bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Critical Cybersecurity Analysis and Future Research Directions for the Internet of Things: A Comprehensive Review
Authors: Tariq Usman , Ahmed Irfan , Bashir Ali Kashif , Shaukat Kamran
Published: April 2023

The emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT) technology has brought about tremendous possibilities, but at the same time, it has opened up new vulnerabilities and attack vectors that could compromise the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of connected systems. Developing a secure IoT ecosystem is a daunting challenge that requires a systematic and holistic approach to identify and mitigate potential security threats. Cybersecurity research considerations play a critical role in this regard, as they provide the foundation for designing and implementing security measures that can address emerging risks. To achieve a secure IoT ecosystem, scientists and engineers must first define rigorous security specifications that serve as the foundation for developing secure devices, chipsets, and networks. Developing such specifications requires an interdisciplinary approach that involves multiple stakeholders, including cybersecurity experts, network architects, system designers, and domain experts. The primary challenge in IoT security is ensuring the system can defend against both known and unknown attacks. To date, the IoT research community has identified several key security concerns related to the architecture of IoT systems. These concerns include issues related to connectivity, communication, and management protocols. This research paper provides an all-inclusive and lucid review of the current state of anomalies and security concepts related to the IoT. We classify and analyze prevalent security distresses regarding IoT’s layered architecture, including connectivity, communication, and management protocols. We establish the foundation of IoT security by examining the current attacks, threats, and cutting-edge solutions. Furthermore, we set security goals that will serve as the benchmark for assessing whether a solution satisfies the specific IoT use cases.
New Biosensor for Determination of Neuropilin-1 with Detection by Surface Plasmon Resonance Imaging
Authors: Sankiewicz Anna , Zelazowska-Rutkowska Beata , Gorska Ewelina , Hermanowicz Adam , Gorodkiewicz Ewa
Published: April 2023

Neuropilin-1 is transmembrane protein with soluble isoforms. It plays a pivotal role in both physiological and pathological processes. NRP-1 is involved in the immune response, formation of neuronal circuits, angiogenesis, survival and migration of cells. The specific SPRI biosensor for the determination of neuropilin-1 was constructed using mouse monoclonal antibody that captures unbound NRP-1 form body fluids. The biosensor exhibits linearity of the analytical signal between 0.01 and 2.5 ng/mL, average precision value 4.7% and recovery between 97% and 104%. The detection limit is 0.011 ng/mL, and the limit of quantification is 0.038 ng/mL. The biosensor was validated by parallel determination of NRP-1 in serum and saliva samples using the ELISA test, with good agreement of the results.
A Trade-Off between Complexity and Interaction Quality for Upper Limb Exoskeleton Interfaces
Authors: Verdel Dorian , Sahm Guillaume , Bruneau Olivier , Berret Bastien , Vignais Nicolas
Published: April 2023

Exoskeletons are among the most promising devices dedicated to assisting human movement during reeducation protocols and preventing musculoskeletal disorders at work. However, their potential is currently limited, partially because of a fundamental contradiction impacting their design. Indeed, increasing the interaction quality often requires the inclusion of passive degrees of freedom in the design of human-exoskeleton interfaces, which increases the exoskeleton’s inertia and complexity. Thus, its control also becomes more complex, and unwanted interaction efforts can become important. In the present paper, we investigate the influence of two passive rotations in the forearm interface on sagittal plane reaching movements while keeping the arm interface unchanged (i.e., without passive degrees of freedom). Such a proposal represents a possible compromise between conflicting design constraints. The in-depth investigations carried out here in terms of interaction efforts, kinematics, electromyographic signals, and subjective feedback of participants all underscored the benefits of such a design. Therefore, the proposed compromise appears to be suitable for rehabilitation sessions, specific tasks at work, and future investigations into human movement using exoskeletons.
A Novel Motor Structure with Extended Particle Swarm Optimization for Space Robot Control
Authors: Gao Hongwei , Liu Zide , Wang Xuna , Li Dongyu , Zhang Tian , Yu Jiahui , Wang Jianbin
Published: April 2023

This paper studies motor structures and optimization methods for space robots, proposing an optimized stepped rotor bearingless switched reluctance motor (BLSRM) to solve the poor self-starting ability and significant torque fluctuation issues in traditional BLSRMs. Firstly, the advantages and disadvantages of the 12/14 hybrid stator pole type BLSRM were analyzed, and a stepped rotor BLSRM structure was designed. Secondly, the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm was improved and combined with finite element analysis for motor structure parameter optimization. Subsequently, a performance analysis of the original and new motors was conducted using finite element analysis software, and the results showed that the stepped rotor BLSRM had an improved self-starting ability and significantly reduced torque fluctuation, verifying the effectiveness of the proposed motor structure and optimization method.
Advances in Electrochemical Biosensor Technologies for the Detection of Nucleic Acid Breast Cancer Biomarkers
Authors: Chiorcea-Paquim Ana-Maria
Published: April 2023

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women worldwide; therefore, there is an increased need for the discovery, development, optimization, and quantification of diagnostic biomarkers that can improve the disease diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic outcome. Circulating cell-free nucleic acids biomarkers such as microRNAs (miRNAs) and breast cancer susceptibility gene 1 (BRCA1) allow the characterization of the genetic features and screening breast cancer patients. Electrochemical biosensors offer excellent platforms for the detection of breast cancer biomarkers due to their high sensitivity and selectivity, low cost, use of small analyte volumes, and easy miniaturization. In this context, this article provides an exhaustive review concerning the electrochemical methods of characterization and quantification of different miRNAs and BRCA1 breast cancer biomarkers using electrochemical DNA biosensors based on the detection of hybridization events between a DNA or peptide nucleic acid probe and the target nucleic acid sequence. The fabrication approaches, the biosensors architectures, the signal amplification strategies, the detection techniques, and the key performance parameters, such as the linearity range and the limit of detection, were discussed.
Transforming Trauma through an Arts Festival: A Psychosocial Case Study
Authors: Bennett Jill , Kenning Gail , Gitau Lydia , Moran Rebecca , Wobcke Marianne
Published: April 2023

Through a psychosocial lens, informed by relational psychoanalysis, this article discusses the design, delivery, and impact of The Big Anxiety’s 2022 festival in Warwick, Queensland—an arts-based program that engages with lived experiences of trauma, distress, and suicide, and in this case with the devastating impact of youth suicide, disproportionately affecting First Nations communities. It describes the festival’s methods of creative engagement, examining how these create conditions for the transformation of trauma and for experiences of growth.
A Methodology for Predicting Ground Delay Program Incidence through Machine Learning
Authors: Dong Xiangning , Zhu Xuhao , Hu Minghua , Bao Jie
Published: April 2023

Effective ground delay programs (GDP) are needed to intervene when there are bad weather or airport capacity issues. This paper proposes a new methodology for predicting the incidence of effective ground delay programs by utilizing machine learning techniques, which can improve the safety and economic benefits of flights. We use the combination of local weather and flight operation data along with the ATM airport performance (ATMAP) algorithm to quantify the weather and to generate an ATMAP score. We then compared the accuracy of three machine learning models, Support Vector Machine, Random Forest, and XGBoost, to estimate the probability of GDPs. The results of the weather analysis, performed by the ATMAP algorithm, indicated that the ceiling was the most critical weather factor. Lastly, we used two linear regression models (ridge and LASSO) and a non-linear regression model (decision tree) to predict departure flight delays during GDP. The predictive accuracy of the regression models was enhanced by an increase in ATMAP scores, with the decision tree model outperforming the other models, resulting in an improvement of 8.8% in its correlation coefficient (R2).
Intrusion Detection Using Chaotic Poor and Rich Optimization with Deep Learning Model for Smart City Environment
Authors: Alrayes Fatma S. , Asiri Mashael M. , Maashi Mashael , Salama Ahmed S. , Hamza Manar Ahmed , Ibrahim Sara Saadeldeen , Zamani Abu Sarwar , Alsaid Mohamed Ibrahim
Published: April 2023

Artificial intelligence (AI) techniques play a vital role in the evolving growth and rapid development of smart cities. To develop a smart environment, enhancements to the execution, sustainability, and security of traditional mechanisms become mandatory. Intrusion detection systems (IDS) can be considered an effective solutions to achieve security in the smart environment. This article introduces intrusion detection using chaotic poor and rich optimization with a deep learning model (IDCPRO-DLM) for ubiquitous and smart atmospheres. The IDCPRO-DLM model follows preprocessing, feature selection, and classification stages. At the initial stage, the Z-score data normalization system is exploited to scale the input data. Additionally, the IDCPRO-DLM method designs a chaotic poor and rich optimization algorithm-based feature selection (CPROA-FS) approach for selecting feature subsets. For intrusion detection, butterfly optimization algorithm (BOA) with a deep sparse autoencoder (DSAE) is used. The simulation analysis of the IDCPRO-DLM technique is studied on the benchmark CICIDS dataset and the comparison results show the better performance of the IDCPRO-DLM algorithm over recent state-of-the-art approaches with a maximum accuracy of 98.53%.
Young Households’ Diminishing Access to Homeownership Attainment in Europe
Authors: Vangeel Wouter , Defau Laurens , De Moor Lieven
Published: April 2023

This multi-country article focuses particularly on homeownership among the young. After all, relying on European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) data in twelve European countries, we can see that in contrast to the aggregate homeownership rate of ‘all’ households (i.e., no matter what age the households’ heads are) that has remained relatively stable, the aggregate homeownership rate of young households (with heads aged 0–35 years) has fallen substantially in Europe in recent decades. Multiple analyses and quantitative comparisons confirm the stylized fact that acquiring a home has indeed become a challenge for young adult households (also no matter the income quartile in which they fall); rather than that, however, their lowering homeownership rates are simply due to changing sociodemographic characteristics (such as having children later in life and staying longer in education). Moreover, it is unveiled that young tenants and lower income young households are especially disadvantaged with regard to access to the housing market. Through our actual research, we aim to answer the question: Has the government’s fiscal policy strengthened or weakened the declining trend in young people’s homeownership? After all, some evidence exists of an MID having a perverse effect, i.e., capitalizing on higher housing prices. However, multilevel mixed-effects logistic regressions reveal that the use of a mortgage interest deduction (MID) has had a significant positive effect on young adults’ homeownership probability—with the strongest effect for the highest incomes. We believe that all the above results are—in the first place—relevant for governments that are willing to stimulate homeownership. They indicate that some (additional) policy interventions are indeed needed, next to or instead of granting an MID, and that the focus of housing policy should also (and more) be on tenants and those with lower incomes.
Developing Machine Learning-Based Intelligent Control System for Performance Optimization of Solar PV-Powered Refrigerators
Authors: Eltawil Mohamed A. , Mohammed Maged , Alqahtani Nayef M.
Published: April 2023

Display refrigerators consume significantly high energy, and improving their efficiency is essential to minimize energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, providing the refrigeration system with a reliable and energy-efficient mechanism is a real challenge. This study aims to design and evaluate an intelligent control system (ICS) using artificial neural networks (ANN) for the performance optimization of solar-powered display refrigerators (SPDRs). The SPDR was operated using the traditional control system at a fixed frequency of 60 Hz and then operated based on variable frequencies ranging from 40 to 60 Hz using the designed ANN-based ICS combined with a variable speed drive. A stand-alone PV system provided the refrigerator with the required energy at the two control options. For the performance evaluation, the operating conditions of the SPDR after the modification of its control system were compared with its performance with a traditional control system (TCS) at target refrigeration temperatures of 1, 3, and 5 °C and ambient temperatures of 23, 29, and 35 °C. Based on the controlled variable frequency speed by the modified control system (MCS), the power, energy consumption, and coefficient of performance (COP) of the SPDR are improved. The results show that both refrigeration control mechanisms maintain the same cooling temperature, but the traditional refrigerator significantly consumes more energy (p < 0.05). At the same target cooling temperature, increasing the ambient temperature decreased the COP for the SPDR with both the TCS and MCS. The average daily COP of the SPDR varied from 2.8 to 3.83 and from 1.91 to 2.82 for the SPDR with the TCS and MCS, respectively. The comparison results of the two refrigerators’ conditions indicated that the developed ICS for the SPDR saved about 35.5% of the energy at the 5 °C target cooling temperature and worked with smoother power when the ambient temperature was high. The COP of the SPDR with the MCS was higher than the TCS by 26.37%, 26.59%, and 24.22% at the average daily ambient temperature of 23 °C, 29 °C, and 35 °C, respectively. The developed ANN-based control system optimized the SPDR and proved to be a suitable tool for the refrigeration industry.
Towards Sustainable Pasture Agrolandscapes: A Landscape-Ecological-Indicative Approach to Environmental Audits and Impact Assessments
Authors: Plokhikh Roman , Shokparova Dana , Fodor Gyula , Berghauer Sándor , Tóth Attila , Suymukhanov Uzakbay , Zhakupova Aiman , Varga Imre , Zhu Kai , Dávid Lóránt Dénes
Published: April 2023

Reliable environmental audits and impact assessments are essential to achieve effective pasture utilization and ensure the production of high-quality livestock products. This study aims to develop an environmental audit and impact assessment method for pasture agrolandscapes to promote sustainable livestock practices, using Central Kazakhstan as a case study. To provide a strong foundation for this research, the study utilized representations of pasture agrolandscapes, landscape-ecological and landscape-indicative approaches, and interactions between environmental audits and impact assessments in Kazakhstan. The authors acknowledge that their understanding of the environmental audit and impact assessment for pasture agrolandscapes is a complex method that requires specific knowledge and information about the landscape environment from users. They note that solving the challenges of national food security and environmentally safe territorial development can be achieved through the development of a private method that uses landscape environment status indicators. Methods similar to this enable the study of geocomplexes and their crucial characteristics, leading to a unique system of reliable indicators for environmental issues. This approach facilitates the creation of a scientifically based plan for optimal regional land use and land management systems regarding pasture agrolandscapes.
Chemistry Learning through Culturally Responsive Transformative Teaching (CRTT): Educating Indonesian High School Students for Cultural Sustainability
Authors: Rahmawati Yuli , Mardiah Alin , Taylor Elisabeth , Taylor Peter Charles , Ridwan Achmad
Published: April 2023

According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), culture provides the transformative dimension for ensuring the development process of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. As one of the key drivers in the implementation of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, culture ensures a people-centered and context-relevant approach that cuts across a range of policy areas and, thus, in the context of quality education promotes the development of human resources for cultural and environmental sustainability. It is in this context that we report on a study aimed at developing students’ cultural identity and supporting the younger generation in preserving their cultural heritage, whilst learning chemistry concepts at the same time. The culturally responsive transformative teaching (CRTT) model served as a theoretical framework for the research to engage students in culture-based, high school chemistry learning by utilizing specially designed ethnochemistry texts that highlighted the relationship between cultural values and chemistry concepts. Case studies were conducted within the interpretive research paradigm and involved 149 students from four high schools in four Indonesian provinces, namely Banten, west Java, Bangka Belitung, and south Sumatra. In particular, we were interested in understanding how well students engage in this innovative transformative learning model, designed to educate them about cultural sustainability. We generated data by means of students’ reflective journals, semi-structured interviews with students, and classroom observations. In general, the results from the research strongly suggest that students involved in cultural identity reflection, engaged in cultural-based chemistry learning, explored cultural heritage through a chemistry lens, applied social etiquette and ethics, and developed cultural heritage preservation awareness. These are important aspects of cultural sustainability. The results imply that culturally responsive chemistry education has great potential for educating students and empowering them as conservationists of Indonesian culture. Further research on empowering students on cultural sustainability with other ethnochemistry topics within Indonesian cultural contexts is needed to further investigate the CRTT model’s broader efficacy.
Investigating the Relationship between the Manning Coefficients (n) of a Perforated Subsurface Stormwater Drainage Pipe and the Hydraulic Parameters
Authors: Abdullah Junaidah , Mohd Arif Zainol Mohd Remy Rozainy , Riahi Ali , Zakaria Nor Azazi , Yusof Mohd Fazly , Shaharuddin Syafiq , Alias Muhammad Nurfasya , Mohd Kasim Muhammad Zaki , Abdul Aziz Mohd Sharizal , Mohamed Noor Norazian , Zawawi Mohd Hafiz , Ikhsan Jazaul
Published: April 2023

Subsurface perforated pipes drain infiltrated stormwater runoff while attenuating the peak flow. The Manning roughness coefficient (n) was identified as a fundamental parameter for estimating roughness in various subsurface channels. Hence, in this work, the performance of a six-row non-staggered sand-slot perforated pipe as a sample of the subsurface drainage is investigated experimentally in a laboratory flume at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) aimed at determining the Manning roughness coefficients (n) of the pipe and assessing the relationship between the Manning’s n and the hydraulic parameters of the simulated runoff flow under the conditions of the tailgate channel being opened fully (GFO) and partially (GPO), as well as the pipe having longitudinal slopes of 1:750 and 1:1000. Water is pumped into the flume at a maximum discharge rate of 35 L/s, and the velocity and depth of the flow are measured at nine points along the inner parts of the pipe. Based on the calculated Reynolds numbers ranging from 38,252 to 64,801 for both GFO and GPO conditions, it is determined that most of the flow in the perforated pipe is turbulent, and the calculated flow discharges and velocities from the outlets under GFO are higher than the flow and velocity rates under GPO with similar pipe slopes of 1:750 and 1:1000. The Manning coefficients are calculated at nine points along the pipe and range from 0.004 to 0.009. Based on the ranges of the calculated Manning’s n, an inverse linear relationships between the Manning coefficients and the flow velocity under GFO and GPO conditions are observed with the R2 of 0.975 and 0.966, as well as 0.819 and 0.992 resulting from predicting the values of flow velocities with the equations v = ((0.01440 − n)/0.009175), v = ((0.01330 − n)/0.00890), v = ((0.02007 − n)/0.01814), and v = ((0.01702 − n)/0.01456) with pipe slopes of 1:750 and 1:1000, respectively. It is concluded that since the roughness coefficient (Manning’s n) of the pipe increases, it is able to reduce the flow velocity in the pipe, resulting in a lower peak of flow and the ability to control the quantity of storm water in the subsurface urban drainages.
Utilization of 3D Scan Data: “Representation” of Korean Wooden Architectural Heritage
Authors: Lee Jae-Young , An Dai Whan
Published: April 2023

This study examines the characteristics of 3D scan data of Korean wooden architectural heritage structures and methods of applying the data from a representation perspective. For the preservation of its unique features, architectural heritage requires accurate representation in terms of investigation, research, and application. The representation of architectural heritage indicates a derivative reflecting the original structure and construction based on the intention of the builder. Thus, the recognition of architectural heritage varies according to the representation methods, which include text, drawings, plans, photos, and 3D scan data, each of which has different advantages and disadvantages. Compared with other models, 3D scan data provide a more accurate representation and carry value as digital data, while minimizing potential intentionality. Three-dimensional scan data can be collated with different types of information, such as building information modeling (BIM), with ease of updating. Therefore, the characteristics of 3D scan data should be identified and applied regarding representation in order to maximize data effectiveness. Three-dimensional scan data can be used most efficiently to create investigative reports representing architectural heritage. By adding the awareness of new technologies, Korean wooden architectural heritage can take advantage of accurate documentation and digital surveys in order to be preserved and recorded sustainably through digital towns and datasets. They can documented and represented through a technology-driven investigative report.
On the Ideal Convergent Sequences in Fuzzy Normed Space
Authors: Altaweel Nifeen H. , Rashid Mohammad H. M. , Albalawi Olayan , Alshehri Maryam G. , Eljaneid Nidal H. E. , Albalawi Razan
Published: April 2023

This article discusses a variety of important notions, including ideal convergence and ideal Cauchyness of topological sequences produced by fuzzy normed spaces. Furthermore, the connections between the concepts of the ideal limit and ideal cluster points of a sequence in a fuzzy normed linear space are investigated. In a fuzzy normed space, we investigated additional effects, such as describing compactness in terms of ideal cluster points and other relevant but previously unresearched ideal convergence and adjoint ideal convergence aspects of sequences and nets. The countable compactness of a fuzzy normed space and its link to it were also defined. The terms ideal and its adjoint divergent sequences are then introduced, and specific aspects of them are explored in a fuzzy normed space. Our study supports the importance of condition (AP) in examining summability via ideals. It is suggested to use a fuzzy point symmetry-based genetic clustering method to automatically count the number of clusters in a data set and determine how well the data are fuzzy partitioned. As long as the clusters have the attribute of symmetry, they can be any size, form, or convexity. One of the crucial ways that symmetry is used in fuzzy systems is in the solution of the linear Fuzzy Fredholm Integral Equation (FFIE), which has symmetric triangular (Fuzzy Interval) output and any fuzzy function input.
Exploiting Service Design in Service Quality: Escorting the Customer’s Experiential Value in the Journey of a Star-Rated Hotel
Authors: Chang Tsen-Yao , Chiu Yu-Chieh
Published: April 2023

The present research presented a novel model for incorporating service design to create guest experiential value. Taking a star hotel in Taiwan as an example, this study used the KJ method to classify online reviews about hotel services and then created a customer journey map (CJM) through participant observation of the entire service process. By deconstructing the service process and identifying key service touchpoints, service design ideas were incorporated into the CJM. A Kano questionnaire was then adopted to accommodate 38 service scape attributes in 4 segments: 1 attribute in the maintenance area, 10 of the high-priority area, 11 of the low-priority area, and 16 of differentiation. The overall research results propose experience design strategies for the hotel industry in terms of the service content and operation processes of star-rated hotels, which can then be adjusted according to their operating conditions to construct their unique service experience content. This is expected to be the basis for subsequent research and serve as a basis and reference for improving hotel service design strategies and competitiveness in the future.
Risk Connectedness among International Stock Markets: Fresh Findings from a Network Approach
Authors: Choi Ki-Hong , Yoon Seong-Min
Published: April 2023

In this study, we analyze the upside and downside risk connectedness among international stock markets. We characterize the connectedness among international stock returns using the Diebold and Yilmaz spillover index approach and compute the upside and downside value-at-risk. We document that the connectedness level of the downside risk is higher than that of the upside risk and stock markets are more sensitive when the stock market declines. We also find that specific periods (e.g., the global financial crisis, the European debt crisis, and the COVID-19 turmoil) intensified the spillover effects across international stock markets. Our results demonstrate that DE, UK, EU, and US acted as net transmitters of dynamic connectedness; however, Japan, China, India, and Hong Kong acted as net receivers of dynamic connectedness during the sample period. These findings provide significant new information to policymakers and market participants.
Pyroptosis-Mediated Damage Mechanism by Deoxynivalenol in Porcine Small Intestinal Epithelial Cells
Authors: Kang Tae Hong , Shin Sangsu , Park JeongWoong , Lee Bo Ram , Lee Sang In
Published: April 2023

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is known as a vomitoxin, which frequently contaminates feedstuffs, such as corn, wheat, and barley. Intake of DON-contaminated feed has been known to cause undesirable effects, including diarrhea, emesis, reduced feed intake, nutrient malabsorption, weight loss, and delay in growth, in livestock. However, the molecular mechanism of DON-induced damage of the intestinal epithelium requires further investigation. Treatment with DON triggered ROS in IPEC-J2 cells and increased the mRNA and protein expression levels of thioredoxin interacting protein (TXNIP). To investigate the activation of the inflammasome, we confirmed the mRNA and protein expression levels of the NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3), apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain (ASC), and caspase-1 (CASP-1). Moreover, we confirmed that caspase mediates the mature form of interleukin-18, and the cleaved form of Gasdermin D (GSDMD) was increased. Based on these results, our study suggests that DON can induce damage through oxidative stress and pyroptosis in the epithelial cells of the porcine small intestine via NLRP3 inflammasome.
Production of Cumulative Pions and Percolation of Strings
Authors: Braun Mikhail Aleksandrovich
Published: April 2023

Production of pions in high-energy collisions with nuclei in the kinematics prohibited for free nucleons (“cumulative pions”) is studied in the fusing color string model. The model describes the so-called direct mechanism for cumulative production. The other (spectator) mechanism dominates in production of cumulative protons, and is suppressed for pions. In the model, cumulative pions are generated by string fusion, which raises the maximal energy of produced partons above the level of the free nucleon kinematics. Momentum and multiplicity sum rules are used to determine the spectra in the deep fragmentation region. Predicted spectra of cumulative pions exponentially fall with the scaling variable x in the interval 1<x<3 with a slope between 5.1 and 5.6, which agrees well with the raw data obtained in the recent experiment at RHIC involving Cu–Au collisioins. However, the agreement is worse for the so-called unfolded data, presumably taking into account corrections due to the experimental setup and having rather a power-like form.
The Practice of Peri-Urban Land Acquisition by Expropriation for Housing Purposes and the Implications: The Case of Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
Authors: Adigeh Dereje Tessema , Abebe Birhanu Girma
Published: April 2023

Urban land acquisition is a fundamental precondition to sustaining the socio-economic livelihood of urban residents. In Ethiopia, with the high rate of peri-urbanization, the demand for urban land for various urban uses, such as housing development, is responded to by expropriating peri-urban landholdings from the farming community through paying compensation to the farmers. The paper highlights Ethiopia’s urbanization pace and the associated urban land acquisition scenarios, mainly for housing purposes. Thus, it aims to analyze the peri-urban land acquisition scenarios through the expropriation of peri-urban land holdings used for agricultural purposes in Bahir Dar and the associated adverse effect on the farming community. To address the intended aim, data were collected by interviewing senior officials, experts, and elder farm households of the study area who were more knowledgeable about the study issue. There were focus group discussions with selected farming communities, and an extended field observation was conducted intending to triangulate the data collected by other techniques. Moreover, the Geographic Information System (GIS) was utilized to analyze satellite images of Bahir Dar City to demonstrate the extent of peri-urban land conversion from 2011 to 2021. The result of this study revealed that there is a 7% urban population growth rate, which resulted in 8% of Bahir Dar being converted from peri-urban between the stated period, and hence a considerable size of land had been expropriated in the peri-urban areas of Bahir Dar with expropriation measures. This study exposed that the compensation for expropriated agricultural landholdings often fails to adequately account for the full range of livelihoods and economic activities that farmers engage in, leaving them struggling to adapt to urban life. The urban development in the study area of Bahir Dar is taking place by jeopardizing the livelihoods of the farming community, and the urban expansion is seen as a threat to them.
RAPIDprep: A Simple, Fast Protocol for RNA Metagenomic Sequencing of Clinical Samples
Authors: Tulloch Rachel L. , Kim Karan , Sikazwe Chisha , Michie Alice , Burrell Rebecca , Holmes Edward C. , Dwyer Dominic E. , Britton Philip N. , Kok Jen , Eden John-Sebastian
Published: April 2023

Emerging infectious disease threats require rapid response tools to inform diagnostics, treatment, and outbreak control. RNA-based metagenomics offers this; however, most approaches are time-consuming and laborious. Here, we present a simple and fast protocol, the RAPIDprep assay, with the aim of providing a cause-agnostic laboratory diagnosis of infection within 24 h of sample collection by sequencing ribosomal RNA-depleted total RNA. The method is based on the synthesis and amplification of double-stranded cDNA followed by short-read sequencing, with minimal handling and clean-up steps to improve processing time. The approach was optimized and applied to a range of clinical respiratory samples to demonstrate diagnostic and quantitative performance. Our results showed robust depletion of both human and microbial rRNA, and library amplification across different sample types, qualities, and extraction kits using a single workflow without input nucleic-acid quantification or quality assessment. Furthermore, we demonstrated the genomic yield of both known and undiagnosed pathogens with complete genomes recovered in most cases to inform molecular epidemiological investigations and vaccine design. The RAPIDprep assay is a simple and effective tool, and representative of an important shift toward the integration of modern genomic techniques with infectious disease investigations.
VirClust—A Tool for Hierarchical Clustering, Core Protein Detection and Annotation of (Prokaryotic) Viruses
Authors: Moraru Cristina
Published: April 2023

Recent years have seen major changes in the classification criteria and taxonomy of viruses. The current classification scheme, also called “megataxonomy of viruses”, recognizes six different viral realms, defined based on the presence of viral hallmark genes (VHGs). Within the realms, viruses are classified into hierarchical taxons, ideally defined by the phylogeny of their shared genes. To enable the detection of shared genes, viruses have first to be clustered, and there is currently a need for tools to assist with virus clustering and classification. Here, VirClust is presented. It is a novel, reference-free tool capable of performing: (i) protein clustering, based on BLASTp and Hidden Markov Models (HMMs) similarities; (ii) hierarchical clustering of viruses based on intergenomic distances calculated from their shared protein content; (iii) identification of core proteins and (iv) annotation of viral proteins. VirClust has flexible parameters both for protein clustering and for splitting the viral genome tree into smaller genome clusters, corresponding to different taxonomic levels. Benchmarking on a phage dataset showed that the genome trees produced by VirClust match the current ICTV classification at family, sub-family and genus levels. VirClust is freely available, as a web-service and stand-alone tool.
Examining the Impact of Key Factors on COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage in India: A PLS-SEM Approach
Authors: Dhawan Veena , Aggarwal Mahesh Kumar , Dhalaria Pritu , Kharb Preeti , Sharma Deepika , Dinesh Kamala Kannan , Dhir Sanjay , Sushil  , Taneja Gunjan , Ghosh Raj Shankar
Published: April 2023

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, numerous factors determined the performance of COVID-19 vaccination coverage. The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of factors such as government stewardship, planning and implementation, and community participation on COVID-19 vaccination coverage. This study applied partial least square structured equation modeling (PLS-SEM) by analyzing 187 responses from the stakeholders involved in vaccination programs in four select states of India. This study empirically validates a framework for improving vaccination coverage by confirming the significant impact of planning and implementation on vaccination coverage followed by government stewardship and community participation. Additionally, this study highlights the individual impact of each factor on vaccination coverage. Based on the findings, strategic recommendations were proposed that can be utilized for formulating policy-level actions to facilitate the vaccination program.
Using Electronic Reminders to Improve Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccinations among Primary Care Patients
Authors: Hanley Kathleen , Chung Tong Han , Nguyen Linh K. , Amadi Tochi , Stansberry Sandra , Yetman Robert J. , Foxhall Lewis E. , Bello Rosalind , Diallo Talhatou , Le Yen-Chi L.
Published: April 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic led to delays in routine preventative primary care and declines in HPV immunization rates. Providers and healthcare organizations needed to explore new ways to engage individuals to resume preventive care behaviors. Thus, we evaluated the effectiveness of using customized electronic reminders with provider recommendations for HPV vaccination to increase HPV vaccinations among adolescents and young adults, ages 9–25. Using stratified randomization, participants were divided into two groups: usual care (control) (N = 3703) and intervention (N = 3705). The control group received usual care including in-person provider recommendations, visual reminders in exam waiting rooms, bundling of vaccinations, and phone call reminders. The intervention group received usual care and an electronic reminder (SMS, email or patient portal message) at least once, and up to three times (spaced at an interval of 1 reminder per month). The intervention group had a 17% statistically significantly higher odds of uptake of additional HPV vaccinations than the usual care group (Adjusted Odds Ratio: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.01–1.36). This work supports previous findings that electronic reminders are effective at increasing immunizations and potentially decreasing healthcare costs for the treatment of HPV-related cancers.
Factors Influencing the Intention and Uptake of COVID-19 Vaccines on the African Continent: A Scoping Review
Authors: Naidoo Damian , Meyer-Weitz Anna , Govender Kaymarlin
Published: April 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic is a severe concern worldwide, particularly in Africa. Vaccines are crucial in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. This scoping review examined existing literature from 2020 to 2022 on individual, interpersonal, and structural barriers and facilitators to COVID-19 vaccination within Africa to facilitate more informed health promotion interventions to improve vaccine uptake. This review was conducted using Arksey and O’Malley’s five-stage methodological framework. A comprehensive search was undertaken from 2021 to 2022 using six electronic databases: EBSCOhost, PubMed, Web of Science, ProQuest, WorldCat Discovery, and Google Scholar. Data was collected, charted into themes, and summarized using a standard data extraction sheet in Microsoft Excel. A total of forty (n = 40) published academic articles were reviewed, with many conducted in Nigeria (n = 10), followed by Ethiopia (n = 5) and Ghana (n = 4) and the rest elsewhere in Africa. Thematic narratives were used to report data into six themes: attitudes and perceptions about COVID-19 vaccines, intention to uptake COVID-19 vaccines; factors and barriers associated with COVID-19 vaccine uptake; socio-demographic determinants affecting the intention and uptake; and information sources for COVID-19 vaccines. The intention for uptake ranged from 25% to 80.9%, resulting in a suboptimal uptake intention rate (54.2%) on the African continent. Factors that promoted vaccine acceptance included confidence in the COVID-19 vaccines and the desire to protect people. Age, education, and gender were the most common factors significantly associated with vaccine acceptance. Most studies revealed that considerable barriers to vaccine uptake exist in Africa. Concerns about potential side effects, vaccine ineffectiveness, a perceived lack of information, and inaccessibility were among the individual, interpersonal, and structural barriers to COVID-19 vaccine uptake. The unwillingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine was strongly correlated with being female. Mass and social media were the main sources of information regarding COVID-19 vaccines. To encourage vaccine uptake, governments should pay attention to refuting misinformation through integrated community-based approaches, such as creating messages that convey more than just information.
Can Chemotherapy Negatively Affect the Specific Antibody Response toward Core Vaccines in Canine Cancer Patients?
Authors: Dall’Ara Paola , Filipe Joel , Pilastro Chiara , Turin Lauretta , Lauzi Stefania , Gariboldi Elisa Maria , Stefanello Damiano
Published: April 2023

The life expectancy of our pets has been getting longer in recent years due to new therapeutic opportunities, better nutrition, and better diagnostic approaches. This positive effect, however, has been accompanied by a concomitant increase in neoplasms, particularly in canine patients. Therefore, veterinarians inevitably face new issues related to these diseases, poorly or never investigated in the past, such as the possible side effects resulting from chemotherapy. The aim of this study was to investigate whether and how chemotherapy influences the antibody response against CPV-2, CDV, and CAdV-1 in dogs vaccinated before starting chemotherapy. Twenty-one canine patients with different types of malignancies were sampled before, during, and after different chemotherapy protocols to determine their actual levels of seroprotection against CPV-2, CDV, and CadV-1 by using the in-practice test VacciCheck. Differences related to sex, breed size, type of tumor, and chemotherapy protocol were evaluated. No statistically significant changes in antibody protection emerged for any of the chemotherapy protocol used, suggesting that, contrary to expectation, chemotherapy does not have a marked immunosuppressive effect on the post-vaccine antibody response. These results, although preliminary, may be useful in improving the clinical approach to the canine cancer patient, helping veterinarians fully manage their patients, and enabling owners to feel more confident about their pets’ quality of life.
An Integrated Approach for Simulating Debris-Flow Dynamic Process Embedded with Physically Based Initiation and Entrainment Models
Authors: Han Zheng , Li Ming , Li Yange , Zhao Mingyue , Li Changli , Xie Wendu , Ding Haohui , Ma Yangfan
Published: April 2023

Recent studies have indicated that the accurate simulation of debris flows depends not only on the selection of numerical models but also on the availability of precise data on the initial source location and depth. Unfortunately, it is currently difficult to obtain quantitative data on source locations and depths during field investigations or model experiments of debris flow disasters. Therefore, in this study, we propose an integrated approach for simulating the debris-flow dynamic process that includes the physically based slope initiation source estimation and the entrainment-incorporated process simulation. We treat the potential slip surfaces’ locations and depths as random variables to search for the critical surface corresponding to the minimum stability factor by Monte Carlo simulation. Using the spatial variation interval of the soil parameters, we estimate the range of possible critical slip surfaces and the interval of the initiation source volume. Moreover, we propose a wet/dry front treatment method applied to the finite difference scheme and integrate it into our entrainment-incorporated model to improve the stability and accuracy of the numerical solution over complex topography. The effectiveness of the method is demonstrated through a case study of the 2010 Hongchun debris flow event in Yingxiu town. The result indicates that our method is effective in simulating debris flow dynamics, including slope initiation source estimation and dynamic process simulation.
Barriers to Efficient Knowledge Transfer for a Holistic Circular Economy: Insights towards Green Job Developments and Training for Young Professionals
Authors: Guerreschi Asia , Piras Letizia , Heck Ferdinand
Published: April 2023

There is a growing interest in adopting a holistic circular economy (CE) to reach a sustainable and economically viable future, thus there is an increasing need for professionals in the field to do so efficiently. In this regard, good education and knowledge sharing are crucial. This knowledge sharing is bi-directional across generations, with everyone gaining equally from the various viewpoints and experiences. CE strategy research and education are beneficial for the implementation of sustainable development that considers economic, social, and environmental spheres. Additionally, attention is being paid to the younger generation, which is now focused on addressing climate change, as evidenced by the growth of the post-Greta Thunberg phenomena. As a result, this paper proposes a set of recommendations to improve measures for circular economy education (ECE) in order to train future CE experts who can contribute to achieving successful sustainable development. This research proposes, through a literature review and case studies analyses, that enhancing ECE can cultivate future CE specialists who can contribute to the successful pursuit of sustainable development as the demand for green jobs grows. According to our preliminary understanding, widespread ECE can be a critical tool for bringing together experienced circular professionals, students, and younger generations, in meeting their needs and advancing circular development through various forms, including specific training and reskilling of professionals required. However, we discovered a lack of consensus across the case studies on the ideal CE expert or educational modality, which is mirrored in the literature, indicating the need for greater collaboration among different disciplines and stakeholders. There also appears to be a general lack of awareness about the benefits of the CE, necessitating the collaboration between the private and public sectors in providing educational opportunities, accessible study materials, and research funding to accelerate innovation and competitiveness. Thus, institutions and businesses could play a role in standardising basic circular principles and competencies in CE as a means of providing basic guidelines that could be supplemented with specialised courses and diverse content ranging from public knowledge to more specialised professionals or students aiding the implementation of CE strategies, which reduce local disparities increasing green jobs accessibility for youth. Conclusively, this paper looks to provide recommendations for improvements in this field.