A novel magnetic resonance imaging postprocessing technique for the assessment of intervertebral disc degeneration-Correlation with histological grading in a rabbit disc degeneration model.

Introduction: Estimation of intervertebral disc degeneration on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is challenging. Qualitative schemes used in clinical practice correlate poorly with pain and quantitative techniques have not entered widespread clinical use. Methods: As part of a prior study, 25 New Zealand white rabbits underwent annular puncture to induce disc degeneration in 50 noncontiguous lumbar discs. At 16 weeks, the animals underwent multi-echo T2 MRI scanning and were euthanized. The discs were stained and examined histologically. Quantitative T2 relaxation maps were prepared using the nonlinear least squares method. Decay Variance maps were created using a novel technique of aggregating the deviation in the intensity of each echo signal from the expected intensity based on the previous rate of decay. Results: Decay Variance maps showed a clear and well demarcated nucleus pulposus with a consistent rate of decay (low Decay Variance) in healthy discs that showed progressively more variable decay (higher Decay Variance) with increasing degeneration. Decay Variance maps required significantly less time to generate (1.0 ± 0.0 second) compared with traditional T2 relaxometry maps (5 (±0.9) to 1788.9 (±116) seconds). Histology scores correlated strongly with Decay Variance scores (r = 0.82, P < .01) and weakly with T2 signal intensity (r = 0.32, P < .01) and quantitative T2 relaxometry (r = 0.39, P < .01). Decay Variance had superior sensitivity and specificity for the detection of degenerate discs when compared to T2 signal intensity or Quantitative T2 mapping. Conclusion: Our results show that using a multi-echo T2 MRI sequence, Decay Variance can quantitatively assess disc degeneration more accurately and with less image-processing time than quantitative T2 relaxometry in a rabbit disc puncture model. The technique is a viable candidate for quantitative assessment of disc degeneration on MRI scans. Further validation on human subjects is needed

Measured g factors and the tidal-wave description of transitional nuclei near A = 100

The transient-field technique has been used in both conventional kinematics and inverse kinematics to measure the g factors of the 2+ states in the stable even isotopes of Ru, Pd and Cd. The statistical precision of the g(2+) values has been significantly improved, allowing a critical comparison with the tidal-wave version of the cranking model recently proposed for transitional nuclei in this region.Comment: Accepted for publication in Physical Review C, April 201

Ultrasound volume projection image quality selection by ranking from convolutional RankNet.

Periodic inspection and assessment are important for scoliosis patients. 3D ultrasound imaging has become an important means of scoliosis assessment as it is a real-time, cost-effective and radiation-free imaging technique. With the generation of a 3D ultrasound volume projection spine image using our Scolioscan system, a series of 2D coronal ultrasound images are produced at different depths with different qualities. Selecting a high quality image from these 2D images is the crucial task for further scoliosis measurement. However, adjacent images are similar and difficult to distinguish. To learn the nuances between these images, we propose selecting the best image automatically, based on their quality rankings. Here, the ranking algorithm we use is a pairwise learning-to-ranking network, RankNet. Then, to extract more efficient features of input images and to improve the discriminative ability of the model, we adopt the convolutional neural network as the backbone due to its high power of image exploration. Finally, by inputting the images in pairs into the proposed convolutional RankNet, we can select the best images from each case based on the output ranking orders. The experimental result shows that convolutional RankNet achieves better than 95.5% top-3 accuracy, and we prove that this performance is beyond the experience of a human expert

Natural resource enhancement through silvipastoral establishment in western Himalayan region

Livestock rearing is an integral part of rural livelihood in the Himalayan region. In spite of abundance of pasture resources, total biomass is insufficient to meet the forage demand. Indiscriminate grazing has caused an alarming decline in the carrying capacity of grazing lands and has caused severe land degradation. This study was carried out with the objective of increasing biomass potential, improving livestock productivity and to arrest environmental degradation. The study was conducted at Ghanetta and Dagoh (Kangra) and Jogindernagar (Mandi) districts in Himachal Pradesh through silvipastoral intervention in conjunction with soil and water conservation measures. Grasslands of the study area were of alluvial–loamy soil with shallow depths. Soil organic matter was 0.72 (Ghanetta), 0.76 (Dagoh) and 0.80% (Jogindernagar). Organic carbon content in the subsurface (15–45 cm) layer was only 30 to 39% of the surface layer (0–15 cm). Chrysopogon (20%) was found the most dominant species, followed by Heteropogon (13%). Average herbage production was 5.613 DM tonne/ha (Ghanetta), 5.458 DM tonne/ha (Dagoh) and 5.233 DM tonne/ha (Jogindernagar). Leaf biomass of different fodder trees ranged from 0.23–0.60 DM tonne/ha (Ghanetta), 0.16–0.51 DM tonne/ha (Dagoh) and 0.21–0.59 DM tonne/ha (Jogindernagar). Maximum biomass of 9.17 DM tonne/ha was obtained at Ghanetta followed by 8.26 DM tonne/ha and 8.23 DM tonne/ha at Dagoh and Jogindernagar, respectively, showing substantial improvement in total biomass potential with silvipastoral intervention in conjunction with soil and water conservation measures

Impact of participatory silvipastoral intervention and soil conservation measures for forage resource enhancement in western Himalaya

Livestock rearing is an important component of rural economy in mid-hills of Himalaya. Inspite of abundant available feed resources, total available biomass is insufficient to sustain the livestock population. Fodder trees particularly in hill ecosystem play an important role in supplementing the fodder requirement especially during the lean period. Information gathered and analysis concludes that Grewia optiva is the most important fodder tree in terms of dominance, palatability and increase in milk yield followed by Artocarpus chaplasha, Morus alba, Bauhinia variegata, Albizia lebbeck and Terminalia alata in Kangra and Mandi districts of Himachal Pradesh. The crude protein content was found highest in Grewia optiva (19.38%) followed by Albizia lebbeck (18.85%), Dendrocalamus hamiltonii (18.01%) and minimum in case of Quercus incana (9.27%). During scarcity of fodder Ficus religiosa is the only fodder tree fed throughout the year. The established silvipasture produced leaf biomass of 2.77 to 6.77 DM kg/tree (Ghanetta), 2.12 to 5.96 DM kg/tree (Jogindernagar) and 2.25 to 6.93 DM kg/tree (Dagoh). Fodder trees planted under silvipastoral system produced average biomass of 1.83 DM tonnes/ha (Ghanetta), 1.49 DM tonnes/ha (Jogindernagar) and 1.66 DM tonnes/ha (Dagoh). Rainfall events of more than 50 mm, though quite less in number (25/165, 24/192 and 17/149), contributed 47.7, 82.3 and 81.7% to the total runoff at Ghanetta, Jogindernagar and Dagoh, respectively. Among the resource conservation measures trenching in combination with vegetative barrier allowed only 8.2% of rain as runoff compared to 41.5% under control (no measure). The silvipasture systems coupled with contour staggered trenches and / or vegetative barrier can effectively arrest the environmental degradation

Aging, Parkinson’s disease, and models: what are the challenges?

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic, neurodegenerative condition characterized by motor symptoms such as bradykinesia, rigidity, and tremor, alongside multiple nonmotor symptoms. The appearance of motor symptoms is linked to progressive dopaminergic neuron loss within the substantia nigra. PD incidence increases sharply with age, suggesting a strong association between mechanisms driving biological aging and the development and progression of PD. However, the role of aging in the pathogenesis of PD remains understudied. Numerous models of PD, including cell models, toxin-induced models, and genetic models in rodents and nonhuman primates (NHPs), reproduce different aspects of PD, but preclinical studies of PD rarely incorporate age as a factor. Studies using patient neurons derived from stem cells via reprogramming methods retain some aging features, but their characterization, particularly of aging markers and reproducibility of neuron type, is suboptimal. Investigation of age-related changes in PD using animal models indicates an association, but this is likely in conjunction with other disease drivers. The biggest barrier to drawing firm conclusions is that each model lacks full characterization and appropriate time-course assessments. There is a need to systematically investigate whether aging increases the susceptibility of mouse, rat, and NHP models to develop PD and understand the role of cell models. We propose that a significant investment in time and resources, together with the coordination and sharing of resources, knowledge, and data, is required to accelerate progress in understanding the role of biological aging in PD development and improve the reliability of models to test interventions

NHR-49 Helps Germline-Less Worms Chew the Fat

In C. elegans, removal of the germline extends lifespan significantly. We demonstrate that the nuclear hormone receptor, NHR-49, enables the response to this physiological change by increasing the expression of genes involved in mitochondrial β-oxidation and fatty-acid desaturation. The coordinated augmentation of these processes is critical for germline-less animals to maintain their lipid stores and to sustain de novo fat synthesis during adulthood. Following germline ablation, NHR-49 is up-regulated in somatic cells by the conserved longevity determinants DAF-16/FOXO and TCER-1/TCERG1. Accordingly, NHR-49 overexpression in fertile animals extends their lifespan modestly. In fertile adults, nhr-49 expression is DAF-16/FOXO and TCER-1/TCERG1 independent although its depletion causes age-related lipid abnormalities. Our data provide molecular insights into how reproductive stimuli are integrated into global metabolic changes to alter the lifespan of the animal. They suggest that NHR-49 may facilitate the adaptation to loss of reproductive potential through synchronized enhancement of fatty-acid oxidation and desaturation, thus breaking down some fats ordained for reproduction and orchestrating a lipid profile conducive for somatic maintenance and longevity

Pesticide Pollution and It’s Effects on Environment and Human Health: A Review

Pesticides are chemical composition that are used to control the pest. The increased usage of pesticides with each passing day, are becoming poisonous for our environment. It causes acute and chronic effects on human health. Pesticides help the farmer for growing more crops into small land with high quality food. Use of other methods of controlling pests such as integrated pest management (IPM) strategies