Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Image, Video and 3D Data Registration: Medical, Satellite and Video Processing Applications with Quality Metrics

Data registration refers to a series of techniques for matching or bringing similar objects or datasets together into alignment. These techniques enjoy widespread use in a diverse variety of applications, such as video coding, tracking, object and face detection and recognition, surveillance and satellite imaging, medical image analysis and structure from motion. Registration methods are as numerous as their manifold uses, from pixel level and block or feature based methods to Fourier domain methods. This book is focused on providing algorithms and image and video techniques for registration and quality performance metrics. The authors provide various assessment metrics for measuring registration quality alongside analyses of registration techniques, introducing and explaining both familiar and state-of-the-art registration methodologies used in a variety of targeted applications.Key features: Provides a state-of-the-art review of image and video registration techniques, allowing readers to develop an understanding of how well the techniques perform by using specific quality assessment criteria Addresses a range of applications from familiar image and video processing domains to satellite and medical imaging among others, enabling readers to discover novel methodologies with utility in their own research Discusses quality evaluation metrics for each application domain with an interdisciplinary approach from different research perspectives
Arabic Stemmer for Search Engines Information Retrieval

Arabic language is very different and difficult structure than other languages, that’s because it is a very rich language with complex morphology. Many stemmers have been developed for Arabic language but still there are many weakness and problems. There is still lack of usage of Arabic stemming in search engines. This paper introduces a rooted word Arabic stemmer technique. The results of the introduced technique for six Arabic sentences are used in famous search engines Google Chrome, Internet Explore and Mozilla Firefox to check the effect of using Arabic stemming in these search engines in terms of the total number of searched pages and the search time ratio for actual sentences and their stemming results. The results show that Arabic words stemming increase and accelerate the search engines output.
RFID For Indoor Localization Application Based On Neural Network

With indoor location systems becoming popular in recent years, multiple methods have been proposed in this area. Radio frequency identification as a fast-growing technology is considered a viable solution to be applied to indoor location problems. In this paper, we aim to test the feasibility of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology based on received signal strength value for indoor location by conducting a pilot experiment. The neural network is used to estimate the position of an object attached to a passive RFID tag. Results show acceptable precision and demonstrate that passive RFID is cost effective and feasible for indoor location sensing.
Why liquid energy results in overconsumption

Liquids have been shown to have a low satiating efficiency. The may be related to the high rate of consumption for liquids which may be higher than 200 g/min. In a number of studies, we showed that the positive relationship between eating rate and energy intake is mediated by oro-sensory exposure time. Longer sensory exposure times are consistently associated with lower food intakes. This observation maybe linked to the role of cephalic phase responses to foods. Cephalic phase responses are a set of physiological responses, which are conceived to prepare the digestive system for the incoming flow of nutrients after ingestion, with the aim of maintaining homeostasis. Results from various studies suggest that cephalic phase responses are much smaller (absent) for liquids compared to solids. It is hypothesised that the absence of cephalic phase responses to liquid foods may be one of the causes why liquid energies enter the body undetected and lead to weak energy intake compensation. This idea fits with the concept of the taste system as a nutrient-sensing system that informs the brain and the gastro-intestinal system about what is coming into our body. With liquids, this system is bypassed. Slower eating may help the human body to associate the sensory signals from food with their metabolic consequences. Foods that are eaten quickly may impair this association, and may therefore lead to overconsumption of energy, and ultimately to weight gain.
Leptographium piriforme sp. nov., from a taxonomically diverse collection of arthropods collected in an aspen-dominated forest in western Canada

During a survey of fungi associated with arthropods collected in a southern boreal mixed-wood forest in Alberta we obtained 29 isolates of a unique species of Leptographium. This species displayed a distinct combination of characteristics, including curved conidia on short-stipitate conidiophores, a secondary micronematous conidial state, stalked pear-shaped cells and an optimal growth rate at 35 C, and is described as Leptographium piriforme sp. nov. The isolates were most similar morphologically to L. crassivaginatum, but ITS sequence comparisons indicate that our isolates cannot be assigned to this or any other sequenced species in the genus. Initial observations on the pear-shaped cells in feeding experiments with Sancassania berlesei show that these structures may act as a nutritional incentive for visiting arthropods. Most arthropods carrying this new species were caught in traps baited with dung which, in light of its optimum growth temperature, suggests a coprophilous phase in the life cycle of this species. Additional isolates from woody species typical of the survey area might clarify whether Leptographium piriforme in its forest habitat occurs as a plant pathogen or saprobe.
Estimation of short-chain fatty acid production from protein by human intestinal bacteria based on branched-chain fatty acid measurements

The importance of protein breakdown and amino acid fermentation in the overall economy of the large intestine has not been quantitated. We have therefore measured the production of branched chain-fatty acids (BCFA) both in vitro and in vivo in order to estimate the contribution of protein to fermentation. In vitro batch-culture studies using human faecal inocula showed that short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) were the principal end products formed during the degradation of protein by human colonic bacteria. Approximately 30% of the protein broken down was converted to SCFA. Branched-chain fatty acids (BCFA) constituted 16% of the SCFA produced from bovine serum albumin and 21% of the SCFA generated when casein was the substrate. BCFA concentrations in gut contents taken from the human proximal and distal colons were on average, 4.6 and 6.3 mmol kg−1 respectively, corresponding to 3.4% and 7.5% of the total SCFA. These results suggest that protein fermentation could potentially account for about 17% of the SCFA found in the caecum, and 38% of the SCFA produced in the sigmoid/rectum. Measurements of BCFA in portal and arterial blood taken from individuals undergoing emergency surgery indicated that net production of BCFA by the gut microflora was in the region of 11.1 mmol day−1, which would require the breakdown of about 12 g of protein. These data highlight the role of protein in the colon and may explain why many colonic diseases affect mainly the distal bowel.
Maladie d’Alzheimer, peptide β-amyloïde et synapses

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the first cause of dementia that leads to insidious and progressive loss of memory and cognitive functions. In the early stages of AD, there is a strong correlation between memory impairment and cortical levels of soluble amyloid-β peptide oligomers (Aβ). It has become clear that Aβ disrupt glutamatergic synaptic function, which in turn may lead to the characteristic cognitive deficits. Conversely, experiments in rodents have conforted the notion that Aβo impairs synaptic transmission and plasticity, and that mouse models with increased production of these oligomers display cognitive impairment. Many studies have attempted to determine the mechanisms by which Aβo disrupt synaptic plasticity and mediate their detrimental effect, but the actual pathways are still poorly understood. Here we review this thriving area of research which aims at understanding the mechanisms of synaptic dysfunction in the early phase of AD, and its consequences on the activity of neural circuits.
Interactions of Wheat Variety, Production Environments, and Prior Insect Damage on Postharvest Resistance to the Lesser Grain Borer

Abstract Wheat, Triticum aestivum L. , varietal resistance to the lesser grain borer, Rhyzopertha dominica (F), was evaluated in hard spring wheat produced in 2001 and 2002 (Bozeman, Moccasin, and Huntley, MT). We tested the hypothesis that seed coat factors, not the endosperm, cause feeding resistance to R. dominica and that this resistance is genetic, not affected by agronomic conditions. Using a rapid, intensive feeding bioassay (frass production), we found, with one exception, no significant difference in resistance to R. dominica, among sound kernels of hard red wheat, comparing all locations and cultural conditions (irrigated versus dryland production). The most significantly resistant samples as indicated by lowest feeding activity (measured by lowest frass production) were ‘Amidon’ produced at Moccasin under dryland conditions and Amidon produced at Huntley under irrigated conditions. As with previous studies done in our laboratory, sound kernels of all hard wheat varieties from these new crop year studies (2001, 2002) were attacked. When subsamples of these varieties from the same locations and cultural conditions as the previous test were first subjected to a heavy infestation of Plodia interpunctella (Hübner) and then to the same age adult R. dominica, damage was significantly greater. Each kernel chosen for this test had been equally damaged by P. interpunctella larvae, germ consumed, endosperm not damaged, but fully exposed behind germ, no other damage. This collaborative damage caused feeding damage by R. dominica to increase 2- to 7.5-fold (as measured by R. dominica frass production). Particularly notable was ‘McNeal’ that switched from one of the most resistant varieties to the most fed upon, when the endosperm was exposed by P. interpunctella larvae. Therefore, we confirmed that at least one factor conferring resistance in McNeal is located in the kernel pericarp.
Cancer Immunotherapies: Where We Stand? Where We Will Go?

Another promising cancer immunotherapy field is adoptive cell therapy (ACT). ACT in clinical trials using type I cytotoxic CD8+T (Tc1) cells combined with lymph-depletion, active immunization and high doses IL-2 have resulted in objective responses in large portion of patients with advanced melanoma [2,7]. However, durable complete responses observed in only 5-15% of treated patients, largely due to these Tc1 cells display end-effector and exhausted features and have a short lifespan after ACT [8]. Immunologists are now working on identification and generation of novel T cells subsets [9-12], which possess enhanced persistence, appropriate homing, and acquisition of cytolytic effector function in vivo. We also believe that better understanding of the mechanisms of T helper cell-provided help to CD8+ T cell will substantially contribute to the optimal antitumor effect of ACT [13-15].
Expression of high levels of the extracellular matrix glycoprotein, tenascin‐C, in the normal adult hypothalamoneurohypophysial system

Glia and neurons of the hypothalamoneurohypophysial system (HNS) undergo reversible morphological changes, which are concomitant with the remodelling of afferents onto the neurons, under different conditions of neurohormone secretion. Here, we show that the adult rat HNS contains high levels of tenascin‐C (TN‐C), which is an extracellular matrix glycoprotein whose expression is usually associated with neuronal‐glial interactions in the developing and lesioned central nervous system (CNS). By using light and electron microscopic immunocytochemical procedures, we visualized TN‐C immunoreactivity in the hypothalamic supraoptic (SON) and paraventricular nuclei, where somata of the neurons are localized; in the median eminence, where their axons transit; and in the neurohypophysis, where they terminate. Hypothalamic areas adjacent to the magnocellular nuclei were devoid of immunoreactivity. Electron microscopy of the neurohypophysis showed immunolabelling of perivascular spaces, glial (pituicyte) and axonal surfaces, a type of labelling that also characterized the median eminence. In the hypothalamic nuclei, there was labelling of extracellular spaces and astrocytic surfaces. In normal animals, we detected no cytoplasmic reaction in glia somata, neurons, or endothelial cells. However, in animals treated with the intracellular transport blocker colchicine, there was intracytoplasmic labelling of all HNS glial cells, indicating a glial source for TN‐C. Immunoblot analysis revealed TN‐C isoforms of apparent high molecular weight (225, 240, and 260 kD) in the SON and median eminence, whereas lower MW forms (190/200 kD) predominated in the neurohypophysis. By using immunocytochemistry and immunoblot analysis, we found no visible differences in TN‐C expression in relation to age, sex, or differing neurohypophysial secretion, which suggests that the expression of TN‐C is a permanent feature of the HNS. J. Comp. Neurol. 379:386–398, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Response of newly hatched chicks to inanition

Newly hatched chicks were kept for up to 48 hours without food and water and compared with a control group of chicks given access to food and water within six hours of hatching. The deprived chicks progressively lost body water and developed increases in plasma total protein concentration consistent with a decrease in plasma volume. They demonstrated a stronger motivation to drink and drank more when offered water, suggesting that they had become dehydrated. There was evidence, however, that normally access to food was necessary to initiate drinking. The deprived chicks continued to rely on fat metabolism to supply their energy needs whereas the fed birds showed rapid reductions in circulating levels of beta-hydroxybutyrate and increases in plasma glucose and liver glycogen concentrations, indicating a change to carbohydrate-orientated energy metabolism. The deprived chicks lost weight at an average of 0.14 g/hour and weighed 16.5 g less than the fed chicks after 48 hours.
Cognitive Interventions in Older Persons: Do They Change the Functioning of the Brain?

Background. Cognitive interventions for older persons that may diminish the burden of cognitive problems and could delay conversion to dementia are of great importance. The underlying mechanisms of such interventions might be psychological compensation and neuronal plasticity. This review provides an overview of the literature concerning the evidence that cognitive interventions cause brain activation changes, even in damaged neural systems. Method. A systematic search of the literature was conducted in several international databases, Medline, Embase, Cinahl, Cochrane, and Psychinfo. The methodological quality was assessed according to the guidelines of the Dutch Institute for Health Care Improvement (CBO). Results. Nineteen relevant articles were included with varied methodological quality. All studies were conducted in diverse populations from healthy elderly to patients with dementia and show changes in brain activation after intervention. Conclusions. The results thus far show that cognitive interventions cause changes in brain activation patterns. The exact interpretation of these neurobiological changes remains unclear. More study is needed to understand the extent to which cognitive interventions are effective to delay conversion to dementia. Future studies should more explicitly try to relate clinically significant improvement to changes in brain activation. Long-term follow-up data are necessary to evaluate the stability of the effects.
Character segmentation techniques for handwritten text-a survey

The paper is a survey of techniques for segmenting images of handwritten text into individual characters. The topic is broken into two categories: segmentation and segmentation-recognition techniques. Several approaches to each are outlined, and each is analyzed for its relevance to printed, cursive, on-line and off-line input data. <<ETX>>
No trade‐off between sprinting and climbing in two populations of the Lizard Podarcis hispanica (Reptilia: Lacertidae).

Abstract Biomechanical reflections suggest that lizards that have specialized in running should differ in parts of their morphological design from lizards that have specialized in climbing. Moreover, adaptation in one direction may conflict with performance in the other. We tested this assumed trade-off by measuring climbing and running performance in two subspecies of the Mediterranean lizard Podarcis hispanica . One subspecies, P. h. atrata , inhabits a number of small islets near the Spanish coast. It is mainly ground dwelling. The other subspecies, P. h. hispanica , was sampled on the mainland of Spain. It frequently occupies vertical elements within its habitat. Our data do not support the notion of a trade-off between both types of locomotion. Individuals of P. h. hispanica both run and climb faster than those of P. h. atrata . There is no difference between subspecies in ability to cling onto tilted substrates. Predictions on the morphology of both subspecies, inspired by biomechanical arguments, are not supported by our measurements.
A simulation study of packet access protocols for microcellular systems

The paper presents a simulation study of reservation random access (RRA) protocols for microcellular systems. The considered protocols are based on collision resolution techniques. Previous analytical evaluations show that these techniques represent a suitable solution for handling mixed traffic, consisting of speech and data, because they allow one to decouple the speech access procedure from the data access one. In the previous analytical works, a single cell scenario has been considered, assuming a radio channel with capture and errors. We present a simulation study that validates the analytical model, and extends the study to cellular scenarios. Different reuse factors are considered. The simulation includes the reservation traffic that affects the performance noticeably. The study presented is restricted to speech users only. The results of the simulation study about in-slot, decoupling RRA protocols in a cellular system with Rayleigh fading and shadowing are included.
p67 isoform of mouse disabled 2 protein acts as a transcriptional activator during the differentiation of F9 cells

The mouse disabled 2 (mDab2) gene is a mouse homologue of the Drosophila disabled gene and is alternatively spliced to form two isoforms, p96 and p67. Although p96 has been known to regulate the Ras-Sos G-protein signal transduction pathway by interacting with Grb2, little is known about the biological function of p67. Recent studies have shown that the expression of mDab2 is markedly up-regulated during the retinoic acid (RA)-induced differentiation of F9 cells, suggesting another role for mDab2 in cell differentiation [Cho, Lee and Park (1999) Mol. Cells 9, 179-184). In the present study, we first elucidated the biological function of p67 isoform of mDab2 and identified its binding partner. Unlike p96, p67 largely resides in RA-treated F9 cell nuclei. In this system, p67 interacts with mouse androgen-receptor interacting protein 3, termed the mDab2 interacting protein, which acts as a transcriptional co-regulator. By using a fusion protein with a heterologous DNA-binding domain (GAL4), we showed that p67 had an intrinsic transcriptional activation function. These results suggest that mDab2 p67 may function as a transcriptional co-factor for certain complexes of transcriptional regulatory elements involved in the RA-induced differentiation of F9 cells.
Defining new SNARE functions: the i-SNARE

SNAREs (N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor adaptor protein receptors) have been often seen to have a dishomogeneous distribution on membranes and are apparently present in excess of the amount required to assure correct vesicle traffic. It was also shown in few cases that SNARE on the target membrane (t-SNARE) with a fusogenic role, can become non-fusogenic when overexpressed. When SNAREs concentration is inversely proportional to the expected fusogenic activity, they can be reasonably defined as “inhibitory” or “interfering” (i-SNAREs). In fact i-SNAREs have been proposed to form a new functional class of SNAREs. In this manuscript I discuss data obtained in various eukaryotic models that leave open different possibilities for the action mechanism of the i-SNAREs in plants.
Aeruginoguanidines 98-A—98-C: Cytotoxic Unusual Peptides from the Cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa.

Abstract Aeruginoguanidines 98-A–98-C ( 1–3 ) were isolated from the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa (NIES-98). The structures of aeruginoguanidines 98-A–98-C ( 1–3 ) were determined by two-dimensional 1H–1H and 1H–13C NMR correlation experiments and confirmed by mass spectral analysis. The absolute stereochemistry of 1 , consisting of Hphpa trisulfate (1-(4-hydroxy-3-hydroxymethyl)phenyl-1-hydroxy-2-propylamine 4′,3′,1-tri-O-sulfate), MpArg (Nα-methyl-Nω-prenylarginine) and MgArg ((Z)-Nα-methyl-Nω-geranylarginine), was determined by the NMR analyses of phenylglycine methyl ester (PGME) or Boc phenylglycine (BPG) derivatives of acid hydrolysates. These compounds showed moderate cytotoxicity against the P388 murine leukemia cells.
'Tense' marking on Malagasy obliques and the syntax of telic events

In Malagasy, PPs and other obliques may be prefixed with the morpheme t-. When the oblique denotes a location, instrument, etc., t- marks past tense, but when it denotes a goal, t- marks completion of the event. In this paper, I present a syntactic account of this apparently dual function in terms of scope: Goal PPs are VP-internal complements, and are thus in the scope of Aspect, which selects VP, whereas locative and instrumental PPs are external to VP, outside the scope of Aspect but within the scope of Tense.
Glucosinolate Derivatives in Stored Fermented Cabbage

The research focused on the glucosinolate (GLS) breakdown products formed during the fermentation of cabbage. A relationship between the contents of degradation products in fermented cabbage and native GLS in raw cabbage was investigated. The effect of fermented cabbage storage on the contents of individual compounds was also assayed. Ascorbigen formed from one of the degradation products of glucobrassicin (indole GLS) was found to be a dominating compound in fermented cabbage. Irrespective of the time of fermented cabbage storage, the content of ascorbigen reached approximately 14 micromol/100 g. Neither the content of isothiocyanates, the major degradation products of aliphatic GLS, nor that of cyanides exceeded 2.5 microM. Storage of cabbage caused periodical increases and decreases in the contents of cyanides and consequent declines in the contents of isothiocyanates. The highest relative contents (expressed as a percentage of the native GLS content) of degradation products--ranging from >70 to 96%--were reported for the products of glucoraphanin degradation, whereas the lowest-- <5% --were reported for the products of sinigrin degradation.