Discovering Spatio-Temporal Patterns in Precision Agriculture Based on Triclustering

Agriculture has undergone some very important changes over the last few decades. The emergence and evolution of precision agri culture has allowed to move from the uniform site management to the site-specific management, with both economic and environmental advan tages. However, to be implemented effectively, site-specific management requires within-field spatial variability to be well-known and character ized. In this paper, an algorithm that delineates within-field management zones in a maize plantation is introduced. The algorithm, based on tri clustering, mines clusters from temporal remote sensing data. Data from maize crops in Alentejo, Portugal, have been used to assess the suit ability of applying triclustering to discover patterns over time, that may eventually help farmers to improve their harvests.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad TIN2017-88209-C2Fundaçao para a Ciéncia e a Tecnologia (FCT) UIDB/04561/202

Integrated methodological framework fos assesing the risk of failure in water supply incorporating drought forecast. Case study: Andean regulated river basin

[EN] Hydroclimatic drought conditions can affect the hydrological services offered by mountain river basins causing severe impacts on the population, becoming a challenge for water resource managers in Andean river basins. This study proposes an integrated methodological framework for assessing the risk of failure in water supply, incorporating probabilistic drought forecasts, which assists in making decisions regarding the satisfaction of consumptive, non-consumptive and environmental requirements under water scarcity conditions. Monte Carlo simulation was used to assess the risk of failure in multiple stochastic scenarios, which incorporate probabilistic forecasts of drought events based on a Markov chains (MC) model using a recently developed drought index (DI). This methodology was tested in the Machángara river basin located in the south of Ecuador. Results were grouped in integrated satisfaction indexes of the system (DSIG). They demonstrated that the incorporation of probabilistic drought forecasts could better target the projections of simulation scenarios, with a view of obtaining realistic situations instead of optimistic projections that would lead to riskier decisions. Moreover, they contribute to more effective results in order to propose multiple alternatives for prevention and/or mitigation under drought conditions.This study was part of the doctoral thesis of Aviles A. at the Technical University of Valencia. This research was funded by the University of Cuenca through its Research Department (DIUC) and the Municipal public enterprise of telecommunications, drinking water, sewage and sanitation of Cuenca (ETAPA) through the projects: BIdentificacion de los procesos hidrometeorologicos que desencadenan inundaciones en la ciudad de Cuenca usando un radar de precipitacion" and "Ciclos meteorologicos y evapotranspiracion a lo largo de una gradiente altitudinal del Parque Nacional Cajas". The authors also thank INAMHI and the CBRM for providing the information for this study. The authors wish to thank the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness for its financial support through the ERAS project (CTM2016-77804-P). We thank Angel Vazquez, who helped in the programming of the multiple simulations. Also we thank to the TropiSeca project.Avilés-Añazco, A.; Solera Solera, A.; Paredes Arquiola, J.; Pedro Monzonís, M. (2018). Integrated methodological framework fos assesing the risk of failure in water supply incorporating drought forecast. Case study: Andean regulated river basin. Water Resources Management. 32(4):1209-1223. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-017-1863-7S12091223324Andreu J, Capilla J, Sanchís E (1996) AQUATOOL, a generalized decision-support system for water-resources planning and operational management. 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Marcombo, Barcelona, España pp 51–61Avilés A, Célleri R, Paredes J, Solera A (2015) Evaluation of Markov chain based drought forecasts in an Andean Regulated River basin using the skill scores RPS and GMSS. Water Resour Manag 29(6):1949–1963. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-015-0921-2Avilés A, Célleri R, Solera A, Paredes J (2016) Probabilistic forecasting of drought events using Markov chain-and Bayesian network-based models: a case study of an Andean Regulated River Basin. Water 8:1–16Barua S, Ng A, Perera B (2012) Drought assessment and forecasting: a case study on the Yarra River catchment in Victoria, Australia. Aust J Water Resour 15(2):95–108. https://doi.org/10.7158/W10-848.2012.15.2Bazaraa MS, Jarvis JJ, Sherali HD (2011) Linear programming and network flows, fourth Edi. John Wiley & Sons, New JerseyBrown C, Baroang KM, Conrad E et al (2010) IRI technical report 10–15, managing climate risk in water supply systems. Palisades, NYCancelliere A, Di Mauro G, Bonaccorso B, Rossi G (2007) Drought forecasting using the standardized precipitation index. Water Resour Manag 21(5):801–819. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-006-9062-yCancelliere A, Nicolosi V, Rossi G (2009) Assessment of drought risk in water supply systems in coping with drought risk in agriculture and water supply systems. Advances in natural and technological hazards research 26. In: Coping with drought risk in agriculture. Springer, pp 93–109. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9045-5_8Chen YD, Zhang Q, Xiao M, Singh VP, Zhang S (2016) Probabilistic forecasting of seasonal droughts in the Pearl River basin, China. Stoch Environ Res Risk Assess 30(7):2031–2040. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00477-015-1174-6Gong G, Wang L, Condon L, Shearman A, Lall U (2010) A simple framework for incorporating seasonal Streamflow forecasts into existing water resource management practices. JAWRA J Am Water Resour Assoc 46(3):574–585. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-1688.2010.00435.xHaro D, Solera A, Paredes J, Andreu J (2014) Methodology for drought risk assessment in within-year regulated reservoir systems. Application to the Orbigo River system (Spain). Water Resour Manag 28(11):3801–3814. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-014-0710-3Haro-Monteagudo D, Solera A, Andreu J (2017) Drought early warning based on optimal risk forecasts in regulated river systems: application to the Jucar River basin (Spain). J Hydrol 544:36–45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2016.11.022Hashimoto T, Loucks DP, Stedinger JR (1982) Reliability, resiliency, and vulnerability criteria. Water Resour Res 18(1):14–20. https://doi.org/10.1029/WR018i001p00014Hwang Y, Carbone GJ (2009) Ensemble forecasts of drought indices using a conditional residual resampling technique. J Appl Meteorol Climatol 48(7):1289–1301. https://doi.org/10.1175/2009JAMC2071.1Kao S-C, Govindaraju RS (2010) A copula-based joint deficit index for droughts. J Hydrol 380(1-2):121–134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2009.10.029Keyantash JA, Dracup JA (2004) An aggregate drought index: assessing drought severity based on fluctuations in the hydrologic cycle and surface water storage. Water Resour Res 40(9):1–13. https://doi.org/10.1029/2003WR002610Khadr M (2016) Forecasting of meteorological drought using hidden Markov model (case study: the upper Blue Nile river basin, Ethiopia). Ain Shams Eng J 7(1):47–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asej.2015.11.005Madadgar S, Moradkhani H (2013) A Bayesian framework for probabilistic seasonal drought forecasting. J Hydrometeorol 14(6):1685–1706. https://doi.org/10.1175/JHM-D-13-010.1Madadgar S, Moradkhani H (2014) Spatio-temporal drought forecasting within Bayesian networks. J Hydrol 512:134–146. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2014.02.039Mahmoudzadeh H, Mahmoudzadeh H, Afshar M, Yousefi S (2016) Applying first-order Markov chains and SPI drought index to monitor and forecast drought in West Azerbaijan Province of Iran. Int J Geo Sci Environ Plan 1:44–53. 10.22034/ijgsep.2016.40669Mishra AK, Singh VP (2010) Review paper a review of drought concepts. J Hydrol 391(1-2):202–216. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2010.07.012Nalbantis I, Tsakiris G (2009) Assessment of hydrological drought revisited. Water Resour Manag 23(5):881–897. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-008-9305-1Ochola WO, Kerkides P (2003) A Markov chain simulation model for predicting critical wet and dry spells in Kenya: Analysing rainfall events in the kano plains. Irrig Drain 52(4):327–342. https://doi.org/10.1002/ird.094Paulo AA, Pereira LS (2007) Prediction of SPI drought class transitions using Markov chains. Water Resour Manag 21(10):1813–1827. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-006-9129-9Phan TD, Smart JCR, Capon SJ, Hadwen WL, Sahin O (2016) Applications of Bayesian belief networks in water resource management: a systematic review. Environ Model Softw 85:98–111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2016.08.006Pouget L, Roldán T, Gómez M et al (2015) Use of seasonal climate predictions in the water sector—preliminary results from the EUPORIAS project. In: Andreu J, Solera A, Paredes J et al (eds) Drought: research and science-policy interfacing. Taylor & Francis Group, London, UK, p 247Rossi G, Cancelliere A (2013) Managing drought risk in water supply systems in Europe: a review. Int J Water Resour Dev 29(2):272–289. https://doi.org/10.1080/07900627.2012.713848Rossi G, Caporali E, Garrote L (2012) Definition of risk indicators for reservoirs management optimization. Water Resour Manag 26(4):981–996. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-011-9842-xSánchez S, Andreu J, Solera A (2001) Gestión de Recursos Hídricos con Decisiones Basadas en Estimación del Riesgo. Universidad Politécnica De Valencia, ValenciaSandoval-Solis S, McKinney DC, Loucks M (2011) Sustainability index for water resources planning and management. J Water Resour Plan Manag 137(5):381–390. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)WR.1943-5452.0000134Sankarasubramanian A, Lall U, Devineni N, Espinueva S (2009) The role of monthly updated climate forecasts in improving intraseasonal water allocation. J Appl Meteorol Climatol 48(7):1464–1482. https://doi.org/10.1175/2009JAMC2122.1Shukla S, Wood AW (2008) Use of a standardized runoff index for characterizing hydrologic drought. Geophys Res Lett 35(2):1–7. https://doi.org/10.1029/2007GL032487Staudinger M, Stahl K, Seibert J (2014) A drought index accounting for snow. Water Resour Res 50(10):7861–7872. https://doi.org/10.1002/2013WR015143Sveinsson O, Salas JD, Lane W, Frevert D (2007) Stochastic analysis, modeling, and simulation (SAMS) version 2007, user’s manual. Computing Hydrology Laboratory, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, ColoradoSvoboda M, Hayes M, Wilhite D, Tadesse T (2004) Recent advances in drought monitoring. Drought Mitig Cent Fac Publ 6:6Vogel RM (2017) Stochastic watershed models for hydrologic risk management. Water Secur 1:28–35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasec.2017.06.001Wilks DS (2011) Statistical methods in the atmospheric sciences, third edit. Academic Press, USAWorld Meteorological Organization (2012) Standardized precipitation index user Guide (M. Svoboda, M. Hayes and D. Wood). (WMO - No. 1090), Geneva

Detection of the mosquito-borne flaviviruses, West Nile, Dengue, Saint Louis Encephalitis, Ilheus, Bussuquara, and Yellow Fever in free-ranging black howlers (Alouatta caraya) of Northeastern Argentina

Several medically important mosquito-borne flaviviruses have been detected in Argentina in recent years: Dengue (DENV), St. Louis encephalitis (SLEV), West Nile (WNV) and Yellow Fever (YFV) viruses. Evidence of Bussuquara virus (BSQV) and Ilheus virus (ILHV) activity were found, but they have not been associated with human disease. Non-human primates can act as important hosts in the natural cycle of flaviviruses and serological studies can lead to improved understanding of virus circulation dynamics and host susceptibility. From July–August 2010, we conducted serological and molecular surveys in free–ranging black howlers (Alouatta caraya) captured in northeastern Argentina. We used 90% plaque-reduction neutralization tests (PRNT90) to analyze 108 serum samples for antibodies to WNV, SLEV, YFV, DENV (serotypes 1and 3), ILHV, and BSQV. Virus genome detection was performed using generic reverse transcription (RT)-nested PCR to identify flaviviruses in 51 antibody-negative animals. Seventy animals had antibodies for one or more flaviviruses for a total antibody prevalence of 64.8% (70/108). Monotypic (13/70, 19%) and heterotypic (27/70, 39%) patterns were differentiated. Specific neutralizing antibodies against WNV, SLEV, DENV-1, DENV-3, ILHV, and BSQV were found. Unexpectedly, the highest flavivirus antibody prevalence detected was to WNV with 9 (8.33%) monotypic responses. All samples tested by (RT)-nested PCR were negative for viral genome. This is the first detection of WNV-specific antibodies in black howlers from Argentina and the first report in free-ranging non-human primates from Latin-American countries. Given that no animals had specific neutralizing antibodies to YFV, our results suggest that the study population remains susceptible to YFV. Monitoring of these agents should be strengthened to detect the establishment of sylvatic cycles of flaviviruses in America and evaluate risks to wildlife and human health.Fil: Morales, Maria Alejandra. Dirección Nacional de Instituto de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorio e Instituto de Salud "Dr. C. G. Malbran". Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Virales Humanas; ArgentinaFil: Fabbri, Cintia M.. Dirección Nacional de Instituto de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorio e Instituto de Salud "Dr. C. G. Malbran". Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Virales Humanas; ArgentinaFil: Zunino, Gabriel Eduardo. Universidad Nacional de General Sarmiento. Instituto del Conurbano; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Kowalewski, Miguel Martin. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia". Estación Biológica de Usos Múltiples (Sede Corrientes); ArgentinaFil: Luppo, Victoria C.. Dirección Nacional de Instituto de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorio e Instituto de Salud "Dr. C. G. Malbran". Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Virales Humanas; ArgentinaFil: Enría, Delia A.. Dirección Nacional de Instituto de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorio e Instituto de Salud "Dr. C. G. Malbran". Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Virales Humanas; ArgentinaFil: Levis, Silvana C.. Dirección Nacional de Instituto de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorio e Instituto de Salud "Dr. C. G. Malbran". Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Virales Humanas; ArgentinaFil: Calderón, Gladys Ethel. Dirección Nacional de Instituto de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorio e Instituto de Salud "Dr. C. G. Malbran". Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Virales Humanas; Argentin

Identification of a novel functional deletion variant in the 5'-UTR of the DJ-1 gene

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>DJ-1 forms part of the neuronal cellular defence mechanism against oxidative insults, due to its ability to undergo self-oxidation. Oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathogenesis of central nervous system damage in different neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease (PD). Various mutations in the <it>DJ-1 </it>(<it>PARK7</it>) gene have been shown to cause the autosomal recessive form of PD. In the present study South African PD patients were screened for mutations in <it>DJ-1 </it>and we aimed to investigate the functional significance of a novel 16 bp deletion variant identified in one patient.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The possible effect of the deletion on promoter activity was investigated using a Dual-Luciferase Reporter assay. The <it>DJ-1 </it>5'-UTR region containing the sequence flanking the 16 bp deletion was cloned into a pGL4.10-Basic luciferase-reporter vector and transfected into HEK293 and BE(2)-M17 neuroblastoma cells. Promoter activity under hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress conditions was also investigated. Computational (<it>in silico</it>) <it>cis</it>-regulatory analysis of <it>DJ-1 </it>promoter sequence was performed using the transcription factor-binding site database, TRANSFAC via the PATCH™ and rVISTA platforms.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A novel 16 bp deletion variant (g.-6_+10del) was identified in <it>DJ-1 </it>which spans the transcription start site and is situated 93 bp 3' from a Sp1 site. The deletion caused a reduction in luciferase activity of approximately 47% in HEK293 cells and 60% in BE(2)-M17 cells compared to the wild-type (<it>P </it>< 0.0001), indicating the importance of the 16 bp sequence in transcription regulation. The activity of both constructs was up-regulated during oxidative stress. Bioinformatic analysis revealed putative binding sites for three transcription factors AhR, ARNT, HIF-1 within the 16 bp sequence. The frequency of the g.-6_+10del variant was determined to be 0.7% in South African PD patients (2 heterozygotes in 148 individuals).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This is the first report of a functional <it>DJ-1 </it>promoter variant, which has the potential to influence transcript stability or translation efficiency. Further work is necessary to determine the extent to which the g.-6_+10del variant affects the normal function of the <it>DJ-1 </it>promoter and whether this variant confers a risk for PD.</p

Caffeine as a tool for investigating the integration of Cdc25 phosphorylation, activity and ubiquitin-dependent degradation in Schizosaccharomyces pombe

The evolutionarily conserved Cdc25 phosphatase is an essential protein that removes inhibitory phosphorylation moieties on the mitotic regulator Cdc2. Together with the Wee1 kinase, a negative regulator of Cdc2 activity, Cdc25 is thus a central regulator of cell cycle progression in Schizosaccharomyces pombe. The expression and activity of Cdc25 is dependent on the activity of the Target of Rapamycin Complex 1 (TORC1). TORC1 inhibition leads to the activation of Cdc25 and repression of Wee1, leading to advanced entry into mitosis. Withdrawal of nitrogen leads to rapid Cdc25 degradation via the ubiquitin- dependent degradation pathway by the Pub1 E3- ligase. Caffeine is believed to mediate the override of DNA damage checkpoint signalling, by inhibiting the activity of the ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM)/Rad3 homologues. This model remains controversial, as TORC1 appears to be the preferred target of caffeine in vivo. Recent studies suggest that caffeine induces DNA damage checkpoint override by inducing the nuclear accumulation of Cdc25 in S. pombe. Caffeine may thus modulate Cdc25 activity and stability via inhibition of TORC1. A clearer understanding of the mechanisms by which caffeine stabilises Cdc25, may provide novel insights into how TORC1 and DNA damage signalling is integrated

Performing masculinity, influencing health: A qualitative mixed-methods study of young Spanish men

Background: The literature shows how gender mandates contribute to differences in exposure and vulnerability to certain health risk factors. This paper presents the results of a study developed in the south of Spain, where research aimed at understanding men from a gender perspective is still limited.Objective: The aim of this paper is to explore the lay perceptions and meanings ascribed to the idea of masculinity, identifying ways in which gender displays are related to health.Design: The study is based on a mixed-methods data collection strategy typical of qualitative research. We performed a qualitative content analysis focused on manifest and latent content.Results: Our analysis showed that the relationship between masculinity and health was mainly defined with regard to behavioural explanations with an evident performative meaning. With regard to issues such as driving, the use of recreational drugs, aggressive behaviour, sexuality, and body image, important connections were established between manhood acts and health outcomes. Different ways of understanding and performing the male identity also emerged from the results. The findings revealed the implications of these aspects in the processes of change in the identity codes of men and women.Conclusions: The study provides insights into how the category ‘man’ is highly dependent on collective practices and performative acts. Consideration of how males perform manhood acts might be required in guidance on the development of programmes and policies aimed at addressing gender inequalities in health in a particular local context.This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not- for-profit sectors. However, we had the opportunity to write this paper with the financial support from the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) and the Andalusian Government’s Economy, Innovation and Science Department (Exp P08-CTS-4321)

Recording behaviour of indoor-housed farm animals automatically using machine vision technology: a systematic review

Large-scale phenotyping of animal behaviour traits is time consuming and has led to increased demand for technologies that can automate these procedures. Automated tracking of animals has been successful in controlled laboratory settings, but recording from animals in large groups in highly variable farm settings presents challenges. The aim of this review is to provide a systematic overview of the advances that have occurred in automated, high throughput image detection of farm animal behavioural traits with welfare and production implications. Peer-reviewed publications written in English were reviewed systematically following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. After identification, screening, and assessment for eligibility, 108 publications met these specifications and were included for qualitative synthesis. Data collected from the papers included camera specifications, housing conditions, group size, algorithm details, procedures, and results. Most studies utilized standard digital colour video cameras for data collection, with increasing use of 3D cameras in papers published after 2013. Papers including pigs (across production stages) were the most common (n = 63). The most common behaviours recorded included activity level, area occupancy, aggression, gait scores, resource use, and posture. Our review revealed many overlaps in methods applied to analysing behaviour, and most studies started from scratch instead of building upon previous work. Training and validation sample sizes were generally small (mean±s.d. groups = 3.8±5.8) and in data collection and testing took place in relatively controlled environments. To advance our ability to automatically phenotype behaviour, future research should build upon existing knowledge and validate technology under commercial settings and publications should explicitly describe recording conditions in detail to allow studies to be reproduced