bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Women Victims of Violent Partners: The Italian Situation Amid Culture and Psychopathology
Authors: Carabellese Felice , Tamma Manuela , La Tegola Donatella , Candelli Chiara , Catanesi Roberto
Published: November 2013

In 2006, the Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) conducted a survey over the entire national territory of women victims of sexual, physical, and psychologic violence, a few years after the first survey, conducted in 2002. For the 2002 survey, respondents were 60,000 women, 22,759 of whom were aged 14–59 years. For the 2006 survey, the sample consisted of 25,000 women aged 16–70 years. Owing to the sensitivity of the issues, the telephone survey technique seems best suited because it provides more anonymity and guarantee of protection. The survey showed that the phenomenon of violence against women is most commonly perpetrated by the partner or ex‐partner, even in cases of homicide. A comparison of the Italian data with those of the U.S.A. for the period 2001–2006 showed a specificity of Intimate Partner Violence in Italy, that seems to be related to cultural elements and psychologic and psychopathologic factors.
Relationship between working‐memory network function and substance use: a 3‐year longitudinal fMRI study in heavy cannabis users and controls
Authors: Cousijn Janna , Vingerhoets Wilhelmina A. M. , Koenders Laura , de Haan Lieuwe , van den Brink Wim , Wiers Reinout W. , Goudriaan Anna E.
Published: November 2013

Deficient executive functions play an important role in the development of addiction. Working‐memory may therefore be a powerful predictor of the course of drug use, but chronic substance use may also impair working‐memory. The aim of this 3‐year longitudinal neuro‐imaging study was to investigate the relationship between substance use (e.g. alcohol, cannabis, nicotine, illegal psychotropic drugs) and working‐memory network function over time in heavy cannabis users and controls. Forty‐nine participants performed an n‐back working‐memory task at baseline and at 3‐year follow‐up. At follow‐up, there were 22 current heavy cannabis users, 4 abstinent heavy cannabis users and 23 non‐cannabis‐using controls. Tensor‐independent component analysis (Tensor‐ICA) was used to investigate individual differences in working‐memory network functionality over time. Within the group of cannabis users, cannabis‐related problems remained stable, whereas alcohol‐related problems, nicotine dependence and illegal psychotropic substance use increased over time. At both measurements, behavioral performance and network functionality during the n‐back task did not differ between heavy cannabis users and controls. Although n‐back accuracy improved, working‐memory network function remained stable over time. Within the group of cannabis users, working‐memory network functionality was not associated with substance use. These results suggest that sustained moderate to heavy levels of cannabis, nicotine, alcohol and illegal psychotropic substance use do not change working‐memory network functionality. Moreover, baseline network functionality did not predict cannabis use and related problems three years later, warranting longitudinal studies in more chronic or dependent cannabis users.
Relationship between anxiety and quality of life in older mental health patients
Authors: Sarma Shanthi I , Byrne Gerard J
Published: November 2013

Aim

This study aims to investigate the impact of anxiety on quality of life (QOL) in older people with mental disorders.

Method

Forty patients from a district Older Persons Mental Health Service were assessed using the Mini‐International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI‐5). They then completed the brief version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale (WHOQOL‐BREF), Geriatric Anxiety Inventory and Geriatric Depression Scale.

Results

Self‐reported anxiety was significantly associated with reduced overall QOL on the WHOQOL‐BREF. Anxiety was also associated with the psychological, social and environmental domains of the WHOQOL‐BREF, but not with the physical health domain. Anxiety was correlated with more individual domains of QOL than depression.

Conclusions

Anxiety makes a significant contribution to self‐rated QOL in older people with serious mental disorders.
A Sliding Mode‐Based Starling‐Like Controller for Implantable Rotary Blood Pumps
Authors: Bakouri Mohsen A. , Salamonsen Robert F. , Savkin Andrey V. , AlOmari Abdul‐Hakeem H. , Lim Einly , Lovell Nigel H.
Published: November 2013

Clinically adequate implementation of physiological control of a rotary left ventricular assist device requires a sophisticated technique such as the recently proposed method based on the Frank–Starling mechanism. In this mechanism, the stroke volume of the heart increases in response to an increase in the volume of blood filling the left ventricle at the end of diastole. To emulate this process, changes in pump speed need to automatically regulate pump flow to ensure that the combined output of the left ventricle and pump match the output of the right ventricle across changing cardiovascular states. In this approach, we exploit the linear relationship between estimated mean pump flow and pump flow pulsatility in a tracking control algorithm based on sliding mode control. The immediate response of the controller was assessed using a lumped parameter model of the cardiovascular system (CVS) and pump from which could be extracted both and . Two different perturbations from the resting state in the presence of left ventricular failure were tested. The first was blood loss requiring a reduction in pump flow to match the reduced output from the right ventricle and to avoid the complication of ventricular suction. The second was exercise, requiring an increase in pump flow. The sliding mode controller induced the required changes in Qp within approximately five heart beats in the blood loss simulation and eight heart beats in the exercise simulation without clinically significant transients or steady‐state errors.
Preliminary study of faecal cortisol and corticosterone as an index of acute cortisol secretion in the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus)
Authors: Johnston SD , Booth RA , Pyne M , Keeley T , Mackie JT , Hulse L , Ellis W
Published: November 2013

Background

Stress can play a role in disease incidence in all species via immunosuppression and has been implicated as a contributing factor in significant infectious diseases of koalas. Faecal cortisol measurement may represent a non‐invasive methodology for quantifying stress in koalas.

Methods

We used an ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone) stimulation test (10 IU) to induce sustained secretion of cortisol, which was measured in serum samples from four koalas and subsequently it was attempted to locate a corresponding elevation in either cortisol or corticosterone measurements within the faeces.

Results

Although ACTH administration resulted in an elevation of serum cortisol for at least 4 h post injection, it was not possible to identify a corresponding peak in corticosterone or cortisol concentrations in extracts from the faeces, consistent with the known gut transit time of the koala.

Conclusion

Faecal cortisol and corticosterone metabolites may not be reliable indices of acute changes in cortisol secretion in the koala and studies that attempt to use faecal cortisol as an index of stress will need to be interpreted with caution.
Management of respiratory failure from tick paralysis
Authors: Webster RA , Haskins S , Mackay B
Published: November 2013

Objective

The primary objective of this review is to improve the recognition and management of respiratory failure in dogs and cats treated for tick paralysis in veterinary practice.

Outline

We review the definitions of respiratory failure in dogs and cats, differentiating hypoxaemic lung failure and hypercapnic ventilation failure. We also identify unsustainable breathing effort, despite normal blood gas values, as a form of respiratory failure. We analyse the research into possible mechanisms of respiratory failure in dogs and cats with tick paralysis and propose strategies that may aid in identification and management of respiratory failure when it develops in small animal patients affected by tick paralysis.

Conclusions

Dogs and cats with tick paralysis may develop respiratory failure despite management with tick antiserum. Prompt recognition and effective support strategies should improve the survival of these patients.
Serological and growth rate responses to the use of chicken Newcastle disease vaccines in pigeons
Authors: Scott PC , Wilson TB , Walker C
Published: November 2013

Objective

In the face of an outbreak of pigeon paramyxovirus (PPMV), a vaccination response study was undertaken to determine if pigeons in Australia would produce a serological response similar to that considered protective in chickens.

Design

A vaccination study evaluated serological response and safety criteria in groups of 20 pigeons.

Methods

One group served as unvaccinated controls; one group was vaccinated with a live V4 strain of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) and subsequently revaccinated 28 days later with an inactivated La Sota strain vaccine; the third group was vaccinated twice with the inactivated La Sota strain vaccine 28 days apart. Serum was collected from the birds for serology 28, 56, 120 and 196 days after each treatment. Safety of the vaccines was determined using observation of the birds and body weight change. Serology was performed using three variations of the haemagglutination inhibition (HI) test, including chicken red blood cells (RBC) with either V4 NDV or PPMV as the antigen and pigeon RBC with V4 NDV as the antigen. A commercial NDV ELISA test was also used.

Results

At 28 days after the second vaccination, the geometric mean titres were 6.8 and 7.3 for the live/inactivated vaccine regimen and the inactivated/inactivated regimen, respectively. The serological response of birds vaccinated with the inactivated/inactivated regimen was significantly greater than that of the controls for all of the serological tests used.

Conclusion

Vaccination of pigeons with two doses of chicken NDV vaccine 28 days apart was safe and resulted in antibody levels considered protective for NDV in chickens.
Bovine viral diarrhoea virus in beef heifers in commercial herds in Australia: mob‐level seroprevalences and incidences of seroconversion, and vaccine efficacy
Authors: Morton JM , Phillips NJ , Taylor LF , McGowan MR
Published: November 2013

Objectives

To describe management group (mob)‐level seroprevalences and incidences of seroconversion to bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV), and to determine the efficacy of a vaccine against BVDV, in beef heifers in commercial herds in Australia.

Methods

Seroprevalences were assessed in 38 mobs of beef heifers. Of them, 15 mobs that were considered to be at higher risk of BVDV transmission during the upcoming mating period underwent further serological monitoring, and were included in a double‐blind controlled trial to assess vaccine efficacy.

Results

In 66% of mobs, less than half the heifers were seropositive some months before mating start date. However, in only 2 mobs was the incidence of seroconversion during the mating period greater than 10%, with a very high incidence of seroconversion observed in only 1 mob. The pregnancy proportion in placebo‐treated heifers in this mob was acceptable (89%), but a high proportion of placebo‐treated heifers (26%) had persistently infected calves. The efficacy of the Pestigard® vaccine in preventing the birth of infected calves was estimated as 80%.

Conclusions

Outbreaks of serious BVDV‐related disease are relatively uncommon in mobs of beef heifers, but when they occur, the impact can be large. This highlights the need to approach BVDV control from a risk‐assessment perspective, where the likelihood and consequences of widespread BVDV infection in a mob are jointly assessed. Pestigard® vaccination of naïve heifers prior to mating reduces the risk of transplacental infection with BVDV if heifers are exposed to BVDV during early pregnancy.
Restoration of Neotropical grasslands degraded by quarrying using hay transfer
Authors: Le Stradic Soizig , Buisson Elise , Fernandes Geraldo W.
Published: November 2013

Aim

The campos rupestres are species‐rich tropical mountain grasslands in southeast Brazil that are threatened by mining and quarrying. Eight years following a strong disturbance (i.e. quarrying for gravel exploitation during the asphalting of highway MG‐010), spontaneous succession did not occur on degraded areas. This study was therefore designed to test the restoration technique of hay transfer as a means of enhancing seed dispersal from the reference ecosystems to the degraded areas.

Location

Campo rupestre grasslands, Serra do Cipó, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Methods

Nine degraded areas representing three kinds of substrate (latosol, sandy and stony) were selected. Hay transfer was carried out using hay collected in two kinds of grassland (i.e. campos arenosos and campos pedregosos) year‐round in 2010, in order to maximize the seed pool. The collected hay was distributed on 40 cm × 40 cm quadrats among the three types of substrate, with and without geotextile, according to the following protocol: hay from campo arenoso grasslands was spread on all types of substrate, while hay from campo pedregoso grasslands was used on stony substrate only.

Results

Few seedlings emerged within 14 mo of the treatment application, despite the large number of seeds contained in the hay, indicating that hay transfer may not be a useful method for restoring degraded areas of campos rupestres. The seedlings emerging on the degraded areas mainly belonged to ruderal species. Therefore, we suggest that, although poor soil conditions could limit seedling establishment, germination issues of the campo rupestre species are the first limitation for restoring degraded campos rupestres using hay transfer.

Conclusion

Our results highlight the inherent difficulty in restoring degraded areas of campos rupestres; their protection must be made a high conservation priority.
Subclassification of upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma by the neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR) improves prediction of oncological outcome
Authors: Luo Hao‐Lun , Chen Yen‐Ta , Chuang Yao‐Chi , Cheng Yuan‐Tso , Lee Wei‐Ching , Kang Chih‐Hsiung , Chiang Po‐Hui
Published: November 2013

Objective

To examine the potential role of the neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR) for subclassification of localised upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma (UUT‐UC).

Patients and Methods

From 2004 to 2010, 234 patients with localised UUT‐UC underwent radical nephroureterectomy (RNU). NLRs were only obtained under afebrile conditions before RNU. Patients that underwent neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy were excluded. The prognostic impact of the NLR was assessed using the log‐rank test and multivariate analyses.

Results

Only advanced pathological stage (>T2) and a NLR of >3 were independently associated with metastasis (P < 0.001 and P = 0.02, respectively) and cancer‐specific mortality (P = 0.002 and P = 0.006, respectively). The use of a NLR of >3 further identified a poor prognostic group, especially in patients with T3 UUT‐UC for metastasis‐free survival and cancer‐specific survival (log‐rank test, both P < 0.001).

Conclusions

For localised UUT‐UC, pathological stage and preoperative NLR independently predict systemic recurrence and cancer‐specific death after RNU. Using the NLR for subclassification of T3 UUT‐UC seems to further identify a poor prognostic group and may help with clinical decisions about treatment intervention in clinical practice.
Use of social media in urology: data from the American Urological Association (AUA)
Authors: Loeb Stacy , Bayne Christopher E. , Frey Christine , Davies Benjamin J. , Averch Timothy D. , Woo Henry H. , Stork Brian , Cooperberg Matthew R. , Eggener Scott E. ,   American Urological Association Social Media Work Group
Published: November 2013

Objective

To characterise the use of social media among members of the American Urological Association (AUA), as the use of social media in medicine has greatly expanded in recent years.

Subjects and Methods

In December 2012 to January 2013, the AUA e‐mailed a survey with 34 questions on social media use to 2000 randomly selected urologists and 2047 resident/fellow members. Additional data was collected from Symplur analytics on social media use surrounding the AUA Annual Meeting in May 2013.

Results

In all, 382 (9.4%) surveys were completed, indicating 74% of responders had an online social media account. The most commonly used social media platforms were Facebook (93%), followed in descending order by LinkedIn (46%), Twitter (36%) and Google+ (26%). Being aged <40 years was an important predictor of social media use (83% vs 56%), with greater uptake among residents/fellows compared with attendings (86% vs 66%). Only 28% of respondents used social media partly or entirely for professional purposes. During the 2013 AUA Annual Meeting, there were >5000 tweets from >600 distinct contributors.

Conclusion

As of early 2013, among respondents to an e‐mail survey, most urologists and urology trainees used some form of social media, and its use in urology conferences has greatly expanded.
‘I never thought I would have to do this’: narrative study with siblings‐in‐law who live together with a family member with a disability
Authors: Vanhoutteghem Inge , Van Hove Geert , D'haene Geert , Soyez Veerle
Published: November 2013

Accessible summary

In Belgium some adults with learning difficulties live with their siblings and siblings‐in‐law.

The authors of this article listened to siblings‐in‐law, trying to understand how they felt about this living together.

This article seems to be important for those persons with learning disabilities who give a lot about their sisters and brothers.

There is a lack of international research focusing on how the siblings‐in‐law of adults with a learning disability experience their commitment to provide support. Using narrative research, the authors have aimed to gain an insight into the perspectives of 14 siblings‐in‐law (living in the Flemish part of Belgium) about the decision to live together with a family member who has a learning disability. The decision to live together usually begins with a crisis. However, the decision process is a complex mechanism; it involves dynamics and events within a family (between family members both with and without blood relationships) and is intensified by experiences within a society that holds different views about families and disability. We are aided in gaining a deeper understanding of this complex process by considering interpretations based on the contextual framework of Boszormenyi‐Nagy.
Connexin pathology in acute multiple sclerosis,Baló's disease and neuromyelitis optica
Authors: Masaki Katsuhisa
Published: November 2013

Multiple sclerosis (MS), neuromyelitis optica (NMO) andBaló's disease (BD) are inflammatory demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system (CNS). We previously reported aquaporin‐4 (AQP4) loss without perivascular deposition of complement or immunoglobulin in demyelinating diseases, suggesting that astrocytic damage could be a common denominator in heterogeneous demyelinating conditions. To investigate the relationship between astrocytopathy and demyelination, we focused on connexins (Cxs), which form gap junction channels between astrocytes and oligodendrocytes, and maintain myelination and homeostasis in theCNS. We pathologically evaluated the expression of astrocyticCx43/Cx30 and oligodendrocyticCx47/Cx32 in autopsied tissue samples fromMS,NMOandBDpatients. In allBDsamples, astrocyticCx43 and oligodendrocyticCx32/Cx47 expression was diminished in both demyelinated and preserved myelin layers. In the leading edge ofBDlesions,Cx43 andAQP4 loss precededCx32/Cx47 loss. Half of theNMOandMSsamples showed preferential loss of astrocyticCx43 in actively demyelinating and chronic active lesions, where heterotypicCx43/Cx47 astrocyte‐oligodendrocyte gap junctions were lost. Cases withCx43 loss were significantly associated with rapid disease progression (death within 2 years after onset), regardless of the disease phenotype. Pathologically,Cx43 loss was frequently accompanied by distal oligodendrogliopathy. These findings suggest thatCx43 astrocytopathy can occur inMS,BDandNMO. Furthermore, astrocyticCx43 loss might be associated with disease aggressiveness and distal oligodendrogliopathy, not only inBD,but alsoMSandNMO. Early disruption of astrocytic foot processes could precede demyelination and contribute to the pathogenesis of demyelinating disorders.
Ontology‐based model for Chinese Calligraphy Synthesis
Authors: Xia Yang , Wu Jiangqin , Gao Pengcheng , Lin Yuan , Mao Tianjiao
Published: November 2013

There are lots of digitized Chinese calligraphic works written by ancient calligraphists in CADAL. Sometimes users want to generate a tablet or a piece of calligraphic work written by these calligraphists. However, some characters had not been written by them or though were ever written but are hard to read because of long time weathering. Furthermore, different works of the same calligraphist may have diverse styles. It is a great challenge to generate a new calligraphic character with particular style. In this paper, we present a novel approach to synthesize regular script calligraphic characters in the style of some specific calligraphic works. Our approach first processes original calligraphic resources by multi‐level segmentation. Then, a domain ontology is established to supervise basic resources and to provide significant support for calligraphy synthesis. Finally, a novel algorithm is proposed to synthesize new calligraphic characters. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our method by showing various synthesized results in the style of different calligraphic works of Liu Gongquan.
Interactive Learning for Point‐Cloud Motion Segmentation
Authors: Sofer Yerry , Hassner Tal , Sharf Andrei
Published: November 2013

Segmenting a moving foreground (fg) from its background (bg) is a fundamental step in many Machine Vision and Computer Graphics applications. Nevertheless, hardly any attempts have been made to tackle this problem in dynamic 3D scanned scenes. Scanned dynamic scenes are typically challenging due to noise and large missing parts. Here, we present a novel approach for motion segmentation in dynamic point‐cloud scenes designed to cater to the unique properties of such data. Our key idea is to augment fg/bg classification with an active learning framework by refining the segmentation process in an adaptive manner.

Our method initially classifies the scene points as either fg or bg in an un‐supervised manner. This, by training discriminative RBF‐SVM classifiers on automatically labeled, high‐certainty fg/bg points. Next, we adaptively detect unreliable classification regions (i.e. where fg/bg separation is uncertain), locally add more training examples to better capture the motion in these areas, and re‐train the classifiers to fine‐tune the segmentation. This not only improves segmentation accuracy, but also allows our method to perform in a coarse‐to‐fine manner, thereby efficiently process high‐density point‐clouds. Additionally, we present a unique interactive paradigm for enhancing this learning process, by using a manual editing tool. The user explicitly edits the RBF‐SVM decision borders in unreliable regions in order to refine and correct the classification. We provide extensive qualitative and quantitative experiments on both real (scanned) and synthetic dynamic scenes.
Stroke‐guided Image Synthesis for Skeletal Structure Editing
Authors: Luo Sheng‐Jie , Lin Chin‐Yu , Shen I‐Chao , Chen Bing‐Yu
Published: November 2013

Creating variations of an image object is an important task, which usually requires manipulating the skeletal structure of the object. However, most existing methods (such as image deformation) only allow for stretching the skeletal structure of an object: modifying skeletal topology remains a challenge. This paper presents a technique for synthesizing image objects with different skeletal structures while respecting to an input image object. To apply this technique, a user firstly annotates the skeletal structure of the input object by specifying a number of strokes in the input image, and draws corresponding strokes in an output domain to generate new skeletal structures. Then, a number of the example texture pieces are sampled along the strokes in the input image and pasted along the strokes in the output domain with their orientations. The result is obtained by optimizing the texture sampling and seam computation. The proposed method is successfully used to synthesize challenging skeletal structures, such as skeletal branches, and a wide range of image objects with various skeletal structures, to demonstrate its effectiveness.
Garment Modeling from a Single Image
Authors: Zhou Bin , Chen Xiaowu , Fu Qiang , Guo Kan , Tan Ping
Published: November 2013

Modeling of realistic garments is essential for online shopping and many other applications including virtual characters. Most of existing methods either require a multi‐camera capture setup or a restricted mannequin pose. We address the garment modeling problem according to a single input image. We design an all‐pose garment outline interpretation, and a shading‐based detail modeling algorithm. Our method first estimates the mannequin pose and body shape from the input image. It further interprets the garment outline with an oriented facet decided according to the mannequin pose to generate the initial 3D garment model. Shape details such as folds and wrinkles are modeled by shape‐from‐shading techniques, to improve the realism of the garment model. Our method achieves similar result quality as prior methods from just a single image, significantly improving the flexibility of garment modeling.
Multiplane Video Stabilization
Authors: Wang Zhong‐Qiang , Zhang Lei , Huang Hua
Published: November 2013

This paper presents a novel video stabilization approach by leveraging the multiple planes structure of video scene to stabilize inter‐frame motion. As opposed to previous stabilization procedure operating in a single plane, our approach primarily deals with multiplane videos and builds their multiple planes structure for performing stabilization in respective planes. Hence, a robust plane detection scheme is devised to detect multiple planes by classifying feature trajectories according to reprojection errors generated by plane induced homographies. Then, an improved planar stabilization technique is applied by conforming to the compensated homography in each plane. Finally, multiple stabilized planes are coherently fused by content‐preserving image warps to obtain the output stabilized frames. Our approach does not need any stereo reconstruction, yet is able to produce commendable results due to awareness of multiple planes structure in the stabilization. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of our approach to robust stabilization on multiplane videos.
Adaptive Ray‐bundle Tracing with Memory Usage Prediction: Efficient Global Illumination in Large Scenes
Authors: Tokuyoshi Yusuke , Sekine Takashi , da Silva Tiago , Kanai Takashi
Published: November 2013

This paper proposes an adaptive rendering technique for ray‐bundle tracing. Ray‐bundle tracing can be done by per‐pixel linked‐list construction on a GPU rasterization pipeline. This rasterization based approach offers significant benefits for the efficient generation of light maps (e.g., hardware acceleration, tessellation, and recycling of shaders used in real‐time graphics). However, it is inapplicable to large and complex scenes due to the limited capacity of the GPU memory because it requires a high‐resolution frame buffer and high‐capacity node buffer for the linked‐lists. In addition, memory overflow can potentially occur on the per‐pixel linked‐list since the memory usage of the lists is usually unknown before the rendering process. We introduce an adaptive tiling technique with memory usage prediction. Our method uses an appropriately tiled frame buffer, thus eliminating almost all of the overflow risks thanks to our adaptive tile subdivision scheme. Using this technique, we are able to render high‐quality light maps of large and complex scenes which cannot be computed using previous ray‐bundle based methods.
Improving Memory Space Efficiency of Kd‐tree for Real‐time Ray Tracing
Authors: Choi B. , Chang B. , Ihm I.
Published: November 2013

Compared with its competitors such as the bounding volume hierarchy, a drawback of the kd‐tree structure is that a large number of triangles are repeatedly duplicated during its construction, which often leads to inefficient, large and tall binary trees with high triangle redundancy. In this paper, we propose a space‐efficient kd‐tree representation where, unlike commonly used methods, an inner node is allowed to optionally store a reference to a triangle, so highly redundant triangles in a kd‐tree can be culled from the leaf nodes and moved to the inner nodes. To avoid the construction of ineffective kd‐trees entailing computational inefficiencies due to early, possibly unnecessary, ray‐triangle intersection calculations that now have to be performed in the inner nodes during the kd‐tree traversal, we present heuristic measures for determining when and how to choose triangles for inner nodes during kd‐tree construction. Based on these metrics, we describe how the new form of kd‐tree is constructed and stored compactly using a carefully designed data layout. Our experiments with several example scenes showed that our kd‐tree representation technique significantly reduced the memory requirements for storing the kd‐tree structure, while effectively suppressing the unavoidable frame‐rate degradation observed during ray tracing.
Automated Functional Imaging for Assessment of Left Ventricular Mechanics in the Presence of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy
Authors: López‐Candales Angel
Published: November 2013

Background

Increased left ventricular (LV) mass is a well‐known independent predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Even though these patients have an increased risk of LV diastolic dysfunction; recent data have suggested the presence of subtle LV systolic abnormalities. This study sought to demonstrate if a novel speckle tracking automated functional imaging (AFI) tool would be useful in identifying differences in strain generation between patients with normal and increased LV wall mass.

Methods

Standard measures of LV systolic and diastolic function were collected from 90 patients divided into Group I with LV mass index <100 g/m2 and Group II with LV mass index values ≥100 g/m2. AFI was also obtained to measure peak global LV myocardial strain.

Results

As expected, patients with an increased LV mass index had significant LV diastolic abnormalities. However, in addition these patients in Group II not only had significantly lower peak systolic strain values but also significantly lower mitral annular plane systolic excursion (MAPSE) and MA tissue Doppler imaging systolic velocity values than patients in Group I despite having comparable estimates of LV ejection fraction, based on the Simpson's method.

Conclusion

Based on these results, AFI provides prompt point of care information regarding LV function and mechanics and identifies differences in longitudinal strain generation between patients with normal and increased LV wall mass. Additional studies are now required to prospectively determine if AFI measures of LV function might be useful to identify patients with an increased LV mass that will develop symptomatic systolic or diastolic heart failure.
Left Ventricular Strain Reduction Is Not Confined to the Noncompacted Segments in Noncompaction Cardiomyopathy–Insights from the Three‐Dimensional Speckle Tracking Echocardiographic MAGYAR‐Path Study
Authors: Kalapos Anita , Domsik Péter , Forster Tamás , Nemes Attila
Published: November 2013

Introduction

Noncompaction cardiomyopathy (NCCM) is a new clinical entity characterized by prominent trabecular meshwork and deep intertrabecular recesses communicating with the left ventricular (LV) cavity due to arrest of the normal embryogenesis of the endomyocardium. The aim of the present study was to evaluate different contributions of noncompacted and compacted LV segments to the global LV dysfunction by three‐dimensional (3D) speckle tracking echocardiography (3DSTE)‐derived strain parameters in NCCM.

Patients and Methods

The present study comprised 9 patients with typical features of NCCM. Due to the limited image quality, one patient was excluded from the evaluations. Finally, 128 segments of 8 NCCM patients were assessed. Their results were compared to 176 segments of 11 healthy volunteers. Complete two‐dimensional Doppler echocardiography extended with 3DSTE has been performed in all cases.

Results

Fifty‐five of 128 LV segments (43%) proved to be noncompacted in NCCM patients. All strain parameters of segments of NCCM patients were significantly lower as compared to segments of controls. Only radial strain (6.99 ± 7.36% vs. 12.58 ± 12.78% vs. 25.24 ± 11.76%, P < 0.001 and P < 0.05, respectively) and 3D strain (7.79 ± 7.59% vs. 14.67 ± 14.04% vs. 27.78 ± 12.57%, P < 0.001 and P < 0.05, respectively) showed further reduction in noncompacted segments as compared to compacted segments.

Conclusions

Left ventricular strain reduction is not confined to the nocompacted segments in NCCM. Radial and 3D strain parameters show further reduction in noncompacted segments compared to compacted segments.
Quantifying aphid behavioral responses to environmental change
Authors: Sudderth Erika A. , Sudderth Erik B.
Published: November 2013

Aphids are the most common vector of plant viruses, and their feeding behavior is an important determinant of virus transmission. Positive effects of global change on aphid performance have been documented, but effects on aphid behavior are not known. We assessed the plant‐mediated behavioral responses of a generalist aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer) (Hemiptera: Aphididae), to increased CO2 and nitrogen when feeding on each of three host species: Amaranthus viridis L. (Amaranthaceae), Polygonum persicaria L. (= Persicaria maculosa Gray) (Polygonaceae), and Solanum dulcamara L. (Solanaceae). Via a family of constrained Markov models, we tested the degree to which aphid movements demonstrate preference among host species or plants grown under varying environmental conditions. Entropy rates of the estimated Markov chains were used to further quantify aphid behavior. Our statistical methods provide a general tool for assessing choice and quantitatively comparing animal behavior under different conditions. Aphids displayed strong preferences for the same host species under all growth conditions, indicating that CO2‐ and N‐induced changes in plant chemistry have minimal effects on host preference. However, entropy rates increased in the presence of non‐preferred hosts, even when preferred hosts were available. We conclude that the presence of a non‐preferred host species affected aphid‐feeding behavior more than changes in plant leaf chemistry when plants were grown under elevated CO2 and increased N availability.
Long non‐coding RNA GHET1 promotes gastric carcinoma cell proliferation by increasing c‐Myc mRNA stability
Authors: Yang Feng , Xue Xuchao , Zheng Luming , Bi Jianwei , Zhou Yuhong , Zhi Kangkang , Gu Yan , Fang Guoen
Published: November 2013

Long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs), a recently characterized class of non‐coding RNAs, have been shown to have important regulatory roles and are de‐regulated in a variety of tumors. However, the contributions of lncRNAs to gastric carcinoma and their functional mechanisms remain largely unknown. In this study, we found that lncRNA gastric carcinoma high expressed transcript 1 (lncRNA‐GHET1) was up‐regulated in gastric carcinoma. The over‐expression of this lncRNA correlates with tumor size, tumor invasion and poor survival. Gain‐of‐function and loss‐of‐function analyses demonstrated that GHET1 over‐expression promotes the proliferation of gastric carcinoma cells in vitro and in vivo. Knockdown of GHET1 inhibits the proliferation of gastric carcinoma cells. RNA pull‐down and immunoprecipitation assays confirmed that GHET1 physically associates with insulin‐like growth factor 2 mRNA binding protein 1 (IGF2BP1) and enhances the physical interaction between c‐Myc mRNA and IGF2BP1, consequently increasing the stability of c‐Myc mRNA and expression. The expression of GHET1 and c‐Myc is strongly correlated in gastric carcinoma tissues. Depletion of c‐Myc abolishes the effects of GHET1 on proliferation of gastric carcinoma cells. Taken together, these findings indicate that GHET1 plays a pivotal role in gastric carcinoma cell proliferation via increasing c‐Myc mRNA stability and expression, which suggests potential use of GHET1 for the prognosis and treatment of gastric carcinoma.
Increasing ocean temperatures reduce activity patterns of a large commercially important coral reef fish
Authors: Johansen J. L. , Messmer V. , Coker D. J. , Hoey A. S. , Pratchett M. S.
Published: November 2013

Large‐bodied fish are critical for sustaining coral reef fisheries, but little is known about the vulnerability of these fish to global warming. This study examined the effects of elevated temperatures on the movement and activity patterns of the common coral trout Plectropomus leopardus (Serranidae), which is an important fishery species in tropical Australia and throughout the Indo West‐Pacific. Adult fish were collected from two locations on Australia's Great Barrier Reef (23°S and 14°S) and maintained at one of four temperatures (24, 27, 30, 33 °C). Following >4 weeks acclimation, the spontaneous swimming speeds and activity patterns of individuals were recorded over a period of 12 days. At 24–27 °C, spontaneous swimming speeds of common coral trout were 0.43–0.45 body lengths per second (bls−1), but dropped sharply to 0.29 bls−1 at 30 °C and 0.25 bls−1 at 33 °C. Concurrently, individuals spent 9.3–10.6% of their time resting motionless on the bottom at 24–27 °C, but this behaviour increased to 14.0% at 30 °C and 20.0% of the time at 33 °C (mean ± SE). The impact of temperature was greatest for smaller individuals (<45 cm TL), showing significant changes to swimming speeds across every temperature tested, while medium (45–55 cm TL) and large individuals (>55 cm TL) were first affected by 30 °C and 33 °C, respectively. Importantly, there was some indication that populations can adapt to elevated temperature if presented with adequate time, as the high‐latitude population decreased significantly in swimming speeds at both 30 °C and 33 °C, while the low‐latitude population only showed significant reductions at 33 °C. Given that movement and activity patterns of large mobile species are directly related to prey encounter rates, ability to capture prey and avoid predators, any reductions in activity patterns are likely to reduce overall foraging and energy intake, limit the energy available for growth and reproduction, and affect the fitness and survival of individuals and populations.
Loss of BRM expression is a frequently observed event in poorly differentiated clear cell renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Xia Qiu‐yuan , Rao Qiu , Cheng Liang , Shen Qin , Shi Shan‐shan , Li Li , Liu Biao , Zhang Jin , Wang Yan‐fen , Shi Qun‐li , Wang Jian‐dong , Ma Heng‐hui , Lu Zhen‐feng , Yu Bo , Zhang Ru‐song , Zhou Xiao‐jun
Published: November 2013

Aims

The aim of this study was to examine the status of Brahma (BRM), a key SWI/SNF complex subunit, in clear cell renal cell carcinomas (RCCs), and to analyse the histopathology, immunophenotype, molecular features and prognosis of the BRM‐negative cases.

Methods and results

We identified 19 cases of grade 4 tumours lacking BRM expression among 625 clear cell RCCs. All 19 cases exhibited features of poor differentiation: 13 showed pure poorly differentiated morphology, while six were composite tumours with an admixed typical low‐grade component. Besides negative BRM expression, the immunophenotype of these cases was similar to clear cell RCC. VHL gene mutations were identified in nine of the 19 patients (47%). Chromosome 3p deletion was detected in 11 of 13 poorly differentiated RCCs and both areas of five of five composite tumours. All poorly differentiated tumour areas showed polysomy of chromosome 3. No losses or gains of chromosome 3 were observed in low‐grade tumour areas of five of five composite RCCs.

Conclusions

We have shown that loss of BRM expression is a common feature among poorly differentiated tumours in clear cell RCCs. We hypothesize that loss of BRM expression is involved in tumor de‐differentiation in clear cell RCCs and may play an important role during tumour progression.
“We Can't Let Chicago Outdo Us, Can We?” Sex Education and Desegregation in New York City's Public Schools
Authors: Conklin Kurt
Published: November 2013

Faced with demands for racial desegregation of its public schools, and grasping at half measures to appear responsive, New York City's Board of Education took action in 1967 by ending medical discharges for unwed pregnant students and authorizing the curriculum “Family Living, Including Sex Education.” Approving sex education in part to avoid action on school desegregation, Gotham's school board relied on a resolution written by a parent advocacy group in 1939—a resolution the 1939 school board had rejected following months of debate on the merits of providing instruction on mammalian reproduction for junior high biology students. By the time the Board of Education revisited the issue of sex education in the 1960s, popular understanding of sexuality and sex education had changed considerably. Yet the resolution supporting sex education, submitted by the city's United Parents' Associations (UPA), had not changed at all.
“Out of the Quietness, a Clamor: ‘We Want Football!”’ The California State Colleges, Educational Opportunity, and Athletics
Authors: VanOverbeke Marc A.
Published: November 2013

The president assembled the students shortly before they were to leave for winter break. He had a major announcement to make. Earlier that fall, the students had petitioned the president to develop an intercollegiate football program, and he had appointed a faculty and student committee to study the matter. He now was prepared to tell the gathered students whether he agreed to lead his college fully into athletics. He started slowly and told the students that their college was only six years old, much had been accomplished in that time, and many were tired and now hoping to “lie down on the new lawn under one of those new trees out there and bask in the glory that is Sacramento State College.” The president, however, was more amused than tired, as he continued. “But no! The dust blew and the rains came and then the fog! And out of the quietness and the thickness of the fog—a shout—a clamor: We want football!” The college already had an athletic program, and he tried to understand why the students would clamor for more. But, the fact remained that they had asked for football, and he now had to tell them what would become of their petition.
Viscous and thermal behaviour of vitamin A and iron‐fortified reconstituted rice
Authors: Hussain Syed Zameer , Singh Baljit , Naik Haroon Rashid
Published: November 2013

The viscous and thermal behaviour of five types of micronutrient‐fortified reconstituted rice premixes extruded at pre‐optimised extrusion conditions (36% moisture content, 150 rpm screw speed and 89 °C barrel temperature) have been investigated using rapid visco analyser (RVA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The highest peak viscosity (1279 cP), lowest gelatinised starch percentage (16.32) and highest enthalpy of gelatinisation (8.2 J g−1) were recorded in rice premix fortified with retinyl palmitate and micronised ferric pyrophosphate. The scanning electron microscopic analysis (SEM) also revealed that reconstituted rice premix fortified with iron (micronised ferric pyrophosphate) and retinyl palmitate was in closer resemblance to that of natural rice than any other reconstituted rice premix. The work demonstrated that vitamin A‐ and iron‐fortified reconstituted rice with meso/micro structure and pasting behaviour close to that of natural rice can be produced using retinyl palmitate and micronised ferric pyrophosphate as vitamin A and iron source, respectively.
Assembly mechanisms shaping tropical litter ant communities
Authors: Donoso David A.
Published: November 2013

Community ecology seeks to unravel the mechanisms that allow species to coexist in space. Some of the contending mechanisms may generate tractable signatures in the amount of trait and phylogenetic dispersion among co‐existing species. When a community presents a pattern with reduced trait or phylogenetic dispersion, mechanisms based on ecological filters are brought into consideration. On the other hand, limiting similarity mechanisms such as competitive exclusion are proposed when communities present patterns of trait or phylogenetic even‐dispersion. The strength of these mechanisms likely varies with the spatial scale of an observed sample. I surveyed species‐rich tropical litter ant communities in a spatially nested design that allowed me to explore the spatial scales, fine (0.25 m2), intermediate (9 m2), and broad (361 m2) at which these mechanisms act. I then assessed the relationship between observed ant communities and potential species pools ranging in size, from plot, site, and island‐wide areas. Patterns of phylogenetic dispersion within ant communities suggested that ant communities were composed of species that were more closely related than expected by a random sampling of phylogenetic pools. The magnitude of phylogenetic ‘clustering’ increased with the size of the species pool but was similar among communities assembled from different spatial scales. Patterns of dispersion of one ecological trait (i.e. body size) within ant communities also showed clustering of body sizes, and most communities were composed of ant species that were smaller than expected by a random sampling of trait pools. Trait clustering increased with the size of the species pool but decreased at broad spatial scales. Together, these results suggest that ecological filters, not interspecific interactions, are structuring tropical ant communities, favoring clades with small worker sizes. The larger dependency on the size of regional pools than on the spatial scale suggests that environmental heterogeneity is greater among than within the study sites.