The Relativistic Linear Singular Oscillator

Exactly-solvable model of the linear singular oscillator in the relativistic configurational space is considered. We have found wavefunctions and energy spectrum for the model under study. It is shown that they have correct non-relativistic limits.Comment: 14 pages, 12 figures in eps format, IOP style LaTeX file (revised taking into account referees suggestions

NiftyNet: a deep-learning platform for medical imaging

Medical image analysis and computer-assisted intervention problems are increasingly being addressed with deep-learning-based solutions. Established deep-learning platforms are flexible but do not provide specific functionality for medical image analysis and adapting them for this application requires substantial implementation effort. Thus, there has been substantial duplication of effort and incompatible infrastructure developed across many research groups. This work presents the open-source NiftyNet platform for deep learning in medical imaging. The ambition of NiftyNet is to accelerate and simplify the development of these solutions, and to provide a common mechanism for disseminating research outputs for the community to use, adapt and build upon. NiftyNet provides a modular deep-learning pipeline for a range of medical imaging applications including segmentation, regression, image generation and representation learning applications. Components of the NiftyNet pipeline including data loading, data augmentation, network architectures, loss functions and evaluation metrics are tailored to, and take advantage of, the idiosyncracies of medical image analysis and computer-assisted intervention. NiftyNet is built on TensorFlow and supports TensorBoard visualization of 2D and 3D images and computational graphs by default. We present 3 illustrative medical image analysis applications built using NiftyNet: (1) segmentation of multiple abdominal organs from computed tomography; (2) image regression to predict computed tomography attenuation maps from brain magnetic resonance images; and (3) generation of simulated ultrasound images for specified anatomical poses. NiftyNet enables researchers to rapidly develop and distribute deep learning solutions for segmentation, regression, image generation and representation learning applications, or extend the platform to new applications.Comment: Wenqi Li and Eli Gibson contributed equally to this work. M. Jorge Cardoso and Tom Vercauteren contributed equally to this work. 26 pages, 6 figures; Update includes additional applications, updated author list and formatting for journal submissio

CO-INOCULATION WITH RHIZOBIUM AND BACILLUS SP TO IMPROVE THE PHOSPHORUS AVAILABILITY AND YIELD OF WHEAT (Triticum aestivum L.)

ABSTRACT Intensive cropping has resulted-in wide spread deficiency of nutrients in most of the soils and situation is becoming more serious because of a increase in the use of high priced chemical fertilizers and their negative influence on the environment. Exploitation of biological intervention mainly phosphate solublizing bacteria (PSB) has attracted great attention, as they have enormous potential in providing soil phosphorus for plant growth, by increasing the availability of accumulated phosphate through solubilization. A field experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of Rhizobium and Bacillus, alone and in combination on the yield parameters of wheat. Uniform dose of N and K (160 and 60 kg ha ), grain protein (11.84%) and 1000 grain weight (62 g) were higher in co-inoculation of Rhizobium and Bacillus. It was also recorded that coinoculation of Rhizobium and Bacillus improved the grain yield up to 17.5% as compared to control. In single inoculation Bacillus gave better result and showed an increase of 7.7% in grain yield. Phosphorus uptake by grains (25.29 kg ha -1 ) was maximized by co-inoculation followed by Bacillus inoculation. Available phosphorus in post harvest sample of soil was recorded (16.27 mg kg -1 ) which was significantly higher than all other treatments. Results clearly demonstrated that co-inoculation of Rhizobium and Bacillus sp enhanced the availability of phosphorus and exert positive effect on the growth and yield of crop

Immune or genetic-mediated disruption of CASPR2 causes pain hypersensitivity due to enhanced primary afferent excitability

Human autoantibodies to contactin-associated protein-like 2 (CASPR2) are often associated with neuropathic pain, and CASPR2 mutations have been linked to autism spectrum disorders, in which sensory dysfunction is increasingly recognized. Human CASPR2 autoantibodies, when injected into mice, were peripherally restricted and resulted in mechanical pain-related hypersensitivity in the absence of neural injury. We therefore investigated the mechanism by which CASPR2 modulates nociceptive function. Mice lacking CASPR2 (Cntnap2 ) demonstrated enhanced pain-related hypersensitivity to noxious mechanical stimuli, heat, and algogens. Both primary afferent excitability and subsequent nociceptive transmission within the dorsal horn were increased in Cntnap2 mice. Either immune or genetic-mediated ablation of CASPR2 enhanced the excitability of DRG neurons in a cell-autonomous fashion through regulation of Kv1 channel expression at the soma membrane. This is the first example of passive transfer of an autoimmune peripheral neuropathic pain disorder and demonstrates that CASPR2 has a key role in regulating cell-intrinsic dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neuron excitability

Verification and validation issues in a generic model of electro-optic sensor systems

In general, questions of model credibility introduce more problems in a generic model than they do in models developed for one specific application since a generic formulation must allow for many applications of the model. This paper addresses the issues of model testing, verification and validation for a generic electro-optic sensor system model. A structural approach to testing, verification and validation is proposed that builds increasing confidence through bottom-up testing, structured verification procedures and carefully selected validation metrics. These metrics are based on a geometrical view of model outputs that may be compared with measurements using qualitative methods or quantitative approaches involving image processing, artificial neural networks or fuzzy pattern recognition. The advantage over traditional validation methods is most marked in the case of complex models with many key quantities where it not only provides insight about the validity but also about sensitivities. These validation tools have been applied, in conjunction with more traditional metrics, to the testing, verification and validation of the generic model configured as a thermal imager system

Sex differences and drug dose influence the role of the alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor in the mouse dextran sodium sulfate-induced colitis model

Introduction: alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) play an important role in vagus nerve-based cholinergic anti-inflammatory effects. This study was designed to assess the role of alpha 7 nAChRs in dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis in male and female mouse. We first compared disease activity and pathogenesis of colitis in alpha 7 knockout and wild-type mice. We then evaluated the effect of several alpha 7 direct and indirect agonists on the severity of disease in the DSS-induced colitis. Methods: Male and female adult mice were administered 2.5% DSS solution freely in the drinking water for 7 consecutive days and the colitis severity (disease activity index) was evaluated as well as colon length, colon histology, and levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha colonic levels. Results: Male, but not female, alpha 7 knockout mice displayed a significantly increased colitis severity and higher tumor necrosis factor-alpha levels as compared with their littermate wild-type mice. Moreover, pretreatment with selective alpha 7 ligands PHA-543613, choline, and PNU-120596 decreased colitis severity in male but not female mice. The anti-colitis effects of these alpha 7 compounds dissipated when administered at higher doses. Conclusions: Our results suggest the presence of a alpha 7-dependent anti-colitis endogenous tone in male mice. Finally, our results show for the first time that female mice are less sensitive to the anticolitis activity of alpha 7 agonists. Ovarian hormones may play a key role in the sex difference effect of alpha 7 nAChRs modulation of colitis in the mouse. Implications: Our collective results suggest that targeting alpha 7 nAChRs could represent a viable therapeutic approach for intestinal inflammation diseases such as ulcerative colitis with the consideration of sex differences.United States Department of Health & Human Services National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA - DA-019377 - DK046367United States Department of Health & Human Services National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA NIH National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) European Commission - R01DA03697

Cell cyclins: triggering elements of cancer or not?

Cyclins are indispensable elements of the cell cycle and derangement of their function can lead to cancer formation. Recent studies have also revealed more mechanisms through which cyclins can express their oncogenic potential. This review focuses on the aberrant expression of G1/S cyclins and especially cyclin D and cyclin E; the pathways through which they lead to tumour formation and their involvement in different types of cancer. These elements indicate the mechanisms that could act as targets for cancer therapy

Immune or Genetic-Mediated Disruption of CASPR2 Causes Pain Hypersensitivity Due to Enhanced Primary Afferent Excitability

Human autoantibodies to contactin-associated protein-like 2 (CASPR2) are often associated with neuropathic pain, and CASPR2 mutations have been linked to autism spectrum disorders, in which sensory dysfunction is increasingly recognized. Human CASPR2 autoantibodies, when injected into mice, were peripherally restricted and resulted in mechanical pain-related hypersensitivity in the absence of neural injury. We therefore investigated the mechanism by which CASPR2 modulates nociceptive function. Mice lacking CASPR2 (Cntnap2-/-) demonstrated enhanced pain-related hypersensitivity to noxious mechanical stimuli, heat, and algogens. Both primary afferent excitability and subsequent nociceptive transmission within the dorsal horn were increased in Cntnap2-/-mice. Either immune or genetic-mediated ablation of CASPR2 enhanced the excitability of DRG neurons in a cell-autonomous fashion through regulation of Kv1 channel expression at the soma membrane. This is the first example of passive transfer of an autoimmune peripheral neuropathic pain disorder and demonstrates that CASPR2 has a key role in regulating cell-intrinsic dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neuron excitability