bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Estimation of the age at onset in spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 Cuban patients by survival analysis
Authors: Almaguer‐Mederos LE , Falcón NS , Almira YR , Zaldivar YG , Almarales DC , Góngora EM , Herrera MP , Batallán KE , Armiñán RR , Manresa MV , Cruz GS , Laffita‐Mesa J , Cyuz TM , Chang V , Auburger G , Gispert S , Pérez LV 
Published: December 2009

Almaguer‐Mederosa LE, Falcón NS, Almira YR, Zaldivar YG, Almarales DC, Góngora EM, Herrera MP, Batallán KE, Armiñán RR, Manresa MV, Cruz GS, Laffita‐Mesa J, Cyuz TM, Chang V, Auburger G, Gispert S, Pérez LV. Estimation of the age at onset in spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 Cuban patients by survival analysis.Previous studies have investigated the close association that exists between CAG repeat number and the age at onset in SCA2 = spinocerebellar ataxia type 2. These studies have focused on affected individuals. To further characterize this association and estimate the risk of a carrier developing SCA2 at a particular age as a function of a specific CAG repeat size, we have analyzed a large group of 924 individuals, including 394 presymptomatic and 530 affected individuals with a CAG repeat length of 32–79 units. Using a Kaplan–Meier survival analysis, we obtained cumulative probability curves for disease manifestation at a particular age for each CAG repeat length in the 34–45 range. These curves were significantly different (p < 0.001) and showed small overlap. All these information may be very valuable in predictive‐testing programs, in the planning of studies for the identification of other genetic and environmental factors as modifiers of age at onset, and in the design of clinical trials for people at enlarged risk for SCA2.
Cytogenetic analyses of premature ovarian failure using karyotyping and interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in a group of 1000 patients
Authors: Lakhal B , Braham R , Berguigua R , Bouali N , Zaouali M , Chaieb M , Veitia RA , Saad A , Elghezal H 
Published: December 2009

Lakhal B, Braham R, Berguigua R, Bouali N, Zaouali M, Chaieb M, Veitia RA, Saad A, Elghezal H. Cytogenetic analyses of premature ovarian failure using karyotyping and interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in a group of 1000 patients.To evaluate the implication of chromosome abnormalities in the etiology of premature ovarian failure (POF), 1000 patients with POF recruited at the Department of Cytogenetics of Farhat Hached Hospital (Sousse, Tunisia) between January 1996 and December 2008. Chromosome analyses were performed by using karyotyping and interphase fluorescent in situ hybridisation (FISH) using a centromeric probe of the chromosome X to look for low‐level mosaicism of X‐chromosome monosomy. Hundred and eight chromosomal abnormalities (10.8%) were found using karyotype analysis. Anomalies were detected in 61 cases out of 432 primary amenorrhea patients (14.12%) and 47 cases out of 568 secondary amenorrhea patients (8.27%). In 23 POF patients among 200 (11.5%) with 46,XX normal karyotype and explored using interphase FISH analysis, the percentage of cells with X‐chromosome monosomy was significantly higher as compared with controls in the same age. The cytogenetic study of POF patients showed a high prevalence of chromosome anomalies either in primary or in secondary amenorrhoea. Mosaic X‐chromosome s aneuploïdy was the most frequent abnormality and some patients with POF may be attributable to low‐level 45,X/46,XX mosaicism detectable using FISH analysis.
The Immunohistochemical Localization of Desmin and Smooth Muscle Actin in the Ovary of the African Giant Rat (Cricetomys gambianus) During the Oestrous Cycle
Authors: Madekurozwa M.‐C. , Oke B. O. , Akinloye A. K. 
Published: December 2009

SummaryThe aim of this study was to describe the distribution of smooth muscle actin and desmin immunopositive cells in the ovary of the giant rat. In addition, the study describes the morphological changes in the ovary of this species during the oestrous cycle. Healthy secondary and tertiary follicles dominated the ovary during pro‐oestrus and oestrus. The theca externa of the tertiary follicles was immunopositive for smooth muscle actin, but immunonegative for desmin. Oestrus was also characterized by the presence of corpora haemorrhagica, which had an outer layer of smooth muscle actin immunopositive cells. Differentiating corpora lutea were observed during metoestrus. A further notable feature of the ovary during metoestrus was the presence of numerous atretic secondary and tertiary follicles. In the later stages of atresia, the follicles were infiltrated by desmin and smooth muscle actin immunopositive cells. Dioestrus was characterized by the presence of non‐regressing and regressing corpora lutea. Immunostaining for smooth muscle actin was demonstrated in the enclosing layer of the corpora lutea, as well as in the tunica media of blood vessels within the corpora lutea. The results of this study have shown that morphological changes in the ovary of the giant rat during the oestrus cycle are similar to those of laboratory rodents. Furthermore, the results of the immunohistochemical study indicate that the perifollicular distribution of desmin and smooth muscle actin cells changes during follicular development and atresia.
Inhibitory effects of permethrin on flight responses, host‐searching, and foraging behaviour of Cotesia vestalis (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a larval parasitoid of Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae)
Authors: Kawazu K. , Shimoda T. , Kobori Y. , Kugimiya S. , Mukawa S. , Suzuki Y. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractAlthough it is well known that the application of broad‐spectrum synthetic insecticides reduces the effectiveness of natural enemies, the details of the actual mechanisms, including the lethal and sublethal effects of this reduction, are not fully understood. The inhibitory effects of a pyrethroid insecticide (permethrin), Adion 20% EC on the flight responses, host‐searching behaviour and foraging behaviour of Cotesia vestalis (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a larval parasitoid of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), were investigated under laboratory conditions. In choice trials, the wasps showed significant preference for P. xylostella‐infested Komatsuna plants over insecticide‐treated plants, suggesting an inhibitory effect of the insecticide on the flight response of C. vestalis. When offered a pair of plants, the wasps showed a significant preference for P. xylostella‐infested plants compared to uninfested plants. However, significantly more wasps were attracted to infested permethrin‐treated plants than to uninfested plants, suggesting that the wasps are attracted to the volatile infochemicals from the infested plants, even if treated with permethrin. The searching time was significantly shorter and the mortality of C. vestalis adults on the insecticide‐treated plants significantly higher than in the control plants treated with distilled water. These results suggest that the application of the insecticide had an inhibitory effect on the wasps’‐searching behaviour and consequently reduced the effectiveness of C. vestalis as a biological control agent against P. xylostella. In addition, the strength of the inhibitory effect of permethrin on the attraction of the wasps to the plants is critical to the survival of C. vestalis. Our results suggest that the attraction of the wasps to the permethrin‐treated infested plants increases the risk of their exposure to this insecticide.
Biological activity of essential oils from seven Azorean plants against Pseudaletia unipuncta (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)
Authors: Rosa J. S. , Mascarenhas C. , Oliveira L. , Teixeira T. , Barreto M. C. , Medeiros J. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractTen essential oils from seven Azorean plant species were evaluated for their insecticidal, ovicidal, feeding‐deterrence and growth inhibition activities against Pseudaletia unipuncta. The oils of Laurus azorica (leaves), and Juniperus brevifolia (leaves) showed strong moderate insecticidal effect on fourth‐instar larvae causing 93.3% and 46.7% mortality, respectively. Juniperus brevifolia (leaves), L. azorica (leaves), Persea indica (leaves), Hedychium gardnerianum (leaves) and Pittosporum undulatum (fruits and leaves) significantly affected the hatching of P. unipuncta eggs (<8% eclosions). Five oils showed significant feeding deterrent activities (L. azorica, 92.4%, J. brevifolia, 93.6%, P. undulatum leaves, 95.5% and fruits, 83.8% and H. gardnerianum, 88.2%). All of the essential oils tested, significantly inhibited the larval growth after 5 days of feeding on the treated diet. Essential oils from L. azorica and J. brevifolia were the most potent growth inhibitors among the oils tested, producing a decrease in the initial larva weight (−14.8 and −14.5 mg, respectively). Our results indicate that L. azorica (leaves), J. brevifolia (leaves), P. indica (leaves), H. gardnerianum (leaves), and P. undulatum (leaves and fruits) can be exploited for the development of bioactive compounds as a new source of agrochemicals. Further emphasis on isolation and identification of active constituents can be useful to develop new environment‐friendly insect control agents.
Microbial functional structure of Montastraea faveolata, an important Caribbean reef‐building coral, differs between healthy and yellow‐band diseased colonies
Authors: Kimes Nikole E. , Van Nostrand Joy D. , Weil Ernesto , Zhou Jizhong , Morris Pamela J. 
Published: December 2009

SummaryA functional gene array (FGA), GeoChip 2.0, was used to assess the biogeochemical cycling potential of microbial communities associated with healthy and Caribbean yellow band diseased (YBD) Montastraea faveolata. Over 6700 genes were detected, providing evidence that the coral microbiome contains a diverse community of archaea, bacteria and fungi capable of fulfilling numerous functional niches. These included carbon, nitrogen and sulfur cycling, metal homeostasis and resistance, and xenobiotic contaminant degradation. A significant difference in functional structure was found between healthy and YBD M. faveolata colonies and those differences were specific to the physical niche examined. In the surface mucopolysaccharide layer (SML), only two of 31 functional categories investigated, cellulose degradation and nitrification, revealed significant differences, implying a very specific change in microbial functional potential. Coral tissue slurry, on the other hand, revealed significant changes in 10 of the 31 categories, suggesting a more generalized shift in functional potential involving various aspects of nutrient cycling, metal transformations and contaminant degradation. This study is the first broad screening of functional genes in coral‐associated microbial communities and provides insights regarding their biogeochemical cycling capacity in healthy and diseased states.
A novel hybrid kinase is essential for regulating the σB‐mediated stress response of Bacillus cereus
Authors: De Been Mark , Tempelaars Marcel H. , Van Schaik Willem , Moezelaar Roy , Siezen Roland J. , Abee Tjakko 
Published: December 2009

SummaryA common bacterial strategy for monitoring environmental challenges is to use two‐component systems, which consist of a sensor histidine kinase (HK) and a response regulator (RR). In the food‐borne pathogen Bacillus cereus, the alternative sigma factor σB is activated by the RR RsbY. Here we present strong indications that the PP2C‐type phosphatase RsbY receives its input from the multi‐sensor hybrid kinase BC1008 (renamed RsbK). Genome analyses revealed that, across bacilli, rsbY and rsbK are located in a conserved gene cluster. A B. cereus rsbK deletion strain was shown to be incapable of inducing σB upon stress conditions and was impaired in its heat adaptive response. Comparison of the wild‐type and rsbK mutant transcriptomes upon heat shock revealed that RsbK was primarily involved in the activation of the σB‐mediated stress response. Truncation of the RsbK RR receiver domain demonstrated the importance of this domain for σB induction upon stress. The domain architecture of RsbK suggests that in the B. cereus group and in other bacilli, environmental and intracellular stress signalling routes are combined into one single protein. This strategy is markedly different from the σB activation pathway in other low‐GC Gram‐positives.
Decrease in hepatic very‐low‐density lipoprotein–triglyceride secretion after weight loss is inversely associated with changes in circulating leptin
Authors: Magkos F. , Fabbrini E. , McCrea J. , Patterson B. W. , Eagon J. C. , Klein S. 
Published: December 2009

Aim: Although weight loss usually decreases very‐low‐density lipoprotein–triglyceride (VLDL‐TG) secretion rate, the change in VLDL‐TG kinetics is not directly related to the change in body weight. Circulating leptin also declines with weight loss and can affect hepatic lipid metabolism. The aim of this study was to determine whether circulating leptin is associated with weight loss‐induced changes in VLDL‐TG secretion. Methods: Ten extremely obese subjects were studied. VLDL‐TG secretion rate and the contribution of systemic (derived from lipolysis of subcutaneous adipose tissue TG) and non‐systemic fatty acids (derived primarily from lipolysis of intrahepatic and intraperitoneal TG, and de novo lipogenesis) to VLDL‐TG production were determined by using stable isotopically labelled tracer methods before and 1 year after gastric bypass surgery. Results: Subjects lost 33 ± 12% of body weight, and VLDL‐TG secretion rate decreased by 46 ± 23% (p = 0.001), primarily because of a decrease in the secretion of VLDL‐TG from non‐systemic fatty acids (p = 0.002). Changes in VLDL‐TG secretion rates were not significantly related to reductions in body weight, body mass index, plasma palmitate flux, free fatty acid or insulin concentrations. The change in VLDL‐TG secretion was inversely correlated with the change in plasma leptin concentration (r = −0.72, p = 0.013), because of a negative association between changes in leptin and VLDL‐TG secretion from non‐systemic fatty acids (r = −0.95, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Weight loss‐induced changes in plasma leptin concentration are inversely associated with changes in VLDL‐TG secretion rate. Additional studies are needed to determine whether the correlation between circulating leptin and VLDL‐TG secretion represents a cause‐and‐effect relationship.
Working capital management in SMEs
Authors: Baños‐Caballero Sonia , García‐Teruel Pedro J. , Martínez‐Solano Pedro 
Published: December 2009

AbstractThis paper analyses the determinants of Cash Conversion Cycle (CCC) for small‐ and medium‐sized firms. It has been found that these firms have a target CCC length to which they attempt to converge, and that they try to adjust to their target quickly. The results also show that it is longer for older firms and companies with greater cash flows. In contrast, firms with more growth opportunities, and firms with higher leverage, investment in fixed assets and return on assets have a more aggressive working capital policy.
Divestitures, wealth effects and corporate governance
Authors: Owen Sian , Shi Liting , Yawson Alfred 
Published: December 2009

AbstractWe analyse the market reaction to divestiture decisions and determine the impact of corporate governance practices. We find the market reaction is significant and can be determined using internal governance mechanisms. We evaluate the determinants of the decision to sell using a control sample of firms displaying characteristics often associated with divestitures indicating that these firms may face the same incentives to divest but elect not to restructure in this manner. Our results suggest that a combination of strong internal and external governance may force managers to act in a manner that is incompatible with their personal desires.
Live Video Montage with a Rotating Camera
Authors: Dong Zilong , Jiang Lei , Zhang Guofeng , Wang Qing , Bao Hujun 
Published: December 2009

AbstractHigh‐quality video editing usually requires accurate layer separation in order to resolve occlusions. However, most of the existing bilayer segmentation algorithms require either considerable user intervention or a simple stationary camera configuration with known background, which is difficult to meet for many real world online applications. This paper demonstrates that various visually appealing montage effects can be online created from a live video captured by a rotating camera, by accurately retrieving the camera state and segmenting out the dynamic foreground. The key contribution is that a novel fast bilayer segmentation method is proposed which can effectively extract the dynamic foreground under rotational camera configuration, and is robust to imperfect background estimation and complex background colors. Our system can create a variety of live visual effects, including but not limited to, realistic virtual object insertion, background substitution and blurring, non‐photorealistic rendering and camouflage effect. A variety of challenging examples demonstrate the effectiveness of our method.
An Intuitive Interface for Interactive High Quality Image‐Based Modeling
Authors: Habbecke Martin , Kobbelt Leif 
Published: December 2009

AbstractWe present the design of an interactive image‐based modeling tool that enables a user to quickly generate detailed 3D models with texture from a set of calibrated input images. Our main contribution is an intuitive user interface that is entirely based on simple 2D painting operations and does not require any technical expertise by the user or difficult pre‐processing of the input images. One central component of our tool is a GPU‐based multi‐view stereo reconstruction scheme, which is implemented by an incremental algorithm, that runs in the background during user interaction so that the user does not notice any significant response delay.
Linkless Octree Using Multi‐Level Perfect Hashing
Authors: Choi Myung Geol , Ju Eunjung , Chang Jung‐Woo , Lee Jehee , Kim Young J. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractThe standard C/C++ implementation of a spatial partitioning data structure, such as octree and quadtree, is often inefficient in terms of storage requirements particularly when the memory overhead for maintaining parent‐to‐child pointers is significant with respect to the amount of actual data in each tree node. In this work, we present a novel data structure that implements uniform spatial partitioning without storing explicit parent‐to‐child pointer links. Our linkless tree encodes the storage locations of subdivided nodes using perfect hashing while retaining important properties of uniform spatial partitioning trees, such as coarse‐to‐fine hierarchical representation, efficient storage usage, and efficient random accessibility. We demonstrate the performance of our linkless trees using image compression and path planning examples.
Procedural Generation of Rock Piles using Aperiodic Tiling
Authors: Peytavie A. , Galin E. , Grosjean J. , Merillou S. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractIn this paper, we present a tiling method for generating piles of rocks without any computationally demanding physically‐based simulation. Previous techniques rely on a periodic tiling of rocks and generate unrealistic repetitive patterns. In contrast, our approach relies on a modified corner cube algorithm to generate a set of aperiodic tiles. We generalize the construction method so that the geometry of rocks should straddle corner cubes with a view to avoiding unrealistic gaps in the arrangement of rocks. Moreover, we propose an original technique to control the shape of rocks into contact by computing the Voronoï cells using a parameterized anisotropic distance. Our method has been successfully used to generate landscapes and stone huts and walls with thousands of rocks piled together.
Expression Synthesis and Transfer in Parameter Spaces
Authors: Shin Hyun Joon , Lee Yunjin 
Published: December 2009

AbstractIn this paper, we introduce a novel framework that allows users to synthesize the expression of a 3D character by providing a intuitive set of parametric controls. Assuming that human face movements are formed by a set of basis actuation, we analyze a set of real expressions to extract this set together with skin deformation due to the actuation of face. To do this, we first decompose the movement of each marker into a set of distinctive movements. Independent component analysis technique is then adopted to find a independent set of actuations. Our simple and efficient skin deformation model are learned to reproduce the realistic movements of facial parts due to the actuations. In this framework, users can animate characters' faces by controlling the amount actuation or by directly manipulating the face geometry. In addition, the proposed method can be applied to expression transfer which reproduces one character's expression in another character's face. Experimental results demonstrate that our method can produce realistic expression efficiently.
Simulation of Tearing Cloth with Frayed Edges
Authors: Metaaphanon Napaporn , Bando Yosuke , Chen Bing‐Yu , Nishita Tomoyuki 
Published: December 2009

AbstractWoven cloth can commonly be seen in daily life and also in animation. Unless prevented in some way, woven cloth usually frays at the edges. However, in computer graphics, woven cloth is typically modeled as a continuum sheet, which is not suitable for representing frays. This paper proposes a model that allows yarn movement and slippage during cloth tearing. Drawing upon techniques from textile and mechanical engineering fields, we model cloth as woven yarn crossings where each yarn can be independently torn when the strain limit is reached. To make the model practical for graphics applications, we simulate only tearing part of cloth with a yarn‐level model using a simple constrained mass‐spring system for computational efficiency. We designed conditions for switching from a standard continuum sheet model to our yarn‐level model, so that frays can be initiated and propagated along the torn lines. Results show that our method can achieve plausible tearing cloth animation with frayed edges.
Gradient‐Preserving Color Transfer
Authors: Xiao Xuezhong , Ma Lizhuang 
Published: December 2009

AbstractColor transfer is an image processing technique which can produce a new image combining one source image's contents with another image's color style. While being able to produce convincing results, however, Reinhard et al.'s pioneering work has two problems—mixing up of colors in different regions and the fidelity problem. Many local color transfer algorithms have been proposed to resolve the first problem, but the second problem was paid few attentions.In this paper, a novel color transfer algorithm is presented to resolve the fidelity problem of color transfer in terms of scene details and colors. It's well known that human visual system is more sensitive to local intensity differences than to intensity itself. We thus consider that preserving the color gradient is necessary for scene fidelity. We formulate the color transfer problem as an optimization problem and solve it in two steps—histogram matching and a gradient‐preserving optimization. Following the idea of the fidelity in terms of color and gradient, we also propose a metric for objectively evaluating the performance of example‐based color transfer algorithms. The experimental results show the validity and high fidelity of our algorithm and that it can be used to deal with local color transfer.