Resolving the identification of weak-flying insects during flight: a coupling between rigorous data processing and biology

Bioacoustic methods play an increasingly important role for the detection of insects in a range of surveillance and monitoring programmes.Weak-flying insects evade detection because they do not yield sufficient audio information to capture wingbeat and harmonic frequencies. These inaudible insects often pose a significant threat to food security as pests of key agricultural crops worldwide.Automatic detection of such insects is crucial to the future of crop protection by providing critical information to assess the risk to a crop and the need for preventative measures.We describe an experimental set-up designed to derive audio recordings from a range of weak-flying aphids and beetles using an LED array.A rigorous data processing pipeline was developed to extract meaningful features, linked to morphological characteristics, from the audio and harmonic series for six aphid and two beetle species.An ensemble of over 50 bioacoustic parameters was used to achieve species discrimination with a success rate of 80%. The inclusion of the dominant and fundamental frequencies improved prediction between beetles and aphids because of large differences in wingbeat frequencies.At the species level, error rates were minimized when harmonic features were supplemented by features indicative of differences in species' flight energies.

C-01 An Evaluative Study of a Cognitive Training Program on Cognitive Outcomes in Older Adults with Moderate to Severe Cognitive Impairment

Objective

Because medical interventions for persons with dementia have limited effectiveness, there is a need to evaluate non-pharmacological interventions designed to support individuals with cognitive impairment. Cognitive training is a non-pharmacological approach aimed at improving or maintaining cognitive functioning through practice. The current study evaluated the effects of a cognitive training program in older adults with moderate to severe cognitive impairment.

Method

Data were collected from seven females and one male with a mean age of 83.1 who met criteria for moderate to severe cognitive impairment as defined by a Modified Mini-Mental Status Exam score between 49-77 (M = 54.5). Participants were recruited from two organizations that provide housing and supportive services for older adults with cognitive impairments. Cognitive changes were measured using the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status-Update.

Results

Effect sizes (Cohen’s d) were calculated to measure the magnitude of change from pre- to post-intervention. Results indicated no change in the domains of immediate memory (d = -0.08) and attention (d = -0.17). A medium effect size was found in delayed memory (d = 0.68), while large effect sizes were found in language (d = 1.70), visuospatial/constructional (d = 0.89), and the total scale index (d = 1.40).

Conclusion

The results provide tentative support for the effectiveness of cognitive training in maintaining or improving some cognitive abilities in older adults with moderate to severe cognitive impairment. Further research with larger samples sizes and control groups are necessary to verify these preliminary findings and to determine if benefits generalize to everyday life.

Emergent climate and CO2 sensitivities of net primary productivity in ecosystem models do not agree with empirical data in temperate forests of eastern North America

Ecosystem models show divergent responses of the terrestrial carbon cycle to global change over the next century. Individual model evaluation and multimodel comparisons with data have largely focused on individual processes at subannual to decadal scales. Thus far, data-based evaluations of emergent ecosystem responses to climate and CO₂ at multidecadal and centennial timescales have been rare. We compared the sensitivity of net primary productivity (NPP) to temperature, precipitation, and CO₂ in ten ecosystem models with the sensitivities found in tree-ring reconstructions of NPP and raw ring-width series at six temperate forest sites. These model-data comparisons were evaluated at three temporal extents to determine whether the rapid, directional changes in temperature and CO₂ in the recent past skew our observed responses to multiple drivers of change. All models tested here were more sensitive to low growing season precipitation than tree-ring NPP and ring widths in the past 30 years, although some model precipitation responses were more consistent with tree rings when evaluated over a full century. Similarly, all models had negative or no response to warm-growing season temperatures, while tree-ring data showed consistently positive effects of temperature. Although precipitation responses were least consistent among models, differences among models to CO₂ drive divergence and ensemble uncertainty in relative change in NPP over the past century. Changes in forest composition within models had no effect on climate or CO₂ sensitivity. Fire in model simulations reduced model sensitivity to climate and CO₂ , but only over the course of multiple centuries. Formal evaluation of emergent model behavior at multidecadal and multicentennial timescales is essential to reconciling model projections with observed ecosystem responses to past climate change. Future evaluation should focus on improved representation of disturbance and biomass change as well as the feedbacks with moisture balance and CO₂ in individual models.

Effects of morphine glucuronides on the function of opioid receptors in human SK-N-SH cells

Morphine-3-glucuronide (M3G) and morphine-6-glucuronide (M6G) are active metabolites of morphine. The effects of M3G and M6G on the opioid receptor transduction system has not yet been fully elucidated. Formation of cAMP after treatment with various doses of morphine, M3G, and M6G was studied. M6G and morphine, but not M3G, showed a dose dependent inhibition of cAMP accumulation. Naloxone blocked the inhibitory effect of M6G, M3G, and morphine. Pretreatment with M3G did not change the effects of morphine and M6G. The G-protein inhibitor PTX, prevented morphine, M3G, and M6G effects on cAMP. M3G and M6G vary in their ability to interact with the opioid receptor effector system. Inhibition of cAMP evoked by activation of opioid receptors and inhibitory G-proteins may play a role in the actions of M6G and M3G.

Systemic absorption of lignocaine ointment from tracheal tubes

Arterial plasma concentrations of lignocaine were studied in fifteen adult patients following insertion of a tracheal tube whose cuff area was smeared with 5% lignocaine ointment. Twelve patients had 2 ml of ointment (114 mg) and samples were taken every 5 minutes until 30 minutes and in eight of the 12 patients at 40, 50 and 60 minutes after insertion and inflation of the tracheal tube and cuff. Three patients had 1 ml of ointment on the tube and were studied over 60 minutes. Plasma concentrations were determined using gas liquid chromatography. In the 2 ml lignocaine group mean plasma lignocaine levels were 1.9 (SD 0.9) micrograms/ml at 10 minutes, 2.3 (SD 0.8) micrograms/ml at 20 minutes, 2.3 (SD 0.8) micrograms/ml at 30 minutes and 1.7 (SD 1.0) micrograms/ml at 60 minutes. After 1 ml of lignocaine, levels were 1.2 (SD 0.1) micrograms/ml at 10 minutes, 1.1 (SD 0.7) micrograms/ml at 20 minutes, 0.8 (SD 0.3) micrograms/ml at 30 minutes and 0.75 (SD 0.1) micrograms/ml at 60 minutes.

Ventilatory effects of nitrous oxide during continuous infusion of fentanyl or alfentanil

Two groups of eight patients received infusions of either fentanyl at 3 micrograms kg-1 h-1 or alfentanil at 20 micrograms kg-1 h-1 as supplements to 66% N2O in oxygen anaesthesia, during and after body surface surgery. At the end of surgery, the N2O was reduced to 50% and after measurement of ventilatory frequency, minute ventilation, and the ventilatory response to carbon dioxide, N2O was discontinued. The opioid infusions were continued for a further hour and the ventilatory measurements repeated. Both sets of measurements were compared with preoperative values. Minute ventilation (P less than 0.01), frequency (P less than 0.01) and the response to carbon dioxide (P less than 0.01) were reduced during the infusion of fentanyl with N2O; with fentanyl alone, minute ventilation (P less than 0.05) and the response to carbon dioxide (P less than 0.01) were reduced but to a lesser degree. The elimination of nitrous oxide from the inspired gas mixture produced an increase in frequency (P less than 0.05) and increases in the slope (P less than 0.01) and ventilation at 7.3 kPa (P less than 0.025) of the carbon dioxide response curve. Minute ventilation (P less than 0.01) frequency (P less than 0.05) and response to carbon dioxide (P less than 0.01) were all reduced during the infusion of alfentanil with nitrous oxide; with alfentanil alone, minute ventilation (P less than 0.01), tidal volume (P less than 0.05), the slope (P less than 0.025) and the ventilation at 7.3 kPa (P less than 0.01) of the carbon-dioxide response curve were still reduced.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Ventilatory depression related to plasma fentanyl concentrations during and after anesthesia in humans

Twenty-four patients were allocated randomly into four groups for the study of the pharmacokinetics of, and effects on postoperative ventilation of, two doses of fentanyl (10 micrograms/kg or 25 micrograms/kg) administered at the start of general anesthesia in which ventilation was controlled at a fixed volume, but arterial PCO2 was adjusted to a range of either 38-42 torr, or 20-25 torr. During the first 2 hr after anesthesia, ventilatory depression (CO2 responsiveness decreased to less than 50% of awake values, PaCO2 greater than 48 torr) occurred only in patients who had received 25 micrograms/kg fentanyl, and was more marked in patients who were hyperventilated to a low PaCO2 during anesthesia. Plasma fentanyl concentrations associated with 50% depression of CO2 responsiveness were in the range 1.5-3.0 ng/ml, the lower values found in patients hyperventilated to a low PaCO2. Whole-body clearance of fentanyl was significantly decreased by hypocapnic hyperventilation.

Hepatic function after anaesthesia for major vascular reconstructive surgery

Three groups of patients received Althesin, minaxolone or di-isopropyl phenol to supplement 67% nitrous oxide in oxygen. A fourth group receiving halothane to supplement nitrous oxide in oxygen acted as a control. Hepatic function tests were measured before operation and on days 1, 3, 5 and 7 after major vascular reconstructive surgery. There were significant increases to a mean value above the upper limit of normal in aspartate amino-transferase activity by day 3 in all groups. Total lactic dehydrogenase activity increased in the patients receiving Althesin, minaxolone and halothane. No change was seen in the alkaline phosphatase in any of the study groups. Gamma glutamyl transpeptidase increased in all groups, but the mean value at day 7 was not greater than the upper limit of normal. The mean activity of ornithine carbamoyl transpeptidase showed no change in any group throughout the study period. Two of the patients receiving minaxolone suffered cholestatic jaundice during the first month. These results suggest that anaesthesia with Althesin or di-isopropyl phenol results in enzyme changes similar to those seen in a comparable group of patients receiving halothane to supplement nitrous oxide in oxygen anaesthesia.