed by visual field defect (12.5%), ataxia (7.5%) and manifest squint (7.5%). The commonest presenting signs were vertical gaze palsy (100%), convergence‐retraction nystagmus (87.5%) and light‐near dissociation (65.0%). Only 65.0% patients had the classical triad of vertical gaze palsy, convergence‐retraction nystagmus and light‐near dissociation. Midbrain pathologies including haemorrhage (30.0%), infarction (20.0%) and tumour (15.0%) were the commonest aetiology. Pineal region tumours accounted for 30.0% of presentations. Symptoms were managed conservatively in 45% of cases with temporary occlusion, prisms or refractive correction, and observation in 42.5% of cases. Surgical intervention for refractory diplopia was required in 12.5% of cases, of which 80% reported symptom resolution following surgery.

Conclusion

Our series highlights the variable clinical presentation of Parinaud syndrome. The classic triad of conjugate upgaze paralysis, convergence‐retraction nystagmus and light‐near dissociation was only present in 65% of cases. Pineal neoplasms remain an important aetiological consideration; however, primary midbrain pathology including infarction and haemorrhage constituted the majority of our cases and should be considered in all patients. Conservative management approaches for ocular symptoms are sufficient in most cases although surgical treatment of upgaze palsy can be a useful option in refractory cases.
Antibodies to bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) in water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) and cattle from the Northern Territory of Australia
Authors: Evans CA , Cockcroft PD , Reichel MP
Published: October 2016

Background

Farmed and feral water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) populations often coexist with cattle in the Northern Territory of Australia, but their level of exposure to bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) is unknown.

Methods

Water buffalo (n = 245) and cattle (n = 184) serum samples were collected by the NT Government as part of an ongoing disease surveillance scheme at varying intervals between 1993 and 2001. All samples were frozen and stored at −80°C until testing. Water buffalo samples from farming properties were identified as ‘farmed’ animals and the remaining samples as ‘feral’ populations. Serum samples were analysed using commercially available ELISAs to test for the presence of BVDV antibodies.

Results

Testing of historical water buffalo sera for BVDV antibodies revealed a low level of exposure, with 4.5% (95% CI ± 2.6%) being sero‐positive; cattle from the same geographical area and time period had higher levels of exposure at 74.5% (95% CI ± 6.3%).

Discussion

This survey showed that water buffalo are susceptible to infection with BVDV. No persistently infected water buffalo were identified in this study.
Diagnosis and long‐term outcome of renal cysts after laparoscopic partial nephrectomy in children
Authors: Esposito Ciro , Escolino Maria , Troncoso Solar Bernardita , Iacona Roberta , Esposito Rosanna , Settimi Alessandro , Mushtaq Imran
Published: October 2016

Objective

To document the imaging follow‐up of laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN) in children and to investigate the natural history of cystic lesions following LPN.

Patients and Methods

We reviewed the ultrasonography (US) imaging reports performed during the follow‐up of 125 children (77 girls, 48 boys; mean age 3.2 years) who underwent LPN in two centres of paediatric surgery in the period 2005–2015.

Results

A transperitoneal approach was adopted in 83 children and a retroperitoneal approach in 42. The mean follow‐up was 4.2 years. At US, an avascular cyst related to the operative site was found after 61/125 procedures (48.8%). As for their appearance, 53/61 cysts were simple and anechoic, and eight of the 61 cysts appeared septated. The mean diameter of the cysts was 3.3 × 2.8 cm. As for their course, 13/61 cysts (21.3%) disappeared after a mean of 4 years, 26/61 (42.6%) did not significantly change in dimension, 17/61 (27.8%) decreased in size, and only five of the 61 cysts (8.3%) enlarged. The cysts were asymptomatic in 51 children (83.6%), while they were associated with urinary tract infections (UTIs) and abdominal pain in the remaining 10; none required a re‐intervention.

Conclusions

The US finding of a simple cyst at the operative site after LPN is common during follow‐up, with an incidence of ~50% in our series. In regard to aetiology, probably a seroma takes the place of the removed hemi‐kidney. There was no correlation between cyst formation and type of surgical technique adopted. As there was no correlation between cysts and clinical outcomes, renal cysts after LPN can be managed conservatively, with periodic US evaluations.
5‐Amino‐3‐methyl‐4‐isoxazolecarboxylic acid hydrazide derivatives with in vitro immunomodulatory activities
Authors: Drynda Angelika , Obmińska‐Mrukowicz Bożena , Zaczyńska Ewa , Zimecki Michał , Kochanowska Iwona , Ryng Stanisław , Mączyński Marcin
Published: October 2016

Isoxazoles are an important class of compounds of potential therapeutic value. The aim of this study was to determine immunotropic effects of 5‐amino‐3‐methyl‐4‐isoxazolecarboxylic acid hydrazide derivatives on spontaneous and mitogen‐induced lymphocyte proliferation in young and old mice, cytokine production by peritoneal cells as well as possible mechanism of action in a model of Jurkat cells. Three‐month‐old and 13‐month‐old BALB/c mice were used as donors of the cells from a thymus, a spleen, mesenteric lymph nodes, and a peritoneal cavity. Spontaneous and concanavalin A or lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced cell proliferation was measured by 3‐(4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide colorimetric method. IL‐1β and TNF‐α production induced by LPS in macrophage‐enriched peritoneal cell cultures was measured by enzyme‐linked immunoassay. 5‐amino‐3‐methyl‐4‐isoxazolecarboxylic acid hydrazide, 01K (4‐phenyl‐1‐(5‐amino‐3‐methylisoxazole‐4‐carbonyl)‐thiosemicarbazide), and 06K (4‐(4‐chlorophenyl)‐1‐(5‐amino‐3‐methylisoxazole‐4‐carbonyl)‐thiosemicarbazide) exhibited regulatory activity in the proliferation tests. Prevailing stimulatory activity of the hydrazide and inhibitory activity of 01K and 06K was observed. Those effects were connected with different influence of the compounds on signaling proteins expression in Jurkat cells. The regulatory effects of the compounds on IL‐1β production were more profound than those on TNF‐α. Differences in the compound activity in young versus old mice were mainly restricted to 01K. Immunosuppressive isoxazole leflunomide and a stimulatory RM‐11 (1,7‐dimethyl‐8‐oxo‐1,2H‐isoxazole [5,4‐e]triazepine) were applied as reference drugs.
Single gene defects leading to sperm quantitative anomalies
Authors: Mitchell M.J. , Metzler‐Guillemain C. , Toure A. , Coutton C. , Arnoult C. , Ray P.F.
Published: October 2016

Azoospermia, defined by the absence of sperm in the ejaculate, is estimated to affect up to 1% of men in the general population. Assisted reproductive technologies have revolutionized the treatment of infertility, and some azoospermic men, those with a post‐meiotic defect, can conceive following the use of viable spermatoza recovered from testicular or epididymal biopsies. Although male infertility is a multifactorial disease, it is believed that genetic factors are predominant in the etiology of azoospermia and severe oligozoospermia. Despite that assumption, substantiated by the high number of infertile knockout (KO) mice and the even higher number of genes expressed essentially in the testis, little is known about the pathophysiology of reduced sperm production, its primary causes or the genetic and epigenetic consequences for the gamete and the future conceptus. The identification of genetic abnormalities is therefore paramount to understand spermatogenesis, to adopt the best course of action for the patient and to provide adequate genetic counseling. We provide here a review of the recent literature on the genetics of azoospermia and oligozoospermia, focusing on defects directly altering sperm production. New sequencing technologies are contributing to the rapid evolution of the recent field of infertility genetics.
Geometrically Based Linear Iterative Clustering for Quantitative Feature Correspondence
Authors: Yan Qingan , Yang Long , Liang Chao , Liu Huajun , Hu Ruimin , Xiao Chunxia
Published: October 2016

A major challenge in feature matching is the lack of objective criteria to determine corresponding points. Recent methods find match candidates first by exploring the proximity in descriptor space, and then rely on a ratio‐test strategy to determine final correspondences. However, these measurements are heuristic and subjectively excludes massive true positive correspondences that should be matched. In this paper, we propose a novel feature matching algorithm for image collections, which is capable of providing quantitative depiction to the plausibility of feature matches. We achieve this by exploring the epipolar consistency between feature points and their potential correspondences, and reformulate feature matching as an optimization problem in which the overall geometric inconsistency across the entire image set ought to be minimized. We derive the solution of the optimization problem in a simple linear iterative manner, where a k‐means‐type approach is designed to automatically generate consistent feature clusters. Experiments show that our method produces precise correspondences on a variety of image sets and retrieves many matches that are subjectively rejected by recent methods. We also demonstrate the usefulness of the framework in structure from motion task for denser point cloud reconstruction.
Planar Shape Interpolation Based On Teichmüller Mapping
Authors: Nian Xianshun , Chen Falai
Published: October 2016

Shape interpolation is a classical problem in computer graphics and has been widely investigated in the past two decades. Ideal shape interpolation should be natural and smooth which have good properties such as affine and conformal reproduction, bounded distortion, no fold‐overs, etc. In this paper, we present a new approach for planar shape interpolation based on Teichmüller maps ‐ a special type of maps in the class of quasi‐conformal maps. The algorithm consists of two steps. In the first step, a Teichmüller map is computed from the source shape to the target shape, and then the Beltrami coefficient is interpolated such that the conformal distortion is linear with respect to the time variable. In the second step, the intermediate shape is reconstructed by solving the Beltrami equation locally over each triangle and then stitching the mapped triangles by conformal transformations. The new approach preserves all the good properties mentioned above and produces more natural and more uniform intermediate shapes than the start‐of‐the‐art methods. Especially, the conformal distortion changes linearly with respect to the time variable. Experiment results show that our method can produce appealing results regardless of interpolating between the same or different objects.
Piecewise smooth reconstruction of normal vector field on digital data
Authors: Coeurjolly David , Foare Marion , Gueth Pierre , Lachaud Jacques‐Olivier
Published: October 2016

We propose a novel method to regularize a normal vector field defined on a digital surface (boundary of a set of voxels). When the digital surface is a digitization of a piecewise smooth manifold, our method localizes sharp features (edges) while regularizing the input normal vector field at the same time. It relies on the optimisation of a variant of the Ambrosio‐Tortorelli functional, originally defined for denoising and contour extraction in image processing [AT90]. We reformulate this functional to digital surface processing thanks to discrete calculus operators. Experiments show that the output normal field is very robust to digitization artifacts or noise, and also fairly independent of the sampling resolution. The method allows the user to choose independently the amount of smoothing and the length of the set of discontinuities. Sharp and vanishing features are correctly delineated even on extremely damaged data. Finally, our method can be used to enhance considerably the output of state‐of‐the‐art normal field estimators like Voronoi Covariance Measure [MOG11] or Randomized Hough Transform [BM12].
Anisotropic Superpixel Generation Based on Mahalanobis Distance
Authors: Cai Yiqi , Guo Xiaohu
Published: October 2016

Superpixels have been widely used as a preprocessing step in various computer vision tasks. Spatial compactness and color homogeneity are the two key factors determining the quality of the superpixel representation. In this paper, these two objectives are considered separately and anisotropic superpixels are generated to better adapt to local image content. We develop a unimodular Gaussian generative model to guide the color homogeneity within a superpixel by learning local pixel color variations. It turns out maximizing the log‐likelihood of our generative model is equivalent to solving a Centroidal Voronoi Tessellation (CVT) problem. Moreover, we provide the theoretical guarantee that the CVT result is invariant to affine illumination change, which makes our anisotropic superpixel generation algorithm well suited for image/video analysis in varying illumination environment. The effectiveness of our method in image/video superpixel generation is demonstrated through the comparison with other state‐of‐the‐art methods.
Image Recoloring with Valence‐Arousal Emotion Model
Authors: Kim Hye‐Rin , Kang Henry , Lee In‐Kwon
Published: October 2016

We introduce an affective image recoloring method for changing the overall mood in the image in a numerically measurable way. Given a semantically segmented source image and a target emotion, our system finds reference image segments from the collection of images that have been tagged via crowdsourcing with numerically measured emotion labels. We then recolorize the source segments using colors from the selected target segments while preserving the gradient of the source image to generate a seamless and natural result. User study confirms the effectiveness of our method in accomplishing the stated goal of altering the mood of the image to match the target emotion level.
Efficient modeling of entangled details for natural scenes
Authors: Guérin Eric , Galin Eric , Grosbellet François , Peytavie Adrien , Génevaux Jean‐David
Published: October 2016

Digital landscape realism often comes from the multitude of details that are hard to model such as fallen leaves, rock piles or entangled fallen branches. In this article, we present a method for augmenting natural scenes with a huge amount of details such as grass tufts, stones, leaves or twigs. Our approach takes advantage of the observation that those details can be approximated by replications of a few similar objects and therefore relies on mass‐instancing. We propose an original structure, the Ghost Tile, that stores a huge number of overlapping candidate objects in a tile, along with a pre‐computed collision graph. Details are created by traversing the scene with the Ghost Tile and generating instances according to user‐defined density fields that allow to sculpt layers and piles of entangled objects while providing control over their density and distribution.
Facial Feature Exaggeration According to Social Psychology of Face Perception
Authors: Tian Lihui , Xiao Shuangjiu
Published: October 2016

We propose a personality trait exaggeration system emphasizing the impression of human face in images, based on multi‐level features learning and exaggeration. These features are called Personality Trait Model (PTM). Abstract level of PTM is social psychology trait of face perception such as amiable, mean, cute and so on. Concrete level of PTM is shape feature and texture feature. A training phase is presented to learn multi‐level features of faces from different images. Statistical survey is taken to label sample images with people's first impressions. From images with the same labels, we capture not only shape features but also texture features to enhance exaggeration effect. Texture feature is expressed by matrix to reflect depth of facial organs, wrinkles and so on. In application phase, original images will be exaggerated using PTM iteratively. And exaggeration rate for each iteration is constrained to keep likeness with the original face. Experimental results demonstrate that our system can emphasize chosen social psychology traits effectively.
Physically Based Video Editing
Authors: Bazin J.‐C. , (Kuster) C. Plüss , Yu G. , Martin T. , Jacobson A. , Gross M.
Published: October 2016

Convincing manipulation of objects in live action videos is a difficult and often tedious task. Skilled video editors achieve this with the help of modern professional tools, but complex motions might still lack physical realism since existing tools do not consider the laws of physics. On the other hand, physically based simulation promises a high degree of realism, but typically creates a virtual 3D scene animation rather than returning an edited version of an input live action video. We propose a framework that combines video editing and physics‐based simulation. Our tool assists unskilled users in editing an input image or video while respecting the laws of physics and also leveraging the image content. We first fit a physically based simulation that approximates the object's motion in the input video. We then allow the user to edit the physical parameters of the object, generating a new physical behavior for it. The core of our work is the formulation of an image‐aware constraint within physics simulations. This constraint manifests as external control forces to guide the object in a way that encourages proper texturing at every frame, yet producing physically plausible motions. We demonstrate the generality of our method on a variety of physical interactions: rigid motion, multi‐body collisions, clothes and elastic bodies.
An Error Estimation Framework for Many‐Light Rendering
Authors: Nabata K. , Iwasaki K. , Dobashi Y. , Nishita T.
Published: October 2016

The popularity of many‐light rendering, which converts complex global illumination computations into a simple sum of the illumination from virtual point lights (VPLs), for predictive rendering has increased in recent years. A huge number of VPLs are usually required for predictive rendering at the cost of extensive computational time. While previous methods can achieve significant speedup by clustering VPLs, none of these previous methods can estimate the total errors due to clustering. This drawback imposes on users tedious trial and error processes to obtain rendered images with reliable accuracy. In this paper, we propose an error estimation framework for many‐light rendering. Our method transforms VPL clustering into stratified sampling combined with confidence intervals, which enables the user to estimate the error due to clustering without the costly computing required to sum the illumination from all the VPLs. Our estimation framework is capable of handling arbitrary BRDFs and is accelerated by using visibility caching, both of which make our method more practical. The experimental results demonstrate that our method can estimate the error much more accurately than the previous clustering method.
Decoupled Space and Time Sampling of Motion and Defocus Blur for Unified Rendering of Transparent and Opaque Objects
Authors: Widmer S. , Wodniok D. , Thul D. , Guthe S. , Goesele M.
Published: October 2016

We propose a unified rendering approach that jointly handles motion and defocus blur for transparent and opaque objects at interactive frame rates. Our key idea is to create a sampled representation of all parts of the scene geometry that are potentially visible at any point in time for the duration of a frame in an initial rasterization step. We store the resulting temporally‐varying fragments (t‐fragments) in a bounding volume hierarchy which is rebuild every frame using a fast spatial median construction algorithm. This makes our approach suitable for interactive applications with dynamic scenes and animations. Next, we perform spatial sampling to determine all t‐fragments that intersect with a specific viewing ray at any point in time. Viewing rays are sampled according to the lens uv‐sampling for depth‐of‐field effects. In a final temporal sampling step, we evaluate the predetermined viewing ray/t‐fragment intersections for one or multiple points in time. This allows us to incorporate all standard shading effects including transparency. We describe the overall framework, present our GPU implementation, and evaluate our rendering approach with respect to scalability, quality, and performance.
Reduced Aggregate Scattering Operators for Path Tracing
Authors: Blumer Adrian , Novák Jan , Habel Ralf , Nowrouzezahrai Derek , Jarosz Wojciech
Published: October 2016

Aggregate scattering operators (ASOs) describe the overall scattering behavior of an asset (i.e., an object or volume, or collection thereof) accounting for all orders of its internal scattering. We propose a practical way to precompute and compactly store ASOs and demonstrate their ability to accelerate path tracing. Our approach is modular avoiding costly and inflexible scene‐dependent precomputation. This is achieved by decoupling light transport within and outside of each asset, and precomputing on a per‐asset level. We store the internal transport in a reduced‐dimensional subspace tailored to the structure of the asset geometry, its scattering behavior, and typical illumination conditions, allowing the ASOs to maintain good accuracy with modest memory requirements. The precomputed ASO can be reused across all instances of the asset and across multiple scenes. We augment ASOs with functionality enabling multi‐bounce importance sampling, fast short‐circuiting of complex light paths, and compact caching, while retaining rapid progressive preview rendering. We demonstrate the benefits of our ASOs by efficiently path tracing scenes containing many instances of objects with complex inter‐reflections or multiple scattering.
Visual Contrast Sensitivity and Discrimination for 3D Meshes and their Applications
Authors: Nader G. , Wang K. , Hétroy‐Wheeler F. , Dupont f.
Published: October 2016

In this paper, we first introduce an algorithm for estimating the visual contrast on a 3D mesh. We then perform a series of psychophysical experiments to study the effects of contrast sensitivity and contrast discrimination of the human visual system for the task of differentiating between two contrasts on a 3D mesh. The results of these experiments allow us to propose a perceptual model that is able to predict whether a change in local contrast on 3D mesh, induced by a local geometric distortion, is visible or not. Finally, we illustrate the utility of the proposed perceptual model in a number of applications: we compute the Just Noticeable Distortion (JND) profile for smooth‐shaded 3D meshes and use the model to guide mesh processing algorithms.
Primary dermal pleomorphic liposarcoma: utility of adipophilin and MDM2/CDK4 immunostainings
Authors: Ramírez‐Bellver Jose L. , López Joaquín , Macías Elena , Alegría‐Landa Victoria , Gimeno Ignacio , Pérez‐Plaza Alejandra , Kutzner Heinz , Requena Luis
Published: October 2016

Liposarcoma, usually arises in deep soft tissues and pleomorphic liposarcoma (PL), is the rarest histopathologic variant. However, 15 cases of entirely dermal PL have been reported. We describe a case of a 79‐year‐old man who developed a rapidly growing nodule on his thorax. Excisional biopsy was performed and immunohistochemical studies were carried. The lesion was a well‐circumscribed dermal nodule composed of multivacuolated pleomorphic lipoblasts and atypical mitotic figures. Neoplastic cells expressed CD10 and resulted negative S100 protein, Melan‐A, MITF‐1, AE1/AE3, CD4, CD68 (PGM1), retinoblastoma gene family protein, pericentrine and lysozyme. Adipophilin stain showed the lipid contents in the cytoplasm of the neoplastic cells. MDM2 and CDK4 resulted both negative. A diagnosis of primary dermal PL was made. This case shows the utility of adipophilin immunostaining to prove the lipid contents in neoplastic cells, which has the advantage of using formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded tissue and making needless frozen sections and ultrastructural studies to show these findings. Negative MDM2/CDK4 staining in our case argues against the possibility of dedifferentiated liposarcoma and further supports the diagnosis of true PL.
Malleability of implicit associations across development
Authors: Gonzalez Antonya Marie , Dunlop William L. , Baron Andrew Scott
Published: October 2016

The prevalence of implicit intergroup bias in adults underscores the importance of knowing when during development such biases are most amenable to change. Although research suggests that implicit intergroup bias undergoes little change across development, no studies have directly examined whether developmental differences exist in the capacity for novel implicit associations to form or change. The present study examined this issue among children ages 5–12. Results from over 800 children provided evidence that novel implicit associations formed quickly, regardless of child age, association type (evaluative or non‐evaluative) or the target of the association (social or non‐social). Moreover, the magnitude of these changes was comparable across conditions. Coupled with similar findings among adults, these data underscore the importance of first impressions in shaping implicit intergroup bias and provide further evidence that the acquisition of implicit associations is governed by a domain‐general mechanism that may be fully in place by age 5.
Co‐sleeping in school‐aged children with a motor disability: a comparative population‐based study
Authors: Jacquier David , Newman Christopher John
Published: October 2016

Aim

To determine the prevalence and determinants of co‐sleeping in school‐aged children with a motor disability compared with the school‐aged general population.

Method

A questionnaire on demographic characteristics and co‐sleeping habits, along with the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC), was sent to parents of children aged between 4 years and 18 years followed in our tertiary paediatric neurorehabilitation clinic, and to school‐aged children in a representative sample of state schools.

Result

We analysed responses for 245 children with motor disability (142 males, 103 females; mean age 10y 6mo, standard deviation [SD] 3y 10mo, range 4–18y) and 2891 of the general population (1484 males, 1497 females; mean age [SD] 9y 6mo [3y 5mo], range 4–18y) (response rates 37% and 26% respectively). Cerebral palsy was the most common diagnosis among children with motor disability. Weekly co‐sleeping was significantly more common in children with motor disability than in the general population (11.8% vs 7.9% respectively, p=0.032). Special care of the child with motor disability at night, mainly addressing epilepsy, was reported as a cause of co‐sleeping by two‐thirds of parents. Factors associated with co‐sleeping in the motor disability group were age, housing crowding, severe visual impairment, and pathological sleep according to the SDSC.

Interpretation

Co‐sleeping is common among children with motor disability. It is influenced by personal and medical factors, as well as the requirements for special care at night. Therefore, health professionals should explore sleeping arrangements in families of children with motor disability.
Neurobehaviour at term in infants born moderately and late preterm is associated with cognition at 2 years
Authors: Hadders‐Algra Mijna
Published: October 2016

This commentary is on the original article by Spittle et al. on pages 207–215 of this issue.
Prenatal diagnosis of Berry syndrome by fetal echocardiography: a case report
Authors: Yang Shui‐Hua , Tian Xiao‐Xian , Li Yuan‐Yuan , Yang Zuo‐Jian
Published: October 2016

We report a case in which Berry syndrome is diagnosed by fetal echocardiography. Fetal echocardiography showed that the ascending aorta, main pulmonary artery, left pulmonary artery, and right pulmonary artery were presented as a vascular complexity in the three vessels and pulmonary arterial branches view.
First record ofNeocatenulostroma germanicumon pines in Lithuania and Ukraine and its co‐occurrence withDothistromaspp. and other pathogens
Authors: Markovskaja S. , Kačergius A. , Davydenko K. , Fraser S.
Published: October 2016

Neocatenulostroma germanicum(syn.Catenulostroma germanicum),an ascomycetous fungus, is recorded for the first time in Lithuania and the Ukraine.N. germanicumwas observed colonizing pine needles and causing needle blight symptoms onPinus mugoin coastal areas of Lithuania,Pinus nigrasubsp.pallasianiain southern areas of the Ukraine andPinus sylvestrisin both coastal and continental areas of Lithuania.N. germanicumwas commonly associated withDothistromaspp. and/orLecanosticta acicolaon needles with symptoms of needle blight, but was also found occurring alone. Phylogenetic analysis, morphological examination and cultural and ecological characterizations ofNeocatenulostromaisolates obtained during this study demonstrated that the species belongs to theN. abietis/N. germanicumspecies complex. Molecular analysis (ofITS,LSU, actin andTEF1‐α sequences) showed that most isolates were more closely related to theN. germanicumex‐type. The pathogenicity of oneN. germanicumisolate from Lithuania onP. sylvestriswas confirmed in an artificial inoculation experiment.