A Graph-Kernel Method for Re-identification

Re-identification, that is recognizing that an object appearing in a scene is a reoccurrence of an object seen previously by the system (by the same camera or possibly by a different one) is a challenging problem in video surveillance. In this paper, the problem is addressed using a structural, graph-based representation of the objects of interest. A recently proposed graph kernel is adopted for extending to this representation the Principal Component Analyisis (PCA) technique. An experimental evaluation of the method has been performed on two video sequences from the publicly available PETS2009 database

Singularity formation and blowup of complex-valued solutions of the modified KdV equation

The dynamics of the poles of the two--soliton solutions of the modified Korteweg--de Vries equation $$u_t + 6u^2u_x + u_{xxx} = 0$$ are determined. A consequence of this study is the existence of classes of smooth, complex--valued solutions of this equation, defined for $-\infty < x < \infty$, exponentially decreasing to zero as $|x| \to \infty$, that blow up in finite time

Off-diagonal quark distribution functions of the pion within an effective single instanton approximation

We develop a relativistic quark model for pion structure, which incorporates the non-trivial structure of the vacuum of Quantum Chromodynamics as modelled by instantons. Pions are boundstates of quarks and the strong quark-pion vertex is determined from an instanton induced effective lagrangian. The interaction of the constituents of the pion with the external electromagnetic field is introduced in gauge invariant form. The parameters of the model, i.e., effective instanton radius and constituent quark masses, are obtained from the vacuum expectation values of the lowest dimensional quark and gluon operators and the low-energy observables of the pion. We apply the formalism to the calculation of the pion form factor by means of the isovector nonforward parton distributions and find agreement with the experimental data.Comment: LaTeX; altered version; references and figures added. Published: paper has been accepted for publication in Nucl. Phys.

Generalized parton distributions of the pion in a Bethe-Salpeter approach

We calculate generalized parton distribution functions in a field theoretic formalism using a covariant Bethe-Salpeter approach for the determination of the bound-state wave function. We describe the procedure in an exact calculation in scalar Electrodynamics proving that the relevant corrections outside our scheme vanish. We extend the formalism to the Nambu--Jona-Lasinio model, a realistic theory of the pion. We go in both cases beyond all previous calculations and discover that all important features required by general physical considerations, like symmetry properties, sum rules and the polynomiality condition, are explicitly verified. We perform a numerical study of their behavior in the weak and strong coupling limits.Comment: 19 pages, 21 eps figures, accepted for publication in EPJ

The d* dibaryon in the extended quark-delocalization, color-screening model

The quark-delocalization, color-screening model, extended by inclusion of a one-pion-exchange (OPE) tail, is applied to the study of the deuteron and the d* dibaryon. The results show that the properties of the deuteron (an extended object) are well reproduced, greatly improving the agreement with experimental data as compared to our previous study (without OPE). At the same time, the mass and decay width of the d* (a compact object) are, as expected, not altered significantly.Comment: 9 pages, no figures, LaTeX, subm. to Phys. Rev.

The pion transition form factor and the pion distribution amplitude

Recent BaBaR data on the pion transition form factor, whose Q^2 dependence is much steeper then predicted by asymptotic Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD), have caused a renewed interest in its theoretical description. We present here a formalism based on a model independent low energy description and a high energy description based on QCD, which match at a scale Q_0. The high energy description incorporates a flat pion distribution amplitude, phi(x)=1, at the matching scale Q_0 and QCD evolution from Q_0 to Q>Q_0. The flat pion distribution is connected, through soft pion theorems and chiral symmetry, to the pion valance parton distribution at the same low scale Q_0. The procedure leads to a good description of the data, and incorporating additional twist three effects, to an excellent description of the data.Comment: 11 pages, 5 postscript figures, uses epsfig.sty and 1 appendi

Mutant p53 gain of function can be at the root of dedifferentiation of human osteosarcoma MG63 cells into 3AB-OS cancer stem cells.

Osteosarcoma is a highly metastatic tumor affecting adolescents, for which there is no second-line chemotherapy. As suggested for most tumors, its capability to overgrow is probably driven by cancer stem cells (CSCs), and finding new targets to kill CSCs may be critical for improving patient survival. TP53 is the most frequently mutated tumor suppressor gene in cancers and mutant p53 protein (mutp53) can acquire gain of function (GOF) strongly contributing to malignancy. Studies thus far have not shown p53-GOF in osteosarcoma. Here, we investigated TP53 gene status/role in 3AB-OS cells-a highly aggressive CSC line previously selected from human osteosarcoma MG63 cells-to evaluate its involvement in promoting proliferation, invasiveness, resistance to apoptosis and stemness. By RT-PCR, methylation-specific PCR, fluorescent in situ hybridization, DNA sequence, western blot and immunofluorescence analyses, we have shown that-in comparison with parental MG63 cells where TP53 gene is hypermethylated, rearranged and in single copy-in 3AB-OS cells, TP53 is unmethylated, rearranged and in multiple copies, and mutp53 (p53-R248W/P72R) is post-translationally modified and with nuclear localization. p53-R248W/P72R-knockdown by short-interfering RNA reduced the growth and replication rate of 3AB-OS cells, markedly increasing cell cycle inhibitor levels and sensitized 3AB-OS cells to TRAIL-induced apoptosis by DR5 up-regulation; moreover, it strongly decreased the levels of stemness and invasiveness genes. We have also found that the ectopic expression of p53-R248W/P72R in MG63 cells promoted cancer stem-like features, as high proliferation rate, sphere formation, clonogenic growth, high migration and invasive ability; furthermore, it strongly increased the levels of stemness proteins. Overall, the findings suggest the involvement of p53-R248W/P72R at the origin of the aberrant characters of the 3AB-OS cells with the hypothesis that its GOF can be at the root of the dedifferentiation of MG63 cells into CSCs