Double-Antiprism Central Configurations of the 3n-Body Problem

Abstract In this paper we study numerically a new type of central configurations of the 3n-body problem with equal masses which consist of three n-gons contained in three planes z = 0 and z = ±β = 0. The n-gon on z = 0 is scaled by a factor α and it is rotated by an angle of π/n with respect to the ones on z = ±β. In this kind of configurations, the masses on the planes z = 0 and z = β are at the vertices of an antiprism with bases of different size. The same occurs with the masses on z = 0 and z = −β. We call this kind of central configurations double-antiprism central configurations. We will show the existence of central configurations of this type

URBAN SUSTAINABLE ECOSYSTEMS ASSESSMENT THROUGH AIRBORNE EARTH OBSERVATION: LESSONS LEARNED

Europe’s big cities and metropolitan areas constitute an ecosystem where climate trends are having, and will continue to have, a big impact on the population in the short, medium, and long term. Therefore, the task of generating a mapping approach over urban ecosystems to provide indicators assessing their sustainability and facilitating the design and implementation of policies and derived actions has become a priority for the Institut Cartogràfic i Geològic de Catalunya (ICGC) as a mapping agency.The ICGC has been using its own assets and competences in airborne Earth Observation for data capture and processing as well as inclusion of additional data such as cadastral databases and digital surface models to generate a set of urban sustainability indicators. ICGC has designed flight campaigns at a very high spatial and spectral resolution in visible, near infrared and long wave infrared regions, processed geospatial data and finally transformed geoinformation into demanded ICGC products over urban ecosystems such as urban green, solar potential, light pollution, energy leaks or urban heat island effect. This approach has been applied in coordination with urban planning stakeholders in different cities and is planned to be extended to the majority of urban ecosystems in Catalonia.This paper presents a critical summary of the main advantages, disadvantages, constrains and lessons learned in the search for feasible, available and desirable responses from the earth-observation airborne-sensor point of view to the main urban ecosystem challenges.</p

Parallelizing irregular C codes assisted by interprocedural shape analysis

In the new multicore architecture arena, the problem of improving the performance of a code is more in the soft-ware side than in the hardware one. However, optimizing irregular dynamic data structure based codes for such ar-chitectures is not easy, either by hand or compiler assisted. Regarding this last approach, shape analysis is a static tech-nique that achieves abstraction of dynamic memory and can help to disambiguate, quite accurately, memory references in programs that create and traverse recursive data struc-tures. This kind of analysis has promising applicability for accurate data dependence tests in loops or recursive func-tions that traverse dynamic data structures. However, sup-port for interprocedural programs in shape analysis is still a challenge, especially in the presence of recursive func-tions. In this work we present a novel fully context-sensitive interprocedural shape analysis algorithm that supports re-cursion and can be used to uncover parallelism. Our ap-proach is based on three key ideas: i) intraprocedural sup-port based on “Coexistent Links Sets ” to precisely describe the memory configurations during the abstract interpreta-tion of the C code; ii) interprocedural support based on “Recursive Flow Links ” to trace the state of pointers in previous calls; and iii) annotations of the read/written heap locations during the program analysis. We present prelim-inary experiments that reveal that our technique compares favorably with related work, and obtains precise memory abstractions in a variety of recursive programs that create and manipulate dynamic data structures. We have also im-plemented a data dependence test over our interprocedural shape analysis. With this test we have obtained promis-ing results, automatically detecting parallelism in three C codes, which have been successfully parallelized

Generación de mapas de luminancia urbana a partir de un sensor hiperespectral VNIR y una cámara fotogramétrica digital

Revista oficial de la Asociación Española de Teledetección[EN] This paper puts forward a methodology for the generation of high resolution luminance maps from simultaneous hyperspectral VNIR and photogrammetric imagery. The integration of hyperspectral radiance at ground level, properly weighted by the photopic-based coefficients, plus a sensor fusion strategy, provides for the first time a quantitative description of the luminous flux at high spatial resolution and with multi-angle geometry. Accordingly, this methodology allows following up any strategic policy aimed to improve urban illumination management and quantifying its effects in terms of energetic efficiency.[ES] Esta comunicación presenta una metodología para la generación de mapas de luminancia de alta reso-lución a partir de imágenes simultáneas hiperespectrales VNIR y fotogramétricas. La integración de la radiancia hiperespectral a nivel de suelo, ponderada según la curva de visión fotópica, más una estrategia de calibración cruzada de sensores, permiten por primera vez la descripción cuantitativa del flujo luminoso de altísima resolución espacial y con posibilidad de extensión a geometría multiangular. Desde el punto vista práctico, esta metodología hace posible el seguimiento de las acciones adoptadas para mejorar la gestión de la iluminación urbana y cuantifi-car su resultado en términos de eficiencia energética.Pipia, L.; Alamús, R.; Tardà, A.; Pérez-Aragüés, F.; Palà, V.; Corbera, J.; Arnaldich, J. (2016). Hyperspectral VNIR and photogrammetric data fusion approach for urban luminance map generation. Revista de Teledetección. (47):85-97. doi:10.4995/raet.2016.5383.SWORD859747Aubé, M. 2008. Light Pollution Modelling and Detection in a Heterogeneous Environment. Proceedings of Starlight, a Common Heritage, La Palma, Espa-a.Barducci, A., Benvenuti, M., Bonora, L., Castagnoli, F., Guzzi, D., Marcoionni P., Pippi, I. 2006. Hyperspectral remote sensing for light pollution monitoring, Annals of Geophysics, 49(1), 305-310.Berk, A., Anderson, G. P., Acharya, P. K., Bernstein, L. S., Muratov, L., Lee, J., … Lewis, P. E. (2005). MODTRAN 5: a reformulated atmospheric band model with auxiliary species and practical multiple scattering options: update. Algorithms and Technologies for Multispectral, Hyperspectral, and Ultraspectral Imagery XI. doi:10.1117/12.606026CIE. 1926. Commission internationale de l'Eclairage Proceedings, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Gaston, K. J., Visser, M. E., & Hölker, F. (2015). The biological impacts of artificial light at night: the research challenge. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 370(1667), 20140133. doi:10.1098/rstb.2014.0133Kyba, C., Garz, S., Kuechly, H., de Miguel, A., Zamorano, J., Fischer, J., & Hölker, F. (2014). High-Resolution Imagery of Earth at Night: New Sources, Opportunities and Challenges. Remote Sensing, 7(1), 1-23. doi:10.3390/rs70100001Oppenheim, A.V., Schafer, R.W. 1999. Discrete-Time Signal Processing, Second Edition, Prentice-Hall Inc.Zeitler, W., Dörstel, C., Jacobsen, K. 2002. Geometric Calibration of the DMC: Method and Results, International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Science, 2002, 34, 324-332

Payments for ecosystem services and the fatal attraction of win-win solutions

In this commentary we critically discuss the suitability of payments for ecosystem services and the most important challenges they face. While such instruments can play a role in improving environmental governance, we argue that over-reliance on payments as win-win solutions might lead to ineffective outcomes, similar to earlier experience with integrated conservation and development projects. Our objective is to raise awareness, particularly among policy makers and practitioners, about the limitations of such instruments and to encourage a dialogue about the policy contexts in which they might be appropriate. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Blocking GM-CSF receptor α with mavrilimumab reduces infiltrating cells, pro-inflammatory markers and neoangiogenesis in ex vivo cultured arteries from patients with giant cell arteritis

Effective and safe therapies are needed for the treatment of patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA). Emerging as a key cytokine in inflammation, granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) may play a role in promoting inflammation in GCA.To investigate expression of GM-CSF and its receptor in arterial lesions from patients with GCA. To analyse activation of GM-CSF receptor-associated signalling pathways and expression of target genes. To evaluate the effects of blocking GM-CSF receptor α with mavrilimumab in ex vivo cultured arteries from patients with GCA.Quantitative real time PCR, in situ RNA hybridisation, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy, immunoassay, western blot and ex vivo temporal artery culture.GM-CSF and GM-CSF receptor α mRNA and protein were increased in GCA lesions; enhanced JAK2/STAT5A expression/phosphorylation as well as increased expression of target genes CD83 and Spi1/PU.1 were observed. Treatment of ex vivo cultured GCA arteries with mavrilimumab resulted in decreased transcripts of CD3ε, CD20, CD14 and CD16 cell markers, and reduction of infiltrating CD16 and CD3ε cells was observed by immunofluorescence. Mavrilimumab reduced expression of molecules relevant to T cell activation (human leukocyte antigen-DR [HLA-DR]) and Th1 differentiation (interferon-γ), the pro-inflammatory cytokines: interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumour necrosis factor α (TNFα) and IL-1β, as well as molecules related to vascular injury (matrix metalloprotease 9, lipid peroxidation products and inducible nitric oxide synthase [iNOS]). Mavrilimumab reduced CD34 + cells and neoangiogenesis in GCA lesions.The inhibitory effects of mavrilimumab on multiple steps in the GCA pathogenesis cascade in vitro are consistent with the clinical observation of reduced GCA flares in a phase 2 trial and support its development as a therapeutic option for patients with GCA.© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ

El nitrat de les fonts del Lluçanès: efectes sobre les comunitats de briòfits (molses i hepàtiques) = Nitrate in natural springs in Lluçanès region: Effects on the communities of bryophytes (mosses and liverworts)

Semi-natural springs contain complex communities of living organisms that look for constant water supplies. However, an excess of nitrate in the underlying aquifers could affect species richness, especially of those groups that are sensitive to pollution such as bryophytes (mosses and liverworts). In this study, we analyse water characteristics and presence of bryophytes in 93 natural springs in Lluçanès region. We find that although a few species can cope with a relative nitrate excess, most of them do not tolerate it, meaning that species richness decreases in the most polluted sources, showing an adverse effect of water pollution on the biodiversity of bryophyte

Legitimacy in REDD+ governance in Indonesia

This paper addresses the question of legitimacy in REDD+ governance in Indonesia. It develops a legitimacy framework that builds on elements of Scharpf (J Eur Pub Policy 4(1):18–36, 1997) input and output legitimacy concept and the political economy lens described by Brockhaus and Angelsen (Analysing REDD+: Challenges and choices, CIFOR, Bogor, 2012). Using data collected through key informant interviews and focus groups, we identify and explore stakeholder perceptions of legitimacy. The analysis reveals a complex interplay between input and output legitimacy, finding that state, non-state and hybrid actors perceive output legitimacy (i.e. project outcomes) as highly dependent on the level of input legitimacy achieved during the governance process. Non-state actors perceive proxies for input legitimacy, such as participation and inclusion of local people, as goals in themselves. In the main, they perceive inclusion to be integral to the empowerment of local people. They perceive output legitimacy as less important because of the intangibility of REDD+ outcomes at this stage in the process. The findings also highlight the challenges associated with measuring the legitimacy of REDD+ governance in Indonesia