Efficiency of a Novel Light-Emitting Diode (LED) Trap for Trapping Rhyzopertha dominica (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae) in Paddy Rice Storehouses.

The lesser grain borer Rhyzopertha dominica is the major pest of stored paddy rice globally, including in Taiwan. It has strong phototaxis and is good at flying, suitable for developing a light-trapping method to monitor and control it. In the present study, a wavelength of light-emitting diodes (LEDs), i.e., 373 nm, was determined to be the most efficient to trap R. dominica using a dodecagon maze. Accordingly, an LED trap, named the Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute-LED (TARI-LED) trap, was invented, which comprised LEDs of two distinct wavelengths (373 and 408 nm), a wavelength switch, a suction fan, and an insect collector. The trapping efficiency was assessed in a 4-m3 laboratory arena and two paddy rice storehouses. An initial assessment was performed in the laboratory arena and showed that the TARI-LED trap with 373-nm wavelength for R. dominica rapidly increased in the first 30 min, reaching the highest trapping rate (68.5%) after 3 h. In addition, no significant difference was observed between the suction fan turned on or off. The field tests showed that the 373-nm wavelength had the highest effectiveness for trapping R. dominica in the two paddy rice storehouses, and no significant difference was observed in the number of R. dominica trapped by the 373-nm TARI-LED trap or the CDC-UV light trap. In conclusion, our TARI-LED trap 373 nm exhibited high efficiency in trapping R. dominica in paddy rice storehouses. Moreover, a suction fan-free design should benefit long-term and safe use in paddy rice storehouses trapping R. dominica.

Gene-Based Association Testing of Dichotomous Traits With Generalized Functional Linear Mixed Models Using Extended Pedigrees: Applications to Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

Genetics plays a role in age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a common cause of blindness in the elderly. There is a need for powerful methods for carrying out region-based association tests between a dichotomous trait like AMD and genetic variants on family data. Here, we apply our new generalized functional linear mixed models (GFLMM) developed to test for gene-based association in a set of AMD families. Using common and rare variants, we observe significant association with two known AMD genes: CFH and ARMS2. Using rare variants, we find suggestive signals in four genes: ASAH1, CLEC6A, TMEM63C, and SGSM1. Intriguingly, ASAH1 is down-regulated in AMD aqueous humor, and ASAH1 deficiency leads to retinal inflammation and increased vulnerability to oxidative stress. These findings were made possible by our GFLMM which model the effect of a major gene as a fixed mean, the polygenic contributions as a random variation, and the correlation of pedigree members by kinship coefficients. Simulations indicate that the GFLMM likelihood ratio tests (LRTs) accurately control the Type I error rates. The LRTs have similar or higher power than existing retrospective kernel and burden statistics. Our GFLMM-based statistics provide a new tool for conducting family-based genetic studies of complex diseases. Supplementary materials for this article, including a standardized description of the materials available for reproducing the work, are available as an online supplement.

Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse Elastography with APRI and FIB-4 to Identify Significant Liver Fibrosis in Chronic Hepatitis B Patients.

INTRODUCTION AND AIM: In chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with equivocal indication for antiviral therapy, therapeutic decision currently depends on histopathology of the liver. We aimed to evaluate if acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) in conjunction with aspartate transaminase to platelet ratio index (APRI) and fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) score could replace liver biopsy to indicate treatment for CHB. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We prospectively enrolled 101 clinically non-cirrhotic patients whose serum alanine aminotransferase was mildly elevated (1-2 folds above the upper normal limit) despite a high viral load (HBV DNA > 2,000 IU/mL). All participants underwent liver biopsy, and measurement of ARFI, APRI and FIB-4. The ability of the markers to distinguish fibrosis ≥ METAVIR F2 was evaluated. RESULTS: According to histopathology, liver fibrosis was METAVIR F0 in 2 (2.0%), F1 in 43 (42.6%), F2 in 34 (33.7%), F3 in 16 (15.8%), and F4 in 6 (5.9%) patients, and was correlated with ARFI (p = 0.0001), APRI (p = 0.012), and FIB-4 (p = 0.004). The six patients with cirrhosis were included for analysis, and received antiviral therapy. The C statistics of ARFI, APRI, and FIB-4 for fibrosis ≥ F2 were 0.70 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.59-0.80), 0.62 (95% CI, 0.51-0.73), and 0.64 (0.53- 0.75), respectively. The cut-off values for 95% sensitivity and 95% specificity to identify significant fibrosis were 0.97 m/sec and 1.36 m/sec for ARFI, 0.36 and 1.0 for APRI, 0.63 and 2.22 for FIB-4, respectively. Using a combination of these 3 indices, 44 patients (43.6%) could be spared a liver biopsy procedure. CONCLUSIONS: A combination of ARFI, APRI, and FIB-4 may spare some CHB patients with equivocal indication for antiviral treatment a liver biopsy.