Sufficient Amount Research Articles

Exploring the Vital Role of Vitamins in Disease Prevention and Health Maintenance

The human body relies on vitamins to carry out fundamental functions, yet it is unable to produce them on its own. Certain nutrients, like phytochemicals, are considered essential as the body cannot produce them in sufficient quantities. While ideally vitamins are obtained through a healthy diet, supplements are often necessary. Vitamins are crucial for growth, metabolism, and overall health, with vitamin D being the only one the body can produce. Vitamers, related molecules with similar vitamin activity, make up the bulk of vitamins. Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant drug used in dermatology to treat photoageing and hyperpigmentation. L-ascorbic acid is the active form, with limited oral absorption, making topical application more effective. Its electron-donating ability is crucial for various physiological processes, and its deficiency can lead to scurvy. Vitamin E (tocopherols and tocotrienols) has demonstrated significant biological effects on enhancing human health and play a promising role in food systems Supplementation of α-tocopherol up to 0.2% in oils provides higher oxidative stability, making vitamin E a valuable functional ingredient for food preservation and nutritional quality enhancement.This study investigates the roles of vitamins C and E in disease prevention and management, highlighting their antioxidant properties and physiological functions. Both vitamins are crucial for neutralizing free radicals, thereby reducing oxidative stress linked to various diseases, including cardiovascular conditions, cancer, and neurodegenerative disorders. Vitamin C supports immune function and collagen synthesis, while Vitamin E contributes to cellular integrity and skin health. The research underscores the synergistic effects of these vitamins, which enhance each other's antioxidant capabilities and may improve overall health outcomes. By addressing their roles in disease processes, the study emphasizes the importance of adequate vitamin intake for promoting health and preventing illness

Temporal Analysis of Sanitation and Water Development Indicators in Tunisia: 2012-2023

Abstract Background Access to sanitation and water resources is a cornerstone of the ‘One Health’ approach, which encompasses the holistic integration of human, animal and environmental health considerations. We aimed to elucidate the temporal trajectory of sanitation and water resource development in Tunisia across successive years. Methods Data from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey in Tunisia, a UNICEF-conducted repeated cross-sectional survey, was used to compare trends in access to improved water sources, utilization of improved sanitation facilities, and handwashing practices across 2012, 2018, and 2023. Results In 2023, we observed that 20.9% of households did not have access to drinking water on site, compared with 12.7% in 2018 (p = 0.15). The availability of drinking water in sufficient quantity was 69.8% in 2023 and 80.6% in 2018 (p = 0.37). In 2023, 78.1% of the population had access to an improved water source, compared with 86.3% in 2018 and 95.7% in 2012 (p = 0.4), 80% in urban areas and 73% in rural areas (p = 0.57). In 2023, 12.5% of the population consumed water from sources contaminated with Escherichia coli, compared with 20.5% in 2018 (p = 0.16). Disparities in Escherichia coli detection were observed between rural (21%) and urban (8.3%) areas (p = 0.01). In 2023, 92.1% of households had access to handwashing facilities equipped with soap and water, compared with 89.9% in 2018 and 91.5% in 2012 (p = 0.98). The breakdown between urban and rural areas was 95.1% and 86.4% respectively (p = 0.51). Conclusions Access to improved water sources, sanitation, and handwashing practices remains high over time, but regional disparities persist. Improved water quality directly reduces the transmission of waterborne pathogens, emphasizing the need to address regional disparities and socio-economic inequalities to promote public health nationwide. Key messages • Challenges persist in tunisia regarding sanitation and access to water. • Regional disparities threaten public health.

Food poverty as a barrier for a healthy and climate-friendly nutrition in Austria

Abstract Background The food system plays a crucial role in promoting healthy and climate-friendly living. One fundamental aspect is accessibility. However, in Austria, there is a lack of systematic and regularly conducted studies on food system accessibility. To address this gap, a comprehensive study on food poverty has been conducted for the first time in Austria. Methods We used a mixed methods approach, combining expert workshops, a representative questionnaire survey (n = 2004) using the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES), and focus groups (n = 20) with affected individuals. Results Approximately 12 percent of people living in Austria are affected by moderate and/or severe food poverty. These individuals struggle to afford sufficient quantities and quality of food due to financial constraints or limited access in general. Over four percent experience severe food poverty, leading to skipped meals or even days without food. People affected by food poverty would like to focus more on healthy shopping and quality of food (prioritizing fresh food over cheap high-processed food). The biggest hurdles relate to a lack of financial resources, too little time and a lack of affordable (healthy and climate-friendly) options. Conclusions Food poverty is a phenomenon in Austria that has received little attention to date. Public discourse often attributes nutritional problems to information gaps or individual competence, neglecting the impact of structural conditions. Addressing food poverty requires holistic approaches that avoid stigmatization. Recognizing it as a social, health, climate, and agricultural policy concern necessitates robust monitoring and considering the social and environmental aspects of nutrition holistically.

Revolutionizing livestock sustainability: Pioneering breeding strategies for superior forage biomass and quality

Livestock primarily rely on forage crops as a source of feed and nutrition. The milk productivity of a cow or meat production in goat/sheep could directly be associated with the availability of a sufficient quantity of quality green fodders with essential nutrients in a balanced ratio. Feeding the cereal/grass: legume fodders in the required proportion will not only improve productivity but also the reproductive capacity of animals. However, many countries of the world experience a huge gap between demand and availability of green fodder. In this context, emphasis should be placed on developing efficient forage genotypes with increased biomass and quality as per the requirements of animals, duly considering their digestibility. Breeding approaches encompassing required classical approaches, including wide hybridization to exploit natural genetic variability, biotechnological tools such as transgenic technology, marker-assisted selection, genomic selection, and various omics techniques alongside high-throughput phenotyping using multispectral cameras, would help to sustain livestock productivity by meeting out the present and future fodder requirements coupled with enhanced nutrients

Continuous Biological Ex Situ Methanation of CO2 and H2 in a Novel Inverse Membrane Reactor (IMR)

A promising approach for carbon dioxide (CO2) valorization and storing excess electricity is the biological methanation of hydrogen and carbon dioxide to methane. The primary challenge here is to supply sufficient quantities of dissolved hydrogen. The newly developed Inverse Membrane Reactor (IMR) allows for the spatial separation of the required reactant gases, hydrogen (H2) and carbon dioxide (CO2), and the degassing area for methane (CH4) output through commercially available ultrafiltration membranes, enabling a reactor design as a closed circuit for continuous methane production. In addition, the Inverse Membrane Reactor (IMR) facilitates the utilization of hydraulic pressure to enhance hydrogen (H2) input. One of the process’s advantages is the potential to utilize both carbon dioxide (CO2) from conventional biogas and CO2-rich industrial waste gas streams. An outstanding result from investigating the IMR revealed that, employing the membrane gassing concept, methane concentrations of over 90 vol.% could be consistently achieved through flexible gas input over a one-year test series. Following startup, only three supplemental nutrient additions were required in addition to hydrogen (H2) and carbon dioxide (CO2), which served as energy and carbon sources, respectively. The maximum achieved methane formation rate specific to membrane area was 87.7 LN of methane per m2 of membrane area per day at a product gas composition of 94 vol.% methane, 2 vol.% H2, and 4 vol.% CO2.

Probiotic and Postbiotic Potentials of Enterococcus faecalis EF-2001: A Safety Assessment.

Probiotics, which are live microorganisms that, when given in sufficient quantities, promote the host's health, have drawn a lot of interest for their ability to enhance gut health. Enterococcus faecalis, a member of the human gut microbiota, has shown promise as a probiotic candidate due to its functional attributes. However, safety concerns associated with certain strains warrant comprehensive evaluation before therapeutic application. In this study, E. faecalis EF-2001, originally isolated from fecal samples of a healthy human infant, was subjected to a multi-faceted assessment for its safety and probiotic potential. In silico analysis, CAZyme, biosynthetic, and stress-responsive proteins were identified. The genome lacked biogenic amine genes but contained some essential amino acid and vitamin synthetic genes, and carbohydrate-related enzymes essential for probiotic properties. The negligible difference of 0.03% between the 1st and 25th generations indicates that the genetic information of the E. faecalis EF-2001 genome remained stable. The live E. faecalis EF-2001 (E. faecalis EF-2001L) demonstrated low or no virulence potential, minimal D-Lactate production, and susceptibility to most antibiotics except some aminoglycosides. No bile salt deconjugation or biogenic amine production was observed in an in vitro assay. Hemolytic activity assessment showed a β-hemolytic pattern, indicating no red blood cell lysis. Furthermore, the EF-2001L did not produce gelatinase and tolerated simulated gastric and intestinal fluids in an in vitro study. Similarly, heat-killed E. faecalis EF-2001 (E. faecalis EF-2001HK) exhibits tolerance in both acid and base conditions in vitro. Further, no cytotoxicity of postbiotic EF-2001HK was observed in human colorectal adenocarcinoma HT-29 cells. These potential properties suggest that probiotic and postbiotic E. faecalis EF-2001 could be considered safe and retain metabolic activity suitable for human consumption.

Animal breeding and feeding tools may close human nutrition gaps

The last century has witnessed many innovations in agriculture and food technologies that have ensured the production of sufficient quantities of good hygienic food. Animal scientists have contributed substantially to efficient breeding and feeding practices by adapting animals for faster growth and improving feed efficiency and utilization. Breeding goals and feeding recommendations have been proposed with a primary focus on profitability to promote significant changes in the macronutrient content, i.e., animal body protein and fat reduction. However, improving the nutritional quality of meat was not included in the profit assessment. Increasing the lean meat fraction is consistent with the goal of public dietary guidelines for human nutrition proposed in 1980, emphasizing the importance of reducing the consumption of animal fat, particularly saturated fat. The application of breeding and feeding tools to modify and improve the fatty acid composition has been partly implemented in pigs and broiler chickens to supplement the dietary recommendations for humans. The health benefits of lean “red meat” have been questioned in recent years, with dietary guidelines and upper limits being introduced for human intake. Animal breeding indirectly reduces the total and heme iron (the redness generator) content in meat, due to covariation with priority breeding goals. Two micronutrients play important roles in the human diet and are derived largely from meat (selenium) and milk (iodine) if the amount provided and absorbed is sufficient and predictable. The iodine content can be highly dependent on the use of novel (more sustainable) feeds. The micronutrients discussed in this study (Fe, Se, I, and vitamin D) highlight opportunities for the utilization of breeding and feeding knowledge to adjust their levels to procure meat with a high nutrient density. The gaps in micronutrient levels in humans must be addressed by navigating within approved animal feeding levels. Animal scientists must recognize the nutritional impact of breeding and feeding and advertise them. In addition, human nutritionists must acknowledge the existing and potential changes in animal production to meet the dietary guidelines. Sustainable food production within the “One Health” concept can only be achieved through cooperation.

Study, Design and Production of a Semi-Automatic Pneumatic Capper in Benin

This work constitutes a contribution to the development of the processing of agri-food products. In Benin, processors of agri-food products are facing enormous difficulties. One of the difficulties is the lack of equipment. It is to somewhat alleviate one of their difficulties that this work was carried out for fruit juice producers. Indeed, the lack of equipment affects their production capacity, because the vast majority of their production is carried out using equipment for manual use. With the intention of providing a solution to this problem of producers, through our study, we have proposed a simple tool that they can easily use and at an affordable price for the vast majority of producers. Thus, we carried out a study, design and production of a semi-automatic pneumatic bottle capper. After a study which is based on mathematical models, we made a design using the Top Solide software and proceeded to the production after manufacturing certain parts and purchasing others. We wrote a program that allowed us to automate the capper. The price of the capper is 550,000f CFA including tax. Regarding the results of our work, the capper allows a bottle to be closed between 3 seconds and 6 seconds, i.e. 10 to 20 bottles per minute, therefore 600 to 1200 bottles per hour. This study will therefore ensure rapid production and in sufficient quantity to satisfy customers and all this in record time.

Effects of Metal Oxide Nanoparticles on the Growth and Genotoxicity of Garden Cress (Lepidium sativum L.)

The interaction of nano-fertilizers with commercially important crops can be a promising solution to increase both crop yield and quality. This study investigated the effect of iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4 NPs) on four-week-old garden cress (Lepidium sativum L.) seedlings. Iron is an essential micronutrient for plants but is not always available in sufficient quantities, which can lead to chlorosis and even plant death. The seedlings were grown hydroponically, with three concentrations (1 mg/L, 5 mg/L, and 10 mg/L) of the NPs, alongside a control group with no additions. During the experiment, the following methods were employed: measurement of stem and root length, spectrophotometry to determine chlorophyll absorbance and concentration, and the RAPD technique to assess the genotoxicity of Fe3O4 NPs. The study demonstrated a significant increase in the shoot length of cress at all concentrations compared to the control group (p < 0.05; p < 0.01). The light absorption and chlorophyll concentration levels in the experimental groups significantly increased compared to the control group (p < 0.001). Genotoxicity analysis revealed that the genotoxic impact of the NPs on the garden cress genome was only 10%, a statistically insignificant level. The findings suggest that Fe3O4 NPs exhibit low genotoxicity and have the potential to enhance the growth and chlorophyll content of cress seedlings in hydroponic conditions.

Review on Functional Foods and its Role in Both Health & Disease

Functional foods are intended to offer health advantages in addition to needed nutrients. They efficiently prevent numerous diseases due to their mineral, vitamin, probiotic, bioactive, and fiber content, and they may increase quality of life. Probiotic strains are said to provide health benefits to humans when taken in sufficient quantities. As a result, there has been an increase in producing functional foods incorporating probiotic microorganisms in recent decades. Functional foods contain chemicals that may reduce the risk of specific diseases or otherwise improve health. The specific components are found naturally in functional foods or are added through fortification or enrichment.

Metabolic and transcriptomic analyses of nectaries reveal differences in the mechanism of nectar production between monocots (Ananas comosus) and dicots (Nicotiana tabacum)

BackgroundNectar is offered by numerous flowering plants to attract pollinators. To date, the production and secretion of nectar have been analyzed mainly in eudicots, particularly rosids such as Arabidopsis. However, due to the enormous diversity of flowering plants, further research on other plant species, especially monocots, is needed. Ananas comosus (monocot) is an economically important species that is ideal for such analyses because it produces easily accessible nectar in sufficient quantities. In addition, the analyses were also carried out with Nicotiana tabacum (dicot, asterids) for comparison.ResultsWe performed transcriptome sequencing (RNA-Seq) analyses of the nectaries of Ananas comosus and Nicotiana tabacum, to test whether the mechanisms described for nectar production and secretion in Arabidopsis are also present in these plant species. The focus of these analyses is on carbohydrate metabolism and transport (e.g., sucrose-phosphate synthases, invertases, sucrose synthases, SWEETs and further sugar transporters). In addition, the metabolites were analyzed in the nectar, nectaries and leaves of both plant species to address the question of whether concentration gradients for different metabolites exist between the nectaries and nectar The nectar of N. tabacum contains large amounts of glucose, fructose and sucrose, and the sucrose concentration in the nectar appears to be similar to the sucrose concentration in the nectaries. Nectar production and secretion in this species closely resemble corresponding processes in some other dicots, including sucrose synthesis in nectaries and sucrose secretion by SWEET9. The nectar of A. comosus also contains large amounts of glucose, fructose and sucrose and in this species the sucrose concentration in the nectar appears to be higher than the sucrose concentration in the nectaries. Furthermore, orthologs of SWEET9 generally appear to be absent in A. comosus and other monocots. Therefore, sucrose export by SWEETs from nectaries into nectar can be excluded; rather, other mechanisms, such as active sugar export or exocytosis, are more likely.ConclusionThe mechanisms of nectar production and secretion in N. tabacum appear to be largely similar to those in other dicots, whereas in the monocotyledonous species A. comosus, different synthesis and transport processes are involved.

Diffusion‐based Human Motion Style Transfer with Semantic Guidance

Abstract3D Human motion style transfer is a fundamental problem in computer graphic and animation processing. Existing AdaIN‐based methods necessitate datasets with balanced style distribution and content/style labels to train the clustered latent space. However, we may encounter a single unseen style example in practical scenarios, but not in sufficient quantity to constitute a style cluster for AdaIN‐based methods. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a novel two‐stage framework for few‐shot style transfer learning based on the diffusion model. Specifically, in the first stage, we pre‐train a diffusion‐based text‐to‐motion model as a generative prior so that it can cope with various content motion inputs. In the second stage, based on the single style example, we fine‐tune the pre‐trained diffusion model in a few‐shot manner to make it capable of style transfer. The key idea is regarding the reverse process of diffusion as a motion‐style translation process since the motion styles can be viewed as special motion variations. During the fine‐tuning for style transfer, a simple yet effective semantic‐guided style transfer loss coordinated with style example reconstruction loss is introduced to supervise the style transfer in CLIP semantic space. The qualitative and quantitative evaluations demonstrate that our method can achieve state‐of‐the‐art performance and has practical applications. The source code is available at https://github.com/hlcdyy/diffusion-based-motion-style-transfer.

Scalable Extraction of Airway Mucins from Porcine Trachea.

Mucins are a major component of the innate defense system in the airways and their biological functions are important to consider in pulmonary disease research. However, the available mucus models for basic research relevant to the lung can be difficult to acquire in sufficient quantity to conduct such studies. Here, we present a new strategy to isolate airway mucins from pig trachea at the milligram to gram scale for use in pulmonary disease research. Using this protocol, we were able to isolate mucins with minimal DNA contamination consisting of ∼70% by weight protein. Compared to porcine gastric mucins extracted with the same procedure, the porcine tracheal extract possessed significantly greater O-linked glycoprotein (mucin) content. Particle tracking microrheology was used to evaluate the biophysical properties of porcine trachea mucins. We found porcine tracheal mucins formed a much tighter mesh network and possessed a significantly greater microviscosity compared to lab extracted porcine gastric mucins. In comparison to mucus harvested from human airway tissue cultures, we found porcine tracheal mucins also possessed a greater microviscosity suggesting these mucins can form into a gel-like material at physiological total solids concentrations. These studies establish an accessible means to isolate airway mucins from porcine trachea at large scale for use in pulmonary disease research.

Establishment of mouse alveolar macrophage extraction standard and its application in the evaluation of efficacy in lung metastasis of colorectal cancer

Introduction: Alveolar macrophages (AM) are involved in the development and progression of a variety of lung diseases. It is of great significance to explore the pathogenesis of diseases and evaluate the efficacy of drugs. However, there is no standard process for extracting primary AM. Nitidine chloride is an alkaloid extracted from Zanthoxylum nitidum (Roxb.) DC., which has an anti-tumour pharmacological effect. However, there is no evidence that nitidine chloride has a direct effect on CRC cell lung metastasis. The purpose of this study was to establish a standard for the extraction of primary AM from mice and to investigate the pharmacodynamics of nitidine chloride in mice with lung metastases to colorectal cancer. Methods: The standard for the extraction of mouse primary AM by lavage was established. Western blot and PCR were used to detect the regulatory mechanism of nitidine chloride in the treatment of lung metastasis in mice by macrophage phenotype and glycolysis level. Results: The results showed that sufficient quantity and quality of primary AM could be obtained by optimising extraction steps, and AM obtained by this method could accurately reflect disease progression. At the same time, nitidine chloride can effectively reduce colorectal cancer lung metastasis in mice. From the mechanism, nitidine chloride can inhibit the expression of M2 macrophage markers and the levels of mRNA and proteins of the glycolysis-limiting enzyme. Conclusions: Our results show that primary AM that accurately reflect disease and assess pharmacological effects can be obtained using our established criteria. The inhibitory effect of nitidine chloride on colorectal cancer lung metastasis may be attributed to its regulation of macrophage phenotype and glycolysis.

Implementation of a simple functionalisation of graphene (Gii-Sens) in the determination of a suitable linker for use in biocatalytic devices

We adapted a single-step method to functionalise three-dimensional graphene foam (Gii-Sens) electrodes with a 1-pyrenebutyric acid N-hydroxysuccinimide ester (Pyr-NHS). The physical and chemical properties of these functionalised electrodes were subsequently probed via Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and field-emission scanning electron microscopy. Combined with data acquired from cyclic voltammetry and electrical impedance spectroscopy, we confirmed the presence of Pyr-NHS on the surface of the graphene foam in sufficient quantity for it to serve as a suitable linker for the immobilisation of the enzyme glucose dehydrogenase (GDH) on the electrode. Evidence of this immobilisation was provided through electrochemical characterisation, before demonstrating an active enzyme response from GDH via the mediated oxidation of glucose at the electrode surface. A proportional relationship between the concentration of glucose and the peak anodic current from the redox mediator p-aminophenol led to the determination of a high sensitivity of 22.7µA/mM/cm2 and a limit of detection of 5.25 µM. Such a result confirms the viability of these functionalised graphene foam electrodes as a metal-free high-performing anode within miniaturised, glucose-based biocatalytic devices, including enzymatic biofuel cells and biosensors.

Оптимизация пастбищной нагрузки на степные экосистемы аридной территории Ставропольского края

Abstract. The article considers the issues of rational use of grass of steppe phytocenoses in their pasture use; the correspondence of pasture capacity and the number of grazed livestock. The purpose of the study is to assess the current state of steppe communities used as pasture lands for grazing existing livestock of large and small cattle and to propose ways to optimize pasture livestock breeding in the arid territory of the Stavropol Territory. Methods. A statistical analysis of the number of cattle and small cattle in the study area was carried out. The expeditionary study of natural herbages was carried out in 2021–2023 on accounting sites (100 m2) according to the requirements of methods generally accepted in phytocenology. The results of the study. Statistical analysis showed that by the beginning of 2000, the number of sheep in the territory under consideration had decreased by 2.6 times, and cattle by 1.6 times. In subsequent years, with the gradual recovery of the livestock industry from the crisis, a steady increase in the number of small and large cattle was noted in this zone to 1306.1 and 74.8 thousand heads, respectively. It was revealed that the vegetation of natural lands used in pasture farming in the arid zone of the Stavropol Territory is secondary, stunted and monotonous in terms of flora composition and plant associations. The capacity of the pasture lands does not correspond to the feed needs of the grazed livestock. At the moment, the shortage of pasture feed is 323.7 thousand tons of feed units. On such pasture lands, animals do not receive food in sufficient quantities. It is recommended to optimize pasture management by limiting the pasture load and bringing the number of grazed livestock in line with the feed capacity of pasture lands. This will help to provide the existing livestock with food that meets their regulatory needs. Scientific novelty. New data have been obtained on the current state of steppe communities in the arid territory of the Stavropol Territory and the correspondence of the number of grazed livestock to the pasture capacity.

Optimizing the Procedure for Manufacturing Clinical-grade Genetically Manipulated NK cells for Adoptive Immunotherapy

BackgroundEx vivo expanded natural killer (NK) cells hold significant potential as antitumor effector cells for adoptive immunotherapy. However, producing clinical-grade genetically modified NK cells in sufficient quantities presents a considerable challenge. MethodsWe tested RPMI 1640, KBM581, SCGM, NK MACS, X-VIVO 15, and AIM-V, each supplemented with fetal bovine serum (FBS), human AB serum, human platelet lysate (HPL), or Immune Cell Serum Replacement (SR) combined with feeder cells, to produce cytotoxic NK cells. Subsequent analyses were conducted to assess cell viability, expansion folds, cytotoxicity, immunophenotype, and transcriptome profile of NK cells under certain conditions. Furthermore, transfer plasmids varying in transgene size, promoter elements, backbones and packaging plasmids with different envelopes were used to transduce NK cells and differences in transduction efficiency were compared. Nucleofection was performed every two days from Day 0 to Day 12 to determine the optimal time window for gene editing. ResultsNK cells cultured in KBM581 medium supplemented with SR exhibited the best expansion, achieving over 5000-fold increase within two weeks and exceeding 25,000-fold expansion within three weeks. Additionally, NK cells cultured in KBM581 medium with human AB serum demonstrated the highest cytolytic activities and exhibited higher expression of NKp30, 2B4, PRF1, Granzyme B, and IL2RG. Baboon envelope (BaEV) pseudotyped lentivirus outperformed BaEV-Vesicular Stomatitis Virus type-G (VSVG) hybrid envelope lentivirus, achieving robust NK cell transduction. Additionally, efficient gene knockout efficiency was achieved in NK cells on day 4 to day 6 post feeder cell activation using LONZA DN-100 program, which can strike a balance between editing efficiency and cell expansion. ConclusionsThis research presents a Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)-compliant protocol utilizing a feeder cell expansion system for the large-scale production of highly cytotoxic Natural Killer (NK) cells. The protocol facilitates genetic modification of these cells, positioning them as promising candidates for universal therapeutic applications in immunotherapy.

Implementation of Random Forest with Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique and Particle Swarm Optimization for Predicting Survival of Heart Failure Patients

Abstract. Heart failure is caused by a disruption in the heart’s muscle wall, which results in the heart’s inability to pump blood in sufficient quantities to meet the body’s demand for blood. The increasing prevalence and mortality rates of heart failure can be reduced through early disease detection using data mining processes. Data mining is believed to aid in discovering and interpreting specific patterns in decision-making based on processed information. Data mining has also been applied in various fields, one of which is the healthcare sector. One of the data mining techniques used to predict a decision is the classification technique. Purpose: This research aims to apply SMOTE and PSO to the Random Forest classification algorithm in predicting the survival of heart failure patients and to determine its accuracy results. Methods/Study design/approach: To predict the survival of heart failure patients, we utilize the Random Forest classification algorithm and incorporate data imbalance handling with SMOTE and feature selection techniques with PSO on the Heart Failure Clinical Records Dataset. The data mining process consists of three distinct phases. Result/Findings: The application of SMOTE and PSO on the Heart Failure Clinical Records Dataset in the Random Forest classification process resulted in an accuracy rate of 93.9%. In contrast, the Random Forest classification process without SMOTE and PSO resulted in an accuracy rate of only 88.33%. This indicates that the proposed method combination can optimize the performance of the classification algorithm, achieving a higher accuracy compared to previous research. Novelty/Originality/Value: Data imbalance and irrelevant features in the Heart Failure Clinical Records Dataset significantly impact the classification process. Therefore, this research utilizes SMOTE as a data balancing method and PSO as a feature selection technique in the Heart Failure Clinical Records Dataset before the classification process of the Random Forest algorithm.

The multiple dimensions of resilience in agricultural trade networks

Abstract The global food and agricultural trade network is crucial for food security. Shocks such as those posed by extreme weather events, conflicts, pandemics, and economic crises can test the resilience of the trade network to the sudden interruption of trade flows. Depending on the level of connectivity in the trade network and its structure, such shocks have the potential to propagate through the entire network and can affect countries’ food availability and variety. The paper contributes to the literature on food and agricultural trade networks in two main ways: (1) understanding the global trade network as a complex system that can be affected by and responds to shocks, we define and operationalize its resilience as a multidimensional concept which is shaped by the interdependencies in the network and their structure; (2) applying techniques from network analysis to examine the evolution of three dimensions of resilience within the global food and agricultural trade network between 1995 and 2019. The main findings show that, between 1995 and 2007, trade connectivity among countries increased. Overall, this bolstered countries’ and the network's resilience to trade shocks. However, vulnerabilities persisted in terms of ensuring sufficient product variety and quantity. Adding to these vulnerabilities, trade integration stalled in the second half of the series, pointing to a slight tendency towards trade disintegration and potentially lower resilience of countries to trade shocks already in 2019.

E-WebGuard: Enhanced neural architectures for precision web attack detection

Web applications have become a favored tool for organizations to disseminate vast amounts of information to the public. With the increasing adoption and inherent openness of these applications, there is an observed surge in web-based attacks exploited by adversaries. However, most of the web attack detection works are based on public datasets that are outdated or do not cover a sufficient quantity of web application attacks. Furthermore, most of them are binary detection (i.e., normal or attack) and there is little work on multi-class web attack detection. This highlights the crucial need for automated web attack detection models to bolster web security. In this study, a suite of integrated machine learning and deep learning models is designed to detect web attacks. Specifically, this study employs the Character-level Support Vector Machine (Char-SVM), Character-level Long Short-Term Memory (Char-LSTM), Convolutional Neural Network - SVM (CNN-SVM), and CNN-Bi-LSTM models to differentiate between standard HTTP requests and HTTP-based attacks in both the CSIC 2010 and SR-BH 2020 datasets. Note that the CSIC 2010 dataset involves binary classification, while the SR-BH 2020 dataset involves multi-class classification, specifically with 13 classes. Notably, the input data is first converted to the character level before being fed into any of the proposed model architectures. In the binary classification task, the Char-SVM model with a linear kernel outperforms other models, achieving an accuracy rate of 99.60%. The CNN-Bi-LSTM model closely follows with a 99.41% accuracy, surpassing the performance of the CNN-LSTM model presented in previous research. In the context of multi-class classification, the CNN-Bi-LSTM model demonstrates outstanding performance with a 99.63% accuracy rate. Furthermore, the multi-class classification models, namely Char-LSTM and CNN-Bi-LSTM, achieve validation accuracies above 98%, outperforming the two machine learning-based methods mentioned in the original research.