Neotropical stingless bees display a strong response in cold tolerance with changes in elevation

Tropical pollinators are expected to experience substantial effects due to climate change, but aspects of their thermal biology remain largely unknown. We investigated the thermal tolerance of stingless honey-making bees, the most ecologically, economically and culturally important group of tropical pollinators. We assessed changes in the lower (CTMin) and upper (CTMax) critical thermal limits of 17 species (12 genera) at two elevations (200 and 1500 m) in the Colombian Andes. In addition, we examined the influence of body size (intertegular distance, ITD), hairiness (thoracic hair length) and coloration (lightness value) on bees’ thermal tolerance. Because stingless beekeepers often relocate their colonies across the altitudinal gradient, as an initial attempt to explore potential social responses to climatic variability, we also tracked for several weeks brood temperature and humidity in nests of three species at both elevations. We found that CTMin decreased with elevation while CTMax was similar between elevations. CTMin and CTMax increased (low cold tolerance and high heat tolerance) with increasing ITD, hair length and lightness value, but these relationships were weak and explained at most 10% of the variance. Neither CTMin nor CTMax displayed significant phylogenetic signal. Brood nest temperature tracked ambient diel variations more closely in the low-elevation site, but it was constant and higher at the high-elevation site. In contrast, brood nest humidity was uniform throughout the day regardless of elevation. The stronger response in CTMin, and a similar CTMax between elevations, follows a pattern of variation documented across a wide range of taxa that is commonly known as the Brett’s heat-invariant hypothesis. Our results indicate differential thermal sensitivities and potential thermal adaptations to local climate, which support ongoing conservation policies to restrict the long-distance relocations of colonies. They also shed light on how malleable nest thermoregulation can be across elevations

Segmentation techniques in image analysis: A comparative study

[EN] Nowadays, the detection, localization, and quantification of different kinds of features in an RGB image (segmentation) is extremely helpful for, e.g., process monitoring or customer product acceptance. In this article, some of the most commonly used RGB image segmentation approaches are compared in an orange quality control case study. Analysis of variance and correspondence analysis are combined for determining their most relevant differences and highlighting their pros and cons.Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Grant/Award Number: DPI2014-55276-C5-1R; Spanish National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology (INIA), Grant/Award Number: RTA2012-00062-C04-01; European Regional Development Fund (FEDER); Shell Global Solutions International B.V.Vitale, R.; Prats-Montalbán, JM.; López García, F.; Blasco Ivars, J.; Ferrer, A. (2016). Segmentation techniques in image analysis: A comparative study. Journal of Chemometrics. 30(12):749-758. https://doi.org/10.1002/cem.2854S7497583012Prats-Montalbán, J. M., de Juan, A., & Ferrer, A. (2011). Multivariate image analysis: A review with applications. Chemometrics and Intelligent Laboratory Systems, 107(1), 1-23. doi:10.1016/j.chemolab.2011.03.002Bevilacqua, M., Bucci, R., Magrì, A. D., Magrì, A. L., Nescatelli, R., & Marini, F. (2013). Classification and Class-Modelling. Chemometrics in Food Chemistry, 171-233. doi:10.1016/b978-0-444-59528-7.00005-3Manning, C. D., Raghavan, P., & Schutze, H. (2008). Introduction to Information Retrieval. doi:10.1017/cbo9780511809071MacQueen J Some methods for classification and analysis of multivariate observations Proceedings of the Berkeley Symposium on Mathematical Statistics and Probability Berkeley, CA University of California Press 1967 281 297Haralick, R. M. (1979). Statistical and structural approaches to texture. Proceedings of the IEEE, 67(5), 786-804. doi:10.1109/proc.1979.11328Felzenszwalb, P. F., & Huttenlocher, D. P. (2004). Efficient Graph-Based Image Segmentation. International Journal of Computer Vision, 59(2), 167-181. doi:10.1023/b:visi.0000022288.19776.77Barker, M., & Rayens, W. (2003). Partial least squares for discrimination. Journal of Chemometrics, 17(3), 166-173. doi:10.1002/cem.785Postma, G. J., Krooshof, P. W. T., & Buydens, L. M. C. (2011). Opening the kernel of kernel partial least squares and support vector machines. Analytica Chimica Acta, 705(1-2), 123-134. doi:10.1016/j.aca.2011.04.025Vitale, R., de Noord, O. E., & Ferrer, A. (2014). A kernel-based approach for fault diagnosis in batch processes. Journal of Chemometrics, 28(8), S697-S707. doi:10.1002/cem.2629Prats-Montalbán, J. M., & Ferrer, A. (2007). Integration of colour and textural information in multivariate image analysis: defect detection and classification issues. Journal of Chemometrics, 21(1-2), 10-23. doi:10.1002/cem.1026Prats-Montalbán J Control estadístico de procesos mediante análisis multivariante de imágenes Ph.D. Thesis 2005López, F., Prats, J. M., Ferrer, A., & Valiente, J. M. (2006). Defect Detection in Random Colour Textures Using the MIA T2 Defect Maps. Image Analysis and Recognition, 752-763. doi:10.1007/11867661_68Ho, P.-G. (Ed.). (2011). Image Segmentation. doi:10.5772/628Pal, N. R., & Pal, S. K. (1993). A review on image segmentation techniques. Pattern Recognition, 26(9), 1277-1294. doi:10.1016/0031-3203(93)90135-jMATLAB R2012b (8.0.0.783), Natick, USA: The Mathworks IncWold, S., Esbensen, K., & Geladi, P. (1987). Principal component analysis. Chemometrics and Intelligent Laboratory Systems, 2(1-3), 37-52. doi:10.1016/0169-7439(87)80084-9Geladi, P., & Kowalski, B. R. (1986). Partial least-squares regression: a tutorial. Analytica Chimica Acta, 185, 1-17. doi:10.1016/0003-2670(86)80028-9Cao, D.-S., Liang, Y.-Z., Xu, Q.-S., Hu, Q.-N., Zhang, L.-X., & Fu, G.-H. (2011). Exploring nonlinear relationships in chemical data using kernel-based methods. Chemometrics and Intelligent Laboratory Systems, 107(1), 106-115. doi:10.1016/j.chemolab.2011.02.004Vitale, R., de Noord, O. E., & Ferrer, A. (2015). Pseudo-sample based contribution plots: innovative tools for fault diagnosis in kernel-based batch process monitoring. Chemometrics and Intelligent Laboratory Systems, 149, 40-52. doi:10.1016/j.chemolab.2015.09.013Hirschfeld, H. O. (1935). A Connection between Correlation and Contingency. Mathematical Proceedings of the Cambridge Philosophical Society, 31(4), 520-524. doi:10.1017/s030500410001351

Disclosing the Antioxidant and Neuroprotective Activity of an Anthocyanin-Rich Extract from Sweet Cherry (Prunus avium L.) Using In Vitro and In Vivo Models

In this study, an autochthonous variety of sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.), namely “Moretta di Vignola”, was processed to prepare extracts rich in polyphenols, which were characterized by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) separation coupled to UV/DAD and ESI-MSn analysis. Then, a sweet cherry anthocyanin-rich extract (ACE) was prepared, fully characterized and tested for its activity against Parkinson’s disease (PD) in cellular (BV2 microglia and SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma) and in Drosophila melanogaster rotenone (ROT)-induced model. The extract was also evaluated for its antioxidant activity on Caenorhabditis elegans by assessing nematode resistance to thermal stress. In both cell lines, ACE reduced ROT-induced cell death and it decreased, alone, cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) content while reinstating control-like ROS values after ROT-induced ROS rise, albeit at different concentrations of both compounds. Moreover, ACE mitigated SH-SY5Y cell cytotoxicity in a non-contact co-culture assay with cell-free supernatants from ROT-treated BV-2 cells. ACE, at 50 µg/mL, ameliorated ROT (250 µM)-provoked spontaneous (24 h duration) and induced (after 3 and 7 days) locomotor activity impairment in D. melanogaster and it also increased survival and counteracted the decrease in fly lifespan registered after exposure to the ROT. Moreover, heads from flies treated with ACE showed a non-significant decrease in ROS levels, while those exposed to ROT markedly increased ROS levels if compared to controls. ACE + ROT significantly placed the ROS content to intermediate values between those of controls and ROT alone. Finally, ACE at 25 µg/mL produced a significant increase in the survival rate of nematodes submitted to thermal stress (35 °C, 6–8 h), at the 2nd and 9th day of adulthood. All in all, ACE from Moretta cherries can be an attractive candidate to formulate a nutraceutical product to be used for the prevention of oxidative stress-induced disorders and related neurodegenerative diseases

The Q-LAMP Method Represents a Valid and Rapid Alternative for the Detection of the BCR-ABL1 Rearrangement in Philadelphia-Positive Leukemias

Molecular detection of the BCR-ABL1 fusion transcripts is necessary for the genetic confirmation of a chronic myeloid leukemia diagnosis and for the risk classification of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. BCR-ABL1 mRNAs are usually identified using a conventional RT-PCR technique according to the BIOMED-1 method. In this study, we evaluated 122 BCR-ABL1-positive samples with the Q-LAMP assay to establish if this technology may represent a valid alternative to the qualitative BIOMED-1 PCR technique usually employed for the detection and the discrimination of the common BCR-ABL1 transcripts (p190 and p210 isoforms). We found a 100% concordance rate between the two methods. Specifically, the p190- and p210-positive samples were amplified by Q-LAMP with a median threshold time (Tt) of 26.70 min (range: 24.45-31.80 min) and 20.26 min (range: 15.25-34.57 min), respectively. A median time of 19.63 was observed in samples displaying both (e13a2/e14a2) p210 isoforms. Moreover, the Q-LAMP assay allowed recognition of the BCR-ABL1 e13a2 and e14a2 isoforms (median Tts 18.48 for e13a2 vs. 26.08 min for e14a2; p < 0.001). Finally, 20 samples harboring rare BCR-ABL1 isoforms (e1a3, e13a3, e14a3, and e19a2) were correctly identified by the Q-LAMP assay. We conclude that the Q-LAMP assay may represent a faster and valid alternative to the qualitative BIOMED-1 RT-PCR for the diagnosis at BCR-ABL1-positive leukemias, especially when samples are analyzed in centers with restricted resources and/or limited technical expertise

Peripheral refraction in myopic eyes after LASIK surgery

PURPOSE: To characterize the axial and off-axis refraction across the horizontal meridian of the visual field before and after myopic laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) surgery. This research took place at the Clinical Ophthalmologic-NovoVisión, Madrid, Spain. METHODS: Twenty-six ODs (mean age ± SD = 30.4 ± 4.8 years) of 26 patients who underwent LASIK surgery to treat myopia between -0.75/-3.88 D of spherical equivalent (M) were included in the study. Peripheral refraction was evaluated by an open field auto-refractor before and after LASIK surgery at 3 months. Along with a complete set of examination procedures to assess suitability for treatment, the central and peripheral refractions were measured along the horizontal meridian up to 35° of eccentricity in the nasal and temporal retinal areas in 5° visual field steps. RESULTS: Changes in M ranged between 1.85 ± 0.93 D at center to 0.33 ± 0.73 D at 35° in the nasal retina (p < 0.029 for all eccentricities). Treatment induced was symmetric between nasal and temporal visual fields along the horizontal meridian. The degree of myopic increase in relative peripheral refractive error as represented by the spherical equivalent for 30° (r2 = 0.462, p < 0.001) and 35° (r2 = 0.717, p < 0.001) eccentric refraction was correlated with axial spherical equivalent at baseline. CONCLUSIONS: Peripheral refraction is affected by myopic LASIK surgery. Unlike orthokeratology, which increases the peripheral myopia, LASIK reduces myopia across the horizontal visual field out to at least 35° from fixation.This study was supported by a grant (SFRH/BD/61,768/2009, António Queiro´s) from the Science and Technology Foundation of Portuguese, and Ministry of Science and Higher Education (European Social Funding)