Feature and Region Selection for Visual Learning

Visual learning problems such as object classification and action recognition are typically approached using extensions of the popular bag-of-words (BoW) model. Despite its great success, it is unclear what visual features the BoW model is learning: Which regions in the image or video are used to discriminate among classes? Which are the most discriminative visual words? Answering these questions is fundamental for understanding existing BoW models and inspiring better models for visual recognition. To answer these questions, this paper presents a method for feature selection and region selection in the visual BoW model. This allows for an intermediate visualization of the features and regions that are important for visual learning. The main idea is to assign latent weights to the features or regions, and jointly optimize these latent variables with the parameters of a classifier (e.g., support vector machine). There are four main benefits of our approach: (1) Our approach accommodates non-linear additive kernels such as the popular $\chi^2$ and intersection kernel; (2) our approach is able to handle both regions in images and spatio-temporal regions in videos in a unified way; (3) the feature selection problem is convex, and both problems can be solved using a scalable reduced gradient method; (4) we point out strong connections with multiple kernel learning and multiple instance learning approaches. Experimental results in the PASCAL VOC 2007, MSR Action Dataset II and YouTube illustrate the benefits of our approach

Government debt and economic growth in the Euro Area : an empirical investigation

Mestrado em Economia Monetária e FinanceiraEsta dissertação analisa a relação quadrática entre o rácio da dívida sobre o PIB e o crescimento económico, com o objectivo de encontrar um limite a partir do qual um aumento da dívida prejudique o crescimento. Ao observar 12 países europeus entre 1993 e 2017, encontrou-se evidência empírica que sugere a existência de tais limites quando o rácio toma valores próximos de 110%. Este número é maior do que aquele encontrado em trabalhos de investigação anteriores. Também foi analisado o efeito de crescimento do rácio da dívida sobre o PIB, que pode ser mais forte do que o efeito do rácio em si.This dissertation studies the quadratic relationship between the debt-to-GDP ratio and GDP growth rate, and attempts to find threshold levels past which an increase in debt harms growth. Observing 12 European countries from 1993 to 2017, evidence was found supporting the existence of thresholds around the 110% debt-to-GDP ratio. These thresholds are considerably higher than those found in previous research. The growth rate of the debt-to-GDP ratio was also analyzed and found to have an impact on GDP growth which might be stronger than that of the ratio itself.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Influence of organic matter and CO2 supply on bioremediation of heavy metals by Chlorella vulgaris and Scenedesmus almeriensis in a multimetallic matrix

Producción CientíficaThis research evaluated the influence of organic matter (OM) and CO2 addition on the bioremediation potential of two microalgae typically used for wastewater treatment: Chlorella vulgaris (CV) and Scenedesmus almeriensis (SA). The heavy metal (HM) removal efficiencies and biosorption capacities of both microalgae were determined in multimetallic solutions (As, B, Cu, Mn, and Zn) mimicking the highest pollutant conditions found in the Loa river (Northern Chile). The presence of OM decreased the total biosorption capacity, specially in As (from 2.2 to 0.0 mg/g for CV and from 2.3 to 1.7 mg/g for SA) and Cu (from 3.2 to 2.3 mg/g for CV and from 2.1 to 1.6 mg/g for SA), but its influence declined over time. CO2 addition decreased the total HM biosorption capacity for both microalgae species and inhibited CV growth. Finally, metal recovery using different eluents (HCl, NaOH, and CaCl2) was evaluated at two different concentrations. HCl 0.1 M provided the highest recovery efficiencies, which supported values over 85% of As, 92% of Cu, and ≈100% of Mn and Zn from SA. The presence of OM during the loaded stage resulted in a complete recovery of As, Cu, Mn, and Zn when using HCl 0.1 M as eluent.Gobierno regional de Castilla y León (UIC 071, CLU 2017-09 and VA080G18)Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (project CTQ2017-84006-C3-1-R)Unión Europea - FEDER (CLU 2017-09 and CTQ2017-84006-C3-1-R

Climate effect on strategy sellection and energy consumption for in-bin drying of corn with natural air/low temperature

This is a general study about the performance and energy requirement for NA/LT in-bin drying of corn at 10 different locations in Argentina. The goals of this study were to use the PHAST-FDM simulation model and historical weather data to study the performance of four NA/LT in-bin drying strategies for drying corn with different airflow rates (1 to 2 m3 min-1 t-1) and from different initial moisture contents (MC) (17 and 20%) in terms of drying time, final moisture content and dry matter loss, among other parameters. Additionally, the electrical and caloric energy consumption was also estimated. The most successful strategy across locations was the intelligent strategy (a model based strategy). The appropriate specific airflow rate was 2 m3 min-1 t-1 in North Argentina and 1 m3 min-1 t-1 in the South Argentina. In some locations with warm weather, no NA/LT in-bin drying strategy succeeded in drying corn with initial MC of 20% or superior under the airflow rates ranges investigated in this study, mostly due to excessive dry matter loss. The location with the coldest weather (Balcarce) resulted with the highest total energy consumption per point of moisture extracted and per ton of grain, (35.5 and 25.1 kWh for 17% and 20% initial MC, respectively). On the contrary, the location with the warmest weather (Saenz Peña) resulted with the lowest total energy consumption, with 9.4 and 10.7 kWh per point of moisture extracted and per ton, for 17% and 20% initial MC, respectively.Fil: de la Torre, Diego. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria; ArgentinaFil: Bartosik, Ricardo. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Buenos Aires. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Balcarce. Area de Investigación en Agronomía; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Mar del Plata; Argentin

Histone deacetylase inhibitors induce invasion of human melanoma cells in vitro via differential regulation of N-cadherin expression and RhoA activity

Background: Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) exert multiple cytotoxic actions on cancer cells. Currently, different synthetic HDACi are in clinical use or clinical trials; nevertheless, since both pro-invasive and anti-invasive activities have been described, there is some controversy about the effect of HDACi on melanoma cells. Methods: Matrigel and Collagen invasion assays were performed to evaluate the effect of several HDACi (Butyrate, Trichostatin A, Valproic acid and Vorinostat) on two human melanoma cell line invasion (A375 and HT-144). The expression of N- and E-Cadherin and the activity of the RhoA GTPase were analyzed to elucidate the mechanisms involved in the HDACi activity. Results: HDACi showed a pro-invasive effect on melanoma cells in vitro. This effect was accompanied by an up-regulation of N-cadherin expression and an inhibition of RhoA activity. Moreover, the down-regulation of N-cadherin through blocking antibodies or siRNA abrogated the pro-invasive effect of the HDACi and, additionally, the inhibition of the Rho/ROCK pathway led to an increase of melanoma cell invasion similar to that observed with the HDACi treatments. Conclusion: These results suggest a role of N-cadherin and RhoA in HDACi induced invasion and call into question the suitability of some HDACi as antitumor agents for melanoma patients

De lo multicultural a lo interdisciplinario o cómo opera la ciencia ficción de Marcelo Cohen

Si en la década de los ochenta y de los noventa, la obra narrativa de Marcelo Cohen tiene la particularidad de presentar escenarios multiculturales, de mezcla de culturas (Insomnio, 1985; El oído absoluto, 1989; El testamento de O’Jaral, 1995, por solo citar tres de sus novelas más conocidas), a partir del siglo XXI el corpus constituido por su producción literaria se tiñe de matices que podrían calificarse de “interdisciplinarios”. Proponemos explorar esta interdisciplinariedad de la obra coheniana, en el sentido de que ésta recupera y explota inquietudes propias tanto de varias ciencias sociales y humanas como de disciplinas artísticas.Si au cours des années quatre-vingts et quatre-vingt-dix, l’œuvre de fiction narrative de Marcelo Cohen se caractérise par des espaces multiculturels, de mélange culturel (Insomnio, 1985 ; El oído absoluto, 1989 ; El testamento de O’Jaral, 1995, pour ne citer que trois parmi ses romans les plus connus), à partir du XXIe siècle sa production littéraire intègre des nuances que l’on pourrait qualifier d’"interdisciplinaires". Nous nous proposons d’explorer cette interdisciplinarité de l’œuvre littéraire cohenienne, dans le sens que celle-ci récupère et exploite des inquiétudes propres aussi bien à plusieurs sciences sociales et humaines qu’à des disciplines artistiques.If in the eighties and nineties, Marcelo Cohen’s narrative work has the particularity of presenting multicultural scenarios, a mixture of cultures (Insomnio, 1985; El oído absoluto, 1989; El testamento de O’Jaral, 1995, just to cite three of his best-known novels), from the twenty-first century onwards the corpus constituted by his literary production is tinged with nuances that could be described as "interdisciplinary". We propose to explore this interdisciplinarity of the cohenian work, in the sense that it recovers and exploits the concerns of various social and human sciences as well as artistic disciplines

Bin coring: a simple practice for improving aeration performance and saving energy: Presentation

The coring operation consists of removing the center portion of the grain mass, or core of the silosilo, to improve airflow distribution. Additional benefit of this practice is the elimination of a significant portion of the fine material, which is a source of fungal inoculum and feed for insects. The effect of coring on airflow distribution through a grain mass has been previously addressed, but the effect on energy savings was not fully quantified. Thus, the goals of this reseach were: 1) to quantify the airflow increase due to the coring operation of a silosilo full of wheat; and 2) to quantify the reduction on fan runtime and energy consumtion due to improvement in airflow distribution and airflow increase after coring. The effect of coring on airflow was quantified using the AireAr software, and the effect on aeration efficiency was studied through simulation using a specialized software (PHAST-FDM). For levels of coring (0%, 3%, 5% and 8% of total grain mass) and four levels of nonuniformity of airflow (center side difference) (30, 20, 10 and 0) were considered. Results indicated that the coring operation reduced the total time to achieve cooling, number of fan run hours, and fan power consumption. The main effect of the coring operation was the increase in specific airflow (up to 45% increase). Energy savings increased with coring, obtaining savings of 11%, 28% and 30% for 3%, 5% and 8% of coring, respectively. It was concluded that coring the silosilo by unloading from 3 to 8% of the stored grain mass is a recommendable practice, because it increases the specific airflow rate and airflow uniformity, reduces fan run hours and generates energy (and cost) savings.The coring operation consists of removing the center portion of the grain mass, or core of the silosilo, to improve airflow distribution. Additional benefit of this practice is the elimination of a significant portion of the fine material, which is a source of fungal inoculum and feed for insects. The effect of coring on airflow distribution through a grain mass has been previously addressed, but the effect on energy savings was not fully quantified. Thus, the goals of this reseach were: 1) to quantify the airflow increase due to the coring operation of a silosilo full of wheat; and 2) to quantify the reduction on fan runtime and energy consumtion due to improvement in airflow distribution and airflow increase after coring. The effect of coring on airflow was quantified using the AireAr software, and the effect on aeration efficiency was studied through simulation using a specialized software (PHAST-FDM). For levels of coring (0%, 3%, 5% and 8% of total grain mass) and four levels of nonuniformity of airflow (center side difference) (30, 20, 10 and 0) were considered. Results indicated that the coring operation reduced the total time to achieve cooling, number of fan run hours, and fan power consumption. The main effect of the coring operation was the increase in specific airflow (up to 45% increase). Energy savings increased with coring, obtaining savings of 11%, 28% and 30% for 3%, 5% and 8% of coring, respectively. It was concluded that coring the silosilo by unloading from 3 to 8% of the stored grain mass is a recommendable practice, because it increases the specific airflow rate and airflow uniformity, reduces fan run hours and generates energy (and cost) savings

Le monde classique dans <i>Feux</i> de Marguerite Yourcenar

Fruit de «l’impossible passion» qu’elle éprouvait pour son éditeur André Fraigneau, Marguerite Yourcenar écrit en 1935, à l'âge de trente-deux ans, un livre qui porte dans son titre les Feux d’un amour frustré, inaccompli. C’est un ouvrage qui comporte des poèmes en prose reliés entre eux par des pensées ou des réflexions personnelles détachées. D’un ensemble de neuf proses lyriques, il y en a huit qui s’inspirent de la légende ou de l’histoire de la Grèce antique, berceau de la culture classique.Trabajo publicado en Blarduni de Bugallo, Elena Estela (comp.). Actas XIII Jornadas Nacionales de Literatura Francesa y Francófona. Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP) y Association Argentine de Professeurs de Littérature Française Francophone (AAPLFF): La Plata, 2003.Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educació

Outlook for Leisure Travel

Extended glacier retreat is among the main consequences of the rapid warming of the West Antarctic Peninsula. Particularly, in the inner part of Potter Cove (South Shetland Islands, Antarctica) large areas are now exposed to open sea conditions owing to the retreat of Fourcade glacier. During the 2010 austral summer, underwater photographic surveys were undertaken by SCUBA diving up to 30 m in these new ice-free areas 80 m from the glacier front. Our main aim was to investigate colonization and early succession of the benthic assemblages on soft-bottom areas. Here, we reported a total of 1,146 animals belonging to 13 taxa. Filter-feeders comprised the largest trophic group and sessile fauna showed much higher coverages and densities than mobile fauna at all depths. The most abundant groups were ascidians and bryozoans, which together comprised ~90% of all taxa documented. In a region where most of marine-terminating glaciers are in retreat, these results are an important contribution to improve our knowledge on colonization in the newly ice-free areas