bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Supervised Fuzzy control strategy for Mean Arterial Pressure regulation using cascade scheme controller: A Continuum Approach of hypertension with diabetics
Authors: A Alavudeen Basha , Ali Azath Mubarak , Tayfour Omer Elsier , Changalasetty Suresh Babu , Shuja Muhammed , P Parthasarathy
Published: February 2023

This paper presents a cascade methodology towards the control of blood pressure for perioperative patients with a diabetic continuum. Recent clinical research confirms that blood pressure and diabetes have possible overlap on their substantial and may occur together as per their disease etiology. Postoperative stress and hasty diabetic variation will make pressure distinctions, leading to cardiovascular catastrophe, hypo, hyperinsulinemia, and osmotic diuresis. To avoid anomalies, blood pressure and diabetes need to monitor simultaneously. Based on the distinctions, blood pressure has to control the optimal drug delivery system. This proposal adopts a cascade control modelling and control scheme strategy adopted with two different parameters in control. The control loop is overseen and eliminates the disturbances generated by diabetic variations, and the primary control loop supervises and controls drug delivery. In particular, the difference of the control is to produce automated correction of the drug SNP (sodium nitroprusside) infusion to maintain the Mean Arterial pressure (MAP) as prescribed. The proposed advisory process is based on FLC (Fuzzy logic) controller to optimize appropriate and optimal drug delivery. The cascade control studies' simulations demonstrated, that the proposed approach provides proper estimating drug delivery and regulates hypertension as per the recommended levels.
Another scanning test of trend change in regression coefficients applied to monthly temperature on global land and sea surfaces
Authors: Jiang Jianmin
Published: February 2023

Two algorithms has been proposed in this paper. One is another scanning t-test of trend change-points in regression slope-coefficients in two phases, along with a coherency analysis of changes between two time series. It is different from the previously published scanning Fmax test of trend changes in two-phase regressions. The second is a fuzzy weighted moving average (FWMA). Then the algorithms were applied to two series of monthly temperature over global land and ocean surfaces for 1850–2018. The applied results show that significant changes in segment trends appeared into two gradations on inter-decadal and intra-decadal scales. All subsample regression models were found to fit well with that data. Global warming got started in April 1976 with a good coherency of warming trends between land and sea. The global warming ‘hiatus’ mainly occurred in the sea cooling from November 2001 to April 2008, but not evinced over land. The ‘land/sea warming contrast’ was detected only in their anomaly series. It disappeared in their standardized differences. We refer to the anomalies in distribution N(0,s) as ‘perceptual’ indicators, while refer to the standardized differences in distribution N(0,1) as ‘net’ indexes.
The impact of pre-transplant anti-HLA antibodies in transplants from HLA-identical sibling donors: a multicenter study
Authors: Wu Xiaojin , Wei Xiya , Chang Ying-Jun , Zhu Xiaoyu , Hu Xiaoxia , Guo Rong , Zhang Yanming , Ma Xiao , Han Yue , Wang Ying , Qiu Huiying , Wu Depei
Published: February 2023

Few studies have performed comparative analysis of the outcome of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation from HLA-identical sibling donors (ISD-HSCT) in patients with or without anti-HLA Abs. In this study we retrospectively collected data from a multicenter study to analyze the distribution and impact of the pre-existing anti-HLA Abs in ISD-HSCT. Among 402 recipients, 111 were tested with anti-HLA Abs. Gender, time from diagnosis to transplantation and distribution of primary disease might be risk factors for the occurrence of anti-HLA Abs. We found that patients with anti-HLA Abs had delayed neutrophil engraftment and were more vulnerable to experience Cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation. The presence of anti-HLA Abs was proved to be an independent risk factor for neutrophil engraftment (HR 1.42 95%CI 1.13-1.80, P=0.003) and CMV reactivation (HR 2.03 95%CI 1.19-3.46, P=0.009). We found that anti-HLA Abs have a negative impact on the prognosis in the early period after transplantation from sibling donors and anti-HLA Abs was also an independent risk factor for the overall survival (OS) at 180 days (HR 2.32, 95%CI 1.03-5.27, P=0.042) among female recipients. In conclusion, anti-HLA Abs have a negative impact on the prognosis early after ISD-HSCT.
Molecular Epidemiology and Characteristics of Respiratory Syncytial Virus in Guangzhou, China
Authors: Umar Sajid , Yang Rongyuan , Wang Xinye , Liu Yuntao , Ke Peifeng , Qin Sheng
Published: February 2023

Background Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of acute lower respiratory tract infection and hospitalization, especially in children. Highly mutagenic nature and antigenic diversity enable the RSV to successfully survive in human population. Regular monitoring of the circulating strains of RSV in different parts of China could assist in the development of more effective vaccines and preventive measures. We performed a molecular epidemiological study during 2017–2021 to investigate the prevalence and genetic characteristics of RSV in China. Methods A total of 6499 nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs were collected from patients suffering from respiratory infections at Department of Pediatrics, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. Results Overall detection rate for respiratory viruses was 16.12% (1048/6499). A total of 405 specimens (6.20%, 405/6499) were found positive for RSV. Seasonal distribution of RSV and other respiratory viruses was variable and highest incidence were recorded in winter. Based on sequencing of hypervariable region of G gene, 93 RSV sequences were sub-grouped into RSV-A (56, 60.2%) and RSV-B (37, 39.8%). There was no coinfection of RSV-A and RSV-B in tested samples. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that RSV-A and RSV-B strains belonged to ON1 and BA9 genotype respectively, indicating predominance of these genotypes in Guangzhou. Deduced amino acid sequence analysis determined several substitutions which may likely change antigenicity and pathogenicity of RSV. Multiple glycosylation sites were observed in the second hypervariable region of the G protein, demonstrating high selection pressure on these genotypes. Conclusion This study illustrated the useful information about epidemiology, genetic characteristics and circulating genotypes of RSV in Guangzhou China which may facilitate policy makers, clinicians, and researchers for a better understanding of the evolution of RSV within and outside of China. Due to emergence of several lineages of ON1 and BA9 genotypes, it is quite possible that new lineages could emerge in near future due to highly mutagenic nature of RSV. Continuous and long-term surveillance programs coupled with clinical data must be initiated in Guangzhou to better understand the pattern of seasonal distribution of circulating genotypes of RSV and find any association between emerging genotypes and disease severity.
Carbon Storage Dynamics and its Economic Values in Tropical Moist Afromontane Forests, South-West Ethiopia
Authors: Tadese Semegnew , Soromessa Teshome , Aneseyee Abreham Berta , Gebeyehu Getaneh , Noszczyk Tomasz , Kindu Mengistie
Published: February 2023

Forest plays an important role in the global carbon cycle by sequestering carbon dioxide and thereby mitigating climate change. In this study, an attempt has been made to investigate the effects of land use/land cover (LULC) change (1989–2017) on carbon stock and its economic values in tropical moist Afromontane forests of the Majang Forest Biosphere Reserve (MFBR), south –west Ethiopia. Systematic sampling was conducted to collect biomass and soil data from 140 plots in MFBR. The soil data were collected from grassland and farmland. InVEST modelling was employed to investigate the spatial and temporal distribution of carbon stocks. Global Voluntary Market Price (GVMP) and Tropical Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) analysis was performed to estimate economic values (EV) of carbon stock dynamics. Correlation analysis was also employed to identify the relationship between environmental and anthropogenic impacts on carbon stocks. The results indicated that the above-ground biomass and soil organic carbon stocks were higher than the other remaining carbon pools in MFBR. The total carbon stock (32.59 Mt ha–1) in 2017 was lower than 1989 (34.76 Mt ha–1). The EV of carbon stock in 2017 was lower than in 1989. Elevation, slope, and harvesting index are important environmental and disturbance factors resulting in major differences in carbon stock among study sites in MFBR. The correlation analysis for elevation showed a positive relationship with soil carbon stocks (r = 0.39) and aboveground biomass (r = 0.08), while a negative relationship was found for slope (r = –0.04) and harvesting index (r = –0.21). This calls for urgent attention to implement successful conservation and sustainable use of forest resources in biosphere reserves.
Nitrogen-Enriched Organic fertilizer (NEO) elevates nitrification rates shortly after application but has no lasting effect on nitrification in agricultural soils
Authors: Mousavi Hesam , Solberg Svein Øivind , Cottis Thomas , Dörsch Peter
Published: February 2023

In times of growing population, scarcity of arable land, and increasing use of synthetic nitrogen, new sustainable fertilizers are needed to enhance the resilience of global agri-food systems. Nitrogen-Enriched Organic fertilizer (NEO) is an example of a potentially sustainable fertilizer. Dinitrogen (N2) is captured from the air by a plasma process and mixed as nitrate (NO3−) and nitrite (NO2−) with animal slurries or other liquid organic fertilizers. This process strongly acidifies the slurry, which, together with the resulting high NO2−content, may result in toxic inorganic or organic N compounds. Here we test the effect of NEO produced from cattle slurry and biogas digestate on soil nitrification, i.e., the conversion of NH4+to NO2−and NO3−mediated by aerobic autotrophic bacteria and archaea. We compared potential nitrification rates by laboratory incubation in soil samples from two trials (cereal and grass) fertilized with NEO and other fertilizers for two consecutive years. We also studied the immediate nitrification response to NEO in 73-hour bottle incubations. In agitated soil slurries, NEO strongly stimulated nitrification rates irrespective of feedstock (more than 2-fold), exceeding rates in ammonium controls. In loosely placed soil, a similar pattern was found, but this time ammonium chloride also resulted in high nitrification rates. By contrast, differences in nitrification rates between field-fertilized soil samples were minimal and negligible. Therefore, we conclude that despite the intense stimulation of nitrification by NEO right after application to soil, NEO has no long-lasting effects on nitrification under field conditions. This implies that NEO does not impose adverse effects on soil nitrifier communities.
WITHDRAWN: Evaluation of Surface Roughness and Color Changes of Restorative Materials Used with Different Polishing Procedures in Pediatric Dentistry
Authors: PEKER Oyku , BOLGUL Behiye
Published: February 2023

Aim: It was aimed to evaluate the color stability and surface roughness properties of 4 different restorative materials used in pediatric dentistry clinics as a result of 4 different polishing procedures.
Background and Design: A total of 128 samples, 32 from each restorative material, were prepared by placing each material in 6 mm diameter, 2 mm high polyethylene molds to be polished with 4 different polishing procedures (n=8). Then, color stability and surface roughness measurements of the samples were made. Hysitron TI 950 TriboIndenter device was used for surface roughness test measurements. A spectrophotometer device was used to determine the color stability. Then the samples were kept in the coke solution for 1 week and then the final color measurements were made.
Results:The lowest roughness values ​​were surveyed in G-aenial restorative material polished with Super-Snap material, and the highest roughness values ​​were surveyed in Equia material polished with Identoflex material. When all materials were evaluated, the least color change values ​​were determined in G-aenial material polished with Super-Snap, and the most color change values ​​were detected in Equia material polished with Identoflex. It was observed that the relationship between surface roughness and color change is statistically significant.
Conclusion: The lowest color change and surface roughness values were observed in the G-aenial material polished with Super-Snap. For clinically more successful results, it has been understood that the most appropriate polishing procedure should be chosen based on the restorative material used.
Associations between health factors and food insecurity. A multidimensional analysis with fuzzy set approach
Authors: Flores Lucio
Published: February 2023

Background: Food insecurity, which is one of many factors to consider when studying loss of health, is an important problem in Mexico and many countries around the world. Much insight may be gained into how population health in Mexico is affected by studying these factors.
Methods: Two multidimensional indices were calculated, the first was the multidimensional health index, constructed using 6 factors: excess weight, diabetes, high blood pressure, symptoms of depression, kidney problems and heart problems, and the second was the food insecurity index with three levels, mild, moderate, and severe food insecurity. The multidimensional health index is constructed with the use of fuzzy sets, through the National Health and Nutrition Survey (ENSANUT 2018-19 - for its acronym in Spanish) in Mexico.
Results: The results show a close relationship between these indices and elucidate a specific profile of individuals in which there is a higher prevalence of health loss in relation to severe food insecurity.
Conclusions: This study aims to elucidate the current state of health of the population in Mexico using the most up-to-date data provided by the autonomous public body for statistics and geography to build a multidimensional panorama, as well as the close relationship between food security and the loss of health.
Study of catalytic properties of pristine and Au-modified BaTiO3(001) through DFT calculations for CO hydrogenation
Authors: Comparán-Padilla Víctor E. , Cruz María Teresa Romero-de la , García-Díaz Reyes , Pérez-Camacho Odilia
Published: February 2023

Context.
BaTiO3 is one of the most important ferroelectric oxides in the electronic applications. Also, it has attractive properties for catalysis that could be used for reducing the contamination levels especially carbon monoxide, CO. CO is one of the main gaseous pollutants generally released from the combustion of fossil fuel. In this work, the catalytic properties of pristine and Au-modified BaTiO3 perovskite for CO hydrogenation are studied. The CO adsorption and hydrogenation on pristine BaTiO3 leads to formaldehyde synthesis as the most stable product through two possible routes. Further hydrogenation stages are less probable. On Au-modified BaTiO3 formaldehyde is the principal product too but Au adatom induces selectivity making just one reaction route as the most stable. After BaTiO3 modification with Au unpaired electrons were generated. These unpaired electrons increased the adatom reactivity. According to the obtained results, pristine and Au-modified BaTiO3 can adsorb and hydrogenate CO generating formaldehyde as the principal product. BaTiO3 modifications with Au increases the reactivity and selectivity of the perovskite in the CO hydrogenation reactions.
Methods.
The study was performed through ab initio calculations using the periodic Density Functional Theory (DFT) as implemented in Quantum ESPRESSO. DFT calculations were carried out using the Plane Wave self-consistent field (PWscf). Spin density was considered for systems with unpaired electrons. Plane wave basis set was used to represent the electron states. Vanderbilt pseudopotentials with nonlinear core correction were used to model the interaction of ionic cores and valence electrons. Exchange-correlation energies were treated within the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) with the Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE) parameterization.
Estimating The Volume Of Civil Construction Materials By Machine Learning Models
Authors: Pham Vu Hong Son , Nguyen Ngo Luan
Published: February 2023

Previous construction project cost models, especially in the project initiation phase, often mainly focused on estimating the total project cost without taking into account their constituent aspects such as materials, labor, machineries and equipment. Therefore, building a material quantity estimation model will have a positive impact on improving the accuracy of the total project cost. There have been many studies related to this issue, but there are few studies on building a model to estimate the quantity of materials for civil projects with reinforced concrete structures and they use specialized software (which is difficult to access for many subjects in the construction industry). The founding of many machines learning software, especially Weka software, helps to model with powerful algorithms with high reliability. In this study, suitable machine learning models will be proposed for estimating the quantity of materials as: concrete, formwork, steel of the components: foundation, column, beam and floor. Suitable machine learning models will be suggested to rank for each different model.
Analysis of Thaumatotibia leucotreta (Lepidoptera; Tortricidae: Olethreutinae) mitochondrial genomes reveal opportunistic host range expansion towards rose
Authors: de Vossenberg Bart T.L.H. van , Noort Tom H. van , Hooiveld-Knoppers Sanne H.Z. , Gouw Lucas van der , Mertens Jan E.J. , Loomans Antoon J.M.
Published: February 2023

Background
The false codling moth (FCM), Thaumatotibia leucotreta (Meyrick, 1913), is a significant pest of various important economic crops and is a EU quarantine pest. In the last decade the pest has been described on rose. In this study we determined whether this shift occurred within specific FCM populations across the Ethiopian zoogeographic region or whether the species opportunistically switches to this novel host as it presents itself. To achieve this we assessed the genetic diversity of complete mitogenomes of T. leucotreta specimens intercepted at import and analysed potential linkages with geographical origin and host species.
Results
Genomic, geographical and host information were integrated in a T. leucotreta Nextstrain build which contains 95 complete mitogenomes generated from material intercepted at import between January 2013 and December 2018. Samples represented seven sub-Saharan countries and mitogenomic sequences grouped in six main clades.
Discussion
If host strains of FCM would exist, specialization from a single haplotype towards the novel host is expected. Instead, we find specimens intercepted on rose in all six clades. Absence of linkage between genotype and host suggests opportunistic expansion to the new host crop. This underlines risks of introducing new crop species to an area as the effect of pests already present on the new crop might be unpredictable with current knowledge.
On-farm Production & Bio-efficacy Study of ‘Baif Elixer’ Biofertilizer on Momordica Charantia
Authors: Sawane Rutuja , Shinde Suryakant , Shinde Manisha
Published: February 2023

Today’s agriculture sector requires reducing dependency on chemical fertilizers and increasing the use of bio-based formulations for implementing organic farming practices. In organic farming, the role of bio-fertilizers, bio-pesticides, and growth stimulants is crucial, but the availability of bio-based products in larger quantities always remains a constraint. Hence the purpose of this study is to formulate a microbial-based bio-fertilizer formulation ‘BAIF ELIXER’ & evaluation of its bio efficacy infield trials. Six types of microbial cultures, potential as N2 fixers, phosphate solubilizers, and bio stimulants from BAIF Development Research Foundation were cultivated in a 200 L fermenter and used to develop a BAIF ELIXER bio-fertilizer formulation. The final count of 1X109 CFU/ml was used to develop an on-farm liquid bio-fertilizer BAIF ELIXER formulation. To study its bio-efficacy, seed and on-farm treatment were conducted on Momordica charantia on 900 plants planted in a 0.13 hector area for each treatment in Research Farm, Pune. During the field experiment, plant growth and yield were recorded for 7 consecutive harvests at four days intervals. BAIF ELIXER on-farm treatment produces the highest yield of 997 kg at the 7th harvest. Both seed and on-farm treatment give higher yield as compared to control plots. As a result, the crops can be produced organically with the combined application of biofertilizer for sustainable crop development. The study will help to understand the role of beneficial microbes in agriculture in improving organic farming practices.
Identification and analysis of DNA methylation inflammation related key genes in intracerebral hemorrhage
Authors: Xu Sanpeng , Wu Qiong , Li Ping
Published: February 2023

Background: Inflammation and DNA methylation have been reported to play key roles in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). The proposed study intended to investigate new diagnostic biomarkers associated with inflammation and DNA methylation through comprehensive bioinformatics approaches.
Methods: GSE179759 and GSE125512 were sourced via the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, and 3222 inflammation-related genes (IFRGs) were downloaded from the Molecular Signatures Database (MSigDB). Key differentially expressed methylation-regulated and inflammation-related genes (DE-MIRGs) were achieved by overlapping methylation-regulated differentially expressed genes (MeDEGs) between ICH patients and control samples, module genes from Weighted Correlation Network Analysis (WGCNA), and the IFRGs. The functional annotation of DE-MIRGswas performed by Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) resources. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was further constructed to clarify the interrelationships between the different DE-MIRGs. The key genes were categorized by Least Absolute Shrinkage Selection Operator (LASSO), and support vector machine recursive feature elimination (SVM-RFE), and subsequently performed Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA).
Results: A number of 22 DE-MIRGs were acquired among 451 MeDEGs, 3222 IFRGs and 302 module genes, and they were mainly enriched in GO terms of wound healing, blood coagulation and hemostasis; KEGG pathways of PI3K-AKT signaling pathway, Focal adhesion, and Regulation of actin cytoskeleton. A PPI network with 22 nodes and 87 edges was constructed based on the 22 DE-MIRGs, and 11 of them were selected for the following key gene selection. Moreover, 2 key genes (SELP and S100A4) were obtained according to LASSO and SVM-RFE. Finally, SELP was mainly enriched in Cell morphogenesis involved in differentiation, Cytoplasm translation, and Actin binding of GO terms, and the KEGG pathway including Edocytosis, Focal adhesion, and Platelet activation. S100A4 was major enriched in GO terms including Mitochondrial inner membrane, Mitochondrial respirasome, and Lysosomal membrane; Oxidative phosphorylation, Regulation of actin cytoskeleton, and Chemical carcinogensis-reactive oxygen species in KEGG pathways.
Conclusion: 22 DE-MIRGs were identified associated with inflammation and DNA methylation between ICH patients and normal controls, and 2 key genes (SELP and S100A4) were obtained and regarded as the biomarker for ICH, which could provide the research foundation for the further pathological mechanism investigation of ICH.
Carbon dots from natural‐product: applications as adsorbent and Sensing of Fe 3+ Ions
Authors: Shahraki Hesam Salimi , Ahmad Anees , Qurtulen Qurtulen , Gupta Sugandhi , Meraj Uzma
Published: February 2023

Freshwater contamination is a significant concern due to the increasing pollution by industrial activities. Dyes have a wide range of uses and are introduced at different stages of manufacture, raising the risk of unwanted human and environmental contact. Consequently, the demand for an effective method for removing dyes has become more important than before. In this context, Carbon dots have been synthesized by the green synthesis method from Coriander leaves (C-CDs) and used as a prospective adsorbent to remove (MB) methylene blue dye from aqueous solution. The as-synthesized C-CDs are characterized by HR-TEM, XRD, XPS, FTIR, Zeta potential, UV-visible, and Photoluminescence (PL). Effects of different controlling parameters such as adsorbent dosage, pH, contact time, and initial MB dye concentration were investigated. The highest adsorption efficiency (82.6%) and maximum adsorption capacity (96.05 mg/g) of MB were obtained at optimum conditions (303 K). The adsorption isotherm data could be fitted well by Freundlich model, and the experimental data fitted to the Pseudo-Second-Order kinetic model. It is worth noting that C-CDs exhibited excellent sensitivity and high fluorescence quenching effect on Fe3+ ions.
Alteration of PBMC transcriptome profile after interaction with multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells under “physiological” hypoxia
Authors: AN Gornostaeva , PI Bobyleva , ER Andreeva , Sh Gogiya B , LB Buravkova
Published: February 2023

Multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have demonstrated a pronounced immunosuppressive activity, the manifestation of which depends on the microenvironmental factors, including O2 level. Here we examined the effects of MSCs on transcriptomic profile of allogeneic phytohemagglutinin-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) after interaction at ambient (20%) or “physiological” hypoxia (5%) O2. As revealed with microarray analysis, PBMC transcriptome at 20% O2 was more affected, which was manifested as differential expression of more than 300 genes, whereas under 5% O2 only 220 genes were changed. Most of genes at 20% O2 were downregulated, while at hypoxia most of genes were upregulated. Altered gene patterns were only partly overlapped at different O2 levels. A set of altered genes at hypoxia only was of particular interest. According Gene Ontology a part of above genes was responsible for adhesion, cell communication, and immune response. At both oxygen concentrations, MSCs demonstrated effective immunosuppression manifested as attenuation of T cell activation and proliferation as well as anti-inflammatory shift of cytokine profile. Thus, at a “physiological” hypoxia MSC immunosuppression is executed with greater efficacy, since the same result has been achieved through a change in the expression of a fewer genes.
Global stability to a chemotaxis-May-Nowak model with exposed state
Authors: Zhang Qingshan , Li Erhui
Published: February 2023

Note: Please see pdf for full abstract with equations.
This paper deals with the Neumann initial-boundary value problem for the chemotaxis-May-Nowak model with exposed state for virus dynamics
ut = Δu − χ∇ · (u∇v) + κ − d1u − βuw,
zt = Δz + βuw − (d2 + c)z,
vt = Δv + cz − d3v,
wt = Δw + kv − d4w
in a smooth bounded domain Ω ⊂ Rn (n ≥ 1). Here χ ∈ R and κ, β, c, k, di (i = 1, 2, 3, 4) are positive constants. We prove that for sufficiently smooth initial data the problem possesses a unique global classical solution which is uniformly bounded with small size of |χ|. Moreover, the large time behavior of the obtained solution is investigated with respect to the basic reproduction number as a threshold.
Mathematics Subject Classification (2010). 35A09, 35B40, 35K51, 92C17.
Non-Fungible Token Fraud: Studying security issues and improvements for NFTmarketplaces using hashing techniques
Authors: Lee Puiyue , Abubakar Mwrwan , Lo Owen , Pitropakis Nikolaos , Buchanan William J
Published: February 2023

In recent years, interest in Non Fungible Tokens (NFTs) has soared and the NFT market has experienced significant growth. Built upon blockchain technology, the tokens represent a unique offering, a rarity, due to its attributes of immutability, trust, transparency, auditability and anonymity. These unique tokens are highly appealing and sought after by investors and traders, since ownership rights, provenance and authenticity are publicly available. As a result, NFTs can be applied in a wide range of contexts and sectors. One such sector is in the digital art market, where sales of NFTs skyrocketed during 2021, thereby generating a multibillion dollar ecosystem. However, due to the fast-changing evolution of NFTs, the increase in demand for the tokens, high returns and lack of regulation, fraud has become commonplace and many security issues have arisen in the ecosystem. In this paper, we explore some of these security issues. Furthermore, by investigating Interplanetary File System (IPFS) and hashing techniques, namely cryptographic and perceptual image hashing, in more detail, proof of concept (PoC) models were built to aid in the identification and combat of NFT fraud.
Intelligent solid waste classification system using combination of image processing and machine learning models
Authors: Abu-Qdais Hani , Shatnawi Nawras , AL-Alamie Esra’a
Published: February 2023

Solid waste is a major issue in all countries around the world. Solid waste classification and segregation prior to reuse, recycling or recovery is an important step toward sustainable waste management. Traditional manual sorting of solid waste is a labour intensive process that may pose health risks to the workers. Currently, automated classification of solid waste using machine learning techniques are widely applied. This study is aiming to develop an automated waste classification model by testing traditional and deep machine learning models. To achieve that, both open (Trashnet) and generated datasets were used in the model training and testing. The study results showed relatively low prediction capability of the traditional machine learning models like Random Forest (RF) and Support Vector Machine (SVM) as compared to the deep machine learning Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). The testing of the three models on a combined data set of Trashnet with local garbage data set resulted in accuracy of 62.5% for SVM, 72.0% for RF and 92.7% for CNN. JONET deep learning model has been developed using a combination of pre-trained base model (DenseNet 201) with a new architicture that contains a fully connected layer in the classification stage with 1024 neurons. The model is capable to identify six classes of solid waste items with various accuracies. When tested on the Trashnet, the accuracy was 96.06%, while testing on the local garbage dataset gave an accuracy of 94.40%. JONET has been tested also on multi object images which gave an acceptable prediction accuracy.
Estimates for the nonlinear viscoelastic damped wave equation on compact Lie groups
Authors: Bhardwaj Arun Kumar , Kumar Vishvesh , Mondal Shyam Swarup
Published: February 2023

Note: Please see pdf for full abstract with equations.
Let G be a compact Lie group. In this article, we investigate the Cauchy problem for a nonlinear wave equation with the viscoelastic damping on G. More preciously, we investigate some L2-estimates for the solution to the homogeneous nonlinear viscoelastic damped wave equation on G utilizing the group Fourier transform on G. We also prove that there is no improvement of any decay rate for the norm ∥u(t, ·)∥L2(G) by further assuming the L1(G)-regularity of initial data. Finally, using the noncommutative Fourier analysis on compact Lie groups, we prove a local in time existence result in the energy space C1([0, T],H1L(G)).
Remote sensing environmental indicators for monitoring spatial and temporal dynamics of water and vegetation conditions: applications to the Brazilian biomes
Authors: Teixeira Antonio , Leivas Janice , Takemura Celina , Bayma Gustavo , Garçon Edlene , Sousa Inajá , Farias Franzone , Silva Cesar
Published: February 2023

The SAFER (Simple Algorithm for Evapotranspiration Retrieving) algorithm and the radiation use efficiency (RUE) model were coupled to test large-scale remote sensing environmental indicators in the Brazilian biomes. The MODIS MOD13Q1 reflectance product and gridded weather data were used for the year 2016. The analyzed biomes were Amazon, Caatinga, Cerrado, Pantanal, Atlantic Forest, and Pampa. Significant differences on precipitation (P), actual evapotranspiration (ET), and biomass production (BIO) yielded differences on water balance (WB = P - ET) and water productivity (WP = ET/BIO). The highest WB and WP differences along the year were for the wettest Amazon, Atlantic Forest, and Pampa biomes, when compared with the driest Caatinga biome. Rainfall distribution along the year affected the magnitude of the evaporative fraction (ETf), i.e, the ratio of ET to reference evapotranspiration (ET0), however there was a gap between ETf and WB, what can be related to the time needed for recovering the good soil moisture conditions after the rainy seasons. For some biomes, BIO was more related to the levels of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (Amazon, Atlantic Forest, and Pampa), while for others BIO followed more the soil moisture levels, represented by ETf (Caatinga, Cerrado, and Pantanal). The large-scale modelling presented suitability for monitoring environmental indicators, opening the room to detect anomalies for specific periods along the year by using historical images and weather data, with great potential to subsidize public policies regarding the management and conservation of the natural resources and possibility for replication of the methods in other countries.
Why the Use of Domain-specific Modeling in Airworthy Software Requires New Methods and How these Might Look Like? (extended version)
Authors: Tietz Vanessa , Frey Constantin , Waldvogel Andreas , Schoepf Julian , Annighoefer Bjoern
Published: February 2023

The use of domain-specific modeling (DSM) in safety-critical avionics is rare, even though the ever-increasing complexity of avionics systems makes the use of DSM reasonable. DSM shows its advantage especially in capturing complex systems, data and relationships. The reason for the limited use in the (safety-critical) avionics area is mainly due to the high demands on the safety of software and systems. Everything that is to be used in flight operations and development must undergo a rigorous and complex certification process. Any data used in operations must be verified. A reduction of this effort can be achieved using qualified tools. A qualified tool can either replace or support certification activities.
This article elaborates different use cases of how DSM could be used in relation to airworthy software. For those use cases, we review the effort of a certification and retrieve the major shortcomings and showstoppers of available frameworks, e.g. infeasible qualification of DSM runtimes and the unavailability of qualification artifacts. Finally, we elaborate possible ways of mitigation and show the concept and first results of a new DSM framework for airworthy applications, called DOMAINES. DOMAINES covers deterministic meta-modeling up to graph-based model transformations and verified visual editing. The concept of DOMAINES and a first functional prototype are presented that indicate that the shortcomings can be mitigated.
Cancer of unknown primary (CUP) through the lens of precision oncology – a single institution perspective
Authors: Weiss L. , Heinrich K. , Zhang D. , Dorman K. , Rühlmann K. , Hasselmann K. , Klauschen F. , Kumbrink J. , Jung A. , Rudelius M. , Mock A. , Kunz W. G. , Roessler D. , Beyer G. , Corradini S. , Heinzerling L. , Haas M. , von Bergwelt-Baildon M. , Boeck S. , Heinemann V. , Westphalen C. B.
Published: February 2023

Purpose
For patients with cancer of unknown primary (CUP), treatment options are limited. Precision oncology, the interplay of comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) and targeted therapies aims to offer additional treatment options to patients with advanced and hard-to-treat cancers.
Methods
In this single center observational study, CUP patients, presented to the molecular tumor board (MTB) of the Comprehensive Cancer Center Munich LMU, a tertiary care center, were analyzed retrospectively. Descriptive statistics were applied to describe relevant findings.
Results
Between June 2016 and February 2022, 61 CUP patients were presented to the MTB. On average, patients had received one line of therapy before presentation to the MTB. CGP detected clinically relevant variants in 74% (45/61) of patients, of which 64% (29/45) led to therapeutic recommendation. Most recommendations were based on high tumor mutational burden (TMBhigh) or alterations in PIK3CA and ERBB2. In four out of 29 patients (14%) the treatment recommendations were implemented, unfortunately without resulting in clinical benefit. Reasons for not following the therapeutic recommendation were mainly caused by the physicians’ choice of another therapy (9/25, 36%), especially in the context of worsening of general condition, lost to follow-up (7/25, 28%) and death (6/25, 24%).
Conclusion
CGP and subsequent presentation to a molecular tumor board led to a high rate of therapeutic recommendations in patients with CUP. However, implementation of recommendations did not benefit the patients and recommendations were only implemented at a low rate. This contrast underscores the need for early implementation of CGP into the management of CUP patients.
Two-sample Mendelian Randomization Study Dose Not Reveal Significant Relationship Between Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Infection and Autism Spectrum Disorders
Authors: Zhang Mengna , Ming Ying , Du Yunling , Xin Ziyuan
Published: February 2023

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting ~2% children worldwide and characterized by repetitive, stereotypical behaviors and impaired expressive communication. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is considered a risk factor for ASD, however, published studies are usually limited by too few events and have different conclusions, indicating the relationship between CMV infection and ASD remains elusive. To investigate the association between CMV infection and ASD, we conducted this 2-sample mendelian randomization study using GWAS summary data from FinnGen and IEU Open GWAS project. Our results showed no significant relationship between all 3 CMV infections (unspecified cytomegaloviral diseases, anti-CMV IgG levels, and maternal CMV) and ASD.
Projections of Winter Polynyas and Their Biophysical Impacts in the Ross Sea Antarctica
Authors: DuVivier Alice K. , Molina Maria J. , Holland Marika M. , Landrum Laura , Krumhardt Kristen , Jenouvrier Stephanie
Published: February 2023

This study investigates winter polynyas in the southern Ross Sea, Antarctica where several polynyas are known to form. Coastal polynyas are areas of lower sea ice concentration and/or thickness along the coast that are otherwise surrounded by the thicker ice pack, and polynyas are locations where organisms can exploit both the ice substrate and pelagic resources. Using a self organizing map algorithm, we identify polynya events in the Community Earth System Model Version 2 Large Ensemble (CESM2-LE). The neural network algorithm is able to identify polynya events without imposing an ice concentration or thickness threshold, as is often done when identifying polynyas. The CESM2-LE produces a wintertime polynya feature comparable in size and location to the Ross Sea polynya, and during polynya events there are large turbulent heat fluxes and export of sea ice from the Ross Sea. In the CESM2-LE polynya event frequency is projected to decrease sharply in the later 21st century, leading to increasing sea ice concentrations and thicknesses in the region. The drivers of the polynya frequency decline are likely both large scale circulation changes and local atmosphere and ocean feedbacks. Changes in wintertime polynya frequency over the 21st century may impact local net primary productivity, which has the potential for cascading effects up the food chain. Improving understanding of the biogeophysical relationships will be important for assessing how the Ross Sea ecosystem, which is currently protected by an internationally recognized marine protected area, may be vulnerable in the future in unexpected ways.
CETP Taq1B polymorphism and its association with cardiovascular risk factors in an Iranian population under angiography, A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Vasmehjani Azam Ahmadi , SeyedHosseini SeyedMostafa , Khayyatzadeh SayyedSaeid , Madadizadeh Farzan , Mazaheri-Naeini Mahta , Yavari Mahdie , Darabi Zahra , Beigrezaei Sara , Taftian Marzieh , Arabi Vahid , Motallaei Maryam , Salehi-Abargouei Amin , Najarzadeh Azadeh
Published: February 2023

Background:Several studies have assessed the association of the cholesterol ester transfer protein (CETP) (rs708272) TaqIB gene polymorphism with risk factors of CVDs; however, their results are inconsistent. The current study investigated the relationship between CVD risk factors and the Taq1B variant in a population from Iran that was undergoing coronary angiography.Methods:This cross-sectional study was conducted on 476 subjects aged (30-76) years of both sexes. Genotypes for Taq1B polymorphism were determined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) using extracted DNA from whole blood. Cardio-metabolic markers were measured by standard protocols. To determine the association between CVDs risk factors and the rs708272 variant, binary logistic regression was used in crude and adjusted models.Results:Genotype frequencies of the Taq1B polymorphism were 10.7% for B1B1, 72.3% for B1B2, and 17% for B2B2. No significant association was observed between abnormal levels of CVDs risk factors and different genotypes of the Taq1B variant, Gensini score (p= 0.64), Syntax score (p= 0.79), systolic blood pressure (p= 0.55), diastolic blood pressure (p= 0.58), waist circumference (p= 0.79). None of the abnormal serum levels were related to genotypes of the rs708272 variant. Results remained not significant after adjusting for confounders.Conclusion:Risk factors for CVDs were not associated with CETP rs708272 polymorphism in our population. Various findings reported in different populations that it suggested more studies in various regions in connection with CETP gene variants which are linked to CVD events.
Income disparity and healthcare utilization: lessons from Indonesia’s National Health Insurance claim data
Authors: Nugroho Sony Tito , Ahsan Abdillah , Kusuma Dian , Adhani Nadhila , Irawaty Dian Kristiani , amalia nadira , Hati Sri Rahayu Hijrah
Published: February 2023

Background
Indonesia's National Health Insurance Program, known as Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional (JKN), has a variety of membership pathways for those wishing to gain access. Claim data from JKN offers a cost-effective way of observing who is accessing healthcare services and what types of services are being used. This study is a novel attempt to measure disparities amongst JKN users in their engagement with services, providing an opportunity to reflect on patterns of use.
Methods
Using claims data collected from JKN users between 2015–2016, we used the Ordinary Least Square (OLS) estimation model to compare health services utilization among subsidized and non-subsidized users. We focused primarily on the individual use of the hospital for outpatient and inpatient treatment.
Results
Analysis reveals that subsidized users access primary healthcare services more frequently than non-subsidized users. Conversely, non-subsidized users access secondary and tertiary health care services more frequently than other users. Subsidized users who utilize secondary and tertiary health care tend to suffer more severe health illnesses than non-subsidized members.
Conclusions
This study concludes that income disparity affects healthcare utilization. Non-subsidized (PBPBU) members are more likely than subsidized (PBI) members to access secondary and tertiary health care services. Our study offers evidence of the potential underutilization of STHC by PBI members, which could lead to inefficiency since PBI participants seeking STHC treatment had severe health conditions, thus needing to be treated longer and requiring higher healthcare expenditures.
Does social motivation overshadow fear caused by a sudden sound in horses?
Authors: Janicka Wiktoria , Wilk Izabela , Próchniak Tomasz
Published: February 2023

Living in a herd has multiple advantages for social species and is a primary survival strategy for prey. The presence of conspecifics, identified as a social buffer, may mitigate the individual stress response. Social isolation is, therefore, particularly stressful for horses, which are gregarious animals. However, they are not equally vulnerable to separation from the group. We tested whether more and less socially dependent horses and independent individuals would differ in their responses to novel and sudden sounds occurring in two contexts: non-social and social motivation. Twenty warmblood horses were first exposed to two social tests: to evaluate the level of social dependence (rate of restless behaviour; social isolation) and the quantity and the quality of interactions in which they were involved (stay on a paddock). Two fear audio tests were then performed to compare the responses to sudden sounds while feeding (non-social motivation; control trial) and while moving towards the herd (social motivation; experimental trial). Socially dependent horses showed more pronounced avoidance behaviour and needed much more time to resume feeding during the control trial. Hence, dependent individuals appeared to be more fearful. However, during an experimental trial, horses of both groups tended to ignore the sound or paid only limited attention to the stimulus, continuing to move forward towards their conspecifics. Thus, social motivation may overshadow fear caused by a frightening stimulus and make fearful and dependent horses more prone to face a potentially stressful event. This finding should be taken into account in horse training and management.