47,515 results on '"Siddique, A."'
Search Results
202. Repurposing of Strychnine as the Potential Inhibitors of Aldo–keto Reductase Family 1 Members B1 and B10: Computational Modeling and Pharmacokinetic Analysis
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Sarfraz, Muhammad, Aziz, Mubashir, Afzal, Saira, Channar, Pervaiz Ali, Alsfouk, Bshra A., Kandhro, Ghulam Abbas, Hassan, Sidra, Sultan, Ahlam, Hamad, Asad, Arafat, Mosab, Qaiser, Muhammad Naeem, Ahmed, Aftab, Siddique, Farhan, and Ejaz, Syeda Abida
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- 2024
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203. Geochemical Investigation of OCPs in the Rivers Along with Drains and Groundwater Sources of Eastern Punjab, Pakistan
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Ali, Asmat, Ullah, Zahid, Siddique, Maria, Ghani, Junaid, Rashid, Abdur, Khalid, Warda, Khan, Muhammad Inayat Ullah, and Ashraf, Waqas
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- 2024
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204. Cross-Language Speech Emotion Recognition Using Multimodal Dual Attention Transformers
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Zaidi, Syed Aun Muhammad, Latif, Siddique, and Qadir, Junaid
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Computer Science - Computation and Language ,Computer Science - Sound ,Electrical Engineering and Systems Science - Audio and Speech Processing - Abstract
Despite the recent progress in speech emotion recognition (SER), state-of-the-art systems are unable to achieve improved performance in cross-language settings. In this paper, we propose a Multimodal Dual Attention Transformer (MDAT) model to improve cross-language SER. Our model utilises pre-trained models for multimodal feature extraction and is equipped with a dual attention mechanism including graph attention and co-attention to capture complex dependencies across different modalities and achieve improved cross-language SER results using minimal target language data. In addition, our model also exploits a transformer encoder layer for high-level feature representation to improve emotion classification accuracy. In this way, MDAT performs refinement of feature representation at various stages and provides emotional salient features to the classification layer. This novel approach also ensures the preservation of modality-specific emotional information while enhancing cross-modality and cross-language interactions. We assess our model's performance on four publicly available SER datasets and establish its superior effectiveness compared to recent approaches and baseline models., Comment: Under Review IEEE TAC
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- 2023
205. Fairness in Preference-based Reinforcement Learning
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Siddique, Umer, Sinha, Abhinav, and Cao, Yongcan
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Computer Science - Machine Learning ,Computer Science - Artificial Intelligence ,Computer Science - Computers and Society ,Electrical Engineering and Systems Science - Systems and Control - Abstract
In this paper, we address the issue of fairness in preference-based reinforcement learning (PbRL) in the presence of multiple objectives. The main objective is to design control policies that can optimize multiple objectives while treating each objective fairly. Toward this objective, we design a new fairness-induced preference-based reinforcement learning or FPbRL. The main idea of FPbRL is to learn vector reward functions associated with multiple objectives via new welfare-based preferences rather than reward-based preference in PbRL, coupled with policy learning via maximizing a generalized Gini welfare function. Finally, we provide experiment studies on three different environments to show that the proposed FPbRL approach can achieve both efficiency and equity for learning effective and fair policies., Comment: Accepted to The Many Facets of Preference Learning Workshop at the International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML)
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- 2023
206. LegoNet: Alternating Model Blocks for Medical Image Segmentation
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Sobirov, Ikboljon, Xie, Cheng, Siddique, Muhammad, Patel, Parijat, Chan, Kenneth, Halborg, Thomas, Kotanidis, Christos, Fatima, Zarqiash, West, Henry, Channon, Keith, Neubauer, Stefan, Antoniades, Charalambos, and Yaqub, Mohammad
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Electrical Engineering and Systems Science - Image and Video Processing ,Computer Science - Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition - Abstract
Since the emergence of convolutional neural networks (CNNs), and later vision transformers (ViTs), the common paradigm for model development has always been using a set of identical block types with varying parameters/hyper-parameters. To leverage the benefits of different architectural designs (e.g. CNNs and ViTs), we propose to alternate structurally different types of blocks to generate a new architecture, mimicking how Lego blocks can be assembled together. Using two CNN-based and one SwinViT-based blocks, we investigate three variations to the so-called LegoNet that applies the new concept of block alternation for the segmentation task in medical imaging. We also study a new clinical problem which has not been investigated before, namely the right internal mammary artery (RIMA) and perivascular space segmentation from computed tomography angiography (CTA) which has demonstrated a prognostic value to major cardiovascular outcomes. We compare the model performance against popular CNN and ViT architectures using two large datasets (e.g. achieving 0.749 dice similarity coefficient (DSC) on the larger dataset). We evaluate the performance of the model on three external testing cohorts as well, where an expert clinician made corrections to the model segmented results (DSC>0.90 for the three cohorts). To assess our proposed model for suitability in clinical use, we perform intra- and inter-observer variability analysis. Finally, we investigate a joint self-supervised learning approach to assess its impact on model performance. The code and the pretrained model weights will be available upon acceptance., Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures, 4 tables
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- 2023
207. A Preliminary Study on Augmenting Speech Emotion Recognition using a Diffusion Model
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Malik, Ibrahim, Latif, Siddique, Jurdak, Raja, and Schuller, Björn
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Computer Science - Sound ,Electrical Engineering and Systems Science - Audio and Speech Processing - Abstract
In this paper, we propose to utilise diffusion models for data augmentation in speech emotion recognition (SER). In particular, we present an effective approach to utilise improved denoising diffusion probabilistic models (IDDPM) to generate synthetic emotional data. We condition the IDDPM with the textual embedding from bidirectional encoder representations from transformers (BERT) to generate high-quality synthetic emotional samples in different speakers' voices\footnote{synthetic samples URL: \url{https://emulationai.com/research/diffusion-ser.}}. We implement a series of experiments and show that better quality synthetic data helps improve SER performance. We compare results with generative adversarial networks (GANs) and show that the proposed model generates better-quality synthetic samples that can considerably improve the performance of SER when augmented with synthetic data., Comment: Accepted Interspeech 2023
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- 2023
208. BSGAN: A Novel Oversampling Technique for Imbalanced Pattern Recognitions
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Ahsan, Md Manjurul, Raman, Shivakumar, and Siddique, Zahed
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Computer Science - Machine Learning - Abstract
Class imbalanced problems (CIP) are one of the potential challenges in developing unbiased Machine Learning (ML) models for predictions. CIP occurs when data samples are not equally distributed between the two or multiple classes. Borderline-Synthetic Minority Oversampling Techniques (SMOTE) is one of the approaches that has been used to balance the imbalance data by oversampling the minor (limited) samples. One of the potential drawbacks of existing Borderline-SMOTE is that it focuses on the data samples that lay at the border point and gives more attention to the extreme observations, ultimately limiting the creation of more diverse data after oversampling, and that is the almost scenario for the most of the borderline-SMOTE based oversampling strategies. As an effect, marginalization occurs after oversampling. To address these issues, in this work, we propose a hybrid oversampling technique by combining the power of borderline SMOTE and Generative Adversarial Network to generate more diverse data that follow Gaussian distributions. We named it BSGAN and tested it on four highly imbalanced datasets: Ecoli, Wine quality, Yeast, and Abalone. Our preliminary computational results reveal that BSGAN outperformed existing borderline SMOTE and GAN-based oversampling techniques and created a more diverse dataset that follows normal distribution after oversampling effect.
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- 2023
209. Emotions Beyond Words: Non-Speech Audio Emotion Recognition With Edge Computing
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Malik, Ibrahim, Latif, Siddique, Manzoor, Sanaullah, Usama, Muhammad, Qadir, Junaid, and Jurdak, Raja
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Computer Science - Sound ,Electrical Engineering and Systems Science - Audio and Speech Processing - Abstract
Non-speech emotion recognition has a wide range of applications including healthcare, crime control and rescue, and entertainment, to name a few. Providing these applications using edge computing has great potential, however, recent studies are focused on speech-emotion recognition using complex architectures. In this paper, a non-speech-based emotion recognition system is proposed, which can rely on edge computing to analyse emotions conveyed through non-speech expressions like screaming and crying. In particular, we explore knowledge distillation to design a computationally efficient system that can be deployed on edge devices with limited resources without degrading the performance significantly. We comprehensively evaluate our proposed framework using two publicly available datasets and highlight its effectiveness by comparing the results with the well-known MobileNet model. Our results demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of using edge computing for non-speech emotion detection, which can potentially improve applications that rely on emotion detection in communication networks. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work on an edge-computing-based framework for detecting emotions in non-speech audio, offering promising directions for future research., Comment: Under review
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- 2023
210. Lightweight Toxicity Detection in Spoken Language: A Transformer-based Approach for Edge Devices
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Nada, Ahlam Husni Abu, Latif, Siddique, and Qadir, Junaid
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Computer Science - Sound ,Electrical Engineering and Systems Science - Audio and Speech Processing - Abstract
Toxicity is a prevalent social behavior that involves the use of hate speech, offensive language, bullying, and abusive speech. While text-based approaches for toxicity detection are common, there is limited research on processing speech signals in the physical world. Detecting toxicity in the physical world is challenging due to the difficulty of integrating AI-capable computers into the environment. We propose a lightweight transformer model based on wav2vec2.0 and optimize it using techniques such as quantization and knowledge distillation. Our model uses multitask learning and achieves an average macro F1-score of 90.3\% and a weighted accuracy of 88\%, outperforming state-of-the-art methods on DeToxy-B and a public dataset. Our results show that quantization reduces the model size by almost 4 times and RAM usage by 3.3\%, with only a 1\% F1 score decrease. Knowledge distillation reduces the model size by 3.7 times, RAM usage by 1.9, and inference time by 2 times, but decreases accuracy by 8\%. Combining both techniques reduces the model size by 14.6 times and RAM usage by around 4.3 times, with a two-fold inference time improvement. Our compact model is the first end-to-end speech-based toxicity detection model based on a lightweight transformer model suitable for deployment in physical spaces. The results show its feasibility for toxicity detection on edge devices in real-world environments., Comment: Under Rewiew
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- 2023
211. Invariant Scattering Transform for Medical Imaging
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Ahsan, Md Manjurul, Raman, Shivakumar, and Siddique, Zahed
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Electrical Engineering and Systems Science - Image and Video Processing ,Computer Science - Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition - Abstract
Over the years, the Invariant Scattering Transform (IST) technique has become popular for medical image analysis, including using wavelet transform computation using Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) to capture patterns' scale and orientation in the input signal. IST aims to be invariant to transformations that are common in medical images, such as translation, rotation, scaling, and deformation, used to improve the performance in medical imaging applications such as segmentation, classification, and registration, which can be integrated into machine learning algorithms for disease detection, diagnosis, and treatment planning. Additionally, combining IST with deep learning approaches has the potential to leverage their strengths and enhance medical image analysis outcomes. This study provides an overview of IST in medical imaging by considering the types of IST, their application, limitations, and potential scopes for future researchers and practitioners., Comment: Accepted for Springer book chapter for a book "Data-driven approaches to Medical Imaging"
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- 2023
212. MESAHA-Net: Multi-Encoders based Self-Adaptive Hard Attention Network with Maximum Intensity Projections for Lung Nodule Segmentation in CT Scan
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Usman, Muhammad, Rehman, Azka, Shahid, Abdullah, Latif, Siddique, Byon, Shi Sub, Kim, Sung Hyun, Khan, Tariq Mahmood, and Shin, Yeong Gil
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Electrical Engineering and Systems Science - Image and Video Processing ,Computer Science - Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition ,Computer Science - Machine Learning - Abstract
Accurate lung nodule segmentation is crucial for early-stage lung cancer diagnosis, as it can substantially enhance patient survival rates. Computed tomography (CT) images are widely employed for early diagnosis in lung nodule analysis. However, the heterogeneity of lung nodules, size diversity, and the complexity of the surrounding environment pose challenges for developing robust nodule segmentation methods. In this study, we propose an efficient end-to-end framework, the multi-encoder-based self-adaptive hard attention network (MESAHA-Net), for precise lung nodule segmentation in CT scans. MESAHA-Net comprises three encoding paths, an attention block, and a decoder block, facilitating the integration of three types of inputs: CT slice patches, forward and backward maximum intensity projection (MIP) images, and region of interest (ROI) masks encompassing the nodule. By employing a novel adaptive hard attention mechanism, MESAHA-Net iteratively performs slice-by-slice 2D segmentation of lung nodules, focusing on the nodule region in each slice to generate 3D volumetric segmentation of lung nodules. The proposed framework has been comprehensively evaluated on the LIDC-IDRI dataset, the largest publicly available dataset for lung nodule segmentation. The results demonstrate that our approach is highly robust for various lung nodule types, outperforming previous state-of-the-art techniques in terms of segmentation accuracy and computational complexity, rendering it suitable for real-time clinical implementation.
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- 2023
213. Upgradation of highly efficient and profitable eco-friendly nanofluid-based vegetable oil prepared by green synthesis method for the insulation and cooling of transformer
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Siddique, Abubakar, Tanzeela, Aslam, Waseem, and Siddique, Shameem
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- 2024
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214. Anukta Vyadhi Nidana through the Principles of Charaka’s Nidana Sthana
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Konica Gera, Nellufar Siddique, and Baldev Kumar
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diagnosis ,disease ,nidana ,pathophysiology ,Other systems of medicine ,RZ201-999 - Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Goal 3 (SDG) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by India in 2015, seeks to “Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages” by 2030 and covers 13 broad target areas. Diagnosis is a major milestone in disease identification and, hence, planning of management. Charaka Samhita, which is the major treatise of Ayurveda explains the disease diagnostic principles through eight chapters of Nidana Sthana. Another irony is the Ayurveda texts, documented thousands of years ago, offers cures to the diseases of all the times, many of which were not even prevalent at the time of the documentation of the Samhita and hence are not mentioned in the same. The present paper aims to highlight the competence of the Nidana Sthana of Charaka Samhita in diagnosing diseases that are not listed directly in the same. Data Source: Charaka Samhita, along with its available commentaries and related research works. Review Methods: The Charaka Samhita and its available commentaries were thoroughly explored and critically analyzed to understand the rationale behind the Ashta-Adhyaya of Nidana Sthana and their relevance in decoding the pathogenesis of the unstated diseases through the stated. Contemporary research works in the context were explored and analyzed to elicit evidence. Results and Conclusion: The documentation of scientific writing should be pertinent and comprehensive. Charaka Samhita is documented scientifically, where the relevant data are quoted at specific instances, assuring no repetition, undue elaboration, or abridgment. The Nidana Sthana comprising the eight chapters lays the foundation for diagnosing diseases of diverse pathogenesis due to the dominance of three doshas, which can be applied to understand the unstated conditions based on Yukti.
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- 2024
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215. Primary care perspectives on leptin and adiponectin in north Indian families with metabolic syndrome
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Arjun Kumar Singhal, Gaurav Singh, Shravan Kumar Singh, Busi Karunanand, Merajul Haque Siddique, and Naveen Kumar
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adipoleptin ,leptin ,metabolic syndrome ,Medicine - Abstract
Background: Urbanization, sedentary lifestyles, and dietary changes have all contributed to an increase in the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Indian populations during the past 10 years. Numerous markers have been investigated to determine if a person is at risk for developing MetS, with the bulk of them having to do with adipose tissue. Recently, adiponectin and leptin, two biomarkers with a high correlation to cardiometabolic health or disease, are of particular interest. Methods: In the general population of India, 100 persons were included. Body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, plasma lipids, adiponectin, leptin, insulin, and the homeostasis model were measured to assess insulin resistance. We used binary logistic regression analysis to determine the connection between the researched factors and MetS and Spearman’s analyses to evaluate correlations. Results: In all, 200 participants (100 men and 100 women) were enrolled in the study. Men’s and women’s median ages were 53 and 48, respectively (P < 0.05). Men had significantly greater WHR, SBP, and DBP (P < 0.05, respectively). Women had significantly higher levels of triglycerides, LDL, insulin, adiponectin, leptin, and HOMA-IR (P < 0.05, respectively). Leptin-to-adiponectin ratio was significantly and positively correlated with BMI (r = 0.597, P < 0.001), waist circumference (r = 0.576, P < 0.001), triglycerides (r = 0.190, P = 0.001), insulin levels (r = 0.329, P < 0.000), and HOMA-IR (r = 0.301, P < 0.000). Conclusion: In this study, higher levels of LAR, together with higher levels of leptin and lower levels of adiponectin, were found to be significantly linked with MetS. To properly determine whether LAR can be a predictor of MetS, independent of confounding factors, research with adequate design must be conducted.
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- 2024
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216. Piperine’s potential in treating polycystic ovarian syndrome explored through in-silico docking
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Rahul Francis, Ramanathan Kalyanaraman, Vasuki Boominathan, Sudharsan Parthasarathy, Ashajyothi Chavaan, Irfan Aamer Ansari, Siddique Akber Ansari, Hamad M Alkahtani, Janani Chandran, and Siva Vijayakumar Tharumasivam
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PCOS ,Piperine ,In-silico ,Docking studies ,H6PD ,PPARG ,Medicine ,Science - Abstract
Abstract Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a multifaceted metabolic and hormonal condition that impacts women in their procreative ages, identified by ovarian dysfunction, hyperandrogenaemia overweight and insulin insensitivity. The piperine, an important alkaloid compound of black pepper has shown promise in modulating various physiological processes. In this work, employed computational docking studies to explore the potential of piperine as a treatment for PCOS. Utilizing computational methods, we analyzed the binding interactions between piperine and key molecular targets implicated in PCOS pathogenesis, including hyperandrogenism, and “oligomenorrhea. The network pharmacology analysis report found 988 PCOS-related genes, 108 hyperandrogenism-related genes, and 377 oligomenorrhea-related genes, and we finally shortlisted 5 common genes in PCOS, hyperandrogenism, and “oligomenorrhea”: NR3C1, PPARG, FOS, CYP17A1, and H6PD. Our results reveal favorable binding affinities with PPARG (-8.34 Kcal/mol) and H6PD (-8.70 Kcal/mol) and interaction patterns, suggesting the potential of piperine to modulate these targets. Moreover, the reliability of the piperine-target interactions was revealed by molecular simulations studies. These findings support further experimental investigations to validate the therapeutic efficacy of piperine in PCOS management. The integration of computational approaches with experimental studies has the potential to lay the groundwork for the creation of new therapies specifically targeting PCOS and related endocrine disorders.
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- 2024
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217. The Influence of Devulcanization and Revulcanization on Sulfur Cross-Link Type/Rank: Recycling of Ground Tire Rubber
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James Robert Innes, Nehnah Siddique, Glen Thompson, Xiaolei Wang, Phil Coates, Ben Whiteside, Hadj Benkreira, Fin Caton-Rose, Canhui Lu, Qi Wang, and Adrian Kelly
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Chemistry ,QD1-999 - Published
- 2024
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218. Cinnamon and Eucalyptus Extracts: A Promising Natural Approach for Durable Mosquito-Repellent Fabrics with Multifunctionality
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Amna Siddique, Jawad Naeem, Kiang Long Ang, Sharjeel Abid, Zhiwei Xu, Muhammad Tauseef Khawar, Sidra Saleemi, Muhammad Abdullah, and Adeel
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Chemistry ,QD1-999 - Published
- 2024
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219. Trace elements accumulation in vegetables and soils of waste dumping sites in southwestern Bangladesh and implication on human health
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Md. Shafin Ahammed, Sonia Nasrin, Md. Abu Bakar Siddique, and Milton Halder
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Solid wastes ,Landfilling ,Trace metal(loids) ,Pollution indices ,Bioaccumulation ,Human exposures ,Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering ,TD1-1066 ,Standardization. Simplification. Waste ,HD62 - Abstract
The untreated municipal solid wastes (MSWs) dumping and improper management causes major concerns of environmental degradation and human health risks. In this study, we collected soil and vegetable from the MSWs dumpsites of Khulna City Corporation (KCC) in southwestern Bangladesh. Trace metals (Pb, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Zn, Fe, Mn) were measured to explore the health risk of cultivated vegetables from dumpsites. Soil contamination was evaluated by geoaccumulation index (Igeo), enrichment factor (EF), contamination factor (CF), and pollution load index (PLI), while health risk was evaluated by transfer factor (TF), estimated daily intake (EDI), target hazard quotient (THQ). Results exhibited that the average trace metals in soil and vegetables followed in the order of Fe > Pb > Mn > Zn > Cu > Cr > Ni > Cd > Co. The Igeo, EF, CF, and PLI values revealed that the soil contamination was dominated by Pd, Cd, Mn, and Zn. The EDI of metals in vegetables were exceed the maximum daily intake only for Fe, Pb, and Cr. The total THQ was > 1, implying potential health hazards for the local people due to the long-term consumption of the cultivated vegetables. The multivariate analysis reveled that the sources of trace metals in the soils and vegetables of dumpsites were natural and anthropogenic. Overall, the findings suggest that growing vegetables in dumpsite is unsafe for long-term consumption by local inhabitants. Immediate action should be taken to protect the environment and human health from trace metal hazards.
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- 2024
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220. Improving sensitivity in the deep regions of a volume conductor using electrical focused impedance methods
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Mobarak Mahjabin and Rabbani K Siddique-e
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electrical impedance ,tetrapolar impedance method (tpim) ,focused impedance method (fim) ,transfer impedance ,deep probing of thorax ,Medicine (General) ,R5-920 - Abstract
Bioimpedance measurements are becoming important in probing the human body for diagnosis and monitoring. An age old 4-electrode technique called tetrapolar impedance measurement (TPIM), giving transfer impedance, cannot localize a specific zone besides having large zones of negative sensitivity. A new technique named the focused impedance method (FIM) from Dhaka University (DU), Bangladesh used the algebraic average of two concentric and orthogonal TPIMs, localizing a zone of interest and having reduced magnitudes of negative sensitivity. Earlier, this was implemented with electrodes applied from one side of the human body giving information to shallow depths only. To get information from deeper regions, specifically, of the thorax, the same DU group placed two electrodes of a 4-electrode version of FIM at the front and two at the back in a horizontal plane of the thorax, using physics-based visualization. This was followed by a few quantitative studies using point sensitivity, which supported the concept. However, more quantitative studies still need to be performed, particularly using objects of finite sizes, in order to establish the technique on a stronger footing. The present study was taken up with this objective. A simplified approach was used in which the volume conductor was a rectangular non-conducting container filled with saline of uniform conductivity with an embedded spherical object – first an insulator and then a conductor. Electrodes were placed at specific chosen positions following the above visualization. Percentage change in transfer impedance with the object placed at different internal positions, compared to that without the object was obtained first using COMSOL simulation and then through experimental measurements. These were performed for both TPIM and FIM. The new configuration of 4-electrode FIM gave good depth sensitivity supporting the effectiveness of the new placement of electrodes.
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- 2024
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221. Covariate-constrained randomization in cluster randomized 2 × 2 factorial trials: application to a diabetes prevention study
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Juned Siddique, Zhehui Li, and Matthew J. O’Brien
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CRT ,Balance ,Confounding ,Medicine (General) ,R5-920 - Abstract
Abstract Background Cluster randomized trials (CRTs) are randomized trials where randomization takes place at an administrative level (e.g., hospitals, clinics, or schools) rather than at the individual level. When the number of available clusters is small, researchers may not be able to rely on simple randomization to achieve balance on cluster-level covariates across treatment conditions. If these cluster-level covariates are predictive of the outcome, covariate imbalance may distort treatment effects, threaten internal validity, lead to a loss of power, and increase the variability of treatment effects. Covariate-constrained randomization (CR) is a randomization strategy designed to reduce the risk of imbalance in cluster-level covariates when performing a CRT. Existing methods for CR have been developed and evaluated for two- and multi-arm CRTs but not for factorial CRTs. Methods Motivated by the BEGIN study—a CRT for weight loss among patients with pre-diabetes—we develop methods for performing CR in 2 × 2 factorial cluster randomized trials with a continuous outcome and continuous cluster-level covariates. We apply our methods to the BEGIN study and use simulation to assess the performance of CR versus simple randomization for estimating treatment effects by varying the number of clusters, the degree to which clusters are associated with the outcome, the distribution of cluster level covariates, the size of the constrained randomization space, and analysis strategies. Results Compared to simple randomization of clusters, CR in the factorial setting is effective at achieving balance across cluster-level covariates between treatment conditions and provides more precise inferences. When cluster-level covariates are included in the analyses model, CR also results in greater power to detect treatment effects, but power is low compared to unadjusted analyses when the number of clusters is small. Conclusions CR should be used instead of simple randomization when performing factorial CRTs to avoid highly imbalanced designs and to obtain more precise inferences. Except when there are a small number of clusters, cluster-level covariates should be included in the analysis model to increase power and maintain coverage and type 1 error rates at their nominal levels.
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- 2024
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222. Pipeline Leak Detection System for a Smart City: Leveraging Acoustic Emission Sensing and Sequential Deep Learning
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Niamat Ullah, Muhammad Farooq Siddique, Saif Ullah, Zahoor Ahmad, and Jong-Myon Kim
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pipeline leakage ,deep learning ,long short-term memory (LSTM) ,acoustic emission ,Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General) ,TA1-2040 - Abstract
This study explores a novel approach utilizing acoustic emission (AE) signaling technology for pipeline leakage detection and analysis. Pipeline leaks are a significant concern in the liquids and gases industries, prompting the development of innovative detection methods. Unlike conventional methods, which often require contact and visual inspection with the pipeline surface, the proposed time-series-based deep learning approach offers real-time detection with higher safety and efficiency. In this study, we propose an automatic detection system of pipeline leakage for efficient transportation of liquid (water) and gas across the city, considering the smart city approach. We propose an AE-based framework combined with time-series deep learning algorithms to detect pipeline leaks through time-series features. The time-series AE signal detection module is designed to capture subtle changes in the AE signal state caused by leaks. Sequential deep learning models, including long short-term memory (LSTM), bi-directional LSTM (Bi-LSTM), and gated recurrent units (GRUs), are used to classify the AE response into normal and leakage detection from minor seepage, moderate leakage, and major ruptures in the pipeline. Three AE sensors are installed at different configurations on a pipeline, and data are acquired at 1 MHz sample/sec, which is decimated to 4K sample/second for efficiently utilizing the memory constraints of a remote system. The performance of these models is evaluated using metrics, namely accuracy, precision, recall, F1 score, and convergence, demonstrating classification accuracies of up to 99.78%. An accuracy comparison shows that BiLSTM performed better mostly with all hyperparameter settings. This research contributes to the advancement of pipeline leakage detection technology, offering improved accuracy and reliability in identifying and addressing pipeline integrity issues.
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- 2024
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223. Optimizing wastewater treatment through artificial intelligence: recent advances and future prospects
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Mudita Nagpal, Miran Ahmad Siddique, Khushi Sharma, Nidhi Sharma, and Ankit Mittal
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artificial intelligence ,fault detection ,parameter monitoring ,pollutant removal ,wastewater treatment ,Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering ,TD1-1066 - Abstract
Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being applied to wastewater treatment to enhance efficiency, improve processes, and optimize resource utilization. This review focuses on objectives, advantages, outputs, and major findings of various AI models in the three key aspects: the prediction of removal efficiency for both organic and inorganic pollutants, real-time monitoring of essential water quality parameters (such as pH, COD, BOD, turbidity, TDS, and conductivity), and fault detection in the processes and equipment integral to wastewater treatment. The prediction accuracy (R2 value) of AI technologies for pollutant removal has been reported to vary between 0.64 and 1.00. A critical aspect explored in this review is the cost-effectiveness of implementing AI systems in wastewater treatment. Numerous countries and municipalities are actively engaging in pilot projects and demonstrations to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of AI applications in wastewater treatment. Notably, the review highlights successful outcomes from these initiatives across diverse geographical contexts, showcasing the adaptability and positive impact of AI in revolutionizing wastewater treatment on a global scale. Further, insights on the ethical considerations and potential future directions for the use of AI in wastewater treatment plants have also been provided. HIGHLIGHTS Artificial intelligence (AI) has immense potential to optimize the wastewater treatment processes.; Prediction, real-time monitoring, and fault detection using AI have been reviewed.; Cost-effectiveness of implementing AI in wastewater treatment has been discussed.; Adaptability and impact of AI in wastewater treatment globally has been highlighted.;
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- 2024
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224. Understanding the socio-demographic and programmatic factors associated with adolescent motherhood and its association with child undernutrition in Bangladesh
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Md. Alamgir Hossain, Novel Chandra Das, Md. Tariqujjaman, Abu Bakkar Siddique, Rubaiya Matin Chandrima, Md. Fakhar Uddin, S. M Hasibul Islam, Abu Sayeed, Anisuddin Ahmed, Shams El Arifeen, Hassan Rushekh Mahmood, Ahmed Ehsanur Rahman, and Aniqa Tasnim Hossain
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Adolescent mothers ,Adolescent motherhood ,First childbirth ,Child undernutrition ,Programmatic gaps ,Bangladesh ,Public aspects of medicine ,RA1-1270 - Abstract
Abstract Background Worldwide, a significant number of girls become mothers during adolescence. In Bangladesh, adolescent childbirth is highly prevalent and has adverse effects on children’s health and undernutrition. We aimed to identify the relationship between the undernutrition of children and adolescent motherhood, the factors associated with adolescent mothers’ age at first birth, and to examine the programmatic factors and gaps influencing children’s undernutrition in Bangladesh. Methods We analysed the ‘Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey’ BDHS-17-18 data and desk review. To examine the factors associated with adolescent motherhood and its impact on child undernutrition, data from 7,643 mother-child pairs were selected. Child stunting, wasting, and underweight were measured according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) median growth guidelines based on z-scores − 2. Univariate, bivariate, simple, and multiple logistic regressions were used for analyse. We followed the systematic procedures for the literature review. Results Approximately, 89% of adolescents aged ≤ 19 years were married and 71% of them gave their first childbirth. Children of adolescent mothers (≤ 19 years) were significantly 1.68 times more wasted (aOR: 1.68; 95% CI: 1.08 to 2.64), 1.37 times more underweight (aOR: 1.37; 95% CI: 1.01 to 1.86) and either form 1.32 times more stunting, wasting or underweight (aOR:1.32; 95% Cl: 1.05 to 1.66) compared to the children of adult mothers (> 19 years) after adjusting potential confounders. The factors associated with mothers’ first childbirth during adolescence were the age gap between husband and wife 5–10 years (aOR: 1.81; 95% Cl: 1.57–2.10) and age gap > 10 years (aOR: 2.41; 95% Cl: 1.96–2.97) compared with the age group
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- 2024
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225. Soft computing models for prediction of bentonite plastic concrete strength
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Waleed Bin Inqiad, Muhammad Faisal Javed, Kennedy Onyelowe, Muhammad Shahid Siddique, Usama Asif, Loai Alkhattabi, and Fahid Aslam
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Plastic concrete ,Genetic programming ,Bentonite ,Compressive strength ,AdaBoost ,Shapley additive explanation ,Medicine ,Science - Abstract
Abstract Bentonite plastic concrete (BPC) is extensively used in the construction of water-tight structures like cut-off walls in dams, etc., because it offers high plasticity, improved workability, and homogeneity. Also, bentonite is added to concrete mixes for the adsorption of toxic metals. The modified design of BPC, as compared to normal concrete, requires a reliable tool to predict its strength. Thus, this study presents a novel attempt at the application of two innovative evolutionary techniques known as multi-expression programming (MEP) and gene expression programming (GEP) and a boosting-based algorithm known as AdaBoost to predict the 28-day compressive strength ( ) of BPC based on its mixture composition. The MEP and GEP algorithms expressed their outputs in the form of an empirical equation, while AdaBoost failed to do so. The algorithms were trained using a dataset of 246 points gathered from published literature having six important input factors for predicting. The developed models were subject to error evaluation, and the results revealed that all algorithms satisfied the suggested criteria and had a correlation coefficient (R) greater than 0.9 for both the training and testing phases. However, AdaBoost surpassed both MEP and GEP in terms of accuracy and demonstrated a lower testing RMSE of 1.66 compared to 2.02 for MEP and 2.38 for GEP. Similarly, the objective function value for AdaBoost was 0.10 compared to 0.176 for GEP and 0.16 for MEP, which indicated the overall good performance of AdaBoost compared to the two evolutionary techniques. Also, Shapley additive analysis was done on the AdaBoost model to gain further insights into the prediction process, which revealed that cement, coarse aggregate, and fine aggregate are the most important factors in predicting the strength of BPC. Moreover, an interactive graphical user interface (GUI) has been developed to be practically utilized in the civil engineering industry for prediction of BPC strength.
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- 2024
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226. Corrigendum To: 'Washing characterization of compression socks'
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Siddique Hafiz Faisal, Mazari Adnan Ahmed, Havelka Antonin, Kus Zdenek, and Akcagun Engin
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Textile bleaching, dyeing, printing, etc. ,TP890-933 - Published
- 2024
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227. The punitive gap: NRC, due process and denationalisation politics in India’s Assam
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Nazimuddin Siddique and Sujata Ramachandran
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Assam ,Citizenship determination ,Citizenship rights ,Citizenship stripping ,Denationalisation ,Due process ,Social Sciences ,Communities. Classes. Races ,HT51-1595 ,Urban groups. The city. Urban sociology ,HT101-395 ,City population. Including children in cities, immigration ,HT201-221 - Abstract
Abstract The creation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam is indicative of the sharpening tensions surrounding citizenship, belonging and integration in India. Officially aimed at demarcating the “legitimate citizens”, its implementation is believed to have resulted in the partial exclusion of the so-called “Doubtful Voters” and denationalisation of the “illegitimate residents”. These frictions associated with citizenship identity and rights are nowhere as acute as in the northeastern Indian state of Assam, where measures of retroactive revocation, administrative erasure and withdrawal of citizenship rights have been systematically deployed against religious and linguistic minorities. Using new research with some NRC rejected applicants in western Assam and other materials, this article identifies the central aspects of the implementation gap in the crucial, albeit problematic task of locating the rightful “Assamese-Indian” citizens. Linking our work to the idea of the ‘process is the punishment’, we conceptualise these conspicuous inconsistencies in the NRC citizenship determination processes and their results as the “punitive gap”. We have identified the distinctive contours of this gap in terms of the massive economic costs, intensification of social (including gender and religion-based) inequalities, increased control through social suspicion and unpredictable outcomes for the marginal Miya Muslim community. The article highlights how this punitive gap has constantly eroded key components of due process, of procedural and substantive protections of the rights of individuals, during the NRC determination exercise and after the release of the final draft list.
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- 2024
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228. Spatial patterns and environmental functions of dissolved organic matter in grassland soils of China
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Peng Zhou, Long Tian, Nigel Graham, Shian Song, Renzun Zhao, Muhammad Saboor Siddique, Ying Hu, Xianyong Cao, Yonglong Lu, Menachem Elimelech, and Wenzheng Yu
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Science - Abstract
Abstract Soil dissolved organic matter (DOM) is crucial to atmospheric, terrestrial and aquatic environments as well as human life. Here, by characterizing DOM from 89 grassland soils throughout China, we reveal the spatial association between DOM geochemistry in the dry season vs annual ecosystem exchange and cancer cases. The humic-like and high molecular weight (3.4–25 kDa) fractions with lower biodegradability, decline from the northern to the southern regions of China, and are correlated with lower soil respiration and net ecosystem productivity at the continental scale. The
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- 2024
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229. Predicting 28-day compressive strength of fibre-reinforced self-compacting concrete (FR-SCC) using MEP and GEP
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Waleed Bin Inqiad, Muhammad Shahid Siddique, Mujahid Ali, and Taoufik Najeh
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Self-compacting concrete ,Genetic Programming ,Fiber-reinforced self-compacting concrete ,Multi expression programming ,Gene expression programming ,Medicine ,Science - Abstract
Abstract The utilization of Self-compacting Concrete (SCC) has escalated worldwide due to its superior properties in comparison to normal concrete such as compaction without vibration, increased flowability and segregation resistance. Various other desirable properties like ductile behaviour, increased strain capacity and tensile strength etc. can be imparted to SCC by incorporation of fibres. Thus, this study presents a novel approach to predict 28-day compressive strength (C–S) of FR-SCC using Gene Expression Programming (GEP) and Multi Expression Programming (MEP) for fostering its widespread use in the industry. For this purpose, a dataset had been compiled from internationally published literature having six input parameters including water-to-cement ratio, silica fume, fine aggregate, coarse aggregate, fibre, and superplasticizer. The predictive abilities of developed algorithms were assessed using error metrices like mean absolute error (MAE), a20-index, and objective function (OF) etc. The comparison of MEP and GEP models indicated that GEP gave a simple equation having lesser errors than MEP. The OF value of GEP was 0.029 compared to 0.031 of MEP. Thus, sensitivity analysis was performed on GEP model. The models were also checked using some external validation checks which also verified that MEP and GEP equations can be used to forecast the strength of FR-SCC for practical uses.
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- 2024
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230. Investigation and detection of multiple antibiotic-resistant pathogenic bacteria in municipal wastewater of Dhaka city
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Abu Bakkar Siddique, Atia Munni, Maruf Hasan, Rayhan Raj, Md. Abdul Mutalib, Md. Tajuddin Sikder, Tatsufumi Okino, Ayesha Ahmed, and Md. Shakhaoat Hossain
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Multiple antibiotic-resistant pathogenic bacteria ,Vibrio spp. ,Fecal coliform ,E. coli ,Salmonella spp. ,Municipal wastewater ,Water supply for domestic and industrial purposes ,TD201-500 ,Environmental sciences ,GE1-350 - Abstract
Abstract Background Water pollution in densely populated urban areas, mainly from municipal wastewater, poses a significant threat. Pathogenic bacteria, such as Vibrio spp. and fecal coliform, endanger public health and the environment. Additionally, antibiotic-resistant bacteria in wastewater complicate treatment and heighten public health concerns. Methods The study sampled municipal wastewater from ten Dhaka neighborhoods, selecting treatment plants, sewage outlets, and various collection points using meticulous techniques for representative samples. Bacteriological and biochemical analyses were conducted using standardized methods. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) was performed with the disk diffusion method against 13 widely used antibiotics. Results All sampled areas exhibited positive results for Vibrio spp., fecal coliform, E. coli, and Salmonella spp. Varying bacterial concentrations were observed, with the highest concentration of TVC, total vibrio spp., and total fecal coliform, total E. coli count, and total Salmonella spp. were found in Uttara (1.9 × 104 CFU/ml), Bangshal (1.8 × 102 CFU/ml), and Lalbag (2.1 × 103 CFU/ml), Mirpur (3.70 × 102 CFU/ml), and Lalbag (6 × 102 CFU/ml) respectively. AST results revealed significant resistance among all bacterial species to various antibiotics. Specifically, Vibrio spp. showed 100% resistance to cefuroxime, fecal coliform exhibited 90% resistance to cephradine, E. coli demonstrated 60% resistance to cephradine, and Salmonella spp. displayed 90% resistance to ampicillin. Conclusion The study highlights the existence of multiple antibiotic-resistant bacteria in Dhaka's wastewater. Addressing antibiotic resistance is essential to manage the risks of multiple antibiotic-resistant infections and maintain antibiotic effectiveness. These implications are critical for various stakeholders, including public health officials, policymakers, environmentalists, and urban planners.
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- 2024
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231. Identification and in silico screening of natural phloroglucinols as potential PI3Kα inhibitors: A computational approach for drug discovery
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Siddique Farhan, Daoui Ossama, Ayoub Monisa, Elkhattabi Souad, Chtita Samir, Afzal Samina, Mohyuddin Abrar, Kaukab Iram, Ejaz Syeda Abida, Salamatullah Ahmad Mohammad, Ibenmoussa Samir, Wondmie Gezahign Fentahun, and Bourhia Mohammed
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breast cancer ,phloroglucinols ,dryopteris species ,dft ,molecular docking ,molecular dynamics ,Chemistry ,QD1-999 - Abstract
Breast cancer is the biggest cause of death among women worldwide. Natural chemicals from medicinal plants offer promise for cancer therapy. This research screens 29 Dryopteris species plant-derived chemicals, mostly phloroglucinols, for breast cancer therapy potential. First, we used Gaussian09 and DFT/B3LYP/6-311+G(d, p) calculations to evaluate compound stability and reactivity. We conducted molecular docking experiments to identify drugs with high binding affinity for the PI3Kα protein’s active pocket. DJ1–DJ22 were found to be the most effective PI3Kα inhibitors, with energies ranging from −8.0 to −9.2 kJ/mol. From in silico pharmacokinetic and bioactivity screening, DJ3, DJ7, and DJ18 were identified as promising PI3Kα inhibitors. PI3Kα backbone stability was tested in a water model using molecular dynamics simulations employing DJ3, DJ7, DJ18, and Trastuzumab as a pharmacological reference. Synthesis of target-hit DJ3, DJ7, and DJ18 derivatives may lead to breast cancer drug-like molecules for related cancers. The work uses in silico methods to find natural phloroglucinols for breast cancer therapy, enabling new chemotherapeutic drugs.
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- 2024
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232. Contrast efficacy of novel phase convertible nanodroplets for safe CEUS imaging
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R. Riaz, S. Shafiq, M. Fatima, M. A. Siddique, S. Shah, and S. R. Abbas
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Nanodroplets ,Echocardiography ,Ultrasound ,Sonovue ,Poly glycerol sebacate ,Contrast agent ,Medicine ,Science - Abstract
Abstract Microbubble contrast agents in ultrasound/echocardiography are used to increase the echogenicity of the target tissues, thereby raising the contrast resolution of the resultant image. Recently, the trend has shifted toward the development of phase-convertible nanodroplets as ultrasound contrast agents due to their promising theragnostic potential by switching capability at the active site. Herein, we fabricated pre-PGS- perfluoropentane phase convertible nanodroplets and checked their in vitro and in vivo enhancement and safety profile. For this, we performed experiments on 20 male Wistar rats and 2 dogs. Biochemical assays of both rats and dogs included complete blood profiles, liver function tests, and renal function tests. For rat vitals, monitoring and histopathological analysis were also performed. Converted nanodroplets showed excellent contrast enhancement, better than Sonovue upon in vitro testing, with an enhancement time of up to 14 min. In vivo, experiments showed comparable opacification of the ventricles of both rats and dogs. All biochemical assays remained within the normal range during the study period. The histopathological analysis did not show any signs of drug-induced toxicity, showing the safety of these nanodroplets. Pre-PGS-PFP nanodroplets hold great potential for use in echocardiography and abdominal imaging in both human and veterinary applications after clinical trials.
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- 2024
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233. Patient-Related Awareness of Impact of Cancer-Directed Therapy on Fertility in Young Women Diagnosed of Breast Cancer
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Nita S. Nair, Basila Ameer Ali, Shabina Siddique, Amita Maheshwari, Jyoti Bajpai, Vani Parmar, Seema Gulia, Garvit Chitkara, Shalaka Joshi, Rohini Hawaldar, and Rajendra A. Badwe
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breast cancer ,fertility preservation ,QOL ,Neoplasms. Tumors. Oncology. Including cancer and carcinogens ,RC254-282 - Published
- 2024
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234. Sedative Effects of Daidzin, Possibly Through the GABAA Receptor Interaction Pathway: In Vivo Approach with Molecular Dynamic Simulations
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Islam, Md. Torequl, Bhuia, Md. Shimul, Sheikh, Salehin, Hasan, Rubel, Bappi, Mehedi Hasan, Chowdhury, Raihan, Ansari, Siddique Akber, Islam, Md. Amirul, and Saifuzzaman, Md.
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- 2024
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235. Computational analysis of fluid dynamics in open channel with the vegetated spur dike
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Iqbal, Sohail, Siddique, Muhammad, Hamza, Ali, Murtaza, Nadir, and Pasha, Ghufran Ahmed
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- 2024
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236. Multi-attribute decision-making using (p, q)-rung orthopair fuzzy Hamacher interactive aggregation operators
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Shahzadi, Gulfam, Siddique, Saba, Shehzadi, Hadiqa, and Deveci, Muhammet
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- 2024
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237. Effects of Salinity Stress during Plant Development in Barley (Hordium velgare L.) on Subsequent Seed Quality and Redox State
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Ferchichi, S., Jeddi, K., Wasli, H., Mejri, M., Msaada, K., Siddique, K. H. M., and Hessini, K.
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- 2024
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238. Maleated Hydroxyethyl Cellulose for the Efficient Removal of Cd(II) Ions from an Aqueous Solution: Isothermal, Kinetic and Regeneration Studies
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Khan, Fatima, Siddique, Abu Bakar, Irfan, Muhammad Imran, Hassan, Muhammad Naeem ul, Sher, Muhammad, Alhazmi, Hassan A., Qramish, Abdulrahman N., Amin, Hatem M. A., Qadir, Rahman, and Abbas, Azhar
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- 2024
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239. Assessment of bio-medical waste disposal techniques using interval-valued q-rung orthopair fuzzy soft set based EDAS method
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Zulqarnain, Rana Muhammad, Naveed, Hamza, Askar, Sameh, Deveci, Muhammet, Siddique, Imran, and Castillo, Oscar
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- 2024
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240. HSPiP, Computational, and Thermodynamic Model–Based Optimized Solvents for Subcutaneous Delivery of Tolterodine Tartrate and GastroPlus‑Based In Vivo Prediction in Humans: Part II
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Khan, Tasneem, Hussain, Afzal, Siddique, Mohd Usman Mohd, Altamimi, Mohammad A., Malik, Abdul, and Bhat, Zahid Rafiq
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- 2024
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241. Analytic wave solutions to the beta-time fractional modified equal width equation based on two efficient approaches
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Zafar, Asim, Raheel, M., Jamal, M., Siddique, Imran, Tawfiq, Ferdous M., Tchier, Fairouz, Bilal, Muhammad, and Inc, Mustafa
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- 2024
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242. Efficacy and Safety of Lenvatinib in Combination With Other Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors for Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma: A Meta-analysis
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Jamil, Abdur, Qureshi, Zaheer, Siddique, Rimsha, Altaf, Faryal, and Akram, Hamzah
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- 2024
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243. Identification of allelochemicals from Fimbristylis miliacea and their allelopathic potential against weed species
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Ismail, B. S. and Siddique, A. B.
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- 2012
244. Root-knot nematodes produce functional mimics of tyrosine-sulfated plant peptides.
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Yimer, Henok, Luu, Dee Dee, Coomer Blundell, Alison, Ercoli, Maria, Vieira, Paulo, Williamson, Valerie, Ronald, Pamela, and Siddique, Shahid
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PSY ,plant-parasitic nematode ,root growth ,root-knot nematode ,tyrosine-sulfated peptide ,Animals ,Plants ,Peptides ,Signal Transduction ,Arabidopsis ,Parasites ,Nematoda ,Tyrosine ,Plant Diseases ,Tylenchoidea ,Plant Roots - Abstract
Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) are highly evolved obligate parasites threatening global food security. These parasites have a remarkable ability to establish elaborate feeding sites in roots, which are their only source of nutrients throughout their life cycle. A wide range of nematode effectors have been implicated in modulation of host pathways for defense suppression and/or feeding site development. Plants produce a diverse array of peptide hormones including PLANT PEPTIDE CONTAINING SULFATED TYROSINE (PSY)-family peptides, which promote root growth via cell expansion and proliferation. A sulfated PSY-like peptide RaxX (required for activation of XA21 mediated immunity X) produced by the biotrophic bacterial pathogen (Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae) has been previously shown to contribute to bacterial virulence. Here, we report the identification of genes from root-knot nematodes predicted to encode PSY-like peptides (MigPSYs) with high sequence similarity to both bacterial RaxX and plant PSYs. Synthetic sulfated peptides corresponding to predicted MigPSYs stimulate root growth in Arabidopsis. MigPSY transcript levels are highest early in the infection cycle. Downregulation of MigPSY gene expression reduces root galling and egg production, suggesting that the MigPSYs serve as nematode virulence factors. Together, these results indicate that nematodes and bacteria exploit similar sulfated peptides to hijack plant developmental signaling pathways to facilitate parasitism.
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- 2023
245. Antimicrobial Resistance Profiles, Virulence Determinants, and Biofilm Formation in Enterococci Isolated from Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta): A Potential Threat for Wildlife in Bangladesh?
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Ferdous, Farhana, Ullah, Md, Rana, Md, Punom, Sadia, Neloy, Fahim, Chowdhury, Mohammad, Hassan, Jayedul, Siddique, Mahbubul, Saha, Sukumar, Rahman, Md, and Saiful Islam, Md
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Bangladesh ,Enterococcus faecalis ,Enterococcus faecium ,antibiotic resistance ,biofilm formation ,multidrug resistance ,rhesus macaques ,virulence factors - Abstract
Enterococci are commensal bacteria that inhabit the digestive tracts of animals and humans. The transmission of antibiotic-resistant genes through human-animal contact poses a potential public health risk worldwide, as zoonoses from wildlife reservoirs can occur on every continent. The purpose of this study was to detect Enterococcus spp. in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) and to investigate their resistance patterns, virulence profiles, and biofilm-forming ability. Conventional screening of rectal swabs (n = 67) from macaques was followed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The biofilm-forming enterococci were determined using the Congo red agar plate assay. Using the disk diffusion test (DDT), antibiogram profiles were determined, followed by resistance and virulence genes identification by PCR. PCR for bacterial species confirmation revealed that 65.7% (44/67) and 22.4% (15/67) of the samples tested positive for E. faecalis and E. faecium, respectively. All the isolated enterococci were biofilm formers. In the DDT, enterococcal isolates exhibited high to moderate resistance to penicillin, rifampin, ampicillin, erythromycin, vancomycin, and linezolid. In the PCR assays, the resistance gene blaTEM was detected in 61.4% (27/44) of E. faecalis and 60% (9/15) of E. faecium isolates. Interestingly, 88.63 % (39/44) of E. faecalis and 100% (15/15) of E. faecium isolates were phenotypically multidrug-resistant. Virulence genes (agg, fsrA, fsrB, fsrC, gelE, sprE, pil, and ace) were more frequent in E. faecalis compared to E. faecium; however, isolates of both Enterococcus spp. were found negative for the cyl gene. As far as we know, the present study has detected, for the first time in Bangladesh, the presence of virulence genes in MDR biofilm-forming enterococci isolated from rhesus macaques. The findings of this study suggest employing epidemiological surveillance along with the one-health approach to monitor these pathogens in wild animals in Bangladesh, which will aid in preventing their potential transmission to humans.
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- 2023
246. Zero-Shot Generalizable End-to-End Task-Oriented Dialog System using Context Summarization and Domain Schema
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Mosharrof, Adib, Maqbool, M. H., and Siddique, A. B.
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Computer Science - Computation and Language ,Computer Science - Machine Learning - Abstract
Task-oriented dialog systems empower users to accomplish their goals by facilitating intuitive and expressive natural language interactions. State-of-the-art approaches in task-oriented dialog systems formulate the problem as a conditional sequence generation task and fine-tune pre-trained causal language models in the supervised setting. This requires labeled training data for each new domain or task, and acquiring such data is prohibitively laborious and expensive, thus making it a bottleneck for scaling systems to a wide range of domains. To overcome this challenge, we introduce a novel Zero-Shot generalizable end-to-end Task-oriented Dialog system, ZS-ToD, that leverages domain schemas to allow for robust generalization to unseen domains and exploits effective summarization of the dialog history. We employ GPT-2 as a backbone model and introduce a two-step training process where the goal of the first step is to learn the general structure of the dialog data and the second step optimizes the response generation as well as intermediate outputs, such as dialog state and system actions. As opposed to state-of-the-art systems that are trained to fulfill certain intents in the given domains and memorize task-specific conversational patterns, ZS-ToD learns generic task-completion skills by comprehending domain semantics via domain schemas and generalizing to unseen domains seamlessly. We conduct an extensive experimental evaluation on SGD and SGD-X datasets that span up to 20 unique domains and ZS-ToD outperforms state-of-the-art systems on key metrics, with an improvement of +17% on joint goal accuracy and +5 on inform. Additionally, we present a detailed ablation study to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed components and training mechanism
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- 2023
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247. Toward Open-domain Slot Filling via Self-supervised Co-training
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Mosharrof, Adib, Fereidouni, Moghis, and Siddique, A. B.
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Computer Science - Computation and Language ,Computer Science - Machine Learning - Abstract
Slot filling is one of the critical tasks in modern conversational systems. The majority of existing literature employs supervised learning methods, which require labeled training data for each new domain. Zero-shot learning and weak supervision approaches, among others, have shown promise as alternatives to manual labeling. Nonetheless, these learning paradigms are significantly inferior to supervised learning approaches in terms of performance. To minimize this performance gap and demonstrate the possibility of open-domain slot filling, we propose a Self-supervised Co-training framework, called SCot, that requires zero in-domain manually labeled training examples and works in three phases. Phase one acquires two sets of complementary pseudo labels automatically. Phase two leverages the power of the pre-trained language model BERT, by adapting it for the slot filling task using these sets of pseudo labels. In phase three, we introduce a self-supervised cotraining mechanism, where both models automatically select highconfidence soft labels to further improve the performance of the other in an iterative fashion. Our thorough evaluations show that SCot outperforms state-of-the-art models by 45.57% and 37.56% on SGD and MultiWoZ datasets, respectively. Moreover, our proposed framework SCot achieves comparable performance when compared to state-of-the-art fully supervised models., Comment: 10 pages, 6 tables, 2 figures, ACM Web Conference 2023 (WWW'23)
- Published
- 2023
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248. Personalizing Task-oriented Dialog Systems via Zero-shot Generalizable Reward Function
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Siddique, A. B., Maqbool, M. H., Taywade, Kshitija, and Foroosh, Hassan
- Subjects
Computer Science - Computation and Language ,Computer Science - Machine Learning - Abstract
Task-oriented dialog systems enable users to accomplish tasks using natural language. State-of-the-art systems respond to users in the same way regardless of their personalities, although personalizing dialogues can lead to higher levels of adoption and better user experiences. Building personalized dialog systems is an important, yet challenging endeavor and only a handful of works took on the challenge. Most existing works rely on supervised learning approaches and require laborious and expensive labeled training data for each user profile. Additionally, collecting and labeling data for each user profile is virtually impossible. In this work, we propose a novel framework, P-ToD, to personalize task-oriented dialog systems capable of adapting to a wide range of user profiles in an unsupervised fashion using a zero-shot generalizable reward function. P-ToD uses a pre-trained GPT-2 as a backbone model and works in three phases. Phase one performs task-specific training. Phase two kicks off unsupervised personalization by leveraging the proximal policy optimization algorithm that performs policy gradients guided by the zero-shot generalizable reward function. Our novel reward function can quantify the quality of the generated responses even for unseen profiles. The optional final phase fine-tunes the personalized model using a few labeled training examples. We conduct extensive experimental analysis using the personalized bAbI dialogue benchmark for five tasks and up to 180 diverse user profiles. The experimental results demonstrate that P-ToD, even when it had access to zero labeled examples, outperforms state-of-the-art supervised personalization models and achieves competitive performance on BLEU and ROUGE metrics when compared to a strong fully-supervised GPT-2 baseline, Comment: 11 pages, 4 tables, 31st ACM International Conference on Information and Knowledge Management (CIKM'22)
- Published
- 2023
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249. Transformers in Speech Processing: A Survey
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Latif, Siddique, Zaidi, Aun, Cuayahuitl, Heriberto, Shamshad, Fahad, Shoukat, Moazzam, and Qadir, Junaid
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Computer Science - Computation and Language ,Computer Science - Sound ,Electrical Engineering and Systems Science - Audio and Speech Processing - Abstract
The remarkable success of transformers in the field of natural language processing has sparked the interest of the speech-processing community, leading to an exploration of their potential for modeling long-range dependencies within speech sequences. Recently, transformers have gained prominence across various speech-related domains, including automatic speech recognition, speech synthesis, speech translation, speech para-linguistics, speech enhancement, spoken dialogue systems, and numerous multimodal applications. In this paper, we present a comprehensive survey that aims to bridge research studies from diverse subfields within speech technology. By consolidating findings from across the speech technology landscape, we provide a valuable resource for researchers interested in harnessing the power of transformers to advance the field. We identify the challenges encountered by transformers in speech processing while also offering insights into potential solutions to address these issues., Comment: under-review
- Published
- 2023
250. MobileRec: A Large-Scale Dataset for Mobile Apps Recommendation
- Author
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Maqbool, M. H., Farooq, Umar, Mosharrof, Adib, Siddique, A. B., and Foroosh, Hassan
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Computer Science - Information Retrieval ,Computer Science - Machine Learning ,Computer Science - Software Engineering - Abstract
Recommender systems have become ubiquitous in our digital lives, from recommending products on e-commerce websites to suggesting movies and music on streaming platforms. Existing recommendation datasets, such as Amazon Product Reviews and MovieLens, greatly facilitated the research and development of recommender systems in their respective domains. While the number of mobile users and applications (aka apps) has increased exponentially over the past decade, research in mobile app recommender systems has been significantly constrained, primarily due to the lack of high-quality benchmark datasets, as opposed to recommendations for products, movies, and news. To facilitate research for app recommendation systems, we introduce a large-scale dataset, called MobileRec. We constructed MobileRec from users' activity on the Google play store. MobileRec contains 19.3 million user interactions (i.e., user reviews on apps) with over 10K unique apps across 48 categories. MobileRec records the sequential activity of a total of 0.7 million distinct users. Each of these users has interacted with no fewer than five distinct apps, which stands in contrast to previous datasets on mobile apps that recorded only a single interaction per user. Furthermore, MobileRec presents users' ratings as well as sentiments on installed apps, and each app contains rich metadata such as app name, category, description, and overall rating, among others. We demonstrate that MobileRec can serve as an excellent testbed for app recommendation through a comparative study of several state-of-the-art recommendation approaches. The quantitative results can act as a baseline for other researchers to compare their results against. The MobileRec dataset is available at https://huggingface.co/datasets/recmeapp/mobilerec., Comment: 10 pages, 4 tables, 4 figures, Under submission at SIGIR'23
- Published
- 2023
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