bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Fast Penetration Volume for Rigid Bodies
Authors: Nirel D. , Lischinski D. 
Published: June 2018

AbstractHandling collisions among a large number of bodies can be a performance bottleneck in video games and many other real‐time applications. We present a new framework for detecting and resolving collisions using the penetration volume as an interpenetration measure. Given two non‐convex polyhedral bodies, a new sampling paradigm locates their near‐contact configurations in advance, and stores associated contact information in a compact database. At runtime, we retrieve a given configuration's nearest neighbors. By taking advantage of the penetration volume's continuity, cheap geometric methods can use the neighbors to estimate contact information as well as a translational gradient. This results in an extremely fast, geometry‐independent, and trivially parallelizable computation, which constitutes the first global volume‐based collision resolution. When processing multiple collisions simultaneously on a 4‐core processor, the average running cost is as low as 5 μs. Furthermore, no additional proximity or contact‐regions queries are required. These results are orders of magnitude faster than previous penetration volume approaches.
Watercolor Woodblock Printing with Image Analysis
Authors: Panotopoulou A. , Paris S. , Whiting E. 
Published: June 2018

AbstractWatercolor paintings have a unique look that mixes subtle color gradients and sophisticated diffusion patterns. This makes them immediately recognizable and gives them a unique appeal. Creating such paintings requires advanced skills that are beyond the reach of most people. Even for trained artists, producing several copies of a painting is a tedious task. One can resort to scanning an existing painting and printing replicas, but these are all identical and have lost an essential characteristic of a painting, its uniqueness. We address these two issues with a technique to fabricate woodblocks that we later use to create watercolor prints. The woodblocks can be reused to produce multiple copies but each print is unique due to the physical process that we introduce. We also design an image processing pipeline that helps users to create the woodblocks and describe a protocol that produces prints by carefully controlling the interplay between the paper, ink pigments, and water so that the final piece depicts the desired scene while exhibiting the distinctive features of watercolor. Our technique enables anyone with the resources to produce watercolor prints.
Approximate Program Smoothing Using Mean‐Variance Statistics, with Application to Procedural Shader Bandlimiting
Authors: Yang Y. , Barnes C. 
Published: June 2018

AbstractWe introduce a general method to approximate the convolution of a program with a Gaussian kernel. This results in the program being smoothed. Our compiler framework models intermediate values in the program as random variables, by using mean and variance statistics. We decompose the input program into atomic parts and relate the statistics of the different parts of the smoothed program. We give several approximate smoothing rules that can be used for the parts of the program. These include an improved variant of Dorn et al. [DBLW15], a novel adaptive Gaussian approximation, Monte Carlo sampling, and compactly supported kernels. Our adaptive Gaussian approximation handles multivariate Gaussian distributed inputs, gives exact results for a larger class of programs than previous work, and is accurate to the second order in the standard deviation of the kernel for programs with certain analytic properties. Because each expression in the program can have multiple approximation choices, we use a genetic search to automatically select the best approximations. We apply this framework to the problem of automatically bandlimiting procedural shader programs. We evaluate our method on a variety of geometries and complex shaders, including shaders with parallax mapping, animation, and spatially varying statistics. The resulting smoothed shader programs outperform previous approaches both numerically and aesthetically.
Fast Catmull‐Rom Spline Interpolation for High‐Quality Texture Sampling
Authors: Csébfalvi Balázs 
Published: June 2018

AbstractIt is well known that cubic texture filtering can be efficiently implemented on the GPU by using a method published by Sigg and Hadwiger [SH05], which simplifies the evaluation to a linear combination of linear texture fetches. However, their method cannot be directly applied if the filter kernel takes also negative values like the popular Catmull‐Rom spline, for example. In this paper, we propose a modified algorithm that is able to handle also the negative weights. Therefore, using our method, the Catmull‐Rom spline interpolation can also be evaluated in one, two, and three dimensions by taking two, four, and eight linear texture fetches, respectively.
Feasible stabilization of chondroitinase abc enables reduced astrogliosis in a chronic model of spinal cord injury
Authors: Raspa Andrea , Bolla Edoardo , Cuscona Claudia , Gelain Fabrizio 
Published: June 2018

SummaryAimsUsually, spinal cord injury (SCI) develops into a glial scar containing extracellular matrix molecules including chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs). Chondroitinase ABC (ChABC), from Proteus vulgaris degrading the glycosaminoglycan (GAG) side chains of CSPGs, offers the opportunity to improve the final outcome of SCI. However, ChABC usage is limited by its thermal instability, requiring protein structure modifications, consecutive injections at the lesion site, or implantation of infusion pumps.MethodsAiming at more feasible strategy to preserve ChABC catalytic activity, we assessed various stabilizing agents in different solutions and demonstrated, via a spectrophotometric protocol, that the 2.5 mol/L Sucrose solution best stabilized ChABC as far as 14 days in vitro.ResultsChABC activity was improved in both stabilizing and diluted solutions at +37°C, that is, mimicking their usage in vivo. We also verified the safety of the proposed aqueous sucrose solution in terms of viability/cytotoxicity of mouse neural stem cells (NSCs) in both proliferating and differentiating conditions in vitro. Furthermore, we showed that a single intraspinal treatment with ChABC and sucrose reduced reactive gliosis at the injury site in chronic contusive SCI in rats and slightly enhanced their locomotor recovery.ConclusionUsage of aqueous sucrose solutions may be a feasible strategy, in combination with rehabilitation, to ameliorate ChABC‐based treatments to promote the regeneration of central nervous system injuries.
Conserving Himalayan birds in highly seasonal forested and agricultural landscapes
Authors: Elsen Paul R. , Ramesh Krishnamurthy , Wilcove David S. 
Published: June 2018

AbstractThe Himalayas are a global biodiversity hotspot threatened by widespread agriculture and pasture expansion. To determine the impact of these threats on biodiversity and to formulate appropriate conservation strategies, we surveyed birds along elevational gradients in primary forest and in human‐dominated lands spanning a gradient of habitat alteration, including forest‐agriculture mosaics, mixed agriculture mosaics, and pasture. We surveyed birds during the breeding season and in winter to account for pronounced seasonal migrations. Bird abundance and richness in forest‐agriculture and mixed agriculture mosaics were equal to or greater than in primary forest and greater than in pasture at local and landscape scales during both seasons. Pasture had greater abundance and richness of birds in winter than primary forest, but richness was greater in primary forest at the landscape scale during the breeding season. All 4 land‐use types held unique species, suggesting that all must be retained in the landscape to conserve the entire avifauna. Our results suggest forest‐agriculture and mixed agriculture mosaics are particularly important for sustaining Himalayan bird communities during winter and primary forests are vital for sustaining Himalayan bird communities during the breeding season. Further conversion of forest‐agriculture and mixed agriculture mosaics to pasture would likely result in significant biodiversity losses that would disproportionately affect breeding species. To ensure comprehensive conservation, strategies in the western Himalayas must balance the protection of intact primary forest with the minimization of pasture expansion.
Effect of CYP3A5*1 expression on tacrolimus required dose after liver transplantation: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Hendijani Fatemeh , Azarpira Negar , Kaviani Maryam 
Published: June 2018

AbstractWe systematically collected eligible data to measure the effect of CYP3A5*1 expression on personalized tacrolimus therapy. Six databases were searched for studies on adult liver transplant recipients and donors of liver graft which reported tacrolimus dose requirement, trough blood concentration, and/or concentration/dose (C/D) ratio in expressers and nonexpressers of CYP3A5*1. Eligible data were pooled by meta‐analysis. Sixteen observational studies (1309 recipients, 1044 donors of liver graft) were included in the analyses. Tacrolimus C/D ratio was lower, and the dose was higher in recipient expressers of CYP3A5*1 and/or carriers of expresser liver graft at 1‐4 weeks and 2‐4, 6, and 12 months post‐transplantation. Tacrolimus blood concentration was lower at the first two weeks. Pair expressers were affected by about twofold, and the effect was different between ethnic groups. CYP3A5*1 expression in recipients increased tacrolimus required dose by 0.023 at first, 0.022 at third, and 0.012 mg/kg/day at sixth month. Its expression in graft tissue increased tacrolimus required dose by 0.024 at first, 0.035 at third, and 0.032 mg/kg/day at sixth month. Considering CYP3A5*1 polymorphism can be helpful in individualization of tacrolimus efficient dose prior to administration, and it can remove initial high‐risk lag time (over/underdose period before reaching target blood level) at first few days post‐transplantation.
Climate‐driven substitution of habitat‐forming species leads to reduced biodiversity within a temperate marine community
Authors: Teagle Harry , Smale Dan A. 
Published: June 2018

AbstractAimIn marine ecosystems, habitat‐forming species (HFS) such as reef‐building corals and canopy‐forming macroalgae alter local environmental conditions and can promote biodiversity by providing biogenic living space for a vast array of associated organisms. We examined community‐level impacts of observed climate‐driven shifts in the relative abundances of two superficially similar HFS, the warm‐water kelp Laminaria ochroleuca and the cool‐water kelp Laminaria hyperborea.LocationWestern English Channel, north‐east AtlanticMethodsWe compared algal and invertebrate assemblages associated with kelp stipes and holdfasts, across multiple sites and sampling events. Significant differences were recorded in the structure of assemblages between the host kelp species at each site and event.ResultsAssemblages associated with stipes of the cool‐water HFS were, on average, >12 times more diverse and supported >3600 times more biomass compared with the warm‐water HFS. Holdfast assemblages also differed significantly between species, although to a lesser extent than those associated with stipes. Overall, assemblages associated with the warm‐water HFS were markedly impoverished and comprised far fewer rare or unique taxa.Main conclusionsWhile previous research has shown how climate‐driven loss of HFS can cause biodiversity loss, our study demonstrates that climate‐driven substitutions of HFS can also lead to impoverished assemblages. The indirect effects of climate change remain poorly resolved, but shifts in the distributions and abundances of HFS may invoke widespread ecological change, especially in marine ecosystems where facilitative interactions are particularly strong.
Multifaceted biodiversity modelling at macroecological scales using Gaussian processes
Authors: Talluto Lauren , Mokany Karel , Pollock Laura J. , Thuiller Wilfried 
Published: June 2018

AbstractAimModelling the response of β‐diversity (i.e., the turnover in species composition among sites) to environmental variation has wide‐ranging applications, including informing conservation planning, understanding community assembly and forecasting the impacts of climate change. However, modelling β‐diversity is challenging, especially for multiple diversity facets (i.e., taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity), and current methods have important limitations. Here, we present a new approach for predicting the response of multifaceted β‐diversity to the environment, called Multifaceted Biodiversity Modelling (MBM). We illustrate the approach using both a plant diversity dataset from the French Alps and a set of simulated data. We also provide an implementation via an R package.LocationFrench Alps.MethodsFor both the French Alps and the simulated communities, we compute β‐diversity indices (e.g., Sørensen dissimilarity, mean functional/phylogenetic pairwise distance) among site pairs. We then apply Gaussian process regression, a flexible nonlinear modelling technique, to predict β‐diversity in response to environmental distance among site pairs. For comparison, we also perform similar analyses using Generalized Dissimilarity Modelling (GDM), a well‐established method for modelling β‐diversity in response to environmental distance.ResultsIn the Alps, we observed a general increase in taxonomic (TD) and functional (FD) β‐diversity (i.e., site pairs were more different from each other) as the climatic distance between site pairs increased. GDM performed better for TD and FD when fitting to calibration data, whereas MBM performed better for both when predicting to a validation dataset. For phylogenetic β‐diversity, MBM outperformed GDM in predicting the observed decrease in phylogenetic β‐diversity with increasing climatic distance.Main conclusionsMultifaceted Biodiversity Modelling provides a flexible new approach that expands our capacity to model multiple facets of β‐diversity. Advantages of MBM over existing methods include simpler assumptions, more flexible modelling, potential to consider multiple facets of diversity across a range of diversity indices, and robust uncertainty estimation.
Predictors of changing insulin dose requirements and glycaemic control in children, adolescents and young adults with Type 1 diabetes
Authors: Teló G. H. , Dougher C. E. , Volkening L. K. , Katz M. L. , Laffel L. M. 
Published: June 2018

AbstractAimsTo investigate trajectories of daily insulin dose requirements and glycaemic control in children, adolescents and young adults with Type 1 diabetes and to identify factors associated with changing insulin needs and deterioration in HbA1c.MethodsThe sample was a dynamic cohort of 635 children, adolescents and young adults with Type 1 diabetes from one centre. Data from clinic visits occurring over 20 years (1993–2013) were extracted from medical records. From age 7–24 years, we evaluated HbA1c and insulin dose according to sex, insulin regimen and weight status.ResultsParticipants provided a mean ± sd of 10.7±4.3 years of insulin dose data and 12.0±4.6 years of HbA1c data. At first observation, the mean ± sd age was 10.0±2.6 years, diabetes duration was 2.8±2.1 years, insulin dose was 0.8±0.2 units/kg and HbA1c was 74±18 mmol/mol (8.9±1.6%). Insulin dose was higher in girls at ages 8–13 years (P<0.0001 to P<0.01), but higher in boys/young men at ages 16–21 years (P<0.0001 to P=0.04). HbA1c was higher in girls/young women at ages 16–24 years (P<0.0001 to P=0.01). Compared with injection therapy, pump therapy was associated with lower insulin dose at ages 8–24 years (P<0.0001 to P=0.03) and lower HbA1c at ages 8–22 years (P<0.0001 to P=0.005). HbA1c did not differ between overweight/obese and normal weight individuals, but overweight/obese individuals had higher insulin dose at ages 8–13 years (P<0.0001 to P=0.03).ConclusionsThis longitudinal assessment identifies clinically meaningful modifiable (e.g. insulin regimen) and non‐modifiable (e.g. sex) factors predictive of insulin requirements and HbA1c levels in young people with Type 1 diabetes; anticipatory insulin adjustments may improve glycaemic control.
The Determinants of Political Cleavages in Jordan, Tunisia, and Yemen: An Analysis of Political Attitudes Structure in the Arab World
Authors: Abduljaber Malek 
Published: June 2018

AbstractThis article investigates the determinants of political cleavages composing the structure of political attitudes in Jordan, Tunisia, and Yemen following the Arab Spring. Further, it tests whether political cleavages carry predictive weight on ordinary citizens’ electoral choices in general elections. Using the Sixth Wave of the World Values Survey, discriminant analysis was conducted to generate the dimensionality, type, and structure of political attitudes in the three nations. Findings suggest that the structure of political attitudes in Jordan, Tunisia, and Yemen is multidimensional: the Islamic‐Secular division, a conflict along economic policy visions and an emerging divisive dimension concerning political reform. Evidence indicates that political cleavages do not possess significant predictive power in determining voters’ choice at elections booths. This research also points to the significance of social transformation processes such as modernization and globalization in causing a shift in values among ordinary citizens in the Arab World. This research argues that in countries where the effects of modernization and globalization are higher, a weakening of the Islamic‐Secular division is witnessed. This research is important since it paves the way for further empirical analysis on political ideology in the Middle East. It shatters conjectures concluding that Arab polities are only divided by a single hierarchical dimension: Islamic‐Secular. It contributes to comparative research on the dimensionality of political ideology by showing that the Arab World is similar to the industrialized world in the dimensionality, nature, and structuration of political ideology.
Monoclonal antibody‐mediated killing of tumour cells by neutrophils
Authors: Heemskerk Niels , van Egmond Marjolein 
Published: June 2018

AbstractNeutrophils represent the most abundant population of circulating cytotoxic effector cells. Moreover, their number can be easily increased by treatment with granulocyte‐colony stimulating factor or granulocyte macrophage‐colony stimulating factor, without the need for ex vivo expansion. Because neutrophils express Fc receptors, they have the potential to act as effector cells during monoclonal antibody therapy of cancer. Additionally, as neutrophils play a role in the regulation of adaptive immune responses, exploiting neutrophils in mAb therapy may result in long‐term antitumour immunity. There is limited evidence that neutrophils play a prominent role in current immunoglobulin G‐based immunotherapy. However, as IgA induces neutrophil recruitment, novel therapeutic strategies that aim to target the IgA Fc receptor FcαRI may fully unleash the potential of enlisting neutrophils as cytotoxic effector cells in antibody therapy of cancer.
Contribution of binaural masking release to improved speech intelligibility for different masker types
Authors: Sutojo Sarinah , van de Par Steven , Schoenmaker Esther 
Published: June 2018

AbstractIn situations with competing talkers or in the presence of masking noise, speech intelligibility can be improved by spatially separating the target speaker from the interferers. This advantage is generally referred to as spatial release from masking, and different mechanisms have been suggested to explain it. One proposed mechanism to benefit from spatial cues is the binaural masking release, which is purely stimulus‐driven. According to this mechanism, the spatial benefit results from differences in the binaural cues of target and masker, which need to appear simultaneously in time and frequency to improve the signal detection. In an alternative proposed mechanism, the differences in the interaural cues improve the segregation of auditory streams, a process, which involves top‐down processing rather than being purely stimulus‐driven. Other than the cues that produce binaural masking release, the interaural cue differences between target and interferer required to improve stream segregation do not have to appear simultaneously in time and frequency. This study is concerned with the contribution of binaural masking release to spatial release from masking for three masker types that differ with respect to the amount of energetic masking they exert. Speech intelligibility was measured, employing a stimulus manipulation that inhibits binaural masking release and analysed with a metric to account for the number of better‐ear glimpses. Results indicate that the contribution of the stimulus‐driven binaural masking release plays a minor role while binaural stream segregation and the availability of glimpses in the better ear had a stronger influence on improving the speech intelligibility.
Clinical activity after fingolimod cessation: disease reactivation or rebound?
Authors: Frau J. , Sormani M. P. , Signori A. , Realmuto S. , Baroncini D. , Annovazzi P. , Signoriello E. , Maniscalco G. T. , La Gioia S. , Cordioli C. , Frigeni B. , Rasia S. , Fenu G. , Grasso R. , Sartori A. , Lanzillo R. , Stromillo M. L. , Rossi S. , Forci B. , Cocco E. ,   the i‐MuST study group
Published: June 2018

Background and purposeThere is debate as to whether the apparent rebound after fingolimod discontinuation is related to the discontinuation itself or whether it is due to the natural course of highly active multiple sclerosis (MS). Our aim was to survey the prevalence of severe reactivation and rebound after discontinuation of fingolimod in a cohort of Italian patients with MS.MethodsPatients with relapsing–remitting MS who were treated with fingolimod for at least 6 months and who stopped treatment for reasons that were unrelated to inefficacy were included in the analysis.ResultsA total of 100 patients who had discontinued fingolimod were included in the study. Fourteen patients (14%) had a relapse within 3 months after fingolimod discontinuation, and an additional 12 (12%) had a relapse within 6 months. According to this study's criteria, 10 patients (10%) had a severe reactivation. Amongst these patients, five (5%) had a reactivation that was considered to be a rebound.ConclusionsThe present study showed that more than 26% of patients are at risk of having a relapse within 6 months after fingolimod discontinuation. Nevertheless, the risk of severe reactivations and rebound is lower than has been previously described.