Customizable Recorder of Animal Kinesis (CRoAK): A multi-axis instrumented enclosure for measuring animal movements.

Accurately quantifying animal activity and movements is of fundamental importance in a broad range of disciplines, from biomedical research to behavioral ecology. In many instances, it is desirable to measure natural movements in controlled sensory environments in which the animals are not physically or chemically restrained, but their movements are nevertheless constrained to occur within a fixed volume. Here, we describe a novel device to quantify the movements of small animals in response to sensory stimulation. The device consists of an Arduino controlled inertial measurement unit that senses angular velocity (along three axes) of a suspended mesh enclosure that temporarily houses the animal subject. We validated the device by measuring the phonotaxis behavior of gravid female frogs in response to acoustic broadcasts of male mating calls. The system, as designed, proved effective at measuring natural movements made in response to acoustic stimulation.

A Novel Approach to Assess Salt Stress Tolerance in Wheat Using Hyperspectral Imaging.

Salinity stress has significant adverse effects on crop productivity and yield. The primary goal of this study was to quantitatively rank salt tolerance in wheat using hyperspectral imaging. Four wheat lines were assayed in a hydroponic system with control and salt treatments (0 and 200 mM NaCl). Hyperspectral images were captured one day after salt application when there were no visual symptoms. Subsequent to necessary preprocessing tasks, two endmembers, each representing one of the treatment, were identified in each image using successive volume maximization. To simplify image analysis and interpretation, similarity of all pixels to the salt endmember was calculated by a technique proposed in this study, referred to as vector-wise similarity measurement. Using this approach allowed high-dimensional hyperspectral images to be reduced to one-dimensional gray-scale images while retaining all relevant information. Two methods were then utilized to analyze the gray-scale images: minimum difference of pair assignments and Bayesian method. The rankings of both methods were similar and consistent with the expected ranking obtained by conventional phenotyping experiments and historical evidence of salt tolerance. This research highlights the application of machine learning in hyperspectral image analysis for phenotyping of plants in a quantitative, interpretable, and non-invasive manner.

The Proview phosphene tonometer fails to measure ocular pressure accurately in clinical practice.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the Proview Eye Pressure Monitor as a medical instrument and as a technique for enabling a patient to obtain an accurate measure of his or her intraocular pressure (IOP). DESIGN: An experimental laboratory evaluation and an independent prospective clinical study to test the reproducibility and accuracy of the Proview technique relative to Goldmann applanation tonometry. PARTICIPANTS: For the laboratory study, we analyzed 3 tonometers, each packaged as a Proview Eye Pressure Monitor by Bausch & Lomb. In the independent prospective experimental study, 137 subjects participated, consisting of healthy volunteers and glaucoma patients. METHODS: For laboratory testing, we held each tonometer with a micrometer to assure controlled positioning and pressed its sensing tip against a force meter that produced a calibrated, digital force reading. For clinical testing, we taught subjects (n = 137) to use the Proview technique in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. Each subject obtained 5 measurements with each of the 5 different Proview devices. A clinician measured the IOP using Goldmann applanation tonometry. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We measured the absolute value, linearity, and repeatability of the force meter readings on the tonometers during the instrument laboratory evaluation. The accuracy was evaluated by comparing the Proview measurements to the Goldmann applanation measurements. Reproducibility of clinical Proview measurements was also measured. All measurements were in mmHg during the clinical evaluation. RESULTS: Laboratory: There was a linear relationship between the pressures read by the Proview tonometers and known forces. The Proview tonometers read the maximum pressure applied. Clinical: The Proview technique is simple to use because it was comfortable and reproducible, with an average variance of the measurements by the same patient of 3.4 mmHg(2). Other variables besides IOP seem to affect the Proview pressure measurements, as seen in the large scatter in our data, measured by our correlation coefficient of r = 0.41. The sensitivity of the Proview technique to detect patients with high IOP (which we defined as a Goldmann pressure of >/=22 mmHg) is low; the Proview pressure identified only 18% (4/22) of these patients. CONCLUSIONS: The Proview instrument and technique were reproducible. However, the Proview tonometer seems not to be reliable as an indicator of IOP. The sensitivity for detecting high IOP was low in this cohort, and the agreement with Goldmann applanation was poor for some individuals. This brings into question the underlying assumption that a force proportional to the IOP generates phosphenes.