Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Medical image denoising using optimal thresholding of wavelet coefficients with selection of the best decomposition level and mother wavelet

Medical images have become omnipresent in diagnosis and therapy. However, they can be affected by various types of noise that reduce image quality and make the final diagnostic decision difficult. The main objective of this research is to effectively remove the noise while preserving the important image characteristics. This paper proposes a novel approach for image denoising based on discrete wavelet transform (DWT) with the selection of the best decomposition level and mother wavelet. Then, the thresholding function is carried out in the detail coefficients. Optimal thresholding is done using new optimization techniques such as the crow search algorithm and social spider optimization techniques. Finally, the inverse of DWT is applied to reconstruct the denoised image. The proposed method is evaluated using peak signal to noise ratio, mean square error, and the structural similarity index measure. The experimental results show the efficiency of the optimization‐based denoising method over standard methods. Interesting results are obtained with all kinds of noise, and improvements about 30 dB can be reached with the Rician noise.
Effect of Nitrogen Fertilisation and Inoculation with Bradyrhizobium japonicum on the Fatty Acid Profile of Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) Seeds

Soybean is a valuable protein and oilseed crop ranked among the most significant of the major crops. Field experiments were carried out in 2016–2019 in South-East Poland. The influence of soybean cultivars (Aldana, Annushka), nitrogen fertilizer (0, 30, 60 kg∙ha−1 N) and inoculation with B. japonicum (control, HiStick® Soy, Nitragina) on the content of fatty acids (FA) in soybean seeds was investigated in a three-factorial experiment. This study confirms the genetic determinants of fatty acid composition in soybean seeds and their differential accumulation levels for C16:0, C16:1, C18:1n9, C18:2, C18:3, and C20:0 as well saturated (SFA), monounsaturated (MUFA), and polyunsaturated (PUFA) fatty acids. Increasing the rate from 30 to 60 kg ha−1 N did not produce the expected changes, suggesting the use of only a “starter” rate of 30 kg ha−1 N. Inoculation of soybean seeds with a strain of Bradyrhizobium japonicum (HiStick® Soy, BASF, Littlehampton, UK and Nitragina, Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation–State Research Institute, Puławy, Poland) is recommended as it will cause a decrease in SFA and C16:0 acid levels. This is considered nutritionally beneficial as its contribution to total fatty acids determines the hypercholesterolemic index, and it is the third most accumulated fatty acid in soybean seeds. The interaction of cultivars and inoculation formulation on fatty acid content of soybean seeds was demonstrated. An increase in the value of C16:0 content resulted in a decrease in the accumulation of C18:1, C18:2, and C18:3 acids. The content of each decreased by almost one unit for every 1% increase in C16:0 content. The dominant effect of weather conditions on the FA profile and C18:2n6/C18:3n3 ratio was demonstrated. This suggests a need for further evaluation of the genetic progress of soybean cultivars with respect to fatty acid composition and content under varying habitat conditions.
Fate of Metribuzin, Metolachlor, and Fluometuron in Soil

Adsorption of metribuzin [4-amino-6-tert-butyl-3-(methylthio)-as-triazin-5(4H)-one], metolachlor [2-chloro-N-(2-ethyl-6-methylphenyl)-N-(2-methoxy-1-methylethyl)acetamide] and fluometuron [1,1-dimethyl-3-(α,α,α-trifluoro-m-tolyl)urea] on a Taloka silt loam (Mollic Albaqualf) and a Roxana silt loam (Typic Udifluvent) from the 10- to 20- and 40- to 50-cm soil depths was measured. The order of adsorption of the herbicides was fluometuron = metolachlor > metribuzin. Adsorptivity of the soil from the 10- to 20-cm depth was greater than from the 40- to 50-cm depth. At 7, 15, 23, and 37C, all herbicides degraded more rapidly as temperature increased. Metribuzin was least persistent and fluometuron and metolachlor were similarly persistent. The time required for the initial herbicide concentration to decrease by 50% in the Taloka silt loam from the 10- to 20-cm depth at 23C was 2.6, 9.4, and 10.1 weeks for metribuzin, fluometuron, and metolachlor, respectively.
Genetic diversity of natural populations of Taxus wallichiana var. mairei

Maire yew (Taxus wallichiana var. mairei (Lemée H. Léveillé.) L. K. Fu et Nan Li) is a rare and endangered tree species, and it is also a precious timber species in China. We used 13 microsatellites to assess the genetic diversity and differentiation of 665 Maire yew samples from 18 natural populations. A total of 291 alleles were detected. The average number of alleles (Na=22.39), expected heterozygosity (He=0.74), polymorphic information content (PIC = 0.86) and Shannon diversity index (I = 1.66) of the loci indicated a high level of genetic diversity in natural Maire yew populations. Moreover, gene flow was more active among populations (Nm=1.62) than within populations. Among the 18 populations, the Xinfeng population in Jiangxi Province has the highest genetic diversity. Although each of the studied populations should be protected from further deforestation and agricultural expansion, the Xinfeng population deserves the highest conservation priority. The results based on analysis of molecular variance showed that genetic variation occurred mainly within populations (84.90%; P < 0.001), which indicated that the degree of genetic differentiation of the natural populations of Maire yew was low. Based on UPGMA, the 18 populations were categorized into 4 groups. A Mantel test showed that there was no significant correlation between standard genetic distance and geographical distance or altitude differences among the populations. The genetic clustering results also indicated that the genetic relationship followed a north to south clustered trend. The information presented here forms the basis for the development of genetic guidelines for appropriate conservation programs.
Evaluation of intragranular strain and average dislocation density in single grains of a polycrystal using K-map scanning

Quick scanning X-ray microscopy combined with three-dimensional reciprocal space mapping was applied to characterize intragranular orientation and strain in a single grain of uniaxially deformed Al polycrystal. The strain component perpendicular to the direction of the applied tensile load was found to be very heterogeneous with high compressive and tensile values in the grain interior and near two grain boundaries, respectively. The distribution of the magnitude of diffraction vectors indicates that dislocations are the origin of the strain. The work opens new possibilities for analysing dislocation structures and intragranular residual stress/strain in single grains of polycrystalline materials.
The role of multiple bowel resections in advanced ovarian cancer: survival and surgical outcomes—a narrative review

: Ovarian cancer (OC) is the fifth most common cancer-related cause of death in women and the most lethal gynecologic malignancies in developed countries. In more than two thirds of the cases it is diagnosed as an advanced stage disease. The treatment requires a surgical step, aiming to remove the macroscopically visible disease, either as a primary debulking surgery or interval debulking surgery (IDS) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT). In both cases radical, complex and invasive surgical procedures are needed in order to achieve complete resection of the tumor, frequently involving bowel surgery. Considering the spread of the disease in the abdominal cavity, involvement of multiple bowel segments is common. Multiple bowel resections (MBR) are often needed to a complete cytoreduction but are linked to a higher rate of bowel diversion and postoperative morbidity, including severe postoperative complications, as anastomotic leakage (AL), and even death. These complications not only affect short term morbidity but may even postpone the administration of adjuvant chemotherapy, thus significantly affecting the outcomes of the treatment. NACT may help reducing the aggressiveness of debulking surgery and therefore the rate of its complications. This strategy represents a valid therapeutic option, especially in fragile patients, reducing the surgical related morbidity and the risk of bowel resections, without affecting the overall survival.
Crowd‐sourced plant occurrence data provide a reliable description of macroecological gradients

Deep learning algorithms classify plant species with high accuracy, and smartphone applications leverage this technology to enable users to identify plant species in the field. The question we address here is whether such crowd-sourced data contain substantial macroecological information. In particular, we aim to understand if we can detect known environmental gradients shaping plant co-occurrences. In this study we analysed 1 million data points collected through the use of the mobile app Flora Incognita between 2018 and 2019 in Germany and compared them with Florkart, containing plant occurrence data collected by more than 5000 floristic experts over a 70-year period. The direct comparison of the two data sets reveals that the crowd-sourced data particularly undersample areas of low population density. However, using nonlinear dimensionality reduction we were able to uncover macroecological patterns in both data sets that correspond well to each other. Mean annual temperature, temperature seasonality and wind dynamics as well as soil water content and soil texture represent the most important gradients shaping species composition in both data collections. Our analysis describes one way of how automated species identification could soon enable near real-time monitoring of macroecological patterns and their changes, but also discusses biases that must be carefully considered before crowd-sourced biodiversity data can effectively guide conservation measures.
Floristic diversity of Kılıçkaya Village (Yusufeli, Artvin, Turkey)

Turkiye’de, Bati Asagi Kafkasya Koridorunda yer alan Artvin ili, Yusufeli Ilcesi, Kilickaya civarinda yayilis gosteren iletim demetli bitkiler 2014 ve 2015 yillari arasinda arastirilmistir. Incelenen alanda, 89 familya ve 334 cinse ait toplam 511 bitki taksonu belirlenmistir. Bu bitki taksonlarindan, 18’i Pteridophyta ve 492’si Magnoliophyta subesine aittir. Magnoliophyta’nin 7’si Pinophytina ve 485’i Magnoliophytina alt subesindendir. Calisma alanindan belirlenen en fazla ture sahip familyalar Poaceae (12.13%), Asteraceae (11.15%), Rosaceae (5.87%), Fabaceae (5.47%), Lamiaceae (5.08%) ve en fazla ture sahip cinsler Poa, Trifolium, Geranium, Veronica, Epilobium ve Salix’dir. Endemizm orani % 5.47 (28 takson)’dir. IUCN Kirmizi Liste siniflarina gore 50 taksonun tehlike kategorileri degerlendirilmistir.
Fragmentation Pathway of Periplocosides by Electrospray Ionization Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Fragmentation pathways of periplocoside A and E were investigated by electrospray ionization multi-stage tandem mass spectrometry.One of the major fragments observed in the collision induced dissociation(CID) spectrum were produced by losing disubstituted pyranone from quasi-molecular of periplocoside A.The cleavage and rearrangement of the agalycone ring D,accompanied by the neutral lose of formaldehyde(-30Da),as well as the lose of various sugar chains,were the important structure characteristic,and could be used to identify the molecular skeleton.Identification of periplocosides was summerized by investigating the fragmentation pathway and characteristic ions of periplocoside A and E,and the structure of periplocoside X,an unreported compound isolated from the root bark of Periploca sepium,was proposed.These results might be used to investigate the distribution and structures of periplocosides in Periploca sepium.
Should nurses be given the rights to autonomously initiate medications for adult patients’ experiencing acute pain at triage prior to a physicians’ consult in Singapore’s Emergency Departments? A Systematic Review

Background: Globally, in most countries, nurses are restricted from independent prescribing however, seven countries have achieved legislation to implement prescriptive authority to nurses with more countries in bid to follow suit. Since the inception of nurse-initiated medications in the 1990s, the increase in prescribing authority has shown a positive impact on the measured metrics with evidence improving patient care with timeliness to analgesia and greater pain control. Objectives: The objectives of this review is to rationalise the use of nurse-initiated medications at triage for patients’ presenting with acute pain in the emergency department, to critically analyse the risks and benefits of NIM and to generate ideas and make recommendations about practice implications regarding NIM at triage.Methods: A literature review using a systematic approach was undertaken. Multiple keyword combinations were incorporated, and an inclusion and exclusion criteria were set. All studies chosen were critically appraised using four different toolkits based on research design for rigour & quality. Ten studies were selected for this review. Thematic analysis was conducted, stitching the similarities identified within the studies and a discussion of the results with a conclusion was written. Results: Nurses who were given prescriptive authority significantly decreased time to analgesia in nine studies with the initiation of NIM at triage. There were no complaints or mentions of medication errors, special events or adverse reactions reported in the selected research papers. Thematic analysis identified pain assessment as a key indicator for nurses to initiate medications for patients upon triage. The introduction of NIM has attained clinically significant pain reduction scores and increased patient satisfaction. There was, however, little effect between NIM and ED length of stay. Safety concerns, anxiety, and overwhelming workload were identified as barriers for nurse prescribing with measures set in place to combat these issues.Conclusion: This review has found that nurse-initiated medications are beneficial as it does increase timeliness to analgesia and improve pain control for patients. It also highlights compelling evidence with an increase in timeliness to analgesia and that authority should be given to nurses in Singapore for the rights to autonomously prescribe analgesia for patients’ experiencing acute pain at triage prior to a physicians’ consultation. Prescriptive authority for nurses will be a step forward in contemporary emergency medicine. Further exploration and research should be undertaken about the concept and impact of NIM on safety issues, ED length of stay with randomised studies to solidify this initiation.
Explanatory Analysis of Factors Influencing the Support for Sustainable Food Production and Distribution Systems: Results from a Rural Canadian Community

Investigating the viability of alternative food networks (AFNs) is more important than before because of the disruptions in global supply chains and evolving resident composition in different regions. In this regard, this paper reports on findings of a project aimed at identifying factors influencing support for local, sustainable food production, and distribution systems. In the first phase, local residents and international students in Cape Breton, Canada, were surveyed prior to the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic to assess their attitudes and values relative to shopping at farmers markets and buying local. In the second phase, mid-pandemic, text mining of Twitter data was used to gauge sentiments related to these same activities. The results of our explanatory analysis suggest that the top two factors influencing decisions to buy local farm products were food attributes and supporting community economic development. In contrast to previous studies, we included an alternate sample group, namely, international students, and explored the relevance of the social aspect of buying local, e.g., meeting the farmer. Among our findings from the application of a logistics regression model to our survey data (N = 125) is the suggestion that the senior non-international student residents of the Cape Breton Island were more probable to be in the category of consumers whose perception of an authentic buy-local experience was limited to distribution channels that allowed for the social aspect of buying local, e.g., meeting the farmer.
Evolution of heavy ions (He2+, H+) radiolytic yield of molecular hydrogen vs. “Track-Segment” LET values

Abstract Ionizing radiation’s effects onto water molecules lead to the ionization and/or the excitation of them. Then, these phenomena are followed by the formation of radicals and molecular products. The linear energy transfer (LET), which defines the energy deposition density along the radiation length, is different according to the nature of ionizing particles. Thus, the values of radiolytic yields, defined as the number of radical and molecular products formed or consumed by unit of deposited energy, evolve according to this parameter. This work consists in following the evolution of radiolytic yield of molecular hydrogen and ferric ions according to the “Track-Segment” LET of ionizing particles (protons, helions). Concerning G(Fe3+) values, it seems that the energy deposited into the Bragg peak does not play the main role for the Fe3+ radiolytic formation, whereas for the G(H2) it is the case with a component around 40% of the Bragg peak in the dihydrogen production. Therefore, as main results of this work, for high energetic Helion and Proton beams, the G(Fe3+) values, which can be used for further dosimetry studies for example during the α radiolysis experiments, and the primary g(H2) values for the Track-Segment LET, which can be used to determine the dihydrogen production by α-emitters, are published.
Wood Ashes from Grate-Fired Heat and Power Plants: Evaluation of Nutrient and Heavy Metal Contents

Ashes from biomass heat (and power) plants that apply untreated woody biofuels may be suitable for use as fertilizers if certain requirements regarding pollutant and nutrient contents are met. The aim of this study was to examine if both bottom and cyclone ashes from 17 Bavarian heating plants and one ash collection depot are suitable as fertilizers (n = 50). The range and average values of relevant nutrients and pollutants in the ashes were analyzed and evaluated for conformity with the German Fertilizer Ordinance (DüMV). Approximately 30% of the bottom ashes directly complied with the heavy metal limits of the Fertilizer Ordinance. The limits were exceeded for chromium(VI) (62%), cadmium (12%) and lead (4%). If chromium(VI) could be reduced by suitable treatment, 85% of the bottom ashes would comply with the required limit values. Cyclone ashes were high in cadmium, lead, and zinc. The analysis of the main nutrients showed high values for potassium and calcium in bottom ashes, but also relevant amounts of phosphorus, making them suitable as fertilizers if pollutant limits are met. Quality assurance systems should be applied at biomass heating plants to improve ash quality if wood ashes are used as fertilizers in agriculture.
Predicting Human Intentions in Human–Robot Hand-Over Tasks Through Multimodal Learning

In human–robot shared manufacturing contexts, product parts or tools hand-over between the robot and the human is an important collaborative task. Facilitating the robot to figure out and predict human hand-over intentions correctly to improve the task efficiency in human–robot collaboration is therefore a necessary issue to be addressed. In this study, a teaching-learning-prediction (TLP) framework is proposed for the robot to learn from its human partner’s multimodal demonstrations and predict human hand-over intentions. In this approach, the robot can be programmed by the human through demonstrations utilizing natural language and wearable sensors according to task requirements and the human’s working preferences. Then the robot learns from human hand-over demonstrations online via extreme learning machine (ELM) algorithms to update its cognition capacity, allowing the robot to use its learned policy to predict human intentions actively and assist its human companion in hand-over tasks. Experimental results and evaluations suggest that the human may program the robot easily by the proposed approach when the task changes, as the robot can effectively predict hand-over intentions with competitive accuracy to complete the hand-over tasks. Note to Practitioners—This article is motivated by human–robot hand-over problems in smart manufacturing contexts. Product parts or tools delivery in worker–robot partnerships is an important collaborative task. We develop a teaching-learning-prediction (TLP) framework for the robot to learn from its human partner’s multimodal demonstrations and predict human hand-over intentions. The robot can be taught by human through natural language and wearable sensing information. The extreme learning machine (ELM) approach is employed for the robot to build its cognition capacity to predict human intentions actively and assist its human companion in hand-over tasks. We demonstrate that the proposed approach presents distinct and effective advantages to facilitate human–robot hand-over tasks in collaborative manufacturing contexts.
On the Use of Stable Hydrogen Isotope Measurements (δ2H) to Discern Trophic Level in Avian Terrestrial Food Webs

The measurement of stable hydrogen isotope ratios (δ2H) in animal tissues is a popular means of inferring spatial origins and migratory connections. However, the use of this isotope to infer diet and potentially trophic position remains poorly understood, especially in non-aquatic terrestrial ecosystems. In many animal communities, tissue δ15N values are strongly associated with trophic position. Correlations between tissue δ2H and δ15N are expected, then, if δ2H is affected by trophic enrichment of 2H. In addition, within sites, we would expect higher tissue δ2H values in insectivorous species compared to granivores or nectarivores. We tested these hypotheses for two resident avian communities in Nigeria consisting of 30 species representing a range of dietary guilds (granivores, frugivores, nectarivores, omnivores, insectivores) by comparing feather δ2H, δ15N and δ13C values. We found considerable isotopic overlap among all guilds except granivores, with no clear pattern of enrichment in 2H with trophic position. However, at one of our sites (open scrubland), feather δ2H was positively correlated with feather δ15N (R2 = 0.30) compared to a closed canopy forest site (R2 = 0.09). Our results indicate weak evidence for predictable trophic enrichment in 2H in terrestrial environments and indicate that controlled studies are now required to definitively elucidate the behavior of H isotopes in terrestrial food webs.