bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Multimodal imaging of the disease progression of birdshot chorioretinopathy
Authors: Teussink Michel M. , Huis in het Veld Paulien I. , de Vries Lieuwe A. M. , Hoyng Carel B. , Klevering B. Jeroen , Theelen Thomas 
Published: May 2016

AbstractPurposeTo study outer retinal deterioration in relation to clinical disease activity in patients with birdshot chorioretinopathy using fundus autofluorescence and spectral‐domain optical coherence tomography (OCT).MethodsA single‐centre retrospective cohort study was carried out on 42 eyes of 21 patients with birdshot disease, using a multimodal imaging approach including fundus autofluorescence, OCT, fluorescein angiography and indocyanine green angiography in combination with a patient chart review. The patients' overall clinical activity of retinal vasculitis during the follow‐up period was determined by periods of clinical activity as indicated by fluorescein angiography and associated treatment decisions. Image analysis was performed to examine the spatial correspondence between autofluorescence changes and disruption of the photoreceptor inner segment ellipsoid zone on OCT.ResultsThree common types of outer retinal lesions were observed in fovea‐centred images of 43% of patients: circular patches of chorioretinal atrophy, ellipsoid zone disruption on OCT, and outer retinal atrophy on autofluorescence and OCT. There was good spatial correspondence between ellipsoid zone disruption and areas of diffuse hyper‐autofluorescence outside the fovea. Interestingly, the ellipsoid zone disruption recovered in four out of seven patients upon intensified therapeutic immunosuppression.ConclusionMost patients only developed peripapillary atrophy and occasional perivascular hypo‐autofluorescence. A multimodal imaging approach with autofluorescence imaging and OCT may help to detect ellipsoid zone disruption in the central retina of patients with birdshot disease. Our results suggest that ellipsoid zone disruption may be related to both the activity and duration of retinal vasculitis, and could help to determine therapeutic success in birdshot disease.
IARS mutation causes prenatal death in Japanese Black cattle
Authors: Hirano Takashi , Matsuhashi Tamako , Takeda Kenji , Hara Hiromi , Kobayashi Naohiko , Kita Kazuo , Sugimoto Yoshikazu , Hanzawa Kei 
Published: May 2016

AbstractIsoleucyl‐tRNA synthetase (IARS) c.235G > C (p.V79L) is a causative mutation for a recessive disease called IARS disorder in Japanese black cattle. The disease is involved in weak calf syndrome and is characterized by low birth weight, weakness and poor suckling. The gestation period is often slightly extended, implying that intrauterine growth is retarded. In a previous analysis of 2597 artificial insemination (AI) procedures, we suggested that the IARS mutation might contribute toward an increase in the incidence of prenatal death. In this study, we extended this analysis to better clarify the association between the IARS mutation and prenatal death. The IARS genotypes of 92 animals resulting from crosses between carrier (G/C) × G/C were 27 normal (G/G), 55 G/C and 10 affected animals (C/C) (expected numbers: 23, 46 and 23, respectively). Compared to the expected numbers, there were significantly fewer affected animals in this population (P < 0.05), suggesting that more than half of the affected embryos died prenatally. When the number of AI procedures examined was increased to 11 580, the frequency of re‐insemination after G/C × G/C insemination was significantly higher at 61‐140 days (P < 0.001). The findings suggested that the homozygous IARS mutation not only causes calf death, but also embryonic or fetal death.
Building Construction Sets by Tiling Grammar Simplification
Authors: Kalojanov Javor , Wand Michael , Slusallek Philipp 
Published: May 2016

AbstractThis paper poses the problem of fabricating physical construction sets from example geometry: A construction set provides a small number of different types of building blocks from which the example model as well as many similar variants can be reassembled. This process is formalized by tiling grammars. Our core contribution is an approach for simplifying tiling grammars such that we obtain physically manufacturable building blocks of controllable granularity while retaining variability, i.e., the ability to construct many different, related shapes. Simplification is performed by sequences of two types of elementary Operations: non‐local joint edge collapses in the tile graphs reduce the granularity of the decomposition and approximate replacement Operations reduce redundancy. We evaluate our method on abstract graph grammars in addition to computing several physical construction sets, which are manufactured using a commodity 3D printer.
Buoyancy Optimization for Computational Fabrication
Authors: Wang L. , Whiting E. 
Published: May 2016

AbstractThis paper introduces a design and fabrication pipeline for creating floating forms. Our method optimizes for buoyant equilibrium and stability of complex 3D shapes, applying a voxel‐carving technique to control the mass distribution. The resulting objects achieve a desired floating pose defined by a user‐specified waterline height and orientation. In order to enlarge the feasible design space, we explore novel ways to load the interior of a design using prefabricated components and casting techniques. 3D printing is employed for high‐precision fabrication. For larger scale designs we introduce a method for stacking lasercut planar pieces to create 3D objects in a quick and economic manner. We demonstrate fabricated designs of complex shape in a variety of floating poses.
Animation Setup Transfer for 3D Characters
Authors: Avril Quentin , Ghafourzadeh Donya , Ramachandran Srinivasan , Fallahdoust Sahel , Ribet Sarah , Dionne Olivier , de Lasa Martin , Paquette Eric 
Published: May 2016

AbstractWe present a general method for transferring skeletons and skinning weights between characters with distinct mesh topologies. Our pipeline takes as inputs a source character rig (consisting of a mesh, a transformation hierarchy of joints, and skinning weights) and a target character mesh. From these inputs, we compute joint locations and orientations that embed the source skeleton in the target mesh, as well as skinning weights to bind the target geometry to the new skeleton. Our method consists of two key steps. We first compute the geometric correspondence between source and target meshes using a semi‐automatic method relying on a set of markers. The resulting geometric correspondence is then used to formulate attribute transfer as an energy minimization and filtering problem. We demonstrate our approach on a variety of source and target bipedal characters, varying in mesh topology and morphology. Several examples demonstrate that the target characters behave well when animated with either forward or inverse kinematics. Via these examples, we show that our method preserves subtle artistic variations; spatial relationships between geometry and joints, as well as skinning weight details, are accurately maintained. Our proposed pipeline opens up many exciting possibilities to quickly animate novel characters by reusing existing production assets.
Character contact re‐positioning under large environment deformation
Authors: Tonneau Steve , Al‐Ashqar Rami Ali , Pettré Julien , Komura Taku , Mansard Nicolas 
Published: May 2016

AbstractCharacter animation based on motion capture provides intrinsically plausible results, but lacks the flexibility of procedural methods. Motion editing methods partially address this limitation by adapting the animation to small deformations of the environment. We extend one such method, the so‐called relationship descriptors, to tackle the issue of motion editing under large environment deformations. Large deformations often result in joint limits violation, loss of balance, or collisions. Our method handles these situations by automatically detecting and re‐positioning invalidated contacts. The new contact configurations are chosen to preserve the mechanical properties of the original contacts in order to provide plausible support phases. When it is not possible to find an equivalent contact, a procedural animation is generated and blended with the original motion. Thanks to an optimization scheme, the resulting motions are continuous and preserve the style of the reference motions. The method is fully interactive and enables the motion to be adapted on‐line even in case of large changes of the environment. We demonstrate our method on several challenging scenarios, proving its immediate application to 3D animation softwares and video games.
DeepProp: Extracting Deep Features from a Single Image for Edit Propagation
Authors: Endo Yuki , Iizuka Satoshi , Kanamori Yoshihiro , Mitani Jun 
Published: May 2016

AbstractEdit propagation is a technique that can propagate various image edits (e.g., colorization and recoloring) performed via user strokes to the entire image based on similarity of image features. In most previous work, users must manually determine the importance of each image feature (e.g., color, coordinates, and textures) in accordance with their needs and target images. We focus on representation learning that automatically learns feature representations only from user strokes in a single image instead of tuning existing features manually. To this end, this paper proposes an edit propagation method using a deep neural network (DNN). Our DNN, which consists of several layers such as convolutional layers and a feature combiner, extracts stroke‐adapted visual features and spatial features, and then adjusts the importance of them. We also develop a learning algorithm for our DNN that does not suffer from the vanishing gradient problem, and hence avoids falling into undesirable locally optimal solutions. We demonstrate that edit propagation with deep features, without manual feature tuning, can achieve better results than previous work.
Adapting Feature Curve Networks to a Prescribed Scale
Authors: Gehre Anne , Lim Isaak , Kobbelt Leif 
Published: May 2016

AbstractFeature curves on surface meshes are usually defined solely based on local shape properties such as dihedral angles and principal curvatures. From the application perspective, however, the meaningfulness of a network of feature curves also depends on a global scale parameter that takes the distance between feature curves into account, i.e., on a coarse scale, nearby feature curves should be merged or suppressed if the surface region between them is not representable at the given scale/resolution. In this paper, we propose a computational approach to the intuitive notion of scale conforming feature curve networks where the density of feature curves on the surface adapts to a global scale parameter. We present a constrained global optimization algorithm that computes scale conforming feature curve networks by eliminating curve segments that represent surface features, which are not compatible to the prescribed scale. To demonstrate the usefulness of our approach we apply isotropic and anisotropic remeshing schemes that take our feature curve networks as input. For a number of example meshes, we thus generate high quality shape approximations at various levels of detail.
Multisampling Compressive Video Spectroscopy
Authors: Jeon Daniel S. , Choi Inchang , Kim Min H. 
Published: May 2016

AbstractThe coded aperture snapshot spectral imaging (CASSI) architecture has been employed widely for capturing hyperspectral video. Despite allowing concurrent capture of hyperspectral video, spatial modulation in CASSI sacrifices image resolution significantly while reconstructing spectral projection via sparse sampling. Several multiview alternatives have been proposed to handle this low spatial resolution problem and improve measurement accuracy, for instance, by adding a translation stage for the coded aperture or changing the static coded aperture with a digital micromirror device for dynamic modulation. State‐of‐the‐art solutions enhance spatial resolution significantly but are incapable of capturing video using CASSI. In this paper, we present a novel compressive coded aperture imaging design that increases spatial resolution while capturing 4D hyperspectral video of dynamic scenes. We revise the traditional CASSI design to allow for multiple sampling of the randomness of spatial modulation in a single frame. We demonstrate that our compressive video spectroscopy approach yields enhanced spatial resolution and consistent measurements, compared with the traditional CASSI design.
STAR ‐ Laplacian Spectral Kernels and Distances for Geometry Processing and Shape Analysis
Authors: Patané Giuseppe 
Published: May 2016

AbstractIn geometry processing and shape analysis, several applications have been addressed through the properties of the spectral kernels and distances, such as commute‐time, biharmonic, diffusion, and wave distances. Our survey is intended to provide a background on the properties, discretization, computation, and main applications of the Laplace‐Beltrami operator, the associated differential equations (e.g., harmonic equation, Laplacian eigenproblem, diffusion and wave equations), Laplacian spectral kernels and distances (e.g., commute‐time, biharmonic, wave, diffusion distances). While previous work has been focused mainly on specific applications of the aforementioned topics on surface meshes, we propose a general approach that allows us to review Laplacian kernels and distances on surfaces and volumes, and for any choice of the Laplacian weights. All the reviewed numerical schemes for the computation of the Laplacian spectral kernels and distances are discussed in terms of robustness, approximation accuracy, and computational cost, thus supporting the reader in the selection of the most appropriate method with respect to shape representation, computational resources, and target application.
Do Female Western Mosquitofish,Gambusia affinis,Prefer Ornaments That Males Lack?
Authors: Casner Ariel M. , Fackelman Heather C. , Degtyareva Olga , Kight Scott L. 
Published: May 2016

AbstractSome species in the family Poeciliidae are known for extravagant male ornaments and courtship behavior (e.g., guppies), but the majority of poeciliids are characterized by coercive male copulation attempts that seem to circumvent female choice. In some lineages with male ornaments, female sensory bias may have preceded the evolution of corresponding male signals. We examined female preferences for colorful ornaments in Western mosquitofish,Gambusia affinis, in which males lack ornamentation and reproduce primarily through coercive mating attempts. We found that females exhibited a positional affinity for males that were artificially ornamented with blue coloration over males that had been treated with a transparent ornament. Females exhibited the opposite effect for males treated with red ornaments. In contrast, focal females did not exhibit behavioral discrimination between two live stimulus females or two models (silver fishing lures) with blue vs. transparent ornaments. This suggests a sexual context for female discrimination between males based on ornament color and whether an ornament was present. Because tribe Gambusiini is the basal branch of family Poeciliidae, the results of this study are consistent with the hypothesis that female responsiveness to male coloration is the ancestral poeciliid character state.
Wide range of body composition measures are associated with cognitive function in community‐dwelling older adults
Authors: Won Huiloo , Abdul Manaf Zahara , Mat Ludin Arimi Fitri , Shahar Suzana 
Published: May 2016

AimStudies of the association between body composition, both body fat and body muscle, and cognitive function are rarely reported. The aim of the present study was to determine the association between a wide range of body composition measures with cognitive function in older adults.MethodsA total of 2322 Malaysian older adults aged 60 years and older were recruited using multistage random sampling in a population‐based cross‐sectional study. Out of 2322 older adults recruited, 2309 (48% men) completed assessments on cognitive function and body composition. Cognitive functions were assessed using the Malay version of the Mini‐Mental State Examination, the Bahasa Malaysia version of Montreal Cognitive Assessment, Digit Span Test, Digit Symbol Test and Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test. Body composition included body mass index, mid‐upper arm circumference, waist circumference, calf circumference, waist‐to‐hip ratio, percentage body fat and skeletal muscle mass.ResultsThe association between body composition and cognitive functions was analyzed using multiple linear regression. After adjustment for age, education years, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes mellitus, depression, smoking status and alcohol consumption, we found that calf circumference appeared as a significant predictor for all cognitive tests among both men and women (P < 0.05), except for the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test. Waist‐to‐hip ratio was detected as a significant predictor for all cognitive tests among women (P < 0.05), but was only a significant predictor for the Bahasa Malaysia version of Montreal Cognitive Assessment among men (P < 0.05).ConclusionsThese results suggest that there is a need to maintain muscle mass and lower adipose tissue among older adults for optimal cognitive function. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 554–560.
Stakeholders in support systems for self‐care for chronic illness: the gap between expectations and reality regarding their identity, roles and relationships
Authors: Pumar‐Méndez María J. , Mujika Agurtzane , Regaira Elena , Vassilev Ivaylo , Portillo Mari Carmen , Foss Christina , Todorova Elka , Roukova Poli , Ruud Knutsen Ingrid A. , Serrano Manuel , Lionis Christos , Wensing Michel , Rogers Anne 
Published: May 2016

AbstractBackground and objectiveThe spread of self‐care holds the promise of containing chronic illness burden. Falling within the framework of a FP7 collaborative research project, this paper reports the views of key informants from six countries regarding who the main stakeholders are at different levels in the support system for self‐care for patients with chronic illness (SSSC) and how they accomplish their role and collaborate.Methods90 Interviews with purposefully selected key informants from Bulgaria, Greece, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and United Kingdom were conducted. Interviews involved government and local authorities, politicians, academics, health professionals and private sector representatives. Interviewers followed an expert opinion‐based guide. Analysis involved a cross‐country examination with thematic analysis and framework method techniques.ResultsKey informants described the ideal SSSC as inclusive, interdependent and patient‐centred. The following main stakeholders in SSSC were identified: patients, governments, health‐care professionals, associations, private companies and the media. In the current SSSCs, collaboration among stakeholders within and across different levels was said to be lacking. Patients were seen as playing a passive subordinate role based on the following: their own attitudes; the paternalistic and medicalized attitudes of the health‐care professionals; their misrepresentation by patient associations; and their exposure to the damaging influences of media and industries.ConclusionsMaking SSSC patient‐centred constitutes the greatest challenge for European authorities. Strategies must be revised for promoting patient participation. They should undergo changes so as to promote industry and media social responsibility and patient association advocacy capacity.
The frequency of influenza and bacterial coinfection: a systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Klein Eili Y. , Monteforte Bradley , Gupta Alisha , Jiang Wendi , May Larissa , Hsieh Yu‐Hsiang , Dugas Andrea 
Published: May 2016

AimCoinfecting bacterial pathogens are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in influenza. However, there remains a paucity of literature on the magnitude of coinfection in influenza patients.MethodA systematic search of MeSH, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, SCOPUS, EMBASE, and PubMed was performed. Studies of humans in which all individuals had laboratory confirmed influenza, and all individuals were tested for an array of common bacterial species, met inclusion criteria.ResultsTwenty‐seven studies including 3215 participants met all inclusion criteria. Common etiologies were defined from a subset of eight articles. There was high heterogeneity in the results (I2 = 95%), with reported coinfection rates ranging from 2% to 65%. Although only a subset of papers were responsible for observed heterogeneity, subanalyses and meta‐regression analysis found no study characteristic that was significantly associated with coinfection. The most common coinfecting species were Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus, which accounted for 35% (95% CI, 14%–56%) and 28% (95% CI, 16%–40%) of infections, respectively; a wide range of other pathogens caused the remaining infections. An assessment of bias suggested that lack of small‐study publications may have biased the results.ConclusionsThe frequency of coinfection in the published studies included in this review suggests that although providers should consider possible bacterial coinfection in all patients hospitalized with influenza, they should not assume all patients are coinfected and be sure to properly treat underlying viral processes. Further, high heterogeneity suggests additional large‐scale studies are needed to better understand the etiology of influenza bacterial coinfection.
Social security reforms in Kenya: Towards a workerist or a citizenship‐based system?
Authors: Künzler Daniel 
Published: May 2016

AbstractWith social security provisions in Kenya remaining under‐reported in the more recent literature, this overview covers recent reforms in key areas of the country's social security system. In the health sector and in old‐age pension provision social security is still mainly workerist (biased toward those in formal employment), and attempts to expand coverage have had limited effect only – cash transfer programmes, for instance, have been expanded but in practice they do not universally cover the entitled categories. Thus, although the Kenyan social security system now has a considerable pro‐poor social assistance component it remains biased toward those in formal employment, to the benefit of the highest income quintile.