Producción ecológica en los cultivos de lavanda en Cuenca (España). Estudio del rendimiento y calidad de sus aceites esenciales

In the present paper, we present a description of the ecological agriculture of different lavenders in Cuenca province (Spain). We focused on the important aromatic crops of Lavandula angustifolia (lavender) and on three varieties of Lavandula × intermedia (lavandin) called name abrial, rosso and super. A description of yield production and essential oil qualities obtained in our experimental fields are presented. Lavandin var. super showed the best essential oil quality with good yield production as well. The current market of Fragrant and Medicinal Plants claims raw materials with confirmed quality, with good practices of harvesting, transformation and manufacture by means of ecological production.En este trabajo presentamos una descripción del cultivo ecológico de diferentes lavandas en la provincia de Cuenca (España), concretamente de los cultivos de Lavandula angustifolia (lavanda) y de tres variedades de Lavandula × intermedia denominadas abrial, grosso y super. Se presenta una descripción de los rendimientos de estos cultivos y de las calidades obtenidas de la destilación de sus aceites esenciales. Con la variedad super de lavandin se obtuvieron las mejores producciones y calidades. El mercado actual de plantas aromáticas y medicinales reclama materias primas de calidad contrastada, con trazabilidad óptima de los productos, buenas prácticas de recolección, transformación y manufactura mediante producción ecológica

Ecological agriculture: essay of weed control on Rosmarinus officinalis L. culture from Castilla-La Mancha (Spain)

Se presentan los resultados obtenidos en el ensayo del control de malas hierbas en agricultura ecológica de Rosmarinus officinalis L., planta aromática y medicinal de interés para Castilla La Mancha. Las diferentes cubiertas vegetales empleadas, restos verdes de Vicia sativa L., restos del destilado de plantas aromáticas y paja de cebada, redujeron el número de malas hierbas siendo la cobertura de paja de cebada la más eficaz de las testadas. El control de malas hierbas con este tipo de cubiertas naturales es una buena alternativa frente al uso de herbicidas y otros productos químicos.An essay of the weed control on ecological agriculture has been carried out. Three different cover managements have been tested: fresh plants of Vicia sativa, distil plant residues from aromatic plants and barley straw, on the tillage of an aromatic and medicinal plant from Castilla La Macha Province: Rosmarinus officcinalis L. All the cover managements were found to reduce weeds in all the tested tillage, although the barley straw cover showed to be the most efficient one. This type of covers used as weed control could be considered as an effective alternative to the use of herbicides

Collaborative intelligence and gamification for on-line malaria species differentiation

Abstract Background Current World Health Organization recommendations for the management of malaria include the need for a parasitological confirmation prior to triggering appropriate treatment. The use of rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for malaria has contributed to a better infection recognition and a more targeted treatment. Nevertheless, low-density infections and parasites that fail to produce HRP2 can cause false-negative RDT results. Microscopy has traditionally been the methodology most commonly used to quantify malaria and characterize the infecting species, but the wider use of this technique remains challenging, as it requires trained personnel and processing capacity. Objective In this study, the feasibility of an on-line system for remote malaria species identification and differentiation has been investigated by crowdsourcing the analysis of digitalized infected thin blood smears by non-expert observers using a mobile app. Methods An on-line videogame in which players learned how to differentiate the young trophozoite stage of the five Plasmodium species has been designed. Images were digitalized with a smartphone camera adapted to the ocular of a conventional light microscope. Images from infected red blood cells were cropped and puzzled into an on-line game. During the game, players had to decide the malaria species (Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium malariae, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale, Plasmodium knowlesi) of the infected cells that were shown in the screen. After 2 months, each player’s decisions were analysed individually and collectively. Results On-line volunteers playing the game made more than 500,000 assessments for species differentiation. Statistically, when the choice of several players was combined (n > 25), they were able to significantly discriminate Plasmodium species, reaching a level of accuracy of 99% for all species combinations, except for P. knowlesi (80%). Non-expert decisions on which Plasmodium species was shown in the screen were made in less than 3 s. Conclusion These findings show that it is possible to train malaria-naïve non-experts to identify and differentiate malaria species in digitalized thin blood samples. Although the accuracy of a single player is not perfect, the combination of the responses of multiple casual gamers can achieve an accuracy that is within the range of the diagnostic accuracy made by a trained microscopist

Collaborative intelligence and gamification for on-line malaria species differentiation

Background: Current World Health Organization recommendations for the management of malaria include the need for a parasitological confrmation prior to triggering appropriate treatment. The use of rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for malaria has contributed to a better infection recognition and a more targeted treatment. Nevertheless, low-density infections and parasites that fail to produce HRP2 can cause false-negative RDT results. Microscopy has traditionally been the methodology most commonly used to quantify malaria and characterize the infecting species, but the wider use of this technique remains challenging, as it requires trained personnel and processing capacity. Objective: In this study, the feasibility of an on-line system for remote malaria species identifcation and diferentia‑ tion has been investigated by crowdsourcing the analysis of digitalized infected thin blood smears by non-expert observers using a mobile app. Methods: An on-line videogame in which players learned how to diferentiate the young trophozoite stage of the fve Plasmodium species has been designed. Images were digitalized with a smartphone camera adapted to the ocular of a conventional light microscope. Images from infected red blood cells were cropped and puzzled into an on-line game. During the game, players had to decide the malaria species (Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium malariae, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale, Plasmodium knowlesi) of the infected cells that were shown in the screen. After 2 months, each player’s decisions were analysed individually and collectively. Results: On-line volunteers playing the game made more than 500,000 assessments for species diferentiation. Statistically, when the choice of several players was combined (n>25), they were able to signifcantly discriminate Plasmodium species, reaching a level of accuracy of 99% for all species combinations, except for P. knowlesi (80%). Non-expert decisions on which Plasmodium species was shown in the screen were made in less than 3 s. Conclusion: These fndings show that it is possible to train malaria-naïve non-experts to identify and diferentiate malaria species in digitalized thin blood samples. Although the accuracy of a single player is not perfect, the combination of the responses of multiple casual gamers can achieve an accuracy that is within the range of the diagnostic accuracy made by a trained microscopist.Spanish Ministry of Economy and CompetitivenessSpanish Society of Hematology and HemotherapyUniversidad Politécnica de MadridMadrid Regional GovernmentSpain’s Science, Innovation & Universities MinistrySpanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and CompetitivenessEuropean Regional Development FundsAmazon Web ServicesFundación Renta CorporaciónAshokaDepto. de Bioquímica y Biología MolecularFac. de FarmaciaTRUEpu

Down syndrome as risk factor for respiratory syncytial virus hospitalization : A prospective multicenter epidemiological study

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in childhood, particularly in premature infants, is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. To compare the hospitalization rates due to RSV infection and severity of disease between infants with and without Down syndrome (DS) born at term and without other associated risk factors for severe RSV infection. In a prospective multicentre epidemiological study, 93 infants were included in the DS cohort and 68 matched by sex and data of birth (±1 week) and were followed up to 1 year of age and during a complete RSV season. The hospitalization rate for all acute respiratory infection was significantly higher in the DS cohort than in the non-DS cohort (44.1% vs 7.7%, P<.0001). Hospitalizations due to RSV were significantly more frequent in the DH cohort than in the non-DS cohort (9.7% vs 1.5%, P=.03). RSV prophylaxis was recorded in 33 (35.5%) infants with DS. The rate of hospitalization according to presence or absence of RSV immunoprophylaxis was 3.0% vs 15%, respectively. Infants with DS showed a higher rate of hospitalization due to acute lower respiratory tract infection and RSV infection compared to non-DS infants. Including DS infants in recommendations for immunoprophylaxis of RSV disease should be considered