Pansharpening with a decision fusion based on the local size information

International audiencePansharpening may be defined as the process of synthesizing multispectral images at a higher spatial resolution. Different pansharpening methods produce images with different characteristics. In the 2006 IEEE Data Fusion Contest, A\' -trous Wavelet Transform based pansharpening (AWLP) and Context Adaptive (CBD) pansharpening methods were declared as joint winners. While assessing the quantitative quality of the pansharpened images, it was observed that the two methods outperform each other depending upon the local content of the scene. Hence, it is interesting to develop a method which could produce results locally approximately similar to the best method, among the two pansharpening methods. In this paper we propose a method which selects either of the two methods for performing pansharpening on local regions, based upon the size of the objects. The results obtained demonstrate that the proposed method produces images with quantitative results approximately similar to the method which is better among the AWLP and CBD pansharpening methods

Relationship between foramen magnum position and locomotion in extant and extinct hominoids

International audienceFrom the Miocene Sahelanthropus tchadensis to Pleistocene Homo sapiens, hominins are characterized by a derived anterior position of the foramen magnum relative to basicranial structures. It has been previously suggested that the anterior position of the foramen magnum in hominins is related to bipedal locomotor behavior. Yet, the functional relationship between foramen magnum position and bipedal locomotion remains unclear. Recent studies, using ratios based on cranial linear measurements, have found a link between the anterior position of the foramen magnum and bipedalism in several mammalian clades: marsupials, rodents, and primates. In the present study, we compute these ratios in a sample including a more comprehensive dataset of extant hominoids and fossil hominins. First, we verify if the values of ratios can distinguish extant humans from apes. Then, we test whether extinct hominins can be distinguished from non-bipedal extant hominoids. Finally, we assess if the studied ratios are effective predictors of bipedal behavior by testing if they mainly relate to variation in foramen magnum position rather than changes in other cranial structures. Our results confirm that the ratios discriminate between extant bipeds and non-bipeds. However, the only ratio clearly discriminating between fossil hominins and other extant apes is that which only includes basicranial structures. We show that a large proportion of the interspecific variation in the other ratios relates to changes in facial, rather than basicranial, structures. In this context, we advocate the use of measurements based only on basicranial structures when assessing the relationship between foramen magnum position and bipedalism in future studies

Pansharpening with a decision fusion based on the local size information

International audiencePansharpening may be defined as the process of synthesizing multispectral images at a higher spatial resolution. Different pansharpening methods produce images with different characteristics. In the 2006 IEEE Data Fusion Contest, A\' -trous Wavelet Transform based pansharpening (AWLP) and Context Adaptive (CBD) pansharpening methods were declared as joint winners. While assessing the quantitative quality of the pansharpened images, it was observed that the two methods outperform each other depending upon the local content of the scene. Hence, it is interesting to develop a method which could produce results locally approximately similar to the best method, among the two pansharpening methods. In this paper we propose a method which selects either of the two methods for performing pansharpening on local regions, based upon the size of the objects. The results obtained demonstrate that the proposed method produces images with quantitative results approximately similar to the method which is better among the AWLP and CBD pansharpening methods

Decision-Based Fusion for Pansharpening of Remote Sensing Images

International audiencePansharpening may be defined as the process of synthesizing multispectral images at a higher spatial resolution. A wide range of pansharpening methods are available, each producing images with different characteristics. To compare the performances and characteristics of different methods, a contest was held in 2006 by the IEEE Data Fusion Technical Committee. In this contest, À trous wavelet transform-based pansharpening (AWLP) and Laplacian pyramid-based context adaptive (CBD) pansharpening methods were declared as joint winners. While assessing the quantitative quality of the pansharpened images, we observed that the two methods outperform each other depending upon the local content of the scene. Hence, it is interesting to design a method taking advantage of both methods by locally selecting the best one. This adaptive decision fusion is performed based on the local scale of the structure. The interest of the proposed method is verified using both visual and quantitative analyses for different Pléiades data sets

Effects of cranial integration on hominid endocranial shape

Because brains do not fossilize, the internal surface of the braincase (endocast) serves as an important source of information about brain growth, development, and evolution. Recent studies of endocranial morphology and development in great apes, fossil hominins, and modern humans have revealed taxon‐specific differences. However, it remains to be investigated to which extent differences in endocranial morphology reflect differences in actual brain morphology and development, and to which extent they reflect different interactions of the brain and its case with the cranial base and face. Here we address this question by analyzing the effects of cranial integration on endocranial morphology. We test the ‘spatial packing’ and ‘facial orientation’ hypotheses, which propose that size and orientation of the neurocranium relative to the viscerocranium influence endocranial shape. Results show that a substantial proportion of endocranial shape variation along and across ontogenetic trajectories is due to cranial integration. Specifically, the uniquely globular shape of the human endocast mainly results from the combination of an exceptionally large brain with a comparatively small face. Overall, thus, cranial integration has pervasive effects on endocranial morphology, and only a comparatively small proportion of inter‐ and intra‐taxon variation can directly be associated with variation in brain morphology

Assessing endocranial variations in great apes and humans using 3D data from virtual endocasts

Modern humans are characterized by their large, complex, and specialized brain. Human brain evolution can be addressed through direct evidence provided by fossil hominid endocasts (i.e. paleoneurology), or through indirect evidence of extant species comparative neurology. Here we use the second approach, providing an extant comparative framework for hominid paleoneurological studies. We explore endocranial size and shape differences among great apes and humans, as well as between sexes. We virtually extracted 72 endocasts, sampling all extant great ape species and modern humans, and digitized 37 landmarks on each for 3D generalized Procrustes analysis. All species can be differentiated by their endocranial shape. Among great apes, endocranial shapes vary from short (orangutans) to long (gorillas), perhaps in relation to different facial orientations. Endocranial shape differences among African apes are partly allometric. Major endocranial traits distinguishing humans from great apes are endocranial globularity, reflecting neurological reorganization, and features linked to structural responses to posture and bipedal locomotion. Human endocasts are also characterized by posterior location of foramina rotunda relative to optic canals, which could be correlated to lesser subnasal prognathism compared to living great apes. Species with larger brains (gorillas and humans) display greater sexual dimorphism in endocranial size, while sexual dimorphism in endocranial shape is restricted to gorillas, differences between males and females being at least partly due to allometry. Our study of endocranial variations in extant great apes and humans provides a new comparative dataset for studies of fossil hominid endocasts. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.SCOPUS: ar.jFLWINinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Relationship between foramen magnum position and locomotion in extant and extinct hominoids

From the Miocene Sahelanthropus tchadensis to Pleistocene Homo sapiens, hominins are characterized by a derived anterior position of the foramen magnum relative to basicranial structures. It has been previously suggested that the anterior position of the foramen magnum in hominins is related to bipedal locomotor behavior. Yet, the functional relationship between foramen magnum position and bipedal locomotion remains unclear. Recent studies, using ratios based on cranial linear measurements, have found a link between the anterior position of the foramen magnum and bipedalism in several mammalian clades: marsupials, rodents, and primates. In the present study, we compute these ratios in a sample including a more comprehensive dataset of extant hominoids and fossil hominins. First, we verify if the values of ratios can distinguish extant humans from apes. Then, we test whether extinct hominins can be distinguished from non-bipedal extant hominoids. Finally, we assess if the studied ratios are effective predictors of bipedal behavior by testing if they mainly relate to variation in foramen magnum position rather than changes in other cranial structures. Our results confirm that the ratios discriminate between extant bipeds and non-bipeds. However, the only ratio clearly discriminating between fossil hominins and other extant apes is that which only includes basicranial structures. We show that a large proportion of the interspecific variation in the other ratios relates to changes in facial, rather than basicranial, structures. In this context, we advocate the use of measurements based only on basicranial structures when assessing the relationship between foramen magnum position and bipedalism in future studies

Relationships of circulating CD4+ T cell subsets and cytokines with the risk of relapse in patients with Crohn’s disease

International audienceBackground and aims: We aimed to analyze circulating CD4+ T cell subsets and cytokines during the course of Crohn's disease (CD).Methods and results: CD4+ T cell subsets, ultrasensitive C-reactive protein (usCRP), and various serum cytokines (IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-13, IL-17A, IL-23, TNFα, IFNγ, and TGFβ) were prospectively monitored every 3 months for 1 year, using multicolor flow cytometry and an ultrasensitive Erenna method in CD patients in remission at inclusion. Relapse occurred in 35 out of the 113 consecutive patients (31%). For patients in remission within 4 months prior to relapse and at the time of relapse, there was no significant difference in Th1, Th17, Treg, and double-positive CD4+ T cell subsets co-expressing either IFNγ and FOXP3, IL-17A and FOXP3, or IFNγ and IL-17A. On the contrary, in patients who remained in remission, the mean frequency and number of double-positive IL-17A+FOXP3+ CD4+ T cells and the level of usCRP were significantly higher (p ≤ 0.01) 1 to 4 months prior to relapse. At the time of relapse, only the IL-6 and usCRP levels were significantly higher (p ≤ 0.001) compared with those patients in remission. On multivariate analysis, a high number of double-positive IL-17A+FOXP3+ CD4+ T cells (≥1.4 cells/mm3) and elevated serum usCRP (≥3.44 mg/L) were two independent factors associated with risk of relapse.Conclusions: Detection of circulating double-positive FOXP3+IL-17A+ CD4+ T cell subsets supports that T cell plasticity may reflect the inflammatory context of Crohn's disease. Whether this subset contributes to the pathogenesis of CD relapse needs further studies