Credit Card Fraud Detection Using State-of-the-Art Machine Learning and Deep Learning Algorithms

Credit card fraud is a major concern for both financial institutions and consumers, leading to significant financial losses and a decline in trust. With the rise in online transactions and increasingly sophisticated fraudulent schemes, there is a pressing need for strong and effective fraud detection systems. This research explores how machine learning and deep learning algorithms, particularly Random Forest (RF) and K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), can be applied to detect credit card fraud. The main goal is to assess and compare how well these algorithms perform in accurately spotting fraudulent transactions while keeping false positives to a minimum. To carry out this research, we use a publicly available dataset of credit card transactions, which is marked by an imbalanced class distribution, where fraudulent transactions are far fewer than legitimate ones. We apply various preprocessing techniques, such as data cleaning, feature scaling, and addressing class imbalance through resampling methods like SMOTE (Synthetic Minority Over-sampling Technique), to improve data quality and model performance. Random Forest is a powerful ensemble learning method that uses a collection of decision trees to boost prediction accuracy and cut down on overfitting. K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN) is a straightforward, instance-based learning algorithm that classifies transactions by looking at the majority class of their k-nearest neighbours in the feature space. To evaluate how well both algorithms perform, we look at various metrics like precision, recall, F1-score, and the Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve (AUC-ROC). The findings show that Random Forest typically outshines K-Nearest Neighbors in overall accuracy and F1-score, especially when dealing with imbalanced datasets. This research emphasizes the need to tackle class imbalance and choose the right evaluation metrics for effective fraud detection

Aegle marmelos fruit extract attenuates isoproterenol-induced oxidative stress in rats

Myocardial infarction is a major public health concern and the leading cause of death throughout the world. The present study investigates the ability of Aegle marmelos fruit extract to prevent pathological changes and oxidative stress after isoproterenol induced myocardial infarction in rats. In vitro studies showed that Aegle marmelos fruit extract possesses antioxidant activity. Administration of isoproterenol (85 mg/kg body weight) to rats resulted in significantly elevated plasma transaminases, lactate dehydrogenase and creatine kinase, however, cardiac tissue analyses showed decreased activity of the above enzymes compared to experimental control rats. Further, isoproterenol administration significantly increased plasma and cardiac tissue thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and lowered the activities of cardiac tissue superoxide dismutase, catalase, reduced glutathione, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione-S-transferase when compared to control groups. Pretreatment with Aegle marmelos fruit extract at a dose of 150 mg/kg body weight for a period of 45 days significantly prevented the observed alterations. Our data suggest that Aegle marmelos fruit extract exerts its protective effect by decreasing thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and elevating antioxidants status in isoproterenol treated rats. Both biochemical and histopathological results in the isoproterenol-induced myocardial infarction model emphasize the beneficial action of Aegle marmelos fruit extract as a cardioprotective agent

Synergistic effects of copper oxide-stigmasterol nanoparticles: a novel therapeutic strategy for oral pathogen biofilms and oral cancer

Oral pathogen biofilms contribute to chronic infections, while oral cancer remains a significant health threat, emphasizing the need for effective therapeutic strategies. This study investigates the fabrication, characterization, and therapeutic potential of copper oxide-stigmasterol nanoparticles (CuO-SS NPs) for oral pathogen biofilm disruption and oral cancer treatment. The antimicrobial activity of CuO-SS NPs was evaluated against oral pathogens, including S. aureus, S. mutans, E. faecalis, and C. albicans. In cancer cell studies, CuO-SS NPs exhibited a concentration-dependent cytotoxicity, reducing cell viability from 88% at 15 µg/mL to 29.33% at 120 µg/mL, comparable to doxorubicin (24.3%). The CuO-SS NPs significantly upregulated the apoptosis markers (Caspase-3, Caspase-8, and FasL) by 4.05, 1.4, and 3.1 fold, respectively. These results highlight the potential of CuO-SS NPs as a dual-purpose therapeutic for oral infections and cancer

Metabolomic profiling and identification of potential biomarkers of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) in chicken

IntroductionHighly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 is a significant zoonotic pathogen with the potential to cause pandemics. Its high prevalence and mortality rates in poultry, along with a recent expansion in host range, underscore the urgent need to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying its pathogenesis and host-pathogen interactions. Metabolomics, the comprehensive study of small-molecule metabolites within biological systems, offers a promising approach to unravel these mechanisms and aid in the development of effective control strategies against HPAI H5N1.MethodsTo investigate the metabolomic alterations associated with HPAI H5N1 infection, serum and lung samples were collected from specific pathogen-free (SPF) chickens that were either infected with HPAI H5N1 or mock-infected as controls. Metabolomic profiling was performed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) under both positive and negative ionization modes. The resulting data were analyzed to identify metabolites that were significantly altered in response to infection.ResultsThe metabolomic analysis revealed substantial changes in both lung and serum samples following HPAI H5N1 infection. Specifically, 31 and 13 altered metabolites were identified in the lung, and 22 and 15 in the serum, under positive and negative ionization modes, respectively. Notably, key metabolites such as sphingosine, psychosine sulfate, and L-serine, which are known to influence viral endocytosis and cell signaling, were significantly altered in infected chickens.DiscussionThe observed changes in sphingolipid and tryptophan metabolism provide insights into the mechanisms underlying lung and central nervous system (CNS) pathology associated with HPAI H5N1 infection. This study represents the first comprehensive metabolomic profiling of HPAI H5N1-infected chickens, offering valuable information for the development of novel therapeutics and control strategies. The identification of specific metabolite alterations may guide future research aimed at mitigating the impact of this highly pathogenic virus

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon exposure during pregnancy and changes in umbilical renal function

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous environmental pollutants with significant adverse effects on human health, particularly concerning fetal development during pregnancy. This study investigates the relationship between maternal exposure to particulate matter-bound (PM-bound) PAHs and potential alterations in fetal renal function. A cross-sectional investigation was conducted on 450 mother-pair newborns from June 2019 to August 2021. Exposure to PM-bound PAHs was estimated at the residential address using spatiotemporal models based on data from 30 monitoring stations across the study area. Umbilical cord blood samples were collected post-delivery for biochemical analysis of renal function markers, including creatinine (Cr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Multivariable regression models were used to assess the relationship between exposure to each PAHs compound and fetal renal function. Moreover, the mixture effects of exposure to PAHs on fetal renal function were assessed using quantile g-computation analysis. Increased concentrations of various PAH compounds at the residential address correlated with raised levels of umbilical BUN and Cr, suggesting potential renal impairment. Notably, exposure to certain PAHs compounds demonstrated statistically negative significant associations with eGFR levels. An increment of one quartile in exposure to PAHs mixture was correlated with a rise of 1.08 mg/dL (95% CI 0.04, 2.11, p = 0.04) and 0.02 mg/dL (95% CI − 0.00, 0.05, p = 0.05) increase in BUN and Cr, respectively. Moreover, a one-quartile increase in PAHs mixture exposure was associated with − 1.09 mL/min/1.73 m2 (95% CI − 2.03, − 0.14, p = 0.02) decrease in eGFR. These findings highlight the potential impact of PAH exposure on fetal renal function and underscore the importance of considering environmental exposures in assessing neonatal renal health outcomes

Convalescent plasma in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 (RECOVERY): a randomised controlled, open-label, platform trial

SummaryBackground Azithromycin has been proposed as a treatment for COVID-19 on the basis of its immunomodulatoryactions. We aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of azithromycin in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19.Methods In this randomised, controlled, open-label, adaptive platform trial (Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19Therapy [RECOVERY]), several possible treatments were compared with usual care in patients admitted to hospitalwith COVID-19 in the UK. The trial is underway at 176 hospitals in the UK. Eligible and consenting patients wererandomly allocated to either usual standard of care alone or usual standard of care plus azithromycin 500 mg once perday by mouth or intravenously for 10 days or until discharge (or allocation to one of the other RECOVERY treatmentgroups). Patients were assigned via web-based simple (unstratified) randomisation with allocation concealment andwere twice as likely to be randomly assigned to usual care than to any of the active treatment groups. Participants andlocal study staff were not masked to the allocated treatment, but all others involved in the trial were masked to theoutcome data during the trial. The primary outcome was 28-day all-cause mortality, assessed in the intention-to-treatpopulation. The trial is registered with ISRCTN, 50189673, and ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04381936.Findings Between April 7 and Nov 27, 2020, of 16 442 patients enrolled in the RECOVERY trial, 9433 (57%) wereeligible and 7763 were included in the assessment of azithromycin. The mean age of these study participants was65·3 years (SD 15·7) and approximately a third were women (2944 [38%] of 7763). 2582 patients were randomlyallocated to receive azithromycin and 5181 patients were randomly allocated to usual care alone. Overall,561 (22%) patients allocated to azithromycin and 1162 (22%) patients allocated to usual care died within 28 days(rate ratio 0·97, 95% CI 0·87–1·07; p=0·50). No significant difference was seen in duration of hospital stay (median10 days [IQR 5 to >28] vs 11 days [5 to >28]) or the proportion of patients discharged from hospital alive within 28 days(rate ratio 1·04, 95% CI 0·98–1·10; p=0·19). Among those not on invasive mechanical ventilation at baseline, nosignificant difference was seen in the proportion meeting the composite endpoint of invasive mechanical ventilationor death (risk ratio 0·95, 95% CI 0·87–1·03; p=0·24).Interpretation In patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19, azithromycin did not improve survival or otherprespecified clinical outcomes. Azithromycin use in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 should be restrictedto patients in whom there is a clear antimicrobial indication

Critical factors influencing the dynamic characteristics of fibre-reinforced plastic bridges — a parametric study

Conventional bridge materials have certain environmental factors limiting their service life. These factors include termite or fungi attack on timber, chemical attacks on concrete and corrosion for steel. These facts point to the necessity of development of new construction materials and related technologies for use in bridges exposed to aggressive environmental conditions. Fibre-reinforced plastics have long been used in weight-sensitive applications such as aerospace, marine, biomedical and sports industries due to their high specific stiffness and strength. Its superior structural performance depends primarily upon its anisotropic and heterogeneous characteristics and can be optimized to the requirement of the user. However, its infrastructural application is somewhat recent. Since fibre-reinforced plastic can be moulded to various shapes, is corrosion resistant, has lower lifecycle cost and durability, it can be used in constructing bridges or its parts. However, the fibre-reinforced plastic bridge industry lacks simplified and practical design guidelines and specifications. A box girder bridge has been taken from available literature as an example and parametric studies have been carried out using general purpose finite element software ABAQUS to investigate the critical factors affecting the dynamic responses of such a fibre-reinforced plastic bridge. </jats:p

Material Property Recovery by Controlling the Melt Memory Effects on Recrystallization and on Crystal Deformation: An Approach by the Molecular Dynamics Simulation for Polyethylene

Degradation in the mechanical properties of recycled polymer materials has been recently appearing as a big issue in polymer science. The molecular mechanism of the degradation is considered in part due to residual memories of flow experienced during molding processes, and therefore the mechanical recycling through remolding involving melting and recrystallization has been attempted in recent years. In the present paper, the molecular processes of melting and recrystallization are investigated by the molecular dynamics simulation for polyethylene with special interest in the melt memory effects. We also studied the mechanical properties of the recrystalized materials that have undergone different recrystallization processes aiming to discover better recycling strategies. A successive step-by-step approach is adopted to study the loss of the crystal memory during retention in the melt, the effects of the melt memory on the mode of recrystallization, the relation between the recrystallization mode and the resulting higher-order structure, and the mechanical properties controlled by the higher-order structures. It is shown that the melt memory clearly remains in various order parameters that persist over time scales corresponding to the Rouse time, the remaining melt memory markedly affects the crystallization mode leading to distinct crystalline morphologies, and the distinct morphologies obtained give different mechanical responses during large deformations