Invasive BCI

Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that significantly impairs motor and cognitive functions, leading to a decline in quality of life. Recent advancements in brain-computer interface (BCI) technology offer promising solutions for improving motor control and cognitive function in individuals with PD. BCIs work by detecting and interpreting neural signals, allowing for direct communication between the brain and external devices. This paper explores the potential of BCI technology in enhancing motor skills, such as movement coordination, as well as cognitive functions like memory and attention in PD patients. Additionally, ethical considerations, potential side effects, and the limitations of BCI interventions are discussed, with an emphasis on optimizing the technology for therapeutic use. The integration of BCIs into clinical settings holds significant promise for improving the quality of life for individuals with Parkinson's Disease.

This paper presents a complete processing chain for decoding intracranial data recorded in the cortex of a monkey and replicates the associated movements on a JACO robotic arm by Kinova. We developed specific modules inside the OpenViBE platform in order to build a Brain-Machine Interface able to read the data, compute the position of the robotic finger and send this position to the robotic arm. More precisely, two client/server protocols have been tested to transfer the finger positions: VRPN and a light protocol based on TCP/IP sockets. According to the requested finger position, the server calls the associated functions of an API by Kinova to move the fingers properly. Finally, we monitor the gap between the requested and actual fingers positions. This chain can be generalized to any movement of the arm or wrist.

Decoding human speech from neural signals is essential for brain–computer interface (BCI) technologies that aim to restore speech in populations with neurological deficits. However, it remains a highly challenging task, compounded by the scarce availability of neural signals with corresponding speech, data complexity and high dimensionality. Here we present a novel deep learning-based neural speech decoding framework that includes an ECoG decoder that translates electrocorticographic (ECoG) signals from the cortex into interpretable speech parameters and a novel differentiable speech synthesizer that maps speech parameters to spectrograms. We have developed a companion speech-to-speech auto-encoder consisting of a speech encoder and the same speech synthesizer to generate reference speech parameters to facilitate the ECoG decoder training. This framework generates natural-sounding speech and is highly reproducible across a cohort of 48 participants. Our experimental results show that our models can decode speech with high correlation, even when limited to only causal operations, which is necessary for adoption by real-time neural prostheses. Finally, we successfully decode speech in participants with either left or right hemisphere coverage, which could lead to speech prostheses in patients with deficits resulting from left hemisphere damage.

Short interfering RNAs which can be used to reduce gene expression, or ‘silence’ this expression in a sequence specific manner is call RNA interference, RNAi. In the case of hemipteran pests, RNAi has only recently been shown to disrupt their biology. We propose that RNAi has the potential to be applied in an area wide management strategy, thereby suppressing the pest populations to reduce disease spread. Previously we generated leafhopper genetic datasets from three species of known vectors of Xylella fastidiosa (Xf), the plant infecting bacterium which causes Pierce’s disease (PD) of grapevine. Using genomic analyses we identified a subset of potential genetic targets which may be used to suppress these sharpshooter leafhoppers. The primary disease vector, the glassy-winged sharpshooter (GWSS; Homalodisca vitripennis) vectors the Xf xylem-limited bacteria that causes PD in grapevine as well as ‘Scorch-like’ pathogens of other woody agricultural fruit, nut, and ornamental crops. Bu...

Whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), consists of genetically diverse species known to cause significant destruction in several crops around the world. Nymphs and adults of B. tabaci cause damage to plants during feeding, and they can act as a virus vector, thus causing significant yield loss to crops in the tropical and subtropical regions. Chemical pesticides are widely used to control B. tabaci due to their immediate action, but this approach has several drawbacks including food safety issues, insecticide resistance, environmental pollution, and the effect on non-target organisms. A biological control agent using entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) has therefore been developed as an alternative against the conventional use of chemical pesticides in an integrated pest management (IPM) system to effectively control B. tabaci. It is apparent from this review that species of hyphomycetes fungi are the most common EPF used to effectively control B. tabaci, with the s...

Homalodisca vitripennis (Germar) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), the glassy-winged sharpshooter, is one of the most important vectors of the bacterium, Xylella fastidiosa subsp. piercei (Xanthomonadales: Xanthomonadaceae) that causes Pierce's Disease in grapevines in California. In the present study we report a new method for studying pathogen transmission or probing behavior of H. vitripennis. When confined, H. vitripennis attempt to probe the surface of sterile containers 48 hours post-acquisition of X. f. piercei. The saliva deposited during attempted feeding probes was found to contain X. f. piercei. We observed no correlation between X. f. piercei titers in the foregut of H. vitripennis that fed on Xylella-infected grapevines and the presence of this bacterium in the deposited saliva. The infection rate after a 48 h post-acquisition feeding on healthy citrus and grapevines was observed to be 77% for H. vitripennis that fed on grapevines and 81% for H. vitripennis that fed on citrus, with no difference in the number of positive probing sites from H. vitripennis that fed on either grapevine or citrus. This method is amenable for individual assessment of X. f. piercei-infectivity, with samples less likely to be affected by tissue contamination that is usually present in whole body extracts.

Achiving of food self-sufficiency can be done by using of local potential that is by agribusiness in Indonesia. One potential locally owned citrus agribusiness was the use of entomopathogenic fungi to improve the productivity of citrus. Reports showed decrease in productivity due to infestation of scale insect. The experiment was conducted at the

A closed-loop brain-machine interface for elbow assistance is proposed in this work. The system decodes flexion and extension movements from noninvasive electroencephalographic signals through Kalman filter and uses them to activate a virtual device. A two-degree-of-freedom control scheme drives the model through a decoded path by generating a set of estimated inputs using differential flatness. These inputs are compensated by a feedback loop when decoding errors or external forces actuate the model. The results provide us an insight into the control architecture performance, which is dependent on the decoding precision. These decoding capabilities can be manipulated through a set of parameter configurations, enhancing the path tracking, or decreasing the decoding error according to their values.

The Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae), vectors 'Candidatus Liberibacter spp.', the causative agent of Citrus Greening Disease (CGD) or Huanglongbing (HLB). Managing populations of psyllids in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV), TX, United States is imperative given a continuous increase in HLB-positive trees. A component of integrated pest management (IPM) program is the use of strains of entomopathogenic fungi for the biological control of D. citri. In an attempt to find endemic strains of entomopathogenic fungi that grow favorably under LRGV environmental conditions and naturally infect D. citri, psyllids were collected from local residential areas, surface sterilized, and plated on a semiselective agar medium. Collection of over 9,300 samples from 278 sites throughout the LRGV led to the positive identification of two Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo-Crivellii) Vuillemin (Hypocreales: Cordycipitaceae) isolates, ACP18001 and ACP18002. Chi-square analysis of primary and secondary acquisition bioassays revealed that both field isolated strains outperformed Cordyceps (Isaria) fumosorosea (Wize) (Hypocreales: Cordycipitaceae) Apopka97 under both primary (direct spray) and secondary acquisition (adult exposure to sprayed foliage) bioassays with ACP18002 marginally outperforming ACP18001 under secondary acquisition. Slopes of the dose response regression lines for the three fungi were not significantly different. In addition, the thermal profiles for vegetative growth of each isolate indicated that the field isolates grew at higher rates than the standard at higher temperatures. The new isolates may prove to be good candidates for the management of D. citri populations in the LRGV.

The emergence of a “digital culture” is described in terms of its major benefits, problems and risks, which fuel several controversies. The individual now lives in a “connected” society and world. Does this lead to a form of “digital citizenship”? Since citizenship is closely related to the educational system, are our schools capable of introducing this digital culture, not just its positive aspects but also the related risks?

Whitefl y can transmit many plant viruses to vulnerable vegetable crops such as cabbage, white potato, and chayote. It has been reported to develop resistance to a wide range of insecticides. Th is study was conducted to isolate entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) from insect cadavers, identify and characterize theisolated EPF through cultural and morphological characterizations and conduct a preliminary pathogenicity test of at least one of the identifi ed EPF on whitefl y. Samples of EPF from the BSU Pomology were initially identifi ed and characterized as Aschersonia placenta, Aschersonia goldiana, and Hypocrella epiphylla. A. placenta was selected for pathogenicity test to evaluate against whitefl y (B. tabaci). Th ree trials were conducted using conidial concentrations of 1x106, 1x107, 1x108, and 1x109 conidia/ml. Th e assessed effi cacy rate of A. placenta on B. tabaci indicated that 1x109 conidia/ml gave the highest mortality rate of 7.6% at 7 days and 11.2% at 14 days post-inoculation. Th e observed highest mortality rate was 11.2% which is less than the standard effi cacy rate. However, the capability of A. placenta to infect nymphs of B. tabaci indicates its potential as a biological control agent against whitefl y. Further assessment using fi eld trial to confi rm the results, and experiments on the other identifi ed Aschersonia species, and the use of supplements for mass production are recommended.

Wolbachia (Rickettsiales: Alphaproteobacteria) infections induce abnormalities in the reproductive system and affect various biological traits of the host insects. The density of Wolbachia is one of the major parameters that influence induced phenotypes and interactions with the hosts. Wolbachia occurs naturally in populations of the leafhopper Yamatotettix flavovittatus Matsumura (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), which transmits phytoplasma that cause white leaf disease in sugarcane. However, the quantity and dynamics of Wolbachia in this leafhopper are not well understood. In the current study, we estimated the number of Wolbachia by absolute quantification of the copy number of wsp, which encodes the outer surface protein, using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). This investigation was performed using natural populations and laboratory colonies from three lineages of leafhoppers (designated as UD, KK, and SK). There was no significant difference in the number of wsp copies in most of fieldcollected adults. During the immature developmental stages, there were differences in the dynamics of Wolbachia infection between the UD lineage and the other two lineages. However, the number of wsp copies increased in the early instar and plateaued in the later nymphal instars. Sex had no influence on the number of Wolbachia within the same lineages. The number of Wolbachia was relatively constant during the adult stage in the UD lineage but fluctuated in the other two lineages. In conclusion, the present data provide a framework for exploring the relationship between Wolbachia and the leafhopper and could facilitate future research into management strategies using Wolbachia.

Lightweight robotic manipulators can be used to restore the manipulation capability of people with a motor disability. However, manipulating the environment poses a complex task, especially when the control interface is of low bandwidth, as may be the case for users with impairments. Therefore, we propose a constraint-based shared control scheme to define skills which provide support during task execution. This is achieved by representing a skill as a sequence of states, with specific user command mappings and different sets of constraints being applied in each state. New skills are defined by combining different types of constraints and conditions for state transitions, in a human-readable format. We demonstrate its versatility in a pilot experiment with three activities of daily living. Results show that even complex, high-dimensional tasks can be performed with a low-dimensional interface using our shared control approach.

crops and many cultivated plant species, both in greenhouses and in open fields worldwide. In Mexico, this insect is a significant agricultural pest (Ramírez-Villapudua, 1996). An effective biocontrol strategy against this insect requires the selection of fungal isolates that combine desirable characteristics such as pathogenicity and conidia production to control the whiteflies (Pedrini et al., 2007). Methods used to assess the different pathogenicity levels of isolates are time-consuming and laborious (Vidal et al., 1997). Thus, in the present work was used Fungal Growth Índice de crecimiento y desarrollo fúngico y estudio ultraestructural de mosquitas blancas infectadas por tres aislados de Isaria fumosorosea de diferente patogenicidad Resumen. El proceso de infección por el cual Isaria fumosorosea coloniza a las ninfas de la mosquita blanca (Trialeurodes vaporariorum) fue investigado usando microscopía de luz y electrónica de barrido. El índice de crecimiento y desarrollo fúngico fue usado para determinar la patogenicidad de los aislados estudiados. Los hallazgos ultraestructurales nos permitieron examinar el curso de la colonización de este hongo en T. vaporariorum mediante la formación de estructuras de penetración en la cutícula. Los aislados de I. fumosorosea produjeron estructuras que recuerdan apresorios en su forma y causan serios daños cuticulares en el hospedante que sugieren la acción enzimática. Los resultados de este estudio sugieren que el aislado EH-506/3 es adecuado para el control biológico de la mosquita blanca. Palabras clave: hongos entomopatógenos, Trialeurodes vaporariorum, proceso de infección y colonización, microscopía electrónica de barrido (MEB).

Entre crainte et désir pour les objets connectés : Comprendre l'ambivalence des consommateurs Résumé : Notre recherche étudie l'ambivalence des consommateurs à l'égard de l'achat et de l'utilisation des objets connectés. Une étude qualitative en deux phases (composée de 22 entretiens individuels et de 2 groupes focus) explore les dimensions de l'ambivalence (facilité, intelligence, lien social et affect). Plusieurs schémas d'ambivalence émergent en fonction du lien existant entre le consommateur (utilisateur ou non) et la fonction qu'il donne à l'objet (utilitaire, expérientielle, symbolique). La typologie proposée permet de recommander une évolution du discours marketing autour des objets connectés.

Wolbachia (Rickettsiales: Alphaproteobacteria) infections induce abnormalities in the reproductive system and affect various biological traits of the host insects. The density of Wolbachia is one of the major parameters that influence induced phenotypes and interactions with the hosts. Wolbachia occurs naturally in populations of the leafhopper Yamatotettix flavovittatus Matsumura (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), which transmits phytoplasma that cause white leaf disease in sugarcane. However, the quantity and dynamics of Wolbachia in this leafhopper are not well understood. In the current study, we estimated the number of Wolbachia by absolute quantification of the copy number of wsp, which encodes the outer surface protein, using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). This investigation was performed using natural populations and laboratory colonies from three lineages of leafhoppers (designated as UD, KK, and SK). There was no significant difference in the number of wsp...

An adaptive robotic system has been developed to be used for hand rehabilitation. Previously developed exoskeletons are either very complex in terms of mechanism, hardware and software, or simple but have limited functionality only for a specific rehabilitation task. Some of these studies use simple position controllers considering only to improve the trajectory tracking performance of the exoskeleton which is inadequate in terms of safety and health of the patient. Some of them focus only on either passive or active rehabilitation, but not both together. Some others use EMG signals to assist the patient, but this time active rehabilitation is impossible unless different designs and control strategies are not developed. The proposed mechanical structure is extremely simple. The middle and the proximal phalanxes are used as a link of consecutively connected two 4-bar mechanisms, respectively. The PIP and MCP joints are actuated by a single electro mechanical cylinder to produce compl...

Background Three of entomopathogenic fungi, identified as Isariajavanica (Cjc-03 and Cjw-01) and Purpureocilliumlilacinum (TS-01) were found naturally infecting the whiteflies, Bemisiatabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) on chili and tomato plants. All the isolates were identified by morphological characterization and molecular identification (ITS region amplification). The virulence of the three isolates was evaluated against nymphs of B.tabaci at three different concentrations (1 × 106, 1 × 107, and 1 × 108 conidia/ml) under laboratory conditions and on adults of B.tabaci at one conidia concentration (1 × 107 conidia/ml) under laboratory and glasshouse conditions. Results Isariajavanica showed the highest virulence against B.tabaci nymphs and adults in both laboratory and glasshouse conditions. I.javanica exhibited the highest mortality in the laboratory against B.tabaci, nymphs at the highest concentration (1 × 108 conidia/ml) 8 days post-inoculation. Likewise, in the labo...

Anti-oviposition induced by Cordyceps fumosorosea FG340 to Spodoptera exigua and its persistence had been assessed on the Chinese cabbage seedlings sprayed with 0, 106, 107 and 108 conidia per mL in greenhouse and laboratory. In a randomized complete block, four couples (males and females) of moths were released in each cage. In the laboratory, the percentage of egg laid varied significantly between treatments with 59.8, 14.8, 11.9, and 13.5% on 0, 106, 107 and 108 conidia per mL; respectively. Similarly, in the greenhouse, the percentage of eggs laid differed significantly between suspensions with 88.18, 8.7, 0, and 3.13% on 0, 106, 107, and 108 conidia per mL; respectively. Repellence study showed that there is a major difference between suspensions with average 34.55, 35.21 and 40.02% for 106, 107 and 108 conidia per mL; respectively. Endophytic C. fumosorosea and its culture fluid affect the behavior of armyworm larvae. The concentration of 108 conidia per mL can affect the ovip...

The glassy-winged sharpshooter, Homalodisca vitripennis, is an invasive pest which presents a major economic threat to grape industries in California, as well as Texas [22] and other wine growing regions, because it spreads a disease-causing bacterium, Xylella fastidiosa. We continue an earlier investigation [1] into a long-term phenological decline of H. vitripennis densities by studying a system of delayed dierential equations (DDEs) and analyzing aggregate population data for H. vitripennis from a 10-year study in which biweekly monitoring of H. vitripennis populations decreased signicantly. These data present several challenges for modelers. First, they involve truly aggregate population level sampling and hence cannot properly be treated as ordinary longitudinal time series data corresponding to individual level models. The appropriate modeling involves estimation of probability distributions for parameters rather than estimation of the dynamic parameters themselves. Moreover, our analysis reveals that the correct corresponding statistical models involve errors that are observation size dependent (e.g., relative errors should be employed in statistical models). We use these data to test whether DDEs are useful in modeling the observed H. vitripennis population decline. To do this, we perform an analysis of variance (ANOVA) type test comparing the glassy-winged sharpshooter (GWSS) model with delay to the model without delay [1]. The model is t to the aggregate H. vitripennis data using iterative reweighted weighted least squares (IRWLS) by estimating probability densities over the delay and one of the birthrate parameters. Results indicate that a positive delay provides improvement with a signicance level of p < 0:005.

Après avoir rappelé les symptômes de l'autisme comme pathologie neurodéveloppementale qui appartient aux Troubles Envahissants du Développement (TED), nous étudions les principes et les caractéristiques des supports visuels (classeurs traditionnels et tablettes électroniques) destinés aux enfants autistes afin qu'ils puissent communiquer avec leur entourage (famille et personnes chargées du suivi thérapeutique, éducatif ou pédagogique). Nous présentons les fonctionnalités d'un prototype innovant fonctionnant sur tablette électronique que nous avons développé (paramétrage des utilisateurs, du lexique, de la syntaxe des messages, mémorisation d'un journal des interactions, …). Nous exposons les modalités de l'expérience que nous allons mener auprès de jeunes enfants autistes de moins de 6 ans dans le cadre de leur accueil au CATTP ISATIS (CH St-Jean-de-Dieu) et dans leur cadre familial.

La interfaz cerebro-computadora (BCI), es una neurotecnología (2) que se apoya en la  Inteligencia artificial (IA, 1) para desarrollarse (3, 4).
BCI es un sistema que permite a los usuarios controlar los computadores o dispositivos externos solo con la actividad encefálica sin pasar por los sistemas nervioso y muscular periféricos (3). El control con BCI que se realiza en cuatro fases, se inicia cuando una persona realiza una tarea mental específica, genera una respuesta medible y con técnicas de IA se detectan patrones de actividad cerebral en relación a la tarea (4). Las BCIs son ampliamente utilizadas en el ámbito biomédico ya que la computadora permite realizar múltiples tareas, acceder al entretenimiento, comunicación, hasta, controlar dispositivos electrónicos (3); y las BCI wireless y de costo accesible utilizados por personas sanas (juegos, videos, etc) (4).
Las BCI se pueden distinguir en dos tipos: invasivas y no invasivas.
La investigación y el desarrollo de futuras aplicaciones de esta neurotecnología, excede el ámbito médico y de investigación biomédica y/o académica pasando al ámbito comercial, como los juegos de computadora BCI, las neuroprótesis, la investigación cognitiva en línea, el neuromarketing o la mejora cognitiva o neuromejora, las cuales inevitablemente plantean desafíos éticos, legales y sociales (4, 6). La neuromejora se refiere a la mejoría de las funciones cognitivas, emocionales y motivacionales de individuos sanos o tratamiento de enfermedades en individuos enfermos a través del uso de BCI, drogas u otros medios (5). Es decir una intervención específica en un área del cerebro, con el fin de estimular o inhibir zonas cuyo resultado sea una potenciación de una o varias capacidades neurocognitivas. En este capítulo nos focalizamos en los usos y las neuromejoras generadas por BCI y los desafíos éticos y jurídicos involucrados

Many hemipteran insects are important agricultural pests because they cause direct feeding damage to their host plants and / or transmit plant disease agents including viruses and bacteria. Microscopic and behavioral studies on five hemipteran species from four families (Psyllidae, Aphididae, Cicadellidae, and Aleyrodidae) showed that their exuviae (molted skins) normally had either fully or partially extended stylets in a feeding-like position. In most cases these stylets were still partially embedded in their host plants after ecdysis, which indicated that plant-feeding hemipteran nymphs use their stylets to anchor themselves to host plants during molting. This phenomenon was used here to study the stylet length and ultrastructure in exuviae of various instars, which is normally more difficult in nymphs than in adults because of the fragility and smaller size of nymphs. Additionally, autofluorescence was used for studying the hemipteran salivary sheaths of nymphs and adults in the...

The present study reports the sublethal effects of the entomopathogenic fungus, Aschersonia aleyrodis (Webber) on Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae). A fungal suspension of A. aleyrodis isolate Aa005 containing 1×10 7 conidia mL-1 was sprayed against B. tabaci on eggplant leaves under greenhouse conditions. The effects of fungal application on survival as well as life table parameters of the whitefly were observed at different post inoculation periods. The results indicated that A. aleyrodis can significantly affect the survival of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd nymphal instars of B. tabaci. Developmental periods of different instar nymphs were not affected by fungal application. A. aleyrodis spores persisted well and significantly affected the survivorship of young instar nymphs of B. tabaci at different post incubation periods. Life table results suggested that A. aleyrodis has no impact on general fecundity and longevity of B. tabaci. When the pathogen was exposed to the open environment and maintained for a relatively longer period, a reduction in the reproductive rate and intrinsic rate of increase was caused by the fungal spores, though the sublethal effects were not as good as the control treatment. The results suggest that the ability of spores to suppress an increase in whitefly population persists well after incubation of spores to the external environment (up to 9 days).

Objective: To date, many brain-machine interface (BMI) studies have developed decoding algorithms for neuroprostheses that provide users with precise control of upper arm reaches with some limited grasping capabilities. However, comparatively few have focused on quantifying the performance of precise finger control. Here we expand upon this work by investigating online control of individual finger groups. Approach: We have developed a novel training manipulandum for non-human primate (NHP) studies to isolate the movements of two specific finger groups: index and middle-ring-pinkie (MRP) fingers. We use this device in combination with the ReFIT (Recalibrated Feedback Intention-Trained) Kalman filter to decode the position of each finger group during a single degree of freedom task in two rhesus macaques with Utah arrays in motor cortex. The ReFIT Kalman filter uses a two-stage training approach that improves online control of upper arm tasks with substantial reductions in orbiting time, thus making it a logical first choice for precise finger control. Results: Both animals were able to reliably acquire fingertip targets with both index and MRP fingers, which they did in blocks of finger group specific trials. Decoding from motor signals online, the ReFIT Kalman filter reliably outperformed the standard Kalman filter, measured by bit rate, across all tested finger groups and movements by 31.0 and 35.2%. These decoders were robust when the manipulandum was removed during online control. While index finger movements and middle-ring-pinkie finger movements could be differentiated from each other with 81.7% accuracy across both subjects, the linear Kalman filter was not sufficient for decoding both finger groups together due to significant unwanted movement in the stationary finger, potentially due to co-contraction. Significance: To our knowledge, this is the first systematic and biomimetic separation of digits for continuous online decoding in a NHP as well as the first demonstration of Vaskov et al. Cortical Decoding of Finger Groups the ReFIT Kalman filter improving the performance of precise finger decoding. These results suggest that novel nonlinear approaches, apparently not necessary for center out reaches or gross hand motions, may be necessary to achieve independent and precise control of individual fingers.

The Asian citrus psyllid Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae) is the most widespread and devastating pest species in citrus orchards and is the natural vector of the phloem-limited bacterium that causes Huanglongbing (HLB) disease. Thus, reducing the population of D. citri is an important means to prevent the spread of HLB disease. Due to the long-term use of chemical control, biological control has become the most promising strategy. In this study, a novel highly pathogenic fungal strain was isolated from naturally infected cadavers of adult D. citri. The species was identified as Aspergillus fijiensis using morphological identification and phylogenetic analysis and assigned the strain name GDIZM-1. Tests to detect aflatoxin B1 demonstrated that A. fijiensis GDIZM-1 is a non-aflatoxin B1 producer. The pathogenicity of the strain against D. citri was determined under laboratory and greenhouse conditions. The results of the laboratory study indicated that nymphs from the 1...

BACKGROUND: Microbial surfactants are multifunctional surface-active molecules that have been overlooked in formulating microbial biopesticides. We report a novel approach using the biosurfactant rhamnolipid (RML) against the destructive cosmopolitan insect pest Bemisia tabaci, as well as the combined action of RML with aerial conidia of two entomopathogenic fungi, Cordyceps javanica and Beauveria bassiana. RML was also tested as a suspension agent to improve the recovery rate of conidia from solid substrate for fungal preparations. RESULTS: The recovery rate of conidia increased dramatically (2-5 times) with RML compared with a standard surfactant (Tween 80). Spraying solutions of 0.075% and 0.1% (w/v) RML on B. tabaci 3 rd instar nymphs induced 100% mortality within 4 days. Conidial suspensions at 5×10 6 conidia/mL amended with RML at 0.01% or 0.05% markedly increased nymphal mortalities and considerably reduced LC 50. Conidial suspensions of B. bassiana with 0.05% RML added were more effective against whitefly nymphs (87.3% mortality) than C. javanica + RML (51.4% mortality). CONCLUSION: Our results show that this bacteria-based RML improved the recovery rate of hydrophobic conidia, and that mixtures of RML with fungal spore suspensions increased their insecticidal activity.

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This is the first study that examined and compared the survival, LC50, and RR50 estimates of Megacopta cribraria F. (Hemiptera: Plataspidae) nymphs and adults that were exposed to two native Beauveria bassiana isolates (Previously codified as NI8 and KUDSC strains) at four concentrations. The greatest reduction in survival and mortality was observed primarily on or after 10 d post-exposure to B. bassiana isolates. Survival of early instars (2nd, 3rd) were not affected by either strains or concentration at 3 d and 5 d post-exposure. Survival of later instars (5th) and adults was significantly reduced when exposed to the KUDSC strain at all concentrations. Comparison of dose–mortality values (LC50) using resistance ratios (RR50) were significantly different between life stages of the kudzu bug for both strains of B. bassiana. The LC50 values showed that kudzu bug adults are more susceptible than any other life stage when exposed to either strain. The KUDSC strain was more pathogenic t...

Prezentowany tekst jest kontynuacją wcześniejszego artykułu "Czy uda się połączyć mózg z komputerem?" także udostępnionego w serwisie Academia.edu. Opisuje on prace prowadzone w zespole Elona Muska (miliardera realizującego różne awangardowe, ale czasem kontrowersyjne badania). Prace te zmierzają do bezpośredniego połączenia mózgu z komputerem. Stosowane metody są inwazyjne, opierają się bowiem (jak sygnalizuje już tytuł opracowania) na zespołach elektrod bezpośrednio wbitych w mózg i przesyłających bezprzewodowo sygnały. Czytając artykuł trzeba wziąć pod uwagę korektę: podana w tekście data 1912 oczywiście jest błędna. Powinno być 2912.

Survival of the glassy-winged sharpshooter, Homalodisca vitripennis (Germar) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), was studied under various constant temperatures and feeding conditions. When provided a host plant (Citrus limon L. Burm. f.) to feed on during a 21-d trial, 100% mortality occurred at 0.1, 3.2, and 40.1ЊC, whereas an average of 74 Ð76% of adults survived in the 13.2Ð24.5ЊC range. When individually conÞned with moist cotton, adult longevity was greatest (16.3 d) at 13.3ЊC, but it was Ͻ3 d at Ϫ2.4 and 36.2ЊC. In a companion study comparing the presence versus absence of a host plant, the presence of a host plant was not a signiÞcant factor inßuencing survival at temperatures Յ7.8ЊC but was at temperatures Ն18.9ЊC. The relationship between temperature and survival was described by a nonlinear function that estimated the optimum temperature in each feeding regimen: no host plant or moist cotton (5.5ЊC), moist cotton (9.9ЊC), and accessible host plant (25.1ЊC). The model quantitatively predicted that H. vitripennis would survive longer periods at a wider temperature regimen when provided with a host plant than when provided with water alone (moist cotton) or when provided with neither plant host nor water. Our results suggest that continuous exposure to either low (Ͻ5ЊC) or high (Ͼ30ЊC) temperatures are detrimental for adult survival. SpeciÞcally, low temperatures caused early mortality because of inhibition of feeding activity and presumably this threshold lies between 7.8 and 13.2ЊC. Furthermore, this study clearly shows that temperature may inßuence the survival of H. vitripennis adults regardless of feeding regimens, and its implications for population dynamics are discussed.

Felieton opisuje wysiłki, jakie informatycy i neurobiolodzy wkładają w to, żeby zbudować metodę bezpośredniej komunikacji mózgu z komputerem. Dążenie do stworzenia BCI (Brain Computer Interface - czyli właśnie połączenia mózgu z komputerem) trwają już od wielu lat, ale wciąż jeszcze do osiągnięcia celu jest daleko. W felietonie opisano próby, jakie podejmowane są - między innymi na AGH - żeby do tego celu wykorzystać sygnał EEG (potencjały elektryczne na powierzchni skóry głowy powodowane przez aktywność mózgu).

In this study, an entomopathogenic fungus was isolated from whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) cadaver samples collected from eggplant fields in Barka, Oman. The fungus was identified as Cordyceps javanica based on sequence analysis of ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions. Under in vitro conditions, the fungus was able to grow between 20°C and 30°C, with a maximum growth at 30°C. No growth occurred at 35°C. Studies on the efficacy of different concentrations of conidia of C. javanica against whitefly nymphs revealed that the mortality rate increased with the increase in concentrations of inoculum. About 95.6 ± 2.1% corrected mortality was recorded at a concentration of 10 7 conidia ml −1 after 7 days of treatment. The culture filtrate of C. javanica exhibited toxicity against whitefly nymphs and recorded 61.3 ± 9.5% corrected mortality after 48 h of treatment. There was no significant difference between the mortality caused by conidial suspension and culture filtrate. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis revealed the presence of 17 compounds in the culture filtrate of C. javanica. Lauric acid was present in the largest amount (28.7%) and the long chain (C22-25) hydrocarbons contributed 38.3%. This is the first report on the isolation and characterization of C. javanica from B. tabaci from Oman.

This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. In vivo selection of entomopathogenic fungal isolates for control of Diaphorina citri

Objective: To date, many brain-machine interface (BMI) studies have developed decoding algorithms for neuroprostheses that provide users with precise control of upper arm reaches with some limited grasping capabilities. However, comparatively few have focused on quantifying the performance of precise finger control. Here we expand upon this work by investigating online control of individual finger groups. Approach: We have developed a novel training manipulandum for non-human primate (NHP) studies to isolate the movements of two specific finger groups: index and middle-ring-pinkie (MRP) fingers. We use this device in combination with the ReFIT (Recalibrated Feedback Intention-Trained) Kalman filter to decode the position of each finger group during a single degree of freedom task in two rhesus macaques with Utah arrays in motor cortex. The ReFIT Kalman filter uses a two-stage training approach that improves online control of upper arm tasks with substantial reductions in orbiting time, thus making it a logical first choice for precise finger control. Results: Both animals were able to reliably acquire fingertip targets with both index and MRP fingers, which they did in blocks of finger group specific trials. Decoding from motor signals online, the ReFIT Kalman filter reliably outperformed the standard Kalman filter, measured by bit rate, across all tested finger groups and movements by 31.0 and 35.2%. These decoders were robust when the manipulandum was removed during online control. While index finger movements and middle-ring-pinkie finger movements could be differentiated from each other with 81.7% accuracy across both subjects, the linear Kalman filter was not sufficient for decoding both finger groups together due to significant unwanted movement in the stationary finger, potentially due to co-contraction. Significance: To our knowledge, this is the first systematic and biomimetic separation of digits for continuous online decoding in a NHP as well as the first demonstration of Vaskov et al. Cortical Decoding of Finger Groups the ReFIT Kalman filter improving the performance of precise finger decoding. These results suggest that novel nonlinear approaches, apparently not necessary for center out reaches or gross hand motions, may be necessary to achieve independent and precise control of individual fingers.

Spotted lanternfly, Lycorma delicatula (White), is an invasive Asian insect that was initially found in Berks County, Pennsylvania, in 2014. As of early 2020, this pest had been found in five more eastern states and it is expected to continue to expand its geographical range. Lycorma delicatula is highly polyphagous but seems to prefer tree-of-heaven, Ailanthus altissima. However, grape growers in Pennsylvania have reported significant damage and loss of vines caused by L. delicatula adults. In fall 2018, two fungal entomopathogens (Beauveria bassiana and Batkoa major) drove localized collapses in L. delicatula populations in Berks County, Pennsylvania. In 2019, we tested applications of a commercialized mycoinsecticide based on B. bassiana strain GHA on L. delicatula populations in a public park in southeastern Pennsylvania. A single application of B. bassiana reduced fourth instar nymphs by 48% after 14 d. Applications of B. bassiana to L. delicatula adults in the same park result...

An entomopathogenic fungus, Isaria javanica pf185, causes mortality in nymphs of the green peach aphid and inhibits the growth of fungal plant pathogens. However, the metabolites of pf185 involved in these antifungal and aphicidal activities are unknown. This study was performed to identify the metabolites with these activities. An antifungal metabolite was purified by repetitive column chromatography and preparative high performance liquid chromatography. Based on data from mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance, the active metabolite was identified as dibutyl succinate. The minimum concentration of dibutyl succinate to inhibit germination of conidia of the cause of anthracnose, Colletotrichum acutatum, was 4 mg/mL. Dibutyl succinate at 2 μg/mL inhibited mycelial growth. It also had strong aphicidal activity against the nymphs of the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae, median lethal concentration (LC50) of 306 mg/L at 24 h exposure, and median lethal time (LT50) of 14.5 h ...

Recently, the Q biotype of tobacco whitefly has been recognized as the most hazardous strain of Bemisia tabaci worldwide, because of its increased resistance to some insecticide groups. As an alternative control agent, we selected an Isaria javanica isolate as a candidate for the development of a mycopesticide against the Q biotype of sweet potato whitefly. To select optimal mass production media for solid-state fermentation, we compared the production yield and virulence of conidia between 2 substrates (barley and brown rice), and we also compared the effects of various additives on conidia production and virulence. Barley was a better substrate for conidia production, producing 3.43 × 10(10) conidia/g, compared with 3.05 × 10(10) conidia/g for brown rice. The addition of 2% CaCO3 + 2% CaSO4 to barley significantly increased conidia production. Addition of yeast extract, casein, or gluten also improved conidia production on barley. Gluten addition (3% and 1.32%) to brown rice impro...

This work describes a new human-in-the-loop (HitL) assistive grasping system for individuals with varying levels of physical capabilities. We investigated the feasibility of using four potential input devices with our assistive grasping system interface, using able-bodied individuals to define a set of quantitative metrics that could be used to assess an assistive grasping system. We then took these measurements and created a generalized benchmark for evaluating the effectiveness of any arbitrary input device into a HitL grasping system. The four input devices were a mouse, a speech recognition device, an assistive switch, and a novel sEMG device developed by our group that was connected either to the forearm or behind the ear of the subject. These preliminary results provide insight into how different interface devices perform for generalized assistive grasping tasks and also highlight the potential of sEMG based control for severely disabled individuals.

Cette intervention au seminaire de l&#39;UFR de philosophie de l&#39;Universite de Rennes 1 tend a demontrer comment le systeme economique et politique issu de l&#39;economie numerique peut etre assimilee a une forme de servitude, de la maniere dont La Boetie decrit les servitudes. Cette servitude numerique implique des rapports au temps qui doivent etre analyses. Par ailleurs, en cette periode de confinement, il est necessaire de mettre en evidence comment nos pratiques numeriques sont elles-memes sources de notre asservissement collectif au systeme numerique.

The aim of our work is to develop an approach based on exploiting sketches in the early design phase to create an innovative product. to provide assista nce to developers of orthopedic products (knee prostheses, hip, records, ...). This approach is ba ed on the concept of cooperation between engineers and orthopedic surgeons. The development of a biome chanical product is designed around the actual 03D models from reverse engineering techniques. Con cretely this tool should provide assistance for those involved in the design to innovate better by creating sketches in the early design phase by surgeons. For that our approach provides the basic elements a designer to build the product. The results give a new vision for the development of or thopedic products around the concept &quot;tailored for each patient.&quot; Mots clefs : Esquisse, prothèses, processus de conc eption, images DICOM. 22 Congrès Français de Mécanique Lyon, 24 au 28 Août 2015

Although tele-operation has a long history, when it comes to tuning, comparison, and evaluation of teleoperation systems, no standard framework exists which can fulfill desiderata such as: concisely modeling multiple aspects of the system as a whole, i.e. timing, accuracy, and event transitions, while also providing for separation of user-, feedback-, as well as learning-dependent components. On the other hand, real-time remote tele-operation of robotic arms, either industrial or humanoid, is highly suitable for a number of applications, especially in difficult or inaccessible environment, and thus such an evaluation framework would be desirable. Usually, teleoperation is driven by buttons, joysticks, haptic controllers, or slave-arms, providing an interface which can be quite cumbersome and unnatural, especially when operating robots with multiple degrees of freedom. Thus, in thus paper, we present a twofold contribution: (a) a task-based teleoperation evaluation framework which can achieve the desiderata described above, as well as (b) a system for teleoperation of an industrial arm commanded through human-arm motion capture, which is used as a case study, and also serves to illustrate the effectiveness of the evaluation framework that we are introducing. In our system the desired trajectory of a remote robotic arm is easily and naturally controlled through imitation of simple movements of the operator's physical arm, obtained through motion capture. Furthermore, an extensive real-world evaluation is provided, based on our proposed probabilistic framework, which contains an intersubject quantitative study with 23 subjects, a longitudinal

Les smartphones, objets numériques personnels connectés, au coeur de la question éducative USEK-22 février 2018 Faire face à une transformation majeure ? L'équipement personnel en smartphone devient un standard de l'ensemble de la population et concerne désormais les jeunes dès le début de l'adolescence, voire avant. C'est donc muni d'un "appareil" électronique personnel relié constamment à un réseau d'échange et de circulation de l'information que chaque personne évolue et agit dans le monde d'aujourd'hui. Les jeunes sont mis en situation de devoir accepter ces objets techniques désormais proposés, voire imposés par leurs parents. En s'emparant de ces objets, ils s'emparent aussi d'un potentiel nouveau d'information et de communication jamais atteint à ce jour. L'appropriation par les adolescents et les jeunes adultes impressionne le monde éducatif, du primaire au supérieur. Leurs habiletés d'usage dépassent souvent celles des adultes, dans le même temps, leurs réelles compétences sont souvent parcellaires et contextualisées (Dauphin, 2013). Face à ce constat, on peut légitimement s'interroger sur les pratiques réelles des jeunes, sur la place qu'ils donnent à l'apprentissage scolaire dans ces pratiques et plus généralement sur la manière dont ils construisent leurs usages. Le corollaire de ces évolutions est plus globalement la question de la responsabilité éducative,

Clonostachys rosea (Link: Fries) Schroers, Samuels, Seifert, and Gams (Ascomycota: Hypocreales) has been reported as a mycoparasite of fungi and nematodes and as saprobe in soils, but this fungus has not been reported previously to be entomopathogenic. Many species of cicadellid leafhoppers cause economic damage to crops as vectors of plant pathogens. In the present work, we report the Wrst record of C. rosea as an entomopathogenic fungus of two leafhoppers pest, Oncometopia tucumana and Sonesimia grossa (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), in Argentina and evaluate the pathogenicity of C. rosea against them.

If the cyborg remains a human - repaired, augmented or diminished -, the emergence of metaphorical or real figures such as the latter as well as hybrids, robots, drones and AIs, is perhaps the expression of an anthropological major shift. Indeed, beyond the question of the enhanced humanity, transhumanism and the possibility of posthumanism, it seems topical to ask whether it is not society itself that is in the process of becoming &#39;cyborgised&#39; on a global scale. In such a case, rather than listing the anthropotechnical technologies (of human modification) that have appeared since the invention of computers, it seems appropriate to anticipate and attempt to understand the ethical, political, economic and social issues emblematic of these technologies. Hence the concept of the &#39;hive-society&#39;, used to describe this possible major break in history marked by the advent of an organisation that is above all administered by - and sometimes for - digital machines

Upper limb amputees have to rely extensively on visual feedback in order to monitor and manipulate successfully their prosthetic device. This situation leads to high consciousness burden, which generates fatigue and frustration. Therefore, in order to enhance motor-sensory performance and awareness, sonification of the prosthetic hand's spatio-temporal and force information was implemented in a real setting. The main purpose is to explore the difficulties people face when using a prosthetic hand and how the usage of auditory information affects their performance. Preliminary results showed that the temporal performance and the grasping performance was improved, also that the mental effort was reduced, when using auditive feedback.

Upper limb amputees have to rely extensively on visual feedback in order to monitor and manipulate successfully their prosthetic device. This situation leads to high consciousness burden, which generates fatigue and frustration. Therefore, in order to enhance motor-sensory performance and awareness, sonification of the prosthetic hand's spatio-temporal and force information was implemented in a real setting. The main purpose is to explore the difficulties people face when using a prosthetic hand and how the usage of auditory information affects their performance. Preliminary results showed that the temporal performance and the grasping performance was improved, also that the mental effort was reduced, when using auditive feedback.

Stroke and neurodegenerative diseases, among a range of other neurologic disorders, can cause chronic paralysis. Patients suffering from paralysis may remain unable to achieve even basic everyday tasks such as liquid intake. Currently, there is a great interest in developing robotic assistants controlled via brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) to restore the ability to perform such tasks. This paper describes an autonomous robotic assistant for liquid intake. The components of the system include autonomous online detection both of the cup to be grasped and of the mouth of the user. It plans motions of the robot arm under the constraints that the cup stays upright while moving towards the mouth and that the cup stays in direct contact with the user's mouth while the robot tilts it during the drinking phase. To achieve this, our system also includes a technique for online estimation of the location of the user's mouth even under partial occlusions by the cup or robot arm. We tested our system in a real environment and in a sharedcontrol setting using frequency-specific modulations recorded by electroencephalography (EEG) from the brain of the user. Our experiments demonstrate that our BMI-controlled robotic system enables a reliable liquid intake. We believe that our approach can easily be extended to other useful tasks including food intake and object manipulation.

Brain-computer interface (BCI) technologies aim to provide a bridge between the human brain and external devices. Prior research using non-invasive BCI to control virtual objects, such as computer cursors and virtual helicopters, and real-world objects, such as wheelchairs and quadcopters, has demonstrated the promise of BCI technologies. However, controlling a robotic arm to complete reach-and-grasp tasks efficiently using non-invasive BCI has yet to be shown. In this study, we found that a group of 13 human subjects could willingly modulate brain activity to control a robotic arm with high accuracy for performing tasks requiring multiple degrees of freedom by combination of two sequential low dimensional controls. Subjects were able to effectively control reaching of the robotic arm through modulation of their brain rhythms within the span of only a few training sessions and maintained the ability to control the robotic arm over multiple months. Our results demonstrate the viabili...