1M parameters are enough? A lightweight CNN-based model for medical image segmentation

Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and Transformer-based models are being widely applied in medical image segmentation thanks to their ability to extract high-level features and capture important aspects of the image. However, there is often a trade-off between the need for high accuracy and the desire for low computational cost. A model with higher parameters can theoretically achieve better performance but also result in more computational complexity and higher memory usage, and thus is not practical to implement. In this paper, we look for a lightweight U-Net-based model which can remain the same or even achieve better performance, namely U-Lite. We design U-Lite based on the principle of Depthwise Separable Convolution so that the model can both leverage the strength of CNNs and reduce a remarkable number of computing parameters. Specifically, we propose Axial Depthwise Convolutions with kernels 7x7 in both the encoder and decoder to enlarge the model receptive field. To further improve the performance, we use several Axial Dilated Depthwise Convolutions with filters 3x3 for the bottleneck as one of our branches. Overall, U-Lite contains only 878K parameters, 35 times less than the traditional U-Net, and much more times less than other modern Transformer-based models. The proposed model cuts down a large amount of computational complexity while attaining an impressive performance on medical segmentation tasks compared to other state-of-the-art architectures. The code will be available at: https://github.com/duong-db/U-Lite.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figure

Impact of climate change on meteorological, hydrological and agricultural droughts in the Lower Mekong River Basin: a case study of the Srepok Basin, Vietnam

peer reviewedThe objective of this study is to assess future changes in meteorological, hydrology and agricultural droughts under the impact of changing climate in the Srepok River Basin, a subbasin of LMB, using three drought indices; standardized precipitation index (SPI), standardized runoff index (SRI) and standardized soil moisture index (SSWI). The well-calibrated Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) is used as a simulation tool to estimate the features of meteorological, hydrological and agricultural droughts. The climate data for the 2016–2040 period is obtained from four different regional climate models; HadGEM3-RA, SNU-MM5, RegCM4 and YSU-RSM, which are downscaled from the HadGEM2-AO GCM. The results show that the severity, duration and frequency of droughts are predicted to increase in the near future for this region. Moreover, the meteorological drought is less sensitive to climate change than the hydrological and agricultural droughts; however, it has a stronger correlation with the hydrological and agricultural droughts as the accumulation period is increased. These findings may be useful for water resources management and future planning for mitigation and adaptation to the climate change impact in the Srepok River Basin

Growth and development of transgenic peanut (Arachis hypogaea) lines containing chitinase 42 kDa gene from Trichoderma asperellum SH16

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is vulnerable to many diseases. Vietnam and other regions where peanut is widely cultivated have a high threat of fungal and other plant diseases. Various fungicides are available to control the fungal disease but these have various harmful effects on the natural flora, fauna, and environment. Transgenic peanut lines which possess antifungal activity provide a possible solution in managing fungal diseases apart from the traditional resistance and fungicide usage. Therefore, this study evaluated the probable growth and development of chitinase transgenic peanut lines against Sclerotium rolfsii, a pathogen that causes “southern blight” in plants, under greenhouse conditions. This study provided evidence that through Agrobacterium itumefaciens mediated transformation, 42 kDa chitinase genes from Trichoderma asperellum, which is under the regulation of 35S promoter, were successfully incorporated into the peanut’s (A. hypogaea L.) genome and expressed in their plants. This evidence also demonstrated that transgenic peanut lines were suitable for growing and developing in the greenhouse. Further, it was reported that transgenic peanut lines took approximately 133 to 145 days from planting to maturity. These results also revealed that various growth characteristics of transgenic peanut lines having two synthetic genes (syncod Chi42-2 i.e. S2-2, S2-4, S2-6, and syncod Chi42-1 i.e. S1-1, S1-2, S1-3) were greater than that from the wild-type Chi42 (WT-1, WT-2, and WT-3). In addition, yield-related parameters including the number of mature pods, 100 pods weight and 100 seeds weight for all the transgenic peanut lines were higher than that of the non-transformed plant. Among the transgenic lines, line S2-4 exhibited significantly higher growth and yield than the other transgenic lines. These results demonstrated that 42 kDa chitinase genes overexpressing peanut lines could be a candidate for improvement against plants to phytopathogenic fungus S. rolfsii and high yield.

Area yield crop insurance in Vietnam : an analysis from the demand side

When setting prices for each province, crop insurance companies should pay more attention to the relative level of basic risk and the correlation of losses across regions, instead of only focusing on the general level of risk exposure of each region. If farmers receive enough information about the insurance, the demand should be higher than the current rate of uptake. This study analyzes the demand of rice farmers for area yield crop insurance, which was designed and piloted during the period of 2011 - 2013 in Vietnam according to Decision No. 315/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister

Influence of foliar application with Moringa oleifera residue fertilizer on growth, and yield quality of leafy vegetables

Biofertilizers produced from organic materials help to promote the growth, and yield quality of crops and is more environmentally friendly than chemical fertilizers. Moringa oleifera is a leafy vegetable whose leaves are also used to make biofertilizers. The use of moringa non-edible parts in biofertilizer preparation remains under-explored. In this study, a procedure to produce moringa foliar biofertilizer (MFB) from non-edible parts was developed. The effect of composting time (3 to 4 months) on the quality of MFB was investigated, and four-month incubation was found suitable for biofertilizers yield with the highest nitrogen content and optimal pH. Furthermore, the influences of MFB doses (20 to 100 mL per Litre) on the growth of lettuce and mustard spinach were studied. The yield of these leafy vegetables was the highest at 100 mL per Litre of MFB spray. Finally, MFB was compared with other commercial foliar sprays, including chitosan fertilizer and seaweed fertilizer. Each foliar treatment was applied every five days until five days before harvest. Plant height, the number of leaves, canopy diameter, leaf area index, actual yield, ascorbic acid content, and Brix were found to be similar in lettuce sprayed with MFB, chitosan, and seaweed fertilizers. In conclusion, the application of MFB promoted the growth and yield of mustard spinach

ẢNH HƯỞNG CỦA DỊCH CHIẾT VI KHUẨN LAM ĐẾN NHÂN GIỐNG IN VITRO CÂY LAN HOÀNG THẢO GIẢ HẠC (Dendrobium anosmum Lindl.)

Protocorms of 4-week-old Dendrobium anosmum Lindl. were used as initial material for in vitro propagation. The stock extract of Arthrospira sp. was prepared by grinding 1 g of fresh biomass in 100 mL of distilled water. The in vitro propagation results show that the cyanobacterial extract has the effect of enhancing shoot multiplication and rooting of Dendrobium anosmum. An MS basal medium supplemented with 6 g·L–1 agar, 30 g·L–1 saccharose, and 1.5 mg·L–1 BAP in combination with 20 mL·L–1 cyanobacteria extract was suitable for protocorm multiplication with a protocorm cluster diameters of 2.43 cm. An MS medium supplemented with 6 g·L–1 agar, 30 g·L–1 sucrose, and 1.0 mg·L–1 BAP combined with 20 mL·L–1 cyanobacterial extract was optimal for shoot multiplication. The number of shoots/explant reached 4.7 and a shoot height of 1.37 cm. An MS medium supplemented with 6 g·L–1 agar, 30 g·L–1 sucrose, and 1.5 mg·L–1 NAA in combination with 30 mL·L–1 cyanobacteria extract was the most suitable for rooting with 4.87 roots/bud; the root length was 0.74 cm, and the shoot height was 2.76 cm. These results would open up the application of cyanobacterial extract to reduce costs in plant tissue culture technology.Protocorm của cây lan Hoàng thảo Giả hạc (Dendrobium anosmum Lindl.) bốn tuần tuổi được sử dụng để làm vật liệu khởi đầu cho nhân giống in vitro. Dịch chiết gốc vi khuẩn lam Arthrospira sp. được tạo thành bằng cách nghiền 1 g sinh khối tươi trong 100 mL nước cất. Kết quả cho thấy dịch chiết vi khuẩn lam có tác dụng tăng cường sự nhân chồi và ra rễ của cây lan Hoàng thảo Giả hạc nuôi cấy in vitro. Môi trường MS cơ bản bổ sung 6 g·L–1 agar, 30 g·L–1 saccharose và 1,5 mg·L–1 BAP kết hợp với 20 mL·L–1 dịch chiết vi khuẩn lam thích hợp cho sự nhân protocorm và môi trường tối ưu cho nhân chồi. Đường kính cụm protocorm thu được là 2,43 cm. Môi trường MS cơ bản bổ sung 6 g·L–1 agar, 30 g·L–1 saccharose và 1,0 mg·L–1 BAP kết hợp với 20 mL·L–1 dịch chiết vi khuẩn lam là môi trường tối ưu cho nhân chồi, số chồi/mẫu đạt 4,7; chồi cao 1,37 cm. Môi trường MS cơ bản bổ sung 6 g·L–1 agar, 30 g·L–1 saccharose và 1,5 mg·L–1 NAA kết hợp với 30 mL·L–1 dịch chiết vi khuẩn lam thích hợp nhất cho tạo rễ từ chồi in vitro với 4,87 rễ/chồi; chiều dài rễ là 0,74 cm và chiều cao chồi là 2,76 cm. Kết quả này sẽ mở ra triển vọng ứng dụng dịch chiết vi khuẩn lam giúp giảm chi phí trong công nghệ nuôi cấy mô tế bào thực vật

Chemical constituents from fruits of Hydnocarpus hainanensis Merr. (Flacourtiaceae) in Vietnam

Five compounds were isolated from the fruits of Hydnocarpus hainanensis Merr. Sleum. (Flacourtiaceae). Their structures were determined by spectroscopic analysis including MS and NMR. The isolates were identified as taraktophyllin (1), hydnocarpic acid (2), 3,4-dihydroxybenzyl alcohol (3), 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid (4) and 3-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzoic acid (5)

Synthesis and application of Fe3O4/GO/PVP composite material for methylene blue adsorption

In this study, Fe3O4/GO/PVP (FGP) was successfully synthesized and efficiently applied for absorbing methylene blue. First, GO was synthesized by Hummer’s method from waste home-batteries. The chemical co-precipitation method was used to fabricate Fe3O4/GO from a mixture solution of GO, Fe3+, Fe2+. Polyvinylpyrrolidone PVP was selected to functionalize Fe3O4/GO and form Fe3O4/GO/PVP for improving dispersibility purpose in aqueous solution. The obtained Fe3O4/GO/PVP was characterized by XRD, FT-IR, BET, FE-SEM, UV-Vis techniques. Moreover, the effecting factors as pH, time adsorption, initial concentration of methylene blue were conducted. Adsorption isotherm models were also identified. The results showed that specific surface area of FGP-3 was 70.0 m2.g-1, the Freundlich isotherm model was suitable and the Dubinin - Radushkevich isotherm model showed that the process was physical adsorption. The maximum capacity (qmax) was 30.4 mg.g-1. These findings prove Fe3O4/GO/PVP as an inexpensive and efficient adsorbent for removal of cationic dyes

Terpenoids from leaves of Viburnum sambucinum Reinw. ex. Blume (Caprifoliaceae)

Six compounds were isolated from the leaves of Viburnum sambucinum Reinw. ex Blume (Caprifoliaceae).  The structures of the isolates were determined by spectroscopic analysis including MS and NMR. Accordingly, the isolated compounds were identified as a-amyrin (1), ursolic acid (2), 3β,28-dihydroxy-urs-12-ene (3), oleanolic acid (4), 16β-hydroxylup-20(29)-ene-3-one (5) and trans-2-phyten-1-ol (6)