Characterisation and identification of ectomycorrhizae formed by the species of Asproinocybe (Tricholomataceae) and Inocybe (Inocybaceae) with the roots of the tropical sal tree Shorea robusta (Dipterocarpaceae)

In the course of the present study, surveys on occurrence and distribution of ectomycorrhizal (EcM) fungi in tropical sal forests of foothills of the Himalayas, India, were undertaken. The species of two genera of agarics, namely Asproinocybe and Inocybe, were found organically associated with the roots of Shorea robusta (sal tree). However, prior to our study the genus Asproinocybe has not been reported from India. In this article, the morpho-anatomical details of mycorrhizal roots of Shorea robusta associated with Asproinocybe lactifera and Inocybe purpureoflavida are provided for the first time. The EcM colonized roots of the two species are distinguished by differences in the shape and colour of the roots, surface texture, size and shape of cystidia, type of mantle, as well as different chemical reactions. Asproinocybe lactifera EcM is mainly characterised by a monopodial pinnate mycorrhizal system with the dark brown to reddish brown and loose cottony surface, while in Inocybe purpureoflavida it is irregularly pinnate to coralloid, silvery grey to reddish brown, with densely woolly surface. The outer mantle layer is heterogeneous with obclavate to awl-shaped cystidia in Asproinocybe lactifera, whereas Inocybe purpureoflavida EcM have a plectenchymatous outer mantle with subcylindrical to obclavate metuloidal and non-metuloidal cystidia. The presence of lactifers in the mantle is a unique feature in Asproinocybe lactifera as compared to Inocybe purpureoflavida.

Machine learning phenotyping of scarred myocardium from cine in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Aims Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) with late-gadolinium enhancement (LGE) is increasingly being used in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) for diagnosis, risk stratification, and monitoring. However, recent data demonstrating brain gadolinium deposits have raised safety concerns. We developed and validated a machine-learning (ML) method that incorporates features extracted from cine to identify HCM patients without fibrosis in whom gadolinium can be avoided. Methods and results An XGBoost ML model was developed using regional wall thickness and thickening, and radiomic features of myocardial signal intensity, texture, size, and shape from cine. A CMR dataset containing 1099 HCM patients collected using 1.5T CMR scanners from different vendors and centres was used for model development (n=882) and validation (n=217). Among the 2613 radiomic features, we identified 7 features that provided best discrimination between +LGE and −LGE using 10-fold stratified cross-validation in the development cohort. Subsequently, an XGBoost model was developed using these radiomic features, regional wall thickness and thickening. In the independent validation cohort, the ML model yielded an area under the curve of 0.83 (95% CI: 0.77–0.89), sensitivity of 91%, specificity of 62%, F1-score of 77%, true negatives rate (TNR) of 34%, and negative predictive value (NPV) of 89%. Optimization for sensitivity provided sensitivity of 96%, F2-score of 83%, TNR of 19% and NPV of 91%; false negatives halved from 4% to 2%. Conclusion An ML model incorporating novel radiomic markers of myocardium from cine can rule-out myocardial fibrosis in one-third of HCM patients referred for CMR reducing unnecessary gadolinium administration.

The influences of quality attributes and socio-demographics on Chinese consumers' general and online consumptions of Canadian, US and Australian lobsters

PurposeThis study explores the influence of quality attributes and socio-demographics on Chinese consumers' general and online consumption of three origin-specific lobsters: Canadian, United States and Australian.Design/methodology/approachA web-based survey was administrated to 981 consumers from two cities in China: Shanghai and Qingdao. Descriptive analysis and binary logistic regression were used in the data analysis.FindingsChinese consumers were more willing to pay for the lobster quality attributes vitality, meat content, texture, size and safety. Their general and online consumption of three origin-specific lobsters is significantly linked to the following quality attributes and socio-demographics: meat content, size, shell hardness, texture, safety, nutrition, age, income, education, occupation, residential place and marital status.Originality/valueThis is the first study to explore the influence of quality attributes and socio-demographics on consumers' online consumption of luxury seafood.

A FIELD GUIDE TO SONIC BOTANY: THOUGHTS ABOUT ECO-COMPOSITION

Sonic botany is an ongoing project that I have been developing over the past few years. It incorporates natural artefacts: dry leaves, pods, flowers, branches, rocks, bones and other organic findings. These are used as musical instruments that are played on with a scientific/musical tool: tuning forks in various frequencies. The vibration from the tuning forks resonates through the natural artefacts which amplify the vibration and – via sound – reveal the texture, size, material and condition of the organic matter. This process generates new sonic material, new context and new forms of musical composition. The practice developed into several compositions and projects, a performance practice, a notation system and a way of listening. Here I share some of the insights I gained through this process, the tools and the compositional framework.

An improved TEHL analysis of textured roller bearings consider various texture parameters and slip

Purpose The purpose of this study is to reveal the lubrication performance of textured roller bearings under various texture size, texture depth, texture types and slip. Design/methodology/approach In the present study, the improved thermal elastohydrodynamic lubrication method based on the surface texturing of the textured roller bearings is proposed, and then the effect of texture size, texture depth, texture types and slip on the contact pressure, film thickness and temperature distribution are analyzed systematically. Findings The results show that the pressure decreases and the film thickness increases on the contact area because of the surface texturing. The temperature increases first and then decreases as the texture size increases, and then the temperature increases as the texture depth and the slip increases. Compared to circle and square texture, cross texture can obviously decrease the temperature on the contact area. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified. Originality/value This study can help to reduce friction and wear of textured roller bearings. Peer review The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-08-2020-0318/

Numerical analysis and optimization of rectangular texture for gas foil thrust bearing

Accurate surface texture design is of great significance to improve the performances of gas bearings. In this article, the finite difference method and Newton’s method were combined to obtain the oil film pressure distribution, and the effect of rectangular groove on the lubrication performance was analyzed by changing representative texture parameters. The results show that the performances were more affected by the rectangular texture size compared with the distribution and the bottom shape of texture. The increasing of the surface texture number can only enhance the stability of the bearing. The bearing can provide 30% more bearing capacity by choosing larger size, radial arrangement and plane bottom. These results and analysis can provide technical reference for the bearing texture design.

Compact nanoscale textures reduce contact time of bouncing droplets

Many natural surfaces are capable of rapidly shedding water droplets—a phenomenon that has been attributed to the presence of low solid fraction textures (Φs ~ 0.01). However, recent observations revealed the presence of unusually high solid fraction nanoscale textures (Φs ~ 0.25 to 0.64) on water-repellent insect surfaces, which cannot be explained by existing wetting theories. Here, we show that the contact time of bouncing droplets on high solid fraction surfaces can be reduced by reducing the texture size to ~100 nm. We demonstrated that the texture size–dependent contact time reduction could be attributed to the dominance of line tension on nanotextures and that compact arrangement of nanotextures is essential to withstand the impact pressure of raindrops. Our findings illustrate a potential survival strategy of insects to rapidly shed impacting raindrops, and suggest a previously unidentified design principle to engineering robust water-repellent materials for applications including miniaturized drones.

Fruit Quality Analysis using Image Processing

Fruit Analysis using image processing is a technique used for finding the detection of fruits by a specific algorithm. This project is also used in finding the defected fruit in a group of fruits by the image processing technique. The objective of this work is to prevent health hazards by eating that defected fruit. This processing technique undergoes several stages for the classification and prediction of the defective fruit. This paper presents a detailed overview of various methods i.e., preprocessing, segmentation, feature extraction, a designation that addressed fruits and vegetable quality based on color, texture, size, shape, and defects. In this paper, a critical comparison of a different algorithm proposed by researchers for quality inspection of fruits has been carried out.

PENGARUH POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL (PEG) TERHADAP KADAR KUERSETIN KULTUR KALUS Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat PADA KONDISI PENCAHAYAAN BERBEDA

AbstrakKrisan (Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat) mengandung senyawa kuersetin dengan efek farmakologi yang sangat luas. Penambahan polyethilene glycol (PEG) dapat dimanfaatkan untuk meningkatkan produksi metabolit sekunder secara in vitro. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh PEG terhadap pertumbuhan kalus krisan dan kadar kuersetin 3-O-rhamnosida pada pencahayaan yang berbeda. Penelitian menggunakan Rancangan Acak Lengkap (RAL). Eksplan kalus berumur 45 hari setelah tanam (HST) disubkultur pada media MS + 4 ppm 2,4-D dengan penambahan PEG dalam lima taraf konsentrasi yaitu 0, 10, 20, 30, dan 40 ppm. Kultur diinkubasi pada kondisi gelap dan terang. Parameter yang diamati adalah warna, tekstur, ukuran, berat basah, dan berat kering kalus serta kadar kuersetin 3-O-rhamnosida. Data kuantitatif dianalisis menggunakan Analisis Varians dan Uji Jarak Berganda Duncan (α 5%), sedangkan data kualitatif dianalisis secara deskriptif. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa kalus pada kondisi terang berwarna cokelat dan cokelat kehijauan, sedangkan pada kondisi gelap berwarna putih kecokelatan. Perlakuan 10 ppm PEG menghasilkan berat basah dan berat kering kalus tertinggi baik pada kondisi terang maupun gelap berturut-turut 1,97 g dan 2,92 g; 0,94 g dan 1,09 g. Kadar kuersetin 3-O-rhamnosida tertinggi pada kondisi gelap dan terang terdapat pada perlakuan 10 ppm PEG berturut-turut 1,72 µg/g berat kering (BK) dan 2,59 µg/g BK.Abstract Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat. contains quercetin with very broad pharmacological effects. The addition of PEG can be used to increase the production of secondary metabolites using in vitro method. This study aimed to determine the effect of PEG on the growth of Chrysanthemum callus and quercetin 3-O-rhamnoside content in different lighting conditions. The experimental design used was a Completely Randomized Design. After 45 days, callus were subcultured on MS medium + 4 ppm 2,4-D which PEG was added in five concentration levels (0, 10, 20, 30, and 40 ppm). Culture was incubated in dark and light conditions. Parameters observed were color, texture, size, wet weight and dry weight of callus, also quercetin 3-O-rhamnoside levels. Quantitative data was analyzed using Analysis of Variance and Duncan's Multiple Distance (α 5%). Qualitative data was analyzed descriptively. The results showed that in light condition, the callus has brown and greenish brown color, whereas in dark, it has brownish white color. The 10 ppm PEG treatment produced the highest fresh weight and dry weight in both light and dark conditions of 1.97 g and 2.92 g, 0.94 g and 1.09 g, respectively.The highest quercetin 3-O-rhamnoside content in dark and light conditions were founded in 10 ppm PEG treatment of 1.72 µg/g dry weight (DW) and 2.59 µg/g DW.

Tribological performance of positive deterministic textured surfaces in parallel sliding lubricated contacts: Effect of texture size and height

Recent studies in tribology show that deterministic surface texture enhances the tribological performance of parallel sliding lubricated contacts in terms of reduction in friction and an increase in load carrying capacity. This paper presents an experimental study to assess the effect of texture size and height on hydrodynamic performance of parallel sliding thrust bearing. Positive deterministic textures of different size and height with circular, elliptical, square and triangular cross-sections are fabricated for investigation. The experiments are performed using an in-house developed thrust bearing apparatus with constant flow lubrication system. The most important finding is that all the textured surfaces produce lower frictional torque and higher bearing clearance as compared to the untextured surface under varying load and speed. From the test results, it is found that with same texture height, specimens having small texture size perform better tribological characteristics followed by medium and large size textures. Furthermore, it is reported that with same texture size, a higher value of texture height is promising better hydrodynamic performance for all shapes.