Combining machine learning and metaheuristics algorithms for classification method PROAFTN

© Crown 2019. The supervised learning classification algorithms are one of the most well known successful techniques for ambient assisted living environments. However the usual supervised learning classification approaches face issues that limit their application especially in dealing with the knowledge interpretation and with very large unbalanced labeled data set. To address these issues fuzzy classification method PROAFTN was proposed. PROAFTN is part of learning algorithms and enables to determine the fuzzy resemblance measures by generalizing the concordance and discordance indexes used in outranking methods. The main goal of this chapter is to show how the combined meta-heuristics with inductive learning techniques can improve performances of the PROAFTN classifier. The improved PROAFTN classifier is described and compared to well known classifiers, in terms of their learning methodology and classification accuracy. Through this chapter we have shown the ability of the metaheuristics when embedded to PROAFTN method to solve efficiency the classification problems

The origins and development of Zuwīla, Libyan Sahara: an archaeological and historical overview of an ancient oasis town and caravan centre

Zuwīla in southwestern Libya (Fazzān) was one of the most important early Islamic centres in the Central Sahara, but the archaeological correlates of the written sources for it have been little explored. This paper brings together for the first time a detailed consideration of the relevant historical and archaeological data, together with new AMS radiocarbon dates from several key monuments. The origins of the settlement at Zuwīla were pre-Islamic, but the town gained greater prominence in the early centuries of Arab rule of the Maghrib, culminating with the establishment of an Ibāḍī state ruled by the dynasty of the Banū Khaṭṭāb, with Zuwīla its capital. The historical sources and the accounts of early European travellers are discussed and archaeological work at Zuwīla is described (including the new radiocarbon dates). A short gazetteer of archaeological monuments is provided as an appendix. Comparisons and contrasts are also drawn between Zuwīla and other oases of the ash-Sharqiyāt region of Fazzān. The final section of the paper presents a series of models based on the available evidence, tracing the evolution and decline of this remarkable site

Cross-tolerance to abiotic stresses in halophytes: Application for phytoremediation of organic pollutants

International audienceHalopytes are plants able to tolerate high salt concentrations but no clear definition was retained for them. In literature, there are more studies that showed salt-enhanced tolerance to other abiotic stresses compared to investigations that found enhanced salt tolerance by other abiotic stresses in halophytes. The phenomenon by which a plant resistance to a stress induces resistance to another is referred to as cross-tolerance. In this work, we reviewed cross-tolerance in halophytes at the physiological, biochemical, and molecular levels. A special attention was accorded to the cross-tolerance between salinity and organic pollutants that could allow halophytes a higher potential of xenobiotic phytoremediation in comparison with glycophytes

Consanguinity and reproductive health among Arabs

Consanguineous marriages have been practiced since the early existence of modern humans. Until now consanguinity is widely practiced in several global communities with variable rates depending on religion, culture, and geography. Arab populations have a long tradition of consanguinity due to socio-cultural factors. Many Arab countries display some of the highest rates of consanguineous marriages in the world, and specifically first cousin marriages which may reach 25-30% of all marriages. In some countries like Qatar, Yemen, and UAE, consanguinity rates are increasing in the current generation. Research among Arabs and worldwide has indicated that consanguinity could have an effect on some reproductive health parameters such as postnatal mortality and rates of congenital malformations. The association of consanguinity with other reproductive health parameters, such as fertility and fetal wastage, is controversial. The main impact of consanguinity, however, is an increase in the rate of homozygotes for autosomal recessive genetic disorders. Worldwide, known dominant disorders are more numerous than known recessive disorders. However, data on genetic disorders in Arab populations as extracted from the Catalogue of Transmission Genetics in Arabs (CTGA) database indicate a relative abundance of recessive disorders in the region that is clearly associated with the practice of consanguinity

Iodine content in groundwater of North Eastern Morocco and its relation with the incidence of goiter

International audienceIodine in water has been used as an indicator of the ‘iodine status’ of an area, and it has been suggested that a low iodine contentin drinking water is a contributing factor to the onset of Iodine Deficiency Disorders, which the most visible manifestation isgoiter. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the importance of groundwater iodine content for the regional differences ingoiter frequency observed in rural areas in the North Eastern Morocco where groundwater is the main source of drinking water.Water samples from 9 wells and 4 springs were collected and analyzed. Concentrations of iodine varies from 6.43µg/L to143.8µg/L. the content was high in wells near the Mediterranean Sea (Bouareg: 115.9µg/L and Laatamna: 143.8µg/L), and thelowest values were in general noted in springs (mean 10.28µg/L). When only well waters were considered, Guenfouda showed alowest value of iodine (14.6µg/L). This result may, in part, explain why goiter frequency is higher in this area.In order tounderstand the distribution of iodine and the controlling factors in groundwater from the North Eastern Morocco, hydrochemicalstudy was conducted. Distance to the Mediterranean sea associated with topography, is probably the main explanation for thisdistribution and hence, the regional differences in goiter frequency observed in this area. The results in this investigationsuggest the need to update data on iodine deficiency in the North Eastern Morocco and to recommend possibleremediation strategies

Impact of Urbanization and Socioeconomic Factors on the Distribution of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in the Center of Morocco

Background. Parasitic diseases, in particular leishmaniasis, are still a public health problem in several countries and in Morocco. Methods. The data used are those of epidemiological surveillance collected in the registers of the prefectural epidemiology cell (PEC); however, the socioeconomic data were obtained from the High Commissioner for Planning. The Pearson correlation test was used to determine the correlation between the different variables. Results. In total, 70 cases were recorded by the prefectural epidemiology cell (PEC) during the period from 2009 to 2015. 46% of the cases come from rural areas while 54% of the cases come from urban areas. The Pearson test shows the existence of a significant relationship between the number of cases recorded and the type of environment (r = 0.49, p value = 0.02), and population rate (R = 0.849 and p≤0.001). However, in our case, the poverty rate does not influence CL’s distribution. Conclusion. Our results show that the CL affects the majority of the municipalities with predominance of the urban environment, so the distribution of cases of this pathology is not influenced by the poverty; however, the urbanization and the number of inhabitants have a positive impact on the distribution of this scourge

Seasonal variations in testicular size and semen quality of Boujaâd ram in Morocco

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Characteristics of ram semen collected from Boujaâd sheep breed in Morocco under fresh conservation

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