Spatial Image Research Articles

Abstract PS03-03: The spatially resolved single-cell atlas of the tumor immune architecture revealed the central role of IFN-alpha and plasmacytoid dendritic cells in triple-negative breast cancer in the Mayo Clinic cohort and FinXX trial

Abstract Background: Multiple studies have confirmed the central role of preexisting immune response measured by stromal tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (sTILs) in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Emerging studies showed that not only the number of TILs but also the location of TILs is important. There are 3 distinct immune architectures described based on the amount and locations of TILs, namely immune enriched (IN), immune excluded (IE), and immune desert (ID). Here we evaluated outcomes and characteristics associated with each immune landscape. Methods: NanoString Digital Spatial Profiling (DSP) and CosMx, a spatial multi-omics single-cell imaging platform, were performed in 75 samples from the Mayo Clinic (MC) TNBC cohort (Leon-Ferre BCRT 2018). NanoString IO360 was performed in 114 samples from the FinXX trial ( NCT00114816) . Firstly, tumors with sTIL quantified by H&E ≤ 30% were classified as ID. The rest of the tumors with high sTIL > 30% were categorized according to the intratumoral CD8 protein expression by DSP, with IE having intratumoral CD8 in the lower median and IN having intratumoral CD8 in the upper median. Chi-square test, gene set enrichment, Cox regression, and Kaplan-Meier analysis were used. Differential expression listed as log 2-fold change (FC) was estimated from the linear mixed model with significance defined as two-sided p< 0.05. Results: ID is associated with low Ki67 < 5% (23.3% vs. 9.6% ID, p 0.02) as well as apocrine (11/13, 84.6%) and metaplastic histology (10/12, 83%). In both univariate and multivariate analysis, patients with IN had significantly improved recurrence-free survival (RFS) compared to those with ID (HR 0.37, 95%CI 0.18-0.74, p 0.005). Despite having high sTILs, IE had poor outcomes similar to ID (HR 0.84, 95%CI 0.36-1.98). Strikingly, we identified that IE patients had significantly lower plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) compared to IN (mean 0 vs. 0.26/100 tumor cells, 95%CI 0.08-0.43 , p 0.01). Using Gene Set Enrichment Analysis to evaluate differential hallmarks between IN and IE, we identified IF Nɑ and IFNγ (FDR < 0.001) responses as significantly enriched in IN group, consistent wi th the function of pDCs, which are a subset of dendritic cells specialized in secreting high levels of type I interferon. To validate this finding, we further evaluated the 11 leading edge gene IFNɑ signature in the FinXX trial. A high IFNɑ signature score was associated with significantly improved outcomes in the FinXX trial (HR 0.21, 95%CI 0.09-0.51 , p < 0.001). Similar findings were observed using Kaplan-Meier analysis in the FinXX trial with significantly improved RFS (p 0.0006) and overall survival (p 0.0001) in patients with high IFNɑ signature scores. Furthermore, we evaluated the differential gene expression unique to IN tumors in the Mayo cohort. Expressions of MHC class I and class II in tumor cells, including HLA-A, HLA-B, HLA-C, HLA-DRA, HLA-DRB1, HLA-DPA1, and HLA-E, were associated with IN and significantly improved outcomes (p < 0.05) compared to ID and IE. Conclusions: Highlighting the importance of spatial context, we identified that patients with IE tumors had poor outcomes despite having high TILs. Moreover, u sing an in-depth analysis with spatially defined context, we identified the central role of pDC and the significance of IF Nɑ in TNBC. Support: Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Mayo Clinic Breast Cancer SPORE (P50CA116201-17) W81XWH-15-1-0292, P50CA015083, R35CA253187 Citation Format: Saranya Chumsri, Yi Liu, Yaohua Ma, Jodi Carter, Mark Gregory, Sarah Church, Jason Reeves, Heather Ann Brauer, Sarah Warren, Heikki Joensuu, Edith Perez, Roberto Leon-Ferre, David Hillman, Judy Boughey, James Ingle, Krishna Kalari, Fergus Couch, Matthew Goetz, Keith Knutson, E. Thompson. The spatially resolved single-cell atlas of the tumor immune architecture revealed the central role of IFN-alpha and plasmacytoid dendritic cells in triple-negative breast cancer in the Mayo Clinic cohort and FinXX trial [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2023 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(9 Suppl):Abstract nr PS03-03.

Multilayer lensless camera for improving the condition number

Computational lensless imaging technology implements the thinning of the optical system by replacing optical imaging with image reconstruction processing. The conventional optical design uses a single coded mask and an image sensor; however, researchers have recently proposed optical designs incorporating multiple stacked coded apertures for multidimensional and wide-field imaging. Here, we investigate the effects of multilayering the coded aperture on the performance of two-dimensional spatial imaging. Through simulations and optical experiments, we demonstrate that multilayering the coded aperture enhances the condition number of the optical system’s transmission matrix and consequently improves the accuracy of image reconstruction in lensless imaging.

Understanding molecular differences in endocrine and exocrine pancreatic tissue in healthy and unhealthy metabolic states

Type II diabetes (T2D) is a metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia largely due the development of insulin-resistance, and in some cases, due to insuffcient insulin secretion. The endocrine portion of the pancreas, the islets of Langerhans, is composed of a diverse population of cells (beta, alpha, delta) that play vital roles in glucose homeostasis. Intercellular signaling events that occur within this diverse cell population play an active role in T2D progression. Therefore, to properly understand the progression of T2D it is critical to understand the how both the cellular neighborhoods and cell-cell communications within the islet of Langerhans and the surrounding exocrine (non-Islet) tissue contribute to the development of T2D. As the pancreas is a heterogenous organ, techniques allowing for the identification of cellular subpopulations within the tissue, such as single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq), have been critical to answering questions about the pathogenesis of T2D. However, these techniques provide no insight into the anatomical and spatial context of cells, and therefore lack the ability to determine the influence of cellular neighborhoods in T2D pathogenesis. To begin to fill the gap in our understanding of how cellular neighborhoods and cell-cell communication impacts the progression of T2D, we utilized cutting edge technology that allows for the identification of RNA and protein within tissue at cellular and subcellular level, the Nanostring CosMx Spatial Molecular Imager. In this study, we aimed to determine if the location of individual cells within the islet (exocrine adjacent versus endocrine adjacent) contributes to gene expression changes that direct disease progression. To answer this question, we collected 200 human donor pancreases and analyzed them for 1000 RNA targets using the CosMX Spatial Molecular Imager. Ig. We then performed an analysis of RNA expression of exocrine cells bordering the islets of Langerhans and endocrine cells surrounding pancreatic vasculature was compared between healthy, metabolically heathy obese (MHO), and obese T2D groups. Preliminary analysis of these data yield novel insights into the transcriptomic profile of metabolically unhealthy tissues that may play a role in the progression of T2D. In particular, we observed an upregulation of mRNA transcripts associated with pro-inflammatory IL-21 and IL-22 signaling in the alpha cells from MHO donor pancreases. Furthermore, this upregulation is primarily observed in alpha cells in close proximity to acinar cells. Overall, these data will help pave the way to addressing previously unanswered questions in the context of T2D pathogenesis and unexplored cell-cell interactions that occur between the endocrine and exocrine spaces of the pancreas. Funding: Saint Louis University. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

Spatial Analysis of NETotic Neutrophil Crosstalk with Monocytes/Mφ in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Abstract Neutrophils are specialized immune cells that exhibit dual roles in cancer immunity; both pro and anti-tumor functions have been characterized thus far. It is now recognized that previously identified Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells (MDSCs) that impede anti-tumor immunity in various cancers are comprised of pathologic monocyte and neutrophil types. However, the interplay between tumor-associated neutrophils, monocytes, and their impact on tumor immunity remains unclear. Neutrophils execute their immune functions via NETosis, an exceptional mechanism that extrudes neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), which play a dual role in cancer. In some cancers, NETs recruit macrophages toward an anti-tumor response, yet prolonged interaction induces apoptosis, contributing to immune suppression in the tumor microenvironment (TME). In oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), linked to poor prognosis and high mortality, NETotic neutrophil infiltration at the tumor site correlates with improved survival. Conversely, heightened neutrophil presence in late-stage metastatic lymph nodes reduces survival. Consistently, elevated NET concentration in patient serum was identified. In this study, we use CosMx Spatial Molecular Imager (CosMx SMI) to investigate in-depth transcriptome changes of monocytes/Mφs induced by crosstalk with NETotic neutrophils in the tumor site from MOC2 tumors (OSCC mouse model) to demonstrate the contribution of NETotic neutrophil-monocyte/Mφ crosstalk to OSCC initiation.

Detecting immune activity in human tumors with novel high-throughput whole slide imaging approaches using Imaging Mass Cytometry.

Abstract Deciphering the spatial biology of the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) has potential to inform clinical and translational researchers about the likelihood of immunotherapy success. Imaging Mass Cytometry™ (IMC™) is a spatial biology imaging technique that enables deep characterization of the TIME while fully retaining spatial features of tissues using 40-plus markers simultaneously. We developed two new whole slide imaging methods for IMC. Tissue mode (TM) rapidly acquires an image of the whole tissue that can be used for quantitative analysis of spatial biology. Preview mode (PM) samples the entire tissue at predefined spacing to rapidly capture a low-resolution image of all expressed markers, improving informed identification of areas for high-resolution cell mode (CM) imaging on the same slide. Tumor tissues were stained using a 40-marker panel comprised of the Maxpar™ Human Immuno-Oncology IMC Panel Kit, designed for tumor and immune cell profiling. TM imaging in combination with pixel-based analysis quantified tissue areas containing high or low abundance of myeloid and lymphoid immune, tumor and stromal cell compartments. PM in combination with CM imaging followed by single-cell analysis on selected tumor regions identified cell populations with varying activation states and expression profiles. Overall, we highlight the power of IMC to provide quantitative insights into the spatial biology of the TIME. For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

Abdominal image quality and dose reduction with energy-integrating or photon-counting detectors dual-source CT: A phantom study

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to assess image-quality and dose reduction potential using a photon-counting computed tomography (PCCT) system by comparison with two different dual-source CT (DSCT) systems using two phantoms. Materials and methodsAcquisitions on phantoms were performed using two DSCT systems (DSCT1 [Somatom Force] and DSCT2 [Somatom Pro.Pulse]) and one PCCT system (Naeotom Alpha) at four dose levels (13/6/3.4/1.8 mGy). Noise power spectrum (NPS) and task-based transfer function (TTF) were computed to assess noise magnitude and noise texture and spatial resolution (f50), respectively. Detectability indexes (d’) were computed to model the detection of abdominal lesions: one unenhanced high-contrast task, one contrast-enhanced high-contrast task and one unenhanced low-contrast task. Image quality was subjectively assessed on an anthropomorphic phantom by two radiologists. ResultsFor all dose levels, noise magnitude values were lower with PCCT than with DSCTs. For all CT systems, similar noise texture values were found at 13 and 6 mGy, but the greatest noise texture values were found for DSCT2 and the lowest for PCCT at 3.4 and 1.8 mGy. For high-contrast inserts, similar or lower f50 values were found with PCCT than with DSCT1 and the opposite pattern was found for the low-contrast insert. For the three simulated lesions, d’ values were greater with PCCT than with DSCTs. Abdominal images were rated satisfactory for clinical use by the radiologists for all dose levels with PCCT and for 13 and 6 mGy with DSCTs. ConclusionBy comparison with DSCTs, PCCT reduces image-noise and improves detectability of simulated abdominal lesions without altering the spatial resolution and image texture. Image-quality obtained with PCCT seem to indicate greater potential for dose optimization than those obtained with DSCTs.

Mitochondrial Ca2+-coupled generation of reactive oxygen species causes endothelial dysfunction in Cantú syndrome

Cantú syndrome is a multisystem disorder caused by gain-of-function (GOF) mutations in KCNJ8 and ABCC9, the genes encoding the pore-forming inward rectifier Kir6.1 and regulatory sulfonylurea receptor SUR2B subunits of vascular ATP-sensitive K+ channels (KATP). In this study, we investigated the effects of Cantú syndrome on the vascular endothelium using mutant mice that model the disease. We found that endothelium-dependent dilation was impaired in small mesenteric arteries from Cantú mice. Loss of endothelium-dependent vasodilation led to increased vasoconstriction in response to intraluminal pressure and to the adrenergic receptor agonist phenylephrine. We also found that KATP GOF and acute activation of KATP channels with pinacidil increased the amplitude and frequency of wave-like Ca2+ events that were generated in the endothelium in response to the vasodilator agonist carbachol (CCh). Elevated cytosolic Ca2+ signaling activity in arterial endothelial cells from Cantú mice was associated with high mitochondrial [Ca2+], reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and peroxynitrite levels. Scavenging intracellular and mitochondrial ROS restored endothelium-dependent vasodilation in the arteries of mice with KATP GOF mutations. We conclude that mitochondrial Ca2+ overload and ROS generation cause endothelial dysfunction in mice with Cantú syndrome. This study was supported by grants from NHLBI (R35HL155008) and NIGMS (P20GM130459) to S.E., and NIH (R35HL140024) to C.G.N., and NIH (R00HL150277) to C.M. The Transgenic Genotyping and Phenotyping Core and the High Spatial and Temporal Resolution Imaging Core at the COBRE Center for Molecular and Cellular Signaling in the Cardiovascular System, University of Nevada, Reno is maintained by grants from NIH/NIGMS (P20GM130459). This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

Media image of Russia in information programs of Syrian television

This article examines the media image of Russia in the information programs of Syrian television. The research is aimed at identifying the key components of the media image and understanding the impact of television programs on shaping the perception of Russia in Syrian society. The research is based on an integrated approach, including content analysis, case studies and cognitive analysis, which allows combining quantitative and qualitative data, as well as taking into account contextual and psychological aspects. Empirically, the key components of the media image of Russia are determined, including the spatial media image (image of territories), the media image of the population, the media image of power and the media image of the leader. Special attention is paid to the influence of object and subject factors on the formation of the image of the country. The results of the study allow us to understand how the media image of Russia is formed in the information programs of Syrian television and what factors influence the perception of this image by the Syrian audience.

Precise regulation of surface plasmonic hotspots in an Au split nanoring coupled system

The signal enhancement in plasmon-enhanced spectroscopy is primarily contributed by hotspots generated through the surface plasmon resonance effect. Precise control of hotspot positions within nanostructures is of great significance in surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and high spatial resolution imaging. However, predicting the positions of hotspots is challenging due to the small nanogaps and complex plasmonic interactions. In this study, we theoretically investigate the localized surface plasmonic properties of split ring nanostructure. The effects of variations in the inner radius, gap distance and thickness of the split ring on the hotspot distribution at the nanogaps are systematically analyzed using a three-dimensional finite element method. The results demonstrate that precise control over the positions and quantities of hotspots can be achieved by choosing the excitation wavelength and the gap size of the split rings. The calculated maximum Raman enhancement obtained at the hotspots can reach nine orders of magnitude. Our findings not only contribute to a deeper understanding of the SERS enhancement mechanism, but also provide theoretical insights for further development of surface-enhanced fluorescence, plasmonic sensors, and super-resolution imaging in the field of interface spectroscopy.

Fully dense generative adversarial network for removing artifacts caused by microwave dielectric effect in thermoacoustic imaging

Microwave-induced thermoacoustic (TA) imaging (MTAI) combines pulsed microwave excitation and ultrasound detection to provide high contrast and spatial resolution images through dielectric contrast, which holds great promise for clinical applications. However, artifacts caused by microwave dielectric effect will seriously affect the accuracy of MTAI images that will hinder the clinical translation of MTAI. In this work, we propose a deep learning-based method fully dense generative adversarial network (FD-GAN) for removing artifacts caused by microwave dielectric effect in MTAI. FD-GAN adds the fully dense block to the generative adversarial network (GAN) based on the mutual confrontation between generator and discriminator, which enables it to learn both local and global features related to the removal of artifacts and generate high-quality images. The practical feasibility was tested in simulated, experimental data. The results demonstrate that FD-GAN can effectively remove the artifacts caused by the microwave dielectric effect, and shows superiority in denoising, background suppression, and improvement of image distortion. Our approach is expected to significantly improve the accuracy and quality of MTAI images, thereby enhancing the diagnostic accuracy of this innovative imaging technique.

Investigation of 3D vessel reconstruction under Doppler imaging with phantoms: Towards reconstruction of the Circle of Willis

BackgroundStroke is the second leading cause of death across the globe. Early screening and risk detection could provide early intervention and possibly prevent its incidence. Imaging modalities, including 1D-Transcranial Doppler Ultrasound (1D-TCD) or Transcranial Color-code sonography (TCCS), could only provide low spatial resolution or 2D image information, respectively. Notably, 3D imaging modalities including CT have high radiation exposure, whereas MRI is expensive and cannot be adopted in patients with implanted devices. This study proposes an alternative imaging solution for reconstructing 3D Doppler ultrasound geared towards providing a screening tool for the 3D vessel structure of the brain. MethodsThe system comprises an ultrasound phased array attached to a servo motor, which can rotate 180˚ at a speed of 2˚/s. We extracted the color Doppler ROI from the image before reconstructing it into a 3D view using a customized pixel-based algorithm. Different vascular diameters, flow velocity, and depth were tested using a vascular phantom with a pumped flow to confirm the system for imaging blood flow. These variables were set to mimic the vessel diameter, flow speed, and depth of the Circle of Willis (CoW) during a transcranial screening. Results and conclusionsThe lower values of absolute error and ratio were found in the larger vascular channels, and vessel diameter overrepresentation was observed. Under different flow velocities, such diameter overrepresentation in the reconstructed flow did not change much; however, it did change with different depths. Meanwhile, the setting of the velocity scale and the color gain affected the dimension of reconstructed objectives. Moreover, we presented a 3D image of CoW from a subject to demonstrate its potential. The findings of this work can provide a good reference for further studies on the reconstruction of the CoW or other blood vessels using Doppler imaging.

Ultra-High Spatial Resolution Images of the Temporal Bone Obtained With a Newly Released Photon-Counting Detector Computed Tomography.

Ultra-High Spatial Resolution Images of the Temporal Bone Obtained With a Newly Released Photon-Counting Detector Computed Tomography.

Unsupervised multi-level spatio-spectral fusion transformer for hyperspectral image super-resolution

Fusing a low spatial resolution hyperspectral image (LR-HSI) with a high spatial resolution multispectral image (HR-MSI) is widely used for HSI super-resolution. Recent works still face problems in exploring global spatio-spectral correlation and lack effective utilization of multi-level features of the inputs (i.e., HR-MSI and LR-HSI), which results in a lack of similarity between the reconstruction and the inputs, ultimately causing significant spatio-spectral distortion. To solve these problems, we design an Unsupervised Multi-level Spatio-spectral Fusion Transformer (UMSFT). In UMSFT, a novel multi-level features fusion strategy is constructed, which fuses the hierarchy features of the inputs via proposed Spatio-spectral Feature Fusion Attention Blocks (S2F-FAB) in a level-by-level manner, thereby fully exploring the interaction between the hierarchical features. The S2F-FAB is specially designed for HSI-MSI fusion consisting of two components: (1) a spatial fusion module (Spa-FM) is designed for spatial domain fusion, and its output is set as Values (V) of a transformer; (2) a novel spectral feature cross attention (Spe- FCA) formulates the features of LR-HSI and HR-MSI as Queries (Q) and Keys (K), respectively, and achieves spectral domain fusion by applying attention mechanism along the spectral dimension. Incorporating spatial detail reconstruction and spectral feature integration into the attention mechanism, the S2F-FAB efficiently exploits the spatio-spectral correlation between target HR-HSI and inputs. Experimental results on three public datasets and our real-world images show the superiority of our method as compared with eleven state-of-the-art methods. Codes will be available at https://github.com/Caoxuheng/HIFtool.

High spatial resolution surface plasmon resonance imaging using a plasmonic chip.

The surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technique has been widely applied to biosensing technologies for the rapid quantification of biomolecules without enzyme and fluorescent labeling. However, the conventional prism-coupling SPR method generally has a detection area of a few mm2, and the large contribution of the background signal forms a barrier to highly sensitive detection. Based on a highly spatially resolved SPR method, the present study constructed a scanning GC-SPR imaging instrument using an objective lens with a high numerical aperture and a plasmonic chip that could be used for grating-coupled SPR. Focusing light on the diffraction limit can suppress background signals and improve detection sensitivity. SPR imaging can also be performed by scanning a focal spot. Using this method, the refractive index of a mixture of water and dimethyl sulfoxide was measured with a detection accuracy of 2.43 × 10-3 RIU. Polydopamine films prepared with a thickness of <5nm were also measured, and each film thickness was evaluated with high sensitivity from the effective refractive index detected in a small area of <1 µm2.

Human NLRC4 expression promotes cancer survival and associates with type I interferon signaling and immune infiltration.

The immune system can control cancer progression. However, even though some innate immune sensors of cellular stress are expressed intrinsically in epithelial cells, their potential role in cancer aggressiveness and subsequent overall survival in humans is mainly unknown. Here, we show that nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor (NLR) family CARD domain-containing 4 (NLRC4) is downregulated in epithelial tumor cells of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) by using spatial tissue imaging. Strikingly, only the loss of tumor NLRC4, but not stromal NLRC4, was associated with poor immune infiltration (mainly DCs and CD4+ and CD8+ T cells) and accurately predicted progression to metastatic stage IV and decrease in overall survival. By combining multiomics approaches, we show that restoring NLRC4 expression in human CRC cells triggered a broad inflammasome-independent immune reprogramming consisting of type I interferon (IFN) signaling genes and the release of chemokines and myeloid growth factors involved in the tumor infiltration and activation of DCs and T cells. Consistently, such reprogramming in cancer cells was sufficient to directly induce maturation of human DCs toward a Th1 antitumor immune response through IL-12 production in vitro. In multiple human carcinomas (colorectal, lung, and skin), we confirmed that NLRC4 expression in patient tumors was strongly associated with type I IFN genes, immune infiltrates, and high microsatellite instability. Thus, we shed light on the epithelial innate immune sensor NLRC4 as a therapeutic target to promote an efficient antitumor immune response against the aggressiveness of various carcinomas.

Multi-frequency spatial frequency domain imaging: a depth-resolved optical scattering model to isolate scattering contrast in thin layers of skin.

Current methods for wound healing assessment rely on visual inspection, which gives qualitative information. Optical methods allow for quantitative non-invasive measurements of optical properties relevant to wound healing. Spatial frequency domain imaging (SFDI) measures the absorption and reduced scattering coefficients of tissue. Typically, SFDI assumes homogeneous tissue; however, layered structures are present in skin. We evaluate a multi-frequency approach to process SFDI data that estimates depth-specific scattering over differing penetration depths. Multi-layer phantoms were manufactured to mimic wound healing scattering contrast in depth. An SFDI device imaged these phantoms and data were processed according to our multi-frequency approach. The depth sensitive data were then compared with a two-layer scattering model based on light fluence. The measured scattering from the phantoms changed with spatial frequency as our two-layer model predicted. The performance of two models solutions for SFDI was consistently better than the standard diffusion approximation. We presented an approach to process SFDI data that returns depth-resolved scattering contrast. This method allows for the implementation of layered optical models that more accurately represent physiologic parameters in thin tissue structures as in wound healing.

Relationship between monthly surface water derived from Sentinel-2 imagery and meteorological data (precipitation and evaporation) at Baghdad, Iraq

ABSTRACT This study was carried out using two main monthly datasets: satellite images and some meteorological parameters (like precipitation and evaporation) for 2 years (2018 and 2021). Using the fine spatial resolution images acquired from Sentinel-2, digital maps of surface water areas were produced by calculating the Modified Normalized Difference Water Index for all months in QGIS and then classifying them into two main categories (water and non-water bodies). The results show that the largest areas were in January 2021 (77.2 km2) and 40.7 km2 in November 2018, while the lowest (18.7 km2) were in June 2021 and July 2018. Monthly mean values of cumulative precipitation and evaporation were used to find their relationships with surface water areas. The results show that the year 2021 was a severe dry year, whereas the lowest precipitation (25 mm) in that year was associated with higher evaporation losses (3,021.8 mm) during this year. When combined with surface water areas and meteorological parameters, a non-linear relationship between water areas and evaporation was found for both years, and a linear relationship between precipitation and water areas for the wet year of 2018.

Canopy-Level Spectral Variation and Classification of Diverse Crop Species with Fine Spatial Resolution Imaging Spectroscopy

Canopy-Level Spectral Variation and Classification of Diverse Crop Species with Fine Spatial Resolution Imaging Spectroscopy

Frequency-domain image encryption based on IWT and 3D S-box

Most of the existing spatial domain image encryption techniques suffer from the difficulty of resisting cryptographic attacks. For this reason, this paper proposes a frequency-domain based digital image encryption scheme by combining Integer Wavelet Transform (IWT), three-dimensional S-box and chaotic system. First, the plaintext image is decomposed into different frequency subbands by IWT to map the digital image from spatial domain to frequency domain. Second, the plaintext hash value is selected as the dynamic key, and dynamic chaotic pseudo-random sequences with associations are generated, which are used for the encryption of each module respectively. Then, a three-dimensional S-box is designed to encrypt the information-rich low-frequency information using ‘bit-permutation three-dimensional S-box replace ciphertext interleaved diffusion’, while the high-frequency information is encrypted using a lightweight ‘XOR-row column permutation’ operation. Finally, the secure ciphertext for public channel transmission is obtained by the reconstruction method. The scheme of this paper, the frequency domain transformation is implemented through IWT, which enhances the ability to resist attacks. In addition, the diffusion encryption modules employ the introduction of ciphertext interleaved diffusion and parallel encryption mechanisms, thus the algorithm has the ability to resist plaintext attacks. Theoretical analysis and empirical results show that the algorithm has excellent numerical statistical analysis results, which corroborate that it has good confusion, diffusion and avalanche effects, and is able to resist various common cryptographic attacks. The frequency domain image encryption scheme proposed in this paper is a preferred high-security digital image privacy protection technique, so it has good application prospects.

The AstraLux-TESS high spatial resolution imaging survey. Search for stellar companions of 215 planet candidates from TESS

Chance-aligned sources or blended companions can cause false positives in planetary transit detections or simply bias the determination of the candidate properties. In the era of high-precision space-based photometers, the need for high spatial resolution images has been demonstrated to be critical for validating and confirming transit signals. This already applied to the Kepler mission, is now applicable to the TESS survey, and will be critical for the PLATO mission. In this paper we present the results of the AstraLux-TESS survey, a catalog of high spatial resolution images obtained with the AstraLux instrument at the Calar Alto observatory (Almer\'ia, Spain) in the context of the TESS Follow-up Observing Program. We used the lucky imaging technique to obtain high spatial resolution images from planet candidate hosts included mostly in two relevant regimes: exoplanet candidates belonging to the level one requirement of the TESS mission (planets with radii $R&lt;4 R_ oplus $) and TESS planet candidates around intermediate-mass main-sequence stars. Among the 185 planet host candidate stars observed, we found 13 (7&lt;!PCT!&gt;) to be accompanied by additional sources within a separation of 2.2 arcsec . Among them, six are not associated with sources in the DR3 catalog, thus contaminating the TESS light curve. Even if no contaminants have been detected, we can provide upper limits and probabilities to the possible existence of field contaminants through the sensitivity limits of our images. Among the isolated hosts, we can discard hazardous companions (bright enough to mimic a planetary transit signals) with an accuracy below 1&lt;!PCT!&gt; for all their planets. The results from this catalog are key to the statistical validation of small planets (prime targets of the TESS mission) and planets around intermediate-mass stars in the main sequence. These two populations of planets are difficult to confirm with the radial velocity technique because of the shallow amplitude of small planets and the high rotational velocities and low number of available spectral lines in the intermediate stellar mass regime. Our results also demonstrate the importance of this type of follow-up observation for future transit missions such as PLATO, even in the era.