Prediction of the yield of grains through artificial intelligence

Grass turns out to be an appropriate food for cattle, mainly in tropical climate countries such as Latin American countries. This is due to the high number of species that can be used, the possibility of growing them year-round, the ability of the ruminant to use fibrous supplies and be an economic source (Sánchez et al., Data mining and big data. DMBD 2018. Lecture notes in computer science, vol 10943. Springer, Cham, 2018, [1]). In this work, an application of neural networks was carried out in the forecasting of more accurate values of production and quality of grasslands

Heat shock protein amplification improves cerebellar myelination in the Npc1nih mouse model.

BACKGROUND: Niemann-Pick disease type C (NPC) is a rare prematurely fatal lysosomal lipid storage disease with limited therapeutic options. The prominent neuropathological hallmarks include hypomyelination and cerebellar atrophy. We previously demonstrated the efficacy of recombinant human heat shock protein 70 (rhHSP70) in preclinical models of the disease. It reduced glycosphingolipid levels in the central nervous system (CNS), improving cerebellar myelination and improved behavioural phenotypes in Npc1nih (Npc1-/-) mice. Furthermore, treatment with arimoclomol, a well-characterised HSP amplifier, attenuated lysosomal storage in NPC patient fibroblasts and improved neurological symptoms in Npc1-/- mice. Taken together, these findings prompted the investigation of the effects of HSP amplification on CNS myelination. METHODS: We administered bimoclomol daily or rhHSP70 6 times per week to Npc1-/- (BALB/cNctr-Npc1m1N/J, also named Npc1nih) mice by intraperitoneal injection from P7 through P34 to investigate the impact on CNS myelination. The Src-kinase inhibitor saracatinib was administered with/without bimoclomol twice daily to explore the contribution of Fyn kinase to bimoclomol's effects. FINDINGS: Treatment with either bimoclomol or rhHSP70 improved myelination and increased the numbers of mature oligodendrocytes (OLs) as well as the ratio of active-to-inactive forms of phosphorylated Fyn kinase in the cerebellum of Npc1-/- mice. Additionally, treatment with bimoclomol preserved cerebellar weight, an effect that was abrogated when co-administered with saracatinib, an inhibitor of Fyn kinase. Bimoclomol-treated mice also exhibited increased numbers of immature OLs within the cortex. INTERPRETATION: These data increase our understanding of the mechanisms by which HSP70 regulates myelination and provide further support for the clinical development of HSP-amplifying therapies in the treatment of NPC. FUNDING: Funding for this study was provided by Orphazyme A/S (Copenhagen, Denmark) and a Pathfinder Award from The Wellcome Trust

The Goal Programming as a Tool for Measuring the Sustainability of Agricultural Production Chains of Rice

Agricultural activity is characterized by an intensive use of capital and a considerable dependence on external financing. Access to credit is often limited by the scarcity of resources and lack of guarantees, seriously affecting the productivity and economic performance of agricultural exploitations. The objective of this paper is to assess the sustainability of agricultural production chain of rice in Latin America using multi-criteria analysis tools to facilitate decision-making through a benchmarking process to contribute to their economic sustainability. The implementation of the model in an exploitation typy depending on financing sources (conservative, intermediate, and innovative) has revealed the conflict between the goals, being the intermediate exploitation, which gets the best results. The conclusions show that the flexibilization of financing options positively affects the economic performance

Diagnosis and treatment of uveitis by non-ophthalmologist physicians

Resumen Objetivos: Describir los principales signos y síntomas, así como el tratamiento inicial de un paciente con diagnóstico de uveítis con el propósito de evitar retardo en la remisión y el inicio del manejo oportuno de esta patología. Métodos: Se realizó una revisión sistemática de la literatura en la cual se identificaron los principales signos y síntomas que deben ser tenidos en cuenta para sospechar el diagnóstico de uveítis y su tratamiento indicado. Se llevó a cabo una búsqueda en PubMed durante el periodo del 2010-2015, se eligieron 439 artículos, los cuales fueron sometidos a dos procesos de filtrado manual, eligiendo por un grupo de investigadores los resúmenes que respondieran nuestra pregunta de investigación. Posteriormente un grupo de oftalmólogos expertos y médicos con experiencia en oftalmología realizaron una segunda revisión. Resultados: Posterior al primer proceso de filtrado se obtuvieron 73 artículos que se sometieron a un segundo proceso de selección donde se obtuvieron 30 artículos. De la selección final de artículos: seis fueron estudios observacionales o ensayos clínicos; los artículos restantes fueron revisiones de la literatura. Los estudios observacionales y ensayos clínicos aleatorizados se evaluaron con la herramienta GRADE siendo la mayoría de evidencia alta. Se hizo una revisión de los treinta artículos seleccionados, por parte de nuestros investigadores, dando como resultado recomendaciones para el diagnóstico y tratamiento de la uveítis para el personal médico no oftalmólogo. Conclusiones: Existen un conjunto de signos y síntomas que pueden hacer sospechar al médico no oftalmólogo el diagnóstico de uveítis. Ante un paciente que presenta dolor ocular asociado a disminución de la agudeza visual, fotofobia, ojo rojo sin secreción conjuntival, miosis pupilar, depósitos retroquératicos y hallazgos al fondo de ojo como vitreitis o coriorretinitis se debe sospechar una uveítis. El manejo precoz de la uveítis anterior no infecciosa puede ser instaurado por el médico no oftalmólogo con corticoides tópicos, sin embargo, en caso de uveítis intermedia y posterior es importante remitir al oftalmólogo cuanto antes. Proponemos un algoritmo para ayudar al diagnóstico de la uveítis y recomendaciones para su manejo inicial.Abstract Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe the main diagnostic features and the initial management of uveitis, in order to avoid delays in the treatment and the remission to the ophthalmologist. Methods: A systematic review of the literature, which identified the main signs and symptoms and initial treatment for patients with uveitis, was done. A search of the literature published through 2010-2015 was performed using PubMed database. Four hundred and thirty nine eligible articles underwent a selection process in which titles, abstracts and full texts were reviewed, obtaining thirty final articles. Results: Thirty articles were reviewed, six were observational studies and clinical trials; 24 articles were reviews or case reports. The observational studies and clinical trials were rated with the Grading of Recommendations Assessment (GRADE) tool. After the grading tree of the articles were of high level of evidence. Conclusions: In a patient with ocular pain related to decreased visual acuity, photophobia, red eye without secretion, miosis, keratic precipitates, and vitritis or chorioretinitis the healthcare provider should rule out the diagnosis of uveitis. A non-ophthalmologist physician can start the initial management of an anterior uveitis and then refer the patient to the ophthalmologist as soon as possible. If the diagnosis is an infectious anterior uveitis, intermediate uveitis or posterior uveitis the patient should be derived to the ophthalmologist immediately

International Veterinary Epilepsy Task Force recommendations for systematic sampling and processing of brains from epileptic dogs and cats

Traditionally, histological investigations of the epileptic brain are required to identify epileptogenic brain lesions, to evaluate the impact of seizure activity, to search for mechanisms of drug-resistance and to look for comorbidities. For many instances, however, neuropathological studies fail to add substantial data on patients with complete clinical work-up. This may be due to sparse training in epilepsy pathology and or due to lack of neuropathological guidelines for companion animals. The protocols introduced herein shall facilitate systematic sampling and processing of epileptic brains and therefore increase the efficacy, reliability and reproducibility of morphological studies in animals suffering from seizures. Brain dissection protocols of two neuropathological centres with research focus in epilepsy have been optimised with regards to their diagnostic yield and accuracy, their practicability and their feasibility concerning clinical research requirements. The recommended guidelines allow for easy, standardised and ubiquitous collection of brain regions, relevant for seizure generation. Tissues harvested the prescribed way will increase the diagnostic efficacy and provide reliable material for scientific investigations

Diagnostic performance and prediction of clinical progression of plasma phospho-tau181 in the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative

Whilst cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and positron emission tomography (PET) biomarkers for amyloid-β (Aβ) and tau pathologies are accurate for the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), their broad implementation in clinical and trial settings are restricted by high cost and limited accessibility. Plasma phosphorylated-tau181 (p-tau181) is a promising blood-based biomarker that is specific for AD, correlates with cerebral Aβ and tau pathology, and predicts future cognitive decline. In this study, we report the performance of p-tau181 in >1000 individuals from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), including cognitively unimpaired (CU), mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD dementia patients characterized by Aβ PET. We confirmed that plasma p-tau181 is increased at the preclinical stage of Alzheimer and further increases in MCI and AD dementia. Individuals clinically classified as AD dementia but having negative Aβ PET scans show little increase but plasma p-tau181 is increased if CSF Aβ has already changed prior to Aβ PET changes. Despite being a multicenter study, plasma p-tau181 demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy to identify AD dementia (AUC = 85.3%; 95% CI, 81.4–89.2%), as well as to distinguish between Aβ− and Aβ+ individuals along the Alzheimer’s continuum (AUC = 76.9%; 95% CI, 74.0–79.8%). Higher baseline concentrations of plasma p-tau181 accurately predicted future dementia and performed comparably to the baseline prediction of CSF p-tau181. Longitudinal measurements of plasma p-tau181 revealed low intra-individual variability, which could be of potential benefit in disease-modifying trials seeking a measurable response to a therapeutic target. This study adds significant weight to the growing body of evidence in the use of plasma p-tau181 as a non-invasive diagnostic and prognostic tool for AD, regardless of clinical stage, which would be of great benefit in clinical practice and a large cost-saving in clinical trial recruitment

Providing access to urban green spaces: A participatory benefit-cost analysis in Spain

This is the final version. Available on open access from MDPI via the DOI in this recordThe opening up of green spaces could provide significant benefits to society. This study develops a framework to assess the economic benefits and costs of public interventions providing citizen access to urban green spaces. The Thinking Fadura project in Getxo (Spain) was used as a case study. A method for participatory benefit-cost analysis is developed, where a stakeholder-participatory evaluation is combined with a standard cost-benefit analysis. The participatory evaluation followed a bottom-up approach in a sequential evaluation including three main focal points: key stakeholders and experts, visitors and the general public. The assessment demonstrates that the Thinking Fadura project’s benefits outweigh the costs. The results suggest that projects designed with the purpose of improving green space accessibility to the general public can be beneficial from a societal perspective. The highest economic benefits were an increase in the amenity and recreational value and an increase in people’s physical activity. The participatory evaluation indicates that giving access to people of lower socio-economic status and vulnerable groups and improving recreational use were perceived as the most beneficial. An increase in noise, dirt, and risk of criminal activities as well as potential conflicts between green space users were perceived as the most negative impacts of opening a previously restricted area to the general public. The economic assessment of Thinking Fadura project could serve as a model in the decision-making process in locations where the use of greenspaces is restricted.European Union Horizon 202

The Neurocognitive Architecture of Individual Differences in Math Anxiety in Typical Children

Math Anxiety (MA) is characterized by a negative emotional response when facing math-related situations. MA is distinct from general anxiety and can emerge during primary education. Prior studies typically comprise adults and comparisons between high- versus low-MA, where neuroimaging work has focused on differences in network activation between groups when completing numerical tasks. The present study used voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to identify the structural brain correlates of MA in a sample of 79 healthy children aged 7–12 years. Given that MA is thought to develop in later primary education, the study focused on the level of MA, rather than categorically defining its presence. Using a battery of cognitive- and numerical-function tasks, we identified that increased MA was associated with reduced attention, working memory and math achievement. VBM highlighted that increased MA was associated with reduced grey matter in the left anterior intraparietal sulcus. This region was also associated with attention, suggesting that baseline differences in morphology may underpin attentional differences. Future studies should clarify whether poorer attentional capacity due to reduced grey matter density results in the later emergence of MA. Further, our data highlight the role of working memory in propagating reduced math achievement in children with higher MA