Medical Image Registration Framework Using Multiscale Edge Information

AbstractEfficient multiscale deformable registration frameworks are proposed by combining edge preserving scale space (EPSS) with the free form deformation (FFD) for registration of medical images, where multiscale edge information can be used for optimizing the registration process. EPSS which is derived from the total variation model with the L1 norm (TV-L1) can provide useful spatial edge information for mutual information (MI) based registration. At each scale in registration process, the selected edges and contours are sufficiently strong to drive the deformation using the FFD grid, and then the deformation fields can be gained by a coarse to fine manner. In our deformable registration framework, two ways are proposed for implementing this idea. The experiments on clinical images including PETCT and CT-CBCT show accuracy and robustness when compared to traditional method for medical imaging system

Pathwise solutions of SPDEs driven by Hölder-continuous integrators with exponent larger than 1/2 and random dynamical systems

This article is devoted to the existence and uniqueness of pathwise solutions to stochastic evolution equations, driven by a Hölder continuous function with Hölder exponent in (1/2, 1), and with nontrivial multiplicative noise. As a particular situation, we shall consider the case where the equation is driven by a fractional Brownian motion BH with Hurst parameter H > 1/2. In contrast to the article by Maslowski and Nualart, we present here an existence and uniqueness result in the space of H¨older continuous functions with values in a Hilbert space V. If the initial condition is in the latter space this forces us to consider solutions in a different space, which is a generalization of the H¨older continuous functions. That space of functions is appropriate to introduce a non-autonomous dynamical system generated by the corresponding solution to the equation. In fact, when choosing BH as the driving process, we shall prove that the dynamical system will turn out to be a random dynamical system, defined over the ergodic metric dynamical system generated by the infinite dimensional fractional Brownian motion.National Basic Research Program of ChinaNatural Science Foundation of Jiangsu ProvinceJiangsu Higher Education Committee of ChinaEuropean Funds for Regional DevelopmentMinisterio de Economía y Competitivida

Effects of different levels of dietary crude protein on growth performance, blood profiles, diarrhea incidence, nutrient digestibility, and odor emission in weaning pigs

Objective This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of different levels of dietary crude protein (CP) on growth performance, blood profiles, diarrhea incidence, nutrient digestibility, and odor emission in weaning pigs. Methods A total of 240 weaning ([Yorkshire×Landrace]×Duroc) pigs (8.25±0.050 kg body weight [BW]) were assigned to six treatments based on sex and initial BW, with five replicates of eight pigs per pen in a randomized complete block design. Experimental diets with different crude protein levels for early and late weaning phases were as follows: i) CP16, corn-soybean-based diet containing 16%/15% CP; ii) CP17, corn-soybean-based diet containing 17%/16% CP; iii) CP18, corn-soybean-based diet containing 18%/17% CP; iv) CP19, corn-soybean-based diet containing 19%/18% CP; v) CP20, corn-soybean-based diet containing 20%/19% CP; and vi) CP21, corn-soybean-based diet containing 21%/20% CP. Results In the early weaning period, average daily feed intake increased when the dietary CP level decreased (linear, p<0.05). During the entire experimental period, average daily gain and the gain to feed ratio decreased when the dietary CP level increased (linear, p< 0.01). Additionally, a decrease in dietary CP level resulted in a linear increase in final BW (linear, p<0.05). In the early and late weaning periods, blood urea nitrogen (BUN) decreased when the dietary CP level decreased (linear, p<0.01). There were no significant differences in creatinine, glucose, total protein, triglyceride or insulin-like factor-1 levels over the experimental period. The concentrations of immunoglobulin A (IgA) and IgG were not significantly affected by dietary CP levels during the experimental period. In the early weaning period, fecal and urine N decreased when the dietary CP level decreased (linear, p<0.01). No differences in nutrient digestibility among the treatments during the early weaning period were found. Throughout the whole experimental period, when the dietary CP level decreased in the weaning pig diet, the diarrhea incidence decreased linearly (linear, p<0.01). Throughout the whole experimental period, when the dietary CP level decreased in the weaning pig diet, ammonia, amines and hydrogen sulfide decreased linearly (linear, p<0.01). Conclusion Reducing dietary CP could decrease diarrhea incidence, the concentration of BUN in serum and odor emission in manure. Furthermore, it could improve N excretion in feces and urine and growth performance in weaning pigs

Potential of tropical maize populations for improving an elite maize hybrid

Identifying exotic maize (Zea mays L) populations possessing favorable new alleles lacking in local elite hybrids is an important strategy for improving maize hybrids. Selection of an appropriate breeding method will increase the chance of successfully transferring these favorable new alleles into elite inbred lines of local hybrids. The objec¬tives of this study were to: (i) evaluate 14 maize populations from CIMMYT and identify those containing favorable alleles for grain yield, ear length, ear diameter, kernel length, plant height, and ear height that are lacking in a local super hybrid [Jidan261 (W9706 × Ji853)], and to (ii) determine which inbred parent should be improved. These re¬sults showed that the populations Pob43, Pob501, and La Posta had positive and significant numbers of favorable alleles not found in hybrid W9706 × Ji853 that could be used for simultaneous improvement of its grain yield, ear length, and kernel length, and that population QPM-Y was also a good donor for improvement of ear diameter and kernel length in the hybrid. Based on allele frequencies in the two inbred lines and the donor population, when the populations Pob43, La Posta, Pob501, and QPM-Y were used as donors, inbred line W9706 would be improved by selfing the F1 of the cross W9706 × donor population. These results suggested that CIMMYT germplasm has potential to improve temperate elite hybrids. The relationship between GCA and SCA from a previous study and the parameters obtained from the Dudley method are discussed. The results showed that the values of Lplμ’ esti¬mates obtained by applying the Dudley method had the same trend as GCA effects for grain yield but a less clear trend for ear length, while the trends in the relationship value were reversed for SCA between these populations and Lancaster-derived lines

Selection of Reference Genes for RT-qPCR Analysis in Coccinella septempunctata to Assess Un-intended Effects of RNAi Transgenic Plants

The development of genetically engineered plants that employ RNA interference (RNAi) to suppress invertebrate pests opens up new avenues for insect control. While this biotechnology shows tremendous promise, the potential for both non-target and off-target impacts, which likely manifest via altered mRNA expression in the exposed organisms, remains a major concern. One powerful tool for the analysis of these un-intended effects is reverse transcriptase-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, a technique for quantifying gene expression using a suite of reference genes for normalization. The seven-spotted ladybeetle Coccinella septempunctata, a commonly used predator in both classical and augmentative biological controls, is a model surrogate species used in the environmental risk assessment (ERA) of plant incorporated protectants (PIPs). Here, we assessed the suitability of eight reference gene candidates for the normalization and analysis of C. septempunctata v-ATPase A gene expression under both biotic and abiotic conditions. Five computational tools with distinct algorisms, geNorm, Normfinder, BestKeeper, the ΔCt method, and RefFinder, were used to evaluate the stability of these candidates. As a result, unique sets of reference genes were recommended, respectively, for experiments involving different developmental stages, tissues, and ingested dsRNAs. By providing a foundation for standardized RT-qPCR analysis in C. septempunctata, our work improves the accuracy and replicability of the ERA of PIPs involving RNAi transgenic plants

Selection of Reference Genes for RT-qPCR Analysis in \u3cem\u3eCoccinella septempunctata\u3c/em\u3e\u3c to Assess Un-intended Effects of RNAi Transgenic Plants

The development of genetically engineered plants that employ RNA interference (RNAi) to suppress invertebrate pests opens up new avenues for insect control. While this biotechnology shows tremendous promise, the potential for both non-target and off-target impacts, which likely manifest via altered mRNA expression in the exposed organisms, remains a major concern. One powerful tool for the analysis of these un-intended effects is reverse transcriptase-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, a technique for quantifying gene expression using a suite of reference genes for normalization. The seven-spotted ladybeetle Coccinella septempunctata, a commonly used predator in both classical and augmentative biological controls, is a model surrogate species used in the environmental risk assessment (ERA) of plant incorporated protectants (PIPs). Here, we assessed the suitability of eight reference gene candidates for the normalization and analysis of C. septempunctata v-ATPase A gene expression under both biotic and abiotic conditions. Five computational tools with distinct algorisms, geNorm, Normfinder, BestKeeper, the ΔCtmethod, and RefFinder, were used to evaluate the stability of these candidates. As a result, unique sets of reference genes were recommended, respectively, for experiments involving different developmental stages, tissues, and ingested dsRNAs. By providing a foundation for standardized RT-qPCR analysis in C. septempunctata, our work improves the accuracy and replicability of the ERA of PIPs involving RNAi transgenic plants

SPIDer: Saccharomyces protein-protein interaction database

BACKGROUND: Since proteins perform their functions by interacting with one another and with other biomolecules, reconstructing a map of the protein-protein interactions of a cell, experimentally or computationally, is an important first step toward understanding cellular function and machinery of a proteome. Solely derived from the Gene Ontology (GO), we have defined an effective method of reconstructing a yeast protein interaction network by measuring relative specificity similarity (RSS) between two GO terms. DESCRIPTION: Based on the RSS method, here, we introduce a predicted Saccharomyces protein-protein interaction database called SPIDer. It houses a gold standard positive dataset (GSP) with high confidence level that covered 79.2% of the high-quality interaction dataset. Our predicted protein-protein interaction network reconstructed from the GSPs consists of 92 257 interactions among 3600 proteins, and forms 23 connected components. It also provides general links to connect predicted protein-protein interactions with three other databases, DIP, BIND and MIPS. An Internet-based interface provides users with fast and convenient access to protein-protein interactions based on various search features (searching by protein information, GO term information or sequence similarity). In addition, the RSS value of two GO terms in the same ontology, and the inter-member interactions in a list of proteins of interest or in a protein complex could be retrieved. Furthermore, the database presents a user-friendly graphical interface which is created dynamically for visualizing an interaction sub-network. The database is accessible at . CONCLUSION: SPIDer is a public database server for protein-protein interactions based on the yeast genome. It provides a variety of search options and graphical visualization of an interaction network. In particular, it will be very useful for the study of inter-member interactions among a list of proteins, especially the protein complex. In addition, based on the predicted interaction dataset, researchers could analyze the whole interaction network and associate the network topology with gene/protein properties based on a global or local topology view

Effects of different levels of dietary crude protein on the physiological response, reproductive performance, blood profiles, milk composition and odor emission in gestating sows

Objective This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of crude protein (CP) levels on the physiological response, reproductive performance, blood profiles, milk composition and odor emission in gestating sows. Methods Seventy-two multiparous sows (Yorkshire×Landrace) of average body weight (BW), backfat thickness, and parity were assigned to one of six treatments with 10 or 11 sows per treatment in a completely randomized design. Experimental diets with different CP levels were as follows: i) CP11, corn–soybean-based diet containing 11% CP; ii) CP12, corn–soybean-based diet containing 12% CP; iii) CP13, corn–soybean-based diet containing 13% CP; iv) CP14, corn–soybean-based diet containing 14% CP; v) CP15, corn–soybean-based diet containing 15% CP; and vi) CP16: corn–soybean-based diet containing 16% CP. Results There was no significant difference in the performance of sow or piglet growth when sows were fed different dietary protein levels. Milk fat (linear, p = 0.05) and total solids (linear, p = 0.04) decreased as dietary CP levels increased. Increasing dietary CP levels in the gestation diet caused a significant increase in creatinine at days 35 and 110 of gestation (linear, p = 0.01; linear, p = 0.01). The total protein in sows also increased as dietary CP levels increased during the gestation period and 24 hours postpartum (linear, p = 0.01; linear, p = 0.01). During the whole experimental period, an increase in urea in sows was observed when sows were fed increasing levels of dietary CP (linear, p = 0.01), and increasing blood urea nitrogen (BUN) concentrations were observed as well. In the blood parameters of piglets, there were linear improvements in creatinine (linear, p = 0.01), total protein (linear, p = 0.01), urea (linear, p = 0.01), and BUN (linear, p = 0.01) with increasing levels of dietary CP as measured 24 hours postpartum. At two measurement points (days 35 and 110) of gestation, the odor gas concentration, including amine, ammonia, and hydrogen sulfide, increased linearly when sows fed diets with increasing levels of dietary CP (linear, p = 0.01). Moreover, as dietary CP levels increased to 16%, the odor gas concentration was increased with a quadratic response (quadratic, p = 0.01). Conclusion Reducing dietary CP levels from 16% to 11% in a gestating diet did not exert detrimental effects on sow body condition or piglet performance. Moreover, a low protein diet (11% CP) may improve dietary protein utilization and metabolism to reduce odor gas emissions in manure and urine in gestating sows

Long-read sequencing reveals genomic structural variations that underlie creation of quality protein maize

Mutation of o2 doubles maize endosperm lysine content, but it causes an inferior kernel phenotype. Developing quality protein maize (QPM) by introgressing o2 modifiers (Mo2s) into the o2 mutant benefits millions of people in developing countries where maize is a primary protein source. Here, we report genome sequence and annotation of a South African QPM line K0326Y, which is assembled from single-molecule, real-time shotgun sequencing reads collinear with an optical map. We achieve a N50 contig length of 7.7 million bases (Mb) directly from long-read assembly, compared to those of 1.04 Mb for B73 and 1.48 Mb for Mo17. To characterize Mo2s, we map QTLs to chromosomes 1, 6, 7, and 9 using an F2 population derived from crossing K0326Y and W64Ao2. RNA-seq analysis of QPM and o2 endosperms reveals a group of differentially expressed genes that coincide with Mo2 QTLs, suggesting a potential role in vitreous endosperm formation.Open access journalThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Cerebrospinal fluid drainage and chronic hydrocephalus in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage patients with intraventricular hemorrhage

BackgroundPatients with intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) are at a higher risk of developing hydrocephalus and often require external ventricular drainage or long-term ventriculoperitoneal shunt surgery.ObjectiveTo investigate whether cerebrospinal fluid drainage in patients with IVH due to aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) reduces the incidence of chronic hydrocephalus.MethodA retrospective analysis was conducted on patients with aSAH treated at our hospital between January 2020 and December 2022. The first analysis compared patients with and without IVH, while the second analysis compared IVH patients with and without chronic hydrocephalus. The third analysis compared IVH patients who underwent in different drainage methods which is lumbar drainage (LD) or external ventricular drainage (EVD). The primary outcome measure was the incidence of chronic hydrocephalus.ResultOf the 296 patients hospitalized with aSAH, 108 (36.5%) had IVH, which was associated with a significantly higher incidence of chronic hydrocephalus compared to patients without IVH (49.1% vs. 16.5%, p &lt; 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that IVH was independently associated with the formation of chronic hydrocephalus (OR: 3.530, 95% CI: 1.958–6.362, p &lt; 0.001). Among the 108 IVH patients, 53 (49.1%) developed chronic hydrocephalus. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the Hunt Hess grade at admission (OR: 3.362, 95% CI: 1.146–9.863, p = 0.027) and postoperative cerebrospinal fluid drainage (OR: 0.110, 95% CI: 0.036–0.336, p &lt; 0.001) were independent risk factors for the development of chronic hydrocephalus in IVH patients. Among all IVH patients who underwent cerebrospinal fluid drainage, 45 (75%) received continuous lumbar puncture drainage, and 15 (25%) received external ventricular drainage. Univariate analysis did not show a statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of postoperative chronic hydrocephalus (p = 0.283). However, multivariate logistic regression analysis suggested that the drainage methods of LD and EVD might be associated with the development of chronic hydrocephalus.ConclusionThe presence of IVH increases the risk of chronic hydrocephalus in patients with aSAH, and postoperative cerebrospinal fluid drainage appears to reduce this risk. The specific effects of lumbar puncture drainage and ventricular drainage on the incidence of chronic hydrocephalus require further investigation