Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Integrated Weed Management Strategy for the Control of Horseweed (Conyza canadensis)

Abstract Multiple herbicide-resistant populations of horseweed [Conyza canadensis (L.) Cronquist] continue to spread rapidly throughout Ontario, notably in areas where no-till soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr. ] is grown. The occurrence of multiple herbicide resistance within these populations suggests that the future role of herbicide tank mixtures as a means of control will be limited. An integrated weed management strategy utilizing complementary selection pressures is needed to reduce the selection intensity of relying solely on herbicides for control. Field studies were conducted in 2018 and 2019 to test the hypothesis: if fall-seeded cereal rye (Secale cereale L.) can reduce C. canadensis seedling density and suppress seedling growth, then the interaction(s) of complementary selection pressures of tillage, cereal rye, and herbicides would improve the level of C. canadensis control. Laboratory studies were conducted to determine whether the allelopathic compound 2-benzoxazolinone (BOA) affected the root development of C. canadensis seedlings. The interactions observed among multiple selection pressures of tillage, cereal rye, and herbicides were inconsistent between the 2 yr of study. A monoculture of cereal rye seeded in the fall, however, did reduce seedling height and biomass of C. canadensis consistently, but not density. This reduction in seedling height and biomass was likely caused by the allelopathic compound BOA, which reduced seedling root development. Control of C. canadensis seedlings in the spring required the higher registered rates of dicamba or saflufenacil. The addition of shallow fall tillage and the presence of cereal rye did not improve the variability in control observed notably with 2,4-D or the lower rates of saflufenacil or dicamba. With the implementation of complementary weed management strategies, environmental variables in any given year will likely have a direct influence on whether these interactions are additive or synergistic.
An acoustic-homologous transfer learning approach for acoustic emission–based rail condition evaluation

This article presents a novel transfer learning approach for evaluating structural conditions of rail in a progressive manner, by using acoustic emission monitoring data and knowledge transferred from an acoustic-related database. Specifically, the low-level layers of a model pre-trained on large audio data are leveraged in our model for feature extraction. Compared with conventional transfer learning approaches that transfer knowledge from models pre-trained on normal images, the proposed approach can handle acoustic emission spectrograms more naturally in terms of both data inner properties and the way of data intaking. The training and testing data used for rail condition evaluation contains two months of acoustic emission recordings, which were acquired from an in situ operating rail turnout with an integrated acoustic emission –based monitoring system. Results show that the evolving stages of rail from intact to critically cracked are successfully revealed using the proposed approach with excellent prediction accuracy and high computation efficiency. More importantly, the study quantitatively shows that audio source data are more relevant to the acoustic emission monitoring data than Image data, by introducing a maximum mean discrepancy metric, and the transfer learning model with smaller maximum mean discrepancy does lead to better performance. As a by-product of the study, it has also been found that the features extracted by the proposed transfer learning model (“bottleneck” features) already exhibit a clustering trend corresponding to the evolving stages of rail conditions even in the training process before any label is annotated, indicating the potential unsupervised learning capability of the proposed approach. Through the study, it is suggested that selecting source data more correspondingly and flexibly would maximize the benefit of transfer learning in structural health monitoring area when facing heterogenous monitoring data under varying practical scenarios.
Integrating Offline Object Tracking, Signal Processing, and Artificial Intelligence to Classify Relevant Events in Sawmilling Operations

Sawmilling operations are typically one of the most important cells of the wood supply chain as they take the log assortments as inputs to which they add value by processing lumber and other semi-finite products. For this kind of operations, and especially for those developed at a small scale, long-term monitoring data is a prerequisite to make decisions, to increase the operational efficiency and to enable the precision of operations. In many cases, however, collection and handling of such data is limited to a set of options which may come at high costs. In this study, a low-cost solution integrating offline object tracking, signal processing and artificial intelligence was tested to evaluate its capability to correctly classify in the time domain the events specific to the monitoring of wood sawmilling operations. Discrete scalar signals produced from media files by tracking functionalities of the Kinovea® software (13,000 frames) were used to derive a differential signal, then a filtering-to-the-root procedure was applied to them. Both, the raw and filtered signals were used as inputs in the training of an artificial neural network at two levels of operational detail: fully and essentially documented data. While the addition of the derived signal made sense because it improved the outcomes of classification (recall of 92–97%) filtered signals were found to add less contribution to the classification accuracy. The use of essentially documented data has improved substantially the classification outcomes and it could be an excellent solution in monitoring applications requiring a basic level of detail. The tested system could represent a good and cheap solution to monitor sawmilling facilities aiming to develop our understanding on their technical efficiency.
Restaurant menu labeling for calories and sodium: Effect of consumer mindset of immediate versus future consequences

ABSTRACT This study evaluated menu labeling (ML) of a novel sodium warning symbol on consumer food selections and the moderating effect of the psychographic characteristic of time orientation on calorie and sodium ML. Randomized participants saw one of four menus varying only by type of ML for calories (numeric) and sodium (numeric or the novel sodium warning symbol required in certain New York City restaurants). Time orientation was operationalized with the Consideration of Future Consequences scale (CFCS) to identify participants with an orientation toward immediate or future consequences of their decisions. One-way ANCOVA models revealed that ML with numeric sodium and with the novel sodium warning symbol was ineffective in nudging consumers toward lower sodium meals. Two-way ANCOVA models revealed that time orientation was not a significant moderator of the relationship between ML type and calorie and sodium content of consumer food selections. However, analysis of the relationship between time orientation and calorie and sodium content showed that consumers with a high compared to low orientation to future decisional consequences ordered meals lower in calories and sodium without the aid of ML. This study revealed that policies requiring sodium ML might not have the desired outcome of consumers selecting restaurant foods lower in sodium. This finding has implications for restaurant industry advocacy of nutrition-related legislation. Additionally, differences in calorie and sodium content of meals based on consumers’ time orientation showed that this might be a way to differentiate consumers and has implications for restaurant marketing based on psychographic characteristics.
A palaeoenvironmental record of the Southern Hemisphere last glacial maximum from the Mount Cass loess section, North Canterbury, Aotearoa/New Zealand

Abstract Calcareous loess in North Canterbury, eastern South Island, New Zealand (NZ), preserves subfossil bird bone, terrestrial gastropods, and eggshell, whose abundances and radiocarbon ages allowed us to reconstruct aspects of palaeoenvironment at high resolution through 25 to 21 cal ka BP. This interval includes millennial-scale climatic variability during the extended last glacial maximum (30–18 ka) of Australasia. Our loess palaeoclimatic record shows good correspondence with stadial and interstadial climate events of the NZ Climate Event Stratigraphy, which were defined from a pollen record on the western side of South Island. An interstade from 25.4 to 24 cal ka BP was warm but also relatively humid on eastern South Island, and loess grain size may indicate reduced vigour of the Southern Hemisphere westerly winds. The subsequent stade (24–22.6 cal ka BP) was drier, colder, and probably windier. The next interstade remained relatively dry on eastern South Island, and westerly winds remained vigorous. The 25.4–24 ka interstade is synchronous with Heinrich stade 2, which may have driven a southward migration of the subtropical front, leading to warming and wetting of northern and central South Island and retreat of Southern Alps glaciers at ca. 26.5 ka.
Two centuries of distribution data: detection of areas of endemism for the Brazilian angiosperms

Brazil has high levels of biodiversity and has received strong criticism for the increasing country‐wide deforestation that threatens it. Although a significant percentage of land area in Brazil is protected, the areas are insufficient and unevenly distributed. Many studies have contributed to the biogeographical knowledge of Brazilian flora, but no endemicity analysis (EA) has been conducted including all endemic angiosperms. We investigated the spatial component, drawing on a huge and taxonomically diverse dataset based on 827 016 records collected over the last two centuries. We conducted an EA for 15 034 species from 173 families using an optimality criterion with 2° and 3° grid sizes, in order to search for distributional concordance, to identify the biogeographical units and discuss the implications for conservation. Six analyses were run for basal angiosperms, monocots and eudicots. The EA recovered 66 consensus areas (CAs). The concordance of CAs enabled the identification of five best‐supported areas of endemism––three in the Atlantic and Parana Forest and two areas in the Cerrado province––supported by species of 120 families. The age of divergence for some genera that contributed significantly to the identification of areas recovered in the Cerrado coincides with the recent, <10 Ma, estimated age of that province. By contrast, the areas in the Atlantic and Parana Forest are supported by genera with earlier diversification >30 Ma, supporting an ancient origin. Most areas in the Atlantic Forest are partially superimposed with the limits of the protected areas, however, big gaps were identified in the Cerrado. Protecting Brazilian biomes was at the heart of Brazil’s environmental policy. Regrettably, this scenario has radically changed based on misleading divergences in conservation policy. Areas of endemism are pivotal for biodiversity conservation due to the common evolutionary history shared by their endemic taxa. Thus, we hope that these congruent patterns of endemism support the establishment of biodiversity priorities.
Age-related change in shear elastic modulus of the thoracolumbar multifidus muscle in healthy Beagle dogs using ultrasound shear wave elastography

Background Multifidus muscle stiffness decreases in patients with lumbar intervertebral disk herniation; however, age-related changes in humans have not been reported. Objectives The reliability of ultrasound shear wave elastography in dogs, and changes in the shear elastic modulus of the thoracolumbar multifidus muscle with aging in dogs, were investigated. Methods Twelve beagle dogs were divided into 2 groups based on the age of onset of intervertebral disk herniation: young (aged not exceeding 2 years; 1.3 ± 0.6 years old, n = 5) and adult (4.9 ± 1.2 years old, n = 7). The shear elastic modulus of the multifidus muscle, from the thirteenth thoracic spine to the fourth lumbar spine, was measured using ultrasound shear wave elastography. The length, cross-sectional area and muscle to fat ratio of the multifidus muscle, and the grade of intervertebral disk degeneration, were assessed using radiographic and magnetic resonance imaging examinations. Results The length and cross-sectional area of the multifidus muscle increased caudally. In the young group, the shear elastic modulus of the multifidus muscle of the thirteenth thoracic spine was less than that of the third lumbar spine. In the adult group, the shear elastic modulus of the multifidus muscle of first and third lumbar spine was lower than that of the same site in the young group. Conclusions Ultrasound can be used to measure shear wave elastography of the thoracolumbar multifidus in dogs. If the multifidus muscle stiffness decreases, we should consider age-related change.
The development of diagnostic test instrument for mathematical representation ability (PhysDTRA) in high school physics learning

Assessment in education is part of collecting and processing various information related to student achievements during learning. Good learning quality can be seen from the quality of the assessment. Assessment activities that help educators to find out the difficulty of students on a learning material so that it can be guided to achieve completeness criteria, namely by diagnostic tests. The assessment carried out must follow 21st-century learning that is integrated with the industrial era 4.0, namely how to diagnose difficulties related to the representation ability of students in physics learning by utilizing assessments that have advantages in detecting student difficulties and giving suggestions for appropriate improvement. The purpose of this research was to develop a test instrument (PhysDTRA) that could be used to diagnose students' mathematical representation abilities in high school physics learning. The results of the research were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively using Item Response Theory (IRT). Based on the content validity, the PhysDTRA instrument was declared to be valid according to the expert judgments who were analyzed using the Aiken's V equation. All items in the test instrument were valid based on the Rasch, INFIT MNSQ, and INFIT t models. The PhysDTRA instrument has also been relied upon based on the reliability of the estimated items and TIC curves so that it can be used to diagnose and determine the profile of students' mathematical representation abilities. Thus, the PhysDTRA instrument developed has fulfilled the test characteristics that are feasible of its content, empirical evidence, validity, and reliability.
Rheological properties of Indian coffee plum (Flacourtia jangomas) pulp in steady and dynamic shear at different temperatures

ABSTRACT Indian coffee plum (Flacourtia jangomas) is an underutilized fruit with many great nutritional and medicinal value generally available in the northeastern part of India. Although rheological study of different fruit pulps have been studied till now, however no such study has been undertaken on Indian coffee plum. The present study was aimed to evaluate the steady-state shear and viscoelastic rheological properties of Flacourtia jangomas (F. jangomas) pulp as function of temperature in the range 20 to 80°C using dynamic oscillatory viscometry, as well as applicability of Cox-Merz rule. Under steady-state shear tests, the shear stress versus shear rate data were adequately fitted to the Bingham model (R2 = 1) for too low shear rate (0.1to 1.0 s−1) and Power law model (R2 > 0.83) for moderate shear rate (1.0 to 100 s−1). Oscillatory shear data of the fruit pulp showed weak gel behavior where loss modulus exceeded the value of storage modulus. The power modified Cox-Merz rule was tested for all temperature and found applicable for lower temperatures. These results could be beneficial for future studies on food properties and industries.
Intravital imaging of interactions between iNKT and kupffer cells to clear free lipids during steatohepatitis

Rationale: Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells and Kupffer cells represent major hepatic populations of innate immune cells. However, their roles in steatohepatitis remain poorly understood. To elucidate their functions in steatohepatitis development, real-time, in vivo analysis is necessary to understand the pathophysiological events in the dynamic interactions between them during diet-induced steatohepatitis. Methods: We used a steatohepatitis animal model induced by a methionine-choline-deficient (MCD) diet. Multi-photon confocal live imaging and conventional experimental techniques were employed to investigate the hepatic pathological microenvironment of iNKT and Kupffer cells, interactions between them, and the biological effects of these interactions in steatohepatitis. Results: We found that iNKT cells were recruited and aggregated into small clusters and interacted dynamically with Kupffer cells in the early stage of steatohepatitis. Most significantly, the iNKT cells in the cluster cleared free lipids released by necrotic hepatocytes and presented a non-classical activation state with high IFN-γ expression. Furthermore, the Kupffer cells in the cell cluster were polarized to type M1. The transcriptome sequencing of iNKT cells showed upregulation of genes related to phagocytosis and lipid processing. Adoptive transfer of iNKT cells to Jα18-/- mice showed that iNKT and Kupffer cell clusters were essential for balancing the liver and peripheral lipid levels and inhibiting liver fibrosis development. Conclusions: Our study identified an essential role for dynamic interactions between iNKT cells and Kupffer cells in promoting lipid phagocytosis and clearance by iNKT cells during early liver steatohepatitis. Therefore, modulating iNKT cells is a potential therapeutic strategy for early steatohepatitis.
Identifying suitable soil quality indicators in an Indian rice-wheat system as influenced by long-term (30 years) inorganic-organic fertilization

ABSTRACT A long-term experiment was initiated in a sub-humid tropical Indian rice-wheat system to identify suitable soil quality indicators for determining yield and sustainability of the system as influenced by chemical fertilizers (NPK) alone or in combination with organic amendments viz. farmyard manure (FYM), paddy straw (PS) and green manure (GM). Soil samples were analysed for physical, chemical and biological indicators after 30 crop cycles and the soil quality index (SQI) was calculated by nonlinear scoring functions following the methodology of principal component analysis and multiple regression analysis-based minimum data set selection. Application of NPK fertilizers in combination with FYM and GM significantly increased systems yield and sustainability (sustainable yield index or SYI) as well as improved soil properties compared to the control and other combinations. The value of the dimensionless SQI varied from 2.0 in the control plot to 3.1 in the NPK+FYM. A greater SYI and SQI in the NPK+FYM treatment suggested that FYM in combination with chemical fertilizers has an edge over GM and PS. Among all the indicators (30) under study, available-N, soil organic carbon, available-B and aryl-sulfatase were screened as suitable indicators which contributed 24, 29, 24, 22%, respectively to the SQI in NPK+FYM treatment.
Systematical Identification of the Protective Effect of Danhong Injection and BuChang NaoXinTong Capsules on Transcription Factors in Cerebral Ischemia Mice Brain

Cerebral ischemia has led to a high rate of both disability and mortality with massive healthcare costs. Although transcriptional regulation is typically mediated by different combinations of TFs, a combined regulatory unit to synergistically activate transcription has remained unclear in cerebral ischemia, especially in different drug treatments. In this study, TFs alterations after 6 h cerebral ischemic injury and repair were performed by a concatenated tandem array of consensus transcription factor response elements (catTFREs), and vital TFs were obtained by TFs-target imbalanced network. Drug intervention used Danhong injection (DHI) and BNC (BuChang NaoXinTong Capsules), which has been widely prescribed in Chinese herb medicine for the treatment of cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases. There were 198 TFs identified after 6 h MCAO operation, and six TFs (Sox2, Smad3, FoxO1, Creb1, Egr,1 and Smad4) were considered as critical TFs in response to cerebral ischemia. Moreover, Smad3 was identified as a hub TF among six vital TFs, and the transcription activity of Smad3 was further verified. These 6 TFs were all reversed by DHI or BNC, indicating different medications may regulate different transcription factors through TF synergy. Moreover, validation results indicated that Smad3 was a putative target TF for DHI and BNC-mediated protection against cerebral ischemia. The observations of the present study provide a fresh understanding of biomolecules and possible new avenues for therapeutic interventions, in addition to the new intervention pattern for different treatments for ischemia stroke.
Polyacrylamide-Based Sorbents for the Removal of Hazardous Metals

Polyacrylamide was synthesized and chemically modified (PAAm) with 1,2,4,5-tetrahydroxybenzene (THB) or benzene-1,2,4,5-tetrol by applying the reaction conditions of Minisci. A degree of modification as high as 42% was obtained under the following conditions: temperature of 70–80 °C, reaction time of 3 hours and [2,5-dihydroxy-1,4-benzoquinone]-to-[AAm] ratio of 2.5. The synthesized PAAm and its modified form (THB–PAAm) were characterized by UV–Vis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, 13C nuclear magnetic resonance, differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis. A severe degradation of the modified PAAm was observed, as confirmed by its relatively low molecular weight. Yet, the glass-transition temperature of THB–PAAm was found to be drastically lower than that of pristine PAAm, 63.1 versus 161.19 °C. A study of copper(II) adsorption by the cross-linked PAAm and THB–PAAm resins was undertaken by varying the following parameters: pH, time, temperature, ionic strength, sorbent mass and initial copper(II) concentration. Adsorption of Pb(II) and Cd(II) by the resins and their corresponding desorption extents were estimated. A new way of crosslinking polyacrylamide and its modified form through an oxidative decarboxylation process is applied.