Objective: To evaluate the spread of Multidrug-Resistant (MDR) bacterial infections in Bukavu hospitals and test antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of some isolates to usual marketed antibiotics. Methods: The preva...Objective: To evaluate the spread of Multidrug-Resistant (MDR) bacterial infections in Bukavu hospitals and test antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of some isolates to usual marketed antibiotics. Methods: The prevalence of MDR strains was determined by using general antimicrobial susceptibility data collected from 3 hospital laboratories. The susceptibility of some isolates to usual antibiotics was processed by agar diffusion method with standard E. coli ATCC8739 and standard antibiotics discs as controls. The tested antibiotics were ampicillin, ceftriaxone, gentamicin, chloramphenicol and ciprofloxacin. Results: At the 3 hospitals, 758 tests were realized in urine, pus, stool, FCV, blood, LCR, split and FU specimens;46 strains were unidentified and 712 strains were identified. Of 712 identified strains, 223 (31.4%) were MDR or XDR strains including Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter, Proteus mirabilis, Salmonella enterica, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Citrobacter freundii, Morganella morganii, Enterococcus faecalis and E. faecium, Neisseria gonorrohoae, Staphylococcus aureus, coagulase-negative, staphylococci, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Streptococcus pyogenes. Of the infected patients, 36 (21.5%) children were under 16 years and 188 (78.5%) adults were predominately women (58.5%). The susceptibility test showed that all strains but S. aureus were resistant to ampicillin and amoxicillin and ciprofloxacin. Gentamicin, ceftriaxone, and chloramphenicol remain partially active (27% - 80%) against P. mirabilis, E. coli and P. aeruginosa. The resistance is more likely related to strain mutation than to pharmaceutical quality of the antibiotics prescribed. Conclusion: Both data from hospital laboratories and in vitro post-testing findings confirmed the ongoing elevated prevalence of MDR strains in Bukavu. The causes of antibiotic misuse and socio-economic determinants of the phenomenon of resistance should be scrutinized in order to take adequate strategies in the prospective of establishing an effective control system against this threat to overall health. The results of this work on MDR profiles have various implications for the management of infectious diseases. It provides indicators for the surveillance of antimicrobial resistance, practical guidelines for antibiotic susceptibility testing in biomedical laboratories, and guidance for antibiotic therapy.展开更多
As part of the drive to improve coffee and cocoa production in Ivory Coast, studies are carried out to identify soils that are favourable for these crops. It is therefore necessary to orientate soil investigations bas...As part of the drive to improve coffee and cocoa production in Ivory Coast, studies are carried out to identify soils that are favourable for these crops. It is therefore necessary to orientate soil investigations based on reliable criteria that best discriminate soil cover. With this in mind, this study is being carried out to help improve survey methods by mapping soil landscapes. It uses GIS and weighted multicriteria analysis. To do this, satellite images were processed and the geological map of the square degrees of M’Bahiakro and Daloa was reclassified. The results show that relief is the main factor in soil landscape differentiation, with respective weights of 0.58 and 0.67 for the forest and pre-forest zones. In contrast, the weight of geological formation in soil landscape differentiation remains low (0.05 for the forest zone and 0.07 for the pre-forest zone). The criteria used on the base of aggregation sum methods have made it possible to formulate soil landscape mapping prediction functions according to agro-ecological environments in the humid intertropical zone. This is essential for the orientation of soil survey work. Nevertheless, other comparative methods, such as the coding mapping method, could provide elements for discussion to validate the models.展开更多
The aim of this study was to report a case of multi-visceral sarcoidosis at the Mother-Child Hospital Center (CHME) “Le Luxembourg” in Bamako, Mali. Observation: This is a patient aged 62 at the time of consultation...The aim of this study was to report a case of multi-visceral sarcoidosis at the Mother-Child Hospital Center (CHME) “Le Luxembourg” in Bamako, Mali. Observation: This is a patient aged 62 at the time of consultation, a housewife, residing in the Banconi district, who was referred to us for thoracic-abdominopelvic imaging for chronic liver disease. After several diagnostic errors, the thoracic-abdominopelvic CT scan and liver MRI performed in our center showed, at the thoracoabdominal level, bilateral diffuse pulmonary micronodules and bilateral mediastinal-hilar lymphadenopathy;on the abdominal level, a dysmorphic liver with plaques of steatosis and a granular appearance of the liver parenchyma without periportal fibrosis. These imaging data combined with those from the liver nodule biopsy and biology confirmed the diagnosis of sarcoidosis type II. Treatment with corticosteroids gave satisfactory results and the patient recovered after 18 months. Clinical and CT monitoring 2 years from the start of the disease and 2 months from the end of treatment showed complete resolution of the lesions. Conclusion: The multi-visceral location of sarcoidosis is an entity whose diagnosis remains difficult;diagnostic and interventional imaging has an important place in its management.展开更多
The two universes multi-granularity fuzzy rough set model is an effective tool for handling uncertainty problems between two domains with the help of binary fuzzy relations. This article applies the idea of neighborho...The two universes multi-granularity fuzzy rough set model is an effective tool for handling uncertainty problems between two domains with the help of binary fuzzy relations. This article applies the idea of neighborhood rough sets to two universes multi-granularity fuzzy rough sets, and discusses the two-universes multi-granularity neighborhood fuzzy rough set model. Firstly, the upper and lower approximation operators are defined in the two universes multi-granularity neighborhood fuzzy rough set model. Secondly, the properties of the upper and lower approximation operators are discussed. Finally, the properties of the two universes multi-granularity neighborhood fuzzy rough set model are verified through case studies.展开更多
Bituminous materials are heat-sensitive, and their mechanical properties vary with temperature. This variation in properties is not without consequences on the performance of flexible road structures under the repeate...Bituminous materials are heat-sensitive, and their mechanical properties vary with temperature. This variation in properties is not without consequences on the performance of flexible road structures under the repeated passage of multi-axles. This study determines the influence of seasonal variations on the rate of permanent deformation, the rut depth of flexible pavements and the effect of alternating loading of heavy goods vehicles following the temperature variations on the durability of roads. Thus, an ambient and pavement surface temperature measurement was carried out in 2022. The temperature profile at different layers of the modelled pavement, the evaluation of deformation rates and rutting depth were determined using several models. The results show that the permanent deformation and rutting rates are higher at the level of the bituminous concrete layer than at the level of the asphalt gravel layer because the stresses decrease from the surface to the depth of the pavement. On the other hand, the variations in these rates, permanent deformations and ruts between the hot and so-called cold periods are more pronounced in the bitumen gravel than in bituminous concrete, showing that gravel bitumen is more sensitive to temperature variations than bituminous concrete despite its higher rigidity. Of these results, we suggested a periodic and alternating loading of the different types of heavy goods vehicles. These loads consist of fully applying the WAEMU standards with a tolerance of 15% during periods of high and low temperatures. This regulation has increased 2 to 3 times in the durability of roadways depending on the type of heavy goods vehicle.展开更多
Creation of a spectral signature reflectance data, which aids in the identification of the crops is important in determining size and location crop fields. Therefore, we developed a spectral signature reflectance for ...Creation of a spectral signature reflectance data, which aids in the identification of the crops is important in determining size and location crop fields. Therefore, we developed a spectral signature reflectance for the vegetative stage of the green gram (Vigna. radiata L.) over 5 years (2020, 2018, 2017, 2015, and 2013) for agroecological zone IV and V in Kenya. The years chosen were those whose satellite resolution data was available for the vegetative stage of crop growth in the short rain season (October, November, December (OND)). We used Landsat 8 OLI satellite imagery in this study. Cropping pattern data for the study area were evaluated by calculating the Top of Atmosphere reflectance. Farms geo-referencing, along with field data collection, was undertaken to extract Top of Atmosphere reflectance for bands 2, 3, 4 and 7. We also carried a spectral similarity assessment on the various cropping patterns. The spectral reflectance ranged from 0.07696 - 0.09632, 0.07466 - 0.09467, 0.0704047 - 0.12188,0.19822 - 0.24387, 0.19269 - 0.26900, and 0.11354 - 0.20815 for bands 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 for green gram, respectively. The results showed a dissimilarity among the various cropping patterns. The lowest dissimilarity index was 0.027 for the maize (Zea mays L.) bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) versus the maize-pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) crop, while the highest dissimilarity index was 0.443 for the maize bean versus the maize bean and cowpea cropping patterns. High crop dissimilarities experienced across the cropping pattern through these spectral reflectance values confirm that the green gram was potentially identifiable. The results can be used in crop type identification in agroecological lower midland zone IV and V for mung bean management. This study therefore suggests that use of reflectance data in remote sensing of agricultural ecosystems would aid in planning, management, and crop allocation to different ecozones.展开更多
Thoracic diseases pose significant risks to an individual's chest health and are among the most perilous medical diseases. They can impact either one or both lungs, which leads to a severe impairment of a person’...Thoracic diseases pose significant risks to an individual's chest health and are among the most perilous medical diseases. They can impact either one or both lungs, which leads to a severe impairment of a person’s ability to breathe normally. Some notable examples of such diseases encompass pneumonia, lung cancer, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), tuberculosis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Consequently, early and precise detection of these diseases is paramount during the diagnostic process. Traditionally, the primary methods employed for the detection involve the use of X-ray imaging or computed tomography (CT) scans. Nevertheless, due to the scarcity of proficient radiologists and the inherent similarities between these diseases, the accuracy of detection can be compromised, leading to imprecise or erroneous results. To address this challenge, scientists have turned to computer-based solutions, aiming for swift and accurate diagnoses. The primary objective of this study is to develop two machine learning models, utilizing single-task and multi-task learning frameworks, to enhance classification accuracy. Within the multi-task learning architecture, two principal approaches exist soft parameter sharing and hard parameter sharing. Consequently, this research adopts a multi-task deep learning approach that leverages CNNs to achieve improved classification performance for the specified tasks. These tasks, focusing on pneumonia and COVID-19, are processed and learned simultaneously within a multi-task model. To assess the effectiveness of the trained model, it is rigorously validated using three different real-world datasets for training and testing.展开更多
Multi-view Subspace Clustering (MVSC) emerges as an advanced clustering method, designed to integrate diverse views to uncover a common subspace, enhancing the accuracy and robustness of clustering results. The signif...Multi-view Subspace Clustering (MVSC) emerges as an advanced clustering method, designed to integrate diverse views to uncover a common subspace, enhancing the accuracy and robustness of clustering results. The significance of low-rank prior in MVSC is emphasized, highlighting its role in capturing the global data structure across views for improved performance. However, it faces challenges with outlier sensitivity due to its reliance on the Frobenius norm for error measurement. Addressing this, our paper proposes a Low-Rank Multi-view Subspace Clustering Based on Sparse Regularization (LMVSC- Sparse) approach. Sparse regularization helps in selecting the most relevant features or views for clustering while ignoring irrelevant or noisy ones. This leads to a more efficient and effective representation of the data, improving the clustering accuracy and robustness, especially in the presence of outliers or noisy data. By incorporating sparse regularization, LMVSC-Sparse can effectively handle outlier sensitivity, which is a common challenge in traditional MVSC methods relying solely on low-rank priors. Then Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers (ADMM) algorithm is employed to solve the proposed optimization problems. Our comprehensive experiments demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of LMVSC-Sparse, offering a robust alternative to traditional MVSC methods.展开更多
Quantitative headspace analysis of volatiles emitted by plants or any other living organisms in chemical ecology studies generates large multidimensional data that require extensive mining and refining to extract usef...Quantitative headspace analysis of volatiles emitted by plants or any other living organisms in chemical ecology studies generates large multidimensional data that require extensive mining and refining to extract useful information. More often the number of variables and the quantified volatile compounds exceed the number of observations or samples and hence many traditional statistical analysis methods become inefficient. Here, we employed machine learning algorithm, random forest (RF) in combination with distance-based procedure, similarity percentage (SIMPER) as preprocessing steps to reduce the data dimensionality in the chemical profiles of volatiles from three African nightshade plant species before subjecting the data to non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS). In addition, non-parametric methods namely permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) and analysis of similarities (ANOSIM) were applied to test hypothesis of differences among the African nightshade species based on the volatiles profiles and ascertain the patterns revealed by NMDS plots. Our results revealed that there were significant differences among the African nightshade species when the data’s dimension was reduced using RF variable importance and SIMPER, as also supported by NMDS plots that showed S. scabrum being separated from S. villosum and S. sarrachoides based on the reduced data variables. The novelty of our work is on the merits of using data reduction techniques to successfully reveal differences in groups which could have otherwise not been the case if the analysis were performed on the entire original data matrix characterized by small samples. The R code used in the analysis has been shared herein for interested researchers to customise it for their own data of similar nature.展开更多
It is alarming for the fact that Wildfires number, severity and consequently impact have significantly increased during the last years, an aftermath of the Climate Change. One of the most affected areas worldwide is M...It is alarming for the fact that Wildfires number, severity and consequently impact have significantly increased during the last years, an aftermath of the Climate Change. One of the most affected areas worldwide is Mediterranean, due to the unique combination of its type of vegetation and demanding climatic conditions. This research is focused on the Region of Epirus in Greece, an area with significant natural vegetation and a range of geomorphological aspects. In order to estimate the Wildfire Risk Hazard, several factors have been used: geomorphological (slope, aspect, elevation, TWI, Hydrographic network), social (Settlements and landfils, roads, overhead lines and substations), environmental (land cover) and climatic (Fire Weather Index). Through a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) and an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) in a GIS environment, the Wildfire Risk Hazard has been estimated not only for current conditions but also for future projections for the near future (2031-2060) and the far future (2071-2100). The selected case study includes the potential impact of the Wildfires to the installed (or targeted to be installed) RES projects in the studied region.展开更多
Accurate traffic prediction is crucial for an intelligent traffic system (ITS). However, the excessive non-linearity and complexity of the spatial-temporal correlation in traffic flow severely limit the prediction acc...Accurate traffic prediction is crucial for an intelligent traffic system (ITS). However, the excessive non-linearity and complexity of the spatial-temporal correlation in traffic flow severely limit the prediction accuracy of most existing models, which simply stack temporal and spatial modules and fail to capture spatial-temporal features effectively. To improve the prediction accuracy, a multi-head attention spatial-temporal graph neural network (MSTNet) is proposed in this paper. First, the traffic data is decomposed into unique time spans that conform to positive rules, and valuable traffic node attributes are mined through an adaptive graph structure. Second, time and spatial features are captured using a multi-head attention spatial-temporal module. Finally, a multi-step prediction module is used to achieve future traffic condition prediction. Numerical experiments were conducted on an open-source dataset, and the results demonstrate that MSTNet performs well in spatial-temporal feature extraction and achieves more positive forecasting results than the baseline methods.展开更多
Floods are phenomenon with significant socio-economic implications mainly for human loss, agriculture, livestock, soil loss and land degradation, for which many researchers try to identify the most appropriate methodo...Floods are phenomenon with significant socio-economic implications mainly for human loss, agriculture, livestock, soil loss and land degradation, for which many researchers try to identify the most appropriate methodologies by analyzing their temporal and spatial development. This study therefore attempts to employ the GIS-based multi-criteria decision analysis and analytical hierarchy process techniques to derive the flood risks management on rice productivity in the Gishari Agricultural Marshland in Rwamagana district, Rwanda. Here, six influencing potential factors to flooding, including river slope, soil texture, Land Use Land Cover through Land Sat 8, rainfall, river distance and Digital Elevation Model are considered for the delineation of flood risk zones. Data acquisition like Landsat 8 images, DEM, land use land cover, slope, and soil class in the study area were considered. Results showed that if the DEM is outdated or inaccurate due to changes in the terrain, such as construction, excavation, or erosion, the predicted flood patterns might not reflect the actual water flow. This could result unexpected flood extents and depths, potentially inundating rice fields that were not previously at risk and this, expectedly explained that the increase 1 m in elevation would reduce the rice productivity by 0.17% due to unplanned flood risks in marshland. It was found that the change in rainfall distribution in Gishari agricultural marshland would also decrease the rice productivity by 0.0018%, which is a sign that rainfall is a major factor of flooding in rice scheme. Rainfall distribution plays a crucial role in flooding analysis and can directly impact rice productivity. Oppositely, another causal factor was Land Use Land Cover (LULC), where the Multivariate Logistic Regression Model Analysis findings showed that the increase of one unit in Land Use Land Cover would increase rice productivity by 0.17% of the total rice productivity from the Gishari Agricultural Marshland. Based on findings from these techniques, the Gishari Agricultural Marshlands having steeped land with grassland is classified into five classes of flooding namely very low, low, moderate, high, and very high which include 430%, 361%, 292%, 223%, and 154%. Government of Rwanda and other implementing agencies and major key actors have to contribute on soil and water conservation strategies to reduce the runoff and soil erosion as major contributors of flooding.展开更多
文摘Objective: To evaluate the spread of Multidrug-Resistant (MDR) bacterial infections in Bukavu hospitals and test antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of some isolates to usual marketed antibiotics. Methods: The prevalence of MDR strains was determined by using general antimicrobial susceptibility data collected from 3 hospital laboratories. The susceptibility of some isolates to usual antibiotics was processed by agar diffusion method with standard E. coli ATCC8739 and standard antibiotics discs as controls. The tested antibiotics were ampicillin, ceftriaxone, gentamicin, chloramphenicol and ciprofloxacin. Results: At the 3 hospitals, 758 tests were realized in urine, pus, stool, FCV, blood, LCR, split and FU specimens;46 strains were unidentified and 712 strains were identified. Of 712 identified strains, 223 (31.4%) were MDR or XDR strains including Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter, Proteus mirabilis, Salmonella enterica, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Citrobacter freundii, Morganella morganii, Enterococcus faecalis and E. faecium, Neisseria gonorrohoae, Staphylococcus aureus, coagulase-negative, staphylococci, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Streptococcus pyogenes. Of the infected patients, 36 (21.5%) children were under 16 years and 188 (78.5%) adults were predominately women (58.5%). The susceptibility test showed that all strains but S. aureus were resistant to ampicillin and amoxicillin and ciprofloxacin. Gentamicin, ceftriaxone, and chloramphenicol remain partially active (27% - 80%) against P. mirabilis, E. coli and P. aeruginosa. The resistance is more likely related to strain mutation than to pharmaceutical quality of the antibiotics prescribed. Conclusion: Both data from hospital laboratories and in vitro post-testing findings confirmed the ongoing elevated prevalence of MDR strains in Bukavu. The causes of antibiotic misuse and socio-economic determinants of the phenomenon of resistance should be scrutinized in order to take adequate strategies in the prospective of establishing an effective control system against this threat to overall health. The results of this work on MDR profiles have various implications for the management of infectious diseases. It provides indicators for the surveillance of antimicrobial resistance, practical guidelines for antibiotic susceptibility testing in biomedical laboratories, and guidance for antibiotic therapy.
文摘As part of the drive to improve coffee and cocoa production in Ivory Coast, studies are carried out to identify soils that are favourable for these crops. It is therefore necessary to orientate soil investigations based on reliable criteria that best discriminate soil cover. With this in mind, this study is being carried out to help improve survey methods by mapping soil landscapes. It uses GIS and weighted multicriteria analysis. To do this, satellite images were processed and the geological map of the square degrees of M’Bahiakro and Daloa was reclassified. The results show that relief is the main factor in soil landscape differentiation, with respective weights of 0.58 and 0.67 for the forest and pre-forest zones. In contrast, the weight of geological formation in soil landscape differentiation remains low (0.05 for the forest zone and 0.07 for the pre-forest zone). The criteria used on the base of aggregation sum methods have made it possible to formulate soil landscape mapping prediction functions according to agro-ecological environments in the humid intertropical zone. This is essential for the orientation of soil survey work. Nevertheless, other comparative methods, such as the coding mapping method, could provide elements for discussion to validate the models.
文摘The aim of this study was to report a case of multi-visceral sarcoidosis at the Mother-Child Hospital Center (CHME) “Le Luxembourg” in Bamako, Mali. Observation: This is a patient aged 62 at the time of consultation, a housewife, residing in the Banconi district, who was referred to us for thoracic-abdominopelvic imaging for chronic liver disease. After several diagnostic errors, the thoracic-abdominopelvic CT scan and liver MRI performed in our center showed, at the thoracoabdominal level, bilateral diffuse pulmonary micronodules and bilateral mediastinal-hilar lymphadenopathy;on the abdominal level, a dysmorphic liver with plaques of steatosis and a granular appearance of the liver parenchyma without periportal fibrosis. These imaging data combined with those from the liver nodule biopsy and biology confirmed the diagnosis of sarcoidosis type II. Treatment with corticosteroids gave satisfactory results and the patient recovered after 18 months. Clinical and CT monitoring 2 years from the start of the disease and 2 months from the end of treatment showed complete resolution of the lesions. Conclusion: The multi-visceral location of sarcoidosis is an entity whose diagnosis remains difficult;diagnostic and interventional imaging has an important place in its management.
文摘The two universes multi-granularity fuzzy rough set model is an effective tool for handling uncertainty problems between two domains with the help of binary fuzzy relations. This article applies the idea of neighborhood rough sets to two universes multi-granularity fuzzy rough sets, and discusses the two-universes multi-granularity neighborhood fuzzy rough set model. Firstly, the upper and lower approximation operators are defined in the two universes multi-granularity neighborhood fuzzy rough set model. Secondly, the properties of the upper and lower approximation operators are discussed. Finally, the properties of the two universes multi-granularity neighborhood fuzzy rough set model are verified through case studies.
文摘Bituminous materials are heat-sensitive, and their mechanical properties vary with temperature. This variation in properties is not without consequences on the performance of flexible road structures under the repeated passage of multi-axles. This study determines the influence of seasonal variations on the rate of permanent deformation, the rut depth of flexible pavements and the effect of alternating loading of heavy goods vehicles following the temperature variations on the durability of roads. Thus, an ambient and pavement surface temperature measurement was carried out in 2022. The temperature profile at different layers of the modelled pavement, the evaluation of deformation rates and rutting depth were determined using several models. The results show that the permanent deformation and rutting rates are higher at the level of the bituminous concrete layer than at the level of the asphalt gravel layer because the stresses decrease from the surface to the depth of the pavement. On the other hand, the variations in these rates, permanent deformations and ruts between the hot and so-called cold periods are more pronounced in the bitumen gravel than in bituminous concrete, showing that gravel bitumen is more sensitive to temperature variations than bituminous concrete despite its higher rigidity. Of these results, we suggested a periodic and alternating loading of the different types of heavy goods vehicles. These loads consist of fully applying the WAEMU standards with a tolerance of 15% during periods of high and low temperatures. This regulation has increased 2 to 3 times in the durability of roadways depending on the type of heavy goods vehicle.
文摘Creation of a spectral signature reflectance data, which aids in the identification of the crops is important in determining size and location crop fields. Therefore, we developed a spectral signature reflectance for the vegetative stage of the green gram (Vigna. radiata L.) over 5 years (2020, 2018, 2017, 2015, and 2013) for agroecological zone IV and V in Kenya. The years chosen were those whose satellite resolution data was available for the vegetative stage of crop growth in the short rain season (October, November, December (OND)). We used Landsat 8 OLI satellite imagery in this study. Cropping pattern data for the study area were evaluated by calculating the Top of Atmosphere reflectance. Farms geo-referencing, along with field data collection, was undertaken to extract Top of Atmosphere reflectance for bands 2, 3, 4 and 7. We also carried a spectral similarity assessment on the various cropping patterns. The spectral reflectance ranged from 0.07696 - 0.09632, 0.07466 - 0.09467, 0.0704047 - 0.12188,0.19822 - 0.24387, 0.19269 - 0.26900, and 0.11354 - 0.20815 for bands 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 for green gram, respectively. The results showed a dissimilarity among the various cropping patterns. The lowest dissimilarity index was 0.027 for the maize (Zea mays L.) bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) versus the maize-pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) crop, while the highest dissimilarity index was 0.443 for the maize bean versus the maize bean and cowpea cropping patterns. High crop dissimilarities experienced across the cropping pattern through these spectral reflectance values confirm that the green gram was potentially identifiable. The results can be used in crop type identification in agroecological lower midland zone IV and V for mung bean management. This study therefore suggests that use of reflectance data in remote sensing of agricultural ecosystems would aid in planning, management, and crop allocation to different ecozones.
文摘Thoracic diseases pose significant risks to an individual's chest health and are among the most perilous medical diseases. They can impact either one or both lungs, which leads to a severe impairment of a person’s ability to breathe normally. Some notable examples of such diseases encompass pneumonia, lung cancer, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), tuberculosis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Consequently, early and precise detection of these diseases is paramount during the diagnostic process. Traditionally, the primary methods employed for the detection involve the use of X-ray imaging or computed tomography (CT) scans. Nevertheless, due to the scarcity of proficient radiologists and the inherent similarities between these diseases, the accuracy of detection can be compromised, leading to imprecise or erroneous results. To address this challenge, scientists have turned to computer-based solutions, aiming for swift and accurate diagnoses. The primary objective of this study is to develop two machine learning models, utilizing single-task and multi-task learning frameworks, to enhance classification accuracy. Within the multi-task learning architecture, two principal approaches exist soft parameter sharing and hard parameter sharing. Consequently, this research adopts a multi-task deep learning approach that leverages CNNs to achieve improved classification performance for the specified tasks. These tasks, focusing on pneumonia and COVID-19, are processed and learned simultaneously within a multi-task model. To assess the effectiveness of the trained model, it is rigorously validated using three different real-world datasets for training and testing.
文摘Multi-view Subspace Clustering (MVSC) emerges as an advanced clustering method, designed to integrate diverse views to uncover a common subspace, enhancing the accuracy and robustness of clustering results. The significance of low-rank prior in MVSC is emphasized, highlighting its role in capturing the global data structure across views for improved performance. However, it faces challenges with outlier sensitivity due to its reliance on the Frobenius norm for error measurement. Addressing this, our paper proposes a Low-Rank Multi-view Subspace Clustering Based on Sparse Regularization (LMVSC- Sparse) approach. Sparse regularization helps in selecting the most relevant features or views for clustering while ignoring irrelevant or noisy ones. This leads to a more efficient and effective representation of the data, improving the clustering accuracy and robustness, especially in the presence of outliers or noisy data. By incorporating sparse regularization, LMVSC-Sparse can effectively handle outlier sensitivity, which is a common challenge in traditional MVSC methods relying solely on low-rank priors. Then Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers (ADMM) algorithm is employed to solve the proposed optimization problems. Our comprehensive experiments demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of LMVSC-Sparse, offering a robust alternative to traditional MVSC methods.
文摘Quantitative headspace analysis of volatiles emitted by plants or any other living organisms in chemical ecology studies generates large multidimensional data that require extensive mining and refining to extract useful information. More often the number of variables and the quantified volatile compounds exceed the number of observations or samples and hence many traditional statistical analysis methods become inefficient. Here, we employed machine learning algorithm, random forest (RF) in combination with distance-based procedure, similarity percentage (SIMPER) as preprocessing steps to reduce the data dimensionality in the chemical profiles of volatiles from three African nightshade plant species before subjecting the data to non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS). In addition, non-parametric methods namely permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) and analysis of similarities (ANOSIM) were applied to test hypothesis of differences among the African nightshade species based on the volatiles profiles and ascertain the patterns revealed by NMDS plots. Our results revealed that there were significant differences among the African nightshade species when the data’s dimension was reduced using RF variable importance and SIMPER, as also supported by NMDS plots that showed S. scabrum being separated from S. villosum and S. sarrachoides based on the reduced data variables. The novelty of our work is on the merits of using data reduction techniques to successfully reveal differences in groups which could have otherwise not been the case if the analysis were performed on the entire original data matrix characterized by small samples. The R code used in the analysis has been shared herein for interested researchers to customise it for their own data of similar nature.
文摘It is alarming for the fact that Wildfires number, severity and consequently impact have significantly increased during the last years, an aftermath of the Climate Change. One of the most affected areas worldwide is Mediterranean, due to the unique combination of its type of vegetation and demanding climatic conditions. This research is focused on the Region of Epirus in Greece, an area with significant natural vegetation and a range of geomorphological aspects. In order to estimate the Wildfire Risk Hazard, several factors have been used: geomorphological (slope, aspect, elevation, TWI, Hydrographic network), social (Settlements and landfils, roads, overhead lines and substations), environmental (land cover) and climatic (Fire Weather Index). Through a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) and an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) in a GIS environment, the Wildfire Risk Hazard has been estimated not only for current conditions but also for future projections for the near future (2031-2060) and the far future (2071-2100). The selected case study includes the potential impact of the Wildfires to the installed (or targeted to be installed) RES projects in the studied region.
文摘Accurate traffic prediction is crucial for an intelligent traffic system (ITS). However, the excessive non-linearity and complexity of the spatial-temporal correlation in traffic flow severely limit the prediction accuracy of most existing models, which simply stack temporal and spatial modules and fail to capture spatial-temporal features effectively. To improve the prediction accuracy, a multi-head attention spatial-temporal graph neural network (MSTNet) is proposed in this paper. First, the traffic data is decomposed into unique time spans that conform to positive rules, and valuable traffic node attributes are mined through an adaptive graph structure. Second, time and spatial features are captured using a multi-head attention spatial-temporal module. Finally, a multi-step prediction module is used to achieve future traffic condition prediction. Numerical experiments were conducted on an open-source dataset, and the results demonstrate that MSTNet performs well in spatial-temporal feature extraction and achieves more positive forecasting results than the baseline methods.
文摘Floods are phenomenon with significant socio-economic implications mainly for human loss, agriculture, livestock, soil loss and land degradation, for which many researchers try to identify the most appropriate methodologies by analyzing their temporal and spatial development. This study therefore attempts to employ the GIS-based multi-criteria decision analysis and analytical hierarchy process techniques to derive the flood risks management on rice productivity in the Gishari Agricultural Marshland in Rwamagana district, Rwanda. Here, six influencing potential factors to flooding, including river slope, soil texture, Land Use Land Cover through Land Sat 8, rainfall, river distance and Digital Elevation Model are considered for the delineation of flood risk zones. Data acquisition like Landsat 8 images, DEM, land use land cover, slope, and soil class in the study area were considered. Results showed that if the DEM is outdated or inaccurate due to changes in the terrain, such as construction, excavation, or erosion, the predicted flood patterns might not reflect the actual water flow. This could result unexpected flood extents and depths, potentially inundating rice fields that were not previously at risk and this, expectedly explained that the increase 1 m in elevation would reduce the rice productivity by 0.17% due to unplanned flood risks in marshland. It was found that the change in rainfall distribution in Gishari agricultural marshland would also decrease the rice productivity by 0.0018%, which is a sign that rainfall is a major factor of flooding in rice scheme. Rainfall distribution plays a crucial role in flooding analysis and can directly impact rice productivity. Oppositely, another causal factor was Land Use Land Cover (LULC), where the Multivariate Logistic Regression Model Analysis findings showed that the increase of one unit in Land Use Land Cover would increase rice productivity by 0.17% of the total rice productivity from the Gishari Agricultural Marshland. Based on findings from these techniques, the Gishari Agricultural Marshlands having steeped land with grassland is classified into five classes of flooding namely very low, low, moderate, high, and very high which include 430%, 361%, 292%, 223%, and 154%. Government of Rwanda and other implementing agencies and major key actors have to contribute on soil and water conservation strategies to reduce the runoff and soil erosion as major contributors of flooding.