Socializing the Semantic Gap: A Comparative Survey on Image Tag Assignment, Refinement and Retrieval

Where previous reviews on content-based image retrieval emphasize on what can be seen in an image to bridge the semantic gap, this survey considers what people tag about an image. A comprehensive treatise of three closely linked problems, i.e., image tag assignment, refinement, and tag-based image retrieval is presented. While existing works vary in terms of their targeted tasks and methodology, they rely on the key functionality of tag relevance, i.e. estimating the relevance of a specific tag with respect to the visual content of a given image and its social context. By analyzing what information a specific method exploits to construct its tag relevance function and how such information is exploited, this paper introduces a taxonomy to structure the growing literature, understand the ingredients of the main works, clarify their connections and difference, and recognize their merits and limitations. For a head-to-head comparison between the state-of-the-art, a new experimental protocol is presented, with training sets containing 10k, 100k and 1m images and an evaluation on three test sets, contributed by various research groups. Eleven representative works are implemented and evaluated. Putting all this together, the survey aims to provide an overview of the past and foster progress for the near future.Comment: to appear in ACM Computing Survey

Mining livestock genome datasets for an unconventional characterization of animal DNA viromes

Whole genome sequencing (WGS) datasets, usually generated for the investigation of the individual animal genome, can be used for additional mining of the fraction of sequencing reads that remains unmapped to the respective reference genome. A significant proportion of these reads contains viral DNA derived from viruses that infected the sequenced animals. In this study, we mined more than 480 billion sequencing reads derived from 1471 WGS datasets produced from cattle, pigs, chickens and rabbits. We identified 367 different viruses among which 14, 11, 12 and 1 might specifically infect the cattle, pig, chicken and rabbit, respectively. Some of them are ubiquitous, avirulent, highly or potentially damaging for both livestock and humans. Retrieved viral DNA information provided a first unconventional and opportunistic landscape of the livestock viromes that could be useful to understand the distribution of some viruses with potential deleterious impacts on the animal food production systems

Population genomic structures and signatures of selection define the genetic uniqueness of several fancy and meat rabbit breeds

Following the recent domestication process of the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), many different breeds and lines, distinguished primarily by exterior traits such as coat colour, fur structure and body size and shape, have been constituted. In this study, we genotyped, with a high-density single-nucleotide polymorphism panel, a total of 645 rabbits from 10 fancy breeds (Belgian Hare, Champagne d'Argent, Checkered Giant, Coloured Dwarf, Dwarf Lop, Ermine, Giant Grey, Giant White, Rex and Rhinelander) and three meat breeds (Italian White, Italian Spotted and Italian Silver). ADMIXTURE analysis indicated that breeds with similar phenotypic traits (e.g. coat colour and body size) shared common ancestries. Signatures of selection using two haplotype-based approaches (iHS and XP-EHH), combined with the results obtained with other methods previously reported that we applied to the same breeds, we identified a total of 5079 independent genomic regions with some signatures of selection, covering about 1777 Mb of the rabbit genome. These regions consistently encompassed many genes involved in pigmentation processes (ASIP, EDNRA, EDNRB, KIT, KITLG, MITF, OCA2, TYR and TYRP1), coat structure (LIPH) and body size, including two major genes (LCORL and HMGA2) among many others. This study revealed novel genomic regions under signatures of selection and further demonstrated that population structures and signatures of selection, left into the genome of these rabbit breeds, may contribute to understanding the genetic events that led to their constitution and the complex genetic mechanisms determining the broad phenotypic variability present in these untapped rabbit genetic resources

Salvia fruticosa Induces Vasorelaxation in Rat Isolated Thoracic Aorta: Role of the PI3K/Akt/eNOS/NO/cGMP Signaling Pathway

Salvia fruticosa (SF) Mill. is traditionally used for its antihypertensive actions. However, little is known about its pharmacologic and molecular mechanisms of action. Here we determined the effects of an ethanolic extract of SF leaves on rings of isolated thoracic aorta from Sprague-Dawley rats. Our results show that SF extract increased nitric oxide production and relaxed endothelium-intact rings in a dose-dependent (0.3 µg/ml–1 mg/ml) manner, and the maximum arterial relaxation (Rmax) was significantly reduced with endothelium denudation. Pretreatment of endothelium-intact rings with L-NAME (a non-selective inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase, 100 µM), or ODQ (an inhibitor of soluble guanylyl cyclase, 10 µM) significantly diminished SF-mediated vasorelaxation. Furthermore, SF induced Akt phosphorylation as well as increased cGMP levels in rings treated with increasing doses of SF. Prior exposure to PI3K inhibitors, wortmannin (0.1 µM) or LY294002 (10 µM), decreased cGMP accumulation and attenuated the SF-induced vasorelaxation by approximately 50% (Rmax). SF-evoked relaxation was not affected by indomethacin, verapamil, glibenclamide, tetraethylammonium, pyrilamine or atropine. Taken together, our results indicate that SF induces endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation through the PI3K/Akt/eNOS/NO/sGC/cGMP signaling pathway. Our data illustrate the health-orientated benefits of consuming SF which may act as an antihypertensive agent to reduce the burden of cardiovascular complications.Scopu

Exploiting within-breed variability in the autochthonous Reggiana breed identified several candidate genes affecting pigmentation-related traits, stature and udder defects in cattle

Autochthonous cattle breeds constitute important reservoirs of genetic diversity. Reggiana is an Italian local cattle breed reared in the north of Italy for the production of a mono-breed Parmigiano–Reggiano cheese. Reggiana cattle usually have a classical solid red coat colour and pale muzzle. As part of the strategies designed for the sustainable conservation of this genetic resource, we investigated at the genome-wise level the within-breed detected variability of three pigmentation-related traits (intensity of red coat colour, based on three classes – light/diluted, normal and dark; spotted patterns/piebaldism that sometime emerge in the breed; muzzle colour – pink/pale, grey and black), stature, presence/absence and number of supernumerary teats and teat length. A total of 1776 Reggiana cattle (about two-thirds of the extant breed population) were genotyped with the GeneSeek GGP Bovine 150k SNP array and single-marker and haplotype-based GWASs were carried out. The results indicated that two main groups of genetic factors affect the intensity of red coat colour: darkening genes (including EDN3 and a few other genes) and diluting genes (including PMEL and a few other genes). Muzzle colour was mainly determined by MC1R gene markers. Piebaldism was mainly associated with KIT gene markers. Stature was associated with BTA6 markers upstream of the NCAPG–LCORL genes. Teat defects were associated with TBX3/TBX5, MCC and LGR5 genes. Overall, the identified genomic regions not only can be directly used in selection plans in the Reggiana breed, but also contribute to clarifying the genetic mechanisms involved in determining exterior traits in cattle

Single-marker and haplotype-based genome-wide association studies for the number of teats in two heavy pig breeds

The number of teats is a reproductive-related trait of great economic relevance as it affects the mothering ability of the sows and thus the number of properly weaned piglets. Moreover, genetic improvement of this trait is fundamental to parallelly help the selection for increased litter size. We present the results of single-marker and haplotypes-based genome-wide association studies for the number of teats in two large cohorts of heavy pig breeds (Italian Large White and Italian Landrace) including 3990 animals genotyped with the 70K GGP Porcine BeadChip and other 1927 animals genotyped with the Illumina PorcineSNP60 BeadChip. In the Italian Large White population, genome scans identified three genome regions (SSC7, SSC10, and SSC12) that confirmed the involvement of the VRTN gene (as we previously reported) and highlighted additional loci known to affect teat counts, including the FRMD4A and HOXB1 gene regions. A different picture emerged in the Italian Landrace population, with a total of 12 genome regions in eight chromosomes (SSC3, SSC6, SSC8, SSC11, SSC13, SSC14, SSC15, and SSC16) mainly detected via the haplotype-based genome scan. The most relevant QTL was close to the ARL4C gene on SSC15. Markers in the VRTN gene region were not significant in the Italian Landrace breed. The use of both single-marker and haplotype-based genome-wide association analyses can be helpful to exploit and dissect the genome of the pigs of different populations. Overall, the obtained results supported the polygenic nature of the investigated trait and better elucidated its genetic architecture in Italian heavy pigs

the isolpharm project a new isol production method of high specific activity beta emitting radionuclides as radiopharmaceutical precursors

The ISOLPHARM project explores the feasibility of exploiting an innovative technology to produce extremely high specific activity beta-emitting radionuclides as radiopharmaceutical precursors. This technique is expected to produce radiopharmaceuticals that are virtually mainly impossible to obtain in standard production facilities, at lower cost and with less environmental impact than traditional techniques. The groundbreaking ISOLPHARM method investigated in this project has been granted an international patent (INFN). As a component of the SPES (Selective Production of Exotic Species) project at the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare–Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro (INFN–LNL), a new facility will produce radioactive ion beams of neutron-rich nuclei with high purity and a mass range of 80–160 amu. The radioactive isotopes will result from nuclear reactions induced by accelerating 40 MeV protons in a cyclotron to collide on a target of UC[Formula: see text]. The uranium in the target material will be [Formula: see text]U, yielding radioactive isotopes that belong to elements with an atomic number between 28 and 57. Isotope separation on line (ISOL) is adopted in the ISOLPHARM project to obtain pure isobaric beams for radiopharmaceutical applications, with no isotopic contaminations in the beam or subsequent trapping substrate. Isobaric contaminations may potentially affect radiochemical and radionuclide purity, but proper methods to separate chemically different elements can be developed

Remote handling of radioactive targets at the SPES facility

SPES (Selective Production of Exotic Species) is a new facility being developed by Legnaro National Laboratories of INFN. Once operational, it will be able to generate high-intensity RIB (Radioactive Ion Beams) for research in the field of nuclear physics, and investigate medical applications through the ISOLPHARM project. The interaction of a 40 MeV 200 μA primary beam produced by a cyclotron proton driver with a multi-foil uranium carbide target leads to the production of the radioactive isotopes of interest. Collisions take place within the Target Ion Source (TIS) unit, which is the core of the SPES project. During the operation, a periodic replacement of the TIS unit is required to maintain process efficiency. Automated systems can perform critical tasks under such highly radioactive conditions, including handling, transporting, and storing the TIS unit without human intervention. For this reason, a remote handling framework is currently being developed to meet the functional and safety requirements of the project. In this paper, the SPES target area is presented. Here, remote handling systems ensure the proper operation of the facility, preventing staff from being exposed to high dose rates or contamination problems

The SPES exotic beam ISOL facility: Status of the project, technical challenges, instrumentation, scientific program

The SPES facility (Selective Production of Exotic Species), that is the INFN project for a Nuclear Physics facility with Radioactive Ion Beams (RIBs) is in advanced construction at the Legnaro National Laboratories. It will mostly provide neutron-rich exotic beams, through the production of fission fragments (1013 fiss/s) by an intense proton beam (200μA) on a direct UCx target. Several other targets will be developed, in order to provide users a large beam selection. Forefront research in nuclear structure and dynamics will be performed in the forthcoming years, studying a nuclear chart region far from stability. The expected beam intensities, their quality and their maximum available energies (up to 11MeV/n for A � 130) will provide the users with a modern and highly perfomant facility. Coordinated efforts are being dedicated to the developments and upgrading of both the accelerator complex and of up-to-date experimental set-ups

A Decreased Frequency of Regulatory T Cells in Patients with Common Variable Immunodeficiency

Introduction: Common variable immunodeficiency disorder (CVID) is a heterogeneous syndrome, characterized by deficient antibody production and recurrent bacterial infections in addition abnormalities in T cells. CD4(+)CD25(high) regulatory T cells (Treg) are essential modulators of immune responses, including down-modulation of immune response to pathogens, allergens, cancer cells and self-antigens.Objective: in this study we set out to investigate the frequency of Treg cells in CVID patients and correlate with their immune activation status.Materials and Methods: Sixteen patients (6 males and 10 females) with CVID who had been treated with regular intravenous immunoglobulin and 14 controls were enrolled. Quantitative analyses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were performed by multiparametric flow cytometry using the following cell markers: CD38, HLA-DR, CCR5 ( immune activation); CD4, CD25, FOXP3, CD127, and OX40 (Treg cells); Ki-67 and IFN-gamma (intracellular cytokine).Results: A significantly lower proportion of CD4(+)CD25(high) FOXP3 T cells was observed in CVID patients compared with healthy controls (P<0.05). in addition to a higher proportion of CD8(+) T cells from CVID patients expressing the activation markers, CD38(+) and HLA-DR(+) (P<0.05), we observed no significant correlation between Tregs and immune activation.Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that a reduction in Treg cells could have impaired immune function in CVID patients.Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc