Panorama Generation for Stereoscopic Visualization of Large-Scale Scenes

In this thesis, we address the problem of modeling and stereoscopically visualizing large-scale scenes captured with a single moving camera. In many applications that image large-scale scenes the critical information desired is the 3D spatial information of stationary objects and movers within the scene. Stereo panoramas, like regular panoramas, provide a wide field-of-view that can represent the entire scene, with the stereo panoramas additionally representing the motion parallax and allowing for 3D visualization and reconstruction of the scene. The primary issue with stereo panorama construction methods is that they are constrained for a particular camera motion model; typically the camera is constrained to move along a linear or circular path. Here we present a method for constructing stereo panoramas for general camera motion, and we develop a (1) Unified Stereo Mosaic Framework that handles general camera motion models. To construct stereo panoramas for general motion we created a new (2) Stereo Mosaic Layering algorithm that speeds up panorama construction enabling real-time applications. In large-scale scene applications it is often the case that the scene will be imaged persistently by passing over the same path multiple times or two or more sensors of different modalities will pass over the the same scene. To address these issues we developed methods for (3) Multi-Run and Multi-Modal Mosaic Alignment. Finally, we developed an (4) Intelligent Stereo Visualization that allows a viewer to interact and stereoscopically view the stereo panoramas developed from general motion

BMP signaling in telencephalic neural cell specification and maturation

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) make up a family of morphogens that are critical for patterning, development, and function of the central and peripheral nervous system. Their effects on neural cells are pleiotropic and highly dynamic depending on the stage of development and the local niche. Neural cells display a broad expression profile of BMP ligands, receptors, and transducer molecules. Moreover, interactions of BMP signaling with other incoming morphogens and signaling pathways are crucial for most of these processes. The key role of BMP signaling suggests that it includes many regulatory mechanisms that restrict BMP activity both temporally and spatially. BMPs affect neural cell fate specification in a dynamic fashion. Initially they inhibit proliferation of neural precursors and promote the first steps in neuronal differentiation. Later on, BMP signaling effects switch from neuronal induction to promotion of astroglial identity and inhibition of neuronal or oligodendroglial lineage commitment. Furthermore, in postmitotic cells, BMPs regulate cell survival and death, to modulate neuronal subtype specification, promote dendritic and axonal growth and induce synapse formation and stabilization. In this review, we examine the canonical and non-canonical mechanisms of BMP signal transduction. Moreover, we focus on the specific role of BMPs in the nervous system including their ability to regulate neural stem cell proliferation, self-renewal, lineage specification, and neuronal function

La literatura infantil en el fortalecimiento del aprendizaje inicial de la lectura en los estudiantes de primer grado de la I.E.R. Boyacá-Sede:” La Victoria”.

https://unadvirtualedu-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/jellanosm_unadvirtual_edu_co/Ek-5fXgSBt1IjyydiIbgBDIBDao6034tPGG_7-O6WsTqIA?e=wFHrejEnseñar a leer es una competencia interesante que todo maestro debe adquirir. Este proceso requiere creatividad, motivación y entusiasmo por parte de quien aprende y de quien enseña. En dicha perspectiva, se tiene que la propuesta de acción didáctica y pedagógica, cuyo artífice es el estudiante-docente Jorge Llanos es un ejercicio didáctico-investigativo que pretende optimizar el proceso lector en un grupo de estudiantes de primer grado de la Institución Educativa Rural Boyacá-Sede: “La Victoria” desde una postura constructivista, enmarcada en la construcción de significado. El establecimiento mencionado se encuentra localizado en la vereda: “Filo de San José” del Municipio de Ebéjico, Antioquia. La propuesta de corte investigativo, de la cual se desprende una secuencia didáctica, está inspirada en importantes aportes de la I.A.P y para el logro de sus objetivos, se apoya en herramientas de recolección de información como la observación participante, las entrevistas, las encuestas y los diarios de campo. Los protagonistas de la puesta en escena de la secuencia didáctica son cuatro niñas; quienes se encuentran sentando las bases del aprendizaje inicial de la lectura. Las estudiantes cursan sus estudios en un aula multigrado, bajo el modelo de Escuela Nueva. Tras la implementación de la propuesta de acción pedagógica se puede concluir que los procesos de enseñanza-aprendizaje relacionados con la lectura deben ser adelantados asumiendo posturas eclécticas que tomen aspectos positivos de varios métodos y despierten el deseo de leer.Teaching to read is an interesting competence that every teacher must acquire. This process requires creativity, motivation and enthusiasm on the part of the learner and the teacher. In this perspective, the proposal for didactic and pedagogical action, whose creator is the student-teacher Jorge Llanos, is a didactic-investigative exercise that aims to optimize the reading process in a group of first grade students from the Institución Educativa Rural Boyacá. -Sede: "La Victoria" from a constructivist position, framed in the construction of meaning. The aforementioned establishment is located in the village: “Filo de San José” in the Municipality of Ebéjico, Antioquia. The investigative proposal, from which a didactic sequence emerges, is inspired by important contributions of the I.A.P and to achieve its objectives, it relies on information gathering tools such as participant observation, interviews, surveys and field journals. The protagonists of the staging of the didactic sequence are four girls; who are laying the foundations of the initial learning of reading. The students study in a multigrade classroom, under the Escuela Nueva model. After the implementation of the pedagogical action proposal, it can be concluded that the teaching-learning processes related to reading must be advanced assuming eclectic positions that take positive aspects of various methods and awaken the desire to read

Changes in Cognitive Function and in the Levels of Glycosylated Haemoglobin (HbA1c) in Older Women with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Subjected to a Cardiorespiratory Exercise Programme

The authors wish to thank the participants in the study.Ageing and diabetes are recognised as important risk factors for the development of cognitive deterioration. The aim was to analyse the effects of a walking-based training programme on cognitive deterioration and glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) in older women with type 2 diabetes. This was a six-month experimental and longitudinal study with an experimental group (EG) (n = 57) and a control group (CG) (n = 52). All participants were diabetic with hypoglycaemic treatment. EG carried out a walking-based training program. After the training, we evaluated the diabetic state (HbA1c), cognitive functioning with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2max) and body mass index (BMI). Results: EG obtained better results than CG in all the analysed variables. EG showed a significant improvement in the levels of HbA1c (−4.5%; p < 0.001), VO2max (+5.9%; p < 0.001) and BMI (−5.4%; p < 0.001); it also obtained increases in the scores of cognitive functioning, which were statistically significant in all dimensions, except for calculation (p = 0.384) and language (p = 0.168). Conclusion: The aerobic treatment produced significant improvements in the diabetic state and cognitive functioning in older women with type 2 diabetes

Effects of cardiorespiratory exercise on cognition in older women exposed to air pollution

The aim was to analyze the effects of cardiorespiratory exercise and air pollution on cognition and cardiovascular markers in four groups of older women: the active/clean air group (AC), the active/polluted air group (AP), the sedentary/clean air group (SC), and the sedentary/polluted air group (SP). Active groups performed a training task based on progressive walking. Prior to and after the experiment, the following parameters were assessed: cognition, by Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE); maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max), estimated by the Six-Minute Walk Test (6mWT); heart rate (HR); and oxygen saturation (SpO2). There were significant differences (p < 0.05) between the AC and the SP in all the MMSE dimensions except “Registration”, and in all the physiological variables (VO2max, SpO2, HR). Aerobic exercise may be a protective factor against the effects that pollution have on cognition and on the mechanisms of oxygen transport

MicroRNA-322 (miR-322) and its target protein Tob2 modulate Osterix (Osx) mRNA stability

Osteogenesis depends on a coordinated network of signals and transcription factors such as Runx2 and Osterix. Recent evidence indicates that microRNAs (miRNAs) act as important post-transcriptional regulators in a large number of processes, including osteoblast differentiation. In this study, we performed miRNA expression profiling and identified miR-322, a BMP-2-down-regulated miRNA, as a regulator of osteoblast differentiation. We report miR-322 gain- and loss-of-function experiments in C2C12 and MC3T3-E1 cells and primary cultures of murine bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells. We demonstrate that overexpression of miR-322 enhances BMP-2 response, increasing the expression of Osx and other osteogenic genes. Furthermore, we identify Tob2 as a target of miR-322, and we characterize the specific Tob2 3′-UTR sequence bound by miR-322 by reporter assays. We demonstrate that Tob2 is a negative regulator of osteogenesis that binds and mediates degradation of Osx mRNA. Our results demonstrate a new molecular mechanism controlling osteogenesis through the specific miR-322/Tob2 regulation of specific target mRNAs. This regulatory circuit provides a clear example of a complex miRNA-transcription factor network for fine-tuning the osteoblast differentiation program

p38 MAPK signaling in osteoblast differentiation

The skeleton is a highly dynamic tissue whose structure relies on the balance between bone deposition and resorption. This equilibrium, which depends on osteoblast and osteoclast functions, is controlled by multiple factors that can be modulated post-translationally. Some of the modulators are Mitogen-activated kinases (MAPKs), whose role has been studied in vivo and in vitro. p38-MAPK modifies the transactivation ability of some key transcription factors in chondrocytes, osteoblasts and osteoclasts, which affects their differentiation and function. Several commercially available inhibitors have helped to determine p38 action on these processes. Although it is frequently mentioned in the literature, this chemical approach is not always as accurate as it should be. Conditional knockouts are a useful genetic tool that could unravel the role of p38 in shaping the skeleton. In this review, we will summarize the state of the art on p38 activity during osteoblast differentiation and function, and emphasize the triggers of this MAPK