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Over the past decade, the prevalence of neurological diseases has significantly risen due to population growth and aging. Individuals suffering from spastic paralysis, brain attack, and idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD), among other neurological illnesses, commonly suffer from dysarthria. Early detection and treatment of dysarthria in these patients are essential for effectively managing the progression of their disease. This paper provides UTrans-DSR, a novel encoder-decoder architecture for analyzing Mel-spectrograms (generated from audios) and classifying speech as healthy or dysarthric. Our model employs transformer encoder features based on a hybrid design, which includes the feature enhancement block (FEB) and the vision transformer (ViT) encoders. This combination effectively extracts global and local pixel information regarding localization while optimizing the mel-spectrograms feature extraction process. We keep up with the original class-token grouping sequence in the vision transformer while generating a new equivalent expanding route. More specifically, two unique growing pathways use a deep-supervision approach to increase spatial data recovery and expedite model convergence. We add consecutive residual connections to the system to reduce feature loss while increasing spatial data retrieval. Our technique is based on identifying gaps in mel-spectrograms distinguishing between normal and dysarthric speech. We conducted several experiments on UTrans-DSR using the UA speech and TORGO datasets, and it outperformed the existing top models. The model performed significantly in pixel's localized and spatial feature extraction, effectively detecting and classifying spectral gaps. The Tran-DSR model outperforms previous research models, achieving an accuracy of 97.75%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The groundwater in arid countries such as Egypt represent the main water resources in the desert regions due to the long distance between these regions (oasis) and Nile River. Contamination of these limited water resources with toxic metals threaten the health of individuals in these regions. Methods: The current study integrates isotopic tracers, hydrogeochemistry, geophysical logs, positive matrix factorization (PMF model), and Monte Carlo (MCS) simulation for pollution source apportionment and health risks associated with heavy metals in the Nubian Sandstone aquifer (NSSA). Results and Discussion: The water resource used for drinking purposes (NSSA) is pale meteoric water (non-rechargeable aquifer). Silicate weathering, old trapped sea water, reverse ion exchange evaporation, and dissolution are the dominant mechanisms controlling water chemistry. PMF model showed that the major ions and heavy metals in groundwater of the NSSA originated from four significant sources (anthropogenic activities, dissolution of minerals, ironbearing minerals, mixing with old trapped seawater, and hydrothermal water). The total risk (HI) oral values highlighted significant non-carcinogenic dangers for adults and children through the oral exposure. At the same time, dermal contact posed a no risk for adults and a high risk for children. Most samples had carcinogenic risk (CR) values higher than the allowed limits (1.0E-4) for metals like Cadmium, chromium, and lead, suggesting carcinogenic effects across all age groups. The Monte Carlo approach-based health concern evaluation model assessed the 5th % CR oral values (child) as 0.00012, 0.0036, and 0.0088 for Cd, Cr, and Pb, respectively, indicating more significant potential dangers to children. Urgent and comprehensive water treatment measures are imperative to mitigate the identified carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risks in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study entails the effect of time on particle dynamics (both charged and uncharged) in the surrounding of the Reissner–Nordström AdS black hole in light of a general time conformal factor by acquiring Noether symmetry relation using the Lagrangian of the considered black hole spacetime. Upon acquiring the required time conformal spacetime as well as the Noether and approximated Noether symmetries along with their respective laws of conservation, the study further aims at investigating different parameters, like effective potential, effective force, and trajectories of escape velocity for the particle dynamics of the specified black hole. Additionally, in order to investigate orbit stability, the study employs the Lyapunov exponent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three types of synthetic coal-derived adsorbents were characterized as potential enhanced structurers during the removal of chlorpyrifos pesticide. The raw coal (CA) was activated into porous graphitic carbon (AC), and both CA and AC were blended with polyaniline polymers (PANI/CA and PANI/AC) forming two advanced composites. The adsorption performances of the modified structures in comparison with CA were evaluated based on both the steric and energetic parameters of the applied advanced isotherm model (the monolayer model of one energy). The uptake performances reflected higher capacities for the PANI hybridized form (235.8 mg/g (PANI/CA) and 309.75 mg/g (PANI/AC) as compared to AC (156.9 mg/g) and raw coal (135.8 mg/g). This signifies the impact of activation step and PANI blending on the surface and textural properties of coal. The steric investigation determined the saturation of the coal surface with extra active sites after the activation step (Nm(AC) = 62.05 mg/g) and the PANI integration (Nm(PANI/CA) = 113.5 mg/g and Nm(PANI/AC) = 169.7 mg/g) as compared to raw coal (Nm(CA) = 39.6 mg/g). This illustrated the reported uptake efficiencies of the modified samples, which can be attributed to the enhancement in the surface area and the incorporation of additional chemical groups. The results also reflect that each site can be loaded with 3–4 molecules of chlorpyrifos, which are arranged vertically and adsorbed by multi-molecular mechanisms. The energetic studies (< 40 kJ/mol) suggested the physical uptake of pesticide molecules by dipole bonding and hydrogen bonding processes. The thermodynamic functions donate the exothermic properties of 47reactions that occur spontaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are important for applications like environmental monitoring and industrial automation. However, the limited energy resources of sensor nodes pose a significant challenge to the network's longevity. Energy imbalances among nodes often result in premature failures and reduced overall network lifespan. Current solutions have not adequately addressed this issue due to network dynamics, varying energy consumption rates, and uneven node distribution. To tackle this, we propose a novel method using Prim's algorithm to construct minimum spanning trees (MSTs) that enhance energy balance in WSNs. Prim's algorithm effectively identifies optimal connections among network nodes to minimize energy consumption. Our methodology includes several key steps: network initialization, energy consumption modeling, MST construction using Prim's algorithm, and optimizing the movement of mobile sink nodes. Extensive experiments with diverse datasets show that our approach significantly improves energy equilibrium, demonstrating high sensitivity and moderate complexity. This research underscores the potential of Prim's algorithm to extend the lifespan of WSNs and enhance energy efficiency, contributing to sustainable and effective network deployments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to progress the field of topological photonic crystals (TPC) as a promising tool in face of construction flaws. In particular, the structure can be used as a novel temperature sensor. In this regard, the considered TPC structure comprising two different PC designs named PC1 and PC2. PC1 is designed from a stack of multilayers containing Silicon (Si) and Silicon dioxide (SiO2), while layers of SiO2 and composite layer named hyperbolic metamaterial (HMM) are considered in designing PC2. The HMM layer is engineered using subwavelength layers of Si and Bismuth Germinate, or BGO ( Bi 4 Ge 3 O 12 ). The mainstay of our suggested temperature sensor is mainly based on the emergence of some resonant modes inside the transmittance spectrum that provide the stability in the presence of the geometrical changes. Meanwhile, our theoretical framework has been introduced in the vicinity of transfer matrix method (TMM), effective medium theory (EMT) and the thermo-optic characteristics of the considered materials. The numerical findings have extensively introduced the role of some topological parameters such as layers' thicknesses, filling ratio through HMM layers and the periodicity of HMM on the stability or the topological features of the introduced sensor. Meanwhile, the numerical results reveal that the considered design provides some topological edge states (TESs) of a promising robustness and stability against certain disturbances or geometrical changes in the constituent materials. In addition, our sensing tool offers a relatively high sensitivity of 0.27 nm/°C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Turbinaria ornata marine macro-algae (TUN) have been applied as carriers for the metallic zinc/ZnO blended nanoparticles, which were synthesized by implementing the extracted phytochemicals of the algae. The resulting hybrid bio-composite (Zn@ZnO/TUN) was characterized as a potential product of promising antioxidant and antidiabetic characteristics in synergetic studies. The obtained composite demonstrate t6he existing or complex biological active groups related to zinc (Zn-O stretching and tetrahedral Zn coordination) and organic groups (amino, methyl, carboxylic, alkynes, P=O, C-C-O, C=N, and N-O) corresponding to the extracted phytochemicals of algae (polysaccharides, phospholipids, lipids, fucose, and phosphodiester). The assessment of Zn@ZnO/TUN hybrid as an anti-oxidant agent validated excellent effectiveness towards the commonly examined radicals (DPPH (88.2 ± 1.44%), nitric oxide (92.7 ± 1.71%), ABTS (90.5 ± 1.8%), and O2•- (30.6 ± 1.32%), considering the determined performance for the commercially used standard (ascorbic acid). Regarding the antidiabetic properties, the incorporation of Zn@ZnO/TUN inhibits the function and activities of the key oxidizing enzymes, either the commercial forms (α-amylase (88.7 ± 1.3%), α-glucosidase (98.4 ± 1.3%), and amyloglucosidase (97.3 ± 1.4%) or the crude intestinal active forms (α-amylase (66.2 ± 1.4%) and α-glucosidase (95.1 ± 1.5%). This inhibitory effectiveness of Zn@ZnO/TUN is significantly better than the measured performances using commercialized miglitol drugs and slightly better than acarbose. Considering the expense and adverse effects of conventional medications, the synthesized Zn@ZnO/TUN blend could be evaluated as a marketable antidiabetic and antioxidant medication. The findings also demonstrate the influence of the derived phytochemicals from Turbinaria ornata and the incorporation of its algae residuals as carriers for the metal nanoparticles on the biological function of the composite. The cytotoxicity investigation reflected safety effect of the composite on colorectal fibroblast cells (CCD-18Co) (96.3% cell viability) and inhibition effect on cancerous colorectal cells (HCT-116) (47.3% cell viability). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluation of water quality is crucial for managing surface water effectively, ensuring its suitability for human use, and sustaining the environment. In the lower Danube River basin, various methods were employed to assess surface water quality for irrigation, drinking, human health risk purposes and the main mechanism control the surface water chemistry. These methods included water quality indicators (WQIs), complex statistical analyses, geographic information systems (GIS), Monte Carlo simulation, and geochemical modeling. Physicochemical analyses of surface water samples revealed primarily Ca–Mg–HCO3− is the dominant water types. Principal component analysis (PCA), ionic ratios and piper, chloro alkaline index, Chadha, and Gibbs diagrams identified three distinct water characteristics influenced by water-rocks interaction, evaporation, ions exchange, and human activities. The geochemical modeling showed Danube River water's strong ability to dissolve gypsum, halite, and anhydrite (SI < 0) and precipitate aragonite, dolomite, and calcite with saturation index (SI) value greater than 0 along its flow path. The irrigation water quality index (IWQI = 99.6–107.6), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR = 0.37–0.68), sodium percentage (Na% = 13.7–18.7), soluble sodium percentage (SSP = 12.5–17.5), Potential Salinity (PS = 0.73–1.6), and Residual Sodium Carbonate (RSC = − 1.27–0.58) values were used, mainly indicating acceptable quality with some limitations. Danube River water was unsuitable for drinking based on WQI value (WQI = 81–104). Oral exposure of children to specific components showed a higher hazard index (HI > 1) compared to adults, indicating a 2.1 times higher overall non-carcinogenic risk hazard index. However, Monte Carlo simulation demonstrated negligible iron, manganese, and nitrate health hazards for both age groups. These findings are valuable for water quality management decisions, contributing to long-term resource sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of baby spinach as a vehicle to transfer Lactobacillus plantarum 299v (LP299v) and Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) is quite promising and may address the research regarding the absence of suitable whole vegetable carriers in the current probiotic food industry. The objective of this study was to observe the effects of food storage and preparation on Lp299v and LGG viability in baby spinach before consumption. The strains were sequentially introduced into baby spinach by dipping leaves in probiotic suspension to achieve an attachment of approximately 8 log 10 CFU/g spinach. Then, probiotic viability was tested using serial dilutions. Furthermore, data processing and ANOVA during 7-day storage, with or without salad dressing, were performed using Tukey's test. In the 7-day storage trials, LP299v and LGG viability on baby spinach declined after 7 days with significant differences by 0.19 and 0.39 log10 CFU/g, respectively. In salad dressing trials, LP299v (p value = 0.79 > 0.05) and LGG (p value = 0.58 > 0.05) survivability on baby spinach after the addition of salad dressing fluctuated approximately 8.27 and 8.40 log10 CFU/g with no statistically significant difference, respectively. LP299V and LGG viability on baby spinach in both trials was greater than 8 log10 CFU/g and close to FDA requirements, showing that food storage and preparation do not affect their viability and can be used commercially. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research background: Despite the dynamically growing cross-sectional academic studies conducted on various aspects related to physical and mental workloads in the context of workplace safety, there is still room for further in-depth analyses of how these workloads affect employees' behavior and well-being. This phenomenon is of particular interest in the case of hospitality, where hotels should recognize the workloads imposed on their employees, since they are considered the most critical and influential stressors in the workplace. Purpose of the article: Based on the conservation of resources (COR) theory, our study aims to examine how hotel employees' physical and mental workloads affect their well-being and safe behaviors. The study also investigates how employee well-being and psychological resilience play a role in these patterns. Methods: The study employs an experience-sampling methodology to assess the physical and mental workloads of a group of full-time employees working in luxury hotels in the USA. Findings & value added: The findings derived from Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) reveal that both physical and mental workloads negatively impact overall well-being and safe behaviors. Additionally, physical workload influences mental workload. Also, employee well-being has been identified as a mediating factor in the relationship between workloads, psychological resilience, and safe behaviors. Notably, psychological resilience has not exhibited a moderating effect. This study expands on the COR theory by examining its impact on the hospitality industry. The study has developed and validated a model for assessing hotel employees' physical workload. Moreover, it emphasizes the significance of employees' well-being and psychological resilience in promoting safe behaviors in hotels. Therefore, this model is a significant step forward toward effectively measuring and maintaining the overall well-being and safe behaviors of employees in the hospitality industry. Furthermore, the value of the research is enhanced by surveying hotel employees directly rather than relying on subjective opinions from management about employee involvement in workplace health and safety. This approach avoids the bias often present in management assessments and provides a more accurate depiction of employee participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]