Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Estimation of projection matrices from a sparse set of feature points for 3D tree reconstruction from multiple images

3D reconstruction of trees is an important task for tree analysis but the most affordable approach to capture real objects is with a camera. Although, there already exist methods for 3D reconstruction of trees from multiple photographs, they mostly handle only self-standing trees captured at narrow angles. In fact, dense feature detection and matching is in most cases only the first step of the reconstruction and requires a large set of features and high similarity between individual pictures. However, capturing trees in the orchard is in most cases possible only at wider angles between the individual pictures and with overlapping branches from other trees, which prevents reliable feature matching. We introduce a new approach for estimating projection matrices to produce 3D point clouds of trees from multiple photographs. By manually relating a smaller number of points on images to reference objects, we substitute the missing dense set of features. We assign to each image a projection matrix and minimize the projection error between the images and reference objects using simulated annealing. Thereby, we produce correct projection matrices for further steps in 3D reconstruction. Our approach is tested on a simple application for 3D reconstruction of trees to produce a 3D point cloud. We analyze convergence rates of the optimization and show that the proposed approach can produce feasible projection matrices from a sufficiently large set of feature points. In the future, this approach will be a part of a complete system for tree reconstruction and analysis.
The Economics of Artificial Intelligence

With so many perspectives on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) flooding the business press, it’s becoming increasingly rare to find one that’s truly original. So when strategy professor Ajay Agrawal shared his brilliantly simple view on AI, we stood up and took notice. Agrawal, who teaches at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management and works with AI start-ups at the Creative Destruction Lab (which he founded), posits that AI serves a single, but potentially transformative, economic purpose: it significantly lowers the cost of prediction.
Gene Expression Analysis of Macrophages Derived from Ankylosing Spondylitis Patients Reveals Interferon- γ Dysregulation

Objective— To determine whether macrophages, a cell type implicated in the pathogenesis of ankylosing spondylitis (AS), exhibit a characteristic gene expression pattern. Methods— Macrophages were derived from the peripheral blood of 8 AS patients (median disease duration 13 yrs, range 1-43 yrs) and 9 healthy controls over 7 days with GM-CSF. Cells were stimulated with IFN- γ (100 U/ml) for 24 hours, or left untreated, or treated with LPS (10 ng/ml) for 3 hours. RNA was isolated and analyzed by microarray and real time PCR. Results— Microarray analysis revealed 198 probe sets detecting differential expression of 141 unique genes in untreated macrophages from AS subjects compared to healthy controls. Clustering and Principle Components Analysis clearly distinguished AS patients and controls. Seventy-eight (55%) of the differentially expressed genes are IFN-regulated, and their relative expression indicates a ‘reverse’ IFN signature in AS patient macrophages, where IFN- γ -upregulated genes are underexpressed and downregulated genes are overexpressed. Treatment of macrophages with exogenous IFN- γ normalized expression of these genes between patients and controls. In addition, the mRNA encoded by the IFN- γ gene was ∼ 2-fold lower in AS patient macrophages at baseline (p=0.004), and was poorly responsive to LPS (p=0.018) compared to healthy controls. Conclusions— This study reveals consistent gene expression differences in macrophages from AS subjects, with evidence for a striking ‘reverse’ IFN signature. Together with poor expression and responsiveness of the IFN- γ gene, these results suggest there may be a relative defect in IFN- γ gene regulation with autocrine consequences, and implications for disease pathogenesis.
Cell Cycle-dependent Nuclear Localization of Yeast RNase III Is Required for Efﬁcient Cell Division □ V

Members of the double-stranded RNA-speciﬁc ribonuclease III (RNase III) family were shown to affect cell division and chromosome segregation, presumably through an RNA interference-dependent mechanism. Here, we show that in Saccharomyces cerevisiae , where the RNA interference machinery is not conserved, an orthologue of RNase III (Rnt1p) is required for progression of the cell cycle and nuclear division. The deletion of Rnt1p delayed cells in both G1 and G2/M phases of the cell cycle. Nuclear division and positioning at the bud neck were also impaired in (cid:1) rnt1 cells. The cell cycle defects were restored by the expression of catalytically inactive Rnt1p, indicating that RNA cleavage is not essential for cell cycle progression. Rnt1p was found to exit from the nucleolus to the nucleoplasm in the G2/M phase, and perturbation of its localization pattern delayed the progression of cell division. A single mutation in the Rnt1p N-terminal domain prevented its accumulation in the nucleoplasm and slowed exit from mitosis without any detectable effects on RNA processing. Together, the data reveal a new role for a class II RNase III in the cell cycle and suggest that at least some members of the RNase III family possess catalysis-independent functions.
Rapamycin promotes β -amyloid production via ADAM-10 inhibition

Rapamycin is a well known immunosuppressant drug for rejection prevention in organ transplantation. Numerous clinical trials using rapamycin analogs, involving both children and adults with various disorders are currently ongoing worldwide. Most recently, rapamycin gained much attention for what appears to be life-span extending properties when administered to mice. The risk for Alzheimer disease (AD) is strongly and positively correlated with advancing age and is characterized by deposition of β -amyloid peptides (A β ) as senile plaques in the brain. We report that rapamycin (2.5 μ M), significantly increases A β generation in murine neuron-like cells (N2a) transfected with the human “Swedish” mutant amyloid precursor protein (APP). In concert with these observations, we found rapamycin significantly decreases the neuroprotective amino-terminal APP (amyloid precursor protein) cleavage product, soluble APP- α (sAPP- α ) while increasing production of the β -carboxyl-terminal fragment of APP ( β -CTF). These cleavage events are associated with decreased activation of a disintegrin and metallopeptidase domain-10 (ADAM-10), an important candidate α -secretase which opposes A β generation. To validate these findings in vivo , we intraperitoneal (i.p.) injected Tg2576 A β -overproducing transgenic mice with rapamycin (3 mg/kg/day) for 2 weeks. We found increased A β levels associated with decreased sAPP- α at an average rapamycin plasma concentration of 169.7 ± 23.5 ng/mL by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). These data suggest that although rapamycin may increase the lifespan in some mouse models, it may not decrease the risk for age-associated neurodegenerative disorders such as AD.
Switched-Capacitor-Based High Boost DC-DC Converter

A non-isolated high boost DC-DC converter topology based on a switched-capacitor (SC) structure is introduced in this paper. By controlling the duty cycle in each period, the voltage gain of the converter is adjusted. The main features of the proposed SC converter are the continuous input current, achieving high voltage gain with low voltage and current stress on the power components, no use of a high-frequency transformer, and easy to increase the voltage by adding the SC cell. To correct the operating analysis, a 200-W output power prototype was built with the input voltage in the range of [25 V, 50 V] and the output voltage of 200 V. The proposed inverter reaches a maximum efficiency of 93% at the input voltage of 25 V and the output power of 150 W. The simulation and experimental verifications match the analysis.
Amino acid sequence of the a subunit and computer modelling of the a and b subunits of echicetin from the venom of Echis carinatus (saw-scaled viper)

Echicetin, a heterodimeric protein from the venom of Echis carinatus , binds to platelet glycoprotein Ib (GPIb) and so inhibits platelet aggregation or agglutination induced by various platelet agonists acting via GPIb. The amino acid sequence of the b subunit of echicetin has been reported and found to belong to the recently identiﬁed snake venom subclass of the C-type lectin protein family. Echicetin a and b subunits were puriﬁed. N-terminal sequence analysis provided direct evidence that the protein puriﬁed was echicetin. The paper presents the complete INTRODUCTION
STRONTIUM8" AND CALCIUM45 METABOLISM IN MAN 1'i2

Preliminary reports were recently published from this laboratory on the metabolism of intravenously administered radiostrontium and on the effect of calcium upon strontium excretion in man (1, 2). The absorption, the digestive juice excretion and tissue retention have been studied following the oral and intravenous administration of Sr85. Furthermore, the metabolism of orally administered radiostrontium has been compared with that of radiocalcium in the same patients (3, 4). These data form the basis of this communication.
Predictions of residual carrying-capacities for fire and near-field blast-damaged reactive powder concrete-filled steel tube columns

An approximate approach is developed to estimate the residual carrying-capacities of fire and near-field blast-damaged reactive powder concrete-filled steel tube columns. The single-degree-of-freedom model is employed to calculate the initial deflections of fire-damaged reactive powder concrete-filled steel tube columns subjected to axial and blast-induced transverse loads, and then a modified formula including double coefficient is further proposed to predict the ultimate resistance. Then, a series of blast-resistance and load carrying-capacity tests on six large-scale reactive powder concrete-filled steel tube columns are conducted to validate the suitability of theoretical method presented in this article. Blast tests demonstrate that the blast-resistances of reactive powder concrete-filled steel tube columns are more sensitive to fire durations than to scale distances. In addition, it is indicated that ISO-834 standard fire exposures cause significant degradations of material properties and have remarkable effects on the residual carrying-capacities of reactive powder concrete-filled steel tube columns. No local bucking and burst could be observed in the residual carrying-capacity tests; also, there are no visible hinge-like deformations in the mid-span area, and the excellent fire-resistances and blast-resistances of reactive powder concrete-filled steel tube columns are experimentally verified. Analytical results show that the predicted axial load capacities of six reactive powder concrete-filled steel tube columns are in good agreement with experimental data. All damage indices of the test specimens are within 0.8, meaning only minor to severe damage is done to the reactive powder concrete-filled steel tube column during fire and blast attacks, which is consistent with the test results.
Optimized Modeling and Control Strategy of the Single-Phase Photovoltaic Grid-Connected Cascaded H-bridge Multilevel Inverter

This paper presents the modeling and control-loop design method with an inverted decoupling scheme of a single-phase photovoltaic grid-connected five-level cascaded H-bridge multilevel inverter. For the unity power factor, the proportional and integral current controller with a duty ratio feed-forward compensation is used. In addition, in order to achieve the maximum power point tracking of each photovoltaic array, when the stacked modules are in the partial shading condition, each direct current (DC) voltage is stably controlled to their maximum power points (MPP) by dedicated voltage controllers of each H-bridge module. This paper also presents a control method that minimizes the effect of the loop-interaction in the design of an individual DC-link voltage control loop in a two-input two-output system. The proposed control methods of the cascaded H-bridge multilevel inverter are validated through the simulation and experimental results of the 2-kW prototype hardware.
Differential response of the human 6-16 and 9-27 genes to a and ey interferons

9-27 mRNA is expressed to a high level in response to both a and y interferons. In contrast, 6-16 mRNA is expressed well in response to a but very poorly in response to ey interferon in human cells. The factors governing these different levels of expression were investigated. For both genes the major effect of both interferons is on transcription. A transcriptional bias in the 6-16 promoter/enhancer accounts in large part for the differential response of 6-16 to the two interferons. No single DNA element appears responsible; the smaller the 5' region analysed the lower the absolute activity and the smaller the differential response to a and ey interferons observed. Both the 6-16 and 9-27 mRNAs are very stable and no effect of the interferons on stability was detected. Nor was any direct evidence obtained for preferential processing of the 9-27 mRNA. Nevertheless, differentials between the transcription and accumulation of mature mRNAs, particularly for 6-16 mRNA in response to e interferon, suggest that post-transcriptional control(s) must additionally operate. The 9-27 5' promoter/enhancer is much less active than that from 6-16 when placed 5' of a marker gene, despite the similar response of the two genes to a interferon.
Chronic binge alcohol consumption does not diminish effectiveness of continuous antiretroviral suppression of viral load in SIV-infected macaques

Background— Alcohol use disorders (AUD) are a frequent comorbidity in a large percentage of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). PLWHA with comorbid AUDs are consistently found to perform poorly at most levels of the HIV treatment cascade, resulting in a higher likelihood of virologic non-suppression. This has been partly attributed to lower rates of persistence with and adherence to antiretroviral therapies (ART). Focus groups of in-care PLWHA identify the need to suspend ART on drinking days because of the potential for toxicity and/or lack of therapeutic effectiveness. The aim of this study was to examine whether chronic binge alcohol (CBA) consumption decreases the effectiveness of uninterrupted ART, specifically that of nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI) tenofovir and emtricitabine in suppressing viral replication, or results in drug toxicity in simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infected rhesus macaques. Methods— Daily CBA or isocaloric sucrose (SUC) administration was initiated three months prior to intrarectal SIV mac251 inoculation and continued throughout the study period. ART was initiated 2.5 months after SIV infection and continued through the study period. Results— CBA administration did not prevent or delay the ART-mediated reduction in viral load. Following ART, circulating levels of total protein and creatinine were significantly higher than baseline values in both sucrose- and alcohol-treated animals, but still within a normal range. No evidence of ART toxicity was observed in either CBA- or SUC-administered macaques. Conclusions— These findings indicate that CBA does not attenuate effectiveness of NRTI suppression of viral load, nor does it appear to interact with NRTI to produce toxicity during the initial 2 months of treatment. We conclude that while efforts to reduce AUD in PLWHA should be a priority, and that counseling on the importance of adherence to ART even on drinking days should also be promoted. nutrition and no co-existing comorbid conditions) results in effective viral suppression in SIV-infected macaques. In summary, our study provides strong support for interventions aimed at either preventing or abuse in PLWHA. Furthermore, they provide support for continued counseling on relevance of continued ART therapy in individuals with These evidence-based findings will be used to promote adherence to ART in-care HIV+ patients.
Redox Regulation of EGFR Signaling Through Cysteine Oxidation 1

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exemplifies the family of receptor tyrosine kinases that mediate numerous cellular processes including growth, proliferation and differentiation. Moreover, gene amplification and EGFR mutations have been identified in a number of human malignancies, making this receptor an important target for the development of anticancer drugs. In addition to ligand-dependent activation and concomitant tyrosine phosphorylation, EGFR stimulation results in the localized generation of H 2 O 2 by NADPH-dependent oxidases. In turn, H 2 O 2 functions as a secondary messenger to regulate intracellular signaling cascades, largely through the modification of specific cysteine residues within redox-sensitive protein targets, including Cys797 in the EGFR active site. In this review, we highlight recent advances in our understanding of the mechanisms that underlie redox regulation of EGFR signaling and how these discoveries may form the basis for development of new therapeutic strategies to target this and other H 2 O 2 -modulated pathways. activation to EGF-induced H 2 O 2 production. Subsequently, we address the effects of redox modulation on two major pathways downstream of EGFR, Ras/MAPK and PI3K/Akt. Additionally, we discuss the interplay between H 2 O 2 -mediated inactivation of protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) and kinase activation on net cellular levels of tyrosine (Tyr) phosphorylation. Key enzymes involved in the generation and metabolism of H 2 O 2 within EGFR signaling pathways will also be covered. Finally, we focus on recent examples from the literature demonstrating direct oxidation and regulation of EGFR by H 2 O 2 and how these discoveries may form the basis for development of new therapeutic strategies to target this and other H 2 O 2 -modulated pathways.
Cuckoo Search approach enhanced with genetic replacement of abandoned nests applied to optimal allocation of distributed generation units

Here, it is presented a novel Cuckoo Search (CS) algorithm called Cuckoo-GRN (Cuckoo Search with Genetically Replaced Nests), which combines the benefits of genetic algorithm (GA) into the CS algorithm. The proposed method handles the abandoned nests from CS more efficiently by genetically replacing them, significantly improving the performance of the algorithm by establishing optimal balance between diversification and intensification. The algorithm is used for the optimal location and size of distributed generation units in a distribution system, in order to minimise active power losses while improving system voltage stability and voltage profile. The allocation of single and multiple distribution generation units is considered. The proposed algorithm is extensively tested in mathematical benchmark functions as well as in the 33-bus and 119-bus distribution systems. Simulation results show that Cuckoo-GRN can lead to a substantial performance improvement over the original CS algorithm and others techniques currently known in literature, regarding not only the convergence but also the solution accuracy.
Elliot and Symmetric Elliot Extreme Learning Machines for Gaussian Noisy Industrial Thermal Modelling

This research proposes an Elliot-based Extreme Learning Machine approach for industrial thermal processes regression. The main contribution of this paper is to propose an Extreme Learning Machine model with Elliot and Symmetric Elliot activation functions that will look for the fittest number of neurons in the hidden layer. The methodological proposal is tested on an industrial thermal drying process. The thermal drying process is relevant in many industrial processes such as the food industry, biofuels production, detergents and dyes in powder production, pharmaceutical industry, reprography applications, textile industries and others. The methodological proposal of this paper outperforms the following techniques: Linear Regression, k-Nearest Neighbours regression, Regression Trees, Random Forest and Support Vector Regression. In addition, all the experiments have been benchmarked using four error measurements (MAE, MSE, MEADE, R 2 ).
Hybrid Image- and Blood-Sampling (HIBS) Input Function for Quantification of microPET Data

We describe and validate a hybrid image- and blood-sampling (HIBS) method to derive the input function for quantification of microPET mice data. The HIBS algorithm derives the peak of the input function from the image, which is corrected for recovery, while the tail is derived from 5-6 optimally placed blood sampling points. A Bezier interpolation algorithm is used to link the rightmost image peak data point to the leftmost blood sampling point. To assess the performance of HIBS, 4 mice underwent 60-minute microPET imaging sessions following a 0.40-0.50mCi bolus administration of 18 FDG. In total, twenty-one blood samples (bsPTAC) were obtained throughout the imaging session to compare against the proposed HIBS method. MicroPET images were reconstructed using filtered back projection (FBP) with a zoom of 2.75 on the heart. Volumetric regions of interest (VROI) were composed by drawing circular ROIs 3-pixels in diameter on 3-4 transverse planes of the left ventricle. Performance was characterized by kinetic simulations in terms of bias in parameter estimates when bsPTAC and HIBS are used as input functions. The peak of the bsPTAC curve was distorted in comparison to the HIBS-derived curve due to temporal limitations and delay in blood sampling which affected the rates of bidirectional exchange between plasma and tissue. The results highlight limitations in using bsPTAC. The HIBS method, however, yields consistent results and thus is a substitute for bsPTAC.
GENERATION OF GIGAPIXEL ORTHOPHOTO FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF
COMPLEX BUILDINGS. CHALLENGES AND LESSON LEARNT

Abstract. This study is part of the “Milan Cathedral Survey project”. It is a three years long research project with the aim of surveying the entire cathedral in 3D with different techniques (mainly photogrammetry and laser scanning). The goal is to renew the architectonic drawings (sections elevations and plans) to obtain new updated and certificated measurements of the cathedral, as requested by Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo, and to produce the basis on which to build a future 3D BIM (Building Information Model) system implementation. In this paper, we would like to examine in depth the survey process of the exterior elevations of the cathedral carried out using photogrammetry as the main survey technique for orthophotos production. The case studies here presented have the goal of underlying challenges, discussing decisions and approaches, describing the followed pipeline and of defining a standard method that can be followed to produce gigapixel orthophotos of complex cultural heritages.
Computing Myocardial Motion in 4D Echocardiography

4D (3D spatial+time) echocardiography is gaining widespread acceptance at clinical institutions for its high temporal resolution and relatively low cost. We describe a novel method for computing dense 3D myocardial motion with high accuracy. The method is based on a classical variational optical flow technique, but exploits modern developments in optical flow research to utilize the full capabilities of 4D echocardiography. Using a variety of metrics, we present an in-depth performance evaluation of the method on synthetic, phantom, and intraoperative 4D Transesophageal Echocardiographic (TEE) data. When compared with state-of-the-art optical flow and speckle tracking techniques currently found in 4D echocardiography, the method we present shows notable improvements in error. We believe the performance improvements shown can have a positive impact when the method is used as input for various applications, such as strain computation, biomechanical modeling, or automated diagnostics.