bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
External validation of computed tomography decision rules for minor head injury: prospective, multicentre cohort study in the Netherlands
Authors: Foks Kelly A , van den Brand Crispijn L , Lingsma Hester F , van der Naalt Joukje , Jacobs Bram , de Jong Eline , den Boogert Hugo F , Sir Özcan , Patka Peter , Polinder Suzanne , Gaakeer Menno I , Schutte Charlotte E , Jie Kim E , Visee Huib F , Hunink Myriam G M , Reijners Eef , Braaksma Meriam , Schoonman Guus G , Steyerberg Ewout W , Jellema Korné , Dippel Diederik W J 
Published: August 2018

Abstract

Objective
To externally validate four commonly used rules in computed tomography (CT) for minor head injury.

Design
Prospective, multicentre cohort study.

Setting
Three university and six non-university hospitals in the Netherlands.

Participants
Consecutive adult patients aged 16 years and over who presented with minor head injury at the emergency department with a Glasgow coma scale score of 13-15 between March 2015 and December 2016.

Main outcome measures
The primary outcome was any intracranial traumatic finding on CT; the secondary outcome was a potential neurosurgical lesion on CT, which was defined as an intracranial traumatic finding on CT that could lead to a neurosurgical intervention or death. The sensitivity, specificity, and clinical usefulness (defined as net proportional benefit, a weighted sum of true positive classifications) of the four CT decision rules. The rules included the CT in head injury patients (CHIP) rule, New Orleans criteria (NOC), Canadian CT head rule (CCHR), and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline for head injury.

Results
For the primary analysis, only six centres that included patients with and without CT were selected. Of 4557 eligible patients who presented with minor head injury, 3742 (82%) received a CT scan; 384 (8%) had a intracranial traumatic finding on CT, and 74 (2%) had a potential neurosurgical lesion. The sensitivity for any intracranial traumatic finding on CT ranged from 73% (NICE) to 99% (NOC); specificity ranged from 4% (NOC) to 61% (NICE). Sensitivity for a potential neurosurgical lesion ranged between 85% (NICE) and 100% (NOC); specificity from 4% (NOC) to 59% (NICE). Clinical usefulness depended on thresholds for performing CT scanning: the NOC rule was preferable at a low threshold, the NICE rule was preferable at a higher threshold, whereas the CHIP rule was preferable for an intermediate threshold.

Conclusions
Application of the CHIP, NOC, CCHR, or NICE decision rules can lead to a wide variation in CT scanning among patients with minor head injury, resulting in many unnecessary CT scans and some missed intracranial traumatic findings. Until an existing decision rule has been updated, any of the four rules can be used for patients presenting minor head injuries at the emergency department. Use of the CHIP rule is recommended because it leads to a substantial reduction in CT scans while missing few potential neurosurgical lesions.
In vivo monitoring of microneedle-based transdermal drug delivery of insulin
Authors: Zhao Jiawei , Wu Yongbo , Chen Junbo , Lu Bangrong , Xiong Honglian , Tang Zhilie , Ji Yanhong 
Published: August 2018

Soluble microneedles (MNs) have recently become an efficient and minimally invasive tool in transdermal drug delivery because of their excellent biocompatibility and rapid dissolution. However, direct monitoring of structural and functional changes of MNs in vivo to estimate the efficiency of insulin delivery is difficult. We monitored the dissolution of MNs to obtain structural imaging of MNs’ changes by using optical coherence tomography (OCT). We also observed the effect of MNs on microvascular conditions with laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) and measured the blood perfusion of skin to obtain functional imaging of MNs. We determined the performance of two soluble MN arrays made from polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polyvinyl alcohol/polyvinylpyrolidone (PVA/PVP) by calculating the cross-sectional areas of the microchannels in mouse skin as a function of time. Moreover, the change in blood glucose before and after using MNs loaded with insulin was evaluated as an auxiliary means to demonstrate the ability of the soluble MNs to deliver insulin. Results showed that the structural imaging of these MNs could be observed in vivo via OCT in real time and the functional imaging of MNs could be showed using LSCI. OCT and LSCI are potential tools in monitoring MNs structural and functional changes.
High-Performance By-Example Noise using a Histogram-Preserving Blending Operator
Authors: Heitz Eric , Neyret Fabrice 
Published: August 2018

We propose a new by-example noise algorithm that takes as input a small example of a stochastic texture and synthesizes an infinite output with the same appearance. It works on any kind of random-phase inputs as well as on many non-random-phase inputs that are stochastic and non-periodic, typically natural textures such as moss, granite, sand, bark, etc. Our algorithm achieves high-quality results comparable to state-of-the-art procedural-noise techniques but is more than 20 times faster.
Our approach is conceptually simple: we partition the output texture space on a triangle grid and associate each vertex with a random patch from the input such that the evaluation inside a triangle is done by blending 3 patches. The key to this approach is the blending operation that usually produces visual artifacts such as ghosting, softened discontinuities and reduced contrast, or introduces new colors not present in the input. We analyze these problems by showing how linear blending impacts the histogram and show that a blending operator that preserves the histogram prevents these problems.
The main requirement for a rendering application is to implement such an operator in a fragment shader without further post-processing, i.e. we need a histogram-preserving blending operator that operates only at the pixel level. Our insight for the design of this operator is that, with Gaussian inputs, histogram-preserving blending boils down to mean and variance preservation, which is simple to obtain analytically. We extend this idea to non-Gaussian inputs by "Gaussianizing" them with a histogram transformation and "de-Gaussianizing" them with the inverse transformation after the blending operation. We show how to precompute and store these histogram transformations such that our algorithm can be implemented in a fragment shader.
Non-periodic Tiling of Procedural Noise Functions
Authors: Kirillov Aleksandr 
Published: August 2018

Procedural noise functions have many applications in computer graphics, ranging from texture synthesis to atmospheric effect simulation or to landscape geometry specification. Noise can either be precomputed and stored into a texture, or evaluated directly at application runtime. This choice offers a tradeoff between image variance, memory consumption and performance.
Advanced tiling algorithms can be used to decrease visual repetition. Wang tiles allow a plane to be tiled in a non-periodic way, using a relatively small set of textures. Tiles can be arranged in a single texture map to enable the GPU to use hardware filtering.
In this paper, we present modifications to several popular procedural noise functions that directly produce texture maps containing the smallest complete Wang tile set. The findings presented in this paper enable non-periodic tiling of these noise functions and textures based on them, both at runtime and as a preprocessing step. These findings also allow decreasing repetition of noise-based effects in computer-generated images at a small performance cost, while maintaining or even reducing the memory consumption.
A Role for Tryptophan-2,3-dioxygenase in CD8 T-cell Suppression and Evidence of Tryptophan Catabolism in Breast Cancer Patient Plasma
Authors: Greene Lisa I. , Bruno Tullia C. , Christenson Jessica L. , D'Alessandro Angelo , Culp-Hill Rachel , Torkko Kathleen , Borges Virginia F. , Slansky Jill E. , Richer Jennifer K. 
Published: August 2018

Abstract

Tryptophan catabolism is an attractive target for reducing tumor progression and improving antitumor immunity in multiple cancers. Tumor infiltration by CD8 T cells correlates with improved prognosis in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and a significant effort is underway to improve CD8 T-cell antitumor activity. In this study, primary human immune cells were isolated from the peripheral blood of patients and used to demonstrate that the tryptophan catabolite kynurenine induces CD8 T-cell death. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that anchorage-independent TNBC utilizes the tryptophan-catabolizing enzyme tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase (TDO) to inhibit CD8 T-cell viability. Publicly available data revealed that high TDO2, the gene encoding TDO, correlates with poor breast cancer clinical outcomes, including overall survival and distant metastasis-free survival, while expression of the gene encoding the more commonly studied tryptophan-catabolizing enzyme, IDO1 did not. Metabolomic analysis, using quantitative mass spectrometry, of tryptophan and its catabolites, including kynurenine, in the plasma from presurgical breast cancer patients (n = 77) and 40 cancer-free donors (n = 40) indicated a strong correlation between substrate and catabolite in both groups. Interestingly, both tryptophan and kynurenine were lower in the plasma from patients with breast cancer compared with controls, particularly in women with estrogen receptor (ER)-negative and stage III and IV breast cancer.

Implications:
This study underscores the importance of tryptophan catabolism, particularly in aggressive disease, and suggests that future pharmacologic efforts should focus on developing drugs that target both TDO and IDO1.
A Next-Generation Coastal Ocean Operational System: Probabilistic Flood Forecasting at Street Scale
Authors: Jordi Antoni , Georgas Nickitas , Blumberg Alan , Yin Larry , Chen Ziyu , Wang Yifan , Schulte Justin , Ramaswamy Venkatsundar , Runnels Dave , Saleh Firas 
Published: August 2018

AbstractRecent hurricanes have demonstrated the need for real-time flood forecasting at street scale in coastal urban areas. Here, we describe the high-impact high-resolution (HIHR) system that operationally forecasts flooding at very high resolution in the New York–New Jersey metropolitan region. HIHR is the latest upgrade of the Stevens Flood Advisory System (SFAS), a highly detailed operational coastal ocean modeling system. SFAS, based on the Hydrologic–Hydraulic–Hydrodynamic Ensemble (H3E) modeling framework, consists of four sets of nested coastal and inland flood models that provide ensemble flood forecasts with a horizon of at least 96 h from regional to street scales based on forcing from 100 different meteorological output fields. HIHR includes nine model domains with horizontal resolution ranging from 3 to 10 m around critical infrastructure sites in the region. HIHR models are based on an advanced hydrodynamic code [the Stevens Estuarine and Coastal Ocean Model (sECOM), a derivative of the Princeton Ocean Model] and nested into the H3E models. HIHR was retrospectively evaluated by forecasting the coastal flooding caused by Superstorm Sandy in 2012 using water-level sensors, high-water marks, and flood maps. The forecasts for the 95th percentile show a good agreement with these observations even three days before the peak flood, while the 50th percentile is negatively biased because of the lack of resolution on the meteorological forcing. Forecasts became more accurate and less uncertain as the forecasts were issued closer to the peak flooding.
Tidal Modulation of Surface Gravity Waves in the Gulf of Maine
Authors: Wang Pengcheng , Sheng Jinyu 
Published: August 2018

AbstractThis study examines the tidal modulation of surface gravity waves in the Gulf of Maine (GoM) by using in situ observations and numerical model results. Analysis of observational data demonstrates significant semidiurnal tidal modulations in the mean wave variables for swell-dominated waves in the region. The observed tidal modulation features significant spatial–temporal variabilities, with large magnitudes near the mouth of the GoM. Observations also demonstrate unusual timing of the maximum modulation of significant wave height Hs in the following tidal currents. The coupled wave–circulation model successfully reproduces the observed tidal modulation and the associated spatial–temporal variabilities. Model results demonstrate that the maximum Hs modulations are first generated during the maximum flood tide or ebb tide near the mouth of the GoM and then propagate onto the inner gulf. Around the mouth of the GoM, tidal currents have strong spatial gradients, resulting in great effects of current-induced convergence, refraction, and wavenumber shift. The tidal modulation in Hs generated by convergence (10%–14%) is less affected by the wave propagation direction than the modulation generated by the wavenumber shift (6%–10%) and refraction (4%–20%). The latter modulation varies significantly with changes in the wave propagation direction. In addition, current-enhanced dissipation becomes important during high winds, which reduces at least one-half of the Hs modulation during the study period. The observed unusual timing of the maximum Hs modulation in the following tidal currents can be mostly explained by the convergence and wavenumber shift associated with wave-energy convergence and energy transfer from currents to waves in spatially decelerating currents.
CFSv2 Monthly Forecasts of Tornado and Hail Activity
Authors: Lepore Chiara , Tippett Michael K. , Allen John T. 
Published: August 2018

AbstractClimate Forecast System, version 2, predictions of monthly U.S. severe thunderstorm activity are analyzed for the period 1982–2016. Forecasts are based on a tornado environmental index and a hail environmental index, which are functions of monthly averaged storm relative helicity (SRH), convective precipitation (cPrcp), and convective available potential energy (CAPE). Overall, forecast indices reproduce well the annual cycle of tornado and hail events. Forecast index biases are mostly negative and caused by environment values that are low east of the Rockies, although forecast CAPE is higher than the reanalysis values over the High Plains. Skill is diagnosed spatially for the indices and their constituents separately. SRH is more skillfully forecast than cPrcp and CAPE, especially during December–June. The spatial patterns of forecast skill for CAPE and cPrcp are similar, with higher skill for CAPE and less spatial coherence for cPrcp. The indices are forecast with substantially less skill than the environmental parameters. Numbers of tornado and hail events are forecast with modest but statistically significant skill in some NOAA regions and months of the year. Skill tends to be relatively higher for hail events and in climatologically active seasons and regions. Much of the monthly skill appears to be derived from the first 2 weeks of the forecast. El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) modulates forecasts and, to a lesser extent, forecast skill, during March–May, with more activity and higher skill during cool ENSO conditions.
Health-promoting schools in Taiwan: School principals’ and teachers’ perspectives on implementation and sustainability
Authors: Liu Chieh-Hsing , Chang Fong-Ching , Liao Li-Ling , Niu Yu-Zhen , Cheng Chi-Chia , Shih Shu-Fang 
Published: August 2018

Objective: This study assessed school principals’ understanding, attitudes and willingness to influence the implementation of the health-promoting schools (HPS) programme in Taiwan and teachers’ willingness to sustain it. Method: In 2014, a total of 1,140 school principals and 1,110 teachers (HPS coordinators) completed questionnaires concerning their perspectives on implementation and sustainability. Results: Compared with teachers, school principals reported higher levels of willingness to sustain HPS implementation. School principals’ levels of understanding of HPS and willingness to sustain it were significantly associated with higher levels of HPS implementation and an increase in teachers’ willingness to sustain HPS implementation. Conclusion: School principals’ understanding and willingness to support are central to the effective implementation and sustainability of initiatives such as HPS.
Using EMG Amplitude and Frequency to Calculate a Multimuscle Fatigue Score and Evaluate Global Shoulder Fatigue
Authors: McDonald Alison C. , Mulla Daanish M. , Keir Peter J. 
Published: August 2018

Objective: The authors developed a function to quantify fatigue in multiple shoulder muscles by generating a single score using relative changes in EMG amplitude and frequency over time. Background: Evaluating both frequency and amplitude components of the electromyographic signal provides a more complete evaluation of muscle fatigue than either variable alone; however, little effort has been made to combine time and frequency domains for the evaluation of myoelectric fatigue. Method: Surface EMG was measured from 14 shoulder muscles while participants performed simulated, repetitive work tasks until exhaustion. Each 60-s work cycle consisted of four tasks (dynamic push, dynamic pull, static drill, static force target matching task) scaled to participants’ anthropometrics and strength. The function was generated to calculate a multimuscle fatigue score (MMFS) based on changes in EMG frequency, amplitude, and the number of muscles showing signs of myoelectric fatigue (increase in EMG amplitude; decrease in EMG frequency). Results: The function was evaluated through changes in MMFS over time: first (31.8 ± 14.6), middle (47.6 ± 25.3), last (58.6 ± 35.5) reference exertions ( p < .05). The evaluation of the relationships between MMFS and changes in strength ( r = −0.510) and MMFS and perceived fatigue (RPF) ( r = 0.298) showed significant relationships over time ( p < .05). MMFS scores increased over time ( p < .05) with significant relationships between MMFS and strength changes and RPF ( p < .05). Conclusion and application: The MMFS allows for comparisons between workplace tasks, which can aid in workplace design to mitigate the development of fatigue.
Association between dietary fiber intake and risk of ovarian cancer: a meta-analysis of observational studies
Authors: Huang Xiumin , Wang Xuelian , Shang Jing , Lin Yanzhen , Yang Ying , Song Youyi , Yu Shengnan 
Published: August 2018

Objective To evaluate the associations between dietary fiber intake and ovarian cancer risk. Methods A literature survey was conducted by searching the PubMed, Web of Science, and Wanfang Med Online databases up to March 1st, 2018. The effect of dietary fiber intake on ovarian cancer risk was evaluated by calculating relative risks with 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) using Stata 12.0 software. Results A total of 17 articles with 149,177 participants including 7609 ovarian cancer patients were included in this analysis. The summarized relative risk for ovarian cancer in participants with the highest compared with the lowest fiber intake was 0.760 (95%CI=0.702–0.823), with no significant between-study heterogeneity ( I2=12.4%). Subgroup analysis according to study design demonstrated positive associations in both cohort studies and case-control studies. Moreover, the results were consistent among populations from America, Europe, and Asia. No publication bias was found by Egger’s test or funnel plots. Conclusion This meta-analysis concluded that a high intake of dietary fiber could significantly reduce the risk of ovarian cancer compared with a low fiber intake.
Decreased Defect Size and Partial Restoration of Subchondral Bone on Computed Tomography After Arthroscopic Debridement and Microfracture for Osteochondritis Dissecans of the Capitellum
Authors: Bexkens Rens , van Bergen Christiaan J.A. , van den Bekerom Michel P.J. , Kerkhoffs Gino M.M.J. , Eygendaal Denise 
Published: August 2018

Background: Arthroscopic debridement and microfracture are considered the primary surgical treatment for capitellar osteochondritis dissecans (OCD). Healing of the subchondral bone plays an essential role in cartilage repair, while lack of healing is related to the development of osteoarthritis. To date, it is unknown to what extent healing of the subchondral bone occurs after this technique in the elbow. Purpose: To analyze defect size changes and subchondral bone healing with computed tomography (CT) after arthroscopic debridement and microfracture for advanced capitellar OCD. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: Between 2009 and 2016, 67 patients underwent arthroscopic debridement and microfracture for advanced capitellar OCD. Fifty-four patients (81% follow-up rate) with CT scans were included (mean ± SD: preoperative, 4.0 ± 1.7 months; postoperative, 29 ± 9.0 months). OCD defect size was assessed by measuring the largest diameter in 3 directions: medial-lateral direction (coronal plane) and anterior-posterior direction and depth (both in sagittal plane). Healing of the OCD was divided into 3 categories: good—complete osseous union or ossification; fair—incomplete osseous union or ossification but improved; poor—no changes between pre- and postoperative scans. Postoperative clinical outcome was assessed with the Oxford Elbow Score (OES) at the same time as the postoperative CT scan. Results: There were 30 female and 24 male patients (age, 15.7 ± 3.2 years). Defect size decreased ( P < .001) in all 3 directions (medial-lateral × anterior-posterior × depth) at 29 ± 9.0 months: preoperatively, 7.9 ± 2.8 × 8.0 ± 3.2 × 4.1 ± 1.5 mm; postoperatively, 3.5 ± 3.3 × 4.0 ± 3.5 × 1.6 ± 1.4 mm. Healing of the subchondral bone was graded as good in 19 defects (35%), fair in 27 (50%), and poor in 8 (15%). The mean postoperative OES score was 40 ± 8.4. Neither postoperative defect size nor healing grade correlated with the OES ( P > .05). Conclusion: Arthroscopic debridement and microfracture for advanced capitellar OCD result in improved (ie, decreased) defect size at a mean follow-up of 29 months, both in width and in depth. Healing of the subchondral bone was either good or fair in 85%. Interestingly, CT findings did not correlate with clinical outcomes.