Hyperspectral classification of Cyperus esculentus clones and morphologically similar weeds

Cyperus esculentus (yellow nutsedge) is one of the world's worst weeds as it can cause great damage to crops and crop production. To eradicate C. esculentus, early detection is key-a challenging task as it is often confused with other Cyperaceae and displays wide genetic variability. In this study, the objective was to classify C. esculentus clones and morphologically similar weeds. Hyperspectral reflectance between 500 and 800 nm was tested as a measure to discriminate between (I) C. esculentus and morphologically similar Cyperaceae weeds, and between (II) different clonal populations of C. esculentus using three classification models: random forest (RF), regularized logistic regression (RLR) and partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). RLR performed better than RF and PLS-DA, and was able to adequately classify the samples. The possibility of creating an affordable multispectral sensing tool, for precise in-field recognition of C. esculentus plants based on fewer spectral bands, was tested. Results of this study were compared against simulated results from a commercially available multispectral camera with four spectral bands. The model created with customized bands performed almost equally well as the original PLS-DA or RLR model, and much better than the model describing multispectral image data from a commercially available camera. These results open up the opportunity to develop a dedicated robust tool for C. esculentus recognition based on four spectral bands and an appropriate classification model

Development of a stereovision-based technique to measure the spread patterns of granular fertilizer spreaders

Centrifugal fertilizer spreaders are by far the most commonly used granular fertilizer spreader type in Europe. Their spread pattern however is error-prone, potentially leading to an undesired distribution of particles in the field and losses out of the field, which is often caused by poor calibration of the spreader for the specific fertilizer used. Due to the large environmental impact of fertilizer use, it is important to optimize the spreading process and minimize these errors. Spreader calibrations can be performed by using collection trays to determine the (field) spread pattern, but this is very time-consuming and expensive for the farmer and hence not common practice. Therefore, we developed an innovative multi-camera system to predict the spread pattern in a fast and accurate way, independent of the spreader configuration. Using high-speed stereovision, ejection parameters of particles leaving the spreader vanes were determined relative to a coordinate system associated with the spreader. The landing positions and subsequent spread patterns were determined using a ballistic model incorporating the effect of tractor motion and wind. Experiments were conducted with a commercial spreader and showed a high repeatability. The results were transformed to one spatial dimension to enable comparison with transverse spread patterns determined in the field and showed similar results

Growth in the Lower Limb Following Chemotherapy for a Malignant Primary Bone Tumour: A Straight-Line Graph

Purpose. The aim of this paper was to assess the growth in the unaffected lower limb of children who had received chemotherapy for a malignant primary bone tumour around the knee

Longitudinal Growth Following Treatment for Osteosarcoma

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to analyse the height at diagnosis and growth in 72 skeletally immature children who had been treated for osteosarcoma in the area of the knee

Roman coloured glass in the Western provinces: the glass cakes and tesserae from West Clacton in England

A collection of tesserae and two fragments from rounded cakes of coloured glass, probably dating to the 2nd century AD, were found at West Clacton Reservoir, Essex, in the UK, by Colchester Archaeological Trust. A selection of the finds were analysed using SEM-EDS and ICP-MS. This paper provides data on the composition of the different glass colours and discusses how each colour was made. Colourants and opacifiers were added to a base glass, most often one of the transparent, naturally coloured (blue-green) natron glass types widely available at the time, but there appear to be preferences in the type of base glass used for certain colours, which affects the type of antimonate opacifier precipitated. Possible reasons for using different types of base glass to make strongly coloured Roman glass are discussed

Fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 is principally responsible for fibroblast growth factor 2-induced catabolic activities in human articular chondrocytes.

INTRODUCTION: Cartilage degeneration driven by catabolic stimuli is a critical pathophysiological process in osteoarthritis (OA). We have defined fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2) as a degenerative mediator in adult human articular chondrocytes. Biological effects mediated by FGF-2 include inhibition of proteoglycan production, up-regulation of matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13), and stimulation of other catabolic factors. In this study, we identified the specific receptor responsible for the catabolic functions of FGF-2, and established a pathophysiological connection between the FGF-2 receptor and OA. METHODS: Primary human articular chondrocytes were cultured in monolayer (24 hours) or alginate beads (21 days), and stimulated with FGF-2 or FGF18, in the presence or absence of FGFR1 (FGF receptor 1) inhibitor. Proteoglycan accumulation and chondrocyte proliferation were assessed by dimethylmethylene blue (DMMB) assay and DNA assay, respectively. Expression of FGFRs (FGFR1 to FGFR4) was assessed by flow cytometry, immunoblotting, and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). The distinctive roles of FGFR1 and FGFR3 after stimulation with FGF-2 were evaluated using either pharmacological inhibitors or FGFR small interfering RNA (siRNA). Luciferase reporter gene assays were used to quantify the effects of FGF-2 and FGFR1 inhibitor on MMP-13 promoter activity. RESULTS: Chondrocyte proliferation was significantly enhanced in the presence of FGF-2 stimulation, which was inhibited by the pharmacological inhibitor of FGFR1. Proteoglycan accumulation was reduced by 50% in the presence of FGF-2, and this reduction was successfully rescued by FGFR1 inhibitor. FGFR1 inhibitors also fully reversed the up-regulation of MMP-13 expression and promoter activity stimulated by FGF-2. Blockade of FGFR1 signaling by either chemical inhibitors or siRNA targeting FGFR1 rather than FGFR3 abrogated the up-regulation of matrix metalloproteinases 13 (MMP-13) and a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with a thrombospondin type 1 motif 5 (ADAMTS5), as well as down-regulation of aggrecan after FGF-2 stimulation. Flow cytometry, qPCR and immunoblotting analyses suggested that FGFR1 and FGFR3 were the major FGFR isoforms expressed in human articular chondrocytes. FGFR1 was activated more potently than FGFR3 upon FGF-2 stimulation. In osteoarthritic chondrocytes, FGFR3 was significantly down regulated (P < 0.05) with a concomitant increase in the FGFR1 to FGFR3 expression ratio (P < 0.05), compared to normal chondrocytes. Our results also demonstrate that FGFR3 was negatively regulated by FGF-2 at the transcriptional level through the FGFR1-ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinase) signaling pathway in human articular chondrocytes. CONCLUSIONS: FGFR1 is the major mediator with the degenerative potential in the presence of FGF-2 in human adult articular chondrocytes. FGFR1 activation by FGF-2 promotes catabolism and impedes anabolism. Disruption of the balance between FGFR1 and FGFR3 signaling ratio may contribute to the pathophysiology of OA.RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are

Quality of Life in Children Following Treatment for a Malignant Primary Bone Tumour Around the Knee

Purpose. We report on the quality of life following treatment for a malignant primary bone tumour around the knee in skeletally immature children

Establishing criteria for human mesenchymal stem cell potency

This study sought to identify critical determinants of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) potency using in vitro and in vivo attributes of cells isolated from the bone marrow of age‐ and sex‐matched donors. Adherence to plastic was not indicative of potency, yet capacity for long‐term expansion in vitro varied considerably between donors, allowing the grouping of MSCs from the donors into either those with high‐growth capacity or low‐growth capacity. Using this grouping strategy, high‐growth capacity MSCs were smaller in size, had greater colony‐forming efficiency, and had longer telomeres. Cell‐surface biomarker analysis revealed that the International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT) criteria did not distinguish between high‐growth capacity and low‐growth capacity MSCs, whereas STRO‐1 and platelet‐derived growth factor receptor alpha were preferentially expressed on high‐growth capacity MSCs. These cells also had the highest mean expression of the mRNA transcripts TWIST‐1 and DERMO‐1. Irrespective of these differences, both groups of donor MSCs produced similar levels of key growth factors and cytokines involved in tissue regeneration and were capable of multilineage differentiation. However, high‐growth capacity MSCs produced approximately double the volume of mineralized tissue compared to low‐growth capacity MSCs when assessed for ectopic bone‐forming ability. The additional phenotypic criteria presented in this study when combined with the existing ISCT minimum criteria and working proposal will permit an improved assessment of MSC potency and provide a basis for establishing the quality of MSCs prior to their therapeutic application