bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Phloem structure and development in Illicium parviflorum, a basal angiosperm shrub
Authors: Losada Juan M. , Holbrook N. Michele
Published: June 2018

Recent studies in canopy-dominant trees revealed a structure-function scaling of the phloem. However, whether axial scaling is conserved in woody plants of the understory, the environments of most basal-grade angiosperms, remains mysterious. We used seedlings and adult plants of the shrub Illicium parviflorum to explore the anatomy and physiology of the phloem in their aerial parts, and possible changes through ontogeny. Adult plants maintain a similar proportion of phloem tissue across stem diameters, but scaling of conduit dimensions and number decreases the hydraulic resistance towards the base of the plant. Yet, the small sieve plate pores resulted in an overall higher sieve tube hydraulic resistance than has been reported in other woody angiosperms. Sieve elements scaled from minor to major leaf veins, but were shorter and narrower in petioles. The low carbon assimilation rates of seedlings and mature plants contrasted with a three-fold higher phloem sap velocity in seedlings, suggesting that phloem transport velocity is modulated through ontogeny. While the overall architecture of the phloem tissue in basal-angiosperm understory shrubs scales in a manner consistent with trees, modification of conduit connections may have allowed woody angiosperms to extend beyond their understory origins.
Dissociating language and thought in human reasoning
Authors: Coetzee John P. , Johnson Micah A. , Lee Youngzie , Wu Allan D. , Iacoboni Marco , Monti Martin M.
Published: June 2018

What is the relationship between language and complex thought? In the context of deductive reasoning there are two main views. Under the first, which we label here the language-centric view, language is central to the syntax-like combinatorial operations of complex reasoning. Under the second, which we label here the language-independent view, these operations are dissociable from the mechanisms of natural language. We applied continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS), a form of noninvasive neuromodulation, to healthy adult participants to transiently inhibit a subregion of Broca’s area (BA44) associated in prior work with parsing the syntactic relations of natural language. We similarly inhibited a subregion of dorsomedial frontal cortex (BA8) which has been associated with core features of logical reasoning. There was a significant interaction between task and stimulation site. Post hoc tests revealed that performance on a linguistic reasoning task, but not deductive reasoning task, was significantly impaired after inhibition of BA44, and performance on a deductive reasoning task, but not linguistic reasoning task, was decreased after inhibition of BA8 (however not significantly). Subsequent linear contrasts supported this pattern. These novel results suggest that deductive reasoning may be dissociable from linguistic processes in the adult human brain, consistent with the language-independent view.
Notch Controls Multiple Pancreatic Cell Fate Regulators Through Direct Hes1-mediated Repression
Authors: de Lichtenberg Kristian H. , Seymour Philip A. , Jørgensen Mette C. , Kim Yung-Hae , Grapin-Botton Anne , Magnuson Mark A. , Nakic Nikolina , Ferrer Jorge , Serup Palle
Published: June 2018

Notch signaling and its effector Hes1 regulate multiple cell fate choices in the developing pancreas, but few direct target genes are known. Here we use transcriptome analyses combined with chromatin immunoprecipitation with next-generation sequencing (ChIP-seq) to identify direct target genes of Hes1. ChIP-seq analysis of endogenous Hes1 in 266-6 cells, a model of multipotent pancreatic progenitor cells, revealed high-confidence peaks associated with 354 genes. Among these were genes important for tip/trunk segregation such asPtf1aandNkx6-1, genes involved in endocrine differentiation such asInsm1andDll4, and genes encoding non-pancreatic basic-Helic-Loop-Helix (bHLH) factors such asNeurog2andAscl1. Surprisingly, we find that Hes1 binds a large number of loci previously reported to bind Ptf1a, including a site downstream of theNkx6-1gene. Notably, we find a number of Hes1 bound genes that are upregulated by γ-secretase inhibition in pancreas explants independently ofNeurog3function, including the tip progenitor/acinar genes;Ptf1a, Gata4, Bhlha15, andGfi1. Together, our data suggest that Notch signaling suppress the tip cell fate by Hes1-mediated repression of the tip-specific gene regulatory network module that includes transcriptional regulators such as Ptf1a, Gata4, Mist1, and Gfi1. Our data also uncover new molecular targets of Notch signaling that may be important for controlling cell fate choices in pancreas development.
Identification and Characterisation of the CD40-Ligand ofSigmodon hispidus
Authors: Russell Marsha S. , Muralidharan Abenaya , Larocque Louise , Cao Jingxin , Deschambault Yvon , Varga Jessie , Thulasi Raman Sathya N. , Li Xuguang
Published: June 2018

Cotton rats are an important animal model to study infectious diseases. They have demonstrated higher susceptibility to a wider variety of human pathogens than other rodents and are also the animal model of choice for pre-clinical evaluations of some vaccine candidates. However, the genome of cotton rats remains to be fully sequenced, with much fewer genes cloned and characterised compared to other rodent species. Here we report the cloning and characterization of CD40 ligand, whose human and murine counterparts are known to be expressed on a range of cell types including activated T cells and B cells, dendritic cells, granulocytes, macrophages and platelets and exerts a broad array of immune responses. The cDNA for cotton rat CD40L we isolated is comprised of 1104 nucleotides with an open reading frame (ORF) of 783bp coding for a 260 amino acid protein. The recombinant cotton rat CD40L protein was recognized by an antibody against mouse CD40L. Moreover, it demonstrated functional activities on immature bone marrow dendritic cells by upregulating surface maturation markers (CD40, CD54, CD80, and CD86), and increasing IL-6 gene and protein expression. The availability of CD40L gene identity could greatly facilitate mechanistic research on pathogen-induced-immunopathogenesis and vaccine-elicited immune responses.
Base-specific mutational intolerance near splice sites clarifies the role of nonessential splice nucleotides
Authors: Zhang Sidi , Samocha Kaitlin E. , Rivas Manuel A. , Karczewski Konrad J. , Daly Emma , Schmandt Ben , Neale Benjamin M. , MacArthur Daniel G. , Daly Mark J.
Published: June 2018

Variation in RNA splicing (i.e., alternative splicing) plays an important role in many diseases. Variants near 5′ and 3′ splice sites often affect splicing, but the effects of these variants on splicing and disease have not been fully characterized beyond the two “essential” splice nucleotides flanking each exon. Here we provide quantitative measurements of tolerance to mutational disruptions by position and reference allele–alternative allele combinations. We show that certain reference alleles are particularly sensitive to mutations, regardless of the alternative alleles into which they are mutated. Using public RNA-seq data, we demonstrate that individuals carrying such variants have significantly lower levels of the correctly spliced transcript, compared to individuals without them, and confirm that these specific substitutions are highly enriched for known Mendelian mutations. Our results propose a more refined definition of the “splice region” and offer a new way to prioritize and provide functional interpretation of variants identified in diagnostic sequencing and association studies.
17p13.3 quadruplication: a prenatal and postpartum clinical characterization of a copy number variant
Authors: Farris Nicholas , Wu Helena , Said-Delgado Sara , Suskin Barrie , Klugman Susan
Published: June 2018

Prenatal genetic testing has advanced rapidly in the past decade. However, not all results, including variants, are well understood. We report the finding of a 2.5-Mb gene region quadruplication of Chromosome 17p13.3. This region is well characterized for the deletion leading to Miller–Dieker syndrome but has an unclear replication phenotype. Invasive testing performed after ultrasound abnormalities were seen revealed the quadruplication sequence as well as a short segment (850 kb) with x5 copy number variation. This region has previously been reported in a collection of duplications with shared phenotype; our quadruplication suggests similarities in phenotype. This raises the hypothesis of a potential spectrum or copy number variant–based phenotype.
Isolation and Demembranation of Xenopus Sperm Nuclei
Authors: Hazel James W. , Gatlin Jesse C.
Published: June 2018

The inherent experimental advantages of intact amphibian eggs have been exploited for several decades to advance our understanding of fundamental developmental processes and the cell cycle. Characterization of these processes at the molecular level has been greatly advanced by the use of cell-free extracts, which permit the development of biochemically tractable approaches. Demembranated Xenopus laevis sperm nuclei have been used with cell-free extracts to recapitulate cell cycle progression and to control the cell cycle state of the egg extract. This system has become an invaluable and widely used tool for studies of cell cycle regulation and many downstream events. Here, we describe a protocol, derived in part from other published protocols and modified over time, for the preparation of Xenopus sperm nuclei that can be used in a variety of in vitro assays.
Isolation of IgY from Chicken Eggs
Authors: Fishman Jordan B. , Berg Eric A.
Published: June 2018

Because IgY does not interact with either Protein A or Protein G, more traditional methods must be used for its isolation. To isolate chicken IgY from the yolk of chicken eggs, the yolks and the whites must be separated much in the way a cook does. Minimizing the egg white proteins is an important part of this process. Although eggs can be accumulated for short periods of time, IgY must be isolated from the yolk within 2–3 wk to avoid fouling of the material. In the first section of this protocol, sodium sulfate is used to precipitate protein fractions differentially from the chicken egg yolk. The second section describes an alternative differential precipitation technique that uses Polyethylene Glycol 6000 instead of sodium sulfate.
Isolation and Quantification of DNA
Authors: Green Michael R. , Sambrook Joseph
Published: June 2018

Purifying DNA is the key to successful cloning. The cleaner the final preparation of DNA, the more efficient will be the enzymatic reactions that use the DNA as a template or a substrate. In the 1930s and 1940s, the scientific literature began to accumulate methods to release DNA from cells and to remove cellular constituents that inhibit or act as competitors on enzymatically catalyzed reactions. Since then, thousands of protocols for purification of DNA from a wide variety of organisms, tissues, and bodily fluids have been published. This introduction provides an overview of methods for isolation and quantification of DNA.
Development of combined microstructure and structure characterization facility for in situ and operando studies at the Advanced Photon Source
Authors: Ilavsky Jan , Zhang Fan , Andrews Ross N. , Kuzmenko Ivan , Jemian Pete R. , Levine Lyle E. , Allen Andrew J.
Published: June 2018

Following many years of evolutionary development, first at the National Synchrotron Light Source, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and then at the Advanced Photon Source (APS), Argonne National Laboratory, the APS ultra-small-angle X-ray scattering (USAXS) facility has been transformed by several new developments. These comprise a conversion to higher-order crystal optics and higher X-ray energies as the standard operating mode, rapid fly scan measurements also as a standard operational mode, automated contiguous pinhole small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements at intermediate scattering vectors, and associated rapid wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) measurements for X-ray diffraction without disturbing the sample geometry. With each mode using the USAXS incident beam optics upstream of the sample, USAXS/SAXS/WAXS measurements can now be made within 5 min, allowing in situ and operando measurement capabilities with great flexibility under a wide range of sample conditions. These developments are described, together with examples of their application to investigate materials phenomena of technological importance. Developments of two novel USAXS applications, USAXS-based X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy and USAXS imaging, are also briefly reviewed.
Determination of pole figure coverage for texture measurements with neutron time-of-flight diffractometers
Authors: Takajo Shigehiro , Vogel Sven C.
Published: June 2018

The coverage of a given diffraction instrument as a percentage of the area 2π of a pole figure hemisphere is a crucial parameter of each diffraction instrument used for texture or strain pole figure determination. On the basis of this knowledge, the number of rotations and rotation angles for a full determination of the orientation distribution function can be optimized. However, the determination of this quantity is non-trivial. This paper presents a method that projects a given detector coverage into pole figure space, i.e. outlines the detector areas in a pole figure, and then determines the fraction of the entire 2π pole figure hemisphere around the sample that is covered. The freely available Generic Mapping Tools (GMT) and ImageJ are utilized for this quantification. With this method, it is shown that the empirically determined rotation angles for the HIPPO neutron time-of-flight diffractometer are close to optimal for a set of three rotations.
Gender and water management in Mexico
Authors: Silva Rodríguez de San Miguel Jorge Alejandro
Published: June 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to survey water-governance issues impacting women in Mexico and steps that have been taken to rectify the issues, including factors that impact the success of such ventures.

Design/methodology/approach

Various major academic databases were searched for material pertaining to the issue of water management and gender in Mexico, such as EBSCOHost and JSTOR. Both global and regional concerns were a factor in this search. Material was considered on the basis of its recency, academic import, and specificity.

Findings

The review finds that though gender has become a primary concern in addressing water management and other environmental issues, debate has occurred as to whether a perspective of gender mainstreaming or gender-specific projects is preferable in addressing this issue. Although success in implementing gender mainstreaming has been attained by several major organizations, there does not yet exist conclusive evidence that this approach yields desired results.

Research limitations/implications

Information about the efficacy of water access programs is not always available and it is frequently inaccurate. Therefore, much information used in this review takes the form of observations about water policy and its efficacy in regard to gendered approaches.

Originality/value

Women and girls are unevenly affected by a lack of access to water, as it is typically women who bear the brunt of managing household water, and they are more significantly impacted by lacking hygiene facilities.
On expectations in the aftermath of the ‘refugee crisis’: Ethnographic prospects from a post‐industrial German city
Authors: RINGEL FELIX
Published: June 2018

At the height of the ‘refugee crisis’ in Europe, right‐wing critics challenged refugees’ rights to asylum. One of the ways they did this was by predicting chaotic, doom‐laden futures. In reality, nobody – neither the communities hosting the refugees, nor the refugees themselves – knew what the post‐crisis future would bring. Anthropologists are in a position to consider that future ethnographically. This article discusses the emerging future expectations of one Afghan family in the German post‐industrial city of Bremerhaven. It attends to the local production of representations of the future during the aftermath of the crisis. The author uses this material to literally look ahead with ethnography and to thereby intervene in the broader context of the politics of expectations. He argues that the earlier we anthropologists can provide detailed accounts of how the future is starting to take shape in our fieldsites, the more efficiently we can stop further fearmongering and the deprivation of human rights. These ‘ethnographic prospects’ may allow us to ask different questions and offer different imaginations of the future.
India's Search for Prosperity
Authors: Joshi Vijay
Published: June 2018

What should India do to become a prosperous, high‐income country within the next 25 years? In this Corden Lecture, I argue that India needs ‘more of the market’ as well as ‘more of the state’, each in its proper domain. This theme is elaborated by identifying and examining the following problem areas in India's economic landscape: dysfunctional subsidies and inefficient redistribution; labour market distortions and the employment problem; inefficient public‐sector enterprises; poor quality of primary education; and weakness of state capacity. The lecture ends with some reflections on India's democratic system, which provides the setting in which economic reform has to be implemented.
Why Are Australian Wages Lagging and What Can Be Done About It?
Authors: Isaac Joe
Published: June 2018

Wages in Australia have lagged behind the growth in labour productivity in recent years. This has been associated with a significant change in the distribution of income in favour of high‐income earners. Although a number of factors appear to have been involved in this development, an important explanation is also to be found in the change in the balance of power in favour of employers and against workers and unions. As changes in industrial relations laws have contributed substantially to this imbalance, a return to the earlier laws may be necessary to restore the institutional mechanism for wages growth.
The Not‐So‐Strange Death of Multifactor Productivity Growth
Authors: Quiggin John
Published: June 2018

The central theme of this article is the observation that improvements in information and communications technology (ICT) and in labour quality represent ‘embodied’ technological progress, as distinct from the ‘disembodied’ residual represented by multifactor productivity (MFP) growth. The seeming paradox of continued labour productivity growth combined with static MFP may be explained by the fact that technological progress is now mostly embodied in improved technology and better educated workers. The contribution from microeconomic reform has been, and is likely to remain, marginal.
Convergence of crisis response strategy and source credibility: Who can you trust?
Authors: Tkalac Verčič Ana , Verčič Dejan , Coombs W. Timothy
Published: June 2018

The purpose of this study was to explore how communicative responses and different sources of communication affect stakeholders’ perception of corporate reputation. The main goal was to explore the effects of crisis response strategy and source of crisis communication on organizational and speaker reputations. In a 2 × 2 scenario experiment, respondents judge corporate and speaker reputation of an imaginary organization. Apology as a strategy results in higher postcrisis reputation of both organization and speaker. However, the selection of the source has little effect on how people react to crisis response strategies. This means that a spokesperson can be as useful as a CEO which can be important if the CEO does not convey a positive presence on a screen.
Integrating Growth Variability of the Ilium, Fifth Lumbar Vertebra, and Clavicle with Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines Models for Subadult Age Estimation
Authors: Corron Louise , Marchal François , Condemi Silvana , Telmon Norbert , Chaumoitre Kathia , Adalian Pascal
Published: June 2018

Subadult age estimation should rely on sampling and statistical protocols capturing development variability for more accurate age estimates. In this perspective, measurements were taken on the fifth lumbar vertebrae and/or clavicles of 534 French males and females aged 0–19 years and the ilia of 244 males and females aged 0–12 years. These variables were fitted in nonparametric multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) models with 95% prediction intervals (PIs) of age. The models were tested on two independent samples from Marseille and the Luis Lopes reference collection from Lisbon. Models using ilium width and module, maximum clavicle length, and lateral vertebral body heights were more than 92% accurate. Precision was lower for postpubertal individuals. Integrating punctual nonlinearities of the relationship between age and the variables and dynamic prediction intervals incorporated the normal increase in interindividual growth variability (heteroscedasticity of variance) with age for more biologically accurate predictions.
Seven years follow‐up of early repolarisation patterns in French elite special forces
Authors: Roche Nicolas‐Charles , Massoure Pierre‐Laurent , Deharo Jean‐Claude , Paule Philippe , Fourcade Laurent
Published: June 2018

Background

The early repolarization pattern (ERP) may be a marker of increased risk for sudden cardiac death (SCD). Influence of ethnicity on the ERP has not been extensively studied. The aim of this study was to evaluate the epidemiology of ERP in a male multiethnic population.

Methods

ECG analysis was performed among consecutive recruits from the French Foreign Legion. ERP was characterized by a J‐point elevation ≥0.1 mV in two continuous inferior‐lateral leads, and high amplitude early repolarization (HAER—potentially malignant pattern) by an elevation ≥0.2 mV. Ethnical affiliation and level of physical activity were recorded.

Results

A total of 2508 healthy men (24 ± 5 years old) from 105 different native countries were divided into three ethnic groups: 1689 Whites, 388 Afro‐Caribbean, and 431 Asians. ERP was found in 489 recruits (19%), 14% in Whites, 33% in Afro‐Caribbeans, and 27% in Asians without any difference according to age and physical activity. Sub‐Saharan Africans or Caribbeans had the highest rate of ERP (30%), and Hispanics the lowest (8%). People from occidental countries, Middle East, Central Asia or India had a rate of 12%–18%, East and South‐Asia 20%–25%. Madagascar was an exception with only 16% of ERP. HAER (2.9%) was more frequent among Asian recruits. After 5 ± 2 years of follow up, one SCD occurred in the ERP group (p = 0.042).

Conclusion

This study reports a large multiethnic analysis of ERP. HAER was more frequent in recruits from East and South‐East Asia where sudden unexplained nocturnal death syndrome is endemic.
Initial cooling time before freezing affects post‐thaw quality and reproductive performance of rabbit semen
Authors: Di Iorio Michele , Colonna Maria Antonietta , Miranda Marsia , Principe Paola , Schiavitto Michele , Cerolini Silvia , Manchisi Angelo , Iaffaldano Nicolaia
Published: June 2018

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of initial cooling time at 5°C during semen cryopreservation on post‐thaw quality and reproductive performance of rabbit semen. Pooled semen samples (n = 6) were divided into two subsamples and cooled at 5°C for 45 or 90 min. After cooling, the semen samples were diluted to a ratio of 1:1 (v:v) with a freezing extender composed of Tris‐citrate‐glucose (TCG) containing 16% of dimethylsulfoxide and 0.1 mol/L sucrose. The semen was subsequently loaded in 0.25 ml straws, equilibrated at 5°C and frozen in liquid nitrogen vapor. After thawing, sperm motility, viability, osmotic resistance, acrosome and DNA integrity were assessed. Our results indicate that the longer cooling time, that is, 90 min before cryopreservation significantly improves sperm post‐thaw viability, motility and fertility. In fact, reproductive performances obtained with semen frozen after a 90 min cooling time were similar to those produced by fresh semen insemination. Hence, the present research provides an effective freezing protocol for rabbit semen that will allow for the creation of a sperm cryobank for the conservation of Italian rabbit genetic resources, as well as the use of frozen semen doses in commercial farms.
HuR stabilizes TFAM mRNA in an ATM/p38‐dependent manner in ionizing irradiated cancer cells
Authors: Zhang Rui , Wang Jun
Published: June 2018

Mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) plays key roles in transcription and maintenance of mtDNA. It has been reported that TFAM could promote the proliferation and tumorigenesis of cells under stressed conditions. Previous evidence showed ionizing radiation stimulated the expression of TFAM, the replication of mtDNA, and the activity of mtDNA‐encoded cytochrome C oxidase. However, little is known about the mechanism of TFAM regulation in irradiated cells. In this article, we explored the role of mRNA stability in regulating TFAM expression in irradiated cancer cells. Our results showed that radiation stimulated the levels of TFAM mRNA and protein. RNA‐binding protein HuR associated and stabilized TFAM mRNA to facilitate the expression of TFAM, which was enhanced by radiation. Furthermore, radiation‐activated ataxia‐telangiectasia mutated kinase/p38 signaling positively contributed to the nucleus to cytosol translocation of HuR, its binding and stabilization of TFAM mRNA, without affecting the transcription and the stability of TFAM. Our current work proposed a new mechanism of DNA damage response‐regulated mitochondrial function variations, and indicated that TFAM might be a potential target for increasing the sensitization of cancer cells to radiotherapy.
Apolipoprotein B mRNA editing enzyme catalytic polypeptide‐like family genes activation and regulation during tumorigenesis
Authors: Gao Jianlong , Choudhry Hani , Cao Wei
Published: June 2018

Cancer is currently viewed as a disease of evolving genomic instability and abnormal epigenomic modifications. Most solid cancers harbor oncogenic gene mutations driven by both extrinsic and intrinsic factors. Apolipoprotein B mRNA editing catalytic polypeptide‐like family (APOBEC) enzymes have an intrinsic deamination activity to convert cytosine to uracil during RNA editing and retrovirus or retrotransposon restriction. Beyond their natural defense in innate immunity, compelling evidence showed that a subclass of APOBEC3 can cause high mutation burden in various types of cancer genomes, and high expression subtypes of APOBEC3 may contribute to drug resistance and associate with clinical outcomes. The underlying molecular mechanisms of APOBEC‐mediated hypermutation phenotype are poorly understood. In this review, we discuss the linkage of activation‐induced deaminase (AID)/APOBEC3 enzymes to tumorigenesis, highlight the dysregulatory mechanisms of APOBEC3 activities during cancer development, and propose potential approaches to targeting APOBEC3‐mediated mutagenesis for cancer interventions.
Wavejets: A Local Frequency Framework for Shape Details Amplification
Authors: Béarzi Yohann , Digne Julie , Chaine Raphaëlle
Published: June 2018

Detail enhancement is a well‐studied area of 3D rendering and image processing, which has few equivalents for 3D shape processing. To enhance details, one needs an efficient analysis tool to express the local surface dynamics. We introduce Wavejets, a new function basis for locally decomposing a shape expressed over the local tangent plane, by considering both angular oscillations of the surface around each point and a radial polynomial. We link the Wavejets coefficients to surface derivatives and give theoretical guarantees for their precision and stability with respect to an approximate tangent plane. The coefficients can be used for shape details amplification, to enhance, invert or distort them, by operating either on the surface point positions or on the normals. From a practical point of view, we derive an efficient way of estimating Wavejets on point sets and demonstrate experimentally the amplification results with respect to noise or basis truncation.
Watch to Edit: Video Retargeting using Gaze
Authors: Rachavarapu Kranthi Kumar , Kumar Moneish , Gandhi Vineet , Subramanian Ramanathan
Published: June 2018

We present a novel approach to optimally retarget videos for varied displays with differing aspect ratios by preserving salient scene content discovered via eye tracking. Our algorithm performs editing with cut, pan and zoom operations by optimizing the path of a cropping window within the original video while seeking to (i) preserve salient regions, and (ii) adhere to the principles of cinematography. Our approach is (a) content agnostic as the same methodology is employed to re‐edit a wide‐angle video recording or a close‐up movie sequence captured with a static or moving camera, and (b) independent of video length and can in principle re‐edit an entire movie in one shot.

Our algorithm consists of two steps. The first step employs gaze transition cues to detect time stamps where new cuts are to be introduced in the original video via dynamic programming. A subsequent step optimizes the cropping window path (to create pan and zoom effects), while accounting for the original and new cuts. The cropping window path is designed to include maximum gaze information, and is composed of piecewise constant, linear and parabolic segments. It is obtained via L(1) regularized convex optimization which ensures a smooth viewing experience. We test our approach on a wide variety of videos and demonstrate significant improvement over the state‐of‐the‐art, both in terms of computational complexity and qualitative aspects. A study performed with 16 users confirms that our approach results in a superior viewing experience as compared to gaze driven re‐editing [JSSH15] and letterboxing methods, especially for wide‐angle static camera recordings.
GazeDirector: Fully Articulated Eye Gaze Redirection in Video
Authors: Wood Erroll , Baltrušaitis Tadas , Morency Louis‐Philippe , Robinson Peter , Bulling Andreas
Published: June 2018

We present GazeDirector, a new approach for eye gaze redirection that uses model‐fitting. Our method first tracks the eyes by fitting a multi‐part eye region model to video frames using analysis‐by‐synthesis, thereby recovering eye region shape, texture, pose, and gaze simultaneously. It then redirects gaze by 1) warping the eyelids from the original image using a model‐derived flow field, and 2) rendering and compositing synthesized 3D eyeballs onto the output image in a photorealistic manner. GazeDirector allows us to change where people are looking without person‐specific training data, and with full articulation, i.e. we can precisely specify new gaze directions in 3D. Quantitatively, we evaluate both model‐fitting and gaze synthesis, with experiments for gaze estimation and redirection on the Columbia gaze dataset. Qualitatively, we compare GazeDirector against recent work on gaze redirection, showing better results especially for large redirection angles. Finally, we demonstrate gaze redirection on YouTube videos by introducing new 3D gaze targets and by manipulating visual behavior.
String Art: Towards Computational Fabrication of String Images
Authors: Birsak Michael , Rist Florian , Wonka Peter , Musialski Przemyslaw
Published: June 2018

In this paper we propose a novel method for the automatic computation and digital fabrication of artistic string images. String art is a technique used by artists for the creation of abstracted images which are composed of straight lines of strings tensioned between pins distributed on a frame. Together the strings fuse to a perceptible image. Traditionally, artists craft such images manually in a highly sophisticated and tedious design process. To achieve this goal fully automatically we propose a computational setup driven by a discrete optimization algorithm which takes an ordinary picture as input and converts it into a connected graph of strings that tries to reassemble the input image best possibly. Furthermore, we propose a hardware setup for automatic digital fabrication of these images using an industrial robot that spans the strings. Finally, we demonstrate the applicability of our approach by generating and fabricating a set of real string art images.
Sequences with Low‐Discrepancy Blue‐Noise 2‐D Projections
Authors: Perrier Hélène , Coeurjolly David , Xie Feng , Pharr Matt , Hanrahan Pat , Ostromoukhov Victor
Published: June 2018

Distributions of samples play a very important role in rendering, affecting variance, bias and aliasing in Monte‐Carlo and Quasi‐Monte Carlo evaluation of the rendering equation. In this paper, we propose an original sampler which inherits many important features of classical low‐discrepancy sequences (LDS): a high degree of uniformity of the achieved distribution of samples, computational efficiency and progressive sampling capability. At the same time, we purposely tailor our sampler in order to improve its spectral characteristics, which in turn play a crucial role in variance reduction, anti‐aliasing and improving visual appearance of rendering. Our sampler can efficiently generate sequences of multidimensional points, whose power spectra approach so‐called Blue‐Noise (BN) spectral property while preserving low discrepancy (LD) in certain 2‐D projections.

In our tile‐based approach, we perform permutations on subsets of the original Sobol LDS. In a large space of all possible permutations, we select those which better approach the target BN property, using pair‐correlation statistics. We pre‐calculate such “good” permutations for each possible Sobol pattern, and store them in a lookup table efficiently accessible in runtime. We provide a complete and rigorous proof that such permutations preserve dyadic partitioning and thus the LDS properties of the point set in 2‐D projections. Our construction is computationally efficient, has a relatively low memory footprint and supports adaptive sampling. We validate our method by performing spectral/discrepancy/aliasing analysis of the achieved distributions, and provide variance analysis for several target integrands of theoretical and practical interest.
Single‐image Tomography: 3D Volumes from 2D Cranial X‐Rays
Authors: Henzler Phlipp , Rasche Volker , Ropinski Timo , Ritschel Tobias
Published: June 2018

As many different 3D volumes could produce the same 2D x‐ray image, inverting this process is challenging. We show that recent deep learning‐based convolutional neural networks can solve this task. As the main challenge in learning is the sheer amount of data created when extending the 2D image into a 3D volume, we suggest firstly to learn a coarse, fixed‐resolution volume which is then fused in a second step with the input x‐ray into a high‐resolution volume. To train and validate our approach we introduce a new dataset that comprises of close to half a million computer‐simulated 2D x‐ray images of 3D volumes scanned from 175 mammalian species. Future applications of our approach include stereoscopic rendering of legacy x‐ray images, re‐rendering of x‐rays including changes of illumination, view pose or geometry. Our evaluation includes comparison to previous tomography work, previous learning methods using our data, a user study and application to a set of real x‐rays.
Deep Joint Design of Color Filter Arrays and Demosaicing
Authors: Henz Bernardo , Gastal Eduardo S. L. , Oliveira Manuel M.
Published: June 2018

We present a convolutional neural network architecture for performing joint design of color filter array (CFA) patterns and demosaicing. Our generic model allows the training of CFAs of arbitrary sizes, optimizing each color filter over the entire RGB color space. The patterns and algorithms produced by our method provide high‐quality color reconstructions. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach by showing that its results achieve higher PSNR than the ones obtained with state‐of‐the‐art techniques on all standard demosaicing datasets, both for noise‐free and noisy scenarios. Our method can also be used to obtain demosaicing strategies for pre‐defined CFAs, such as the Bayer pattern, for which our results also surpass even the demosaicing algorithms specifically designed for such a pattern.
Controllable Dendritic Crystal Simulation Using Orientation Field
Authors: Ren Bo , Huang Jiahui , Lin Ming C. , Hu Shi‐Min
Published: June 2018

Real world dendritic growths show charming structures by their exquisite balance between the symmetry and randomness in the crystal formation. Other than the variety in the natural crystals, richer visual appearance of crystals can benefit from artificially controlling of the crystal growth on its growing directions and shapes. In this paper, by introducing one extra dimension of freedom, i.e. the orientation field, into the simulation, we propose an efficient algorithm for dendritic crystal simulation that is able to reproduce arbitrary symmetry patterns with different levels of asymmetry breaking effect on general grids or meshes, including spreading on curved surfaces and growth in 3D. Flexible artistic control is also enabled in a unified manner by exploiting and guiding the orientation field in the visual simulation. We show the effectiveness of our approach by various demonstrations of simulation results.
State of the Art on Monocular 3D Face Reconstruction, Tracking, and Applications
Authors: Zollhöfer M. , Thies J. , Garrido P. , Bradley D. , Beeler T. , Pérez P. , Stamminger M. , Nießner M. , Theobalt C.
Published: June 2018

The computer graphics and vision communities have dedicated long standing efforts in building computerized tools for reconstructing, tracking, and analyzing human faces based on visual input. Over the past years rapid progress has been made, which led to novel and powerful algorithms that obtain impressive results even in the very challenging case of reconstruction from a single RGB or RGB‐D camera. The range of applications is vast and steadily growing as these technologies are further improving in speed, accuracy, and ease of use.

Motivated by this rapid progress, this state‐of‐the‐art report summarizes recent trends in monocular facial performance capture and discusses its applications, which range from performance‐based animation to real‐time facial reenactment. We focus our discussion on methods where the central task is to recover and track a three dimensional model of the human face using optimization‐based reconstruction algorithms. We provide an in‐depth overview of the underlying concepts of real‐world image formation, and we discuss common assumptions and simplifications that make these algorithms practical. In addition, we extensively cover the priors that are used to better constrain the under‐constrained monocular reconstruction problem, and discuss the optimization techniques that are employed to recover dense, photo‐geometric 3D face models from monocular 2D data. Finally, we discuss a variety of use cases for the reviewed algorithms in the context of motion capture, facial animation, as well as image and video editing.
Recent Advances in Projection Mapping Algorithms, Hardware and Applications
Authors: Grundhöfer A. , Iwai D.
Published: June 2018

This State‐of‐the‐Art‐Report covers the recent advances in research fields related to projection mapping applications. We summarize the novel enhancements to simplify the 3D geometric calibration task, which can now be reliably carried out either interactively or automatically using self‐calibration methods. Furthermore, improvements regarding radiometric calibration and compensation as well as the neutralization of global illumination effects are summarized. We then introduce computational display approaches to overcome technical limitations of current projection hardware in terms of dynamic range, refresh rate, spatial resolution, depth‐of‐field, view dependency, and color space. These technologies contribute towards creating new application domains related to projection‐based spatial augmentations. We summarize these emerging applications, and discuss new directions for industries.
Influence of titanium base, lithium disilicate restoration and vertical soft tissue thickness on bone stability around triangular‐shaped implants: A prospective clinical trial
Authors: Linkevicius Tomas , Linkevicius Rokas , Alkimavicius Jonas , Linkeviciene Laura , Andrijauskas Paulius , Puisys Algirdas
Published: June 2018

Objective

To evaluate how vertical mucosal tissue thickness affects crestal bone stability around triangular‐shaped bone‐level implants, restored with low profile titanium bases and monolithic lithium disilicate restorations.

Material and methods

Fifty‐five bone‐level implants of 4.3 mm diameter were evaluated in 55 patients (22 males and 34 females, mean age 48.3 ± 3.4 years) in prospective cohort study. According to vertical mucosal thickness, patients were assigned into three groups: 1 (thin, 2 mm or less), 2 (medium, 2.5 mm) and 3 (thick, 3 mm and more). Implants were placed in posterior mandible and maxilla in one‐stage approach and, after integration, were restored with single screw‐retained monolithic lithium disilicate crowns, using low gingival profile titanium bases. Radiographic examination was performed after implant placement and after 1‐year follow‐up. Crestal bone loss was registered mesially and distally, and mean value was calculated. One‐way ANOVA and Tukey's HSD tests were applied; significance was set to 0.05.

Results

Mean vertical tissue thickness in 1 group was 1.76 ± 0.26 mm, 2 group–2.5 mm and 3.91 ± 0.59 mm in group 3, with statistically significant difference between all groups (p < 0.001). After 1‐year follow‐up, implants in group 1 (thin) had 1.25 ± 0.8 mm bone loss. Implants in group 2 (medium) had 0.98 ± 0.06, while implants in group 3 (thick) lost 0.43 ± 0.37 mm of crestal bone. Tukey's HSD test showed that differences between 1/3 and 2/3 were statistically significant (p < 0.001 and p = 0.0014, respectively), while between 1 and 2 was not significant (p = 0.310).

Conclusions

Significantly less bone loss occurs around triangular‐shaped bone‐level implants in thick mucosal tissues (≥3 mm), compared to medium or thin tissue biotype. Crestal bone loss did not differ between medium and thin tissues.
Efficacy and safety of dual antiplatelet therapy in the elderly for stroke prevention: a systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Ding L. , Peng B.
Published: June 2018

Background and purpose

There is a lack of age‐specific evidence regarding the efficacy and safety of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT). A systematic review and meta‐analysis was conducted for dual versus mono antiplatelet therapy in elderly patients with ischaemic stroke (IS) or transient ischaemic attack (TIA).

Methods

PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched for relevant studies. Risk ratios (RRs) for the outcomes of stroke recurrence, major bleeding and intracranial bleeding were calculated based on the DerSimonian and Laird random effects model. Subgroup analyses were conducted.

Results

In seven multicentre, randomized controlled trials comprising 24 873 patients with IS or TIA, aged 65 years or older, a significant reduction in the risk of recurrent stroke was observed using DAPT in comparison with aspirin monotherapy [RR 0.79, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.69–0.91; P = 0.001]. DAPT was not associated with a significant reduction in recurrent stroke compared with clopidogrel monotherapy (RR 1.01, 95% CI 0.93–1.10; P = 0.800). In addition, the results from two studies showed that DAPT significantly increased the risk of major bleeding and intracranial bleeding in elderly patients over younger patients (RR 2.18, 95% CI 1.02–4.69; and RR 2.13, 95% CI 1.18–3.86, respectively).

Conclusions

For stroke prevention in elderly patients with IS or TIA, DAPT is superior to aspirin monotherapy but appears to be equivalent to clopidogrel monotherapy, and is accompanied by an increased risk of bleeding. The balance between the benefits and risks of DAPT is important to consider when choosing antiplatelet strategy.
Generalized pustular psoriasis – a model disease for specific targeted immunotherapy, systematic review
Authors: Boehner Alexander , Navarini Alexander A. , Eyerich Kilian
Published: June 2018

Generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP) is a rare, multisystemic skin disease characterized by recurrent episodes of pustulation. GPP can be life‐threatening and is often difficult to treat. In the era of precision medicine in dermatology, GPP stands exemplary for both challenges and chances—while new treatments offer great hope, there is urgent need for better definition and stratification of this severe and heterogeneous disease. Our objective was to systematically review the literature for evidence of efficacy of targeted immunotherapy and their mode of action in the context of clinical phenotype, classification and pathogenesis of adult GPP. Classifying GPP is challenging since clinical criteria for description and diagnosis are not consistent between expert centres. We therefore defined diagnostic feasibility of the reviewed cases by assessing four criteria: compatible clinical history, typical dermatological features and/or diagnostic histopathology, consistent clinical pictures and the DITRA status. Pathogenesis of GPP is mediated by pathways that partly overlap plaque type psoriasis, with a more pronounced activity of the innate immune system. Both IL‐1 and IL‐36 but also IL‐17 play a major role in disease formation. We ascertained a total of 101 published cases according to our predefined criteria and identified TNF‐α, IL‐12/23, IL‐17 and IL‐1β as targets for immunotherapy for the treatment of GPP. Of those cases, 61% showed complete response and 27% partial response to targeted immunotherapy. Only 12% experienced weak or no response. These data indicate that specific immunotherapy can be used to effectively treat GPP, with most evidence existing for anti‐IL‐17 agents.
“I wouldn't want to impose!” Intercultural mediation in French immersion
Authors: Keating Marshall Kelle , Bokhorst‐Heng Wendy D.
Published: June 2018

This article examines four French immersion (FI) teachers’ perspectives on the relationship between language and culture and on their roles as intercultural mediators in New Brunswick (NB), Canada's only officially bilingual province. Data were drawn from semi‐structured interviews with the teachers. Couched in the broader framework of Canada's multicultural policy, the cultural outcomes for NB's FI program underscore the importance of learning French in a multicultural and multilingual society. Understanding the relationship between language and culture is part of this; however, the department explicitly states that it does not intend for immersion students to “adopt” Francophone culture. This analysis shows that these teachers employ a variety of language ideologies, all of which culminate in a “language‐as‐code” approach, devoid of culture and removed from its social contexts of use. They do not consider deep cultural discussions to have a place in their classrooms, although each teacher demonstrates some level of intercultural awareness regarding the language/culture dialectic in their private lives. The works by Kohler (), Di Stefano (), and Kearney () are employed to consider possible ways forward for teacher training on intercultural mediation in immersion classrooms and on curriculum development to target students’ intercultural competence.