bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Addressing Consumer Misconceptions on Antibiotic Use and Resistance in the Context of Sore Throat: Learnings from Social Media Listening
Authors: Essack Sabiha , Bell John , Burgoyne Douglas , Eljaaly Khalid , Tongrod Wirat , Markham Thomas , Shephard Adrian , López-Pintor Elsa
Published: May 2023

A misunderstanding of the mechanism of action and bacterial targets of antibiotics by consumers may drive inappropriate antibiotic use and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Tackling AMR requires an in-depth understanding of consumer beliefs and misconceptions. We explored consumer conversations on a number of social media platforms on antibiotic use and AMR in the context of sore throat and how coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) affected online conversations between 1 January 2018 and 25 November 2021 across eight countries. Five distinct consumer groups were identified (antibiotic-preserving peer educators, antibiotic-cautious consumers, medication-resistant antibiotic opponents, believers in the strength of antibiotics, determined pro-antibiotic consumers) with a wide spectrum of beliefs around antibiotics in sore throat. Many opinions were based upon misconceptions, the most prominent of which was that antibiotics are strong medications that can treat all types of sore throat. COVID-19 had a multifaceted effect on the sore throat and AMR conversation. Sore throat triggered anxiety as consumers feared it may be a COVID-19 symptom while engagement in conversations around antibiotics for COVID-19 increased. Finally, consumers sought multiple routes to access antibiotics, such as directly from the pharmacy or by attempting to persuade physicians to prescribe. Knowledge obtained from this study could be used to develop focused approaches to dispel consumer misconceptions and mitigate AMR.
Oxidative Stress, Cytotoxic and Inflammatory Effects of Azoles Combinatorial Mixtures in Sertoli TM4 Cells
Authors: Petricca Sabrina , Carnicelli Veronica , Luzi Carla , Cinque Benedetta , Celenza Giuseppe , Iorio Roberto
Published: May 2023

Triazole and imidazole fungicides are an emerging class of contaminants with an increasing and ubiquitous presence in the environment. In mammals, their reproductive toxicity has been reported. Concerning male reproduction, a combinatorial activity of tebuconazole (TEB; triazole fungicide) and econazole (ECO; imidazole compound) in inducing mitochondrial impairment, energy depletion, cell cycle arrest, and the sequential activation of autophagy and apoptosis in Sertoli TM4 cells (SCs) has recently been demonstrated. Given the strict relationship between mitochondrial activity and reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the causative role of oxidative stress (OS) in male reproductive dysfunction, the individual and combined potential of TEB and ECO in inducing redox status alterations and OS was investigated. Furthermore, considering the impact of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in modulating male fertility, protein expression levels were assessed. In the present study, we demonstrate that azoles-induced cytotoxicity is associated with a significant increase in ROS production, a drastic reduction in superoxide dismutase (SOD) and GSH-S-transferase activity levels, and a marked increase in the levels of oxidized (GSSG) glutathione. Exposure to azoles also induced COX-2 expression and increased TNF-α production. Furthermore, pre-treatment with N-acetylcysteine (NAC) mitigates ROS accumulation, attenuates COX-2 expression and TNF-α production, and rescues SCs from azole-induced apoptosis, suggesting a ROS-dependent molecular mechanism underlying the azole-induced cytotoxicity.
Astaxanthin Extract from Haematococcus pluvialis and Its Fractions of Astaxanthin Mono- and Diesters Obtained by CCC Show Differential Antioxidant and Cytoprotective Effects on Naïve-Mouse Spleen Cells
Authors: Jurčacková Zuzana , Ciglanová Denisa , Mudroňová Dagmar , Tumová Lenka , Bárcenas-Pérez Daniela , Kopecký Jiří , Koščová Jana , Cheel José , Hrčková Gabriela
Published: May 2023

Carotenoids are the most abundant lipid-soluble phytochemicals and are used as dietary supplements to protect against diseases caused by oxidative stress. Astaxanthin, a xanthophyll carotenoid, is a very potent antioxidant with numerous beneficial effects on cellular functions and signaling pathways. In this study, using spleen cells from healthy Balb/c mice, we report the bio-functional effects of an astaxanthin-rich extract (EXT) prepared from the microalga Haematococcus pluvialis and its astaxanthin monoesters-rich fraction (ME) and astaxanthin diesters-rich fraction (DE) obtained by fractionation of EXT using countercurrent chromatography (CCC). After incubation under standard culture conditions (humidity, 37 °C, 5% CO2, atmospheric oxygen), the viability of untreated splenocytes, as determined by the trypan blue exclusion assay, the MTT assay, and the neutral red assay, decreases to approximately 75% after 24 h compared with naïve splenocytes. This effect correlated with the decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential and the transition of ~59% of cells to the early stage of apoptosis, as well as with the decreased ROS production, indicating that hyperoxia in cell-culture deteriorates cell functions. They are restored or stimulated by co-cultivation with EXT, ME, and DE up to 10 µg/mL in the order EXT > DE > ME, suggesting that esterification increases bioavailability to cells in vitro. ROS and H2O2 concentrations reflect mRNA transcriptional activity of Nrf2, superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1), catalase, and glutathione peroxidase 1, as well as SOD-mediated ROS conversion, whereas they inversely correlate with iNOS-mediated NO production. The highest-tested concentration of EXT, ME, and DE (40 µg/mL) is detrimental to cells, probably because of the overwhelming scavenging activity of astaxanthin and its esters for the reactive oxygen/nitrogen species required for cellular functions and signal transduction at low physiological concentrations. In this study, we demonstrate that differential activities of ME and DE contribute to the final antioxidant and cytoprotective effects of astaxanthin extract, which is beneficial in preventing a wide range of ROS-induced adverse effects, with DE being more effective. In addition, the selection of physioxia-like conditions for pharmacological research is highlighted.
Artificial Proteins Designed from G3LEA Contribute to Enhancement of Oxidation Tolerance in E. coli in a Chaperone-like Manner
Authors: Han Jiahui , Jiang Shijie , Zhou Zhengfu , Lin Min , Wang Jin
Published: May 2023

G3LEA is a family of proteins that exhibit chaperone-like activity when under distinct stress. In previous research, DosH was identified as a G3LEA protein from model extremophile—Deinococcus radiodurans R1 with a crucial core HD domain consisting of eight 11-mer motifs. However, the roles of motifs participating in the process of resistance to stress and their underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, eight different proteins with tandem repeats of the same motif were synthesized, named Motif1–8, respectively, whose function and structure were discussed. In this way, the role of each motif in the HD domain can be comprehensively analyzed, which can help in finding possibly crucial amino acid sites. Circular dichroism results showed that all proteins were intrinsically ordered in phosphate buffer, and changed into more α-helical ordered structures with the addition of trifluoroethanol and glycerol. Transformants expressing artificial proteins had significantly higher stress resistance to oxidation, desiccation, salinity and freezing compared with the control group; E. coli with Motif1 and Motif8 had more outstanding performance in particular. Moreover, enzymes and membrane protein protection viability suggested that Motif1 and Motif8 had more positive influences on various molecules, demonstrating a protective role in a chaperone-like manner. Based on these results, the artificial proteins synthesized according to the rule of 11-mer motifs have a similar function to wildtype protein. Regarding the sequence in all motifs, there are more amino acids to produce H bonds and α-helices, and more amino acids to promote interaction between proteins in Motif1 and Motif8; in addition, considering linkers, there are possibly more amino acids forming α-helix and binding substrates in these two proteins, which potentially provides some ideas for us to design potential ideal stress-response elements for synthetic biology. Therefore, the amino acid composition of the 11-mer motif and linker is likely responsible for its biological function.
Antioxidative Effects of Black Currant and Cornelian Cherry Juices in Different Tissues of an Experimental Model of Metabolic Syndrome in Rats
Authors: Paunovic Marija , Kotur-Stevuljevic Jelena , Arsic Aleksandra , Milosevic Maja , Todorovic Vanja , Guzonjic Azra , Vucic Vesna , Petrovic Snjezana
Published: May 2023

A Western-style diet, rich in fat and simple sugars, is the main risk factor for a significant number of chronic diseases and disorders, as well as for a progression of metabolic syndrome (MetS). One of the key mechanisms involved in MetS development is increased oxidative stress caused by the accumulation of body fat. Some dietary polyphenols have shown a protective role in preventing oxidative-stress-induced damage. We investigated the difference in the oxidative response of plasma, liver, and visceral adipose tissue in rats fed with a high-fat high-fructose (HFF) diet for ten weeks, and the effectiveness of polyphenol-rich juices (black currant (BC) and cornelian cherry (CC)) in HFF-diet-induced oxidative stress prevention. The most prominent impact of the HFF diet on redox parameters was recorded in the liver, whereas adipose tissue showed the most potent protection mechanisms against oxidative stress. Consumption of both juices decreased advanced oxidation protein product (AOPP) level in plasma, increased paraoxonase1 (PON1) activity in the liver, and significantly decreased total oxidative status (TOS) in adipose tissue. BC exerted stronger antioxidative potential than CC and decreased the superoxide anion radical (O2•−) level in the liver. It also reduced TOS, total antioxidative status (TAS), and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration in adipose tissue. The multiple linear regression analysis has shown that the best predictors of MetS development, estimated through the increase in visceral adiposity, were superoxide dismutase (SOD), AOPP, TOS, and TAS. The consumption of polyphenol-rich juices may provide a convenient approach for the systemic reduction of oxidative stress parameters.
Special Issue “Smart Manufacturing Systems for Industry 5.0: Challenges and Opportunities”
Authors: De Felice Fabio , Petrillo Antonella
Published: May 2023

In recent years, the focus on digital transformation has begun to push companies and society towards an epochal change that will require a complete overhaul of the culture, operations, technologies and value delivery of individual companies and of the entire society worldwide [...]
Diet and Asthma: A Narrative Review
Authors: Rodrigues Mónica , de Castro Mendes Francisca , Delgado Luís , Padrão Patrícia , Paciência Inês , Barros Renata , Rufo João Cavaleiro , Silva Diana , Moreira André , Moreira Pedro
Published: May 2023

Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease that impacts millions of people worldwide. Recent studies suggest that diet may play a role in asthma pathophysiology. Several dietary factors have been recognized as potential contributors to the development and severity of asthma for its inflammatory and oxidative effects. Some food groups such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats appear to exert positive effects on asthma disease. On the other hand, a high consumption of dietary salt, saturated fats, and trans-fat seems to have the opposite effect. Nonetheless, as foods are not consumed separately, more research is warranted on the topic of dietary patterns. The mechanisms underlying these associations are not yet fully understood, but it is thought that diet can modulate both the immune system and inflammation, two key factors in asthma development and exacerbation. The purpose of this review is to examine how common food groups and dietary patterns are associated with asthma. In general, this research demonstrated that fruits and vegetables, fiber, healthy fats, and dietary patterns considered of high quality appear to be beneficial to asthma disease. Nonetheless, additional research is needed to better understand the interrelation between diet and asthma, and to determine the most effective dietary interventions for asthma prevention and management. Currently, there is no established dietary pattern for asthma management and prevention, and the nuances of certain food groups in relation to this disease require further investigation.
Autonomous Driving Decision Control Based on Improved Proximal Policy Optimization Algorithm
Authors: Song Qingpeng , Liu Yuansheng , Lu Ming , Zhang Jun , Qi Han , Wang Ziyu , Liu Zijian
Published: May 2023

The decision-making control of autonomous driving in complex urban road environments is a difficult problem in the research of autonomous driving. In order to solve the problem of high dimensional state space and sparse reward in autonomous driving decision control in this environment, this paper proposed a Coordinated Convolution Multi-Reward Proximal Policy Optimization (CCMR-PPO). This method reduces the dimension of the bird’s-eye view data through the coordinated convolution network and then fuses the processed data with the vehicle state data as the input of the algorithm to optimize the state space. The control commands acc (acc represents throttle and brake) and steer of the vehicle are used as the output of the algorithm.. Comprehensively considering the lateral error, safety distance, speed, and other factors of the vehicle, a multi-objective reward mechanism was designed to alleviate the sparse reward. Experiments on the CARLA simulation platform show that the proposed method can effectively increase the performance: compared with the PPO algorithm, the line crossed times are reduced by 24 %, and the number of tasks completed is increased by 54 %.
Special Issue on Data Analysis and Artificial Intelligence for IoT
Authors: Shrestha Bhanu , Cho Seongsoo , Seo Changho
Published: May 2023

The Internet of Things (IoT) has become an increasingly popular technology in recent years, enabling interconnectivity and communication between devices and systems [...]
Evaporation Temperature Alters Physicochemical Characteristics and Volatile Maillard Reaction Products of Non-Centrifugal Cane Sugar (NCS): Comparison of Polyethylene Membrane and Retronasal Aroma Simulator Techniques for the Extraction of Volatile Organic Compounds in NCS
Authors: Asikin Yonathan , Nakaza Yuki , Maeda Goki , Kaneda Hirotaka , Takara Kensaku , Wada Koji
Published: May 2023

Non-centrifugal cane sugar (NCS) is produced from sugarcane syrup via thermal evaporation. This study aimed to assess the effects of different temperatures during the evaporation process on the physicochemical characteristics and Maillard reaction products (MRPs) of NCS. Evaporation was tested at three final heating temperatures (120, 130, and 140 °C). The moisture content, water activity, L*a*b* color spaces, and ICUMSA (International Commission for Uniform Methods of Sugar Analysis) values of the NCS were determined. Volatile MRPs of NCS were extracted using polyethylene (PE) membrane and retronasal aroma simulator (RAS) techniques, and their components were measured using gas chromatography. A higher evaporation temperature produced NCS with less moisture content and water activity. However, it also led to a darker color, as indicated by lower L* (brightness) and b* (yellow) values in the color spaces. Additionally, higher evaporation temperatures resulted in greater ICUMSA values. Moreover, higher heating increased the amounts of volatile MRPs, such as 2,3-dihydro-3,5-dihydroxy-6-methyl-4H-pyran-4-one, 2-furanmethanol, 2-methylpyrazine, 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, and 2,6-dimethylpyrazine. Negative correlations were observed between moisture content, water activity, brightness, yellow color, and the total MRPs obtained by PE and RAS extractions. Additionally, positive and significant correlations were confirmed between ICUMSA values and most MRPs. Thus, the evaporation temperature alters the key physicochemical traits and volatile compounds of NCS, affecting its physical stability and flavor quality.
Relationship between Body Composition and Gross Motor Coordination in Six-Year-Old Boys and Girls
Authors: Kojić Filip , Pelemiš Vladan , Jorgić Bojan , Olanescu Mihai , Suciu Adrian , Peris Miruna
Published: May 2023

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between morphological characteristics (body composition and anthropometric data) and gross motor coordination in preschool children (42 boys and 40 girls, aged 6.22 ± 0.43 years, height: 1.22 ± 0.48 m, body mass index: 20.22 ± 2.34 kg/m2, muscle mass: 11.50 ± 2.08 kg, and fat mass: 5.43 ± 4.02 kg). Motor coordination was determined by the obstacle course backward test (OCB), while body composition was measured using the bioelectrical impedance (BIA) method. Sex differences in the OCB test and body morphology were determined by an independent t-test. Multiple linear regression was used to examine whether morphological characteristics could predict OCB scores. Boys were significantly taller, with greater muscle mass, protein mass, and total body water compared to girls (t = 2.01–3.73, p < 0.05). Inversely, mineral mass was greater in girls than in boys (t = 2.98, p = 0.01). No significant sex differences were observed in the results obtained for the OCB test (t = 0.74, p = 0.46). All morphological variables showed trivial-to-weak (r = 0.01–0.15) associations with the OCB results, without reaching statistical significance (p ≤ 0.16). The model of predictor variables did not have a statistically significant effect on the OCB scores in boys and girls (R2 = 0.09, p = 0.91 and R2 = 0.012, p = 0.92, respectively). These results indicate that sex dimorphism in body composition is present at an early age before puberty, while morphological characteristics have a negligible influence on motor coordination in 6-year-old children.
Robust Additive Value-Based Efficiency Analysis with a Hierarchical Structure of Inputs and Outputs
Authors: Labijak-Kowalska Anna , Kadziński Miłosz , Mrozek Weronika
Published: May 2023

We introduce a novel methodological framework based on additive value-based efficiency analysis. It considers inputs and outputs organized in a hierarchical structure. Such an approach allows us to decompose the problem into manageable pieces and determine the analyzed units’ strengths and weaknesses. We provide robust outcomes by analyzing all feasible weight vectors at different hierarchy levels. The analysis concerns three complementary points of view: distances to the efficient unit, ranks, and pairwise preference relations. For each of them, we determine the exact extreme results and the distribution of probabilistic results. We apply the proposed method to a case study concerning the performance of healthcare systems in sixteen Polish voivodeships (provinces). We discuss the results based on the entire set of factors (the root of the hierarchy) and three subcategories. They concern health improvement of inhabitants, efficient financial management, and consumer satisfaction. Finally, we show the practical conclusions that can be derived from the hierarchical decomposition of the problem and robustness analysis.
Self Attention Networks in Speaker Recognition
Authors: Safari Pooyan , India Miquel , Hernando Javier
Published: May 2023

Recently, there has been a significant surge of interest in Self-Attention Networks (SANs) based on the Transformer architecture. This can be attributed to their notable ability for parallelization and their impressive performance across various Natural Language Processing applications. On the other hand, the utilization of large-scale, multi-purpose language models trained through self-supervision is progressively more prevalent, for tasks like speech recognition. In this context, the pre-trained model, which has been trained on extensive speech data, can be fine-tuned for particular downstream tasks like speaker verification. These massive models typically rely on SANs as their foundational architecture. Therefore, studying the potential capabilities and training challenges of such models is of utmost importance for the future generation of speaker verification systems. In this direction, we propose a speaker embedding extractor based on SANs to obtain a discriminative speaker representation given non-fixed length speech utterances. With the advancements suggested in this work, we could achieve up to 41% relative performance improvement in terms of EER compared to the naive SAN which was proposed in our previous work. Moreover, we empirically show the training instability in such architectures in terms of rank collapse and further investigate the potential solutions to alleviate this shortcoming.
A Stable and Compact Mid-IR at 6.45 μm Exceeding 6 mJ of Pulse Energy BaGa4Se7 Optical Parametric Oscillator
Authors: Wen Ning , Shen Yu , Wen Ya , Wang Erpeng , Yao Jiyong , Fang You , Gao Hongwei , Bo Yong , Chen Zhongzheng , Peng Qinjun
Published: May 2023

We experimentally demonstrate a stable and compact high pulse energy mid-infrared (MIR) 6.45 μm laser, which is produced by an optical parametric oscillator (OPO) based on the non-oxide BaGa4Se7 (BGSe) nonlinear crystal pumped by 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser oscillator. With optimizing the parameters of the OPO system, a record high idler energy of 6.76 mJ at 6.45 μm was obtained with 18.85 ns of pulse duration (FWHM) at the repetition rate of 10 Hz under 93.5 mJ of pump energy, corresponding to an optical-to-optical conversion efficiency up to 7.23% from 1064 nm to 6.45 μm. The experimental results were in close approximation with the theoretical calculations. To date, it is both the highest MIR pulse energy and the highest conversion efficiency at 6.45 μm for any 1 μm pumped OPOs. Further, excellent output energy stability is demonstrated, with an energy fluctuation of less than ±0.5% over 165 min. Such a laser is interesting for both scientific and medical applications, including, for instance, for trace gas analysis and tissue ablation.
Effect of Partially Correlated Wind Loading on the Response of Two-Way Asymmetric Systems: The Impact of Torsional Sensitivity and Nonlinear Effects
Authors: López-Ibarra Adrián , Pozos-Estrada Adrián , Nava-González Rigoberto
Published: May 2023

Load eccentricities in structural systems are associated with an increase in the torsional response. Typically, these eccentricities are defined based on the distance between the center of mass and the center of stiffness at a predefined story. If the structural system is subjected to dynamic loading, such as wind loading, instantaneous load eccentricities due to the displacement of the center of mass may occur. An evaluation of this nonlinear effect for two-way asymmetric systems under wind loading is presented in this study. To model the structural systems and the instantaneous load eccentricities, coupled nonlinear differential equations are assembled and solved by using the state space model. The structural systems proposed are subjected to time histories of turbulent wind forces, which are simulated based on a newly developed methodology that includes the correlation of wind forces. The impact of the instantaneous load eccentricities and correlation of wind forces and torsional moment on the wind-induced response of the structural systems analyzed is discussed in detail.
A Soybean Classification Method Based on Data Balance and Deep Learning
Authors: Zhang Ning , Zhang Enxu , Li Fei
Published: May 2023

Soybean is a type of food crop with economic benefits. Whether they are damaged or not directly affects the survival and nutritional value of soybean plants. In machine learning, unbalanced data represent a major factor affecting machine learning efficiency, and unbalanced data refer to a category in which the number of samples in one category is much larger than that in the other, which biases the classification results towards a category with a large number of samples and thus affects the classification accuracy. Therefore, the effectiveness of the data-balancing method based on a convolutional neural network is investigated in this paper, and two balancing methods are used to expand the data set using the over-sampling method and using the loss function with assignable class weights. At the same time, to verify the effectiveness of the data-balancing method, four networks are introduced for control experiments. The experimental results show that the new loss function can effectively improve the classification accuracy and learning ability, and the classification accuracy of the DenseNet network can reach 98.48%, but the classification accuracy will be greatly reduced by using the data-augmentation method. With the binary classification method and the use of data-augmentation data sets, the excessive number of convolution layers will lead to a reduction in the classification accuracy and a small number of convolution layers can be used for classification purposes. It is verified that a neural network using a small convolution layer can improve the classification accuracy by 1.52% using the data-augmentation data-balancing method.
A Marble Bust Newly Discovered by the Trapani Lombardo Family of Reggio Calabria (Southern Italy)
Authors: Randazzo Luciana , Ricca Michela , Arcudi Anna , Zicarelli Maria Antonietta , Lia Francesco , Sudano Fabrizio , Gennaro Andrea Maria , La Russa Mauro Francesco
Published: May 2023

This research concerns a stylistic and archaeometric study of an ancient marble female bust recently discovered by the Trapani Lombardo family of Reggio Calabria (Southern Italy) and delivered to the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Landscape for the metropolitan city of Reggio Calabria and Vibo Valentia (SABAP). Based on the first technical, stylistic, and iconographic observations made by the competent bodies, it is a half-length portrait bust from the Roman era, which precisely had the function of faithfully reproducing the physiognomy of the depicted subject. The research aimed to establish the authenticity of the artwork and the origin of the raw material, providing indications about the textural and compositional features and of the alteration products as well as identifying traces of any previous restoration interventions. For these purposes, after a preliminary assessment of the state of conservation of the bust using visual inspections supported by a handheld digital microscope, different analytical techniques, including polarized optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDX), carbon and oxygen stable isotope ratio determinations (δ13C and δ18O), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), were used. The results highlighted the originality of the artifact, thus remarking on the importance of the precious archaeological find to be included in the cataloging of tangible assets in the panorama of Italian cultural heritage.
Phishing Node Detection in Ethereum Transaction Network Using Graph Convolutional Networks
Authors: Zhang Zhen , He Tao , Chen Kai , Zhang Boshen , Wang Qiuhua , Yuan Lifeng
Published: May 2023

As the use of digital currencies, such as cryptocurrencies, increases in popularity, phishing scams and other cybercriminal activities on blockchain platforms (e.g., Ethereum) have also risen. Current methods of detecting phishing in Ethereum focus mainly on the transaction features and local network structure. However, these methods fail to account for the complexity of interactions between edges and the handling of large graphs. Additionally, these methods face significant issues due to the limited number of positive labels available. Given this, we propose a scheme that we refer to as the Bagging Multiedge Graph Convolutional Network to detect phishing scams on Ethereum. First, we extract the features from transactions and transform the complex Ethereum transaction network into three simple inter-node graphs. Then, we use graph convolution to generate node embeddings that leverage the global structural information of the inter-node graphs. Further, we apply the bagging strategy to overcome the issues of data imbalance and the Positive Unlabeled (PU) problem in transaction data. Finally, to evaluate our approach’s effectiveness, we conduct experiments using actual transaction data. The results demonstrate that our Bagging Multiedge Graph Convolutional Network (0.877 AUC) outperforms all of the baseline classification methods in detecting phishing scams on Ethereum.
Socio-Economic Decision Making and Emotion Elicitation with a Serious Game in the Wild
Authors: Ahmed Fahad , Berta Riccardo , Bellotti Francesco , Lazzaroni Luca , Floris Federica , Barresi Giacinto , Carrion Jesus Requena
Published: May 2023

There is a growing body of research in the literature that investigates the relationship between emotions and decision-making in socio-economic contexts. Previous research has used Serious Games (SGs) based on game theory paradigms with socio-economic contexts to explore this relationship in controlled settings, but it is unclear whether such SGs can be applied in the wild, which would improve their usability in natural settings. The emergence and widespread availability of mobile computing technologies have enabled the creation of diverse SG implementations. We developed a mobile SG that combines four socio-economic interactions (trust game, ultimatum game, dictator game, prisoner’s dilemma game) into one narrative and conducted an initial experiment with eight participants. This study discusses the challenges of deploying SGs in the wild and proposes solutions to overcome them. The results from the preliminary user experience experiment indicate that the SG is a suitable tool for emotion elicitation in the wild and that the results are similar to those observed in previous studies under controlled environments. We argue that these findings suggest that mobile SGs have potential for studying the relationship between emotions and decision-making in socio-economic contexts in the wild, improving the reach of these methods beyond laboratory settings.
Fungi of the Trichoderma Genus: Future Perspectives of Benefits in Sustainable Agriculture
Authors: Kubiak Adrianna , Wolna-Maruwka Agnieszka , Pilarska Agnieszka A. , Niewiadomska Alicja , Piotrowska-Cyplik Agnieszka
Published: May 2023

The negative impact of chemical pesticides on the environment and human health has contributed to the introduction of legal regulations that ensure the reduction in the use of agrochemicals in favor of biological products. The existing review of the literature, including our research, clearly shows that the ideal biocontrol agents are Trichoderma fungi. The production of antibiotics, lytic enzymes degrading the cell walls of plant pathogens, or inducing a defense response in plants are just some of the features supporting the wide use of these microorganisms in sustainable agriculture. It is estimated that currently about 60% of biofungicides used to eliminate fungal pathogens are produced based on Trichoderma sp. strains.
Research on Oxygen Supply System of Coal Mine Refuge Chamber Based on Personnel location and Programmable Logic Controller
Authors: Zhang Zherui , Shao Hao , Jiang Shuguang , Guo Chaowei , Wu Zhengyan
Published: May 2023

The refuge chamber provides a safe space where people can stay safe when they are trapped by an accident in a coal mine. The refuge chamber includes several systems such as oxygen supply, air purification, cooling, and dehumidifying. The oxygen supply system is the core of the refuge chamber because it is a closed environment. The oxygen supply time is 96 h according to the relevant standards in America and China. If people stay in the refuge chamber for more than 96 h, the oxygen supply may not be enough, and they can be in danger. It is necessary to efficiently use oxygen and extend the oxygen supply time. Based on the experimental platform of the refuge chamber, this paper conducts an in-depth study on the automatic control of the oxygen supply system. The oxygen supply system and the harmful gas removal system can be automatically and efficiently controlled by the programmable logic controller (PLC) according to the personnel number and the oxygen concentration. The experiment has proved that the system is good and reliable.
Modeling of Physical Activity Behavioral Interventions Relying on MPC Strategy
Authors: Salazar Carlos , Martin Cesar , Aguirre Adriana , Eslambolchilar Parisa , Asanza Victor
Published: May 2023

Physical inactivity is becoming an important threat to public health in today’s society. The COVID-19 pandemic has also reduced physical activity (PA) levels given all the restrictions imposed worldwide. In this work, physical activity interventions supported by mobile devices and relying on control engineering principles were proposed. The model was constructed relying on previous studies that consider a fluid analogy of Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), which is a psychological theory that describes how people acquire and maintain certain behaviors, including health-promoting behaviors, through the interplay of personal, environmental, and behavioral factors. The obtained model was validated using secondary data (collected earlier) from a real intervention with a group of male subjects in Great Britain. The present model was extended with new technology for a better understanding of behavior change interventions. This involved the use of applications, such as phone-based ecological momentary assessments, to collect behavioral data and the inclusion of simulations with logical reward conditions for reaching the behavioral threshold. A goal of 10,000 steps per day is recommended due to the significant link observed between higher daily step counts and lower mortality risk. The intervention was designed using a Model Predictive Control (MPC) algorithm configured to obtain a desired performance. The system was tested and validated using simulation scenarios that resemble different situations that may occur in a real setting.
SM-TCNNET: A High-Performance Method for Detecting Human Activity Using WiFi Signals
Authors: Li Tianci , Gao Sicong , Zhu Yanju , Gao Zhiwei , Zhao Zihan , Che Yinghua , Xia Tian
Published: May 2023

Human activity recognition (HAR) is an important research area with a wide range of application scenarios, such as smart homes, healthcare, abnormal behavior detection, etc. Wearable sensors, computer vision, radar, and other technologies are commonly used to detect human activity. However, they are severely limited by issues such as cost, lighting, context, and privacy. Therefore, this paper explores a high-performance method of using channel state information (CSI) to identify human activities, which is a deep learning-based spatial module-temporal convolutional network (SM-TCNNET) model. The model consists of a spatial feature extraction module and a temporal convolutional network (TCN) that can extract the spatiotemporal features in CSI signals well. In this paper, extensive experiments are conducted on the self-picked dataset and the public dataset (StanWiFi), and the results show that the accuracy reaches 99.93% and 99.80%, respectively. Compared with the existing methods, the recognition accuracy of the SM-TCNNET model proposed in this paper is improved by 1.8%.
Model-Assisted Online Optimization of Gain-Scheduled PID Control Using NSGA-II Iterative Genetic Algorithm
Authors: Qu Shen , He Tianyi , Zhu Guoming
Published: May 2023

In the practical control of nonlinear valve systems, PID control, as a model-free method, continues to play a crucial role thanks to its simple structure and performance-oriented tuning process. To improve the control performance, advanced gain-scheduling methods are used to schedule the PID control gains based on the operating conditions and/or tracking error. However, determining the scheduled gain is a major challenge, as PID control gains need to be determined at each operating condition. In this paper, a model-assisted online optimization method is proposed based on the modified Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithms-II (NSGA-II) to obtain the optimal gain-scheduled PID controller. Model-assisted offline optimization through computer-in-the-loop simulation provides the initial scheduled gains for an online algorithm, which then uses the iterative NSGA-II algorithm to automatically schedule and tune PID gains by online searching of the parameter space. As a summary, the proposed approach presents a PID controller optimized through both model-assisted learning based on prior model knowledge and model-free online learning. The proposed approach is demonstrated in the case of a nonlinear valve system able to obtain optimal PID control gains with a given scheduled gain structure. The performance improvement of the optimized gain-scheduled PID control is demonstrated by comparing it with fixed-gain controllers under multiple operating conditions.
Comprehensive Lipid Profile of ‘Maraština’ Grape Skins from Dalmatia
Authors: Boban Ana , Masuero Domenico , Vrhovsek Urska , Budić-Leto Irena
Published: May 2023

Lipids are a diverse group of organic compounds that serve essential roles due to their biological functions for all prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. Despite the fundamental role of lipid class in plants, there is still a relatively low level of knowledge regarding the composition of grape lipids. This research represents the first investigation into the lipids of the Croatian grape variety ‘Maraština’ (Vitis vinifera L.), employing a targeted approach and the UHPLC-MS/MS method to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the lipid profile of grape skins. The study investigated the profile of free fatty acids, glycerolipids, glycerophospholipids, triterpenoids, sphingolipids, and free fatty acid esters in eleven vineyards located along the cultivation area of ‘Maraština’ variety (Dalmatia, Croatia). Grape skins from vineyards that were exposed to more sunlight and higher daily temperature during the vegetation period mainly resulted in a richer profile of free fatty acids. Among lipids, ‘Maraština’ grape skins were characterized mainly by a triterpenoid compound; oleanolic acid (249.49 µg/g of FW), and free fatty acids, especially palmitic acid C16:0 (26.09 µg/g of FW), and lignoceric acid C24:0 (12.40 µg/g of FW). Hierarchical clustering analysis represented valuable insights into the diversity of lipids in ‘Maraština’ grape skin.
Particle-Velocity-Based Mixed-Source Sound Field Translation for Binaural Reproduction
Authors: Zuo Huanyu , Birnie Lachlan I. , Samarasinghe Prasanga N. , Abhayapala Thushara D. , Tourbabin Vladimir
Published: May 2023

Following the rise of virtual reality is a demand for sound field reproduction techniques that allow the user to interact and move within acoustic reproductions with six-degrees-of-freedom. To this end, a mixed-source model of near-field and far-field virtual sources has been introduced to improve the performance of sound field translation in binaural reproductions of spatial audio recordings. The previous works, however, expand the sound field in terms of the mixed sources based on sound pressure. In this paper, we develop a new mixed-source expansion based on particle velocity, which contributes to more precise reconstruction of the interaural phase difference and, therefore, contributes to improved human perception of sound localization. We represent particle velocity over space using velocity coefficients in the spherical harmonic domain, and the driving signals of the virtual mixed-sources are estimated by constructing cost functions to optimize the velocity coefficients. Compared to the state-of-the-art method, sound-pressure-based mixed-source expansion, we show through numerical simulations that the proposed particle-velocity-based mixed-source expansion has better reconstruction performance in sparse solutions, allowing for sound field translation with better perceptual immersion over a larger space. Finally, we perceptually validate the proposed method through a Multiple Stimulus with Hidden Reference and Anchor (MUSHRA) experiment for a single source scenario. The experimental results support the better perceptual immersion of the proposed method.
Confocal Families of Hyperbolic Conics via Quadratic Differentials
Authors: Langer Joel , Singer David
Published: May 2023

We apply the theory of quadratic differentials, to present a classification of orthogonal pairs of foliations of the hyperbolic plane by hyperbolic conics. Light rays are represented by trajectories of meromorphic differentials, and mirrors are represented by trajectories of the quadratic differential that represents the geometric mean of two such differentials. Using the notion of a hyperbolic conic as a mirror, we classify the types of orthogonal pairs of foliations of the hyperbolic plane by confocal conics. Up to diffeomorphism, there are nine types: three of these types admit one parameter up to isometry; the remaining six types are unique up to isometry. The families include all possible hyperbolic conics.
Convergence of Parameterized Variable Metric Three-Operator Splitting with Deviations for Solving Monotone Inclusions
Authors: Guo Yanni , Yan Yinan
Published: May 2023

In this paper, we propose a parameterized variable metric three-operator algorithm for finding a zero of the sum of three monotone operators in a real Hilbert space. Under some appropriate conditions, we prove the strong convergence of the proposed algorithm. Furthermore, we propose a parameterized variable metric three-operator algorithm with a multi-step inertial term and prove its strong convergence. Finally, we illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm with numerical examples.
A Note on Eigenvalues and Asymmetric Graphs
Authors: Lotfi Abdullah , Mowshowitz Abbe , Dehmer Matthias
Published: May 2023

This note is intended as a contribution to the study of quantitative measures of graph complexity that use entropy measures based on symmetry. Determining orbit sizes of graph automorphism groups is a key part of such studies. Here we focus on an extreme case where every orbit contains just a single vertex. A permutation of the vertices of a graph G is an automorphism if, and only if, the corresponding permutation matrix commutes with the adjacency matrix of G. This fact establishes a direct connection between the adjacency matrix and the automorphism group. In particular, it is known that if the eigenvalues of the adjacency matrix of G are all distinct, every non-trivial automorphism has order 2. In this note, we add a condition to the case of distinct eigenvalues that makes the graph asymmetric, i.e., reduces the automorphism group to the identity alone. In addition, we prove analogous results for the Google and Laplacian matrices. The condition is used to build an O(n3) algorithm for detecting identity graphs, and examples are given to demonstrate that it is sufficient, but not necessary.
Coefficient Estimation Utilizing the Faber Polynomial for a Subfamily of Bi-Univalent Functions
Authors: Alsoboh Abdullah , Amourah Ala , Sakar Fethiye Müge , Ogilat Osama , Gharib Gharib Mousa , Zomot Nasser
Published: May 2023

The paper introduces a new family of analytic bi-univalent functions that are injective and possess analytic inverses, by employing a q-analogue of the derivative operator. Moreover, the article establishes the upper bounds of the Taylor–Maclaurin coefficients of these functions, which can aid in approximating the accuracy of approximations using a finite number of terms. The upper bounds are obtained by approximating analytic functions using Faber polynomial expansions. These bounds apply to both the initial few coefficients and all coefficients in the series, making them general and early, respectively.
A q-Series Congruence Inspired by Andrews and Ramanujan
Authors: Merca Mircea
Published: May 2023

For each s∈{1,3,5}, we consider Rs(n) to be the number of the partitions of n into parts not congruent to 0, ±s(mod12). In recent years, some relations for computing the value of R3(n) were studied. In this paper, we investigate the parity of Rs(n) when s∈{1,5} and derive the following congruence identity: ∑n=1∞(−q;q)n−12(1+qn)qn2(q;q)2n≡∑n=1∞qn2+q3n2(mod2). For each s∈{1,5}, the number of the partitions of n into parts not congruent to 0, ±s(mod12) is connected with two truncated theta series. Some open problems involving R1(n) and R5(n) are introduced in this context.
Some New Jensen–Mercer Type Integral Inequalities via Fractional Operators
Authors: Bayraktar Bahtiyar , Kórus Péter , Nápoles Valdés Juan Eduardo
Published: May 2023

In this study, we present new variants of the Hermite–Hadamard inequality via non-conformable fractional integrals. These inequalities are proven for convex functions and differentiable functions whose derivatives in absolute value are generally convex. Our main results are established using the classical Jensen–Mercer inequality and its variants for (h,m)-convex modified functions proven in this paper. In addition to showing that our results support previously known results from the literature, we provide examples of their application.
C4S Nanosheet: A Potential Anode Material for Potassium-Ion Batteries
Authors: Lu Shaohua , Lu Enhao , Zhu Kai , Hu Xiaojun
Published: May 2023

Potassium ion batteries (KIBs) have received increasing popularity owing to their distinct advantages. We discover a hitherto unknown C4S nanosheet, a novel carbon-based material with carbon and sulfur consisting of pentagons and hexagons rings. The proposed C4S nanosheet is highly stable dynamically, thermodynamically, mechanically, and chemically, according to first-principles calculations. Moreover, the graphene-like C4S nanosheet is a prospective KIBs anode material, which has a metallic band structure, a relatively low diffusion barrier (0.07 eV), a large capacity (1340 mA h g−1), and an acceptable average voltage (0.44 V). Finally, we demonstrate good cycling stability of the C4S nanosheet. Our findings indicate that the proposed C4S nanosheet is a potentially favorable KIBs anode material.
Doxorubicin and Quercetin Double Loading in Modified MCM-41 Lowered Cardiotoxicity in H9c2 Cardioblast Cells In Vitro
Authors: Voycheva Christina , Popova Teodora , Slavkova Marta , Tzankova Virginia , Stefanova Denitsa , Tzankova Diana , Spassova Ivanka , Kovacheva Daniela , Tzankov Borislav
Published: May 2023

Background: One of the therapeutic limitations of the use of doxorubicin (DOX) as an anticancer drug is its cardiotoxicity. Its hydrophilicity also causes difficulties in achieving sustained release. The simultaneous delivery with the well-known natural antioxidant quercetin could ameliorate its cardiotoxicity. Thus, the main aim of this work is to study the potential of carboxylated and non-carboxylated mesoporous silica MCM-41 nanoparticles for double loading of the hydrophilic doxorubicin hydrochloride and hydrophobic quercetin (Q) in one nanocarrier with a modified release pattern to reduce the cardiotoxic side effects of doxorubicin in vitro. Methods: The methods included the modification of MCM-41, single and double loading of modified and non-modified MCM-41, physicochemical characterization, in vitro release tests and kinetic study, and in vitro cell viability studies. Results: Doxorubicin and quercetin were successfully double-loaded with encapsulation efficiency (EE) of 43 ± 4.1% and 37 ± 4.5%, respectively, in native MCM-41. The post-synthetic carboxylation led to 49 ± 4.3% EE (DOX) and 36 ± 4.0% (Q) and double lowering of the cardiotoxicity on H9c2 (IC50 = 5.96 µm). Sustained release profiles over 72 h were achieved. Conclusions: A successful procedure was proposed for the efficient double loading of a hydrophilic drug and a hydrophobic drug. The carboxy-modified double-loaded nanosystems demonstrate a decreased in vitro cardiotoxicity of doxorubicin and can be considered as a potential chemotherapeutic formulation.