bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rationalism in Public Law
Authors: Gee Graham , Webber Grégoire
Published: July 2013

Rationalism is ‘the stylistic criterion of all respectable politics’. So lamented political philosopherMichaelOakeshott in a series of essays published in the 1940s and 1950s. Rationalism, forOakeshott, is shorthand for a propensity to prioritise the universal over the local, the uniform over the particular and, ultimately, principle over practice. It culminates in the triumph of abstract principles over practical knowledge in a manner that erodes our ability to engage in political activity. AlthoughOakeshott's critique was made with the practice and study of politics in mind, it has a wider relevance. Rationalism, as we see it, has become the dominant style in public law. We draw uponOakeshott's critique to elucidate the risks associated with rationalism in public law and call for a renewed engagement with practical knowledge in the study of the constitution.
The recovery of pelvic organ support during the first year postpartum
Authors: Chen Y , Li F‐Y , Lin X , Chen J , Chen C , Guess MK
Published: July 2013

Objective

Compare changes in pelvic organ prolapse (POP) from 36–38 weeks of gestation to 1 year postpartum after unlaboured cesarean delivery(UCD)and trial of labour (TOL).

Design

Prospective observational cohort study.

Setting

Wenzhou Third People's Hospital, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China.

Population

Nulliparous women undergoing UCD or TOL.

Methods

Pelvic organ prolapse was assessed at 36–38 weeks of gestation, then at 6 weeks, 6 months and 1 year postpartum, using the Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification (POPQ) system.

Main outcome measures

Postpartum POP status in UCD and TOL determined by POPQ measurements over time.

Results

Points Aa (Ba) determined the final stage assignment in most cases. Stage II POP was present in 35% and 37% of women in UCD and TOL at 36–38 weeks of gestation. After delivery, the likelihood of stage II POP declined during the first year postpartum in the whole cohort. The TOL group was much less likely to recover from stage II POP compared with the UCD group (odds ratio 0.04, 95% confidence interval 0.01–0.18) after adjustment for POP status at 36–38 weeks of gestation, age, first‐trimester body mass index, newborn birthweight, educational level, gravidity and smoking status. With the exception of age, education and gravidity, these covariates were also independent predictors of postpartum POP.

Conclusion

Factors unique to labour and delivery lead to sustained pelvic floor relaxation postpartum. Pelvic organ prolapse at 36–38 weeks of gestation, and higher first‐trimester body mass index also appear to predict long‐term POP. Further investigation into mechanisms leading to persistent or progressive POP after TOL are warranted. In addition, caution is needed in generalising the findings due to the single‐centre design.
An Equilibrium Model of General Practitioner Payment Schemes
Authors: Wright Donald J.
Published: July 2013

In an environment where GPs are of differing quality and heterogeneous patients have different preferences for quality, it is shown that fee‐for‐service coupled with balance billing is a superior payment scheme to just fee‐for‐service or capitation payments as it generates an efficient allocation of GPs between high and low quality and an efficient allocation of patients between GPs. Where patients have more than one condition it is shown that fee‐for‐service allows patients to seek treatment from GPs of differing quality conditional on the medical condition they have.
Systematic Comparison of Hedonic Ranking and Rating Methods Demonstrates Few Practical Differences
Authors: Kozak Marcin , Cliff Margaret A.
Published: July 2013

Hedonic ranking is one of the commonly used methods to evaluate consumer preferences. Some authors suggest that it is the best methodology for discriminating among products, while others recommend hedonic rating. These mixed findings suggest the statistical outcome(s) are dependent on the experimental conditions or a user's expectation of “what is” and “what is not” desirable for evaluating consumer preferences. Therefore, sensory and industry professionals may be uncertain or confused regarding the appropriate application of hedonic tests. This paper would like to put this controversy to rest, by evaluating 3 data sets (3 yogurts, 79 consumers; 6 yogurts, 109 consumers; 4 apple cultivars, 70 consumers) collected using the same consumers and by calculating nontied ranks from hedonic scores. Consumer responses were evaluated by comparing bivariate associations between the methods (nontied ranks, tied ranks, hedonic rating scores) using trellis displays, determining the number of consumers with discrepancies in their responses between the methods, and comparing mean values using conventional statistical analyses. Spearman's rank correlations (0.33–0.84) revealed significant differences between the methods for all products, whether or not means separation tests differentiated the products. The work illustrated the inherent biases associated with hedonic ranking and recommended alternate hedonic methodologies.
Harvest Discrimination of Pomegranate Fruit: Postharvest Quality Changes and Relationships between Instrumental and Sensory Attributes during Shelf Life
Authors: Fawole Olaniyi Amos , Opara Umezuruike Linus
Published: July 2013

Harvest maturity discrimination was carried out for “Ruby” pomegranate cultivar in simulated handling conditions for long distant supply chains. Fruit were harvested at 3 different maturities along days after full bloom (DAFB); Harvest 1 (H1) at 133 DAFB, H2 at 143 DAFB, and H3 at 157 DAFB. The effects of harvest maturity and storage duration on fruit quality attributes during a 6‐wk period of cold storage (5°C, 95% RH) and subsequent 5 d of shelf life (20°C, 75% RH) were investigated. Instrumental evaluation of aril color, juice content, juice absorbance (520 nm), total soluble solids (TSS), pH, titratable acids (TA), and phytochemical components including total phenolics, flavonoids, and anthocyanins were carried out. Textural properties of arils which included hardness, toughness, bioyield point, and Young's modulus were also investigated. During the shelf life period, arils from individual fruit were rated by a trained sensory panel based on appearance, taste, and texture. Relationships between the instrumental and descriptive sensory data were explored and fruit harvest maturities were discriminated using discriminant analysis. Among the attributes evaluated, TSS : TA, sweet taste, and the CIE hue angle (h°) were the most decisive attributes distinguishing the harvest maturities. The optimum time for harvesting was at 143 DAFB (H2) when fruit TSS : TA ratio was > 55, which coincided with significantly higher rating for sweet taste in fruit at H2 than at H1 and H3 during shelf life. The harvest index proposed in the current study could be used as a guide to establish a reliable harvest maturity index to assist in assuring fruit quality in consideration of long supply chains for the investigated cultivar.
Food insecurity, income inequality, and the changing comparative advantage in world agriculture
Authors: Otsuka Keijiro
Published: July 2013

I would like to argue in this article that in the process of economic development in land‐poor countries in Asia, agriculture faces three distinctly different problems: food insecurity, sectoral income inequality, and the declining food self‐sufficiency associated with the declining comparative advantage in agriculture at the high‐income stage. Massive imports of food grains to Asia, if they occur, will aggravate the world food shortage, which will have significant implications for the poverty incidence in the world. I argue that in order to avoid such a tragedy, Asia should expand farm size to reduce labor cost by adopting large‐scale mechanization, sub‐Saharan Africa should realize a green revolution in grain production, and Latin America should further expand its grain production capacity.
Trade liberalization in the bio‐economy: coping with a new landscape
Authors: Bureau Jean‐Christophe , Jean Sébastien
Published: July 2013

Multilateral trade liberalization has made little progress over the last period, but preferential agreements have multiplied. Recent economic literature helps understand the current negotiation game. New economic and political conditions, in particular the gaining influence of emerging countries, make a multilateral agreement more difficult. Developed countries have given up many of their bargaining chips in previous rounds of negotiation and their remaining agricultural tariffs are not sufficient for extracting the concessions from emerging countries on services, procurement, and intellectual property that would make an agreement possible. The risk of a more fragmented world calls for a revised negotiation agenda and a change in the status of developing countries. Research issues are outlined in order to help revitalize the Doha negotiation agenda.
Survival outcome of re‐resection for recurrent liver metastases of colorectal cancer: a retrospective study
Authors: Chok Kenneth S. H. , Cheung Tan To , Chan Albert C. Y. , Dai Wing Chiu , Chan See Ching , Fan Sheung Tat , Poon Ronnie T. P. , Lo Chung Mau
Published: July 2013

Background

This study aimed to investigate whether re‐resection can achieve a good survival outcome in the treatment of recurrent liver metastases of colorectal cancer.

Methods

Prospectively collected data of patients who underwent hepatectomy for liver tumours were reviewed. Patients whose liver tumours were metastases of colorectal cancer were included in the study provided that they had no extrahepatic metastases and received no loco‐ablative treatment simultaneous with hepatectomy. Patients who did not have recurrent liver metastasis after their first liver resection (group R) and patients who underwent re‐resection for recurrent liver metastasis (group RR) were compared.

Results

In total, 321 patients were included in the study, with 307 in group R and 14 in group RR. The two groups had comparable demographics. Insignificantly more patients in group R received major resection (55.6% versus 30.8%, P = 0.079). The median blood loss volume was 0.6 (0–12.7) L in group R and 0.35 (0–15) L in group RR (P = 0.202). Group RR had a significantly smaller median tumour size (2.5 cm versus 3.5 cm, P = 0.020) and resection margin width (0.3 cm versus 0.7 cm, P = 0.037). On univariate analysis, re‐resection was not a risk factor in overall survival. On multivariate analysis, post‐operative complication (hazard ratio (HR) 1.66, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.15–2.39, P = 0.007), microscopic margin involvement (HR 1.95, 95% CI 1.26–3.04, P = 0.003) and multiple tumours (HR 1.58, 95% CI 1.17–2.14, P = 0.003) were risk factors in overall survival. The two groups had no significant differences in disease‐free survival and overall survival.

Conclusion

Re‐resection for recurrent colorectal liver metastases can achieve a favourable survival outcome at centres with expertise.
Cure for peritoneal metastases? An evidence‐based review
Authors: Ung Lawson , Chua Terence C. , Morris David L.
Published: July 2013

There is now a considerable body of published evidence supporting the use of a multimodal approach consisting of cytoreductive surgery (CS) and heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) in the treatment of peritoneal metastases (PM) arising from selected gastrointestinal tract malignancies. In the absence of systemic metastases, it is thought that disease confined to the peritoneum may be eradicated through optimum cytoreduction. This review critically evaluates the current body of published evidence for the use of CS/HIPEC in the treatment of advanced colorectal, appendiceal and gastric cancer. Although its role remains less defined in patients with gastric PM, current evidence provides a compelling argument for its use in PM of colorectal and appendiceal origin. With a low mortality and acceptable morbidity rate, CS/HIPEC may offer hope of long‐term survival and cure in a defined group of patients with this disease.
Vasomotor Dysfunction in the Mesenteric Artery after Organ Culture with Cyclosporin A
Authors: Zheng Jian‐Pu , Zhang Xuemei , Wang Hao , Wang Yunman , Cheng Zhuoan , Yin Peihao , Peng Wen
Published: July 2013

Cyclosporin A (CsA) is a widely used immunosuppressive agent that also causes hypertension. However, the molecular basis for CsA‐induced hypertension remains elusive. In this study, we established an in vitro model for CsA‐induced pathological changes in vasculature. Rat mesenteric arteries were incubated with CsA for 24 hr in an organ culture system. Both vasocontraction and vasorelaxation in mesenteric artery were studied using myograph technology, and mRNA expressions of the contractile receptors were determined by real‐time PCR. The results showed that CsA increased the mRNA expression and contractile function of several G‐protein‐coupled receptors (GPCRs), such as endothelin receptor type B (ETB), 5‐hydroxytryptamine type 1B (5‐HT1B) and 1D (5‐HT1D), in vascular smooth muscle cells. In addition, both nitric oxide (NO)‐mediated vasorelaxation and endothelium‐independent relaxation were impaired by CsA. In summary, this study showed the enhanced GPCRs‐mediated contraction and reduced vasorelaxation in mesenteric artery after organ culture with CsA, which mimicked the CsA‐induced pathological changes in the vascular system in vivo. Furthermore, this organ culture system would be an ideal in vitro tool to study the molecular mechanisms of CsA‐induced hypertension.
Activated γδ T cells inhibit osteoclast differentiation and resorptive activityin vitro
Authors: Pappalardo A , Thompson K
Published: July 2013

Extensive evidence suggests that the immune system exerts powerful effects on bone cells, particularly in chronic disease pathologies such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The chronic inflammatory state in RA, particularly the excessive production of T cell-derived proinflammatory cytokines such as tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-17, triggers bone erosions through the increased stimulation of osteoclast formation and activity. While evidence supports a role for IL-17 and TNF-α secreted by conventional CD4+ T cells in RA, recent evidence in animal models of RA have implicated γδ T cells as a major producer of pathogenic IL-17. However, the capacity of γδ T cells to influence osteoclast formation and activity in humans has not yet been investigated widely. To address this issue we investigated the effects of γδ T cells on osteoclast differentiation and resorptive activity. We have demonstrated that anti-CD3/CD28-stimulated γδ T cells or CD4+ T cells inhibit human osteoclast formation and resorptive activity in vitro. Furthermore, we assessed cytokine production by CD3/CD28-stimulated γδ T cells and observed a lack of IL-17 production, with activated γδ T cells producing abundant interferon (IFN)-γ. The neutralization of IFN-γ markedly restored the formation of osteoclasts from precursor cells and the resorptive activity of mature osteoclasts, suggesting that IFN-γ is the major factor responsible for the inhibitory role of activated γδ T cells on osteoclastogenesis and resorptive activity of mature osteoclasts. Our work therefore provides new insights on the interactions between γδ T cells and osteoclasts in humans.
Immunoglobulin G anti-endothelial cell antibodies: inducers of endothelial cell apoptosis in pulmonary arterial hypertension?
Authors: Arends S J , Damoiseaux J G M C , Duijvestijn A M , Debrus-Palmans L , Vroomen M , Boomars K A , Brunner-La Rocca H-P , Reutelingsperger C P M , Cohen Tervaert J W , van Paassen P
Published: July 2013

Endothelial cell (EC) apoptosis seems to play an important role in the pathophysiology of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). We aimed to test the hypothesis that circulating anti-endothelial cell antibodies (AECA) of PAH patients induce EC apoptosis. Immunoglobulin (Ig)G was purified from sera of PAH patients (n = 26), patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) nephritis without PAH (n = 16), patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) without PAH (n = 58) and healthy controls (n = 14). Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were incubated with patient or healthy control IgG for 24 h. Thereafter, apoptosis was quantified by annexin A5 binding and hypoploid cell enumeration by flow cytometry. Furthermore, real-time cell electronic sensing (RT–CES™) technology was used to monitor the effects of purified IgG from patient and healthy control IgG on HUVECs. As demonstrated previously, IgG of AECA-positive SLE nephritis patients (n = 7) induced a higher percentage of apoptosis of HUVECs compared to IgG of AECA-negative SLE nephritis patients and healthy controls. Furthermore, IgG of AECA-positive SLE nephritis patients induced a marked decrease in cell index as assessed by RT–CES™ technology. IgG of AECA-positive PAH patients (n = 12) and SSc patients (n = 13) did not alter the percentage of HUVEC apoptosis or cell index compared to IgG of AECA-negative PAH and SSc patients and healthy controls. AECA-positive PAH patients, in contrast to SLE nephritis patients, do not have circulating IgG AECA that enhances apoptosis of HUVECs in vitro. Further studies should focus on other mechanisms by which AECA may enhance EC apoptosis in PAH, such as antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity.
Smoking reduces the risk of hypothyroidism and increases the risk of hyperthyroidism: evidence from 450 842 mothers giving birth in Denmark
Authors: Andersen Stine Linding , Olsen Jørn , Wu Chun Sen , Laurberg Peter
Published: July 2013

Objective

Smoking may influence on the occurrence of thyroid disease, but studies have led to inconsistent results. In Denmark, information on maternal smoking during pregnancy is registered by midwives, and we investigated the association between maternal smoking as reported during pregnancy and the subsequent maternal risk of having hyper‐ or hypothyroidism diagnosed.

Design

Population‐based cohort study.

Participants

Using Danish nationwide registers, we identified mothers giving birth in Denmark, 1996–2008, and studied their first pregnancy in the study period.

Measurements

Information on maternal smoking during the pregnancy and maternal diagnosis of hyper‐ or hypothyroidism was obtained from the Danish National Hospital Register (DNHR) and prescription of thyroid medication from the Danish National Prescription Register (DNPR). Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) for onset of maternal hyper‐ or hypothyroidism after birth of the child in multivariate analyses adjusting for potential confounders.

Results

Among mothers included (n = 450 842), altogether 89 022 (19·7%) reported that they were smokers during the first pregnancy in the study period, and 8905 (2·0%) developed hyper (n = 3389)‐ or hypothyroidism (n = 5516) after birth of the child. Maternal smoking was associated with a subsequent decreased risk of developing hypothyroidism (adjusted HR 0·75 (95% CI 0·70–0·81)) and an increased risk of hyperthyroidism (1·38 (1·27–1·49)).

Conclusions

Danish nationwide registration of maternal smoking during pregnancy adds further evidence to an association between smoking and thyroid dysfunction; smoking reduced the risk of hypothyroidism and increased the risk of hyperthyroidism.
Letrozole stimulation in endometrial preparation for cryopreserved–thawed embryo transfer in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome: A pilot study
Authors: Hu Yan‐Jun , Chen Yue‐Zhou , Zhu Yi‐Min , Huang He‐Feng
Published: July 2013

Objective

To study the efficiency of letrozole, an aromatase inhibitor, in endometrial preparation for cryopreserved–thawed embryo transfer (FET) in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).

Design

Retrospective observational study.

Patients

One hundred and twenty patients with PCOS who met the inclusion criteria for the study.

Measurements

We assessed in vitro fertilization outcomes in one hundred and twenty patients with PCOS (148 cycles) who were prepared for and underwent FET between June 2011 and December 2012. Patients were prepared for FET using artificial hormone cycles induced with oestrogen and progesterone supplementation (n = 76), letrozole stimulation (n = 40) or hMG stimulation (n = 32).

Results

There were no differences in demographic characteristics between the groups, except that the letrozole group had a higher incidence of embryo transfer failure in the past. The letrozole stimulation group had a significantly higher maximal endometrial thickness and significantly higher rates of clinical pregnancy per transfer, ongoing pregnancy per transfer and implantation, compared with the artificial and hMG stimulation groups. Differences in these parameters between the artificial and hMG stimulation groups were not significant.

Conclusion

Using letrozole stimulation in endometrial preparation for cryopreserved–thawed embryo transfer in patients with PCOS may be associated with better outcomes than using hormonal manipulation or hMG stimulation.
Coffin–Siris syndrome is a SWI/SNF complex disorder
Authors: Tsurusaki Y. , Okamoto N. , Ohashi H. , Mizuno S. , Matsumoto N. , Makita Y. , Fukuda M. , Isidor B. , Perrier J. , Aggarwal S. , Dalal A.B. , Al‐Kindy A. , Liebelt J. , Mowat D. , Nakashima M. , Saitsu H. , Miyake N. , Matsumoto N.
Published: July 2013

Coffin–Siris syndrome (CSS) is a congenital disorder characterized by intellectual disability, growth deficiency, microcephaly, coarse facial features, and hypoplastic or absent fifth fingernails and/or toenails. We previously reported that five genes are mutated in CSS, all of which encode subunits of the switch/sucrose non‐fermenting (SWI/SNF) ATP‐dependent chromatin‐remodeling complex: SMARCB1, SMARCA4, SMARCE1, ARID1A, and ARID1B. In this study, we examined 49 newly recruited CSS‐suspected patients, and re‐examined three patients who did not show any mutations (using high‐resolution melting analysis) in the previous study, by whole‐exome sequencing or targeted resequencing. We found that SMARCB1, SMARCA4, or ARID1B were mutated in 20 patients. By examining available parental samples, we ascertained that 17 occurred de novo. All mutations in SMARCB1 and SMARCA4 were non‐truncating (missense or in‐frame deletion) whereas those in ARID1B were all truncating (nonsense or frameshift deletion/insertion) in this study as in our previous study. Our data further support that CSS is a SWI/SNF complex disorder.
Evaluating Isosurfaces with Level‐set‐based Information Maps
Authors: Wei Tzu‐Hsuan , Lee Teng‐Yok , Shen Han‐Wei
Published: July 2013

While isosurfaces have been widely used for scalar data visualization, it is often difficult to determine if the selected isosurfaces for visualization are sufficient to represent the entire scalar field. In this paper, we present an information‐theoretic approach to evaluate the representativeness of a given isosurface set. Our basic idea is that given two isosurfaces that enclose a subvolume, if the intermediate isosurfaces in the subvolume can be generated by smoothly morphing from one isosurface to the other, no additional isosurfaces are needed since the geometry of the true isosurfaces within the subvolume can be easily inferred. To realize this idea, given a pair of isosurfaces, to determine if such a smooth condition in the enclosed region is satisfied, we use a level‐set approach to generate the intermediate surfaces. On each intermediate surface, we sample the values from the scalar field and exam the distribution. If the entropy of the distribution is low, this intermediate surface is aligned well with a true isosurface in the scalar field. For the intermediate surfaces generated by the level‐set method from the boundary isosurfaces, the distributions of scalar values from the level‐set surfaces form a 2D distribution, called isosurface information map. This information map can be used as an indicator of the representativeness of the boundary isosurfaces for the data in the subregion, allowing a quantitative measurement of information representable by the input isosurfaces. Based on this information‐theoretic approach, this paper presents an isosurface selection algorithm that can automatically select isosurfaces for more effective visualization of scalar fields.
Evolutionary Visual Exploration: Evaluation With Expert Users
Authors: Boukhelifa N. , Cancino W. , Bezerianos A. , Lutton E.
Published: July 2013

We present an Evolutionary Visual Exploration (EVE) system that combines visual analytics with stochastic optimisation to aid the exploration of multidimensional datasets characterised by a large number of possible views or projections. Starting from dimensions whose values are automatically calculated by a PCA, an interactive evolutionary algorithm progressively builds (or evolves) non‐trivial viewpoints in the form of linear and non‐linear dimension combinations, to help users discover new interesting views and relationships in their data. The criteria for evolving new dimensions is not known a priori and are partially specified by the user via an interactive interface: (i) The user selects views with meaningful or interesting visual patterns and provides a satisfaction score. (ii) The system calibrates a fitness function (optimised by the evolutionary algorithm) to take into account the user input, and then calculates new views. Our method leverages automatic tools to detect interesting visual features and human interpretation to derive meaning, validate the findings and guide the exploration without having to grasp advanced statistical concepts. To validate our method, we built a prototype tool (EvoGraphDice) as an extension of an existing scatterplot matrix inspection tool, and conducted an observational study with five domain experts. Our results show that EvoGraphDice can help users quantify qualitative hypotheses and try out different scenarios to dynamically transform their data. Importantly, it allowed our experts to think laterally, better formulate their research questions and build new hypotheses for further investigation.
Maximum Entropy Summary Trees
Authors: Karloff Howard , Shirley Kenneth E.
Published: July 2013

Given a very large, node‐weighted, rooted tree on, say, n nodes, if one has only enough space to display a k‐node summary of the tree, what is the most informative way to draw the tree? We define a type of weighted tree that we call a summary tree of the original tree that results from aggregating nodes of the original tree subject to certain constraints. We suggest that the best choice of which summary tree to use (among those with a fixed number of nodes) is the one that maximizes the information‐theoretic entropy of a natural probability distribution associated with the summary tree, and we provide a (pseudopolynomial‐time) dynamic‐programming algorithm to compute this maximum entropy summary tree, when the weights are integral. The result is an automated way to summarize large trees and retain as much information about them as possible, while using (and displaying) only a fraction of the original node set. We illustrate the computation and use of maximum entropy summary trees on five real data sets whose weighted tree representations vary widely in structure. We also provide an additive approximation algorithm and a greedy heuristic that are faster than the optimal algorithm, and generalize to trees with real‐valued weights.
HiFiVE: A Hilbert Space Embedding of Fiber Variability Estimates for Uncertainty Modeling and Visualization
Authors: Schultz T. , Schlaffke L. , Schölkopf B. , Schmidt‐Wilcke T.
Published: July 2013

Obtaining reproducible fiber direction estimates from diffusion MRI is crucial for successful fiber tracking. Modeling and visualizing the probability distribution of the inferred fiber directions is an important step in evaluating and comparing different acquisition schemes and fiber models. However, this distribution is usually strongly dominated by its main direction, which makes it difficult to examine when plotted naively.

In this work, we propose a new visualization of the fiber probability distribution. It is based on embedding the probability measure into a particular reproducing kernel Hilbert space. This permits a decomposition into an embedded delta peak, representing the main direction, and a non‐negative residual. They are then combined into a new glyph representation which visually enhances the residual, in order to highlight even subtle differences. Moreover, the magnitude of the delta peak component quantifies precision of the main fiber direction. We demonstrate that our new glyph provides a more detailed impression of the uncertainty than the current standard method, cones that contain 95% of the estimated directions. We use our new method to contribute to the validation of different ways of resampling the data (bootstrapping), and to visualize the differences between alternative acquisition schemes and models for high angular resolution diffusion imaging (HARDI).
Visualizing Large‐scale Parallel Communication Traces Using a Particle Animation Technique
Authors: Sigovan Carmen , Muelder Chris W. , Ma Kwan‐Liu
Published: July 2013

Large‐scale scientific simulations require execution on parallel computing systems in order to yield useful results in a reasonable time frame. But parallel execution adds communication overhead. The impact that this overhead has on performance may be difficult to gauge, as parallel application behaviors are typically harder to understand than the sequential types. We introduce an animation‐based interactive visualization technique for the analysis of communication patterns occurring in parallel application execution. Our method has the advantages of illustrating the dynamic communication patterns in the system as well as a static image of MPI (Message Passing Interface) utilization history. We also devise a data streaming mechanism that allows for the exploration of very large data sets. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach scaling up to 16 thousand processes using a series of trace data sets of ScaLAPACK matrix operations functions.
Small Multiples, Large Singles: A New Approach for Visual Data Exploration
Authors: van den Elzen Stef , van Wijk Jarke J.
Published: July 2013

We present a novel visual exploration method based on small multiples and large singles for effective and efficient data analysis. Users are enabled to explore the state space by offering multiple alternatives from the current state. Users can then select the alternative of choice and continue the analysis. Furthermore, the intermediate steps in the exploration process are preserved and can be revisited and adapted using an intuitive navigation mechanism based on the well‐known undo‐redo stack and filmstrip metaphor. As proof of concept the exploration method is implemented in a prototype. The effectiveness of the exploration method is tested using a formal user study comparing four different interaction methods. By using Small Multiples as data exploration method users need fewer steps in answering questions and also explore a significantly larger part of the state space in the same amount of time, providing them with a broader perspective on the data, hence lowering the chance of missing important features. Also, users prefer visual exploration with small multiples over non‐small multiple variants.
Visualizing Interchange Patterns in Massive Movement Data
Authors: Zeng Wei , Fu Chi‐Wing , Arisona Stefan Müller , Qu Huamin
Published: July 2013

Massive amount of movement data, such as daily trips made by millions of passengers in a city, are widely available nowadays. They are a highly valuable means not only for unveiling human mobility patterns, but also for assisting transportation planning, in particular for metropolises around the world. In this paper, we focus on a novel aspect of visualizing and analyzing massive movement data, i.e., the interchange pattern, aiming at revealing passenger redistribution in a traffic network. We first formulate a new model of circos figure, namely the interchange circos diagram, to present interchange patterns at a junction node in a bundled fashion, and optimize the color assignments to respect the connections within and between junction nodes. Based on this, we develop a family of visual analysis techniques to help users interactively study interchange patterns in a spatiotemporal manner: 1) multi‐spatial scales: from network junctions such as train stations to people flow across and between larger spatial areas; and 2) temporal changes of patterns from different times of the day. Our techniques have been applied to real movement data consisting of hundred thousands of trips, and we present also two case studies on how transportation experts worked with our interface.
Continuous Representation of Projected Attribute Spaces of Multifields over Any Spatial Sampling
Authors: Molchanov Vladimir , Fofonov Alexey , Linsen Lars
Published: July 2013

For the visual analysis of multidimensional data, dimension reduction methods are commonly used to project to a lower‐dimensional visual space. In the context of multifields, i.e., volume data with a multidimensional attribute space, the spatial arrangement of the samples in the volumetric domain can be exploited to generate a Continuous Representation of the Projected Attribute Space (CoRPAS). Here, the sample locations in the volumetric domain may be arranged in a structured or unstructured way and may or may not be connected by a grid or a mesh. We propose an approach to generate CoRPAS for any sample arrangement using an isotropic density function. An interactive visual exploration system with three coordinated views of volume visualization, CoRPAS, and an interaction widget based on star coordinates is presented. The star‐coordinates widget provides an intuitive means for the user to change the projection matrix. The coordinated views allow for feature selection in form of brushing and linking. The approach is applied to both synthetic data and data resulting from numerical simulations of physical phenomena. In particular, simulations based on Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics are addressed, where the simulation kernel can be used to produce a CoRPAS that is consistent with the simulation. We also show how a logarithmic scaling of attribute values in CoRPAS is supported, which is of high practical relevance.
Towards Multifield Scalar Topology Based on Pareto Optimality
Authors: Huettenberger L. , Heine C. , Carr H. , Scheuermann G. , Garth C.
Published: July 2013

How can the notion of topological structures for single scalar fields be extended to multifields? In this paper we propose a definition for such structures using the concepts of Pareto optimality and Pareto dominance. Given a set of piecewise‐linear, scalar functions over a common simplical complex of any dimension, our method finds regions of “consensus” among single fields’ critical points and their connectivity relations. We show that our concepts are useful to data analysis on real‐world examples originating from fluid‐flow simulations; in two cases where the consensus of multiple scalar vortex predictors is of interest and in another case where one predictor is studied under different simulation parameters. We also compare the properties of our approach with current alternatives.
Selecting Semantically‐Resonant Colors for Data Visualization
Authors: Lin Sharon , Fortuna Julie , Kulkarni Chinmay , Stone Maureen , Heer Jeffrey
Published: July 2013

We introduce an algorithm for automatic selection of semantically‐resonant colors to represent data (e.g., using blue for data about “oceans”, or pink for “love”). Given a set of categorical values and a target color palette, our algorithm matches each data value with a unique color. Values are mapped to colors by collecting representative images, analyzing image color distributions to determine value‐color affinity scores, and choosing an optimal assignment. Our affinity score balances the probability of a color with how well it discriminates among data values. A controlled study shows that expert‐chosen semantically‐resonant colors improve speed on chart reading tasks compared to a standard palette, and that our algorithm selects colors that lead to similar gains. A second study verifies that our algorithm effectively selects colors across a variety of data categories.
An Information‐Theoretic Observation Channel for Volume Visualization
Authors: Bramon R. , Ruiz M. , Bardera A. , Boada I. , Feixas M. , Sbert M.
Published: July 2013

Different quality metrics have been proposed in the literature to evaluate how well a visualization represents the underlying data. In this paper, we present a new information‐theoretic framework that quantifies the information transfer between the source data set and the rendered image. This approach is based on the definition of an observation channel whose input and output are given by the intensity values of the volumetric data set and the pixel colors, respectively. From this channel, the mutual information, a measure of information transfer or correlation between the input and the output, is used as a metric to evaluate the visualization quality. The usefulness of the proposed observation channel is illustrated with three fundamental visualization applications: selection of informative viewpoints, transfer function design, and light positioning.
imMens: Real‐time Visual Querying of Big Data
Authors: Liu Zhicheng , Jiang Biye , Heer Jeffrey
Published: July 2013

Data analysts must make sense of increasingly large data sets, sometimes with billions or more records. We present methods for interactive visualization of big data, following the principle that perceptual and interactive scalability should be limited by the chosen resolution of the visualized data, not the number of records. We first describe a design space of scalable visual summaries that use data reduction methods (such as binned aggregation or sampling) to visualize a variety of data types. We then contribute methods for interactive querying (e.g., brushing & linking) among binned plots through a combination of multivariate data tiles and parallel query processing. We implement our techniques in imMens, a browser‐based visual analysis system that uses WebGL for data processing and rendering on the GPU. In benchmarks imMens sustains 50 frames‐per‐second brushing & linking among dozens of visualizations, with invariant performance on data sizes ranging from thousands to billions of records.
ExPlates: Spatializing Interactive Analysis to Scaffold Visual Exploration
Authors: Javed W. , Elmqvist N.
Published: July 2013

Visual exploration involves using visual representations to investigate data where the goals of the process are unclear and poorly defined. However, this often places unduly high cognitive load on the user, particularly in terms of keeping track of multiple investigative branches, remembering earlier results, and correlating between different views. We propose a new methodology for automatically spatializing the individual steps in visual exploration onto a large visual canvas, allowing users to easily recall, reflect, and assess their progress. We also present a web‐based implementation of our methodology called ExPlatesJS where users can manipulate multidimensional data in their browsers, automatically building visual queries as they explore the data.
TrajectoryLenses – A Set‐based Filtering and Exploration Technique for Long‐term Trajectory Data
Authors: Krüger Robert , Thom Dennis , Wörner Michael , Bosch Harald , Ertl Thomas
Published: July 2013

The visual analysis of spatiotemporal movement is a challenging task. There may be millions of routes of different length and shape with different origin and destination, extending over a long time span. Furthermore there can be various correlated attributes depending on the data domain, e.g. engine measurements for mobility data or sensor data for animal tracking. Visualizing such data tends to produce cluttered and incomprehensible images that need to be accompanied by sophisticated filtering methods. We present TrajectoryLenses, an interaction technique that extends the exploration lens metaphor to support complex filter expressions and the analysis of long time periods. Analysts might be interested only in movements that occur in a given time range, traverse a certain region, or end at a given area of interest (AOI). Our lenses can be placed on an interactive map to identify such geospatial AOIs. They can be grouped with set operations to create powerful geospatial queries. For each group of lenses, users can access aggregated data for different attributes like the number of matching movements, covered time, or vehicle performance. We demonstrate the applicability of our technique on a large, real‐world dataset of electric scooter tracks spanning a 2‐year period.
ViviSection: Skeleton‐based Volume Editing
Authors: Karimov A. , Mistelbauer G. , Schmidt J. , Mindek P. , Schmidt E. , Sharipov T. , Bruckner S. , Gröller E.
Published: July 2013

Volume segmentation is important in many applications, particularly in the medical domain. Most segmentation techniques, however, work fully automatically only in very restricted scenarios and cumbersome manual editing of the results is a common task. In this paper, we introduce a novel approach for the editing of segmentation results. Our method exploits structural features of the segmented object to enable intuitive and robust correction and verification. We demonstrate that our new approach can significantly increase the segmentation quality even in difficult cases such as in the presence of severe pathologies.
Interactive Ray Casting of Geodesic Grids
Authors: Xie Jinrong , Yu Hongfeng , Ma Kwan‐Liu
Published: July 2013

Geodesic grids are commonly used to model the surface of a sphere and are widely applied in numerical simulations of geoscience applications. These applications range from biodiversity, to climate change and to ocean circulation. Direct volume rendering of scalar fields defined on a geodesic grid facilitates scientists in visually understanding their large scale data. Previous solutions requiring to first transform the geodesic grid into another grid structure (e.g., hexahedral or tetrahedral grid) for using graphics hardware are not acceptable for large data, because such approaches incur significant computing and storage overhead. In this paper, we present a new method for efficient ray casting of geodesic girds by leveraging the power of Graphics Processing Units (GPUs). A geodesic grid can be directly fetched from storage or streamed from simulations to the rendering stage without the need of any intermediate grid transformation. We have designed and implemented a new analytic scheme to efficiently perform value interpolation for ray integration and gradient calculations for lighting. This scheme offers a more cost‐effective rendering solution over the existing direct rendering approach. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our rendering solution using real‐world geoscience data.
UNDOCUMENTED WORKERS' EMPLOYMENT ACROSS U.S. BUSINESS CYCLES
Authors: BROWN J. DAVID , GENC SERIFE , HOTCHKISS JULIE L. , QUISPE‐AGNOLI MYRIAM
Published: July 2013

Using matched employer‐employee data from the state of Georgia, this paper investigates how employment of undocumented workers varies along the business cycle and how it differs from the adjustment in employment of documented workers. The cyclical component of undocumented employment is found to be significantly more volatile than the cyclical component of documented employment. Simulation results indicate that complementarities between documented workers and capital account for almost 90% of the difference in measured volatility between documented and undocumented employment. (JEL E24, J21, J15)
ECONOMIC FREEDOM AND LABOR MARKET CONDITIONS: EVIDENCE FROM THE STATES
Authors: HELLER LAUREN R. , STEPHENSON E. FRANK
Published: July 2013

Using 1981–2009 data for the 50 states, this article examines the relationship between economic freedom and the unemployment rate, the labor force participation rate, and the employment‐population ratio. After controlling for a variety of state‐level characteristics, the results from most specifications indicate that economic freedom is associated with lower unemployment and with higher labor force participation and employment‐population ratios. (JEL J68, K31, O43)
Difference in quality of life, fatigue and societal participation between living and deceased donor kidney transplant recipients
Authors: de Groot Ingrid B. , Veen J. Iraida E. , van der Boog Paul J. M. , van Dijk Sandra , Stiggelbout Anne M. , Marang‐van de Mheen Perla J. ,   The PARTNER‐study group
Published: July 2013

Purpose of this study was to assess whether living (LD) and deceased donor (DD) kidney transplant recipients differ in health‐related quality of life (HRQoL), fatigue and societal participation, depending on time since transplantation and after adjustment for clinical and demographic variables. A questionnaire study was performed among 309 LD and 226 DD recipients (response rate 74% and 61%) transplanted between 1997 and 2009. After adjustment for age, sex, and education, LD recipients transplanted less than or equal to five yr ago experienced better HRQoL than DD recipients on the domains' role limitations due to physical problems, general health perception, and on the physical component summary score (all p < 0.05) and a better societal participation (all subscales, p < 0.05). No differences were found in the mental health domains. The LD recipients also had better renal clearance than DD recipients (62.1 vs. 55.9 mL/min, p = 0.01). After additional adjustment for renal clearance, the differences in HRQoL and societal participation between LD and DD recipients remained. No differences were found in recipients transplanted more than five yr ago.

We conclude that LD recipients on average have better HRQoL and societal participation than DD recipients, in the first years after transplantation.
The Hidden Consequences of Credit: An Illustration from Rural Indonesia
Authors: Gerber Julien‐François
Published: July 2013

Interest in rural financial development has been booming, but often with a blind eye to the broader consequences. Very few studies have tackled the unintended economic, social and ecological outcomes of ordinary indebtedness, the inevitable other side of credit. This article explores some of the main ‘hidden’ side‐effects of credit/debt relations, with special reference to the Indonesian plantation sector. I argue that widespread credit/debt relations are not only an important factor behind capital, land and labour control; they also generate constraints that foster market discipline and contribute to undermine traditional community bonds as well as environmental conditions. More generally, credit/debt relations represent a powerful mechanism of social selection that has, in the long run, crucially shaped the trajectory of capitalism at the household, firm and government levels.
Sustainable Graduation from Social Protection Programmes
Authors: Sabates‐Wheeler Rachel , Devereux Stephen
Published: July 2013

Efforts to reduce extreme poverty by assisting poor people to cross income or asset thresholds are receiving increasing attention in social protection programming. Livelihood‐promoting interventions aim to reduce vulnerability, so that participants can manage moderate risk and ‘graduate’ from social protection provision. This article elaborates the theory of change underpinning the notion of graduation and explores the range of enabling and constraining factors that facilitate or undermine this change process, drawing on case studies from Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Rwanda. The authors distinguish ‘threshold’ graduation from ‘sustainable’ graduation and argue that multiple factors operating beyond the household level — such as market conditions, community investment and scale effects — have significant implications for the graduation potential of social protection programmes.