Spatio-temporal Analysis of Remote Sensing and Field Measurements for Smart Farming

AbstractFor the optimization of crop yield and quality, there is an ongoing development in improving crop management advice, in order to cope with the spatial variability of the growth process, caused by local variations in, amongst others, soil composition, moisture and nutrition content. To achieve this improvement, reliable information is required on the actual status of the vegetation and the expected development and yield given different management scenarios. Remote sensing observations form a valuable information source for assessing the location of suboptimal growth, but hardly ever provide the cause of the arrearage. In order to determine this cause, the observations must be combined with other observations and models and analyzed integrally.This article presents the followed approach and initial results of a pilot project Smart Farming carried out in the Dutch North East Polder. Observations and data from several sources have been collected for a number of potato parcels in 2014. The collected data includes multi-temporal satellite and UAS observations, field based soil, vegetation and yield observations, soil type maps, height maps, historic parcel and crop information and meteorological data. A data driven approach was followed to determine the presence of relations between the various observations in order to couple location and probable cause of sub-optimal crop growth and determine temporal developments in series of observations. The available data was analyzed integrally using correlation, regression and histogram analysis techniques. All resulting spatial layers are visually presented in a GIS based web service environment, so that the advisor or farmer can view the raw and derived information interactively and form his/her conclusions

Empirical validation of a rat in vitro organ slice model as a tool for in vivo clearance prediction

Tissue slices have been shown to be a valuable tool to predict metabolism of novel drugs. However, besides the numerous advantages of their use for this purpose, some potential drawbacks also exist, including reported poor penetration of drugs into the inner cell layers of slices and loss of metabolic capacity during prolonged incubation, leading to underprediction of metabolic clearance. In the present study, we empirically identified ( and quantified) sources of underprediction using rat tissue slices of lung, intestine, kidney, and liver and found that thin liver slices ( +/- 100 mu m) metabolized model substrates ( 7- hydroxycoumarin, testosterone, warfarin, 7- ethoxycoumarin, midazolam, haloperidol, and quinidine) as rapidly as isolated hepatocytes. Furthermore, it was found that organ slices remain metabolically active for sufficient periods of incubation, enabling study of the kinetics of low clearance compounds. In addition, we determined the influence of albumin on the clearance prediction of six model substrates. For three of these substrates, the intrinsic clearance in the presence of albumin was approximately 3 times higher than that obtained from incubations without albumin, but corrected for unbound fraction. This resulted in a much more accurate prediction of in vivo whole body metabolic clearance for these compounds. Collectively, these results show that drawbacks of the use of slices for clearance prediction are largely surmountable. Provided that thin liver slices and physiological albumin concentration are used, whole body metabolic clearance is predicted with acceptable ( 2- fold) accuracy with organ slices. These results emphasize the applicability of organ slices in this field of research

High rates of suicide and attempted suicide using pesticides in Nickerie, Suriname, South America

Suicide and attempted suicide are identified as a serious mental health problem in Suriname, especially in the district of Nickerie. An epidemiological study in the Nickerie catchment area revealed high rates of suicide (48 per 100,000) and attempted suicide (207 per 100,000) on average in the years 2000–2004. Particularly remarkable is the high number of attempted suicides among males (49%), and the use of pesticides in both fatal (55%) and nonfatal suicidal behavior (44%). Probably this high incidence of suicidal behavior reflects the very poor economic situation of the district, poverty of most of the population, high levels of alcohol misuse, domestic violence, the rigidity of Hindustani culture regarding family traditions, the accessibility of pesticides, and the lack of future perspectives. Health care alone will not be sufficient to tackle this problem. One of the most urgent measures to prevent suicides is to stow away pesticides in locked cabinets with the key held by the proprietor

Zoonotic Diseases Report 2014

De Staat van zoönosen geeft jaarlijks een overzicht van infectieziekten die overgaan van dier op mens, de zogenoemde zoönosen. Het gaat om de mate waarin meldingsplichtige zoönosen voorkomen en de ontwikkelingen daarvan op de lange termijn. Hierbij betreft het zowel het aantal ziektegevallen bij mensen als het voorkomen van deze ziekteverwekkers bij dieren. Ook worden elk jaar opmerkelijke voorvallen uitgelicht en wordt een thema behandeld. Voor de meeste zoönosen zijn in 2014 geen uitgesproken veranderingen waargenomen. Wel is het aantal mensen met leptospirose (waarvan de bekendste vorm de ziekte van Weil is) aanmerkelijk hoger dan het vorige jaar, van gemiddeld 30 gevallen in de afgelopen jaren naar 97 in 2014. Ook steeg het aantal Hantavirusinfecties (van gemiddeld 13 in de voorgaande jaren naar 36 in 2014). UItgelicht Een opmerkelijke gebeurtenis in 2014 is dat twee patiënten in een ziekenhuis zijn opgenomen met een ernstige longontsteking na een infectie met Chlamydia caviae. Beide patiënten bleken thuis cavia's te houden die een luchtweginfectie hadden doorgemaakt. Verder was er sinds 2003 weer een uitbraak van vogelgriep bij pluimveebedrijven veroorzaakt door een hoogpathogeen virus. Hierbij zijn vier van de vijf besmette bedrijven onafhankelijk van elkaar besmet geraakt. Het virus was vermoedelijk afkomstig van trekkende watervogels. Het is onbekend of dit virustype overdraagbaar is op de mens; wereldwijd zijn daar geen gevallen van bekend. Vogels Het thema van dit jaar is 'Onze gevleugelde vrienden' en gaat over zoönosen die via vogels kunnen worden overgebracht, zoals de papegaaienziekte. Hierbij wordt onder andere beschreven op welke vliegroutes van trekvogels gezamenlijke broed- en voederplaatsen liggen waar ze elkaar kunnen treffen en zoönoseverwekkers aan elkaar zouden kunnen overdragen.The Zoonotic Diseases Report provides an annual overview of infectious diseases transmitted from animals to humans, so-called zoonotic diseases or zoonoses. It focuses on the degree to which notifiable zoonoses occur and how they develop over the long term. Specifically, this concerns both the number of human cases and the occurrence of these pathogens in animals. Noteworthy incidents of zoonoses are also highlighted each year and a particular theme is discussed. For most zoonoses, no pronounced changes were observed in 2014. Nonetheless, the number of people with leptospirosis (of which the most well-known form is Weil's disease) was considerably higher than in the previous year, rising from an average of 30 cases in recent years to 97 cases in 2014. The number of Hantavirus infections also rose (from an average of 13 cases in the previous years to 36 cases in 2014). A closer look A notable event in 2014 is the admission of two patients to hospital with serious lung infections after being infected with Chlamydia caviae. Both patients kept guinea pigs at home that suffered from respiratory infections. There was also the first outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza since 2003 affecting five poultry farms. Four of the five farms became contaminated independently of each other. It is thought that the virus was transmitted from waterfowls. It is not known whether the particular virus strain can be transmitted to humans; worldwide no cases of such transmission have been reported. Birds This year's theme is 'Our winged friends'. It focuses on zoonoses that can be transmitted by birds, such as psittacosis (parrot fever). The migratory routes that coincide with shared breeding and feeding locations where migratory birds can come into contact with one another and thereby possibly transmit zoonotic pathogens to each other are also described.NVW

Benefit-risk profile of tofacitinib in patients with moderate-to-severe chronic plaque psoriasis : pooled analysis across six clinical trials

Altres ajuts: This study was funded by Pfizer Inc. The authors would like to thank Maryam Asgari and Charlie Quesenberry, principal investigators of the KPNC database cohort study, and Kevin Winthrop and Jeffrey Curtis, principal investigators of the Medicare database cohort. This study was supported by Pfizer Inc. Medical writing support under the guidance of the authors was provided by Sandrine M. Dupré, PhD, and Carole Evans, PhD, at and on behalf of Complete Medical Communications, Manchester, U.K., and was funded by Pfizer Inc., New York, NY, U.S.A., in accordance with the Good Publication Practice (GPP3) guidelines.Background: Although existing psoriasis treatments are effective and well tolerated in many patients, there is still a need for new effective targeted treatment options. Tofacitinib is an oral Janus kinase inhibitor that has been investigated in patients with moderate-to-severe chronic plaque psoriasis. Objectives: To consider the benefits and risks of tofacitinib in patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis. Methods: Data were pooled from one phase II, four phase III and one long-term extension study comprising 5204 patient-years of tofacitinib treatment. Efficacy end points included patients achieving Physician's Global Assessments of 'clear' or 'almost clear', ≥ 75% and ≥ 90% reduction in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (coprimary end points) and improvements in Dermatology Life Quality Index score, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale depression score and Itch Severity Item score, at weeks 16 and 52. Safety data were summarized for 3 years of tofacitinib exposure. Results: Tofacitinib 5 and 10 mg twice daily (BID) showed superiority over placebo for all efficacy end points at week 16, with response maintained for 52 weeks of continued treatment. Tofacitinib improved patients' quality of life and was well tolerated. Rates of safety events of interest (except herpes zoster) were similar to those in the published literature and healthcare databases for other systemic psoriasis therapies. Tofacitinib 10 mg BID demonstrated greater efficacy than 5 mg BID. Conclusions: Tofacitinib has a benefit-risk profile in moderate-to-severe psoriasis consistent with that of other systemic treatments

Bovine liver slices combined with an androgen transcriptional activation assay: an in-vitro model to study the metabolism and bioactivity of steroids

Previously we described the properties of a rapid and robust yeast androgen bioassay for detection of androgenic anabolic compounds, validated it, and showed its added value for several practical applications. However, biotransformation of potent steroids into inactive metabolites, or vice versa, is not included in this screening assay. Within this context, animal-friendly in-vitro cellular systems resembling species-specific metabolism can be of value. We therefore investigated the metabolic capacity of precision-cut slices of bovine liver using 17β-testosterone (T) as a model compound, because this is an established standard compound for assessing the metabolic capacity of such cellular systems. However, this is the first time that slice metabolism has been combined with bioactivity measurements. Moreover, this study also involves bioactivation of inactive prohormones, for example dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and esters of T, and although medium extracts are normally analyzed by HPLC, here the metabolites formed were identified with more certainty by ultra-performance liquid chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC–TOFMS) with accurate mass measurement. Metabolism of T resulted mainly in the formation of the less potent phase I metabolites 4-androstene-3,17-dione (4-AD), the hydroxy-T metabolites 6α, 6β, 15β, and 16α-OH-T, and the phase II metabolite T-glucuronide. As a consequence the overall androgenic activity, as determined by the yeast androgen bioassay, decreased. In order to address the usefulness of bovine liver slices for activation of inactive steroids, liver slices were exposed to DHEA and two esters of T. This resulted in an increase of androgenic activity, because of the formation of 4-AD and T

Can AMP induce sputum eosinophils, even in subjects with complete asthma remission?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The definition of <b>"</b>clinical asthma remission" is based on absence of symptoms and use of medication. However, in the majority of these subjects airway inflammation is still present when measured. In the present study we investigated whether "complete asthma remission", additionally defined by the absence of bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) and the presence of a normal lung function, is associated with the absence of airway inflammation.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Patients with a former diagnosis of asthma and a positive histamine provocation test were re-examined to identify subjects with complete asthma remission (no asthma symptoms or medication, PC₂₀histamine > 32 mg/ml, FEV₁> 90% predicted). Patients with PC₂₀histamine ≤ 32 mg/ml were defined as current asthmatics and were divided in two groups, i.e. asthmatics with and without BHR to adenosine 5'monophoshate (AMP). Sputum induction was performed 1 week before and 1 hour after AMP provocation. Sputum induction and AMP provocation were previously shown to be sensitive markers of airway inflammation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Seven patients met criteria for complete asthma remission. Twenty-three were current asthmatics, including twelve without hyperresponsiveness to AMP. Subjects with complete asthma remission showed no AMP-induced sputum eosinophilia (median (range) 0.2 (0 - 4.6)% at baseline and 0.2 (0 - 2.6)% after AMP). After AMP, current asthmatics had a significant increase in sputum eosinophils (0.5 (0 - 26.0)% at baseline and 2.6 (0 - 32.0) % after AMP), as had the subgroup of current asthmatics without hyperresponsiveness to AMP (0.2 (0 - 1.8)% at baseline and 1.3 (0 - 6.3)% after AMP).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Subjects with complete asthma remission, in contrast to subjects with current asthma, do not respond with eosinophilic inflammation in sputum after AMP provocations. These data lend support to the usefulness of the definition of complete asthma remission.</p