bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The added value of service provision
Authors: Nyman Henrich
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to present a framework for examining the outcome of value facilitation as the added value of service provision.

Design/methodology/approach

– Value facilitation is conceptualized as enabling, enhancing, and economical support by the service offering, as well as supportiveness by the service provider. The financial value of customers is measured by the augmented customer lifetime value (ACLV).

Findings

– Referrals is found to mediate the linkage between value facilitation and ACLV. The margin multiple level and corresponding propensity to stay scores are found to be better proxies for setting up a customer oriented service development program, than the customer profit or margin level.

Research limitations/implications

– This paper takes a service provider perspective on service, even though the customer experience of the service provision is vital.

Practical implications

– The proposed framework can be used for designing adapted customer strategies for different groups of customers representing different levels of added value of the service provision.

Originality/value

– This paper extends the normative service logic notion of the role of service providers as value facilitators and supporters of their customers’ value creation activities. The calculation of ACLV is altered from ordinary customer lifetime value models by the integration of individual transaction data and propensity to stay figures from a customer survey.
Multiple perspectives on customer relationships
Authors: Heinonen Kristina
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to describe and conceptualize customer relationships in the financial service sector, focussing on three aspects of customer-bank relationships: the financial service provider perspective, the customer-provider dyad, and the customer context.

Design/methodology/approach

– Through a short review of the eight papers included in this special issue, this paper illustrates different aspects of customer relationships. It explores customer value formation in the context of banking services, the dynamics and strength of customer relationships, and strategies for financial service provision and consumer trust.

Findings

– Customer relationships in the financial service sector are increasingly dynamic and unpredictable. This may be due to both activities within the control of financial service providers, such as strategies for service provision, but is more often attributable to factors beyond the control of providers. What empowered customers are doing in their own settings influences their attitudes toward and evaluations of financial services.

Research limitations/implications

– The paper is conceptual. It challenges the firm-centric approach to customer relationships and compares different perspectives of customer relationships. The significance of the customer-centric perspective is emphasized.

Practical implications

– Awareness of uncontrollable and idiosyncratic aspects of customer relationships will offer financial service providers new opportunities for being present in the customers’ lives and business.

Originality/value

– This paper illustrates the importance of extending the focus from what financial service providers are doing to what customers are doing within their own domains. Financial service providers need to understand more about their customers than their perceptions of service quality, satisfaction, and loyalty in different distribution channels, such as internet and mobile banking. The focus should be instead on how customers integrate their financial activities and experiences in their own life or business.
Automatic identification of gray porosity and its influence on shielding effectiveness for electromagnetic shielding fabric
Authors: Wang Xiuchen , Liu Zhe , Zhou Zhong , He Qing , Zeng Haoxian
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to propose a new indicator-gray porosity that can objectively evaluate real porosities of electromagnetic shielding (EMS) fabric based on computer image analysis, which aims to address current porosity evaluation by tightness.

Design/methodology/approach

– A method for the fabric image acquisition is determined and a gray digital model is established. The porosity membership region of true porosity is judged according to the total gray wave. A bi-directional judgment method based on horizontal and vertical single gray waves is proposed to automatically identify the gray porosity in the porosity membership region. After experiments, the differences between the gray porosity indicator and the tightness indicator are analyzed, the influence of the gray porosity on the shielding effectiveness (SE) is discussed, and the advantages of the gray porosity indicator are detailed.

Findings

– Results show that the proposed indicator can accurately represent the real porosity size of the EMS fabric without pre-acquiring the structure parameters of the fabric, which provides a reference for the study of the electromagnetic characteristic of the EMS fabric.

Originality/value

– The gray porosity presented in this paper is a new method to objectively evaluate real porosities of the EMS fabric, and can be applied to the research and evaluation of the electromagnetic characteristic for the EMS fabric.
Continuing professional development for middle leaders in primary schools in Hong Kong
Authors: Ng Shun-wing , Kenneth Chan Tsan-ming
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to report on an exploratory study regarding the present situation of middle managers in schools; their professional development needs; and requirements of middle leaders for quality school management so that contents of existing professional development programmes could be improved to meet the needs of middle leaders of primary school education.

Design/methodology/approach

– Employing both quantitative and qualitative methods, this paper reports on a study of the training needs of middle leaders in primary schools in which their present situation, their needs for professional development and requirements for quality school management and leadership are explored. The study adopted survey questionnaires as the main method of data collection. To supplement quantitative data with regard to the professional development needs, six middle managers were purposefully selected for semi-structured interviews.

Findings

– The findings suggest that there are insufficient training opportunities for middle leaders in primary schools and that there is a strong demand for including the notions of interpersonal skills, crisis management, resources management and understanding of education ordinances in the professional development curriculum for middle leaders. The study recommends that training programmes should exert focus on meeting the specific needs of middle leaders and the content and approach be multi-dimensional.

Originality/value

– In spite of the small scale of the survey study, the data collected from individual in-depth interviews can provide the investigators with supplementary information on their professional development needs which also serves the purpose of triangulation. The finding can also be a very constructive reference for course providers who wish to re-engineer and improve the quality of professional development programmes for middle leaders. This may help arouse their interests and enhance their learning motivation.
Profitability of industries and firms over time
Authors: Jay Bourgeois III L. , Ganz Adam , Gonce Andrew , Nedell Keith
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to further the knowledge of how industries perform, and sheds light on how the relative positions of industry change over time.

Design/methodology/approach

– Using rank-order listings, histograms, and linear regressions, the comparisons of firms in the Fortune 1000 yield four results, two that are confirmatory, and two that are new.

Findings

– As expected, industries differ widely in performance, regardless of the financial metric used, and there is a dramatic difference between within-industry variance (high) and between-industry variance (low). In fact, high-performing firms in less profitable industries often outperform low-performing firms in more profitable industries. Contrary to previous research, the paper shows that industries shift relative position over time: the industries with the highest return on equity in one year often are not the highest in subsequent years; and, contrary to IO theory, the paper finds that concentration is not a reliable predictor of profitability. Although certain industries may show increased profitability after undergoing concentration, there is no consistent relationship between an industry's concentration ratio and that industry's average profitability.

Research limitations/implications

– While the research is limited to its use of visual (such as histogram) and qualitative (such as rank-order) observations of only large (Fortune 1000) US-based, public firms, the results suggest that researchers should decompose the elements of industry structure and firm strategies to understand what, specifically, contributes to variation in firm performance.

Practical implications

– For executives, the research confirms that the quality of their business strategies is more important than the initial choice of industries within which they choose to compete. Simply competing in an industry with high average profitability does not guarantee success.

Originality/value

– This research shows how industries vary significantly in relative profit rankings over time, a finding that differs from prior research where time coefficients are found to be small. In addition, the research challenges the traditional IO notion that industry concentration leads to superior performance.
Healthcare strategic management and the resource based view
Authors: Arbab Kash Bita , Spaulding Aaron , D. Gamm Larry , E. Johnson Christopher
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine how two large health systems formulate and implement strategy with a specific focus on differences and similarities in the nature of strategic initiatives across systems. The aim is to gain a better understanding of the role of resource dependency theory (RDT) and resource based view (RBV) in healthcare strategic management.

Design/methodology/approach

– A comparative case study design is used to describe, categorize and compare strategic change initiatives within a children's health and a multi-hospital system located in two competitive metropolitan markets. A total of 61 in-person semi-structured interviews with healthcare administrators were conducted during 2009. Summary statistics and qualitative content analysis were employed to examine strategic initiatives.

Findings

– The two health systems have as their top initiatives very similar pursuits, thus indicating that both utilize an externally oriented RDT method of strategy formulation. The relevance of the RBV becomes apparent during resource deployment for strategy implementation. The process of healthcare strategic decision-making incorporates RDT and RBV as separate and compatible activities that are sequential.

Research limitations/implications

– Results from this comparative case study are based on only two health systems. Further, the RBV perspective only takes managerial resources and time into consideration.

Practical implications

– Given that external resources are likely to become more constrained, it is important that hospitals leverage relevant internal resources, in the identification of competitive advantages and effective execution of strategic initiatives.

Originality/value

– The author propose a refined healthcare strategic management framework that takes both RDT and RBV into consideration by systematically linking strategy formulation with deployment of resources.
Trait compensation between boldness and the propensity for tail autotomy under different food availabilities in similarly aged brown anole lizards
Authors: Kuo Chi‐Yun , Irschick Duncan J. , Lailvaux Simon P.
Published: August 2014

Trait compensation denotes the situation in which individuals offset the costs of one trait with the benefits of another trait. The phenomenon of trait compensation is best exemplified by a negative correlation between the degree of predator avoidance and the strength of morphological defence.

In this study, we used the relationship between risk‐taking tendency (boldness) and the propensity for tail autotomy in the brown anole lizards Anolis sagrei to address two important questions regarding trait compensation. First, we investigated whether trait compensation existed among individuals of similar age. Second, we examined how the relationship between boldness and the propensity for tail autotomy responded to changes in food availability.

Overall, bolder individuals autotomized their tails more readily. Although mean values of boldness and the propensity for tail autotomy did not differ under high and low food availability, the compensatory effect between the two traits was only obvious when food was abundant.

The existence of trait compensation among similarly aged individuals will serve as the first step to understanding the evolution of compensatory effects among traits observed at higher level. In addition, food availability affected the dynamics of trait compensation by influencing the amount of variation of traits involved, rather than altering the mean values of traits per se.
Conditions favouring hard seededness as a dispersal and predator escape strategy
Authors: Paulsen Torbjørn R. , Högstedt Göran , Thompson Ken , Vandvik Vigdis , Eliassen Sigrunn
Published: August 2014

The water‐impermeable seed coat of ‘hard’ seeds is commonly considered a dormancy trait. Seed smell is, however, strongly correlated with seed water content, and hard seeds are therefore olfactionally cryptic to foraging rodents. This is the rationale for the crypsis hypothesis, which proposes that the primary functions of hard seeds are to reduce seed predation and promote rodent seed dispersal.

We use a mechanistic model to describe seed survival success of plants with different dimorphic soft and hard seed strategies. The model is based on established empirical–ecological relationships of moisture requirements for germination and benefits of seed dispersal, and on experimentally demonstrated relationships between seed volatile emission, predation and predator escape.

We find that water‐impermeable seed coats can reduce seed predation under a wide range of natural humidity conditions. Plants with rodent dispersed seeds benefit from producing dimorphic soft and hard seeds at ratios where the anti‐predator advantages of hard seeds are balanced by the dispersal benefits gained by producing some soft seeds.

The seed pathway predicted from the model is similar to those of experimental seed‐tracking studies. This validates the relevance and realism of the ecological mechanisms and relationships incorporated in the model.

Synthesis. Rodent seed predators are often also important seed dispersers and have the potential to exert strong selective pressures on seeds to evolve methods of avoiding detection, and hard seeds seem to do just that. This work suggests that water‐impermeable hard seeds may evolve in the absence of a dormancy function and that optimal seed survival in many environments with rodent seed predators is obtained by plants having a dimorphic soft and hard seed strategy.
Acetoclastic methane formation fromEucalyptusdetritus in pristine hydrocarbon-rich river sediments byMethanosarcinales
Authors: Beckmann Sabrina , Manefield Mike
Published: August 2014

Pristine hydrocarbon-rich river sediments in the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area (Australia) release substantial amounts of methane. The present study aimed to unravel for the first time the active methanogens mediating methane formation and exploiting the bacterial diversity potentially involved in the trophic network. Quantitative PCR of 16S rRNA gene and functional genes as well as 454 pyrosequencing were used to address the unknown microbial diversity and abundance. Methane-releasing sediment cores derived from three different river sites of the Tootie River. Highest methane production rates of 10.8 ± 0.5 μg g−1wet weight day−1 were detected in 40 cm sediment depth being in congruence with the detection of the highest abundances of the archaeal 16S rRNA gene and the methyl-coenzyme M reductase (mcrA) genes. Stable carbon and hydrogen isotopic signatures of the produced methane indicated an acetoclastic origin. Long-term enrichment cultures amended with either acetate or H2/CO2 revealed acetoclastic methanogenesis as key methane-formation process mediated by members of the order Methanosarcinales. Conditions prevailing in the river sediments might be suitable for hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria observed in the river sediments that were previously unclassified or closely related to the Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi group, the Firmicutes and the Chloroflexi group fuelling acetoclastic methanogensis in pristine river sediments.
Comparative Analysis of Olive Oil Organogels Containing Beeswax and Sunflower Wax with Breakfast Margarine
Authors: Yılmaz Emin , Öğütcü Mustafa
Published: August 2014

The purpose of this research was to develop olive oil organogels with sunflower wax (SW) and beeswax (BW) at 3%, 7%, and 10% addition levels and to compare these organogels with breakfast margarine (BM). The organogels and BM sample were stored at 2 different temperatures (4 and 20 °C), and the peroxide values (PVs) and textural properties were monitored for 3 mo. The PVs of all organogels were within legal limits and the gels were structurally stable throughout the storage period. The textural properties of 3% SW and 7% BW organogels were closely similar to BM. The solid fat contents of the organogels were lower than that of the BM. Moreover, the thermal properties of 3% BW gel were more similar to that of the BM. The results of X‐ray diffraction peaks, approximately 3.70 and 4.10 Å, were similar to β′ polymorphic form. In conclusion, both of the organogel types may have value in replacing BMs.
Sweetener Blend Optimization by Using Mixture Design Methodology and the Electronic Tongue
Authors: Waldrop Megan E. , Ross Carolyn F.
Published: August 2014

Utilizing more than one sweetener has been shown to be an effective way to substitute sucrose in food products. The objective of this study was to apply the augmented simplex‐centroid mixture design for the optimization of acceptable sweetener blends using coconut sugar, agave, and stevia. Sweetener blends were evaluated in aqueous solutions and gluten‐free granola bars by a trained panel and consumers (n= 60). Significant differences were found between sweetener mixtures in solutions by both panelists and consumers (P< 0.05). Taste profiles for the sweetener solutions were also generated using the electronic tongue. Most consumer and trained intensity ratings were highly correlated (R2≥ 0.79) with the electronic tongue taste profile analysis. Granola bars were also found to be significantly different (P< 0.05), with consumers preferring coconut sugar mixtures. Using contour plots and desirability function analysis, an optimal sweetener combination was found for a granola bar formulation of 89.9% coconut sugar, 6.1% agave, and 4% stevia. These results indicate that a mixture design can be a reliable way to develop new sweetener blends for product development.
A refined technique for extraction of extracellular matrices from bacterial biofilms and its applicability
Authors: Chiba Akio , Sugimoto Shinya , Sato Fumiya , Hori Seiji , Mizunoe Yoshimitsu
Published: August 2014

Biofilm‐forming bacteria embedded in polymeric extracellular matrices (ECMs) that consist of polysaccharides, proteins and/or extracellular DNAs (eDNAs) acquire high resistance to antimicrobial agents and host immune systems. To understand molecular mechanisms of biofilm formation and maintenance and to develop therapeutic countermeasures against chronic biofilm‐associated infections, reliable methods to isolate ECMs are inevitable. In this study, we refined the ECM extraction method recently reported and evaluated its applicability. Using three Staphylococcus aureus biofilms in which proteins, polysaccharides or eDNAs are major contributors to their integrity, ECMs were extracted using salts and detergents. We found that extraction with 1.5 M sodium chloride (NaCl) could be optimum for not only ECM proteins but also polysaccharides and eDNAs. In addition, long‐time incubation was not necessary for efficient ECM isolation. Lithium chloride (LiCl) was comparative to NaCl but is more expensive. In contrast to SDS, NaCl hardly caused leakage of intracellular proteins and did not affect viability of bacterial cells within biofilms. Furthermore, this method is applicable to other bacteria such as Gram‐positive Staphylococcus epidermidis and Gram‐negative Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Thus, this refined method is very simple, rapid, low cost and non‐invasive and could be used for a broad range of applications.
Phase I‐II trial of oral cyclophosphamide, prednisone and lenalidomide for the treatment of patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma
Authors: Reece Donna E. , Masih‐Khan Esther , Atenafu Eshetu G. , Jimenez‐Zepeda Victor H. , Anglin Peter , Chen Christine , Kukreti Vishal , Mikhael Joseph R. , Trudel Suzanne
Published: August 2014

This single institution, open label Phase I‐II dose escalation trial evaluated the safety and efficacy of the combination of lenalidomide (Revlimid®), cyclophosphamide and prednisone (CPR) in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma. The maximal administered dose of CPR consisted of cyclophosphamide 300 mg/m2 on day 1, 8, and 15, lenalidomide 25 mg on d 1–21 and prednisone 100 mg every other day in a 28‐d cycle. Between November 2007 and June 2009, 32 patients were entered in cohorts of three at three dose levels. The median age was 64 years, 59% were male, with a median two prior regimens. Responding patients could stay on treatment until progression. The full‐dose CPR regimen produced no dose‐limiting toxicity and was delivered for a median of 16 months (3·5–65 months) with acceptable safety and tolerance. The overall response rate (≥ partial response) was 94% at a median follow up of 28 months. The median progression‐free survival was 16·1 months [95% confidence interval (CI); 10·9–22·5 months], while the median overall survival was 27·6 months (95% CI; 16·8–36·6 months). Only the beta‐2 microglobulin level at protocol entry correlated with a better survival (P = 0·047). These observations compare favourably with other 2‐ and 3‐ drug combinations for relapsed/refractory myeloma, and suggest that CPR should be evaluated further in the setting of relapsed/refractory disease, or in newly diagnosed patients.
Mechanism of induction of immune tolerance in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis by combination treatment with fingolimod plus pathogenic autoantigen
Authors: Yoshida Yuya , Mikami Norihisa , Tsuji Takumi , Takada Yuki , Nakazawa Yuka , Dan Rie , Takatsuji Miku , Fujita Tetsuro , Tsujikawa Kazutake , Kohno Takeyuki
Published: August 2014

Objective

We previously reported that relapse of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) occurred approximately 1 week after discontinuation of fingolimod (FTY720), but combination treatment with FTY720 plus pathogenic autoantigen significantly suppressed occurrence of relapse. Here, we investigated the mechanism of this suppression.

Methods

EAE mice were treated from onset with FTY720 alone or in combination with an autoantigenic peptide of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein 35(MEVGWYRSPFSRVVHLYRNGK)55 (MOG35‐55). Antigen‐specific T cell activity and T cell subpopulations were analyzed by using flow cytometric analysis. Spinal cords were excised and examined immunohistochemically.

Results

After treatment with FTY720 alone, CD4+ T cells from inguinal lymph nodes (LN) maintained activity towards pathogenic autoantigen. The percentage of CD4+CD44highCD62Llow (effector memory) T cells in inguinal LN was significantly increased. At day 8 after discontinuation, infiltration of CD3+ and CD4+ cells in spinal cords was significantly increased, and the absolute number of CD4+ T cells in inguinal LN was decreased. However, in the case of combination treatment, the absolute number of CD4+ T cells in inguinal LN remained unchanged, and infiltration of CD3+ and CD4+ cells was significantly suppressed.

Conclusions

As the number of CD4+ T cells in inguinal LN was unchanged in the FTY720 plus MOG35‐55 group, the combination treatment might inhibit relapse by decreasing the ability of pathogenic T cells to migrate from peripheral tissues to the central nervous system. The combination treatment might become a breakthrough remission‐induction treatment for MS.
Efficient encoding of texture coordinates guided by mesh geometry
Authors: Váša Libor , Brunnett Guido
Published: August 2014

In this paper, we investigate the possibilities of efficient encoding of UV coordinates associated with vertices of a triangle mesh. Since most parametrization schemes attempt to achieve at least some level of conformality, we exploit the similarity of the shapes of triangles in the mesh and in the parametrization. We propose two approaches building on this idea: first, applying a recently proposed generalization of the parallelogram predictor, using the inner angles of mesh triangles corresponding to the UV‐space triangles. Second, we propose an encoding method based on discrete Laplace operator, which also allows exploiting the information contained in the mesh geometry to efficiently encode the parametrization. Our experiments show that the proposed approach leads to savings of up to 3 bits per UV vertex, without loss of precision.
Robust Region Detection via Consensus Segmentation of Deformable Shapes
Authors: Rodolà E. , Bulò S. Rota , Cremers D.
Published: August 2014

We consider the problem of stable region detection and segmentation of deformable shapes. We pursue this goal by determining a consensus segmentation from a heterogeneous ensemble of putative segmentations, which are generated by a clustering process on an intrinsic embedding of the shape. The intuition is that the consensus segmentation, which relies on aggregate statistics gathered from the segmentations in the ensemble, can reveal components in the shape that are more stable to deformations than the single baseline segmentations. Compared to the existing approaches, our solution exhibits higher robustness and repeatability throughout a wide spectrum of non‐rigid transformations. It is computationally efficient, naturally extendible to point clouds, and remains semantically stable even across different object classes. A quantitative evaluation on standard datasets confirms the potentiality of our method as a valid tool for deformable shape analysis.
Clever Support: Efficient Support Structure Generation for Digital Fabrication
Authors: Vanek J. , Galicia J. A. G. , Benes B.
Published: August 2014

We introduce an optimization framework for the reduction of support structures required by 3D printers based on Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) technology. The printers need to connect overhangs with the lower parts of the object or the ground in order to print them. Since the support material needs to be printed first and discarded later, optimizing its volume can lead to material and printing time savings. We present a novel, geometry‐based approach that minimizes the support material while providing sufficient support. Using our approach, the input 3D model is first oriented into a position with minimal area that requires support. Then the points in this area that require support are detected. For these points the supporting structure is progressively built while attempting to minimize the overall length of the support structure. The resulting structure has a tree‐like shape that effectively supports the overhangs. We have tested our algorithm on the MakerBot® Replicator™ 2 printer and we compared our solution to the embedded software solution in this printer and to Autodesk® Meshmixer™ software. Our solution reduced printing time by an average of 29.4% (ranging from 13.9% to 49.5%) and the amount of material by 40.5% (ranging from 24.5% to 68.1%).
Blue‐Noise Remeshing with Farthest Point Optimization
Authors: Yan Dong‐Ming , Guo Jianwei , Jia Xiaohong , Zhang Xiaopeng , Wonka Peter
Published: August 2014

In this paper, we present a novel method for surface sampling and remeshing with good blue‐noise properties. Our approach is based on the farthest point optimization (FPO), a relaxation technique that generates high quality blue‐noise point sets in 2D. We propose two important generalizations of the original FPO framework: adaptive sampling and sampling on surfaces. A simple and efficient algorithm for accelerating the FPO framework is also proposed. Experimental results show that the generalized FPO generates point sets with excellent blue‐noise properties for adaptive and surface sampling. Furthermore, we demonstrate that our remeshing quality is superior to the current state‐of‐theߚart approaches.
Freeform Honeycomb Structures
Authors: Jiang Caigui , Wang Jun , Wallner Johannes , Pottmann Helmut
Published: August 2014

Motivated by requirements of freeform architecture, and inspired by the geometry of hexagonal combs in beehives, this paper addresses torsion‐free structures aligned with hexagonal meshes. Since repetitive geometry is a very important contribution to the reduction of production costs, we study in detail “honeycomb structures”, which are defined as torsion‐free structures where the walls of cells meet at 120 degrees. Interestingly, the Gauss‐Bonnet theorem is useful in deriving information on the global distribution of node axes in such honeycombs. This paper discusses the computation and modeling of honeycomb structures as well as applications, e.g. for shading systems, or for quad meshing. We consider this paper as a contribution to the wider topic of freeform patterns, polyhedral or otherwise. Such patterns require new approaches on the technical level, e.g. in the treatment of smoothness, but they also extend our view of what constitutes aesthetic freeform geometry.
A Variational Taxonomy for Surface Reconstruction from Oriented Points
Authors: Schroers C. , Setzer S. , Weickert J.
Published: August 2014

The problem of reconstructing a watertight surface from a finite set of oriented points has received much attention over the last decades. In this paper, we propose a general higher order framework for surface reconstruction. It is based on the idea that position and normal defined by each oriented point can be used to construct an implicit local description of the unknown surface. On the one hand, this allows us to systematically explain and relate several popular methods, for example implicit moving least squares, smooth signed distance surface reconstruction as well as (screened) Poisson surface reconstruction. On the other hand, it allows to derive and discuss a number of new approaches for reconstructing either the signed distance or the indicator function of the sought object. All of these approaches are able to achieve competitive results but one of them turns out to be especially promising. To improve reconstructions in difficult real world scenarios where point clouds have been estimated from colour images, we introduce a hull constraint that encourages the surface to stay within a given region. Our framework is implemented on the GPU using a recent cyclic scheme called Fast Jacobi, which combines low implementational effort with high efficiency.
Semi‐sharp Creases on Subdivision Curves and Surfaces
Authors: Kosinka J. , Sabin M. A. , Dodgson N. A.
Published: August 2014

We explore a method for generalising Pixar semi‐sharp creases from the univariate cubic case to arbitrary degree subdivision curves. Our approach is based on solving simple matrix equations. The resulting schemes allow for greater flexibility over existing methods, via control vectors. We demonstrate our results on several high‐degree univariate examples and explore analogous methods for subdivision surfaces.
Pseudo‐Spline Subdivision Surfaces
Authors: Deng Chongyang , Hormann Kai
Published: August 2014

Pseudo‐splines provide a rich family of subdivision schemes with a wide range of choices that meet various demands for balancing the approximation power, the length of the support, and the regularity of the limit functions. Special cases of pseudo‐splines include uniform odd‐degree B‐splines and the interpolatory 2n‐point subdivision schemes, and the other pseudo‐splines fill the gap between these two families. In this paper we show how the refinement step of a pseudo‐spline subdivision scheme can be implemented efficiently using repeated local operations, which require only the data in the direct neighbourhood of each vertex, and how to generalize this concept to quadrilateral meshes with arbitrary topology. The resulting pseudo‐spline surfaces can be arbitrarily smooth in regular mesh regions and C1 at extraordinary vertices as our numerical analysis reveals.
Functional Fluids on Surfaces
Authors: Azencot Omri , Weißmann Steffen , Ovsjanikov Maks , Wardetzky Max , Ben‐Chen Mirela
Published: August 2014

Fluid simulation plays a key role in various domains of science including computer graphics. While most existing work addresses fluids on bounded Euclidean domains, we consider the problem of simulating the behavior of an incompressible fluid on a curved surface represented as an unstructured triangle mesh. Unlike the commonly used Eulerian description of the fluid using its time‐varying velocity field, we propose to model fluids using their vorticity, i.e., by a (time varying) scalar function on the surface. During each time step, we advance scalar vorticity along two consecutive, stationary velocity fields. This approach leads to a variational integrator in the space continuous setting. In addition, using this approach, the update rule amounts to manipulating functions on the surface using linear operators, which can be discretized efficiently using the recently introduced functional approach to vector fields. Combining these time and space discretizations leads to a conceptually and algorithmically simple approach, which is efficient, time‐reversible and conserves vorticity by construction. We further demonstrate that our method exhibits no numerical dissipation and is able to reproduce intricate phenomena such as vortex shedding from boundaries.
Exploring the Geometry of the Space of Shells
Authors: Heeren B. , Rumpf M. , Schröder P. , Wardetzky M. , Wirth B.
Published: August 2014

We prove both in the smooth and discrete setting that the Hessian of an elastic deformation energy results in a proper Riemannian metric on the space of shells (modulo rigid body motions). Based on this foundation we develop a time‐ and space‐discrete geodesic calculus. In particular we show how to shoot geodesics with prescribed initial data, and we give a construction for parallel transport in shell space. This enables, for example, natural extrapolation of paths in shell space and transfer of large nonlinear deformations from one shell to another with applications in animation, geometric, and physical modeling. Finally, we examine some aspects of curvature on shell space.
As‐Conformal‐As‐Possible Surface Registration
Authors: Yoshiyasu Yusuke , Ma Wan‐Chun , Yoshida Eiichi , Kanehiro Fumio
Published: August 2014

We present a non‐rigid surface registration technique that can align surfaces with sizes and shapes that are different from each other, while avoiding mesh distortions during deformation. The registration is constrained locally as conformal as possible such that the angles of triangle meshes are preserved, yet local scales are allowed to change. Based on our conformal registration technique, we devise an automatic registration and interactive registration technique, which can reduce user interventions during template fitting. We demonstrate the versatility of our technique on a wide range of surfaces.
Elective neck dissection during salvage total laryngectomy – a beneficial prognostic effect in locally advanced recurrent tumours
Authors: Hilly O. , Gil Z. , Goldhaber D. , Amit M. , Biadsee A. , Popovtzer A. , Shvero J. , Cohen J. , Fliss D. , Feinmesser R. , Bachar G.
Published: August 2014

Objectives

Elective neck dissection during salvage laryngectomy is controversial. The goal of our study was to evaluate the effect of elective neck dissection during salvage laryngectomy in patients with locally advanced disease at recurrence.

Design

Multicentre, retrospective study.

Settings

Two tertiary medical centres.

Participants

Eighty‐seven patients treated by salvage laryngectomy.

Main outcome measures

Disease‐Free and Overall Survival.

Results

Fifty‐seven patients underwent salvage total laryngectomy for locally advanced recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx, and 30 patients underwent salvage laryngectomy for limited recurrent disease. Elective lateral neck dissection was performed in 48 patients. The groups were similar in age, sex, initialTNMstage and pre‐operative treatment. Survival analysis showed that both disease‐free survival and overall survival were improved in patients with locally advanced disease who underwent elective neck dissection. This beneficial effect was not demonstrated in patients with limited disease at recurrence. Multivariate analysis showed that the extent of the recurrent disease as well as elective neck dissection was associated with improved disease‐free survival and overall survival.

Conclusions

Elective neck dissection during salvage total laryngectomy seems to improve survival in patients with advanced local disease at recurrence. The role of neck dissection in the treatment of smaller tumours awaits further studies.
Clarifying values, risk perceptions, and attitudes to resolve or avoid social conflicts in invasive species management
Authors: Estévez Rodrigo A. , Anderson Christopher B. , Pizarro J. Cristobal , Burgman Mark A.
Published: August 2014

Decision makers and researchers recognize the need to effectively confront the social dimensions and conflicts inherent to invasive species research and management. Yet, despite numerous contentious situations that have arisen, no systematic evaluation of the literature has examined the commonalities in the patterns and types of these emergent social issues. Using social and ecological keywords, we reviewed trends in the social dimensions of invasive species research and management and the sources and potential solutions to problems and conflicts that arise around invasive species. We integrated components of cognitive hierarchy theory and risk perceptions theory to provide a conceptual framework to identify, distinguish, and provide understanding of the driving factors underlying disputes associated with invasive species. In the ISI Web of Science database, we found 15,915 peer‐reviewed publications on biological invasions, 124 of which included social dimensions of this phenomenon. Of these 124, 28 studies described specific contentious situations. Social approaches to biological invasions have emerged largely in the last decade and have focused on both environmental social sciences and resource management. Despite being distributed in a range of journals, these 124 articles were concentrated mostly in ecology and conservation‐oriented outlets. We found that conflicts surrounding invasive species arose based largely on differences in value systems and to a lesser extent stakeholder and decision maker's risk perceptions. To confront or avoid such situations, we suggest integrating the plurality of environmental values into invasive species research and management via structured decision making techniques, which enhance effective risk communication that promotes trust and confidence between stakeholders and decision makers.

Clarificar los Valores, Percepciones de Riesgo y Actitudes para Resolver o Evitar Conflictos Sociales en el Manejo de Especies Invasoras
Recurrence after perineal rectosigmoidectomy: when and why?
Authors: Kim M. , Reibetanz J. , Schlegel N. , Krajinovic K. , Köstler H. , Germer C.‐T. , Isbert C.
Published: August 2014

Aim

Reported recurrence rates after perineal rectosigmoidectomy (Altemeier's procedure) in patients with full‐thickness rectal prolapse vary from 0% to 60%. The object of this study was to analyse risk factors for recurrence after this procedure.

Method

From May 2004 to December 2012, 63 consecutive patients suffering from full‐thickness rectal prolapse undergoing perineal rectosigmoidectomy were included. Of these 46 were female and the median age of the whole group was 79 (30–90) years. The median follow‐up was 53 (3–99) months. Patient characteristics and operative parameters were compared between patients with and without recurrence.

Results

One patient died and another patient needed re‐operation. Eight full‐thickness recurrences occurred in eight patients after a median of 18 (6–48) months. Stapled compared with handsewn anastomosis (hazard ratio 7.96, 95% confidence interval 1.90–33.47; P = 0.001) and shorter specimen length (hazard ratio 4.06, 95% confidence interval 0.97–16.99; P = 0.03) increased the risk of recurrence in Cox regression analysis.

Conclusion

The operative technique including stapled anastomosis and length of the resected specimen seems to be associated with a high recurrence rate after perineal rectosigmoidectomy.
Comparing species distribution models constructed with different subsets of environmental predictors
Authors: Bucklin David N. , Basille Mathieu , Benscoter Allison M. , Brandt Laura A. , Mazzotti Frank J. , Romañach Stephanie S. , Speroterra Carolina , Watling James I.
Published: August 2014

Aim

To assess the usefulness of combining climate predictors with additional types of environmental predictors in species distribution models for range‐restricted species, using common correlative species distribution modelling approaches.

Location

Florida, USA

Methods

We used five different algorithms to create distribution models for 14 vertebrate species, using seven different predictor sets: two with bioclimate predictors only, and five ‘combination’ models using bioclimate predictors plus ‘additional’ predictors from groups representing: human influence, land cover, extreme weather or noise (spatially random data).We use a linear mixed‐model approach to analyse the effects of predictor set and algorithm on model accuracy, variable importance scores and spatial predictions.

Results

Regardless of modelling algorithm, no one predictor set produced significantly more accurate models than all others, though models including human influence predictors were the only ones with significantly higher accuracy than climate‐only models. Climate predictors had consistently higher variable importance scores than additional predictors in combination models, though there was variation related to predictor type and algorithm. While spatial predictions varied moderately between predictor sets, discrepancies were significantly greater between modelling algorithms than between predictor sets. Furthermore, there were no differences in the level of agreement between binary ‘presence–absence’ maps and independent species range maps related to the predictor set used.

Main conclusions

Our results indicate that additional predictors have relatively minor effects on the accuracy of climate‐based species distribution models and minor to moderate effects on spatial predictions. We suggest that implementing species distribution models with only climate predictors may provide an effective and efficient approach for initial assessments of environmental suitability.
Glucagon‐like peptide 1 receptor agonists and cardiovascular risk in type 2 diabetes: a clinical perspective
Authors: Fisher M.
Published: August 2014

Diabetes is associated with the development of premature atherosclerotic disease, including coronary heart disease and acute coronary syndromes. A late consequence of this process is the development of chronic heart failure, which contributes to the increased cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality associated with diabetes. Reduction of cholesterol with statins and intensive blood pressure control significantly reduce vascular events in people with diabetes. Intensive treatment of glycaemia reduces microvascular complications, especially retinopathy and nephropathy, but has only a modest effect in reducing macrovascular complications. Attention has therefore focused on individual antidiabetic drugs or drug classes to determine if these have effects in reducing CV events beyond the reduction of blood glucose. Glucagon‐like peptide 1 (GLP‐1) receptor agonists are a class of injected therapies that enhance the incretin effect, increasing insulin release from the pancreas and reducing glucagon production. They also have a central effect, increasing satiety, and in routine clinical use are associated with reductions in body weight. Another possibly beneficial effect of these drugs is a slight but significant reduction in systolic blood pressure. Data from cohort studies have indicated no increase in CV events with GLP‐1 receptor agonists, and perhaps some reductions in CV events. The safety and possible CV benefit of these drugs is now being tested in large, multicentre, randomized, placebo‐controlled trials.
Efficacy and safety of once‐weekly glucagon‐like peptide 1 receptor agonist albiglutide (HARMONY 1 trial): 52‐week primary endpoint results from a randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus not controlled on pioglitazone, with or without metformin
Authors: Reusch J. , Stewart M. W. , Perkins C. M. , Cirkel D. T. , Ye J. , Perry C. R. , Reinhardt R. R. , Bode B. W.
Published: August 2014

Aims

To show that albiglutide, a glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor agonist, is an effective and generally safe treatment to improve glycaemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus whose hyperglycaemia is inadequately controlled with pioglitazone (with or without metformin).

Methods

In this 3‐year, randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled study, 310 adult patients on a regimen of pioglitazone (with or without metformin) were randomly assigned to receive additional treatment with albiglutide [30 mg subcutaneous (s.c.) once weekly, n = 155] or matching placebo (n = 155). The primary efficacy endpoint was change from baseline to week 52 (intention‐to‐treat) in glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c).

Results

The model‐adjusted change from baseline in HbA1c at week 52 was significantly better with albiglutide than with placebo (−0.8%, 95% confidence interval −1.0, −0.6; p < 0.0001). Change from baseline fasting plasma glucose was −1.3 mmol/l in the albiglutide group and +0.4 mmol/l in the placebo group (p < 0.0001); a significantly higher percentage of patients reached the HbA1c goals with albiglutide (p < 0.0001), and the rate of hyperglycaemia rescue up to week 52 for albiglutide was 24.4 versus 47.7% for placebo (p < 0.0001). Albiglutide plus pioglitazone had no impact on weight, and severe hypoglycaemia was observed rarely (n = 2). With few exceptions, the results of safety assessments were similar between the groups, and most adverse events (AEs) were mild or moderate. The 52‐week incidence rates for gastrointestinal AEs for albiglutide and placebo were: 31.3 and 29.8%, respectively (diarrhoea: 11.3 and 8.6%; nausea: 10.7 and 11.3%; vomiting: 4.0 and 4.0%).

Conclusions

Albiglutide 30 mg administered once weekly as an add‐on to pioglitazone (with or without metformin) provided effective and durable glucose lowering and was generally well tolerated.