AveroBot: An audio-visual dataset for people re-identification and verification in human-robot interaction

Intelligent technologies have pervaded our daily life, making it easier for people to complete their activities. One emerging application is involving the use of robots for assisting people in various tasks (e.g., visiting a museum). In this context, it is crucial to enable robots to correctly identify people. Existing robots often use facial information to establish the identity of a person of interest. But, the face alone may not offer enough relevant information due to variations in pose, illumination, resolution and recording distance. Other biometric modalities like the voice can improve the recognition performance in these conditions. However, the existing datasets in robotic scenarios usually do not include the audio cue and tend to suffer from one or more limitations: most of them are acquired under controlled conditions, limited in number of identities or samples per user, collected by the same recording device, and/or not freely available. In this paper, we propose AveRobot, an audio-visual dataset of 111 participants vocalizing short sentences under robot assistance scenarios. The collection took place into a three-floor building through eight different cameras with built-in microphones. The performance for face and voice re-identification and verification was evaluated on this dataset with deep learning baselines, and compared against audio-visual datasets from diverse scenarios. The results showed that AveRobot is a challenging dataset for people re-identification and verification

Genetic divergence in biomass sorghum genotypes through agronomic and physicalchemical characters.

The present research aimed to evaluate the genetic divergence in 34 sorghum biomass genotypes via agronomic and physicochemical characters. The design used was randomized blocks with three replications. The agronomic and physical-chemical characteristics evaluated were: days for flowering, number of stems, plant height, number of leaves, green mass production, dry mass production, determination of total ash, determination of volatile content, insoluble lignin and determination of fixed carbon content. The data were submitted to analysis of variance and then, to estimate divergence,the generalized Mahalanobisdistance was used as a measure of dissimilarity. Based on this matrix, the methods of Tocher's optimization clusters and the Hierarchical method of Average Grouping Between Groups (UPGMA) were used, and analysis of canonical variables, and the projection based on the first two canonical variables arranged in two-dimensional space. Singh criterion was also used to quantify the relative contribution of these characteristics to genetic divergence. The evaluated genotypes showed significant differences for all the evaluated characteristics. The combination between the 201429B001 and 201429B028 (394.98) genotype pairs was the most divergent and the combination between the 201429B015 and 201429B031 (6.31) genotypes was the most similar. The grouping generated by the Tocher Optimization method, hierarchical UPGMA and graphical dispersion showed similarity in the grouping of genotypes. The first two canonical variables were sufficient to explain about 81.78% of the total variation observed. Theresults showed a wide genetic diversity among the 34 genotypes of sorghum biomass

Distribution and diversity of soil microfauna from East Antarctica: assessing the link between biotic and abiotic factors

Terrestrial life in Antarctica has been described as some of the simplest on the planet, and mainly confined to soil microfaunal communities. Studies have suggested that the lack of diversity is due to extreme environmental conditions and thought to be driven by abiotic factors. In this study we investigated soil microfauna composition, abundance, and distribution in East Antarctica, and assessed correlations with soil geochemistry and environmental variables. We examined 109 soil samples from a wide range of ice-free habitats, spanning 2000 km from Framnes Mountains to Bailey Peninsula. Microfauna across all samples were patchily distributed, from complete absence of invertebrates to over 1600 specimens/gram of dry weight of soil (gdw), with highest microfauna abundance observed in samples with visible vegetation. Bdelloid rotifers were on average the most widespread found in 87% of sampled sites and the most abundant (44 specimens/gdw). Tardigrades occurred in 57% of the sampled sites with an abundance of 12 specimens/gdw. Nematodes occurred in 71% of samples with a total abundance of 3 specimens/gdw. Ciliates and mites were rarely found in soil samples, with an average abundance of 1.3 and 0.04 specimens/gdw, respectively. We found that microfaunal composition and abundance were mostly correlated with the soil geochemical parameters; phosphorus, NO3− and salinity, and likely to be the result of soil properties and historic landscape formation and alteration, rather than the geographic region they were sampled from. Studies focusing on Antarctic biodiversity must take into account soil geochemical and environmental factors that influence population and species heterogeneity.Alejandro Velasco-Castrillo, Mark B. Schultz, Federica Colombo, John A. E. Gibson, Kerrie A. Davies, Andrew D. Austin, Mark I. Steven

Association of aromatase and estrogen receptor gene polymorphisms with hip fractures

Producción CientíficaSummary Two polymorphisms of the aromatase and estrogen receptor genes appeared to interact to influence the risk of hip fractures in women. Introduction Allelic variants of the aromatase gene have been associated with bone mineral density and vertebral fractures. Our objective was to analyze the relationship between two polymorphisms of the aromatase and estrogen receptor genes and hip fracture

Bridging Time Scales in Cellular Decision Making with a Stochastic Bistable Switch

Cellular transformations which involve a significant phenotypical change of the cell's state use bistable biochemical switches as underlying decision systems. In this work, we aim at linking cellular decisions taking place on a time scale of years to decades with the biochemical dynamics in signal transduction and gene regulation, occuring on a time scale of minutes to hours. We show that a stochastic bistable switch forms a viable biochemical mechanism to implement decision processes on long time scales. As a case study, the mechanism is applied to model the initiation of follicle growth in mammalian ovaries, where the physiological time scale of follicle pool depletion is on the order of the organism's lifespan. We construct a simple mathematical model for this process based on experimental evidence for the involved genetic mechanisms. Despite the underlying stochasticity, the proposed mechanism turns out to yield reliable behavior in large populations of cells subject to the considered decision process. Our model explains how the physiological time constant may emerge from the intrinsic stochasticity of the underlying gene regulatory network. Apart from ovarian follicles, the proposed mechanism may also be of relevance for other physiological systems where cells take binary decisions over a long time scale.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figure

PARP inhibitor efficacy depends on CD8+ T cell recruitment via intratumoral STING pathway activation in BRCA-deficient models of triple-negative breast cancer.

Combinatorial clinical trials of PARP inhibitors with immunotherapies are ongoing, yet the immunomodulatory effects of PARP inhibition have been incompletely studied. Here, we sought to dissect the mechanisms underlying PARP inhibitor-induced changes in the tumor microenvironment of BRCA1-deficient triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). We demonstrate that the PARP inhibitor olaparib induces CD8+ T cell infiltration and activation in vivo, and that CD8+ T cell depletion severely compromises anti-tumor efficacy. Olaparib-induced T cell recruitment is mediated through activation of the cGAS/STING pathway in tumor cells with paracrine activation of dendritic cells and is more pronounced in HR-deficient compared to HR-proficient TNBC cells and in vivo models. CRISPR-knockout of STING in cancer cells prevents proinflammatory signaling and is sufficient to abolish olaparib-induced T cell infiltration in vivo. These findings elucidate an additional mechanism of action of PARP inhibitors and provide rationale for combining PARP inhibition with immunotherapies for the treatment of TNBC

PCB pollution continues to impact populations of orcas and other dolphins in European waters

Organochlorine (OC) pesticides and the more persistent polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have well-established dose-dependent toxicities to birds, fish and mammals in experimental studies, but the actual impact of OC pollutants on European marine top predators remains unknown. Here we show that several cetacean species have very high mean blubber PCB concentrations likely to cause population declines and suppress population recovery. In a large pan-European meta-analysis of stranded (n = 929) or biopsied (n = 152) cetaceans, three out of four species:- striped dolphins (SDs), bottlenose dolphins (BNDs) and killer whales (KWs) had mean PCB levels that markedly exceeded all known marine mammal PCB toxicity thresholds. Some locations (e.g. western Mediterranean Sea, south-west Iberian Peninsula) are global PCB "hotspots" for marine mammals. Blubber PCB concentrations initially declined following a mid-1980s EU ban, but have since stabilised in UK harbour porpoises and SDs in the western Mediterranean Sea. Some small or declining populations of BNDs and KWs in the NE Atlantic were associated with low recruitment, consistent with PCB-induced reproductive toxicity. Despite regulations and mitigation measures to reduce PCB pollution, their biomagnification in marine food webs continues to cause severe impacts among cetacean top predators in European seas

Diversidade e distribuição espacial de espécies nativas arbóreas do Cerrado em áreas de assentamentos rurais na região sudoeste Mato-grossense, Brasil.

Resumo: O bioma Cerrado ocorre em 15 estados brasileiros, ocupando uma área de aproximadamente dois milhões de Km2. Este estudo objetivou investigar a diversidade e a distribuição espacial das espécies nativas arbóreas do Cerrado sensu stricto nos assentamentos rurais Margarida Alves, Corixo e Bom Jardim/Furna São José, na região sudoeste de matogrossense, visando à geração de subsídios que contribuam na longevidade da produção agroextrativista. A coleta de dados foi realizada no período de março a maio de 2012 nas propriedades, através de levantamento fitossociológico realizado em 30 parcelas, medindo 20 m x 50 m (3 hectares), com mensuração e georreferenciamento de indivíduos vegetais com circunferência a altura do peito (CAP) ≥ 15 cm e altura ≥ 3 m. No levantamento foram registrados 1.068 indivíduos, pertencentes a 91 espécies, distribuídas em 47 famílias e 82 gêneros, resultando em área basal de 35,887 m2/ha. O índice de diversidade Shanow Winer (H?) foi de 3,88 nat.ind.-1 e o índice de Equitabilidade de Pielou (J?) de 0,87. No Margarida Alves o babaçu (Orbignya speciosa) foi a espécie com maior densidade (22,08%), No assentamento Corixo, o pequi (Caryocar brasiliense) apresentou maior densidade entre as parcelas com 19,1%. E no assentamento Bom Jardim/Furna São José o cumbaru (Dipteryx alata) foi a segunda espécie mais encontrada, com 9,65% de densidade. A utilização dessas espécies nativas constitui uma alternativa viável para agregar valor aos recursos naturais disponíveis no Cerrado, melhorando a renda das famílias dos agricultores dos assentamentos e favorecendo a preservação das espécies nativas.Geopantanal 2012

Potential role of new anticoagulants for prevention and treatment of venous thromboembolism in cancer patients

Venous thromboembolism (VTE), encompassing deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, represents a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with cancer. Low molecular weight heparins are the preferred option for anticoagulation in cancer patients according to current clinical practice guidelines. Fondaparinux may also have a place in prevention of VTE in hospitalized cancer patients with additional risk factors and for initial treatment of VTE. Although low molecular weight heparins and fondaparinux are effective and safe, they require daily subcutaneous administration, which may be problematic for many patients, particularly if long-term treatment is needed. Studying anticoagulant therapy in oncology patients is challenging because this patient group has an increased risk of VTE and bleeding during anticoagulant therapy compared with the population without cancer. Risk factors for increased VTE and bleeding risk in these patients include concomitant treatments (surgery, chemotherapy, placement of central venous catheters, radiotherapy, hormonal therapy, angiogenesis inhibitors, antiplatelet drugs), supportive therapies (ie, steroids, blood transfusion, white blood cell growth factors, and erythropoiesis-stimulating agents), and tumor-related factors (local vessel damage and invasion, abnormalities in platelet function, and number). New anticoagulants in development for prophylaxis and treatment of VTE include parenteral compounds for once-daily administration (ie, semuloparin) or once-weekly dosing (ie, idraparinux and idrabiotaparinux), as well as orally active compounds (ie, dabigatran, rivaroxaban, apixaban, edoxaban, betrixaban). In the present review, we discuss the pharmacology of the new anticoagulants, the results of clinical trials testing these new compounds in VTE, with special emphasis on studies that included cancer patients, and their potential advantages and drawbacks compared with existing therapies