bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cord blood lipid profile and associated factors: baseline data of a birth cohort study
Authors: Kelishadi Roya , Badiee Zohreh , Adeli Khosrow 
Published: October 2007

SummaryThe cord blood lipid profile may be associated with lifelong changes in the metabolic functions of the individual. The aim of the present study was for the first time in Iran to assess the cord blood lipid profile of neonates, as well as some of its environmental influencing factors. The subjects were 442 (218 boys and 224 girls) normal vaginal delivery newborns. Overall, 14.4% of neonates were preterm and the rest were full‐term. In total, 9.2% (n = 35) of the full‐term newborns were small‐for‐gestational‐age (SGA), of which 16 had a ponderal index (PI) below the 10th percentile (SGA I) and 19 had a PI above the 10th percentile (SGA II), 5.5% (n = 21) were large‐for‐gestational‐age (LGA), and the remainder were appropriate‐for‐gestational‐age (AGA).Before becoming pregnant, 6.9% of mothers were underweight, 49.3% had normal body mass index (BMI), 39.4% were overweight and 4.4% were obese.Total and high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL‐C) in girls were significantly higher than in boys (80.3 ± 33.3 and 31.1 ± 9.9 vs. 73.3 ± 23.1 and 28.8 ± 8.7 mg/dL, respectively,P < 0.05). The mean apolipoprotein A (apoA) of neonates with underweight mothers was significantly lower, and the mean apoB level of those with overweight mothers was significantly higher than other neonates. The mean low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C), HDL‐C and apoA of the LGA newborns were significantly lower, and their apoB was significantly higher compared with AGA and SGA neonates. The SGA I neonates had significantly lower total cholesterol, LDL‐C, HDL‐C and apoA, as well as higher triglycerides, lipoprotein a and apoB than the SGA II group. The mean cord blood triglycerides of full‐term neonates was significantly higher than preterm neonates (69.4 ± 11.9 vs. 61.4 ± 12.7 mg/dL, respectively,P = 0.04). A preconception maternal BMI of ≥25 kg/m2correlated significantly with the cord triglycerides (OR = 1.3, [95% CI 1.07, 1.5]) and with apoB (OR = 1.4, [95% CI 1.1, 1.5]). The BMI <18 of mothers before pregnancy correlated with low HDL‐C (OR = 1.3, [95% CI 1.04, 1.7]). Birthweight correlated with high cord triglyceride level (SGA: OR = 1.4, [95% CI 1.1, 1.7]; LGA: OR = 1.6, [95% CI 1.3, 1.7] compared with AGA). These associations remained significant even after adjusting for the preconception BMI of mothers. Our findings reflect the possible interaction of environmental factors and fetal growth and thein uterolipid metabolism. Long‐term longitudinal studies in different ethnicities would help to elucidate the relationship.
Trimester‐specific blood pressure levels in relation to maternal pre‐pregnancy body mass index
Authors: Miller Raymond S. , Thompson Mary Lou , Williams Michelle A. 
Published: October 2007

SummaryWe evaluated the influence of maternal pre‐pregnancy body mass index (BMI), based on reported pre‐pregnancy weight and height, on blood pressure (BP) levels during pregnancy by using information from a prospective cohort of 1733 women recruited before 20 weeks' gestation. Maternal antenatal BP values were abstracted from medical records, and we evaluated the mean BP differences according to BMI group in regression models, using generalised estimating equations to account for repeated BP records within each pregnancy.In each trimester, mean systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) values were positively associated with maternal pre‐gestational BMI. This association persisted after adjustment for maternal age, parity, smoking, education, marital status and physical activity. Overweight women (25–29 kg/m2) had first‐, second‐ and third‐trimester mean SBPs that were 8.1, 7.7 and 8.2 mmHg, respectively, higher than values observed in lean women (<20 kg/m2). Mean DBP values were 4.5, 5.4 and 5.6 mmHg higher for each successive trimester in overweight vs. lean women. Obese (>30 kg/m2) women consistently had the highest mean SBP and DBP values. Trimester‐specific mean SBP values were 10.7–12.0 mmHg higher among obese women vs. lean women. Corresponding trimester‐specific mean DBP values were 6.9–7.4 mmHg higher in obese vs. lean women. Similar patterns were observed when trimester‐specific average mean arterial pressures were evaluated. Elevated pregnancy BPs associated with maternal pre‐gestational BMI are consistent with a large body of literature that documents increased pre‐eclampsia risk among overweight and obese women.
Post‐Conflict Anxiety in Japanese Macaques (Macaca fuscata): Aggressor’s and Victim’s Perspectives
Authors: Schino Gabriele , Rosati Luca , Geminiani Simona , Aureli Filippo 
Published: October 2007

AbstractThe aim of this study was to investigate the short‐term consequences of aggression in socially living Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) focusing on the emotional response of both aggressors and victims of aggression. Both individuals involved showed an increase in the rate of scratching (a behavioural indicator of anxiety) in the minutes following the aggressive confrontation. Such increase was larger in victims than in aggressors. Multivariate analyses of the factors modulating post‐conflict scratching showed that for both the aggressor and the victim the main predictor of post‐conflict scratching was its opponent’s post‐conflict scratching. These results suggest both opponents shared the same perception of the consequences of aggression, and responded with similar emotional arousal.
Behavioural and Growth Responses of a Territorial Fish (Atlantic Salmon, Salmo salar, L.) to Multiple Predatory Cues
Authors: Blanchet Simon , Bernatchez Louis , Dodson Julian J. 
Published: October 2007

AbstractAntipredatory behaviours are important fitness components. The probability of survival decreases if animals fail to respond to signs of danger, but in contrast, energetic costs increase if the response to the threat is exaggerated. We conducted a laboratory experiment designed to examine the behavioural and growth responses of a territorial fish (Atlantic salmon fry, Salmo salar, L.) to different predatory cues (no predatory cues, chemical cues alone, physical cues alone and combined chemical and physical cues). We evaluated the response of Atlantic salmon, focussing on behaviours linked to predator avoidance and to other fitness‐enhancing activities (territory defence and energy acquisition) both during the day and the night. The cost of such responses in terms of growth was assessed and we compared the relative contributions of behaviours in explaining individual growth rate, according to each predation treatment. We demonstrated that the magnitude and nature of behavioural modification varied according to the response variables we considered. An index of predator avoidance and the distance from the food source were affected in an additive fashion by predatory cues (interaction term, p = 0.469 and p = 0.888 for the index of predator avoidance and the distance from the food source respectively); the effect of physical cues was stronger than the effect of chemical cues and the effect of the combined cues was highest. An index of territoriality was affected in a threshold‐like fashion (interaction term, p = 0.040); chemical or physical cues alone had no effect but when both cues were combined, Atlantic salmon significantly reduced their territorial defence. An index of foraging activity was not significantly affected by predatory cues (alone or combined). We detected no effect on the growth rate of Atlantic salmon (p = 0.328). Finally, we found that the relative contribution of behaviours in explaining individual growth rate changed according to the treatments we considered. Overall, these results demonstrated that fish were able to accurately integrate multiple predatory cues and that this information was used to modulate their antipredatory response. Behaviours involved in the response were relatively independent of each other, allowing fish to adopt behavioural tactics that maximized the ratio of net energy gain to predator avoidance.
Sociality, Mate Choice, and Timing of Mating in American Bison (Bison bison): Effects of Large Males
Authors: Bowyer R. Terry , Bleich Vernon C. , Manteca Xavier , Whiting Jericho C. , Stewart Kelley M. 
Published: October 2007

AbstractWe studied group size, composition, and mating activities in American bison (Bison bison) during rut on the Delta Junction Bison Range in interior Alaska, USA, in 1996 and 1997. Our purpose was to determine the effects of large males (≥5 yr old) on mating and associated activities. Groups with large males were larger than those containing smaller males. Most groups of bison were mixed‐sex (90%), but large males occurred in only one‐half of all groups. Moreover, females in groups with large males were more likely to copulate than those in groups with smaller males, indicating a female preference for large males. Nevertheless, our results are consistent with large males seeking out adult females for mating rather than vice versa. Mating peaked in mid‐August during both the study years and was highly synchronous. Scent marking was coincident with mating, an outcome consistent with a hypothesis of such behavior triggering ovulation. Scent marking by large male bison occurred in both male–male and male–female contexts, but was associated most often with sexual activities. No differences in group size occurred with changes in weather or among vegetation types occupied by bison. Group size of bison, however, was larger with increasing distance from the forest edge, which likely was a response to predation risk in this predator‐rich environment.
Do Characteristics of Parental Child Homicide in Sweden Fit Evolutionary Predictions?
Authors: Nordlund Johanna , Temrin Hans 
Published: October 2007

AbstractEvolutionary models have been used to explain parental child homicide. One idea is that children with low fitness value to their parents will be less loved and cared for and therefore more at risk in conflict situations. It is then important to investigate if conflicts with the children are the major pattern in cases of parental child homicide. The aim of this study is to survey the background circumstances of parental child homicide in Sweden and relate them to the evolutionary model suggested. We more specifically investigate if the homicides occur in conflict situations with the child, the frequency of several victims (including the partner or former partner) and if there are differences in characteristics of homicides between stepparents and genetic parents. Our results show that parental child homicide is a heterogeneous phenomenon, where relatively few cases were the result of a conflict with the child‐victims. Instead severe conflicts between parents were the most common circumstance in which children were killed. Many children were victims of an extended suicide, which often included several members of the family. Step‐parents were more likely to kill children aggressively in conflicts with them than genetic parents. The complexity of the phenomenon suggests that an evolutionary model based upon a mechanism related to conflicts with the child‐victim has limited explanatory value on parental child homicide in general.
Obesity, overweight and body‐weight perception in a High Atlas Moroccan population
Authors: Lahmam A. , Baali A. , Hilali M. K. , Cherkaoui M. , Chapuis‐Lucciani N. , Boetsch G. 
Published: October 2007

SummaryIn order to study the prevalence of obesity and overweight and to understand how the human body is perceived among Moroccan mountain populations, we carried out a survey that covered a sample of 436 Amazigh individuals aged 20 years and more from the High Moroccan Atlas. Through this survey, we noticed that obesity is still low among men (2.4%), whereas the prevalence of obesity among women is alarming and reaches 13.3%. The prevalence of overweight is also high, especially among women, with 32.8% vs. 21.8% among men. Obesity prevalence, especially overweight, is higher than that recorded in the national rural level. The high prevalence of overweight that can develop to obesity should be taken into account mainly when dealing with women that still value overweight. In fact, women in our sample underestimate their overweight more than men and wish to have a heavier body.
Reverse Engineering Nature
Authors: Jensen Henrik Wann 
Published: October 2007

Abstract Why is the sky blue? Why is grass green? What determines the color of human skin? Questions such as these are increasingly important in the development of the next generation algorithms for appearancemodeling in computer graphics. By closely simulating the natural world around us we can develop algorithms that are useful in areas not traditionally connected with computer graphics. An example could be the ability to predict the color of human skin in the presence of certain diseases. In this talk, I will describe some of our recentwork in simulating the appearance of materials such as human skin, milk, and ice. This includes new research for predicting the appearance of materials based on their molecular structure in order to answer the question: “what will it look like if I mix these molecules together”?
What can Computer Graphics expect from 3D Computer Vision?
Authors: Šára Radim 
Published: October 2007

Abstract Computer Vision is a discipline whose ultimate goal is to interpret optical images of real scenes. It is well understood that such a problem is cursed by ambiguity of interpretation and uncertainty of evidence. Despite imperfectness of results due to the scenes never following our prior models exactly, Computer Vision has achieved a significant progress in the past two decades. This talk will outline the quest of 3D Computer Vision by describing a processing pipeline that receives a heap of unorganized images from unknown cameras and produces a consistent 3D geometric model together with camera calibrations. We will see how new algorithms allow the standard conception of the pipeline as a series of independent processing steps gradually transform to a single complex, yet efficient vision task. We will identify some points where linking Computer Vision and Computer Graphics would bring significant progress.
Skeleton‐based Variational Mesh Deformations
Authors: Yoshizawa Shin , Belyaev Alexander , Seidel Hans‐Peter 
Published: October 2007

Abstract In this paper, a new free‐form shape deformation approach is proposed. We combine a skeleton‐based mesh deformation technique with discrete differential coordinates in order to create natural‐looking global shape deformations. Given a triangle mesh, we first extract a skeletal mesh, a two‐sided Voronoibased approximation of the medial axis. Next the skeletal mesh is modified by free‐form deformations. Then a desired global shape deformation is obtained by reconstructing the shape corresponding to the deformed skeletal mesh. The reconstruction is based on using discrete differential coordinates. Our method preserves fine geometric details and original shape thickness because of using discrete differential coordinates and skeleton‐based deformations. We also develop a new mesh evolution technique which allow us to eliminate possible global and local self‐intersections of the deformed mesh while preserving fine geometric details. Finally, we present a multi‐resolution version of our approach in order to simplify and accelerate the deformation process. In addition, interesting links between the proposed free‐form shape deformation technique and classical and modern results in the differential geometry of sphere congruences are established and discussed.
Context‐Aware Skeletal Shape Deformation
Authors: Weber Ofir , Sorkine Olga , Lipman Yaron , Gotsman Craig 
Published: October 2007

Abstract We describe a system for the animation of a skeleton‐controlled articulated object that preserves the fine geometric details of the object skin and conforms to the characteristic shapes of the object specified through a set of examples. The system provides the animator with an intuitive user interface and produces compelling results even when presented with a very small set of examples. In addition it is able to generalize well by extrapolating far beyond the examples.
Volume Preservation of Multiresolution Meshes
Authors: Sauvage Basile , Hahmann Stefanie , Bonneau Georges‐Pierre 
Published: October 2007

Abstract Geometric constraints have proved to be efficient for enhancing the realism of shape animation. The present paper addresses the computation and the preservation of the volume enclosed by multiresolution meshes. A wavelet based representation allows the mesh to be handled at any level of resolution. The key contribution is the calculation of the volume as a trilinear form with respect to the multiresolution coefficients. Efficiency is reached thanks to the pre‐processing of a sparse 3D data structure involving the transposition of the filters while represented as a lifting scheme. A versatile and interactive method for preserving the volume during a deformation process is then proposed. It is based on a quadratic minimization subject to a linearization of the volume constraint. A closed form of the solution is derived.
Prediction of Individual Non‐Linear Aging Trajectories of Faces
Authors: Scherbaum K. , Sunkel M. , Seidel H.‐P. , Blanz V. 
Published: October 2007

Abstract Represented in a Morphable Model, 3D faces follow curved trajectories in face space as they age. We present a novel algorithm that computes the individual aging trajectories for given faces, based on a non‐linear function that assigns an age to each face vector. This function is learned from a database of 3D scans of teenagers and adults using support vector regression. To apply the aging prediction to images of faces, we reconstruct a 3D model from the input image, apply the aging transformation on both shape and texture, and then render the face back into the same image or into images of other individuals at the appropriate ages, for example images of older children. Among other applications, our system can help to find missing children.
Head‐eye Animation Corresponding to a Conversation for CG Characters
Authors: Masuko Soh , Hoshino Junichi 
Published: October 2007

Abstract CG character animations, in which CG characters engage in conversations, are widely used in multimedia contents such as videos and games. In constructing such an animation, we should consider about many factors, such as the content of the utterance and the state of conversation, which necessitates a large amount of time and labor. To deal with this problem, this paper proposes a method, which generates the head‐eye movements of the CG characters synchronized with the conversation. In this method, so as to generate a composite head‐eye movement, the view line direction is divided into the head, eye and body rotations by sharing motion mechanism dynamically adjusted according to the view line direction. And letting the two modules generating the head and the eye movements share the same conversation state, head and eye movements synchronized with the conversation are generated. Finally, we apply the proposed method to the conversation scenes, and show that natural animation can be produced easily.
Boundary Constrained Swept Surfaces for Modelling and Animation
Authors: You L. H. , Yang X. S. , Pachulski M. , Zhang Jian J. 
Published: October 2007

Abstract Due to their simplicity and intuitiveness, swept surfaces are widely used in many surface modelling applications. In this paper, we present a versatile swept surface technique called the boundary constrained swept surfaces. The most distinct feature is its ability to satisfy boundary constraints, including the shape and tangent conditions at the boundaries of a swept surface. This permits significantly varying surfaces to be both modelled and smoothly assembled, leading to the construction of complex objects. The representation, similar to an ordinary swept surface, is analytical in nature and thus it is light in storage cost and numerically very stable to compute. We also introduce a number of useful shape manipulation tools, such as sculpting forces, to deform a surface both locally and globally. In addition to being a complementary method to the mainstream surface modelling and deformation techniques, we have found it very effective in automatically rebuilding existing complex models. Model reconstruction is arguably one of the most laborious and expensive tasks in modelling complex animated characters. We demonstrate how our technique can be used to automate this process.
On‐the‐fly Curve‐skeleton Computation for 3D Shapes
Authors: Sharf Andrei , Lewiner Thomas , Shamir Ariel , Kobbelt Leif 
Published: October 2007

Abstract The curve‐skeleton of a 3D object is an abstract geometrical and topological representation of its 3D shape. It maps the spatial relation of geometrically meaningful parts to a graph structure. Each arc of this graph represents a part of the object with roughly constant diameter or thickness, and approximates its centerline. This makes the curve‐skeleton suitable to describe and handle articulated objects such as characters for animation. We present an algorithm to extract such a skeleton on‐the‐fly, both from point clouds and polygonal meshes. The algorithm is based on a deformable model evolution that captures the object's volumetric shape. The deformable model involves multiple competing fronts which evolve inside the object in a coarse‐to‐fine manner. We first track these fronts' centers, and then merge and filter the resulting arcs to obtain a curve‐skeleton of the object. The process inherits the robustness of the reconstruction technique, being able to cope with noisy input, intricate geometry and complex topology. It creates a natural segmentation of the object and computes a center curve for each segment while maintaining a full correspondence between the skeleton and the boundary of the object.
Variational 3D Shape Segmentation for Bounding Volume Computation
Authors: Lu Lin , Choi Yi‐King , Wang Wenping , Kim Myung‐Soo 
Published: October 2007

AbstractWe propose a variational approach to computing an optimal segmentation of a 3D shape for computing a union of tight bounding volumes. Based on an affine invariant measure of e‐tightness, the resemblance to ellipsoid, a novel functional is formulated that governs an optimization process to obtain a partition with multiple components. Refinement of segmentation is driven by application‐specific error measures, so that the final bounding volume meets pre‐specified user requirement. We present examples to demonstrate the effectiveness of our method and show that it works well for computing ellipsoidal bounding volumes as well as oriented bounding boxes.
Real‐Time Simulation of Thin Shells
Authors: Choi Min Gyu , Yong Woo Seung , Ko Hyeong‐Seok 
Published: October 2007

Abstract This paper proposes a real‐time simulation technique for thin shells undergoing large deformation. Shells are thin objects such as leaves and papers that can be abstracted as 2D structures. Development of a satisfactory physical model that runs in real‐time but produces visually convincing animation of thin shells has been remaining a challenge in computer graphics. Rather than resorting to shell theory which involves the most complex formulations in continuum mechanics, we adopt the energy functions from the discrete shells proposed by Grinspun et al. [GHDS03]. For real‐time integration of the governing equation, we develop a modal warping technique for shells. This new simulation framework results from making extensions to the original modal warping technique [CK05] which was developed for the simulation of 3D solids. We report experimental results, which show that the proposed method runs in real‐time even for large meshes, and that it can simulate large bending and/or twisting deformations with acceptable realism.