Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Shrub Growth Improves Morphological Features of Nebkhas: A Case Study of Nitraria tangutorum in the Tengger Desert

To understand the role of shrubs in nebkha development, a comparative analysis of nebkha morphology and shrub features was conducted in two different habitats at the southeast margin of the Tengger Desert, Northern China. Morphometric variables of 184 Nitraria tangutorum nebkhas were measured in a semi-fixed lake-basin lowland site (site 1, n = 102) and a salinized fixed sand site (site 2, n = 82). Mean length, width, projected area, and accumulated sand volume were all greater in nebkhas in site 1 than in site 2 (p < 0.05); however, mean height (i.e., sand burial depth) did not differ significantly in nebkhas between the two sites (p > 0.05). The larger nebkha volume in site 1 relative to site 2 (mean, 88.19 m3 vs. 33.16 m3) implied that the projected area influenced the accumulated sand volume. Nebkhas in site 1 tended to have large areas, low densities, and high spatial autocorrelation, while nebkhas in site 2 exhibited opposite trends with stochastic distribution. Mean vegetation density was significantly higher in site 1 than in site 2 (p < 0.05), while mean vegetation height exhibited an opposite trend (p < 0.05). In addition, there was higher vegetation coverage in site 1 than in site 2 (p > 0.05). According to the results, plant species (i.e., N. tangutorum) limited nebkha height under similar wind regimes regardless of the transport distance of aeolian material, while aeolian deposition and its effect on shrub growth jointly increased nebkha size.
Benefits of heat-killed Lactobacillus acidophilus on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, antioxidant status, immunity, and cecal microbiota of rabbits

Introduction Heat-killed probiotics, as a type of inactivated beneficial microorganisms, possess an extended shelf life and broader adaptability compared to their live counterparts. This study aimed to investigate the impact of heat-killed Lactobacillus acidophilus (L. acidophilus, LA) - a deactivated probiotic on the growth performance, digestibility, antioxidant status, immunity and cecal microbiota of rabbits. Methods Two hundred weaned Hyla rabbits were randomly allocated into five equal groups (CON, L200, L400, L600, and L800). Over a 28-day period, the rabbits were fed basal diets supplemented with 0, 200, 400, 600, and 800 mg/kg of heat-killed LA, respectively. Results Results revealed a significant reduction in the feed-to-gain ratio (F/G) in the L600 and L800 groups (p < 0.05). Additionally, the L800 group exhibited significantly higher apparent digestibility of crude fiber (CF) and crude protein (CP) (p < 0.05). Regarding digestive enzyme activities, enhanced trypsin and fibrinase activities were observed in the L600 and L800 groups (p < 0.05). Concerning the regulation of the body’s antioxidant status, the L800 group demonstrated elevated levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) in both serum and ileal tissue (p < 0.05). In terms of immune capacity modulation, serum tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels were significantly lower in the L600 and L800 groups (p < 0.05), while immunoglobulin A (IgA) and immunoglobulin M (IgM) levels were higher (p < 0.05). Additionally, the L800 group exhibited a substantial increase in secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) levels in the intestinal mucosa (p < 0.05). In comparison to the CON group, the L800 group exhibited a significant increase in the relative abundance of Phascolarctobacterium and Alistipes in the cecum (p < 0.05). Phascolarctobacterium demonstrated a positive correlation with SIgA (p < 0.05), IgM (p < 0.01), and Glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) (p < 0.05), while displaying a negative correlation with TNF-α levels (p < 0.05). Concurrently, Alistipes exhibited positive correlations with IgA (p < 0.05), IgM (p < 0.05), SIgA (p < 0.01), GSH-Px (p < 0.05), SOD (p < 0.05), and T-AOC (p < 0.01), and a negative correlation with TNF-α (p < 0.05). Discussion In conclusion, the dietary incorporation of 600 mg/kg and 800 mg/kg of heat-killed LA positively influenced the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, antioxidant status, immune capacity and cecal microbiota of rabbits. This highlights the potential benefits of utilizing heat-killed probiotics in animal nutrition.
Vision-Based Soft Mobile Robot Inspired by Silkworm Body and Movement Behavior

Designing an inexpensive, low-noise, safe for individual, mobile robot with an efficient vision system represents a challenge. This paper proposes a soft mobile robot inspired by the silkworm body structure and moving behavior. Two identical pneumatic artificial muscles (PAM) have been used to design the body of the robot by sewing the PAMs longitudinally. The proposed robot moves forward, left, and right in steps depending on the relative contraction ratio of the actuators. The connection between the two artificial muscles gives the steering performance at different air pressures of each PAM. A camera (eye) integrated into the proposed soft robot helps it to control its motion and direction. The silkworm soft robot detects a specific object and tracks it continuously. The proposed vision system is used to help with automatic tracking based on deep learning platforms with real-time live IR camera. The object detection platform, named, YOLOv3 is used effectively to solve the challenge of detecting high-speed tiny objects like Tennis balls. The model is trained with a dataset consisting of images of Tennis balls. The work is simulated with Google Colab and then tested in real-time on an embedded device mated with a fast GPU called Jetson Nano development kit. The presented object follower robot is cheap, fast-tracking, and friendly to the environment. The system reaches a 99% accuracy rate during training and testing. Validation results are obtained and recorded to prove the effectiveness of this novel silkworm soft robot. The research contribution is designing and implementing a soft mobile robot with an effective vision system.
Automated Spectrophotometric Assays for the Measurement of Ammonia and Bicarbonate in Saliva of Horses: Analytical Validation and Changes in Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS)

Ammonia (NH3) and bicarbonate (HCO3) have been related to gastric ulcers in humans. Ammonia is considered a possible cause of gastric ulcers, whereas bicarbonate has a protective function. The presence of ulcers in the stomach of horses is defined as Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS), which is a frequent disease in this species, and it has been associated with changes in saliva composition, such as in analytes related to inflammation, immune system and oxidative stress. The objectives of this study were (1) to perform an analytical validation of two automated spectrophotometric assays, one for ammonia and one for bicarbonate, in the horses’ saliva and (2) to evaluate their possible variations with EGUS. Analytical validation of the automated assays for ammonia and bicarbonate in the saliva of horses showed that both assays were precise and accurate. In addition, significantly higher values of ammonia and lower values of bicarbonate were found in the saliva of horses with EGUS compared to healthy horses. It can be concluded that ammonia and bicarbonate can be measured in the saliva of horses and that ammonia increases and bicarbonate decreases in this sample type could be related to the presence of EGUS in this species.
Asociación entre la ferrocinética y su papel pronóstico en enfermedad coronaria en un hospital suramericano

Introducción: Las alteraciones ferrocinéticas se asocian con un empeoramiento de las enfermedades cardiovasculares, pero se desconoce en profundidad su papel. Objetivo: Determinar la asociación entre la ferrocinética con el infarto agudo al miocardio con y sin elevación del segmento ST en pacientes con enfermedad coronaria. Métodos: Estudio observacional analítico en una muestra de 72 pacientes que ingresaron a una unidad de cuidados coronarios de una institución de cuarto nivel durante el lapso de julio de 2017 a mayo de 2018. El análisis de asociación estadística se realizó con la prueba de chi cuadrado. Resultados: El principal género afectado fue el masculino, en edades superiores a 56 años. La principal comorbilidad fue hipertensión arterial, en un 53,7% para infarto con elevación del segmento ST, y en un 74,2% para infarto sin elevación de dicho segmento. La alteración ferrocinética prevalente fue el déficit de hierro, en un 36,6% de los pacientes con elevación del intervalo ST y en un 41,9% sin elevación del segmento ST. Las concentraciones bajas de hemoglobina estuvieron presentes al ingreso en el 24,4% de los pacientes con elevación del ST y en el 32,3% de aquellos sin elevación del ST, asociado con valores bajos de hemoglobina al séptimo día de hospitalización. Ocurrieron fallecimientos en el 2,77%, con cantidades bajas de hierro sin anemia e infarto con elevación del segmento ST y choque. La variable género presentó asociación estadísticamente significativa (p = 0,034) con el nivel de hierro sérico. Conclusiones: La ferropenia es una alteración muy frecuente con una relación de mayor mortalidad, por lo que estos parámetros deberían evaluarse en enfermedades cardiovasculares.
Liquefaction Evaluation for an Interbedded Soil Deposit: St. Teresa's School, Christchurch, New Zealand

: Liquefaction vulnerability indices (LVIs) are computed for an interbedded soil site at St. Teresa's School, Christchurch, New Zealand to evaluate how various factors may have contributed to the standard LVI computations overestimating the potential for liquefaction damages during the 2010-2011 Canterbury Earthquake Sequence. The observed performance of the St. Teresa School site and its subsurface conditions are reviewed. An inverse filtering procedure is used to correct the cone penetration test (CPT) data for thin-layer and transition zone effects. LVI indices are computed using the CPT data from the site for a range of assumptions, including common default practices, site-specific fines content calibrations, inverse filtering of the CPT data, uncertainty in the triggering correlation, uncertainties in the correlations for shear and volumetric strains, and partial saturation. Other sources of potential conservatism in the LVI evaluations are discussed, including the potential contributions of the surface crust layer, dynamic response and excess pore water pressure diffusion. The of CPT how certain and may have to the standard LVI computations over-estimating the potential for liquefaction damages during the 2010-2011 Canterbury Earthquake Sequence. The observed performance of the site and its subsurface conditions are described, followed by a brief summary of the inverse filtering procedure that is used to correct the CPT data for thin-layer and transition zone effects. LVI indices are computed using the CPT data with a range of assumptions to evaluate alternate practices and key sources of uncertainty. LVI results are presented for cases that consider common industry standard practices, site-specific fines content calibrations, inverse filtering of the CPT data, uncertainty in the triggering correlation, uncertainties in the correlations for shear and volumetric strains, and partial saturation. Other sources of potential conservatism in the LVI-based liquefaction evaluations are discussed, including the potential roles of the
Análisis automático de opiniones orientado a aspecto en Twitter

Companies are very interested in user-generated opinions. Getting to know clients’ impressions about the services or products companies offer can help them to improve their commercial strategy. Nowadays, due to the Internet and the social networks, it is pretty easy to have access to all this information. In fact, there is so much data traveling through the Internet that automatic systems are needed to process it. These systems have to deal with the complexities of human colloquial language. In this project we present a system to automatically analyse opinions expressed about entities, people or other specific aspects mentioned in texts published on Twitter. We used natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning techniques to develop the system. We also created a web application to visualize the results of such analysis.
Evaluating and improving corn nitrogen fertilizer recommendation tools across the U.S. Midwest

Determining which corn (Zea mays L.) nitrogen (N) recommendation tools best predict the economically optimal N rate (EONR) would be valuable for maximizing profits and minimizing environmental consequences. The objectives of this research were to evaluate the performance of publicly-available N fertilizer recommendation tools across a wide range of soil and weather environments for 1) prescribing EONR for planting and split N fertilizer applications, and 2) improve understanding of the economic and environmental impact of these tools. The evaluation was conducted on 49 N response trials that spanned eight states and three growing seasons. Soil and plant samples, weather, and management information were collected using standardized procedures to allow for a side-by-side comparison of tools. Tool N recommendations were for fertilizer applications at-planting and when the majority of fertilizer applied as a top-dress (split) at V9 corn development stage. An environmental assessment was conducted by comparing an estimated inseason and post-season N loss at each tool’s N recommendation relative to EONR. Total N loss was converted to an environmental cost using $2.75 kg NO3–N. Results showed that only 11of 31 tool recommendations were weakly related to EONR (P ≤ 0.10 and r ≤ 0.24). The 11 tools included the State-Specific YG used for split N applications, soil pre-plant and pre-side-dress soil nitrate testing (PPNT and PSNT) and canopy reflectance sensing. Furthermore, these tools related to EONR resulted in only 21-47% of sites within ±30 kg N ha of EONR. When considering partial profit for these 11 tools the average profitability relative to EONR range from -$56 to -155 ha. In an
Microbiological and chemical characteristics of porkfish inasua, traditional fish fermented from Maluku, Indonesia

Abstract. Mahulette F. 2023. Microbiological and chemical characteristics of porkfish inasua, traditional fish fermented from Maluku, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 25: 1-8. Porkfish inasua consisted of two types, i.e., with and without coconut sap. The research aimed to analyze the microbiological and chemical characteristics of two types of porkfish inasua. The microbiological characteristics are used to determine the role of microbes and product safety whereas the chemical characteristics, including proximate composition, amino acids, and fatty acids contents can determine the nutritional value for consumption. The sample of porkfish inasua was taken from traditional producers in Layeni, Teon, Nila, and Serua (TNS) Islands, Maluku, Indonesia. The microbiological analysis was done using the plate count method. From the measurement, the total number of halotolerant and coliform bacterial in porkfish inasua without sap were 6.2 log cfu/g and 6.1 log cfu/g, respectively. In comparison, the total of Bacillus and related genera in porkfish inasua with sap was 5.9 log cfu/g at the end of fermentation. The fat content of both types of inasua was around 17%. The total amino acids and fatty acids contents of porkfish inasua without sap at the end of fermentation were 15.31 and 57.08%, while porkfish inasua with sap were 15.85 and 63.81%, respectively. The dominant bacteria found in porkfish inasua without sap was Staphylococcus saprophyticus, while porkfish inasua with sap was Bacillus cereus. These two bacteria play a role in fermentation so porkfish inasua was safe for consumption. Generally, chemical characteristics of porkfish inasua with sap were better than those of porkfish inasua without sap, but statistically, it was not significantly different. This research can improve the quality of porkfish inasua as local fermented fish products in Maluku.
Reproductive Biology and Host Fishes of Four Unionids from the Lake Pontchartrain Basin, Louisiana, U.S.A.

ABSTRACT Host fishes, fecundity estimates, and gravid periods were identified for four species of freshwater mussels from the Lake Pontchartrain basin, Louisiana. Two of the mussel species have broad distributions both in the Mississippi River and elsewhere in Louisiana: Villosa lienosa (Conrad, 1834) and Lampsilis teres (Rafinesque, 1820). The other two species have more restricted distributions: Quadrula refulgens (Lea, 1868) and Lampsilis ornata (Conrad, 1835). Lampsilis ornata is listed as a species of concern in Louisiana. Of the 23 species of fishes tested as potential hosts, we found 4 previously unknown hosts for Villosa lienosa: Lepomis megalotis, Lepomis humilis, Lepomis microlophus and Lepomis cyanellus, and confirmed 2 previously documented: Lepomis macrochirus and Micropterus salmoides. Villosa lienosa was gravid from April until June and had an estimated fecundity of 38,562 + 3,073 glochidia/female. For Lampsilis ornata we established a host relationship with Luxilus chrysocephalus, and confirmed Micropterus salmoides as a host. Lampsilis ornata was gravid from February until April and had a fecundity estimate of 451,214 + 27,239 glochidia/female. Lampsilis teres was gravid from April until September and had a fecundity estimate of 407,333 + 24,727 glochidia/female. We confirmed three hosts for L. teres: Micropterus salmoides, Pomoxis annularis, and Lepomis humilis, and identified two new hosts: Lepomis microlophus and Notropis venustus. Only a single Quadrula refulgens was found gravid in late June and its fecundity was estimated at 32,450 glochidia and a host was identified as Pylodictis olivaris.
The role of sialidases in the pathogenesis of bacterial vaginosis and their use as a promising pharmacological target in bacterial vaginosis

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is an infection of the genital tract characterized by disturbance of the normally Lactobacilli-dominated vaginal flora due to the overgrowth of Gardnerella and other anaerobic bacteria. Gardnerella vaginalis, an anaerobic pathogen and the major pathogen of BV, produces sialidases that cleave terminal sialic acid residues off of human glycans. By desialylation, sialidases not only alter the function of sialic acid-containing glycoconjugates but also play a vital role in the attachment, colonization and spread of many other vaginal pathogens. With known pathogenic effects, excellent performance of sialidase-based diagnostic tests, and promising therapeutic potentials of sialidase inhibitors, sialidases could be used as a biomarker of BV. This review explores the sources of sialidases and their role in vaginal dysbiosis, in aims to better understand their participation in the pathogenesis of BV and their value in the diagnosis and treatment of BV.
The “Warm‐Arctic/Cold‐continents” pattern during 1901–2010

The “Warm‐Arctic/Cold‐continents” (WACC) winter weather pattern is investigated using the European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts 20th Century reanalysis data (ERA20C) spanning 1901–2010. Both the 1920–1940 and 1990–2010 periods are characterized by Arctic amplification (AA) and mid‐latitude continental cooling, although the Arctic warming signal for 1990–2010 is twice as strong as that for 1920–1940. Significant weakening in the mid‐latitude polewards temperature gradient and zonal wind, wavier upper‐level flow character, and strong regional blocking frequency/intensity changes are also detected during both AA periods. These results based on statistical analyses highlight the possible role of AA in affecting mid‐latitude weather patterns, but further work is needed to quantify the influence of AA on particular mid‐latitude dynamical features.
Proj2Proj: self-supervised low-dose CT reconstruction

In Computed Tomography (CT) imaging, one of the most serious concerns has always been ionizing radiation. Several approaches have been proposed to reduce the dose level without compromising the image quality. With the emergence of deep learning, thanks to the increasing availability of computational power and huge datasets, data-driven methods have recently received a lot of attention. Deep learning based methods have also been applied in various ways to address the low-dose CT reconstruction problem. However, the success of these methods largely depends on the availability of labeled data. On the other hand, recent studies showed that training can be done successfully without the need for labeled datasets. In this study, a training scheme was defined to use low-dose projections as their own training targets. The self-supervision principle was applied in the projection domain. The parameters of a denoiser neural network were optimized through self-supervised training. It was shown that our method outperformed both traditional and compressed sensing-based iterative methods, and deep learning based unsupervised methods, in the reconstruction of analytic CT phantoms and human CT images in low-dose CT imaging. Our method’s reconstruction quality is also comparable to a well-known supervised method.
DiffusionDCI: A Novel Diffusion-Based Unified Framework for Dynamic Full-Field OCT Image Generation and Segmentation

Rapid and accurate identification of cancerous areas during surgery is crucial for guiding surgical procedures and reducing postoperative recurrence rates. Dynamic Cell Imaging (DCI) has emerged as a promising alternative to traditional frozen section pathology, offering high-resolution displays of tissue structures and cellular characteristics. However, challenges persist in segmenting DCI images using deep learning methods, such as color variation and artifacts between patches in whole slide DCI images, and the difficulty in obtaining precise annotated data. In this paper, we introduce a novel two-stage framework for DCI image generation and segmentation. Initially, the Dual Semantic Diffusion Model (DSDM) is specifically designed to generate high-quality and semantically relevant DCI images. These images not only serve as an effective means of data augmentation to assist downstream segmentation tasks but also help in reducing the reliance on expensive and hard-to-obtain large annotated medical image datasets. Furthermore, we reuse the pretrained DSDM to extract diffusion features, which are then infused into the segmentation network via a cross-attention alignment module. This approach enables our network to capture and utilize the characteristics of DCI images more effectively, thereby significantly enhancing segmentation results. Our method was validated on the DCI dataset and compared with other methods for image generation and segmentation. Experimental results demonstrate that our method achieves superior performance in both tasks, proving the effectiveness of the proposed model.
Regional scale rifting and subsidence in the vicinity of Iheya-Minor Ridge, the middle Okinawa Trough: Cruise results of KM17-12C

Takahashi 2 Shallow sub-seaﬂoor structure in the vicinity of Iheya-Minor Ridge was acquired using Sub-Bottom Proﬁler equipped on R / V Kaimei in KM17-12C cruise. Normal faults and downward warping stratiﬁcation indicate regional subsidence of the studied area. The proﬁles also suggest local-scale compression folds that may associate with the intrusive volcanism of