bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Vertical botany: airborne remote sensing as an emerging tool for mistletoe research
Authors: Missarov Azim , Sosnovsky Yevhen , Rydlo Karol , Brovkina Olga , Maes Wouter H. , Král Kamil , Krůček Martin , Krasylenko Yuliya
Published: August 2023

Mistletoe detection and sampling remain challenging for arborists, dendrologists, forest ecologists, and other specialists because of the limited access to host tree canopy. In this review, smart solutions for mistletoe detection based on airborne platforms are discussed. Airborne remote sensing (ARS) has the developing potential to provide rapid, accurate, and cost-efficient detection and research of mistletoe on tree level and large areas within the complex terrain. Herein, such mistletoe ARS research methods as image spectroscopy, infrared thermography, light detection and ranging, and structure from motion are overviewed.
Search for keV-scale sterile neutrinos with the first KATRIN data
Authors: Aker M. , Batzler D. , Beglarian A. , Behrens J. , Berlev A. , Besserer U. , Bieringer B. , Block F. , Bobien S. , Bornschein B. , Bornschein L. , Böttcher M. , Brunst T. , Caldwell T. S. , Chilingaryan S. , Choi W. , Debowski K. , Descher M. , Barrero D. Díaz , Doe P. J. , Dragoun O. , Drexlin G. , Edzards F. , Eitel K. , Ellinger E. , Engel R. , Enomoto S. , Felden A. , Formaggio J. A. , Fränkle F. M. , Franklin G. B. , Friedel F. , Fulst A. , Gauda K. , Gavin A. S. , Gil W. , Glück F. , Grössle R. , Gumbsheimer R. , Hannen V. , Haußmann N. , Helbing K. , Hickford S. , Hiller R. , Hillesheimer D. , Hinz D. , Höhn T. , Houdy T. , Huber A. , Jansen A. , Karl C. , Kellerer J. , Kleifges M. , Klein M. , Köhler C. , Köllenberger L. , Kopmann A. , Korzeczek M. , Kovalík A. , Krasch B. , Krause H. , La Cascio L. , Lasserre T. , Le T. L. , Lebeda O. , Lehnert B. , Lokhov A. , Machatschek M. , Malcherek E. , Mark M. , Marsteller A. , Martin E. L. , Melzer C. , Mertens S. , Mostafa J. , Müller K. , Neumann H. , Niemes S. , Oelpmann P. , Parno D. S. , Poon A. W. P. , Poyato J. M. L. , Priester F. , Ráliš J. , Ramachandran S. , Robertson R. G. H. , Rodejohann W. , Rodenbeck C. , Röllig M. , Röttele C. , Ryšavý M. , Sack R. , Saenz A. , Salomon R. , Schäfer P. , Schimpf L. , Schlösser M. , Schlösser K. , Schlüter L. , Schneidewind S. , Schrank M. , Schwemmer A. , Šefǧík M. , Sibille V. , Siegmann D. , Slezák M. , Spanier F. , Steidl M. , Sturm M. , Telle H. H. , Thorne L. A. , Thümmler T. , Titov N. , Tkachev I. , Urban K. , Valerius K. , Vénos D. , Hernández A. P. Vizcaya , Weinheimer C. , Welte S. , Wendel J. , Wetter M. , Wiesinger C. , Wilkerson J. F. , Wolf J. , Wüstling S. , Wydra J. , Xu W. , Zadoroghny S. , Zeller G.
Published: August 2023

In this work we present a keV-scale sterile-neutrino search with a low-tritium-activity data set of the KATRIN experiment, acquired in a commissioning run in 2018. KATRIN performs a spectroscopic measurement of the tritium $$\upbeta $$
β
-decay spectrum with the main goal of directly determining the effective electron anti-neutrino mass. During this commissioning phase a lower tritium activity facilitated the measurement of a wider part of the tritium spectrum and thus the search for sterile neutrinos with a mass of up to $$1.6\, \textrm{keV}$$

1.6

keV

. We do not find a signal and set an exclusion limit on the sterile-to-active mixing amplitude of $$\sin ^2\theta < 5\times 10^{-4}$$

sin
2

θ
<
5
×

10

-
4

($$95\%$$

95
%

C.L.) at a mass of 0.3 keV. This result improves current laboratory-based bounds in the sterile-neutrino mass range between 0.1 and 1.0 keV.
Unified dark energy from Chiral-Quintom model with a mixed potential in Friedmann–Lemaître–Robertson–Walker cosmology
Authors: Paliathanasis Andronikos
Published: August 2023

For a spatially Friedmann–Lemaître–Robertson–Walker cosmology, we propose a multi-scalar field gravitational model. Specifically, we consider a two-scalar field cosmological model in which the kinetic components of the scalar fields establish a two-dimensional sphere of Lorentzian signature. For our Chiral-Quintom model we choose a mixed potential term $$V\left( \phi ,\psi \right) =V_{0}e^{\lambda \phi }+U_{0}e^{\kappa \phi }\psi ^{\frac{1}{\sigma } }$$

V

ϕ
,
ψ

=

V
0

e

λ
ϕ

+

U
0

e

κ
ϕ

ψ

1
σ

and we investigate the asymptotic limits of the cosmological parameters. This model for $$U_{0}=0$$

U
0

=
0

, provides a generalization of the hyperbolic inflation where the equation of the state parameter can cross the phantom divide line. When $$U_{0}\ne 0$$

U
0

≠
0

we observe that this cosmological model exhibits asymptotic solutions that encompass accelerated universes, big rip singularities, and dust-like solutions. Hence, this multi-scalar field model it can be regarded as as a dark energy unify model which describes a variety of asymptotic cosmological scenarios.
High-performance Deterministic Concurrency Using
Lingua Franca
Authors: Menard Christian , Lohstroh Marten , Bateni Soroush , Chorlian Matthew , Deng Arthur , Donovan Peter , Fournier Clément , Lin Shaokai , Suchert Felix , Tanneberger Tassilo , Kim Hokeun , Castrillon Jeronimo , Lee Edward A.
Published: August 2023

Actor frameworks and similar reactive programming techniques are widely used for building concurrent systems. They promise to be efficient and scale well to a large number of cores or nodes in a distributed system. However, they also expose programmers to nondeterminism, which often makes implementations hard to understand, debug, and test. The recently proposed reactor model is a promising alternative that enables deterministic concurrency. In this article, we present an efficient, parallel implementation of reactors and demonstrate that the determinacy of reactors does not imply a loss in performance. To show this, we evaluate
Lingua Franca
(LF), a reactor-oriented coordination language. LF equips mainstream programming languages with a deterministic concurrency model that automatically takes advantage of opportunities to exploit parallelism. Our implementation of the Savina benchmark suite demonstrates that, in terms of execution time, the runtime performance of LF programs even exceeds popular and highly optimized actor frameworks. We compare against Akka and CAF, which LF outperforms by 1.86× and 1.42×, respectively.
Multimodality Representation Learning: A Survey on Evolution, Pretraining and Its Applications
Authors: Manzoor Muhammad Arslan , Albarri Sarah , Xian Ziting , Meng Zaiqiao , Nakov Preslav , Liang Shangsong
Published: August 2023

Multimodality Representation Learning, as a technique of learning to embed information from different modalities and their correlations, has achieved remarkable success on a variety of applications, such as Visual Question Answering (VQA), Natural Language for Visual Reasoning (NLVR), and Vision Language Retrieval (VLR). Among these applications, cross-modal interaction and complementary information from different modalities are crucial for advanced models to perform any multimodal task, e.g., understand, recognize, retrieve, or generate optimally. Researchers have proposed diverse methods to address these tasks. The different variants of transformer-based architectures performed extraordinarily on multiple modalities. This survey presents the comprehensive literature on the evolution and enhancement of deep learning multimodal architectures to deal with textual, visual and audio features for diverse cross-modal and modern multimodal tasks. This study summarizes the (
i
) recent task-specific deep learning methodologies, (
ii
) the pretraining types and multimodal pretraining objectives, (
iii
) from state-of-the-art pretrained multimodal approaches to unifying architectures, and (
iv
) multimodal task categories and possible future improvements that can be devised for better multimodal learning. Moreover, we prepare a dataset section for new researchers that covers most of the benchmarks for pretraining and finetuning. Finally, major challenges, gaps, and potential research topics are explored. A constantly-updated paperlist related to our survey is maintained at
https://github.com/marslanm/multimodality-representation-learning
.
Transient Self-Discharge after Formation in Lithium-Ion Cells: Impact of State-of-Charge and Anode Overhang
Authors: Roth Thomas , Streck Luiza , Mujanovic Nedim , Winter Martin , Niehoff Philip , Jossen Andreas
Published: August 2023

A fast determination of cell quality after formation is challenging due to transient effects in the self-discharge measurement. This work investigated the self-discharge of NMC622/graphite single-layer pouch cells with varying anode dimensions to differentiate between SEI growth and anode overhang equalization processes. The transient self-discharge was measured directly after formation via voltage decay and for 20 weeks of calendar storage at three states-of-charge (SOC), 10%, 30%, and 50%. The transient behavior persisted for the entire measurement duration, even at a low SOC. Still, the low SOC minimized the impact of SEI growth and anode overhang equalization compared to moderate SOCs. Evaluating the coulombic efficiency from cycle aging showed a distinct capacity loss for the first cycle after storage, indicating further SEI growth, which stabilized in subsequent cycles. The aged capacity after cycling showed no significant dependence on the calendar storage, which further promotes fast self-discharge characterization at low SOC.
Analysis of Structural Stability and Half-Metallic Ferromagnetism of Cs2VX6 (X=Cl, Br) Double-Perovskites for Spintronic Applications: Ab-Initio Simulations
Authors: Niaz Shanawer , Khan M. Aslam , Noor N. A. , Mahmood Asif , Alanazi Yousef Mohammed , Mumtaz Sohail
Published: August 2023

Spintronics has become an emerging field based on electronic spin usage for various technological applications. Herein, we explored the ferromagnetic characteristics of novel double-perovskite Cs2VX6 (X=Cl, Br) compounds within the framework of density functional theory. In search of the most stable ground state, we found the ferromagnetic state is at the lowest possible energy state. The structural stability in the cubic phase was assessed from the Goldschmidt tolerance factor, and negative values of formation energies confirmed thermodynamic stability for both compounds. The existence of all positive frequencies in phonon spectra indicates both compounds are thermodynamically stable, and their spin-polarized density of states and band structures revealed the half-metallic ferromagnetism nature. The 100% spin polarization factor and the reasonable magnetic moment values suggest these double-perovskites potential in spintronic applications. Additionally, the thermoelectric response, regarding high power factors suggests these double-perovskites suitability for thermoelectric device applications.
Effects of dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibition on the endothelial control of the vascular tone
Authors: Ribeiro-Silva Joao Carlos , Marques Vinicius Bermond , dos Santos Leonardo
Published: August 2023

Dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4) is a serine protease known to cleave incretin hormones, which stimulate insulin secretion after food intake, a fact that supported the development of its inhibitors (DPP4i or gliptins) for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. In addition to their glucose-lowering effects, DPP4i show benefits for the cardiovascular system that could be related, at least in part, to their protective action on vascular endothelium. DPP4i have been associated with the reversal of endothelial dysfunction, an important predictor of cardiovascular events and a hallmark of diseases such as atherosclerosis, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and heart failure. In animal models of these diseases, DPP4i increase nitric oxide bioavailability and limits oxidative stress, thereby improving the endothelium-dependent relaxation. Similar effects on flow-mediated dilation and attenuation of endothelial dysfunction have also been noted in human studies, suggesting a value for gliptins in the clinical scenario, despite the variability of the results regarding the DPP4i used, treatment duration, and presence of comorbidities. In this mini-review, we discuss the advances in our comprehension of the DPP4i effects on endothelial regulation of vascular tone. Understanding the role of DPP4 and its involvement in the signaling mechanisms leading to endothelial dysfunction will pave the way for a broader use of DPP4i in conditions that endothelial dysfunction is a pivotal pathophysiological player.
Role of prior feeding status in mediating the effects of exercise on blood glucose kinetics
Authors: Moreno-Cabañas Alfonso , Gonzalez Javier T.
Published: August 2023

Changes in blood glucose concentrations are underpinned by blood glucose kinetics (endogenous and exogenous glucose appearance rates and glucose disappearance rates). Exercise potently alters blood glucose kinetics and can thereby be used as a tool to control blood glucose concentration. However, most studies of exercise-induced changes in glucose kinetics are conducted in a fasted state, and therefore less is known about the effects of exercise on glucose kinetics when exercise is conducted in a postprandial state. Emerging evidence suggests that food intake prior to exercise can increase postprandial blood glucose flux compared with when meals are consumed after exercise, whereby both glucose appearance rates and disappearance rates are increased. The mechanisms underlying the mediating effect of exercise conducted in the fed versus the fasted state are yet to be fully elucidated. Current evidence demonstrates that exercise in the postprandial state increased glucose appearance rates due to both increased exogenous and endogenous appearance and may be due to changes in splanchnic blood flow, intestinal permeability, and/or hepatic glucose extraction. On the other hand, increased glucose disappearance rates after exercise in the fed state have been shown to be associated with increased intramuscular AMPK signaling via a mismatch between carbohydrate utilization and delivery. Due to differences in blood glucose kinetics and other physiological differences, studies conducted in the fasted state cannot be immediately translated to the fed state. Therefore, conducting studies in the fed state could improve the external validity of data pertaining to glucose kinetics and intramuscular signaling in response to nutrition and exercise.
Long noncoding RNA TUG1 regulates smooth muscle cell differentiation via KLF4-myocardin axis
Authors: Bharadhwaj Ravi Abishek , Kumarswamy Regalla
Published: August 2023

TUG1 is an angiotensin-II-induced long noncoding RNA that mediates smooth muscle cell (SMC) dysfunction through interaction with transcriptional repressor KLF4.
Constrained drop surfactometry for studying adsorbed pulmonary surfactant at physiologically relevant high concentrations
Authors: Xu Xiaojie , Li Guangle , Zuo Yi Y.
Published: August 2023

An in vitro biophysical model, called constrained drop surfactometry, was developed to study the biophysical properties, ultrastructure, and topography of the pulmonary surfactant film adsorbed from the subphase at physiologically relevant high surfactant concentrations of 10–35 mg/mL. These results suggest that the biophysical function of multilayers formed after de novo adsorption is to act as a buffer zone to store surface-active materials ejected from the interfacial monolayer under extreme conditions such as deep breathing.
In situ method for the determination of nutrient acquisition and its hormonal regulation in the spiral valve of two chondrichthyan fishes
Authors: Weinrauch Alyssa M. , Anderson W. Gary
Published: August 2023

We describe a novel dual cannulation method for investigating radiolabeled nutrient uptake from a unique organ, the spiral valve. Furthermore, we identify functional differences in nutrient transport along the length of the spiral valve which consists of a homogenous gross morphology. Finally, this method reveals a useful way in which to manipulate the arterial supply to better understand postprandial physiology as it varies with metabolites and endocrine factors.
Instrumentation of Field-Testing Sites for Dynamic Characterization of the Temperature-Dependent Stiffness of Pavements and Their Layers
Authors: Donev Valentin , Díaz Flores Rodrigo , Eberhardsteiner Lukas , Zelaya-Lainez Luis , Hellmich Christian , Buchta Martin , Pichler Bernhard L. A.
Published: August 2023

Falling weight deflectometer (FWD) tests are performed worldwide for assessing the health of pavement structures. Interpretation of FWD-measured surface deflections turns out to be challenging because the behavior of pavement structures is temperature-dependent. In order to investigate the influence of temperature on the overall pavement performance and on the stiffness of individual layers, temperature sensors, asphalt strain gauges, and accelerometers were installed into one rigid (concrete) and two flexible (asphalt) pavement structures, mostly at layer interfaces. Three different methods for installation of the strain gauges are compared. From correspondingly gained experience, it is recommended to install a steel dummy as a place-holder into the surface of hot asphalt layers, immediately after their construction and right before their compaction, and to replace the dummy with the actual sensor right before the installation of the next layer. Concerning the first data obtained from dynamic testing at the field-testing sites, FWD tests performed at different temperatures deliver, as expected, different surface deflections. As for the rigid pavement, sledgehammer strokes onto a metal plate, transmitted to the pavement via a rubber pad, yield accelerometer readings that allow for detection of curling (=temperature-gradient-induced partial loss of contact of the concrete slab from lower layers). In the absence of curling, the here-proposed sledgehammer tests yield accelerometer readings that allow for quantification of the runtime of longitudinal waves through asphalt, cement-stabilized, and unbound layers, such that their stiffness can be quantified using the theory of elastic wave propagation through isotropic media.
A Mathematical Optimization Model for the Pharmaceutical Waste Location‐Routing Problem Using Genetic Algorithm and Particle Swarm Optimization
Authors: Aghakhani Sina , Pourmand Parmida , Zarreh Mobin
Published: August 2023

Pharmaceutical waste management is a significant concern that poses risks to human and environmental health. The ineffective management of expired and unused medications can harm individuals and communities. This study proposes a novel approach to address the issue of pharmaceutical waste management by developing a location‐routing problem (LRP) model using mixed‐integer linear programing (MILP) to optimize the collection and disposal of pharmaceutical waste. The proposed model aims to minimize transportation costs, construction of collection centers, disposal costs, and carbon dioxide emissions, making it a cost‐effective and environmentally sustainable approach to managing pharmaceutical waste. Initially, the feasibility, validity, and efficiency of the proposed model are examined by solving the problem in the GAMS software using CPLEX solver for small‐scale problems. Sensitivity analyses are conducted to ensure the accuracy, reliability, robustness, and usefulness of the mathematical model for decision‐making. In view of the inherent computational complexity of the proposed model, which is classified as nondeterministic polynomial time‐hard and poses considerable difficulties when exact solutions are sought for large‐scale problems, the present study resorts to two metaheuristic algorithms, specifically particle swarm optimization (PSO) and genetic algorithm (GA), as a means minimizing the computational burden. The results indicate that GA outperforms PSO in terms of objective function and solution time, with an average improvement of approximately 1% and 20%, respectively. The proposed model and algorithms provide a comprehensive approach to addressing the critical issue of pharmaceutical waste management, benefiting the healthcare industry, and society as a whole.
Smartphone Attachment and Self-Regulation Mediate the Influence of Avoidant Attachment Style on Phubbing
Authors: Sun Juhyung , Miller Claude H.
Published: August 2023

This study examines the nature of phubbing (i.e., smartphone snubbing) within an attachment theory perspective to empirically demonstrate both direct and indirect associations between attachment avoidance, smartphone attachment, self-regulation, and phubbing within a sample of 440 young adults. The study provides empirical evidence indicating smartphone attachment and self-regulation mediate the relationship between avoidant attachment and phubbing. Six hypotheses are posited, and a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) controlling for age, gender, and time spent per day on smartphones was performed to test the hypothesized relationships. The CFA model was confirmed, and all six hypotheses were supported revealing the joint-mediated effect of smartphone attachment and self-regulation on the relationship between avoidant attachment style and phubbing.
The Landscape of Alterations from 1407 Ultra-Rare Sarcomas from the AACR GENIE Database: Clinical Implications
Authors: Denu Ryan A. , Moyers Justin T. , Gouda Mohamed A. , Conley Anthony P. , Lazar Alexander J. , Subbiah Vivek
Published: August 2023

Purpose:

Ultra-rare sarcomas (URS) comprise a group of orphan diseases with an incidence of ≤1/1,000,000 people per year. We aimed to assess clinically actionable genomic alterations in URS.

Experimental Design:

Data were extracted from the GENIE database using cBioPortal. OncoKB was used to assess for clinical actionability of mutations. Tumor mutational burden (TMB) was inferred from clinical sequencing data.

Results:

Soft tissue (ST) URS made up 23.5% of ST sarcoma cases, and bone URS made up 16.5% of bone sarcoma cases. The most commonly mutated gene in all four groups was TP53. The most common fusions involved EWSR1. The most common copy-number variations included deletions of CDKN2A and CDKN2B and amplifications of MDM2 and CDK4. TMB was generally low across all four categories of sarcoma, though there was considerable heterogeneity, with 3.8% of ST URS and 0.55% of bone URS having high TMB. We find Level 1 alterations (FDA-recognized biomarker predictive of response to an FDA-approved drug) in 10.0% of ST URS compared with 7.1% of ST non-URS, 1.1% of bone URS, and 4.5% of bone non-URS. Level 1–3 alterations (also include alterations for which there are standard-of-care drugs or clinical evidence supporting a drug) were seen in 27.8% of ST URS, 25.2% of ST non-URS, 20.9% of bone URS, and 17.4% of bone non-URS.

Conclusions:

Clinically actionable genomic alterations are seen in a substantial fraction of URS. Clinical sequencing in advanced URS has the potential to guide the treatment of a significant portion of patients with URS.
Extended modified three-term conjugate gradient method for large-scale nonlinear equations
Authors: Deepho Jitsupa , Malik Maulana , Bala Abubakar Auwal
Published: August 2023

In this research paper, we introduce a novel gradient-free modified three-term conjugate gradient method designed to solve nonlinear equations subject to convex constraints. Our approach incorporates the projection scheme, which enhances the effectiveness of the proposed method. Building upon the modified three-term conjugate gradient method for solving M-tensor systems and ℓ1- norm-based nonsmooth optimization problems, our method can be regarded as an extension of their technique. By making mild assumptions, we establish the theoretical convergence properties of our iterative method. Through extensive numerical experiments, we demonstrate that our proposed approach is not only highly efficient but also outperforms other existing methods in terms of performance and accuracy.
Intrusion detection system for detecting distributed denial of service attacks using machine learning algorithms
Authors: Zahra Mghames Sabreen A. , Abdu Ibrahim Abdullahi
Published: August 2023

Today, the creation of more effective intrusion detection system (IDS) has become crucial due to the rise in computer malware. Ensuring the availability of the system is an important component of information security and the most important requirement of any network. Recently the machine learning algorithm (ML) has been used to improve intrusion detection over the network. It is currently necessary to release an updated version of these systems. The presented work aimed to build a reliable and accurate IDS based on ML to classify and prevent distributed denial of service attacks to protect any system working on the network from temporary or complete system failure. We presented five ML models to create the proposed distributed denial-of-services attack (DDoS)-IDS, including (decision tree, random forest, logistic regression, support vector machine, and multi-layer neural network) which were trained and evaluated using the CIC-IDS-2018 dataset. Furthermore, principal component analysis (PCA) was used to reduce the dimensionality of the dataset. According to the classification results, the proposed multi-layer neural network model reached optimal performance for detecting DDoS attacks and achieved classification accuracy at 99.9992%.
Information technology personnel competency towards organizational agility: study at Malaysia automotive
Authors: Hassan Noor Hafizah , Arshad Noreen Izza
Published: August 2023

Information technology and agility is a core item for organizations. With recent technology and digital transformation in Malaysia’s automotive industry, the need to understand how human competencies influence organizational agility is critical. This paper discusses the antecedent factor of information technology personnel competency toward organizational agility. Literature was reviewed and further examined upon two information systems theories, the dynamic capabilities view (DCV) and people capability model maturity (P-CMM). This study was conducted at Malaysia automotive organizations, auto A and auto B, with 151 participants. Data was collected and analyzed with SPSS and SmartPLS with the utilization of partial least square-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings highlighted that human factor significantly influence how organizations respond to internal and external parties. These findings offer insights into empowering the IT workforce towards industrial revolution 4.0 (IR 4.0).
Resource provisioning model for executing realistic workload in heterogenous internet of things environment
Authors: Chowdaiah Naveen Kumar , Dammur Annapurna
Published: August 2023

Resource provisioning considering scientific or realistic workload in a heterogeneous internet of things (IoT) environment presents significant challenges in terms of execution time and energy consumption. These challenges arise due to the dynamic nature of scientific or realistic-time workloads and the diverse characteristics of IoT devices. In this study, we propose a resource provisioning model that takes into account the dynamic and real-time nature of IoT workloads in a heterogeneous environment.
 The model aims to allocate computational resources effectively, considering the real-time demands of IoT applications while optimizing execution time and energy consumption. Three scientific workloads have been used to evaluate the proposed model. The results have been compared with the existing models. The results show that the proposed model attains better performance in terms of reducing time and energy consumption for the execution of workload tasks.
An evaluation of nature-inspired optimization algorithms and machine learning classifiers for electricity fraud prediction
Authors: Kamaruddin Ami Shamril , Hadrawi Mohd Fikri , Wah Yap Bee , Aliman Sharifah
Published: August 2023

This study evaluated the nature-inspired optimization algorithms to improve classification involving imbalanced class problems. The particle swarm optimization (PSO) and grey wolf optimizer (GWO) were used to adaptively balance the distribution and then four supervised machine learning classifiers artificial neural network (ANN), support vector machine (SVM), extreme gradient-boosted tree (XGBoost), and random forest (RF) were applied to maximize the classification performance for electricity fraud prediction. The imbalance data was balanced using random undersampling (RUS) and two nature-inspired algorithm techniques (PSO and GWO). Results showed that for the data balanced using random undersampling, ANN (Sentest = 50.31%), and XGBoost (Sentest = 66.32%) has better sensitivity than SVM (Sentest = 23.61%), while RF exhibits overfitting (Sentrain = 100%, Sentest = 71.25%). The classification performance of RF model hybrid with PSO improved tremendously (AccTest = 96.98%, Sentest = 94.87%, Spectest = 99.16%, Pretest = 99.14%, F1 Score = 96.96%, and area under the curve (AUC) = 0.989). This was closely followed by hybrid of XGBoost with PSO. Moreover, RF and XGBoost hybrid with GWO also showed an improvement and promising results. This study has showed that nature-inspired optimization algorithms (PSO and GWO) are effective methods in addressing imbalanced dataset.
Enhanced website phishing detection based on the cyber kill chain and cloud computing
Authors: Rashid Saba Hussein , Abdullah Wisam Dawood
Published: August 2023

Crimeware-as-a-service (CaaS) presents a growing cybersecurity threat by facilitating the acquisition of tools for website phishing attacks. Detecting these attacks requires effective techniques to obtain accurate results in real time. Cloud machine learning (CML) emerged as a promising solution with the powerful tools of amazon web services (AWS). This study proposes a novel approach combining cyber kill chain concept with AWS technologies to enhance website phishing detection, using AWS SageMaker to preprocess an 11,430 uniform resource locators (URL) dataset and train 3 algorithms, which are: decision tree (DT), random forest (RF), and support vector machine (SVM), evaluate their performance through batch transform, and deploy them as separate endpoints. Prediction functions are then conducted on each endpoint and compared to batch transform results. Our findings demonstrate that the combination of the cyber kill chain concept and AWS CML significantly enhances website phishing detection by achieving results of 97% for RF in 0.48 seconds, 94% for SVM in 0.94 seconds, and 93% for DT in 0.52 seconds. By leveraging CML algorithms and breaking down attacks into stages, our approach identifies and disrupts attacks earlier, preventing damage. This research highlights the value of our approach in improving cybersecurity and protecting against website phishing attacks.
High-performance InP/InGaAs heterojunction bipolar phototransistors for optoelectronic applications
Authors: Ouchrif Jihane , Baghdad Abdennaceur , Sahel Aicha , Badri Abdelmajid
Published: August 2023

Phototransistors are attractive devices for applications in optical fiber telecommunication systems. They are used for the detection of optical signals and the amplification of these signals. This paper presents an investigation of how the technological parameters of indium phosphide (InP)/indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) heterojunction bipolar phototransistor can impact its responsivity at two wavelengths, 1310 nm and 1550 nm. Based on the results of this investigation, we proposed optimized structures for the studied phototransistor. In this work, we used the software technology computer aided-design (TCAD)-Silvaco to simulate the physical and the electrical behavior of the different structures. The proposed optimized phototransistors can be used for various optoelectronic applications.
Cardiac Vagal Nerve Activity Increases During Exercise to Enhance Coronary Blood Flow
Authors: Shanks Julia , Pachen Mridula , Chang Joshua W-H. , George Bindu , Ramchandra Rohit
Published: August 2023

BACKGROUND:

The phrase complete vagal withdrawal is often used when discussing autonomic control of the heart during exercise. However, more recent studies have challenged this assumption. We hypothesized that cardiac vagal activity increases during exercise and maintains cardiac function via transmitters other than acetylcholine.

METHODS:

Chronic direct recordings of cardiac vagal nerve activity, cardiac output, coronary artery blood flow, and heart rate were recorded in conscious adult sheep during whole-body treadmill exercise. Cardiac innervation of the left cardiac vagal branch was confirmed with lipophilic tracer dyes (DiO). Sheep were exercised with pharmacological blockers of acetylcholine (atropine, 250 mg), VIP (vasoactive intestinal peptide; [4Cl-D-Phe6,Leu17]VIP 25 µg), or saline control, randomized on different days. In a subset of sheep, the left cardiac vagal branch was denervated.

RESULTS:

Neural innervation from the cardiac vagal branch is seen at major cardiac ganglionic plexi, and within the fat pads associated with the coronary arteries. Directly recorded cardiac vagal nerve activity increased during exercise. Left cardiac vagal branch denervation attenuated the maximum changes in coronary artery blood flow (maximum exercise, control: 63.5±5.9 mL/min, n=8; cardiac vagal denervated: 32.7±5.6 mL/min, n=6,
P=
2.5×10
−7
), cardiac output, and heart rate during exercise. Atropine did not affect any cardiac parameters during exercise, but VIP antagonism significantly reduced coronary artery blood flow during exercise to a similar level to vagal denervation.

CONCLUSIONS:

Our study demonstrates that cardiac vagal nerve activity actually increases and is crucial for maintaining cardiac function during exercise. Furthermore, our findings show the dynamic modulation of coronary artery blood flow during exercise is mediated by VIP.
Optical Coherence Tomography–Guided or Intravascular Ultrasound–Guided Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: The OCTIVUS Randomized Clinical Trial
Authors: Kang Do-Yoon , Ahn Jung-Min , Yun Sung-Cheol , Hur Seung-Ho , Cho Yun-Kyeong , Lee Cheol Hyun , Hong Soon Jun , Lim Subin , Kim Sang-Wook , Won Hoyoun , Oh Jun-Hyok , Choe Jeong Cheon , Hong Young Joon , Yoon Yong-Hoon , Kim Hoyun , Choi Yeonwoo , Lee Jinho , Yoon Young Won , Kim Soo-Joong , Bae Jang-Ho , Park Duk-Woo , Park Seung-Jung ,   for the OCTIVUS Investigators
Published: August 2023

BACKGROUND:

Intravascular imaging–guided percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) or optical coherence tomography (OCT) showed superior clinical outcomes compared with angiography-guided PCI. However, the comparative effectiveness of OCT-guided and IVUS-guided PCI regarding clinical outcomes is unknown.

METHODS:

In this prospective, multicenter, open-label, pragmatic trial, we randomly assigned 2008 patients with significant coronary artery lesions undergoing PCI in a 1:1 ratio to undergo either an OCT-guided or IVUS-guided PCI. The primary end point was a composite of death from cardiac causes, target vessel–related myocardial infarction, or ischemia-driven target-vessel revascularization at 1 year, which was powered for noninferiority of the OCT group compared with the IVUS group. Safety outcomes were also assessed.

RESULTS:

At 1 year, primary end point events occurred in 25 of 1005 patients (Kaplan-Meier estimate, 2.5%) in the OCT group and in 31 of 1003 patients (Kaplan-Meier estimate, 3.1%) in the IVUS group (absolute difference, −0.6 percentage points; upper boundary of one-sided 97.5% CI, 0.97 percentage points;
P
<0.001 for noninferiority). The incidence of contrast-induced nephropathy was similar (14 patients [1.4%] in the OCT group versus 15 patients [1.5%] in the IVUS group;
P
=0.85). The incidence of major procedural complications was lower in the OCT group than in the IVUS group (22 [2.2%] versus 37 [3.7%];
P
=0.047), although imaging procedure-related complications were not observed.

CONCLUSIONS:

In patients with significant coronary artery lesions, OCT-guided PCI was noninferior to IVUS-guided PCI with respect to the incidence of a composite of death from cardiac causes, target vessel–related myocardial infarction, or ischemia-driven target-vessel revascularization at 1 year. The selected study population and lower-than-expected event rates should be considered in interpreting the trial.

REGISTRATION:

URL:
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov
; Unique number: NCT03394079.
Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging Versus Computed Tomography to Guide Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: A Randomized, Open-Label, Noninferiority Trial
Authors: Reindl Martin , Lechner Ivan , Holzknecht Magdalena , Tiller Christina , Fink Priscilla , Oberhollenzer Fritz , von der Emde Sebastian , Pamminger Mathias , Troger Felix , Kremser Christian , Laßnig Elisabeth , Danninger Kathrin , Binder Ronald K. , Ulmer Hanno , Brenner Christoph , Klug Gert , Bauer Axel , Metzler Bernhard , Mayr Agnes , Reinstadler Sebastian J.
Published: August 2023

BACKGROUND:

Computed tomography (CT) is recommended for guiding transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). However, a sizable proportion of TAVR candidates have chronic kidney disease, in whom the use of iodinated contrast media is a limitation. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) is a promising alternative, but randomized data comparing the effectiveness of CMR-guided versus CT-guided TAVR are lacking.

METHODS:

An investigator-initiated, prospective, randomized, open-label, noninferiority trial was conducted at 2 Austrian heart centers. Patients evaluated for TAVR according to the inclusion criteria (severe symptomatic aortic stenosis) and exclusion criteria (contraindication to CMR, CT, or TAVR, a life expectancy <1 year, or chronic kidney disease level 4 or 5) were randomized (1:1) to undergo CMR or CT guiding. The primary outcome was defined according to the Valve Academic Research Consortium–2 definition of implantation success at discharge, including absence of procedural mortality, correct positioning of a single prosthetic valve, and proper prosthetic valve performance. Noninferiority was assessed using a hybrid modified intention-to-treat/per-protocol approach on the basis of an absolute risk difference margin of 9%.

RESULTS:

Between September 11, 2017, and December 16, 2022, 380 candidates for TAVR were randomized to CMR-guided (191 patients) or CT-guided (189 patients) TAVR planning. Of these, 138 patients (72.3%) in the CMR-guided group and 129 patients (68.3%) in the CT-guided group eventually underwent TAVR (modified intention-to-treat cohort). Of these 267, 19 patients had protocol deviations, resulting in a per-protocol cohort of 248 patients (121 CMR-guided, 127 CT-guided). In the modified intention-to-treat cohort, implantation success was achieved in 129 patients (93.5%) in the CMR group and in 117 patients (90.7%) in the CT group (between-group difference, 2.8% [90% CI, −2.7% to 8.2%];
P
<0.01 for noninferiority). In the per-protocol cohort (n=248), the between-group difference was 2.0% (90% CI, −3.8% to 7.8%;
P
<0.01 for noninferiority).

CONCLUSIONS:

CMR-guided TAVR was noninferior to CT-guided TAVR in terms of device implantation success. CMR can therefore be considered as an alternative for TAVR planning.

REGISTRATION:

URL:
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov
; Unique identifier: NCT03831087.
Long‐Term Impact of Additional Ablation After Pulmonary Vein Isolation: Results From EARNEST‐PVI Trial
Authors: Masuda Masaharu , Inoue Koichi , Tanaka Nobuaki , Watanabe Tetsuya , Makino Nobuhiko , Egami Yasuyuki , Oka Takafumi , Minamiguchi Hitoshi , Miyoshi Miwa , Okada Masato , Kanda Takashi , Mano Toshiaki , Matsuda Yasuhiro , Uematsu Hiroyuki , Sakio Takashige , Kawasaki Masato , Sunaga Akihiro , Sotomi Yohei , Dohi Tomoharu , Nakatani Daisaku , Hikoso Shungo , Sakata Yasushi ,   the Osaka Cardiovascular Conference (OCVC)‐Arrhythmia Investigators
Published: August 2023

Background

An optimal strategy for left atrial ablation in addition to pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) has not been determined.

Methods and Results

We conducted an extended follow‐up of the multicenter randomized controlled EARNEST‐PVI (Efficacy of Pulmonary Vein Isolation Alone in Patients With Persistent Atrial Fibrillation) trial, which compared 12‐month rhythm outcomes in patients with persistent AF between patients randomized to a PVI‐alone strategy (n=248) or PVI‐plus strategy (n=248; PVI followed by left atrial additional ablation, including linear ablation or ablation targeting areas with complex fractionated electrograms). The present study extended the follow‐up period to 3 years after enrollment. Outcomes were compared not only between randomly allocated groups but also between on‐treatment groups categorized by actually created ablation lesions. Recurrence rate of AF or atrial tachycardia (AT) was lower in the randomly allocated to PVI‐plus group than the PVI‐alone group (29.0% versus 37.5%,
P
=0.036). On‐treatment analysis revealed that patients with PVI+linear ablation (n=205) demonstrated a lower AF/AT recurrence rate than those with PVI only (26.3% versus 37.8%,
P
=0.007). In contrast, patients with PVI+complex fractionated electrograms ablation (n=37) had an AF/AT recurrence rate comparable to that of patients with PVI only (40.5% versus 37.8%,
P
=0.76). At second ablation in 126 patients with AF/AT recurrence, ATs excluding common atrial flutter were more frequent in patients with PVI+linear ablation than in those with PVI only (32.6% versus 5.7%,
P
<0.0001).

Conclusions

Left atrial ablation in addition to PVI was efficacious during 3‐year follow‐up. Linear ablation was superior to other ablation strategies but may increase iatrogenic ATs.

Registration

URL:
http://www.umin.ac.jp/ctr/index‐j.htm
; Unique identifier: UMIN000019449.
Total and Regional Fat/Muscle Mass Ratio and Risks of Incident Cardiovascular Disease and Mortality
Authors: Zhou Rui , Chen Hao‐Wen , Lin Yang , Li Fu‐Rong , Zhong Qi , Huang Yi‐Ning , Wu Xian‐Bo
Published: August 2023

Background

To evaluate the sex‐specific associations of total and regional fat/muscle mass ratio (FMR) with cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence and mortality, and to explore the underlying mechanisms driven by cardiometabolites and inflammatory cells. We compared the predictive value of FMRs to body mass index.

Methods and Results

This population‐based, prospective cohort study included 468 885 UK Biobank participants free of CVD at baseline. Fat mass and muscle mass were estimated using a bioelectrical impedance assessment device. FMR was calculated as fat mass divided by muscle mass in corresponding body parts (total body, trunk, arm, and leg). Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models and mediation analyses were used. During 12.5 years of follow‐up, we documented 49 936 CVD cases and 4158 CVD deaths. Higher total FMR was associated with an increased risk of incident CVD (hazard ratios [HRs] were 1.63 and 1.83 for men and women, respectively), ischemic heart disease (men: HR, 1.61; women: HR, 1.81), myocardial infarction (men: HR, 1.72; women: HR, 1.49), and congestive heart failure (men: HR, 2.25; women: HR, 2.57). The positive associations of FMRs with mortality from total CVD or its subtypes were significant mainly in trunk and arm for male patients (
P
for trend <0.05). We also identified 8 cardiometabolites and 5 inflammatory cells that partially mediated FMR‐CVD associations. FMRs were modestly better at discriminating cardiovascular mortality risk.

Conclusions

Higher total and regional FMRs were associated with an increased risk of CVD and mortality, partly mediated through cardiometabolites and inflammatory cells. Early monitoring of FMR should be considered to alleviate CVD risk. FMRs were superior to body mass index in predicting CVD mortality.
Prognostic Value of Hospital Frailty Risk Score and Clinical Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Revascularization for Critical Limb–Threatening Ischemia
Authors: Majmundar Monil , Patel Kunal N. , Doshi Rajkumar , Mehta Harsh , Vindhyal Mohinder R. , Hance Kirk A , Ali Adam , Gupta Kamal
Published: August 2023

Background

The impact of medical record‐based frailty assessment on clinical outcomes in patients undergoing revascularization for critical limb‐threatening ischemia (CLTI) is unknown.

Methods and Results

This study included patients with CLTI aged ≥18 years from the nationwide readmissions database 2016 to 2018 who underwent endovascular revascularization (ER) or surgical revascularization (SR). The hospital frailty risk score, a previously validated
International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Edition, Clinical Modification (ICD‐10‐CM
) claims‐based score, was used to categorize patients into low‐ (<5), intermediate‐ (5–15), and high‐risk (>15) frailty categories. Primary outcomes were in‐hospital mortality and major amputation at 6 months. A total of 64 338 patients were identified who underwent ER (82.3%) or SR (17.7%) for CLTI. The mean (SD) age of the cohort was 69.3 (11.8) years, and 63% of patients were male. This study found a nonlinear association between hospital frailty risk score and in‐hospital mortality and 6‐month major amputation. In both ER and SR cohorts, the intermediate‐ and high‐risk groups were associated with a significantly higher risk of in‐hospital mortality (high‐risk group: ER: odds ratio [OR], 7.2 [95% CI, 4.4–11.6],
P
<0.001; SR: OR, 28.6 [95% CI, 3.4–237.6],
P
=0.002) and major amputation at 6 months (high‐risk group: ER: hazard ratio [HR], 1.6 [95% CI, 1.5–1.7],
P
<0.001; SR: HR, 1.7 [95% CI, 1.4–2.2],
P
<0.001) compared with the low‐risk group.

Conclusions

The hospital frailty risk score, generated from the medical record, can identify frailty and predict in‐hospital mortality and 6‐month major amputation in patients undergoing ER or SR for CLTI. Further studies are needed to assess if this score can be incorporated into clinical decision‐making in patients undergoing revascularization for CLTI.
Addressing Linguistic Inequality in Higher Education: A Proactive
Model
Authors: Wolfram Walt
Published: August 2023

Although most institutions of higher education in the United States have now developed diversity, equity, and inclusion centers, programs, and initiatives, language equality tends to be excluded from the typical “canon of diversity.” Language remains an overlooked or dismissed issue in higher education while it insidiously serves as an active agent for promoting inequality in campus life. Based on two empirical studies, one of students from Southern Appalachia attending a large urban university in the South, and one of tenured faculty at the same university, I establish the need for the awareness of language inequality in higher education. I then describe a proactive “campus-infusion” program that includes activities and resources for student affairs, academic affairs, human resources, faculty affairs, and offices of institutional equity and diversity. As an interdisciplinary team from different administrative and disciplinary programs within the university, we used a variety of venues, resources, and techniques to educate the faculty, students, and staff about the significance of language inequality on campus that has had an ongoing effect on higher education.