A novel low-cost unmanned aerial vehicle platform for electrical transmission line inspection

The novel approach avoids costly and sophisticated equipment, while also enabling automated close-range inspection of transmission lines

Peer-Reviewed Publication

CHIBA UNIVERSITY

 

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THE NOVEL LOW-COST SYSTEM CAN ENABLE THE WIDESPREAD ADOPTION OF AUTOMATED INSPECTION SYSTEMS, IMPROVING THE SUSTAINABILITY OF TRANSMISSION LINES AND POWER FACILITIES FOR AN UNINTERRUPTED POWER SUPPLY, WHILE ALSO REDUCING MANUAL EFFORT.

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CREDIT: WESTERN AREA POWER ADMIN FROM FLICKR (HTTPS://WWW.FLICKR.COM/PHOTOS/86561000@N05/14742503847)

Electricity is an indispensable resource for our daily lives; it powers our homes, industries, and agriculture, among other things. Electricity is generated in power plants that are often located in remote areas due to safety and environmental concerns. The generated electricity is then transported to residential and industrial areas through transmission lines. However, these remote locations pose challenges in terms of harsh environments that can easily damage the transmission lines. Therefore, regular inspection and maintenance of these lines are crucial to maintaining an uninterrupted electricity supply.

The rapid development of microelectronics has led to the popular use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for such tasks. However, the inspection of transmission lines is intricate owing to their small sizes, long spans, and severe magnetic field interference affecting UAV microelectronics. Current methods address these challenges using high-precision sensors and sophisticated equipment, but this makes UAVs heavy and costly, and raises security risks.

Now, a team of researchers, led by Associate Professor Satoshi Suzuki from the Graduate School of Engineering at Chiba University in Japan, has developed an innovative low-cost UAV for inspecting transmission lines. In contrast to the expensive components used in other methods, this approach utilizes a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver, RGB camera, and a millimeter (mm) wave radar. Dr. Suzuki emphasizes: “Our proposed system enables small drones to inspect transmission lines at close range for the first time. This innovation can lead to the automation of power facility inspections, promoting a more sustainable power supply.” Their findings were published in Volume 15, Issue 19 of the journal Remote Sensing on October 06, 2023. The study included contributions from Qi Wang (first author), Professor Akio Namiki (last author), and Ziran Li from the Graduate School of Science and Engineering at Chiba University and Professor Wei Wang from Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Centre of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology at Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, China.

The proposed system utilizes sensors to characterize transmission lines and implements a knowledge-based line identification system, which employs a specialized technique called Hough transform to identify and measure the distance of transmission lines from the UAV, enabling it to fly in close proximity. Additionally, a heading correction module counters magnetic field interference affecting the UAV’s compass, calculating the desired direction based on the identified transmission line’s start and end points, and correcting the UAV accordingly.

Furthermore, a waypoint correction system addresses the mismatch between the planned and actual path of the UAV caused by the low accuracy of the GNSS receiver. An auxiliary controller is also employed to address unknown disturbances during inspection, such as strong winds, which can deviate the UAV from the planned path.

The team tested their designed UAV to inspect a 10 kV energized transmission line. Their experiments demonstrated that the proposed method effectively addressed magnetic interference problems as well as mismatches between the planned and actual path, and resisted wind interference. Nevertheless, the team acknowledged that the proposed method has room for further improvement, suggesting that more advanced control algorithms could enhance wind resistance.

“By addressing the challenge of remote inspections, this method can ensure an uninterrupted electricity supply, contributing to the sustainable development goal of ensuring access to clean and affordable energy. Moreover, this method also holds the potential for carrying out automated maintenance work,” highlights Dr. Suzuki.

In conclusion, the development of this novel low-cost UAV platform represents a significant stride toward automated inspection of transmission lines, ensuring regular monitoring and reducing manual effort.

About Associate Professor Satoshi Suzuki

Satoshi Suzuki is currently an Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Engineering, Chiba University in Japan. He received the 36th Academic Journal Paper Award from the Robotics Society of Japan in 2022. His research focuses on manufacturing technology, including mechanical, electrical/electronic, and chemical manufacturing, as well as control systems engineering. He has published around 100 research articles, which have been cited over 150 times.

 

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JOURNAL

Remote Sensing

DOI

10.3390/rs15194841 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Close-Range Transmission Line Inspection Method for Low-Cost UAV: Design and Implementation

 

Iron accumulation: a new insight into fibrotic diseases

Peer-Reviewed Publication

INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH IN BIOMEDICINE (IRB BARCELONA)

 

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IRON ACCUMULATION: A NEW INSIGHT INTO FIBROTIC DISEASES

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CREDIT: IRB BARCELONA

 

• Researchers at IRB Barcelona reveal the pivotal role of iron accumulation in the development of fibrotic diseases and propose that iron detection via MRI can serve to diagnose fibrosis.
• Fibrotic diseases account for 45% of all mortality in developed countries.
• Published in Nature Metabolism, the study points to new therapeutic opportunities that target iron.

Barcelona, 14 December 2023 – Fibrosis is associated with various chronic and life-threatening conditions, including pulmonary fibrosis, liver cirrhosis, kidney disease, and cardiovascular diseases, among others. These conditions collectively contribute to a substantial portion of mortality in developed countries, making fibrotic diseases a critical health problem requiring attention, research, and innovative approaches for diagnosis and treatment.

Scientists at IRB Barcelona’s Cellular Plasticity and Disease lab, led by Dr. Manuel Serrano, have now described the pivotal role of iron accumulation in the development of fibrotic diseases. The researchers have studied the link between iron accumulation, senescence (a phase where cells neither divide nor die) and the Senescence-Associated Secretory Phenotype (SASP)—a communication system in ageing cells that prompts them to release harmful molecules. SASP has been associated with various age-related diseases, including fibrosis.

In this work, published in the journal Nature Metabolism, researchers show the potential of iron detection via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for non-invasive assessment of fibrotic burden in patients with renal fibrosis. Additionally, the team uncovers the potential of chemical compounds able to remove the accumulated iron, such as deferiprone (a clinically approved drug) to prevent fibrosis, thereby pointing to a new approach for treating fibrotic diseases.

"Our study establishes iron accumulation as a clinically exploitable driver of pathological senescence and fibrosis and paves the way for new strategies in the early detection and treatment of fibrotic diseases," says Dr. Mate Maus,  Dr. Maus is the leading author of the study, together with Dr. Serrano, and an IRB Barcelona alumnus. He is currently leading the Aging and Cancer lab at the Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO), in Barcelona, where he continues investigating age-related metabolic changes that promote chronic diseases and cancer.

 

Systemic iron metabolism

Iron accumulation had previously been reported in association with several fibrotic disorders. On the basis of the findings of this study, the scientists suggest it might be a common feature of most fibrotic diseases. This research highlights two distinct roles of iron in fibrogenesis. First, it shows that excessive extracellular iron can initiate fibrogenesis. For instance, this may occur in fibrotic diseases associated with small vascular injuries, where iron release from the vasculature may be a constant trigger for fibrogenesis Second, the study indicates that iron accumulation is an intrinsic characteristic of senescent cells, even under normal levels of extracellular iron. The accumulation of iron is a key event driving the SASP and its pro-fibrotic effects on the surrounding tissue.

 

Halting fibrosis

By addressing iron accumulation in senescent cells, the researchers aim to alleviate the SASP and, consequently, halt the progression of fibrosis. “Although these findings mark a significant step forward in our understanding of fibrotic diseases, further research and clinical validation are crucial before translating these insights into tangible treatments," concludes Dr. Serrano.

 

This research project was carried out in collaboration with Dr. Josep Maria Cruzado’s laboratory at IDIBELL/UB, the Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Core Facility, led by Dr. Camille Stephan-Otto Attolini and the Histopathology Core Facility led by Dr. Neus Prats, both at IRB Barcelona; Dr. Mayka Sánchez, from the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (UIC); Dr. Alvar Agustí, from the Hospital Clinic/IDIBAPS; and Dr. Miguel Lafarga, from the Universidad de Cantabria-IDIVAL. Researchers from the Functional Genomics Core Facility at IRB Barcelona, the University of Oviedo and CNIO also contributed to the study.

Dr. Manuel Serrano is currently working at Altos Labs, Cambridge, United Kingdom.

The research received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MCIN), "la Caixa" Foundation, the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the European Research Council (ERC), the Instituto de Salud Carlos III and the Secretaria d'Universitats i Recerca del Departament d'Empresa i Coneixement de Catalunya.

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JOURNAL

Nature Metabolism

DOI

10.1038/s42255-023-00928-2 

ARTICLE TITLE

Iron accumulation drives fibrosis, senescence, and the senescence- associated secretory phenotype

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

14-Dec-2023

 

Study shows tree nuts as snacks reduces metabolic syndrome risk in Millennials

New findings published in Nutrients

Reports and Proceedings

THE MOTION AGENCY

DAVIS, CA, December 14, 2023 – A recent study published online in the journal, Nutrients[1], suggests daily tree nut consumption reduces the risk of metabolic syndrome (MetSx) by improving waist circumference, lipid biomarkers, and/or insulin levels, without requiring calorie restriction, in young adults.

 

In a randomized, parallel arm, dietary intervention study design, researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center enrolled 84 men and women, ages 22-36, most of whom were either overweight or obese (BMI 24.5 to 34.9 kg/m2) and had at least one MetSx risk factor at baseline (abdominal obesity, elevated triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol, high blood pressure, or elevated levels of blood glucose). Participants consumed either one ounce of mixed unsalted tree nuts or one ounce of a carbohydrate-rich snack twice daily. Both snacks provided the same number of calories, protein, fiber, and sodium and were part of a 7-day eucaloric weight maintenance menu that repeated throughout the study duration of 16 weeks.

 

The results showed females who consumed tree nuts snacks had a reduced waist circumference (mean difference: -2.20 ± 0.73 cm, P = 0.004) and a trend toward reduced visceral (intra-abdominal) fat (-5.27 ± 13.05 cm2, P = 0.06) compared to those consuming carbohydrate snacks. Males who consumed tree nuts snacks had decreased blood insulin levels (-1.14 ± 1.41 mIU/L, P = 0.05). Both males and females consuming tree nuts snacks saw an effect on triglycerides and TG/HDL ratios (P = 0.04 for both) with TG/HDL ratios reduced ~11% compared to those consuming carbohydrate snacks.

 

“When we assessed the effect of tree nut snacks on individual MetSx scores (calculated by assigning 1 point for each metabolic syndrome risk factor),” said Principal Investigator,

 

Tree Nuts and Metabolic Syndrome in Millennials

Page 2

 

Heidi J. Silver, R.D., M.S., Ph.D., Research Professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, “we observed a 67% reduction in MetSx score in females and a 42% reduction in MetSx score in males.”

 

Overall prevalence of MetSx, which increases risk for diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, has increased to 21.3% among healthy American young adults, aged 20-39 years.[2] “We know that snacking contributes almost 25% of total daily calories in young adults in the U.S.,” explained Dr. Silver. “Substituting typical high carbohydrate snacks with tree nuts (almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts) would likely have a positive impact in reducing the risk of metabolic syndrome and its consequences in this age group.”

 

Previous research has shown the beneficial effects of tree nuts in helping to reduce the risk of several chronic diseases including overweight/obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. “With MetSx and its various risk factors on the rise worldwide, this is yet another reason to include tree nuts in your diet,” said Maureen Ternus, M.S., R.D.N, Executive Director of the International Tree Nut Council Nutrition Research & Education Foundation (INC NREF). “In 2003, the FDA (in its qualified health claim for nuts and heart disease) recommended that people eat 1.5 ounces of nuts per day—well above current consumption levels. We need to encourage people—especially those Millennials at risk for MetSx—to get their handful of nuts every day.”

 

# # #

 

The International Tree Nut Council Nutrition Research & Education Foundation (INC NREF) is a

non-profit, non-governmental organization dedicated to supporting nutrition research and education for consumers and health professionals throughout the world. Members include those associations and organizations that represent the nine tree nuts (almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts). For more information, please visit our website at www.nuthealth.org.

 

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[1] Sumislawski K., Widmer A., Suro R.R., Robles M.E., Lillegard K., Olson D., Koethe J.R., Silver H.J., 2023. Consumption of tree nuts as snacks reduces metabolic syndrome risk in young adults: A randomized trial. Nutrients. 15, 5051. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15245051

 

[1] Hirode, G., R.J. Wong, 2020. Trends in the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in the United States, 2011–2016. JAMA 323:2526–2528.

 

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JOURNAL

Nutrients

ARTICLE TITLE

Consumption of tree nuts as snacks reduces metabolic syndrome risk in young adults

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

9-Dec-2023

Were Neanderthals morning people ?

OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS USA

A new paper in Genome Biology and Evolution, published by Oxford University Press, finds that genetic material from Neanderthal ancestors may have contributed to the propensity of some people today to be “early risers,” the sort of people who are more comfortable getting up and going to bed earlier.

All anatomically modern humans trace their origin to Africa around 300 thousand years ago, where environmental factors shaped many of their biological features. Approximately seventy-thousand years ago, the ancestors of modern Eurasian humans began to migrate out to Eurasia, where they encountered diverse new environments, including higher latitudes with greater seasonal variation in daylight and temperature.

But other hominins, such as the Neanderthals and Denisovans, had lived in Eurasia for more than 400,000 years. These archaic hominins diverged from modern humans around 700,000 ago, and as a result, our ancestors and archaic hominins evolved under different environmental conditions. This resulted in the accumulation of lineage-specific genetic variation and phenotypes. When humans came to Eurasia, they interbred with the archaic hominins on the continent, and this created the potential for humans to gain genetic variants already adapted to these new environments.

Previous work has demonstrated that much of the archaic hominin ancestry in modern humans was not beneficial and removed by natural selection, but some of the archaic hominin variants remaining in human populations show evidence of adaptation. For example, archaic genetic variants have been associated with differences in hemoglobin levels at higher altitude in Tibetans, immune resistance to new pathogens, levels of skin pigmentation, and fat composition.

Changes in the pattern and level of light exposure have biological and behavioral consequences that can lead to evolutionary adaptations. Scientists have previously explored the evolution of circadian adaptation in insects, plants, and fishes extensively, but it is not well studied in humans. The Eurasian environments where Neanderthals and Denisovans lived for several hundred thousand years are located at higher latitudes with more variable daylight times than the landscape where modern humans evolved before leaving Africa. Thus, the researchers explored whether there was genetic evidence for differences in the circadian clocks of Neanderthals and modern humans.

The researchers defined a set of 246 circadian genes through a combination of literature search and expert knowledge. They found hundreds of genetic variants specific to each lineage with the potential to influence genes involved in the circadian clock. Using artificial intelligence methods, they highlighted 28 circadian genes containing variants with potential to alter splicing in archaic humans and 16 circadian genes likely divergently regulated between present-day humans and archaic hominins. This indicated that there were likely functional differences between in the circadian clocks in archaic hominins and modern humans. Since the ancestors of Eurasian modern humans and Neanderthals interbred, it was thus possible that some humans could have obtained circadian variants from Neanderthals.

To test this, the researchers explored whether introgressed genetic variants—variants that moved from Neanderthals into modern humans—have associations with the preferences of the body for wakefulness and sleep in large cohort of several hundred thousand people from the UK Biobank. They found many introgressed variants with effects on sleep preference, and most strikingly, they found that these variants consistently increase morningness, the propensity to wake up early. This suggests a directional effect on the trait and is consistent with adaptations to high latitude observed in other animals.

Increased morningness in humans is associated with a shortened period of the circadian clock. This is likely beneficial at higher latitudes, because it has been shown to enable faster alignment of sleep/wake with external timing cues. Shortened circadian periods are required for synchronization to the extended summer light periods of high latitudes in fruit flies, and selection for shorter circadian periods has resulted in latitudinal clines of decreasing period with increasing latitude in natural fruit fly populations. Therefore, the bias toward morningness in introgressed variants may indicate selection toward shortened circadian period in the populations living at high latitudes. The propensity to be a morning person could have been evolutionarily beneficial for our ancestors living in higher latitudes in Europe and thus would have been a Neanderthal genetic characteristic worth preserving.

“By combining ancient DNA, large-scale genetic studies in modern humans, and artificial intelligence, we discovered substantial genetic differences in the circadian systems of Neanderthals and modern humans,” said the paper’s lead author, John A. Capra. “Then by analyzing the bits of Neanderthal DNA that remain in modern human genomes we discovered a striking trend: many of them have effects on the control of circadian genes in modern humans and these effects are predominantly in a consistent direction of increasing propensity to be a morning person. This change is consistent with the effects of living at higher latitudes on the circadian clocks of animals and likely enables more rapid alignment of the circadian clock with changing seasonal light patterns. Our next steps include applying these analyses to more diverse modern human populations, exploring the effects of the Neanderthal variants we identified on the circadian clock in model systems, and applying similar analyses to other potentially adaptive traits.”

The paper “Archaic Introgression Shaped Human Circadian Traits” is available (at midnight on December 14, 2023) at: https://doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evad203.

To request a copy of the study, please contact:
Daniel Luzer 
daniel.luzer@oup.com

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JOURNAL

Genome Biology and Evolution

DOI

10.1093/gbe/evad203 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Content analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Archaic Introgression Shaped Human Circadian Traits

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

14-Dec-2023

https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/2023/12/morning-person-you-might-have.html

 

Accurate snow measurement thanks to AI and satellites

Peer-Reviewed Publication

ETH ZURICH

 

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THE ETH RESEARCHERS' TECHNOLOGY GENERATES HIGHER-​RESOLUTION SNOW MAPS FOR THE WHOLE OF SWITZERLAND THAN WAS PREVIOUSLY POSSIBLE.

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CREDIT: ETH ZURICH

How much snow is there up in the mountains, and where exactly is it? The answer is of just as much interest to the winter tourism industry and operators of hydropower plants as it is to winter sport enthusiasts looking to gauge the risk of avalanches. But measuring snow depth is a challenging task for a host of reasons: it can change fast depending on the weather, it varies greatly according to terrain and is not immediately discernible on overhead-​images.

Today, snow monitoring in Switzerland is based mainly on data provided by meteorological stations. But as there are only around 400 of these in the entire country, snow data for many places is rather imprecise. This is now set to change: ETH researchers led by Konrad Schindler, Professor of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing at ETH Zurich, teamed up with the Swiss company ExoLabs, a University of Zurich spin-​off, to develop a technology that uses satellite images and artificial intelligence to determine snow depth faster and more accurately than before.

“While the best snow maps currently available for Switzerland have an effective resolution of around 250 by 250 metres, our maps allow the viewer to zoom in to 10 by 10 metres to read the snow depth,” Schindler says. Moreover, providing regular updates of snow depth no longer hinges on gathering new measurement data on the ground – in fair weather, publicly available satellite images are sufficient.

Satellite data provided by the European Space Agency

Schindler’s research group has plenty of experience with satellite images. It uses them to predict population density in crisis areas, to determine war damage to buildings in Ukraine and to measure the height of forests around the world. But how does an artificial intelligence read snow depth off satellite images?

First, it needs millions of examples: for their technology, the researchers used optical and infrared images taken by Sentinel-​2 satellites operated by the European Space Agency (ESA). These satellites capture every location on Earth every five days with a resolution of up to 10 by 10 metres per pixel, making them the most detailed images currently available free of charge and accessible by everyone. By examining these images, the AI can tell when and where Switzerland has snow on the ground and how the snow line changes from week to week.

But that alone is not enough, Schindler says: “Just looking at the white bits on the satellite images doesn’t immediately tell us how deep the snow is. For that, we need more data.”

Learning by reality comparisons

In addition to the satellite images, the researchers therefore also fed their AI data on Switzerland’s terrain. This is because more snow will melt on a steep south-​facing hillside than in a shady hollow. Detailed terrain data of this kind is readily available from the public data published by swisstopo, the Swiss Federal Office of Topography.

The researchers trained their AI system to determine the snow depth based on this combination of satellite and terrain data. This involved asking the system to estimate the depth of the snow and then comparing the results with real measurements. “For each grid point, we note how far off the AI estimate was and gradually tweake the system so that the errors became smaller,” Schindler explains. The technical term for this is supervised learning.

For the first round of training, the ETH researchers used snow maps provided by ExoLabs, which matched up very well with the snow data from the Swiss meteorological stations. These maps use images not only from Sentinel-​2 satellites but also from other satellite missions – which offer lower spatial accuracy but do provide daily images. Using the snow maps from ExoLabs, the AI was able to learn the detailed snow distribution patterns that cannot be captured by the rather loose-​knit network of meteorological stations.

Fine-​tuning using data from Dischma

The AI was then fine-​tuned using extremely detailed snow data, which the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL collects only in the Dischma valley in eastern Switzerland. From this data, the AI learned how snow depths can change within just a few metres depending on the terrain. It can now apply these spatial relationships across Switzerland and produce accurate snow depth estimates even for those places where no detailed measurement data is available.

Another benefit of the new technology is that it also provides users with an indication of how certain they can be about the estimate. For example, if the weather has been overcast for a while and new satellite images provide no usable data, the uncertainty of the estimate increases.

New standard for measuring snow depth

The ETH researchers have already successfully tested their AI-​assisted snow depth measurement system during two winters. “We expect that this will set a new standard for measuring snow depths in Switzerland,” Schindler says.

ExoLabs is taking care of marketing the technology. The Swiss start-​up offers high-​resolution snow maps through various apps, including those of Outdooractive, Strava, Skitourenguru, Hüttenbuch and swisstopo. Reik Leiterer, CEO of ExoLabs, believes that in the future, enhanced snow maps will also be available for regions other than the Alps, such as Scandinavia, the Pyrenees and North and South America.

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JOURNAL

ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing

DOI

10.1016/j.isprsjprs.2023.01.017 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Computational simulation/modeling

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Snow depth estimation at country-scale with high spatial and temporal resolution

 

Viking dentistry was surprisingly advanced

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF GOTHENBURG

 

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ON TOP AN X-RAY EXAMINATION, AND X-RAY IMAGE WHICH REVEALS CARIOUS LESIONS ON POSTERIOR MOLARS.

IN THE MIDDLE A ROW OF TEETH SHOWING DILIGENT USE OF TOOTHPICKS, AND FILED FRONT TEETH.

ON THE BOTTOM A FILED HOLE FROM THE CROWN OF THE TOOTH INTO THE PULP – A PROCEDURE THAT REDUCES TOOTHACHE AND INFECTION.

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CREDIT: PHOTO BY CAROLINA BERTILSSON AND HENRIK LUND.

Widespread caries and toothache – but also some dental work and filing of front teeth. Viking Age teeth from Varnhem bear witness to surprisingly advanced dentistry. This has been shown in a study carried out at the University of Gothenburg.

The study examined 3,293 teeth from 171 individuals among the Viking Age population of Varnhem in Västergötland, Sweden. The site is known for extensive excavations of Viking and medieval environments, including tombs where skeletons and teeth have been preserved well in favorable soil conditions.

The research team from the University of Gothenburg’s Institute of Odontology worked with an osteologist from Västergötland’s Museum. The skulls and teeth were transported to Gothenburg, where all the examinations were carried out.

The teeth underwent clinical examinations using standard dentistry tools under bright light. A number of X-ray examinations were also performed using the same technique used in dentistry, where the patient bites down on a small square imaging plate in the mouth.

Caries and tooth loss

The results, which have been published in the journal PLOS ONE, show that 49% of the Viking population had one or more caries lesions. Of the adults’ teeth, 13% were affected by caries – often at the roots. However, children with milk teeth – or with both milk and adult teeth – were entirely caries-free.

Tooth loss was also common among adults. The studied adults had lost an average of 6% of their teeth, excluding wisdom teeth, over their lifetimes. The risk of tooth loss increased with age.

The findings suggest that caries, tooth infections, and toothache were common among the Viking population in Varnhem. However, the study also reveals examples of attempts to look after teeth in various ways.

“There were several signs that the Vikings had modified their teeth, including evidence of using toothpicks, filing front teeth, and even dental treatment of teeth with infections,” says Carolina Bertilsson, a dentist and Associate Researcher, and the study’s first-named and corresponding author.

Not unlike today’s treatments

One sign of more sophisticated procedures was molars with filed holes, from the crown of the tooth and into the pulp, probably in order to relieve pressure and alleviate severe toothache due to infection.

“This is very exciting to see, and not unlike the dental treatments we carry out today when we drill into infected teeth. The Vikings seem to have had knowledge about teeth, but we don’t know whether they did these procedures themselves or had help.”

The filed front teeth may have been a form of identity marker. In both this and previous studies, the cases found were male. Carolina Bertilsson continues:

“This study provides new insights into Viking oral health, and indicates that teeth were important in Varnhem’s Viking culture. It also suggests that dentistry in the Viking Age was probably more sophisticated than previously thought.”

Viking teeth from Varnhem, Sweden, are clinically examined by Carolina Bertilsson.

CREDIT

Photo by Yoichi Ishizuka

Carolina Bertilsson, Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg.

CREDIT

Photo by Paula Morad

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JOURNAL

PLoS ONE

DOI

10.1371/journal.pone.0295282 

ARTICLE TITLE

Caries prevalence and other dental pathological conditions in Vikings from Varnhem, Sweden

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

13-Dec-2023

NOT JUST CHIA PETS

New study eyes nutrition-rich chia seed for potential to improve human health

Peer-Reviewed Publication

OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY

 

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CHIA SEEDS.

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CREDIT: PANKAJ JAISWAL

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State University scientists have sequenced the chia genome and in doing so provided a blueprint for future research that capitalizes on the nutritional and human health benefits of the plant.

In the just-published paper, the researchers identified chia genes associated with improving nutrition and sought after properties for pharmaceuticals that could be used to treat everything from cancer to high blood pressure. The seeds of the chia plant have received widespread attention in recent years because of the nutritional punch they pack.

Others have sequenced the chia genome, but this paper provides a more detailed look at the molecular level and the potential of genetic data mining with a keen focus on human health applications.

“This research opens up possibilities for scientists to study chia seed through the lens of improving human health while at the same time continuing to further our knowledge of all the nutritional benefits of chia,” said Pankaj Jaiswal, a professor in the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology in the College or Agricultural Sciences at Oregon State.

The researchers are also hopeful that the findings will spur interest in growing chia in Oregon, where they say climate conditions are similar to those in the regions of South America where chia is primarily grown. Researchers at the University of Kentucky have helped spur chia seed growing in that state.

Chia is considered an orphan or minor crop that has traditionally not received attention from scientists like rice, wheat and maize, all of which contributed to last century’s Green Revolution that mitigated global hunger and saved millions of lives.

“Now we are at the point where long-term food and nutrition security requires diversifying the human diet by breeding and making genetic improvement to nutrient-rich, so-called minor crops like chia,” said Sushma Naithani, an associate professor, senior research in the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology.

In recent years, global demand for nutrient-rich so-called orphan crops such as chia, millets and yam has increased, the researchers note. Beyond their nutritional value, they are important because they can often grow on marginal land unsuitable for many traditional grain crops, an important asset in mitigating climate change.

Chia seeds – which are small, round and can be black, brown and white – are high in fiber, healthy fats, and proteins and often are part of recipes for items including smoothies, yogurt, oatmeal, pancakes and granola bars.

Past research has found:

• Polyunsaturated fatty acids found in chia improve cardiovascular health and cholesterol and have anti-cancer properties.
• Chia seeds’ high fiber content helps stabilize blood glucose levels in type-2 diabetes patients and aid people with gastrointestinal-tract-related diseases.
• Protein in chia seeds has the potential to help treat cancer and high blood pressure and also has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties.
• Water-soaked chia seeds form a gel that acts as a texture modifier, emulsifier, gelling and encapsulating agent in food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical products.

In addition, this latest paper identifies genes and genetic markers in chia that could aid agricultural researchers in breeding the plant to amplify traits in the plant that are valuable to human health.

The researchers found 29 genes involved with biosynthesis of polyunsaturated fatty acids and 93 genes that aid the gel-forming property of chia seeds, said the first author Parul Gupta, a research associate in the Jaiswal laboratory.

They also found 2,707 genes highly expressed in the seed that are likely to generate protein-derived small bioactive peptides. When the seed protein is digested in the intestinal tract, these small biopeptides are released and absorbed in the body and have potential properties that may help alleviate human health conditions like type-2 diabetes and hypertension. This is the first report of any plant genome analysis with human health benefits.

To promote collaborations and open data science, the researchers released the chia genome data via its genome portal https://salviagdb.org.

In addition to Jaiswal, Naithani and Gupta, co-authors of the paper are researchers Justin Elser and Justin Preece; graduate students Matthew Geniza, Noor Al-Bader and Rachel Baschieri; and undergraduate students Jeremy Levi Phillips and Ebaad Haq, all of Oregon State University.

Chia seeds.

Chia plant.

CREDIT

Pankaj Jaiswal

JOURNAL

Frontiers in Plant Science

DOI

10.3389/fpls.2023.1272966