http://bioinformatics.clemson.edu/Publication/Supplement/gsp.htm.

Aesthetics, in the world of art and photography, refers to the principles of the nature and appreciation of beauty. Judging beauty and other aesthetic qualities of photographs is a highly subjective task. Hence, there is no unanimously agreed standard for measuring aesthetic value. In spite of the lack of firm rules, certain features in photographic images are believed, by many, to please humans more than certain others. In this paper, we treat the challenge of automatically inferring aesthetic quality of pictures using their visual content as a machine learning problem, with a peer-rated online photo sharing Website as data source. We extract certain visual features based on the intuition that they can discriminate between aesthetically pleasing and displeasing images. Automated classifiers are built using support vector machines and classification trees. Linear regression on polynomial terms of the features is also applied to infer numerical aesthetics ratings. The work attempts to explore the relationship between emotions which pictures arouse in people, and their low-level content. Potential applications include content-based image retrieval and digital photography.

AbstractÐThe need for efficient content-based image retrieval has increased tremendously in many application areas such as biomedicine, military, commerce, education, and Web image classification and searching. We present here SIMPLIcity (Semanticssensitive Integrated Matching for Picture LIbraries), an image retrieval system, which uses semantics classification methods, a wavelet-based approach for feature extraction, and integrated region matching based upon image segmentation. As in other regionbased retrieval systems, an image is represented by a set of regions, roughly corresponding to objects, which are characterized by color, texture, shape, and location. The system classifies images into semantic categories, such as textured-nontextured, graphphotograph. Potentially, the categorization enhances retrieval by permitting semantically-adaptive searching methods and narrowing down the searching range in a database. A measure for the overall similarity between images is developed using a region-matching scheme that integrates properties of all the regions in the images. Compared with retrieval based on individual regions, the overall similarity approach 1) reduces the adverse effect of inaccurate segmentation, 2) helps to clarify the semantics of a particular region, and 3) enables a simple querying interface for region-based image retrieval systems. The application of SIMPLIcity to several databases, including a database of about 200,000 general-purpose images, has demonstrated that our system performs significantly better and faster than existing ones. The system is fairly robust to image alterations.

The high frequency of activating RAS or BRAF mutations in cancer provides strong rationale for targeting the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. Selective BRAF and MAP-ERK kinase (MEK) inhibitors have shown clinical effi cacy in patients with melanoma. However, the majority of responses are transient, and resistance is often associated with pathway reactivation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathway. Here, we describe the identifi cation and characterization of SCH772984, a novel and selective inhibitor of ERK1/2 that displays behaviors of both type I and type II kinase inhibitors. SCH772984 has nanomolar cellular potency in tumor cells with mutations in BRAF , NRAS , or KRAS and induces tumor regressions in xenograft models at tolerated doses. Importantly, SCH772984 effectively inhibited MAPK signaling and cell proliferation in BRAF or MEK inhibitor-resistant models as well as in tumor cells resistant to concurrent treatment with BRAF and MEK inhibitors. These data support the clinical development of ERK inhibitors for tumors refractory to MAPK inhibitors. SIGNIFICANCE: BRAF and MEK inhibitors have activity in MAPK-dependent cancers with BRAF or RAS mutations. However, resistance is associated with pathway alterations resulting in phospho-ERK reactivation. Here, we describe a novel ERK1/2 kinase inhibitor that has antitumor activity in MAPK inhibitor-naïve and MAPK inhibitor-resistant cells containing BRAF or RAS mutations. Cancer Discov; 3(7); 742-50.

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AbstractÐThe need for efficient content-based image retrieval has increased tremendously in many application areas such as biomedicine, military, commerce, education, and Web image classification and searching. We present here SIMPLIcity (Semanticssensitive Integrated Matching for Picture LIbraries), an image retrieval system, which uses semantics classification methods, a wavelet-based approach for feature extraction, and integrated region matching based upon image segmentation. As in other regionbased retrieval systems, an image is represented by a set of regions, roughly corresponding to objects, which are characterized by color, texture, shape, and location. The system classifies images into semantic categories, such as textured-nontextured, graphphotograph. Potentially, the categorization enhances retrieval by permitting semantically-adaptive searching methods and narrowing down the searching range in a database. A measure for the overall similarity between images is developed using a region-matching scheme that integrates properties of all the regions in the images. Compared with retrieval based on individual regions, the overall similarity approach 1) reduces the adverse effect of inaccurate segmentation, 2) helps to clarify the semantics of a particular region, and 3) enables a simple querying interface for region-based image retrieval systems. The application of SIMPLIcity to several databases, including a database of about 200,000 general-purpose images, has demonstrated that our system performs significantly better and faster than existing ones. The system is fairly robust to image alterations.

Summary Cockayne syndrome (CS) is an accelerated aging disorder characterized by progressive neurodegeneration caused by mutations in the genes encoding the DNA repair proteins CSA or CSB. Csbm/m mice were given a high fat, caloric restricted or resveratrol supplemented diet. The high fat diet rescued the phenotype of Csbm/m mice at the metabolic, transcriptomic and behavioral levels. Additional analysis suggests that the premature aging seen in CS mice, nematodes and human cells results from aberrant PARP activation due to deficient DNA repair leading to decreased SIRT1 activity and mitochondrial dysfunction. Notably, β-hydroxybutyrate levels are increased by the high fat diet; and β-hydroxybutyrate, PARP inhibition, or NAD+ supplementation can activate SIRT1 and rescue CS-associated phenotypes. Mechanistically, CSB is able to displace activated PARP1 from damaged DNA to limit its activity. This study connects two emerging longevity metabolites, β-hydroxybutyrate and NAD+, through the deacetylase SIRT1 and suggests possible interventions for CS.

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