bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Human Adenovirus Core Protein V Is Targeted by the Host SUMOylation Machinery To Limit Essential Viral Functions
Authors: Freudenberger Nora , Meyer Tina , Groitl Peter , Dobner Thomas , Schreiner Sabrina
Published: November 2017

Human adenoviruses (HAdV) are nonenveloped viruses containing a linear, double-stranded DNA genome surrounded by an icosahedral capsid. To allow proper viral replication, the genome is imported through the nuclear pore complex associated with viral core proteins. Until now, the role of these incoming virion proteins during the early phase of infection was poorly understood. The core protein V is speculated to bridge the core and the surrounding capsid. It binds the genome in a sequence-independent manner and localizes in the nucleus of infected cells, accumulating at nucleoli. Here, we show that protein V contains conserved SUMO conjugation motifs (SCMs). Mutation of these consensus motifs resulted in reduced SUMOylation of the protein; thus, protein V represents a novel target of the host SUMOylation machinery. To understand the role of protein V SUMO posttranslational modification during productive HAdV infection, we generated a replication-competent HAdV with SCM mutations within the protein V coding sequence. Phenotypic analyses revealed that these SCM mutations are beneficial for adenoviral replication. Blocking protein V SUMOylation at specific sites shifts the onset of viral DNA replication to earlier time points during infection and promotes viral gene expression. Simultaneously, the altered kinetics within the viral life cycle are accompanied by more efficient proteasomal degradation of host determinants and increased virus progeny production than that observed during wild-type infection. Taken together, our studies show that protein V SUMOylation reduces virus growth; hence, protein V SUMOylation represents an important novel aspect of the host antiviral strategy to limit virus replication and thereby points to potential intervention strategies.

IMPORTANCE
Many decades of research have revealed that HAdV structural proteins promote viral entry and mainly physical stability of the viral genome in the capsid. Our work over the last years showed that this concept needs expansion as the functions are more diverse. We showed that capsid protein VI regulates the antiviral response by modulation of the transcription factor Daxx during infection. Moreover, core protein VII interacts with SPOC1 restriction factor, which is beneficial for efficient viral gene expression. Here, we were able to show that core protein V also represents a novel substrate of the host SUMOylation machinery and contains several conserved SCMs; mutation of these consensus motifs reduced SUMOylation of the protein. Unexpectedly, we observed that introducing these mutations into HAdV promotes adenoviral replication. In conclusion, we offer novel insights into adenovirus core proteins and provide evidence that SUMOylation of HAdV factors regulates replication efficiency.
Vaccine Effects on Heterogeneity in Susceptibility and Implications for Population Health Management
Authors: Langwig Kate E. , Wargo Andrew R. , Jones Darbi R. , Viss Jessie R. , Rutan Barbara J. , Egan Nicholas A. , Sá-Guimarães Pedro , Kim Min Sun , Kurath Gael , Gomes M. Gabriela M. , Lipsitch Marc
Published: November 2017

Heterogeneity in host susceptibility is a key determinant of infectious disease dynamics but is rarely accounted for in assessment of disease control measures. Understanding how susceptibility is distributed in populations, and how control measures change this distribution, is integral to predicting the course of epidemics with and without interventions. Using multiple experimental and modeling approaches, we show that rainbow trout have relatively homogeneous susceptibility to infection with infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus and that vaccination increases heterogeneity in susceptibility in a nearly all-or-nothing fashion. In a simple transmission model with anR0of 2, the highly heterogeneous vaccine protection would cause a 35 percentage-point reduction in outbreak size over an intervention inducing homogenous protection at the same mean level. More broadly, these findings provide validation of methodology that can help to reduce biases in predictions of vaccine impact in natural settings and provide insight into how vaccination shapes population susceptibility.

IMPORTANCEDifferences among individuals influence transmission and spread of infectious diseases as well as the effectiveness of control measures. Control measures, such as vaccines, may provide leaky protection, protecting all hosts to an identical degree, or all-or-nothing protection, protecting some hosts completely while leaving others completely unprotected. This distinction can have a dramatic influence on disease dynamics, yet this distribution of protection is frequently unaccounted for in epidemiological models and estimates of vaccine efficacy. Here, we apply new methodology to experimentally examine host heterogeneity in susceptibility and mode of vaccine action as distinct components influencing disease outcome. Through multiple experiments and new modeling approaches, we show that the distribution of vaccine effects can be robustly estimated. These results offer new experimental and inferential methodology that can improve predictions of vaccine effectiveness and have broad applicability to human, wildlife, and ecosystem health.
Capsular Polysaccharide Interferes with Biofilm Formation byPasteurella multocidaSerogroup A
Authors: Petruzzi Briana , Briggs Robert E. , Swords W. Edward , De Castro Cristina , Molinaro Antonio , Inzana Thomas J.
Published: November 2017

Pasteurella multocidais an important multihost animal and zoonotic pathogen that is capable of causing respiratory and multisystemic diseases, bacteremia, and bite wound infections. The glycosaminoglycan capsule ofP. multocidais an essential virulence factor that protects the bacterium from host defenses. However, chronic infections (such as swine atrophic rhinitis and the carrier state in birds and other animals) may be associated with biofilm formation, which has not been characterized inP. multocida. Biofilm formation by clinical isolates was inversely related to capsule production and was confirmed with capsule-deficient mutants of highly encapsulated strains. Capsule-deficient mutants formed biofilms with a larger biomass that was thicker and smoother than the biofilm of encapsulated strains. Passage of a highly encapsulated, poor-biofilm-forming strain under conditions that favored biofilm formation resulted in the production of less capsular polysaccharide and a more robust biofilm, as did addition of hyaluronidase to the growth medium of all of the strains tested. The matrix material of the biofilm was composed predominately of a glycogen exopolysaccharide (EPS), as determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance, and enzymatic digestion. However, a putative glycogen synthesis locus was not differentially regulated when the bacteria were grown as a biofilm or planktonically, as determined by quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR. Therefore, the negatively charged capsule may interfere with biofilm formation by blocking adherence to a surface or by preventing the EPS matrix from encasing large numbers of bacterial cells. This is the first detailed description of biofilm formation and a glycogen EPS byP. multocida.

IMPORTANCEPasteurella multocidais an important pathogen responsible for severe infections in food animals, domestic and wild birds, pet animals, and humans.P. multocidawas first isolated by Louis Pasteur in 1880 and has been studied for over 130 years. However, aspects of its lifecycle have remained unknown. Although formation of a biofilm byP. multocidahas been proposed, this report is the first to characterize biofilm formation byP. multocida. Of particular interest is that the biofilm matrix material contained a newly reported amylose-like glycogen as the exopolysaccharide component and that production of capsular polysaccharide (CPS) was inversely related to biofilm formation. However, even highly mucoid, poor-biofilm-forming strains could form abundant biofilms by loss of CPS or followingin vitropassage under biofilm growth conditions. Therefore, the carrier state or subclinical chronic infections withP. multocidamay result from CPS downregulation with concomitant enhanced biofilm formation.
Increased Biosynthetic Gene Dosage in a Genome-Reduced Defensive Bacterial Symbiont
Authors: Lopera Juan , Miller Ian J. , McPhail Kerry L. , Kwan Jason C.
Published: November 2017

Secondary metabolites, which are small-molecule organic compounds produced by living organisms, provide or inspire drugs for many different diseases. These natural products have evolved over millions of years to provide a survival benefit to the producing organism and often display potent biological activity with important therapeutic applications. For instance, defensive compounds in the environment may be cytotoxic to eukaryotic cells, a property exploitable for cancer treatment. Here, we describe the genome of an uncultured symbiotic bacterium that makes such a cytotoxic metabolite. This symbiont is losing genes that do not endow a selective advantage in a hospitable host environment. Secondary metabolism genes, however, are repeated multiple times in the genome, directly demonstrating their selective advantage. This finding shows the strength of selective forces in symbiotic relationships and suggests that uncultured bacteria in such relationships should be targeted for drug discovery efforts.
Transcriptome Sequencing Reveals Novel Candidate Genes forCardinium hertigii-Caused Cytoplasmic Incompatibility and Host-Cell Interaction
Authors: Mann Evelyne , Stouthamer Corinne M. , Kelly Suzanne E. , Dzieciol Monika , Hunter Martha S. , Schmitz-Esser Stephan
Published: November 2017

The majority of insects carry maternally inherited intracellular bacteria that are important in their hosts’ biology, ecology, and evolution. Some of these bacterial symbionts cause a reproductive failure known as cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). In CI, the mating of symbiont-infected males and uninfected females produces few or no daughters. The CI symbiont then spreads and can have a significant impact on the insect host population.Cardinium, a bacterial endosymbiont of the parasitoid waspEncarsiain theBacteroidetes, is the only bacterial lineage known to cause CI outside theAlphaproteobacteria, whereWolbachiaand another recently discovered CI symbiont reside. Here, we sought insight into the gene expression of a CI-inducingCardiniumstrain in its natural host,Encarsia suzannae. Our study provides the first insights into theCardiniumtranscriptome and provides support for the hypothesis thatWolbachiaandCardiniumtarget similar host pathways with distinct and largely unrelated sets of genes.
Tracking forest attributes across Canada between 2001 and 2011 using a k nearest neighbors mapping approach applied to MODIS imagery
Authors: Beaudoin A. , Bernier P.Y. , Villemaire P. , Guindon L. , Guo X. Jing
Published: November 2017

Mapping Canada’s forests is a significant challenge given their extent and the interprovincial differences in forest inventories. We created new sets of nationally consistent forest attribute maps for the years 2001 and 2011 by building upon previously published work with the objective to determine if sequential maps of forest attributes could be used to quantify changes over time. We first refined our previously published methodology of using the k nearest neighbors (kNN) prediction method and MODIS spectral reflectance data as predictive variables. The maps were generated using an improved reference dataset and a new analytical kNN workflow. We then evaluated 2001 to 2011 changes in two key attributes, aboveground biomass and percent tree cover, on pixels identified from published sources as having undergone fire, harvest, or postdisturbance regrowth during that period. For all three change types, average changes in both aboveground biomass and percent tree cover between 2001 and 2011 matched expectations relative to the dynamics of Canadian forests. Our results support the use of sequential national maps of forest attributes for evaluating regionally aggregated disturbance-related changes in forest properties. The new forest attribute maps are available from Beaudoin et al. (2017 ; doi: 10.23687/ec9e2659-1c29-4ddb-87a2-6aced147a990) at http://ouvert.canada.ca/data/fr/dataset/ec9e2659-1c29-4ddb-87a2-6aced147a990 .
Postbreeding movement patterns and habitat use of adult Wood Frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) at urban wetlands
Authors: Taylor Murdoch E.D. , Paszkowski Cynthia A.
Published: November 2017

Habitat loss and degradation linked to urbanization threaten amphibian populations globally, yet studies examining amphibian behaviour and habitat use in cities are rare. Through the use of radiotelemetry, we examined the postbreeding (May–October) movement behaviour and habitat use of adult Wood Frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus (LeConte, 1825)) at natural and constructed urban wetlands in Edmonton, Alberta, located in the semiarid, aspen parkland of Canada. Movement from breeding wetlands was limited, with most tracked individuals remaining within 25 m of ponds in grassy riparian areas. Long-distance migratory movements were rare and only occurred at natural sites with relatively high proportions of forested land surrounding wetlands. In general, tracked frogs showed a preference for habitat close to water that provided shelter from desiccation and predation (e.g., unmowed grass and stands of shrubs). Our findings have implications for the management of wetlands and conservation of amphibian populations in urban environments.
The distribution and trophic ecology of an introduced, insular population of red-necked wallabies (Notamacropus rufogriseus)
Authors: Havlin Paige , Caravaggi Anthony , Montgomery W. Ian
Published: November 2017

Introduced non-native mammals can have negative impacts on native biota and it is important that their ecologies are quantified so that potential impacts can be understood. Red-necked wallabies (Notamacropus rufogriseus (Desmarest, 1817)) became established on the Isle of Man (IOM), an island with UNESCO Biosphere status, following their escape from zoological collections in the mid-1900s. We estimated wallaby circadial activity and population densities using camera trap surveys and random encounter models. Their range in the IOM was derived from public sightings sourced via social media. Wallaby diet and niche breadth were quantified via microscopic examination of faecal material and compared with those of the European hare (Lepus europaeus Pallas, 1778). The mean (±SE) population density was 26.4 ± 6.9 wallabies/km2, the mean (±SE) population size was 1742 ± 455 individuals, and the species’ range was 282 km2, comprising 49% of the island. Wallaby diets were dominated by grasses, sedges, and rushes; niche breadth of wallabies and hares (0.55 and 0.59, respectively) and overlap (0.60) suggest some potential for interspecific competition and (or) synergistic impacts on rare or vulnerable plant species. The IOM wallaby population is understudied and additional research is required to further describe population parameters, potential impacts on species of conservation interest, and direct and indirect economic costs and benefits.
Probing CP-violating WWγ couplings in γp collision at the LHC
Authors: Şahin B.
Published: November 2017

We have studied the potential of [Formula: see text] collision at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) to probe CP (Charge and Parity)-violating anomalous WW[Formula: see text] couplings via the process [Formula: see text]. Considering various integrated luminosities and forward detector acceptance values, we have obtained 95% confidence level (CL) bounds on the anomalous coupling parameters [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. Obtained limits on the coupling parameters have been compared with the current limits.
First-principles calculations of electronic, magnetic and optical properties of HoN doped with TM (Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Co and Ni)
Authors: Rouchdi M. , Salmani E. , Dehmani M. , Ez-Zahraouy H. , Hassanain N. , Benyoussef A. , Mzerd A.
Published: November 2017

Using the first-principles calculations within the Korringa–Kohn–Rostoker (KKR) method combined with the coherent potential approximation (CPA), the structural, optical and magnetic properties of rare-earth nitride Ho[Formula: see text]TM[Formula: see text]N doped with transition metal (TM) atoms (Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Co and Ni) are investigated as a function the generalized gradient approximation and self-interaction correction (GGA–SIC) approximation. The optical properties are studied in detail by using ab-initio calculations. Using GGA–SIC we have showed that the bandgap value is in good agreement with the experimental value. Using GGA–SIC approximation for HoN, we have obtained a bandgap of 0.9 eV. Some of the dilute magnetic semiconductors (DMS) like Ho[Formula: see text]TM[Formula: see text]N under study exhibit a half-metallic behavior, which makes them suitable for spintronic applications. Moreover, the optical absorption spectra confirm the ferromagnetic stability based on the charge state of magnetic impurities.
Impurity self-energy in the strongly-correlated Bose systems
Authors: Panochko Galyna , Pastukhov Volodymyr , Vakarchuk Ivan
Published: November 2017

We proposed the nonperturbative scheme for the calculation of the impurity spectrum in the Bose system at zero temperature. The method is based on the path-integral formulation and describes an impurity as a zero-density ideal Fermi gas interacting with Bose system for which the action is written in terms of density fluctuations. On the example of the 3He atom immersed in the liquid helium-4 a good consistency with experimental data and results of Monte Carlo simulations is shown.
Chaotic Oscillation via Edge of Chaos Criteria
Authors: Itoh Makoto , Chua Leon
Published: November 2017

In this paper, we show that nonlinear dynamical systems which satisfy the edge of chaos criteria can bifurcate from a stable equilibrium point regime to a chaotic regime by periodic forcing. That is, the edge of chaos criteria can be exploited to engineer a phase transition from ordered to chaotic behavior. The frequency of the periodic forcing can be derived from this criteria. In order to generate a periodic or a chaotic oscillation, we have to tune the amplitude of the periodic forcing. For example, we engineer chaotic oscillations in the generalized Duffing oscillator, the FitzHugh–Nagumo model, the Hodgkin–Huxley model, and the Morris–Lecar model. Although forced oscillators can exhibit chaotic oscillations even if the edge of chaos criteria is not satisfied, our computer simulations show that forced oscillators satisfying the edge of chaos criteria can exhibit highly complex chaotic behaviors, such as folding loci, strong spiral dynamics, or tight compressing dynamics. In order to view these behaviors, we used high-dimensional Poincaré maps and coordinate transformations. We also show that interesting nonlinear dynamical systems can be synthesized by applying the edge of chaos criteria. They are globally stable without forcing, that is, all trajectories converge to an asymptotically-stable equilibrium point. However, if we apply a forcing signal, then the dynamical systems can oscillate chaotically. Furthermore, the average power delivered from the forced signal is not dissipated by chaotic oscillations, but on the contrary, energy can be generated via chaotic oscillations, powered by locally-active circuit elements inside the one-port circuit [Formula: see text] connected across a current source.
Numerical Study of Multiple Attractors in the Parallel Inductor–Capacitor–Memristor Circuit
Authors: Galias Zbigniew
Published: November 2017

Dynamical phenomena in the parallel inductor–capacitor–memristor circuit are studied numerically. A systematic search for coexisting attractors is carried out. The existence of multiple attractors is observed and bifurcation diagrams are constructed. Basins of attraction are computed. The coexistence of attractors is proved using interval analysis tools. The existence of periodic attractors is confirmed by applying the interval Newton method to prove the existence of stable periodic orbits of an associated return map. For numerically observed chaotic attractors the existence of attractors is proved by constructing trapping regions enclosing chaotic trajectories of the return map. The existence of topological chaos is proved using the method of covering relations.
Effect of Multiple Delays in an Eco-Epidemiological Model with Strong Allee Effect
Authors: Ghosh Kakali , Biswas Santanu , Samanta Sudip , Tiwari Pankaj Kumar , Alshomrani Ali Saleh , Chattopadhyay Joydev
Published: November 2017

In the present article, we make an attempt to investigate the effect of two time delays, logistic delay and gestation delay, on an eco-epidemiological model. In the proposed model, strong Allee effect is considered in the growth term of the prey population. We incorporate two time lags and inspect elementary mathematical characteristic of the proposed model such as boundedness, uniform persistence, stability and Hopf-bifurcation for all possible combinations of both delays at the interior equilibrium point of the system. We observe that increase in gestation delay leads to chaotic solutions through the limit cycle. We also observe that the Allee effect play a major role in controlling the chaos. We execute several numerical simulations to illustrate the proposed mathematical model and our analytical findings.
Transverse momentum fluctuation under the Tsallis distribution at high energies
Authors: Ishihara Masamichi
Published: November 2017

We studied the effects of the Tsallis distribution on the transverse momentum fluctuation in high energy collisions. The parton–hadron duality and the Bose–Einstein type correlation between partons were assumed. The fluctuation was calculated in the boost-invariant picture for the expectation value used in the Boltzmann–Gibbs (BG) statistics and for the expectation value used in the Tsallis nonextensive statistics. It was shown that the fluctuation is a function of [Formula: see text] which is the ratio of the inverse temperature to the correlation length. We found the following points: (1) the fluctuation depends on the form of the distribution and depends weakly on the definition of the expectation value used in the statistics, (2) the fluctuation increases as the entropic parameter value of the Tsallis distribution increases, and (3) the variation of the fluctuation as a function of the entropic parameter for the expectation value used in the BG statistics is larger than that for the expectation value used in the Tsallis nonextensive statistics in the wide range of [Formula: see text].
A new method of creating high intensity neutron source
Authors: Masuda T. , Yoshimi A. , Yoshimura M.
Published: November 2017

We propose a new scheme of producing an intense neutron beam whose yields may exceed those of the existing facilities by a few to several orders of magnitude in the sub-eV region. This scheme employs a MeV gamma beam extracted from circulating quantum ions, which has been recently proposed. The gamma beam is directed to a deuteron target and the photo-disintegration process generates a neutron beam. The calculated neutron energy spectrum is nearly flat down to the neV range, and thus there exists a possibility to utilize a good quality of neutrons especially in sub-eV energy region without using a moderator.
Dynamic Behavior of Curved Panels of Rectangular Planar Form: An Analytical Approach
Authors: Bahadur Rajendra , Upadhyay A. K. , Shukla K. K.
Published: November 2017

The dynamic behavior of singly and doubly curved panels of the rectangular planar form subjected to different types of loadings is presented. The mathematical formulation is based on the higher order shear deformation theory, and the principle of virtual work is used to derive the equations of motion. The fast converging finite double Chebyshev series and Houbolt time-marching scheme are used for evaluating the dynamic response of the panel. The effect of the magnitude and duration of pulse loadings on the transverse central displacement and bending moment responses is evaluated for different parameters. The accuracy of the present solution methodology is established by the convergence study of non-dimensional central deflection and central moments and comparison of the present results with those available in the literature. Some new results are presented for the hyperboloid panels.
Caledonian and Knoydartian overprinting of a Grenvillian inlier and the enclosing Morar Group rocks: structural evolution of the Precambrian Proto-Moine Nappe, Glenelg, NW Scotland
Authors: Krabbendam M. , Ramsay J. G. , Leslie A. G. , Tanner P. W. G. , Dietrich D. , Goodenough K. M.
Published: November 2017

The Grenville and Caledonian orogens, fundamental to building Laurentia and Baltica, intersect in northern Scotland. The Precambrian Glenelg Inlier, within the Scottish Caledonides, preserves a record of Grenvillian, Knoydartian and Caledonian orogenesis. Based on new mapping and re-interpretation of previous mapping, we present a structural model for the evolution of the Glenelg Inlier. The inlier can be divided into Western Glenelg gneiss comprising orthogneiss with no record of Grenville-age metamorphism, and Eastern Glenelg gneiss with ortho- and paragneiss, affected by Grenvillian eclogite-facies metamorphism. The basement gneisses and their original cover of psammitic, Neoproterozoic Morar Group (Moine) rocks were deformed by three generations of major ductile folds (F
1
–F
3
). In medium-strain areas F
2
and F
3
folds are broadly coaxial and both face to the west; in higher strain areas F
2
and F
3
folds are oblique to each other. By restoring post-F
1
folds and late faults, the Glenelg gneiss inliers are seen to form the core of a major recumbent SSE-facing F
1
isoclinal fold nappe – the Proto-Moine Nappe. The upper limb of this nappe is a thick, right-way-up sequence of moderately strained Morar Group rocks whereas the lower, inverted limb comprises intensely deformed, migmatitic Morar Group rocks. Within the constraints of published geochronology, the Proto-Moine Nappe is likely Pre-Caledonian and may have originated during the early Neoproterozoic Knoydartian Orogeny.
Computational design of wind-up toys
Authors: Song Peng , Wang Xiaofei , Tang Xiao , Fu Chi-Wing , Xu Hongfei , Liu Ligang , Mitra Niloy J.
Published: November 2017

Wind-up toys are mechanical assemblies that perform intriguing motions driven by a simple spring motor. Due to the limited motor force and small body size, wind-up toys often employ higher pair joints of less frictional contacts and connector parts of nontrivial shapes to transfer motions. These unique characteristics make them hard to design and fabricate as compared to other automata. This paper presents a computational system to aid the design of wind-up toys, focusing on constructing a compact internal wind-up mechanism to realize user-requested part motions. Our key contributions include an analytical modeling of a wide variety of elemental mechanisms found in common wind-up toys, including their geometry and kinematics, conceptual design of wind-up mechanisms by computing motion transfer trees to realize the requested part motions, automatic construction of wind-up mechanisms by connecting multiple elemental mechanisms, and an optimization on the part and joint geometry with an objective of compacting the mechanism, reducing its weight, and avoiding collision. We use our system to design wind-up toys of various forms, fabricate a number of them using 3D printing, and show the functionality of various results.
Planar interpolation with extreme deformation, topology change and dynamics
Authors: Zhu Yufeng , Popović Jovan , Bridson Robert , Kaufman Danny M.
Published: November 2017

We present a mesh-based, interpolatory method for interactively creating artist-directed inbetweens from
arbitrary
sets of 2D drawing shapes without rigging. To enable artistic freedom of expression we remove prior restrictions on the range of possible changes between shapes; we support interpolation with extreme deformation and unrestricted topology change. To do this, we extend discrete variational interpolation by introducing a consistent multimesh structure over drawings, a Comesh Optimization algorithm that optimizes our multimesh for both intra- and inter-mesh quality, and a new shape-space energy that efficiently supports arbitrary changes and can prevent artwork overlap when desired. Our multimesh encodes specified correspondences that guide interpolation paths between shapes. With these correspondences, an efficient local-global minimization of our energy interpolates n-way between drawing shapes to create inbetweens. Our Comesh Optimization enables artifact-free minimization by building consistent meshes across drawings that improve both the quality of per-mesh energy discretization and inter-mesh mapping distortions, while guaranteeing a single, compatible triangulation. We implement our method in a test-bed interpolation system that allows interactive creation and editing of animations from sparse key drawings with arbitrary topology and shape change.
Near-eye light field holographic rendering with spherical waves for wide field of view interactive 3D computer graphics
Authors: Shi Liang , Huang Fu-Chung , Lopes Ward , Matusik Wojciech , Luebke David
Published: November 2017

Holograms display a 3D image in high resolution and allow viewers to focus freely as if looking through a virtual window, yet computer generated holography (CGH) hasn't delivered the same visual quality under plane wave illumination and due to heavy computational cost. Light field displays have been popular due to their capability to provide continuous focus cues. However, light field displays must trade off between spatial and angular resolution, and do not model diffraction.

We present a light field-based CGH rendering pipeline allowing for reproduction of high-definition 3D scenes with continuous depth and support of intra-pupil view-dependent occlusion. Our rendering accurately accounts for diffraction and supports various types of reference illuminations for hologram. We avoid under- and over-sampling and geometric clipping effects seen in previous work. We also demonstrate an implementation of light field rendering plus the Fresnel diffraction integral based CGH calculation which is orders of magnitude faster than the state of the art [Zhang et al. 2015], achieving interactive volumetric 3D graphics.

To verify our computational results, we build a see-through, near-eye, color CGH display prototype which enables co-modulation of both amplitude and phase. We show that our rendering accurately models the spherical illumination introduced by the eye piece and produces the desired 3D imagery at the designated depth. We also analyze aliasing, theoretical resolution limits, depth of field, and other design trade-offs for near-eye CGH.
Fully perceptual-based 3D spatial sound individualization with an adaptive variational autoencoder
Authors: Yamamoto Kazuhiko , Igarashi Takeo
Published: November 2017

To realize 3D spatial sound rendering with a two-channel headphone, one needs head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) tailored for a specific user. However, measurement of HRTFs requires a tedious and expensive procedure. To address this, we propose a fully perceptual-based HRTF fitting method for individual users using machine learning techniques. The user only needs to answer pairwise comparisons of test signals presented by the system during calibration. This reduces the efforts necessary for the user to obtain individualized HRTFs. Technically, we present a novel adaptive variational AutoEncoder with a convolutional neural network. In the training, this AutoEncoder analyzes publicly available HRTFs dataset and identifies factors that depend on the individuality of users in a nonlinear space. In calibration, the AutoEncoder generates high-quality HRTFs fitted to a specific user by blending the factors. We validate the feasibilities of our method through several quantitative experiments and a user study.
Mix-and-match holography
Authors: Peng Yifan , Dun Xiong , Sun Qilin , Heidrich Wolfgang
Published: November 2017

Computational caustics and light steering displays offer a wide range of interesting applications, ranging from art works and architectural installations to energy efficient HDR projection. In this work we expand on this concept by encoding several target images into pairs of front and rear phase-distorting surfaces. Different target holograms can be decoded by mixing and matching different front and rear surfaces under specific geometric alignments. Our approach, which we call mix-and-match holography, is made possible by moving from a refractive caustic image formation process to a diffractive, holographic one. This provides the extra bandwidth that is required to multiplex several images into pairing surfaces.

We derive a detailed image formation model for the setting of holographic projection displays, as well as a multiplexing method based on a combination of phase retrieval methods and complex matrix factorization. We demonstrate several application scenarios in both simulation and physical prototypes.
Delve
Authors: Akujuobi Uchenna , Zhang Xiangliang
Published: November 2017

Research and experimentation in various scientific fields are based on the observation, analysis and benchmarking on datasets. The advancement of research and development has thus, strengthened the importance of dataset access. However, without enough knowledge of relevant datasets, researchers usually have to go through a process which we term \manual dataset retrieval". With the accelerated rate of scholarly publications, manually finding the relevant dataset for a given research area based on its usage or popularity is increasingly becoming more and more difficult and tedious. In this paper, we present Delve, a web-based dataset retrieval and document analysis system. Unlike traditional academic search engines and dataset repositories, Delve is dataset driven and provides a medium for dataset retrieval based on the suitability or usage in a given field. It also visualizes dataset and document citation relationship, and enables users to analyze a scientific document by uploading its full PDF. In this paper, we first discuss the reasons why the scientific community needs a system like Delve. We then proceed to introduce its internal design and explain how Delve works and how it is beneficial to researchers of all levels
Design of a 25 MWe Solar Thermal Power Plant in Iran with Using Parabolic Trough Collectors and a Two-Tank Molten Salt Storage System
Authors: Kordmahaleh Aidin Alinezhad , Naghashzadegan Mohammad , Javaherdeh Kourosh , Khoshgoftar Mohammadreza
Published: November 2017

Nowadays, parabolic trough solar thermal plants are prevalent around the world. In different areas concerning the amount of solar radiation, their standard size is approximately between 20 and 100 MWe. Certainly, the right size of the solar field is the first selection with regard to nominal electrical power. A vast area will be economically unreasonable whereas a small area will mainly cause the power plant to operate at the part-load condition. This paper presents an economic modeling of a solar parabolic trough plant, operating at 25 MWe in Yazd, Iran. The varying types of collector dimensions have been investigated; then, by selecting autumnal equinox (22 September) at 12:00 PM as the design point, thermal performance of the solar power plant has been featured annually, in all conditions. The total operating time of the power plant is about 1726 hours (1248 hours in full-load condition). In the end, the effect of thermal storage tanks has been analyzed to save extra solar heat and use it at nights in hot months. By implementing a storage system, the total operating time will be increased to 3169 hours (2785 in full-load condition). Moreover, 7974 GJ useful thermal energy can be obtained from the solar field and storage system.
Developing a Clustering-Based Empirical Bayes Analysis Method for Hotspot Identification
Authors: Zou Yajie , Zhong Xinzhi , Ash John , Zeng Ziqiang , Wang Yinhai , Hao Yanxi , Peng Yichuan
Published: November 2017

Hotspot identification (HSID) is a critical part of network-wide safety evaluations. Typical methods for ranking sites are often rooted in using the Empirical Bayes (EB) method to estimate safety from both observed crash records and predicted crash frequency based on similar sites. The performance of the EB method is highly related to the selection of a reference group of sites (i.e., roadway segments or intersections) similar to the target site from which safety performance functions (SPF) used to predict crash frequency will be developed. As crash data often contain underlying heterogeneity that, in essence, can make them appear to be generated from distinct subpopulations, methods are needed to select similar sites in a principled manner. To overcome this possible heterogeneity problem, EB-based HSID methods that use common clustering methodologies (e.g., mixture models, K-means, and hierarchical clustering) to select “similar” sites for building SPFs are developed. Performance of the clustering-based EB methods is then compared using real crash data. Here, HSID results, when computed on Texas undivided rural highway cash data, suggest that all three clustering-based EB analysis methods are preferred over the conventional statistical methods. Thus, properly classifying the road segments for heterogeneous crash data can further improve HSID accuracy.
A Predictive Model to Classify Undifferentiated Fever Cases Based on Twenty-Four-Hour Continuous Tympanic Temperature Recording
Authors: Dakappa Pradeepa H. , Prasad Keerthana , Rao Sathish B. , Bolumbu Ganaraja , Bhat Gopalkrishna K. , Mahabala Chakrapani
Published: November 2017

Diagnosis of undifferentiated fever is a major challenging task to the physician which often remains undiagnosed and delays the treatment. The aim of the study was to record and analyze a 24-hour continuous tympanic temperature and evaluate its utility in the diagnosis of undifferentiated fevers. This was an observational study conducted in the Kasturba Medical College and Hospitals, Mangaluru, India. A total of ninety-six (n=96) patients were presented with undifferentiated fever. Their tympanic temperature was recorded continuously for 24 hours. Temperature data were preprocessed and various signal characteristic features were extracted and trained in classification machine learning algorithms using MATLAB software. The quadratic support vector machine algorithm yielded an overall accuracy of 71.9% in differentiating the fevers into four major categories, namely, tuberculosis, intracellular bacterial infections, dengue fever, and noninfectious diseases. The area under ROC curve for tuberculosis, intracellular bacterial infections, dengue fever, and noninfectious diseases was found to be 0.961, 0.801, 0.815, and 0.818, respectively. Good agreement was observed [kappa = 0.618 (p<0.001, 95% CI (0.498–0.737))] between the actual diagnosis of cases and the quadratic support vector machine learning algorithm. The 24-hour continuous tympanic temperature recording with supervised machine learning algorithm appears to be a promising noninvasive and reliable diagnostic tool.
Sunitinib-Induced Acute Interstitial Nephritis in a Thrombocytopenic Renal Cell Cancer Patient
Authors: Azar Ibrahim , Esfandiarifard Saghi , Sinai Pedram , Wazir Ali , Foulke Llewellyn , Mehdi Syed
Published: November 2017

Sunitinib, a multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), is currently the standard of care for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Renal adverse events associated with sunitinib include proteinuria, renal insufficiency secondary to focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), and thrombotic microangiopathy. We describe the second reported instance of biopsy-proven sunitinib-induced acute interstitial nephritis (AIN), in a challenging case complicated by thrombocytopenia. The case illustrates the importance of early diagnosis and intervention in ensuring long-term recovery from renal complications. Four other cases of AIN reported along with inhibition of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) by either TKI (sunitinib and sorafenib) or antibodies (bevacizumab) suggest a possible class effect. Given our experience, we recommend monitoring renal function with VEGF inhibition, and in the case of renal failure in the setting of an unclear diagnosis, we recommend prompt biopsy.
Experience of Facility Based Childbirth in Rural Ethiopia: An Exploratory Study of Women’s Perspective
Authors: Mehretie Adinew Yohannes , Abera Assefa Netsanet
Published: November 2017

Background. In Ethiopia, majority (62%) of pregnant women attend antenatal care at least once, yet only 26% deliver with skilled birth attendants in the available health units. Thus, this study explored beliefs and behaviors related to labour and skilled attendance among the women, their perspectives on health care providers, and traditional birth attendants. Methods. Sixteen key informant interviews and eight focus group discussions were conducted among purposively selected women who had previous experience of facility based childbirth but gave birth to their most recent child without skilled attendance in the last 12 months. Thematic content analysis was used to elicit and assess the various perspectives of each group of participants interviewed. Findings. The study participants described a range of experiences they had during childbirth at health facilities that forced them to choose home delivery in their most recent delivery. Three themes and six subthemes emerging from women’s description were abusive and disrespectful treatment, unskilled care, poor client provider interaction, noncontinuous care, lack of privacy, and traditional practices. Conclusion. The abuse and disrespect from providers are deterring women from seeking skilled attendance at birth. Thus the health care providers need to improve client provider relationships.
A Case of Bacteremia and Meningitis Associated with Piperacillin-Tazobactam Nonsusceptible, Ceftriaxone Susceptible Escherichia coli during Strongyloides Hyperinfection in an Immunocompromised Host
Authors: Dahal Santosh , Lederman Jeffrey , Berman Jesse , Viseroi Marius , Jesmajian Stephen
Published: November 2017

Strongyloidiasis is an emerging parasitic infection with intriguing epidemiology, presentation, and clinical management. We report a case of hyperinfection syndrome complicated by E. coli bacteremia and meningitis with one of the isolates showing a unique resistance pattern recently being recognized. This report describes the aspect of invasive bacterial infections in strongyloidiasis and highlights the unique susceptibility pattern of the E. coli isolate and the extreme caution required during the antibiotic therapy.
Residual Convolutional Neural Network for the Determination of IDH Status in Low- and High-Grade Gliomas from MR Imaging
Authors: Chang Ken , Bai Harrison X. , Zhou Hao , Su Chang , Bi Wenya Linda , Agbodza Ena , Kavouridis Vasileios K. , Senders Joeky T. , Boaro Alessandro , Beers Andrew , Zhang Biqi , Capellini Alexandra , Liao Weihua , Shen Qin , Li Xuejun , Xiao Bo , Cryan Jane , Ramkissoon Shakti , Ramkissoon Lori , Ligon Keith , Wen Patrick Y. , Bindra Ranjit S. , Woo John , Arnaout Omar , Gerstner Elizabeth R. , Zhang Paul J. , Rosen Bruce R. , Yang Li , Huang Raymond Y. , Kalpathy-Cramer Jayashree
Published: November 2017

Purpose: Isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutations in glioma patients confer longer survival and may guide treatment decision making. We aimed to predict the IDH status of gliomas from MR imaging by applying a residual convolutional neural network to preoperative radiographic data.

Experimental Design: Preoperative imaging was acquired for 201 patients from the Hospital of University of Pennsylvania (HUP), 157 patients from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), and 138 patients from The Cancer Imaging Archive (TCIA) and divided into training, validation, and testing sets. We trained a residual convolutional neural network for each MR sequence (FLAIR, T2, T1 precontrast, and T1 postcontrast) and built a predictive model from the outputs. To increase the size of the training set and prevent overfitting, we augmented the training set images by introducing random rotations, translations, flips, shearing, and zooming.

Results: With our neural network model, we achieved IDH prediction accuracies of 82.8% (AUC = 0.90), 83.0% (AUC = 0.93), and 85.7% (AUC = 0.94) within training, validation, and testing sets, respectively. When age at diagnosis was incorporated into the model, the training, validation, and testing accuracies increased to 87.3% (AUC = 0.93), 87.6% (AUC = 0.95), and 89.1% (AUC = 0.95), respectively.

Conclusions: We developed a deep learning technique to noninvasively predict IDH genotype in grade II–IV glioma using conventional MR imaging using a multi-institutional data set. Clin Cancer Res; 24(5); 1073–81. ©2017 AACR.
Agrowastes as Feedstock for the Production of Endo-β-Xylanase from Cohnella sp. Strain AR92
Authors: Pisa José H. , Manfredi Adriana P. , Perotti Nora I. , Romero Héctor G. , Breccia Javier D. , Martínez María Alejandra
Published: November 2017

Members of Cohnella sp. isolated from a variety of environments have been shown to be glycoside hydrolase producers. Nevertheless, most evaluations of members of this genus are limited to their taxonomic description. The strain AR92, previously identified as belonging to the genus Cohnella, formed a well-supported cluster with C. thailandensis and C. formosensis (>80% bootstrap confidence). Its growth and xylanase production were approached by using a mineral-based medium containing alkali-pretreated sugarcane bagasse as the main carbon source, which was assayed as a convenient source to produce biocatalysts potentially fitting its degradation. By means of a two-step statistical approach, the production of endoxylanase was moderately improved (20%). However, a far more significant improvement was observed (145%), by increasing the inoculum size and lowering the fermentation temperature to 25°C, which is below the optimal growth temperature of the strain AR92 (37°C). The xylanolytic preparation produced by Cohnella sp. AR92 contained mild temperature-active endoxylanase (identified as redundant GH10 family) for the main activity which resulted in xylobiose and xylo-oligosaccharides as the main products from birchwood xylan.
Effect of Calcium-Infiltrated Hydroxyapatite Scaffolds on the Hematopoietic Fate of Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells
Authors: Zhang Qinghao , Gerlach Jörg C. , Schmelzer Eva , Nettleship Ian
Published: November 2017

Foamed hydroxyapatite offers a three-dimensional scaffold for the development of bone constructs, mimicking perfectly the in vivo bone structure. In vivo, calcium release at the surface is assumed to provide a locally increased gradient supporting the maintenance of the hematopoietic stem cells niche. We fabricated hydroxyapatite scaffolds with high surface calcium concentration by infiltration, and used human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) as a model to study the effects on hematopoietic lineage direction. HUVECs are umbilical vein-derived and thus possess progenitor characteristics, with a prospective potential to give rise to hematopoietic lineages. HUVECs were cultured for long term on three-dimensional porous hydroxyapatite scaffolds, which were either infiltrated biphasic foams or untreated. Controls were cultured in two-dimensional dishes. The release of calcium into culture medium was determined, and cells were analyzed for typical hematopoietic and endothelial gene expressions, surface markers by flow cytometry, and hematopoietic potential using colony-forming unit assays. Our results indicate that the biphasic foams promoted a hematopoietic lineage direction of HUVECs, suggesting an improved in vivo-like scaffold for hematopoietic bone tissue engineering.