Exploring TanDEM-X Interferometric Products for Crop-Type Mapping

The application of satellite single-pass interferometric data to crop-type mapping is demonstrated for the first time in this work. A set of nine TanDEM-X dual-pol pairs of images acquired during its science phase, from June to August 2015, is exploited for this purpose. An agricultural site located in Sevilla (Spain), composed of fields of 13 different crop species, is employed for validation. Sets of input features formed by polarimetric and interferometric observables are tested for crop classification, including single-pass coherence and repeat-pass coherence formed by consecutive images. The backscattering coefficient at HH and VV channels and the correlation between channels form the set of polarimetric features employed as a reference set upon which the added value of interferometric coherence is evaluated. The inclusion of single-pass coherence as feature improves by 2% the overall accuracy (OA) with respect to the reference case, reaching 92%. More importantly, in single-pol configurations OA increases by 10% for the HH channel and by 8% for the VV channel, reaching 87% and 88%, respectively. Repeat-pass coherence also improves the classification performance, but with final scores slightly worse than with single-pass coherence. However, it improves the individual performance of the backscattering coefficient by 6–7%. Furthermore, in products evaluated at field level the dual-pol repeat-pass coherence features provide the same score as single-pass coherence features (overall accuracy above 94%). Consequently, the contribution of interferometry, both single-pass and repeat-pass, to crop-type mapping is proved.This work was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, the State Agency of Research (AEI) and the European Funds for Regional Development (EFRD) under Project TEC2017-85244-C2-1-P, and by the European Commission, H2020 Programme, under Project MOSES (Managing crOp water Saving with Enterprise Services)

The PAU survey: classifying low-z SEDs using Machine Learning clustering

This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society following peer review. The version of record Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 524.3 (2023): 3569-3581 is available online at: https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article-abstract/524/3/3569/7225529?redirectedFrom=fulltextWe present an application of unsupervised Machine Learning clustering to the PAU survey of galaxy spectral energy distribution (SED) within the COSMOS field. The clustering algorithm is implemented and optimized to get the relevant groups in the data SEDs. We find 12 groups from a total number of 5234 targets in the survey at 0.01 < z < 0.28. Among the groups, 3545 galaxies (68 per cent) show emission lines in the SEDs. These groups also include 1689 old galaxies with no active star formation. We have fitted the SED to every single galaxy in each group with CIGALE. The mass, age, and specific star formation rates (sSFR) of the galaxies range from 0.15 < age/Gyr <11; 6 < log (M/M⊙) <11.26, and -14.67 < log (sSFR/yr-1) <-8. The groups are well-defined in their properties with galaxies having clear emission lines also having lower mass, are younger and have higher sSFR than those with elliptical like patterns. The characteristic values of galaxies showing clear emission lines are in agreement with the literature for starburst galaxies in COSMOS and GOODS-N fields at low redshift. The star-forming main sequence, sSFR versus stellar mass and UVJ diagram show clearly that different groups fall into different regions with some overlap among groups. Our main result is that the joint of low- resolution (R ∼50) photometric spectra provided by the PAU survey together with the unsupervised classification provides an excellent way to classify galaxies. Moreover, it helps to find and extend the analysis of extreme ELGs to lower masses and lower SFRs in the local UniverseThis work has been supported by the Ministry of Science and Innovation of Spain, project PID2019-107408GB-C43 (ESTALLIDOS), and the Government of the Canary Islands through EU FEDER funding, projects PID2020010050 and PID2021010077. This article is based on observations made in the Observatorios de Canarias of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) with the WHT operated on the island of La Palma by the Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes (ING) in the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos. The PAU Survey is partially supported by MINECO under grants CSD2007-00060, AYA2015-71825, ESP2017-89838, PGC2018-094773, PGC2018-102021, PID2019-111317GB, SEV-2016-0588, SEV-2016-0597, MDM-2015-0509 and Juan de la Cierva fellowship and LACEGAL and EWC Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant No 734374 and no.776247 with ERDF funds from the EU Horizon 2020 Programme, some of which include ERDF funds from the European Union. IEEC and IFAE are partially funded by the CERCA and Beatriu de Pinos program of the Generalitat de Catalunya. Funding for PAUS has also been provided by Durham Univer sity (via the ERC StG DEGAS-259586), ETH Zurich, Leiden University (via ERC StG ADULT-279396 and Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) Vici grant 639.043.512), University College London and from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the grant agreement No 776247 EWC. The PAU data center is hosted by the Port d’Información Científica (PIC), maintained through a collaboration of CIEMAT and IFAE, with additional support from Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona and ERDF. We acknowledge the PIC services department team for their support and fruitful discussion

Serum angiopoietin-like 3 levels are elevated in obese non diabetic men but are unaffected during an oral glucose tolerance test

This study aimed to determine ANGPTL3 serum levels in healthy young lean and obese non-diabetic men during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and correlate them with anthropometric, biochemical and hormonal parameters. A case–control study was carried out and 30 young obese non-diabetic (23.90 ± 3.84 years and BMI 37.92 ± 4.85 kg/m2) and 28 age-matched healthy lean (24.56 ± 3.50 years and BMI of 22.10 ± 1.72 kg/m2) men were included in this study. The primary outcome measures were serum basal ANGPTL3 and ANGPTL3–area under the curve (AUC) levels. The percentage of body fat was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and biochemical, hormonal and insulin resistance indices were determined. Basal ANGPTL3 and ANGPTL3–AUC levels were significantly elevated (p < 0.05) in young obese subjects compared with lean subjects and were positively and significantly associated with different anthropometric measurements. Fasting ANGPTL3 serum levels were positively correlated with fasting insulin, leptin, Leptin/Adiponectin index and triglyceride—glucose index. Moreover, ANGPTL3–AUC was negatively correlated with Matsuda index. In this regard, chronically high ANGPTL3 levels in young obese subjects might favor triglyceride-rich lipoprotein clearance to replenish triglyceride stores by white adipose tissue rather than oxidative tissues.Fil: Garcés, Maria Fernanda. Universidad Nacional de Colombia; ColombiaFil: Buell Acosta, Julieth Daniela. Universidad Nacional de Colombia; ColombiaFil: Rodríguez Navarro, Haiver Antonio. Universidad Nacional de Colombia; ColombiaFil: Pulido Sánchez, Estefania. Universidad Nacional de Colombia; ColombiaFil: Rincon Ramírez, Juan José. Universidad Nacional de Colombia; ColombiaFil: Moreno Ordóñez, Diana Carolina. Universidad Nacional de Colombia; ColombiaFil: Franco Vega, Roberto. Universidad Nacional de Colombia; ColombiaFil: Roncancio Muñoz, Jhoan Sebastian. Universidad Nacional de Colombia; ColombiaFil: Burgos Cardenas, Alvaro Javier. Universidad Nacional de Colombia; ColombiaFil: Lacunza, Ezequiel. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Centro de Investigaciones Inmunológicas Básicas y Aplicadas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Castaño, Justo P.. Universidad de Córdoba; EspañaFil: Diéguez, Carlos. Universidad de Santiago de Compostela; EspañaFil: Nogueiras, Rubén. Universidad de Santiago de Compostela; EspañaFil: Sanchez, Elizabeth. Universidad Nacional de Colombia; ColombiaFil: Caminos, Jorge Eduardo. Universidad Nacional de Colombia; Colombi

Maslinic Acid, a Natural Triterpene, Induces a Death Receptor-Mediated Apoptotic Mechanism in Caco-2 p53-Deficient Colon Adenocarcinoma Cells

Maslinic acid (MA) is a natural triterpene present in high concentrations in the waxy skin of olives. We have previously reported that MA induces apoptotic cell death via the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway in HT29 colon cancer cells. Here, we show that MA induces apoptosis in Caco-2 colon cancer cells via the extrinsic apoptotic pathway in a dose-dependent manner. MA triggered a series of effects associated with apoptosis, including the cleavage of caspases -8 and -3, and increased the levels of t-Bid within a few hours of its addition to the culture medium. MA had no effect on the expression of the Bax protein, release of cytochrome-c or on the mitochondrial membrane potential. This suggests that MA triggered the extrinsic apoptotic pathway in this cell type, as opposed to the intrinsic pathway found in the HT29 colon-cancer cell line. Our results suggest that the apoptotic mechanism induced in Caco-2 may be different from that found in HT29 colon-cancer cells, and that in Caco-2 cells MA seems to work independently of p53. Natural antitumoral agents capable of activating both the extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic pathways could be of great use in treating colon-cancer of whatever origin.This study was supported by grants Group BIO 157 from the Technology and Innovation Council of the Andalucian regional government and AGL2006-12210-C03-02/ALI, SAF2005-01627, ISCIII-RTICC (RD06/0020/0046) from the Spanish government and European Union FEDER funds

Calibration and Performance Tests of Detectors for Laser-Accelerated Protons

“©2015 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.”We present the calibration and performance tests carried out with two detectors for intense proton pulses accelerated by lasers. Most of the procedures were realized with proton beams of 0.46-5.60 MeV from a tandem accelerator. One approach made use of radiochromic films, for which we calibrated the relation between optical density and energy deposition over more than three orders of magnitude. The validity of these results and of our analysis algorithms has been confirmed by controlled irradiation of film stacks and reconstruction of the total beam charge for strongly non-uniform beam profiles. For the spectral analysis of protons from repeated laser shots, we have designed an online monitor based on a plastic scintillator. The resulting signal from a photomultiplier directly measured on a fast oscilloscope is especially useful for time-of-flight applications. Variable optical filters allow for suppression of saturation and an extension of the dynamic range. With pulsed proton beams we have tested the detector response to a wide range of beam intensities from single particles 3 x 10(5) to protons per 100 ns time interval.Project funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and co-funded with FEDER's funds within the INNPACTO 2011 program under Grant No. IPT-2011-0862-900000. This work was supported by the Spanish Plan Nacional de Investigacion Cientifica, Desarrollo e Innovacion Tecnologica (I+D+i) under Grant No. TEC 2013-48036-C3-1-R and the Valencian Local Government under Grants PROMETEOII/2013/010 and ISIC 2011/013. The work of A. J. Gonzalez is financed by CSIC with a JAE-Doc contract under Junta de Ampliacion de Estudios program, cofinanced by the European Social Fund.Seimetz, M.; Bellido, P.; Soriano Asensi, A.; García López, J.; Jiménez-Ramos, M.; Fernández, B.; Conde Castellanos, PE.... (2015). Calibration and Performance Tests of Detectors for Laser-Accelerated Protons. IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science. 62(6):3216-3224. https://doi.org/10.1109/TNS.2015.2480682S3216322462

Measurement of the Lifetime Difference Between B_s Mass Eigenstates

We present measurements of the lifetimes and polarization amplitudes for B_s --> J/psi phi and B_d --> J/psi K*0 decays. Lifetimes of the heavy (H) and light (L) mass eigenstates in the B_s system are separately measured for the first time by determining the relative contributions of amplitudes with definite CP as a function of the decay time. Using 203 +/- 15 B_s decays, we obtain tau_L = (1.05 +{0.16}/-{0.13} +/- 0.02) ps and tau_H = (2.07 +{0.58}/-{0.46} +/- 0.03) ps. Expressed in terms of the difference DeltaGamma_s and average Gamma_s, of the decay rates of the two eigenstates, the results are DeltaGamma_s/Gamma_s = (65 +{25}/-{33} +/- 1)%, and DeltaGamma_s = (0.47 +{0.19}/-{0.24} +/- 0.01) inverse ps.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables; as published in Physical Review Letters on 16 March 2005; revisions are for length and typesetting only, no changes in results or conclusion

Serum angiopoietin-like 3 levels are elevated in obese non diabetic men but are unaffected during an oral glucose tolerance test

This study aimed to determine ANGPTL3 serum levels in healthy young lean and obese non-diabetic men during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and correlate them with anthropometric, biochemical and hormonal parameters. A case–control study was carried out and 30 young obese non-diabetic (23.90 ± 3.84 years and BMI 37.92 ± 4.85 kg/m2) and 28 age-matched healthy lean (24.56 ± 3.50 years and BMI of 22.10 ± 1.72 kg/m2) men were included in this study. The primary outcome measures were serum basal ANGPTL3 and ANGPTL3–area under the curve (AUC) levels. The percentage of body fat was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and biochemical, hormonal and insulin resistance indices were determined. Basal ANGPTL3 and ANGPTL3–AUC levels were significantly elevated (p < 0.05) in young obese subjects compared with lean subjects and were positively and significantly associated with different anthropometric measurements. Fasting ANGPTL3 serum levels were positively correlated with fasting insulin, leptin, Leptin/Adiponectin index and triglyceride—glucose index. Moreover, ANGPTL3–AUC was negatively correlated with Matsuda index. In this regard, chronically high ANGPTL3 levels in young obese subjects might favor triglyceride-rich lipoprotein clearance to replenish triglyceride stores by white adipose tissue rather than oxidative tissues.Centro de Investigaciones Inmunológicas Básicas y Aplicada

Contribution of Individual and Environmental Factors to Physical Activity Level among Spanish Adults

BACKGROUND: Lack of physical activity (PA) is a major risk for chronic disease and obesity. The main aims of the present study were to identify individual and environmental factors independently associated with PA and examine the relative contribution of these factors to PA level in Spanish adults. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A population-based cross-sectional sample of 3,000 adults (18-75 years old) from Gran Canaria (Spain) was selected using a multistage stratified random sampling method. The participants were interviewed at home using a validated questionnaire to assess PA as well as individual and environmental factors. The data were analyzed using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression. One demographic variable (education), two cognitive (self-efficacy and perceived barriers), and one social environmental (organized format) were independently associated with PA in both genders. Odds ratios ranged between 1.76-2.07 in men and 1.35-2.50 in women (both p<0.05). Individual and environmental factors explained about one-third of the variance in PA level. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Self-efficacy and perceived barriers were the most significant factors to meet an adequate level of PA. The risk of insufficient PA was twofold greater in men with primary or lesser studies and who are employed. In women, living in rural environments increased the risk of insufficient PA. The promotion of organized PA may be an efficient way to increase the level of PA in the general population. Improvement in the access to sport facilities and places for PA is a prerequisite that may be insufficient and should be combined with strategies to improve self-efficacy and overcome perceived barriers in adulthood

Quantifying Absolute Neutralization Titers against SARS-CoV-2 by a Standardized Virus Neutralization Assay Allows for CrossCohort Comparisons of COVID-19 Sera

The global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has mobilized efforts to develop vaccines and antibody-based therapeutics, including convalescent-phase plasma therapy, that inhibit viral entry by inducing or transferring neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike glycoprotein (CoV2-S). However, rigorous efficacy testing requires extensive screening with live virus under onerous biosafety level 3 (BSL3) conditions, which limits high-throughput screening of patient and vaccine sera. Myriad BSL2-compatible surrogate virus neutralization assays (VNAs) have been developed to overcome this barrier. Yet, there is marked variability between VNAs and how their results are presented, making intergroup comparisons difficult. To address these limitations, we developed a standardized VNA using CoV2-S pseudotyped particles (CoV2pp) based on vesicular stomatitis virus bearing the Renilla luciferase gene in place of its G glyco-protein (VSVDG); this assay can be robustly produced at scale and generate accurate neutralizing titers within 18 h postinfection. Our standardized CoV2pp VNA showed a strong positive correlation with CoV2-S enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) results and live-virus neutralizations in confirmed convalescent-patient sera. Three independent groups subsequently validated our standardized CoV2pp VNA (n . 120). Our data (i) show that absolute 50% inhibitory concentration (absIC50), absIC80, and absIC90 values can be legitimately compared across diverse cohorts, (ii) highlight the substantial but consistent variability in neutralization potency across these cohorts, and (iii) support the use of the absIC80 as a more meaningful metric for assessing the neutralization potency of a vaccine or convalescent-phase sera. Lastly, we used our CoV2pp in a screen to identify ultrapermissive 293T clones that stably express ACE2 or ACE2 plus TMPRSS2. When these are used in combination with our CoV2pp, we can produce CoV2pp sufficient for 150,000 standardized VNAs/week. IMPORTANCE Vaccines and antibody-based therapeutics like convalescent-phase plasma therapy are premised upon inducing or transferring neutralizing antibodies that inhibit SARS-CoV-2 entry into cells. Virus neutralization assays (VNAs) for measuring neutralizing antibody titers (NATs) are an essential part of determining vaccine or therapeutic efficacy. However, such efficacy testing is limited by the inherent dangers of working with the live virus, which requires specialized high-level biocontainment facilities. We there-fore developed a standardized replication-defective pseudotyped particle system that mimics the entry of live SARS-CoV-2. This tool allows for the safe and efficient measurement of NATs, determination of other forms of entry inhibition, and thorough investigation of virus entry mechanisms. Four independent labs across the globe validated our standardized VNA using diverse cohorts. We argue that a standardized and scalable assay is necessary for meaningful comparisons of the myriad of vaccines and antibody-based therapeutics becoming available. Our data provide generalizable metrics for assessing their efficacy.Fil: Oguntuyo, Kasopefoluwa. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Estados UnidosFil: Stevens, Christian S.. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Estados UnidosFil: Hung, Chuan Tien. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Estados UnidosFil: Ikegame, Satoshi. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Estados UnidosFil: Acklin, Joshua A.. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Estados UnidosFil: Kowdle, Shreyas S.. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Estados UnidosFil: Carmichael, Jillian C.. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Estados UnidosFil: Chiu, Hsin Ping. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Estados UnidosFil: Azarm, Kristopher D.. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Estados UnidosFil: Haas, Griffin D.. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Estados UnidosFil: Amanat, Fatima. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Estados UnidosFil: Klingler, Jéromine. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Estados UnidosFil: Baine, Ian. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Estados UnidosFil: Arinsburg, Suzanne. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Estados UnidosFil: Bandres, Juan C.. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Estados UnidosFil: Siddiquey, Mohammed N. A.. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Estados UnidosFil: Schilke, Robert M.. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Estados UnidosFil: Woolard, Matthew D.. State University of Louisiana; Estados UnidosFil: Zhang, Hongbo. State University of Louisiana; Estados UnidosFil: Duty, Andrew J.. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Estados UnidosFil: Kraus, Thomas A.. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Estados UnidosFil: Moran, Thomas M.. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Estados UnidosFil: Tortorella, Domenico. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Estados UnidosFil: Lim, Jean K.. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Estados UnidosFil: Gamarnik, Andrea Vanesa. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires. Fundación Instituto Leloir. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Estados UnidosFil: Hioe, Catarina E.. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Estados UnidosFil: Zolla Pazner, Susan. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Estados UnidosFil: Ivanov, Stanimir S.. State University of Louisiana; Estados UnidosFil: Kamil, Jeremy. State University of Louisiana; Estados UnidosFil: Krammer, Florian. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Estados UnidosFil: Lee, Benhur. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Estados UnidosFil: Ojeda, Diego Sebastian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y Sida. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y Sida; ArgentinaFil: González López Ledesma, María Mora. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires. Fundación Instituto Leloir. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Costa Navarro, Guadalupe Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires. Fundación Instituto Leloir. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Pallarés, H. M.. No especifíca;Fil: Sanchez, Lautaro Nicolas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires. Fundación Instituto Leloir. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Perez, P.. No especifíca;Fil: Ostrowsk, M.. No especifíca;Fil: Villordo, S. M.. No especifíca;Fil: Alvarez, D. E.. No especifíca;Fil: Caramelo, J. J.. No especifíca;Fil: Carradori, J.. No especifíca;Fil: Yanovsky, M. J.. No especifíca