Search

The morphological characteristics of a product serve as essential carriers for conveying design intentions. These characteristics directly affect users' comprehension of the product's functions and proper usage, which are critical to the safety of product utilization and the overall comfort of the user experience. Incorporating prior experience to predict users' cognitive intentions regarding product form characteristics can provide valuable evaluation and decision-making references for design. This approach effectively reduces product development risks and contributes to enhancing user acceptance and experience. The study established intention discrimination indicators for form characteristics, covering six dimensions: functional orientation, behavioral intention, recognizability, cognitive load, attention distribution, and experiential feeling. Combining multidimensional scaling (MDS) and systematic clustering, samples were screened, and the morphological decomposition method was used to categorize and extract form characteristic categories and feature factors. The entropy weight method was applied to assign weights to the feature categories, and a feedforward neural network (FNN) was employed to construct a prediction model for cognitive intentions regarding product form characteristics. The model was tested using leave-one-out cross-validation, yielding a mean squared error (MSE) of 0.0089 and an R correlation coefficient of 0.9998, indicating high reliability. Finally, the feasibility and effectiveness of this method were validated through a case study on earthquake science experience facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most prevalent form of liver cancer, represents a significant global health challenge due to its rising incidence, complex management, as well as recurrence rates of up to 70% or more. Early and accurate imaging diagnosis, through modalities such as ultrasound, CT, and MRI, is crucial for effective treatment. Minimally invasive therapies, including thermal ablation methods such as radiofrequency ablation, microwave ablation, laser ablation, high-intensity focused ultrasound, and cryoablation, as well as non-thermal methods like percutaneous ethanol injection and irreversible electroporation, have shown promise in treating early and intermediate stages of HCC. Some studies have reported complete response in more than 90% of nodules and survival rates of up to 60–85% at 5 years after the procedure. These therapies are increasingly employed and induce specific morphological and physiological changes in the tumor and surrounding liver tissue, which are critical to monitor for assessing treatment efficacy and detecting recurrence. This review highlights the imaging characteristics of HCC following non-surgical treatments, focusing on the common features, challenges in post-treatment evaluation, and the importance of standardized imaging protocols such as the Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System. Understanding these imaging features is essential for radiologists to accurately assess tumor viability and guide further therapeutic decisions, ultimately improving patient outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Objectives: Nuclear pleomorphism, a crucial determinant of breast cancer grading under the Nottingham Histopathology Grading (NHG) system, remains inadequately quantified in the existing literature. Motivated by this gap, our study seeks to investigate and establish correlations among morphological features across various scores of nuclear pleomorphism, as per the NHG system. We aim to quantify nuclear pleomorphism across these scores and validate our proposed measurement method against ground-truth data. Methods: Initially, we deconstruct the descriptions of nuclear pleomorphism into three core elements: size, shape, and appearance. These elements are subsequently mathematically modeled into equations, termed E S i z e , E S h a p e , and E A p p e a r a n c e . These equations are then integrated into a unified model termed Harmonic Mean (HM). The HM equation yields a value approaching 1 for nuclei demonstrating characteristics of score-3 nuclear pleomorphism and near 0 for those exhibiting features of score-1 nuclear pleomorphism. Results: The proposed HM model demonstrates promising performance metrics, including Accuracy, Recall, Specificity, Precision, and F1-score, with values of 0.97, 0.96, 0.97, 0.94, and 0.95, respectively. Conclusions: In summary, this study proposes the HM equation as a novel feature for the precise quantification of nuclear pleomorphism in breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Our study identified specific conditions for optimal cell viability in enzymatic dissociation protocols across various endocrine tumors. For adrenal medullary tumors, the critical factor was the dissociation time, with 20 min of incubation proving most effective. In the case of adrenocortical tumors, using Collagenase IV or the MTDK enzyme kit, along with a post-dissociation procedure involving a debris removal kit, resulted in higher cell viability. No significant patterns were observed for thyroid carcinomas and pituitary neuroendocrine tumors, indicating that the effectiveness of dissociation protocols may vary significantly depending on the tissue type and its unique morphological characteristics. These findings underscore the importance of tailored dissociation protocols for different tumor types to ensure optimal outcomes in cell isolation processes. The enzymatic dissociation of human solid tissues is a critical process for disaggregating extracellular matrix and the isolation of individual cells for various applications, including the immortalizing primary cells, creating novel cell lines, and performing flow cytometry and its specialized type, FACS, as well as conducting scRNA-seq studies. Tissue dissociation procedures should yield intact, highly viable single cells that preserve morphology and cell surface markers. However, endocrine tissues, such as adrenal gland tumors, thyroid carcinomas, and pituitary neuroendocrine tumors, present unique challenges due to their complex tissue organization and morphological features. Our study conducted a morphological examination of these tissues, highlighting the intricate structures and secondary degenerative changes that complicate the dissociation process. We investigated the effects of various dissociation parameters, including the types of enzymes, incubation duration, and post-dissociation purification procedures, such as debris removal and nontarget blood cell lysis, on the viability of cells derived from different tumor types. The findings emphasize the importance of optimizing tissue digestion protocols to preserve cell viability and integrity, ensuring reliable outcomes for downstream analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Stereotactic radiotherapy is the preferred treatment for managing patients with fewer than five brain metastases (BMs). However, some lesions recur after irradiation. The purpose of this study was to identify patients who are at a higher risk of failure, which can help in adjusting treatments and preventing recurrence. Methods In this retrospective multicenter study, we analyzed the predictive significance of a set of interpretable morphological features derived from contrast-enhanced (CE) T1-weighted MR images as imaging biomarkers using Kaplan–Meier analysis. The feature sets studied included the total and necrotic volumes, the surface regularity and the CE rim width. Additionally, we evaluated other nonmorphological variables and performed multivariate Cox analysis. Results A total of 183 lesions in 128 patients were included (median age 61 [31–95], 64 men and 64 women) treated with stereotactic radiotherapy (57% single fraction, 43% fractionated radiotherapy). None of the studied variables measured at diagnosis were found to have prognostic value. However, the total and necrotic volumes and the CE rim width measured at the first follow-up after treatment and the change in volume due to irradiation can be used as imaging biomarkers for recurrence. The optimal classification was achieved by combining the changes in tumor volume before and after treatment with the presence or absence of necrosis (p

Alloxysta turcica Tataroğlu & Katılmış, 2023, a species recently described from Turkey, is now being synonymyzed with A. minuscula Andrews, 1978. This decision is based on morphological analysis, which has revealed significant similarities between the two species. The reasons and supporting illustrations for this synonymy are provided.

Accurate diagnosis of plant diseases by the assessment of pathogen presence to reduce disease-related production loss is one of the most fundamental issues for farmers and specialists. This will improve product quality, increase productivity, reduce the use of fungicides, and reduce the final cost of agricultural production. Today, new technologies such as image processing, artificial intelligence, and deep learning have provided reliable solutions in various fields of precision agriculture and smart farm management. In this research, microscopic image processing and machine learning have been used to identify the spores of four common tomato fungal diseases. A dataset including 100 microscopic images of spores for each disease was developed, followed by the extraction of the texture, color, and shape features from the images. The classification results using random forest revealed an accuracy higher than 98%. Besides, as a reliable feature selection algorithm, the butterfly optimization algorithm (BOA) was used to detect the effective image features to identify and classify diseases. This algorithm recognized image textural features as the most effective features in the diagnosis and classification of disease spores. Considering only the eight most effective features selected with BOA resulted in an accuracy of 95% in disease detection. To further investigate the performance of the proposed method, its accuracy was compared with the accuracies of convolutional neural networks and EfficientNet as two reliable deep learning algorithms. Not only the prediction accuracy of these methods was not favorable (65 and 83.55%, respectively), they were very time-consuming. According to the findings, the proposed framework has high reliability in disease diagnosis and can help in the management of tomato fungal diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research was to determine the impact of composted mushroom substrate and composted municipal waste on the quality and yield of Miscanthus sinensis Andersson biomass. The plant was grown on anthropogenic soil, cultured earth type and hortisol subtype, with a pH of 6.81. Before planting rhizomes, experimental plots were treated with composted mushroom substrate and composted municipal waste, applied separately or in combination, each dose introducing 170 N kg·ha−1 to the soil. During the experiment, observations of plant development and growth were carried out, and the yield was determined. Each growing season's measurements were taken of the grass height, the number and diameter of stems and the number of leaf blades and of nodes per stem. In order to determine the level of plant stress, relative chlorophyll content and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters were determined. The measurements were carried out in a non-invasive way, using the SPAD-502 chlorophyll meter and OS30p+ plant stress meter. For the research hypothesis, it was assumed that the one-time addition of composted mushroom substrate and composted municipal waste to the soil would increase yields. The experiment also aimed to assess the impact of both types of compost on the yield and morphological characteristics of Miscanthus sinensis. Its yields increased steadily, and, in the third year of cultivation, were higher by 52%. The highest average yields were noted on plots fertilized only with composted mushroom substrate (KPP100%), with 8.44 Mg·ha−1 DM, and with compost from municipal waste (KOM100%), with 7.91 Mg·ha−1 DM. The experience presents a solution to the problem of increasing amounts of organic waste and represents an improvement in cultivation techniques to increase crop yields, improve their quality and increase resistance to biotic and abiotic stress. This paper highlights the possibility of applying environmentally friendly organic waste materials to energy crops used as a sustainable energy source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change due to natural human activity is a significant global phenomenon affecting the sustainability of most countries' livestock industries. Climate change factors such as ambient temperature, relative humidity, direct and indirect sun radiation, and wind have significant consequences on feed, water, pasture availability, and the re-emergence of diseases in livestock. All these variables have a considerable impact on livestock production and welfare. However, animals' ability to respond and adapt to changes in climate differs within species and breeds. Comparatively, small ruminants are more adaptive to the adverse effects of climate change than large ruminants in terms of reproduction performance, survival, production yield, and resistance to re-emerging diseases. This is mainly due to their morphological features against harsh climate effects. Tropical breeds are more adaptive to the adverse effects of climate change than small temperate ruminants. However, the difference in morphological characteristics towards adaptation to the impact of climate change will guide the development of suitable policies on the selection of breeding stock suitable for different regions in the world. The choice of breeds based on morphological features and traits is an essential strategy in mitigating and minimizing the effects of climate change on small ruminants' production and welfare. This review highlights the adaptive morphological features within and among breeds of small ruminants toward adaptation to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first capture of the Prussian carp Carassius gibelio (Bloch, 1782) in Avacha Bay is described. The specimen TL 125 mm was caught on June 12, 2023 in a tidal puddle with high water salinity. Morphological characters of the caught specimen are given. It is suggested that the Prussian carp entered Avacha Bay from Lake Kultuchnoye, which is connected to Avachinskaya bay by a channel located 5 km from the place of capture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Beijing University of Technology is the property of Journal of Beijing University of Technology, Editorial Department and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) is of great agroeconomic importance, prized for its nutritional value and antioxidant properties. Its yield and quality may differ due to factors such as season (S), locality (L) and cultivar (C). Our objective was to determine the adaptive behavior of morphological features and antioxidant properties in nuts of the Barcelona and Tonda di Giffoni (TDG) cultivars planted at two localities (Cunco and Perquenco) during three productive seasons (S1, S2 and S3). Barcelona grown in Perquenco in S1 and S3 (less precipitation, more solar radiation) performed better than in Cunco with respect to most morphological nut, kernel and shell features, and the same parameters generally had the same trends for TDG in S2 and S3. Among the seasons at the same localities, the differences between the predominant condition defects for both cultivars were in the decreasing order wrinkled/deformed kernels, double kernels, blank and mold kernels, with about 75% of hazelnuts without defects. In both cultivars, the shell had higher antioxidant properties that increased in S1 and S3 at both localities and were consistently higher than in the kernels. Lipid peroxidation was higher in the kernel than shell in both cultivars and localities for S1 and S3. The results of this study suggest that the different hazelnut cultivar features including physical and chemical components depend on season and locality, which offers important clues for all those interested in the hazelnut industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alloxysta turcica Tataroğlu & Katılmış, 2023, a species recently described from Turkey, is now being synonymyzed with A. minuscula Andrews, 1978. This decision is based on morphological analysis, which has revealed significant similarities between the two species. The reasons and supporting illustrations for this synonymy are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Word embedding is a technique for representing words as dense real vectors and is crucial for most natural language processing tasks. Common approaches include non-contextual embeddings such as Word2vec and contextual embeddings like BERT, both of which operate on the principle that words appearing in similar contexts have close vector representations. Despite their effectiveness, these methods often fail to capture some morphological information useful in many natural language processing applications. In this study, we propose an original word embedding of Arabic words based on the morphological characteristics of the words. Tests show that integrating this morphology-based word embedding into a topic detection model outperforms models using Word2vec or AraBERT embeddings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Arid Zone Research / Ganhanqu Yanjiu is the property of Arid Zone Research Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The individual and population parameters of the lady orchid Orchis purpurea Huds. (Orchidaceae) under various growing conditions are compared. The ontogenetic type of cenopopulations, age, efficiency, recovery indices, vitality of individuals, and plasticity index are determined. The largest number of plants is noted in forest communities. The demographic and morphological parameters differ nonsignificantly. Slight fluctuations in the vitality of individuals are noted depending on the habitat and the conditions of the growing season. The pollination success of plants in steppe biotopes is much higher than that in forest biotopes: the average fruit set in steppe biotopes was 39.63%, while in forest biotopes it was 4.97–5.84%. However, it did not affect reproductive success, the main indicator of which is the presence of new generations of plants: in all cenopopulations studied, a high proportion of individuals of the pregenerative period was noted. It is established that O. purpurea has a wide ecological amplitude and high adaptability to various conditions. It can grow in different habitats without changing the morphological, demographic, and ontogenetic parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil salinity is considered as one of the major threats to rice production in coastal region of Bangladesh and rice plants are prone to salt stress at seedling stage. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the performance of rice genotypes for salinity stress tolerance at five levels of salinity treatments i.e., control – nutrient solution without salt [EC (electrical conductivity): 0.0 dS m−1 (deciSiemens per meter)], EC: 08 dS m−1, EC: 10 dS m−1, EC: 13 dS m−1 and EC: 15 dS m−1; were used for the morphological screening at seedling stage. After initial screening of fifty-seven local rice landraces, thirty rice genotypes were selected based on their salt tolerance ability using a standard evaluation score (SES). The selected rice genotypes were further screened by morphological parameters and molecular markers. Binadhan-10 and Binadhan-17 were used as salt resistant and salt susceptible checks, respectively. The environmental effect had a weak involvement in the expression of morphological traits, which showed high heritability (in broad sense) and genetic advance as percentage of mean. Two molecular markers (RM7075 and RM10825) were used to identify the Saltol quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with the genotypes. Based on morphological and molecular analyses, the thirty-two rice genotypes were grouped into different clusters and six genotypes (Pokkali, Holdegotal-2, Vojon, Blockkhira, Rajashail and Hatibejor) were selected as salt tolerant. The materials obtained from this study can be utilized for further breeding program and developing markers for salt tolerance in rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of catastrophic forest fires in 2021 on the vegetation cover and soils of the middle taiga on the territory of distribution of light soil-forming rocks of Central Yakutia has been studied. Obtained results showed the cardinal dynamics of species diversity and productivity of the larch and pine forests surface vegetation in their natural state and in burnt areas. The stock of grass-shrub cover aboveground phytomass on the control larch and pine forests is higher for 5 and 10 times than that in the burnt areas, respectively. The work carried out revealed the effect of forest fires on the morphological structure (formation of pyrogenic layer, manifestation of pyro- and cryoturbations), the depth of thawing, the water regime of permafrost soils under larch and pine forests on control and burnt sites in the first year after strong fires. The soils in the study area are predominantly permafrost illuvial-ferruginous podzols. The study revealed an increase in the permafrost table depth of these soils, an increase in the level of ground water, and a decrease in acidity in the upper part of the profile. Intense ash formation was found due to the burning of litter. The characteristic of the current state of vegetation and soil cover is given.

Although embryo transfers have grown considerably in the cattle industry, the selection of embryos required for successful pregnancies remains a challenging task. Visual inspection of 7th-day embryos using a stereomicroscope, followed by classification based on morphological features is the most commonly practiced procedure. However, there are inaccuracies and inconsistencies in the manual grading of bovine embryos. The objective of this review was to evaluate the potential of imaging and spectroscopic techniques in the selection of bovine embryos. Digital analysis of microscopic images through extracting visual features in the embryo region, and classification using machine learning methods have yielded about 88-96% success in pregnancies. The Raman spectral pattern provides valuable information regarding developmental stages and quality of the embryo. The Raman spectroscopy approach has also been successfully used to determine various parameters of bovine oocytes. Besides, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy has the ability to assess embryo quality through analyzing embryo composition, including nucleic acid and amides present. Hyperspectral Imaging has also been used to characterize metabolite production during embryo growth. Although the time-lapse imaging approach is beneficial for morphokinetics evaluation of embryo development, optimized protocols are required for successful implementation in bovine embryo transfers. Most imaging and spectroscopic findings are still only at an experimental stage. Further research is warranted to improve the repeatability and practicality to implement in commercial facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Animal husbandry is one of the important branches of agricultural production, which plays an important role in the formation of food security of Ukraine and providing the population with important types of food. The correct methodical approach to the inspection of organs and tissues of slaughtered animals allows to avoid errors in the diagnosis of various diseases, in the sanitary assessment of slaughter products, to prevent meat losses and the release of food products that are dangerous for humans. Analyzing the requirements of the modern market and the priority directions for the development of trade relations between the countries of the European Union for our country, it should be noted that the responsibility for the export and import of products of animal origin and the control of the production of high-quality and safe products is entrusted to the specialist of the state veterinary service. Organoleptic analysis of slaughter products is an important component of inspection. In addition, it should be noted that determining the degree of freshness of meat for a long time was carried out only with the help of the organoleptic method. It has been proven that organoleptic indicators provide comprehensive information for determining the good quality of meat. The quality of meat or its nutritional value refers to the chemical composition of the fleshy part, which includes muscle, fat and connective tissue. The chemical composition, energy value, digestibility, taste, culinary and other properties of meat depend on the ratio of these tissues. The quality of meat is influenced by the breed of animals, sex, age, fatness, the nature of fattening, conditions of transportation and pre-slaughter aging, methods of stunning, degree of exsanguination, etc. The article presents materials related to the inspection of animal slaughter products in the Zhytomyr region (agro-food market in the city of Olevsk). The study was carried out as part of the research work of the department of normal and pathological morphology, hygiene and expertise “Monitoring the content of toxic substances in drinking water, feed and their impact on the body of cattle and the quality and safety of products”, state registration number – 0120U101318. The purpose of the study is to inspect the slaughter products of domestic and wild pigs in the agro-food market of the Zhytomyr region. The task of the work was to determine the organoleptic, physico-chemical and microbiological indicators of slaughter products of domestic and wild pigs. The testing laboratory of veterinary and sanitary examination in the market carries out significant work on the inspection of animal slaughter products, which ensures the release of good-quality products for the population. As a result of the inspection of the slaughter products of domestic and wild pigs, it was established that all meat samples according to organoleptic parameters corresponded to the parameters of fresh high-quality meat, the reaction to peroxidase was positive, the pH of the meat ranged from 5.9 to 6.1. No trichinella was detected during trichinoscopy of pork samples. Veterinary and sanitary examination of livestock products on the markets is carried out only by veterinary medicine specialists of state laboratories or other state institutions of veterinary medicine. The laboratory carries out mandatory quality and safety control of all controlled products sold, including food products of animal origin intended for human consumption. In this regard, it is important to carry out inspection, sanitary evaluation of slaughter products of slaughter animals and determination of morphological characteristics of meat of domestic and wild pigs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The holo-parasitic weed Orobanche crenata Forrsk. is a threat to economically important legumes and vegetables in Mediterranean countries, including Egypt. The crenate broomrape attacks several wild and cultivated plant species, and documentation of new hosts of the parasite is always required. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first report of parasitism of the crenate broomrape on two ornamental species, Arctotis fastuosa Jacq. and Callistephus chinensis (L.) Nees. (Asteraceae). We also recorded for the first time its parasitism on the wild weeds (Ammi majus L., Lactuca serriola L., and Melilotus indicus (L.) All.) and the cultivated plant species (Carthamus tinctorius L. and Tropaeolum majus L.) from Egypt. The occurrence of O. crenata parasitism was confirmed by the attachment of its haustoria to the roots of host plants. The incidence of crenate broomrape disease was estimated for the seven species. The study also provides a morphological description of the polymorphic O. crenata on the samples from Egypt and determines the most useful characteristics for its easier identification in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In English, grammatical errors pose a significant challenge, prompting the exploration of diverse detection and correction methods. Existing approaches, however, often fall short of delivering satisfactory results and achieving high accuracy. An innovative solution, the Optimized Graph Dual Encoder Decoder with Pyramid Attention (OGDED-PA), is introduced to overcome these limitations. The model utilizes the C4_200M synthetic dataset for input data, followed by preprocessing and applying hybrid Squared Root of Term Frequency Variants with Mean Semi-absolute Deviation Factors for morphological feature extraction. Bidirectional long short-term memory with conditional random field segmentation is employed, and OGDED-PA, integrating a dual encoder-decoder architecture and pyramid attention mechanism, is then applied. This model aims to enhance accuracy in identifying and correcting grammar, syntax, punctuation, and spelling errors by capturing intricate linguistic patterns. The graph-based representation leverages Improved Border Collie Optimization (IBCO) to optimize the weight parameter, allowing the model to analyze syntactic and semantic relationships and address a broad spectrum of grammatical errors. The proposed method is implemented using the Python platform. Compared to existing methods, the proposed approach achieves 99.3% accuracy, 98.7% precision and 98.6% F0.5. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Specialty cut flowers are in demand, especially in the domestic market as they can be grown with low production costs without the need for specially equipped greenhouses and offer diversity in terms of form, texture, and colour. These products, which are widely cultivated in the USA, are not well known in Türkiye. One of the main problems of the Turkish cut flower sector is its dependence on foreign inputs and the lack of product diversity. Therefore, specialty cut flower production can be an alternative crop for Türkiye, which has climatic advantages. The cut flower potential of plants such as Zinnia elegans, Tagates erecta, Helianthus annuus, Gomphrena globosa, Centaurea cyanus, and Cleome spinosa that are commonly grown in gardens has been evaluated. After harvesting these flowers grown in an open field in June-October 2020, the stem length (cm), stem thickness (mm), flower length (cm), flower diameter (cm), flower weight (g), and vase life (days) were measured. As a result of the evaluations, considering the phenological findings such as flowering and harvesting period, Zinnia elegans, Tagates erecta, Helianthus annuus, Gomphrena globosa, and Centaurea cyanus were found to be suitable for Eskişehir climatic conditions due to their long flowering periods. On the other hand, if the stem length value, which is one of the most important parameters for cut flowers, is taken as a reference, the minimum stem length value of 30 cm and above is met by Zinnia elegans, Tagates erecta, Helianthus annuus, and Cleome spinosa while the vase life value of 6 days and above is met by Zinnia elegans, Tagates erecta, Helianthus annuus, Gomphrena globosa, and Cleome spinosa. However, Cleome spinosa was not found to be suitable for the region due to its low yield value and short flowering period, while Zinnia elegans, Helianthus annuus, Tagates erecta, and Gomphrena globosa were found to be plants that could be evaluated for the region. In addition, it is believed that the cultivation of specialty cut flowers, with the selection of suitable species, will be an alternative production in regions without climatic advantages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Segmentation of Lung Region is an important step in the clinical diagnosis of lung diseases like Pneumonia, Tuberculosis, and COVID-19. However, most the methods employed Deep learning algorithms without providing any additional information at the segmentation phase. Hence this paper proposes a new segmentation Mechanism based on the Fuzzy C-Means (FCM) and different features. A new Variant of FCM called as Dual FCM is introduced which forms an objective function based on two different Sub-Objective Functions (SOFs). The first SOF segments the images through gray pixel intestines while the second SOF used features for segmentation. Two different features are derived namely morphological features and gradient features from every CXR image. Finally, the segmented results at individual SOFs are fused to get a final segmented result. Extensive experiments have been carried out over the proposed approach through two publicly available datasets namely Montgomery County (MC) Dataset and Shenzhen Dataset. The performance is assessed through two evaluation measures namely Jaccard Index (JI) and Dice Coefficient (DC) and the average obtained is noticed as 92.985% and 95.295% respectively. Further the proposed segmentation mechanism is compared with several past lung image segmentation approaches. The approximate improvement in the JI and DC from past methods is noticed as 4.2210% and 2.3150% respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Deep learning models for patch classification in whole-slide images (WSIs) have shown promise in assisting follicular lymphoma grading. However, these models often require pathologists to identify centroblasts and manually provide refined labels for model optimization. Objective: To address this limitation, we propose PseudoCell, an object detection framework for automated centroblast detection in WSI, eliminating the need for extensive pathologist's refined labels. Methods: PseudoCell leverages a combination of pathologist-provided centroblast labels and pseudo-negative labels generated from undersampled false-positive predictions based on cell morphology features. This approach reduces the reliance on time-consuming manual annotations. Results: Our framework significantly reduces the workload for pathologists by accurately identifying and narrowing down areas of interest containing centroblasts. Depending on the confidence threshold, PseudoCell can eliminate 58.18-99.35% of irrelevant tissue areas on WSI, streamlining the diagnostic process. Conclusion: This study presents PseudoCell as a practical and efficient prescreening method for centroblast detection, eliminating the need for refined labels from pathologists. The discussion section provides detailed guidance for implementing PseudoCell in clinical practice.

The purpose of the study is to analyze the morphological features of the Russian speech of two generations of Russian-German bilinguals living in Germany and Russian monolinguals living in Russia. The relevance of this study is due to the need to study the state of the Russian language abroad, its preservation and development. Four groups of informants took part in the study: 22 bilingual adults, 26 their children, 19 monolingual adults, 23 their children. The age of the parents is 35-50 years, the age of the children is 10-15 years. The material of the study was transcripts of audio recordings of oral stories based on pictures from the book by M. Mayer “Frog: where are you?”. Research methods are directed sampling, descriptive, systematization, statistical and comparative. Deviations from morphological norms were grouped into two structural types: 1) deviations from the norms of constructing word forms; 2) deviations from the norms of the choice of word forms. The study determined the average number of deviations from morphological norms in the stories of four groups of informants. It was found that in families seeking to preserve the Russian language in conditions of emigration, the morphological system remains relatively stable. At the same time, the average proportion of deviations from morphological norms in the speech of bilinguals is higher than in the speech of monolinguals, and in the speech of children is higher than in the speech of their parents. The average values of the number of typical deviations from the norms in each of the groups were determined. The heterogeneity of the number of deviations from the norms in individual representatives of each of the groups of informants was revealed. It is established that in some families the literary language is preserved, and the influence of the German language is not revealed, in others the vernacular is the means of communication, and some deviations from morphological norms may be caused by interlanguage interference. It should be noted that the greatest difficulty for all native speakers of the Russian language is the norms of the use of case forms and prepositional-case.

In 2020, within the Dongbaekdongsan area in Jeju Island, a Septobasidium sp. associated with a felt disease in Castanopsis sieboldii (Makino) Hatus. ex T. Yamaz. & Mashiba was identified. The symptom included the presence of brown, thin, and silk-like mycelial mats attached to the tree's bark, displaying variations in size from large to small. To induce hyphal growth, the samples collected were incubated in a moist chamber, and the newly formed hyphae were subjected to genomic DNA extractions. The nucleotide sequences of the internal transcribed spacer and small subunit rDNA genes were determined, and molecular characteristics among the isolates were investigated through polymerase chain reaction-based restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. This Septobasidium sp. exhibited distinct morphological and phylogenetic features compared to those that were previously reported in South Korea. Consequently, this strain is taxonomically classified as a provisionally novel species of Septobasidium. Furthermore, the observed felt disease exhibited a high degree of host specificity, as it was exclusively identified in C. sieboldii without occurrence in other tree species at the time of observation.

The visual morphologies in animals are associated positively or negatively with production, adaptation, and behavioral characteristics. For rural farmers with limited records, these features are considered reliable phenotypic markers. Thus, this study was intended to explore the unique morphological features of indigenous chickens as a farmer's selection guide. A total of 1,060 adult chickens from four rural districts were investigated for nine morphological traits. The single-comb type, supposed to be of good fertility, was the most prevalent. Yellow and white shanks were predominant, followed by gray, greenish-yellow, green, and black pigmentations. Crested and silky chickens were more frequent in highland areas, whereas naked-neck chickens were observed in lowlands. Chickens of the lowlands have brighter, more uniform plumage colors and yellow shank, beak, and earlobe colors. On the other hand, the highland and mid-altitude chickens are characterized by dark, colorful combinations of various feather colors: laced plumage, white shank, rose, and deformed rose combs. Moreover, multiple correspondence analyses revealed that morphological features have special associations with districts. Thus, the observed morphological heterogeneity of the indigenous chickens can be used as a good indicator of selective breeding. Therefore, the associations of these characteristics with productivity qualities could be confirmed by quantitative and molecular tools.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most prevalent form of liver cancer, represents a significant global health challenge due to its rising incidence, complex management, as well as recurrence rates of up to 70% or more. Early and accurate imaging diagnosis, through modalities such as ultrasound, CT, and MRI, is crucial for effective treatment. Minimally invasive therapies, including thermal ablation methods such as radiofrequency ablation, microwave ablation, laser ablation, high-intensity focused ultrasound, and cryoablation, as well as non-thermal methods like percutaneous ethanol injection and irreversible electroporation, have shown promise in treating early and intermediate stages of HCC. Some studies have reported complete response in more than 90% of nodules and survival rates of up to 60–85% at 5 years after the procedure. These therapies are increasingly employed and induce specific morphological and physiological changes in the tumor and surrounding liver tissue, which are critical to monitor for assessing treatment efficacy and detecting recurrence. This review highlights the imaging characteristics of HCC following non-surgical treatments, focusing on the common features, challenges in post-treatment evaluation, and the importance of standardized imaging protocols such as the Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System. Understanding these imaging features is essential for radiologists to accurately assess tumor viability and guide further therapeutic decisions, ultimately improving patient outcomes.

The morphological characteristics of a product serve as essential carriers for conveying design intentions. These characteristics directly affect users’ comprehension of the product’s functions and proper usage, which are critical to the safety of product utilization and the overall comfort of the user experience. Incorporating prior experience to predict users’ cognitive intentions regarding product form characteristics can provide valuable evaluation and decision-making references for design. This approach effectively reduces product development risks and contributes to enhancing user acceptance and experience. The study established intention discrimination indicators for form characteristics, covering six dimensions: functional orientation, behavioral intention, recognizability, cognitive load, attention distribution, and experiential feeling. Combining multidimensional scaling (MDS) and systematic clustering, samples were screened, and the morphological decomposition method was used to categorize and extract form characteristic categories and feature factors. The entropy weight method was applied to assign weights to the feature categories, and a feedforward neural network (FNN) was employed to construct a prediction model for cognitive intentions regarding product form characteristics. The model was tested using leave-one-out cross-validation, yielding a mean squared error (MSE) of 0.0089 and an R correlation coefficient of 0.9998, indicating high reliability. Finally, the feasibility and effectiveness of this method were validated through a case study on earthquake science experience facilities.

Background/Objectives: Nuclear pleomorphism, a crucial determinant of breast cancer grading under the Nottingham Histopathology Grading (NHG) system, remains inadequately quantified in the existing literature. Motivated by this gap, our study seeks to investigate and establish correlations among morphological features across various scores of nuclear pleomorphism, as per the NHG system. We aim to quantify nuclear pleomorphism across these scores and validate our proposed measurement method against ground-truth data. Methods: Initially, we deconstruct the descriptions of nuclear pleomorphism into three core elements: size, shape, and appearance. These elements are subsequently mathematically modeled into equations, termed ESize, EShape, and EAppearance. These equations are then integrated into a unified model termed Harmonic Mean (HM). The HM equation yields a value approaching 1 for nuclei demonstrating characteristics of score-3 nuclear pleomorphism and near 0 for those exhibiting features of score-1 nuclear pleomorphism. Results: The proposed HM model demonstrates promising performance metrics, including Accuracy, Recall, Specificity, Precision, and F1-score, with values of 0.97, 0.96, 0.97, 0.94, and 0.95, respectively. Conclusions: In summary, this study proposes the HM equation as a novel feature for the precise quantification of nuclear pleomorphism in breast cancer.

Lycium chinense, a type of medicinal and edible plant, is rich in bioactive compounds beneficial to human health. In order to meet the market requirements for the yield and quality of L. chinense, polyploid induction is usually an effective way to increase plant biomass and improve the content of bioactive components. This study established the most effective tetraploid induction protocol by assessing various preculture durations, colchicine concentrations, and exposure times. The peak tetraploid induction efficacy, 18.2%, was achieved with a 12-day preculture and 24-h exposure to 50 mg L–1 colchicine. Compared to diploids, tetraploids exhibited potentially advantageous characteristics such as larger leaves, more robust stems, and faster growth rates. Physiologically, tetraploids demonstrated increased stomatal size and chloroplast count in stomata but reduced stomatal density. Nutrient analysis revealed a substantial increase in polysaccharides, calcium, iron, and zinc in tetraploid leaves. In addition, seventeen carotenoids were identified in the leaves of L. chinense. Compared to the diploid, lutein, β-carotene, neoxanthin, violaxanthin, and (E/Z)-phytoene exhibited higher levels in tetraploid strains T39 and T1, with T39 demonstrating a greater accumulation than T1. The findings suggest that the generated tetraploids harbor potential for further exploitation and lay the foundation for the selection and breeding of novel genetic resources of Lycium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an illustrated description of early larvae of the smooth lumpsucker Aptocyclus ventricosus from Avacha Bay and Vilyuchinskaya Bay in southeastern coast of Kamchatka. The larvae differ from previously described larvae from Japanese and Korean waters in their earlier development: the urostyle bending, the formation of fin rays, and the development of pigmentation occur earlier. The growth of the larvae is uneven. The head and torso increase in relation to the length of the body, while the tail part practically does not grow. Eye diameter, maxillary length, and the length of the pectoral fin rays relatively decrease. The first dorsal fin is difficult to distinguish, which can cause difficulties in the larva diagnoses. The larvae are coastal, lead an attached lifestyle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Blood diseases such as leukemia, anemia, lymphoma, and thalassemia are hematological disorders that relate to abnormalities in the morphology and concentration of blood elements, specifically white blood cells (WBC) and red blood cells (RBC). Accurate and efficient diagnosis of these conditions significantly depends on the expertise of hematologists and pathologists. To assist the pathologist in the diagnostic process, there has been growing interest in utilizing computer-aided diagnostic (CAD) techniques, particularly those using medical image processing and machine learning algorithms. Previous surveys in this domain have been narrowly focused, often only addressing specific areas like segmentation or classification but lacking a holistic view like segmentation, classification, feature extraction, dataset utilization, evaluation matrices, etc. Methodology: This survey aims to provide a comprehensive and systematic review of existing literature and research work in the field of blood image analysis using deep learning techniques. It particularly focuses on medical image processing techniques and deep learning algorithms that excel in the morphological characterization of WBCs and RBCs. The review is structured to cover four main areas: segmentation techniques, classification methodologies, descriptive feature selection, evaluation parameters, and dataset selection for the analysis of WBCs and RBCs. Results: Our analysis reveals several interesting trends and preferences among researchers. Regarding dataset selection, approximately 50% of research related to WBC segmentation and 60% for RBC segmentation opted for manually obtaining images rather than using a predefined dataset. When it comes to classification, 45% of the previous work on WBCs chose the ALL-IDB dataset, while a significant 73% of researchers focused on RBC classification decided to manually obtain images from medical institutions instead of utilizing predefined datasets. In terms of feature selection for classification, morphological features were the most popular, being chosen in 55% and 80% of studies related to WBC and RBC classification, respectively. Conclusion: The diagnostic accuracy for blood-related diseases like leukemia, anemia, lymphoma, and thalassemia can be significantly enhanced through the effective use of CAD techniques, which have evolved considerably in recent years. This survey provides a broad and in-depth review of the techniques being employed, from image segmentation to classification, feature selection, utilization of evaluation matrices, and dataset selection. The inconsistency in dataset selection suggests a need for standardized, high-quality datasets to strengthen the diagnostic capabilities of these techniques further. Additionally, the popularity of morphological features indicates that future research could further explore and innovate in this direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To determine bony knee morphological factors associated with primary posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) rupture or PCL graft failure after PCL reconstruction. Methods: Three databases, namely MEDLINE, PubMed and EMBASE, were searched on 30th May 2023. The authors adhered to the PRISMA and R‐AMSTAR guidelines as well as the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. Data such as receiver operating characteristic curve parameters, as well as p‐values for comparisons of values between patients with PCL pathology and control patients, were recorded. Results: Nine studies comprising 1054 patients were included. Four studies reported that patients with PCL injury had flatter medial posterior tibial slopes (MTS) than controls, with mean values of 4.3 (range: 3.0–7.0) and 6.5 (range: 5.0–9.2) degrees, respectively. Two studies reported an MTS cutoff value ranging below 3.90–3.93° being a significant risk factor for primary PCL rupture or PCL graft failure. Two studies reported that shallow medial tibial depths were associated with primary PCL rupture, with mean values of 2.1 (range: 2.0–2.2) and 2.6 (range: 2.4–2.7) mm in PCL injury and control groups, respectively. Stenotic intercondylar notches and femoral condylar width were not consistently associated with PCL injuries. Conclusion: Decreased MTS is associated with primary PCL rupture and graft failure after PCL reconstruction with values below 3.93° being considered as a significant risk factor. Less common risk factors include shallow medial tibial depth, while femoral condylar width and parameters with regards to the intercondylar notch, such as notch width, notch width index and intercondylar notch volume, demonstrated conflicting associations with primary or secondary PCL injuries. Level of Evidence: Level III. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture is grappling with water scarcity, leading to diminished crop yields, economic challenges, environmental degradation, and threats to food security. The future of agriculture hinges on the implementation of sustainable water resource management and adaptation strategies. Specifically, in arid regions, the adoption of water-efficient irrigation practices is crucial for fruit growers. This approach not only helps in conserving water but also reduces costs and ensures the vitality of orchards. The cultivation of fruit trees, especially in water-stressed areas, demands meticulous irrigation management for survival. Growers play a key role in identifying stress indicators that serve as crucial markers for monitoring tree health. Proactively addressing these indicators enables growers to maintain healthier trees, resulting in higher yields. Identifying and understanding fruit tree stress indicators play a pivotal role in enhancing orchard management practices, ultimately contributing to increased yields, cost reduction, and the promotion of sustainability. This review evaluates the effectiveness of stress indicators in gauging water stress levels. It delves into the multifaceted impacts of water scarcity on agriculture and underscores the recommendation for water-efficient irrigation practices to counteract fluctuations in water availability. In environments facing water scarcity, vigilant irrigation management coupled with the identification of stress indicators strengthens the resilience and productivity of fruit tree agriculture. This study contributes valuable insights to the ongoing discourse on sustainable horticulture in the face of a changing world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chili peppers is an important vegetable and spice crop grown all over the world for fresh, dried, and processing products. Capsicum spp. is a member of the Solanaceae family and native to the temperate, subtropical and tropical regions of the Americas. This research paper provides a comprehensive overview of the distinctive descriptors of the Capsicum genus, showcasing images sourced from the germplasm collection at the Vegetable Research Development Station (VRDS) Buzau, Romania. The paper focuses on morphological features as the key basis for differentiation among the domesticated Capsicum species: C. annuum L., C. chinense Jacq., C. frutescens L., C. baccatum L. și C. pubescens Ruiz & Pav. Various descriptors, such as flower and fruit shapes, corolla color, corolla sport color, the presence or absence of calyx annular constriction, and seed colour, are employed to provide a nuanced understanding of the unique characteristics of each species. By elucidating these morphological features, the paper aims to empower readers to easily distinguish between different Capsicum varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ephemeral gully erosion is a significant form of soil erosion that visibly impacts soil productivity and restricts land use. While watersheds are fundamental for controlling soil erosion, past studies have focused on individual ephemeral gully or slope types, which do not fully represent changes in ephemeral gullies at the watershed scale. This research used remote sensing images (0.5 m resolution), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), and field investigations to analyze the spatial–temporal evolution and development rate of ephemeral gully erosion at the watershed scale on the Loess Plateau from 2009 to 2021. Using spatial information and morphological parameters of ephemeral gullies obtained from the SegNet model, we found that: (1) ephemeral gully numbers decreased from 4495 in 1999 to 2312 in 2021 due to improved vegetation coverage; (2) average growth rates of ephemeral gully frequency, length, density, dissection degree, and width were 2.87 km−2 year−1, 1.66 m year−1, 0.12 km km−2 year−1, 0.01% year−1, and 0.04 m year−1, respectively; (3) ephemeral gully erosion volume (V) and length (L) had a good power function relationship: V=0.0842L1.1932(R2=0.80). The root‐mean‐square error (RMSE) and coefficient of determination (R2) between measured and predicted ephemeral gully volumes indicated that the V–L relationship has a good predictive ability for ephemeral gully volume; thus, the V–L model was used to evaluate the development rate of ephemeral gully erosion volume in small watersheds from 2009 to 2021, revealing an average value of 743.20 m3 year−1. This study presents an empirical model for assessing ephemeral gully volume and volume changes at a watershed scale using high‐resolution remote sensing images, providing a reference for understanding the development of ephemeral gully erosion in small watersheds over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of liver cirrhosis and cancer. Lonicerae flos polysaccharides (LPs) have been shown to be effective in treating metabolic diseases; however, the therapeutic effects and underlying molecular mechanisms of LPs in NAFLD remain unclear. PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to investigate the morphological characterization of Lonicerae flos polysaccharides (LPs) and the mechanism of LPs in relieving NAFLD. METHODS: The morphology of LPs was observed using atomic force microscopy (AFM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), thermal weight (TG), and thermal weight derivative (DTG); NAFLD mice were treated with LPs at the same time as they were induced with a Western diet, and then the indexes related to glycolipid metabolism, fibrosis, inflammation, and autophagy in the serum and liver of the mice were detected. RESULTS: The atomic force microscope analysis results indicated that the LPs displayed sugar‐chain aggregates, exhibited an amorphous structure, and were relatively stable in thermal cracking at 150 °C. It was also found that LPs exerted therapeutic effects in NAFLD. The LPs prevented high‐fat and ‐cholesterol diet‐induced NAFLD progression by regulating glucose metabolism dysregulation, insulin resistance, lipid accumulation, inflammation, fibrosis, and autophagy. Adenosine 5′‐monophosphate (AMP)‐activated protein kinase (AMPK) inhibitor compound C abrogated LP‐induced hepatoprotection in mice with NAFLD. The LPs further treated NAFLD by reshaping the structure of the gut microbiota, in which Desulfovibrio bacteria plays a key roles. CONCLUSION: Lonicerae flos polysaccharides exert protective effects against NAFLD in mice by improving the structure of the intestinal flora and activating the AMPK signaling pathway. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Congenital muscular hypertrophy is a rare overgrowth disorder in the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase related spectrum. In the past 3 years, ten patients with 11 limbs involved were treated in our centre. The aim of the study was to describe the clinical and radiological deformities of these patients. We documented the characteristic clinical morphological changes, such as hypertrophy, loss of wrist flexion, thumb hyperabduction, finger deviation and skin crease changes in the palm. Radiologically, the mean first metacarpal radial deviation angle of the affected side measured 55° (range 34 to 67) compared to the normal contralateral side 42° (range 32 to 53). The mean intermetacarpal space ratio was 1.2 (range 1.1 to 1.4) and the mean palm width ratio was 1.2 (range 1.1 to 1.3). In this study, we were able to further characterize the radiological and morphological changes of congenital muscular hypertrophy of upper limbs, which would be helpful for establishing the diagnosis and monitor treatment of this rare condition. Level of evidence: IV [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A deep learning network is super-efficient for image processing. The artificial brain of the deep learning system is highly capable of solving the categorization of problems. However, deep learning has several restrictions on the intelligence of the human brain. The human brain can update and improve knowledge by analyzing the features of images. In the artificial brain, the arrangements of the pixels are used for image understanding. This pixel-based continuous learning tendency of the artificial brain of deep learning leading to reducing the knowledge of previously achieved relevant information of the system is called the catastrophic forgetting problem of deep learning. Recently, many researchers reported that the catastrophic forgetting problem affects the result of deep learning. So, in this study, we are providing an excellent solution for the catastrophic forgetting problem of deep learning by restricting the direct analysis of input images with image morphological features. This image morphological feature-based deep learning system helps the artificial brain to concentrate on image features. This image morphological features system-based study achieved a stable learning graph with 80% average learning accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although embryo transfers have grown considerably in the cattle industry, the selection of embryos required for successful pregnancies remains a challenging task. Visual inspection of 7th-day embryos using a stereomicroscope, followed by classification based on morphological features is the most commonly practiced procedure. However, there are inaccuracies and inconsistencies in the manual grading of bovine embryos. The objective of this review was to evaluate the potential of imaging and spectroscopic techniques in the selection of bovine embryos. Digital analysis of microscopic images through extracting visual features in the embryo region, and classification using machine learning methods have yielded about 88–96% success in pregnancies. The Raman spectral pattern provides valuable information regarding developmental stages and quality of the embryo. The Raman spectroscopy approach has also been successfully used to determine various parameters of bovine oocytes. Besides, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy has the ability to assess embryo quality through analyzing embryo composition, including nucleic acid and amides present. Hyperspectral Imaging has also been used to characterize metabolite production during embryo growth. Although the time-lapse imaging approach is beneficial for morphokinetics evaluation of embryo development, optimized protocols are required for successful implementation in bovine embryo transfers. Most imaging and spectroscopic findings are still only at an experimental stage. Further research is warranted to improve the repeatability and practicality to implement in commercial facilities.

Specialty cut flowers are in demand, especially in the domestic market as they can be grown with low production costs without the need for specially equipped greenhouses and offer diversity in terms of form, texture, and colour. These products, which are widely cultivated in the USA, are not well known in Türkiye. One of the main problems of the Turkish cut flower sector is its dependence on foreign inputs and the lack of product diversity. Therefore, specialty cut flower production can be an alternative crop for Türkiye, which has climatic advantages. The cut flower potential of plants such as Zinnia elegans, Tagates erecta, Helianthus annuus, Gomphrena globosa, Centaurea cyanus, and Cleome spinosa that are commonly grown in gardens has been evaluated. After harvesting these flowers grown in an open field in June-October 2020, the stem length (cm), stem thickness (mm), flower length (cm), flower diameter (cm), flower weight (g), and vase life (days) were measured. As a result of the evaluations, considering the phenological findings such as flowering and harvesting period, Zinnia elegans, Tagates erecta, Helianthus annuus, Gomphrena globosa, and Centaurea cyanus were found to be suitable for Eskişehir climatic conditions due to their long flowering periods. On the other hand, if the stem length value, which is one of the most important parameters for cut flowers, is taken as a reference, the minimum stem length value of 30 cm and above is met by Zinnia elegans, Tagates erecta, Helianthus annuus, and Cleome spinosa while the vase life value of 6 days and above is met by Zinnia elegans, Tagates erecta, Helianthus annuus, Gomphrena globosa, and Cleome spinosa. However, Cleome spinosa was not found to be suitable for the region due to its low yield value and short flowering period, while Zinnia elegans, Helianthus annuus, Tagates erecta, and Gomphrena globosa were found to be plants that could be evaluated for the region. In addition, it is believed that the cultivation of specialty cut flowers, with the selection of suitable species, will be an alternative production in regions without climatic advantages.

The relevance of this subject lies in the comparative evaluation of different species of rowan to increase their significance and use in the system of ornamental and fruit horticulture, in the technologies of processing plant raw materials, and in the production of products for healthy nutrition. The purpose of the study is to examine the morpho-physiological characteristics of plants and the biochemical parameters of the fruits of different species (varieties, forms) of the genus Sorbus. Based on the results of practical research, original data on the morphology and economic characteristics of representatives (varieties and forms) of Sorbus intermedia Pers., Sorbus aucuparia L., Sorbus domestica L. are presented. Biological properties of the plants and biochemical parameters of the fruits are highlighted. It is established that all studied representatives of the genus Sorbus have high winter hardiness (1.5 points according to S.Ya. Sokolova), in addition, Scandinavian rowan plants have high drought resistance (4.5 points according to S.S. Pyatnitsky) compared to common rowan plants. Phenological observations of plants of different rowan species allowed for the conditions of the Forest-Steppe of Ukraine to determine the time of onset of ontogenesis phases: development of vegetative buds, appearance of leaves, shoot growth, budding, and flowering, formation and development of ovaries, ripening and fruiting, changes in leaf colour, and leaf fall. Subphases that more accurately characterise the time of onset, peak, and end of a certain phase of development have also been identified, which is a scientific achievement for strategies in the system of ornamental and fruit horticulture. The growth intensity of varieties and forms of representatives of the Sorbus genus in height was studied, and the general condition of plants for viability is evaluated. Preparatory work on the preparation of rootstocks, the selection of scions, and grafting allowed the formation of model plants in the collection nursery and additional assessment of their growth strength, the onset and passage of individual phases of development, assessment of drought and winter hardiness, age of fruiting, and more. Biometrics and descriptions of stem, branches, vegetative and generative buds, leaves, inflorescences, and fruits are also conducted. The taste characteristics of the fruits are described in the materials of the paper. Biochemical analysis of the fruits allowed establishing their suitability for processing and the production of products for healthy nutrition

Two species of the Selaginella genus were noted in Poland up to date, i.e. S. selaginoides and S. helvetica . The first species occurs in the Western Carpathians and the Western Sudetes, however, its Sudeten sites were less numerous than previously reported. The second species was one of the rarest elements in Polish flora. Two populations were reported in Silesia (SW Poland), but after 1945 the species was not confirmed in the nature and thus currently it is regarded in Poland as extinct. Its occurrence and locations were given in the literature based on the historical sources, yet without revision of herbarium materials. Our research on Selaginella vouchers, collected from the sites in Silesia and primarily identified as S. helvetica , showed that only one population represented S. helvetica , whereas the second one was identified by us as an alien American species, S. apoda . This is the first record of S. apoda occurrence in Poland out of cultivation, and the second in Europe. Accordingly, corrected maps of S. selaginoides , S. helvetica and S. apoda distribution in Poland together with the identification key to the species are presented.