The Use of Color Vision & Color Communication in Lizards

The reptile genus Anolis is a widespread and diverse group in the Caribbean region of North and South America. Most anoles have a colorful throat flap known as the dewlap, which they likely use for social behavior and communication. Dewlaps vary between anole species in terms of color and thickness (related to brightness). It has been experimentally demonstrated that anoles can detect a stimulus based on chromatic contrast and brightness contrast of the stimulus to the background. Therefore, we hypothesized that anole color diversity in the Puerto Rican anoles evolved to either (1) contrast the habitat background to appear detectable or (2) appear different than other dewlap colors which function for species recognition. We sampled light spectra at display sites for four anole species and gathered dewlap reflectance and transmission data for six dewlap species (seven dewlap colors). We also generated 82 random dewlap colors. We compared the detectability and chromatic contrast to the background for actual dewlaps and random dewlaps, in each environment. The actual Puerto Rican colors were all consistently more similar with each other, than random colors were with the Puerto Rican dewlaps. This observation does not support our species recognition hypothesis. Three of the five dewlaps were more detectable in their home habitat than 50% of the random dewlaps. It is unclear whether dewlaps are evolving towards being more detectable than random based on this small sample

Hunter-Gatherer Color Naming Provides New Insight into the Evolution of Color Terms

SummaryMost people name the myriad colors in the environment using between two and about a dozen color terms [1], with great variation within and between languages [2]. Investigators generally agree that color lexicons evolve from fewer terms to more terms, as technology advances and color communication becomes increasingly important [3]. However, little is understood about the color naming systems at the least technologically advanced end of the continuum. The Hadza people of Tanzania are nomadic hunter-gatherers who live a subsistence lifestyle that was common before the advent of agriculture (see Supplemental Experimental Procedures, section I; [4]), suggesting that the Hadzane language should be at an early stage of color lexicon evolution. When Hadza, Somali, and US informants named 23 color samples, Hadza informants named only the black, white, and red samples with perfect consensus. Otherwise, they used low-consensus terms or responded “don’t know.” However, even low-consensus color terms grouped test colors into lexical categories that aligned with those found in other world languages [5]. Furthermore, information-theoretic analysis showed that color communication efficiency within the Hadza, Somali, and US language communities falls on the same continuum as other world languages. Thus, the structure of color categories is in place in Hadzane, even though words for many of the categories are not in general use. These results suggest that even very simple color lexicons include precursors of many color categories but that these categories are initially represented in a diverse and distributed fashion

Introduction

The particular relationships between communities of color in the United States could very well be the political issue for urban America in the next century, with profound racial, cultural, and economic implications for all Americans. This issue of the Trotter Review focused on various aspects of relations between communities of color. Communication and collaboration between communities of color are vitally important today for the maintenance and expansion of democracy and social justice in the United States. We hope this issue of the Trotter Review will contribute to improving relations between communities of color

A Study on understanding the use of a process color-based color communication systems to print synthetic colors accurately and consistently

The study is intended to provide a better understanding on the use of process color-based color communication systems such as those provided by Focoltone, Trumatch, and Pantone, in order to print synthetic colors as accurately and as consistently as possible. Using Focoltone\u27s system, an investigation was done on the materials and documentation, as provided by the Focoltone kit. The available information, as provided by Focoltone, was supplemented by the author\u27s interpretation of Focoltone\u27s specifications. From the author\u27s understanding of Focoltone specifications, a set of procedures were outlined that would contribute towards the accurate and consistent reproduction of synthetic colors on a press run. The study concludes that the use of standard film dots, as specified by Focoltone, to reproduce the reference colors on the swatchbook, is question able because the dot gain characteristics of press run(s) used to print Focoltone\u27s swatchbooks differ significantly from that of industry average values obtained from FIPP. Moreover, as each production press would exhibit its own dot gain characteristics, the use of a standard film dot in the printing process would not contribute to an accurate reproduction of color. Instead, the study recommends that procedures have to be established that: 1. Enable the conversion of standard film dot area specifications into custom film dot specifications to suit the particular press run\u27s dot gain characteristics. This procedure requires the availability of the plate/press curve of the printing process used to print the swatchbook, and that of the production press, as established in a fingerprint press run. 2. Ensure that the graphic reproduction process, from film to plate to press, is implemented in standardized conditions and manner, and that process control of SID be established, so that deviations from desired SID and dot gain are minimized. This way, the synthetic colors, using process color-based color communication systems, can be as printed as accurately, with reference to the reference color swatches, and as consistently throughout the press run

Evolutionary ecology of opsin gene sequence, expression and repertoire.

Linking molecular evolution to biological function is a long-standing challenge in evolutionary biology. Some of the best examples of this involve opsins, the genes that encode the molecular basis of light reception. In this issue of Molecular Ecology, three studies examine opsin gene sequence, expression and repertoire to determine how natural selection has shaped the visual system. First, Escobar-Camacho et al. () use opsin repertoire and expression in three Amazonian cichlid species to show that a shift in sensitivity towards longer wavelengths is coincident with the long-wavelength-dominated Amazon basin. Second, Stieb et al. () explore opsin sequence and expression in reef-dwelling damselfish and find that UV- and long-wavelength vision are both important, but likely for different ecological functions. Lastly, Suvorov et al. () study an expansive opsin repertoire in the insect order Odonata and find evidence that copy number expansion is consistent with the permanent heterozygote model of gene duplication. Together these studies emphasize the utility of opsin genes for studying both the local adaptation of sensory systems and, more generally, gene family evolution

Informal Color Communication on Newly Decorated Interiors of the University North

The fact is that the energy of each tone of colors has emotional and psychological features, which is used as a tool in informal communication with the aim of long-term memory. Despite the importance of color experience in spaces, only a few studies were conducted on the topic. The aim of this paper was to explore the influence of color experience on the premises of the University North, University Center Varaždin. This paper explores and analyzes experience and satisfaction with warm and cold colors, measures the students’ degree of noticing certain colors in space, i.e. associating certain colors on the University’s ground floor or the first floor to a product or company. Furthermore, this paper examines the evironmental color impact of lecture halls that are painted white, blue, brown or a reddish color. In the design of the University North premises, the emphasis was put on the act of entering into main lecture halls, where wall colors had to match the colors of the University logo. Since the University logo has only two color tones; it is predominantly red, and therefore, when painting the entrance spaces, the emphasis was put on the color white, which, psychologically, makes a space seem bigger and brighter. The last question in the questionnaire was on the color that remained in the long-term memory, and the largest number of respondents opted for the color red. The survey was conducted on 315 students from the University North. Statistical data processing was performed using descriptive statistics. The study has proved that the red tone, although present in a small amount, confirms an affiliation to the University when it comes to informal communication

Pasta-making properties of the new durum wheat variety biensur suitable for the northern mediterranean environment

Industrial pasta is commonly made from mixtures of semolina from different durum wheat varieties, and there is a very low market presence of mono-varietal pasta from local, short supply chains. In this work, dough rheological properties and pasta quality traits of the new durum wheat cv. Biensur, which has a high HMW/LMW-GS ratio, were evaluated with a view to developing short-chain, mono-varietal pasta production in NE Italy. Chemical and sensory analyses on short-cut pasta, viz. tubetti, made with semolina from cv. Biensur at two drying temperatures revealed that it has good technological characteristics and stability, excellent cooking and sensory properties, and is comparable to the high-quality commercial reference cv. Aureo. We conclude that Biensur provides farmers and traders with new market opportunities and offers improvements to the environmental and economic sustainability of the durum wheat chain

Recognizing emotional state of user based on learning method and conceptual memories

With the increased use of computers, electronic devices and human interaction with computer in the broad spectrum of human life, the role of controlling emotions and increasing positive emotional states becomes more prominent. If a user's negative emotions increase, his/her efficiency will decrease greatly as well. Research has shown that colors are to be considered as one of the most influential basic functions in sight, identification, interpretation, perception and senses. It can be said that colors have impact on individuals' emotional states and can change them. In this paper, by learning the reactions of users with different personality types against each color, communication between the user's emotional states and personality and colors were modeled for the variable "emotional control". For the sake of learning, we used a memory-based system with the user’s interface color changing in accordance with the positive and negative experiences of users with different personalities. The end result of comparison of the testing methods demonstrated the superiority of memory-based learning in all three parameters of emotional control, enhancement of positive emotional states and reduction of negative emotional states. Moreover, the accuracy of memory- based learning method was almost 70 percent