bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Age of Infection Kernel, an R Formula, and Further Results for Arino–Brauer A, B Matrix Epidemic Models with Varying Populations, Waning Immunity, and Disease and Vaccination Fatalities
Authors: Avram Florin , Adenane Rim , Basnarkov Lasko , Bianchin Gianluca , Goreac Dan , Halanay Andrei
Published: March 2023

In this work, we first introduce a class of deterministic epidemic models with varying populations inspired by Arino et al. (2007), the parameterization of two matrices, demography, the waning of immunity, and vaccination parameters. Similar models have been focused on by Julien Arino, Fred Brauer, Odo Diekmann, and their coauthors, but mostly in the case of “closed populations” (models with varying populations have been studied in the past only in particular cases, due to the difficulty of this endeavor). Our Arino–Brauer models contain SIR–PH models of Riano (2020), which are characterized by the phase-type distribution (α→,A), modeling transitions in “disease/infectious compartments”. The A matrix is simply the Metzler/sub-generator matrix intervening in the linear system obtained by making all new infectious terms 0. The simplest way to define the probability row vector α→ is to restrict it to the case where there is only one susceptible class s, and when matrix B (given by the part of the new infection matrix, with respect to s) is of rank one, with B=bα→. For this case, the first result we obtained was an explicit formula (12) for the replacement number (not surprisingly, accounting for varying demography, waning immunity and vaccinations led to several nontrivial modifications of the Arino et al. (2007) formula). The analysis of (A,B) Arino–Brauer models is very challenging. As obtaining further general results seems very hard, we propose studying them at three levels: (A) the exact model, where only a few results are available—see Proposition 2; and (B) a “first approximation” (FA) of our model, which is related to the usually closed population model often studied in the literature. Notably, for this approximation, an associated renewal function is obtained in (7); this is related to the previous works of Breda, Diekmann, Graaf, Pugliese, Vermiglio, Champredon, Dushoff, and Earn. (C) Finally, we propose studying a second heuristic “intermediate approximation” (IA). Perhaps our main contribution is to draw attention to the importance of (A,B) Arino–Brauer models and that the FA approximation is not the only way to tackle them. As for the practical importance of our results, this is evident, once we observe that the (A,B) Arino–Brauer models include a large number of epidemic models (COVID, ILI, influenza, illnesses, etc.).
An Efficient Ratio-Cum-Exponential Estimator for Estimating the Population Distribution Function in the Existence of Non-Response Using an SRS Design
Authors: Khalid Ayesha , Sanaullah Aamir , Almazah Mohammed M. A. , Al-Duais Fuad S.
Published: March 2023

To gain insight into various phenomena of interest, cumulative distribution functions (CDFs) can be used to analyze survey data. The purpose of this study was to present an efficient ratiocum-exponential estimator for estimating a population CDF using auxiliary information under two scenarios of non-response. Up to first-order approximation, expressions for the bias and mean squared error (MSE) were derived. The proposed estimator was compared theoretically and empirically, with the modified estimators. The proposed estimator was found to be better than the modified estimators based on present-relative efficiency PRE and MSE criteria under the specific conditions.
Connections between Non-Linear Optimization Problems and Associated Variational Inequalities
Authors: Treanţă Savin , Antczak Tadeusz , Saeed Tareq
Published: March 2023

In this paper, by using the invexity (or pseudoinvexity) and Fréchet differentiability of some integral functionals of curvilinear type, we state some relations between the solutions of a new non-linear optimization problem and the associated variational inequality. In order to prove the results derived in this paper, we use the new notion of invex set by considering some given functions. To justify the effectiveness and outstanding applicability of this work, some illustrative examples are provided.
Curvatures on Homogeneous Generalized Matsumoto Space
Authors: Gupta M. K. , Sharma Suman , Mofarreh Fatemah , Chaubey Sudhakar Kumar
Published: March 2023

The curvature characteristics of particular classes of Finsler spaces, such as homogeneous Finsler spaces, are one of the major issues in Finsler geometry. In this paper, we have obtained the expression for S-curvature in homogeneous Finsler space with a generalized Matsumoto metric and demonstrated that the homogeneous generalized Matsumoto space with isotropic S-curvature has to vanish the S-curvature. We have also derived the expression for the mean Berwald curvature by using the formula of S-curvature.
A High-Precision Two-Stage Legal Judgment Summarization
Authors: Huang Yue , Sun Lijuan , Han Chong , Guo Jian
Published: March 2023

Legal judgments are generally very long, and relevant information is often scattered throughout the text. To complete a legal judgment summarization, capturing important, relevant information comprehensively from a lengthy text is crucial. The existing abstractive-summarization models based on pre-trained language have restrictions on the length of an input text. Another concern is that the generated summaries have not been well integrated with the legal judgment’s technical terms and specific topics. In this paper, we used raw legal judgments as information of different granularities and proposed a two-stage text-summarization model to handle different granularities of information. Specifically, we treated the legal judgments as a sequence of sentences and selected key sentence sets from the full texts as an input corpus for summary generation. In addition, we extracted keywords related to technical terms and specific topics in the legal texts and introduced them into the summary-generation model as an attention mechanism. The experimental results on the CAIL2020 and the LCRD datasets showed that our model achieved an overall 0.19–0.41 improvement in its ROUGE score, as compared to the baseline models. Further analysis also showed that our method could comprehensively capture essential and relevant information from lengthy legal texts and generate better legal judgment summaries.
Marine Natural Products as Innovative Cosmetic Ingredients
Authors: Fonseca Sara , Amaral Mariana Neves , Reis Catarina Pinto , Custódio Luísa
Published: March 2023

Over the course of the last 20 years, numerous studies have identified the benefits of an array of marine natural ingredients for cosmetic purposes, as they present unique characteristics not found in terrestrial organisms. Consequently, several marine-based ingredients and bioactive compounds are under development, used or considered for skin care and cosmetics. Despite the multitude of cosmetics based on marine sources, only a small proportion of their full potential has been exploited. Many cosmetic industries have turned their attention to the sea to obtain innovative marine-derived compounds for cosmetics, but further research is needed to determine and elucidate the benefits. This review gathers information on the main biological targets for cosmetic ingredients, different classes of marine natural products of interest for cosmetic applications, and the organisms from which such products can be sourced. Although organisms from different phyla present different and varied bioactivities, the algae phylum seems to be the most promising for cosmetic applications, presenting compounds of many classes. In fact, some of these compounds present higher bioactivities than their commercialized counterparts, demonstrating the potential presented by marine-derived compounds for cosmetic applications (i.e., Mycosporine-like amino acids and terpenoids’ antioxidant activity). This review also summarizes the major challenges and opportunities faced by marine-derived cosmetic ingredients to successfully reach the market. As a future perspective, we consider that fruitful cooperation among academics and cosmetic industries could lead to a more sustainable market through responsible sourcing of ingredients, implementing ecological manufacturing processes, and experimenting with inventive recycling and reuse programs.
Corrosion Fatigue Analysis in Power Steam Turbine Blade
Authors: Rodrígez Ramírez José Alfredo , Clemente Mirafuentes Christian Marisol , Zalapa Garibay Manuela Alejandra , García Castrejón Juan C. , Guillén Anaya Luis Gonzalo
Published: March 2023

The corrosion fatigue behavior of a martensitic stainless steel AISI 410 with 12% Cr, used in the fabrication of steam turbine blades at low pressure (L-P), was studied using the electrochemical noise technique (EN) under mechanical fatigue (immersion and aired) conditions. The tests were done in a simulated environment using four levels of mechanical stress (Δσ) in a 3 wt.% NaCl solution at 90 °C. The specimens underwent pitting corrosion when exposed to the corrosive environment; afterwards, such pits generated mechanical strength sites over the metallic surface, facilitating the initiation and propagation of cracks, which was already enhanced by the applied cyclic loads. From scanning electron microscope (SEM) images, it was possible to observe localized plastic deformation. In such instances, the fatigue damage was caused by the microplasticity (μ), i.e., the shear strength, resulting from the breakdown of the passive layer that was subjected to mechanical load, which led to a significant increment of the velocity of crack propagation, and therefore, a decrement of the useful life of the material. The obtained results show that the fatigue resistance limit in the corrosive medium was lower than that observed in aerated conditions due to the sum of the effects of mechanical fatigue and corrosion.
Laser-Induced Iridescent Steel Surfaces with Moderate Reflectance
Authors: Wang Xuyang , Huang Zhongjia , Shi Xinying
Published: March 2023

Laser-induced coloration on metallic surfaces has emerged as a clean technology to prepare visual designs. After laser processing, the metallic surface is covered by typical periodically repeated microstructures, which interact with visible light and bring iridescent appearance to the laser markings due to the structural color effect. Although many studies have focused on this topic, the necessity of iridescent surfaces with moderate optical reflectance still needs to be addressed. In general, structural colors are shiny with high brightness. There are troubles in certain cases because shiny markings with excessive reflectance may be harmful to human eyes. In this work, we prepared iridescent an AISI444 stainless steel surface via femtosecond laser processing. By studying the influence of surface microstructures on the coloration and reflectance, suitable laser parameters for producing markings with moderate reflectance were discussed. The contribution of intrinsic colors of the chemical compositions in the surface was further analyzed.
Compelling Evidence for the Role of Retained Austenite in the Formation of Low Cycle Fatigue Extrusions in a 9Ni Steel
Authors: Cota Araujo Mahira A. , Olive Jean-Marc , Pecastaings Gilles , Addad Ahmed , Bouquerel Jérémie , Vogt Jean-Bernard
Published: March 2023

The 9Ni martensitic steels have a martensitic microstructure which contains retained austenite after solution heat treatment and water quenching. Under low cycle fatigue, extrusions formed at the surface of the material and were very close to martensite lath boundaries. The presence of retained austenite at martensite laths has been highly suspected to impact the cyclic plasticity. However, the nano-size of the austenitic phase makes it difficult to obtain clear evidence of its role. The paper focuses on the precise determination of these extrusions and the link with the retained austenite. The paper also emphasizes the innovative and promising use of magnetic force microscopy (MFM) to document cyclic plasticity of a 9Ni steel. It is shown that electron microscopies, even the most advanced ones, may be unsuccessful in reaching this goal, while magnetic force microscopy (MFM) overcame the difficulty. This technique has allowed imaging of both the extrusion and the retained austenite. These analyses confirm that the fatigue extrusions originated from a local displacement of martensite lath. The proposed mechanism, in which the retained austenitic film acts as a lubricant film or greasy film promoting a flowing of martensite along the interfaces, is unambiguously demonstrated.
Process Technology for Diffusion Welding with Cyclically Pulsative Joining Forces
Authors: John Björn , Letsch Holger , Wölck Johannes , Hess Marcel , Hensel Jonas
Published: March 2023

Diffusion welding is a solid-state welding process and is characterised by the process parameters temperature, compression force and process time. Usually, the process force is applied as static load, and high demands with respect to specimen surfaces (low roughness, cleanliness) are common. The aim of this work was to improve the necessary technology for diffusion welding and, above all, to increase the quality of the joints by using cyclically pulsative joining forces to minimise the time or surface-specific conditions, which are typical for this process. For this purpose, a corresponding system technology had to be designed and manufactured. The basis of the system was a modified machine concept for materials testing. As a result, the modified system and the modified process were able to reduce the process time by a factor of 5 to 6 compared to the conventional joining time.
A Simple In-Vivo Method for Evaluation of Antibiofilm and Wound Healing Activity Using Excision Wound Model in Diabetic Swiss Albino Mice
Authors: Alrouji Mohammed , Kuriri Fahd A. , Alqasmi Mohammed Hussein , AlSudais Hamood , Alissa Mohammed , Alsuwat Meshari A. , Asad Mohammed , Joseph Babu , Almuhanna Yasir
Published: March 2023

The study developed a simple and inexpensive method to induce biofilm formation in-vivo for the evaluation of the antibiofilm activity of pharmacological agents using Swiss albino mice. Animals were made diabetic using streptozocin and nicotinamide. A cover slip containing preformed biofilm along with MRSA culture was introduced into the excision wound in these animals. The method was effective in developing biofilm on the coverslip after 24 h incubation in MRSA broth which was confirmed by microscopic examination and a crystal violet assay. Application of preformed biofilm along with microbial culture induced a profound infection with biofilm formation on excision wounds in 72 h. This was confirmed by macroscopic, histological, and bacterial load determination. Mupirocin, a known antibacterial agent effective against MRSA was used to demonstrate antibiofilm activity. Mupirocin was able to completely heal the excised wounds in 19 to 21 days while in the base-treated group, healing took place between 30 and 35 days. The method described is robust and can be reproduced easily without the use of transgenic animals and sophisticated methods such as confocal microscopy.
Advances in Leishmania Research: From Basic Parasite Biology to Disease Control
Authors: Santarém Nuno , Cardoso Luís , Cordeiro-da-Silva Anabela
Published: March 2023

The genus Leishmania (Trypanosomatida: Trypanosomatidae) currently comprises just over 50 species, of which about 20 cause several syndromes in humans, collectively known as leishmaniasis or “leishmaniases” [...]
Investigation of a Listeria monocytogenes Chromosomal Immigration Control Region Reveals Diverse Restriction Modification Systems with Complete Sequence Type Conservation
Authors: Brown Phillip , Lee Sangmi , Elhanafi Driss , Tham Wilhelm , Danielsson-Tham Marie-Louise , Lopez-Valladares Gloria , Chen Yi , Ivanova Mirena , Leekitcharoenphon Pimlapas , Kathariou Sophia
Published: March 2023

Listeria monocytogenes is a Gram-positive pathogen responsible for the severe foodborne disease listeriosis. A chromosomal hotspot between lmo0301 and lmo0305 has been noted to harbor diverse restriction modification (RM) systems. Here, we analyzed 872 L. monocytogenes genomes to better understand the prevalence and types of RM systems in this region, designated the immigration control region (ICR). Type I, II, III and IV RM systems were found in 86.1% of strains inside the ICR and in 22.5% of strains flanking the ICR. ICR content was completely conserved within the same multilocus sequence typing-based sequence type (ST), but the same RM system could be identified in diverse STs. The intra-ST conservation of ICR content suggests that this region may drive the emergence of new STs and promote clone stability. Sau3AI-like, LmoJ2 and LmoJ3 type II RM systems as well as type I EcoKI-like, and type IV AspBHI-like and mcrB-like systems accounted for all RM systems in the ICR. A Sau3AI-like type II RM system with specificity for GATC was harbored in the ICR of many STs, including all strains of the ancient, ubiquitous ST1. The extreme paucity of GATC recognition sites in lytic phages may reflect ancient adaptation of these phages to preempt resistance associated with the widely distributed Sau3AI-like systems. These findings indicate that the ICR has a high propensity for RM systems which are intraclonaly conserved and may impact bacteriophage susceptibility as well as ST emergence and stability.
Characterization of Linezolid-Analogue L3-Resistance Mutation in Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Zanfardino Anna , Di Napoli Michela , Migliore Federica , Hay Mele Bruno , Soriente Annunziata , De Rosa Margherita , Notomista Eugenio , Varcamonti Mario
Published: March 2023

In a previous study, a linezolid analogue, called 10f, was synthesized. The 10f molecule has an antimicrobial activity comparable to that of the parental compound. In this study, we isolated a Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) strain resistant to 10f. After sequencing the 23S rRNA and the ribosomal proteins L3 (rplC) and L4 (rplD) genes, we found that the resistant phenotype was associated with a single mutation G359U in rplC bearing to the missense mutation G120V in the L3 protein. The identified mutation is far from the peptidyl transferase center, the oxazolidinone antibiotics binding site, thus suggesting that we identified a new and interesting example of a long-range effect in the ribosome structure.
Chromosome Segregation and Cell Division Defects in Escherichia coli Recombination Mutants Exposed to Different DNA-Damaging Treatments
Authors: Zahradka Ksenija , Repar Jelena , Đermić Damir , Zahradka Davor
Published: March 2023

Homologous recombination repairs potentially lethal DNA lesions such as double-strand DNA breaks (DSBs) and single-strand DNA gaps (SSGs). In Escherichia coli, DSB repair is initiated by the RecBCD enzyme that resects double-strand DNA ends and loads RecA recombinase to the emerging single-strand (ss) DNA tails. SSG repair is mediated by the RecFOR protein complex that loads RecA onto the ssDNA segment of gaped duplex. In both repair pathways, RecA catalyses reactions of homologous DNA pairing and strand exchange, while RuvABC complex and RecG helicase process recombination intermediates. In this work, we have characterised cytological changes in various recombination mutants of E. coli after three different DNA-damaging treatments: (i) expression of I-SceI endonuclease, (ii) γ-irradiation, and (iii) UV-irradiation. All three treatments caused severe chromosome segregation defects and DNA-less cell formation in the ruvABC, recG, and ruvABC recG mutants. After I-SceI expression and γ-irradiation, this phenotype was efficiently suppressed by the recB mutation, indicating that cytological defects result mostly from incomplete DSB repair. In UV-irradiated cells, the recB mutation abolished cytological defects of recG mutants and also partially suppressed the cytological defects of ruvABC recG mutants. However, neither recB nor recO mutation alone could suppress the cytological defects of UV-irradiated ruvABC mutants. The suppression was achieved only by simultaneous inactivation of the recB and recO genes. Cell survival and microscopic analysis suggest that chromosome segregation defects in UV-irradiated ruvABC mutants largely result from defective processing of stalled replication forks. The results of this study show that chromosome morphology is a valuable marker in genetic analyses of recombinational repair in E. coli.
Surface Bacterioplankton Community Structure Crossing the Antarctic Circumpolar Current Fronts
Authors: Cordone Angelina , Selci Matteo , Barosa Bernardo , Bastianoni Alessia , Bastoni Deborah , Bolinesi Francesco , Capuozzo Rosaria , Cascone Martina , Correggia Monica , Corso Davide , Di Iorio Luciano , Misic Cristina , Montemagno Francesco , Ricciardelli Annarita , Saggiomo Maria , Tonietti Luca , Mangoni Olga , Giovannelli Donato
Published: March 2023

The Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) is the major current in the Southern Ocean, isolating the warm stratified subtropical waters from the more homogeneous cold polar waters. The ACC flows from west to east around Antarctica and generates an overturning circulation by fostering deep-cold water upwelling and the formation of new water masses, thus affecting the Earth’s heat balance and the global distribution of carbon. The ACC is characterized by several water mass boundaries or fronts, known as the Subtropical Front (STF), Subantarctic Front (SAF), Polar Front (PF), and South Antarctic Circumpolar Current Front (SACCF), identified by typical physical and chemical properties. While the physical characteristics of these fronts have been characterized, there is still poor information regarding the microbial diversity of this area. Here we present the surface water bacterioplankton community structure based on 16S rRNA sequencing from 13 stations sampled in 2017 between New Zealand to the Ross Sea crossing the ACC Fronts. Our results show a distinct succession in the dominant bacterial phylotypes present in the different water masses and suggest a strong role of sea surface temperatures and the availability of Carbon and Nitrogen in controlling community composition. This work represents an important baseline for future studies on the response of Southern Ocean epipelagic microbial communities to climate change.
The Tubulin Superfamily in Apicomplexan Parasites
Authors: Morrissette Naomi , Abbaali Izra , Ramakrishnan Chandra , Hehl Adrian B.
Published: March 2023

Microtubules and specialized microtubule-containing structures are assembled from tubulins, an ancient superfamily of essential eukaryotic proteins. Here, we use bioinformatic approaches to analyze features of tubulins in organisms from the phylum Apicomplexa. Apicomplexans are protozoan parasites that cause a variety of human and animal infectious diseases. Individual species harbor one to four genes each for α- and β-tubulin isotypes. These may specify highly similar proteins, suggesting functional redundancy, or exhibit key differences, consistent with specialized roles. Some, but not all apicomplexans harbor genes for δ- and ε-tubulins, which are found in organisms that construct appendage-containing basal bodies. Critical roles for apicomplexan δ- and ε-tubulin are likely to be limited to microgametes, consistent with a restricted requirement for flagella in a single developmental stage. Sequence divergence or the loss of δ- and ε-tubulin genes in other apicomplexans appears to be associated with diminished requirements for centrioles, basal bodies, and axonemes. Finally, because spindle microtubules and flagellar structures have been proposed as targets for anti-parasitic therapies and transmission-blocking strategies, we discuss these ideas in the context of tubulin-based structures and tubulin superfamily properties.
Synthesis of Phosphorus(V)-Substituted Six-Membered N-Heterocycles: Recent Progress and Challenges
Authors: Volkova Yulia , Zavarzin Igor
Published: March 2023

Heterocycles functionalized with pentavalent phosphorus are of great importance since they include a great variety of biologically active compounds and pharmaceuticals, advanced materials, and valuable reactive intermediates for organic synthesis. Significant progress in synthesis of P(O)R2-substituted six-membered heterocycles has been made in the past decade. This review covers the synthetic strategies towards aromatic monocyclic six-membered N-heterocycles, such as pyridines, pyridazines, pyrimidines, and pyrazines bearing phosphonates and phosphine oxides, which were reported from 2012 to 2022.
Biofabrication of Functional Pullulan by Aureobasidium pullulans under the Effect of Varying Mineral Salts and Sugar Stress Conditions
Authors: Van den Eynde Katia , Boon Vik , Gaspar Rita Caiado , Fardim Pedro
Published: March 2023

Pullulan is a linear exopolysaccharide, produced in the fermentation media of Aureobasidium pullulans, with a variety of applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Pullulan derivatives have growing potential for biomedical applications, but the high cost of pullulan biofabrication currently restricts its commercial use. Better control over pullulan yield, molecular weight and melanin production by altering fermentation conditions could improve the economics. In this study, the effects of sugar and mineral salt stresses on the pullulan production of A. pullulans ATCC 42023 were examined in batch processes. The chemical structure of the recovered pullulan was characterized by FTIR and NMR spectroscopy, and the molecular weight distribution was obtained via SEC. Pullulan yield and melanin production varied when the conditions were adjusted, and pullulans with different molar masses were obtained. Higher-yield pullulan production and a lower polydispersity index were observed when CuSO4 was added to the fermentation in comparison with the control and with the addition of sugars and other salts. Biofabrication of pullulan under stress conditions is a promising strategy to enhance biopolymer yield and to obtain pullulan with a targeted molecular weight.
Solid–Liquid Equilibrium in Co-Amorphous Systems: Experiment and Prediction
Authors: Zemánková Alžběta , Hassouna Fatima , Klajmon Martin , Fulem Michal
Published: March 2023

In this work, the solid–liquid equilibrium (SLE) of four binary systems combining two active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) capable of forming co-amorphous systems (CAMs) was investigated. The binary systems studied were naproxen-indomethacin, naproxen-ibuprofen, naproxen-probucol, and indomethacin-paracetamol. The SLE was experimentally determined by differential scanning calorimetry. The thermograms obtained revealed that all binary mixtures investigated form eutectic systems. Melting of the initial binary crystalline mixtures and subsequent quenching lead to the formation of CAM for all binary systems and most of the compositions studied. The experimentally obtained liquidus and eutectic temperatures were compared to theoretical predictions using the perturbed-chain statistical associating fluid theory (PC-SAFT) equation of state and conductor-like screening model for real solvents (COSMO-RS), as implemented in the Amsterdam Modeling Suite (COSMO-RS-AMS). On the basis of the obtained results, the ability of these models to predict the phase diagrams for the investigated API–API binary systems was evaluated. Furthermore, the glass transition temperature (Tg) of naproxen (NAP), a compound with a high tendency to recrystallize, whose literature values are considerably scattered, was newly determined by measuring and modeling the Tg values of binary mixtures in which amorphous NAP was stabilized. Based on this analysis, erroneous literature values were identified.
Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Photodynamic Action of Photosensitizing Nanoassemblies Based on Sulfobutylether-β-Cyclodextrin
Authors: Franco Domenico , Zagami Roberto , De Plano Laura Maria , Burduja Nina , Guglielmino Salvatore Pietro Paolo , Scolaro Luigi Monsù , Mazzaglia Antonino
Published: March 2023

Developing new broad-spectrum antimicrobial strategies, as alternatives to antibiotics and being able to efficiently inactivate pathogens without inducing resistance, is one of the main objectives in public health. Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT), based on the light-induced production of reactive oxygen species from photosensitizers (PS), is attracting growing interest in the context of infection treatment, also including biofilm destruction. Due to the limited photostability of free PS, delivery systems are increasingly needed in order to decrease PS photodegradation, thus improving the therapeutic efficacy, as well as to reduce collateral effects on unaffected tissues. In this study, we propose a photosensitizing nanosystem based on the cationic porphyrin 5,10,15,20-tetrakis (N-methyl- 4-pyridyl)-21H,23H-porphyrin (TMPyP), complexed with the commerical sulfobutylether-beta-cyclodextrin (CAPTISOL®), at a 1:50 molar ratio (CAPTISOL®/TMPyP)50_1. Nanoassemblies based on (CAPTISOL®/TMPyP)50_1 with photodynamic features exhibited photo-antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Moreover, results from P. aeruginosa reveal that CAPTISOL® alone inhibits pyocyanin (PYO) production, also affecting bacterial biofilm formation. Finally, we obtained a synergistic effect of inhibition and destruction of P. aeruginosa biofilm by using the combination of CAPTISOL® and TMPyP.
Raman Spectroscopy for Early Detection of Cervical Cancer, a Global Women’s Health Issue—A Review
Authors: Shaikh Rubina , Daniel Amuthachelvi , Lyng Fiona M.
Published: March 2023

This review focuses on recent advances and future perspectives in the use of Raman spectroscopy for cervical cancer, a global women’s health issue. Cervical cancer is the fourth most common women’s cancer in the world, and unfortunately mainly affects younger women. However, when detected at the early precancer stage, it is highly treatable. High-quality cervical screening programmes and the introduction of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine are reducing the incidence of cervical cancer in many countries, but screening is still essential for all women. Current gold standard methods include HPV testing and cytology for screening, followed by colposcopy and histopathology for diagnosis. However, these methods are limited in terms of sensitivity/specificity, cost, and time. New methods are required to aid clinicians in the early detection of cervical precancer. Over the past 20 years, the potential of Raman spectroscopy together with multivariate statistical analysis has been shown for the detection of cervical cancer. This review discusses the research to date on Raman spectroscopic approaches for cervical cancer using exfoliated cells, biofluid samples, and tissue ex vivo and in vivo.
Pancreatic Necrosis Infection as a Determinant of Multiple Organ Failure and Mortality in Acute Pancreatitis
Authors: Kryvoruchko Igor A. , Boyko Valeriy V. , Sartelli Massimo , Ivanova Yulia V. , Yevtushenko Denys O. , Honcharov Andrij S.
Published: March 2023

Several recommendations and data on the treatment of acute necrotizing pancreatitis (ANP) are conflicting and different surgical approaches continue to exist. We conducted a study on 148 patients with ANP, who were divided into two groups: the main group (n = 95) when the tactics of the step-up approach were applied with the principles of the concept of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) in order to determine this approach on effectiveness in reducing complications and 30-day mortality (2017–2022); the comparison group (n = 53) when the same tactic of the treatment was used without ERAS principles (2015–2016). Treatment time for the main group in the intensive care unit was minimized (p ≤ 0.004); it has been shown to reduce the frequency of complications in these patients (p < 0.001) requiring conservative or surgical treatment without general anaesthesia (Clavien-Dindo I-IIIa); no statistically significant differences were observed for the total incidence of Clavien-Dindo IIIb-IVb complications (p > 0.05); the median duration of treatment for patients in the primary group was 23 days, and in the reference group—34 days (p ≤ 0.003). Pancreatic infections have been observed in 92 (62.2%) patients and gram-negative bacteria predominated in the overall pathogen structure with 222 (70.7%) strains. The only evidence of multiple organ failure before (AUC = 0.814) and after surgery (AUC = 0.931) was found to be predictive of mortality. Antibiotic sensitivity of all isolated bacteria better understood local epidemiology and identified the most effective antibiotics when treating patients.
Performance Study of Generalized Space Time Block Coded Enhanced Fully Optical Generalized Spatial Modulation System Based on Málaga Distribution Model
Authors: Wang Yi , Zhou Rui
Published: March 2023

This paper proposes a generalized space time block coded (GSTBC) enhanced fully optical generalized spatial modulation (EFOGSM) system based on Málaga (M) turbulent channel. GSTBC-EFOGSM adopts the hybrid concept of generalized space time block coded and optical spatial modulation to further utilize the high transmission rate of EFOGSM and the diversity advantage of GSTBC in free space optical (FSO) communication systems. Considering the combined effects of path loss, pointing error and atmospheric turbulence, the Meijer G function is used to derive the closed-form expression for the average bit error rate (ABER) of GSTBC-EFOGSM. Then, the ABER performance, data transmission rate, energy efficiency and computational complexity at the receiver of GSTBC-EFOGSM are compared with other optical spatial modulation schemes by simulation. In addition, the effects of key factors, such as data transmission rate, encoding ratio, number of photodetectors and modulation order, on the ABER performance of the system are also analyzed via simulation. Monte Carlo (MC) simulation is used to verify the correctness of the numerical simulation. The simulation results show that the GSTBC-EFOGSM system has better ABER performance and good performance gain.
Nitrogen Fertilization in a Faba Bean–Wheat Intercropping System Can Alleviate the Autotoxic Effects in Faba Bean
Authors: Cen Zixuan , Zheng Yiran , Guo Yuting , Yang Siyin , Dong Yan
Published: March 2023

Continuous cultivation of the faba bean will lead to its autotoxicity. Faba bean–wheat intercropping can effectively alleviate the autotoxicity of the faba bean. In order to investigate the autotoxicity of water extracts of various parts of the faba bean, we prepared water extracts of various parts of the faba bean, such as the roots, stems, leaves, and rhizosphere soil. The results showed various parts of the faba bean significantly inhibited the germination of faba bean seeds. The main autotoxins in these parts were analyzed using HPLC. Six autotoxins, namely, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, vanillic acid, salicylic acid, ferulic acid, benzoic acid, and cinnamic acid, were identified. The exogenous addition of these six autotoxins significantly inhibited the germination of faba bean seeds in a concentration-dependent manner. Furthermore, field experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of various levels of nitrogen fertilizer on the autotoxin content and the aboveground dry weight of the faba bean in a faba bean–wheat intercropping system. The application of various levels of nitrogen fertilizer in the faba bean–wheat intercropping system could significantly reduce the content of autotoxins and increase the aboveground dry weight in faba bean, particularly at the N2 level (90 kg/hm2). The above results showed that the water extracts of faba bean roots, stems, leaves, and rhizosphere soil inhibited faba bean seed germination. The autotoxicity in faba bean under continuous cropping could be caused by p-hydroxybenzoic acid, vanillic acid, salicylic acid, ferulic acid, benzoic acid, and cinnamic acid. The autotoxic effects in the faba bean were effectively mitigated by the application of nitrogen fertilizer in a faba bean–wheat intercropping system.
Investigation of Congo Red Toxicity towards Different Living Organisms: A Review
Authors: Siddiqui Sharf Ilahi , Allehyani Esam S. , Al-Harbi Sami A. , Hasan Ziaul , Abomuti May Abdullah , Rajor Hament Kumar , Oh Seungdae
Published: March 2023

The use of dyes is widespread across almost all industries. Consequently, these dyes are found in various sources of water and food that humans, animals, and plants consume directly or indirectly. Most of these dyes are comprised of complex aromatic structures that have proven harmful. Congo red dye, a complex aromatic azo dye based on benzidine, is most commonly used in these dyes; its metabolites (benzidine and analogs) can be toxic, but Congo red dye itself is not always harmful. The present review summarizes the toxicity of Congo red dye towards different living forms. Herein, the primary emphasis has been given to the mutagenic, teratogenic, and carcinogenic consequences of Congo red and its metabolites. The mechanisms of azo dyes’ carcinogenicity have also been discussed. This review will undoubtedly be beneficial for researchers to understand the harmful effects of Congo red in genotoxic, teratogenic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic factors.
A Novel IoT-Enabled Healthcare Monitoring Framework and Improved Grey Wolf Optimization Algorithm-Based Deep Convolution Neural Network Model for Early Diagnosis of Lung Cancer
Authors: Irshad Reyazur Rashid , Hussain Shahid , Sohail Shahab Saquib , Zamani Abu Sarwar , Madsen Dag Øivind , Alattab Ahmed Abdu , Ahmed Abdallah Ahmed Alzupair , Norain Khalid Ahmed Abdallah , Alsaiari Omar Ali Saleh
Published: March 2023

Lung cancer is a high-risk disease that causes mortality worldwide; nevertheless, lung nodules are the main manifestation that can help to diagnose lung cancer at an early stage, lowering the workload of radiologists and boosting the rate of diagnosis. Artificial intelligence-based neural networks are promising technologies for automatically detecting lung nodules employing patient monitoring data acquired from sensor technology through an Internet-of-Things (IoT)-based patient monitoring system. However, the standard neural networks rely on manually acquired features, which reduces the effectiveness of detection. In this paper, we provide a novel IoT-enabled healthcare monitoring platform and an improved grey-wolf optimization (IGWO)-based deep convulution neural network (DCNN) model for lung cancer detection. The Tasmanian Devil Optimization (TDO) algorithm is utilized to select the most pertinent features for diagnosing lung nodules, and the convergence rate of the standard grey wolf optimization (GWO) algorithm is modified, resulting in an improved GWO algorithm. Consequently, an IGWO-based DCNN is trained on the optimal features obtained from the IoT platform, and the findings are saved in the cloud for the doctor’s judgment. The model is built on an Android platform with DCNN-enabled Python libraries, and the findings are evaluated against cutting-edge lung cancer detection models.
Dual-YOLO Architecture from Infrared and Visible Images for Object Detection
Authors: Bao Chun , Cao Jie , Hao Qun , Cheng Yang , Ning Yaqian , Zhao Tianhua
Published: March 2023

With the development of infrared detection technology and the improvement of military remote sensing needs, infrared object detection networks with low false alarms and high detection accuracy have been a research focus. However, due to the lack of texture information, the false detection rate of infrared object detection is high, resulting in reduced object detection accuracy. To solve these problems, we propose an infrared object detection network named Dual-YOLO, which integrates visible image features. To ensure the speed of model detection, we choose the You Only Look Once v7 (YOLOv7) as the basic framework and design the infrared and visible images dual feature extraction channels. In addition, we develop attention fusion and fusion shuffle modules to reduce the detection error caused by redundant fusion feature information. Moreover, we introduce the Inception and SE modules to enhance the complementary characteristics of infrared and visible images. Furthermore, we design the fusion loss function to make the network converge fast during training. The experimental results show that the proposed Dual-YOLO network reaches 71.8% mean Average Precision (mAP) in the DroneVehicle remote sensing dataset and 73.2% mAP in the KAIST pedestrian dataset. The detection accuracy reaches 84.5% in the FLIR dataset. The proposed architecture is expected to be applied in the fields of military reconnaissance, unmanned driving, and public safety.
Predictive Maintenance of Norwegian Road Network Using Deep Learning Models
Authors: Hassan Muhammad Umair , Steinnes Ole-Martin Hagen , Gustafsson Eirik Gribbestad , Løken Sivert , Hameed Ibrahim A.
Published: March 2023

Industry 4.0 has revolutionized the use of physical and digital systems while playing a vital role in the digitalization of maintenance plans for physical assets in an optimal way. Road network conditions and timely maintenance plans are essential in the predictive maintenance (PdM) of a road. We developed a PdM-based approach that uses pre-trained deep learning models to recognize and detect the road crack types effectively and efficiently. We, in this work, explore the use of deep neural networks to classify roads based on the amount of deterioration. This is done by training the network to identify various types of cracks, corrugation, upheaval, potholes, and other types of road damage. Based on the amount and severity of the damage, we can determine the degradation percentage and have a PdM framework where we can identify the intensity of damage occurrence and, thus, prioritize the maintenance decisions. The inspection authorities and stakeholders can make maintenance decisions for certain types of damages using our deep learning-based road predictive maintenance framework. We evaluated our approach using precision, recall, F1-score, intersection-over-union, structural similarity index, and mean average precision measures, and found that our proposed framework achieved significant performance.
CNN-Based Fault Detection of Scan Matching for Accurate SLAM in Dynamic Environments
Authors: Jeong Hyein , Lee Heoncheol
Published: March 2023

This paper proposes a method for CNN-based fault detection of the scan-matching algorithm for accurate SLAM in dynamic environments. When there are dynamic objects in an environment, the environment that is detected by a LiDAR sensor changes. Thus, the scan matching of laser scans is likely to fail. Therefore, a more robust scan-matching algorithm to overcome the faults of scan matching is needed for 2D SLAM. The proposed method first receives raw scan data in an unknown environment and executes ICP (Iterative Closest Points) scan matching of laser scans from a 2D LiDAR. Then, the matched scans are converted into images, which are fed into a CNN model for its training to detect the faults of scan matching. Finally, the trained model detects the faults when new scan data are provided. The training and evaluation are performed in various dynamic environments, taking real-world scenarios into account. Experimental results showed that the proposed method accurately detects the faults of scan matching in every experimental environment.
Prototyping a Chatbot for Site Managers Using Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Natural Language Understanding (NLU) Techniques
Authors: Lin Will Y.
Published: March 2023

Amidst the domestic labor shortage and worldwide pandemic in recent years, there has been an urgent need for a digital means that allows construction site workers, particularly site managers, to obtain information more efficiently in support of their daily managerial tasks. For workers who move around the site, traditional software applications that rely on a form-based interface and require multiple finger movements such as key hits and clicks can be inconvenient and reduce their willingness to use such applications. Conversational AI, also known as a chatbot, can improve the ease of use and usability of a system by providing an intuitive interface for user input. This study presents a demonstrative Natural Language Understanding (NLU) model and prototypes an AI-based chatbot for site managers to inquire about building component dimensions during their daily routines. Building Information Modeling (BIM) techniques are also applied to implement the answering module of the chatbot. The preliminary testing results show that the chatbot can successfully predict the intents and entities behind the inquiries raised by site managers with satisfactory accuracy for both intent prediction and the answer. These results provide site managers with alternative means to retrieve the information they need.
Adaptive Impedance Matching Network for Contactless Power and Data Transfer in E-Textiles
Authors: Lindeman Pim , Steijlen Annemarijn , Bastemeijer Jeroen , Bossche Andre
Published: March 2023

One of the major challenges associated with e-textiles is the connection between flexible fabric-integrated wires and rigid electronics. This work aims to increase the user experience and mechanical reliability of these connections by foregoing conventional galvanic connections in favor of inductively coupled coils. The new design allows for some movement between the electronics and the wires, and it relieves the mechanical strain. Two pairs of coupled coils continuously transmit power and bidirectional data across two air gaps of a few millimeters. A detailed analysis of this double inductive link and associated compensation network is presented, and the sensitivity of the network to changing conditions is explored. A proof of principle is built that demonstrates the system’s ability to self-tune based on the current–voltage phase relation. A demonstration combining 8.5 kbit/s of data transfer with a power output of 62 mW DC is presented, and the hardware is shown to support data rates of up to 240 kbit/s. This is a significant improvement of the performance of previously presented designs.
A Survey of Deep Learning Based NOMA: State of the Art, Key Aspects, Open Challenges and Future Trends
Authors: Mohsan Syed Agha Hassnain , Li Yanlong , Shvetsov Alexey V. , Varela-Aldás José , Mostafa Samih M. , Elfikky Abdelrahman
Published: March 2023

Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA) has become a promising evolution with the emergence of fifth-generation (5G) and Beyond-5G (B5G) rollouts. The potentials of NOMA are to increase the number of users, the system’s capacity, massive connectivity, and enhance the spectrum and energy efficiency in future communication scenarios. However, the practical deployment of NOMA is hindered by the inflexibility caused by the offline design paradigm and non-unified signal processing approaches of different NOMA schemes. The recent innovations and breakthroughs in deep learning (DL) methods have paved the way to adequately address these challenges. The DL-based NOMA can break these fundamental limits of conventional NOMA in several aspects, including throughput, bit-error-rate (BER), low latency, task scheduling, resource allocation, user pairing and other better performance characteristics. This article aims to provide firsthand knowledge of the prominence of NOMA and DL and surveys several DL-enabled NOMA systems. This study emphasizes Successive Interference Cancellation (SIC), Channel State Information (CSI), impulse noise (IN), channel estimation, power allocation, resource allocation, user fairness and transceiver design, and a few other parameters as key performance indicators of NOMA systems. In addition, we outline the integration of DL-based NOMA with several emerging technologies such as intelligent reflecting surfaces (IRS), mobile edge computing (MEC), simultaneous wireless and information power transfer (SWIPT), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), and multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO). This study also highlights diverse, significant technical hindrances in DL-based NOMA systems. Finally, we identify some future research directions to shed light on paramount developments needed in existing systems as a probable to invigorate further contributions for DL-based NOMA system.