bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Structure and dynamics of distinct fish assemblages in three reaches (upper, middle and lower) of an open tropical estuary in Brazil
Authors: Neves Leonardo M. , Teixeira Tatiana P. , Araújo Francisco G.
Published: October 2010

We collected fishes and environmental variables in three zones (upper, middle and lower) of a small open tropical estuary during flood tide. The aim was to test for differences in fish assemblages along a gradient from freshwater to marine waters and to detect any seasonal variation in fishes and environmental variables across these zones. A total of 111 species (18 in the upper, 50 in the middle and 66 in the lower estuary) were recorded, forming three distinct fish assemblages, with the family Eleotridae dominating in the upper, Gerreidae in the middle, and Sciaenidae in the lower estuary. Only two species (Geophagus brasiliensis in the upper and the middle zones, and Eucinostomus argenteus in the middle and the lower zones) composed more than 1% of the total number of individuals in more than a single zone. Short‐term (tidal) changes in salinity in the middle estuary were associated with different assemblages in the three estuarine zones, even in winter, when the differences in salinity are lowest between the middle and the lower zones. Seasonal variation in salinity was irrelevant, except in a protected sidewater lagoon in the middle estuary. Low salinity seasonal change may be related to the lack of seasonal variation in the structure of fish assemblages in all estuarine zones.
Severity of initial stent angulation predicts reintervention after successful palliative enteral stenting for malignant luminal obstruction
Authors: Lee Eric Y T , Bourke Michael J , Williams Stephen J , Alrubaie Ahmad , Kwan Vu , Bailey Adam A , Lynch Paul M , Loh Sze M
Published: October 2010

Background and Aim:  Recurrent stent obstruction necessitating reintervention is problematic and incompletely understood. The aim of the present study was to identify factor(s) predisposing to reintervention.

Methods:  Retrospective review of patients (n = 117) referred to a single major endoscopic referral centre for palliative enteral stenting from 1999 to 2006. Twelve were excluded due to inadequate follow‐up data (n = 7) or initial radiographic documentation (n = 5). A total of 105 patients (gastroduodenal n = 57, colonic n = 48) were therefore analyzed. The primary outcome of interest was recurrent obstruction necessitating reintervention. Kaplan–Meier analysis of potential factors predisposing to reintervention, including stent angulation (mild [<15°], moderate [15°–90°], severe [>90°]) was completed for 98 patients (technically successful enteral stenting).

Results:  Technical and clinical success were achieved in 98 of 105 (93.3%) and 92 of 98 (93.9%) cases, respectively. Post‐stenting median survival was 97.5 days (range 3–1054). Eighteen patients (18.4%) required reintervention for stent obstruction at a median time to reintervention of 85 days (range 7–481). Increased stent angulation (severe vs mild hazard ratio 6.73 (95% confidence interval 1.59–27.59), P = 0.009) was the only statistically significant factor in multivariate analysis predicting reintervention.

Conclusions:  Despite its limitation as a retrospective review, this study found that reintervention for stent obstruction is necessary in almost one in five cases, and increasing severity of stent angulation is the most important risk factor.
Aberrant expression of epidermal growth factor receptor and its interaction with protein kinase C δ in inflammation associated neoplastic transformation of human esophageal epithelium in high risk populations
Authors: Parthasarathy Seshacharyulu , Dhayaparan Devaraj , Jayanthi Venkatraman , Devaraj Sivasitambaram Niranjali , Devaraj Halagowder
Published: October 2010

Background and Aim:  Esophageal cancer is the second most common cancer among Indian males and is mostly associated with tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a member of Type I tyrosine kinases. Its activation causes the docking of various proteins in its cytosolic tail. In the present study we have analyzed the expression pattern of EGFR, protein kinase C δ (PKCδ), tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α), nuclear factor κB (NFκB) and the interactions between EGFR and PKCδ in various pathological conditions.

Methods:  Human esophageal biopsies were obtained from 93 patients with a past history of smoking and alcohol consumption: 20 showed normal mucosa, 40 with dysplasia and 33 squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). These pathological conditions were analyzed immunohistochemically for the presence of EGFR expression and then subsequently analyzed using immunoblot and immunoprecipitation.

Results:  A statistically significant difference of EGFR overexpression was found between low‐ and high‐grade dysplasia and carcinoma (χ2 = 3.3, χ2 = 3.42: P = 0.07, 0.33). A statistical significance was observed between dysplasia and SCC and in all histopathological types (χ2 = 4, χ2 = 4.9; P < 0.05, P = 0.18 and χ2 = 26.3, 26.6; P < 0.001). EGFR tyrosine phosphorylation and its association with PKCδ was significantly higher in all histopathological types with χ2 = 7.965; P < 0.05 and 4.0830; P = 0.2530.

Conclusion:  Altogether, our findings reveal that the activation of EGFR and its subsequent interaction with PKCδ under inflammatory conditions might positively be attributed to the transformation of normal esophageal epithelia to SCC, which could explain ongoing inflammation in normal mucosa in a population prone to smoking and alcoholism.
Topographic differences in gastric micromucosal patterns observed by magnifying endoscopy with narrow band imaging
Authors: Kawamura Masashi , Abe Shu , Oikawa Keisuke , Terai Shiho , Saito Masahiro , Shibuya Daisuke , Kato Katsuaki , Shimada Takenobu , Uedo Noriya , Masuda Takayuki
Published: October 2010

Background and Aim:  The distributions and grades of Helicobacter pylori induced gastritis are known to vary among H. pylori‐associated diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the differences in distributions of gastric micromucosal structures observed by magnifying narrow band imaging (NBI) endoscopy among patients with different H. pylori‐associated diseases.

Methods:  Ninety‐five patients with active duodenal ulcers (n = 24) and diffuse‐type (n = 24) and intestinal‐type (n = 47) early gastric cancers were enrolled. The magnified NBI findings were evaluated at the lesser and greater curvatures in the upper gastric corpus and were classified according to the modified A‐B classification system. Biopsy specimens were also evaluated.

Results:  In a total of 190 areas observed with magnifying NBI, histological grading (inflammation, activity, atrophy and intestinal metaplasia) showed significant differences among the classified micromucosal patterns (P < 0.001). Types B‐1 and B‐2, with mild atrophic changes and few areas of intestinal metaplasia, were seen mostly in the duodenal ulcers group. Types B‐3 and A‐1, with moderate atrophic changes, were seen in the diffuse‐type early gastric cancers at the lesser curvature. Types A‐1 and A‐2, with severe atrophic change and a high frequency of intestinal metaplasia, were seen in the intestinal‐type early gastric cancers at the lesser curvature. The prevalence of micromucosal structures differed significantly among the three groups both at the lesser and greater curvatures (P < 0.001).

Conclusions:  Magnifying NBI endoscopy clearly revealed detailed micromorphological differences corresponding to the histology and endoscopic findings among patients with different H. pylori‐associated diseases.
Current status of Barrett's esophagus research in Asia
Authors: Chang Chi‐Yang , Cook Michael B , Lee Yi‐Chia , Lin Jaw‐Town , Ando Takafumi , Bhatia Shobna , Chow Wong‐Ho , El‐Omar Emad M , Goto Hidemi , Li Yang‐Qing , McColl Kenneth , Reddy Nageshwar , Rhee Poong‐Lyul , Sharma Prateek , Sung Joseph J‐Y , Ghoshal Uday , Wong Jennie Y‐Y , Wu Justin C‐Y , Zhang Jun , Ho Khek‐Yu ,   the Asian Barrett's Consortium
Published: October 2010

In Western countries, the epidemiology of esophageal cancer has changed considerably over the past decades with a rise in the ratio of adenocarcinoma to squamous cell carcinoma. Although the prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux is increasing in Asia, the prevalences of Barrett's esophagus (BE) and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) have remained low in most Asian countries. The Asian Barrett's Consortium recently conducted a review of published studies on BE from Asia to assess the current status of BE research in Asia, and to recommend potential areas for future BE research in the region. Differences in study design, enrolled population, and endoscopic biopsy protocols used have led to substantial variability in the reported BE prevalence (0.06% to 19.9%) across Asia. In particular, some Japanese studies used diagnostic criteria that differed considerably from what was used in most Asian studies. As in Western countries, increased age, male sex, tobacco smoking, reflux symptoms, and erosive esophagitis have been found to be risk factors for BE in several case‐control studies from Asia. The Prague C and M criteria, developed to provide better interobserver reliability in diagnosis and grading of BE, are currently under extensive evaluation in the Asian population. There is a need for standardized protocols for endoscopic and histopathologic diagnosis before initiating collaborative projects to identify etiologic determinants of BE and its ensuing malignant transformation. At present, data regarding the management and long‐term outcome of BE are extremely limited in Asia. More studies of BE in this geographic area are warranted.
Double balloon enteroscopy and capsule endoscopy for obscure gastrointestinal bleeding: An updated meta‐analysis
Authors: Teshima Christopher W , Kuipers Ernst J , van Zanten Sander Veldhuyzen , Mensink Peter B F
Published: October 2010

Background and Aim:  Uncertainty remains about the best test to evaluate patients with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB). Previous meta‐analyses demonstrated similar diagnostic yields with capsule endoscopy (CE) and double balloon enteroscopy (DBE) but relied primarily on data from abstracts and were not limited to bleeding patients. Many studies have since been published. Therefore, we performed a new meta‐analysis comparing CE and DBE focused specifically on OGIB.

Methods:  A comprehensive literature search was performed of comparative studies using both CE and DBE in patients with OGIB. Data were extracted and analyzed to determine the weighted pooled diagnostic yields of each method and the odds ratio for the successful localization of a bleeding source.

Results:  Ten eligible studies were identified. The pooled diagnostic yield for CE was 62% (95% confidence interval [CI] 47.3–76.1) and for DBE was 56% (95% CI 48.9–62.1), with an odds ratio for CE compared with DBE of 1.39 (95% CI 0.88–2.20; P = 0.16). Subgroup analysis demonstrated the yield for DBE performed after a previously positive CE was 75.0% (95% CI 60.1–90.0), with the odds ratio for successful diagnosis with DBE after a positive CE compared with DBE in all patients of 1.79 (95% CI 1.09–2.96; P = 0.02). In contrast, the yield for DBE after a previously negative CE was only 27.5% (95% CI 16.7–37.8).

Conclusions:  Capsule endoscopy and double balloon enteroscopy provide similar diagnostic yields in patients with OGIB. However, the diagnostic yield of DBE is significantly higher when performed in patients with a positive CE.
Changes in molecular composition of rat medial prefrontal cortex synapses during adolescent development
Authors: Counotte Danielle S. , Li Ka Wan , Wortel Joke , Gouwenberg Yvonne , Van Der Schors Roel C. , Smit August B. , Spijker Sabine
Published: October 2010

Postnatal brain development continues throughout adolescence into young adulthood. In particular, synapse strengthening and elimination are prominent processes during adolescence. However, molecular data of this relatively late stage of synaptic development are sparse. In this study, we used iTRAQ (isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantification)‐based proteomics and electron microscopy to investigate the molecular composition of a synaptic membrane fraction from adolescent postnatal day (P)34 and P44 and adult (P78) rat medial prefrontal cortex. Differential expression of proteins was most prominent between early adolescence and young adulthood (35%, P34–P78), with an over‐representation of cell‐membrane proteins during adolescent development (between P34 and P44), and synaptic vesicle proteins between late adolescence and young adulthood (P44–P78). Indicative of the critical period of development, we found that, between P34 and P44, a substantial number of proteins was differentially expressed (14%), much more than during the period after adolescence, i.e. between P44 and P78 (5%). A striking observation was the developmental non‐stoichiometric regulation of distinct classes of proteins from the synaptic vesicle and the presynaptic release machinery. Electron microscopy demonstrated a small change in the number of docked vesicles between P34 and P44, but not in the total number of synaptic vesicles and in the size of the vesicle cluster. We conclude that the molecular composition of synapses, and more specifically the synaptic release machinery, of the medial prefrontal cortex changes drastically during adolescent development.
Association of the T‐786C, G894T and 4a/4b polymorphisms of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene with vasculogenic erectile dysfunction in Iranian subjects
Authors: Safarinejad Mohammad Reza , Khoshdel Alireza , Shekarchi Babak , Taghva Arsia , Safarinejad Shiva
Published: October 2010

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

We know that nitric oxide (NO) plays a significant role in penile tumescence. NO is produced during enzymatic conversion of L‐arginine to L‐citrulline by three distinct isoforms of NO synthase (NOS), namely, inducible (iNOS), endothelial (eNOS) and neural (nNOS). The endothelial isoform of NOS (eNOS), encoded by the NOS3 gene, is the main source of NO.

We determined all three eNOS gene polymorphisms in men with vasculogenic erectile dysfunction. There was a significant difference between the group of men with vasculogenic erectile dysfunction and normal healthy men when compared by genotype distribution.

OBJECTIVE

• To investigate the association of the T‐786C, G894T and variable number of tandem repeats (VNTRs) in intron 4 (a/b) polymorphisms of the eNOS gene in Iranian subjects with vasculogenic erectile dysfunction (ED).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

• A total of 322 consecutive patients with vasculogenic ED were recruited. Patients with concomitant risk factors for ED were excluded.

• Patients with ED were identified based on history‐taking, detailed physical examination, serum biochemistry, sex hormone measurements, application of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) questionnaire, and penile duplex Doppler ultrasonography after intracavernosal injection of 20 µg prostaglandin E1. The control group comprised 318 age‐matched healthy male volunteers.

• Genotyping was performed by polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism and the T‐786C, G894T and VNTR intron 4 polymorphisms of the eNOS gene were determined.

RESULTS

• After multivariate regression analysis, significant differences were seen in the frequencies of genotypes and alleles of the two T‐786C and G894T polymorphisms when patients with ED and normal controls were compared.

• In a multiple logistic regression analysis, the odds ratio (OR) of increased ED was strongly associated with the ‐786C allele [adjusted OR = 3.12, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.28–4.25; P= 0.001] and the 894T allele (adjusted OR = 3.87, 95% CI = 2.53–4.87; P= 0.001).

• The data showed a higher prevalence of the T‐786C CC genotype (adjusted OR = 2.72, 95% CI = 1.88–3.65; P= 0.006), and the G894T GT (adjusted OR = 1.72, 95% CI 1.24–2.83; P= 0.037) and G894T TT genotypes (adjusted OR = 3.42, 95% CI 2.42–4.26; P= 0.001) in patients with ED than in the controls.

CONCLUSIONS

• The findings of the present study suggest that the eNOS T‐786C and G894T polymorphisms are strong predictors of the predisposition to ED in addition to traditional risk factors, signifying a genetic influence for this multifactorial disease.

• Further studies in different ethnic populations are needed to better elucidate the role of eNOS gene polymorphism in the pathogenesis of ED.
Intra‐individual short‐term variability of prostate‐specific antigen and other kallikrein markers in a serial collection of blood from men under evaluation for prostate cancer
Authors: Christensson Anders , Bruun Laila , Björk Thomas , Cronin Angel M. , Vickers Andrew J. , Savage Caroline J. , Lilja Hans
Published: October 2010

Study Type – Diagnostic (exploratory cohort) Level of Evidence 2b

OBJECTIVE

• To assess variation of total prostate‐specific antigen (tPSA), free PSA (fPSA), percent fPSA, human glandular kallikrein 2 (hK2) and intact PSA measured three times within 2 weeks. Knowledge of the variation in an individual’s PSA level is important for clinical decision‐making.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

• Study participants were 149 patients referred for prostate biopsy, of which 97 had benign disease and 52 had prostate cancer.

• Three blood samples were drawn with a median of 4 h between first and second samples and 12 days between first and third samples.

• Variability was described by absolute differences, ratios and intra‐individual coefficients of variation. Total PSA, fPSA, hK2 and intact PSA were measured in anticoagulated blood plasma.

RESULTS

• At baseline, the median tPSA was 6.8 (interquartile range, 4.5–9.6) ng/mL. The intra‐individual variation was low for all biomarkers, and lowest for tPSA. For 80% of participants, the ratio between first and second time points for tPSA was in the range 0.91–1.09 and the ratio for percent fPSA was in the range 0.89–1.15.

• Total coefficients of variation between time 1 and 2 for tPSA, fPSA, percent fPSA, hK2 and intact PSA were 4.0%, 6.6%, 6.0%, 9.2% and 9.5%, respectively.

• The measurements taken several days apart varied more than those taken on the same day, although the variation between both time points was not large.

CONCLUSIONS

• The intra‐individual variation for all the kallikrein‐like markers studied was relatively small, especially for samples drawn the same day.

• Few cases are reclassified between the time points. This indicates the high short‐term biological and technical reproducibility of the tests in clinical use.
Preliminary study with bicalutamide in heterosexual and homosexual patients with prostate cancer: a possible implication of androgens in male homosexual arousal
Authors: Motofei Ion G. , Rowland David L. , Popa Florian , Kreienkamp Drew , Paunica Stana
Published: October 2010

Study Type – Symptom prevalence (case series)  Level of Evidence 4

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

A recent published paper regarding sexual and cognitive duality presents that androgens act synergic with female sexual pheromones while estrogens would act synergic with male sexual pheromones in normal potent men.

The same authors found in this study that bicalutamide disfavours sexual function predominantly in homosexual rather than heterosexual men suffering with prostate cancer. The results of this study are interpreted alone in this article, the similarities and differences with results corresponding to younger and normal potent men following to be discussed recently in a review regarding psychosexual dualism.

OBJECTIVE

• Not only has a precise characterization of libido and sexual arousal in men as a central neural process been lacking, but the interactive role of gonadal hormones and sexual orientation in such processes has never been investigated. We investigate the relationships among sexual hormones, sexual arousal, and sexual orientation in men by comparing the self‐reported sexual response of heterosexual and homosexual men with locally advanced prostate neoplasm, receiving the non‐steroidal anti‐androgen bicalutamide as monotherapy.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

• 29 Romanian men participated in this study: 17 heterosexual and 12 homosexual. Patients were undergoing treatment for prostate cancer consisting of a standard daily dose of 50 mg bicalutamide, a fast acting non‐steroidal anti‐androgen with action comparable to other anti‐androgen drugs but with reportedly fewer sexual side effects.

• Patients retrospectively provided information regarding their sexual functioning measured by the IIEF prior to commencing bicalutamide treatment.

• Then, about five weeks later, patients were asked to prospectively provide information regarding their current sexual functioning while undergoing bicalutamide treatment.

RESULTS

• Overall IIEF scores as well as the Erectile Function, Orgasmic Function, Sexual Desire, and Overall Satisfaction subscales showed group, treatment, and group by treatment effects.

• The Intercourse Satisfaction subscale showed group and group by treatment effects.

• On most subscales, homosexual men showed lower functioning than heterosexual men, primarily in response to treatment with bicalutamide.

CONCLUSIONS

• Treatment with an anti‐androgen in a clinical population of men undergoing therapy for prostate cancer affected homosexual men more than heterosexual men, although not all heterosexual men were unaffected.

• These results are discussed in the context of dual sexual natures, a concept recently developed in the sexual literature.

• Furthermore, these findings reiterate the importance of incorporating such variables as sexual orientation into studies investigating medical treatments on sexual response.
Mid‐term evaluation of the transobturator male sling for post‐prostatectomy incontinence: focus on prognostic factors
Authors: Cornu Jean‐Nicolas , Sèbe Philippe , Ciofu Calin , Peyrat Laurence , Cussenot Olivier , Haab Francois
Published: October 2010

Study Type – Therapy (outcomes research)

Level of Evidence 2b

OBJECTIVE

• To assess clinical outcomes at mid‐term follow‐up and determine preoperative factors associated with the failure of the AdvanceTM male sling for post‐prostatectomy incontinence (PPI).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

• A prospective evaluation was conducted of 136 consecutive patients implanted with the AdvanceTM male sling for mild to moderate stress urinary incontinence after prostatectomy.

• Patients were preoperatively evaluated using medical history, ASA score, urodynamics, 24‐h pad test and pad usage.

• The clinical outcome was evaluated according to pad use and the Patient Global Impression of Improvement scale and by assessment of side effects. ‘Cure’ was defined as no pad usage and ‘improvement’ as a decrease in pad use by >50%.

• Factors related to functional outcome were studied by univariate and multivariate analysis.

RESULTS

• After a mean ± SD (range) follow‐up of 21 ± 6 (12–36) months, 62% of patients were cured, 16% improved and 22% not improved.

• Failure (no cure or improvement) was associated with previous urethral stricture surgery (P= 0.013) and a 24‐h pad‐test >200 g/day (P= 0.026), and there was a trend for an association with previous radiation therapy (P= 0.053).

• Age, learning curve and type of prostatectomy did not affect the results.

• Immediate postoperative complications were limited to two cases of dysuria, one case of perineal haematoma and two cases of perineal paresthesia. During follow‐up, 10% of patients had perineal pain and 14% of patients had mild dysuria. None required surgical management.

CONCLUSION

• The results of the present study, with a follow‐up of up to 3 years, confirm that the AdvanceTM male sling is an efficient treatment for PPI. However, particular attention should be given to the preoperative data associated with failure.
Binary Orientation Trees for Volume and Surface Reconstruction from Unoriented Point Clouds
Authors: Chen Yi‐Ling , Chen Bing‐Yu , Lai Shang‐Hong , Nishita Tomoyuki
Published: October 2010

Given a complete unoriented point set, we propose a binary orientation tree (BOT) for volume and surface representation, which roughly splits the space into the interior and exterior regions with respect to the input point set. The BOTs are constructed by performing a traditional octree subdivision technique while the corners of each cell are associated with a tag indicating thein/outrelationship with respect to the input point set. Starting from the root cell, a growing stage is performed to efficiently assign tags to the connected empty sub‐cells. The unresolved tags of the remaining cell corners are determined by examining their visibility via the hidden point removal operator. We show that the outliers accompanying the input point set can be effectively detected during the construction of the BOTs. After removing the outliers and resolving thein/outtags, the BOTs are ready to support any volume or surface representation techniques. To represent the surfaces, we also present a modified MPU implicits algorithm enabled to reconstruct surfaces from the input unoriented point clouds by taking advantage of the BOTs.
Dirichlet Harmonic Shape Compression with Feature Preservation for Parameterized Surfaces
Authors: Liu Yang , Prabhakaran Balakrishnan , Guo Xiaohu
Published: October 2010

With the rapid advancement of 3D scanning devices, large and complicated 3D shapes are becoming ubiquitous, and require large amount of resources to store and transmit them efficiently. This makes shape compression a demanding technique in order for the user to reduce the data transmission latency. Existing shape compression methods could achieve very low bit‐rates by sacrificing shape quality. But none of them guarantees the preservation of salient feature lines that users care. In addition, many 3D shapes come with parametric information for texture mapping purposes. In this paper we describe a spectral method to compress the geometric shapes equipped with arbitrary valid parametric information. It guarantees to preserve user‐specified feature lines while achieving a high compression ratio. By applying the spectral shape analysis – Dirichlet Manifold Harmonics, in the 2D parametric domain, this method provides a progressive compression mechanism to trade‐off between bit‐rate and shape quality. Experiments show that this method provides very low bit‐rate with high shape‐quality and still guarantees the preservation of user‐specified feature lines.
Instant Propagation of Sparse Edits on Images and Videos
Authors: Li Yong , Ju Tao , Hu Shi‐Min
Published: October 2010

The ability to quickly and intuitively edit digital contents has become increasingly important in our everyday life. We propose a novel method for propagating a sparse set of user edits (e.g., changes in color, brightness, contrast, etc.) expressed as casual strokes to nearby regions in an image or video with similar appearances. Existing methods for edit propagation are typically based on optimization, whose computational cost can be prohibitive for large inputs. We re‐formulate propagation as a function interpolation problem in a high‐dimensional space, which we solve very efficiently using radial basis functions. While simple to implement, our method significantly improves the speed and space cost of existing methods, and provides instant feedback of propagation results even on large images and videos.
Modeling of Clouds from a Single Photograph
Authors: Dobashi Yoshinori , Shinzo Yusuke , Yamamoto Tsuyoshi
Published: October 2010

In this paper, we propose a simple method for modeling clouds from a single photograph. Our method can synthesize three types of clouds: cirrus, altocumulus, and cumulus. We use three different representations for each type of cloud: two‐dimensional texture for cirrus, implicit functions (metaballs) for altocumulus, and volume data for cumulus. Our method initially computes the intensity and the opacity of clouds for each pixel from an input photograph, stored as a cloud image. For cirrus, the cloud image is the output two‐dimensional texture. For each of the other two types of cloud, three‐dimensional density distributions are generated by referring to the cloud image. Since the method is very simple, the computational cost is low. Our method can generate, within several seconds, realistic clouds that are similar to those in the photograph.
Real‐time Depth of Field Rendering via Dynamic Light Field Generation and Filtering
Authors: Yu Xuan , Wang Rui , Yu Jingyi
Published: October 2010

We present a new algorithm for efficient rendering of high‐quality depth‐of‐field (DoF) effects. We start with a single rasterized view (reference view) of the scene, and sample the light field by warping the reference view to nearby views. We implement the algorithm using NVIDIA's CUDA to achieve parallel processing, and exploit the atomic operations to resolve visibility when multiple pixels warp to the same image location. We then directly synthesize DoF effects from the sampled light field. To reduce aliasing artifacts, we propose an image‐space filtering technique that compensates for spatial undersampling using MIP mapping. The main advantages of our algorithm are its simplicity and generality. We demonstrate interactive rendering of DoF effects in several complex scenes. Compared to existing methods, ours does not require ray tracing and hence scales well with scene complexity.
Density‐based Outlier Rejection in Monte Carlo Rendering
Authors: DeCoro Christopher , Weyrich Tim , Rusinkiewicz Szymon
Published: October 2010

The problem of noise in Monte‐Carlo rendering arising from estimator variance is well‐known and well‐studied. In this work, we concentrate on identifying individual light paths as outliers that lead to significant spikes of noise and represent a challenge for existing filtering methods. Most noise‐reduction methods, such as importance sampling and stratification, attempt to generate samples that are expected a priori to have lower variance, but do not take into account actual sample values. While these methods are essential to decrease overall noise, we show that filtering samples a posteriori allows for greater reduction of spiked noise. In particular, given evaluated sample values, outliers can be identified and removed. Conforming with conventions in statistics, we emphasize that the term “outlier” should not be taken as synonymous with “incorrect”, but as referring to samples that distort the empirically‐observed distribution of energy relative to the true underlying distribution. By expressing a path distribution in joint image and color space, we show how outliers can be characterized by their density across the set of all nearby paths in this space. We show that removing these outliers leads to significant improvements in rendering quality.
An Example‐based Approach to Synthesize Artistic Strokes using Graphs
Authors: Kim Mikyung , Shin Hyun Joon
Published: October 2010

In this paper, we propose a technique to produce artistic strokes in a variety of drawing material based on example images. Our approach is to divide example strokes scanned from images into small pieces along their stroke directions and synthesize a novel stroke by rearranging them along a user specified curve. The visible quality of a synthesized stroke can be maintained by utilizing the connectivity information stored in a directed graph constructed in the preprocessing step. At run‐time, the graph is traversed to find a path best matching the user specification given as a curve and additional information. The results of our experiments shows that visually convincing strokes of various materials can be generated efficiently.
Manifold‐Based 3D Face Caricature Generation with Individualized Facial Feature Extraction
Authors: Wang S.F. , Lai S.H.
Published: October 2010

Caricature is an interesting art to express exaggerated views of different persons and things through drawing. The face caricature is popular and widely used for different applications. To do this, we have to properly extract unique/specialized features of a person's face. A person's facial feature not only depends on his/her natural appearance, but also the associated expression style. Therefore, we would like to extract the neutural facial features and personal expression style for different applicaions. In this paper, we represent the 3D neutral face models in BU–3DFE database by sparse signal decomposition in the training phase. With this decomposition, the sparse training data can be used for robust linear subspace modeling of public faces. For an input 3D face model, we fit the model and decompose the 3D model geometry into a neutral face and the expression deformation separately. The neutral geomertry can be further decomposed into public face and individualized facial feature. We exaggerate the facial features and the expressions by estimating the probability on the corresponding manifold. The public face, the exaggerated facial features and the exaggerated expression are combined to synthesize a 3D caricature for a 3D face model. The proposed algorithm is automatic and can effectively extract the individualized facial features from an input 3D face model to create 3D face caricature.
Feature based terrain generation using diffusion equation
Authors: Hnaidi Houssam , Guérin Eric , Akkouche Samir , Peytavie Adrien , Galin Eric
Published: October 2010

This paper presents a diffusion method for generating terrains from a set of parameterized curves that characterize the landform features such as ridge lines, riverbeds or cliffs. Our approach provides the user with an intuitive vector‐based feature‐oriented control over the terrain. Different types of constraints (such as elevation, slope angle and roughness) can be attached to the curves so as to define the shape of the terrain. The terrain is generated from the curve representation by using an efficient multigrid diffusion algorithm. The algorithm can be efficiently implemented on the GPU, which allows the user to interactively create a vast variety of landscapes.
Context‐Dependent Crowd Evaluation
Authors: Lerner Alon , Chrysanthou Yiorgos , Shamir Ariel , Cohen‐Or Daniel
Published: October 2010

Many times, even if a crowd simulation looks good in general, there could be some specific individual behaviors which do not seem correct. Spotting such problems manually can become tedious, but ignoring them may harm the simulation's credibility. In this paper we present a data‐driven approach for evaluating the behaviors of individuals within a simulated crowd. Based on video‐footage of a real crowd, a database of behavior examples is generated. Given a simulation of a crowd, an analog analysis is performed on it, defining a set of queries, which are matched by a similarity function to the database examples. The results offer a possible objective answer to the question of how similar are the simulated individual behaviors to real observed behaviors. Moreover, by changing the video input one can change the context of evaluation. We show several examples of evaluating simulated crowds produced using different techniques and comprising of dense crowds, sparse crowds and flocks.
Multi‐Resolution Cloth Simulation
Authors: Lee Yongjoon , Yoon Sung‐eui , Oh Seungwoo , Kim Duksu , Choi Sunghee
Published: October 2010

We propose a novel, multi‐resolution method to efficiently perform large‐scale cloth simulation. Our cloth simulation method is based on a triangle‐based energy model constructed from a cloth mesh. We identify that solutions of the linear system of cloth simulation are smooth in certain regions of the cloth mesh and solve the linear system on those regions in a reduced solution space. Then we reconstruct the original solutions by performing a simple interpolation from solutions computed in the reduced space. In order to identify regions where solutions are smooth, we propose simplification metrics that consider stretching, shear, and bending forces, as well as geometric collisions. Our multi‐resolution method can be applied to many existing cloth simulation methods, since our method works on a general linear system. In order to demonstrate benefits of our method, we apply our method into four large‐scale cloth benchmarks that consist of tens or hundreds of thousands of triangles. Because of the reduced computations, we achieve a performance improvement by a factor of up to one order of magnitude, with a little loss of simulation quality.
Fast Updating of Delaunay Triangulation of Moving Points by Bi‐cell Filtering
Authors: Zhou Yuanfeng , Sun Feng , Wang Wenping , Wang Jiaye , Zhang Caiming
Published: October 2010

Updating a Delaunay triangulation when data points are slightly moved is the bottleneck of computation time in variational methods for mesh generation and remeshing. Utilizing the connectivity coherence between two consecutive Delaunay triangulations for computation speedup is the key to solving this problem. Our contribution is an effective filtering technique that confirms most bi‐cells whose Delaunay connectivities remain unchanged after the points are perturbed. Based on bi‐cell flipping, we present an efficient algorithm for updating two‐dimensional and three‐dimensional Delaunay triangulations of dynamic point sets. Experimental results show that our algorithm outperforms previous methods.
Polygonal Surface Advection applied to Strange Attractors
Authors: Yan S. , Max N. , Ma K.‐L.
Published: October 2010

Strange attractors of 3D vector field flows sometimes have a fractal geometric structure in one dimension, and smooth surface behavior in the other two. General flow visualization methods show the flow dynamics well, but not the fractal structure. Here we approximate the attractor by polygonal surfaces, which reveal the fractal geometry. We start with a polygonal approximation which neglects the fractal dimension, and then deform it by the flow to create multiple sheets of the fractal structure. We use adaptive subdivision, mesh decimation, and retiling methods to preserve the quality of the polygonal surface in the face of extreme stretching, bending, and creasing caused by the flow. A GPU implementation provides efficient visualization, which we also apply to other turbulent flows.
From north Indian vernaculars to a new world philology Introduction
Authors: ARAC JONATHAN
Published: October 2010

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

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

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

This cluster of papers carries forward Critical Quarterly's emphasis on language in society and history. They offer incisive, innovative perspectives on several major debates concerning vernacular languages of northern South Asia. Hindi and Urdu have been the languages of Indian‐Hindu and Pakistani‐Muslim nationalism, extending over the arc from British colonialism to Independence and Partition (1947), and continuing in the seven decades since. Both languages arise from the north Indian everyday speech called, in its own terms, Kharī bōlī and known in the nineteenth century as Hindustani (unsuccessfully revived by Gandhi as a unifying term and concept). The only definitive distinction between them is the alphabet: Hindi is rendered in Devanagari; Urdu in a right‐to‐left script derived from Persian and Arabic.
ADAPTIVE AND MALADAPTIVE RESPONSES OF MANAGERS TO CHANGING ENVIRONMENTS: A STUDY OF AUSTRALIAN PUBLIC SECTOR SENIOR EXECUTIVES
Authors: MATTHEWS JUDY , RYAN NEAL , WILLIAMS TREVOR
Published: October 2010

This paper examines data collected from senior executives in two Australian government agencies to identify patterns of adaptive and maladaptive responses to change in public sector environments. The conceptual categories of passive maladaptive, active maladaptive and active adaptive responses are all supported by the interview data, with half of the executives expressing predominantly active adaptive responses to external change and uncertainty and half displaying various kinds of passive and active maladaptive responses. The implications of the findings for managers as agents of organizational learning and adaptation in public sector environments are discussed.
MULTI‐LAYERED ACCOUNTABILITY. PERFORMANCE‐BASED FUNDING OF UNIVERSITIES
Authors: FRØLICH NICOLINE
Published: October 2010

In most Western countries there has been an increasing demand for new and different types of audit, evaluation and reporting systems that reveal the output of public sector organizations (Pollitt and Bouckaert 2000). Quality assessments have had a profound impact on the funding of university research, most visibly in the UK. However, the relationship between qualitative and quantitative indicators of research performance has been an ongoing source of debate (Bence and Oppenheim 2004). By exploring four different types of accountability relations, this paper investigates different stakeholders' perceptions of whether or not performance funding increases accountability and transparency, and poses the following questions: Does performance funding result in high accountability and high transparency? Does high accountability imply high transparency? Does high transparency lead to low accountability? Three main empirical sources have been utilized: a comprehensive survey of faculty at Norwegian higher education institutions, a stakeholder survey, and data from case studies of four universities.
The literacy profile of Greek precocious readers: a follow‐up study
Authors: Tafa Eufimia , Manolitsis George
Published: October 2010

The aim of this follow‐up study was to examine the progress made by 13 Greek‐speaking precocious readers in phonological awareness, reading and spelling from the fourth to sixth grades of primary education, and to compare their progress with that of 11 nonprecocious reader classmates. It was hypothesised that because of the linguistic characteristics of Greek orthography, precocious readers would not have an advantage in phonological awareness, spelling and reading comprehension tasks, but would have an advantage in reading speed. The data analyses showed that by the end of primary education, precocious readers had significantly better performance than their nonprecocious reader classmates in phonological awareness and reading speed tasks, but there was no significant difference between the groups in spelling and reading comprehension tasks. However, phonological awareness differences between the groups did not maintain when spelling achievement was taken into account.
Modelling Long-Term Human Immunodeficiency Virus Dynamic Models with Application to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Clinical Study
Authors: Chen Jianwei
Published: October 2010

Mathematical modelling of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) dynamics has played an important role in acquired immune deficiency syndrome research. Deterministic dynamic models have been developed to study the viral dynamic process for understanding the pathogenesis of HIV type 1 infection and antiviral treatment strategies. We propose a new multistage estimation procedure which uses data, HIV viral load and CD4+ T-cell counts, from an acquired immune deficiency syndrome clinical study, to estimate the parameters in a long-term HIV dynamic model containing both constant and time varying parameters. Simulation studies and a real data application show that the methods proposed are efficient and appropriate to estimate both constant and time varying parameters in long-term HIV dynamic models.
Who uses nursing theory? A univariate descriptive analysis of five years’ research articles
Authors: Bond A. Elaine , Eshah Nidal Farid , Bani‐Khaled Mohammed , Hamad Atef Omar , Habashneh Samira , Kataua’ Hussein , al‐Jarrah Imad , Kamal Andaleeb Abu , Hamdan Falastine Rafic , Maabreh Roqia
Published: October 2010

Scand J Caring Sci; 2011; 25; 404–409
 
Who uses nursing theory? A univariate descriptive analysis of five years’ research articles

Background:  Since the early 1950s, nursing leaders have worked diligently to build the Scientific Discipline of Nursing, integrating Theory, Research and Practice. Recently, the role of theory has again come into question, with some scientists claiming nurses are not using theory to guide their research, with which to improve practice.

Aims:  The purposes of this descriptive study were to determine: (i) Were nursing scientists’ research articles in leading nursing journals based on theory? (ii) If so, were the theories nursing theories or borrowed theories? (iii) Were the theories integrated into the studies, or were they used as organizing frameworks?

Methods:  Research articles from seven top ISI journals were analysed, excluding regularly featured columns, meta‐analyses, secondary analysis, case studies and literature reviews. The authors used King’s dynamic Interacting system and Goal Attainment Theory as an organizing framework. They developed consensus on how to identify the integration of theory, searching the Title, Abstract, Aims, Methods, Discussion and Conclusion sections of each research article, whether quantitative or qualitative.

Results:  Of 2857 articles published in the seven journals from 2002 to, and including, 2006, 2184 (76%) were research articles. Of the 837 (38%) authors who used theories, 460 (55%) used nursing theories, 377 (45%) used other theories: 776 (93%) of those who used theory integrated it into their studies, including qualitative studies, while 51 (7%) reported they used theory as an organizing framework for their studies. Closer analysis revealed theory principles were implicitly implied, even in research reports that did not explicitly report theory usage.

Conclusions:  Increasing numbers of nursing research articles (though not percentagewise) continue to be guided by theory, and not always by nursing theory. Newer nursing research methods may not explicitly state the use of nursing theory, though it is implicitly implied.