Nesterov accelerated spectral conjugate gradient algorithm for magnetic resonance imaging with TV regularisation.

Family-centred care interventions in paediatric intensive care units: a scoping review.

NLMap-ATVR: A novel combination of nonlinear mapping network and adaptive total variation regularization for MRI denoising.

Accurate assessment of phenotypic diversity is essential for the effective conservation and genetic improvement of Coffea spp. and so far little work has been done on it in Nigeria. We studied the morphological characterization of 48 coffee accessions comprising one each of C. arabica, C. abeokutae, C. liberica and C. stenophyla; 14 accessions of C. canephora from the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria; and 30 landraces collected from Ekiti and Kogi states in Nigeria. The agro-morphological traits used were classified into quantitative (plant height, stem diameter, leaf length, and leaf width) and qualitative (plant habit, branching habit, leaf shape, leaf apex shape, young leaf colour, mature leaf colour, berry shape and berry colour) traits. Significant variation was observed across all quantitative traits (p < 0.001), with notable divergence in plant height, stem diameter, leaf length, and leaf width. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed that the first three components explained 94.4% of total variation, with leaf and stem traits contributing mostly to the variance. Cluster analysis of the quantitative traits grouped the accessions into three distinct clusters and one outlier, indicating the presence of phenotypic diversity among the accessions, while their correlation analysis highlighted strong associations between key growth traits, notably between leaf length and width (r = 0.69, p < 0.01). Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) of qualitative traits revealed clear associations between accessions and trait categories. Landraces clustered around bushy growth habit, elliptic leaves, and red berries, whereas distinct species such as Coffea stenophylla and Coffea liberica were separated by tree habit, lanceolate leaves, and sparse branching patterns. A few accessions appeared as outliers due to rare trait expressions, including obovate leaf shape and purple berry colour, which contributed strongly to their discrimination in the MCA space. Qualitative trait distribution was dominated by elliptic leaf shape (87.5%), apiculate apex (81.25%), and red berry colour (41.67%). Overall, these findings indicate a moderate level of phenotypic diversity among Nigerian coffee germplasm, highlighting the need to broaden the genetic base and strengthen improvement efforts in Coffea canephora. The considerable variability observed in qualitative traits further suggests that molecular-level investigations would be valuable for elucidating their genetic basis and potential application in coffee breeding programs.

The present study investigated the combined influence of four different scanning patterns and two intraoral scanning (IOS) technologies (Confocal Ultrafast Optical Sectioning vs. Active Triangulation with Structured Light) on the trueness and precision of both the intaglio and cameo surfaces of a maxillary reference denture. A maxillary complete arch reference denture was scanned using IOS technologies: Confocal Ultrafast Optical Sectioning (CUOS) and Active Triangulation with Structured Light (ATSL). Scanning was done 80 times with four strategies: APBOP (starting on the posterior intaglio surface), PABOP (beginning at the palatal aspect of the intaglio surface), BOPAP (starting on the cameo surface), and POBAP (beginning at the palatal cameo surface). Each strategy involved thorough scanning of various aspects, including occlusal surfaces, to capture the complete dentate arch. Distance-deviation values were calculated from comparisons with the STL reference model, and the data were analyzed using two-way ANOVA and Tukey's test. For the CUOS IOS technology, the POBAP scanning pattern exhibited the highest trueness (161 ± 6 μm) and precision (151 ± 7 μm), whereas the APBOP pattern showed the lowest trueness (183 ± 28 μm) and precision (171 ± 33 μm). For the ATSL IOS technology, the POBAP pattern also demonstrated the highest trueness (200 ± 32 μm) and precision (198 ± 32 μm), whereas the PABOP pattern showed the lowest trueness (241 ± 24 μm) and precision (239 ± 24 μm). The main effect of scanning technology was statistically significant (p < 0.001), with the estimated marginal mean (EMM) for CUOS being 171 μm, indicating greater trueness relative to ATSL (211 μm). A partial eta-squared value of 0.52 indicated that scanning technology explained approximately 52% of the total variation in trueness, representing a substantial effect size. CUOS consistently exhibited superior trueness across all scanning patterns compared with ATSL.

Microbial concentration remains a key challenge in developing low-cost, point-of-use wastewater monitoring assays for pandemic preparedness, primarily due to sample heterogeneity and low pathogen load. Paper dipstick-based methods are promising for simplified and low-cost RNA capture and isolation from sub-milliliter sample volumes. However, given the manual nature of the method, variability is a major concern. To evaluate variability introduced by the method type, operator handling, and wastewater samples, we performed a multi-operator two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and 'evaluating the measurement process' (EMP) gage repeatability & reproducibility (gage R&R) study. Two-way ANOVA was used to determine whether differences in Ct values across samples, operators, and their interaction were statistically significant. To further assess the source of variation and quantify the repeatability and reproducibility of the assay, a comprehensive EMP gage R&R analysis was conducted. We detected pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) and bacteriophage Phi6 in wastewater samples collected from a sewage pumping station at IIT Bombay campus. PMMoV is abundant in human feces, and a reliable control for normalizing pathogen loads in wastewater by population size, while Phi6 spiked in the wastewater samples is a common surrogate for enveloped viruses such as SARS-CoV-2. Our study demonstrates that dipstick method detected changes in PMMoV load associated with change in the population density due to the campus summer break with the total variation lower than the acceptable gage R&R limit of 30%.

Abstract The superorbital period of LMC X-4 is among the most stable known in Roche-lobe overflow, high-mass X-ray binaries. We analyzed 33 yr of monitoring data from the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory Burst and Transient Source Experiment, the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer All-Sky Monitor, the Neil Gehrels Swift Burst Alert Telescope, the Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image Gas Slit Camera, and the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor. The measured phases show a smooth long-term trend with superposed systematic fluctuations. Fits with cubic, quartic, and sinusoidal models indicate that the quartic and sinusoidal forms provide significantly better descriptions, with the sinusoidal model yielding an 890 0 − 230 + 210 days modulation. Such a long timescale is unlikely to arise from orbital motion around a tertiary companion. The fluctuations resemble stochastic, glitch-like events on several-hundred-day timescales. Their rms period variation exceeds that of the smooth trend, yet the total rms period variation over 33 yr remains only 0.55%, demonstrating the exceptional stability of the superorbital period. During MJD 57000-60461, we detect a phase offset of 0.044 ± 0.010 cycles between the soft and hard X-ray bands. This offset can be reproduced by including a higher-harmonic term in the azimuthal disk model, allowing a transition from antisymmetric to asymmetric structure. A contemporaneous decline in the hard X-ray flux suggests a partial obscuration of the emission region, similar to the anomalous low state in Her X-1. This evolving-disk scenario may also explain the superorbital phase shift previously reported in Her X-1.

The genetic structure of bacterial species is most often interpreted in terms of demographic processes such as clonal descent, but can also reflect natural selection and hence give functional and ecological insight. Klebsiella pneumoniae (KP) disperses effectively around the world and has high recombination rates, which should result in the species having a well-mixed gene pool. Nevertheless, phylogenies based on diverse KP strains contain a “backbone.” This structure reflects a component of variation where the first component in Principal Components Analysis (PCA), PC1, explains 16.8% of the total variation. We propose that the component reflects a “bacterial ecocline” generated by diversifying selection on a quantitative genetic trait. We simulated the evolution of a bacterial population with a polygenic quantitative trait, where strains with the most extreme trait values have a small advantage. These simulations can recapitulate our KP PCA results and other features of its genetic diversity. As well as providing an explanation for the phylogenetic backbone, our results provide insight into how species such as KP can speciate, via stronger selection on the trait or a reduction in gene flow. Our hypothesis that there is a bacterial ecocline in KP raises two questions, namely what the trait is underlying it and why is the trait under diversifying selection? The genes that are most strongly associated with PC1 provide some hints, with the top locus encoding Kpa fimbriae. Identification of the trait, if it exists, should facilitate insight into selection on quantitative genetic traits in natural bacterial populations, which have largely been unstudied in microbiology, except in the atypical context of antibiotic resistance.

Vitex negundo L. is a potential medicinal and aromatic plant that is important for herbal medicine production. In this study, to evaluate the morphological and phytochemical variability among fifty accessions of V. negundo from South Gujarat of India. The result revealed that among the fifty accessions, VN 47 (Waghai, Dang) observed the highest plant height (5.50 m), plant girth (52 cm), number of primary branches (28) and crown spread (4.80 m²). And VN 20 (Mahuva, Surat) was identified as a promising accession for phytochemical parameters, exhibiting the highest Total Phenol Content (22.19 ± 0.04 mg GAE/100 g DW), Total Flavonoid Content (102.80 ± 1.47 mg QE/100 g DW), antioxidant activity (88.55 %) and essential oil content (0.193 %). Differences at the 5 % level (P &lt; 0.05) were statistically significant. The principal component analysis of V. negundo accessions which revealed nine principal components that contributed to 76.6 % of the total variation in morphological and phytochemical parameters such as TFC, TPC, AA and EO have strong positive loading on PC1 and morphological plant height, canopy spread and number of primary branches were negatively correlated with PC1 and grouped in three main clusters, indicating that the observed diversity was largely driven by the influence of diverse genetic variability within accessions. This suggests superior accessions like VN 20 and VN 47 can be selected as chemotypes for further breeding programs, improvement and industrial application of V. negundo.

Abstract Random walks in a finite Abelian group G are studied. They use Markov chains with doubly stochastic transition matrices, in a Birkhoff subpolytope B ( G ) associated with the group G . It is shown that all future probability vectors belong to a polytope which does not depend on the transition matrices, and which shrinks during time evolution. Various quantities are used to describe the probability vectors: the majorization preorder, Lorenz values and the Gini index, entropic quantities, and the total variation distance. The general results are applied to the additive group Z ( d ) , and to the Heisenberg–Weyl group H W ( d ) / Z ( d ) . A physical implementation of random walks in Z ( d ) that involves a sequence of non-selective projective measurements, is discussed. A physical implementation of random walks in the Heisenberg–Weyl group H W ( d ) / Z ( d ) using a sequence of non-selective positive operator-valued measure measurements with coherent states, is also presented.

The aim of this study was to determine some morphological characteristics of 64 spinach genotypes, 4 S6 and 60 S7 generation obtained from some local and commercial spinach genotypes, and to reveal the possible parental potential for the development of local hybrid F1 spinach varieties from these materials. This study, which examined some morphological data of genotypes in S6 and S7 level, was carried out in Selçuk University Faculty of Agriculture Department of Horticulture greenhouses in the autumn of 2022 and spring of 2023 vegetation periods. In the study, observations were taken on the intensity of green color in the leaf blade, blistering in the leaf blade, lobing in the leaf blade, petiole attitude, petiole length, leaf blade attitude, leaf blade shape (except basal lobes), leaf anthocyanin coloration, shape of the apex in the leaf blade, leaf brightness, longitudinal section shape of the leaf blade, leaf number, leaf brittleness, time of start of bolting in genotypes. In the first period study (S6-S7); leaf blade shape of 19 genotypes was broad oval, 21 genotypes were medium oval, 7 genotypes were triangular, 16 genotypes were medium elliptical, and 1 genotype was broad elliptical. In the second period study (S7-S8), leaf blade shape of 10 genotypes was broad oval, 23 genotypes were medium oval, 2 genotypes were triangular, 28 genotypes were medium elliptical, and 2 genotypes were broad elliptical. In the study, it was revealed that the green color density of the leaf blade taken in the first (S6-S7) and second (S7-S8) vegetation periods changed from light green to dark green among the genotypes. Based on the observations, it was also examined with the principal component analysis (PCA) method in order to examine more than one trait at the same time in spinach genotypes. As a result of this analysis, six independent principal component axes were obtained. These axes represented 69.09% of the total variation. As a result of the PCA analysis, the first component (PC1) explained 16.72% of the study and the parameters of anthocyanin presence in the leaf, leaf blade blistering, leaf blade lobing, petiole attitude, leaf blade attitude, bolting time came to the fore. As a result of morphological observations, it was observed that there was a high degree of diversity among the genotypes.

We consider an optimal control problem for the heat equation as a prototypical parabolic partial differential equation with a non-convex control mechanism of the form continuous-or-off. We model this fundamental switching mechanism as the product of a classically continuous and a binary control both in the control term of the dynamics and in the objective. A total variation regularization is added to the cost in order to restrict the number of switching times. This renders the problem as a mixed-integer non-linear PDE-constrained problem. We discuss well-posedness of the problem and present an exact relaxation result for a linearized and a trust-region type penalized problem. The exactness result is constructive and provides a way to numerically compute mixed-integer optimal solutions from the optimality conditions of an associated PDE-constrained problem without integer restrictions. It lays a foundation for a new class of sequential relaxation algorithms to solve the considered class of mixed-integer control problems. This is demonstrated numerically by showcasing a descent step in the presence of binary restrictions.

ABSTRACT Cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.) is an annual plant with diminutive seed size and low germination and vigour, often leading to weak establishment in the field. Effects of treating cumin seeds with different bioagents, including Pseudomonas fluorescens, Bacillus subtilis, Paenebacillus polymyxa, Bacillus megaterium, Bacillus paramycoides and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and soaking agents (chitosan, carrageenan, aloe vera gel compost and soil extract) on germination, root/shoot length and germination indices of cumin were investigated in the laboratory and field. In the field experiment, treatments with different combinations of bioagents and soaking agents enhanced seed germination and improved plant physiological traits (chlorophyll, root/shoot length), yield and yield attributes compared with the non-bioprimed control. Treatment with chitosan in combination with Bacillus paramycoides and Pseudomonas aeruginosa showed the greatest positive effects, though for most parameters the effects of this treatment were statistically similar to the other biopriming combinations. The biopriming treatments also increased nutrient content, soil enzyme activities (dehydrogenase, urease, acid and alkaline phosphatase), soil nutrient status and bacterial populations. In the laboratory, the combination of the first and second main components explained 83.4% of the overall variance the germination indices. In the field experiment, the first principal component alone accounted for 81.8% and 96.7% of the total variation observed in yield parameters and seed nutrient content, and post-harvest soil properties, respectively. These findings indicated that biopriming cumin seeds with microbial consortia and soaking agents enhanced seed germination, plant growth, soil health and yield of cumin, and may serve as a sustainable approach for improving cumin cultivation.

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background:&lt;/strong&gt; Sesame (&lt;em&gt;Sesamum indicum&lt;/em&gt; L.) is an oilseed with demand for direct and industrial consumption due to its nutritional value and phytochemical components. The color of the coat appears to be related to the seed biochemical properties, antioxidant activity and biological properties. &lt;strong&gt;Objective:&lt;/strong&gt; To identify and generate knowledge on seed coat color variability in sesame accessions from central and northwestern Mexico. &lt;strong&gt;Methodology:&lt;/strong&gt; 73 sesame populations were collected in the Mexican states of Oaxaca, Michoacán, Guerrero, Sinaloa and Sonora. Color parameters L*, a*, and b* were recorded through readings in a Hunter-Lab miniScan XEPLUS colorimeter. The tone (hue) was calculated by means of arctan expression (b*/a*) and chroma as: [(a*)&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; + (b*)&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;]&lt;sup&gt;1/2&lt;/sup&gt;. Readings were taken in triplicate on a 10-g seed sample. The data were processed by analysis of variance (ANOVA), principal components (PCA) and hierarchical clusters. &lt;strong&gt;Results:&lt;/strong&gt; Low coefficients of variation were found in the parameters of the HunterLab scale, 0.64, 1.85, 0.91, 0.97 and 1.06% for L*, a*, b*, chroma and hue, respectively, indicating that the color information of the seed coat is consistent, allowing to identify groups of populations by color as follows: 5 light color populations, 37 cream color, 23 brown and 8 dark color. The PCA, based on L*, hue and chroma, indicated that the first PC explains 95% of the total variation among populations, and the cluster analysis allowed differentiation among non-dark coat populations. &lt;strong&gt;Implications:&lt;/strong&gt; Complete chemical and proximal determinations are required with special interest in black sesame due to its nutraceutical quality. &lt;strong&gt;Conclusions:&lt;/strong&gt; Producers preserve genetic diversity by cultivating different local genotypes based mainly on yield and grain color diversity.&lt;/p&gt;

The Law of Small Numbers states that the Binomial distribution converges to the Poisson distribution. Using the programming language R, we investigate the total variation distance between Binomial(n, c/n) and Poisson(c) when we fix c and n individually. We also look at the asymptotics for ndTV for a fixed c, where ndTV is the total variation distance dTV multiplied by increasing values of n. Several properties of dTV are looked at in this paper.

Abstract The loss of agrobiodiversity is a world damage both in biological and cultural aspects. Although mountainous areas in Italy still preserve many traditional cultivars (landraces), they face increasing risk from genetic erosion and disappearance. This study focused on the identification and multidisciplinary characterization of 16 previously undocumented bean landraces ( Phaseolus vulgaris and P. coccineus ) from the Lombardy Alps (Italy) using genetic, morphological, nutritional and ecological approaches. Genetic analyses based on simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers revealed moderate but structured diversity among 18 bean genotypes, with 1–5 alleles per locus and polymorphism information content (PIC) values ranging from 0 to 0.772. The principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) explained 66.01% of total genetic variation and, together with the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) clustering, clearly separated landraces from commercial controls and distinguished P. vulgaris from P. coccineus , highlighting high intra-specific variability likely linked to geographic origin and absence of formal breeding. In contrast, morphological outline analysis and nutritional profiling showed that each landrace possesses unique and distinctive traits without major intra-specific variation. All beans showed high levels of proteins (20–29%) and some accessions (pigmented seeds) had a good quantity of antioxidants and other functional compounds, reinforcing their value as nutritious and health-promoting products. Furthermore, the ecological assessment indicated a shared competitive/competitive-ruderal strategy while morphometric seed analysis explained 90.9% of total shape variation (LD1 = 60.5%; LD2 = 30.4%) and identified three main morphotypes (reniform, elliptic, roundish), without clustering consistent with species or genetic groups. The results underscore the remarkable intra-genus and intra-specific diversity within Phaseolus landraces suggesting that this variability is genetic, nutritional and phenotypic. Their cultivation (on farm conservation) and integration into local value chains could support sustainable development in marginal areas and bring new opportunities for mountain economies. Moreover, the data collected provide a scientific basis for the registration of these landraces in Italian and European agrobiodiversity registers, a key step for their protection and promotion.

Clinical outcome of custom healing abutments in immediate implant placement: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

ABSTRACT Test-taking disengagement in international large-scale assessments (ILSAs) is a widely explored topic, but little is known about students’ disengagement in ILSA surveys or how it compares internationally. In this study, we used data from PIRLS 2021 to compare six measures of survey disengagement across 25 countries. We also tested how the relationships between these disengagement measures, the survey scores, and reading achievement vary internationally. Countries accounted for a significant variation in the disengagement measures, especially in the percentage of slow responses (η2 = .11). Fast responses predicted experiencing bullying and poorer reading achievement (β = 0.26, −0.37, respectively). However, there were substantial variations between countries in the relationships between the disengagement measures and students’ scores. Our results suggest that there are meaningful differences between countries in survey disengagement and in the associations between disengagement and the target scores, such that uniform criteria for identifying disengaged survey-takers might not be appropriate.

The rolling stones' legacy: Rhodoliths retain their habitat function after algal death.

ABSTRACT The flow regime is considered a ‘master variable’ in riverine ecology because it directly influences stream geomorphology and biological communities. However, other environmental and anthropogenic factors have direct and synergistic effects with flow on fish diversity, complicating estimates of the flow regime's true importance. Moreover, most flow‐ecology studies focus only on taxonomic diversity (i.e., species), without considering functional (trait‐focused) or phylogenetic (evolution‐focused) dimensions of diversity. In this study, we used linear regression with variation partitioning to parse out the independent and shared roles of the flow regime, physical environmental factors (e.g., soil characteristics) and the anthropogenic environment (e.g., developed land cover) for structuring multidimensional diversity of 365 stream fish communities in two biogeographic regions across South Carolina, USA. These variables explained between 8% and 18% of total variation of the local diversity. The flow regime contributed to diversity in all cases, but frequently covaried with physical and/or anthropogenic environmental variables. This covariation indicated that the independent role of flow would have been inflated if other environmental variables were not considered. The three dimensions of stream fish diversity were weakly correlated with one another and were associated with different environmental variables, indicating that each of them represents unique and complimentary facets of fish diversity. Accordingly, only considering the independent effects of instream flow on fish diversity may miss meaningful interactions between the flow regime and the other components of the environment that influence biodiversity patterns, leading to over simplified flow–ecology relationships.