Computer-Assisted Real-Time Rice Variety Learning Using Deep Learning Network

Due to the inconsistency of rice variety, agricultural industry faces an important challenge of rice grading and classification by the traditional grading system. The existing grading system is manual, which introduces stress and strain to humans due to visual inspection. Automated rice grading system development has been proposed as a promising research area in computer vision. In this study, an accurate deep learning-based non-contact and cost-effective rice grading system was developed by rice appearance and characteristics. The proposed system provided real-time processing by using a NI-myRIO with a high-resolution camera and user interface. We firstly trained the network by a rice public dataset to extract rice discriminative features. Secondly, by using transfer learning, the pre-trained network was used to locate the region by extracting a feature map. The proposed deep learning model was tested using two public standard datasets and a prototype real-time scanning system. Using AlexNet architecture, we obtained an average accuracy of 98.2% with 97.6% sensitivity and 96.4% specificity. To validate the real-time performance of proposed rice grading classification system, various performance indices were calculated and compared with the existing classifier. Both simulation and real-time experiment evaluations confirmed the robustness and reliability of the proposed rice grading system.     

Rats smell in stereo

It has been hypothesized that rats and other mammals can use stereo cues to localize odor sources, but there is limited behavioral evidence to support this hypothesis. We found that rats trained on an odor-localization task can localize odors accurately in one or two sniffs. Bilateral sampling was essential for accurate odor localization, with internasal intensity and timing differences as directional cues. If the stimulus arrived at the correct point of the respiration cycle, internasal timing differences as short as 50 milliseconds sufficed. Neuronal recordings show that bulbar neurons responded differentially to stimuli from the left and stimuli from the right.     

New distributional record of buff coconut mealybug (Nipaecoccus nipae) in Kerala, India

The buff coconut mealybug, Nipaecoccus nipae (Maskell) (Pseudococcidae: Hemiptera), was recorded on tender feeder roots of coconut seedlings at Kayamkulam, Kerala, India. N. nipae was not located on any other arboreal parts of palm including foliage. This is a new distributional record of the pest in Kerala, South India. The concealed nature of the pest on underground feeder roots of coconut seedlings warrants thorough examination at the seedling distribution point of coconut seedlings in order to prevent the spread of this pest to other free zones of the country. Re-emergence of the pest is reported in India after a time gap of 100?years.     

Influence of dosage,storage time and temperature on efficacy of metalaxyl-treated seed for the control of pearl millet downy mildew

Metalaxyl (Apron 35WS) as a seed treatment has been used extensively to control downy mildew (caused by Sclerospora graminicola) in pearl millet in India. However, the extent of disease control has varied across cultivars, years and locations. We investigated the effects of fungicide dosage, storage time and storage temperature of metalaxyl-treated seed on disease incidence in four pearl millet lines having varying levels of resistance. A linear relationship was found between fungicide dosage (0.5, 1.5 and 2 g a.i. kg⁻¹ seed) and reduction in disease incidence up to 40 days after emergence in all the lines. The normal fungicide dose (2 g a.i. kg⁻¹ seed) protected the crop for up to 20, 40 and 50 days after emergence in highly susceptible (7042S), moderately susceptible (4042R), and moderately resistant (ICMP 451) lines, respectively. However, the quarter and half the normal dosage of fungicide provided protection only up to 20 days after emergence in 7042R and 40 days after emergence in ICMP 451. Storage duration of metalaxyl-treated seed (2 g a.i. kg⁻¹) up to 9 months at 25 ± 2°C did not affect fungicide efficacy. Storage temperatures (5, 25 and 40°C) and duration (30, 60 and 90 days) of metalaxyl-treated seed (2 g a.i. kg⁻¹) showed differential effects in two pearl millet lines 7042S and 843B with downy mildew incidence being significantly lower in 7042S than in 843B. Metalaxyl-treated seed of 7042S and 843B stored at 40°C for different durations showed phytotoxic effects and it was more pronounced in 843B stored for 60 and 90 days where seed germination was inhibited in pot soil.     

Report on the palm aphid, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cerataphis brasiliensis</Emphasis> on ‘Kalparaksha’ coconut cultivar

Aggregations of palm aphid Cerataphis brasiliensis (Hempel) (Aphididae: Hemiptera) on the unfurled spindle leaf of ‘Kalparaksha’ variety of coconut, a selection from Malayan Green Dwarf, is reported for the first time. C. brasiliensis has not yet been observed from other coconut varieties, viz., West Coast Tall, Chowghat Orange Dwarf, Chowghat Green Dwarf, and Dwarf x Tall hybrids planted in the research farm of Central Plantation Crops Research Institute, Kayangulam, Kerala, India. Only the apterous form of the palm aphid was noticed in the semi-tall variety and a variety-induced emergence of C. brasiliensis is indicated under natural conditions. Due to the presence of two phoretic ant species, no natural predator was observed in the aphid colonies. Two sprays of dimethoate (0.05%) at an interval of 15–20 days were effective in suppression of the pest on Kalparaksha.     

Interconversion between intestinal stem cell populations in distinct niches

Intestinal epithelial stem cell identity and location have been the subject of substantial research. Cells in the +4 niche are slow-cycling and label-retaining, whereas a different stem cell niche located at the crypt base is occupied by crypt base columnar (CBC) cells. CBCs are distinct from +4 cells, and the relationship between them is unknown, though both give rise to all intestinal epithelial lineages. We demonstrate that Hopx, an atypical homeobox protein, is a specific marker of +4 cells. Hopx-expressing cells give rise to CBCs and all mature intestinal epithelial lineages. Conversely, CBCs can give rise to +4 Hopx-positive cells. These findings demonstrate a bidirectional lineage relationship between active and quiescent stem cells in their niches.     

Nano-Bio-Genesis: tracing the rise of nanotechnology and nanobiotechnology as 'big science'

Nanotechnology research has lately been of intense interest because of its perceived potential for many diverse fields of science. Nanotechnology's tools have found application in diverse fields, from biology to device physics. By the 1990s, there was a concerted effort in the United States to develop a national initiative to promote such research. The success of this effort led to a significant influx of resources and interest in nanotechnology and nanobiotechnology and to the establishment of centralized research programs and facilities. Further government initiatives (at federal, state, and local levels) have firmly cemented these disciplines as 'big science,' with efforts increasingly concentrated at select laboratories and centers. In many respects, these trends mirror certain changes in academic science over the past twenty years, with a greater emphasis on applied science and research that can be more directly utilized for commercial applications.We also compare the National Nanotechnology Initiative and its successors to the Human Genome Project, another large-scale, government funded initiative. These precedents made acceptance of shifts in nanotechnology easier for researchers to accept, as they followed trends already established within most fields of science. Finally, these trends are examined in the design of technologies for detection and treatment of cancer, through the Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer initiative of the National Cancer Institute. Federal funding of these nanotechnology initiatives has allowed for expansion into diverse fields and the impetus for expanding the scope of research of several fields, especially biomedicine, though the ultimate utility and impact of all these efforts remains to be seen.     

Soil carbon improvement under long‐term (36 years) no‐till sorghum production in a sub‐tropical environment

Soil organic matter (SOM) is considered an important indicator of soil quality, which can be impacted by crop production practices such as tillage. In this study, two long‐term tillage regimes (conventional tillage [CT] and no tillage [NT], conducted for 36 years) were compared in continuous sorghum production in a sub‐tropical environment in southeast Texas. The positive effects of long‐term NT practice were more conspicuous at the soil surface compared with the deeper soil profiles. The SOC was greater (1.5 t C ha^?1 greater) in the NT system compared with the CT system. Results from an incubation study indicate that the rate of C‐min at 0–5 cm soil depth was significantly greater (164 μg of CO₂–C g^?1 of soil greater) in NT than that of CT, but this trend was reversed at 10–20 cm depth wherein the C‐min rates were 106 μg of CO₂–C g^?1 of soil greater in CT compared with NT, which is likely because of soil disturbance during the study. Soil cumulative CO₂‐C emissions were greater in the CT system (7.28 g m^?2) than in the NT system (5.19 g m^?2), which is primarily attributed to high soil temperature conditions in the CT system. Sorghum grain yield however was not influenced by the differences in SOC content in this long‐term experiment. Overall, the present study found that long‐term conservation tillage improved SOC stock and reduced carbon loss, thus had a positive impact on soil health and sustainability.     

A thicker chorion gives ova of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) the upper hand against Saprolegnia infections

Since the ban of malachite green in the fish farming industry, finding alternative ways of controlling Saprolegnia infections has become of utmost importance. Much effort has been made to elucidate the mechanisms by which Saprolegnia invades fish eggs. Little is known about the defence mechanisms of the hosts, making some eggs more prone to infection than others. One clue might lie in the composition of the eggs. As the immune system in the embryos is not developed yet, the difference in infection levels could be explained by factors influenced by the mother herself, by either transferring passive immunity, influencing the physical aspects of the eggs or both. One of the physical aspects that could be influenced by the female is the chorion, the extracellular coat surrounding the fish egg, which is in fact the first major barrier to be overcome by Saprolegnia spp. Our results suggest that a thicker chorion in eggs from Atlantic salmon gives a better protection against Saprolegnia spp. In addition to the identification of differences in sensitivity of eggs in a fish farm set‐up, we were able to confirm these results in a laboratory‐controlled challenge experiment.