Apple scab detection using CNN and Transfer Learning

Received: January 11th, 2021 ; Accepted: April 10th, 2021 ; Published: April 22nd, 2021 ; Correspondence: [email protected] goal of smart and precise horticulture is to increase yield and product quality by simultaneous reduction of pesticide application, thereby promoting the improvement of food security. The scope of this research is apple scab detection in the early stage of development using mobile phones and artificial intelligence based on convolutional neural network (CNN) applications. The research considers data acquisition and CNN training. Two datasets were collected - with images of scab infected fruits and leaves of an apple tree. However, data acquisition is a time-consuming process and scab appearance has a probability factor. Therefore, transfer learning is an appropriate training methodology. The goal of this research was to select the most suitable dataset for transfer learning for the apple scab detection domain and to evaluate the transfer learning impact comparing it with learning from scratch. The statistical analysis confirmed the positive effect of transfer learning on CNN performance with significance level 0.05

Morphological features of bovine placenta in case of viral, bacterial and protozoal infections

The problem of the intrauterine  infection of fetus is one of the most critical ones in veterinary obstetrics and in perinatology due to the high level of infection in pregnant  cows, the risk of developmental disorder of fetus and the birth of sick calves. Complications of pregnancy occur in case of viral, bacterial and protozoal infections, when the pathogen  enters the uterus in an ascending or descending way with further transplacental  infection of the fetus. Morphological studies of placenta  of Black Pied cattle infected with bovine viral diarrhea, chlamydia and neosporosis were carried out. The presence of the pathogen was confirmed by serological and molecular genetic methods. The material used for histological studies was the fetal part of placenta. After sampling, the material was fixed in a 10% neutral formalin solution, then xylene-free method  for histological preparation  was used. Afterwards, samples were embedded in paraffin. In order to study morphological structures, samples were sectioned at 5–6 µm, and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Histological sections were analyzed using a Leica DM 1000 light microscope at a magnification of 100×,  200×,  400×,  630×.  On the basis of the conducted studies, it was established that bovine viral diarrhea-associated morphofunctional changes in the “mother – placenta – fetus” system are characterized by involutive-dystrophic changes with microcirculation disorders and the development of an immunity-associated inflammatory process. Chlamydia abortus intrauterine  infection in the “mother – placenta – fetus” system in cows causes a complex of destructive morphological and functional changes of an infectious and toxic nature with a pronounced inflammatory reaction, involvement of blood vessels in the pathological process, and endothelial dysfunction development,  alongside with tissue necrosis in case of a chronic process. The presence of cellular structures in the placenta and the inner part of the umbilical cord is a pathognomonic sign of chlamydia. The role of transplacental transmission of Neospora caninum in cattle was confirmed, the Neospora parasites subjected to basophilic staining were detected not only in the tissues of the placenta, but also in histological sections of the fetus heart and liver. The main characteristic diagnostic sign is the presence of basophilic stained Neospora parasites  in the organs of the mother  and fetus, placenta, and intervillous space. As part of the study morphological features of placenta, one of the most unique histohematic barriers and the basic element of the intrauterine infectious process, were determined

Replication of KCNJ11 (p.E23K) and ABCC8 (p.S1369A) association in Russian diabetes mellitus 2 type cohort and meta-analysis

© 2015 Sokolova et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. The genes ABCC8 and KCNJ11 have received intense focus in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) research over the past two decades. It has been hypothesized that the p.E23K (KCNJ11) mutation in the 11p15.1 region may play an important role in the development of T2DM. In 2009, Hamming et al. found that the p.1369A (ABCC8) variant may be a causal factor in the disease; therefore, in this study we performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the association between these single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), including our original data on the Siberian population (1384 T2DM and 414 controls). We found rs5219 and rs757110 were not associated with T2DM in this population, and that there was linkage disequilibrium in Siberians (D'=0.766, r2= 0.5633). In addition, the haplotype rs757110[T]- rs5219[C] (p.23K/p.S1369) was associated with T2DM (OR = 1.52, 95% CI: 1.04-2.24). We included 44 original studies published by June 2014 in a meta-analysis of the p.E23K association with T2DM. The total OR was 1.14 (95% CI: 1.11-1.17) for p.E23K for a total sample size of 137,298. For p.S1369A, a meta-analysis was conducted on a total of 10 studies with a total sample size of 14,136 and pooled OR of 1.14 [95% CI (1.08-1.19); p = 2 × 10-6]. Our calculations identified causal genetic variation within the ABCC8/KCNJ11region for T2DM with an OR of approximately 1.15 in Caucasians and Asians. Moreover, the OR value was not dependent on the frequency of p.E23K or p.S1369A in the populations

Role of photochemical and microbial degradation of phenol in water

The present work is aimed at spectroscopic and luminescent investigations of the microbial cleavage efficiency of phenol in the water solution upon expose to UV light. With increasing time of irradiation of phenol in the saline solution,the absorption intensity increases throughout the spectrum. The efficiency of photoalteration of phenol in the saline solution is higher compared to that in water. The results obtained have shown that the efficiency of complex photobiological phenol destruction increases sharply compared to the photochemical or microbial destruction

Economic tools for realization of methane production project on Kuzbass coal deposits

Environmental issues and, above all, issues related to the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, such as coal bed methane, actualize the challenge of searching a variety of options for its disposal. The difference in the macroeconomic, industrial, geological and infrastructural features determine the need to choose the most cost-effective option for using of methane emitted from the coal deposits. Various economic ways to improve the profitability of production are viewed on the basis of the analysis of methane production project from Kuzbass coal deposits, Kemerovo region, Russia

A Comparison of the Dynamics of S100B, S100A1, and S100A6 mRNA Expression in Hippocampal CA1 Area of Rats during Long-Term Potentiation and after Low-Frequency Stimulation

The interest in tissue- and cell-specific S100 proteins physiological roles in the brain remains high. However, necessary experimental data for the assessment of their dynamics in one of the most important brain activities, its plasticity, is not sufficient. We studied the expression of S100B, S100A1, and S100A6 mRNA in the subfield CA1 of rat hippocampal slices after tetanic and low-frequency stimulation by real-time PCR. Within 30 min after tetanization, a 2–4 fold increase of the S100B mRNA level was observed as compared to the control (intact slices) or to low-frequency stimulation. Subsequently, the S100B mRNA content gradually returned to baseline. The amount of S100A1 mRNA gradually increased during first hour and maintained at the achieved level in the course of second hour after tetanization. The level of S100A6 mRNA did not change following tetanization or low-frequency stimulation

Rhizobacteria Effect on Arsenic Migration and Translocation of Biogenic Elements in Plants

The study was aimed at the transformation of arsenic compounds in the rhizosphere, its accumulation in plants, P and Si translocation to plants under the influence of Bacillus megaterium var. phosphaticum, and Bacillus mucilaginosus with various forms of As compounds in the soil. The authors describe the maximum effect of Bacillus megaterium var. Phosphaticum strain on As migration, its mobilization and immobilization in the rhizosphere due to arsenic leaching from mineral and difficult-todestroy compounds and its accumulation in plants. The forms of arsenic compounds were isolated from the rhizosphere based on sequential extraction procedures. The features of the inter-element As-P interaction in plants were established. With the intense accumulation of As in the rhizosphere inoculated with rhizobacteria, the intake of phosphorus into plants was not observed, as contrary to Si. The study of As and biogenic elements behavior under the influence of rhizobacteria is of great importance in the development of ecobiotechnologies related to soil remediation and crop production

НАУКОВА ТА ІННОВАЦІЙНА ДІЯЛЬНІСТЬ ТЕРНОПІЛЬСЬКОГО ДЕРЖАВНОГО МЕДИЧНОГО УНІВЕРСИТЕТУ ІМЕНІ І.Я. ГОРБАЧЕВСЬКОГО (2013-2014 рр.)

The article adduces the main results of scientific activity of TSMU by I. Ya. Horbachevsky in the period of 2013–2014. It wasdemonstrated that due innovative approach scientific activity in TSMU had 1–2 places in the rating of MPH for HM(Ph)MI ofUkraine.У роботі представлено основні результати наукової діяльності ТДМ У ім. І. Я. Горбачевського у період 2013–2014 рр.Продемонстровано, що саме завдяки інноваційному підходу наукова діяльність в ТДМ У посіла 1–2 місця у рейтингуМОЗ для ВМ(Ф)НЗ України

Cytotoxicity of Polyelectrolyte Microcapsules Encoded with Semiconductor Nanocrystals

Polyelectrolyte microcapsules are promising carriers of drugs and diagnostic agents for designing targeted and controlled delivery systems design. The use of quantum dots (QDs) as fluorescent labels in bioimaging is a promising approach to bioimaging tool development. The potential toxicity of QDs makes their applicability as fluorescent labels in vivo questionable. Therefore, the cytotoxicity of polyelectrolyte microcapsules encoded with semiconductor nanocrystals has been investigated. Keywords: Polyelectrolyte microcapsules, semiconductor nanocrystals, cytotoxicity, theranostic agents