Automated mapping of coastline from high resolution satellite images using supervised segmentation

International audienceIn this article, we are dealing with the problem of coastline extraction in High and Very High Resolution multispectral images. Locating precisely the coastline is a crucial task in the context of coastal resource management and planning. According to the type of coastal units (sandy beach, wetlands, dune, cliff), several definitions for the coastline has to be used. In this paper a new image segmentation method, which is not fully automated but relies on a low intervention of the expert to drive the segmentation process, is proposed. The method combines both a marker-based watershed transform (a standard image segmentation method) and a supervised pixel classification. The user inputs only consist of some spatial and spectral samples which are defined depending on the coastal environment to be monitored. The applicability of the method is tested on various types of coastal environments in France

Stage-specific action of matrix metalloproteinases influences progressive hereditary kidney disease.

BackgroundGlomerular basement membrane (GBM), a key component of the blood-filtration apparatus in the in the kidney, is formed through assembly of type IV collagen with laminins, nidogen, and sulfated proteoglycans. Mutations or deletions involving alpha3(IV), alpha4(IV), or alpha5(IV) chains of type IV collagen in the GBM have been identified as the cause for Alport syndrome in humans, a progressive hereditary kidney disease associated with deafness. The pathological mechanisms by which such mutations lead to eventual kidney failure are not completely understood.Methods and findingsWe showed that increased susceptibility of defective human Alport GBM to proteolytic degradation is mediated by three different matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs)--MMP-2, MMP-3, and MMP-9--which influence the progression of renal dysfunction in alpha3(IV)-/- mice, a model for human Alport syndrome. Genetic ablation of either MMP-2 or MMP-9, or both MMP-2 and MMP-9, led to compensatory up-regulation of other MMPs in the kidney glomerulus. Pharmacological ablation of enzymatic activity associated with multiple GBM-degrading MMPs, before the onset of proteinuria or GBM structural defects in the alpha3(IV)-/- mice, led to significant attenuation in disease progression associated with delayed proteinuria and marked extension in survival. In contrast, inhibition of MMPs after induction of proteinuria led to acceleration of disease associated with extensive interstitial fibrosis and early death of alpha3(IV)-/- mice.ConclusionsThese results suggest that preserving GBM/extracellular matrix integrity before the onset of proteinuria leads to significant disease protection, but if this window of opportunity is lost, MMP-inhibition at the later stages of Alport disease leads to accelerated glomerular and interstitial fibrosis. Our findings identify a crucial dual role for MMPs in the progression of Alport disease in alpha3(IV)-/- mice, with an early pathogenic function and a later protective action. Hence, we propose possible use of MMP-inhibitors as disease-preventive drugs for patients with Alport syndrome with identified genetic defects, before the onset of proteinuria

Gastroesophageal adenocarcinomas – Neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatments in 2011: A review

Les adénocarcinomes oesogastriques (AOG) représentent une des premières causes de décès par cancer dans le monde. Alors que l’incidence de l’adénocarcinome (ADK) gastrique diminue, celle de l’ADK de la jonction oesogastrique augmente dans les pays occidentaux. Le traitement chirurgical étant le seul traitement curatif et le taux de survie à 5 ans dépendant du stade pTNM, la prise en charge thérapeutique est un véritable challenge pour les oncologues. Plusieurs modalités de traitement dont la chimiothérapie systémique ont été évaluées afin de diminuer les récidives et d’augmenter la survie globale. Cet article fait la mise au point en 2011 des traitements adjuvants et néoadjuvants des AOG. Aux États-Unis, la radiochimiothérapie postopératoire est préférée chez les patients en bon état général ayant un AOG réséqué (> stade Ia) mais n’est applicable que chez moins de la moitié des patients. Plus récemment, les FNCLCCFFCD et la UK MAGIC ont clairement démontré que la chimiothérapie périopératoire avait un bénéfice sur la survie globale des patients opérables pour leur AOG ; ce traitement est un standard et il est couramment réalisé en Europe. De nouvelles stratégies comme la chimiothérapie d’induction suivie d’une radiochimiothérapie, l’addition de thérapies ciblées à la chimiothérapie périopératoire ou l’utilisation de nouveaux schémas de chimiothérapie sont en cours d’évaluation afin d’augmenter le bénéfice des traitements standard actuels

Prolonged Complete Response after GEMOX Chemotherapy in a Patient with Advanced Fibrolamellar Hepatocellular Carcinoma

The only currently validated treatment for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is sorafenib. However, sorafenib has been mainly studied in patients with HCC developed in cirrhotic liver. Chemotherapy might be more suitable for patients with HCC in non-cirrhotic liver. We report the case of a young woman with fibrolamellar HCC in a non-cirrhotic liver, with histologically proven metastatic ganglionary relapse after surgical resection of the primary tumour. Chemotherapy with gemcitabine and oxaliplatin (GEMOX regimen) achieved a complete response without relapse five years after discontinuation of chemotherapy. This exceptional case raises the question of clinical trials specifically designed for patients with HCC in non-cirrhotic liver

Do universal ao pluriversal: questões e desafios do paradigma decolonial

O texto a seguir é uma tradução de « De l'universel au pluriversel. Enjeux et défis du paradigme décolonial », artigo de Claude Bourguignon Rougier e Philippe Colin, publicado na revista Raison présente (nº 199) em 2016. Citando autores como Enrique Dussel, Aníbal Quijano, Edgardo Lander, Walter Mignolo, Santiago Castro-Gómez, Arturo Escobar, Nelson Maldonado Torres, Ramón Grosfoguel e Catherine Walsh, cujas contribuições teóricas têm grande importância, Claude Bourguignon Rougier e Philippe Colin trazem questões e desafios do paradigma decolonial, que se debruça sobre a “geopolítica do poder, do saber e do ser” resultante do processo colonizatório europeu sobre partes do globo. Ressaltam a centralidade epistêmica da colonialidade e sua íntima relação com a modernidade construída sobre uma narrativa eurocêntrica; Rougier e Colin propõem, assim, uma pauta não mais baseada na elaboração de conhecimento a partir de um viés eurocentrista, mas pluriversal, conferindo a devida importância às histórias locais e possibilitando, com isso, reavaliar o lugar de enunciação convencionado pela modernidade. A tradução deste artigo ao português brasileiro visa a tornar acessível a leitura àqueles que demonstrem interesse na abordagem proposta pelos autores, possibilitando, com isso, a diversidade de pontos de vista e o consequente enriquecimento do debate acerca do giro decolonial

Investigation of passive and active silica-tin oxide nanostructured optical fibers fabricated by " inverse dip-coating " and " powder in tube " method based on the chemical sol-gel process and laser emission

International audienceThis paper presents a study of original nanostructured optical fibers based on the SiO 2-SnO 2-(Yb 3+) system. Two different processes have been developed and compared: the sol-gel chemical method associated to the " inverse dip-coating " (IDC) and the " powder in tube " (PIT) process. The microstructural and optical properties of the fibers are studied according to the concentration of SnO 2. X-Ray Diffraction as well as Transmission Electron Microscopy studies show that SnO 2 crystallizes into the cassiterite phase as nanoparticles with a diameter ranging from 4 to 50 nm as a function of tin oxide concentration. A comparative study highlights a better conservation of SnO 2 into the fiber core with the PIT approach according to the refractive index profile and X-Ray analysis measurement. The attenuation evaluated by the classic cutback method gives respectively values higher than 3 dB/m and 0.2 dB/m in the visible (VIS) and infrared (IR) range for the PIT fiber whereas background losses reach 0.5 dB/m in the VIS range for IDC fibers. The introduction of ytterbium ions into the core of PIT fibers, directly in the first chemical step, leads to a laser emission (between 1050 and 1100 nm) according to the fiber length under 850 nm wavelength pumping. Luminescence studies have demonstrated the influence of the tin oxide nanostructure on the rare earth optical properties especially by the modification of the absorption (850 to 1000 nm) and emission (950 to 1100 nm) by discretization of the bands, as well as on the IR emission lifetime evaluated to 10 µs

‘We are (the) Middle Class’ The new Turkish middle class: identification, behaviors and expectations

Abstract. This article aims to identify and characterise the Turkish middle class. Our objective is to improve its description by implementing a clustering method combining an economic and a sociological approach. Using the Income and Living Conditions Survey (2014), we first identify the middle-class on the basis of an income interval. We then use information about employment and education to characterise the heterogeneity of this middle-income class. The distinctive behaviors and aspirations of four middle class groups are explored in depth by using the results of original qualitative field research carried out among middle class households from two contrasting regions.Keywords. Social stratification, Income distribution, Middle class, Turkey, Clustering methods.JEL. O15, D13, E25

Stage-Specific Action of Matrix Metalloproteinases Influences Progressive Hereditary Kidney Disease

Background: Glomerular basement membrane (GBM), a key component of the blood-filtration apparatus in the in the kidney, is formed through assembly of type IV collagen with laminins, nidogen, and sulfated proteoglycans. Mutations or deletions involving $\alpha$3(IV), $\alpha$4(IV), or $\alpha$5(IV) chains of type IV collagen in the GBM have been identified as the cause for Alport syndrome in humans, a progressive hereditary kidney disease associated with deafness. The pathological mechanisms by which such mutations lead to eventual kidney failure are not completely understood. Methods and Findings: We showed that increased susceptibility of defective human Alport GBM to proteolytic degradation is mediated by three different matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs)—MMP-2, MMP-3, and MMP-9—which influence the progression of renal dysfunction in $\alpha 3(IV)^{−/−}$ mice, a model for human Alport syndrome. Genetic ablation of either MMP-2 or MMP-9, or both MMP-2 and MMP-9, led to compensatory up-regulation of other MMPs in the kidney glomerulus. Pharmacological ablation of enzymatic activity associated with multiple GBM-degrading MMPs, before the onset of proteinuria or GBM structural defects in the $\alpha 3(IV)^{−/−}$ mice, led to significant attenuation in disease progression associated with delayed proteinuria and marked extension in survival. In contrast, inhibition of MMPs after induction of proteinuria led to acceleration of disease associated with extensive interstitial fibrosis and early death of $\alpha$3(IV)−/− mice. Conclusions: These results suggest that preserving GBM/extracellular matrix integrity before the onset of proteinuria leads to significant disease protection, but if this window of opportunity is lost, MMP-inhibition at the later stages of Alport disease leads to accelerated glomerular and interstitial fibrosis. Our findings identify a crucial dual role for MMPs in the progression of Alport disease in $\alpha 3(IV)^{−/−}$ mice, with an early pathogenic function and a later protective action. Hence, we propose possible use of MMP-inhibitors as disease-preventive drugs for patients with Alport syndrome with identified genetic defects, before the onset of proteinuria