bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
High‐intensity focused ultrasound treatment for skin: ex vivo evaluation
Authors: Park J.‐H. , Lim S.‐D. , Oh S. H. , Lee J. H. , Yeo U. C. 
Published: November 2016

Background/PurposeHigh‐intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) has been used for skin tightening. However, there is a rising concern of irreversible adverse effects. Our aim was to evaluate the depth of thermal injury zone after HIFU energy passes through different condition.Materials and MethodsTo analyze the consistency of the HIFU device, phantom tests were performed. Simulations were performed on ex vivo porcine tissues to estimate the area of the thermal coagulation point (TCP) according to the applied energy and skin condition. The experiment was designed in three orientations: normal direction (from epidermis to fascia), reverse direction (from fascia to epidermis), and normal direction without epidermis.ResultsThe TCP was larger and wider depending on the applied fluence and handpieces (HPs). When we measured TCP in different directions, the measured area in the normal direction was more superficially located than that in the reverse direction. The depth of the TCP in the porcine skin without epidermis was detected at 130% deeper than in skin with an intact epidermis.ConclusionThe affected area by HIFU is dependent on the skin condition and the characteristics of the HP and applied fluence. Considerations of these factors may be the key to minimize the unwanted adverse effects.
Personal identification based on skin texture features from the forearm and multi‐modal imaging
Authors: Bianconi F. , Chirikhina E. , Smeraldi F. , Bontozoglou C. , Xiao P. 
Published: November 2016

Background/purposeWe investigate the use of skin texture features from the inner forearm as a means for personal identification. The forearm offers a number of potential advantages in that it is a fairly accessible area, and, compared with other zones such as fingertips, is less exposed to the elements and more shielded from wear.MethodsWe extract and combine skin textural features from two imaging devices (optical and capacitive) with the aim of discriminating between different individuals. Skin texture images from 43 subjects were acquired from three different body parts (back of the hand, forearm and palm); testing used the two sensors either separately or in combination.ResultsSkin texture features from the forearm proved effective for discriminating between different individuals with overall recognition accuracy approaching 96%.ConclusionsWe found that skin texture features from the forearm are highly individual‐specific and therefore suitable for personal identification. Interestingly, forearm skin texture features yielded significantly better accuracy compared to the skin of the back of the hand and of the palm of the same subjects.
Applying Aspects of the Expert Performance Approach to Better Understand the Structure of Skill and Mechanisms of Skill Acquisition in Video Games
Authors: Boot Walter R. , Sumner Anna , Towne Tyler J. , Rodriguez Paola , Anders Ericsson K. 
Published: November 2016

AbstractVideo games are ideal platforms for the study of skill acquisition for a variety of reasons. However, our understanding of the development of skill and the cognitive representations that support skilled performance can be limited by a focus on game scores. We present an alternative approach to the study of skill acquisition in video games based on the tools of the Expert Performance Approach. Our investigation was motivated by a detailed analysis of the behaviors responsible for the superior performance of one of the highest scoring players of the video game Space Fortress (Towne, Boot, & Ericsson, ). This analysis revealed how certain behaviors contributed to his exceptional performance. In this study, we recruited a participant for a similar training regimen, but we collected concurrent and retrospective verbal protocol data throughout training. Protocol analysis revealed insights into strategies, errors, mental representations, and shifting game priorities. We argue that these insights into the developing representations that guided skilled performance could only easily have been derived from the tools of the Expert Performance Approach. We propose that the described approach could be applied to understand performance and skill acquisition in many different video games (and other short‐ to medium‐term skill acquisition paradigms) and help reveal mechanisms of transfer from gameplay to other measures of laboratory and real‐world performance.
The hematology of captive Bobtail lizards (Tiliqua rugosa): blood counts, light microscopy, cytochemistry, and ultrastructure
Authors: Moller Cheryl A. , Gaál Tibor , Mills Jennifer N. 
Published: November 2016

IntroductionBobtail lizards (Tiliqua rugosa) are native to Australia. The only previous study on the hematology of this species documented just 6 animals.ObjectivesThe aims of this study were to characterize the light microscopy, ultrastructure and cytochemistry of blood cells, and evaluateCBCs of captive Bobtail lizards.MethodsOver 2 consecutive summers, heparinized venous blood was collected from the ventral coccygeal vein of 46 clinically healthy, captive indoor‐ or outdoor‐housed adult Bobtails. Complete blood cell counts and smear evaluations were performed, and cytochemical stains and transmission electron microscopy were used to further characterize blood cells.ResultsThe eosinophils of this species were uniformly vacuolated: a unique feature not previously reported in reptiles. Heterophils were the predominant leukocyte, with fewer lymphocytes, azurophilic and nonazurophilic monocytes, occasional eosinophils, and basophils. Thrombocytes were frequently clumped. Slight polychromasia (0–15% of erythrocytes) was typically present. Hemogregarine parasites were seen on some smears. The range ofCBCresults was often wide. ThePCVranged from 11% to 38%. Total plasma proteins by refractometry were between 3.5 and 7.8 g/dL. Hemoglobin ranged between 2.6 and 12.6 g/dL by the modified hemoglobin‐hydroxylamine method. ManualRBCcount was 0.35–1.27 × 106/μL, andWBCcount was 2.86–22.66 × 103/μL. Bobtail lizards housed outdoors had lowerPCVs than indoor‐housed animals. Bobtails with hemogregarine infections had lowerPCVs than noninfected lizards.ConclusionsRanges forCBCdata were often very wide, influenced by preanalytic and analytic factors. Hemogregarine infection is associated with a decreasedPCV, suggesting that some hemogregarine species are pathogenic in this population.
Suspected myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasm in a feline leukemia virus‐negative cat
Authors: Weeden Amy L. , Taylor Kyle R. , Terrell Scott P. , Gallagher Alexander E. , Wamsley Heather L. 
Published: November 2016

AbstractA 10‐year‐old castrated Domestic Short‐Haired cat was presented to a primary care veterinarian for a wellness examination and laboratory examination for monitoring of diabetes mellitus. The CBC revealed marked thrombocytosis, leukopenia and macrocytic, normochromic anemia. The cat tested negative for FeLV and feline immunodeficiency virus, but was positive for Mycoplasma haemominutum by PCR. Hematologic abnormalities were not responsive to therapy, so a repeat CBC and a bone marrow aspiration for cytology were performed. Additional blood smear findings included anisocytosis with megaloblastic erythroid precursors, large platelets, eosinophilic myelocytes and metamyelocytes, and rare unidentified blasts. The bone marrow smear was highly cellular, and the cytologic pattern was consistent with myelodysplastic syndrome with an erythroid predominance. At that time, 15% blasts were present. The cat was treated with a vitamin K2 analog, doxycycline, and prednisolone, but without a clinical response. Within 3 months, euthanasia was elected due to declining quality of life, and a necropsy was performed. Postmortem bone marrow smears were highly cellular and dominated by monomorphic blasts of unknown line of origin (52%), persistent marked erythroid and megakaryocytic dysplasia, and ineffective erythropoiesis and granulopoiesis. Immunohistochemical, immunocytochemical, and cytochemical stains resulted in a diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia of unclassified type. Additional histologic findings included mixed hepatitis with trematode infestation and lymphoplasmacytic interstitial nephritis with fibrosis. The marked thrombocytosis with myelodysplastic syndrome and the FeLV‐negative status of this cat were unusual. The difficulty in classifying the myelodysplasia and subsequent leukemia highlights a need for further reporting and characterization of these types of disease.
The transcriptional responses of cultured wound cells to the excretions and secretions of medicinal Lucilia sericata larvae
Authors: Dauros Singorenko Priscila , Rosario Roseanne , Windsor John A. , Phillips Anthony R. , Blenkiron Cherie 
Published: November 2016

AbstractMaggots, through their excretions and secretions (ES), promote wound healing by removing necrotic tissue, counter bacterial infection, and activate wound associated cells. We investigated the effects of a physiological dose of maggot ES on four wound‐associated cell types in vitro with Affymetrix gene expression arrays; keratinocytes, endothelial cells, fibroblasts, and monocytes. Keratinocytes showed the fewest (n = 5; p < 0.05, fold‐change ±2) and smallest fold‐changes (up to 2.32×) in gene expression and conversely THP1 monocytes had the most (n = 233) and greatest magnitude (up to 44.3×). There were no genes that were altered in all four cell‐lines. Gene pathway analysis identified an enrichment of immune response pathways in three of the treated cell‐lines. Analyses by quantitative RT‐PCR found many genes dynamically expressed in ES dose dependent manner during the three day treatments. Phenotype analyses, however, found no effects of ES on cell viability, proliferation, migration and angiogenesis. ES was 100× less potent at triggering IL‐8 secretion than fibroblasts treated with purified bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS; in equivalent amounts to that found in ES; ∼40 EU/ml). Furthermore, co‐treatment with LPS and ES decreased the LPS‐alone triggered IL‐8 secretion by 13%. Although ES had no direct effect on wound cell phenotypes it did partially reduce the immune response to bacterial LPS exposure. These observations were consistent with the profile of transcriptional responses that were dominated by modulation of immune response genes. Maggot therapy may therefore improve wound healing through the secondary effects of these gene changes in the wound cells.
Learning‐based 3T brain MRI segmentation with guidance from 7T MRI labeling
Authors: Deng Minghui , Yu Renping , Wang Li , Shi Feng , Yap Pew‐Thian , Shen Dinggang ,   Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative
Published: November 2016

Purpose:Segmentation of brain magnetic resonance (MR) images into white matter (WM), gray matter (GM), and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is crucial for brain structural measurement and disease diagnosis. Learning‐based segmentation methods depend largely on the availability of good training ground truth. However, the commonly used 3T MR images are of insufficient image quality and often exhibit poor intensity contrast between WM, GM, and CSF. Therefore, they are not ideal for providing good ground truth label data for training learning‐based methods. Recent advances in ultrahigh field 7T imaging make it possible to acquire images with excellent intensity contrast and signal‐to‐noise ratio.Methods:In this paper, the authors propose an algorithm based on random forest for segmenting 3T MR images by training a series of classifiers based on reliable labels obtained semiautomatically from 7T MR images. The proposed algorithm iteratively refines the probability maps of WM, GM, and CSF via a cascade of random forest classifiers for improved tissue segmentation.Results:The proposed method was validated on two datasets, i.e., 10 subjects collected at their institution and 797 3T MR images from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) dataset. Specifically, for the mean Dice ratio of all 10 subjects, the proposed method achieved 94.52% ± 0.9%, 89.49% ± 1.83%, and 79.97% ± 4.32% for WM, GM, and CSF, respectively, which are significantly better than the state‐of‐the‐art methods (p‐values < 0.021). For the ADNI dataset, the group difference comparisons indicate that the proposed algorithm outperforms state‐of‐the‐art segmentation methods.Conclusions:The authors have developed and validated a novel fully automated method for 3T brain MR image segmentation.
Toward Improved Audio CAPTCHAs Based on Auditory Perception and Language Understanding
Authors: Meutzner Hendrik , Gupta Santosh , Nguyen Viet-Hung , Holz Thorsten , Kolossa Dorothea 
Published: November 2016

A so-called completely automated public Turing test to tell computers and humans apart (CAPTCHA) represents a challenge-response test that is widely used on the Internet to distinguish human users from fraudulent computer programs, often referred to as bots. To enable access for visually impaired users, most Web sites utilize audio CAPTCHAs in addition to a conventional image-based scheme. Recent research has shown that most currently available audio CAPTCHAs are insecure, as they can be broken by means of machine learning at relatively low costs. Moreover, most audio CAPTCHAs suffer from low human success rates that arise from severe signal distortions.
This article proposes two different audio CAPTCHA schemes that systematically exploit differences between humans and computers in terms of auditory perception and language understanding, yielding a better trade-off between usability and security as compared to currently available schemes. Furthermore, we provide an elaborate analysis of Google’s prominent reCAPTCHA that serves as a baseline setting when evaluating our proposed CAPTCHA designs.
Comparison of Different Generalizations of Clustering Coefficient and Local
Efficiency for Weighted Undirected Graphs
Authors: Wang Yu , Ghumare Eshwar , Vandenberghe Rik , Dupont Patrick 
Published: November 2016

Abstract
Binary undirected graphs are well established, but when these graphs are constructed, often a threshold is applied to a parameter describing the connection between two nodes. Therefore, the use of weighted graphs is more appropriate. In this work, we focus on weighted undirected graphs. This implies that we have to incorporate edge weights in the graph measures, which require generalizations of common graph metrics. After reviewing existing generalizations of the clustering coefficient and the local efficiency, we proposed new generalizations for these graph measures. To be able to compare different generalizations, a number of essential and useful properties were defined that ideally should be satisfied. We applied the generalizations to two real-world networks of different sizes. As a result, we found that not all existing generalizations satisfy all essential properties. Furthermore, we determined the best generalization for the clustering coefficient and local efficiency based on their properties and the performance when applied to two networks. We found that the best generalization of the clustering coefficient is , defined in Miyajima and Sakuragawa (2014), while the best generalization of the local efficiency is , proposed in this letter. Depending on the application and the relative importance of sensitivity and robustness to noise, other generalizations may be selected on the basis of the properties investigated in this letter.
Detection and Inventory of Intense Pyroconvection in Western North America using GOES-15 Daytime Infrared Data
Authors: Peterson David A. , Fromm Michael D. , Solbrig Jeremy E. , Hyer Edward J. , Surratt Melinda L. , Campbell James R. 
Published: November 2016

AbstractIntense wildfires occasionally generate fire-triggered storms, known as pyrocumulonimbus (pyroCb), that can inject smoke particles and trace gases into the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS). This study develops the first pyroCb detection algorithm using three infrared (IR) channels from the imager on board GOES-West (GOES-15). The algorithm first identifies deep convection near active fires via the longwave IR brightness temperature, distinguishing between midtropospheric and UTLS injections. During daytime, unique pyroCb microphysical properties are characterized by a medium-wave brightness temperature that is significantly larger than that in the longwave, allowing for separation of pyroCb from other deep convection. A cloud-opacity test reduces potential false detections. Application of this algorithm to 88 intense wildfires observed during the 2013 fire season in western North America resulted in successful detection of individual intense events, pyroCb embedded within traditional convection, and multiple, short-lived pulses of pyroconvective activity. Comparisons with a community inventory indicate that this algorithm captures the majority of pyroCb. The primary limitation is that pyroCb anvils can be small relative to GOES-West pixel size, especially in regions with large viewing angles. The algorithm is also sensitive to some false positives from traditional convection that either ingests smoke or exhibits extreme updraft velocities. A total of 26 pyroCb events are inventoried, including 31 individual pulses, all of which can inject smoke into the UTLS. Six of the inventoried intense pyroCb were not previously documented. Near-real-time application of this algorithm can be extended to other regions and to next-generation geostationary sensors, which offer significant advantages for pyroCb and fire detection.
Supersaturation Fluctuations during the Early Stage of Cumulus Formation
Authors: Siebert Holger , Shaw Raymond A. 
Published: November 2016

Abstract
On time scales that are long compared to the phase relaxation time, a quasi-steady supersaturation sqs is expected to exist in clouds. On shorter time scales, however, turbulent fluctuations of temperature and water vapor concentration should generate fluctuations in supersaturation. The variability of temperature, water vapor, and supersaturation has been measured in situ with submeter resolution in warm, continental, shallow cumulus clouds. Several cumuli with horizontal extents of order 100 m were sampled during their first appearance and development to depths of ~100 m in a growing boundary layer. Fluctuations of the saturation ratio are observed to be approximately normally distributed with standard deviations on the order of 1%. This variability is almost one order of magnitude larger than sqs calculated using simultaneous measurements of the vertical velocity component and the droplet size distribution. It is argued that, depending on the ratio of the phase relaxation and the turbulent mixing time, substantial fluctuations in the supersaturation field can exist on small spatial scales, centered on sqs for the mean state. The observations also suggest that, on larger scales, fluctuations of the supersaturation field are damped by cloud droplet growth. Droplets with diameters of up to 20 μm were observed in the shallow cumulus clouds, whereas the adiabatic diameter was less than 10 μm. Such large droplets may be explained by a few droplets experiencing the highest observed supersaturations for a certain time. Consequences for aerosol activation and droplet size dispersion in a highly fluctuating supersaturation field are briefly discussed.
Generation of Scenarios from Calibrated Ensemble Forecasts with a Dual-Ensemble Copula-Coupling Approach
Authors: Ben Bouallègue Zied , Heppelmann Tobias , Theis Susanne E. , Pinson Pierre 
Published: November 2016

AbstractProbabilistic forecasts in the form of ensembles of scenarios are required for complex decision-making processes. Ensemble forecasting systems provide such products but the spatiotemporal structures of the forecast uncertainty is lost when statistical calibration of the ensemble forecasts is applied for each lead time and location independently. Nonparametric approaches allow the reconstruction of spatiotemporal joint probability distributions at a small computational cost. For example, the ensemble copula coupling (ECC) method rebuilds the multivariate aspect of the forecast from the original ensemble forecasts. Based on the assumption of error stationarity, parametric methods aim to fully describe the forecast dependence structures. In this study, the concept of ECC is combined with past data statistics in order to account for the autocorrelation of the forecast error. The new approach, called d-ECC, is applied to wind forecasts from the high-resolution Consortium for Small-Scale Modeling (COSMO) ensemble prediction system (EPS) run operationally at the German Weather Service (COSMO-DE-EPS). Scenarios generated by ECC and d-ECC are compared and assessed in the form of time series by means of multivariate verification tools and within a product-oriented framework. Verification results over a 3-month period show that the innovative method d-ECC performs as well as or even outperforms ECC in all investigated aspects.
Akirin2 is essential for the formation of the cerebral cortex
Authors: Bosch Peter J. , Fuller Leah C. , Sleeth Carolyn M. , Weiner Joshua A. 
Published: November 2016

Abstract

Background
The proper spatial and temporal regulation of dorsal telencephalic progenitor behavior is a prerequisite for the formation of the highly-organized, six-layered cerebral cortex. Premature differentiation of cells, disruption of cell cycle timing, excessive apoptosis, and/or incorrect neuronal migration signals can have devastating effects, resulting in a number of neurodevelopmental disorders involving microcephaly and/or lissencephaly. Though genes encoding many key players in cortical development have been identified, our understanding remains incomplete. We show that the gene encoding Akirin2, a small nuclear protein, is expressed in the embryonic telencephalon. Converging evidence indicates that Akirin2 acts as a bridge between transcription factors (including Twist and NF-κB proteins) and the BAF (SWI/SNF) chromatin remodeling machinery to regulate patterns of gene expression. Constitutive knockout of Akirin2 is early embryonic lethal in mice, while restricted loss in B cells led to disrupted proliferation and cell survival.

Methods
We generated cortex-restricted Akirin2 knockouts by crossing mice harboring a floxed Akirin2 allele with the Emx1-Cre transgenic line and assessed the resulting embryos using in situ hybridization, EdU labeling, and immunohistochemistry.

Results
The vast majority of Akirin2 mutants do not survive past birth, and exhibit extreme microcephaly, with little dorsal telencephalic tissue and no recognizable cortex. This is primarily due to massive cell death of early cortical progenitors, which begins at embryonic day (E)10, shortly after Emx1-Cre is active. Immunostaining and cell cycle analysis using EdU labeling indicate that Akirin2-null progenitors fail to proliferate normally, produce fewer neurons, and undergo extensive apoptosis. All of the neurons that are generated in Akirin2 mutants also undergo apoptosis by E12. In situ hybridization for Wnt3a and Wnt-responsive genes suggest defective formation and/or function of the cortical hem in Akirin2 null mice. Furthermore, the apical ventricular surface becomes disrupted, and Sox2-positive progenitors are found to “spill” into the lateral ventricle.

Conclusions
Our data demonstrate a previously-unsuspected role for Akirin2 in early cortical development and, given its known nuclear roles, suggest that it may act to regulate gene expression patterns critical for early progenitor cell behavior and cortical neuron production.