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Framework to Detect Adulterated Honey Using Hyperspectral Imaging and Machine Learning
Honey is a natural product renowned for its nutritional and medicinal properties. However, the increasing market demand in Pakistan has led to frequent instances of adulterated and fraudulent honey. Conventional detection methods are widely used but are often ineffective in accurately identifying adulteration. This study proposes a novel approach to detecting adulteration in honey, specifically the mixing of sugar, using machine learning (ML) techniques in conjunction with hyperspectral imaging (HSI). By leveraging HSI, we capture distinct spectral features of both pure and adulterated honey. These spectral features are processed and analyzed using ML algorithms trained on a dataset comprising pure and mixed honey samples. Experiments involve binary, as well as, multiclass (5 classes) honey samples with different levels of adulteration. In addition, data balancing is also carried out using synthetic minority oversampling technique (SMOTE). The results prove the proposed approach to be efficient in detecting adulteration across various honey varieties, with linear regression achieved 99.9% while support vector machine and multilayer perceptron obtaining a 98.7% accuracy for binary class. For the multiple classes of honey, the multilayer perceptron shows a 96.67% accuracy outperforming the remaining ML and deep learning models. Among the deep learning models, the convolutional neural network (CNN) achieved the best performance with an accuracy of 94.67% after applying the SMOTE × 3 (three times of over samples of original samples of each class) data balancing strategy, whereas recurrent neural network (RNN), long short-term memory (LSTM), and gated recurrent unit (GRU) models showed comparatively lower performance.
Cryptocurrency Market Trends: A Machine Learning-Driven Time Series Forecasting with Twitter Sentiment Integration
Accurate forecasting of cryptocurrency prices remains an open challenge because classical statistical models cannot capture the non-linear, sentiment-driven dynamics of these markets. This study compares three hybrid deep learning architectures—VAR-LSTM, XGBoost-LSTM, and CNN-LSTM—to determine which best forecasts Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Dogecoin (DOGE) closing prices, and to quantify the marginal predictive value of Twitter sentiment integration. Six years of hourly OHLCV data (2017–2023) are augmented with VADER-scored Twitter sentiment polarity. Each model is formulated mathematically, implemented with documented hyperparameters (epochs, dropout, units;), and trained for one-step-ahead next-hour price prediction. Performance is measured by RMSE, MAE, MAPE, R 2 , and Directional Accuracy (DA) across five random seeds, with paired Wilcoxon significance tests. XGBoost-LSTM achieves the best performance (RMSE = 81.547, R 2 = 0.9254, DA = 80.0%), outperforming all nine literature baselines. Removing Twitter sentiment degrades DA by 14.3 percentage points ( p < 0.01 ), confirming that social media signals carry independent predictive information. Hybrid architectures consistently outperform single-model baselines; XGBoost-LSTM offers the best accuracy-to-compute ratio. VADER-enriched Twitter sentiment is a significant predictor beyond price history. Limitations include reliance on a single sentiment platform and a training window that predates several structural market events
Parental Decision-Related Factors Are Associated with Discretionary Ultra-Processed Food Consumption Among Children and Adolescents Living in the Mediterranean Area
Background/Objectives: Nutrition during childhood and adolescence is a key determinant of long-term health, influencing metabolic homeostasis, neurocognitive development, and immune system maturation. Globalization and technological advances have reshaped food production and consumption, increasing the availability of ultra-processed foods (UPF) of low nutritional quality. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between parental factors, namely food literacy, perceived barriers and enablers, dietary attitudes, and healthy eating behaviors, and the consumption of discretionary UPF among children and adolescents living in 5 Mediterranean countries. Methods: This cross-sectional study was based on a survey completed by 2011 parents of children and adolescents aged 6–17 years from 5 Mediterranean countries, who reported on their children’s dietary and lifestyle habits. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet was assessed through the KIDMED index. Parental food literacy was measured using the Short Food Literacy Questionnaire (SFLQ). Perceived barriers and enablers were assessed based on the Theory of Planned Behavior, and parents’ attitudes toward their child’s diet were evaluated using the Healthy-Eating Attitudes Questionnaire (HEAQ). Finally, the Theory of Internet Use Related to Health (TIUH) questionnaire was used to assess parents’ tendencies related to health information use online. Results: Higher perceived barriers and enablers were significantly associated with lower discretionary UPF consumption across all models. Parental food literacy (SFLQ) showed a positive association with discretionary UPF consumption, remaining significant in the fully adjusted model, although with reduced magnitude. Healthy-eating attitudes (HEAQ) were initially positively associated with discretionary UPF intake but lost statistical significance after full adjustment. Regarding health-related internet use (TIUH), the Health Information dimension showed a strong positive association with discretionary UPF consumption, while other dimensions (Consciousness and Beliefs) showed inconsistent and non-significant associations in the fully adjusted model. Conclusions: Children’s consumption of discretionary UPF is shaped by several interrelated factors, such as family environment, eating patterns, and parents’ perceptions, rather than solely by knowledge or attitudes.
LwHM: lightweight hybrid classifier for SDN-attack detection using recursive feature elimination
Internet connectivity has significantly enhanced the efficiency of daily operations, information retrieval, and global communication. However, this heightened reliance on technology has also exposed us to cybersecurity threats that are often beyond our control. Consequently, securing the data, privacy, and critical systems demands essential cybersecurity measures. This study focuses on the role of artificial intelligence in strengthening security systems to thwart network breaches. The study proposes a comprehensive three-part approach for software-defined networking (SDN) security. The first is that the concentration is on assuring data integrity and reliability for an SDN intrusion dataset. This involves critical steps such as data cleaning, preprocessing, and normalization. In the second step, six popular feature selection strategies are applied, which encompass recursive feature elimination (RFE), polynomial features, artificial neural networks, SelectKBest, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), and correlation-based features. These techniques help identify and incorporate significant and relevant features, thereby improving the overall model performance. The third part involves the creation of a lightweight hybrid model (LwHM) that leverages the strengths of k-nearest neighbors and decision tree models, utilizing a voting classifier. The LwHM surpasses the performance of the InSDN dataset, achieved an impressive accuracy score of 99.93% with RFE features, and enhance the SDN security efficiently.
Infrared thermography to assess fatigue, injury risk factors and recovery in soccer: a systematic review of original studies
Background: Recovery after a training session or match is a key factor in injury prevention and sports performance. The purpose of this systematic review was to analyze and consolidate the available scientific evidence from the main databases on the use of infrared thermography in the assessment of fatigue, injury risk factors, and recovery in soccer players.Methods: The literature search was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines and the PICOS model until June 30, 2025, in the main scientific databases (ScienceDirect, EMBASE, Web of Science (WOS), Cochrane Library, SciELO, MEDLINE/PubMed, SPORTDiscus, and Scopus). The risk of bias and methodological quality were assessed using the Cochrane Handbook guidelines and the PEDro scale.”Results: The initial literature search yielded a total of 510 records. After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, the final sample consisted of 20 studies, which were of high methodological quality. The results showed the effects of infrared thermography in assessing fatigue, identifying injury risk factors, and monitoring recovery processes in soccer players. The studies also systematically reported the characterization of the population, the assessment methods used, the variables analyzed, the methodological design, the main results, and the effects of the intervention.Conclusions: Infrared thermography shows promise as a valid, reliable, and non-invasive tool for assessing skin temperature, reflecting temperature changes in response to physiological processes. It allows for the analysis of structural or metabolic fatigue and thermal asymmetries. Therefore, thermography could be used to design individualized recovery protocols.