Robust algorithm for estimating total suspended solids (TSS) in inland and nearshore coastal waters

One of the challenging tasks in modern aquatic remote sensing is the retrieval of near-surface concentrations of Total Suspended Solids (TSS). This study aims to present a Statistical, inherent Optical property (IOP) -based, and muLti-conditional Inversion proceDure (SOLID) for enhanced retrievals of satellite-derived TSS under a wide range of in-water bio-optical conditions in rivers, lakes, estuaries, and coastal waters. In this study, using a large in situ database (N \u3e 3500), the SOLID model is devised using a three-step procedure: (a) water-type classification of the input remote sensing reflectance (Rrs), (b) retrieval of particulate backscattering (bbp) in the red or near-infrared (NIR) regions using semi-analytical, machine-learning, and empirical models, and (c) estimation of TSS from bbp via water-type-specific empirical models. Using an independent subset of our in situ data (N = 2729) with TSS ranging from 0.1 to 2626.8 [g/m3], the SOLID model is thoroughly examined and compared against several state-of-the-art algorithms (Miller and McKee, 2004; Nechad et al., 2010; Novoa et al., 2017; Ondrusek et al., 2012; Petus et al., 2010). We show that SOLID outperforms all the other models to varying degrees, i.e.,from 10 to \u3e100%, depending on the statistical attributes (e.g., global versus water-type-specific metrics). For demonstration purposes, the model is implemented for images acquired by the MultiSpectral Imager aboard Sentinel-2A/B over the Chesapeake Bay, San-Francisco-Bay-Delta Estuary, Lake Okeechobee, and Lake Taihu. To enable generating consistent, multimission TSS products, its performance is further extended to, and evaluated for, other missions, such as the Ocean and Land Color Instrument (OLCI), Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), and Operational Land Imager (OLI). Sensitivity analyses on uncertainties induced by the atmospheric correction indicate that 10% uncertainty in Rrs leads to \u3c20% uncertainty in TSS retrievals from SOLID. While this study suggests that SOLID has a potential for producing TSS products in global coastal and inland waters, our statistical analysis certainly verifies that there is still a need for improving retrievals across a wide spectrum of particle loads

GLORIA - A globally representative hyperspectral in situ dataset for optical sensing of water quality

The development of algorithms for remote sensing of water quality (RSWQ) requires a large amount of in situ data to account for the bio-geo-optical diversity of inland and coastal waters. The GLObal Reflectance community dataset for Imaging and optical sensing of Aquatic environments (GLORIA) includes 7,572 curated hyperspectral remote sensing reflectance measurements at 1 nm intervals within the 350 to 900 nm wavelength range. In addition, at least one co-located water quality measurement of chlorophyll a, total suspended solids, absorption by dissolved substances, and Secchi depth, is provided. The data were contributed by researchers affiliated with 59 institutions worldwide and come from 450 different water bodies, making GLORIA the de-facto state of knowledge of in situ coastal and inland aquatic optical diversity. Each measurement is documented with comprehensive methodological details, allowing users to evaluate fitness-for-purpose, and providing a reference for practitioners planning similar measurements. We provide open and free access to this dataset with the goal of enabling scientific and technological advancement towards operational regional and global RSWQ monitoring

SF3B1 facilitates HIF1-signaling and promotes malignancy in pancreatic cancer

Mutations in the splicing factor SF3B1 are frequently occurring in various cancers and drive tumor progression through the activation of cryptic splice sites in multiple genes. Recent studies also demonstrate a positive correlation between the expression levels of wild-type SF3B1 and tumor malignancy. Here, we demonstrate that SF3B1 is a hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1 target gene that positively regulates HIF1 pathway activity. By physically interacting with HIF1α, SF3B1 facilitates binding of the HIF1 complex to hypoxia response elements (HREs) to activate target gene expression. To further validate the relevance of this mechanism for tumor progression, we show that a reduction in SF3B1 levels via monoallelic deletion of Sf3b1 impedes tumor formation and progression via impaired HIF signaling in a mouse model for pancreatic cancer. Our work uncovers an essential role of SF3B1 in HIF1 signaling, thereby providing a potential explanation for the link between high SF3B1 expression and aggressiveness of solid tumors

Mutual Mate Choice: When it Pays Both Sexes to Avoid Inbreeding

Theoretical models of sexual selection predict that both males and females of many species should benefit by selecting their mating partners. However, empirical evidence testing and validating this prediction is scarce. In particular, whereas inbreeding avoidance is expected to induce sexual conflicts, in some cases both partners could benefit by acting in concert and exerting mutual mate choice for non-assortative pairings. We tested this prediction with the gregarious cockroach Blattella germanica (L.). We demonstrated that males and females base their mate choice on different criteria and that choice occurs at different steps during the mating sequence. Males assess their relatedness to females through antennal contacts before deciding to court preferentially non-siblings. Conversely, females biased their choice towards the most vigorously courting males that happened to be non-siblings. This study is the first to demonstrate mutual mate choice leading to close inbreeding avoidance. The fact that outbred pairs were more fertile than inbred pairs strongly supports the adaptive value of this mating system, which includes no “best phenotype” as the quality of two mating partners is primarily linked to their relatedness. We discuss the implications of our results in the light of inbreeding conflict models

From Social Network (Centralized vs. Decentralized) to Collective Decision-Making (Unshared vs. Shared Consensus)

Relationships we have with our friends, family, or colleagues influence our personal decisions, as well as decisions we make together with others. As in human beings, despotism and egalitarian societies seem to also exist in animals. While studies have shown that social networks constrain many phenomena from amoebae to primates, we still do not know how consensus emerges from the properties of social networks in many biological systems. We created artificial social networks that represent the continuum from centralized to decentralized organization and used an agent-based model to make predictions about the patterns of consensus and collective movements we observed according to the social network. These theoretical results showed that different social networks and especially contrasted ones – star network vs. equal network - led to totally different patterns. Our model showed that, by moving from a centralized network to a decentralized one, the central individual seemed to lose its leadership in the collective movement's decisions. We, therefore, showed a link between the type of social network and the resulting consensus. By comparing our theoretical data with data on five groups of primates, we confirmed that this relationship between social network and consensus also appears to exist in animal societies

Photography-based taxonomy is inadequate, unnecessary, and potentially harmful for biological sciences

The question whether taxonomic descriptions naming new animal species without type specimen(s) deposited in collections should be accepted for publication by scientific journals and allowed by the Code has already been discussed in Zootaxa (Dubois & Nemésio 2007; Donegan 2008, 2009; Nemésio 2009a–b; Dubois 2009; Gentile & Snell 2009; Minelli 2009; Cianferoni & Bartolozzi 2016; Amorim et al. 2016). This question was again raised in a letter supported by 35 signatories published in the journal Nature (Pape et al. 2016) on 15 September 2016. On 25 September 2016, the following rebuttal (strictly limited to 300 words as per the editorial rules of Nature) was submitted to Nature, which on 18 October 2016 refused to publish it. As we think this problem is a very important one for zoological taxonomy, this text is published here exactly as submitted to Nature, followed by the list of the 493 taxonomists and collection-based researchers who signed it in the short time span from 20 September to 6 October 2016

Cholestéatome de l oreille moyenne (Détection de la récurrence en IRM de diffusion à haut champ (3 Tesla) )

On appelle cholestéatome de l oreille moyenne la présence d'un épithélium malpighien kératinisant dans l'oreille moyenne. Son pouvoir extensif et ostéolytique en fait toute la gravité. Son traitement est chirurgical. Il s agit d une pathologie à haut risque de récidive. Le diagnostic positif de récidive cholestéatomateuse est fait dans la grande majorité des cas et classiquement par le scanner haute résolution sans injection de produit de contraste. En cas de comblement complet de l oreille moyenne l IRM vient en renfort notamment au moyen d une injection de produit de contraste gadoliné avec une séquence tardive pondérée en T1. Plusieurs auteurs ont montré l intérêt de la séquence de diffusion dans cette indication en IRM 1,5 Tesla. Mais la diffusion pose le problème d une faible résolution spatiale et surtout des artefacts de susceptibilité magnétique, en particulier au niveau des interfaces air/os ou air/tissu de l oreille et la mastoïde.Le but de cette étude est de comparer deux séquences de diffusion: multishot fast Spin Echo periodically rotated overlapping parallel lines with enhanced reconstruction (PROPELLER) DWI et single shot Echo-Planar DWI en imagerie parallèle (ASSET) pour la détection de la récidive cholestéatomateuse sur imageur 3 Tesla. 35 patients chez qui l on suspectait une récidive post-opératoire de cholestéatome on bénéficié d un examen d imagerie en IRM 3 Tesla avec séquences PROPELLER DWI, ASSET-Echo-planar DWI et T1 avec acquisition 45 min après injection de gadolinium. 3 lecteurs (2 radiologues séniors et un junior) ont analysé de manière indépendante les 3 séquences à la recherche d une récidive. La corrélation intra et inter-observateur a été étudiée par un test Kappa. Sensibilité, spécificité et valeurs prédictives ont été calculées pour chaque observateur. Au total, 19 récurrences ont été diagnostiquées. La concordance inter-observateur était excellent (1 ; 0,89 ; 0,89) pour le PROPELLER. La concordance intra-observateur entre PROPELLER et T1 Gadolinium était modérée à excellent (0,88 ; 0,57 ; 0,58). La séquence PROPELLER a montré une plus faible variabilité inter-observateurs que les autres séquences et les meilleures sensibilité, spécificité et valeur prédictive. Conclusions : en IRM 3 Tesla la séquence multishot fast spin echo PROPELLER améliore la détection post-opératoire de la récurrence cholestéatomateuse par rapport à la diffusion en echo-planar en réduisant les artefacts de susceptibilité magnétique et en améliorant le contraste. A partir de nos constatations il semblerait que le PROPELLER offre une sensibilité, une spécificité et des valeurs prédictives élevées. La corrélation avec les résultats d anatomopathologie chez d avantage de patients de cette étude opérés dans un avenir proche pourrait fournir une indication plus précise sur les valeurs prédictives du PROPELLER par rapport à la séquence de référence (T1 gadolinium).Middle ear cholesteatoma consist in a squamous keratinized epithelium of the middle ear. The gravity is due to its extensive and osteolytic properties. Its treatment is surgical. It is a disease with a high risk of recurrence. Diagnosis of postoperative recurrent middle ear cholesteatoma is mainly performed on thin-section high-resolution CT. When the middle ear is completely filled, MR Imaging with late postgadolinium T1 weighting has an additional value. Several authors showed interest in using diffusion weighted MRI (DWI) for depicting recurrent cholesteatomas on a 1.5 Tesla Imaging unit. But the diffusion has the problem of low spatial resolution and especially the magnetic susceptibility artifacts at the interfaces air / bone or air / tissue of the ear and mastoid. The purpose of this study is to compare two sequences of diffusion: multishot fast spin echo periodically rotated overlapping parallel lines with enhanced reconstruction (PROPELLER) DWI and single shot ASSET echo-planar DWI for the detection of recurrent cholesteatoma on 3T Imaging unit. 35 patients with suggested postoperative recurrent cholesteatoma underwent 3 T MRI with PROPELLER DWI, ASSET-Echo-planar DWI and late postgadolinium T1 weighted MR imaging. Three radiologists (2 seniors, 1 fellow) analyzed unlabeled images for visualization of recurrence. Intra and interobserver agreement was assessed by using the Cohen Kappa statistic test. Sensitivity, specificity and predictive values were assessed for each observer. A total of 19 recurrent cholesteatomas were diagnosed. PROPELLER interobserver agreement was very good (1, 0.89, 0.89) among the 3 observers. Intraobserver agreement between PROPELLER and T1 weighted Imaging was moderate to very good (0.88, 0.57, 0.58). PROPELLER DWI provided less interobserver variability than other sequences, and the best sensitivity, specificity and predictive value. Conclusions: On a 3T Imaging unit, multishot fast spin-echo PROPELLER DWI allows an easier detection of postoperative recurrent middle ear cholesteatoma than ASSET echo-planar DWI reducing magnetic susceptibility artifacts and by its better contrast. From our findings it would appear that PROPELLER offers High sensitivity, specificity and predictive values. The correlation with more results of pathology might show higher predictive values for PROPELLER than T1 weighted Imaging.AMIENS-BU Santé (800212102) / SudocSudocFranceF

A randomized comparison of platelet reactivity in patients after treatment with various commercial clopidogrel preparations: The CLO-CLO trial

Objectifs Le but de cette étude est de comparer l’effet sur l’agrégation plaquettaire de la molécule originale de clopidogrel (clopidogrel bisulfate [Plavix®]) aux molécules génériques (clopidogrel besylate [clopidogrel Sandoz®] et clopidogrel hydrochloride [clopidogrel-Mepha®]) et au prasugrel (Efient®). Historique On suspecte que le sel utilisé pour lier la molécule de clopidogrel pourrait changer l’efficacité du médicament et par là même avoir un impact sur son activité d’antiagrégant plaquettaires. Aucune information n’est actuellement disponible. Méthode Des patients avec maladie coronaire traités par angioplastie et mise en place de stent ont été inclus dans cette étude. Ils ont reçu de manière randomisée les trois molécules de clopidogrel, à savoir le clopidogrel bisulfate (Plavix®), le clopidogrel hydrochloride (Clopidogrel-Mepha®) et le clopidogrel besylate (Clopidogrel Sandoz®) pour une durée de dix jours chacune. Après cette période de 30 jours les malades étaient placés sous prasugrel pour une nouvelle période de dix jours. L’agrégation plaquettaire a été mesurée après la dose de charge (600 mg) et après chaque intervalle de traitement de dix jours. Un appareil de type Multiplate Analyzer a été utilisé pour évaluer la fonction plaquettaire. Une valeur d’ADP inférieure à 46 U représentait une antiagrégation plaquettaire efficace. Résultats Soixante patients (50 hommes) avec un âge moyen de 69 ± 10 ans ont été inclus. Il n’y avait pas de différence significative de l’activité antiagrégante entre les trois préparations de clopidogrel, le clopidogrel bisulfate, le clopidogrel hydrochloride et le clopidogrel besylate avec des valeurs d’ADP de, respectivement, 31 ± 25 U, 33 ± 28 et 28 ± 23 U (p = NS). Le prasugrel est significativement plus efficace que l’ensemble des clopidogrel ; 10 ± 11 U vs. 31 ± 25 U. Une valeur d’ADP supérieure à 46 U a été observée chez 11 malades avec le clopidogrel bisulfate (19,6 %), 12 malades (21,1 %) avec le clopidogrel besylate et 13 malades (23,2 %) avec le clopidogrel hydrochloride. Seul un patient (2,3 %) avec le prasugrel avait une valeur d’ADP supérieure à 46 U. Conclusion Le niveau d’antiagrégation plaquettaire obtenu avec les préparations génériques de clopidogrel est comparable à celui obtenu avec la forme originale alors que le prasugrel est plus efficace.BackgroundThe salt linked to the clopidogrel molecule in generic preparations is suspected to affect its clinical efficacy. There is a lack of information about inhibition of platelet reactivity by generic preparations.AimsTo compare the effect of original clopidogrel (clopidogrel bisulphate [Plavix®]), generic clopidogrel preparations (clopidogrel hydrochloride [Clopidogrel-Mepha®]; clopidogrel besylate [Clopidogrel Sandoz®]) and prasugrel (Efient®) on platelet reactivity in patients with coronary artery disease.MethodsPatients with coronary artery disease treated with stents received, in a random sequence, original clopidogrel bisulphate, clopidogrel hydrochloride and clopidogrel besylate. Platelet function was assessed with the Multiplate analyser after an initial loading dose (600 mg) and at day 10 after each treatment period. Prasugrel was given for another 10 days. An adenosine diphosphate (ADP) test value P not significant). Prasugrel provided better inhibition of platelet function (10 ± 11 vs. 31 ± 25 U for clopidogrel bisulphate; P  46 U was measured in 11 patients (18%) with clopidogrel bisulphate, 13 (22%) with clopidogrel besylate and 13 (22%) with clopidogrel hydrochloride compared with only one (2%) with prasugrel. Conclusion Generic clopidogrel preparations provided similar inhibition of platelet reactivity to original clopidogrel bisulphate, although prasugrel was more efficient

6-DoF Full Robotic Calibration based-on 1-D Interferometric Measurements for Micro and Nano-Scales Applications

International audienceThis paper proposes an original approach for robotic calibration that is based on easurements along a single direction (1-D). Among all applications, the field of micro andnano robotics has been chosen as case-study because of the strong needs for high positioning accuracy (10-100 nm typically) while measuring with sufficient resolution along multi-DoF (Degrees-of-Freedom) is still a fully open question. 1-D measurements relyingon FP (Fabry-Perot) interferences is used and the proposed modelling of a 6-DoF nanopositioning robot enables to derive the measurement strategy as well as the identification procedure for both extrinsic and intrinsic parameters. Experimental inves-tigations demonstrate that the approach is easy to implement, low cost and enables to understand what are the main influential parameters onto positioning accuracy. They also conduct to very high accuracy in 6 DoF positioning: a positioning accuracy estimate of 50 nm and 0.004◦ has notably been obtained for the full pose (position and orientation respectively) and can be held during several hours after the measurements