bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Acute and chronic neuroendocrine effects of interferon‐β 1a in multiple sclerosis
Authors: Then Bergh Florian , Kümpfel Tania , Yassouridis Alexander , Lechner Christian , Holsboer Florian , Trenkwalder Claudia 
Published: December 2006

SummaryObjective  Treatment of multiple sclerosis with interferon‐β (IFN‐β) results in variable responses interindividually. Cytokine–hormone interactions may modulate the therapeutic effects of IFN‐β. Since hyperactivity of the hypothalamo‐pituitary‐adrenal (HPA) axis and other neuroendorine disturbances occur in multiple sclerosis, we determined the detailed neuroendocrine response of patients with multiple sclerosis to IFN‐β.Design  Longitudinal open‐label study.Patients  Eight patients with relapsing‐remitting multiple sclerosis (four women, age 31·9 ± 1·5 years, EDSS 1·5–2·5).Measurements  Plasma ACTH, cortisol, prolactin, GH, TSH, LH and FSH were determined in 30‐min intervals during 8 h on four occasions: after intramuscular injection of saline; after the first dose of IFN‐β 1a; after the second IFN‐β dose with oral indomethacin pretreatment; and after 3 months of IFN‐β therapy. Dexamethasone–corticotropin‐releasing hormone test was performed before and at 3 months on IFN‐β.Results  Compared to saline, IFN injection resulted in marked rise in plasma ACTH (mean, 370% of baseline), cortisol (214%), prolactin (253%) and GH (756%), between 2 and 6 h after injection. With indomethacin, hormone secretion occurred with reduced peak values. Endocrine response adapted partially after 3 months of treatment. HPA axis activity decreased in most patients, but increased in one patient with frequent relapses.Conclusions  Marked neuroendocrine effects occur in response to IFN‐β in multiple sclerosis. Upon prolonged treatment, these effects partially adapt, and HPA axis hyperactivity is reduced. Prospective studies to determine the relation to individual treatment response can be based on these findings.
Should ‘low‐risk’ thyroid cancer patients with residual thyroglobulin be re‐treated with iodine 131?
Authors: Hindié Elif , Zanotti‐Fregonara Paolo , Duron Françoise , Keller Isabelle , Bouchard Philippe , Devaux Jean‐Yves 
Published: December 2006

SummaryObjective  The American consensus statement on patients with low‐risk thyroid cancer, published in 2003, suggests repeat 131I therapy if the thyroglobulin value is elevated at first follow‐up. We evaluated this strategy in our practice.Methods  Among 407 patients with thyroid cancer who had total thyroidectomy and 131I ablation between January 2000 and December 2003, 12 patients with stage I thyroid cancer (any tumour (T), any node (N), metastasis (M)0 if < 45 years or T1, N0, M0 if > 45 years), were re‐treated on the basis of their thyroglobulin level at first follow‐up. Mean patient age was 32·8 years. None of them had a T4 tumour. Thyroglobulin levels after thyroid hormone withdrawal ‘off‐T4’ ranged between 4·5 and 251 ng/ml (median 8). One to four courses of 3·7 GBq 131I were given.Results  Three patients had a negative 131I therapy scan and an uneventful course. Two patients had slight residual uptake only in the thyroid bed and negative ultrasound examination. Four patients had isolated 131I uptake in the mediastinal region. No abnormalities were found on complementary mediastinal imaging. This finding was interpreted as benign 131I thymic uptake. The last three patients also had mediastinal thymic uptake associated with a slight thyroid bed uptake. One patient had a gradual increase in the thyroglobulin level, and underwent resection of nonfunctioning neck lymph nodes. Thyroglobulin levels declined in all other patients.Conclusions  No distant lesions were found in a group of young ‘low‐risk’ thyroid cancer patients given empirical 131I therapy for residual thyroglobulin. When blind 131I therapy shows no uptake, or uptake limited to the thymus, 131I therapy should not be repeated. The authors also briefly discuss the hypothesis that enhanced thymus might be a source of benign thyroglobulin secretion.
DNA fragmentation assessment by flow cytometry and Sperm–Bos–Halomax (bright‐field microscopy and fluorescence microscopy) in bull sperm
Authors: García‐Macías Vanesa , De Paz Paulino , Martinez‐Pastor Felipe , Álvarez Mercedes , Gomes‐Alves Susana , Bernardo Jana , Anel Enrique , Anel Luis 
Published: December 2006

SummaryThe aim of this study was to find the relationship between fertility (as 90‐day non‐return rates) and DNA fragmentation assessed by two techniques [sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA) and Sperm–Bos–Halomax (SBH)]. Furthermore, other quality parameters were achieved (motility, morphological abnormalities, cytoplasmic droplets, viability, capacitation and acrosomal and mitochondrial status) and their correlations with fertility were analysed. Bulls were divided into three fertility groups: high [non‐return rate (NRR) ≥ 80], medium (80 < NRR ≥ 70) and low (70 < NRR > 40). The results of this study indicate that there is a good correlation between fertility and different parameters of sperm quality (SBH and SCSA parameters, % of spermatozoa with head, neck and total abnormalities, and % of spermatozoa with proximal cytoplasmic droplets) and differences between fertility groups were observed in some of them (SBH and SCSA parameters and % of spermatozoa with head, neck and total abnormalities). In this sense, SBH parameters rendered good correlations with fertility (r = −0.42 using bright light microscope and r = −0.47 with fluorescence). Also, standard deviation of DNA fragmentation index (SD‐DFI) and DFIh (cells with High DNA fragmentation index) showed good correlations with fertility (r = −0.41 and r = −0.29). No correlations were observed between SCSA and SBH parameters. A multiple regression shows that four parameters (% of proximal cytoplasmic droplets, % of intact acrosomes in total population, SD‐DFI and percentage of fragmented DNA detected by bright light microscope) present a good predictive value of the fertility of sperm samples (r2 = 0.34, p < 0.001).
Verbal working memory in children with mild intellectual disabilities
Authors: Van der Molen M. J. , Van Luit J. E. H. , Jongmans M. J. , Van der Molen M. W. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractBackground  Previous research into working memory of individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) has established clear deficits. The current study examined working memory in children with mild ID (IQ 55–85) within the framework of the Baddeley model, fractionating working memory into a central executive and two slave systems, the phonological loop and visuo‐spatial sketchpad.Method  Working memory was investigated in three groups: 50 children with mild ID (mean age 15 years 3 months), 25 chronological age‐matched control children (mean age 15 years 3 months) and 25 mental age‐matched control children (mean age 10 years 10 months). The groups were given multiple assessments of the phonological‐loop and central‐executive components.Results  The results showed that the children with mild ID had an intact automatic rehearsal, but performed poorly on phonological‐loop capacity and central‐executive tests when compared with children matched for chronological age, while there were only minimal differences relative to the performance of the children matched for mental age.Conclusions  This overall pattern of results is consistent with a developmental delay account of mild ID. The finding of a phonological‐loop capacity deficit has important implications for the remedial training of children with mild ID.
Experiences and problems pre‐operative anti‐CD20 monoclonal antibody infusion therapy with splenectomy and plasma exchange for ABO‐incompatible living‐donor liver transplantation
Authors: Usui Masanobu , Isaji Shuji , Mizuno Shugo , Sakurai Hiroyuki , Uemoto Shinji 
Published: December 2006

Abstract:  Background:  ABO‐incompatible living‐donor liver transplantation (LDLT) requires a reduction of the anti‐ABO antibody titer to <16 before transplantation, which is usually achieved by pre‐operative plasma exchange (PE) or double‐filtration plasmapheresis. ABO‐incompatible transplantations have been performed after a splenectomy with heavy drug immunosupression plus B‐cell‐specific drugs. Here, we evaluated a pre‐transplantation infusion protocol with an anti‐CD20 monoclonal antibody (rituximab) for ABO‐incompatible LDLT.Methods:  Between March 2002 and December 2005, 73 adult patients underwent LDLT without retransplantation in our institution. Among these cases, 57 were ABO‐identical, 11 were ABO‐compatible and five were ABO‐incompatible. The rituximab infusion protocol consisted of a weekly infusion of rituximab (375 mg/m2) for three wk, which was administered to three of the five ABO‐incompatible LDLT patients. All three patients underwent a pre‐operative PE, as well as a splenectomy during the operation. A triple immunosuppression protocol of tacrolimus, low‐dose steroids and mycophenolate mofetil (1500 mg/d) was administered post‐operatively. In addition, the patients received a continuous intra‐arterial infusion of prostaglandin E1 and methylprednisolone, and a continuous intra‐portal infusion of a protease inhibitor for three and two wk after transplantation, respectively.Results:  After the first rituximab infusion, the peripheral blood CD19+ B cell count rapidly decreased to <1%. All three patients treated with rituximab subsequently received an ABO‐incompatible LDLT, with donor/recipient blood groups of B/O, A1/B and A1/O. In two cases, the ABO‐antibody level transiently increased post‐operatively, then decreased and remained low. Rituximab infusion therapy did not develop any direct side effect except for mild allergic reaction to the first infusion, but post‐operatively all three patients suffered a cytomegalovirus and were successfully treated with ganciclovir, and one patient had a MRSA‐positive intra‐abdominal abscess. Two patients are currently alive at 20 and 18 months respectively, and show normal graft‐liver function. But one patient died of sepsis because of intra‐abdominal abscess.Conclusions:  Although the protocol of rituximab administration is a conventional and safe regimen with no major side effects, the development of a new protocol is needed for prevention of the infection with bone suppression.
Pregnancy after renal transplantation – a five‐yr single‐center experience
Authors: Oliveira Leandro G. , Sass Nelson , Sato Jussara L. , Ozaki Kikumi S. , Medina Pestana Jose O. 
Published: December 2006

Abstract:  Background:  There has been an increase in the number of pregnancies in renal transplant recipients. Our aim was to report our experience with a significant casuistic.Methods:  Fifty‐two pregnancies in 52 patients (January 2001 to December 2005), with two patients having a multiple pregnancy, were evaluated and patients were characterized and evaluated as clinical and obstetrical and perinatal outcomes.Results:  Mean patient age was 26.5 yr (range 17–38) with live donors in 34 (65.4%) and cadaver donors in 18 (34.6%). The mean transplantation‐pregnancy interval was 3.1 yr. Calcineurin inhibitors (cyclosporine or tacrolimus) comprised the immunosuppressive therapy in 49 pregnancies (94.2%). Pregnancy complications were chronic hypertension in 33 patients (63.5%), anemia in 31 (59.6%), urinary tract infection in 22 (42.3%) and diabetes in four (7.7%). Nine patients (17.3%) received blood transfusion. Preeclampsia was diagnosed in 16 cases (30.7%) and renal dysfunction in 23 (44.2%) with preeclampsia assumed to be the main cause. One patient (1.9%) had graft loss, as a result of hemorrhagic shock after preterm delivery at home. Premature rupture of membranes occurred in four cases (7.7%), and preterm delivery in 20 (38.4%). Sixteen (29.6%) newborn were small for gestational age. One case of neonatal death was registered as a result of excessive prematurity. Cesarean section was performed in 32 patients (61.5%), the main indications being related to hypertension syndromes and fetal distress.Conclusions:  This group of patients is characterized by a wide range of antenatal and perinatal problems and must be managed in specialized tertiary units to achieve the very best results.
Towards a Unified Dynamical Solver for Computer Graphics
Authors: Stam Jos 
Published: December 2006

Abstract In this talk I will present some research I have done over the past few years in developing a unified dynamical solver for computer graphics. Currently many solvers are specialized for a given phenomenon such as fluid flow, cloth, rigid bodies, hair, etc. Having these different solvers interact is sometimes problematic. We propose to model all matter as a linked particle system having the topology of a simplicial complex. The dynamical complex evolves due to external forces like gravity and constraints such as collisions and internal deformation energies. We use a solution scheme that iteratively updates the velocities to achieve all constraints. Key to the stability of our system is to interleave the solve for the different constraints. The talk will cover the main ideas and ingredients of our solver and will be accompanied with live demonstrations.
An Improved Physically‐Based Soft Shadow Volume Algorithm
Authors: Lehtinen Jaakko , Laine Samuli , Aila Timo 
Published: December 2006

Abstract We identify and analyze several performance problems in a state‐of‐the‐art physically‐based soft shadow volume algorithm, and present an improved method that alleviates these problems by replacing an overly conservative spatial acceleration structure by a more efficient one. The new technique consistently outperforms both the previous method and a ray tracing‐based reference solution in several realistic situations while retaining the correctness of the solution and other desirable characteristics of the previous method. These include the unintrusiveness of the original algorithm, meaning that our method can be used as a black‐box shadow solver in any offline renderer without requiring multiple passes over the image or other special accommodation. We achieve speedup factors from 1.6 to 12.3 when compared to the previous method. Categories and Subject Descriptors (according to ACM CCS): I.3.7 [Three‐Dimensional Graphics and Realism]: Shadowing
Volume‐Surface Trees
Authors: Boubekeur Tamy , Heidrich Wolfgang , Granier Xavier , Schlick Christophe 
Published: December 2006

Abstract Many algorithms in computer graphics improve their efficiency by using Hierarchical Space Subdivision Schemes (HS3), such as octrees, kD‐trees or BSP trees. Such HS3 usually provide an axis‐aligned subdivision of the 3D space embedding a scene or an object. However, the purely volume‐based behavior of these schemes often leads to strongly imbalanced surface clustering. In this article, we introduce the VS‐Tree, an alternative HS3 providing efficient and accurate surface‐based hierarchical clustering via a combination of a global 3D decomposition at coarse subdivision levels, and a local 2D decomposition at fine levels near the surface. First, we show how to efficiently construct VS‐Trees over meshes and point‐based surfaces, and analyze the improvement it offers for cluster‐based surface simplification methods. Then we propose a new surface reconstruction algorithm based on the volume‐surface classification of the VS‐Tree. This new algorithm is faster than state‐of‐the‐art reconstruction methods and provides a final semi‐regular mesh comparable to the output of remeshing algorithms.
Semantic Photo Synthesis
Authors: Johnson M. , Brostow G. J. , Shotton J. , Arandjelovic O. , Kwatra V. , Cipolla R. 
Published: December 2006

Abstract Composite images are synthesized from existing photographs by artists who make concept art, e.g., storyboards for movies or architectural planning. Current techniques allow an artist to fabricate such an image by digitally splicing parts of stock photographs. While these images serve mainly to “quickly”convey how a scene should look, their production is laborious. We propose a technique that allows a person to design a new photograph with substantially less effort. This paper presents a method that generates a composite image when a user types in nouns, such as “boat”and “sand.”The artist can optionally design an intended image by specifying other constraints. Our algorithm formulates the constraints as queries to search an automatically annotated image database. The desired photograph, not a collage, is then synthesized using graph‐cut optimization, optionally allowing for further user interaction to edit or choose among alternative generated photos. An implementation of our approach, shown in the associated video, demonstrates our contributions of (1) a method for creating specific images with minimal human effort, and (2) a combined algorithm for automatically building an image library with semantic annotations from any photo collection.
Real‐Time Weighted Pose‐Space Deformation on the GPU
Authors: Rhee Taehyun , Lewis J.P. , Neumann Ulrich 
Published: December 2006

Abstract WPSD (Weighted Pose Space Deformation) is an example based skinning method for articulated body animation. The per‐vertex computation required in WPSD can be parallelized in a SIMD (Single Instruction Multiple Data) manner and implemented on a GPU. While such vertex‐parallel computation is often done on the GPU vertex processors, further parallelism can potentially be obtained by using the fragment processors. In this paper, we develop a parallel deformation method using the GPU fragment processors. Joint weights for each vertex are automatically calculated from sample poses, thereby reducing manual effort and enhancing the quality of WPSD as well as SSD (Skeletal Subspace Deformation). We show sufficient speed‐up of SSD, PSD (Pose Space Deformation) and WPSD to make them suitable for real‐time applications.Categories and Subject Descriptors (according to ACM CCS): I.3.1 [Computer Graphics]: Hardware Architecture‐Parallel processing, I.3.5 [Computer Graphics]: Computational Geometry and Object Modeling‐Curve, surface, solid and object modeling, I.3.7 [Computer Graphics]: Three‐Dimensional Graphics and Realism‐Animation.
Dancing‐to‐Music Character Animation
Authors: Shiratori Takaaki , Nakazawa Atsushi , Ikeuchi Katsushi 
Published: December 2006

Abstract In computer graphics, considerable research has been conducted on realistic human motion synthesis. However, most research does not consider human emotional aspects, which often strongly affect human motion. This paper presents a new approach for synthesizing dance performance matched to input music, based on the emotional aspects of dance performance. Our method consists of a motion analysis, a music analysis, and a motion synthesis based on the extracted features. In the analysis steps, motion and music feature vectors are acquired. Motion vectors are derived from motion rhythm and intensity, while music vectors are derived from musical rhythm, structure, and intensity. For synthesizing dance performance, we first find candidate motion segments whose rhythm features are matched to those of each music segment, and then we find the motion segment set whose intensity is similar to that of music segments. Additionally, our system supports having animators control the synthesis process by assigning desired motion segments to the specified music segments. The experimental results indicate that our method actually creates dance performance as if a character was listening and expressively dancing to the music. Categories and Subject Descriptors (according to ACM CCS): I.3.7 [Computer Graphics]: Three‐Dimensional Graphics and Realism Animation; J.5 [Arts and Humanities]: Performing Arts Music
Wrinkling Coarse Meshes on the GPU
Authors: Loviscach J. 
Published: December 2006

Abstract The simulation of complex layers of folds of cloth can be handled through algorithms which take the physical dynamics into account. In many cases, however, it is sufficient to generate wrinkles on a piece of garment which mostly appears spread out. This paper presents a corresponding fully GPU‐based, easy‐to‐control, and robust method to generate and render plausible and detailed folds. This simulation is generated from an animated mesh. A relaxation step ensures that the behavior remains globally consistent. The resulting wrinkle field controls the lighting and distorts the texture in a way which closely simulates an actually deformed surface. No highly tessellated mesh is required to compute the position of the folds or to render them. Furthermore, the solution provides a 3D paint interface through which the user may bias the computation in such a way that folds already appear in the rest pose. Categories and Subject Descriptors (according to ACM CCS): I.3.7 [Computer Graphics]: Animation, I.3.7 [Computer Graphics]: Color, shading, shadowing, and texture
Sweep‐based Freeform Deformations
Authors: Yoon Seung‐Hyun , Kim Myung‐Soo 
Published: December 2006

Abstract We propose a sweep‐based approach to the freeform deformation of three‐dimensional objects. Instead of using a volume enclosing the whole object, we approximate only its deformable parts using sweep surfaces. The vertices on the object boundary are bound to the sweep surfaces and follow their deformation. Several sweep surfaces can be organized into a hierarchy so that they interact with each other in a controlled manner. Thus we can support intuitively plausible shape deformation of objects of arbitrary topology with multiple control handles. A sweep‐based approach also provides important advantages such as volume preservation. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our technique in several examples. Categories and Subject Descriptors (according to ACM CCS): I.3.5 [Computational Geometry and Object Modeling]: Curve, surface, solid, and object representations
Cache‐Efficient Layouts of Bounding Volume Hierarchies
Authors: Yoon Sung‐Eui , Manocha Dinesh 
Published: December 2006

Abstract We present a novel algorithm to compute cache‐efficient layouts of bounding volume hierarchies (BVHs) of polygonal models. Our approach does not make any assumptions about the cache parameters or block sizes of the memory hierarchy. We introduce a new probabilistic model to predict the runtime access patterns of a BVH. Our layout computation algorithm utilizes parent‐child and spatial localities between the accessed nodes to reduce both the number of cache misses and the size of the working set. Our algorithm also works well for spatial partitioning hierarchies including kd‐trees. We use our algorithm to compute layouts of BVHs and spatial partitioning hierarchies of large models composed of millions of triangles. We compare our cache‐efficient layouts with other layouts in the context of collision detection and ray tracing. In our benchmarks, our layouts consistently show better performance over other layouts and improve the performance of these applications by 26%–300%without any modification of the underlying algorithms or runtime applications.Categories and Subject Descriptors (according to ACM CCS): I.3.3 [Computer Graphics]: Hierarchy and Geometric Transformations