Search Results (11)

We propose the Deformable and Dilated Feature Fusion Module (D2FM) in this paper to enhance the adaptability and flexibility of feature extraction in object detection tasks. Unlike traditional convolutions and Deformable Convolutional Networks (DCNs), D2FM dynamically predicts both dilation coefficients, and additionally predicts spatial offsets based on the features at the dilated positions to better capture multi-scale and context-dependent patterns. Furthermore, a self-attention mechanism is introduced to fuse geometry-aware and enhanced local features. To efficiently integrate D2FM into detection frameworks, we design the D2FM-HierarchyEncoder, which employs hierarchical channel reduction and depth-dependent stacking of D2FM blocks, balancing representation capability and computational cost. We apply our design to the YOLOv11 detector, forming the D2YOLOv11 model. On the COCO 2017 dataset, our method achieves 47.9 AP when implemented with the YOLOv11s backbone network, representing a 1.0 AP improvement over the baseline YOLOv11 approach. Full article

Single-stage detectors have drawbacks of insufficient accuracy and poor coverage capability. YOLOF (You Only Look One-level Feature) has achieved better performance in this regard, but there is still room for improvement. To enhance the coverage capability for objects of different scales, we propose an improved single-stage object detector: Dq-YOLOF. We have designed an output encoder that employs a series of modules utilizing deformable convolution and SimAM (Simple Attention Module). This module replaces the dilated convolution in YOLOF. This design significantly improves the ability to express details. Simultaneously, we have redefined the sample selection strategy, which optimizes the quality of positive samples based on SimOTA. It can dynamically allocate positive samples according to their quality, reducing computational load and making it more suitable for small objects. Experiments conducted on the COCO 2017 dataset also verify the effectiveness of our method. Dq-YOLOF achieved 38.7 $AP$, 1.5 $AP$ higher than YOLOF. To confirm performance improvements on small objects, our method was tested on urinary sediment and aerial drone datasets for generalization. Notably, it enhances performance while also lowering computational costs. Full article

An experiment was conducted to investigate the optimal use of high-salt water for alfalfa fodder growth and quality in Aridisol. The experiment included five treatments and was performed using a completely randomized design (CRD) as factorial design with three replications. We used a leaching fraction technique (LF), which is a mitigating technique (MT). The five treatments were T1 = MT1 as normal irrigation (control), T2 = MT2 as a leaching fraction (LF) of 15% with the same quality of water, T3 = MT3 as a LF of 30% with the same quality of water, T4 = MT4 as a LF of 15% with good-quality water (as percentage of total water), in the form of 2–3 irrigations every 3 months, and T5 = MT5 as a LF of 30% with good-quality water (as percentage of total water), in the form of 2–3 irrigations every 3 months. The duration of the experiment was three years and normal soil (non-saline, non-sodic) was used in the current study. Results showed that saline water irrigation negatively affected the growth traits, but the application of the LF technique with same-quality or good-quality water mitigated such negative effects. The fodder quality traits such as crude protein (CP), crude fiber (CF) and ashes were also affected in a negative way with the use of saline irrigation water. This negative impact was more intensified in the third year as the concentration of salts increased in saline water during the three years of the current investigation. A LF with canal water at 15 or 30% reduced the negative effects of salt stress and improved fodder biomass production and quality traits. For examples, using a LF with canal water at 30% increased the biomass production to 33.30 g and 15.87 g when plants were irrigated with W1 and W5, respectively. In addition, it improved quality traits such as crude protein content (5.54% and 3.73%) and crude fiber content (14.55% and 12.75%) when plants were irrigated with W1 and W5, respectively. It was concluded that the LF technique can be recommended for practice in the case of saline water irrigation for the optimized growth and quality of alfalfa fodder. Full article

Inflammation is a complex response of the human organism and relates to the onset of various disorders including diabetes. The current research work aimed at investigating the anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic effects of ferruginan, a compound isolated from Olea ferruginea. Its in vitro anti-inflammatory activity was determined by using the heat-induced hemolysis assay, while the anti-diabetic effect of the compound was studied by the yeast cell glucose uptake assay. Ferruginan exhibited a maximum of 71.82% inhibition of inflammation and also increased the uptake of glucose by yeast cells by up to 74.96% at the highest tested concentration (100 µM). Moreover, ferruginan inhibited α-amylase dose-dependently, by up to 75.45% at the same concentration. These results indicated that ferruginan possesses promising anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic properties in vitro, even if at high concentrations. To provide preliminary hypotheses on the potentially multi-target mechanisms underlying such effects, docking analyses were performed on α-amylase and on various molecular targets involved in inflammation such as 5′-adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK, PDB ID 3AQV), cyclooxygenase (COX-1, PDB ID 1EQG, and COX-2, 1CX2), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α, PDB ID 2AZ5). The docking studies suggested that the compound may act on α-amylase, COX-2, and AMPK. Full article

In adhesive bonding, two different substrate materials are joined together, usually by forming chemical bonds. The adhesive can stick things together. The loading rate and deformation mode can easily change the mechanical properties of the adhesive material. Hence, a vital aim of the current study is to evaluate the strain rate effect on the damage response of adhesive joints for Mode I loading scenarios. The adherend material was aluminum AL6061-T6, and Araldite 2015 was the adherent material. This experiment for delamination had a prescribed adherend size of 200 mm × 25 mm × 3 mm and an adhesive thickness of 0.5 mm. In situations where the strain rate affects the failure mechanism, a displacement rate of 5, 50, or 500 mm/min is sufficient to attain the failure mechanism. A double cantilever beam (DCB) specimen was employed to construct the FE model geometry for simulation. A hybrid experimental–FE technique was utilized to extract the properties of the adhesive interface. FE simulation has proven to have an excellent correlation with the experimental findings. Full article

Water quality assessment and its monitoring are necessary for areas of mining activities. In Malaysia, the mining industry is the backbone of the manufacturing and construction sectors. This study used spatio-temporal water quality modeling along a reach with mining activities during high and low discharges at Sungai (river) Lebir and Sungai Aring, situated in Gua Musang, Kelantan, Peninsular Malaysia. The objective was to assess the spatio-temporal environmental impact of mining activities during the wet and dry seasons. Data were collected at different locations along the reach. Point and non-point sources were near the mining site. Overland flow calculation at the mining site was found with the widely used SCS (Soil Conservation Service) curve number method. Several scenarios were analyzed, such as baseline, worst-case, and with-mitigation. The study revealed that baseline values of all parameters were either in a natural condition or slightly polluted, except for aluminum. All parameters were estimated at a high concentration from the mining site to downstream during the worst case of the wet season. Whereas, during the worst case of the dry season, no significant differences were observed compared to baseline values. In the with-mitigation scenario, parameter concentrations were improved and similar to baseline values. Overall, the scenario selection was helpful in the environmental impact assessment. Furthermore, this study will be significant in pre- and post-mining assessment and environmental clearance. Full article

In this paper, the depositional environment, age, and tectonic context of the Sub-Himalayan Kuldana Formation are discussed in detail. To determine the Kuldana Formation’s depositional environment, age, and tectonic setting, sedimentological, palaeontological, and petrographic investigations have been conducted accordingly. The Kuldana Formation lithologically consists of both siliciclastic and carbonate rocks. Petrographically, the Kuldana Formation’s sandstone is divided into litharenite and feldspathic litharenite petrofacies. The sandstone plots on the QtFL and QmFLt suggest that the sandstone of the Kuldana Formation derived from a recycled orogen provenance field that developed during the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates in the Lesser and Higher Himalayas. The plots in the diamond diagram further demonstrate that the detritus of the Kuldana Formation was derived from low and middle-to-upper rank metamorphic rocks of the Himalayas. Throughout the deposition of sandstone, paleo-climate conditions were semi-humid to semiarid. Dolostone and limestone are the two main types of carbonate rocks found in the Kuldana Formation. According to Dunham’s Classification, the Kuldana Formation limestone is classified as mudstone, wackstone, and packstone. These petrofacies suggest that the limestone was deposited in an inner-outer ramp setting. The bioclasts include bivalves, brachiopods, crinoid, gastropods, Globigerinoides spp., Lockhartia pustulosa, miliolids, Nummulites atacicus, Nummulites discorbina, Nummulites mamillatus, Nummulites djodjokartae, Nummulites vascus, and ostracods suggesting that the age of Kuldana Formation is Middle Eocene-early Oligocene. The Kuldana Formation was deposited during the initial stages of the Himalayan Orogeny as a result of the Ceno-Tethys Ocean’s regression and transgression, as revealed by a succession of siliciclastic and non-clastic rocks. Full article

The occurrence of microbial communities harboring antibiotic resistance bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes in the drinking water distribution system pose a significant threat to the aquatic ecosystem and to public health, especially in developing countries. In this study, we have used next-generation sequencing technology to explore bacterial community diversity and the abundance of antibiotic resistance genes in biofilms collected from the drinking water distribution system of Peshawar, the capital city of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The results showed that Proteobacteria were the most abundant phyla (89.79%) in all biofilm samples, followed by Bacteroidetes (3.48%) and Actinobacteria (2.79%). At genus level, Pseudomonas was the most common (22.45%) in all biofilm samples. Overall, bacterial diversity and richness was higher in biofilm samples collected from the consumer end than the source site. Bacterial diversity was also dependent on the piping material (GI vs. PVC) and water supply (direct vs. indirect). Functional annotation reveals a differential abundance of common metabolic pathways at source and consumer end. Resistome analysis revealed a prevalence of resistance genes against 12 classes of antibiotics in all samples with macrolides resistance being the commonest at the consumer end (42.1%) and fluoroquinolone resistance at the source end (24%). To our knowledge, this is the first study that provides new insight and evidence into the microbial community diversity and antibiotic resistance in the drinking water supply system of Peshawar. These findings may ultimately help the authorities to design and implement effective strategies for controlling biofilms and ensuring a continuous supply of safe drinking water to the community. Full article

In this paper, we aimed to characterize the fecal microbiome and its resistomes of healthy and diseased subjects infected with multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli using next-generation sequencing (NGS). After initial screening, 26 stools samples belonging to healthy (n = 13) and diseased subjects (n = 13) were selected and subjected to NGS. A total of 23 and 42 antibiotic-resistant genes (ARGs) conferring resistance to 6 and 9 classes of antibiotics were identified in the resistomes of healthy and diseased subjects, respectively. Bacteroidetes were found to be the major phylum in both healthy and diseased subjects; however, Proteobacteria was predominantly present in the diseased subjects only. Microbial dysbiosis and predominance of various ARGs in the resistome of diseased subjects reflect the excessive usage of antibiotics in Pakistan and warrants immediate attention to regulate the use of various antimicrobials. Full article

The study was designed to investigate the fecal microbiome and resistome of broiler chickens infected with multidrug-resistant (MDR) Escherichia coli (E. coli). Fecal samples (n = 410) from broiler chickens were collected from thirteen randomly selected sites of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and screened for the presence of MDR E. coli. Upon initial screening, thirteen (13) MDR E. coli isolates were then subjected to shotgun metagenome next-generation sequencing (NGS). NGS based resistome analysis identified the multidrug efflux pump system-related genes at the highest prevalence (36%) followed by aminoglycoside (26.1%), tetracycline (15.9%), macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin (9.6%), beta-lactam (6.6%), rifampin (2%), sulphonamide (1.3%), phenicol (0.91%), vancomycin (0.62%), trimethoprim (0.34%), colistin (0.30%), and quinolone (0.33%). The most abundant virulence-associated genes (VAGs) identified were iroN, iutA, iss, and iucA. NGS based taxonomic profiling at the phylum level revealed the predominance of Proteobacteria (38.9%) followed by Firmicutes (36.4%), Bacteroidetes (15.8%), and Tenericutes (8.9%). Furthermore, pathobionts such as E. coli, Salmonella enterica, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Shigella flexneri belonging to the family Enterobacteriaceae were predominantly found. This study revealed the widespread presence of MDR genes, diverse VAGs, and a dysbiotic gut in the broiler chickens infected with MDR E. coli of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for the first time using NGS. Full article

A piezoelectric nanogenerator (PNG) that is based on c-axis GaN nanowires is fabricated on flexible substrate. In this regard, c-axis GaN nanowires were grown on GaN substrate using the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) technique by metal organic chemical vapor deposition. Further, Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) was coated on nanowire-arrays then PDMS matrix embedded with GaN nanowire-arrays was transferred on Si-rubber substrate. The piezoelectric performance of nanowire-based flexible PNG was measured, while the device was actuated using a cyclic stretching-releasing agitation mechanism that was driven by a linear motor. The piezoelectric output was measured as a function of actuation frequency ranging from 1 Hz to 10 Hz and a linear tendency was observed for piezoelectric output current, while the output voltages remained constant. A maximum of piezoelectric open circuit voltages and short circuit current were measured 15.4 V and 85.6 nA, respectively. In order to evaluate the feasibility of our flexible PNG for real application, a long term stability test was performed for 20,000 cycles and the device performance was degraded by less than 18%. The underlying reason for the high piezoelectric output was attributed to the reduced free carriers inside nanowires due to surface Fermi-level pinning and insulating metal-dielectric-semiconductor interface, respectively; the former reduced the free carrier screening radially while latter reduced longitudinally. The flexibility and the high aspect ratio of GaN nanowire were the responsible factors for higher stability. Such higher piezoelectric output and the novel design make our device more promising for the diverse range of real applications. Full article