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Hyperspectral cameras collect detailed spectral information at each image pixel, contributing to the identification of image features. The rich spectral content of hyperspectral imagery has led to its application in diverse fields of study. This study focused on cloud classification using a dataset of hyperspectral sky images captured by a Resonon PIKA XC2 camera. The camera records images using 462 spectral bands, ranging from 400 to 1000 nm, with a spectral resolution of 1.9 nm. Our preliminary/unlabeled dataset comprised 33 parent hyperspectral images (HSI), each a substantial unlabeled image measuring 4402-by-1600 pixels. With the meteorological expertise within our team, we manually labeled pixels by extracting 10 to 20 sample patches from each parent image, each patch consisting of a 50-by-50 pixel field. This process yielded a collection of 444 patches, each categorically labeled into one of seven cloud and sky condition categories. To embed the inherent data structure while classifying individual pixels, we introduced an innovative technique to boost classification accuracy by incorporating patch-specific information into each pixel’s feature vector. The posterior probabilities generated by these classifiers, which capture the unique attributes of each patch, were subsequently concatenated with the pixel’s original spectral data to form an augmented feature vector. We then applied a final classifier to map the augmented vectors to the seven cloud/sky categories. The results compared favorably to the baseline model devoid of patch-origin embedding, showing that incorporating the spatial context along with the spectral information inherent in hyperspectral images enhances the classification accuracy in hyperspectral cloud classification. The dataset is available on IEEE DataPort. 

The CloudPatch-7 Hyperspectral Dataset comprises a manually curated collection of hyperspectral images, focused on pixel classification of atmospheric cloud classes. This labeled dataset features 380 patches, each a 50x50 pixel grid, derived from 28 larger, unlabeled parent images approximately 5000x1500 pixels in size. Captured using the Resonon PIKA XC2 camera, these images span 462 spectral bands from 400 to 1000 nm. Each patch is extracted from a parent image ensuring that its pixels fall within one of seven atmospheric conditions: Dense Dark Cumuliform Cloud, Dense Bright Cumuliform Cloud, Semi-transparent Cumuliform Cloud, Dense Cirroform Cloud, Semi-transparent Cirroform Cloud, Clear Sky - Low Aerosol Scattering (dark), and Clear Sky - Moderate to High Aerosol Scattering (bright). Incorporating contextual information from surrounding pixels enhances pixel classification into these 7 classes, making this dataset a valuable resource for spectral analysis, environmental monitoring, atmospheric science research, and testing machine learning applications that require contextual data. Parent images are very big in size, but they can be made available upon request. 

Altered insulin signaling may allow queen ants to live longer. 

Eusocial insects, such as bees, ants, and wasps of the Hymenoptera and termites of the Blattodea, are able to generate remarkable diversity in morphology and behavior despite being genetically uniform within a colony. Most eusocial insect species display caste structures in which reproductive ability is possessed by a single or a few queens while all other colony members act as workers. However, in some species, caste structure is somewhat plastic, and individuals may switch from one caste or behavioral phenotype to another in response to certain environmental cues. As different castes normally share a common genetic background, it is believed that much of this observed within-colony diversity results from transcriptional differences between individuals. This suggests that epigenetic mechanisms, featured by modified gene expression without changing genes themselves, may play an important role in eusocial insects. Indeed, epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation, histone modifications and non-coding RNAs, have been shown to influence eusocial insects in multiple aspects, along with typical genetic regulation. This review summarizes the most recent findings regarding such mechanisms and their diverse roles in eusocial insects. 

Here, we reveal that the regulation of Drosophila odorant receptor (OR) expression during the pupal stage is permissive and imprecise. We found that directly after hatching an OR feedback mechanism both directs and refines OR expression. We demonstrate that, as in mice, dLsd1 and Su(var)3-9 balance heterochromatin formation to direct OR expression. We show that the expressed OR induces dLsd1 and Su(var)3-9 expression, linking OR level and possibly function to OR expression. OR expression refinement shows a restricted duration, suggesting that a gene regulatory critical period brings olfactory sensory neuron differentiation to an end. Consistent with a change in differentiation, stress during the critical period represses dLsd1 and Su(var)3-9 expression and makes the early permissive OR expression permanent. This induced permissive gene regulatory state makes OR expression resilient to stress later in life. Hence, during a critical period OR feedback, similar to in mouse OR selection, defines adult OR expression in Drosophila .