bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Global Illumination‐Aware Stylised Shading
Authors: Doi K. , Morimoto Y. , Tsuruno R.
Published: November 2021

Our aim is to convert an object's appearance to an arbitrary colour considering the light scattering in the entire scene, which is often called the global illumination. Existing stylisation methods convert the colour of an object with a 1‐dimensional texture for 3‐dimensional computer graphics to reproduce a typical style used in illustrations and cel animations. However, they cannot express global illumination effects. We propose two individual methods to compute the global illumination and convert the shading to an arbitrary colour. The methods reproduce reflections in other objects with the converted colour. As a result, we can convert the colour of illumination effects that have not yet been reproduced, such as soft shadows and refractions.
Fluidymation: Stylizing Animations Using Natural Dynamics of Artistic Media
Authors: Platkevič A. , Curtis C. , Sýkora D.
Published: November 2021

We present Fluidymation—a new example‐based approach to stylizing animation that employs the natural dynamics of artistic media to convey a prescribed motion. In contrast to previous stylization techniques that transfer the hand‐painted appearance of a static style exemplar and then try to enforce temporal coherence, we use moving exemplars that capture the artistic medium's inherent dynamic properties, and transfer both movement and appearance to reproduce natural‐looking transitions between individual animation frames. Our approach can synthetically generate stylized sequences that look as if actual paint is diffusing across a canvas in the direction and speed of the target motion.
Modeling Visual Containment for Web Page Layout Optimization
Authors: Kikuchi K. , Otani M. , Yamaguchi K. , Simo‐Serra E.
Published: November 2021

Web pages have become fundamental in conveying information for companies and individuals, yet designing web page layouts remains a challenging task for inexperienced individuals despite web builders and templates. Visual containment, in which elements are grouped together and placed inside container elements, is an efficient design strategy for organizing elements in a limited display, and is widely implemented in most web page designs. Yet, visual containment has not been explicitly addressed in the research on generating layouts from scratch, which may be due to the lack of hierarchical structure. In this work, we represent such visual containment as a layout tree, and formulate the layout design task as a hierarchical optimization problem. We first estimate the layout tree from a given a set of elements, which is then used to compute tree‐aware energies corresponding to various desirable design properties such as alignment or spacing. Using an optimization approach also allows our method to naturally incorporate user intentions and create an interactive web design application. We obtain a dataset of diverse and popular real‐world web designs to optimize and evaluate various aspects of our method. Experimental results show that our method generates better quality layouts compared to the baseline method.
Deep Learning‐Based Unsupervised Human Facial Retargeting
Authors: Kim Seonghyeon , Jung Sunjin , Seo Kwanggyoon , i Ribera Roger Blanco , Noh Junyong
Published: November 2021

Traditional approaches to retarget existing facial blendshape animations to other characters rely heavily on manually paired data including corresponding anchors, expressions, or semantic parametrizations to preserve the characteristics of the original performance. In this paper, inspired by recent developments in face swapping and reenactment, we propose a novel unsupervised learning method that reformulates the retargeting of 3D facial blendshape‐based animations in the image domain. The expressions of a source model is transferred to a target model via the rendered images of the source animation. For this purpose, a reenactment network is trained with the rendered images of various expressions created by the source and target models in a shared latent space. The use of shared latent space enable an automatic cross‐mapping obviating the need for manual pairing. Next, a blendshape prediction network is used to extract the blendshape weights from the translated image to complete the retargeting of the animation onto a 3D target model. Our method allows for fully unsupervised retargeting of facial expressions between models of different configurations, and once trained, is suitable for automatic real‐time applications.
Diverse Dance Synthesis via Keyframes with Transformer Controllers
Authors: Pan Junjun , Wang Siyuan , Bai Junxuan , Dai Ju
Published: November 2021

Existing keyframe‐based motion synthesis mainly focuses on the generation of cyclic actions or short‐term motion, such as walking, running, and transitions between close postures. However, these methods will significantly degrade the naturalness and diversity of the synthesized motion when dealing with complex and impromptu movements , e.g., dance performance and martial arts. In addition, current research lacks fine‐grained control over the generated motion, which is essential for intelligent human‐computer interaction and animation creation. In this paper, we propose a novel keyframe‐based motion generation network based on multiple constraints, which can achieve diverse dance synthesis via learned knowledge. Specifically, the algorithm is mainly formulated based on the recurrent neural network (RNN) and the Transformer architecture. The backbone of our network is a hierarchical RNN module composed of two long short‐term memory (LSTM) units, in which the first LSTM is utilized to embed the posture information of the historical frames into a latent space, and the second one is employed to predict the human posture for the next frame. Moreover, our framework contains two Transformer‐based controllers, which are used to model the constraints of the root trajectory and the velocity factor respectively, so as to better utilize the temporal context of the frames and achieve fine‐grained motion control. We verify the proposed approach on a dance dataset containing a wide range of contemporary dance. The results of three quantitative analyses validate the superiority of our algorithm. The video and qualitative experimental results demonstrate that the complex motion sequences generated by our algorithm can achieve diverse and smooth motion transitions between keyframes, even for long‐term synthesis.
A Dynamic Mixture Model for Non‐equilibrium Multiphase Fluids
Authors: Jiang Y. , Lan Y.
Published: November 2021

We present a dynamic mixture model for simulating multiphase fluids with highly dynamic relative motions. The previous mixture models assume that the multiphase fluids are under a local equilibrium condition such that the drift velocity and the phase transport can be computed analytically. By doing so, it avoids solving multiple sets of Navier‐Stokes equations and improves the simulation efficiency and stability. However, due to the local equilibrium assumption, these approaches can only deal with tightly coupled multiphase systems, where the relative speed between phases are assumed stable. In this work we abandon the local equilibrium assumption, and redesign the computation workflow of the mixture model to explicitly track and decouple the velocities of all phases. The phases still share the same pressure, with which we enforce the incompressibility for the mixture. The phase transport is calculated with drift velocities, and we propose a novel correction scheme to handle the transport at fluid boundaries to ensure mass conservation. Compared with previous mixture models, the proposed approach enables the simulation of much more dynamic scenarios with negligible extra overheads. In addition, it allows fluid control techniques to be applied to individual phases to generate locally dynamic and visually interesting effects.
A Lagrangian Particle‐based Formulation for Coupled Simulation of Fracture and Diffusion in Thin Membranes
Authors: Han Chengguizi , Xue Tao , Aanjaneya Mridul
Published: November 2021

We propose a Lagrangian particle‐based formulation for simulating deformation, fracture, and diffusion in thin membranelike structures, such as aluminium foil, rubbery films, and seaweed flakes. We integrate our model with diffusion processes and derive a unified framework for simulating deformation‐diffusion coupled phenomena, which is applied to provide realistic heterogeneity induced by the diffusion process to fracture patterns. To the best of our knowledge, our work is the first to simulate the complex fracture patterns of single‐layered membranes in computer graphics and introduce heterogeneity induced by the diffusion process, which generates more geometrically rich fracture patterns. Our end‐to‐end 3D simulations show that our deformation‐diffusion coupling framework captures detailed fracture growth patterns in thin membranes due to both in‐plane and out‐of‐plane motions, producing realistically wrinkled slit edges, and heterogeneity introduced due to diffusion.
Consistent Post‐Reconstruction for Progressive Photon Mapping
Authors: Choi Hajin , Moon Bochang
Published: November 2021

Photon mapping is a light transport algorithm that simulates various rendering effects (e.g., caustics) robustly, and its progressive variants, progressive photon mapping (PPM) methods, can produce a biased but consistent rendering output. PPM estimates radiance using a kernel density estimation whose parameters (bandwidths) are adjusted progressively, and this refinement enables to reduce its estimation bias. Nonetheless, many iterations (and thus a large number of photons) are often required until PPM produces nearly converged estimates. This paper proposes a post‐reconstruction that improves the performance of PPM by reducing residual errors in PPM estimates. Our key idea is to take multiple PPM estimates with multi‐level correlation structures, and fuse the input images using a weight function trained by supervised learning with maintaining the consistency of PPM. We demonstrate that our technique boosts an existing PPM technique for various rendering scenes.
A multi‐pass method for accelerated spectral sampling
Authors: van de Ruit M. , Eisemann E.
Published: November 2021

Spectral Monte Carlo rendering can simulate advanced light phenomena, such as chromatic dispersion, but typically shows a slow convergence behavior. Properly sampling the spectral domain can be challenging in scenes with many complex spectral distributions. To this end, we propose a multi‐pass approach. We build and store coarse screen‐space estimates of incident spectral radiance and use these to then importance sample the spectral domain. Hereby, we lower variance and reduce noise with little overhead. Our method handles challenging scenarios with difficult spectral distributions, many different emitters, and participating media. Finally, it can be integrated into existing spectral rendering methods for an additional acceleration.
Z‐Thickness Blending: Effective Fragment Merging for Multi‐Fragment Rendering
Authors: Kim Dongjoon , Kye Heewon
Published: November 2021

An effective fragment merging technique is presented in this study that addresses multi‐fragment problems, including fragment overflow and z‐fighting, and provides visual effects that are beneficial for various screen‐space rendering algorithms. The proposed method merges locally adjacent fragments along the viewing direction to resolve the aforementioned problems based on cost‐effective multi‐layer representation and coplanar blending. We introduce a z‐thickness model based on the radiosity spreading from the viewing z‐direction. Moreover, we present the fragment‐merging schemes and rules for determining the visibility of the merged fragments based on the proposed z‐thickness model. The proposed method is targeted at multi‐fragment rendering that handles individual fragments (e.g., k‐buffer) instead of representing the fragments as an approximated transmittance function. In addition, our method provides a smooth visibility transition across overlapping fragments, resulting in visual advantages in various visualization applications. In this paper, we demonstrate the advantages of the proposed method through several screen‐space rendering applications.
Real‐time Denoising Using BRDF Pre‐integration Factorization
Authors: Zhuang Tao , Shen Pengfei , Wang Beibei , Liu Ligang
Published: November 2021

Path tracing has been used for real‐time renderings, thanks to the powerful GPU device. Unfortunately, path tracing produces noisy rendered results, thus, filtering or denoising is often applied as a post‐process to remove the noise. Previous works produce high‐quality denoised results, by accumulating the temporal samples. However, they cannot handle the details from bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) maps (e.g. roughness map). In this paper, we introduce the BRDF pre‐integration factorization for denoising to better preserve the details from BRDF maps. More specifically, we reformulate the rendering equation into two components: the BRDF pre‐integration component and the weighted‐lighting component. The BRDF pre‐integration component is noise‐free, since it does not depend on the lighting. Another key observation is that the weighted‐lighting component tends to be smooth and low‐frequency, which indicates that it is more suitable for denoising than the final rendered image. Hence, the weighted‐lighting component is denoised individually. Our BRDF pre‐integration demodulation approach is flexible for many real‐time filtering methods. We have implemented it in spatio‐temporal variance‐guided filtering (SVGF), ReLAX and ReBLUR. Compared to the original methods, our method manages to better preserve the details from BRDF maps, while both the memory and time cost are negligible.
A Motion‐guided Interface for Modeling 3D Multi‐functional Furniture
Authors: Chen Minchan , Lau Manfred
Published: November 2021

While non‐expert 3D design systems are helpful for performing conceptual design, most existing works focused on modeling static objects. However, the 3D modeling interfaces can include more interactions between the user and the models that are dynamic (and can be interacted with). In this paper, we propose a 3D modeling system for the conceptual design of interactable multi‐functional furniture. Our contribution is in the design and development of a motion‐guided interface. The key idea is that users should create interactable furniture components as if they are interacting with them with their hands. We conducted a preliminary user study to explore users’ preferred hand gestures for creating various dynamic furniture components, implemented a 3D modeling system with the preferred gestures as a basis for the motion‐guided user interface, and conducted an evaluation user study to demonstrate that our user interface is user‐friendly and efficient for novice designers to perform conceptual furniture designs.
UprightRL: Upright Orientation Estimation of 3D Shapes via Reinforcement Learning
Authors: Chen Luanmin , Xu Juzhan , Wang Chuan , Huang Haibin , Huang Hui , Hu Ruizhen
Published: November 2021

In this paper, we study the problem of 3D shape upright orientation estimation from the perspective of reinforcement learning, i.e. we teach a machine (agent) to orientate 3D shapes step by step to upright given its current observation. Unlike previous methods, we take this problem as a sequential decision‐making process instead of a strong supervised learning problem. To achieve this, we propose UprightRL, a deep network architecture designed for upright orientation estimation. UprightRL mainly consists of two submodules: an Actor module and a Critic module which can be learned with a reinforcement learning manner. Specifically, the Actor module selects an action from the action space to perform a point cloud transformation and obtain the new point cloud for the next environment state, while the Critic module evaluates the strategy and guides the Actor to choose the next stage action. Moreover, we design a reward function that encourages the agent to select action which is conducive to orient model towards upright orientation with a positive reward and negative otherwise. We conducted extensive experiments to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model, and experimental results show that our network outperforms the state‐of‐the‐art. We also apply our method to the robot grasping‐and‐placing experiment, to reveal the practicability of our method.
Synthesizing Geologically Coherent Cave Networks
Authors: Paris A. , Guérin E. , Peytavie A. , Collon P. , Galin E.
Published: November 2021

We present a geologically‐based method to generate complex karstic networks. Karsts are a type of landscape formed by the dissolution of highly soluble rocks (generally limestones). In particular, they are characterized by complex underground networks made of varieties of tunnels and breakout chambers with stalagmites and stalactites. Our method computes skeletons of karstic networks by using a gridless anisotropic shortest path algorithm according to field data of the underground system (such as inlets and outlets), geomorphological features and parameters such as faults, inception horizons, fractures, and permeability contrasts. From this skeleton, we define the geometry of the conduits as a signed distance function construction tree combining primitives with blending and warping operators. Our framework provides multiple levels of control, allowing us to author both the structure of the karstic network and the geometric cross‐section shapes and details of the generated conduits.
Manhattan‐world urban building reconstruction by fitting cubes
Authors: He Zhenbang , Wang Yunhai , Cheng Zhanglin
Published: November 2021

The Manhattan‐world building is a kind of dominant scene in urban areas. Many existing methods for reconstructing such scenes are either vulnerable to noisy and incomplete data or suffer from high computational complexity. In this paper, we present a novel approach to quickly reconstruct lightweight Manhattan‐world urban building models from images. Our key idea is to reconstruct buildings through the salient feature ‐ corners. Given a set of urban building images, Structure‐from‐Motion and 3D line reconstruction operations are applied first to recover camera poses, sparse point clouds, and line clouds. Then we use orthogonal planes detected from the line cloud to generate corners, which indicate a part of possible buildings. Starting from the corners, we fit cubes to point clouds by optimizing corner parameters and obtain cube representations of corresponding buildings. Finally, a registration step is performed on cube representations to generate more accurate models. Experiment results show that our approach can handle some nasty cases containing noisy and incomplete data, meanwhile, output lightweight polygonal building models with a low time‐consuming.
18F‐fluorodeoxy‐glucose positron emission tomography pattern and prognostic predictors in patients with anti‐GABAB receptor encephalitis
Authors: Liu Xiao , Yu Tingting , Zhao Xiaobin , Li Gongfei , Lv Ruijuan , Ai Lin , Wang Qun
Published: November 2021

Aims

To identify the metabolic pattern and prognostic predictors in anti‐gamma‐aminobutyric‐acid B (GABAB) receptor encephalitis using 18F‐fluorodeoxy‐glucose positron emission tomography (18F‐FDG‐PET).

Methods

Twenty‐one patients diagnosed anti‐GABAB receptor encephalitis who underwent 18F‐FDG‐PET at first hospitalization were retrospectively reviewed. 18F‐FDG‐PET images were analyzed in comparison with controls. Further group comparisons of 18F‐FDG‐PET data were carried out between prognostic subgroups.

Results

18F‐FDG‐PET was abnormal in 81% patients with anti‐GABAB receptor encephalitis and was more sensitive than MRI (81% vs. 42.9%, p = 0.025). Alter limbic lobe glucose metabolism (mostly hypermetabolism) was observed in 14 patients (66.7%), of whom 10 (10/14, 71.4%) demonstrated hypermetabolism in the medial temporal lobe (MTL). Group analysis also confirmed MTL hypermetabolism in association with relative frontal and parietal hypometabolism was a general metabolic pattern. After a median follow‐up of 33 months, the group comparisons revealed that patients with poor outcome demonstrated increased metabolism in the MTL compared to those with good outcome.

Conclusion

18F‐FDG‐PET may be more sensitive than MRI in the early diagnosis of anti‐GABAB receptor encephalitis. MTL hypermetabolism was associated with relative frontal or parietal hypometabolism and may serve as a prognostic biomarker in anti‐GABAB receptor encephalitis.
Novel modified side‐by‐side balloon dilatation method for esophagogastric junction strictures: Single‐/double‐barrel techniques
Authors: Toshimori Akiko , Inoue Haruhiro , Fujiyoshi Mary Raina Angeli , Fujiyoshi Yusuke , Nishikawa Yohei , Tanabe Mayo , Shimamura Yuto , Ohwada Kaori , Ono Masashi , Ikeda Haruo , Onimaru Manabu
Published: November 2021

Endoscopic balloon dilatation is an established treatment for benign gastrointestinal strictures. In order to dilatate safely, it is necessary to dilatate gradually and preferably under direct endoscopic visualization. However, it is currently difficult to achieve dilatation widths of 20–30 mm with commercial products and of over 30‐mm with endoscopic visualization. Therefore, a safe and innovative application technique is needed for patients who need these 20‐mm or greater dilatation widths. We have developed two methods that enable more than 20‐mm dilatation under direct visualization. (i) Single‐barrel method: an endoscopic balloon dilatation catheter was fixed with grasping forceps at the tip of the endoscope and carried into the stomach. The balloon catheter was released from the endoscope to create a retroflexed view. The endoscope and balloon were positioned adjacent to each other at the gastric cardia. The balloon was inflated gradually and the esophagogastric junction was dilatated under direct visualization. (ii) Double‐barrel method: the same procedure was repeated with two balloons. Theoretically, we achieved a dilatation of >30‐mm in diameter. These modified methods may be helpful for esophagogastric junction strictures, such as esophageal achalasia (serving as an initial endoscopic balloon dilatation prior to using a 30‐mm achalasia balloon), or for functional strictures after Nissen fundoplication. In conclusion, our simple, modified method enables safe and gradual dilatation under direct endoscopic visualization. Additionally, combination of the sizes of one or two balloons can achieve various widths of dilatation.
Delivering the Diabetes Remission Clinical Trial (DiRECT) in primary care: Experiences of healthcare professionals
Authors: Rehackova Lucia , Taylor Roy , Lean Mike , Barnes Alison , McCombie Louise , Thom George , Brosnahan Naomi , Leslie Wilma S. , Sniehotta Falko F.
Published: November 2021

Objective

The Diabetes Remission Clinical Trial (DiRECT) used a formula total diet replacement programme followed by structured weight loss maintenance to induce and sustain weight loss and remission of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in 36% of participants after 2 years. Nurses and dietitians delivering DiRECT in 22 primary care practices in Tyneside and Scotland provided behavioural support to participants. Participant experiences with DiRECT highlighted the key role of support by healthcare professionals (HCPs). We evaluated HCPs’ experiences with DiRECT.

Research design and methods

Healthcare professionals delivering DiRECT were interviewed at 12 months, while general practices (GPs) were sent an implementation questionnaire. The interviews were analysed thematically. The questionnaires were analysed using frequencies and a narrative synthesis.

Results

Healthcare professionals representing 11 of 22 intervention practices were interviewed and 10 of 22 GPs completed questionnaires. HCPs’ initial concerns over perceived potential negative intervention effects, particularly withdrawing anti‐diabetes and anti‐hypertensive medications, were barriers to engagement. Trust of HCPs towards the research team and perceived credibility of the study facilitated engagement and adoption. Ongoing support by research dietitians was key to the management of participants. Involvement in DiRECT inspired more focus on behaviour modification in the treatment of other people living with T2D in routine practice.

Conclusions

Diabetes Remission Clinical Trial was considered highly appropriate for the management of T2D in primary care when supported by trained dietitians. Addressing limitations, including varying training needs of HCPs may improve intervention scale‐up and tailoring to clinical contexts.
Antidepressants abuse in subjects with opioid use disorders: A 10‐year study in the French OPPIDUM program
Authors: Dumonceau Robinson Gravier , Soeiro Thomas , Lacroix Clémence , Giocanti Adeline , Frauger Élisabeth , Mezaache Salim , Micallef Joëlle
Published: November 2021

Accumulating evidence shows that some antidepressants are abused for their psychostimulant effects, but the extent of antidepressants abuse is unknown in subjects with opioid use disorders (OUD). The objective of this work is to assess the prevalence of antidepressant abuse and its correlates in subjects with OUD. Subjects ≥18 year‐old in an opiate maintenance treatment (OMT) program who reported using an antidepressant were selected from the OPPIDUM program from 2011 to 2020. The outcome was antidepressant abuse. Antidepressant abusers were identified as subjects reporting at least one of the following behaviors: “drug abuse,” “concomitant use of alcohol,” “illegal obtaining,” and “dose higher than recommended in the Summary of Product Characteristics.” Among the 83 040 observations of subjects ≥18 year‐old in an OMT program included in the OPPIDUM program from 2011 to 2020, 2708 (3.3%) subjects reported using an antidepressant in monotherapy. Among them, there were 385 (14.2%) abusers. The proportion of abusers was the highest for amitriptyline (n = 31, 25.0%). In multivariate analysis, antidepressant abuse was positively associated with amitriptyline (OR 2.07, 95% CI [1.16, 3.73]; p = 0.015), unemployment (OR 1.52, 95% CI [1.16, 2.01]; p = 0.003), the use of intravenous route of administration (OR 1.77, 95% CI [1.12, 2.80]; p = 0.014), and the use of benzodiazepines (OR 1.53, 95% CI [1.21, 1.94]; p < 0.001). Clinicians should be aware of the risk of antidepressant abuse when prescribing in subjects with OUD, accounting for their heterogeneous pharmacological properties that may account for their abuse potential.
Structural and dynamic studies of the human RNA binding protein RBM3 reveals the molecular basis of its oligomerization and RNA recognition
Authors: Roy Sayantani , Boral Soumendu , Maiti Snigdha , Kushwaha Tushar , Basak Aditya J. , Lee Woonghee , Basak Amit , Gholap Shivajirao L. , Inampudi Krishna K. , De Soumya
Published: November 2021

Human RNA‐binding motif 3 protein (RBM3) is a cold‐shock protein which functions in various aspects of global protein synthesis, cell proliferation and apoptosis by interacting with the components of basal translational machinery. RBM3 plays important roles in tumour progression and cancer metastasis, and also has been shown to be involved in neuroprotection and endoplasmic reticulum stress response. Here, we have solved the solution NMR structure of the N‐terminal 84 residue RNA recognition motif (RRM) of RBM3. The remaining residues are rich in RGG and YGG motifs and are disordered. The RRM domain adopts a βαββαβ topology, which is found in many RNA‐binding proteins. NMR‐monitored titration experiments and molecular dynamic simulations show that the beta‐sheet and two loops form the RNA‐binding interface. Hydrogen bond, pi–pi and pi–cation are the key interactions between the RNA and the RRM domain. NMR, size exclusion chromatography and chemical cross‐linking experiments show that RBM3 forms oligomers in solution, which is favoured by decrease in temperature, thus, potentially linking it to its function as a cold‐shock protein. Temperature‐dependent NMR studies revealed that oligomerization of the RRM domain occurs via nonspecific interactions. Overall, this study provides the detailed structural analysis of RRM domain of RBM3, its interaction with RNA and the molecular basis of its temperature‐dependent oligomerization.
Glioma cells remotely promote erythropoiesis as a self‐expanding strategy of cancer stem cells
Authors: Aimaitijiang Alapati , Tabu Kouichi , Wang Wenqian , Nobuhisa Ikuo , Taga Tetsuya
Published: November 2021

Cancer stem cells are a promising target for cancer eradication due to their responsibility for therapy‐resistance and cancer recurrence. Previously, we have demonstrated that glioma stem cells (GSCs) recruit and induce the differentiation of bone marrow (BM) monocytes into tumor‐infiltrating macrophages, which phagocytose hemorrhaged erythrocytes and store GSC‐beneficial iron in mouse xenografts, suggesting a self‐expanding strategy of GSCs that exploits host hematopoiesis of myeloid cells. However, it remains unclear whether a self‐advantageous effect of GSCs also occurs on erythroid cells during glioma development. Here, we found that, in the primary cultures of mouse fetal liver proerythroblasts (proEs), conditioned media prepared from glioma cells including patient‐derived glioblastoma (GBM) cells significantly facilitated the differentiation of proEs into erythroblasts. Importantly, in‐vivo erythroid analysis in intracranially GSC‐transplanted mice showed an enhanced erythropoiesis in the BM. In addition, the sphere forming ability of patient‐derived GBM cells was significantly suppressed by hypoxia treatment and iron chelation, suggesting higher demands of GSCs for oxygen and iron, which may be supplied by GSCs‐ and their progeny‐induced erythrocyte production. Our findings provide a new insight into survival and expanding strategies of GSCs that systemically exploit host erythropoiesis.
Determining causes of death among individuals with haemophilia in Afghanistan
Authors: Mousavi Seyed Hamid , Arif Shamim , Madadi Shekiba , Mansouritorghabeh Hassan
Published: November 2021

Introduction

Haemophilia is a well‐known bleeding disorder that affects people worldwide. The main therapeutic strategy is regular infusion of exogenous factor VIII to ensure an optimal haemostatic standard. Morbidity and mortality of individuals with haemophilia has decreased in developing countries due to improvement in early detection, advanced treatments, and comprehensive population outreach efforts. However, individuals with bleeding disorders in developing countries like Afghanistan do not have access to such therapeutic facilities.

Aims

The goals of this study were to determine the causes of death and findings related to death among in individuals with bleeding disorders in Afghanistan.

Methods

This study conducted as a retrospective cross‐sectional study of 387 individuals with bleeding disorders (mainly haemophilia) in Afghanistan.

Results

All registered individuals with bleeding disorders in Afghanistan were interviewed by telephone. Among the 387 individuals with bleeding disorders, there were 136 deaths. Most deaths occurred in individuals aged 1–15 years (66.2%). Intracranial haemorrhage was the leading cause of death in individuals with haemophilia A and B.

Conclusion

These findings revealed that supply of coagulation factor concentrates, facilities for haemostasis diagnosis, and trained haematologists is inadequate in Afghanistan.
Imaging innate immunity*
Authors: Grüneboom Anika , Aust Oliver , Cibir Zülal , Weber Flora , Hermann Dirk M. , Gunzer Matthias
Published: November 2021

Innate immunity is the first line of defense against infectious intruders and also plays a major role in the development of sterile inflammation. Direct microscopic imaging of the involved immune cells, especially neutrophil granulocytes, monocytes, and macrophages, has been performed since more than 150 years, and we still obtain novel insights on a frequent basis. Initially, intravital microscopy was limited to small‐sized animal species, which were often invertebrates. In this review, we will discuss recent results on the biology of neutrophils and macrophages that have been obtained using confocal and two‐photon microscopy of individual cells or subcellular structures as well as light‐sheet microscopy of entire organs. This includes the role of these cells in infection defense and sterile inflammation in mammalian disease models relevant for human patients. We discuss their protective but also disease‐enhancing activities during tumor growth and ischemia‐reperfusion damage of the heart and brain. Finally, we provide two visions, one experimental and one applied, how our knowledge on the function of innate immune cells might be further enhanced and also be used in novel ways for disease diagnostics in the future.
Relationship between nurses' use of verbal de‐escalation and mechanical restraint in acute inpatient mental health care: a retrospective study
Authors: Pérez‐Toribio Alonso , Moreno‐Poyato Antonio R. , Lluch‐Canut Teresa , Molina‐Martínez Laura , Bastidas‐Salvadó Anna , Puig‐Llobet Montserrat , Roldán‐Merino Juan F.
Published: November 2021

Although the use of verbal de‐escalation in nursing has been shown to be an effective tool for controlling agitation and avoiding mechanical restraint, there is scarce evidence supporting the use of de‐escalation by nurses and factors related to the patients who ultimately receive mechanical restraint. This retrospective study sought to examine the relationship between the use of verbal de‐escalation by nurses and the clinical profile of patients who had received mechanical restraint at an acute mental health unit. This study analysed the records of patients who had received mechanical restraint between the years 2012 and 2019. A bivariate analysis was initially performed, followed by multiple logistic regression analysis. A total of 493 episodes of restraint were recorded. Of these, in almost 40% of cases, no prior use of verbal de‐escalation was noted. The factors associated with the use of verbal de‐escalation by nurses were patients with a history of restraint episodes and patients who previously had been administered medication. Furthermore, episodes of mechanical restraint that occurred later during the admission were also associated with the use of de‐escalation. These findings confirm the relevance of early nurse interventions. Consequently, it is important to establish an adequate therapeutic relationship from the start of hospitalization to facilitate getting to know the patient and to enable the timely use of verbal de‐escalation, thus avoiding the use of mechanical restraint.
A review on competitive pricing in supply chain management problems: models, classification, and applications
Authors: Ziari Matineh , Ghomi‐Avili Morteza , Pishvaee Mir Saman , Jahani Hamed
Published: November 2021

Supply chain management (SCM) deals with various strategic, tactical, and operational level decisions in which pricing is of utmost importance to decision makers. Most of the real‐life supply chain pricing problems consider competition as a crucial factor in order to expand the market share and tackle emerging competitors. Accordingly, competitive pricing in SCM has attracted great attention by practitioners and academicians in the last four decades. Now after 40 years, it seems necessary to systematically review and classify the previous studies and present the most appealing future research directions. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the state‐of‐the‐art published papers in scientific journals. Here, 166 papers published from 1983 to 2021 are reviewed and classified to introduce the major models and specific considerations in this field. After reviewing the selected competitive pricing models, some research insights and potential subjects for extending the literature are presented to illustrate the most appropriate and challenging future research directions.
Biosorption of lead ions from aqueous solution by Clostridium tyrobutyricum immobilized in macroporous Ca-alginate-lignin beads
Authors: Zheng Wenxiu , Zhao Qianru , Malkmes Matthew Jay , Gao Ge , He Jiaqi , Zheng Lei , Jiang Ling
Published: November 2021

Aims

The adsorption of lead ions from aqueous solution by macroporous Ca-alginate-lignin (MCAL) beads immobilized with Clostridium tyrobutyricum and free strains was evaluated.

Methods and Results

The effects of different factors including pH, adsorption time, adsorbent dosage and initial concentration of lead ions were explored. Different characterization methods were used to evaluate the adsorption process of lead ions. Meanwhile, the adsorption kinetics models and adsorption isotherm models were applied. The fitting results showed that the adsorption behaviour of C. tyrobutyricum immobilized in MCAL beads and free strains was better described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and the adsorption process followed the Langmuir isotherm model. The maximum biosorption of lead ions by C. tyrobutyricum immobilized in MCAL beads and free strains was 144.9 and 106.4 mg/g respectively.

Conclusions

The C. tyrobutyricum immobilized in MCAL beads proved to be practicable and had better adsorption effects on lead ions compared with the free strains.

Significance and Impact of the Study

The paper demonstrated a new insight and strategy for the effective treatment of lead ions from aqueous solutions by the novel function of C. tyrobutyricum.
Do all patients in the epilepsy monitoring unit experience the same level of comfort? A quantitative exploratory secondary analysis
Authors: Egger‐Rainer Andrea , Hettegger Sophie Martina , Feldner Raphael , Arnold Stephan , Bosselmann Christian , Hamer Hajo , Hengsberger Anna , Lang Johannes , Lorenzl Stefan , Lerche Holger , Noachtar Soheyl , Pataraia Ekaterina , Schulze‐Bonhage Andreas , Staack Anke Maren , Trinka Eugen , Unterberger Iris , Zimmermann Georg
Published: November 2021

Aims

To find out which variables may be associated with comfort of patients in an epilepsy monitoring unit.

Design

Exploratory, quantitative study design.

Methods

Data were collected from October 2018 to November 2019 in Austria and Southern Germany. A total of 267 patients of 10 epilepsy centres completed the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit Comfort Questionnaire which is based on Kolcaba's General Comfort Questionnaire. Secondary data analysis were conducted by using descriptive statistics and an exploratory model building approach, including different linear regression models and several sensitivity analyses.

Results

Total comfort scores ranged from 83 to 235 points. Gender, occupation and centre turned out to be possible influential variables. On average, women had a total comfort score 4.69 points higher than men, and retired persons 28.2 points higher than high school students ≥18 years. Comfort scores of younger patients were lower than those of older patients. However, age did not show a statistically significant effect. The same could be observed in marital status and educational levels.

Conclusion

When implementing comfort measures, nurses must be aware of variables which could influence the intervention negatively. Especially, high school students ≥18 years should be supported by epilepsy specialist nurses, in order to reduce uncertainty, anxiety and discomfort. But, since the identified variables account only for a small proportion of the inter‐individual variability in comfort scores, further studies are needed to find out additional relevant aspects and to examine centre‐specific effects more closely.

Impact

Nurses ensure patient comfort during a hospital stay. However, there are variables that may impair the effectiveness of the nursing measures. Our study showed that the experience of comfort was highly individual and could be explained by sociodemographic variables only to a limited extent. Nurses must be aware that additional factors, such as the situation in the individual setting, may be relevant.
Fair values and compensation contracting: Evidence from real estate firms
Authors: Henderson Darren
Published: November 2021

I compare the compensation contracting relevance of fair values (FVs) and market values in the setting of UK real estate firms and find that FVs are weighted more heavily than market values. I further find that FV weighting is increasing in FV estimate reliability and signal strength, while market value weighting is decreasing in FV estimate reliability. FV accounting represents a key trend over the past several decades with International Financial Reporting Standards permitting FVs to a greater extent than many national standards. My study provides a counterpoint to existing studies that find FVs are not useful for contracting with executives (DeFond et al., 2020; Livne et al., 2011). Furthermore, I find that FV is used as a performance measure in an efficient way that is dependent on the signal‐to‐noise ratio of FV estimates.
The impact of takeover anticipation on rival firms
Authors: Davis Frederick , Davis Svetlana , Sha Xiaoyang , Walker Thomas
Published: November 2021

This paper utilizes a large, hand‐collected dataset to observe for the first time the initial wealth impact of an anticipated takeover bid on the target's rival. Distinguishing among predominant theories of acquisition probability, collusion, competitive advantage, hubris and industry growth, we find substantial evidence to support the premise that gains to rivals around the target firm's rumor date are associated with becoming either a target or a bidding firm within 1 year. Additionally, factors at the time of bid anticipation serve as useful predictors when assessing which rivals will receive or initiate a bid for corporate control. Our results demonstrate that takeover rumors represent an early and important mechanism by which information is transferred throughout an industry.
Does product similarity of audit clients influence audit efficiency and pricing decisions?
Authors: Chang Hsihui , Hsu Charles , Ma Zhiming
Published: November 2021

We examine how client product similarity within an auditor's portfolio affects audit efficiency and pricing decisions. Using a unique set of intra‐portfolio client‐level data, we find that clients with product offerings more similar to those of other clients in the auditor's portfolio are charged lower audit fees and experience a shorter audit reporting lag, suggesting that product similarity contributes to audit efficiency. In a cross‐sectional analysis, we also find that the effect of product similarity on fee reduction is greater when knowledge transfer across clients is more useful in improving audit efficiency. Finally, we find that industry specialists reduce fee premiums for clients whose products are more similar to those of other clients in their portfolios, consistent with the conjecture that client product similarity helps specialists build up their market positions while improving their audit efficiency.
Systematics of European coastal anchovies (genus Engraulis Cuvier)
Authors: Bonhomme François , Meyer Laura , Arbiol Christine , Bănaru Daniela , Bahri‐Sfar Lilia , Fadhlaoui‐Zid Karima , Strelkov Petr , Arculeo Marco , Soulier Laurent , Quignard Jean‐Pierre , Gagnaire Pierre‐Alexandre
Published: November 2021

Reports of morphological differences between European anchovy (Engraulis cf. encrasicolus) from coastal and marine habitats have long existed in the ichthyologic literature and have given rise to a long‐standing debate on their taxonomic status. More recently, molecular studies have confirmed the existence of genetic differentiation between the two anchovy ecotypes. Using ancestry‐informative markers, we show that coastal anchovies throughout the Mediterranean share a common ancestry and that substantial genetic differentiation persists in different pairs of coastal/marine populations despite the presence of limited gene flow. On the basis of genetic and ecological arguments, we propose that coastal anchovies deserve a species status of their own (E. maeoticus) and argue that a unified taxonomical framework is critical for future research and management.
Comparative genetic variability of pink salmon from different parts of their range: native Pacific, artificially introduced White Sea and naturally invasive Atlantic Scottish rivers
Authors: Gilbey John , Soshnina Valeriia A. , Volkov Alexander A. , Zelenina Daria A.
Published: November 2021

Trans‐oceanic movement, stocking and subsequent establishment of Pacific pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) into the Atlantic White Sea area have resulted in their spreading further across the northern Atlantic, with spawning being reported in a number of regions within this area. Such expansions of non‐native species bring potential risks to the ecosystems in question. It has not yet been established if the spawning events of pink salmon observed are the result of self‐sustaining populations in these areas, or are because of repeated invasions of strayers from the White Sea stocks. In 2017 pink salmon were observed in a number of Scottish rivers in historically large numbers. This study set out to examine genetic variation in these fish and compare this to fish in Pacific founder regions and the White Sea translocated populations. A total of 286 samples from Scotland, the Atlantic White Sea, the Pacific Okhotsk region and Northern Pacific Bering Sea were screened using a 1018 bp sequenced region of the Cytochrome b mtDNA gene and 205 of these samples for 13 microsatellites. Significant bottleneck and founder effects were observed in the White Sea stocks in both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, including loss of diversity and changes in haplotype and allele proportions. Scottish fish were indistinguishable from White Sea populations and as such it was not possible to determine if the fish were strayers from this region or returning fish from previous spawning events in Scotland. Therefore, although the fish caught in Scotland have their origins in the White Sea population, it may not be easy to determine whether self‐sustaining populations have, or are becoming, established in the UK using genetic analysis and other techniques may need to be used.
Antisense‐induced downregulation of major circadian genes modulates the expression of histone deacetylase‐2 (HDAC‐2) and CREB‐binding protein (CBP) in the medial shell region of nucleus accumbens of mice exposed to chronic excessive alcohol consumption
Authors: Sharma Rishi , Parikh Meet , Mishra Vaibhav , Soni Anshul , Rubi Sofia , Sahota Pradeep , Thakkar Mahesh
Published: November 2021

Circadian genes in the medial accumbal shell (mNAcSh) region regulate binge alcohol consumption. Here, we investigated if antisense‐induced knockdown of major circadian genes (Per1, Per2, and NPAS2) in the mNAcSh of mice exposed to intermittent access two‐bottle choice (IA2BC) paradigm modulates the expression of histone deacetylase‐2 (HDAC‐2) and CREB‐binding protein (CBP), key epigenetic modifiers associated with withdrawal‐associated behaviors such as anxiety. Adult male C57BL/6J mice (N = 28), surgically implanted with bilateral guide cannulas above the mNAcSh, were chronically (4 weeks) exposed to alcohol (20% v/v) or saccharin (0.03%) via IA2BC paradigm. In the fourth week, a mixture of antisense (AS‐ODNs; N = 14/group) or nonsense (NS‐ODNs; N = 14/group) oligodeoxynucleotides against circadian genes were bilaterally infused into the mNAcSh. Subsequently, alcohol/saccharin consumption and preference were measured followed by euthanization of animals and verification of microinjection sites by visual inspection and the expression of HDAC‐2 and CBP by using RT‐PCR along with the verification of antisense‐induced downregulation of circadian genes in the mNAcSh. As compared with NS‐ODNs, AS‐ODNs infusion significantly attenuated the alcohol‐induced increase in HDAC‐2 and reduction in CBP expression in the mNAcSh along with a significant reduction in alcohol consumption and preference. No significant effect was observed on either saccharin consumption or preference. Our results suggest that circadian genes in the mNAcSh may have a causal to play in mediating epigenetic changes observed after chronic alcohol consumption.

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