- Research Article
- 10.1016/j.ecoinf.2026.103609
DCMF: Deep Counterfactual Metric Framework for limited data plant disease recognition
- Jan 14, 2026
- Ecological Informatics
- Richen Huang + 5 more +5
Publications from 2021 to 2026
Showing 10 of 316 papers
DCMF: Deep Counterfactual Metric Framework for limited data plant disease recognition
Induced membrane-mediated DBM in combination with PRP: an autologous bone graft substitute therapy with remarkable osteoformation potency for challenging bone defects.
While the induced membrane technique effectively addresses bone defect reconstruction, its reliance on autografts remains a significant limitation. Building upon the well-established osteogenic properties of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and demineralized bone matrix (DBM), this study systematically investigated their combined potential as a functional alternative to autografts within the induced membrane microenvironment. PRP was extracted and DBM was prepared from New Zealand White rabbits. PRP gel and a composite gel incorporating DBM into PRP were subsequently formulated. The extract solutions derived from PRP, DBM, and PRP/DBM composites were, respectively, collected to induce osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining was performed on day 5, while mineralization was assessed via Alizarin red staining and osteogenic gene (OCN, OPN, Runx-2, and Col-1) mRNA expression was quantified by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction on Days 14 and 21. The rabbits (n =48) were randomly assigned into four experimental groups (n =12 per group): empty defect control (no graft material), PRP gel alone, DBM alone, and PRP/DBM composite gel graft. A 20-mm large segmental bone defect was surgically created in the bilateral radius of each animal, followed by initially filling with polymethyl methacrylate spacers to maintain the defect space. After an 8-week period, the spacers were removed, and the resulting membranous cavities were implanted with the respective graft materials according to group assignment. Bone regeneration was evaluated at 6 and 12weeks post-grafting through radiography, micro-CT imaging, fluorescence-labeled dynamic histomorphometry, histochemical staining, and immunofluorescence analysis. BMSCs treated with PRP/DBM composites demonstrated the most pronounced ALP activity and mineralization capacity, alongside the strongest upregulation of osteogenic genes. Minimal new bone formation, restricted primarily to the defect peripheries, was observed in both control and PRP groups at 6- and 12-week timepoints. In contrast, the DBM and PRP/DBM groups exhibited progressive, time-dependent osteogenic activity. Notably, the PRP/DBM group demonstrated superior bone regeneration, with compact trabeculae and well-organized collagen fully bridging the defect area, accompanied by robust vascularization. In comparison, the DBM group showed less mature bone formation, characterized by loose trabecular structures, immature collagen deposition, and sparse blood vessels. Furthermore, the PRP/DBM group displayed the highest mineral apposition rates and the most pronounced expression of the angiogenic marker CD31. Additionally, the PRP/DBM composite, mediated by the induced membrane, elicited stronger immunomodulatory effects within the local microenvironment and a more robust activation of the hypoxia-inducible factor/vascular endothelial growth factor pathway during bone repair compared to the other groups. Within the induced membrane microenvironment, PRP synergistically enhances the osteogenic capacity of DBM. The resulting PRP/DBM composite represents a highly promising autologous candidate for bone graft substitution.
Read moreSelf-secure feedback control based scheme for ultra-reliable and low-latency communication
Ultra-reliable and low-latency communication (URLLC) is one of the key requirements in future wireless communications. In practical URLLC scenarios, an enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) message together with an URLLC message are simultaneously encoded as codewords and transmitted over the same channels. Traditionally, the coding design of URLLC message often treats the eMBB codeword as interference corrupting the coding performance. In this paper, for the additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel, we show that if noise-free channel feedback is available, there exists a feedback control based coding scheme for the URLLC message, which not only perfectly eliminates the interference caused by the eMBB codeword, but also approaches the maximum rate of the URLLC message when the codeword length tends to infinity. Furthermore, we show that this scheme satisfies the physical layer security requirement by itself, which indicates that our proposed scheme is a self-secure scheme. The results of this paper are explicitly explained by numerical examples, and this work provides a possible way to design efficient coding schemes for URLLC message transmission.
Read moreRumor source localization in social networks based on the propagation direction of observers.
In the early stages of rumor dissemination, accurately locating the source of transmission is crucial for the management and control of information flow. However, the inherent uncertainty in information dissemination complicates precise source localization. Although incorporating transmission direction can alleviate some of this uncertainty, thereby facilitating source localization, traditional methods still depend on the often inaccurate informed timestamps of observed nodes. To address this limitation, this paper develops a method to infer all rumor sources using a single snapshot of observed nodes at a specific time and the direction of transmission toward these nodes, without requiring prior knowledge of the informed timestamps. First, we conduct a theoretical analysis demonstrating how the network structure can be pruned based on the status and transmission direction of the observers. Subsequently, we propose the Reduce Candidate Source algorithm, which operates within the pruned subgraph to identify the node with the minimum sum of shortest paths to the informed observers as the potential source of propagation. Additionally, we propose the Reduce Candidate Source by Deleting All algorithm for propagation models characterized by high certainty, retaining only the informed observers and those nodes indicating the transmission direction to further narrow the candidate source range. Finally, extensive experiments confirm that our two proposed methods align with the theoretical analysis, effectively identifying the sources of rumor dissemination in the early stages, even under conditions where the propagation model and informed are unknown.
Read moreDark tea ameliorates liver fibrosis via FXR/TGR5-mediated intestinal permeability and liver sinusoidal capillarization.
Artificial intelligence based quantification of T lymphocyte infiltrate predicts prognosis in high grade breast cancer using deep learning and statistical validation
Enhancement of the Antioxidant Activity of Hedysari Radix Particle Dispersion via ZIF-8/PEG Surface Co-Adsorption.
Herein, a co-adsorption modification based on ZIF-8 was introduced with the contribution of polyethylene glycol package to enhance the antioxidant potency of the Hedysari Radix disperse particles. In the solution system containing ethanol, the rough surface of the original Hedysari Radix disperse particles was improved by the typical co-adsorption modification with ZIF-8 and further smoothed by the package. The co-adsorption modifications, including ZIF-8 only, polyethylene glycol only, and ZIF-8 with polyethylene glycol, were all studied in the solution system. In particular, the modification that combined both the polyethylene glycol package and a suitable amount of ZIF-8 achieved the most significant enhancement of the catalase activity as well as the total antioxidant capacity value. The obtained hit platform alleviated the oxidative stress upon Caenorhabditis elegans and extended the survival time. This work suggested that meaningful co-adsorption modification could improve the potency of medicinal plant resources.
Read moreEncapsulation of hydrophobic functional components in yogurt: technology, product characteristics and health benefits.
Reference-based Image Super-Resolution with Mamba-Deformable Convolution Networks
Analysis of curing effect of bulk curing barns with different types of biomass combustion equipment
With the deteriorating global environment, the increasing demand for energy sources, humanity urgently need to explore clean and renewable energy to replace coal fuel resources in the field of tobacco curing. Biomass, a more environment-friendly energy source, is widely used but shows inconsistent results for many types of biomass combustion equipment in China. To provide basis for the clean curing, quality enhancement and curing efficiency improvement of tobacco leaves, the effect of five different types of biomass combustion equipment bulk curing barn (T1, a built-in biomass bulk curing barn with a special hearth for burning through a smoke pipe; T2, an external biomass bulk curing barn with a flame pipe through a smoke pipe; T3, a biomass semi-gasification combustion heating furnace bulk curing barn with a built-in hearth; T4, a type I built-in biomass bulk curing barn with integrated heat supply and heat exchange; T5, a type II built-in biomass bulk curing barn with integrated heat supply and heat exchange) on curing performance, biomass combustion efficiency, pollutant emissions, curing cost, economic characters, chemical composition content, aroma substance content and sensory quality of flue-cured tobacco leaves were compared and analyzed. Our results showed that the curing effect of the T4 and T5 treatments was better, the T2 treatment was worse, while the other treatments were moderate. In our data, the T4 and T5 treatments exhibited good curing temperature -rise performance and stable temperature performance with smaller temperature deviations. In addition, the T4 and T5 treatments resulted in lower curing costs, exhibited better economic characteristics, achieved more favorable coordination of chemical composition, offered superior sensory quality, and had a higher content of aroma substances in the flue-cured tobacco leaves compared to the other treatments. The curing effect of the built-in biomass bulk curing barn with integrated heating and heat exchange is superior, providing an important basis for the current low-carbon clean energy curing practices.
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