bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Constrained minimum variance and covariance steering based on affine disturbance feedback control parameterization
Authors: Balci Isin M. , Bakolas Efstathios 
Published: April 2024

AbstractThis paper deals with finite‐horizon minimum‐variance and covariance steering problems subject to constraints. The goal of the minimum variance problem is to steer the state mean of an uncertain system to a prescribed vector while minimizing the trace of its terminal state covariance whereas the goal in the covariance steering problem is to steer the covariance matrix of the terminal state to a prescribed positive definite matrix. The paper proposes a solution approach that relies on a stochastic version of the affine disturbance feedback control parametrization. In this control policy parametrization, the control input at each stage is expressed as an affine function of the history of disturbances that have acted upon the system. It is shown that this particular parametrization reduces the stochastic optimal control problems considered in this paper into tractable convex programs or difference of convex functions programs with essentially the same decision variables. In addition, the paper proposes a variation of this control parametrization that relies on truncated histories of past disturbances, which allows for sub‐optimal controllers to be designed that strike a balance between performance and computational cost. The suboptimality of the truncated policies is formally analyzed and closed form expressions are provided for the performance loss due to the use of the truncation scheme. Finally, the paper concludes with a comparative analysis of the truncated versions of the proposed policy parametrization and other standard policy parametrizations through numerical simulations.
Predictive cloud control for nonlinear multiagent systems based on extended state observer and quantizers
Authors: Peng Yan , Yang Hongjiu , Ge Chao , Yao Zheng 
Published: April 2024

AbstractIn this article, predictive cloud control is investigated for nonlinear networked multiagent system (NMAS) with quantizers via extended state observer (ESO). Considering the network‐induced delays in NMAS, the cloud control scheme is designed. Then, arbitrary region quantizers are used to decrease the quantity of data packets. Moreover, the ESO that can estimate the state and uncertainty of nonlinear NMAS is used to obtain the prediction of data packets. Input‐to‐state stability (ISS) can guarantee the validity of ESO. Sufficient conditions that can achieve stability and consistency for NMAS are given by the zoom strategy. The significance of the scheme is verified by simulation results.
Enhancing Healing of Infected Wounds with Glycerin‐Modified Sodium Alginate/Silk Sericin Composite Film Functionalized with Polygonatum sibiricum Polysaccharide‐Capped Silver Nanoparticles
Authors: Yang Zicheng , Li Rongyu , Wang Ruonan , Qian Senhe 
Published: April 2024

AbstractA sodium alginate/silk sericin (SA/SS) film was modified with glycerin (GI) and Polygonatum sibiricum polysaccharide@silver nanoparticles (PSP@AgNPs) to create a SA/SS/GI/PSP@AgNP composite film with antibacterial and antioxidant properties. The physicochemical properties of the SA/SS/GI/PSP@AgNP composite film were analyzed, and its cytocompatibility, antioxidant activity, and antibacterial properties were investigated. The optimum conditions for the preparation of the SA/SS/GI/PSP@AgNP composite film were 2 % SA, 2 % SS, 20 % GI, and 40 μg/mL of PSP@AgNPs. The addition of GI improved the surface smoothness of the composite films, while the presence of PSP@AgNPs did not significantly alter it. Spectroscopic characterization demonstrated that GI and PSP@AgNPs were physically bound to SA/SS. Approximately 53 % of the PSP@AgNP was released from the SA/SS/GI/PSP@AgNP composite film over 24 h of soaking in aqueous solution. The resulting leaching solution did not cause hemolysis or cytotoxicity, indicating its biocompatibility. Additionally, the SA/SS/GI/PSP@AgNP composite film exhibited strong antioxidant and antibacterial properties, and it promoted healing of mouse wounds infected with Staphylococcus aureus.
Molecular Chirality of Biosynthesized PHB Translates into Uniformly Curved Single Crystals in Langmuir Films
Authors: Tarazona Natalia A. , Keller Manuela , Machatschek Rainhard 
Published: April 2024

AbstractWhile in nature, molecular chirality enables the formation of chiral macroscopic structures through crystallization and self‐organization, such a transfer of molecular information to higher hierarchical levels is rarely observed in vitro. Here, the study reports on single crystals of microbially synthesized polyester poly[(R)‐3‐hydroxybutyrate], which have chiral habits when grown at the air–water interface, in analogy to the 2D crystallization of chiral lipids such as DPPC. Depending on the crystallization conditions, the chiral single crystals either undergo a transition into fiber‐like structures, orassemble into larger superstructures with a uniform sense of rotation.
Starch/Wood Powder/Glycerol/Lemongrass Essential Oil Composite as Hydro‐Degradable Materials for 3D Printing
Authors: Chan Mieow Kee , Wang Chan Chin , Tee Yi Shen , Tan Mei Hui , Janasekaran Shamini , Abd Aziz Izhar , Musa Shahrul Irwan , Mohammed Khir Muhammad Ridzuan 
Published: April 2024

AbstractThe dependency of 3D printing on thermoplastics releases volatile organic compounds and contributes to global microplastic pollution. The objective of this study is to explore the potential of hydro‐degradable starch‐based composite as a 3D printing material by considering its printability, hydro‐degradability, and strength. Starch is hydro degradable, however, it exhibits low strength thus attempts are made to improve the strength of the composite by starch coating and using lemongrass essential oil (LEO) as an additive. The result shows that 0.2 wt% of LEO increased the strength of starch/wood powder/glycerol/LEO (SWGL) composite by 55% and reduced the contact angle by ≈27° compared to the control. Starch coating increases the strength of the composite by filling up the voids in the structure and producing an integrated homogeneous surface. The SWGL composites exhibit good hydro degradability, especially under acidic conditions, due to the high‐water sorption rate and solubility. The printability of SWGL composites is good where the objects are printed as designed with the aid of a heating chamber. In conclusion, SWGL with 0.5wt% LEO is suitable for real‐life application as the 3D printing material for photo frames and souvenirs due to its good hydro degradability and moderate tensile strength.
An Introduction to Industry 5.0: History, Foundations, and Futures
Authors: Metcalf Gary S. 
Published: April 2024

AbstractThe meaning of Industry 5.0 continues to evolve. It originally implied a reaction to the excesses of technologies in Industry 4.0, the era of cyber-physical systems and the Internet-of-Things. In the short time since the term was first used, artificial intelligence has taken over public attention, bringing new questions and new meanings. Many of the influences shaping our technologies, however, date back to the first Industrial Revolution: efficiency, profitability, etc. Will those same influences continue to shape future technological developments, or is this an era in which humans can choose to make new choices?
The Complexity of Sustainable Innovation, Transitional Impacts of Industry 4.0 to 5.0 for Our Societies: Circular Society Exploring the Systemic Nexus of Socioeconomic Transitions
Authors: Morales Manuel , Nousala Susu , Ghobakhloo Morteza 
Published: April 2024

AbstractIn this chapter, we explore and analyze the foundations of our societal relationships, in relation to the concept of industrial transitions. When trying to understand how humans, collectively and prospectively, adapt or react to socioeconomic disruptive changes like the one Industry 5.0 is enacting, two concepts emerge. The first concept is the scope at which humans can handle complex issues. The second is the speed at which they are able to reframe their mental models, based on exposure to high-speed information exchange, that may drive thinking towards unexpected and completely different outcomes. We argue that ecosystems and their innovation capabilities are the only available mechanism we collectively have to build creativity and address the prioritizing of societal values. Innovation ecosystems can supply the testbed pathways on which better societal functions may emerge. In summary, this chapter discusses ways in which socioeconomic transitions could be dynamically applied to relevant functional systems, with a time horizon that allows enough time for evaluation of the effects (positive or negative), so that elements could be changed and/or introduced into or for the system. The circular society described in this chapter would have both intended and unintended consequences, as does any social complex adaptive system. As such, changes to any social contract defining particular interactions and relevant issues, would in turn, contribute to the fabric of preconditions and definitions of the transition between Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0.
Coping with Industry 5.0: An Assessment of Evolving Soft Skills for the Workplace
Authors: Armstrong Ryan , Vergara Carlos Javier Torres 
Published: April 2024

AbstractIt has been suggested that the transition to the sustainable, resilient, and human-centered production of Industry 5.0 will require a new or enhanced set of soft skills for the workplace, an appealing suggestion but one with only incipient evidence. Meanwhile, major practitioner reports, policy documents, and scholarly work emphasize a need for soft skills, and employers increasingly signal their desire for candidates to possess them. In this chapter, we examine the drivers of a need for more soft skills, and the challenges in research and practice to supporting their acquisition. We identify widespread misconceptions about soft skills, which could ultimately limit their potential for supporting individual and societal well-being. We review the term’s history and foundation, which reveals a number of inherent challenges related to defining, recognizing, and evaluating soft skills. We then illustrate how these can be acknowledged and even embraced through an example of soft skill training from our own work. Finally, we discuss implications for researchers and practitioners.
Artificial Intelligence Capabilities and Hyperselfish Intelligence, the Possible Impacts, and Why Humans Need Industry 5.0
Authors: Fernando Rohan 
Published: April 2024

AbstractThis chapter explores the nature of intelligence itself, conceptualizing it as a massive operating system that functions on biological technology as human intelligence (HI), or digital technology as artificial intelligence (AI). Through the lens of biological technology, the operating system contains many different biological individuals, each with an evolved range of dimensional “capabilities” needed to exist in the world environment. The operating system itself can be considered a hyperselfish intelligence (HYPERINT) development system that is relentlessly evolving, and exploitatively optimizing the development of the highest performing technologies within the world environment, regardless of the needs of individuals or a species, in order to ruthlessly maximize its capabilities. This chapter argues that HYPERINT is driving humans towards a situation where AI technologies could rapidly lead to the development of artificial general intelligence (AGI) with super intelligence that vastly exceeds HI and human controllability. Strong global regulation of AI is needed to protect human civilization from the most extreme risks of AI and AGI. In conclusion, the chapter argues that the global community must make a transition out of Industry 4.0, which focuses on progressive total automation of human work, and move towards the goals of Industry 5.0, which are more human-centric and globally sustainable.
CDC167 exhibits potential as a biomarker for airway inflammation in asthma
Authors: Zhong Yukai , Wu Qiong , Cai Li , Chen Yuanjing , Shen Qi 
Published: April 2024

AbstractCurrent asthma treatments have been discovered to decrease the risk of disease progression. Herein, we aimed to characterize novel potential therapeutic targets for asthma. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) for GSE64913 and GSE137268 datasets were characterized. Weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) was used to identify trait-related module genes within the GSE67472 dataset. The intersection of the module genes of interest, as well as the DEGs, comprised the key module genes that underwent additional candidate gene screening using machine learning. In addition, a bioinformatics-based approach was used to analyze the relative expression levels, diagnostic values, and reverently enriched pathways of the screened candidate genes. Furthermore, the candidate genes were silenced in asthmatic mice, and the inflammation and lung injury in the mice were validated. A total of 1710 DEGs were characterized in GSE64913 and GSE137268 for asthma patients. WGCNA identified 2367 asthma module genes, of which 285 overlapped with 1710 DEGs. Four candidate genes, CDC167, POSTN, SEC14L1, and SERPINB2, were validated using the intersection genes of three machine learning algorithms, including Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator, Random Forest, and Support Vector Machine. All the candidate genes were significantly upregulated in asthma patients and demonstrated diagnostic utility for asthma. Furthermore, silencing CDC167 reduced the levels of inflammatory cytokines significantly and alleviated lung injury in ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthmatic mice. Our study demonstrated that CDC167 exhibits potential as diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets for asthma patients.
Administration of Gas6 attenuates lung fibrosis via inhibition of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition and fibroblast activation
Authors: Lee Ye-Ji , Kim Minsuk , Kim Hee-Sun , Kang Jihee Lee 
Published: April 2024

AbstractThe epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and fibroblast activation are major events in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis pathogenesis. Here, we investigated whether growth arrest-specific protein 6 (Gas6) plays a protective role in lung fibrosis via suppression of the EMT and fibroblast activation. rGas6 administration inhibited the EMT in isolated mouse ATII cells 14 days post-BLM treatment based on morphologic cellular alterations, changes in mRNA and protein expression profiles of EMT markers, and induction of EMT-activating transcription factors. BLM-induced increases in gene expression of fibroblast activation-related markers and the invasive capacity of primary lung fibroblasts in primary lung fibroblasts were reversed by rGas6 administration. Furthermore, the hydroxyproline content and collagen accumulation in interstitial areas with damaged alveolar structures in lung tissue were reduced by rGas6 administration. Targeting Gas6/Axl signaling events with specific inhibitors of Axl (BGB324), COX-2 (NS-398), EP1/EP2 receptor (AH-6809), or PGD2 DP2 receptor (BAY-u3405) reversed the inhibitory effects of rGas6 on EMT and fibroblast activation. Finally, we confirmed the antifibrotic effects of Gas6 using Gas6−/− mice. Therefore, Gas6/Axl signaling events play a potential role in inhibition of EMT process and fibroblast activation via COX-2-derived PGE2 and PGD2 production, ultimately preventing the development of pulmonary fibrosis.
Anisotropic Elastic Strain-Gradient Continuum from the Macro-Scale to the Granular Micro-Scale
Authors: Pirmoradi P. , Suiker A. S. J. , Poorsolhjouy P. 
Published: April 2024

AbstractA multi-scale framework is constructed for the computation of the stiffness tensors of an elastic strain-gradient continuum endowed with an anisotropic microstructure of arbitrarily-shaped particles. The influence of microstructural features on the macroscopic stiffness tensors is demonstrated by comparing the fourth-order, fifth-order and sixth-order stiffness tensors obtained from macro-scale symmetry considerations to the stiffness tensors deduced from homogenizing the elastic response of the granular microstructure. Special attention is paid to systematically relating the particle properties to the probability density function describing their directional distribution, which allows to explicitly connect the level of anisotropy of the particle assembly to local variations in particle stiffness and morphology. The applicability of the multi-scale framework is exemplified by computing the stiffness tensors for various anisotropic granular media composed of equal-sized spheres. The number of independent coefficients of the homogenized stiffness tensors appears to be determined by the number of independent microstructural parameters, which is equal to, or less than, the number of independent stiffness coefficients following from macro-scale symmetry considerations. Since the modelling framework has a general character, it can be applied to different higher-order granular continua and arbitrary types of material anisotropy.
Heavy metal contamination and environmental risk assessment: a case study of surface water in the Bahr Mouse stream, East Nile Delta, Egypt
Authors: Ramadan Fatma , Nour Hamdy E. , Wahed Nermin Abdel , Rakha Ahmad , Amuda Abdulgafar K. , Faisal Mohamed 
Published: April 2024

AbstractWater, as an indispensable constituent of life, serves as the primary source of sustenance for all living things on Earth. The contamination of surface water with heavy metals poses a significant global health risk to humans, animals, and plants. Sharkiya Governorate, situated in the East Nile Delta region of Egypt, is particularly susceptible to surface water pollution due to various industrial, agricultural, and urban activities. The Bahr Mouse Stream, crucial for providing potable water and supporting irrigation activities in Sharkiya Governorate, caters to a population of approximately 7.7 million inhabitants. Unfortunately, this vital water source is exposed to many illegal encroachments that may cause pollution and deteriorate the water resource quality. In a comprehensive study conducted over two consecutive seasons (2019–2020), a total of 38 surface water samples were taken to assess the quantity of heavy metals in surface water destined for human consumption and other applications, supported by indices and statistics. The assessment utilized flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry to determine the concentration of key heavy metals including iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), and chromium (Cr). The calculated mean value of the Water Quality Index (WQI) was found to be 39.1 during the winter season and 28.05 during the summer season. This value suggests that the surface water maintains good quality and is suitable for drinking purposes. Furthermore, the analysis indicated that the concentrations of heavy metals in the study area were below the recommended limits set by the World Health Organization and fell within the safe threshold prescribed by Egyptian legislation. Despite the identification of localized instances of illegal activities in certain areas, such as unauthorized discharges, the findings affirm that the Bahr Mouse stream is devoid of heavy metal pollution. This underscores the importance of continued vigilance and regulatory enforcement to preserve the integrity of these vital water resources.
“I Don’t Want to be a Girl. I Am a Girl!” Experiences Before, During and After Transition in Families with Trans Children and Adolescents
Authors: González-Mendiondo Lucia , Moyano Nieves , Mayor Aingeru 
Published: April 2024

AbstractFamilies often have little knowledge and skills to support their trans children. Therefore, our aim was to learn more about the experiences of parents of trans children and adolescents and how the transition process is experienced. Using a qualitative approach, we analyzed 22 life stories written by parents of trans children and adolescents. The data were analyzed with MAXQDA. Three key periods were considered: (1) before, (2) during, and (3) after social transition. The themes most frequently reported by parents were: children’s not expected gender expressions and negative attitudes and feelings, and parents’ negative feelings, denial and repression attitudes, confussion and search of information, before transition; children’s explicit disclosure, name selection and more positive attitudes, followed by parental understanding, acceptance and support, during transition; and both parents’ and children’s positive attitudes and feelings, as well as concern about pubertal development and expectations and fears about the future, after transition. In general, the stories reflect children’s negative emotions before social transition and parents’ doubts and lack of knowledge, which were followed by acceptance and more positive emotions once the social transition had taken place. Concerns and problems were reported by most of the families throughout the three time periods. Our findings emphasize the need to facilitate social transition and to design specific approaches to better support transitioning children and adolescents, and their families.
Analysis of Clinical, Immunological and Molecular Features of Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency Type I in Egyptian Children
Authors: Saad Mai Magdy , Alkady Radwa , Eldash Alia , El Hawary Rabab E. , Meshaal Safa S. , Galal Nermeen M. , Elmarsafy Aisha M. 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Purpose
Leukocyte adhesion deficiency (LAD) represents a rare group of inherited inborn errors of immunity (IEI) characterized by bacterial infections, delayed umbilical stump separation, and autoimmunity. This single-center study aimed at describing the clinical, immunological, and molecular characterizations of 34 LAD-I Egyptian pediatric patients.

Methods
Details of 34 patients’ personal medical history, clinical and laboratory findings were recorded; Genetic material from 28 patients was studied. Mutational analysis was done by Sanger sequencing.

Results
Omphalitis, skin and soft tissue infections with poorly healing ulcers, delayed falling of the umbilical stump, and recurrent or un-resolving pneumonia were the most common presentations, followed by chronic otitis media, enteropathy, periodontitis; and recurrent oral thrush. Persistent leukocytosis and neutrophilia were reported in all patients, as well as CD18 and CD11b deficiency. CD18 expression was < 2% in around 90% of patients. Sixteen different pathological gene variants were detected in 28 patients who underwent ITGß2 gene sequencing, of those, ten were novel and six were previously reported. Three families received a prenatal diagnosis. Patients were on antimicrobials according to culture’s results whenever available, and on prophylactic Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole 5 mg/kg once daily, with regular clinical follow up. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) was offered for 4 patients. However due to severity of the disease and delay in diagnosis, 58% of the patients passed away in the first 2 years of life.

Conclusion
This study highlights the importance of early diagnosis and distribution of ITGß2 gene mutation in Egyptian children. Further molecular studies, however, remain a challenging necessity for better disease characterization in the region.