LIPSNN: A Light Intrusion-Proving Siamese Neural Network Model for Facial Verification

Facial verification has experienced a breakthrough in recent years, not only due to the improvement in accuracy of the verification systems but also because of their increased use. One of the main reasons for this has been the appearance and use of new models of Deep Learning to address this problem. This extension in the use of facial verification has had a high impact due to the importance of its applications, especially on security, but the extension of its use could be significantly higher if the problem of the required complex calculations needed by the Deep Learning models, that usually need to be executed on machines with specialised hardware, were solved. That would allow the use of facial verification to be extended, making it possible to run this software on computers with low computing resources, such as Smartphones or tablets. To solve this problem, this paper presents the proposal of a new neural model, called Light Intrusion-Proving Siamese Neural Network, LIPSNN. This new light model, which is based on Siamese Neural Networks, is fully presented from the description of its two block architecture, going through its development, including its training with the well- known dataset Labeled Faces in the Wild, LFW; to its benchmarking with other traditional and deep learning models for facial verification in order to compare its performance for its use in low computing resources systems for facial recognition. For this comparison the attribute parameters, storage, accuracy and precision have been used, and from the results obtained it can be concluded that the LIPSNN can be an alternative to the existing models to solve the facet problem of running facial verification in low computing resource devices

HIV- 1 Protease Inhibits Cap- and Poly(A)-Dependent Translation upon eIF4GI and PABP Cleavage

A number of viral proteases are able to cleave translation initiation factors leading to the inhibition of cellular translation. This is the case of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 protease (HIV-1 PR), which hydrolyzes eIF4GI and poly(A)-binding protein (PABP). Here, the effect of HIV-1 PR on cellular and viral protein synthesis has been examined using cell-free systems. HIV-1 PR strongly hampers translation of pre-existing capped luc mRNAs, particularly when these mRNAs contain a poly(A) tail. In fact, HIV-1 PR efficiently blocks cap- and poly(A)-dependent translation initiation in HeLa extracts. Addition of exogenous PABP to HIV-1 PR treated extracts partially restores the translation of polyadenylated luc mRNAs, suggesting that PABP cleavage is directly involved in the inhibition of poly(A)-dependent translation. In contrast to these data, PABP cleavage induced by HIV-1 PR has little impact on the translation of polyadenylated encephalomyocarditis virus internal ribosome entry site (IRES)-containing mRNAs. In this case, the loss of poly(A)-dependent translation is compensated by the IRES transactivation provided by eIF4G cleavage. Finally, translation of capped and polyadenylated HIV-1 genomic mRNA takes place in HeLa extracts when eIF4GI and PABP have been cleaved by HIV-1 PR. Together these results suggest that proteolytic cleavage of eIF4GI and PABP by HIV-1 PR blocks cap- and poly(A)-dependent initiation of translation, leading to the inhibition of cellular protein synthesis. However, HIV-1 genomic mRNA can be translated under these conditions, giving rise to the production of Gag polyprotein

IL-6 and IL-8 levels in plasma during hematopoietic progenotor transplant

Background and objective: the relationship between cytokine concentrations and transplant-related complications has been studied in bone marrow transplant patients. The changes in TNF-alpha, IL-1 and IL-6 concentrations after transplantation are well documented in the literature but this is not the case for IL-8. The purpose of the present study was to investigate prospectively the plasma concentration of these cytokines and their relationship to transplant-related complications. Design and methods: pro-inflammatory cytokine (TNF-alpha, IL-1, IL-6 and IL-8) levels in plasma were determined in a group of 53 patients undergoing hematopoietic progenitor transplantation. Plasma samples were collected weekly from day -7 to day +35 and stored at -70 degrees C until assayed by ELISA. The major transplant-related toxicities registered were: veno-occlusive disease (VOD), acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), infectious episodes, renal failure and mucositis. Results: in spite of the great variability of plasma cytokine profiles between the different patients, we came to various conclusions. Patients' TNF-alpha and IL-1 concentrations correlated well over time. IL-6 and IL-8 profiles were similar and correlated well with febrile episodes. In some cases, an increase in IL-6 preceded hematologic recovery. In our study, increased levels of TNF-alpha, IL-6 and especially IL-8 correlated with hepatic or renal dysfunction as evaluated by increased bilirubin and creatinine in plasma, while pulmonary complications correlated only with increased IL-6 levels. Allogeneic transplant patients had a tendency to have higher TNF-alpha concentrations than autologous transplant patients, probably because an allogeneic transplant is associated with more transplant-related toxicity. Basal disease usually had no effect on cytokine profiles. Interpretation and conclusions: IL-6 and IL-8 were the only cytokines studied whose increase correlated with febrile episodes. High IL-8 values may be a useful predictor of renal dysfunction and pulmonary disease and seems to trigger off high IL-6 levels. Plasma TNF-alpha and IL-1 concentrations during the posttransplant period have not been shown to be predictive of the development of transplant-related complications, and none of the profiles was recognized to be specific for a particular complication in this study

Compact Multilayer Filter in Empty Substrate Integrated Waveguide With Transmission Zeros

© 2018 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permissíon from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertisíng or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.[EN] The empty substrate integrated waveguide (ESIW) technology is recently receiving special attention, since it preserves the many advantages of SIW circuits but provides an enhanced behavior due to avoidance of dielectric filling. Many circuits have been designed in the ESIW technology, including several filters with different performances. The next challenge is to achieve the maximum possible compactness degree for these circuits. In this paper, we present the design of a multilayer empty substrate integrated filter with the same performance as if it were manufactured in a single layer but significantly increasing its compactness and mechanical resistance.This work was supported by the Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad, Spanish Government, under Grant TEC2016-75934-C4-3-R and Grant TEC2016-75934-C4-1-R.Belenguer Martínez, Á.; Fernández-Berlanga, MD.; Ballesteros, JA.; De Dios, JJ.; Esteban González, H.; Boria Esbert, VE. (2018). Compact Multilayer Filter in Empty Substrate Integrated Waveguide With Transmission Zeros. IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques. 66(6):2993-3000. https://doi.org/10.1109/TMTT.2018.2823306S2993300066

Multichannel QCM-based system for continuous monitoring of bacterial biofilm growth

© 2020 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes,creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.Quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) sensors are becoming a good alternative to analytical methods for the measurement of bacterial growth in liquid media culture. For this purpose, two essential resonance parameters allow monitoring of biofilm formation: the series resonance frequency shift and the change of the resistance at this frequency. Nevertheless, several problems arise in determining these parameters, as their relative variation is very small. This means that an accurate procedure must be implemented for the measurement of the QCM resonance parameters, including the automatic calibration of the frequency response effects of the measurement circuits and the automatic compensation of the static electrical capacitance of the QCM. In this paper, a novel multichannel system for on-line monitoring of biofilm formation based on QCM sensors is proposed. QCM resonance parameters are determined from the electrical impedance analysis by means of an auto-balanced impedance bridge. This configuration has allowed the implementation of an affordable multichannel measurement instrument. Obtained results, based on binary mixtures of water-glycerol measurements and real microorganism experiments, are in good agreement with the theoretical behaviour. These results show the great potential of this instrument to be used for monitoring microbial growth and biofilm formation.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Studies on bifunctional Fe(II)-triazole spin crossover nanoparticles: time-dependent luminescence, surface grafting and the effect of a silica shell and hydrostatic pressure on the magnetic properties

Pure and silica wrapped Fe(II)-triazole (FeHTrz) spin-crossover (SCO) nanoparticles have been prepared following a water-in-oil synthetic procedure. The size and shape can be tuned by controlling the Fe(II) and triazole concentrations in the aqueous phase. The magnetic properties of these nanoparticles are strongly affected by the presence of a silica shell embedding the nanostructured FeHTrz polymer. Whereas bare FeHTrz nanoparticles exhibit abrupt and cooperative spin transition with 24–35K-wide thermal hysteresis loops, for the silica derivates the hysteresis width increases up to 37–42 K. This probes the efficiency of the silica shell to promote interparticle interactions and enhance cooperativity effects. Tomographic studies of the FeHTrz@SiO2 nanoparticles reveal a core–shell structure with the pure FeHTrz polymer wrapped into a thin shell of pure silica. Taking advantage of the chemical properties of the silica shell, these hybrid nanoparticles were coated with a dansyl derivate fluorophore whose luminescence properties can be adjusted by the spin state of the SCO polymer. Time-dependent luminescence studies reveal the existence of a non-radiative energy transfer (Förster type) between the organic fluorophore and the Fe(II)-low spin ions. These nanoparticles have also been functionalized with thiol groups allowing them to be deposited onto a gold surface in a controlled manner

Gamificación en Iberoamérica. Experiencias desde la comunicación y la educación

La presente obra capitular es el resultado de las investigaciones sobre las aplicaciones de la gamificación en contextos múltiples, emergentes provenientes de las comunicaciones presentadas en el Simposio 06 del III Congreso Internacional Comunicación y Pensamiento (Sevilla, España), así como de aquellas presentadas por los miembros del Gamelab UPS, del Proyecto I+D+i Coordinado “Competencias mediáticas de la ciudadanía en medios digitales emergentes (smartphones y tablets): Prácticas innovadoras y estrategias educomunicativas en contextos múltiples” (EDU2015-64015-C3-1-R) (MINECO/FEDER), de la “Red de Educación Mediática” del Programa Estatal de Investigación Científica-Técnica de Excelencia, Subprograma Estatal de Generación de Conocimiento (EDU2016-81772-REDT), financiados por el Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) y Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad de España. En este sentido se busca construir, desde una mirada dual desde Europa y América Latina el primer libro iberoamericano de gamificación, avalado por el Gamelab de la Universidad Politécnica Salesiana (Ecuador), el Proyecto I+D+i EDU2015-64015-C3-1-R, la Red Interuniversitaria Euroamericana de Investigación sobre Competencias Mediáticas para la Ciudadanía (Alfamed), el Laboratorio de Estudios en Comunicación (Ladecom) y el Grupo de Investigación Ágora (PAI-HUM-648) de la Universidad de Huelva (España) y el Grupo de Investigación Estructura, Historia y Contenidos de la Comunicación GREHCCO

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Plasmatic B-Type Natriuretic Peptide and C-Reactive Protein in Hyperacute Stroke as Markers of Ct-Evidence of Brain Edema

<p>OBJECTIVE. Plasmatic B-type-natriuretic peptide (NT-PBNP) and C-reactive protein (CRP) have been reportedly elevated in stroke patients; however their clinical significance remains uncertain. The purpose of this work is to investigate whether elevation of these proteins at baseline predicts CT-evidence of brain edema.</p> <p>METHODS. We recruited 41 consecutive patients with stroke and determined NT-PBNP and CRP at baseline (within 5 hours after onset), after 48-72 hours, and at discharge. Stroke severity was measured by means of the NIHS scale at baseline and at discharge. We also carried out brain CT at admittance and after 48 hours.</p> <p>RESULTS. There were 29 ischemic strokes and 12 hemorrhagic strokes. Evidence of brain edema on delayed scan was seen in 14 patients. Baseline levels of NT-PBNP did not predict CT-evidence of edema but CRP levels did so significantly (0.7 mg/dl in patients without edema versus 4.7 mg in patients with edema; p=0.001). Both NT-PBNP and PC levels correlated poorly to NIHSS score and increased markedly from baseline to the second determination in patients with edema. For these patients the NT-PBNP increase was 133.6 pmol/l in comparison to 1.58 pmol/l in patients without edema (p=0.002). Neither CRP nor NT-PBNP baseline levels were predictive of dependency or death.</p> <p>CONCLUSIONS. We conclude that CRP at baseline but not NT-PBNP predicts CT evidence of brain edema in stroke patients. We hypothesize that NT-PBNP levels elevated in response to edema after 48 hours of admission.</p

Translation Control by Protein Kinase R Restricts Minute Virus of Mice Infection: Role in Parvovirus Oncolysis▿

The relevance of translational control in the gene expression and oncotropism of the autonomous parvoviruses was investigated with MVMp, the prototype strain of minute virus of mice (MVM), infecting normal and transformed rodent and human cells of different tissue origins. Mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEFs) and NIH 3T3 fibroblasts were resistant to MVMp infection, but 3T3 fibroblasts derived from double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-dependent protein kinase R (PKR) knockout mice (PKRo/o) behaved in a manner that was highly permissive to productive MVMp replication. NIH 3T3 resistance correlated with significant phosphorylation of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 (eIF2) occurring at early time points after infection. Permissive PKRo/o cells were converted to MVMp-restrictive cells after reintroduction of the PKR gene by transfection. Conversely, regulated expression of the vaccinia virus E3 protein, a PKR inhibitor, in MEFs prevented eIF2α phosphorylation and increased MVMp protein synthesis. In vitro-synthesized genome-length R1 mRNA of MVMp was a potent activator of PKR. Virus-resistant primary MEFs and NIH 3T3 cells responded to MVMp infection with significant increases in eIF2α phosphorylation. In contrast, virus-permissive mouse (PKRo/o, BHK21, and A9) and human transformed (NB324K fibroblast, U373 glioma, and HepG2 hepatoma) cells consistently showed no significant increase in the level of eIF2α phosphorylation following MVMp infection. The synthesis of the viral NS1 protein was inversely correlated with the steady-state PKR levels. Our results show that the PKR-mediated antiviral response is an important mechanism for control of productive MVMp infection, and its impairment in human transformed cells allowed efficient MVMp gene expression. PKR translational control may therefore contribute to the oncolysis of MVMp and other autonomous parvoviruses