Semantic segmentation of microbial alterations based on SegFormer

IntroductionPrecise semantic segmentation of microbial alterations is paramount for their evaluation and treatment. This study focuses on harnessing the SegFormer segmentation model for precise semantic segmentation of strawberry diseases, aiming to improve disease detection accuracy under natural acquisition conditions.MethodsThree distinct Mix Transformer encoders - MiT-B0, MiT-B3, and MiT-B5 - were thoroughly analyzed to enhance disease detection, targeting diseases such as Angular leaf spot, Anthracnose rot, Blossom blight, Gray mold, Leaf spot, Powdery mildew on fruit, and Powdery mildew on leaves. The dataset consisted of 2,450 raw images, expanded to 4,574 augmented images. The Segment Anything Model integrated into the Roboflow annotation tool facilitated efficient annotation and dataset preparation.ResultsThe results reveal that MiT-B0 demonstrates balanced but slightly overfitting behavior, MiT-B3 adapts rapidly with consistent training and validation performance, and MiT-B5 offers efficient learning with occasional fluctuations, providing robust performance. MiT-B3 and MiT-B5 consistently outperformed MiT-B0 across disease types, with MiT-B5 achieving the most precise segmentation in general.DiscussionThe findings provide key insights for researchers to select the most suitable encoder for disease detection applications, propelling the field forward for further investigation. The success in strawberry disease analysis suggests potential for extending this approach to other crops and diseases, paving the way for future research and interdisciplinary collaboration

Formation systems approach to the process of development strategy development and selection of effective solution

The article deals with strategic planning as a basis for all decisions taken at the level of management. Various approaches to disclosure, the main aspects of strategic planning, and explores the most important strategic factors for the enterprise and identify the necessary components ofan effective strategy

Efficiency of lithium bromide absorption chiller with multi-stage absorption and generation processes with associated mass flow

A study of the cycles of a lithium bromide–water absorption chiller with two-stage absorption and three-stage generation of a working substance vapor with an associated mass flow with different supply of the cooling medium to the apparatus has been carried out. The temperature of the heating source necessary for the implementation of the actual thermodynamic cycle of the Lithium Bromide– Water Absorption Chiller (LBWAC) and the most effective thermodynamic cycle has been determined. A comparative analysis of the cycle understudy with the sample cycle (one-stage cycle) LBWAC is carried out. Despite the lower values of the coefficient of performance (COP), the cycle under study provides a doubling of the cooling capacity of the machine, at the same flow rate of the heating source, which is an advantage when the flow rate of the heating source is limited. This circumstance is explained by the fact that in LBWAC with multi-stage absorption and generation, the heating source sequentially passes through three generator stages. Therefore, the degree of cooling in the chiller with the considered cycle is three times higher than this value of a single-stage LBWA

The allelopathic, adhesive, hydrophobic and toxic latex of Euphorbia species is the cause of fairy circles investigated at several locations in Namibia

Abstract Background In this multidisciplinary study we present soil chemical, phytochemical and GIS spatial patterning evidence that fairy circles studied in three separate locations of Namibia may be caused by Euphorbia species. Results We show that matrix sand coated with E. damarana latex resulted in faster water-infiltration rates. GC-MS analyses revealed that soil from fairy circles and from under decomposing E. damarana plants are very similar in phytochemistry. E. damarana and E. gummifera extracts have a detrimental effect on bacteria isolated from the rhizosphere of Stipagrostis uniplumis and inhibit grass seed germination. Several compounds previously identified with antimicrobial and phytotoxic activity were also identified in E. gummifera. GIS analyses showed that perimeter sizes and spatial characteristics (Voronoi tessellations, distance to nearest neighbour ratio, pair correlation function and L-function) of fairy circles are similar to those of fairy circles co-occurring with E. damarana (northern Namibia), and with E. gummifera (southern Namibia). Historical aerial imagery showed that in a population of 406 E. gummifera plants, 134 were replaced by fairy circles over a 50-year period. And finally, by integrating rainfall, altitude and landcover in a GIS-based site suitability model, we predict where fairy circles should occur. The model largely agreed with the distribution of three Euphorbia species and resulted in the discovery of new locations of fairy circles, in the far southeast of Namibia and part of the Kalahari Desert of South Africa. Conclusions It is proposed that the allelopathic, adhesive, hydrophobic and toxic latex of E. damarana, E. gummifera, and possibly other species like E. gregaria, is the cause of the fairy circles of Namibia in the areas investigated and possibly in all other areas as well