Use of honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) to detect the presence of Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata Wiedemann) larvae in Valencia oranges.

BACKGROUND: When fruit deteriorates a characteristic profile of volatile chemicals is produced that is different from that produced by healthy fruits. The identification of such chemicals allows the possibility of monitoring the fruit for early signs of deterioration with biological sensors. The use of honey bees and other insects as biological sensors is well known. This study aimed to identify the volatiles produced by oranges infested with larvae of the Mediterranean fruit fly and to test the ability of honey bees, conditioned to this volatile chemical profile, to detect such oranges. RESULTS: Seventeen compounds that were present in higher concentrations in the volatile profiles of infested oranges than in those of insect-free fruits were mixed at the same relative concentrations as those in the collected volatiles of infested oranges. The synthetic mixture was used to train honey bees by classical Pavlovian conditioning and subsequent tests showed that they were then able to discriminate between medfly-infested and uninfested oranges. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates an innovative way of detecting, at an early stage, the symptoms of damage to oranges by the Mediterranean fruit fly.

Analysis of the Long-term Visual Outcomes of ForeseeHome Remote Telemonitoring: The ALOFT Study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate long-term visual acuity (VA) and performance of a monitoring strategy with a self-operated artificial-intelligence-enabled home monitoring system in conjunction with standard care for early detection of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). DESIGN: Retrospective review. SUBJECTS: Patients with dry-age-related macular degeneration from 5 referral clinics. METHODS: Clinical data of patients monitored with ForeseeHome (FSH) device from August 2010 to July 2020 were reviewed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Visual acuity at baseline, VA at diagnosis of nAMD for eyes that converted while monitored, and VA from the final study follow-up, weekly frequency of use, duration of monitoring, modality of conversion diagnosis (system alert vs. detection by other standard care means), and duration and number of treatments since conversion to final study follow-up were collected. RESULTS: We reviewed 3334 eyes of 2123 patients with a mean (standard deviation [SD]) age of 74(8) years, monitored for a mean (SD) duration of 3.1 (2.4) years, with a total of 1 706 433 tests in 10 474 eye-monitoring years. The mean (SD) weekly use per patient was 5.2 (3.4), and it was persistent over the usage period. Two hundred eighty-five eyes converted while monitored at an annual rate of 2.72% and were treated with a mean (SD) 17.3 (16.5) injections over a mean (SD) 2.7 (2.0) years, with 6.4 (3.1) injections per year for eyes treated for > 1 year. The median VAs at baseline and at final follow-up for eyes that did not convert were 20/27 and 20/34 with a median change of 0.0 letters. The median VAs at baseline, conversion, and final follow-up for eyes that converted during the monitoring period were 20/30, 20/39, and 20/32 with a median change from baseline to conversion, baseline to recent, and conversion to recent of -4, -4, and 0 letters, respectively. Fifty-two percent of conversions detected had a system alert before conversion. Forty-eight percent of patients were detected by symptoms or routine visit. Patients experienced a non-nAMD alert on average every 4.6 years. At conversion and at final follow-up, the proportion (95% CI) of eyes that maintained ≥ 20/40 was 84% (78% to 88%) and 82% (76% to 86%), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Patients in the FSH monitoring program showed excellent long-term VA years after conversion to nAMD.

Real-World Performance of a Self-Operated Home Monitoring System for Early Detection of Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

The real-world performance of a home telemonitoring strategy (ForeseeHome AMD Monitoring System®, Notal Vision, Inc.,Manassas VA, USA) was evaluated and compared to the device arm of the AREDS2-HOME study among patients with intermediate AMD (iAMD) who converted to neovascular AMD (nAMD). All patients with confirmed conversion to nAMD who used the home monitoring system from 10/2009 through 9/2018 were identified by Notal Vision Diagnostic Clinic's medical records. Selected outcome variables were evaluated, including visual acuity (VA) at baseline and at conversion, and change in visual acuity (VA) from baseline to time of conversion. In total, 8991 patients performed 3,200,999 tests at a frequency of 5.6 ± 3.2 times/week. The 306 eyes that converted from iAMD to nAMD over the study period (a 2.7% annual rate) were included in the analyses. There was a median (interquartile range) change of -3.0 (0.0-(-10.0)) letters among converted eyes, 81% [95% confidence interval (72-88%)] maintained a VA ≥ 20/40 at the time of conversion, while 69% of the conversion detections were triggered by system alerts. The real-world performance of an at-home testing strategy was similar to that reported for the device arm of the AREDS2-HOME study. The home telemonitoring system can markedly increase early detection of conversion to nAMD.

Pollination biology of fruit-bearing hedgerow plants and the role of flower-visiting insects in fruit-set.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: In the UK, the flowers of fruit-bearing hedgerow plants provide a succession of pollen and nectar for flower-visiting insects for much of the year. The fruits of hedgerow plants are a source of winter food for frugivorous birds on farmland. It is unclear whether recent declines in pollinator populations are likely to threaten fruit-set and hence food supply for birds. The present study investigates the pollination biology of five common hedgerow plants: blackthorn (Prunus spinosa), hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), dog rose (Rosa canina), bramble (Rubus fruticosus) and ivy (Hedera helix). METHODS: The requirement for insect pollination was investigated initially by excluding insects from flowers by using mesh bags and comparing immature and mature fruit-set with those of open-pollinated flowers. Those plants that showed a requirement for insect pollination were then tested to compare fruit-set under two additional pollination service scenarios: (1) reduced pollination, with insects excluded from flowers bagged for part of the flowering period, and (2) supplemental pollination, with flowers hand cross-pollinated to test for pollen limitation. KEY RESULTS: The proportions of flowers setting fruit in blackthorn, hawthorn and ivy were significantly reduced when insects were excluded from flowers by using mesh bags, whereas fruit-set in bramble and dog rose were unaffected. Restricting the exposure of flowers to pollinators had no significant effect on fruit-set. However, blackthorn and hawthorn were found to be pollen-limited, suggesting that the pollination service was inadequate in the study area. CONCLUSIONS: Ensuring strong populations of insect pollinators may be essential to guarantee a winter fruit supply for birds in UK hedgerows.