Scientific African最新文献

{"title":"Fog-IoPM: Fog computing for Internet of Plants data management","authors":"Yassine Boukhali,&nbsp;Mohammed Nabil Kabbaj,&nbsp;Mohammed Benbrahim","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02682","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02682","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Traditional irrigation methods often rely on static schedules, which limits adaptability to dynamic growing conditions. Current Internet of Things (IoT) and fog based irrigation systems encounter challenges, such as network interruptions, high latency, data loss, and inaccurate water allocation due to limited precision in calculating irrigation requirements. Addressing these issues in precision irrigation requires a flexible and resilient architecture that combines advanced technologies for improved accuracy. This study introduces Fog-IoPM, a fog-based system, employing Fog computing, LoRaWAN, and a Microservices Architecture (MSA) to enhance scalability, availability, and resource efficiency in precision irrigation. The Fog-IoPM architecture mitigates data loss during network outages by locally storing data, which it transmits to the cloud upon reconnection, thus ensuring a complete dataset for decision-making and reducing water consumption. Experiments were conducted across two outdoor areas and an indoor prototype cultivated with Moringa oleifera Lam, comparing data collected before and after implementing the system. Results show a significant improvement in data availability, increasing from 65.10% to 93.86%, and a reduction in packet loss to 7%. Additionally, water usage decreased by 72.72% due to more precise, data-driven irrigation scheduling. These findings demonstrate the potential of Fog-IoPM to enhance irrigation accuracy, optimize resource use, and provide scalable solutions for the Internet of Plants (IoP) in agriculture.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"28 ","pages":"Article e02682"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143868271","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Flavonoids from the leaves of Monanthotaxis filipes modulate PCSK9 and LDLR","authors":"James G. Mayeka ,&nbsp;Yoseph Atilaw ,&nbsp;Daniel M. Shadrack ,&nbsp;Farkas Sarnyai ,&nbsp;Miklós Csala ,&nbsp;Krisztina Németh ,&nbsp;Stephen S. Nyandoro ,&nbsp;Viola Tamási ,&nbsp;Mate Erdelyi ,&nbsp;Joan J.E. Munissi","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02709","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02709","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) plays a crucial role in the regulation of blood cholesterol levels. Its inhibition attenuates hypercholesterolemia and hence is a viable approach for the management of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). We evaluated the flavonoids of the leaves of <em>Monanthotaxis filipes</em> P.H. Hoekstra (Annonaceae) for their effect on PCSK9 and low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) expression at the mRNA level in HepG2 cells using quantitative real-time PCR analysis and for their influence on protein expression by ELISA. Six flavonoids, including two chalcones (<strong>1, 5</strong>), three flavones (<strong>2</strong>–<strong>4</strong>), and one flavanone (<strong>6</strong>), were isolated by chromatographic techniques and identified by spectroscopic (NMR, IR, UV, MS) analyses. 2′,3′,4′,6′-Tetramethoxychalcone (<strong>1</strong>) reduced the PCSK9 protein amount and altered LDLR both on mRNA and protein levels, 6,7,8-trimethoxyflavone (<strong>2</strong>) inhibited PCSK9 both on mRNA and protein levels but did not change the amount of LDLR in HepG2 cells, whereas 2ʹ,4ʹ-dihydroxy-6ʹ-methoxy-3ʹ,5ʹ-dimethylchalcone (<strong>5</strong>) decreased PCSK9 and upregulated LDLR protein expression. Thus, chalcones <strong>1</strong> and <strong>5</strong>, flavones <strong>2</strong>–<strong>4</strong>, and flavanone <strong>6</strong> were shown to be promising compounds for the management of cardiovascular disease. Molecular dynamics simulations suggest that an allosteric mechanism underlies the inhibitory effect of <strong>2</strong> on PCSK9. In contrast, the pronounced activity of <strong>5</strong> is due to the interaction of its benzene ring with the Cys358, Pro438, Val460 and Trp461 residues of the catalytic site, as proposed by Molecular Mechanics Poisson Boltzmann surface area (MM-PBSA) analyses. Our results showed that chalcone <strong>5</strong> might be studied further for the management of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"28 ","pages":"Article e02709"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143858776","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Curcumin ameliorates dichlorvos-induced cardiac injury by suppressing oxidative stress and downregulating pro-inflammatory cytokines in male Wistar rats","authors":"W.A. Saka ,&nbsp;O.R. Kolawole ,&nbsp;A.A. Oladipo ,&nbsp;Y.D. Igbayilola ,&nbsp;R.E. Akhigbe","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02711","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02711","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Dichlorvos is an organophosphate pesticide that is useful in the control of pests and insects, however, it also induces toxicity in non-target cells via the initiation of inflammation and oxidative stress. Meanwhile, curcumin has been reported to exhibit antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Nevertheless, there is an inadequate understanding of the beneficial potential of curcumin in dichlorvos-induced cardiotoxicity.</div></div><div><h3>Aim</h3><div>This study investigated the cardio-protective effects of curcumin in dichlorvos-induced cardiotoxicity.</div></div><div><h3>Materials and methods</h3><div>Forty male Wistar rats were randomly allotted into four groups; the control (1 mL of olive oil), curcumin-treated (100 mg/kg), DDVP-treated (98.54 g/m³ of dichlorvos by inhalation), and DDVP + Curcumin-treated.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>It was observed that dichlorvos exposure led to cardiac histopathological damage such as focal vascular congestion, widened interstitial space between the cardiac myofibrils, and reduced thickness of the myofibrils. The results of the cardiac function test revealed a decrease in lactate dehydrogenase and a rise in creatinine kinase and troponin-I. These alterations were associated with elevated levels of plasma cholesterol and triglycerides, cardiac malondialdehyde (MDA), TNF-α, IL-1β, and C-reactive protein (CRP), and reduced superoxide dismutase activity. Meanwhile, curcumin treatment in dichlorvos-exposed rats restored cardiac histoarchitecture and lipid profile and attenuated DDVP-induced rise in cardiac MDA, TNF-α, IL-1β, and CRP, and DDVP-induced decline in cardiac superoxide dismutase activity.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Summarily, this study confirmed the cardiotoxicity of dichlorvos, and further demonstrated the protective effect of curcumin against dichlorvos-induced cardiotoxicity by suppressing pro-inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"28 ","pages":"Article e02711"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143850747","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Inclusive education in Africa: Transforming higher education in low-income countries","authors":"Muhamad Murtadlo ,&nbsp;Hasan Albana ,&nbsp;Yunita Faela Nisa ,&nbsp;Nurul Qolbi Izazy ,&nbsp;Neneng Tati Sumiati ,&nbsp;Mulia Sari Dewi ,&nbsp;Haslinda Abdullah ,&nbsp;Chinhara Henry","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02708","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02708","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Inclusive education has become a global priority, with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities advocating its integration at all educational levels. However, most studies focus on primary and secondary education, leaving a gap in understanding inclusive practices within higher education, especially in low-income countries. This study addresses that gap by analyzing inclusive education initiatives in African higher education institutions through a systematic literature review of 15 relevant articles from databases such as Scopus, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect. The findings reveal that countries like Algeria, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Congo, Somalia, and Uganda face significant challenges, including inadequate infrastructure, limited educator training, and societal stigma. Despite these obstacles, several countries have made progress. Algeria and Nigeria have introduced laws to support students with special needs, Ethiopia has enhanced accessibility through international treaties, and Uganda has improved mentoring programs under the Persons with Disabilities Act. Best practices identified include the application of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), specialized teacher training, inclusive entrepreneurship programs, and adopting sign language in academic settings. While challenges persist, particularly regarding resource constraints and policy implementation gaps, the study highlights promising strategies for advancing inclusive higher education in Africa. Tailoring these approaches to local contexts can significantly improve educational access and quality for students with disabilities in low-income countries.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"28 ","pages":"Article e02708"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143858779","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Access to finance, financial management, and growth of non-traditional export firms in Ghana: Does sector difference count?","authors":"Comfort Ama Akorfa Anipa ,&nbsp;Frank Agyemang Karikari ,&nbsp;Seth Acquah Boateng ,&nbsp;Michael Provide Fumey ,&nbsp;Agnes Nyamenaose Essuman ,&nbsp;Mariam Ibrahim Baidoo ,&nbsp;Prince Delove Assan ,&nbsp;Lawrence Yaw Kusi","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02706","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02706","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper investigates the impact of access to finance (A2F) and financial management (FM) on the growth of Ghana's non-traditional export (NTE) firms while examining the moderating role of sector differences. Data were collected from 146 NTE firms using structured questionnaires employing Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM), revealing three key findings. First, A2F significantly and positively impacts the growth of NTE firms in Ghana. Second, FM practices serve as a partial mediator in the relationship between A2F and firm growth, enhancing the effectiveness of financial resources. Third, the sector of business significantly moderates the relationship between A2F and firm growth, with the agricultural industry showing distinct patterns compared to the manufacturing and handicraft industries. The strength of these relationships varies systematically across different NTE sectors, with A2F having a more substantial effect on growth in the agricultural industry. Conversely, FM practices demonstrate more potent effects in the manufacturing and handicraft sectors. These findings suggest policymakers and financial institutions should develop tailored support mechanisms for NTE firms based on sector-specific needs. In contrast, firm managers should prioritize effective FM practices to optimally leverage A2F for sustainable growth.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"28 ","pages":"Article e02706"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143843211","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prevalence and associated risk factors of High-Level Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium in well water used for domestic purposes in Ile-Ife, Southwestern Nigeria","authors":"Babatunde Odetoyin ,&nbsp;Timothy Bebe ,&nbsp;Ezekiel Akinkunmi","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02702","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02702","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Vancomycin-resistant <em>Enterococcus faecium</em> (VREfm) has emerged as a significant global public health threat. While hospital-acquired transmission is commonly implicated in outbreaks, contaminated water sources may contribute to the environmental dissemination of VREfm. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of VREfm and identify associated environmental risk factors in domestic well water in Ile-Ife, southwestern Nigeria.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We assessed 350 wells for VREfm, and questionnaires were administered to obtain information about well characteristics and owner biodemographics. Isolates were identified using microbiological and molecular methods. The isolates were tested against eight antibiotics using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method, and the vancomycin minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined by the agar dilution method. The resistance genes (<em>vanA, vanB, msrA/B, mefA, mph(ABC)</em>) and virulence genes (<em>esp, gelE</em>) of VREfm were detected by polymerase chain reaction. Data analysis was performed using R software.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Thirty-eight (10.9 %) wells were contaminated by VREfm, with counts ranging from 1 × 10² to 5 × 10³ CFU/100 mL. Wells with spilt water collection, ponding within three metres/Bad drainage channel, and sited within 15 m of latrine/septic tank significantly harboured VREfm (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05). All isolates (100 %) exhibited resistance to tetracycline, penicillin, erythromycin, and vancomycin. The vancomycin MIC of the isolates ranged from 64 to 512 µg/mL. Twenty-seven (71.1 %) of 38 isolates harboured only the <em>vanA</em> gene, while one (2.6 %) harboured both the <em>vanA</em> and <em>vanB</em> genes. Five isolates (13.2 %) harboured the <em>msrA/B</em> gene, three isolates (7.9 %) harboured only the <em>mph(ABC)</em> gene, one isolate (2.6 %) harboured both <em>mph(ABC)</em> and <em>mefA</em> genes, and four isolates (10.5 %) harboured only the <em>mefA</em> gene. Virulence determinants, <em>esp</em> and <em>gelE</em> were detected in 2.6 % and 29 % of the isolates, respectively.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The detection of VREfm in well water highlights the potential public health risks associated with the consumption of untreated water. Consequently, there is a necessity for routine sanitation practices and rigorous structural inspections of wells to mitigate ponding, spilt water accumulation, and the potential for waterborne disease outbreaks.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"28 ","pages":"Article e02702"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143858780","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Spatial structure of tilapia phylogenetic diversity across five rivers in the Niger Delta states of Nigeria","authors":"Ekerette Emmanuel Ekerette ,&nbsp;Owoidihe Monday Etukudo ,&nbsp;Ukam Uno-Ubarei Uno ,&nbsp;Reagan Bessong Agbor ,&nbsp;Paul Bassey Ekpo ,&nbsp;Jude Ngozichukwuka Efienokwu ,&nbsp;Joy Rademene Usang ,&nbsp;Uduak Linus Edem ,&nbsp;Ekei Victor Ikpeme","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02705","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02705","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding the phylogenetic relationships among species is crucial for effective conservation, selection, and hybridization, which can enhance economic gains through improved growth characteristics. This study aimed to assess the reliability of mtDNA <span>d</span>-loop in delineating the phylogenetics of three tilapia species. Blood samples were collected from tilapia across five rivers (populations) in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. The species sampled included <em>Oreochromis niloticus</em> (<em>n</em> = 44), <em>Oreochromis aureus</em> (<em>n</em> = 23), and <em>Oreochromis mossambicus</em> (<em>n</em> = 14). Phylogenetic analysis revealed two major clades, with tilapia sub-grouped by species. Within each population, the three species were genetically distinct from each other based on variations in their mtDNA <span>d</span>-loop. Clustering was species-specific when fish from the five populations were compared. The relationship between the tilapia from this study and those from other regions showed that <em>O. aureus</em> and <em>O. niloticus</em> from the five populations were similar to counterparts from other regions. In contrast, <em>O. mossambicus</em> clustered closely with <em>Coptodon zilli</em> and <em>Tilapia zilli</em>. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed greater variation among fish populations (86.39 %) than within populations (24.71 %), with a significant fixation index (<em>F</em>_ST = 0.743; <em>p</em> &lt; 0.05). Demographic expansion and mismatch distribution analyses indicated no expansion within the three tilapia species. These findings are valuable for species management and selective breeding programmes to enhance tilapia production in Nigeria.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"28 ","pages":"Article e02705"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143858885","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Gender, poverty and food security: Perceptions and implications for urban households in Nigeria","authors":"Zelda A. Elum ,&nbsp;Angela I. Emodi","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02703","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02703","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Poverty is a state of deprivations that is manifested in multidimensional forms. There are distinctions between men and women, in its prevalence, extent and effects, particularly on food security experienced. The study explores the interaction of gender with poverty and food security among urban households in Bayelsa State, Nigeria, in establishing empirical evidence to aid policies on improving households’ wellbeing and reducing gender-based inequality in food security. Data were collected through a multistage sampling procedure from 400 households across four local government areas of Bayelsa State. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, principal component analysis and binary logistic model with the help of SPSS, version 26.0. Results reveal that incidence of multidimensional poverty was higher among women (67 %) than among men (58 %). Also, structural (societal and economic) issues (<em>x̄</em>, 3.79) were the most perceived factors causing poverty, followed by political (3.75) and behavioural (3.35) factors. It was also observed that women had higher perception values of the causes of poverty than men, implying that women had a higher level of sensitivity to the impacts of perceived causes. Results also showed that increase in a household's multidimensional deprivations decreases their likelihood of being food secured. The study recommends initiating policies that promote access to affordable or free healthcare services, education, adequate electricity, and economic opportunities to aid households’ acquisition of assets for wealth accumulation; also, to mainstream gendered economic empowerment and parity into development programs since women felt more marginalized and more sensitive to poverty effects than their male counterparts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"28 ","pages":"Article e02703"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143850746","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Adsorptive Removal of Crystal Violet Dye from Aqueous Solution Using a Vermiculite-Based Geopolymer","authors":"Ampfarisaho Marubini,&nbsp;Rirhandzu Mhlarhi,&nbsp;Joshua Nosa Edokpayi","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02701","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02701","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The removal of hazardous dyes from industrial wastewater is crucial for environmental protection and public health. In this study vermiculite based geopolymer, herein termed VBG, was used as effective adsorbent to remove crystal violet (CV) dye from aqueous solution. VBG was characterized using a Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometer, scanning electron microscope (SEM), with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and Brunauer Emmett, Teller (BET). Various experimental factors, including contact time, adsorbent dosage, initial dye concentration, adsorbate pH, temperature, and change in water chemistry were examined on the efficiency of CV removal. The point of zero charge was also evaluated. Optimum CV removal conditions were attained at 15 min. The pseudo-second order and Temkin models provided the best description of the data from the kinetic and isotherm models respectively. The thermodynamic parameters, ΔH and ΔS indicate that the adsorption process was endothermic and spontaneous. The sorbent was desorbed using 0.1 M NaOH solution and after 5 regeneration cycles, it was still able to remove above 71 % of the CV dye. Based on the data obtained, VBG may be explored as an affordable adsorbent for CV dye sequestration.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"28 ","pages":"Article e02701"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143828375","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"GAF-GradCAM: Guided dynamic weighted fusion of temporal and frequency GAF 2D matrices for ECG-based arrhythmia detection using deep learning","authors":"Zakaria Khatar ,&nbsp;Dounia Bentaleb ,&nbsp;Noreddine Abghour ,&nbsp;Khalid Moussaid","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02687","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02687","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study introduces an innovative approach for arrhythmia classification that employs a Grad-CAM-guided dynamic weighted fusion of temporal and frequency features extracted from electrocardiogram (ECG) signals. By transforming ECG signals into two-dimensional Gramian Angular Field (GAF) matrices, the proposed method effectively captures temporal dynamics via Gramian Angular Summation Fields (GASF) and frequency dependencies from features extracted using Continuous Wavelet Transform (CWT) and refined through Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The Grad-CAM-guided dynamic fusion adaptively assigns importance to these complementary feature types based on their relevance for each input, enhancing both classification accuracy and interpretability. Optimizing this fusion process fine-tunes the balance between temporal and frequency information, thus focusing the model on the most critical ECG features. As a result, training accuracy reached 99.68% and validation accuracy 98.78%, alongside a substantial reduction in loss, underscoring the efficacy of Grad-CAM-guided fusion in integrating essential ECG features and advancing arrhythmia detection accuracy. Building on this fusion framework, this study further proposes a Hybrid Parallel-Residual Architecture specifically tailored for arrhythmia detection, integrating parallel and residual connections with Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (Bi-LSTM). This architecture ensures robust feature extraction and precise classification, achieving up to 98.75% accuracy, 99.14% sensitivity, and a 98.97% F1 score across multiple ECG leads, thereby surpassing traditional methods.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"28 ","pages":"Article e02687"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143835201","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}