Gradient Based Hybridization of PSO

Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) has emerged as a powerful metaheuristic global optimization approach over the past three decades. Its appeal lies in its ability to tackle complex multidimensional problems that defy conventional algorithms. However, PSO faces challenges, such as premature stagnation in single-objective scenarios and the need to strike a balance between exploration and exploitation. Hybridizing PSO by integrating its cooperative nature with established optimization techniques from diverse paradigms offers a promising solution. In this paper, we investigate various strategies for synergizing gradient-based optimizers with PSO. We introduce different hybridization principles and explore several approaches, including sequential decoupled hybridization, coupled hybridization, and adaptive hybridization. These strategies aim to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of PSO, ultimately improving its ability to navigate intricate optimization landscapes. By combining the strengths of gradient-based methods with the inherent social dynamics of PSO, we seek to address the critical objectives of intelligent exploration and exploitation in complex optimization tasks. Our study delves into the comparative merits of these hybridization techniques and offers insights into their application across different problem domains

Clinical Profile of Arrhythmias Complicating Acute Anterior Wall Myocardial Infarction

INTRODUCTION: Acute Myocardial infarction is the most common and most serious life threatening illness that causes more deaths and disability and incurs greater economic costs than any other illness in the world. The mechanism responsible for infarction related arrhythmias include autonomic nervous system imbalance, electrolyte disturbances, ischemia and slowed condition in the zones of ischemic myocardium. Arrhythmias have been noted in 70 to 95% of patients with Acute Myocardial infarction. Many arrhythmias may occur prior to hospitalization and thus the overall incidence of arrhythmias in acute myocardial infarction may actually be 100%. Arrhythmias are responsible for serious hemodynamic disturbances. The most significant consequence of cardiac arrhythmias is fall in cardiac output and B.P. This may precipitate or aggravate congestive cardiac failure. More than 60% of deaths associated with acute myocardial infarction occur within 1 hour of the event and are attributable to malignant arrhythmias usually ventricular fibrillation. Careful monitoring of cardiac rhythm and prompt treatment of arrhythmias have sharply reduced the incidence of in-hospital deaths from arrhythmias. Prior to the advent of coronary care units, treatment of acute myocardial infarction was towards healing of the infarct preventing cardiac rupture and management of pulmonary or systemic embolism. Subsequently the major emphasis of the therapeutic strategy is on the prophylaxis and aggressive treatment of arrhythmias. Anterior wall Myocardial infarction is the most common presentation of acute myocardial infarction. Left anterior descending artery is the most frequent culprit vessel. The incidence type and severity of arrhythmias varies with the area of the infarct. Tachyarrhythmias are most commonly seen in anterior wall myocardial infarction while Bradyarrhythmias occur frequently in inferior wall myocardial infarction. The overall incidence of arrhythmias and their resultant mortality is more with anterior wall myocardial infarction. AIM OF THE STUDY: The aim of the study is to analyse : 1. The incidence of different types of arrhythmias in acute anterior wall myocardial infarction in 100 consecutive patients admitted to intensive coronary care unit of Govt. Stanley Hospital. 2. Correlation of each type of arrhythmia with the location and extent of acute anterior wall myocardial infarction. 3. To evaluate the role of age, sex and other risk factors in relation to the various types of arrhythmias. 4. To interpret the prognostic factors for various arrhythmias and their outcome. 5. To assess the effect of arrhythmias on the morbidity and mortality of patients with acute anterior wall myocardial infarction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 100 consecutive patients with acute anterior wall myocardial infarction admitted to the Intensive Coronary Care Unit of Stanley Medical College Hospital were studied over a period of 9 months. The diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction was confirmed with History: Classical chest pain-central retrosternal, constricting, oppressive or burning type of pain usually associated with sweating, often radiating to the inner aspect of the left arm or shoulder or to the root of the neck occurring within 48 hours preceding admission. Patients with h/o prior MI, prexisting valvular heart diseases, prior cardiac surgeries and those who had taken treatment out side were excluded. Electrocardiogram: Electrocardiogram was done in all patients irrespective of symptoms and was considered as the definite evidence of acute myocardial infarction. Bio chemistry: Specific tests CPK-MB-Creatine Phosphokinase fraction specific for myocardial damage was done in all patients Significant levels -->10 IU/L. Other Tests: Blood urea, Blood sugar and serum creatinine were done for all patients. SGOT (AST) / serum Aspartate Transaminase level was done for all patients. CONCLUSION: Incidence of Myocardial infarction increases with age. • Incidence of Myocardial infarction is significantly more in men (75%) compared to that in women (25%). • In women, Acute MI was observed mostly (96%) in the post menopausal group• Smoking was the most common Risk factor (76%). • Hypertension and Diabetes mellitus were the most important risk factors in females. • Atypical chest pain was more common in females, of which dyspnoea was the most frequent. • Mortality was higher in older patients • Cardiac failure and cardiogenic shock were associated with poor prognosis. • Most common arrhythmia in our study was VPD's • Arrhythmias are more common in males (73%) against (68%) in females. • Arrhythmias are more common in those over 45 yrs (97%). The tachyarrhythmias had a higher incidence. • Arrhythmias are more common with multiple risk factors (96%). • Most benign arrhythmia was occasional VPD's. • Most dangerous arrhythmia was VF. • Atrial flutter, parasystole and I & II° AVB were not recorded seen in our study. • Total mortality was 21% of which death was more common in QMI (90%) and Non QMI (10%). • Extent and the size of infarct had a direct correlation to mortalityThe present study has enabled us to identify the high risk group for observation and follow up. Risk stratification helps us in early identification of complications and its treatment. The judicious use of interventional surgical and non surgical approaches with life style modification may pave way for revolutionary changes in mortality and morbidity in patients with arrthymias in acute anterior wall MI

Regional Differences in the Temporal Expression of Non-Apoptotic Caspase-3-Positive Bergmann Glial Cells in the Developing Rat Cerebellum

Although caspases have been intimately linked to apoptotic events, some of the pro-apoptotic caspases also may regulate differentiation. We previously demonstrated that active caspase-3 is expressed and has an apparent non-apoptotic function during the development of cerebellar Bergmann glia. The current study seeks to further correlate active/cleaved caspase-3 expression with the developmental phenotype of Bergmann glia by examining regional differences in the temporal pattern of expression of cleaved caspase-3 immunoreactivity in lobules of the cerebellar vermis. In general, we found that the expression pattern of cleaved caspase-3 corresponds to the reported developmental temporal profile of the lobes and that its levels peak at 15 days and declines thereafter. Compared to intermediate or late maturing lobules, early maturing lobules had higher levels of active caspase-3 at earlier postnatal times. This period of postnatal development is precisely the time during which Bergmann glia initiate differentiation

Serum calprotectin as a marker of neonatal sepsis: a hospital-based cross-sectional diagnostic study [version 1; peer review: 2 approved]

Background: Despite significant advances in neonatal care, neonatal sepsis remains a major contributor to mortality, morbidity, and protracted hospitalization. The development of early possible diagnostic indicators for newborn sepsis is critical. Since calprotectin participates in major biological processes, it could be a diagnostic marker for infection/inflammation. This study aimed to estimate serum calprotectin in neonates with clinical sepsis. In addition, we compared serum calprotectin with standard sepsis markers and serum procalcitonin to evaluate its diagnostic accuracy. Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional diagnostic study of neonates identified with clinical sepsis using standard criteria was carried out. We compared estimated serum calprotectin levels to serum procalcitonin levels and conventional sepsis markers (leucocyte count, blood culture, immature to total neutrophil ratio, and C- reactive protein). We used SPSS version 25 to analyze the data. To examine diagnostic accuracy and determine a cut-off value for serum calprotectin, we used the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve. Results: Of the 83 subjects included, 36.5% (30/83) had blood culture positive status, the median value of serum calprotectin being 0.93 ng/ml (0.67 to 1.3). Respiratory, cardiovascular, and gastrointestinal instabilities were present in 67.5% (56/83), 59% (49/83), and 50.1% (42/83) cases, respectively. The presence of positive and negative blood cultures did not significantly affect sepsis parameters (p=0.09). On ROC, calprotectin was not predictive for blood culture positivity (sensitivity: 50%; specificity: 44% at 0.83 ng/ml of serum calprotectin) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels (sensitivity: 57%; specificity: 67% at serum calprotectin levels of 0.89 ng/ml). However, compared with serum procalcitonin, serum calprotectin at 1.2 ng/ml had sensitivity and specificity of 60% and 73%, respectively.  Conclusions: Serum calprotectin did not show a distinct advantage over the existing sepsis markers. Serum calprotectin level at 1.2 ng/ml had a sensitivity and specificity of 60% and 73%, respectively, compared to serum procalcitonin in detecting neonatal sepsis

Biotechnological advances for combating Aspergillus flavus and aflatoxin contamination in crops

Aflatoxins are toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic, teratogenic and immunosuppressive byproducts of Aspergillus spp. that contaminate a wide range of crops such as maize, peanut, and cotton. Aflatoxin not only affects crop production but renders the produce unfit for consumption and harmful to human and livestock health, with stringent threshold limits of acceptability. In many crops, breeding for resistance is not a reliable option because of the limited availability of genotypes with durable resistance to Aspergillus. Understanding the fungal/crop/environment interactions involved in aflatoxin contamination is therefore essential in designing measures for its prevention and control. For a sustainable solution to aflatoxin contamination, research must be focused on identifying and improving knowledge of host–plant resistance factors to aflatoxin accumulation. Current advances in genetic transformation, proteomics, RNAi technology, and marker-assisted selection offer great potential in minimizing preharvest aflatoxin contamination in cultivated crop species. Moreover, developing effective phenotyping strategies for transgenic as well as precision breeding of resistance genes into commercial varieties is critical. While appropriate storage practices can generally minimize post-harvest aflatoxin contamination in crops, the use of biotechnology to interrupt the probability of pre-harvest infection and contamination has the potential to provide sustainable solutio

Applying TRIZ and Bass Model to Forecast Fitness Tracking Devices Technology

65% of the world’s population lives in countries where overweight and obesity kills more people than those who are underweight. Healthcare organizations, private corporations and individuals are investing in proactive health and weight management. Advances in sensor technologies have enabled development of affordable wearable technology devices, the most rapid expansion being fitness trackers which entered the market in 2012. This paper describes the application of a combination of TRIZ and Bass modeling to forecast the technology growth projections for fitness trackers. For the TRIZ modeling, the fitness tracking system was divided into three subsystems and each was analyzed per the technology trends from current literature. The subsystems’ combined assessment was then visualized via a radar plot. The analysis showed the technology to be in an emergent state with primary growth in the hardware and software subsystem areas. For the Bass model adoption rate projection, the market size was estimated to be 69% of the US population who are active health trackers. The innovator and imitator parameters were calculated using information from analogous products such as cellular phone, home PC and ultrasound imaging. The Bass model showed the marke

Wearable Healthcare Technology: Fibit® Inc’s Smartwatch Strategy

The Internet has enhanced an individual’s ability to take more control over their health by making pertinent health information more accessible. The breakthroughs and manufacturing cost reductions made in sensors and MicroElectro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS), as well as the advancements in integrated hardware and software systems technologies have given rise to the area of mobile health (mHealth) monitoring. mHealth monitoring systems give more control into the hands of the person to be in charge of their own health and maintain their sense of independence, especially as the population ages. The technology can also enable researchers to study pertinent diseases using continuous kinematic data. Fitbit is a respected firm that has been bringing innovative health and fitness tracking systems to the market since 2007. Their focus has been primarily on fitness bands until 2014 when they are introduced the smart fitness watch, Fitbit Surge. In this paper, we have studied the competitive landscape for the smartwatch which is the next logical extension that Fitbit is trying to establish in terms of product offerings. Given the complex nature of this market, both product-based and resource-based views are applied in order to develop the recommended competitive strategies for Fitbit