TPPSO: A Novel Two-Phase Particle Swarm Optimization

Particle swarm optimization (PSO) is a stout and rapid searching algorithm that has been used in various applications. Nevertheless, its major drawback is the stagnation problem that arises in the later phases of the search process. To solve this problem, a proper balance between investigation and manipulation throughout the search process should be maintained. This article proposes a new PSO variant named two-phases PSO (TPPSO). The concept of TPPSO is to split the search process into two phases. The first phase performs the original PSO operations with linearly decreasing inertia weight, and its objective is to focus on exploration. The second phase focuses on exploitation by generating two random positions in each iteration that are close to the global best position. The two generated positions are compared with the global best position sequentially. If a generated position performs better than the global best position, then it replaces the global best position. To prove the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm, sixteen popular unimodal, multimodal, shifted, and rotated benchmarking functions have been used to compare its performance with other existing well-known PSO variants and non-PSO algorithms. Simulation results show that TPPSO outperforms the other modified and hybrid PSO variants regarding solution quality, convergence speed, and robustness. The convergence speed of TPPSO is extremely fast, making it a suitable optimizer for real-world optimization problems

Sustainable Engineering higher education in Oman-lessons learned from the pandemic (COVID-19), improvements, and suggestions in the teaching, learning and administrative framework

This research study has investigated the challenges faced due to the pandemic (COVID-19). This paper further provides recommendations that can be adopted by academics, learners, and administrators to make the education system more robust and sustainable. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic can be felt in various fields across the world including higher education. The closure of face-to-face (FtF) learning in educational institutions worldwide has impacted over 95% of the world's student population. Therefore, in wake of this, many institutions have quickly adopted to offer complete online teaching and learning in a very short period. However, such a quick transition has raised several challenges. 1) What are the challenges encountered by academics and their readiness to adapt to the rapid remote learning transition? 2) What are the challenges encountered by learners (students), and their readiness to adapt to the rapid remote learning transition? 3) What are the recommendations for strategic planners or high-level administrators in institutions to tackle such pandemic risks effectively in the future? To address research questions mixed methods are used. A qualitativequestionnaire survey is framed by an extensive literature review to understand the perceptions of academics and learners. A total of (n=525) academician samples and (n= 1460) student samples have been collected. The academic and learner's perceptions are analyzed by estimating the Pearson correlation coefficients. The mean and SD values based on academic rank stood at 3.01±0.96, and by experience stood at 2.96±0.98. Similarly, learner's perceptions stood at 2.67±0.95

BJS commission on surgery and perioperative care post-COVID-19

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was declared a pandemic by the WHO on 11 March 2020 and global surgical practice was compromised. This Commission aimed to document and reflect on the changes seen in the surgical environment during the pandemic, by reviewing colleagues experiences and published evidence. Methods: In late 2020, BJS contacted colleagues across the global surgical community and asked them to describe how severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) had affected their practice. In addition to this, the Commission undertook a literature review on the impact of COVID-19 on surgery and perioperative care. A thematic analysis was performed to identify the issues most frequently encountered by the correspondents, as well as the solutions and ideas suggested to address them. Results: BJS received communications for this Commission from leading clinicians and academics across a variety of surgical specialties in every inhabited continent. The responses from all over the world provided insights into multiple facets of surgical practice from a governmental level to individual clinical practice and training. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic has uncovered a variety of problems in healthcare systems, including negative impacts on surgical practice. Global surgical multidisciplinary teams are working collaboratively to address research questions about the future of surgery in the post-COVID-19 era. The COVID-19 pandemic is severely damaging surgical training. The establishment of a multidisciplinary ethics committee should be encouraged at all surgical oncology centres. Innovative leadership and collaboration is vital in the post-COVID-19 era

BJS commission on surgery and perioperative care post-COVID-19

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was declared a pandemic by the WHO on 11 March 2020 and global surgical practice was compromised. This Commission aimed to document and reflect on the changes seen in the surgical environment during the pandemic, by reviewing colleagues' experiences and published evidence