Automated analysis of sleep study parameters using signal processing and artificial intelligence.

An automated sleep stage categorization can readily face noise-contaminated EEG recordings, just as other signal processing applications. Therefore, the denoising of the contaminated signals is inevitable to ensure a reliable analysis of the EEG signals. In this research work, an empirical mode decomposition is used in combination with stacked autoencoders to conduct automatic sleep stage classification with reliable analytical performance. Due to the decomposition of the composite signal into several intrinsic mode functions, empirical mode decomposition offers an effective solution for denoising non-stationary signals such as EEG. Preliminary results showed that through these intrinsic modes, a signal with a high signal-to-noise ratio can be obtained, which can be used for further analysis with confidence. Therefore, later, when statistical features were extracted from the denoised signals and were classified using stacked autoencoders, improved results were obtained for Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3, Stage 4, and REM stage EEG signals using this combination

Predicting and validating the load-settlement behavior of large-scale geosynthetic-reinforced soil abutments using hybrid intelligent modeling

Settlement prediction of geosynthetic-reinforced soil (GRS) abutments under service loading conditions is an arduous and challenging task for practicing geotechnical/civil engineers. Hence, in this paper, a novel hybrid artificial intelligence (AI)-based model was developed by the combination of artificial neural network (ANN) and Harris hawks’ optimisation (HHO), that is, ANN-HHO, to predict the settlement of the GRS abutments. Five other robust intelligent models such as support vector regression (SVR), Gaussian process regression (GPR), relevance vector machine (RVM), sequential minimal optimisation regression (SMOR), and least-median square regression (LMSR) were constructed and compared to the ANN-HHO model. The predictive strength, relalibility and robustness of the model were evaluated based on rigorous statistical testing, ranking criteria, multi-criteria approach, uncertainity analysis and sensitivity analysis (SA). Moreover, the predictive veracity of the model was also substantiated against several large-scale independent experimental studies on GRS abutments reported in the scientific literature. The acquired findings demonstrated that the ANN-HHO model predicted the settlement of GRS abutments with reasonable accuracy and yielded superior performance in comparison to counterpart models. Therefore, it becomes one of predictive tools employed by geotechnical/civil engineers in preliminary decision-making when investigating the in-service performance of GRS abutments. Finally, the model has been converted into a simple mathematical formulation for easy hand calculations, and it is proved cost-effective and less time-consuming in comparison to experimental tests and numerical simulations

Displeasures of Cultural Diversity and Diasporic Hybridity in Almost English by Charlotte Mendelson

The research explores the strands of cultural hybridity and diaspora compromise that Mendelson has introduced in her novel, Almost English (2013). The research has analyzed the diasporic community as victim of cultural diversity and ambivalence. It focuses on the significance of cultural choices to establish one’s identity; we see identity as a process of negotiation and of articulation of cultural differences. It explores the ways in which Mendelson addresses the hybrid world, a world in which no culture and identity is pure or essential. Homi K. Bhabha’s critical approaches serve as the theoretical framework of this research. His concepts of cultural hybridity, ambivalence, third space and mimicry are of prime interest for the study of this novel. This work highlights the appropriation of Bhabha’s concepts and their application in postcolonial context considering Almost English (2013), for which main motifs include: challenging fixity in one culture, awareness about other existing cultures, and a contestation of view which privileges one culture above other, skirmish realities which finally produce multiple meanings, and values and identities. Finally, the research demonstrates that diasporic communities face displeasures of identity and language while living in a hybrid world. A world where third space is not productive enough for diasporic communities because of which they become conscious of their own identities and place in the society

Investigation of the cardiac depressant effect of Caralluma tuberculate N.E.Br on isolated rabbit heart

Purpose: To investigate the histopathological and cardiac depressant effect of the aqueous methanol extract of Caralluma tuberculata N.E. Br (AMECT) (family: Asclepiadaceae)’ and to determine if there is a scientific basis for its cardiovascular diseases-related folkloric use. Methods: The effect of AMECT in different concentrations ranging from 0.00001 to 1.0 mg/mL were evaluated in isolated perfused rabbit heart to assess their effect on the force of contraction and heart rate using Langendorff’s apparatus. Atropine and adrenaline were used to identify the underlying mechanism of response produced by AMECT. The extract was studied for its possible mechanism in the absence and presence of atropine and adrenaline. In addition, sub-chronic toxicity and histopathological study of heart tissues in rats were assessed by administering 500 mg/kg of extract. Results: At all concentrations, AMECT produced significant (p < 0.001) negative ionotropic and negative chronotropic effects. The most significant effect was observed at 0.001 mg/mL and higher concentrations hence 0.001 mg/mL was selected for further studies. Pre-incubation with atropine did not significantly inhibit the effects of AMECT. However, AMECT significantly (p < 0.01) blocked the cardiac stimulant effect of adrenaline. In the histopathological studies, AMECT did not produce any significant cellular changes or signs of toxicity in the sub-chronic toxicity study. Conclusion: The cardiac-depressant responses of AMECT may involve the β-adrenergic receptors in the myocardium of isolated rabbit heart thus confirming the rationale for its use in ethnomedicine for cardiac diseases

Dynamic Evaluation of Desiccant Dehumidification Evaporative Cooling Options for Greenhouse Air-Conditioning Application in Multan (Pakistan)

This study provides insights into the feasibility of a desiccant dehumidification-based Maisotsenko cycle evaporative cooling (M-DAC) system for greenhouse air-conditioning application. Conventional cooling techniques include direct evaporative cooling, refrigeration systems, and passive/active ventilation. which are commonly used in Pakistan; however, they are either not feasible due to their energy cost, or they cannot efficiently provide an optimum microclimate depending on the regions, the growing seasons, and the crop being cultivated. The M-DAC system was therefore proposed and evaluated as an alternative solution for air conditioning to achieve optimum levels of vapor pressure deficit (VPD) for greenhouse crop production. The objective of this study was to investigate the thermodynamic performance of the proposed system from the viewpoints of the temperature gradient, relative humidity level, VPD, and dehumidification gradient. Results showed that the standalone desiccant air-conditioning (DAC) system created maximum dehumidification gradient (i.e., 16.8 g/kg) and maximum temperature gradient (i.e., 8.4 °C) at 24.3 g/kg and 38.6 °C ambient air conditions, respectively. The DAC coupled with a heat exchanger (DAC+HX) created a temperature gradient nearly equal to ambient air conditions, which is not in the optimal range for greenhouse growing conditions. Analysis of the M-DAC system showed that a maximum air temperature gradient, i.e., 21.9 °C at 39.2 °C ambient air condition, can be achieved, and is considered optimal for most greenhouse crops. Results were validated with two microclimate models (OptDeg and Cft) by taking into account the optimality of VPD at different growth stages of tomato plants. This study suggests that the M-DAC system is a feasible method to be considered as an efficient solution for greenhouse air-conditioning under the climate conditions of Multan (Pakistan)

Economics and Marketing of Rose Flowers: A case Study of Islamabad and Rawalpindi Districts

Roses have reasonable demand in Pakistan. The study was conducted in rose growing pockets of Islamabad and Rawalpindi districts. The objective of the study was to determine costs and returns of rose producers and marketing intermediaries. Random sampling technique was used to collect the data from thirty farmers and ten retailers. In the study area, per acre yield of roses was 1010 kg per annum. Average establishment cost of rose gardens was Rs. 0.17 million per acre. Total cost of production was calculated to be Rs. 0.26 million per acre per annum. Gross and net returns of rose farmers were calculated to be Rs. 0.32 million and Rs. 0.06 million per acre, respectively. Benefit cost ratio of roses production was 1.24, thus returns from roses’ production are high enough, and it is an attractive farming activity in the study area. Marketing channel for roses was identified as producers, retailers, and consumers. Marketing costs of producers and retailers were Rs. 54.1 and Rs. 17.3 per kg, respectively. Shares of producers and retailers in consumer rupee were 77.4% and 22.6%, respectively. Farmers in the study area obtain low yield of roses than their counterparts in irrigated areas of the country, mainly to due to traditional non-recommended production practices. Thus, farmers should be trained to use recommended production technology for production of roses

MHD Williamson Nanofluid Flow over a Slender Elastic Sheet of Irregular Thickness in the Presence of Bioconvection

Bioconvection phenomena for MHD Williamson nanofluid flow over an extending sheet of irregular thickness are investigated theoretically, and non-uniform viscosity and thermal conductivity depending on temperature are taken into account. The magnetic field of uniform strength creates a magnetohydrodynamics effect. The basic formulation of the model developed in partial differential equations which are later transmuted into ordinary differential equations by employing similarity variables. To elucidate the influences of controlling parameters on dependent quantities of physical significance, a computational procedure based on the Runge-Kutta method along shooting technique is coded in MATLAB platform. This is a widely used procedure for the solution of such problems because it is efficient with fifth-order accuracy and cost-effectiveness. The enumeration of the results reveals that Williamson fluid parameter lambda, variable viscosity parameter Lambda(mu) and wall thickness parameter sigma impart reciprocally decreasing effect on fluid velocity whereas these parameters directly enhance the fluid temperature. The fluid temperature is also improved with Brownian motion parameter Nb and thermophoresis parameter Nt. The boosted value of Brownian motion Nb and Lewis number Le reduce the concentration of nanoparticles. The higher inputs of Peclet number Pe and bioconvection Lewis number Lb decline the bioconvection distribution. The velocity of non-Newtonian (Williamson nanofluid) is less than the viscous nanofluid but temperature behaves oppositely.</p

Propagation of solitary wave in micro-crystalline materials

In this article, the propagation of waves in micro-crystalline materials is governed by the structure of the strain wave equation and takes into consideration various dimensions of micro-crystalline. Micro-crystalline materials that are deserving of special attention in material physics. The strain wave equation represents the dynamic behavior associated with multiple phenomena of a physical nature. The new extended direct algebraic methodology is applied to acquire the different types of exact solitonic solutions. This technique stands out as one of the most effective approaches for producing a diverse set of exact solutions to nonlinear partial differential equations. By applying a new extended direct algebraic approach, we get solutions in the form of smooth periodic, anti-dark, anti-bell-shape, periodic bright, Combined bright-dark soliton, mixed-periodic solution, anti-kink formations, Stumpons, mixed periodic solitons, and decaying cusped solitons. Furthermore, two-dimensional, three-dimensional, and contour plots are created for different solutions, helping us make sense of their physical significance more clearly. The importance of the obtained results lies in their ability to represent diverse and complex phenomena in mathematical and physical systems

Numerical study for bioconvection transport of micropolar nanofluid over a thin needle with thermal and exponential space-based heat source

Nanomaterials are the latest technique to upgrade thermal conduction of base liquids. The submerging of these nanomaterials in base liquid is known as nanofluid. In recent time the nanofluids are more useful in mechanical engineering, nanotechnology, bioscience, biotechnology and in many sectors. This analysis deals with the bio-convection transport of micropolar liquid containing nanomaterial's and gyrotactic motile microorganisms past a needle moving in parallel flow in occurrence of thermally radiation and activation-energy. Modeling of needle structure for bioconvection flow of micropolar nanofluid is developed. The behavior of temperature and exponential space-based heat source is considered. The boundary layer flow expressions for developed transport issue are represented by PDEs. Suitable similarity variables are used to change transport expressions in nondimensional nonlinear ordinary differential ones. The bvp4c algorithm has been used to numerically tackle dimensionless nonlinear differential equations (ODEs). All results are described by employing bvp4c tool in MATLAB. Impacts of active numbers on flow distributions are examined with sketches and tables. Temperature field and heat transfer rate are quite opposite for exponential space-based heat source sink parameter and heat sink/source parameter. The concentration of nanoparticles is reduced for larger amount of Brownian motion parameter while uplifts for thermophoresis parameter. Concentration is enriched for the growing magnitudes of thermophoresis number. Higher Peclet parameter decayed the microorganism's field

Dynamics of novel exact soliton solutions to Stochastic Chiral Nonlinear Schrödinger Equation

The core objective of this study is to explore the some novel stochastic solutions. For this purpose, we consider the stochastic (2+1)-dimensional Chiral nonlinear Schrödinger equation (2D-SCNLSE) which is derived with multiplicative noise in the Itô sense. To achieve novel stochastic solutions, we employ two modified techniques as modified generalized exponential rational function method (mGERFM) and the modified rational sine-cosine and sinh-cosh methods. We extract exponential, periodic, bright, dark, and singular in single and combo forms. Due to the applications of the Chiral nonlinear Schrödinger equation in soliton theory, these solutions are extremely viable to exemplify some sensational complicated physical phenomena and applicable in diversified fields of applied sciences. This study enhances the theory of Itô calculus by directly performing it into analytical approaches for the solution of differential equations. To examine the impact of multiplicative noise on the results, several graphs have been plotted. We comprehend that the noise destroys the symmetry of the solutions of adopted model. The evaluated achievements suggested that the proposed methods are categorical, efficacious, reliable, and robust and can be the best way to handle other complex equations arising in applied sciences