80 research outputs found
Spatial Analysis on the provision of Urban Amenities and their Deficiencies - A Case Study of Srinagar City, Jammu and Kashmir, India
The paper examined inequality in the distribution of urban amenities in Srinagar City. Inequality in the study area is manifested in the form of unequal provision of social amenities within the wards (municipal units) of the City. The spatial distribution and concentration of two social amenities, viz, educational institutions and fire service stations was studied. The study mainly relied on the secondary sources of data. The Z-score variate has been used to determine the spatial concentration pattern in the provision of these amenities. However, Lorenz Curve proved to be a useful tool in accessing and quantifying the spatial disparity. The results of the analysis indicate that inequalities exist in the provision of accessibility of these amenities among different wards in Srinagar city. The reasons for the uneven distribution of urban amenities are spurt urban growth in the last three decades and poor management planning. The paper suggests that planning body must keep pace with the urban sprawl in order to ensure the equitable distribution of urban amenities in the city. Keywords: Amenities, Wards, Srinagar City, Well-being, Accessibility, Lorenz Curv
Identification of Chimera using Machine Learning
Chimera state refers to coexistence of coherent and non-coherent phases in
identically coupled dynamical units found in various complex dynamical systems.
Identification of Chimera, on one hand is essential due to its applicability in
various areas including neuroscience, and on other hand is challenging due to
its widely varied appearance in different systems and the peculiar nature of
its profile. Therefore, a simple yet universal method for its identification
remains an open problem. Here, we present a very distinctive approach using
machine learning techniques to characterize different dynamical phases and
identify the chimera state from given spatial profiles generated using various
different models. The experimental results show that the performance of the
classification algorithms varies for different dynamical models. The machine
learning algorithms, namely random forest, oblique random forest based on
tikhonov, parallel-axis split and null space regularization achieved more than
accuracy for the Kuramoto model. For the logistic-maps, random forest
and tikhonov regularization based oblique random forest showed more than
accuracy, and for the H\'enon-Map model, random forest, null-space and
axis-parallel split regularization based oblique random forest achieved more
than accuracy. The oblique random forest with null space regularization
achieved consistent performance (more than accuracy) across different
dynamical models while the auto-encoder based random vector functional link
neural network showed relatively lower performance. This work provides a
direction for employing machine learning techniques to identify dynamical
patterns arising in coupled non-linear units on large-scale, and for
characterizing complex spatio-temporal patterns in real-world systems for
various applications.Comment: 20 Pages, 4 Figures; Comments welcom
Ensemble deep learning: A review
Ensemble learning combines several individual models to obtain better
generalization performance. Currently, deep learning models with multilayer
processing architecture is showing better performance as compared to the
shallow or traditional classification models. Deep ensemble learning models
combine the advantages of both the deep learning models as well as the ensemble
learning such that the final model has better generalization performance. This
paper reviews the state-of-art deep ensemble models and hence serves as an
extensive summary for the researchers. The ensemble models are broadly
categorised into ensemble models like bagging, boosting and stacking, negative
correlation based deep ensemble models, explicit/implicit ensembles,
homogeneous /heterogeneous ensemble, decision fusion strategies, unsupervised,
semi-supervised, reinforcement learning and online/incremental, multilabel
based deep ensemble models. Application of deep ensemble models in different
domains is also briefly discussed. Finally, we conclude this paper with some
future recommendations and research directions
Moringa oleifera Lam. (family Moringaceae) leaf extract attenuates high-fat diet-induced dyslipidemia and vascular endothelium dysfunction in Wistar albino rats
Purpose: To investigate the protective effect of methanol extract of Moringa oleifera leaves (MEMO) in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced dyslipidemia and vascular endothelium dysfunction.
Methods: Dose-dependent attenuating effect of MEMO was tested at doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg/day in an in vivo model of HFD-induced dyslipidemia using rats whereas vascular endothelial reactivity was assessed in isolated rat aorta using ex vivo organ bath setup.
Results: MEMO administration in HFD-induced dyslipidemic rats for 3 consecutive weeks, resulted in significant decrease in rat body weight, LW/BW and RFPW/BW ratio when compared to rats treated with HFD only where an increase in body weight was observed. Decrease in the average daily feed intake and significant reductions in waist, Lee index and BMI was also observed after MEMO treatment in HFD-induced dyslipidemic rats. Lipid profile data indicate that HFD group showed significant increase in total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL and VLDL levels while HDL levels decreased significantly. On the other hand, MEMO treatment improved lipid profile compared to HFD group. Ex-vivo isolated aorta results revealed that MEMO treatment reversed HFD-induced endothelium dysfunction when compared to SD group.
Conclusion: MEMO treatment produces dose-dependent improvement in lipid profile and vascular endothelium protection, thereby rationalizing its traditional medicine use in the treatment of dyslipidemia and cardiovascular related endothelial disorders
Deep Learning for Brain Age Estimation: A Systematic Review
Over the years, Machine Learning models have been successfully employed on
neuroimaging data for accurately predicting brain age. Deviations from the
healthy brain aging pattern are associated to the accelerated brain aging and
brain abnormalities. Hence, efficient and accurate diagnosis techniques are
required for eliciting accurate brain age estimations. Several contributions
have been reported in the past for this purpose, resorting to different
data-driven modeling methods. Recently, deep neural networks (also referred to
as deep learning) have become prevalent in manifold neuroimaging studies,
including brain age estimation. In this review, we offer a comprehensive
analysis of the literature related to the adoption of deep learning for brain
age estimation with neuroimaging data. We detail and analyze different deep
learning architectures used for this application, pausing at research works
published to date quantitatively exploring their application. We also examine
different brain age estimation frameworks, comparatively exposing their
advantages and weaknesses. Finally, the review concludes with an outlook
towards future directions that should be followed by prospective studies. The
ultimate goal of this paper is to establish a common and informed reference for
newcomers and experienced researchers willing to approach brain age estimation
by using deep learning model
An ethnomedicinal survey of traditionally used medicinal plants from Charkhi Dadri district, Haryana: an attempt towards documentation and preservation of ethnic knowledge
Medicinal plants have remained an integral source of therapeutics for primary healthcare since antiquity. The information pertaining to usage of plants is either inherited from elders or acquired through trials or the experience of others but is not documented frequently. South Haryana is one such rich storehouse of ethnomedicinal knowledge. Hence, ethnomedicinally important plants from Charkhi Dadri district of Haryana state were documented in the present study. The data was collected through field surveys and in-depth interviews organized in the fields during the years 2018-19. Factor of informant consensus was also calculated. A total of 90 ethnomedicinal plants were identified, belonging to 41 families and 79 genera. Majority of plants were herbs (47.7%), followed by trees (30%). Leguminosae (10%) represented the maximum number of plants, followed by Solanaceae (6.6% each) and Amaranthaceae, Lamiaceae and Poaceae (5.5% each). A total of 64 ailments were reported to be treated traditionally by ethnomedicinal plants in the area. The most commonly treated diseases were menorrhagia, skin boils, typhoid, diabetes, piles and diarrhoea. It was observed that the majority of plants were used freshly to extract juice, followed by powder and decoction and rarely as tea or oil forms. The present study provides comprehensive ethnomedicinal data including vernacular and botanical names, names of the family, mode of preparation, administration and dosage of plant drugs and diseases treated. It was concluded that this region still possesses numerous useful ethnomedicinal knowledge and may contribute to further herbal drug development programs
An ethnomedicinal survey of traditionally used medicinal plants from Charkhi Dadri district, Haryana: an attempt towards documentation and preservation of ethnic knowledge
436-450Medicinal plants have remained an integral source of therapeutics for primary healthcare since antiquity. The information pertaining to usage of plants is either inherited from elders or acquired through trials or the experience of others but is not documented frequently. South Haryana is one such rich storehouse of ethnomedicinal knowledge. Hence, ethnomedicinally important plants from Charkhi Dadri district of Haryana state were documented in the present study. The data was collected through field surveys and in-depth interviews organized in the fields during the years 2018-19. Factor of informant consensus was also calculated. A total of 90 ethnomedicinal plants were identified, belonging to 41 families and 79 genera. Majority of plants were herbs (47.7%), followed by trees (30%). Leguminosae (10%) represented the maximum number of plants, followed by Solanaceae (6.6% each) and Amaranthaceae, Lamiaceae and Poaceae (5.5% each). A total of 64 ailments were reported to be treated traditionally by ethnomedicinal plants in the area. The most commonly treated diseases were menorrhagia, skin boils, typhoid, diabetes, piles and diarrhoea. It was observed that the majority of plants were used freshly to extract juice, followed by powder and decoction and rarely as tea or oil forms. The present study provides comprehensive ethnomedicinal data including vernacular and botanical names, names of the family, mode of preparation, administration and dosage of plant drugs and diseases treated. It was concluded that this region still possesses numerous useful ethnomedicinal knowledge and may contribute to further herbal drug development programs
Lrp1 is essential for lethal Rift Valley fever hepatic disease in mice
Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is an emerging arbovirus found in Africa. While RVFV is pantropic and infects many cells and tissues, viral replication and necrosis within the liver play a critical role in mediating severe disease. The low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (Lrp1) is a recently identified host factor for cellular entry and infection by RVFV. The biological significance of Lrp1, including its role in hepatic disease in vivo, however, remains to be determined. Because Lrp1 has a high expression level in hepatocytes, we developed a mouse model in which Lrp1 is specifically deleted in hepatocytes to test how the absence of liver Lrp1 expression affects RVF pathogenesis. Mice lacking Lrp1 expression in hepatocytes showed minimal RVFV replication in the liver, longer time to death, and altered clinical signs toward neurological disease. In contrast, RVFV infection levels in other tissues showed no difference between the two genotypes. Therefore, Lrp1 is essential for RVF hepatic disease in mice
Oropouche orthobunyavirus infection is mediated by the cellular host factor Lrp1
Oropouche orthobunyavirus (OROV
An overview of the recent developments on fructooligosaccharide production and applications
Over the past years, many researchers have suggested
that deficiencies in the diet can lead to disease states
and that some diseases can be avoided through an adequate
intake of relevant dietary components. Recently, a great interest
in dietary modulation of the human gut has been registered.
Prebiotics, such as fructooligosaccharides (FOS), play a key
role in the improvement of gut microbiota balance and in
individual health. FOS are generally used as components of
functional foods, are generally regarded as safe (generally
recognized as safe status—from the Food and Drug Administration,
USA), and worth about 150€ per kilogram. Due to
their nutrition- and health-relevant properties, such as moderate
sweetness, low carcinogenicity, low calorimetric value,
and low glycemic index, FOS have been increasingly used
by the food industry. Conventionally, FOS are produced
through a two-stage process that requires an enzyme production
and purification step in order to proceed with the chemical
reaction itself. Several studies have been conducted on the
production of FOS, aiming its optimization toward the development
of more efficient production processes and their potential
as food ingredients. The improvement of FOS yield and
productivity can be achieved by the use of different fermentative
methods and different microbial sources of FOS producing
enzymes and the optimization of nutritional and
culture parameter; therefore, this review focuses on the latest
progresses in FOS research such as its production, functional
properties, and market data.Agencia de Inovacao (AdI)-Project BIOLIFE reference PRIME 03/347. Ana Dominguez acknowledges Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia, Portugal, for her PhD grant reference SFRH/BD/23083/2005
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