Modern displays: Why we see different colors, and what it means?

International audienceOne of the basic tenets of conventional applied colorimetry is that the whole population of color normal observers can be represented by a single "standard" observer with reasonable accuracy. The 1964 CIE standard colorimetric observer has indeed served us well in all industrial color imaging applications, until recently. With the proliferation of modern wide-gamut displays with narrow-band primaries, color scientists and engineers face a new challenge. Various recent studies, including those by the current authors, have shown that the color perception on such displays varies significantly among color normal observers. Conventional colorimetry has no means to predict this variation. In this paper, we explore this problem by summarizing the results from an ongoing study, and explain the practical significance of this issue in the context of display applications

Environmental Assessment of Soil for Monitoring: Volume IIb Survey of National Networks

The ENVASSO Project (Contract 022713) was funded 2006-8, under the European Commission 6th Framework Programme of Research, with the objective of defining and documenting a soil monitoring system appropriate for soil protection at continental level. The ENVASSO Consortium, comprising 37 partners drawn from 25 EU Member States, reviewed almost 300 soil indicators, identified existing soil inventories and monitoring programmes in the Member States, designed and programmed a database management system to capture, store and supply soil profile data, and drafted procedures and protocols appropriate for inclusion in a European soil monitoring network of sites that are geo-referenced and at which a qualified sampling process is or could be conducted. This volume (IIb), a Survey of National Networks, is the second of two reports that together constitute the most comprehensive study to date of the soil inventory and monitoring activities in the European Union. It contains comprehensive fact sheets for each national network, listing the purpose, sampling strategy adopted, analytical methods used and the number of monitoring sites.JRC.H.7-Climate Risk Managemen

Towards a Multi-Scaled Functional-Structural Model of Apple, Linking Ecophysiology at the Fruit and Branch Scales

A multitude of data on eco-physiological processes in apple (Malus x domestica) is available, concerning various aspects of fruit growth and development, fruit quality, or leaf photosynthesis. However, despite the wealth of data and studies many processes leading to (inter-annual and intra-arboreal) heterogeneity in quantity of fruit production as well as fruit quality are still only poorly understood at the branch level Current Functional-Structural Plant Models of apple have targeted canopy architecture, i.e. development of vegetative structures. Here we will present a concept to apply the FSPM paradigm to the simulation of assimilation (source), transport and consumption (sink) of carbon in the context of a static structure representing the limb (fruit-bearing branch)

A divergent heritage for complex organics in Isheyevo lithic clasts

Primitive meteorites are samples of asteroidal bodies that contain a high proportion of chemically complex organic matter (COM) including prebiotic molecules such as amino acids, which are thought to have been delivered to Earth via impacts during the early history of the Solar System. Thus, understanding the origin of COM, including their formation pathway(s) and environment(s), is critical to elucidate the origin of life on Earth as well as assessing the potential habitability of exoplanetary systems. The Isheyevo CH/CBb carbonaceous chondrite contains chondritic lithic clasts with variable enrichments in 15N believed to be of outer Solar System origin. Using transmission electron microscopy (TEM-EELS) and in situ isotope analyses (SIMS and NanoSIMS), we report on the structure of the organic matter as well as the bulk H and N isotope composition of Isheyevo lithic clasts. These data are complemented by electron microprobe analyses of the clast mineral chemistry and bulk Mg and Cr isotopes obtained by inductively coupled plasma and thermal ionization mass spectrometry, respectively (MC-ICPMS and TIMS). Weakly hydrated (A) clasts largely consist of Mg-rich anhydrous silicates with local hydrated veins composed of phyllosilicates, magnetite and globular and diffuse organic matter. Extensively hydrated clasts (H) are thoroughly hydrated and contain Fe-sulfides, sometimes clustered with organic matter, as well as magnetite and carbonates embedded in a phyllosilicate matrix. The A-clasts are characterized by a more 15N-rich bulk nitrogen isotope composition (δ15N = 200–650‰) relative to H-clasts (δ15N = 50–180‰) and contain extremely 15N-rich domains with δ15N 15N-rich domains show that the lithic clast diffuse organic matter is typically more 15N-rich than globular organic matter. The correlated δ15N values and C/N ratios of nanoglobules require the existence of multiple organic components, in agreement with the H isotope data. The combined H and N isotope data suggest that the organic precursors of the lithic clasts are defined by an extremely 15N-poor (similar to solar) and D-rich component for H-clasts, and a moderately 15N-rich and D-rich component for A-clasts. In contrast, the composition of the putative fluids is inferred to include D-poor but moderately to extremely 15N-rich H- and N-bearing components. The variable 15N enrichments in H- and A-clasts are associated with structural differences in the N bonding environments of their diffuse organic matter, which are dominated by amine groups in H-clasts and nitrile functional groups in A-clasts. We suggest that the isotopically divergent organic precursors in Isheyevo clasts may be similar to organic moieties in carbonaceous chondrites (CI, CM, CR) and thermally recalcitrant organic compounds in ordinary chondrites, respectively. The altering fluids, which are inferred to cause the 15N enrichments observed in the clasts, may be the result of accretion of variable abundances of NH3 and HCN ices. Finally, using bulk Mg and Cr isotope composition of clasts, we speculate on the accretion regions of the various primitive chondrites and components and the origin of the Solar System’s N and H isotope variability

On the origin and evolution of the material in 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

International audiencePrimitive objects like comets hold important information on the material that formed our solar system. Several comets have been visited by spacecraft and many more have been observed through Earth- and space-based telescopes. Still our understanding remains limited. Molecular abundances in comets have been shown to be similar to interstellar ices and thus indicate that common processes and conditions were involved in their formation. The samples returned by the Stardust mission to comet Wild 2 showed that the bulk refractory material was processed by high temperatures in the vicinity of the early sun. The recent Rosetta mission acquired a wealth of new data on the composition of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (hereafter 67P/C-G) and complemented earlier observations of other comets. The isotopic, elemental, and molecular abundances of the volatile, semi-volatile, and refractory phases brought many new insights into the origin and processing of the incorporated material. The emerging picture after Rosetta is that at least part of the volatile material was formed before the solar system and that cometary nuclei agglomerated over a wide range of heliocentric distances, different from where they are found today. Deviations from bulk solar system abundances indicate that the material was not fully homogenized at the location of comet formation, despite the radial mixing implied by the Stardust results. Post-formation evolution of the material might play an important role, which further complicates the picture. This paper discusses these major findings of the Rosetta mission with respect to the origin of the material and puts them in the context of what we know from other comets and solar system objects

Oxaliplatin, irinotecan and capecitabine as first-line therapy in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC): a dose-finding study and pharmacogenomic analysis

A dose-finding study was performed to evaluate the dose-limiting toxicity (DLT), maximum-tolerated dose (MTD) and the recommended dose (RD) of escalating the doses of capecitabine and fixed doses of irinotecan and oxaliplatin on a biweekly schedule for metastatic colorectal cancer patients (mCRC). A pharmacogenomic analysis was performed to investigate the association between SNPs and treatment outcome. METHODS: Eighty-seven chemotherapy-naive mCRC patients were recruited through a two-step study design; 27 were included in the dose-finding study and 60 in the pharmacogenomic analysis. Oxaliplatin (85 mg m(-2)) and CPT-11 (150 mg m(-2)), both on day 1, and capecitabine doses ranging from 850 to 1500 mg m(-2) bid on days 1-7 were explored. Peripheral blood samples were used to genotype 13 SNPs in 10 genes related to drug metabolism or efficacy. Univariate and multivariate Cox analysis was performed to examine associations between SNPs, ORR and PFS. RESULTS: The capecitabine RD was 1000 mg m(-2) bid. Diarrhoea and neutropenia were the DLTs. After a median follow-up of 52.5 months, the median PFS and OS were 12 (95% CI; 10.6-13.4) and 27 months (95% CI; 17.2-36.8), respectively.The GSTP1-G genotype, the Kohne low-risk category and use of a consolidation approach strongly correlated with decreased risk of progression. Patients with all favourable variables showed a median PFS of 42 months vs 3.4 months in the group with all adverse factors. A superior clinical response was obtained in patients with one GSTP1-G allele as compared with GSTP1-AA carriers (P=0.004). CONCLUSION: First-line therapy with oxaliplatin, irinotecan and capecitabine is efficient and well-tolerated. The GSTP1 polymorphism A>G status was significantly associated with ORR and PFS in mCRC treated with this triplet therapy