Crowdsourcing the creation of image segmentation algorithms for connectomics

To stimulate progress in automating the reconstruction of neural circuits, we organized the first international challenge on 2D segmentation of electron microscopic (EM) images of the brain. Participants submitted boundary maps predicted for a test set of images, and were scored based on their agreement with a consensus of human expert annotations. The winning team had no prior experience with EM images, and employed a convolutional network. This “deep learning” approach has since become accepted as a standard for segmentation of EM images. The challenge has continued to accept submissions, and the best so far has resulted from cooperation between two teams. The challenge has probably saturated, as algorithms cannot progress beyond limits set by ambiguities inherent in 2D scoring and the size of the test dataset. Retrospective evaluation of the challenge scoring system reveals that it was not sufficiently robust to variations in the widths of neurite borders. We propose a solution to this problem, which should be useful for a future 3D segmentation challenge

Farmers’ knowledge and creativity in eco-friendly pest management: Lessons in sustainable agriculture

574-581Informal knowledge of farmers is considered to be important for many difference practices required in sustaining both crops and ecosystems, especially when no solutions are known from scientific knowledge. Farmers practice trial and error to formulate crop management technologies specific to location. In this article, we document the indigenous practices used by soybean farmers of Chindwara district, Madhya Pradesh, India. A total of 125 soybean growing farmers were randomly selected from 7 villages of the Chhindwara block of Chhindwara district. Data were collected using PRA tools and personal interviewing. The farmers in the study developed notable innovations to control soybean pests such as use of neem extract, and use of solutions prepared from dinkamali and besharam’s (Ipomoea carnea) leaves, and the larvae of the same insect that affect crop. The farmers were implementing these practices because: they help reduce crop losses, they are compatible with the farming system, they are easy to handle, and the products used are locally available, eco-friendly, cost effective and compatible with the socio-cultural situations of farmers

Gastroprotective activity of reconstituted red fruit pulp concentrate of Citrullus lanatus in rats

Aim: This study was carried out to evaluate the gastroprotective potential of the aqueous fruit pulp concentrate of Citrullus lanatus citroides (CLC) on pyloric ligation and indomethacin-induced ulcer in Wistar albino rats. Materials and methods: In indomethacin-induced ulcer model, CLC was administered in the doses of 250 mg/kg, 500 mg/kg and 1000 mg/kg body weight orally, tds for 5 days. The antiulcer activity was determined via observing reduction in ulcer index whereas in the pyloric ligation model, the gastroprotective effect of CLC was assessed from the alteration in volume of gastric juice, pH, free and total acidity, protein concentration in gastric juice. Further lipid peroxide (LPO), and activities of enzymic antioxidants such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) was also determined along with the levels of hexose, hexosamine, sialic acid, fucose in gastric mucosa. Results: In both models, treatment with CLC caused a significant reduction in lesion index when compared to vehicle treated group, providing evidence for antiulcer capacity. In pyloric ligation model, pretreatment with CLC resulted in significant increase in pH, enzymic antioxidants, that is, SOD, CAT, with a significant decrease in volume of gastric juice, free and total acidity, protein concentration, acid output, and LPO levels respectively. The presence of the flavonoids and polyphenols may be responsible for the gastroprotective effect of CLC. Conclusions: The aqueous fruit pulp concentrate of CLC showed significant gastroprotective potential against pyloric ligation and indomethacin-induced ulceration in rats

Studies on Production and Chemical Property of Singlet Oxygen and Superoxide Radical by Dyestuffs

There are several low lying singlet oxygen (1O2) and superoxide radical (O-2) which are important in photochemical oxidation. In our present analysis we are studying chemical property of singlet oxygen (1O2) and super oxide radical (O-2) and some dyestuffs species to produce reactive oxygen such as singlet oxygen 1O2 and superoxide radicals. Irradiation with sun light in vitro the dyestuff like benzanthrone, metanil yellow and p-aminodiphenylamine were found to produce reactive oxygen species such as singlet oxygen (1O2) and/or superoxide radicals (O-2) .The dose response relationship between singlet 1O2 production when sunlight expose of those dyestuffs (0-25 min), and (0-12 min) for super oxide (O-2) production were studied. However benzanthrone produces detectable amount of 1O2, Although metanil yellow and p-aminodiphenylamine (p-ADPA) did not produce detectable amounts of 1O2 under similar conditions. The above dye stuffs are routinely used in textiles, cosmetics, detergents, leather industries as well as food additives and role of these activated oxygen species in the development of skin diseases

Impact of Technological Interventions on Pigeon Pea for Enhancing Income through Cluster Front Line Demonstrations

Aims: The area and production of pigeon pea in Bhadohi are still significantly lower than in other districts of other states. There is a significant yield gap between the potential output and the yield under current farming conditions. To study the impact of technological interventions on the pigeon pea crop for increasing income through Cluster Front Line Demonstrations was the goal of the current study. Place and Duration of Study: Cluster front line demonstrations on improved pigeon pea technologies were carried out by ICAR-IIVR-Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Bhadohi, at farmers' fields from 2015–16 to 2019–20. Methodology: A total of 155 pigeon pea cluster front line demonstrations on improved pigeon pea technologies covering a 45.70 hectare area were held in one hundred eighteen localities. Field days, training and group meetings were also organized to provide opportunities for other farmers to witness the benefits of demonstrated technologies. The output data were collected from CFLD plots as well as control plots (farmers practice) by random crop cutting method and analyzed using simple statistical tools such as per cent change in yield, cost of cultivation, net income, and benefit cost ratio etc.   Results: In the experimental plots, the mean yield over five years was 15.44 q/ha, while it was only 11.21 q/ha in the control plots. Over the course of the five years of the study, the yield development varied, though on average, it was measured at 42.49 percent. When compared to the farmer's practice (28,463/ha), the average net return for the demonstration plots at the farmer's field over the investigation period was greater at 56,611/ha. Additionally, the demonstration plots' benefit-cost ratio was larger (2.32) than the farmer's practice's (1.69). Conclusion: From the aforementioned findings, it can be concluded that using modern technologies for pigeon pea cultivation may significantly close the extension and technology gap, increasing pigeon pea yield in the area. It requires collaborative extension efforts to enhance the adoption of location and crop specific technologies among the farmers to bridge these gaps.   &nbsp

An Appraisal of Technological Interventions on Mustard Crop under Cluster Front Line Demonstrations

Aims: To boost production and profitability, the current study's evaluation of technical interventions focused on a cluster front line demonstration on mustard crop, which was carried out in the KVK's operational territory in district Bhadohi of Uttar Pradesh. Study Design: Yield gap analysis under cluster front line demonstration. Place and Duration of Study: The present study was conducted by ICAR-IIVR - Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Bhadohi on mustard at farmer’s field in different blocks of Bhadohi district under cluster front line demonstration during the period 2016-17 to 2020-21. Methodology: From 2016-17 through 2020-21, 374 demonstrations were carried out on farmer fields totaling 153 hectares under cluster front line demonstration, with farmer practice acting as the comparison control. KVK scientists collected yield, production expenses, and return data from farmers' practice plots (control plots) and front-line demonstration plots. Finally, the extension gap, technology gap, and technology index were calculated using the methods describe in Samui et al. [1]. Results:  The five-year study's findings show that the demonstration plots' average annual yield was 24.20 q/ha in compared to the traditional agricultural plots' average annual yield of 17.26 q/ha. This higher yield of 4.85 q/ha and the 40.12% rise in mustard productivity over the previous five years may be enough to meet the state's current needs for oilseeds. The five-year averages for the technology gap, extension gap, and technology index were found to be 5.8 q/ha, 6.8 q/ha, and 19.35%, respectively. The finding unequivocally shows that CFLDs have advantages over conventional practices. The technology gap, extension gap, and technology index five-year averages were determined to be 5.8 q/ha, 6.8 q/ha, and 19.35%, respectively. Under the demonstration plot, the Benefit Cost Ratio was shown to be greatest (3.0) during the study year 2017-18 and lowest (2.24) during the study year 2019-20, but it averaged 2.65 during the five-year study period. As a result, positive benefit-cost ratios established the economic sustainability of the interventions and persuaded farmers in the Uttar Pradesh area of Bhadohi of their worth. Conclusion: According to the findings of the five-year study, the demonstration plots' pooled five-year average production was 24.20 q/ha as opposed to the traditional farmer practices plots' 17.26 q/ha. This enhanced yield of 4.85 q/ha and the 40.12% rise in mustard productivity over the previous five years, may be helpful meet to the state's current needs for oilseeds. The finding unequivocally shows that CFLDs have advantages over conventional practices. During the years of investigation, it was shown that the benefit-cost ratio was higher when agricultural practices were demonstrated.  According to the result it is concluded that the yield and net profit may be increase using HYV RH-749 with the recommended packages of practices in mustard crop

Development, characterization and toxicological evaluations of phospholipids complexes of curcumin for effective drug delivery in cancer chemotherapy

<p>The purpose of this study was to prepare and characterize the complexes between curcumin (CU) phosphatidylcholine (PC) and hydrogenated soya phosphatidylcholine (HSPC) and to evaluate their anticancer activity. These CU–PC and CU–HSPC complexes (CU–PC-C and CU–HSPC-C) were evaluated for various physical parameters like Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, melting point, solubility, scanning electron microscopy and the <i>in vitro</i> drug release study. These data confirmed the formation of phospholipids complexes. The <i>in vitro</i> hemolysis study showed that the complex was non-hemolytic. The anti-cancer potential of the complexes was demonstrated by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay in MCF-7 cell line. This increase may be due to the amphiphilic nature of the complexes, which significantly enhances the water and lipid solubility of the CU. Unlike the free CU (which showed a total of only 90% drug release at the end of 8 h), complex showed around 40–60% release at the end of 8 h in dissolution studies. It showed that (when given in equimolar doses) complexes have significantly decreased the amount of CU available for absorption as compared with CU-free drug. Both CU-PC-C and CU-HSPC-C were found to be non-toxic at the dose equivalent to 2000 mg/kg of body weight of CU in the toxicity study. Acute and subacute toxicity studies confirmed the oral safety of the formulation. A series of genotoxicity studies was conducted, which revealed the non-genotoxicity potential of the developed complexes. Thus, it can be concluded that the phospholipid complexes of CU may be a promising candidate in cancer therapy.</p

Crowdsourcing the creation of image segmentation algorithms for connectomics

To stimulate progress in automating the reconstruction of neural circuits, we organized the first international challenge on 2D segmentation of electron microscopic (EM) images of the brain. Participants submitted boundary maps predicted for a test set of images, and were scored based on their agreement with a consensus of human expert annotations. The winning team had no prior experience with EM images, and employed a convolutional network. This "deep learning" approach has since become accepted as a standard for segmentation of FM images. The challenge has continued to accept submissions, and the best so far has resulted from cooperation between two teams. The challenge has probably saturated, as algorithms cannot progress beyond limits set by ambiguities inherent in 2D scoring and the size of the test dataset. Retrospective evaluation of the challenge scoring system reveals that it was not sufficiently robust to variations in the widths of neurite borders. We propose a solution to this problem, which should be useful for a future 3D segmentation challenge.Funding Agencies|NIH [1R01NS075314-01]; ARO [W911NF-12-1-0594]; DARPA [HR0011-14-2-0004]; Human Frontier Science Program; Mathers Foundation; Gatsby Charitable Foundation; Howard Hughes Medical Institute; [CZ.1.07/2.3.00/20.0094]</p