Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Field survey of Fusarium stem rot of lisianthus ( Eustoma grandiflorum) cultivated in Okinawa, Japan

Lisianthus ( Eustoma grandiflorum ) has become a major flowering plant in Okinawa, the southernmost prefecture of Japan. Its cultivation area has increased steadily with each passing year for two decades. Simultaneously, many types of lisianthus diseases related to damping-off symptoms have also increased dramatically. To create a strategy for preventing the disease, disease symptoms and pathogenic organisms of primary problematic disease with seasonal variation in the emergence were investigated. The symptoms were diagnosed as Fusarium stem rot (Kukigusare-byo) and the pathogen of the disease was identified as Fusarium avenaceum based on multigene sequences analyses. Indeed, the PCR result of the isolated strain in this study was the same as that isolated from lisianthus plants with Fusarium stem rot in Hokkaido Prefecture. Furthermore, the pathogen is clustered separately from the other F. avenaceum strains isolated from lisianthus in the USA. Diseased lisianthus plants spread throughout greenhouses even though several fungicides were applied. Additionally, they appeared from November to January and increased to 0.3% of the total number. Fusarium stem rot was found in 43.8% of the total number of farms from 2020–2021 in Okinawa Main Island.
KGSA: A Gravitational Search Algorithm for Multimodal Optimization based on K-Means Niching Technique and a Novel Elitism Strategy

Abstract Gravitational Search Algorithm (GSA) is a metaheuristic for solving unimodal problems. In this paper, a K-means based GSA (KGSA) for multimodal optimization is proposed. This algorithm incorporates K-means and a new elitism strategy called “loop in loop” into the GSA. First in KGSA, the members of the initial population are clustered by K-means. Afterwards, new population is created and divided in different niches (or clusters) to expand the search space. The “loop in loop” technique guides the members of each niche to the optimum direction according to their clusters. This means that lighter members move faster towards the optimum direction of each cluster than the heavier members. For evaluations, KGSA is benchmarked on well-known functions and is compared with some of the state-of-the-art algorithms. Experiments show that KGSA provides better results than the other algorithms in finding local and global optima of constrained and unconstrained multimodal functions.
Evaluation of banana cultivars and the pathogenesis-related class 3 and 10 proteins in defense against Ralstonia syzygii subsp. celebesensis, the causal agent of banana blood disease

Banana blood disease (BBD), caused by Ralstonia syzygii subsp. celebesensis ( Rsc ), is a major threat to banana production in Southeast Asia. This study aimed to assess the resistance of cultivated and wild banana accessions to Rsc and investigate the expression of patho-genesis-related (PR) protein genes, namely PR3 and PR10 , in disease-resistant bananas. Bacterial isolates were isolated from infected bananas in Yala Province, Thailand, and their pathogenicity and phylotype were confirmed, along with Rsc -specific PCR. Rsc -resistance banana screening was conducted on 16 banana accessions, including cultivated and wild types, using representative Rsc isolates. ‘Khai Kasetsart 2’ exhibited resistance (R), followed by ‘Raksa’ with moderate resistance (MR). The expression of PR3 and PR10 genes was analyzed in the resistant ‘Khai Kasetsart 2’ and susceptible ‘Hin’ bananas, revealing distinct expression patterns. PR3 showed rapid upregulation on day 1 after inoculation (DAI), while PR10 exhibited sustained upregulation from 1 to 7 DAI in the resistant cultivar. These findings indicate the involvement of PR proteins in the defense response against Rsc and hold promise for future breeding and disease management strategies in bananas.
Molecular Factors in PAD2 (PADI2) and PAD4 (PADI4) Are Associated with Interstitial Lung Disease Susceptibility in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

Around 50% of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients show some extra-articular manifestation, with the lung a usually affected organ; in addition, the presence of anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA) is a common feature, which is caused by protein citrullination modifications, catalyzed by the peptidyl arginine deiminases (PAD) enzymes. We aimed to identify single nucleotide variants (SNV) in PADI2 and PADI4 genes (PAD2 and PAD4 proteins, respectively) associated with susceptibility to interstitial lung disease (ILD) in RA patients and the PAD2 and PAD4 levels. Material and methods: 867 subjects were included: 118 RA-ILD patients, 133 RA patients, and 616 clinically healthy subjects (CHS). Allelic discrimination was performed in eight SNVs using qPCR, four in PADI2 and four in PADI4. The ELISA technique determined PAD2 and PAD4 levels in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples, and the population structure was evaluated using 14 informative ancestry markers. Results: The rs1005753-GG (OR = 4.9) in PADI2 and rs11203366-AA (OR = 3.08), rs11203367-GG (OR = 2.4) in PADI4 are associated with genetic susceptibility to RA-ILD as well as the ACTC haplotype (OR = 2.64). In addition, the PAD4 protein is increased in RA-ILD individuals harboring the minor allele homozygous genotype in PADI4 SNVs. Moreover, rs1748033 in PADI4, rs2057094, and rs2076615 in PADI2 are associated with RA susceptibility. In conclusion, in RA patients, single nucleotide variants in PADI4 and PADI2 are associated with ILD susceptibility. The rs1748033 in PADI4 and two different SNVs in PADI2 are associated with RA development but not ILD. PAD4 serum levels are increased in RA-ILD patients.
In situgeneration of coronal Alfvén waves by jets

Within the framework of 3D resistive magnetohydrodynamic, we simulate the formation of a plasma jet with the morphology, upward velocity up to 130 km s−1, and time-scale formation between 60 and 90 s after beginning of simulation, similar to those expected for type II spicules. Initial results of this simulation were published in paper by, e.g. Gonzalez-Aviles et al. (2018), and present paper is devoted to the analysis of transverse displacements and rotational-type motion of the jet. Our results suggest that 3D magnetic reconnection may be responsible for the formation of the jet in paper by Gonzalez-Aviles et al. (2018). In this paper, by calculating times series of the velocity components vx and vy in different points near to the jet for various heights we find transverse oscillations in agreement with spicule observations. We also obtain a time-distance plot of the temperature in a cross-cut at the plane x = 0.1 Mm and find significant transverse displacements of the jet. By analysing temperature isosurfaces of 104 K with the distribution of vx, we find that if the line-of-sight (LOS) is approximately perpendicular to the jet axis then there is both motion towards and away from the observer across the width of the jet. This red–blue shift pattern of the jet is caused by rotational motion, initially clockwise and anti-clockwise afterwards, which could be interpreted as torsional motion and may generate torsional Alfven waves in the corona region. From a nearly vertical perspective of the jet the LOS velocity component shows a central blue-shift region surrounded by red-shifted plasma.
Complete plastome of Coelastrum microporum Nägeli (Scenedesmaceae, Sphaeropleales)

Abstract The genus Coelastrum Nägeli (Sphaeropleales; Scenedesmaceae) is a diverse genus of green algae with potential biotechnical applications. A sound understanding of its phylogeny will be a useful tool for predicting the distribution of traits that may enhance its utility, and may lead to a better understanding of its evolution and ecology. Here we present the plastome of Coelastrum microporum. Our exemplar was isolated from Gull Lake, Michigan and the complete plastome as assembled was 169,961 bp in length. The plastome contained 104 genes of which 68 were protein-coding genes (CDSs), 27 tRNA genes and three rRNA genes. The GC content of the plastome was 31.2%. The maximum likelihood phylogeny suggested that C. microporum was the sister group to a clade of single exemplars of three other genera in the Scenedesmaceae (Tetradesmus, Pectinodesmus and Coelastrella).
CO2 Capture from Biomass Gasification Current Technologies, Challenges and Future Prospects

Biomass, encompassing agricultural and forestry residues, urban waste, and more, presents a renewable and abundant energy source with low pollution and zero CO2 emissions. This paper delves into the potential of biomass gasification for CO2 capture, emphasizing its versatility, scalability, and adaptability, especially in the context of China's dispersed biomass resource characteristics. The study also highlights the significance of drying and heating equipment in agricultural processing and the challenges posed by traditional heating methods. With China's abundant biomass energy resources, the rational utilization of biomass fuels promotes sustainable ecological development and energy structural transformation. The paper further explores various CO2 capture technologies, including pre-combustion, oxygen-enhanced combustion, and industrial separation, and discusses the challenges associated with investment, energy consumption, and capture costs. The research underscores the need for continuous innovation and development to reduce costs and enhance the efficiency of CO2 capture technologies.
Genetic Structure and Phylogenetic Analysis of Liquidambar orientalis Mill. (Altingiaceae) Populations Based on Non-Coded psaA/ycf3 Intergenic Region in The Chloroplast Genome in Türkiye

Objective: The genus Liquidambar , is one of many woody genera with morphologically similar species in America, Southeast Europe, and Asia and is thought to have existed on Earth for about 65 million years. Liquidambar orientalis (Anatolian sweetgum tree) is distributed in southwestern Türkiye. With this study, it was aimed to reveal the sequence differences of the psaA/ycf3 inter-gene space region of chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) in L. orientalis populations for the first time in the scientific literature. Materials and Methods: In addition, the polymorphism levels, and the molecular evolution of the studied gene region of the L. orientalis populations were investigated. 154 samples were collected from 12 different populations belonging to four provinces, Muğla, Burdur, Antalya, and Aydın, and were studied and the psaA/ycf3 gene encoded by chloroplast DNA was analysed by partial base sequence analysis. Results: Haplotype diversity ( h ) and the average nucleotide diversity (π) values for all populations were found to be 0.52933 ± 0.011, and 0.00086 ± 0.0001, respectively. According to the results of our research, the gene flow level ( N m ) among the populations was 1.40. F ST values revealed statistically significant genetic differences between the Fethiye-Yanıklar population of Muğla province and other studied populations. Conclusion: According to the results of the study, Fethiye-Yanıklar, Marmaris-National Park, and Fethiye-İnlice locations, where the highest genetic diversities detected among the studied populations, were found to be important in terms of conservation studies.
Compact and modular system architecture for a nano-resonator-mass spectrometer

Mass measurements in the mega-to giga-Dalton range are essential for the characterization of natural and synthetic nanoparticles, but very challenging to perform using conventional mass spectrometers. Nano-electro-mechanical system (NEMS) based MS has demonstrated unique capabilities for the analysis of ultra-high mass analytes. Yet, system designs to date included constraints transferred from conventional MS instruments, such as ion guides and high vacuum requirements. Encouraged by other reports, we investigated the influence of pressure on the performances of the NEMS sensor and the aerodynamic focusing lens that equipped our first-generation instrument. We thus realized that the NEMS spectrometer could operate at significantly higher pressures than anticipated without compromising particle focusing nor mass measurement quality. Based on these observations, we designed and constructed a new NEMS-MS prototype considerably more compact than our original system, and which features an improved aerodynamic lens alignment concept, yielding superior particle focusing. We evaluated this new prototype by performing nanoparticle deposition to characterize aerodynamic focusing, and mass measurements of calibrated gold nanoparticles samples. The particle capture efficiency showed nearly two orders of magnitude improvement compared to our previous prototype, while operating at two orders of magnitude greater pressure, and without compromising mass resolution.
Protecting the future ‘Us’: a rhetoric-performative multimodal analysis of the polarising far-right YouTube campaign videos in Finland

The far right is active on social media, including YouTube for its outreach, community-building and mainstreaming of radical content. This article compares campaign videos of two distinct Finnish far-right parties. It develops a rhetoric-performative and multimodal analysis of audiovisual material and unveils how the contemporary Finnish far right articulates and performs affectively ‘us’ through counterhegemonic articulation on YouTube with connection to nostalgia, national war myths and misogyny. The analysis widens from the visual to the audio-visual dimension which enables the exploration of the formation of diverse signifiers and affective interpretations. Political actors refer to nationalist ideas in a way that can create and mainstream far-right ideology building on shared myths and even spread violent thoughts. Our analysis highlights the importance of spatial and temporal signifiers in the far-right meaning-making process.
Influence of Patient Anatomy on Intraoperative Radiation Exposure and Operation Time during Standard EVAR

Endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) is the primary treatment for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). To optimise patient safety during the standard EVAR procedure, we aimed to investigate the influence of patient anatomy on intraoperative radiation exposure and surgical time. This retrospective study comprised 90 patients (mean age 73.4 ± 8.2 years; 92.2% male) with an infrarenal aortic aneurysm who underwent a standard EVAR procedure. The relationships between dose area product, operating time, and anatomical conditions were investigated in preoperative computed tomography angiography using open-source software. Logistic regression analysis indicated that only body mass index (BMI) had predictive value for radiation exposure. The accuracy of the model was 98.67%, with an area under the curve of 0.72. The duration of surgery was significantly correlated with an increased BMI (odds ratio (OR) = 1.183; p < 0.05), the tortuosity of AAAs (OR = 1.124; p < 0.05), and the left common iliac artery (OR = 1.028; p < 0.05). Thus, BMI impacts the prediction of intraoperative radiation exposure more significantly than the anatomical characteristics of the infrarenal aorta and iliac arteries, and the duration of surgery significantly correlates with both BMI and the tortuosity of the infrarenal aorta and iliac arteries.
10-GHz Low-Loss Liquid Metal SIW Phase Shifter for Phased Array Antennas

This article presents a proof of concept demonstrator for a pair of novel phase shifters based on substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) technology. Gallium-based liquid metal (LM) is used to reconfigure each phase shifter. This article presents LM phase shifters that, for the first time, have a phase shifting range of 360°. The phase shifters have a small electrical size, and they are intended for use within phased array antenna applications. This article also presents a design procedure for the phase shifters. The procedure has been used to design two phase shifters operating at 10 GHz. The design process can be readily scaled for operation at other frequencies. The proposed phase shifters are reciprocal and bidirectional, and they have very low insertion loss (IL). A series of reconfigurable LM vias are used to achieve the phase shift. Each of LM via is activated once a drill hole is filled with LM and it is deactivated once LM is removed. Using this method, it is possible to achieve a phase shift step ranging from 1° to 100° using a single LM via. Moreover, the overall phase shift can be extended to 360° by employing several LM vias in series inside the SIW. The proposed phase shifters have an IL lower than 3 dB and provide a total phase shifting range of approximately 360° in eight steps of approximately 45° each. This enables the proposed two phase shifters to have an extraordinary figure of merit (FoM) of 131.3°/dB and 122.4°/dB.
Parameter Estimation for Kinetic Models of Chemical Reaction Networks from Partial Experimental Data of Species’ Concentrations

The current manuscript addresses the problem of parameter estimation for kinetic models of chemical reaction networks from observed time series partial experimental data of species concentrations. It is demonstrated how the Kron reduction method of kinetic models, in conjunction with the (weighted) least squares optimization technique, can be used as a tool to solve the above-mentioned ill-posed parameter estimation problem. First, a new trajectory-independent measure is introduced to quantify the dynamical difference between the original mathematical model and the corresponding Kron-reduced model. This measure is then crucially used to estimate the parameters contained in the kinetic model so that the corresponding values of the species’ concentrations predicted by the model fit the available experimental data. The new parameter estimation method is tested on two real-life examples of chemical reaction networks: nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and Trypanosoma brucei trypanothione synthetase. Both weighted and unweighted least squares techniques, combined with Kron reduction, are used to find the best-fitting parameter values. The method of leave-one-out cross-validation is utilized to determine the preferred technique. For nicotinic receptors, the training errors due to the application of unweighted and weighted least squares are 3.22 and 3.61 respectively, while for Trypanosoma synthetase, the application of unweighted and weighted least squares result in training errors of 0.82 and 0.70 respectively. Furthermore, the problem of identifiability of dynamical systems, i.e., the possibility of uniquely determining the parameters from certain types of output, has also been addressed.
Estimating oligopsonistic market power in Uganda’s rice industry

ABSTRACT The study applies the conjectural variations approach to determine whether Ugandan rice traders exercise oligopsony power in the market for domestic rice. The trader margin for milled rice is found to be 10.20% on average. Using an econometric system of four equations, the null hypothesis of competitive behaviour holds at different price elasticities of farm supply, ranging from inelastic to elastic supply. This implies that there is no evidence that rice traders apply oligopsony power when procuring milled rice from farmers. However, since the study does not examine the existence of trader bargaining power, we cannot completely rule out the existence of market power at this node of the value chain. Therefore, future studies should examine trader bargaining power to be able to ultimately determine if there is need to intervene at this segment of rice value chains to ensure competitive behaviour.
An Ultra-Fast Intrinsic Contact Sensing Method for Medical Instruments With Arbitrary Shape

Intraoperative contact sensing has the potential to reduce the risk of surgical errors and enhance manipulation capabilities for medical robots, particularly in contact force control. Current intrinsic force sensing (IFS) methods are limited in application to medical instruments with arbitrary shape, due to high computational time and reliance on surface equations. This study presents an ultra-fast IFS method that uses multiple planes to establish surface geometry descriptions. The method can reduce high-order contact mechanical models that need to be solved iteratively to a set of linear equations, and calculate contact location analytically. In addition, a robot motion control approach based on the contact sensing method is proposed to maintain stable contact force and regulate the probe's orientation for robotic ultrasound systems (RUSS). Experimental results show that the contact sensing method is robust to friction and can achieve a mean ($\pm$SD) displacement error of 1.04 $\pm$ 0.43 mm in contact location with computational time less than 1 ms. The system has been evaluated on a phantom with sinusoidal motion. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to validate adaptiveness of RUSS under dynamic conditions. The results demonstrated that the system exhibits comparable manipulation capabilities to human operators with only force sensing, indicating a high level of adaptiveness.
Spectral domain speech enhancement method based on noise compensations in both magnitude and phase spectra

In this thesis, a noisy speech enhancement method based on noise compensation performed on short time magnitude as well phase spectra is presented unlike the conventional spectral subtraction method. Here, the noise estimate to be subtracted from the noisy speech spectrum is proposed to be determined exploiting the low frequency regions of noisy speech of current frame rather than depending only on the initial silence frames. We argue that this approach of noise estimation offers the capability of tracking the time variation of the non-stationary noise thus resulting in a noise compensated magnitude spectrum. By employing the noise estimates thus obtained, a procedure is formulated to compensate the distortion in the phase spectrum,which is kept unchanged in the typical speech enhancement methods. The noise compensated phase spectrum is then recombined with the noise compensated magnitude spectrum to produce a modified complex spectrum thus synthesizing an enhanced frame. Extensive simulations are carried out using NOIZEUS database in order evaluate the performance of the proposed method. It is shown in terms of objective measures, spectrogram analysis and informal subjective listening test that the proposed method consistently outperforms some of the state-of-the-art methods of speech enhancement from noisy speech corrupted by white or train or babble noise of very low levels of SNR.
Autonomous Navigation With Online Replanning and Recovery Behaviors for Wheeled-Legged Robots Using Behavior Trees

Performing autonomous navigation in cluttered and unstructured terrains still remains a challenging task for legged and wheeled mobile robots. To accomplish such a task, online planners shall incorporate new terrain information perceived while the robot is moving within its environment. While hybrid mobility robots offer high flexibility in traversing challenging terrains by leveraging the advantages of both wheeled and legged locomotion, the effective hybrid planning of the mobility actions that transparently combine both modes of locomotion has not been extensively explored. In this work, we present a hierarchical online hybrid primitive-based planner for autonomous navigation with wheeled-legged robots. The framework is handled by a Behavior Tree (BT) and it takes into account recovery methods to deal with possible failures during the execution of the navigation/mobility plan. The framework was evaluated in multiple irregular and heavily cluttered simulated environments randomly generated and in real-world trials, using the CENTAURO robot platform. With these experiments, we demonstrated autonomous capabilities without any human intervention, even in case of collision or planner failures.