bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pruritus of unknown origin and elevated total serum bile acid levels in patients without clinically apparent liver disease
Authors: Eisendle Klaus , Müller Hansgeorg , Ortner Elisabeth , Talasz Heribert , Graziadei Ivo , Vogel Wolfgang , Höpfl Reinhard
Published: October 2010

Background and Aim:  Generalized pruritus of unknown origin (PUO) is a highly distressing condition that is unrelated to any underlying dermatologic or systemic disorder (e.g. cholestasis). Little is known about the potential contribution of elevated total serum bile acid (TSBA) levels to PUO. Our aim in the present study was to investigate the role of elevated TSBA levels in patients with PUO and the efficacy of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) and cholestyramine therapy.

Methods:  Retrospective study comprising 117 patients with chronic pruritic conditions (PUO, atopic disease, asteatotic eczema, latent cholestasis, etc.); 99 patients with available TSBA levels were included and compared with healthy controls.

Results:  Elevated TSBA levels were detected more frequently in patients with chronic pruritic diseases than in the control population (28.28% vs 6%; P < 0.001) with significantly higher pathological absolute levels (mean 17.45 ± 34.46 µmol/L vs 6.02 ± 4.73 µmol/L; P = 0.001). Patients with PUO (n = 18) showed the second‐highest prevalence of pathological bile acid level elevation (83.3%; control population 6%; P < 0.001), after patients with subclinical cholestasis and presented with particularly high TSBA serum values (mean 37.79 ± 53.38 µmol/L; P < 0.001). Cholestyramine (n = 9) and UDCA (n = 8) therapy were both effective in lowering TSBA levels and lead to substantial improvement of pruritus in patients with elevated TSBA levels.

Conclusions:  Total serum bile acid levels are elevated in a high proportion of patients with PUO. These results provide evidence of a potential involvement of subclinical cholestasis in the pathogenesis of PUO. We suggest that evaluation of TSBA levels should be included in the diagnostic work‐up of patients with chronic unexplained pruritus.
Functional MICA‐129 polymorphism and serum levels of soluble MICA are correlated with ulcerative colitis in Chinese patients
Authors: Zhao Jie , Jiang Yi , Lei Yuan , Zou Kaifang , Wang Changgao , Huang Sha , Yi Fengming , Xia Bing
Published: October 2010

Background and Aim:  The aim of the present study was to evaluate the contribution of the dimorphism (MICA‐129 val and met) to the genetic susceptibility and functions of ulcerative colitis (UC) in patients in central China.

Methods:  Genotyping of MICA‐129 was performed in 272 consecutive UC patients and 560 age‐ and sex‐matched healthy individuals by using a polymerase chain reaction‐sequencing based typing (PCR‐SBT) method. A total of 93 patients and 98 healthy individuals serum soluble MICA (sMICA) concentrations were detected by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay.

Results:  Both the frequencies of the variant allele (val) and genotype (val/val) in the MICA‐129 gene were significantly higher in UC patients than in the controls (77.4% vs 71.7%, P = 0.015, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.064–1.716; 56.9% vs 46.4%, P = 0.005, 95% CI: 1.142–2.047). Serum sMICA levels were significantly higher in UC patients than in the controls (560 ± 140 pg/mL vs 157 ± 67 pg/mL, P < 0.0001). The genotype also affected the extent and the activity of UC. Furthermore, patients with the MICA‐129 val/val genotype had higher serum sMICA levels than those with the val/met + met/met genotype (661 ± 352 SD pg/mL vs 523 ± 245 SD pg/mL, 95% CI: 13.47–265.35, P = 0.03). In addition, patients with severe colitis were more susceptible to higher levels of sMICA than those with mild colitis.

Conclusions:  Our findings showed that the MICA‐129 gene polymorphism as a functionally relevant gene was associated with UC and seems to play a potential role in the development of UC in patients in central China.
Value of contrast‐enhanced 18F‐fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography in detection and presurgical assessment of pancreatic cancer: A prospective study
Authors: Buchs Nicolas C , Bühler Leo , Bucher Pascal , Willi Jean‐Pierre , Frossard Jean‐Louis , Roth Arnaud D , Addeo Pietro , Rosset Antoine , Terraz Sylvain , Becker Christoph D , Ratib Osman , Morel Philippe
Published: October 2010

Background and Aim:  Positron Emission Tomography (PET) using 18F‐fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) associated with computed tomography (CT) is increasingly used for the detection and the staging of pancreatic cancer, but data regarding its clinical added value in pre‐surgical planning is still lacking. The aim of this study is to investigate the performance of FDG PET associated with contrast‐enhanced CT in detection of pancreatic cancer.

Methods:  We prospectively evaluated FDG PET/CT studies obtained in patients with suspicion of operable pancreatic cancer between May 2006 and January 2008. Staging was conducted according to a standardized protocol, and findings were confirmed in all patients by surgical resection or biopsy examination.

Results:  Forty‐five patients with a median age of 69 (range 22–82) were included in this study. Thirty‐six had malignant tumors and nine had benign lesions (20%). The sensitivity of enhanced versus unenhanced PET/CT in the detection of pancreatic cancer was 96% versus 72% (P = 0.076), the specificity 66.6% versus 33.3% (P = 0.52), the positive predictive value 92.3% versus 80% (P = 0.3), the negative predictive value 80% versus 25% (P = 0.2), and the accuracy 90.3% versus 64% (P = 0.085).

Conclusions:  Our preliminary data obtained in a limited number of patients shows that contrast‐enhanced FDG PET/CT offers good sensitivity in the detection and assessment of pancreatic cancer, but at the price of a relatively low specificity. Enhanced PET/CT seems to be superior to unenhanced PET/CT. Further larger prospective studies are needed to establish its value for pre‐surgical diagnosis and staging in pancreatic cancer.
Postprandial hyperinsulinemia is universal in non‐diabetic patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
Authors: Manchanayake Jayani , Chitturi Shivakumar , Nolan Christopher , Farrell Geoffrey C
Published: October 2010

Background and Aims:  Despite strong associations between non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D), it is unclear which patients need oral glucose tolerance testing (OGTT). Relationships between hyperglycemia, postprandial hyperinsulinemia and NAFLD severity also need clarification.

Methods:  Among 111 consecutive NAFLD patients, 35 had established T2D; 70 of the remaining 76 underwent 75G OGTT with fasting, 60 and 120 min insulin. Hepatic fibrotic severity was estimated by NAFLD fibrosis score and evidence of cirrhosis.

Results:  Twenty‐four (33%) showed abnormal glucose tolerance: seven T2D, 17 impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). NAFLD patients with newly diagnosed T2D or IGT were (mean) 9 years older and more likely female (54% vs 30%). Fasting hyperglycemia (5.6–6.9 mmol/L) had limited sensitivity (46%) but high specificity (89%) for identifying patients with IGT/T2D; positive and negative predictive values were 69% and 76%. Postprandial hyperinsulinemia (120 min) was evident in all non‐diabetic NAFLD cases, and values were higher (151 ± 87 vs 82 ± 53 mU/L, P = 0.001) in those with abnormal OGTT. Patients with established diabetes were more likely to have cirrhosis (40%) than those with IGT (12%) or normal glucose tolerance (4%).

Conclusions:  All NAFLD patients have postprandial hyperinsulinemia, and OGTT reveals a high frequency of previously unsuspected IGT or T2D. Such testing would identify individuals who may benefit from early intervention to improve insulin sensitivity and prevent diabetes and progression to cirrhosis.
Histopathological and molecular features of late relapses in non‐seminomas
Authors: Mayer Frank , Wermann Hendrik , Albers Peter , Stoop Hans , Gillis Ad J.M. , Hartmann Jörg T. , Bokemeyer C. Carsten , Oosterhuis J. Wolter , Looijenga Leendert H.J. , Honecker Friedemann
Published: October 2010

Study Type – Therapy (case series) Level of Evidence 4

What's known on the subject? and What does the study add?

Late relapses from germ cell tumors respond poorly to systemic chemotherapy. This feature has been partly attributed to their presumed derivation from mature teratomas giving rise to secondary non‐germ cell histologies that have lost the original germ cell‐like behaviour.

Our series demonstrates the occurrence of non‐germ cell malignancies in the absence of mature teratoma and points towards microsatellite instability and BRAF‐mutations as the biologic basis for chemotherapy resistance in about half of the cases.

OBJECTIVE

• To describe the histopathological types of late relapses of germ cell tumours and to search for molecular markers associated with chemotherapy resistance.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

• Samples from 14 patients with late relapse from a non‐seminoma were analysed.

• Archival tumour tissue was gathered at intial diagnosis (n= 9) and at relapse (n= 9), mostly after previous treatment with chemotherapy.

• In addition to routine histopathology, tumours were analysed for microsatellite instability and screened for mutations in the KRAS and BRAF genes.

RESULTS

• Relapse occurred after 76.5 months (median, range: 24–209 months).

• The histology in relapse was pure yolk sac tumour in four of the nine patients analysed.

• Three had a non‐germ cell malignancy, one was a mixed non‐seminoma and one was a pure mature teratoma.

• One sample with non‐germ cell malignancy originated from a yolk sac tumour without any evidence of teratoma.

• In four of 12 evaluable patients, high‐level microsatellite instability was observed.

• All patients were KRAS wild‐type but four showed a BRAF mutation at V600E.

CONCLUSIONS

• Many late relapses of germ cell tumours show pure yolk sac histology.

• Non‐germ cell malignancies do not necessarily develop from teratoma but can also arise from yolk sac histology.

• The biology underlying chemotherapy resistance in late relapse could be related to a high incidence of microsatellite instability and BRAF mutation V600E, which were found in half of the patients.
Low serum testosterone levels are poor predictors of sexual dysfunction
Authors: Marberger Michael , Wilson Timothy H. , Rittmaster Roger S.
Published: October 2010

Study Type – Prognosis (RCT)

Level of Evidence 1b

What’s known on the subject? and What does the study add?

Sexual dysfunction is a common problem in elderly men, especially if they also have LUTS. Serum testosterone likewise decreases with aging, and a common conclusion from this is that low serum testosterone levels are a main cause for this.

This is by far the largest population‐based study correlating sexual dysfunction with serum testosterone levels. Whereas age, body mass index and the severity of LUTS were independent risk factors for sexual dysfunction, serum testosterone levels were not. Treating sexual dysfunction only based on a low serum testosterone level therefore appears unjustified. There is a trend towards sexual dysfunction with S. testosterone levels <200 ng/dl, but only 4% of the 8231 older men studied were in this range.

OBJECTIVE

• To identify predictors of sexual dysfunction using baseline data from the reduction by dutasteride of prostate cancer events (REDUCE) study.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

• REDUCE was a 4‐year randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled study evaluating the efficacy and safety of once‐daily dutasteride 0.5 mg in over 8000 men aged 50–75 years with a prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) level of 2.5–10 ng/mL (50–60 years) or 3.0–10 ng/mL (>60 years) and a negative prostate biopsy within 6 months of enrolment.

• Baseline values (mean serum testosterone, age, International Prostate Symptom Score [IPSS], total prostate volume [TPV], body mass index [BMI], and presence of diabetes/glucose intolerance) were compared in subjects with and without sexual dysfunction (sexual inactivity, impotence, decreased libido or a Problem Assessment Scale of the Sexual Function Index [PAS‐SFI] score <9).

RESULTS

• Multivariate logistic regression showed that baseline age and IPSS were significant predictors of all four sexual function criteria examined (P < 0.0001).

• BMI was a significant predictor of decreased libido, impotence and a PAS‐SFI score <9, while diabetes/glucose intolerance was a significant predictor of sexual inactivity, impotence and a PAS‐SFI score <9.

• Testosterone and TPV were not significant predictors of any sexual function criterion examined.

CONCLUSIONS

• Age, IPSS, BMI and diabetes/glucose intolerance, but not serum testosterone or TPV, were significant independent predictors of sexual dysfunction in the REDUCE study population.

• The lack of association between sexual dysfunction and serum testosterone questions the value of modestly reduced or low normal testosterone levels as criteria for choosing testosterone replacement in older men with sexual dysfunction.
Reversible male sterility in eggplant (Solanum melongenaL.) by artificial microRNA‐mediated silencing of general transcription factor genes
Authors: Toppino Laura , Kooiker Maarten , Lindner Matias , Dreni Ludovico , Rotino Giuseppe L. , Kater Martin M.
Published: October 2010

Since decades, plant male sterility is considered a powerful tool for biological containment to minimize unwanted self‐pollination for hybrid seed production. Furthermore, prevention of pollen dispersal also answers to concerns regarding transgene flow via pollen from Genetically Modified (GM) crops to traditional crop fields or wild relatives. We induced male sterility by suppressing endogenous general transcription factor genes, TAFs, using anther‐specific promoters combined with artificial microRNA (amiRNA) technology (Schwabet al., 2006). The system was made reversible by the ethanol inducible expression of an amiRNA‐insensitive form of the target gene. We provide proof of concept in eggplant, a cultivated crop belonging to theSolanaceaefamily that includes many important food crops. The transgenic eggplants that we generated are completely male sterile and fertility can be fully restored by short treatments with ethanol, confirming the efficiency but also the reliability of the system in view of open field cultivation. By combining this system with induced parthenocarpy (Rotinoet al., 1997), we provide a novel example of complete transgene containment in eggplant, which enables biological mitigation measures for the benefit of coexistence or biosafety purposes for GM crop cultivation.
Screening for resistance against Pseudomonas syringae in rice‐FOX Arabidopsis lines identified a putative receptor‐like cytoplasmic kinase gene that confers resistance to major bacterial and fungal pathogens in Arabidopsis and rice
Authors: Dubouzet Joseph G. , Maeda Satoru , Sugano Shoji , Ohtake Miki , Hayashi Nagao , Ichikawa Takanari , Kondou Youichi , Kuroda Hirofumi , Horii Yoko , Matsui Minami , Oda Kenji , Hirochika Hirohiko , Takatsuji Hiroshi , Mori Masaki
Published: October 2010

Approximately 20 000 of the rice‐FOX Arabidopsis transgenic lines, which overexpress 13 000 rice full‐length cDNAs at random in Arabidopsis, were screened for bacterial disease resistance by dip inoculation with Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 (Pst DC3000). The identities of the overexpressed genes were determined in 72 lines that showed consistent resistance after three independent screens. Pst DC3000 resistance was verified for 19 genes by characterizing other independent Arabidopsis lines for the same genes in the original rice‐FOX hunting population or obtained by reintroducing the genes into ecotype Columbia by floral dip transformation. Thirteen lines of these 72 selections were also resistant to the fungal pathogen Colletotrichum higginsianum. Eight genes that conferred resistance to Pst DC3000 in Arabidopsis have been introduced into rice for overexpression, and transformants were evaluated for resistance to the rice bacterial pathogen, Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae. One of the transgenic rice lines was highly resistant to Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae. Interestingly, this line also showed remarkably high resistance to Magnaporthe grisea, the fungal pathogen causing rice blast, which is the most devastating rice disease in many countries. The causal rice gene, encoding a putative receptor‐like cytoplasmic kinase, was therefore designated as BROAD‐SPECTRUM RESISTANCE 1. Our results demonstrate the utility of the rice‐FOX Arabidopsis lines as a tool for the identification of genes involved in plant defence and suggest the presence of a defence mechanism common between monocots and dicots.
OsCD1 encodes a putative member of the cellulose synthase‐like D sub‐family and is essential for rice plant architecture and growth
Authors: Luan Weijiang , Liu Yuqin , Zhang Fengxia , Song Yuanli , Wang Zhengying , Peng Yongkang , Sun Zongxiu
Published: October 2010

The cell wall plays important roles in plant architecture and morphogenesis. The cellulose synthase‐like super‐families were reported to contain glycosyltransferases motif and are required for the biosynthesis of cell wall polysaccharides. Here, we describe a curled leaf and dwarf mutant, cd1, in rice, which exhibits multiple phenotypic traits such as the reduction of plant height and leaf width, curled leaf morphology and a decrease in the number of grains and in the panicle length. Map‐based cloning indicates that a member of the cellulose synthase‐like D (CSLD) group is a candidate for OsCD1. RNAi transgenic plants with the candidate CSLD gene display a similar phenotype to the cd1 mutant, suggesting that OsCD1 is a member of the CSLD sub‐family. Furthermore, sequence analysis indicates that OsCD1 contains the common D,D,D,QXXRW motif, which is a feature of the cellulose synthase‐like super‐family. Analysis of OsCD1 promoter with GUS fusion expression shows that OsCD1 exhibits higher expression in young meristem tissues such as fresh roots, young panicle and stem apical meristem. Cell wall composition analysis reveals that cellulose content and the level of xylose are significantly reduced in mature culm owing to loss of OsCD1 function. Take together, the work presented here is useful for expanding the understanding of cell wall biosynthesis.
Video Painting via Motion Layer Manipulation
Authors: Huang Hua , Zhang Lei , Fu Tian‐Nan
Published: October 2010

Temporal coherence is an important problem in Non‐Photorealistic Rendering for videos. In this paper, we present a novel approach to enhance temporal coherence in video painting. Instead of painting on video frame, our approach first partitions the video into multiple motion layers, and then places the brush strokes on the layers to generate the painted imagery. The extracted motion layers consist of one background layer and several object layers in each frame. Then, background layers from all the frames are aligned into a panoramic image, on which brush strokes are placed to paint the background in one‐shot. The strokes used to paint object layers are propagated frame by frame using smooth transformations defined by thin plate splines. Once the background and object layers are painted, they are projected back to each frame and blent to form the final painting results. Thanks to painting a single image, our approach can completely eliminate the flickering in background, and temporal coherence on object layers is also significantly enhanced due to the smooth transformation over frames. Additionally, by controlling the painting strokes on different layers, our approach is easy to generate painted video with multi‐style. Experimental results show that our approach is both robust and efficient to generate plausible video painting.
Efficient Mean‐shift Clustering Using Gaussian KD‐Tree
Authors: Xiao Chunxia , Liu Meng
Published: October 2010

Mean shift is a popular approach for data clustering, however, the high computational complexity of the mean shift procedure limits its practical applications in high dimensional and large data set clustering. In this paper, we propose an efficient method that allows mean shift clustering performed on large data set containing tens of millions of points at interactive rate. The key in our method is a new scheme for approximating mean shift procedure using a greatly reduced feature space. This reduced feature space is adaptive clustering of the original data set, and is generated by applying adaptive KD‐tree in a high‐dimensional affinity space. The proposed method significantly reduces the computational cost while obtaining almost the same clustering results as the standard mean shift procedure. We present several kinds of data clustering applications to illustrate the efficiency of the proposed method, including image and video segmentation, static geometry model and time‐varying sequences segmentation.
Modeling Complex Unfoliaged Trees from a Sparse Set of Images
Authors: Lopez Luis D. , Ding Yuanyuan , Yu Jingyi
Published: October 2010

We present a novel image‐based technique for modeling complex unfoliaged trees. Existing tree modeling tools either require capturing a large number of views for dense 3D reconstruction or rely on user inputs and botanic rules to synthesize natural‐looking tree geometry. In this paper, we focus on faithfully recovering real instead of realistically‐looking tree geometry from a sparse set of images. Our solution directly integrates 2D/3D tree topology as shape priors into the modeling process. For each input view, we first estimate a 2D skeleton graph from its matte image and then find a 2D skeleton tree from the graph by imposing tree topology. We develop a simple but effective technique for computing the optimal 3D skeleton tree most consistent with the 2D skeletons. For each edge in the 3D skeleton tree, we further apply volumetric reconstruction to recover its corresponding curved branch. Finally, we use piecewise cylinders to approximate each branch from the volumetric results. We demonstrate our framework on a variety of trees to illustrate the robustness and usefulness of our technique.
Metalights: Improved Interleaved Shading
Authors: Faure William , Chang Chun‐Fa
Published: October 2010

We present metalights, a novel Virtual Point Light (VPL) encapsulating structure which enhances classic interleaved shading by improving VPL sampling, based on few initial screen space samples to estimate VPL contribution to current view. Our method leads to important noise variance reduction in the final picture by only adding a small fraction of computation. The implementation is straight‐forward and well adapted to both CPU and GPU‐based engines. We also present different image‐space assignment schemes for the VPL subsets to break the regularity of the noise pattern or to adapt it to simple antialiasing.
Image Synthesis for Branching Structures
Authors: Sibbing Dominik , Pavić Darko , Kobbelt Leif
Published: October 2010

We present a set of techniques for the synthesis of artificial images that depict branching structures like rivers, cracks, lightning, mountain ranges, or blood vessels. The central idea is to build a statistical model that captures the characteristic bending and branching structure from example images. Then a new skeleton structure is synthesized and the final output image is composed from image fragments of the original input images. The synthesis part of our algorithm runs mostly automatic but it optionally allows the user to control the process in order to achieve a specific result. The combination of the statistical bending and branching model with sophisticated fragment‐based image synthesis corresponds to a multi‐resolution decomposition of the underlying branching structure into the low frequency behavior (captured by the statistical model) and the high frequency detail (captured by the image detail in the fragments). This approach allows for the synthesis of realistic branching structures, while at the same time preserving important textural details from the original image.
Contour‐based Interface for Refining Volume Segmentation
Authors: Ijiri Takashi , Yokota Hideo
Published: October 2010

Medical volume images contain ambiguous and low‐contrast boundaries around which existing fully‐ or semiautomatic segmentation algorithms often cause errors. In this paper, we propose a novel system for intuitively and efficiently refining medical volume segmentation by modifying multiple curved contours. Starting with segmentation data obtained using any existing algorithm, the user places a three‐dimensional curved cross‐section and contours of the foreground region by drawing a cut stroke, and then modifies the contours referring to the cross‐section. The modified contours are used as constraints for deforming a boundary surface that envelops the foreground region, and the region is updated by that deformed boundary. Our surface deformation algorithm seamlessly integrates detail‐preserving and curvature‐diffusing methods to keep important detail boundary features intact while obtaining smooth surfaces around unimportant boundary regions. Our system supports topological manipulations as well as contour shape modifications. We illustrate the feasibility of our system by providing examples of its application to the extraction of bones, muscles, kidneys with blood vessels, and bowels.
B‐Mesh: A Modeling System for Base Meshes of 3D Articulated Shapes
Authors: Ji Zhongping , Liu Ligang , Wang Yigang
Published: October 2010

This paper presents a novel modeling system, called B‐Mesh, for generating base meshes of 3D articulated shapes. The user only needs to draw a one‐dimensional skeleton and to specify key balls at the skeletal nodes. The system then automatically generates a quad dominant initial mesh. Further subdivision and evolution are performed to refine the initial mesh and generate a quad mesh which has good edge flow along the skeleton directions. The user can also modify and manipulate the shape by editing the skeleton and the key balls and can easily compose new shapes by cutting and pasting existing models in our system. The mesh models generated in our system greatly benefit the sculpting operators for sculpting modeling and skeleton‐based animation.
L4RW: Laziness‐based Realistic Real‐time Responsive Rebalance in Walking
Authors: Xu Mingliang , Li Huansen , Lv Pei , Chen Wenzhi , Liu Gengdai , Zhu Pengyu , Pan Zhigeng
Published: October 2010

We present a novel L4RW (Laziness‐based Realistic Real‐time Responsive Rebalance in Walking) technique to synthesize 4RW animations under unexpected external perturbations with minimal locomotion effort. We first devise a lazy dynamic rebalance model, which specifies the dynamic balance conditions, defines the rebalance effort, and selects the suitable rebalance strategy automatically using the laziness law after an unexpected perturbation. Based on the model, L4RW searches over a motion capture (mocap) database for an appropriate motion segment to follow, and the transition‐to motions is generated by interpolating the active response dynamic motion. A support vector machine (SVM) based training, classification, and predication algorithm is applied to reduce the search space, and it is trained offline only once. Our algorithm classifies the mocap database into many rebalance strategy‐specified subsets and then online predicts responsive motions in the subset according to the selected strategy. The rebalance effort, the ‘extrapolated center of mass’ (XCoM) and environment constraints are selected as feature attributes for the SVM feature vector. Furthermore, the subset's segments are sorted through the rebalance effort, then our algorithm searches for an acceptable segment starting from the least‐effort segment. Compared with previous methods, our search increases speed by over two orders of magnitude, and our algorithm creates more realistic and smooth 4RW animation.
Creating and Preserving Vortical Details in SPH Fluid
Authors: Zhu Bo , Yang Xubo , Fan Ye
Published: October 2010

We present a new method to create and preserve the turbulent details generated around moving objects in SPH fluid. In our approach, a high‐resolution overlapping grid is bounded to each object and translates with the object. The turbulence formation is modeled by resolving the local flow around objects using a hybrid SPH‐FLIP method. Then these vortical details are carried on SPH particles flowing through the local region and preserved in the global field in a synthetic way. Our method provides a physically plausible way to model the turbulent details around both rigid and deformable objects in SPH fluid, and can efficiently produce animations of complex gaseous phenomena with rich visual details.
Fast Particle‐based Visual Simulation of Ice Melting
Authors: Iwasaki K. , Uchida H. , Dobashi Y. , Nishita T.
Published: October 2010

The visual simulation of natural phenomena has been widely studied. Although several methods have been proposed to simulate melting, the flows of meltwater drops on the surfaces of objects are not taken into account. In this paper, we propose a particle‐based method for the simulation of the melting and freezing of ice objects and the interactions between ice and fluids. To simulate the flow of meltwater on ice and the formation of water droplets, a simple interfacial tension is proposed, which can be easily incorporated into common particle‐based simulation methods such as Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics. The computations of heat transfer, the phase transition between ice and water, the interactions between ice and fluids, and the separation of ice due to melting are further accelerated by implementing our method using CUDA. We demonstrate our simulation and rendering method for depicting melting ice at interactive frame‐rates.
Semi‐isometric Registration of Line Features for Flexible Fitting of Protein Structures
Authors: Abeysinghe S.S. , Baker M. L. , Chiu W. , Ju T.
Published: October 2010

In this paper, we study a registration problem that is motivated by a practical biology problem – fitting protein structures to low‐re solution density maps. We consider registration between two sets of lines features (e.g., helices in the proteins) that have undergone not a single, but multiple isometric transformations (e.g., hinge‐motions). The problem is further complicated by the presence of symmetry in each set. We formulate the problem as a clique‐finding problem in a product graph, and propose a heuristic solution that includes a fast clique‐finding algorithm unique to the structure of this graph. When tested on a suite of real protein structures, the algorithm achieved high accuracy even for very large inputs containing hundreds of helices.
A simple and robust thinning algorithm on cell complexes
Authors: Liu L. , Chambers E. W. , Letscher D. , Ju T.
Published: October 2010

Thinning is a commonly used approach for computing skeleton descriptors. Traditional thinning algorithms often have a simple, iterative structure, yet producing skeletons that are overly sensitive to boundary perturbations. We present a novel thinning algorithm, operating on objects represented as cell complexes, that preserves the simplicity of typical thinning algorithms but generates skeletons that more robustly capture global shape features. Our key insight is formulating a skeleton significance measure, calledmedial persistence, which identify skeleton geometry at various dimensions (e.g., curves or surfaces) that represent object parts with different anisotropic elongations (e.g., tubes or plates). The measure is generally defined in any dimensions, and can be easily computed using a single thinning pass. Guided by medial persistence, our algorithm produces a family of topology and shape preserving skeletons whose shape and composition can be flexible controlled by desired level of medial persistence.
Automatic Animation for Time‐Varying Data Visualization
Authors: Yu Li , Lu Aidong , Ribarsky William , Chen Wei
Published: October 2010

This paper presents a digital storytelling approach that generates automatic animations for time‐varying data visualization. Our approach simulates the composition and transition of storytelling techniques and synthesizes animations to describe various event features. Specifically, we analyze information related to a given event and abstract it as an event graph, which represents data features as nodes and event relationships as links. This graph embeds a tree‐like hierarchical structure which encodes data features at different scales. Next, narrative structures are built by exploring starting nodes and suitable search strategies in this graph. Different stages of narrative structures are considered in our automatic rendering parameter decision process to generate animations as digital stories. We integrate this animation generation approach into an interactive exploration process of time‐varying data, so that more comprehensive information can be provided in a timely fashion. We demonstrate with a storm surge application that our approach allows semantic visualization of time‐varying data and easy animation generation for users without special knowledge about the underlying visualization techniques.
Experimental Feedback on Prog&Play: A Serious Game for Programming Practice
Authors: Muratet M. , Torguet P. , Viallet F. , Jessel J.P.
Published: October 2010

This paper presents an experimental feedback on a serious game dedicated to strengthening programming skills. This serious game, called Prog&Play, is built on an open source real‐time strategy game. Its goal is to be compatible with different students, teachers and institutions. We based its evaluation on an iterative process that allows to implement the game and carry out experimentations in several contexts. Through this assessment, we define a framework which has been tested by third parties and we analyse both positive and negative points to improve the project. Evaluation is indeed beneficial and enables you to establish communication about the implemented practices.
Connections not causes
Authors: HARVEY A. D.
Published: October 2010

Scientists consider that the notion of cause and effect is scientifically illiterate but only a few historians have caught up with this view. During the last three decades new fashions in historiography like Postmodernism and Alternative History have led to historical explanation becoming something of a back number but many historians still persist in discussing historical developments in terms of causes that they have been quite arbitrary in selecting. This article suggests that instead of pretending that we already understand the past so well that we can identify the processes whereby one historical situation leads to a subsequent historical situation, it might be better to concentrate on simply identifying discrete historical phenomena that seem to be connected and related, even if we do not expect to understand yet precisely how they might be connected.
The mummy's curse: a study in rumour
Authors: LUCKHURST ROGER
Published: October 2010

We associate the curse of the mummy with the opening of the tomb of Tutankhamen in February 1923 and the death, six weeks later, of the fifth Earl of Carnarvon. In fact, this curse rehearsed two prior curse stories associated with Victorian gentleman and which circulated as gossip and rumour in the late Victorian era. This essay tries to recover those fugitive narratives in the belief that they help reveal more of the cultural significance of the curse narrative in the Victorian and Edwardian era.
What's Braj got to do with the Hindi–Urdu divide?
Authors: BHATNAGAR RASHMI DUBE
Published: October 2010

Jonathan Arac, ‘From north Indian vernaculars to a new world philology’ Aamir R. Mufti, ‘Orientalism and the language of Hindustan’ Rashmi Dube Bhatnagar, ‘What's Braj got to do with the Hindi–Urdu divide?’ Mehr Afshan Farooqi, ‘Āb‐e gum, or “Disappeared Water” as a metaphor for language, location, and loss

This cluster of papers carries forward Critical Quarterly's emphasis on language in society and history. They offer incisive, innovative perspectives on several major debates concerning vernacular languages of northern South Asia. Hindi and Urdu have been the languages of Indian‐Hindu and Pakistani‐Muslim nationalism, extending over the arc from British colonialism to Independence and Partition (1947), and continuing in the seven decades since. Both languages arise from the north Indian everyday speech called, in its own terms, Kharī bōlī and known in the nineteenth century as Hindustani (unsuccessfully revived by Gandhi as a unifying term and concept). The only definitive distinction between them is the alphabet: Hindi is rendered in Devanagari; Urdu in a right‐to‐left script derived from Persian and Arabic.
Orientalism and the language of Hindustan
Authors: MUFTI AAMIR R.
Published: October 2010

Jonathan Arac, ‘From north Indian vernaculars to a new world philology’ Aamir R. Mufti, ‘Orientalism and the language of Hindustan’ Rashmi Dube Bhatnagar, ‘What's Braj got to do with the Hindi–Urdu divide?’ Mehr Afshan Farooqi, ‘Āb‐e gum, or “Disappeared Water” as a metaphor for language, location, and loss

This cluster of papers carries forward Critical Quarterly's emphasis on language in society and history. They offer incisive, innovative perspectives on several major debates concerning vernacular languages of northern South Asia. Hindi and Urdu have been the languages of Indian‐Hindu and Pakistani‐Muslim nationalism, extending over the arc from British colonialism to Independence and Partition (1947), and continuing in the seven decades since. Both languages arise from the north Indian everyday speech called, in its own terms, Kharī bōlī and known in the nineteenth century as Hindustani (unsuccessfully revived by Gandhi as a unifying term and concept). The only definitive distinction between them is the alphabet: Hindi is rendered in Devanagari; Urdu in a right‐to‐left script derived from Persian and Arabic.
A Behavioural Bayes Approach for Sample Size Determination in Cluster Randomized Clinical Trials
Authors: Kikuchi Takashi , Gittins John
Published: October 2010

Cluster randomized clinical trials are increasingly popular to evaluate disease control interventions for communities. In these trials health interventions are allocated randomly to complete clusters or groups rather than to individual subjects. Sample size calculation for cluster randomized clinical trials has been largely based on classical theory, taking account of between-cluster variation, and of type I and II errors. It is desirable to use an approach which maximizes the expected net benefit, but there is as yet no established methodology along these lines. Gittins and Pezeshk presented an expected net benefit approach to sample size determination. We extend that approach to cluster randomized clinical trials.
The effect of direct acidification on the microbiological, physicochemical and sensory properties of probiotic Minas Frescal cheese
Authors: FRITZEN‐FREIRE CARLISE B , MÜLLER CARMEN M O , LAURINDO JOÃO B , AMBONI RENATA D DE M C , PRUDÊNCIO ELANE S
Published: October 2010

Minas Frescal cheeses produced with the addition of the probiotic culture Bifidobacterium Bb‐12 and without (C1) or with (C2) lactic acid were evaluated in relation to the microbiological, physicochemical and sensory properties. After 28 days of storage, the cheeses without lactic acid showed lower moisture and pH, in addition to higher acidity and syneresis. This behaviour influenced the texture profile of the cheeses, making them harder and chewier. The colour attributes L* and b* diminished during the storage. The majority of the consumers classified the cheeses as having good acceptability and they would buy this type of functional food.
Further evidence for an involvement of nociceptin/orphanin FQ in the pathophysiology of Parkinson’s disease: a behavioral and neurochemical study in reserpinized mice
Authors: Volta Mattia , Mabrouk Omar S. , Bido Simone , Marti Matteo , Morari Michele
Published: October 2010

J. Neurochem.(2010)115,1543–1555.

The contribution of nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ) to reserpine‐induced Parkinsonism was evaluated in mice. A battery of motor tests revealed that reserpine caused dose‐dependent and long‐lasting motor impairment. Endogenous N/OFQ sustained this response because N/OFQ peptide (NOP) receptor knockout (NOP−/−) mice were less susceptible to the hypokinetic action of reserpine than wild‐type (NOP+/+) animals. Microdialysis revealed that reserpine elevated glutamate and reduced GABA levels in substantia nigra reticulata, and that resistance to reserpine in NOP−/−mice was accompanied by a milder increase in glutamate and lack of inhibition of GABA levels. To substantiate this genetic evidence, the NOP receptor antagonist 1‐[(3R,4R)‐1‐cyclooctylmethyl‐3‐hydroxymethyl‐4‐piperidyl]‐3‐ethyl‐1,3‐dihydro‐2H benzimidazol‐2‐one (J‐113397) simultaneously reduced akinesia and nigral glutamate levels in reserpinized NOP+/+mice, being ineffective in NOP−/−mice. Moreover, repeated J‐113397 administration in reserpinized mice resulted in faster recovery of baseline motor performance which was, however, accompanied by a loss of acute antiakinetic response. The short‐term beneficial effect of J‐113397 was paralleled by normalization of nigral glutamate levels, whereas loss of acute response was paralleled by loss of the ability of J‐113397 to inhibit glutamate levels. We conclude that endogenous N/OFQ contributes to reserpine‐induced Parkinsonism, and that sustained NOP receptor blockade produces short‐term motor improvement accompanied by normalization of nigral glutamate release.
Reduced proteasomal activity contributes to the accumulation of carbonylated proteins in chronic experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis
Authors: Zheng Jianzheng , Bizzozero Oscar A.
Published: October 2010

J. Neurochem. (2010) 115, 1556–1567.

We have recently shown that several carbonylated proteins, including glial fibrillary acidic protein, β‐actin and β‐tubulin, accumulate within cerebellar astrocytes during the chronic phase of myelin‐oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)35‐55 peptide‐induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in C57BL/6 mice. As protein carbonyls cannot be repaired and there is less oxidative stress in chronic than in acute EAE, we hypothesized that the accumulation of carbonylated proteins in these animals may be due to a defect in the degradation of the modified proteins. Alternatively, oxidized proteins in chronic EAE mice may be more resistant to proteolysis. Using lipopolysaccharide‐stimulated astrocytes and several protease inhibitors we identified the 20S proteasome as the proteolytic system responsible for the elimination of most oxidized proteins. We also discovered that the chymotrysin‐like and caspase‐like activities of the 20S proteasome are impaired in chronic EAE, while the amount of proteasome was unchanged. Proteasome failure in these animals was confirmed by the build‐up of ubiquitinated proteins, mostly within astrocytes. In a cell‐free system, carbonylated proteins from EAE mice with acute and chronic disease seem to be equally sensitive to proteasomal degradation. Altogether, the results support the notion that diminished activity of the 20S proteasome is a major contributor to the accumulation of carbonylated proteins in astrocytes of chronic EAE mice.
Predictive Factors of the Nursing Diagnosis Sedentary Lifestyle in People with High Blood Pressure
Authors: Guedes Nirla Gomes , Lopes Marcos Venícios de Oliveira , Araujo Thelma Leite de , Moreira Rafaella Pessoa , Martins Larissa Castelo Guedes
Published: October 2010

ABSTRACT
Objectives: To verify the reproducibility of defining the characteristics and related factors in order to identify a sedentary lifestyle in patients with high blood pressure.

Design and Sample: A cross‐sectional study. 310 patients diagnosed with high blood pressure.

Measures: Socio‐demographics and variables related to defining the characteristics and related factors of a sedentary lifestyle. The coefficient Kappa was utilized to analyze the reproducibility. The sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value of the defining characteristics were also analyzed. Logistic regression was applied in the analysis of possible predictors.

Results: The defining characteristic with the greatest sensitivity was demonstrates physical deconditioning (98.92%). The characteristics chooses a daily routine lacking physical exercise and verbalizes preference for activities low in physical activity presented higher values of specificity (99.21% and 95.97%, respectively).

Conclusions: The following indicators were identified as powerful predictors (85.2%) for the identification of a sedentary lifestyle: demonstrates physical deconditioning, verbalizes preference for activities low in physical activity, and lack of training for accomplishment of physical exercise.
Entropy in Urban and Regional Modelling: Retrospect and Prospect. 城市和区域建模中的熵：回顾与展望
Authors: Wilson Alan
Published: October 2010

Entropy in Urban and Regional Modelling introduced a new framework for constructing spatial interaction and associated location models. These ideas are reviewed briefly and then set in the wider context of the application of entropy in a range of disciplines. Related developments since 1970 are examined with particular reference to extensions of the core model, links to mathematical programming, the relationship to economics, and the introduction of a dynamic spatial structure hypothesis. The role of entropy maximizing in geography, and more widely in complexity science, is reviewed and two conclusions are drawn beyond the continued effective deployment of entropy models: geography could be a leading player as complexity science develops; and geography can use these ideas to update the presentation of its classic theories. The ongoing research agenda is extensive—particularly in relation to the modeling of imperfect markets in economics—in its links with network science and agent‐based modeling. Recent developments in physics suggest a new role for entropy in understanding spatial structure. This article is organized into five main sections. The first summarizes the ideas of the book; the second sets this discussion in a wider context; the third surveys the developments that have taken place since its publication. The fourth summarizes the role of entropy maximizing in geography in the context of complexity science, and the fifth presents an ongoing research agenda.
Refining and Operationalizing Entropy‐Maximizing Models for Business Applications. 商业应用模式下熵最大化模型的应用与改进
Authors: Birkin Mark , Clarke Graham , Clarke Martin
Published: October 2010

The aim of this article is to explore the main issues involved with operationalizing entropy‐maximizing models in a retail business context. We draw on our experiences of work undertaken with a variety of international blue‐chip clients. First, we examine issues relating to demand estimation, focusing on practical considerations involved in different types of application. These issues include choice of demand estimation methodology, dealing with nonresidential flows and demand elasticity. Second, we investigate the supply‐side or attractiveness component in detail, including a review of how such factors as brand preference, brand loyalty, and the so‐called network effect can be addressed within a spatial interaction modeling framework. We then explore the distance decay variable in more detail before examining more specific measures of model performance. Historically in the literature, goodness of fit has been used as a measure of model performance, but we shall argue that goodness of forecast is the metric by which model performance should be measured. The difficulties of trying to achieve this are outlined and some examples discussed.