SketchZooms: Deep Multi-view Descriptors for Matching Line Drawings

Finding point-wise correspondences between images is a long-standing problem in image analysis. This becomes particularly challenging for sketch images, due to the varying nature of human drawing style, projection distortions and viewport changes. In this paper, we present the first attempt to obtain a learned descriptor for dense registration in line drawings. Based on recent deep learning techniques for corresponding photographs, we designed descriptors to locally match image pairs where the object of interest belongs to the same semantic category, yet still differ drastically in shape, form, and projection angle. To this end, we have specifically crafted a data set of synthetic sketches using non-photorealistic rendering over a large collection of part-based registered 3D models. After training, a neural network generates descriptors for every pixel in an input image, which are shown togeneralize correctly in unseen sketches hand-drawn by humans. We evaluate our method against a baseline of correspondences data collected from expert designers, in addition to comparisons with other descriptors that have been proven effective in sketches. Code, data and further resources will be publicly released by the time of publication.Fil: Navarro, Jose Pablo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto Patagónico de Ciencias Sociales y Humanas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia "San Juan Bosco". Facultad de Ingeniería - Sede Puerto Madryn. Departamento de Informática; ArgentinaFil: Orlando, José Ignacio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tandil; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Grupo de Plasmas Densos Magnetizados. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Grupo de Plasmas Densos Magnetizados; ArgentinaFil: Delrieux, Claudio Augusto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Ingeniería Eléctrica y de Computadoras; ArgentinaFil: Iarussi, Emmanuel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Facultad Regional Buenos Aires; Argentin

Body shape: Implications in the study of obesity and related traits

Basado en el creciente avance de técnicas de computación que permiten describir o predecir características a partir de diferentes representaciones de datos, y tomando como punto de partida la creciente epidemia de obesidad y sobrepeso decretada por la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS). Se propone un método de segmentación 3D de escaneos corporales que, junto con técnicas de morfometría geométrica, permite cuantificar la distribución del tejido adiposo en el abdomen. Específicamente, se analizó un conjunto de circunferencias del cuerpo a partir de landmarks posicionados anatómicamente. Posteriormente se calculó un análisis de componentes principales para comparar las variables de forma con los datos antropométricos (peso, altura y circunferencia de cintura y cadera). Los indicadores de forma generados a partir de este nuevo enfoque se correlacionan con el comportamiento de los marcadores clásicos: Índice de Masa Corporal, Índice Cintura Cadera, Índice Cintura Talla.Based on the growing advancement of computer techniques that allow describing or predicting characteristics from different data representations and taking as a starting point the growing obesity and overweight epidemic decreed by the World Health Organization. A method of 3D segmentation of body scans is proposed that, together with geometric morphometric techniques, allows to quantify the distribution of adipose tissue in the abdomen. Specifically, a set of body circumferences was analyzed, each one defined from anatomically positioned landmarks. Subsequently, a principal component analysis was calculated to compare the shape variables with the anthropometric data (weight, height and waist and hip circumference). The shape indicators generated from this new approach are correlated with the behavior of the classic markers: Body Mass Index, Waist-Hip Index, Waist-Height Index.Fil: Navarro, Jose Pablo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto Patagónico de Ciencias Sociales y Humanas; ArgentinaFil: Delrieux, Claudio Augusto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca; ArgentinaFil: Gonzalez-Jose, Rolando. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina5ta Jornadas de Intercambio y Difusión de los Resultados de Investigaciones de los Doctorandos en IngenieríaBuenos AiresArgentinaUniversidad Tecnológica Naciona

Reconstruction of Iberian ceramic potteries using generative adversarial networks

Several aspects of past culture, including historical trends, are inferred from time-based patterns observed in archaeological artifacts belonging to different periods. The presence and variation of these objects provides important clues about the Neolithic revolution and given their relative abundance in most archaeological sites, ceramic potteries are significantly helpful in this purpose. Nonetheless, most available pottery is fragmented, leading to missing morphological information. Currently, the reassembly of fragmented objects from a collection of thousands of mixed fragments is a daunting and time-consuming task done almost exclusively by hand, which requires the physical manipulation of the fragments. To overcome the challenges of manual reconstruction and improve the quality of reconstructed samples, we present IberianGAN, a customized Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) tested on an extensive database with complete and fragmented references. We trained the model with 1072 samples corresponding to Iberian wheel-made pottery profiles belonging to archaeological sites located in the upper valley of the Guadalquivir River (Spain). Furthermore, we provide quantitative and qualitative assessments to measure the quality of the reconstructed samples, along with domain expert evaluation with archaeologists. The resulting framework is a possible way to facilitate pottery reconstruction from partial fragments of an original piece.Fil: Navarro, Jose Pablo. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia "San Juan Bosco". Facultad de Ingeniería - Sede Puerto Madryn. Departamento de Informática; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto Patagónico de Ciencias Sociales y Humanas; ArgentinaFil: Cintas, Celia. Catholic University Of Eastern Africa; KeniaFil: Lucena, Manuel. Universidad de Jaén; EspañaFil: Fuertes, José Manuel. Universidad de Jaén; EspañaFil: Segura, Rafael. Universidad de Jaén; EspañaFil: Delrieux, Claudio Augusto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto de Ciencias e Ingeniería de la Computación. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Ciencias e Ingeniería de la Computación. Instituto de Ciencias e Ingeniería de la Computación; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur; ArgentinaFil: Gonzalez-Jose, Rolando. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto Patagónico de Ciencias Sociales y Humanas; Argentin

Propuesta de Mejora paar el Sistema de Seguridad y Salud Ocupacional en la Empresa Paretto S.A.C. de la Ciudad de Arequipaa

Fábrica de Confecciones Paretto SAC es una empresa dedicada a la confección de prendas de vestir de uso laboral en oficinas y operario, para el sector industrial, minero; tanto a nivel local y nacional desde el año 1994. En la actualidad se evidencio los requerimientos normativos para el cumplimiento de la normativa nacional vigente en materia de seguridad y salud en el trabajo; no obstante, la empresa aún no cuenta con un modelo de procesos definidos que estén relacionados a dicha normativa, el cual debe implementarse a la brevedad posible en protección del colaborador y de mantener un ambiente acorde a las exigencias de un adecuado sistema de gestión de SST. En consecuencia, se planteó como objetivo general realizar una propuesta de mejora aplicada al resultado del diagnóstico de la empresa en relación a la seguridad y salud en el trabajo, SST, con lo que se consiguió identificar los procesos de SST involucrados, también definir una propuesta de evaluación integral de indicadores de éxito para su asignación y desarrollo de la propuesta de mejora. Dentro de los puntos de mayor relevancia a resolver, es la falta del conocimiento de los procesos de SST, así mismo, el grado de avance en la sensibilización sobre temas relacionados a capacitación y formación en SST en la empresa. Los indicadores que se consideraron de mayor importancia para el planteamiento de mejora fueron: política, plan de seguridad, cumplimiento de regulación normativa, definición de procesos sobre Comité de SST, registros de SST, identificación, el mapa de riesgos y finalmente el control y auditoría necesario para la mejora continua del proceso y sostenibilidad del modelo. Con los resultados del diagnóstico nos permitió plantear una propuesta integral que detalla los cargos responsables, indicadores, temporalidad y áreas involucradas, así como también la descripción de actividades de mejora, en consecuencia a estas propuestas quedamos con la esperanza de sumar mayor conocimiento en materia de SST en el sector textil.Trabajo de investigació

Ventilatory Abnormalities In Patients With Cystic Fibrosis Undergoing The Submaximal Treadmill Exercise Test

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Background: Exercise has been studied as a prognostic marker for patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), as well as a tool for improving their quality of life and analyzing lung disease. In this context, the aim of the present study was to evaluate and compare variables of lung functioning. Our data included: (i) volumetric capnography (VCAP) parameters: expiratory minute volume (VE), volume of exhaled carbon dioxide (VCO2), VE/VCO2, ratio of dead space to tidal volume (VD/VT), and end-tidal carbon dioxide (PetCO(2)); (ii) spirometry parameters: forced vital capacity (FVC), percent forced expiratory volume in the first second of the FVC (FEV1%), and FEV1/FVC%; and (iii) cardiorespiratory parameters: heart rate (HR), respiratory rate, oxygen saturation (SpO(2)), and Borg scale rating at rest and during exercise. The subjects comprised children, adolescents, and young adults aged 6-25 years with CF (CF group [CFG]) and without CF (control group [CG]). Methods: This was a clinical, prospective, controlled study involving 128 male and female patients (64 with CF) of a university hospital. All patients underwent treadmill exercise tests and provided informed consent after study approval by the institutional ethics committee. Linear regression, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Mann-Whitney test were performed to compare the CFG and CG. The a value was set at 0.05. Results: Patients in the CFG showed significantly different VCAP values and spirometry variables throughout the exercise test. Before, during, and after exercise, several variables were different between the two groups; statistically significant differences were seen in the spirometry parameters, SpO(2), HR, VCO2, VE/VCO2, PetCO2, and Borg scale rating. VCAP variables changed at each time point analyzed during the exercise test in both groups. Conclusion: VCAP can be used to analyze ventilatory parameters during exercise. All cardiorespiratory, spirometry, and VCAP variables differed between patients in the CFG and CG before, during, and after exercise.15Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)FAPESP [2011/12939-4

Functional phage display of leech-derived tryptase inhibitor (LDTI): construction of a library and selection of thrombin inhibitors

The recombinant phage antibody system pCANTAB 5E has been used to display functionally active leech-derived tryptase inhibitor (LDTI) on the tip of the filamentous M13 phage, A limited combinatorial library of 5.2 x 10(4) mutants was created with a synthetic LDTI gene, using a degenerated oligonucleotide and the pCANTAB 5E phagemid. the mutations were restricted to the P1-P4' positions of the reactive site. Fusion phages and appropriate host strains containing the phagemids were selected after binding to thrombin and DNA sequencing. the variants LDTI-2T (K8R, I9V, S10, K11W, P12A), LDTI-5T (K8R, I9V, S10, K11S, P12L) and LDTI-10T (K8R, I9L, S10, K11D, P12I) were produced with a Saccharomyces cerevisiae expression system. the new inhibitors, LDTI-2T and -5T, prolong the blood clotting time, inhibit thrombin (Ki 302 nM and 28 nM) and trypsin (K-i 6.4 nM and 2.1 nM) but not factor Xa, plasma kallikrein or neutrophil elastase, the variant LDTI-10T binds to thrombin but does not inhibit it, the relevant reactive site sequences of the thrombin inhibiting variants showed a strong preference for arginine in position P1 (K8R) and for valine in P1' (I9V), the data indicate further that LDTI-5T might be a model candidate for generation of active-site directed thrombin inhibitors and that LDTI in general may be useful to generate specific inhibitors suitable for a better understanding of enzyme-inhibitor interactions. (C) 1999 Federation of European Biochemical Societies.UNIFESP, Dept Bioquim, EPM, BR-04044020 São Paulo, BrazilUniv Munich, Klinikum Innenstadt, Chirurg Klin & Poliklin, Klin Chem & Klin Biochem Abt, D-8000 Munich, GermanyUNIFESP, Dept Med, Disciplina Hematol, EPM, BR-04044020 São Paulo, BrazilUNIFESP, Dept Bioquim, EPM, BR-04044020 São Paulo, BrazilUNIFESP, Dept Med, Disciplina Hematol, EPM, BR-04044020 São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Comunicação e igrejas neopentecostais: a expansão da fé na mídia

A inserção de denominações neopentecostais tem produzido uma reconfiguração dos espaços dos meios de comunicação de massa, e alcançado seu objetivo: a expansão da fé na mídia. Analisando este fenômeno desenvolvido há poucas décadas no Brasil e no mundo, a pesquisa observa o desenvolvimento histórico, a manifestação discusiva e as formas de expressão pelas quais as igrejas têm se expandido com o apoio da televisão, abrigando a expressão de vários grupos religiosos, principalmente neopentecostais

Reverse engineering the neuroblastoma regulatory network uncovers MAX as one of the master regulators of tumor progression

Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial tumor and a major cause of infant cancer mortality worldwide. Despite its importance, little is known about its molecular mechanisms. A striking feature of this tumor is its clinical heterogeneity. Possible outcomes range from aggressive invasion to other tissues, causing patient death, to spontaneous disease regression or differentiation into benign ganglioneuromas. Several efforts have been made in order to find tumor progression markers. In this work, we have reconstructed the neuroblastoma regulatory network using an information-theoretic approach in order to find genes involved in tumor progression and that could be used as outcome predictors or as therapeutic targets. We have queried the reconstructed neuroblastoma regulatory network using an aggressive neuroblastoma metastasis gene signature in order to find its master regulators (MRs). MRs expression profiles were then investigated in other neuroblastoma datasets so as to detect possible clinical significance. Our analysis pointed MAX as one of the MRs of neuroblastoma progression. We have found that higher MAX expression correlated with favorable patient outcomes. We have also found that MAX expression and protein levels were increased during neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells differentiation. We propose that MAX is involved in neuroblastoma progression, possibly increasing cell differentiation by means of regulating the availability of MYC:MAX heterodimers. This mechanism is consistent with the results found in our SH-SY5Y differentiation protocol, suggesting that MAX has a more central role in these cells differentiation than previously reported. Overexpression of MAX has been identified as anti-tumorigenic in other works, but, to our knowledge, this is the first time that the link between the expression of this gene and malignancy was verified under physiological conditions

Influences of the polymorphisms of the Sod2 gene (rs4880) on the motility and vigor of X- and Y-bearing sperm at different pH values

Superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2) is an antioxidant enzyme that appears phylogenetically conserved. However, functional Sod2 polymorphisms have been studied, and the specific polymorphisms are related to activity alterations of the SOD2 enzyme. An example of a polymorphism of SOD2 is Val16Ala (rs4880), which has been identified in exon 2 of the human Sod2 gene. This polymorphism is recognized as a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and alters the conformation of SOD2. Additionally, recent studies have shown that the Ala16 Val polymorphism in Sod2 can be related to different pathological diseases. In these terms, the objective of the present study was to evaluate whether the polymorphism of SOD2 in Val16Ala (rs4880) influences the motility and vigor of X- and Y-bearing sperm at different pH values promoting sperm selection. We found that polymorphism rs4880 at normal pH conditions can result in alterations in the activity of superoxide dismutase in the sperm through different assay analyses. Moreover, compelling modulation evidence indicates that this effect could also mediate seminal plasma redox alterations and consequently can play an important role in sperm physiology, fertilization, and postfertilization

Targeted inhibition of RAGE in substantia nigra of rats blocks 6-OHDA-induced dopaminergic denervation

The receptor for advanced glycation endproducts (RAGE) is a pattern-recognition receptor associated with infammation in most cell types. RAGE up-regulates the expression of proinfammatory mediators and its own expression via activation of NF-kB. Recent works have proposed a role for RAGE in Parkinson’s disease (PD). In this study, we used the multimodal blocker of RAGE FPS-ZM1, which has become available recently, to selectively inhibit RAGE in the substantia nigra (SN) of rats intracranially injected with 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA). FPS-ZM1 (40 μg per rat), injected concomitantly with 6-OHDA (10 μg per rat) into the SN, inhibited the increase in RAGE, activation of ERK1/2, Src and nuclear translocation of NF-kB p65 subunit in the SN. RAGE inhibition blocked glial fbrillary acidic protein and Iba-1 upregulation as well as associated astrocyte and microglia activation. Circulating cytokines in serum and CSF were also decreased by FPS-ZM1 injection. The loss of tyrosine hydroxylase and NeuN-positive neurons was signifcantly inhibited by RAGE blocking. Finally, FPS-ZM1 attenuated locomotory and exploratory defcits induced by 6-OHDA. Our results demonstrate that RAGE is an essential component in the neuroinfammation and dopaminergic denervation induced by 6-OHDA in the SN. Selective inhibition of RAGE may ofer perspectives for therapeutic approaches