Enhancing Data Quality: Conclusion and Future Work, and References

The Story-book of Science by Jean-Henri Fabre, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book here . POISONOUS PLANTS CHAPTER LVIII. POISONOUS PLANTS THE death of poor Joseph had spread consternation through the village. If children left the house and went off into the fields, there was constant anxiety until they returned. They might find poisonous plants that would tempt them with their flowers or their berries, and poison them. Many said, with reason, that the best way to prevent these terrible accidents was to know the dangerous plants and teach the children to beware of them. They went and found Maître Paul, whose great knowledge was appreciated by all, and asked him to teach them the poisonous plants of the neighborhood. So Sunday evening there was a numerous gathering at Uncle Paul’s. Besides his two nephews and his niece, Jacques and Mother Ambroisine, there were Simon, who had come upon the two unfortunate children on his way home from the mill, Jean the miller, André the plowman, Philippe the vine-dresser, Antoine, Mathieu, and many others. The day before, Uncle Paul had taken a walk in the country to gather the plants he was to talk about. A large bunch of the principal poisonous plants, some in blossom, others with berries, were in a pitcher of water on the table. “There are people, my friends,” he began, “who shut their eyes so as not to see danger, and think themselves safe because they wilfully ignore peril. There are others who inform themselves about what may be a menace to them, persuaded that one warned person may be worth two unwarned. You belong to this latter class, and I congratulate you. Countless ills lie in wait for us; let us try to diminish their number by our vigilance, instead of giving ourselves up to lazy carelessness. Now that a frightful misfortune has overtaken one of our families, who does not realize the extreme importance of our all knowing, so as to avoid them, these terrible plants that claim victims every year? If this knowledge were more extended, the poor lit Belladonna Uncle Paul, whom thunder never caused even to knit his brows, had tears in his eyes and his voice trembled. The good Simon, who had seen the two children in each other’s arms under the hedge, felt more moved than the others at this recollection. He pulled down the broad rim of his hat to hide the big tears that were rolling down his rough cheeks bronzed by the sun. After a few moments of silence Uncle Paul continued: “The death of the unfortunate little boy was caused by belladonna. It is a rather large weed with reddish bell-shaped flowers. The berries are round, purplish-black, and resemble cherries. The leaves are oval and pointed at the end. The whole plant has a nauseous odor and a somber appearance, as if to announce the poison it conceals. The berries particularly are dangerous because they may tempt children by their resemblance to cherries and their sweetish taste. Enlargement of the pupil of the eye and a dull, fixed stare are the characteristics of belladonna poisoning.” Paul took from the bouquet in the pitcher a sprig of belladonna, and passed it around in the audience so that each one could examine the plant closely. “What do you say that is called?” asked Jean. “Belladonna.” “Belladonna; good. I know that weed. I have often found it near the mill, in shady places. Who would believe those pretty cherries held such a frightful poison.” Here André asked: “What does the word belladonna mean?” “It is an Italian word meaning fine lady. Formerly, it seems, ladies used the juice of this plant to keep their complexion white.” “That is a property that does not concern our brown skin. What concerns us is this confounded berry which may tempt our children.” “Are not our herds in danger when this weed grows in pastures?” Antoine next inquired. “It is very seldom that animals touch poisonous plants; they avoid browsing what might harm them, warned by the odor, and above all by instinct. “This other plant with large leaves, whose flowers, red on the outside and spotted on the inside with white and purple, are arranged in a long and magnificent cluster almost as high as a man, is called digitalis. The flowers have the form of long, tun-bellied bells, or rather of glove-fingers; therefore it is called by different names, all referring to this peculiarity.” Fox-glove “If I am not mistaken,” said Jean, “it is what we call fox-glove. It is common on the edges of woods.” “We call it fox-glove on account of its resemblance to the thumb of a glove. For the same reason it has elsewhere the name of gloves of Notre-Dame, gloves of the Virgin, and finger-stall. The name digitalis, borrowed from the Latin, also refers to the finger-shaped flower.” “It is a great pity that fine plant is poisonous,” commented Simon; “it would be a pleasure to see it in our gardens.” “It is, indeed, cultivated as an ornamental plant, but in gardens under stricter vigilance than ours. As for us, my friends, who hardly have time to watch over flowers, we shall do well not to put digitalis within reach of children by introducing it in our gardens. The whole plant is poisonous. It has the singular property of slowing up the beating of the heart and finally stopping it. It is unnecessary to tell you that when the heart no longer beats, all is over. Hemlock “Hemlock is still more dangerous. Its finely-divided leaves resemble those of chervil and parsley. This resemblance has often occasioned fatal mistakes, all the easier, because the formidable plant grows in the hedges of enclosures and even in our gardens. A plain enough characteristic, however, enables us to distinguish the poisonous weed from the two pot-herds that resemble it: that is the odor. Rub that tuft of hemlock in your hands, Simon, and smell.” “Ouf!” said Simon, “that smells very bad; parsley and chervil have not that horrid odor. When one is warned, no mistake can be made, in my opinion.” “Yes, when one is warned; but those who are not take no account of the smell and mistake hemlock for parsley or chervil. It is in order to be warned that you are listening to me this evening.” “You are doing us a great service, Maître Paul,” said Jean, “by putting us on our guard against these dangerous plants. Every one at home ought to know what you have just taught us, so as not to gather a salad of hemlock instead of chervil.” Arum “There are two kinds of hemlock. One, called the great hemlock, is found in damp and uncultivated places. It is very like chervil. Its stems are marked with black or reddish spots. The other, called the little hemlock, resembles parsley. It grows in cultivated fields, hedges, and gardens. Both have a nauseating odor. “Now here is a poisonous plant very easy to recognize. It is the arum, or, as it is commonly called, cuckoopint or calves’-foot. The arum is common in hedges. The leaves are very broad and shaped like a large lance-head. The blossom is shaped like a donkey’s ear. It is a large yellowish trumpet, from the bottom of which rises a fleshy rod that might be taken for a little finger of butter. This strange flower is succeeded by a bunch of berries as large as peas and of a splendid red color. The whole plant has an unbearable burning taste.” “Let me tell you, Maître Paul,” put in Mathieu, “what happened one day to my little Lucien. Coming home from school, he saw in the hedge those large flowers you are speaking of, like donkey’s ears; the fleshy rod in the middle looked to him like something good to eat. You have just compared it to a little finger of butter. The thoughtless creature was taken with its looks. He bit into the deceitful finger of butter. What had he done! In a moment his tongue began to burn as if he had bitten a red-hot coal. I saw him come home spitting and making faces. He won’t be taken in again, you may be sure. Luckily he hadn’t swallowed the piece. The next morning he was all right.” “A similar burning flavor is found in the white milk-like juice that runs from the euphorbia when cut. The euphorbia are plants of mean appearance, very common everywhere. Their flowers, small and yellowish, grow in a head, the even branches of which radiate at the top of the stem. These plants are easily recognized by their white juice, their milk, which runs in abundance from the cut stems. This juice is dangerous, even on the skin alone, if it is tender; its acrid, burning taste is its sufficient characteristic. Aconites “The aconites, like digitalis, are fine plants which for their beauty have been introduced in gardens, notwithstanding the violence of their poison. They are found in hilly countries. Their blossoms are blue or yellow, helmet-shaped, and grow in an elegant terminal bunch of the finest effect. Their leaves, of a lustrous green, are cut out in radiating sprays. The aconites are very poisonous. The violence of their poison has given them the name of dog’s-bane and wolf’s-bane. History tells us that formerly arrow-heads and lance-heads were soaked in the juice of the aconites, to poison the wounds made in war and to make them mortal. “There is sometimes cultivated in our gardens a shrub with large shiny leaves, which do not fall in winter, and with black, oval berries as large as acorns. It is the cherry-bay. All its parts, leaves, flowers, and berries, have the odor of bitter almonds and peach kernels. The leaves of the cherry-bay are sometimes used to give their perfume to cream and milk products. They should be used only with great prudence, for the cherry-bay is extremely poisonous. They even say one has only to remain some time in its shade to become indisposed from its exhalations of a bitter-almond odor. “In autumn there is seen in abundance, in damp fields, a large and beautiful flower, rose or lilac in color, that rises from the ground alone, without stem or leaves. It is the colchicum, called also meadow saffron, or veillotte, also veilleuse, because it blossoms on the eve of the cold season. If you dig a little way down, you will find that this flower starts from a rather large bulb, covered with a brown skin. Colchicum is poisonous; so cows never touch it. Its bulb is still more poisonous. “But we have talked enough about harmful plants for to-day. I should be afraid of befogging your memories were I to enter into more details. Next Sunday I will expect you again, my friends, and will talk to you about mushrooms.” About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Jean-Henri Fabre (2018). The Story-book of Science. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/56795/pg56795-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org , located at https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html.

POISONOUS PLANTS

ANOTHER MAN'S WIFE

The Planet of Dread

El planeta del terror

La planète de l'effroi

भय का ग्रह

恐怖の惑星

O Planeta do Terror

Hành tinh của nỗi sợ hãi

恐惧星球

THE CAREER OF NAPOLEON BONAPARTE

The Count of Monte Cristo, Illustrated: Chapter 27 - The Story

Machine Learning is an application of Artificial Intelligence. It allows software applications to become accurate in predicting outcomes. focuses on the development of computer programs, and the primary aim is to allow computers to learn automatically without human intervention. Machine Learning Google says “Machine Learning is the future,” and the future of Machine Learning is going to be very bright. As humans become more addicted to machines, we’re witnesses to a new revolution that’s taking over the world, and that is going to be the future of Machine Learning. More online businesses are integrating machine learning into their operations, with the bigger and established ones trailblazing the revolution. Machine learning has brought myriad opportunities and improved strategies to help business owners foster customer relationships and get more profit and conversions. If you haven’t fully leveraged the power of machine learning in your business, let me give you five reasons why you should do so now. 1. Machine learning helps increase your efficiency. Can you imagine buying from the grocery store without having to wait in line to pay for your goods? If you can’t, then you’d better prepared because that is now a reality. Amazon, for one, has applied machine learning to make grocery shopping ultra-efficient for your customers through computer vision, sensor fusion, and deep learning algorithms. Using the Amazon Go app, customers only need to open it, scan the QR code when they enter, pick their items, and confidently walk out of the store. Amazon Go detects the items they take out from the shelves, automatically adds them into their virtual carts, and charges the bill into their Amazon accounts when they leave. Such is a classic example of how machine learning can increase the efficiency of your business operations and processes, and help your customers, too. While you can use pre-built machine learning technologies, you can also master how to develop them yourself. The concept may sound complicated, but through the right machine learning course, you can invest in building machine learning technologies that suit your specific business needs. 2. You can understand your customers better. Since the launch of automation, businesses have embraced customer-centeredness. If you want to maintain a competitive edge over other businesses, you need to know what your customers need and give it to them. If you fail to do so, you can lose your potential customers to your competitors. Here is where machine learning plays a critical role. Machine learning can analyze and organize patterns, trends, and data about your customers’ demographic profiles, choices and preferences, behaviors, and others. Machine learning can get these data from online tools and mechanisms that you use, such as emails collected from sign-ups. Such ability by machine learning enables you to know and understand your customers more quickly. For instance, for your advertising campaigns on Google Adsense or other channels to be effective, they should be deeply targeted according to the mentioned data. The more accurately you can understand your customers and their needs and wants, the more sharply you can target your ads. 3. You can personalize your marketing campaigns. When customers feel that your offers are accurately aligned with their preferences — or personalized — they are more likely to patronize your business. The question now becomes, how do you personalize your campaigns and customer shopping experience? The answer is by using machine learning to build them based on the data gathered and analyzed, just like Flybits does. Flybits is a context-as-a-service product that helps businesses provide hyper-personalized digital content and experiences for your customers. With its easy user interface, your digital marketers can easily and instantly access internal and external data through cloud synchronization. Its real-time mobile analytics allow you to customize your content and campaigns for your customers according to their location, weather, and others. What’s more, Flybits ensures your customers’ data are safe and kept confidential. Your customers retain full ownership over their data as well. Personalized campaigns are influential in increasing your conversions and sales, and machine learning help you create them. 4. Machine learning recommends products to your customers. In line with personalizing your campaigns, machine learning can recommend products similar to what you previously viewed, purchased, or added to your cart. Amazon is one company that uses machine learning to recommend similar products. Machine learning picks up on the features of the items you previously searched, viewed, or bought, and creates algorithms from those data. Amazon then personalizes its recommendations to you by stating your name and showing similar items. It can also recommend to you similar items that other customers viewed or bought. Let’s say you clicked on some Omine grey loafer sneakers. Machine learning notes the features of the shoes, such as color, size, and style, and then shows you what other customers also bought. In this way, they leverage social proof and fear of missing out (FOMO) to entice you to consider buying what other customers also liked (besides widening your range of options). That said, machine learning helps you improve your sales and conversions significantly. 5. Machine learning helps to detect fraud. The convenience that online payment systems offer, especially through mobile applications, has attracted both customers and businesses to transact and purchase online. However, transmitting money online has also attracted cybercriminals and given them opportunities to execute fraudulent attacks. Some businesses have implemented different cybersecurity measures but find that they need more to stop fraud. If you’re experiencing the same problem, there’s fortunate news for you. Machine learning can now help strengthen businesses’ fraud detection system. For instance, PayPal uses machine-learning mechanisms to catch suspicious and shady transactions and separate them from legitimate ones. Machine learning further assists you by inspecting specific attributes among your data and develop standards as the basis for examining each transaction. Machine learning, therefore, helps prevent malicious transactions from taking place even before you can complete them. 6) Learning machine learning brings in better career opportunities According to a Tractica Report, AI driven services were worth $1.9 billion in 2016 and are anticipated to rise to $2.7 billion by end of 2017 of which 23% of the revenue comes through machine learning technology. A report from TMR mentions that MLaaS (Machine learning as a Service) is expected to grow from $1.07 billion in 2016 to $19.9 billion by end of 2025. Machine learning is the shining star of the moment. With every industry looking to apply AI in their domain, studying machine learning opens world of opportunities to develop cutting edge machine learning applications in various verticals – such as cyber security, image recognition, medicine, or face recognition. With several machine learning companies on the verge of hiring skilled ML engineers, it is becoming the brain behind business intelligence. Netflix announced prize worth $1 million to the first individual who could enhance the accuracy of its recommendation ML algorithm by 10%. This is a clear evidence on how significant even a slight enhancement is in the accuracy of recommendation machine learning algorithms to improve the profitability of Netflix. Every customer- centric organization is looking to adopt machine learning technology and is the next big thing paving opportunities for IT professionals. Machine learning algorithms have become the darlings of business and consumers so if you want to put yourselves somewhere in the upper echelon of software engineers then this is the best time to learn ML. 7) Machine Learning Engineers earn a pretty penny The cost of a top, world-class machine learning expert can be related to that of a top NFL quarterback prospect. According to SimplyHired.com, the average machine learning engineer salary is $142,000.An experienced machine learning engineer can earn up to $195, 752. 8)  Machine Learning Jobs on the rise “ You need a special kind of person to build a hammer, but once you build it, you can give it to many people who will use it to build a house.” The major hiring is happening in all top tech companies in search of those special kind of people (machine learning engineers) who can build a hammer (machine learning algorithms). The job market for machine learning engineers is not just hot but it’s sizzling. According to the popular job portal Indeed, the number of open machine learning jobs have been steadily rising from 2014 to  the onset of 2016, from 60 job postings per million to more than 100. The number of job postings jumped up to 150 postings per million by end of 2016. Indeed job trends report also reveals that the number of machine learning engineer job postings outstrip the number of searches for machine learning jobs – 100 million searches vs. 150 job postings. A recent survey on the Indian job market found that there is a requirements of 4000 machine learning engineers in Bengaluru alone. Here is a snapshot of the total number of machine learning jobs in US for IT professionals as of November 13, 2017 – Machine Learning Engineer Jobs Positions on Glassdoor.com – 12000+ 9) Machine learning is linked directly to Data Science Machine learning appears as a shadow of data science. Machine learning career endows you with two hats, one is for a machine learning engineer job and the other is for a data scientist job. Becoming competent in both the fields makes an individual a hot commodity to most of the employers. It means that you can analyse tons of data, extract value and glean insight from it, and later make use of that information to train a machine learning model to predict results. In many organizations, a machine learning engineer often partners with a data scientist for better synchronization of work products. Furthermore, data scientist has been voted the Sexiest Job of 21st Century so one can get started as a data scientist specializing in Machine Learning and become more desirable to employers. If these reasons ring a bell then you might be interested to get your start in machine learning career right now. Are you ready to learn machine learning and land your dream job at one of the top tech companies? Share your personal approach, knowledge, and strategy in the comments below. Everyone has a different take on machine learning, and we want to know your thoughts. Future of Machine Learning can be a competitive advantage to any company be it a top MNC or a startup as things that are currently being done manually will be done tomorrow by machines. Machine Learning revolution will stay with us for long and so will be the future of Machine Learning. Machine Learning Resources to learn Machine Learning Learn Artificial Intelligence for Beginners Machine Learning In The Cloud With Azure Machine Learning Machine Learning Python: Regression Modeling MACHINE LEARNING with Microsoft AZURE Machine Learning with AWS Machine Learning from scratch through Python Machine Learning and Training Neural Network in MATLAB Practical Deep Learning: Image Search Engine DATA SCIENCE with MACHINE LEARNING and DATA ANALYTICS Machine Learning and Data Science using Python for Beginners Machine Learning using R and Python Machine Learning Adv: Support Vector Machines (SVM) Python Conclusion We have studied the future and the algorithms of Machine Learning. Along with that, we have studied its application, which will help you deal with real life. Furthermore, if you have any queries, feel free to ask in the comments section.

9 Reasons Why You Should Keep Learning Machine Learning

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