Advances in automatic identifcation of flying insects using optical sensors and machine learning

Worldwide, farmers use insecticides to prevent crop damage caused by insect pests, while they also rely on insect pollinators to enhance crop yield and other insect as natural enemies of pests. In order to target pesticides to pests only, farmers must know exactly where and when pests and beneficial insects are present in the field. A promising solution to this problem could be optical sensors combined with machine learning. We obtained around 10,000 records of flying insects found in oilseed rape (Brassica napus) crops, using an optical remote sensor and evaluated three different classification methods for the obtained signals, reaching over 80% accuracy. We demonstrate that it is possible to classify insects in fight, making it possible to optimize the application of insecticides in space and time. This will enable a technological leap in precision agriculture, where focus on prudent and environmentally-sensitive use of pesticides is a top priority

Molecular and functional characterization of BDNF-overexpressing human retinal pigment epithelial cells established by sleeping beauty transposon-mediated gene transfer

More and more patients suffer from multifactorial neurodegenerative diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD). However, their pathological mechanisms are still poorly understood, which complicates the development of effective therapies. To improve treatment of multifactorial diseases, cell-based gene therapy can be used to increase the expression of therapeutic factors. To date, there is no approved therapy for dry AMD, including late-stage geographic atrophy. We present a treatment option for dry AMD that transfers the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene into retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells by electroporation using the plasmid-based Sleeping Beauty (SB) transposon system. ARPE-19 cells and primary human RPE cells were co-transfected with two plasmids encoding the (SB100X) transposase and the transposon carrying a BDNF transcription cassette. We demonstrated efficient expression and secretion of BDNF in both RPE cell types, which were further increased in ARPE-19 cell cultures exposed to hydrogen peroxide. BDNF-transfected cells exhibited lower apoptosis rates and stimulated neurite outgrowth in human SH-SY5Y cells. This study is an important step in the development of a cell-based BDNF gene therapy that could be applied as an advanced therapy medicinal product to treat dry AMD or other degenerative retinal diseases

Level of uncertainty about the affective nature of a pictorial stimulus influences anticipatory neural processes: An event-related potential (ERP) study

Uncertainty about the emotional impact of future events is a common part of everyday life. However, relatively little is known about whether the level of uncertainty about the affective nature of an upcoming visual image influences anticipatory neurocognitive processes. To investigate this, participants viewed a series of negative and neutral pictures, which were preceded by abstract anticipatory cues. Neural activity was measured using event-related potentials (ERPs). In the ‘uncertain’ cue condition, the cue could be followed by either a negative or a neutral picture with equal probability; in the ‘fairly uncertain’ condition the cue was followed by a negative picture on 70% of trials, and by a neutral picture on 30% of trials. In the ‘certain’ condition, the cue was always followed by a negative picture. For the P200 component, reflecting early stages of selective attention, there was no amplitude difference between cue conditions. At later stages of processing, the early posterior negativity (EPN) amplitude was enhanced for cues indicating a greater level of certainty, and the late positive potential (LPP) amplitude was greater for certain, compared to fairly uncertain and uncertain cues. The stimulus preceding negativity (SPN), an index of anticipatory processing, was more negative for certain cues compared to fairly uncertain and uncertain cues. For the SPN there was no difference between fairly uncertain and uncertain cues. These results provide evidence that the level of uncertainty regarding the affective nature of an upcoming picture influenced several stages of processing during the anticipation of the stimulus

Development of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the detection of human calretinin in plasma and serum of mesothelioma patients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Calretinin is one of the well-established immunohistochemical markers in the diagnostics of malignant mesothelioma (MM). Its utility as a diagnostic tool in human blood, however, is scarcely investigated. The aim of this study was to develop an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for human calretinin in blood and to assess its usefulness as a potential minimally invasive diagnostic marker for MM.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Initially, attempts were made to establish an assay using commercially available antibodies and to optimize it by including a biotin-streptavidin complex into the assay protocol. Subsequently, a novel ELISA based on polyclonal antibodies raised in rabbit immunized with human recombinant calretinin was developed. The assay performance in human serum and plasma (EDTA/heparin) and the influence of calcium concentrations on antibody recognition were studied. Stability of spiked-in calretinin in EDTA plasma under different storage conditions was also examined. In preliminary studies serum and plasma samples from 97 healthy volunteers, 35 asbestos-exposed workers, and 42 MM patients were analyzed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The mean detection range of the new ELISA was 0.12 to 8.97 ng/ml calretinin. The assay demonstrated markedly lower background and significantly higher sensitivity compared to the initially contrived assay that used commercial antibodies. Recovery rate experiments confirmed dependence of calretinin antibody recognition on calcium concentration. Calcium adjustment is necessary for calretinin measurement in EDTA plasma. Spiked-in calretinin revealed high stability in EDTA plasma when stored at room temperature, 4°C, or after repeated freeze/thaw cycles. Median calretinin values in healthy volunteers, asbestos workers, and MM patients were 0.20, 0.33, and 0.84 ng/ml, respectively (p < 0.0001 for healthy vs. MM, p = 0.0036 for healthy vs. asbestos-exposed, p < 0.0001 for asbestos-exposed vs. MM). Median values in patients with epithelioid and biphasic MM were similar. No influence of age, gender, smoking status, or type of medium (plasma/serum) on calretinin values was found.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The novel assay is highly sensitive and applicable to human serum and plasma. Calretinin appears to be a promising marker for the blood-based detection of MM and might complement other markers. However, further studies are required to prove its usefulness in the diagnosis of MM patients.</p

Semiochemical-based alternatives to synthetic toxicant insecticides for pollen beetle management

There is an urgent need to develop sustainable pest management systems to protect arable crops in order to replace the current over-reliance on synthetic insecticides. Semiochemicals are insect- or plant-derived chemicals that are used by organisms as information signals. Integrated pest management tools are currently in development that utilise semiochemicals to manipulate the behaviour of pest insects and their natural enemies to provide effective control of pests within the crop. These innovative tools usually require fewer inputs and can involve multiple elements therefore reducing the likelihood of resistance developing compared with use of synthetic toxicants. We review here the life cycle of the pollen beetle Brassicogethes aeneus (previously known as Meligethes aeneus) which is a pest insect of oilseed rape (Brassica napus) and describe the current knowledge of any behaviour mediated by semiochemicals in this species. We discuss the behavioural processes where semiochemical-based control approaches may be appropriate and consider how these approaches could be integrated into an integrated pest management strategy for this important arable crop

Cancer: evolutionary, genetic and epigenetic aspects

There exist two paradigms about the nature of cancer. According to the generally accepted one, cancer is a by-product of design limitations of a multi-cellular organism (Greaves, Nat Rev Cancer 7:213–221, 2007). The essence of the second resides in the question “Does cancer kill the individual and save the species?” (Sommer, Hum Mutat 3:166–169, 1994). Recent data on genetic and epigenetic mechanisms of cell transformation summarized in this review support the latter point of view, namely that carcinogenesis is an evolutionary conserved phenomenon—a programmed death of an organism. It is assumed that cancer possesses an important function of altruistic nature: as a mediator of negative selection, it serves to preserve integrity of species gene pool and to mediate its evolutionary adjustment. Cancer fulfills its task due apparently to specific killer function, understanding mechanism of which may suggest new therapeutic strategy

Plasma MIC-1 correlates with systemic inflammation but is not an independent determinant of nutritional status or survival in oesophago-gastric cancer

BACKGROUND: Macrophage inhibitory cytokine-1(MIC-1) is a potential modulator of systemic inflammation and nutritional depletion, both of which are adverse prognostic factors in oesophago-gastric cancer (OGC). METHODS: Plasma MIC-1, systemic inflammation (defined as plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) of ⩾10 mg l(–1) or modified Glasgow prognostic score (mGPS) of ⩾1), and nutritional status were assessed in newly diagnosed OGC patients (n=293). Healthy volunteers (n=35) served as controls. RESULTS: MIC-1 was elevated in patients (median=1371 pg ml(–1); range 141–39 053) when compared with controls (median=377 pg ml(–1); range 141–3786; P<0.001). Patients with gastric tumours (median=1592 pg ml(–1); range 141–12 643) showed higher MIC-1 concentrations than patients with junctional (median=1337 pg ml(–1); range 383–39 053) and oesophageal tumours (median=1180 pg ml(–1); range 258–31 184; P=0.015). Patients showed a median weight loss of 6.4% (range 0.0–33.4%), and 42% of patients had an mGPS of ⩾1 or plasma CRP of ⩾10 mg l(–1) (median=9 mg l(–1); range 1–200). MIC-1 correlated positively with disease stage (r(2)=0.217; P<0.001), age (r(2)=0.332; P<0.001), CRP (r(2)=0.314; P<0.001), and mGPS (r(2)=0.336; P<0.001), and negatively with Karnofsky Performance Score (r(2)=−0.269; P<0.001). However, although MIC-1 correlated weakly with dietary intake (r(2)=0.157; P=0.031), it did not correlate with weight loss, BMI, or anthropometry. Patients with MIC-1 levels in the upper quartile showed reduced survival (median=204 days; 95% CI 157–251) when compared with patients with MIC-1 levels in the lower three quartiles (median=316 days; 95% CI 259–373; P=0.036), but MIC-1 was not an independent prognostic indicator. CONCLUSIONS: There is no independent link between plasma MIC-1 levels and depleted nutritional status or survival in OGC