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17 pages, 3732 KB

Open AccessArticle

A Strategy Potentially Suitable for Combined Preimplantation Genetic Testing of Aneuploidy and Monogenic Disease That Permits Direct Detection of Pathogenic Variants Including Repeat Expansions and Gene Deletions

by Vivienne J. Tan, Ying Liang, Arnold S. Tan, Simin Wong, Nur Asherah, Pengyian Chua, Caroline G. Lee, Mahesh A. Choolani, Truong Dang and Samuel S. Chong

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(10), 4532; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26104532 - 9 May 2025

Viewed by 872

Abstract

Combined preimplantation genetic testing of aneuploidy (PGT-A) and monogenic disease (PGT-M) can be achieved through PCR-based whole genome amplification (WGA) and next-generation sequencing (NGS). However, pathogenic variant detection is usually achieved indirectly through single nucleotide polymorphism haplotyping, as direct detection of pathogenic variants is not always possible. We evaluated whether isothermal WGA was suitable for combined PGT-A and PGT-M that also permitted direct detection of repeat expansions and large deletions, in addition to indirect linkage analysis using microsatellite markers. Five-cell replicates from selected cell lines were subjected to isothermal or PCR-based WGA, followed by NGS-based PGT-A and direct and indirect PGT-M of Huntington’s disease and spinal muscular atrophy. Both WGA methods accurately detected aneuploidy and large (10 Mb) segmental imbalances. However, isothermal WGA produced higher genotyping accuracy compared with PCR-based WGA for all analysed microsatellite markers (93.5% vs. 75.6%), as well as at the HTT CAG repeat locus (100% vs. 7.7%) and the SMN1/2 locus (100% vs. 71.8%). These results demonstrate that isothermal WGA is potentially ideal for combined PGT-A and PGT-M that permits both direct and indirect detection of pathogenic variants including repeat expansions and gene deletions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetic Testing in Molecular Pathology and Diagnosis)

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12 pages, 342 KB

Open AccessArticle

New Evidence for Asherata/Asherah

by Richard S. Hess

Religions 2025, 16(4), 397; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16040397 - 21 Mar 2025

Viewed by 2026

Abstract

This paper examines the appearance of published West Semitic spellings of the name of the deity commonly referred to as Asherah. In light of new evidence from the Bronze Age Amorite sources, as well as the complete publication of the inscriptions at Kuntillet ʿAjrud, a review of the analysis and discussion concerning the identification of the deity is undertaken. The purpose will be to ascertain the significance of the witness of epigraphic Hebrew texts at Kuntillet ʿAjrud and Khirbet el-Qom in light of earlier Bronze Age evidence, the biblical attestations, the conceptualization of deity, and the understanding of Iron Age epigraphic Hebrew spellings of the feminine singular suffix, as well as pronominal suffixes. The more complete availability of textual witnesses provides a foundation on which to argue the degree of continuity across more than a thousand years of the appearance of the deity in the West Semitic world. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Bible and Ancient Mesopotamia)

19 pages, 4719 KB

Open AccessArticle

Anomaly Detection and Analysis in Nuclear Power Plants

by Abhishek Chaudhary, Junseo Han, Seongah Kim, Aram Kim and Sunoh Choi

Electronics 2024, 13(22), 4428; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13224428 - 12 Nov 2024

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3129

Abstract

Industries are increasingly adopting digital systems to improve control and accessibility by providing real-time monitoring and early alerts for potential issues. While digital transformation fuels exponential growth, it exposes these industries to cyberattacks. For critical sectors such as nuclear power plants, a cyberattack not only risks damaging the facility but also endangers human lives. In today’s digital world, enormous amounts of data are generated, and the analysis of these data can help ensure effectiveness, including security. In this study, we analyzed the data using a deep learning model for early detection of abnormal behavior. We first examined the Asherah Nuclear Power Plant simulator by initiating three different cyberattacks, each targeting a different system, thereby collecting and analyzing data from the simulator. Second, a Bi-LSTM model was used to detect anomalies in the simulator, which detected it before the plant’s protection system was activated in response to a threat. Finally, we applied explainable AI (XAI) to acquire insight into how distinctive features contribute to the detection of anomalies. XAI provides valuable explanations of model behavior by revealing how specific features influence anomaly detection during attacks. This research proposes an effective anomaly detection technique and interpretability to better understand counter-cyber threats in critical industries, such as nuclear plants. Full article

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31 pages, 4717 KB

Open AccessArticle

Development of an Open-Source Testbed Based on the Modbus Protocol for Cybersecurity Analysis of Nuclear Power Plants

by Israel Barbosa de Brito and Rafael T. de Sousa

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(15), 7942; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12157942 - 8 Aug 2022

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 6614

Abstract

The possibility of cyber-attacks against critical infrastructure, and in particular nuclear power plants, has prompted several efforts by academia. Many of these works aim to capture the vulnerabilities of the industrial control systems used in these plants through computer simulations and hardware in the loop configurations. However, general results in this area are limited by the cost and diversity of existing commercial equipment and protocols, as well as by the inherent complexity of the nuclear plants. In this context, this work introduces a testbed for the study of cyber-attacks against a realistic simulation of a nuclear power plant. Our approach consists in surveying issues regarding realistic simulations of nuclear power plants and to design and experimentally validate a software testbed for the controlled analysis of cyberattacks against the simulated nuclear plant. The proposal integrates a simulated Modbus/TCP network environment containing basic industrial control elements implemented with open-source software components. We validate the proposed testbed architecture by performing and analyzing a representative cyberattack in the developed environment, thus showing the principles for the analysis of other possible cybernetic attacks. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Cyber Security and Critical Infrastructures)

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11 pages, 3717 KB

Open AccessArticle

Women in Israelite Religion: The State of Research Is All New Research

by Beth Alpert Nakhai

Religions 2019, 10(2), 122; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel10020122 - 19 Feb 2019

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 13506

Abstract

Historically, those studying Israelite religion have ignored the existence of women in Iron Age Israel (1200–587 BCE). They have, therefore, accounted neither for the religious beliefs of half of ancient Israel’s population nor for the responsibilities that women assumed for maintaining religious rituals and traditions. Such reconstructions of Israelite religion are seriously flawed. Only in the last four decades have scholars, primarily women, begun to explore women’s essential roles in Israel’s religious culture. This article utilizes evidence from the Hebrew Bible and from archaeological sites throughout Israel. It demonstrates that some women had roles within the Jerusalem Temple. Most women, however, resided in towns and villages throughout the Land. There, they undertook responsibility for clan-based and community-based religious rituals and rites, including pilgrimage, seasonal festivals, rites of military victory, and rites of mourning. They fulfilled, as well, essential roles within the sphere of domestic or household religion. At home, they provided medico-magical healing for all family members, as well as care for women and babies throughout pregnancy, childbirth, and beyond. They, and the men in their communities, worshipped Yahweh, Israel’s primary deity, and the goddess Asherah, as well; for most people, these two divinities were inextricably linked. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Archaeology and Ancient Israelite Religion)

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