Spatial distributions of local illumination color in natural scenes

In natural complex environments, the elevation of the sun and the presence of occluding objects and mutual reflections cause variations in the spectral composition of the local illumination across time and location. Unlike the changes in time and their consequences for color appearance and constancy, the spatial variations of local illumination color in natural scenes have received relatively little attention. The aim of the present work was to characterize these spatial variations by spectral imaging. Hyperspectral radiance images were obtained from 30 rural and urban scenes in which neutral probe spheres were embedded. The spectra of the local illumination at 17 sample points on each sphere in each scene were extracted and a total of 1904 chromaticity coordinates and correlated color temperatures (CCTs) derived. Maximum differences in chromaticities over spheres and over scenes were similar. When data were pooled over scenes, CCTs ranged from 3000 K to 20,000 K, a variation of the same order of magnitude as that occurring over the day. Any mechanisms that underlie stable surface color perception in natural scenes need to accommodate these large spatial variations in local illumination color.This work was supported by the Centro de Física of Minho University, Braga, Portugal, by the European Regional Development Fund through Program COMPETE (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-009858/029564), by the National Portuguese funds through Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal (Grants PTDC/EEA-EEL/098572/2008 and PTDC/MHC-PCN/4731/2012), and by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, United Kingdom (Grants GR/R39412/01, EP/B000257/1 and EP/E056512/1). We thank Paulo D. A. Pinto and João M. M. Linhares for collaboration in the acquisition of hyperspectral data of some scenes and Paulo D. A. Pinto for the preparation of the gray spheres

Characterisation and evaluation of the regenerative capacity of Stro-4+ enriched bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells using bovine extracellular matrix hydrogel and a novel biocompatible melt electro-written medical-grade polycaprolactone scaffold

Many skeletal tissue regenerative strategies centre around the multifunctional properties of bone marrow derived stromal cells (BMSC) or mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSC)/bone marrow derived skeletal stem cells (SSC). Specific identification of these particular stem cells has been inconclusive. However, enriching these heterogeneous bone marrow cell populations with characterised skeletal progenitor markers has been a contributing factor in successful skeletal bone regeneration and repair strategies. In the current studies we have isolated, characterised and enriched ovine bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (oBMSCs) using a specific antibody, Stro-4, examined their multipotential differentiation capacity and, in translational studies combined Stro-4+ oBMSCs with a bovine extracellular matrix (bECM) hydrogel and a biocompatible melt electro-written medical-grade polycaprolactone scaffold, and tested their bone regenerative capacity in a small in vivo, highly vascularised, chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) model and a preclinical, critical-sized ovine segmental tibial defect model.Proliferation rates and CFU-F formation were similar between unselected and Stro-4+ oBMSCs. Col1A1, Col2A1, mSOX-9, PPARG gene expression were upregulated in respective osteogenic, chondrogenic and adipogenic culture conditions compared to basal conditions with no significant difference between Stro-4+ and unselected oBMSCs. In contrast, proteoglycan expression, alkaline phosphatase activity and adipogenesis were significantly upregulated in the Stro-4+ cells. Furthermore, with extended cultures, the oBMSCs had a predisposition to maintain a strong chondrogenic phenotype. In the CAM model Stro-4+ oBMSCs/bECM hydrogel was able to induce bone formation at a femur fracture site compared to bECM hydrogel and control blank defect alone. Translational studies in a critical-sized ovine tibial defect showed autograft samples contained significantly more bone, (4250.63 mm3, SD = 1485.57) than blank (1045.29 mm3, SD = 219.68) ECM-hydrogel (1152.58 mm3, SD = 191.95) and Stro-4+/ECM-hydrogel (1127.95 mm3, SD = 166.44) groups.Stro-4+ oBMSCs demonstrated a potential to aid bone repair in vitro and in a small in vivo bone defect model using select scaffolds. However, critically, translation to a large related preclinical model demonstrated the complexities of bringing small scale reported stem-cell material therapies to a clinically relevant model and thus facilitate progression to the clinic

Metrics for Differential Privacy in Concurrent Systems

Part 3: Security AnalysisInternational audienceOriginally proposed for privacy protection in the context of statistical databases, differential privacy is now widely adopted in various models of computation. In this paper we investigate techniques for proving differential privacy in the context of concurrent systems. Our motivation stems from the work of Tschantz et al., who proposed a verification method based on proving the existence of a stratified family between states, that can track the privacy leakage, ensuring that it does not exceed a given leakage budget. We improve this technique by investigating a state property which is more permissive and still implies differential privacy. We consider two pseudometrics on probabilistic automata: The first one is essentially a reformulation of the notion proposed by Tschantz et al. The second one is a more liberal variant, relaxing the relation between them by integrating the notion of amortisation, which results into a more parsimonious use of the privacy budget. We show that the metrical closeness of automata guarantees the preservation of differential privacy, which makes the two metrics suitable for verification. Moreover we show that process combinators are non-expansive in this pseudometric framework. We apply the pseudometric framework to reason about the degree of differential privacy of protocols by the example of the Dining Cryptographers Protocol with biased coins

A review of NAFO 3LMN roughhead grenadier (Macrourus berglax Lacepède, 1801) reproductive biology including the evaluation of maturity ogive estimates.

A collection of 4770 histological slides collected in NAFO divisions 3LMN in a depth range from 200 to 1500 m and covering a time period between 2001 and 2015, has been reviewed to obtain information on reproductive biology of Macrourus berglax. Especial attention has been paid in atresia because its potential impact on stock productivity. Spatial and temporal variability of size and age at maturity of female roughhead grenadier was analyzed in NAFO divisions 3LMN based on microscopic maturity staging and individual age readings. Spawning capable females are homogeneously distributed nearly year-round, but in scarce numbers what prevent to define a spawning season. This statement united to the high levels of atresia could indicate a reproductive migration. We observed a clear decrease in length at first maturity (L50) of females from 27.8 cm in the period 2005-2011 to 25.6 cm in the last four years. The age at first maturity, A50, varied between 13.1 and 15 years, and there is not an evident trend of change over the years.Postprint0,000

Congenital Zika syndrome is associated with maternal protein malnutrition

Zika virus (ZIKV) infection during pregnancy is associated with a spectrum of developmental impairments known as congenital Zika syndrome (CZS). The prevalence of this syndrome varies across ZIKV endemic regions, suggesting that its occurrence could depend on cofactors. Here, we evaluate the relevance of protein malnutrition for the emergence of CZS. Epidemiological data from the ZIKV outbreak in the Americas suggest a relationship between undernutrition and cases of microcephaly. To experimentally examine this relationship, we use immunocompetent pregnant mice, which were subjected to protein malnutrition and infected with a Brazilian ZIKV strain. We found that the combination of protein restriction and ZIKV infection leads to severe alterations of placental structure and embryonic body growth, with offspring displaying a reduction in neurogenesis and postnatal brain size. RNA-seq analysis reveals gene expression deregulation required for brain development in infected low-protein progeny. These results suggest that maternal protein malnutrition increases susceptibility to CZS.Fil: Barbeito Andrés, Jimena. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; Brasil. Universidad Nacional Arturo Jauretche. Unidad Ejecutora de Estudios en Neurociencias y Sistemas Complejos. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Ministerio de Salud. Hospital Alta Complejidad en Red El Cruce Dr. Néstor Carlos Kirchner Samic. Unidad Ejecutora de Estudios en Neurociencias y Sistemas Complejos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Unidad Ejecutora de Estudios en Neurociencias y Sistemas Complejos; ArgentinaFil: Pezzuto, Paula. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Higa, Luiza. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Dias, André Alves. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Vasconcelos, Janaina. Universidade Federal do Pará; BrasilFil: Santos, T. M. P.. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Ferreira, Jéssica. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Ferreira, R. O.. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Dutra, F. F.. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Rossi, A. D.. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Barbosa, R. V.. Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro. Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural E Bioimagem.; BrasilFil: Amorim, C. K. N.. Evandro Chagas Institute; BrasilFil: de Souza, M. P. C.. Evandro Chagas Institute; BrasilFil: Chimelli, L.. Instituto Estadual do Cérebro Paulo Niemeyer ; BrasilFil: Aguiar, R. S.. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Gonzalez, Paula Natalia. Universidad Nacional Arturo Jauretche. Unidad Ejecutora de Estudios en Neurociencias y Sistemas Complejos. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Ministerio de Salud. Hospital Alta Complejidad en Red El Cruce Dr. Néstor Carlos Kirchner Samic. Unidad Ejecutora de Estudios en Neurociencias y Sistemas Complejos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Unidad Ejecutora de Estudios en Neurociencias y Sistemas Complejos; ArgentinaFil: Lara, F. A.. Oswaldo Cruz Institute; BrasilFil: Castro, M.C.. Harvard University. Harvard School of Public Health; Estados UnidosFil: Molnár, Z.. University of Oxford; Reino UnidoFil: Lopes, R. T.. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Bozza, M. T.. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Vianez, J. L. S. G.. Evandro Chagas Institute; BrasilFil: Barbeito, Claudio Gustavo. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Cuervo, P.. Oswaldo Cruz Institute; BrasilFil: Bellio, M.. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Tanuri, A.. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Garcez, P. P.. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; Brasi

Revista de Vertebrados de la Estación Biológica de Doñana

Página 298 con error de impresiónEstudio cariológico en dos especies de Serránidos del Mediterráneo (Peces: PerciformesRelaciones morfométricas de Atherina boyeri Risso (Pisces: Atherinidae) de la laguna de Zoñar (Córdoba, España)Contribución al conocimiento de la biometríay osteología de Barbus barbus bocagei, Steindachner, 1866 (Pisces: CyprinidaeLa actividad de la salamandra, Salamandra salamandra (L.), en Galicia.Estudios sobre el sapo corredor (Bufo calamita) en el Sur de España.1. BiometríaEstudios sobre el sapo corredor (Bufo calamita) en el Sur de España. II. AlimentaciónBiología de la reproducción de Rana iberica Boulenger 1879 en zonas simpátridas con Rana temporaria Linneo, 1758Nuevos datos sobre la distribución geográfica de Lacerta monticola cantabrica Mertens, 1929. (Sauria, lacertidae).Datos sobre Lacerta monticola Boulenger, 1905 (Saurio: lacertidae)en el oeste del Sistema Central.Nueva especie de Anolis (lacertilia, Iguanidae) para CubaEtograma cuantificado del cortejo en Falco naumannOntogénesis del comportamiento predador en Falco naumanniContaminación xenobiótica del Parque Nacional de Doñana. 1. Residuos de insecticidas organoclorados, bifenilos policlorados y mercurio en anseriformes y gruiformesReproducción del críalo (Clamator glandarius) en Sierra Morena CentraNidificación de Picus viridis en taludes de arcilla en Ramblas de Guadix (Granada)Comportamiento del calamón Porphyrio porphyrio (Linnaeus, 1758) en Doñana, Marismas del GuadalquiviBiología y ecología de la malvasía (Oxyura leucocephala) en Andalucía.On the differential diet of Carnivora in islands:a method for analysing it and a particular case.Notas sobre la distribución pasada y actual del meloncillo Herpestes ichneumon (L.) en la Península IbéricaEstructuración de las interacciones en una camada de lobos (Canís lupus)Nuevos datos sobre la distribución del Cottus gobio L. (pisces, cottidae) en EspañaSobre la alimentación de Callopistes maculatus (Reptilia,teiidaeObservación de Lacerta lepida depredando un nido de Alectoris rufaNueva cita del galápago leproso Mauremys leprosa (Scheigger, 1812) en los pirineosPrimera cita de Psammodromus hispanicus (Fitzinger) para GaliciaSobre la presencia de Gallotia (=Lacerta) atlantica (Peters y Doria, 1882) en Gran CanariaNota sobre las Lacerta monticola Boulenger, 1905 de las zonas del norte de GaliciaPrimeras notas herpetológicas de la provincia de Soria.Datos sobre selección de hábitat y ecología alimenticia del porrón pardo (Aythya nyroca)Probable nueva área de cría del pechiazul (Luscinia svecica cyanecula) en el sistema central. PerisPredación de Falco peregrinus y Falco subbuteo sobre quirópterosResultados de la producción de Oxyura leucocephala en el año 1981 en las lagunas de Zóñar y el rincónAnálisis de la dieta de Tyto alba en un medio árido antropógeno de los alrededores de Almería¿Son Eudocimus ruber y E. albus distintas especies?EL Estornino pinto (Sturnus vulgaris) en Canarias: nueva especie nidifiante en el archipiélagoDatos sobre la alimentación otoñal del cárabo (Strix aluco) en la sierra de CádizObservación primaveral de rapaces y otras aves en el páramo del estado de Mérida (Venezuela).Murciélago hematófago (Desmodus rotundus) parasitando a un chigüire (Hidrochoerus hydrochaeris)Observaciones sobre la reproducción del zacatuche o teporinho Romerolagus diazi (Mammalia: lagomorpha)Estudio electroforético de hemoglobinas y esterasas sanguíneas en Rhinolophus ferrumequinum (Chiroptera: rhinolophidae) y de hemoglobinas en Tadaria taeniotis (chiroptera: molossidae)Peer reviewe

Complement component C4 structural variation and quantitative traits contribute to sex-biased vulnerability in systemic sclerosis

Altres ajuts: Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER), "A way of making Europe".Copy number (CN) polymorphisms of complement C4 play distinct roles in many conditions, including immune-mediated diseases. We investigated the association of C4 CN with systemic sclerosis (SSc) risk. Imputed total C4, C4A, C4B, and HERV-K CN were analyzed in 26,633 individuals and validated in an independent cohort. Our results showed that higher C4 CN confers protection to SSc, and deviations from CN parity of C4A and C4B augmented risk. The protection contributed per copy of C4A and C4B differed by sex. Stronger protection was afforded by C4A in men and by C4B in women. C4 CN correlated well with its gene expression and serum protein levels, and less C4 was detected for both in SSc patients. Conditioned analysis suggests that C4 genetics strongly contributes to the SSc association within the major histocompatibility complex locus and highlights classical alleles and amino acid variants of HLA-DRB1 and HLA-DPB1 as C4-independent signals

ANTARES: the first undersea neutrino telescope

The ANTARES Neutrino Telescope was completed in May 2008 and is the first operational Neutrino Telescope in the Mediterranean Sea. The main purpose of the detector is to perform neutrino astronomy and the apparatus also offers facilities for marine and Earth sciences. This paper describes the design, the construction and the installation of the telescope in the deep sea, offshore from Toulon in France. An illustration of the detector performance is given

Measurements of differential production cross sections for a Z boson in association with jets in pp collisions at root s=8 TeV

Peer reviewe