Towards continual learning in medical imaging

This work investigates continual learning of two segmentation tasks in brain MRI with neural networks. To explore in this context the capabilities of current methods for countering catastrophic forgetting of the first task when a new one is learned, we investigate elastic weight consolidation, a recently proposed method based on Fisher information, originally evaluated on reinforcement learning of Atari games. We use it to sequentially learn segmentation of normal brain structures and then segmentation of white matter lesions. Our findings show this recent method reduces catastrophic forgetting, while large room for improvement exists in these challenging settings for continual learning

Competition between In-Plane vs Above-Plane Configurations of Water with Aromatic Molecules: Non-Covalent Interactions in 1,4-Naphthoquinone-(H2O)1-3Complexes

Non-covalent interactions between aromatic molecules and water are fundamental in many chemical and biological processes, and their accurate description is essential to understand molecular relative configurations. Here we present the rotational spectroscopy study of the water complexes of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon 1,4-naphthoquinone (1,4-NQ). In 1,4-NQ-(H2O)1,2, water molecules bind through O-H···O and C-H···O hydrogen bonds and are located on the plane of 1,4-NQ. For 1,4-NQ-(H2O)3, in-plane and above-plane water configurations are observed exhibiting O-H···O, C-H···O, and lone pair···π-hole interactions. The observation of different water arrangements for 1,4-NQ-(H2O)3 allows benchmarking theoretical methods and shows that they have great difficulty in predicting energy orderings due to the strong competition of C-H···O binding with πand π-hole interactions. This study provides important insight into water interactions with aromatic systems and the challenges in their modeling

An Insight into Application of Land Use Land Cover Analysis towards Sustainable Agriculture within Jhajjar District, Haryana

The increasing population, depletion of natural resources, semi-arid climatic and poor soil health conditions in Jhajjar district of Haryana have drawn major attention towards the changes in Land Use/Land Cover (LULC). The region's increasing population is mainly dependent upon the agrarian economy; thus, sustainable agricultural production is a major thrust area of research. The present study analyses the LULC changes in the area during two decades 2000 – 2020, using remote sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS). Landsat satellite images (Landsat-7 and Landsat-8 satellites) for 2000 and 2020 were analyzed for mixed classification based on unsupervised classification followed by supervised classification. The study area has experienced an increase in agricultural land, surface water bodies and built-up land by 16.89%, 79.73% and 56.41%, respectively. There is a decrease in barren land and fallow land by 48.53% and 36.97%, respectively, as per the five major LULC classes. The LULC analysis indicates an increase in built-up land, which is responsible for controlling agricultural productivity and unsustainable agricultural activities. The study provides a comprehensive understanding of the land use trajectory in a specific region in two decades and associated unsustainable changes in the agrarian economy through pressure on the increase in agricultural production and conversion of land mass into croplands. It also signifies climate-resilient agriculture and the management of sustainable agriculture

Omecamtiv mecarbil in chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, GALACTIC‐HF: baseline characteristics and comparison with contemporary clinical trials

Aims: The safety and efficacy of the novel selective cardiac myosin activator, omecamtiv mecarbil, in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is tested in the Global Approach to Lowering Adverse Cardiac outcomes Through Improving Contractility in Heart Failure (GALACTIC‐HF) trial. Here we describe the baseline characteristics of participants in GALACTIC‐HF and how these compare with other contemporary trials. Methods and Results: Adults with established HFrEF, New York Heart Association functional class (NYHA) ≥ II, EF ≤35%, elevated natriuretic peptides and either current hospitalization for HF or history of hospitalization/ emergency department visit for HF within a year were randomized to either placebo or omecamtiv mecarbil (pharmacokinetic‐guided dosing: 25, 37.5 or 50 mg bid). 8256 patients [male (79%), non‐white (22%), mean age 65 years] were enrolled with a mean EF 27%, ischemic etiology in 54%, NYHA II 53% and III/IV 47%, and median NT‐proBNP 1971 pg/mL. HF therapies at baseline were among the most effectively employed in contemporary HF trials. GALACTIC‐HF randomized patients representative of recent HF registries and trials with substantial numbers of patients also having characteristics understudied in previous trials including more from North America (n = 1386), enrolled as inpatients (n = 2084), systolic blood pressure < 100 mmHg (n = 1127), estimated glomerular filtration rate < 30 mL/min/1.73 m2 (n = 528), and treated with sacubitril‐valsartan at baseline (n = 1594). Conclusions: GALACTIC‐HF enrolled a well‐treated, high‐risk population from both inpatient and outpatient settings, which will provide a definitive evaluation of the efficacy and safety of this novel therapy, as well as informing its potential future implementation

Effect of Different Treatment Modules on Seed Yield and Quality in African Marigold (Tagetes erecta L.)

The present investigation was carried out at the experimental farm of Department of Seed Science and Technology, Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan (HP)-173 230 during 2018 and 2019. The treatment modules comprising different doses of Jeevamrit applied as drench (25ml/m2, 50ml/m2, 75ml/m2 and 100 ml/m2) and as foliar spray (5%, 10%, 15% & 20%) at 15 days interval, alternatively + Brahmastra @ 2.5 % and Neemastra @ 2.5 %  at 7 days interval, alternatively along with RDF, untreated control and an organic module based on Trichoderma viride. The field experiment was conducted in Randomized Block Design (RBD) with 19 treatments replicated thrice. Although, maximum values for number of seeds per capitulum (268.12), seed yield per plant (14.74 g), seed yield per plot (176.90 g), seed yield per hectare (327.59 kg), 1000 seed weight (2.56 g), seed germination (85.13 %), seedling length (12.66 cm), seedling fresh weight (0.55 g), seedling dry weight (7.78 mg), SVI-I (1077.68), SVI-II (662.55) were recorded in M18 (RDF (100% NPK) + FYM @ 5 kg/m2) it was found to be statistically at par with the treatment module M16 (Drenching with Jeevamrit @ 100 ml/m2 + Foliar application of Jeevamrit @ 20 % at 15 days interval, alternatively + Neemastra @ 2.5 % and Brahmastra @ 2.5 % at 7 days intervals, alternatively) which had highest speed of germination (33.36)

Comparative genomic study of spo0E family genes and elucidation of the role of Spo0E in Bacillus anthracis

The propensity of bacterium to sporulate or retain the vegetative form depends on the amount of phosphorylated Spo0A (Spo0A−P), regulated by Spo0E multigene family of phosphatases (Spo0E, YisI and YnzD). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that Spo0E multigene family of phosphatases (SMFP) descends in two distinct clades of aerobic (Bacillus cluster) and anaerobic (Clostridia cluster) sporulating bacteria. High sequence conservation within species gives a notion that these members could have evolved through lineage and species-specific duplication event. Of the five genes in Bacillus cereus group, three are pathogen specific, and their synteny suggests that these paralogs could be involved in the regulation of amino acid metabolism and its transport. Overexpression of B. subtilis Spo0E, an ortholog of SMFP members in B. anthracis (BAS1251), resulted in sporulation deficient phenotype in B. anthracis. B. anthracis Spo0A−P binds to a consensus DNA sequence 5'-TGNCGAA-3' ('0A-like box') and loses its DNA binding ability following treatment with B. subtilis Spo0E. Thus, B. subtilis Spo0E acts on B. anthracis Spo0A−P and, therefore could complement the function of BAS1251. Further, since ‘0A-like box’ are present in the promoter region of abrB gene, a known regulator of anthrax toxin gene expression, cross talk among SMFP members and Spo0A−P-AbrB could regulate the expression of anthrax toxin genes