Neural Network Pruning for Real-time Polyp Segmentation

Computer-assisted treatment has emerged as a viable application of medical imaging, owing to the efficacy of deep learning models. Real-time inference speed remains a key requirement for such applications to help medical personnel. Even though there generally exists a trade-off between performance and model size, impressive efforts have been made to retain near-original performance by compromising model size. Neural network pruning has emerged as an exciting area that aims to eliminate redundant parameters to make the inference faster. In this study, we show an application of neural network pruning in polyp segmentation. We compute the importance score of convolutional filters and remove the filters having the least scores, which to some value of pruning does not degrade the performance. For computing the importance score, we use the Taylor First Order (TaylorFO) approximation of the change in network output for the removal of certain filters. Specifically, we employ a gradient-normalized backpropagation for the computation of the importance score. Through experiments in the polyp datasets, we validate that our approach can significantly reduce the parameter count and FLOPs retaining similar performance

Infectious sources of Histoplasmosis and molecular techniques for its identification

Histoplasmosis, a fungal infection caused by Histoplasma capsulatum (H. capsulatum), acquired from contaminated soil with droppings of chicken or birds and found to be distributed in many parts of the world. The prevalence of histoplasmosis has not well studied in Nepal. The common symptoms of acute and epidemic histoplasmosis include high fever, cough, and asthenia and weight loss. Most of the infections associated with histoplasmosis are asymptomatic. People with compromised immune systems such as HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), cancer, and organ transplant recipients are at risk of developing this disease. In this review, we have summarised the current status of histoplasmosis in Nepal and molecular techniques available for its identification. To date, the significant outbreak is not reported in Nepal, but the risk of infection for the vulnerable population cannot be undermined. Appropriate preventive measures and treatment on time can reduce the burden of this fungal disease. Further, this review is also focused on molecular identification of H. capsulatum. Hence, careful considerations by concerned stakeholders for national surveillance programs and the treatment of patients on time after proper diagnosis is highly recommended

Accuracy of bedside index for severity in acute pancreatitis ‘BISAP’ score in predicting outcome of acute pancreatitis

Introduction: Early identification of severe acute pancreatitis is of paramount importance in the management and for improving outcomes. Bedside index for severity in acute pancreatitis (BISAP) is a simple and accurate score for stratification in acute pancreatitis. This study was conducted to find out the accuracy of BISAP score in predicting outcomes of acute pancreatitis in local population. Method: We prospectively analyzed 96 patients with acute pancreatitis from February 2019 to December 2019. Revised Atlanta classification was used to stratify mild, moderately severe and severe pancreatitis. BISAP score was calculated within 24 hours of admission. Accuracy was measured by area under receiver operating curve (AUC). Result: Out of 96 patients, alcohol related acute pancreatitis accounted for 74.7%. There were 63.2% of mild AP, 37.3% of moderately severe AP, 9.4% of severe AP and 15.8 % of pancreatic necrosis. The AUC for moderately severe AP, severe AP and pancreatic necrosis were 0.77 (CI 0.68-0.87), 0.95 (CI 0.90-0.99) and 0.87 (CI 0.79-0.96) respectively. The statistically significant BISAP cut off for diagnosing sever AP was≥3, and ≥2 for moderately sever AP and pancreatic necrosis. There was positive correlation between revised Atlanta severity of acute pancreatitis and length of hospital stay (r=0.41). Mortality was 3.3 % which was seen in BISAP score 3 or above. Conclusion: BISAP is a simple predictive model in identifying patient at a risk of developing different severity of pancreatitis and its outcome in our population

Phenotypic Correlation, Path Analysis, and Quantitative Trait-Based Selection of Elite Wheat Genotypes Under Heat Stress Conditions in The Terai Region of Nepal

Wheat is one of the most important cereal crops worldwide, but the production and productivity of wheat is affected by heat stress. A field experiment using an alpha lattice design with seven blocks was conducted on 35 elite wheat genotypes in the Terai region of Nepal to identify the most appropriate trait resulting in a high-yielding wheat genotype with high tolerance to heat stress. Correlation analysis revealed that booting-to-heading duration (BtoH), booting-to-anthesis duration (BtoA), plant height (Ph), spike length (SL), spike weight (SW), thousand grain weight (TGW), straw yield (SY), and total biomass yield (TY) had a significant positive correlation with grain yield (GY), whereas days to booting (DTB), days to heading (DTH), and days to anthesis (DTA) had significant negative correlations with GY (p ≤ 0.05). Path analysis revealed that DTB and DTA had a direct negative effect on the GY, whereas DTH had an indirect negative effect on yield via DTB. BtoA, Ph, SL, SW, and TGW had direct positive effects on yield, whereas BtoH had an indirect positive effect on yield via DTB. Principal component analysis demonstrated that high-yielding genotypes can be selected using DTB, DTH, DTA, BtoH, BtoA, and Ph. Taller and earlier genotype with long BtoH and BtoA would produce high yield under heat stress

Political economy of urban change: contestations and contradictions in urban development in Kathmandu Valley focusing on a case of Southern Part of Lalitpur Metropolitan City

Being one of the top ten fastest urbanizing countries in the world with almost 60% urban areas, Nepal and mostly Kathmandu valley (KV), is undergoing rapid urban transition of spatial, demographic and economic changes, especially after the restoration of democracy in 1990 and subsequent political turmoil and changes. As a capital city with opportunities like access to education, jobs, health facilities and others, KV has been constantly pulling people from different parts of the country that led to densification of the city cores and uncontrolled urban sprawl, leading to unplanned growth of the built-up areas in the peri-urban landscape. This working paper, taking a case from a southern settlement of KV called Khokana, analyses the current trend of urbanization in KV with a reference of land use in general, and examines the responses from the local Newar communities as part of the tension and contradictions brought by the urbanization process and development interventions there in. Based on ethnographic fieldwork and review of literature, this study found that there is increasing demand of land creating speculative rise in land prices espoused by the infrastructure development projects being implemented by the federal government. Ultimately, the traditional place and culture are threatened so is the alienation of local people from their land, impacting their livelihood. Also, these development projects do not have resilient plans for their negative impacts in case of natural hazards, risking the achievement of resilient development in tomorrow's cities

RESPONSE OF WHEAT TO DIFFERENT ABIOTIC STRESS CONDITIONS: A REVIEW

Wheat serves as the number one crop for ensuring food and nutritional security in the world. The production and productivity of wheat have been greatly influenced by global warming and climate change which have created environments such as drought, heat stress, and saline conditions. To address the advances in the study of the response of wheat against such climatic implications, this review was done. Abiotic stress mainly affects the morphology, phenology, and physiology of wheat. Abiotic stress induces reactive oxygen species (ROS) in wheat causing a reduction in root, shoot, and reproductive growth. Impact on important yield-related traits such as spike length, grains per spike, grain weight, thousand-grain weight, and reduces the yield of wheat. The plant has earliness as a phenological, rolling of leaves as morphological, waxiness as physiological, and production of heat shock proteins and proline content as a biochemical defense. A proper study of these effects and responses at the genetic and molecular level is necessary to cope with the existing yield gap in a farmer’s field as compared to normal conditions. The study of wheat against such circumstances would help plant breeders identify stress-tolerant genotypes that could significantly contribute to eradicating existing hunger and malnutrition in the world

Evaluation of Phytochemical, Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activities of Selected Medicinal Plants

Medicinal plants are important reservoirs of bioactive compounds that need to be explored systematically. Because of their chemical diversity, natural products provide limitless possibilities for new drug discovery. This study aimed to investigate the biochemical properties of crude extracts from fifteen Nepalese medicinal plants. The total phenolic contents (TPC), total flavonoid contents (TFC), and antioxidant activity were evaluated through a colorimetric approach while the antibacterial activities were studied through the measurement of the zone of inhibition (ZoI) by agar well diffusion method along with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) by broth dilution method. The methanolic extracts of Acacia catechu and Eupoterium adenophorum showed the highest TPC (55.21 ± 11.09 mg GAE/gm) and TFC (10.23 ± 1.07 mg QE/gm) among the studied plant extracts. Acacia catechu showed effective antioxidant properties with an IC50 value of 1.3 μg/mL, followed by extracts of Myrica esculenta, Syzygium cumini, and Mangifera indica. Morus australis exhibited antibacterial activity against Klebsiella pneumoniae (ZoI: 25mm, MIC: 0.012 mg/mL), Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 (ZoI: 22 mm, MIC: 0.012 mg/mL), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ZoI; 20 mm, MIC: 0.05 mg/mL), and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (ZoI: 19 mm, MIC: 0.19 mg/mL). Morus australis extract showed a broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, followed by Eclipta prostrata, and Hypericum cordifolium. Future study is recommended to explore secondary metabolites of those medicinal plants to uncover further clinical efficacy

Human immunodeficiency virus-1 genome from patient with fever, Nepal

A patient with fever presented to the referral infectious disease hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal. Metagenomic sequencing of the patient\u27s serum recovered a near-complete genome of human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1), distinct from previous HIV-1 genomes from Nepal in GenBank. It shared 92.48% nucleotide identity with an HIV-1 subtype C isolate from India

Challenges and possible conservation implications of recolonizing dholes Cuon alpinus in Nepal

The Endangered dhole Cuon alpinus is a medium-sized canid that was historically distributed widely across East, Central, South and Southeast Asia. In Nepal, following heavy persecution during the 1970s and 1980s, the species was locally extirpated across large parts of the country. After decades of near absence, the dhole is reportedly showing signs of recovery in various areas of Nepal. We carried out three surveys using camera traps (resulting in a total of 6,550 camera-trap days), reviewed literature and interviewed herders and conservation practitioners (40 interviews) to determine the historical and current distribution of dholes in the country, and the species’ current status. Our camera traps recorded five images of dholes, and the literature review and interview survey provided further insights into the historical and current presence of dholes in Nepal. The combined findings suggest dholes have recolonized many areas where they had been locally extirpated, such as the Annapurna Conservation Area in central Nepal and the Tinjure–Milke–Jaljale forests in the eastern part of the country. Although these returns are encouraging, challenges remain for dhole recolonization, including conflict with livestock herders, human hunting of wild ungulates affecting the species’ prey base, increasing infrastructure development in forested areas, and diseases.The Rufford Foundation, Bernd Thies Stiftung and Rural Reconstruction Nepal.https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/oryxhj2024Zoology and EntomologySDG-15:Life on lan