Supporting Precision Agriculture by Technology Integration on a Inter and Intra Enterprise Level

Dutch agri-food supply chain network actors can use technologies, (web) services and tools to increase sustainable production and chain transparency in agriculture. Adoption of these (web) services and tools in arable farming is still low. Therefore, the Dutch ministry of agriculture started a public-private project to support more sustainable crop production: the Program Precision Agriculture. In this program, technologies, tools and (web) services are developed. Integrating new tools and (web) services into farm management is difficult and involves different disciplines. Research is involved for supporting integration. This paper provides a brief description of current projects in the Program Precision Agriculture, related to information integration. The projects are classified based on their integration levels and scop

Peroxiredoxin 4, a novel circulating biomarker for oxidative stress and the risk of incident cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality

BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress has been suggested to play a key role in the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The aim of our study was to investigate the associations of serum peroxiredoxin 4 (Prx4), a hydrogen peroxide-degrading peroxidase, with incident CVD and all-cause mortality. We subsequently examined the incremental value of Prx4 for the risk prediction of CVD compared with the Framingham risk score (FRS). METHODS AND RESULTS: We performed Cox regression analyses in 8141 participants without history of CVD (aged 28 to 75 years; women 52.6%) from the Prevention of Renal and Vascular End-stage Disease (PREVEND) study in Groningen, The Netherlands. Serum Prx4 was measured by an immunoluminometric assay in baseline samples. Main outcomes were: (1) incident CVD events or CVD mortality and (2) all-cause mortality during a median follow-up of 10.5 years. In total, 708 participants (7.8%) developed CVD events or CVD mortality, and 517 participants (6.3%) died. Baseline serum Prx4 levels were significantly higher in participants with incident CVD events or CVD mortality and in those who died than in participants who remained free of outcomes (both P<0.001). In multivariable models with adjustment for Framingham risk factors, hazard ratios were 1.16 (95% CI 1.06 to 1.27, P<0.001) for incident CVD events or CVD mortality and 1.17 (95% CI 1.06 to 1.29, P=0.003) for all-cause mortality per doubling of Prx4 levels. After the addition of Prx4 to the FRS, the net reclassification improvement was 2.7% (P=0.01) using 10-year risk categories of CVD. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated serum Prx4 levels are associated with a significantly higher risk of incident CVD events or CVD mortality and all-cause mortality after adjustment for clinical risk factors. The addition of Prx4 to the FRS marginally improved risk prediction of future CVD

Adherence to the WHO's Healthy Diet Indicator and Overall Cancer Risk in the EPIC-NL Cohort

Background: A healthy dietary pattern defined by international recommendations of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has been shown to reduce overall mortality risk. It is unknown whether this healthy dietary pattern is associated with overall cancer incidence. Design: In total 35,355 men and women within the Dutch European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition-cohort were followed for cancer occurrence. Diet was assessed through a validated food-frequency questionnaire. We computed a dietary score for all participants based on the seven WHO dietary guidelines for the prevention of chronic diseases (Healthy Diet Indicator (HDI)). We used the existing HDI score based on the 1990 WHO guidelines, and adapted it to meet with the 2002 WHO guidelines. Multivariate-adjusted Cox proportional hazards analysis was used to examine the association between adherence to the HDI and subsequent overall cancer risk. Results: A number of 3,007 new cancers were identified during a mean follow-up of 12.7 years. Adherence to the HDI was not associated with a reduced overall cancer risk. The hazard ratio (HR) of overall cancer associated with a one-point increment of the HDI was 0.96 (95% CI 0.89-1.03) in men, and 1.00 (95% CI 0.96-1.04) in women. Adherence to the HDI was not associated with smoking-related cancer ((HR men: 0.94 (95% CI 0.84-1.04); HR women: 1.00 (95% CI 0.94-1.07)), or alcohol-related cancer ((HR men: 1.02 (95% CI 0.87-1.20); HR women: 1.03 (95% CI 0.98-1.08)). Conclusions: Greater adherence to the WHO's Healthy Diet Indicator, a dietary pattern for prevention of chronic diseases, was not associated with reduced overall, smoking-related or alcohol-related cancer risk in men or women

A single site in human β-hexosaminidase A binds both 6-sulfate-groups on hexosamines and the sialic acid moiety of GM2 ganglioside

AbstractHuman β-hexosaminidase A (Hex A) (αβ) is composed of two subunits whose primary structures are ∼60% identical. Deficiency of either subunit results in severe neurological disease due to the storage of GM2 ganglioside; Tay–Sachs disease, α deficiency, and Sandhoff disease, β deficiency. Whereas both subunits contain active sites only the α-site can efficiently bind negatively charged 6-sulfated hexosamine substrates and GM2 ganglioside. We have recently identified the αArg424 as playing a critical role in the binding of 6-sulfate-containing substrates, and βAsp452 as actively inhibiting their binding. To determine if these same residues affect the binding of the sialic acid moiety of GM2 ganglioside, an αArg424Gln form of Hex A was expressed and its kinetics analyzed using the GM2 activator protein:[3H]-GM2 ganglioside complex as a substrate. The mutant showed a ∼3-fold increase in its Km for the complex. Next a form of Hex B (ββ) containing a double mutation, βAspLeu453AsnArg (duplicating the α-aligning sequences), was expressed. As compared to the wild type (WT), the mutant exhibited a >30-fold increase in its ability to hydrolyze a 6-sulfated substrate and was now able to hydrolyze GM2 ganglioside when the GM2 activator protein was replaced by sodium taurocholate. Thus, this α-site is critical for binding both types of negatively charge substrates

Diatreta Cups, Light in Roman Dining Spaces

Cage cups or Diatreta are ancient Roman glass vessels produced by creating a thick blown blank of glass that, once cooled down, is taken to a glass cutter or diatretarii. The latter would cut and carve away most of the glass leaving a transparent vessel inside and an open-work decoration separated through thin posts of glass. The work is very delicate and exclusive, produced within limited space in time with no record of similar vessels until the late 1800 (Donald B. Harden & Toynbee 1959, p.181). Many of these glass objects have good-will inscriptions or decorations that express the importance of drinking. As for their provenance, most –when found in context- have been found in pagan burials. Nevertheless some fragments have been found in Christian environments or with Christian motifs like the Szekszárd cup. The location of these finds is mostly in the Rhine area –northern Empire, when Milan was one of its capitals (Aquaro 2004)- but the actual extent of finds expand throughout the 4th century extent of the Roman Empire. Considering their typological analysis there are basically two types, beaker and bowl. Beakers are considered drinking vessels as they either display a legend or a mythological reference to drink or wine. Whereas a general consensus agrees that open bowl-form cups were hanging lamps (Whitehouse 1988, p.28) since the 1986 find of a diatreta bowl with copper alloy hanging attachments. It is clear these were luxury objects to be used in special occasions and spaces. The aim of this paper is to understand the space were socialisation and drinking took place and the importance of luxurious objects to adorn, display and use. The paper will also put forward the idea that the beaker shaped diatreta vessels, usually considered for drinking, could have been lamps that encouraged drinking and good will to the guests. This paper is structured to first consider an introduction to late luxury Roman glass and then analysing the typological shape of all, or most of the diatreta currently known; secondly, through assessment by the means of comparison, analyse the writings or decorations the vessels were endowed with. Thirdly, by describing and understanding the people and the space were these vessels would have been used, emphasise the beauty of illuminating such spaces with these vessels. According to Herodotus in his historical investigation –5th century-, dress habits and food regime are elements of extreme importance to understand a people (Caporusso et al. 2011, p.12). This idea is not only valid for Herodotus’ time but it is something anthropology uses time and again to explain different aspects in people’s way of life. Through food and its environment, the dining space, this paper will aim to put the cage cups into a social context in order to give emphasis to the hypothesis of light versus wine

Heritability estimates for 361 blood metabolites across 40 genome-wide association studies

Metabolomics examines the small molecules involved in cellular metabolism. Approximately 50% of total phenotypic differences in metabolite levels is due to genetic variance, but heritability estimates differ across metabolite classes. We perform a review of all genome-wide association and (exome-) sequencing studies published between November 2008 and October 2018, and identify >800 class-specific metabolite loci associated with metabolite levels. In a twin-family cohort (N = 5117), these metabolite loci are leveraged to simultaneously estimate total heritability (h2 total), and the proportion of heritability captured by known metabolite loci (h2 Metabolite-hits) for 309 lipids and

SCORE2 risk prediction algorithms: new models to estimate 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease in Europe

Aims The aim of this study was to develop, validate, and illustrate an updated prediction model (SCORE2) to estimate 10-year fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in individuals without previous CVD or diabetes aged 40-69 years in Europe.Methods and results We derived risk prediction models using individual-participant data from 45 cohorts in 13 countries (677 684 individuals, 30 121 CVD events). We used sex-specific and competing risk-adjusted models, including age, smoking status, systolic blood pressure, and total- and HDL-cholesterol. We defined four risk regions in Europe according to country-specific CVD mortality, recalibrating models to each region using expected incidences and risk factor distributions. Region-specific incidence was estimated using CVD mortality and incidence data on 10 776 466 individuals. For external validation, we analysed data from 25 additional cohorts in 15 European countries (1 133 181 individuals, 43 492 CVD events). After applying the derived risk prediction models to external validation cohorts, C-indices ranged from 0.67 (0.65-0.68) to 0.81 (0.76-0.86). Predicted CVD risk varied several-fold across European regions. For example, the estimated 10-year CVD risk for a 50-year-old smoker, with a systolic blood pressure of 140 mmHg, total cholesterol of 5.5 mmol/L, and HDL-cholesterol of 1.3 mmol/L, ranged from 5.9% for men in low- risk countries to 14.0% for men in very high-risk countries, and from 4.2% for women in low-risk countries to 13.7% for women in very high-risk countries.Conclusion SCORE2-a new algorithm derived, calibrated, and validated to predict 10-year risk of first-onset CVD in European populations-enhances the identification of individuals at higher risk of developing CVD across Europe.Cardiolog

Supporting precision Agriculture by Technology Intergration on an Inter and Intra Enterprise level

Dutch agri-food supply chain network actors can use technologies, (web) services and tools to increase sustainable production and chain transparency in agriculture. Adoption of these (web) services and tools in arable farming is still low. Therefore, the Dutch ministry of agriculture started a public-private project to support more sustainable crop production: the Program Precision Agriculture. In this program, technologies, tools and (web) services are developed. Integrating new tools and (web) services into farm management is difficult and involves different disciplines. Research is involved for supporting integration. This paper provides a brief description of current projects in the Program Precision Agriculture, related to information integration. The projects are classified based on their integration levels and scope