Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Classification of defaced occlusion plates based on convolutional neural network

As one of the important components of intelligent transportation, license plate recognition plays an irreplaceable role in people's daily life. For example, illegal vehicles often escape from punishment because of the number plate defacement or intentional occlusion, which further increases the difficulty of law enforcement. Therefore, it is significant for automatic recognition system to improve the identification efficiency of the contaminated or occluded license plate. This paper mainly focuses on the recognition of occlusion number plate. License plates can be divided into four categories: normal number plate, partial occlusion number plate, complete occlusion number plate and unsuspended number plate. The traditional OCR algorithm has a high accuracy in the recognition of Chinese characters, characters and numbers. Although the detection of normal and partial occlusion plates also shows a good recognition in the case of OCR, the recognition of complete occlusion and unsuspended license plates is still very poor. With the development of artificial intelligence, it is possible to identify all the sheltered and unsuspended plates better. Combining with the advantages of traditional algorithms, this paper uses traditional OCR and current deep learning algorithm to optimize the recognition effect of stained license plate.
Diagnoses

As the general run of the mill type of thinking goes, many NGOs have taken upon themselves a sort of "white man's burden. " Their assumptions are rather too simplistic: Government has failed; policy may be right but administration is hopeless; the only saviours could be some 'benevolent' intellectuals/ elites who combine appropriate technology with dedicated workforce. It is this type of mind which believes that it has to' adopt' a village as if it was an orphan! And when such people go to rural areas, they are in for a shock.
In situ and genetic characterization of wild grapevine populations in the Castilian and Leon region (Spain)

Aim: Assessing levels and patterns of population genetic variation in combination with morphological characterization represents an important step for evaluating rare or endangered species and determining appropriate conservation strategies. This is particularly important for ensuring the preservation of valuable genetic variation in wild relatives of crops, which could provide beneficial alleles for plant breeding and improvement.Methods and results: A survey of the relict wild grapevine population was carried out in the province of Burgos, in the Castilian and Leon region (Spain). Genetic diversity, inbreeding extent and possible hybridization with cultivated grapevine were investigated using molecular markers. Results showed that overall, genetic diversity was low but inbreeding was not present. Private alleles were found in the Burgos wild genotypes, suggesting the potential value of these accessions. Comparisons of morphological traits and molecular features among the wild population showed a close genetic relationship among them and no genetic relationship to Castilian grapevine cultivars.Conclusion: The genetic differentiation observed between wild and domesticated forms of grapevine points out the interest to characterize and conserve the existing populations as a source of novel alleles for future grapevine breeding programs. At the same time, the observed enological differences between wild and domesticated grapevine populations could be interesting for the wine industry. Finally, given that these populations are at severe risk of extinction, we recommend that this population be prioritized for ex situ and possibly on-farm conservation as well as in situ protection.Significance and impact of the study: This work showed the existence of novel alleles and enological characters in natural wild grapevine populations, which represents a first step in the potential contribution of these natural populations to viticulture, suggesting a possible role in future breeding programs.
DNA methylation in the early porcine embryo

Reproductive technologies such as in vitro fertilization, intracytoplasmic sperm injection, parthenogenetic activation, and somatic cell nuclear transfer are powerful procedures in the production of animals for agriculture, basic research, and biomedical research. Research using these techniques has produced important insights into the basic mechanisms of gametogenesis, embryogenesis, and fetal development. Unfortunately, the production of live animals by using these in vitro technologies is very inefficient. One component contributing to this inefficiency is in vitro oocyte maturation and in vitro culture of early embryos and donor cells for somatic cell nuclear transfer has been shown to have detrimental effects on the epigenetic factor of cytosine methylation in cytosine-guanine dinucleotides. The purpose of this research is to study the dynamics of DNA methylation in porcine gametes, clonal cell lines, adult somatic cells, and early embryos produced by using in vivo, in vitro, parthenogenetic, and somatic cell nuclear transfer procedures. Differential Methylation Hybridization microarrays were used to study DNA methylation of the aforementioned groups. Bisulfite sequencing was used to confirm the microarray
A New Species of Giant Seven-gilled Hagfish (Myxinidae: Eptatretus) From New Zealand

Abstract Eptatretus goliath new species, is described from a specimen caught at the head of the Hauraki Canyon off the northeast North Island, New Zealand, at 811 m depth. It differs from all other seven-gilled Eptatretus in having three-cusp multicusps in anterior and posterior rows, 11–13 unicusps in anterior rows, nine unicusps in posterior rows, total cusps 54, 14–15 prebranchial pores, 57–58 trunk pores, 13–14 tail pores, 92 total pores, and a prominent ventral finfold. The single specimen, at 1275 mm TL and 6.2 kg, is the largest hagfish yet known.
Diagnostic, Therapeutic Predictive, and Prognostic Value of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps in Patients With Gastric Adenocarcinoma

Neutrophils are a significant population of infiltrated immune cells in the tumor microenvironment. Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are implicated in the biological behavior of many malignant tumors. NETs can be degraded into soluble nucleosomes, leading to the release of fragments containing DNA and granule proteins into the peripheral blood (PB). Using human gastric cancer (GC) biopsies and PB samples, we investigated the specific value of NETs in GC from a clinical perspective. In summary, the formation of NETs was discovered in the tissue microenvironment and PB of GC patients. The amounts of NETs and neutrophil accumulation decreased from tumor tissue to paratumor tissue. In addition, the level of NETs in the PB gradually declined through the following patient populations: advanced disease patients, preoperative patients, postoperative patients, benign disease patients, and healthy controls. The levels of NETs in the plasma and serum were significantly correlated. As a serum biomarker, NETs had a better diagnostic value than carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) in GC. The neutrophil count and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) were significantly associated with the level of NETs in the PB. The existence of lymph node metastasis indicated a high level of NETs in the serum. Moreover, the level of NETs in the PB was inversely correlated with short-term efficacy in GC patients who had received advanced first-line treatment. The higher baseline level of NETs in the PB of patients with negative HER2 status was correlated with worse progression-free survival (PFS). And the level of NETs in the PB was a unfavorable independent prognostic factor for PFS in patients with advanced GC who had received first-line treatment. Thus, NETs have novel diagnostic, therapeutic predictive, and prognostic value in GC patients.
Changes in the rheological properties of stirred acid milk gels as induced by the acidification procedure

The aim of this study was to compare the rheological properties of stirred acid milk gels, acidified using two different acidification procedures. Pre-heated milks were acidified either by means of glucono-δ-lactone (GDL gel) at 20 °C or by incubation with lactic acid bacteria (lactic gel) at 38 °C. The latter procedure gave a harder acid set gel with a more heterogeneous structure. Once formed, the gels were filtered and stirred, then immediately characterised using the low-amplitude dynamic oscillation method for 20 h at 4 °C or creep measurement at 4 °C. The stirred gels were stored at 4 °C for 28 d, during which the pH and the viscosity at 64 s−1 were measured. After stirring, the lactic gel made at 38 °C had a higher instantaneous elastic modulus, a higher viscosity and showed a greater increase in the elastic modulus over 20 h compared with the stirred GDL gel. The viscosity of both stirred gels progressively increased during storage at 4 °C, but that of GDL acidified gels increased 3.5 times more than that of lactic gels. The procedure used to prepare the set acid gels had notable effects on the interactions formed within 20 h and 28 d of storage of stirred gels.Abstract20 °C (GDL 38 °C 4 °C 20 h 4 °C 4 °C 28d pH 64 s−1 GDL 38 °C 20 h 4 °C GDL 3–5 20 h 28 dRésuméLe but de ce travail est de comparer les propriétés rhéologiques des gels acides brassés acidifiés par 2 procédures différentes. Le lait traité thermiquement était acidifié soit par addition de glucono delta lactone à 20 °C (gel GDL), soit par incubation avec des bactéries lactiques à 38 °C (gel lactique). Cette dernière procédure donnait des gels plus fermes avec une structure davantage hétérogène. Une fois formés, les gels étaient filtrés et brassés, puis immédiatement caractérisés en utilisant la méthode dynamique d’oscillations en faible amplitude pendant 20 h à 4 °C et par fluage à 4 °C. Les gels brassés étaient stockés à 4 °C pendant 28 j pendant lesquels le pH et la viscosité à 64 s−1 étaient mesurés. Après brassage, le gel lactique préparé à 38 °C avait un plus grand module élastique instantané, une plus grande viscosité et montrait une plus grande augmentation du module élastique pendant 20 h, comparé au gel GDL brassé. La viscosité des 2 types de gel brassé augmentait progressivement pendant le stockage à 4 °C, mais elle augmentait 3,5 fois plus dans le gel GDL que dans le gel lactique. La procédure appliquée pour préparer le gel acide avait des effets notables sur les interactions formées à 20 h et à 28 j de stockage des gels brassés.
Germination and Survival of Citrus Jambhiri Seeds and Epicotyls after Treating with Different Mutagens under in vitro Conditions

2 Abstract: The present study was conducted to determine the effect of different doses of physical mutagens i.e. gamma rays and chemical mutagens i.e. ethyl methane sulphonate (MMS) and methyl methane sulphonate (MMS) in seeds and epicotyls of rough lemon (Citrus jambhiri Lush.) on seed germination, plant regeneration and growth parameters. For physical mutagenesis seeds were irradiated with different doses of gamma rays (0, 40, 60, 80, 100 and 120 Gy) and different concentrations of chemical mutagens i.e. EMS (0.2, 0.3 and 0.4%), MMS (0.05, 0.1, 0.2 %). The seeds were germinated on MS basal media liquid as well as solid without mutagens (control). The epicotyls of in vitro grown 45 day old seedlings of Citrus jambhiri were cut and treated with different doses of EMS (0, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4%) and MMS (0.05, 0.1, 0.2 %) in regeneration media (MS+ BAP 0.5mg/lt) for 4 hours at 26°C and 100 rpm, while in control epicotyls were cultured immediately on regeneration media. Based on the survival and the regeneration potential, 60 Gy were observed to be the optimum mutagenic dose of gamma rays for 40 seeds. For chemical (EMS and MMS) mutagenesis, 0.2 % each was the most suitable dose for 45 day old cultures.
Antibiotic Resistance-Susceptibility Profiles of Enterococcus faecalis and Streptococcus spp. From the Human Vagina, and Genome Analysis of the Genetic Basis of Intrinsic and Acquired Resistances

The spread of antibiotic resistance is a major public health concern worldwide. Commensal bacteria from the human genitourinary tract can act as reservoirs of resistance genes playing a role in their transfer to pathogens. In this study, the minimum inhibitory concentration of 16 antibiotics to 15 isolates from the human vagina, identified as Enterococcus faecalis, Streptococcus anginosus, and Streptococcus salivarius, was determined. Eight isolates were considered resistant to tetracycline, five to clindamycin and quinupristin-dalfopristin, and four to rifampicin. To investigate the presence of antimicrobial resistance genes, PCR analysis was performed in all isolates, and five were subjected to whole-genome sequencing analysis. PCR reactions identified tet(M) in all tetracycline-resistant E. faecalis isolates, while both tet(M) and tet(L) were found in tetracycline-resistant S. anginosus isolates. The tet(M) gene in E. faecalis VA02-2 was carried within an entire copy of the transposon Tn916. In S. anginosus VA01-10AN and VA01-14AN, the tet(M) and tet(L) genes were found contiguous with one another and flanked by genes encoding DNA mobilization and plasmid replication proteins. Amplification and sequencing suggested the lsaA gene to be complete in all E. faecalis isolates resistant to clindamycin and quinupristin-dalfopristin, while the gene contain mutations rendering to a non-functional LsaA in susceptible isolates. These results were subsequently confirmed by genome analysis of clindamycin and quinupristin-dalfopristin resistant and susceptible E. faecalis strains. Although a clinical breakpoint to kanamycin for S. salivarius has yet to be established, S. salivarius VA08-2AN showed an MIC to this antibiotic of 128 μg mL–1. However, genes involved in kanamycin resistance were not identified. Under the assayed conditions, neither tet(L) nor tet(M) from either E. faecalis or S. anginosus was transferred by conjugation to recipient strains of E. faecalis, Lactococcus lactis, or Lactobacillus plantarum. Nonetheless, the tet(L) gene from S. anginosus VA01-10AN was amplified by PCR, and cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli, to which it provided a resistance of 48–64 μg mL–1 to tetracycline. Our results expand the knowledge of the antibiotic resistance-susceptibility profiles of vaginal bacteria and provide the genetic basis of their intrinsic and acquired resistance.
Evaluation of Apple (Malus ×domestica) Genetic Resources in Bosnia and Herzegovina Using Microsatellite Markers

There is a need for classifying and conserving local apple cultivars from two main regions in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BH P < 0.001). Analysis of the genetic structure indicates that overall, approximately half of the local apple cultivars from Sarajevo and eastern Bosnia (52% and 45%, respectively) grouped in the RPP1 consisting mainly out of international reference cultivars, whereas the other half grouped in the RPP2 with traditional B&H reference cultivars. Both neighbor joining (NJ) cluster analysis based on Bruvo genetic distance and factorial correspondence analysis (FCA) conﬁrmed the results of the genetic structure analysis. The molecular data show that both apple accessions from Sarajevo and from eastern Bosnia represent an interesting source of diversity, which needs to be conserved.
Effects Of ARBs And ACEIs On Virus Infection, Inflammatory Status And Clinical Outcomes In COVID-19 Patients With Hypertension: A Single Center Retrospective Study.

With the capability of inducing elevated expression of ACE2, the cellular receptor for SARS-CoV-2, angiotensin II receptor blockers or angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ARBs/ACEIs) treatment may have a controversial role in both facilitating virus infection and reducing pathogenic inflammation. We aimed to evaluate the effects of ARBs/ACEIs on COVID-19 in a retrospective, single-center study. 126 COVID-19 patients with preexisting hypertension at Hubei Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine (HPHTCM) in Wuhan from January 5 to February 22, 2020 were retrospectively allocated to ARBs/ACEIs group (n=43) and non-ARBs/ACEIs group (n=83) according to their antihypertensive medication. 125 age- and sex-matched COVID-19 patients without hypertension were randomly selected as non-hypertension controls. In addition, the medication history of 1942 hypertension patients that were admitted to HPHTCM from November 1 to December 31, 2019 before COVID-19 outbreak were also reviewed for external comparison. Epidemiological, demographic, clinical and laboratory data were collected, analyzed and compared between these groups. The frequency of ARBs/ACEIs usage in hypertension patients with or without COVID-19 were comparable. Among COVID-19 patients with hypertension, those received either ARBs/ACEIs or non-ARBs/ACEIs had comparable blood pressure. However, ARBs/ACEIs group had significantly lower concentrations of CRP (p=0.049) and procalcitonin (PCT, p=0.008). Furthermore, a lower proportion of critical patients (9.3% vs 22.9%; p=0.061), and a lower death rate (4.7% vs 13.3%; p=0.216) were observed in ARBs/ACEIs group than non-ARBs/ACEIs group, although these differences failed to reach statistical significance. Our findings thus support the use of ARBs/ACEIs in COVID-19 patients with preexisting hypertension.
Characterization of Spinach Germplasm for Resistance Against Two Races of Verticillium dahliae

Historically, wilt disease caused by Verticillium dahliae has not presented a problem in California spinach production because the crop is harvested well before the symptoms develop after the stem elongation (bolting) stage. However, infested spinach seeds introduce or increase inoculum in the soil for rotational crops such as lettuce. This investigation was designed to identify verticillium wilt-resistant accessions in the U.S. Department Agriculture (USDA) spinach germplasm collection against races 1 and 2 of V. dahliae , and to examine seed transmission of the pathogen in different spinach genotypes. In a seed health assay of 392 accessions, 21(5.4%) were positive for V. dahliae , and 153 (39%) were positive for Verticillium isaacii . A total of 268 accessions plus nine commercial cultivars were then screened against one race 1 and two race 2 isolates from spinach in replicated greenhouse experiments. Disease incidence, severity, and seed transmission through plating on NP-10 medium and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) were assessed. There was wide variation among accessions in their response to V. dahliae with disease incidence ranging from 0% to 100%. The two race 2 isolates differed in their virulence against spinach genotypes. Resistant accessions were identiﬁed against both races 1 and 2. Recovery of conﬁrm these accessions a certain of prevented the patho- seeds. This study completes the screening of all accessions of the USDA spinach germplasm collection against V. dahliae . Resistant ac- cessions were identiﬁed, with resistance against both races 1 and 2 of V. dahliae . These accessions can be used as sources of resistance in spinach cultivar development. As in a previous germplasm screening (Villarroel-Zeballos variation in disease symptoms was observed among plants within accessions. This is probably because all accessions in the USDA spinach germplasm collection are open-pollinated populations and heterogeneous in their genetic makeup. The results of this study pro- vide an opportunity to further improve the resistance to V. dahliae in spinach through selection and breeding.
Short Communication: Effects of different light conditions on various CONSTANS-LIKE mutants and their response to flowering time

CONSTANS (CO) is a central component in the photoperiod pathway that is involved in promotion of flowering. In Arabidopsis, CO promotes flowering under long day conditions. CONSTANS-LIKE 1 (COL1) is one of the genes in the CO family with three conserved regions including two domains near the amino terminus known as zinc finger regions and a CCT (CONSTANS, CO-like, and TOC1) domain near the carboxy terminus. Unexpectedly, in this study, the results show that a col1 T-DNA insertion mutant exhibited early flowering under long day and short day conditions while a COL4 transferred DNA (T-DNA) line showed early flowering under short day but not under long day conditions. An insertion in the 3'UTR of col1 was confirmed by PCR. Gene expression analysis showed that the COL1 gene was disrupted. However, through expression analysis using several primers, at least a partial COL1 mRNA was shown to be present in the col1 line. Nevertheless, whether the mRNA is functional and able to be translated to COL1 protein is still uncertain. This indicates that col1 is a mutant but not a complete knockout. Under light-limited condition analysis, wild type, col1 and col12 plants exhibited early flowering under high light in - tensity compared to low light intensity. Our results suggest that COL1 acts as a negative regulator of flowering time while COL4 only affects flowering time under short day conditions. Additionally, faster growth and flowering time in Arabidopsis under higher light intensity may be due to an increased photosynthetic rate.
Potential for Nonenzymeatic Reduction of Fe(III) vio Electron Shuttling in Subsurface Sediments

The potential for various substances to serve as electron shuttles between Fe(III)-reducing microorganisms and insoluble Fe(III) oxides in aquifer sediments was evaluated in order to determine whether abiological mechanisms might play a role in the apparent microbial reduction of Fe(III) in subsurface sediments. Humic substances (humics) and the humics analogue, anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonate (AQDS), which were previously found to stimulate microbial reduction of synthetic poorly crystalline Fe(III) oxide under laboratory conditions, were found to also stimulate the reduction of aquifer Fe(III) oxides by indigenous microorganisms. Electron shuttling via biological reduction of U(VI) or S° followed by abiological reduction of Fe(III) by U(IV) or sulfide enhanced the reduction of synthetic Fe(III) oxide in cell suspensions, but these potential electron shuttles did not stimulate Fe(III) reduction when they were added to aquifer sediments. These results emphasize the importance of evaluating potential mechani.
Effect of Growth Regulators and Explant Types on Callus Induction from Oroxylum Indicum (L.) Vent.

The present work is based on developing a protocol for callus induction in Oroxylum indicum (L.) Vent. Hypocotyl, apical bud and axillary bud excised from in vitro raised seedling were used as explant. Callus induction depended on the different concentration of plant growth regulators and types of explants in the callus induc- ing medium. Among the three explants used, hypocotyl was best for callus formation as compared to other explant. Highest efficiency of callus formation was observed in the medium containing different concentration of auxin and cy- tokinin. In vitro generated callus can be used as a source for phytochemical screening.
Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNAs in the Cultivated Strawberry, Fragaria ×ananassa

Eight strawberry cultivars or advanced selections from the Univ. of California, Davis, breeding program were screened for polymorphisms using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and 43 random 10-base DNA primers. Over 60% of the primers screened resulted in replicable polymorphic banding patterns (amplification profiles), and a subset of ten primers that exhibited high levels of amplification profile polymorphism was used to identify each of the eight genotypes uniquely. There was also a significant product-moment correlation (r = 0.64, P < 0.01) between number of shared amplification profile phenotypes and pairwise coefficient of coancestry. This technology shows high promise as a means of verifying the identity of cultivars and developing a genetic map of the octoploid cultivated strawberry.