bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Real‐time rendering under distant illumination with conformal geometric algebra
Authors: Papaefthymiou Margarita , Papagiannakis George 
Published: September 2017

Precomputed radiance transfer (PRT) methods established for handling global illumination (GI) of objects from area lights in real time and many techniques proposed for rotating the light using linear algebra rotation matrices. Rotating area lights efficiently are crucial part for computer graphics since it is one of the main components of real‐time rendering. Matrices commonly used for handling such rotations are not quite efficient and require high memory consumption; as a result, the need for proposing new more efficient rotation algorithms has been established. In this work, we use the conformal geometric algebra (CGA) as the mathematical background for “GI in real‐time” under distant Image‐based lighting (IBL) illumination, for diffuse surfaces with self‐shadowing by efficiently rotating the environment light using CGA entities. Our work is based on spherical harmonics (SH), which are used for approximating natural, area‐light illumination as irradiance maps. Our main novelty is that we extend the PRT algorithm by representing SH for the first time with CGA.The main intuition is that SH of band index 1 are represented using CGA entities and SH with band index larger than 1 are represented in terms of CGA‐SH of band 1. Specifically, we propose a new method for representing SH with CGA entities and rotating SH by rotating CGA entities. In this way, we can visualize the SH rotations, rotate them faster than rotation matrices, and we provide a unique visual representation and intuition regarding their rotation, in stark contrast to usual rotation matrices, and we achieve consistently better visual results from Ivanic rotation matrices during light rotation. Via our CGA expressed SH, we provide a significant boost on the PRT algorithm since we represent SH rotations by CGA rotors (4 numbers) as opposed to 9 × 9 sparse matrices that are usually used. With our algorithm, we pave the way for including scaling (dilation) and translation of light coefficients using CGA motors.
Protein Digestion of Baby Foods: Study Approaches and Implications for Infant Health
Authors: Gan Junai , Bornhorst Gail M. , Henrick Bethany M. , German J. Bruce 
Published: September 2017

AbstractProtein digestion is critical for infants. Dissimilarities between infants and adults in food intake and digestive physiology lead to distinct patterns of proteolysis between individuals. However, such differences are not well represented in many studies on protein digestion of baby foods. The complex biological structures of baby foods and the physiology of the infant digestive system are key factors affecting proteolysis during the first two years of life. Well‐controlled in vitro studies have demonstrated that varying digestion conditions alter the specificity, rate, and extent of proteolysis of baby foods. Nonetheless, these models do not completely replicate in vivo proteolysis or the complex biogeography of the gastrointestinal tract. Animal and clinical studies have revealed the fate of dietary proteins along the digestive tract and the overall health impact on subjects. Building comprehensive and annotated datasets from human infants will require innovative and standardized measurement. Now, more systematic evaluations of digestion are emerging to advance the knowledge and its translation as food design for effective diet and health management in infants.
Immune‐mediated diabetes due to pembrolizumab
Authors: Verlekar Pankaj , Price Hermione 
Published: September 2017

AbstractMelanoma is one of the most commonly occurring skin cancers in the UK. As recommended by NICE, there are a number of drugs available to treat melanoma and immunotherapeutic drugs are widely used to improve survival in metastatic melanoma. Monoclonal antibodies can cause immune‐related side effects, including diabetes.Pembrolizumab, an anti‐programmed cell death‐1 receptor monoclonal antibody (PD‐1 Ab), was given to a 63‐year‐old woman with metastatic melanoma. She developed osmotic symptoms with tiredness and confusion after pembrolizumab treatment cycles. She was diagnosed with diabetic ketoacidosis; she was treated with intravenous insulin and started on insulin to control her hyperglycaemia.Endocrine immune‐related side effects are common with immunotherapeutic agents, especially anti‐cytotoxic T‐lymphocyte associated protein‐4 monoclonal antibody (anti‐CTLA‐4) and PD‐1 Abs. They mainly affect thyroid, pituitary and adrenal glands. Immune‐related diabetes is a rare side effect of immunotherapeutic agents. Therefore, clinical suspicion for immune‐related diabetes should be high in patients who are treated with these immunotherapeutic agents. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons.
Opioid and Benzodiazepine Weaning in Pediatric Patients: Review of Current Literature
Authors: Fenn Norman E. , Plake Kimberly S. 
Published: September 2017

Pediatric opioid and benzodiazepine withdrawal are avoidable complications of pain and sedation management that is well described in the literature. To prevent withdrawal from occurring, practitioners regularly use a steady decrease of pain and sedation medications, also known as a weaning or tapering schedule. The weaning schedule is highly variable based on clinician preference and is usually dependent on the clinician. The purposes of this review are to evaluate the current literature on the process of opioid and benzodiazepine weaning in pediatric patients and to assess the various standardized protocols used to decrease withdrawal occurrences. We conducted a search of the PubMed, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health (CINAHL), Academic Search Premier, and PsycInfo databases. Studies were included if they described a wean or taper in pediatric patients aged 18 years or younger. Studies describing neonatal abstinence syndrome were excluded from the review. A total of 97 studies published between 2000 and 2014 were retrieved; of those, 15 studies met the inclusion criteria. Studies were evaluated for selection of withdrawal assessment tool, wean protocol summary, preferred weaning agents, benzodiazepine withdrawal, and wean‐at‐home regimen. The most common opioid‐weaning protocol approaches described a 10–20% dose decrease per day. Benzodiazepine weaning was not regularly standardized or described. The use of a standardized opioid‐weaning protocol reduced withdrawal rates compared with nonstandardized weaning plans. Benzodiazepine weaning was inconsistently evaluated and may have affected study outcomes. Identified areas of improvement include the use of newer withdrawal assessment tools validated in the older pediatric population and standardized withdrawal assessment and reporting.
Colloidal Supercapattery: Redox Ions in Electrode and Electrolyte
Authors: Chen Kunfeng , Xue Dongfeng 
Published: September 2017

AbstractRedox chemistry is the cornerstone of various electrochemical energy conversion and storage systems, associated with ion diffusion process. To actualize both high energy and power density in energy storage devices, both multiple electron transfer reaction and fast ion diffusion occurred in one electrode material are prerequisite. The existence forms of redox ions can lead to different electrochemical thermodynamic and kinetic properties. Here, we introduce novel colloid system, which includes multiple varying ion forms, multi‐interaction and abundant redox active sites. Unlike redox cations in solution and crystal materials, colloid system has specific reactivity‐structure relationship. In the colloidal ionic electrode, the occurrence of multiple‐electron redox reactions and fast ion diffusion leaded to ultrahigh specific capacitance and fast charge rate. The colloidal ionic supercapattery coupled with redox electrolyte provides a new potential technique for the comprehensive use of redox ions including cations and anions in electrode and electrolyte and a guiding design for the development of next‐generation high performance energy storage devices.
Regulation of germ cell development by intercellular signaling in the mammalian ovarian follicle
Authors: Clarke Hugh J. 
Published: September 2017

Prior to ovulation, the mammalian oocyte undergoes a process of differentiation within the ovarian follicle that confers on it the ability to give rise to an embryo. Differentiation comprises two phases—growth, during which the oocyte increases more than 100‐fold in volume as it accumulates macromolecules and organelles that will sustain early embryogenesis; and meiotic maturation, during which the oocyte executes the first meiotic division and prepares for the second division. Entry of an oocyte into the growth phase appears to be triggered when the adjacent granulosa cells produce specific growth factors. As the oocyte grows, it elaborates a thick extracellular coat termed the zona pellucida. Nonetheless, cytoplasmic extensions of the adjacent granulosa cells, termed transzonal projections (TZPs), enable them to maintain contact‐dependent communication with the oocyte. Through gap junctions located where the TZP tips meet the oocyte membrane, they provide the oocyte with products that sustain its metabolic activity and signals that regulate its differentiation. Conversely, the oocyte secretes diffusible growth factors that regulate proliferation and differentiation of the granulosa cells. Gap junction‐permeable products of the granulosa cells prevent precocious initiation of meiotic maturation, and the gap junctions also enable oocyte maturation to begin in response to hormonal signals received by the granulosa cells. Development of the oocyte or the somatic compartment may also be regulated by extracellular vesicles newly identified in follicular fluid and at TZP tips, which could mediate intercellular transfer of macromolecules. Oocyte differentiation thus depends on continuous signaling interactions with the somatic cells of the follicle. WIREs Dev Biol 2018, 7:e294. doi: 10.1002/wdev.294This article is categorized under:

Gene Expression and Transcriptional Hierarchies > Cellular Differentiation
Signaling Pathways > Cell Fate Signaling
Early Embryonic Development > Gametogenesis
Targeting epidermal growth factor receptor co‐dependent signaling pathways in glioblastoma
Authors: Liu Feng , Mischel Paul S. 
Published: September 2017

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a transmembrane receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) that is critical for normal development and function. EGFR is also amplified or mutated in a variety of cancers including in nearly 60% of cases of the highly lethal brain cancer glioblastoma (GBM). EGFR amplification and mutation reprogram cellular metabolism and broadly alter gene transcription to drive tumor formation and progression, rendering EGFR as a compelling drug target. To date, brain tumor patients have yet to benefit from anti‐EGFR therapy due in part to an inability to achieve sufficient intratumoral drug levels in the brain, cultivating adaptive mechanisms of resistance. Here, we review an alternative set of strategies for targeting EGFR‐amplified GBMs, based on identifying and targeting tumor co‐dependencies shaped both by aberrant EGFR signaling and the brain's unique biochemical environment. These approaches may include highly brain‐penetrant drugs from non‐cancer pipelines, expanding the pharmacopeia and providing promising new treatments. We review the molecular underpinnings of EGFR‐activated co‐dependencies in the brain and the promising new treatments based on this strategy. WIREs Syst Biol Med 2018, 10:e1398. doi: 10.1002/wsbm.1398This article is categorized under:

Biological Mechanisms > Cell Signaling
Laboratory Methods and Technologies > Genetic/Genomic Methods
Translational, Genomic, and Systems Medicine > Translational Medicine
Learning Curve Characteristics for Caesarean Section Among Associate Clinicians: A Prospective Study from Sierra Leone
Authors: Waalewijn B. P. , van Duinen A. , Koroma A. P. , Rijken M. J. , Elhassein M. , Bolkan H. A. 
Published: September 2017

AbstractBackgroundIn response to the high maternal mortality ratio, Sierra Leone has adopted an associate clinician postgraduate surgical task‐sharing training programme. Little is known about learning curve characteristics for caesarean sections among associate clinicians. The aim of this study is to evaluate the number of caesarean sections needed to be performed by associate clinicians until there is no further significant reduction in operation time.MethodsThis prospective study evaluates the first 50 caesarean sections performed by trainees between January 2011 and June 2016. Primary outcome was total operating time in minutes (incision to suturing time). Secondary outcomes were length of hospital stay, surgical site infections, estimated operative bloodloss and in‐hospital postoperative mortality.ResultsA total of 1174 caesarean sections performed by 24 trainees were analysed. Total operation time significantly reduced during the first 15 operations from mean (SD) operation time 72 (27)–51 (18) min after 15 procedures (p < 0.001). Estimated bloodloss did not significantly vary among the first 50 caesarean sections. Surgical site infections were reported in 3.7% of the operations, which was higher during the first 15 operations (6.8%) compared to the following 35 operations (2.3%). Length of stay reduced from median (range) 9 (2–39)–6 (2–127) days after 15 operations, but there was no reduction in maternal mortality.ConclusionWhile gaining experience, the operation time of associate clinicians significantly reduced during the first 15 caesarean sections. Estimated bloodloss is not related to trainees experience.
Robot‐Assisted Transaxillary Thyroidectomy (RATT): A Series Appraisal of More than 250 Cases from Europe
Authors: Materazzi Gabriele , Fregoli Lorenzo , Papini Piermarco , Bakkar Sohail , Vasquez Malince Chicas , Miccoli Paolo 
Published: September 2017

AbstractBackgroundRobot‐assisted transaxillary thyroidectomy (RATT) is widely accepted in Asian countries. However, concerns regarding the balance between its real advantages and safety and cost have been raised by North American authorities. In Europe, assessments have been limited by small numbers since now. The purpose here is to report a large European experience with RATT.
MethodsA retrospective analysis was conducted of 257 patients who underwent RATT for nodular disease between February 2012 and September 2016. Data collected included patient demographics, diagnosis, ultrasound‐estimated mean thyroid volume and nodule size, type of resection, operative time, postoperative pain and morbidity, and the hospital length of stay. Pain was assessed by visual analog scale score 12 h postoperatively (on the first postoperative day, before discharge). Feasibility, effectiveness, and safety were the outcomes of interest. Follow‐up of thyroid carcinoma patients was carried out measuring thyroglobulin levels and ultrasound examination (median follow‐up 24 months (6–48 months)). First control after 12 months and successively once a year.
ResultsThere were 253 women and 4 men, with a mean age of 37.3 years. Indications included benign disease in 116, papillary carcinoma in 56, and indeterminate nodule in 85. Mean thyroid volume was 16.8 mL, and nodule size was 25.3 mm. A hemithyroidectomy was performed in 138 patients and total thyroidectomy in 118. The mean operative time was 77.5 min for the former and 99.7 min for the latter. One conversion was required. Complications included transient hypoparathyroidism in 7/118 (total thyroidectomy) patients (5.9%), transient vocal fold palsy in 3/257 (1.1%), 1 delayed tracheal injury (0.4%), and 3 postoperative hematoma (1.1%). Mean visual analog scale score was 1.79, and the mean length of stay was 1.6 days for hemithyroidectomy and 1.9 days for total thyroidectomy.ConclusionRATT is safe and effective and could serve as a viable treatment modality in selected cases.
The Prognostic Impact of Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) in Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma Following Curative Hepatectomy: A Retrospective Single Institution Study
Authors: Miyata Tatsunori , Yamashita Yo‐ichi , Higashi Takaaki , Taki Katsunobu , Izumi Daisuke , Kosumi Keisuke , Tokunaga Ryuma , Nakagawa Shigeki , Okabe Hirohisa , Imai Katsunori , Hashimoto Daisuke , Chikamoto Akira , Baba Hideo 
Published: September 2017

AbstractBackgroundSeveral studies have examined controlling nutritional status (CONUT), which is one of the useful biomarkers for predicting patients’ prognosis following cancer treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the value of CONUT as a postoperative prognostic marker in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) following curative hepatectomy.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed 71 patients who underwent curative hepatectomy for ICC between May 2002 and November 2016. Patients were divided into two groups according to their preoperative CONUT score (i.e., CONUT ≧ 2 or CONUT < 2).ResultsThe number of patients assigned to the normal, mild, moderate, or severe malnutrition groups was 40, 28, two, and one, respectively. The high CONUT group (CONUT ≧ 2) consisted of 31 patients (43.7%) and had a poor prognosis with regard to overall survival (OS) (p = 0.0149). A high CONUT score is also identified as one of the independent predictors of poor prognosis in OS (hazard ratio 3.02; 95% confidence interval 1.4–6.8; p = 0.007). However, in the current study, a high CONUT score was not associated with postoperative complications (Clavien–Dindo classification ≧ III or more).ConclusionsCONUT may be useful for the preoperative assessment of prognosis in patients with ICC who have undergone curative hepatectomy.
The Influence of Thermal Cycles on the Microstructure of Grade 92 Steel
Authors: Xu X. , West G. D. , Siefert J. A. , Parker J. D. , Thomson R. C. 
Published: September 2017

Abstract
The microstructure in the heat-affected zone (HAZ) of welds made from the 9 wt pct chromium martensitic Grade 92 steel is complex and has not yet been completely understood. There is a lack of systematic microstructural investigations to define the different regions of the microstructure across the HAZ of Grade 92 steel welds as a function of the welding process. In this study, the microstructure in the HAZ of an as-fabricated single-pass bead-on-plate weld on a parent metal of Grade 92 steel was systematically investigated by using an extensive range of electron and ion-microscopy-based techniques. A dilatometer was used to apply controlled thermal cycles to simulate the microstructures in the different regions of the HAZ. A wide range of microstructural properties in the simulated materials were then characterized and compared with the experimental observations from the weld HAZ. It was found that the microstructure in the HAZ of a single-pass Grade 92 steel weld can be categorized as a function of a decreasing peak temperature reached as (1) the completely transformed (CT) region, in which the original matrix is completely reaustenitized with complete dissolution of the pre-existing secondary precipitate particles; (2) the partially transformed (PT) region, where the original matrix is partially reaustenitized along with a partial dissolution of the secondary precipitate particles from the original matrix; and (3) the overtempered (OT) region, where the pre-existing precipitate particles coarsen. The PT region is considered to be the susceptible area for damage in the commonly reported HAZ failures in weldments constructed from these types of steels.
Determination of Dodecanol and Short‐Chained Ethoxylated Dodecanols by LC–MS/MS (with Electrospray Ionization) After Their Derivatization (with Phenyl Isocyanate)
Authors: Zembrzuska Joanna 
Published: September 2017

AbstractThis report describes the application of LC–MS/MS for the separation of dodecanol (C12OH) and homogenous fatty alcohols ethoxylated (AE) containing a dodecyl moiety and 1–9 ethoxy groups. These ethoxylates and free alcohol were derivatized for LC–MS/MS analysis with phenyl isocyanate (PIC). The derivatives of analytes with PIC were separated using a C18 column. Gradient elution with a mixture of ethyl acetate and acetonitrile (5 mM) was employed. The described determination method is characterized by low detection limits (range from 0.005 µg L−1 for: C12OH, C12EO2–7 to 1 µg L−1 for C12EO1) and quantification limits (range from 0.01 µg L−1 for: C12EO5–7 to 2 µg L−1 for C12EO1). The developed and validated method was used in combination with liquid–liquid extraction (using ethyl acetate) in order to identify and quantitatively determine the C12OH and C12EO1–9 present in environmental samples collected from Warta river water in Poznan.
Is Thyroid Replacement Therapy Necessary in Fertility Patients with “Normal” TSH?
Authors: Bliddal Sofie , Feldt-Rasmussen Ulla 
Published: September 2017

AbstractThyroid diseases are very common disorders in women, and thyroid hormones are crucial players in many aspects of fetal growth and neurodevelopment, both of which are dependent on an adequate supply of maternal thyroid hormones from early gestation onwards. It is therefore very important to keep women euthyroid during gestation. Globally, hypothyroidism is still frequently caused by iodine deficiency. In iodine sufficient areas, the most common cause of hypothyroidism is thyroid autoimmunity with positive anti-thyroperoxidase antibodies (anti-TPO) measurable in serum. It is well known that overt maternal and fetal hypothyroidism must be avoided during gestation as well as before assisted fertility. It is, however, less clear if milder forms or subclinical hypothyroidism requires thyroxine replacement therapy. Screening for thyroid disease is not recommended by guidelines, but case finding based on specific criteria form general practice among endocrinologists and fertility specialists. There are many different factors to be aware of including, how measurements and interpretations of the laboratory tests for thyroid related hormones are complicated by a combination of changes due to the physiology of pregnancy, and the difficulty of laboratory measurements to correct for these changes. A pragmatic algorithm for the management has been suggested, but there are still many inconsistencies and controversies in the field. Very importantly, all clinicians managing thyroid diseases should be aware of this and discuss it with the female patients of fertile age as soon as the diagnosis of hypothyroidism is made in order to avoid negligence from the patient if she becomes pregnant.
Resisting behind the border talks in TTIP: The cases of GMOs and data privacy
Authors: Aggarwal Vinod K. , Evenett Simon J. 
Published: September 2017

AbstractDespite initial intentions to better align transatlantic regulation and associated practices in the negotiation of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), this was not possible for rules concerning genetically modified organisms and data privacy. By 2016 both matters effectively fell off the TTIP negotiating agenda. This paper identifies the factors responsible, specifically the critical role played by independent regulatory agencies and associated bureaucratic politics, transnational coalitions of private sector organizations, and non-government organizations and contingency. These factors are not exclusive to the two salient regulations considered here, with the implication that the identification of cross-border spillovers is at best a necessary condition for the successful negotiation of binding trade rules on behind-the-border government policies.