Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Of Learning Visual Representations Robust to Invariances for Image Classification and Retrieval. (De l'apprentissage de représentations visuelles robustes aux invariances pour la classification et la recherche d'images)

This dissertation focuses on designing image recognition systems which are robust to geometric variability. Image understanding is a difficult problem, as images are two-dimensional projections of 3D objects, and representations that must fall into the same category, for instance objects of the same class in classification can display significant differences. Our goal is to make systems robust to the right amount of deformations, this amount being automatically determined from data. Our contributions are twofolds. We show how to use virtual examples to enforce robustness in image classification systems and we propose a framework to learn robust low-level descriptors for image retrieval. We first focus on virtual examples, as transformation of real ones. One image generates a set of descriptors –one for each transformation– and we show that data augmentation, ie considering them all as iid samples, is the best performing method to use them, provided a voting stage with the transformed descriptors is conducted at test time. Because transformations have various levels of information, can be redundant, and can even be harmful to performance, we propose a new algorithm able to select a set of transformations, while maximizing classification accuracy. We show that a small amount of transformations is enough to considerably improve performance for this task. We also show how virtual examples can replace real ones for a reduced annotation cost. We report good performance on standard fine-grained classification datasets. In a second part, we aim at improving the local region descriptors used in image retrieval and in particular to propose an alternative to the popular SIFT descriptor. We propose new convolutional descriptors, called patch-CKN, which are learned without supervision. We introduce a linked patch- and image-retrieval dataset based on structure from motion of web-crawled images, and design a method to accurately test the performance of local descriptors at patch and image levels. Our approach outperforms both SIFT and all tested approaches with convolutional architectures on our patch and image benchmarks, as well as several styate-of-theart datasets.
Nitric Oxide Suppresses β-Cell Apoptosis by Inhibiting the DNA Damage Response

ABSTRACT Nitric oxide, produced in pancreatic β cells in response to proinflammatory cytokines, plays a dual role in the regulation of β-cell fate. While nitric oxide induces cellular damage and impairs β-cell function, it also promotes β-cell survival through activation of protective pathways that promote β-cell recovery. In this study, we identify a novel mechanism in which nitric oxide prevents β-cell apoptosis by attenuating the DNA damage response (DDR). Nitric oxide suppresses activation of the DDR (as measured by γH2AX formation and the phosphorylation of KAP1 and p53) in response to multiple genotoxic agents, including camptothecin, H2O2, and nitric oxide itself, despite the presence of DNA damage. While camptothecin and H2O2 both induce DDR activation, nitric oxide suppresses only camptothecin-induced apoptosis and not H2O2-induced necrosis. The ability of nitric oxide to suppress the DDR appears to be selective for pancreatic β cells, as nitric oxide fails to inhibit DDR signaling in macrophages, hepatocytes, and fibroblasts, three additional cell types examined. While originally described as the damaging agent responsible for cytokine-induced β-cell death, these studies identify a novel role for nitric oxide as a protective molecule that promotes β-cell survival by suppressing DDR signaling and attenuating DNA damage-induced apoptosis.
The complete mitochondrial genome of the blackspotted croaker Protonibea diacanthus (Perciformes, Sciaenidae)

Abstract We present the complete mitochondrial genome of Protonibea diacanthus in this study. The mitochondrial genome is 16,535 bp in length, containing 13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes and a control region. All of them are encoded on the heavy strand except ND6 and 8 tRNA genes on the light strand. The nucleotide compositions of the light strand are 31.09% of G, 27.54% of T, 25.34% of A and 16.03% of C. All the protein-coding genes start with ATG initiation codon except ATP6 with GTG, and 5 types of inferred termination codons are AGA (COXI and COXII), T (ND3, ND4, Cytb), TA (ND2, COXIII and ATP6), TAA (ND1, ATP8 and ND4L) and TAG (DN5 and ND6). There are 14 intergenic spacers and 7 gene overlaps. The tandem repeat sequence is observed in 12S-rRNA, 16S-rRNA, tRNATrp, tRNAAla, COXIII, ND4L and ND4 genes. Gene arrangement and distribution are consistent with the typical vertebrates.
The CA 125 Gene: A Newly Discovered Extension of the Glycosylated N-Terminal Domain Doubles the Size of This Extracellular Superstructure

CA 125 is a well-established marker for patients diagnosed with ovarian carcinoma. It is clearly elaborated in serous cystadenocarcinomas and less likely to be expressed in mucinous tumors. It has been 20 years since CA 125 was first recognized and it is only in recent years (the past 2) that some progress has been made toward cloning the gene, providing the basis for an understanding of the functional role of this molecule in embryonic development and neoplastic transformation. It is now clear that CA 125 is a large glycoprotein which is anchored to the epithelium by a transmembrane domain and is released into the extracellular space by enzymatic cleavage. Here, we describe a further major extension to the glycosylated extracellular amino terminal domain of this molecule. These additional data in association with our previous understanding of this molecule will provide the basis for our ability to understand the physiologic function of this molecule in biologic development and pathologic transformation.
Ongoing Horizontal and Vertical Transmission of Virulence Genes and papA Alleles among Escherichia coliBlood Isolates from Patients with Diverse-Source Bacteremia

ABSTRACT The phylogenetic distributions of multiple putative virulence factors (VFs) and papA (P fimbrial structural subunit) alleles among 182 Escherichia coli blood isolates from patients with diverse-source bacteremia were defined. Phylogenetic correspondence among these strains, the E. coliReference (ECOR) collection, and other collections of extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC) was assessed. Although among the 182 bacteremia isolates phylogenetic group B2 predominated, exhibited the greatest concentration of individual VFs, and contained the largest number of familiar virulent clones, other phylogenetic groups exhibited greater concentrations of certain VFs than did group B2 and included several additional virulent clones. Certain of the newly detected VF genes, e.g., fyuA(yersiniabactin; 76%) and focG (F1C fimbriae; 25%), were as prevalent or more prevalent than their more familiar traditional counterparts, e.g., iut (aerobactin; 57%) and sfaS (S fimbriae; 14%), thus possibly offering additional useful targets for preventive interventions. Considerable diversity of VF profiles was observed at every level within the phylogenetic tree, including even within individual lineages. This suggested that many different pathways can lead to extraintestinal virulence in E. coli and that the evolution of ExPEC, which involves extensive horizontal transmission of VFs and continuous remodeling of pathogenicity-associated islands, is a highly active, ongoing process.
Detection in Quad-Frequency Mode : Galileo ’ s Contribution to an Efficient Approach under High Ionospheric Activity CLGE Students ’ Contest 2014-2015 Galileo

Cycle slips detection has always been a key issue in phase measurements accuracy, thus impacting positioning precision. Since Galileo is the first constellation to offer four carrier frequencies available in Open Service, we were able to develop an innovative detection algorithm, especially promising in harsh environment like high ionospheric activity. This improves previous dual and triple-frequency methods, whose efficiency was somehow limited in tricky situations, like ionospheric events or particular configurations. In our algorithm, two types of testing quantities were used: triple-frequency Simsky combination and dual-frequency Geometry-Free combination, each one being associated to a suitable detection algorithm. Simsky combination allows to detect almost every configuration, except for cycle slips of the same magnitude, appearing simultaneously on all carriers. Geometry-Free combination is only used to detect this particular case, since it suffers from quick variation of ionospheric delay. Together through the choice of the most efficient combination alternatives they enable the detection of any cycle slips configuration. This is now made possible thanks to the availability of data from Galileo’s four carriers. The quad-frequency algorithm has been tested on Galileo observations from both GMSD (Japan) and NKLG (Gabon) stations. On the first ones, cycle slips were artificially inserted in order to simulate particular cases and test algorithm robustness. NKLG raw data were used to assess algorithm behaviour for cases met in the equatorial area. Enhanced with a suitable cycle slip correction method and a real-time feature, our algorithm could directly be integrated into the software receiver, enabling the supply of continuous and corrected data to the user. In conclusion, this first quad-frequency cycle slips detection algorithm is obviously a step forward and every Galileo user will indeed be able to benefit from a highly better-quality positioning. With regard to precise positioning, this is yet another step reinforcing Galileo’s competitivity against other dual or triple-frequency GNSS.
Complexity of the Relationships of Pain, Posttraumatic Stress, and Depression in Combat‐Injured Populations: An Integrative Review to Inform Evidence‐Based Practice

BACKGROUND Understanding the complex interrelationships between combat injuries, physical health, and mental health symptoms is critical to addressing the healthcare needs of wounded military personnel and veterans. The relationship between injury characteristics, pain, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and depression among combat-injured military personnel is unique to modern conflicts and understudied in the nursing literature. AIM This integrative review synthesizes clinical presentations and relationships of combat injury, PTSD, depression, and pain in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) United States military service members and veterans. METHODS A literature search was conducted using relative key terms across databases to identify peer-reviewed publications between 2001 and 2016 that examined health outcomes of combat-injured persons in OEF and OIF. The quality of evidence was evaluated and results synthesized to examine the association of combat injury as a risk factor for PTSD, the relationship of PTSD and depression pre- and postinjury, and pain management throughout care. RESULTS Twenty-two articles were included in this review. Greater injury and pain severity poses risks for developing PTSD following combat injury, while early symptom management lessens risks for PTSD. Depression appears to be both a contributing risk factor to postinjury PTSD, as well as a comorbidity. LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION Findings demonstrate a compelling need for improvements in standardized assessment of pain and mental health symptoms across transitions in care. This integrative review informs nurse researchers and providers of the clinical characteristics of pain, PTSD, and depression following combat injury and offers implications for future research promoting optimal surveillance of symptoms.
A speculative approach to spatial-temporal efficiency with multi-objective optimization in a heterogeneous cloud environment

A heterogeneous cloud system, for example, a Hadoop 2.6. 0 platform, provides distributed but cohesive services with rich features on large-scale management, reliability, and error tolerance. As big data processing is concerned, newly built cloud clusters meet the challenges of performance optimization focusing on faster task execution and more efficient usage of computing resources. Presently proposed approaches concentrate on temporal improvement, that is, shortening MapReduce time, but seldom focus on storage occupation; however, unbalanced cloud storage strategies could exhaust those nodes with heavy MapReduce cycles and further challenge the security and stability of the entire cluster. In this paper, an adaptive method is presented aiming at spatial-temporal efficiency in a heterogeneous cloud environment. A prediction model based on an optimized Kernel-based Extreme Learning Machine algorithm is proposed for faster forecast of job execution duration and space occupation, which consequently facilitates the process of task scheduling through a multi-objective algorithm called time and space optimized NSGA-II TS-NSGA-II. Experiment results have shown that compared with the original load-balancing scheme, our approach can save approximate 47-55i¾źs averagely on each task execution. Simultaneously, 1. 254i¾ź of differences on hard disk occupation were made among all scheduled reducers, which achieves 26.6% improvement over the original scheme. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effect of media composition on bioavailability and toxicity of silver and silver nanoparticles in fish intestinal cells (RTgutGC)

Abstract To understand conditions affecting bioavailability and toxicity of citrate-coated silver nanoparticles (cit-AgNP) and dissolved silver at the luminal enterocyte interface, we exposed rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) gut cells (RTgutGC) in media of contrasting composition: two amino acid-containing media, one of which was supplemented with proteins, as can be expected during digestion; and two protein and amino acid-free media contrasting low and high chloride content, as can be expected in the lumen of fish adapting to freshwater or seawater, respectively. Dose–response curves were generated measuring cell metabolic activity, membrane and lysosome integrity over a period of 72 hours. Then, nontoxic doses were applied and total silver accumulation, metallothionein and glutathione reductase mRNA levels were determined. The presence of proteins stabilized cit-AgNP keeping them in suspension. Conversely, in protein-free media, cit-AgNP agglomerated and settled, resulting in higher cellular accumulation of silver and toxicity. Chloride concentrations in exposure media modulated the toxicity of AgNO3 but not of cit-AgNP. Moreover, while amino acid-containing media are protective against AgNO3, likely due to the formation of thiolate complexes, they are only partially protective against cit-AgNP. Viability assays indicated that lysosomes are targets of cit-AgNP, supporting the hypothesis that cit-AgNP exert toxicity intracellularly. Metallothionein, a sensor of metal bioavailability, was induced by cit-AgNP in high chloride medium but not in low chloride medium, indicating that chloride might have a role in mobilizing silver from intercellular vesicles. Overall, this study shows that AgNP bioavailability and toxicity in the intestine is linked to its luminal content.
Airplane detection using convolutional neural networks in a coarse-to-fine manner

Airplane detection in remote sensing images is a challenging task due to the diversity of airplanes and the complexity of backgrounds. In this paper, we propose an airplane detection method using convolutional neural networks (CNNs) in a coarse-to-fine manner which simulates the detection manner of image analysts. Our method proposes coarse candidate regions containing multiple airplanes first, then finely detects each airplane in these candidate regions. According to this manner, we design a precise and efficient detection framework which consists of two CNNs with the same structure. One CNN is used to coarsely propose candidate regions, the other is used to finely detect airplanes. Using this method, we can generate fewer candidate regions than the existing literatures and extract discriminative deep features. Experiments on Google Earth images demonstrate that our method is accurate and efficient.
Intraflagellar transporter protein 140 (IFT140), a component of IFT‐A complex, is essential for male fertility and spermiogenesis in mice

Intraflagellar transport (IFT) is a conserved mechanism essential for the assembly and maintenance of most eukaryotic cilia and flagella. However, little is known about its role in sperm flagella formation and male fertility. IFT140 is a component of IFT‐A complex. In mouse, it is highly expressed in the testis. Ift140 gene was inactivated specifically in mouse spermatocytes/spermatids. The mutant mice did not show any gross abnormalities, but all were infertile and associated with significantly reduced sperm number and motility. Multiple sperm morphological abnormalities were discovered, including amorphous heads, short/bent flagella and swollen tail tips, as well as vesicles along the flagella due to spermiogenesis defects. The epididymides contained round bodies of cytoplasm derived from the sloughing of the cytoplasmic lobes and residual bodies. Knockout of Ift140 did not significantly affect testicular expression levels of selective IFT components but localization of IFT27 and IFT88, two components of IFT‐B complex, was changed. Our findings demonstrate that IFT140 is a key regulator for male fertility and normal spermiogenesis in mice. It not only plays a role in sperm flagella assembling, but is also involved in critical assembly of proteins that interface between the germ cell plasma and the Sertoli cell.
2.4/5.2 GHz dual band rectangular microstrip antenna with orthogonal polarization for bluetooth and WLAN applications

This article presents design and evolution of dual band RMSA (rectangular microstrip antenna) with orthogonal polarization. First we have designed a single band RMSA which operates at Bluetooth band then it is modified into a dual band RMSA. The dual band RMSA has return loss ≤ −10 dB from 2.41 GHz to 2.47 GHz (i.e. Bluetooth Band) as well as from 5.05 GHz to 5.45 GHz (i.e. lower WLAN band). It shows orthogonal polarization at these two operating frequency bands. It exhibits horizontal linear polarization at Bluetooth band and vertical linear polarization at WLAN band. The proposed antenna has its radiation pattern in broadside direction. It has acceptable gain and efficiency within operating frequency range. It is designed over a low cost FR4 substrate having relative permittivity equal to 4.4 and height equal to 1.6 mm. It is fed with a microstrip line of 50 Ω. Parametric analysis is carried out on different dimensions of antenna in CAD FEKO simulation software to obtain desired results.
Sn-based waveguide p-i-n photodetector with strained GeSn/Ge multiple-quantum-well active layer.

We report on Sn-based p-i-n waveguide photodetectors (WGPD) with a pseudomorphic GeSn/Ge multiple-quantum-well (MQW) active layer on a Ge-buffered Si substrate. A reduced dark-current density of 59 mA/cm2 was obtained at a reverse bias of 1 V due to the suppressed strain relaxation in the GeSn/Ge active layer. Responsivity experiments revealed an extended photodetection range covering the O, E, S, C, and L telecommunication bands completely due to the bandgap reduction resulting from Sn-alloying. Band structure analysis of the pseudomorphic GeSn/Ge quantum well structures indicated that, despite the stronger quantum confinement, the absorption edge can be shifted to longer wavelengths by increasing the Sn content, thereby enabling efficient photodetection in the infrared region. These results demonstrate the feasibility of using GeSn/Ge MQW planar photodetectors as building blocks of electronic-photonic integrated circuits for telecommunication and optical interconnection applications.
Au-poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid complex nanoparticles as ultrasound contrast agents: Preparation, characterization and in vitro study.

The present study aimed to prepare and characterize an Au-poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) complex, surfaced with gold nanoparticles (GNPs), and to assess its use as an ultrasound contrast agent for in vitro imaging. PLGA nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared by a modified double‑emulsion solvent evaporation method. GNPs were prepared via reduction with sodium citrate. Au‑PLGA complexes were created through the binding of polyethylene glycosylated GNPs to the surface of PLGA NPs. Various physical characteristics of PLGA NPs, GNPs and Au‑PLGA complexes, including morphology, size, dispersion, ζ potential and stability were observed and measured. The study of the in vitro imaging capability of the Au‑PLGA complex was conducted by setting multi‑parameter imaging conditions. The average sizes of PLGA NPs, GNPs and the Au‑PLGA complex were 144.5±30.28, 21.42±1.56 and 359.4±67.94 nm, respectively. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that PLGA NPs and GNPs were spherically shaped, but GNPs had smooth surface while PLGA NPs had a capsular morphology with a wrinkled surface and large voids. The maximum absorption peak of 20 nm GNPs was 508 nm while that of the Au‑PLGA complex was 515 nm on an ultraviolet‑visible absorption spectrum curve. The results of TEM and the redshift spectrum demonstrated that GNPs successfully bound to the surface of the PLGA NPs. The complex demonstrated good stability and its size changed little over time. In vitro imaging experiments revealed that the Au‑PLGA complex had a good imaging ability. The present study demonstrated that the Au‑PLGA complex is a promising novel ultrasound contrast agent.
Ambulatory inhalation therapy in obstructive lung diseases.

The inhalation route is widely used for the treatment of obstructive lung diseases, because administered drugs have a high therapeutic index as they reach their target directly; this requires that they be of adequate size to penetrate the conducting airways, i.e. 2-5 microns. Pressurized inhalers were the first reliable metered-dose devices available, and are still the most frequently used. However, metered-dose inhaler (MDI) suspensions will have to be reformulated: they contain chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), whose production has to be stopped within a few years, as they affect the stratosphere. Another limitation of MDI usage is paradoxical bronchospasm; this phenomenon, however, occurs in a low number of patients and is rarely clinically relevant. The main cause of concern with MDIs is their misuse by more than 50% of patients, which leads to a reduced lung deposition and clinical efficacy. Therefore, other inhalation devices have been developed: spacers, dry-powder inhalers (DPIs), and breath-actuated MDIs have been shown to increase lung deposition of drugs in poor coordinators. However, all have limitations which may have varying consequences on clinical efficacy: cumbersome dimensions of spacers, effect of inspiratory flow rate and humidity on lung deposition of dry powders, need for reformulation with CFC-free gases for breath-actuated pressurized inhalers. Reformulation of MDI aerosols is a complex procedure, which may not be feasible for all drugs. The new products need extensive toxicological and clinical testing, as some of their characteristics may differ from those of their predecessors.