Density estimation of SARS-CoV2 spike proteins using super pixels segmentation technique

Bakr Ahmed Taha; Qussay Al-Jubouri; Yousif Al Mashhadany; Mohd Hadri Hafiz Mokhtar; Mohd Saiful Dzulkefly Bin Zan; Ahmad Ashrif A Bakar; Norhana Arsad

doi:10.1016/j.asoc.2023.110210

Density estimation of SARS-CoV2 spike proteins using super pixels segmentation technique

Appl Soft Comput. 2023 May:138:110210. doi: 10.1016/j.asoc.2023.110210. Epub 2023 Mar 16.

Authors

Bakr Ahmed Taha¹, Qussay Al-Jubouri², Yousif Al Mashhadany³, Mohd Hadri Hafiz Mokhtar¹, Mohd Saiful Dzulkefly Bin Zan¹, Ahmad Ashrif A Bakar¹, Norhana Arsad¹

Affiliations

¹ UKM-Department of Electrical, Electronic and Systems Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, UKM Bangi 43600, Malaysia.
² Department of Communication Engineering, University of Technology, Baghdad, Iraq.
³ Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Anbar, Anbar, 00964, Iraq.

Abstract

The worldwide outbreak of COVID-19 disease was caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV 2). The existence of spike proteins, which allow these viruses to infect host cells, is one of the distinctive biological traits of various prior viruses. As a result, the process by which these viruses infect people is largely dependent on spike proteins. The density of SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins must be estimated to better understand and develop diagnostics and vaccines against the COVID-19 pandemic. CT scans and X-rays have three issues: frosted glass, consolidation, and strange roadway layouts. Each of these issues can be graded separately or together. Although CT scan is sensitive to COVID-19, it is not very specific. Therefore, patients who obtain these results should have more comprehensive clinical and laboratory tests to rule out other probable reasons. This work collected 586 SARS-CoV 2 transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images from open source for density estimation of virus spike proteins through a segmentation approach based on the superpixel technique. As a result, the spike density means of SARS-CoV2 and SARS-CoV were 21,97 nm and 22,45 nm, respectively. Furthermore, in the future, we aim to include this model in an intelligent system to enhance the accuracy of viral detection and classification. Moreover, we can remotely connect hospitals and public sites to conduct environmental hazard assessments and data collection.

Keywords: Coronaviruses; SARS-CoV 2; Segmentation; Spike proteins; Superpixel technique.