Movement exploitation and elimination for radar imaging and detection

The relative movement between the radar and the observed targets and background is primarily used by radars to isolate and detect moving targets by Doppler filtering techniques. Movement is also used for imaging targets (radar holography, ISAR) : these techniques take advantage of the movement to analyse the scene, and correct it to allow a correct imaging of the target (focusing) . Radar platform movement is also used for cartogaphy (synthetic aperture) and fast moving targets detection, or canceled for slow targets detection . This article is a survey of methods allowing exploitation, correction, or cancellation of movement in radar, especially for movin g targets imaging and slow moving targets detection with airborne radars . In a first part, radar imaging using radar holography is reviewed an applied to Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar (ISAR), and a n original technique for automatic focusing is presented . In a second part, after a summary of spectral properties of clutter echoes in airborne radars, ground imaging techniques with fas t and slow moving targets detection are examined, and an original automatic calibration technique on ground echoes is describe d for a receiver with two or more channels . These techniques, relying on a precise analysis and correction of the phase of the received signals, are under evaluation o r implementation on radar demonstrators .Le mouvement relatif entre le porteur radar et le paysage ou les cibles qu'il observe est d'abord utilisé classiquement en radar pour séparer et détecter les cibles mobiles par les techniques de filtrage Doppler. Hormis cet emploi, le mouvement est également utilisé - ou éliminé - en radar pour faire une image de la cible (holographie radar, ISAR) : ces procédés permettent à la fois une utilisation du mouvement pour analyser la scène, et une correction ou régularisation du mouvement pour permettre une imagerie correcte (focalisation). Le mouvement du porteur est également utilisé pour réaliser une cartographie du paysage (antenne synthétique) et détecter les cibles rapides, ou éliminé, pour permettre la détection des cibles lentes. Cet article effectue un survol des méthodes permettant d'exploiter, de corriger, ou d'éliminer le mouvement en radar, en particulier pour l'imagerie de cibles en mouvement et la détection des cibles lentes par radar aéroporté. Dans une première partie, les principes d'imagerie par holographie radar sont d'abord rappelés, puis appliqués à l'imagerie par « radar à antenne synthétique inverse » (Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar, ISAR), et une procédure originale de focalisation automatique en ISAR est exposée. Dans une deuxième partie, après avoir rappelé les particularités spectrales des échos de fouillis vus par un radar aéroporté, on examine les techniques permettant de réaliser une imagerie du terrain en détectant les cibles rapides ou lentes, et on décrit une procédure originale de calibration automatique sur l'image du terrain pour un récepteur comprenant deux ou plusieurs voies de réception. Ces techniques, reposant sur une analyse fine et une correction de la phase des signaux reçus, sont actuellement en cours d'implantation sur des démonstrateurs radar. Radar, imagerie, holographie, antenne synthétique, détection, calibration, fouillis, clutter, traitement spatio-temporel, Formation de Faisceaux par le Calcul (FFC)

Influence of facial feedback and mind perception during a cooperative human-robot task in schizophrenia

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Springer Nature via the DOI in this record.Rapid progress in the area of humanoid robots offers tremendous possibilities for investigating and improving social competences in people with social deficits, but remains yet unexplored in schizophrenia. In this study, we examined the influence of social feedbacks elicited by a humanoid robot on motor coordination during a human-robot interaction. Twenty-two schizophrenia patients and twenty-two matched healthy controls underwent a collaborative motor synchrony task with the iCub humanoid robot. Results revealed that positive social feedback had a facilitatory effect on motor coordination in the control participants compared to non-social positive feedback. This facilitatory effect was not present in schizophrenia patients, whose social-motor coordination was similarly impaired in social and non-social feedback conditions. Furthermore, patients’ cognitive flexibility impairment and antipsychotic dosing were negatively correlated with patients’ ability to synchronize hand movements with iCub. Overall, our findings reveal that patients have marked difficulties to exploit facial social cues elicited by a humanoid robot to modulate their motor coordination during human-robot interaction, partly accounted for by cognitive deficits and medication. This study opens new perspectives for comprehension of social deficits in this mental disorder.This experiment was supported by a grant from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Program (FP7 ICT 2011 Call 9) under grant agreement n FP7-ICT-600610 ALTEREGO

Integrating isotopes and documentary evidence : dietary patterns in a late medieval and early modern mining community, Sweden

We would like to thank the Archaeological Research Laboratory, Stockholm University, Sweden and the Tandem Laboratory (Ångström Laboratory), Uppsala University, Sweden, for undertaking the analyses of stable nitrogen and carbon isotopes in both human and animal collagen samples. Also, thanks to Elin Ahlin Sundman for providing the δ13C and δ15N values for animal references from Västerås. This research (Bäckström’s PhD employment at Lund University, Sweden) was supported by the Berit Wallenberg Foundation (BWS 2010.0176) and Jakob and Johan Söderberg’s foundation. The ‘Sala project’ (excavations and analyses) has been funded by Riksens Clenodium, Jernkontoret, Birgit and Gad Rausing’s Foundation, SAU’s Research Foundation, the Royal Physiographic Society of Lund, Berit Wallenbergs Foundation, Åke Wibergs Foundation, Lars Hiertas Memory, Helge Ax:son Johnson’s Foundation and The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The anti-invasive activity of synthetic alkaloid ethoxyfagaronine on L1210 leukemia cells is mediated by down-regulation of plasminogen activators and MT1-MMP expression and activity

Quaternary benzo[c]phenanthridines such as fagaronine are natural substances which have been reported to exhibit anticancer and anti-leukemic properties. However, the therapeutic use of these molecules is limited due to the high dose required to exhibit anti-tumor activity and subsequent toxicity. In this study, we describe the therapeutic potential of a new derivative of fagaronine, Ethoxyfagaronine (N-methyl-12-ethoxy-2hydroxy-3, 8, 9-trimethoxybenzo[c]-phenanthridiniumchlorhydrate) as an anti-leukemic agent. Cytotoxic activity and cell growth inhibition of Ethoxyfagaronine (Etxfag) was tested on murine L1210 leukemia cells using trypan blue assay and MTT assay. At the concentration of 10−7 M, Etxfag induced less than 10% of cell death. Etxfag (10−7 M) was tested on L1210 cell invasiveness using matrigel™ precoated transwell chambers and efficiently reduces the invasive potential of L1210 cells by more than 50% as compared with untreated cells. Western blot and immunofluorescence experiments showed that Etxfag decreased both MT1-MMP expression and activation at the cell surface, decreased plasmin activity by down-regulating u-PAR and uPA expression at the cell surface and increasing PAI-1 secretion in conditioned media. The set of our findings underscore the therapeutic potential of ethoxyfagaronine as a new potential anticancer agent able to prevent leukemic cell dissemination

Effects of Facial Emotions on Social-motor Coordination in Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia patients are known to be impaired in their ability to process social information and to engage in social interactions. To understand better social cognition in schizophrenia, we investigate the links between these impairments. In this paper, we focus primarily on the influence of social feedback, such as facial emotions, on motor coordination during joint action. To investigate and quantify this influence, we exploited systematically-controlled social and nonsocial feedback provided by a humanoid robot. Humanoid robotics technology offers interactive designs and can precisely control the properties of the feedback provided during the interaction. In this work, a joint-action task with a robot is performed to investigate how social cognition is affected by cognitive capabilities and symptomatology. Results show that positive social feedback has a facilitatory effect on social-motor coordination in the control participants compared to nonsocial positive feedback. This facilitation effect is not present in schizophrenia patients, whose social-motor coordination is similar in social and nonsocial feedback conditions. This result is strongly correlated with performances in the Trail Making Test (TMT), which highlights the link between cognitive deficits and social-motor coordination in schizophrenia

Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Stem Cell Biology

Leukemia progression and relapse is fueled by leukemia stem cells (LSC) that are resistant to current treatments. In the progression of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), blast crisis progenitors are capable of adopting more primitive but deregulated stem cell features with acquired resistance to targeted therapies. This in turn promotes LSC behavior characterized by aberrant self-renewal, differentiation, and survival capacity. Multiple reports suggest that cell cycle alterations, activation of critical signaling pathways, aberrant microenvironmental cues from the hematopoietic niche, and aberrant epigenetic events and deregulation of RNA processing may facilitate the enhanced survival and malignant transformation of CML progenitors. Here we review the molecular evolution of CML LSC that promotes CML progression and relapse. Recent advances in these areas have identified novel targets that represent important avenues for future therapeutic approaches aimed at selectively eradicating the LSC population while sparing normal hematopoietic progenitors in patients suffering from chronic myeloid malignancies

Overexpression of the Rieske FeS protein of the Cytochrome b 6 f complex increases C4 photosynthesis in Setaria viridis.

C4 photosynthesis is characterised by a CO2 concentrating mechanism that operates between mesophyll and bundle sheath cells increasing CO2 partial pressure at the site of Rubisco and photosynthetic efficiency. Electron transport chains in both cell types supply ATP and NADPH for C4 photosynthesis. Cytochrome b 6 f is a key control point of electron transport in C3 plants. To study whether C4 photosynthesis is limited by electron transport we constitutively overexpressed the Rieske FeS subunit in Setaria viridis. This resulted in a higher Cytochrome b 6 f content in mesophyll and bundle sheath cells without marked changes in the abundances of other photosynthetic proteins. Rieske overexpression plants showed better light conversion efficiency in both Photosystems and could generate higher proton-motive force across the thylakoid membrane underpinning an increase in CO2 assimilation rate at ambient and saturating CO2 and high light. Our results demonstrate that removing electron transport limitations can increase C4 photosynthesis

Development of an artificial nose integrating NEMS and biological olfactory receptors

Development of an artificial nose integrating NEMS and biological olfactory receptor