bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Subunit epitope vaccine prediction against SARS-CoV-2 using Transmembrane and C-terminal domains of envelope protein
Authors: Nawaz Rabia , Sarwar Aqsa , Arif Muhammad Ali , Noor Faiqa , Ahmad Zainab , Ajmal Anum , Ahad Ammara , Qazi Mehreen , Shahid Muhammad , Afzal Samia , Mehmood Uqba , Idrees Muhammad 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
Background:
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a global pandemic in recent times. SARS-CoV-2 is an enveloped beta-coronavirus. Epitope prediction against viruses for subunit vaccine development using immunoinformatic approaches is becoming a common practice. Currently available vaccines are designed against entire proteins. However, in present study, two domains of enveloped protein, named Transmembrane (TM) and C terminal domain (CTD) of the Delta variant were targeted for their potential immunogenic responses.
Methods:
Proteomic Sequences for both domains for the years 2020-2022 were retrieved and subjected to conservation and mutational analyses. Their physio-chemical characteristics were also determined. The epitopes for T Cell, B Cell, and cytotoxic T lymphocyte were predicted and checked for allergic properties Phosphorylation & glycosylation sites were determined. Secondary and tertiary structural conformations were predicted and screened for potential cleavage sites. Finally, a vaccine construct was designed using the selected peptides based on their best antigenicity, immunogenicity, conservation, and physiochemical properties.
Results:
A total of 102 residual substitutions were found, including 3, 4, and 95 for the sequences of years 2020, 2021, and 2022 respectively. The residual and atomic composition of domains sequences were analyzed. The maximum amino acid flexibility was found at residue 60 (serine), and the maximum transmembrane tendency was found at positions 14, 15, and 16 (alanine, phenylalanine, & valine). Physio-chemical analysis confirmed the probable antigenicity and absence of allergenic properties of our predicted epitopes. Primarily, a total of 34 B Cell, 20 T Cell, and 3 CTL epitopes were predicted. Following rigorous validations like antigenicity and allergenicity assessment, 15 B Cell, 14 T Cell and 2 CTL epitopes were selected. These conserved and potential antigenic epitopes were then combined to create a vaccine construct, which can be used independently or alongside some other subunit/peptide cocktail formulation to address the challenges associated with using whole protein regions of the virus or mRNA-based vaccines.
Conclusion:
This study suggested that TM & CTD domains of envelope protein of SARS-CoV-2 might serve as potential antigens and proposed an effective alternative vaccine approach using smaller viral domains cocktail to avoid post-vaccination complications associated with whole viral protein-based vaccines.
Why Do Some Adults Who are Smoking Perceive E-cigarettes to be More Harmful than Combustible Cigarettes?
Authors: McKeganey Neil , Notley Sophie , Coyle Joanne , Barnard Gabriel 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
Whilst e-cigarettes have been characterised by respected public health bodies as being substantially less harmful than combustible tobacco products, nevertheless research has shown that a significant minority of adults, including those who are smoking, perceive e-cigarettes to be as harmful or more harmful than combustible cigarettes. In this paper we draw upon qualitative data from interviews with U.K. adults who are smoking to look at the reasons why e-cigarettes may be viewed as more harmful than combustible cigarettes. The belief that e-cigarettes may be more harmful than combustible cigarettes was based on a complex array of knowledge, belief, reasons, fears, predictions, reactions, and judgements covering such topics as the technological i.e. non-natural nature of e-cigarettes, uncertainties as to the content of e-liquids, perceptions that these devices expose the user to greater harm resulting from their being used with greater frequency than combustible tobacco products, fear around long-term harm of e-cigarettes, scare stories in the media and concerns around addiction. There is an important need for clear communication from responsible public health bodies and the media conveying the important information to those adults who are continuing to smoke that e-cigarettes are substantially less harmful than combustible tobacco products, and that those adults who are unable or unwilling to quit smoking using validated means of smoking cessation should consider switching to e-cigarettes or other non-combustible tobacco products as a way of reducing the harms they are being exposed to as a result of continuing to smoke.
SpykProps: An Imaging Pipeline to Quantify Architecture in Unilateral Grass Inflorescences
Authors: Ortiz Joan Barreto , Hirsch Candice N. , Ehlke Nancy Jo , Watkins Eric 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
Background
Inflorescence properties such length, spikelet number, and their spatial distribution across the rachis, are fundamental indicators of fitness and seed productivity in grasses, and have been a target of selection throughout domestication and crop improvement. However, quantifying such complex morphology is laborious, time-consuming, and commonly limited to human-perceived traits. These limitations can be exacerbated by unfavorable trait correlations between inflorescence architecture and seed yield that can be unconsciously selected for. Computer vision offers an alternative to conventional phenotyping, enabling higher throughput and reducing subjectivity. These approaches provide valuable insights into the determinants of seed yield, and thus, aid breeding decisions.
Results
Here, we described SpykProps, an inexpensive Python-based imaging system to quantify morphological properties in unilateral inflorescences, that was developed and tested on images of perennial grass (Lolium perenne L.) spikes. SpykProps is able to rapidly and accurately identify spikes (RMSE < 1), estimate their length (R2 = 0.96), and number of spikelets (R2 = 0.61). It also quantifies color and shape from hundreds of interacting descriptors that are accurate predictors of architectural and agronomic traits such as seed yield potential (R2 = 0.94), rachis weight (R2 = 0.83), and seed shattering (R2 = 0.85).
Conclusions
SpykProps is an open-source platform to characterize inflorescence architecture in a wide range of grasses. This imaging tool generates conventional and latent traits that can be used to better characterize developmental and agronomic traits associated with inflorescence architecture, and has applications in fields that include breeding, physiology, evolution, and development biology.
Detection Tampering in Digital Video in Frequency Domain using DCT with Halftone
Authors: Alwan Wafaa H. , Alturfi Sabah M. 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
In recent years, the rapid technological development and the emergence of mobile devices, cameras, etc., in addition to the availability of video production, editing, and formatting programs, made it easy to edit, manipulate, and fake or tamper video. As they know that pictures or videos give more information than texts; Video is a very important medium for transferring information from one place to another. One of the important types of evidence in road accidents and theft crimes. Moreover, when forensic analysis is essential for any video, the availability of origin video may be rare therefore the forensic experts must establish decisions based on the present video (under surveillance) and decide if this video is fake (tampered) or not fake. There are multiple methods to tamper video, including active and blind passive methods. In this research, we tried to combine the behavior of active methods in the process of embedding the halftone current frame of video in the DCT Coefficients of next frame of the same video with the behavior of passive methods by comparing the information embedded after extracting with the information of the current frame to determine whether there is a fake in the video or not & which frame contains tamper. The experimental results of the submitted method showed a huge level of success in locating frames in which falsification or tampering occurred through copying, deletion or insertion, or even if copy-move regions. Also, in proposed method we attempted to post-processing the fake frames using the information included in the subsequent frame, if it is not faked. Finally, the original video, the embedded halftone video, and the tamper (fake) video after post processing were compared using PSNR and SSIM similarity scales. At last, the accuracy & precision scores of tampered & non tampered frames are computed.
Effect of Solvents on the Physical and Structural Parameters of Nano Biopolymer
Authors: Alhuthali Abdullah M. S. , Elhaes Hanan , Ibrahim Medhat A. 
Published: August 2023

Abstract

Functionalized polymers, especially in the nano scale, have a wide range of applications. In this sense, chitosan was prepared in our lab via the deacetylation of chitin obtained from shrimp. The molecular structure of the prepared chitosan was investigated by FTIR which confirmed that it is similar to commercial chitosan. The first step in the functionalization of chitosan for further applications is to dissolve it. Consequently, a DFT:B3LYP/3-21g* model was utilized to study the effect of different solvents on structural and physical properties of chitosan. Total dipole moment (TDM), HOMO/LUMO band gap energy, and molecular electrostatic potential (MESP) were used as physical descriptors to follow up the effect of solvation on nano chitosan. Results indicated that solvation increased the reactivity of chitosan in terms of TDM, HOMO/LUMO band gap energy and MESP. Also, solvation resulted in slight changes in the structural parameters. For experimental verification of the obtained theoretical results, chitosan was dissolved in different solvents then the FTIR spectrum of each solution was recoded and compared with raw (undissolved) chitosan. Results demonstrated no change in the molecular structure under the effect of solvation.
A computational model for sample dependence in hypothesis testing of genomic data
Authors: Kim Sunhee , Chu Sang-Ho , Park Yong-Jin , Lee Chnag-Yong 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
In this study, we investigate sample dependence in statistical hypothesis testing, where samples are assumed and required to be independent. We show that dependent samples produce lower $p$ values than independent samples; thus, they are more likely to produce a false positive in the test than independent samples. To account for sample dependence in hypothesis testing, we use graph theory to quantify the degree of dependence in terms of graph density and model the variance of graph density as a function of sample size. Using the model, we propose a computational method for estimating the adjusted sample size, which can be used as additional information for the dependent samples in hypothesis testing. To support the validity of the proposed method, we simulate model-free and model-based data sets to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed method. We then apply the method to rice genomic data sets of genetic variants across diverse accessions and estimate the adjusted sample size as a guide to account for sample dependence in hypothesis testing.
Carbon-Graphene hybrid supporting Platinum-Tin electrocatalyst to enhance ethanol oxidation reaction
Authors: Bastos Tarso L. , Gelamo Rogério V. , Colmati Flavio 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
Direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC) is promising source for mobile and portable applications, but the electrocatalysts are based on metal noble alloys or doping elements to minimize the incomplete ethanol oxidation and poisoning effect. While the main problem persists, this study describes the enhancement of ethanol oxidation reaction by adding graphene (G) to Vulcan XC-72R carbon black (C) metal support, with different C/G ratios. The Graphene were prepared from exfoliated graphite following dry in cool plasma under vacuum. The 60 wt% graphene hybrid support enhances the current density at 5% cyclic voltammetry (CV) and 127% chronoamperometry (CA) higher than carbon pure support in acid electrolyte. Whereas in alkaline, graphene (60 wt%) showed the highest electrochemical activity with an increase of current 82% (CV) and 130% (CA). Therefore, we demonstrated the enhancement of the catalyst electrochemical activity in both electrolytes through a simple synthesis method. The 40 wt% carbon and 60 wt% graphene hybrid support achieving higher performance in ethanol oxidation, evidencing a potential application in DEFC.
Integrating Deep and Handcrafted Features forEnhanced Decision-Making Assistance in BreastCancer Diagnosis on Ultrasound Images
Authors: Abhisheka Barsha , Biswas Saroj Kumar , Purkayastha Biswajit , Das Soumen 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
The classification of breast cancer has emerged as a significant concern in thehealthcare sector in recent times. This is primarily due to its status as the sec-ond leading cause of cancer-related fatalities among women. Prior research inthe field of breast cancer classification has mainly focused on either traditionalMachine Learning (ML) based models or employing Deep Learning (DL) mod-els. However, both approaches solely fail to capture the complete spectrum offeatures necessary for accurate classification. Therefore, this paper introduces aclassification model named Hybrid Breast Cancer Prediction System (HBCPS),which utilizes a combination of features derived from deep Convolutional Neu-ral Network (CNN) model and handcrafted features, to improve classificationperformance. The proposed HBCPS uses the pre-trained ResNet50 network toextract the deep features, while the handcrafted features are obtained using His-togram Orientation Gradient (HOG). For classification the proposed approach uses Support Vector Machine (SVM). In addition, the proposed method inte-grates the Block Matching and 3D (BM3D) denoising filter. This filter efficientlyreduces multiplicative noise such as speckle noise from Breast Ultrasound (BUS)images, resulting in improved image quality. This enhancement technique hassignificantly contributed to improve the overall performance of the system. Theproposed framework is evaluated using a widely used Breast Ultrasound Image(BUSI) dataset. The proposed HBCPS exhibited satisfactory performance withan accuracy, precision, recall, F1-score, specificity, and AUC values of 89.02%,87.67%, 87.17%, 87.36%, 83.87%, and 0.8717, respectively. These metrics indicatethe robustness and reliability of the proposed method and offer a comprehensiveframework for breast cancer classification using BUS images.
Bilateral variation of human pulmonary fissure: a study in Korean cadaver
Authors: Jeong Eun-A , Bae An-Na , Park Jong-Ho , Lee Jae-Ho , Heo Yu-Ran 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
The purpose of this study is to elucidate the variation found in human lung fissures for clinical benefit. The lungs are a pair of respiratory organs located on either side of the chest cavity. The right lung is usually divided into three lobes by the oblique fissure and horizontal fissure, and the left lung into two lobes by the oblique fissure. In this study, lung fissure variation was found in both lungs of a 96-year-old formalin-fixed Korean male cadaver. These fissures of the lung were observed to be additional, complete, incomplete or absent. The right lung was observed an absent horizontal fissure and an incomplete accessory fissure, and the left lung was observed an incomplete oblique fissure and an accessory fissure, the left minor fissure. From a clinical standpoint, it is important for clinicians to possess an awareness of variations in lung fissures. Incomplete lung fissures, for instance, have the potential to facilitate the spread of diseases like pneumonia to adjacent lobes. Moreover, accessory fissures can sometimes be mistaken for other conditions such as pleural scars or blisters, necessitating careful differentiation.
An Intricate relationship between Microbes and Metabolites leads of Novel PCOS Biomarkers
Authors: Niranjan Vidya , Eshwar Sunil , S Pooja , Uttarkar Akshay , S Likitha 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
Background: Globally 14% of women are affected and 70% of women remain undiagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). This is an Etiopathogenesis which attributes of hormonal imbalance, genetic predisposition, and chronic inflammations.
Challenges: The patients are asymptomatic until the severity increases, this could occur due to varied symptoms among PCOS patients. Long-term exposure to ovarian cysts could lead to hypertension, hyperinsulinemia, high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, infertility, and endometrial cancer.
Objectives: 16sr.RNA amplicon-sequenced data was analysed for identify the microorganisms prevailing the vaginal region which also alters the metabolites in the system that causes PCOS. To identify novel biomarkers.
Results: Thus, omics box analysis assisted to identify the healthy microbes which include Lactobacillus sp in symbiosis with Bifidobacterium. While Streptococcus, Porphymorsus, Fusobacterium, Gardenella, Prevoletta, Suterella and Clostridiumwhich affects the hormonal level and certain metabolites which adversely affect the healthy environment.
Conclusion: The metabolites such as DHEA, Salicylic acid and Cortisol can be reported as novel biomarkers.
Sustainable Astronomy: A comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Off-grid Hybrid Energy Systems to supply large Telescopes
Authors: Viole Isabelle , Shen Li , Camargo Luis Ramirez , Zeyringer Marianne , Sartori Sabrina 
Published: August 2023

Abstract

Purpose
Supplying off-grid facilities such as astronomical observatories with renewable energy-based systems (RES) instead of diesel generators can considerably reduce their environmental impact. However, RES require oversized capacities to counter intermittency and comply with reliability requirements, hence shifting the environmental impact from operation to construction phase. We assess whether 100% RES scenarios are favorable from an environmental point of view, and discuss the trade-offs in systems with backup fossil generators versus 100% renewable ones.
Methods
In this comparative life cycle assessment (LCA), we study various RES supply systems to power a new telescope in the Atacama desert, Chile. We compare six setups, including 100% RES scenarios, namely photovoltaics (PV) with batteries and hydrogen energy storage; high-renewable scenarios, with fossil fuel power generation next to RES and storage; and a system combining PV with diesel generation. We base system sizing on a techno-economical optimization for the start of operation in 2030. Foreground data stem from recent life cycle inventories of RES components and 2030 electricity mix assumptions of production places. We assess environmental impact in the categories climate change, mineral resource depletion and water use.
Results and discussion
We find that 100% RES and high-renewable scenarios result in emissions of 0.077-0.115kg CO2e/kWh supplied, compared to 0.917kg CO2e/kWh in the reference case with solely diesel generation. 100% RES scenarios have a lower CO2e impact than high-renewable scenarios. However, the latter lower the mineral resource depletion and water use by about 27% compared to 100% RES scenarios. Applying hybrid energy storage systems increases the water use impact, while reducing the mineral resource depletion.
Conclusions
None of the six energy systems we compared was clearly the best in all environmental impacts considered. Trade-offs must be taken when choosing an energy system to supply the prospective off-grid telescope in Chile. We find high-renewable systems with some fossil generation as the better option regarding power reliability, mineral resource depletion and water use, while inducing slightly higher greenhouse gas emissions than the 100% RES scenarios.
As remote research facilities and off-grid settlements today are mainly supplied by fossil fuels, we expect to motivate more multifaceted decisions for implementing larger shares of RES for these areas. To advance the LCA community in the field of energy systems, we should strive to incorporate temporal and regional realities into our life cycle inventories. To ease the path for upcoming studies, we publish this work’s inventories as detailed activity level datasets.
A semi-automated approach to policy-relevant evidence synthesis: Combining natural language processing, causal mapping, and graph analytics for public policy
Authors: Hooper Rory , Goyal Nihit , Blok Kornelis , Scholten Lisa 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
Although causal evidence synthesis is critical for the policy sciences – whether it be analysis for policy or analysis of policy – its repeatable, systematic, and transparent execution remains challenging due to the growing volume, variety, and velocity of policy-relevant evidence generation as well as the complex web of relationships within which policies are usually situated. To address these shortcomings, we developed a novel, semi-automated approach to synthesizing causal evidence from policy-relevant documents. Specifically, we propose the use of natural language processing (NLP) for the extraction of causal evidence and subsequent homogenization or normalization of the varied text, causal mapping for the collation, visualization, and summarization of complex interdependencies within the policy system, and graph analytics for further investigation of the structure and dynamics of the causal map. We illustrate this approach by applying it to a collection of 28 articles on the emissions trading scheme (ETS), a policy instrument of increasing importance for climate change mitigation. In all, we find 300 variables and 284 cause-effect pairs in our input dataset (consisting of 4524 sentences), which are reduced to 70 unique variables and 119 cause-effect pairs after normalization. We create a causal map depicting these and analyze it subsequently to obtain systemic perspective as well as policy-relevant insight on the ETS that is broadly consistent with select manually conducted, previous meta-reviews of the policy instrument. We conclude that, despite its present limitations, this approach can help synthesize causal evidence for policy analysis, policymaking, and policy research.
‘There is water available and so our hearts are at peace’: exploring the impact of access to safe water on women's subjective well-being in Ghana
Authors: Ahiabli Prosperous , Adatara Peter , Cross Ruth 
Published: August 2023

Abstract

Women from Kordorwukope and Gbegbevia had to travel about 2 km to access safe water, until 2018 when International Needs Ghana, a Non-Governmental Organisation, extended piped water to each of the two communities. Since the extension of water to the communities, no study had been carried out to ascertain the effects of access to safe water on the well-being of women living in those communities. This study therefore aimed at exploring the effects of physical access to safe water on the well-being of women living in the Gbegbevia and Kordorwukope Communities. A qualitative research design was used. The study population included seven women who had lived in the study communities for at least 2 years before the water project was implemented. Five key themes were apparent in the data: challenges women encountered before gaining access to safe water; physical well-being; mental well-being; social well-being; and career and financial well-being. The results of this study show that the extension of piped water to the study communities brought about significant improvement in physical, mental, social, career, and financial well-being of women in the study communities.