Comparison of different preoperative objective nutritional indices for evaluating 30-d mortality and complications after liver transplantation

BACKGROUND The nutritional status is closely related to the prognosis of liver transplant re-cipients,but few studies have reported the role of preoperative objective nutri-tional indices in predicting liver transplant outcomes.AIM To compare the predictive value of various preoperative objective nutritional indicators for determining 30-d mortality and complications following liver transplantation(LT).METHODS A retrospective analysis was conducted on 162 recipients who underwent LT at our institution from December 2019 to June 2022.RESULTS This study identified several independent risk factors associated with 30-d mor-tality,including blood loss,the prognostic nutritional index(PNI),the nutritional risk index(NRI),and the control nutritional status.The 30-d mortality rate was 8.6%.Blood loss,the NRI,and the PNI were found to be independent risk factors for the occurrence of severe postoperative complications.The NRI achieved the highest prediction values for 30-d mortality[area under the curve(AUC)=0.861,P<0.001]and severe complications(AUC=0.643,P=0.011).Compared to those in the high NRI group,the low patients in the NRI group had lower preoperative body mass index and prealbumin and albumin levels,as well as higher alanine aminotransferase and total bilirubin levels,Model for End-stage Liver Disease scores and prothrombin time(P<0.05).Furthermore,the group with a low NRI exhibited significantly greater incidences of intraabdominal bleeding,primary graft nonfunction,and mortality.CONCLUSION The NRI has good predictive value for 30-d mortality and severe complications following LT.The NRI could be an effective tool for transplant surgeons to evaluate perioperative nutritional risk and develop relevant nutritional therapy.

Evaluation of Ear and Facial Indices of Ibibio and Efik Female Children of Akwa Ibom and Cross River States, Nigeria

Background: The ear and face are indispensable and distinctive features for hearing and identification. Objectives: This study was designed to generate anthropometric data of the ear and facial indices of females of Efik and Ibibio children in Cross River and Akwa Ibom States, show morphological and aesthetic differences and ethnicity. Methods: A total of 600 female children (300 Efiks and 300 Ibibios) aged 2 to 10 years that met the inclusion criteria were chosen from selected primary schools in Calabar Municipality, Calabar South of Cross River State and from Uyo, Itu of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Standardized measurements of face length, face width, ear length, and ear width were taken with a spreading caliper;the facial (proscopic) and ear (auricular) indices were determined. Results: Efik subjects presented a mean face length of 8.36 ± 0.06 cm, face width of 11.04 ± 0.04 cm, ear length of 4.92 ± 0.02 cm, and ear width of 3.06 ± 0.01 cm. Ibibio subjects had mean values for face length, face width, ear length, and ear width as 8.17 ± 0.05 cm, 10.75 ± 0.05 cm, 4.77 ± 0.03 cm, and 2.94 ± 0.02 cm respectively. The mean facial index and ear index for Efik subjects were 75.68 ± 0.31 and 62.16 ± 0.27 respectively;while the mean facial and ear indices for Ibibio subjects were 74.79 ± 0.36 and 61.80 ± 0.34 respectively. Statistical analysis demonstrated significant differences in face length, ear length, ear width and facial index, with the Efik subjects having higher values than Ibibio subjects (p Conclusion: The results showed hypereuryproscopic face as the prevalent face type among females of both ethnic groups, therefore can be of importance in sex, ethnic, and racial differentiation, and in clinical practice, aesthetics and forensic medicine.

Overweight/Obesity in University Students from Mexico: Comparison Using Different Indices

The goal was to compare body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist to height ratio (WHtR), and relative fat mas (RFM), to identify the best predictor of overweight and obesity in university students from Mexico. This is a cross-sectional survey with 697 university students from northern and central Mexico (448 women, and 249 men aged 18 - 19 years). Data was collected during 2018. Overweight and obesity were calculated from those indices and for both, female and male students, the order of correlation between a pair of indices were WHtR vs. RFM > WHtR vs. WC > RFM vs. WC > WHtR vs. BMI > BMI vs. WC > RFM vs. BMI. It is concluded to use the WHtR and the RFM to better predict overweight and obesity in young Mexican university students.

Extreme value theory applied to the auroral electrojet indices

The study of extreme weather and space events has gained paramount importance in modern society owing to rapid advances in high technology.Understanding and describing exceptional occurrences plays a crucial role in making decisive assessments of their potential impact on technical,economic,and social aspects in various fields.This research focuses on analyzing the hourly values of the auroral electrojet(AE)geomagnetic index from 1957 to 2019 by using the peak over threshold method in extreme value theory.By fitting the generalized Pareto distribution to extreme AE values,shape parameter indices were derived,revealing negative values that establish an upper bound for this time series.Consequently,it became evident that the AE values had reached a plateau,suggesting that extreme events exceeding the established upper limit are rare.As a result,although the need for diligent precautions to mitigate the consequences of such extreme events persists,surpassing the upper limit of AE values becomes increasingly challenging.It is also possible to observe an aurora in the middle-and low-latitude regions during the maximum period of the AE index.

Estimating wheat spike-leaf composite indicator(SLI)dynamics by coupling spectral indices and machine learning

The contribution of spike photosynthesis to grain yield(GY)has been overlooked in the accurate spectral prediction of yield.Thus,it’s essential to construct and estimate a yield-related phenotypic trait considering spike photosynthesis.Based on field and spectral reflectance data from 19 wheat cultivars under two nitrogen fertilization conditions in two years,our objectives were to(i)construct a yield-related phenotypic trait(spike–leaf composite indicator,SLI)accounting for the contribution of the spike to photosynthesis,(ii)develop a novel spectral index(enhanced triangle vegetation index,ETVI3)sensitive to SLI,and(iii)establish and evaluate SLI estimation models by integrating spectral indices and machine learning algorithms.The results showed that SLI was sensitive to nitrogen fertilizer and wheat cultivar variation as well as a better predictor of yield than the leaf area index.ETVI3 maintained a strong correlation with SLI throughout the growth stage,whereas the correlations of other spectral indices with SLI were poor after spike emergence.Integrating spectral indices and machine learning algorithms improved the estimation accuracy of SLI,with the most accurate estimates of SLI showing coefficient of determination,root mean square error(RMSE),and relative RMSE values of 0.71,0.047,and 26.93%,respectively.These results provide new insights into the role of fruiting organs for the accurate spectral prediction of GY.This high-throughput SLI estimation approach can be applied for wheat yield prediction at whole growth stages and may be assisted with agronomical practices and variety selection.

Platelet indices as predictors of poor glucoregulation in type 2 diabetes mellitus adults at Bishoftu General Hospital,Ethiopia

BACKGROUND Diabetes is a chronic metabolic syndrome that has become a global public health problem with significant morbidity and mortality.It is a pro-inflammatory and pro-thrombotic condition characterized by increased platelet activation and alterations in platelet indices.However,the use of platelet indices as predictors of poor glucoregulation has not been fully evaluated in this context,and evidence for their role as predictors of poor glycemic status in diabetic patients is limited.AIM To evaluate platelet indices and determine their prognostic significance in relation to inadequate glucoregulation among individuals diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at Bishoftu General Hospital in Ethiopia,from June 15 to August 12,2022.METHODS A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted in 261 participants including 174 individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)and 87 non-diabetic controls.The systematic random sampling technique was used to select participants.Data were collected using structured questionnaires,physical measurements,checklists,and laboratory tests.Platelet parameters and fasting blood glucose levels were determined from blood samples using Sysmex-XN550 and CobasC311 analyzers,respectively.The hematology analyzer output was checked and participants were also screened for malaria parasites using a prepared blood smear.Collected data were entered into Epi-data version 3.1 and exported to SPSS version 25 for analysis.Theχ^(2) test,Mann-Whitney U test,Kruskal-Wallis test,post hoc test,Spearman correlation,and receiver operating characteristic curve were used for analysis.A P value<0.05 was considered statistically significant.RESULTS The results of our study indicate that diabetic patients have significantly higher levels of platelet distribution width(PDW),mean platelet volume(MPV),platelet large cell ratio(PLCR),and plateletcrit(PCT)compared to healthy individuals(P<0.001).Furthermore,these indices were found to be significantly elevated in individuals with poor glycemic control in T2DM compared to those with good glycemic control and healthy controls.We also observed significant correlations between these indices and various anthropometric and clinical variables.Our findings suggest that PDW,with a cut-off value of 15.75 fL and an area under the curve(AUC)of 0.803,MPV,with a cut-off value of 12.25 fL and an AUC of 0.774,PLCR,with a cut-off value of 36.3%and an AUC of 0.775,and PCT,with a cut-off value of 0.24%and an AUC of 0.761,can serve as predictors of poor glycemic control in patients with diabetes mellitus.CONCLUSION The observed correlation between diabetic patients and a significant increase in platelet indices has highlighted their potential as predictors of poor glycemic control in diabetes.Therefore,regular screening and profiling of platelet indices is recommended as part of the follow-up process for individuals with diabetes mellitus.

Analysis on characteristics of extreme precipitation indices and atmospheric circulation in Northern Shanxi

This article utilizes daily precipitation data from 28 national meteorological stations in northern Shanxi Province spanning from 1972 to 2020,and the US NCEP/NCAR monthly average reanalysis and ERA5 monthly average reanalysis data.The study employs techniques such as empirical orthogonal function(EOF)decomposition,MannKendall mutation and other methods to investigate the spatiotemporal distribution of extreme precipitation index in northern Shanxi and their correlation with atmospheric circulation.The research results show that:the absolute index,relative index,intensity index and sustained dry period index(CDD)in the continuous index appear from southwest to northeast.The spatial distribution characteristics of the central region decrease,while the continuous wet period(CWD)decreases from the central to the east and west.The three indices Rx1day,Rx5day,and CWD mutated in 1978,1975,and 1983 respectively,and other extreme precipitation indices all appeared in a sudden change from a low-value period to a high-value period occurred around 2010.In the high-value years of the summer extreme precipitation index,there is a significant negative anomaly in the height field in the mid-high latitude regions of Eurasia.Northern Shanxi is controlled by a broad low-pressure trough in the Lake Baikal area.Water vapor transported via the east,west,and south routes converges in the northern Shanxi region and encounters cold air from the north.There is a strong upward motion anomaly at 500 hPa in the troposphere,and the dynamic conditions of upper-level divergence and lower-level convergence lead to more summer extreme precipitation in the northern Shanxi region.Conversely,in the low-value years of the summer extreme precipitation index,northern Shanxi is affected by a strong high-pressure ridge north of Lake Baikal.There is a downward motion anomaly at 500 hPa,and the northern Shanxi region lacks water vapor.The cold and warm air cannot converge,and both the water vapor conditions and dynamic conditions are poor,which is not conducive to the production of extreme precipitation in northern Shanxi.

Effects of Fermented Puffed Feather Meal on Growth Performance,Serum Biochemical Indices,Meat Quality,and Intestinal Microbiota in Broilers

This study aimed to investigate the effects of fermented puffed feather meal(FPFM)on growth performance,serum biochemical indices,meat quality,and intestinal microbiota in Arbor Acres(AA)broilers.A single-factor design was adopted,and four treatments were administered with five replicates to 240 one-day-old AA broilers.The control group(group A)received a basal diet,while the experimental groups received a basal diet plus 33%(group B),67%(group C)and 100%(group D)FPFM,respectively.Compared with group A,(1)the average daily gain(ADG)in group C decreased(P<0.05),and the feed conversion ratio(FCR)in group D increased(P<0.05);(2)the level of serum urea nitrogen in treatment groups decreased(P<0.05),and the levels of triglyceride,high density lipoprotein,low density lipoprotein,cholesterol,and glucose contents in group D increased(P<0.05)at day 21;(3)the serum immunoglobulin M and immunoglobulin G in group B and the immunoglobulin A in group C increased(P<0.05)at day 21,and the serum immunoglobulin M and immunoglobulin G in group D decreased(P<0.05)at day 42;(4)the share force of breast muscle and thigh muscle in group D increased(P<0.05);(5)the villus height to crypt depth ratio in the jejunum of group B increased(P<0.05)at day 21,and the villus height in group C and D increased(P<0.05)at day 42;(6)the proteobacteria counts in the cecum digesta in treatment groups decreased(P<0.05)at day 21.The basal diet supplemented with 33%FPFM promoted protein metabolism,enhanced immunity and improved meat quality,promoted the digestion and absorption of nutrients,increased intestinal microbial diversity,and improved the content of beneficial bacteria without affecting the growth performance,it was possible to be used as a good substitute for fish meal.

Detection of Burned Areas through Spectral Indices Analysis of Sentinel-2A Satellite Images in the Abokouamékro Wildlife Reserve (Central, Côte D’Ivoire)

In Côte d’Ivoire, the recurring and unregulated use of bushfires, which cause ecological damage, presents a pressing concern for the custodians of protected areas. This study aims to enhance our comprehension of the dynamics of burnt areas within the Abokouamékro Wildlife Reserve (AWR) by employing the analysis of spectral indices derived from satellite imagery. The research methodology began with the calculation of mean indices and their corresponding spectral sub-indices, including NDVI, SAVI, NDWI, NDMI, BAI, NBR, TCW, TCG, and TCB, utilizing data from the Sentinel-2A satellite image dated January 17, 2022. Subsequently, a fuzzy classification model was applied to these various indices and sub-indices, guided by the degree of membership α, with the goal of effectively distinguishing between burned and unburned areas. Following the classification, the accuracies of the classified indices and sub-indices were validated using the coordinates of 100 data points collected within the AWR through GPS technology. The results revealed that the overall accuracy of all indices and sub-indices declines as the degree of membership α decreases from 1 to 0. Among the mean spectral indices, NDVI-mean, SAVI-mean, NDMI-mean exhibited the highest overall accuracies, achieving 97%, 95%, and 90%, respectively. These results closely mirrored those obtained by sub-indices using band 8 (NDVI-B8, SAVI-B8, and NDMI-B8), which yield respective overall accuracies of 93%, 92%, and 89%. At a degree of membership α = 1, the estimated burned areas for the most effective indices encompassed 2144.38 hectares for NDVI-mean, 1932.14 hectares for mean SAVI-mean, and 4947.13 hectares for mean NDMI-mean. A prospective approach involving the amalgamation of these three indices could have the potential to yield improved outcomes. This study could be a substantial contribution to the discrimination of bushfires in Côte d’Ivoire.

Viscosity Indices of Rapeseed Oil

In this article, viscosity indices was presented for a number of vegetable oils, crude rapeseed oil, degummed rapessed oil, rapeseed oil dry, rapeseed oil bleache and refined rapeseed oil using two methods. Viscosity indices were calculated from the measured viscosity at 40℃ and 100℃ using ASTM D （American Society for Testing and Materials ） 2270 and method graphically using ASTM D 341. The viscosity-temperature coefficients for vegetable oils were calculated from the measured viscosity at 40℃ and 100℃.

Relative active tectonic in the metamorphic rocks of the Yaounde group: insights from geomorphic indices and topographic analysis

The Yaounde Group(YG),representing the southern edge of the North Equatorial PanAfrican Belt,consists of quartzites,schists,micaschists,amphibolites,gneisses and migmatites.Tectonism has formed a landscape characterized by the development of linear and folded valleys and ridges,fault scarps,V-shaped valleys,incised rivers and knickpoints.These landforms constitute important markers of the regional tectonic activity,which have been computed from spatial sources such as SRTM,DEM,hydrographical networks and geomorphic indices such as AF,T,Smf,Vf,Bs,Hi,U,SI and Li.The results highlighted a mature relief consisting of asymmetric basins generated by tilting and uplift phenomena.The relative index of active tectonics(RIAT)has been estimated from an average of eight geomorphic indices evaluated on 24 subbasins,in the study area.Four classes have been defined:class 1(1.38),very high active(1.0≤RIAT<1.5);class 2(1.50-1.88),high active(1.5≤RIAT<2.0);and class 3(2.00-2.13)moderate active(2.0≤RIAT<2.5).These three classes,respectively covering 10.20%(458 km2),80.10%(3595 km2)and 9.69%(435 km2)of the study area,have shown a highly active tectonic zone,and imply the existence of a neotectonic event in the YG.This tectonic unit(YG)was also affected by the dextral NW-SE strike-slip faulting,which cross-cut the Sanaga Shear Zone(SSZ)at Ebebda and the foliation oriented NW-SE.The tilting and uplift of rocks related to Moho ascending are responsible for crustal thinning in the Cameroon basement,more important to the Adamawa Plateau from the Cretaceous age and the reactivation of existing tectonic accidents.The presence of hills,fault scarps,reverse faults,knickpoints,V and U shaped valleys and rounded mountains testify to the interaction between tectonic uplift,lithology,climate,weathering and erosion.

On Some Ev-Degree and Ve-Degree Dependent Indices of Benes Network and Its Derived Classes

One of the most recent developments in the field of graph theory is the analysis of networks such as Butterfly networks,Benes networks,Interconnection networks,and David-derived networks using graph theoretic parameters.The topological indices(TIs)have been widely used as graph invariants among various graph theoretic tools.Quantitative structure activity relationships(QSAR)and quantitative structure property relationships(QSPR)need the use of TIs.Different structure-based parameters,such as the degree and distance of vertices in graphs,contribute to the determination of the values of TIs.Among other recently introduced novelties,the classes of ev-degree and ve-degree dependent TIs have been extensively explored for various graph families.The current research focuses on the development of formulae for different ev-degree and ve-degree dependent TIs for s−dimensional Benes network and certain networks derived from it.In the end,a comparison between the values of the TIs for these networks has been presented through graphical tools.

Assessing fire severity in Turkey's forest ecosystems using spectral indices from satellite images

Fire severity classifications determine fire damage and regeneration potential in post-fire areas for effective implementation of restoration applications.Since fire damage varies according to vegetation and fire characteristics,regional assessment of fire severity is crucial.The objectives of this study were:(1)to test the performance of different satellite imagery and spectral indices,and two field—measured severity indices,CBI(Composite Burn Index)and GeoCBI(Geometrically structured Composite Burn Index)to assess fire severity;(2)to calculate classification thresholds for spectral indices that performed best in the study areas;and(3)to generate fire severity maps that could be used to determine the ecological impact of forest fires.Five large fires in Pinus brutia(Turkish pine)and Pinus nigra subsp.pallasiana var.pallasiana(Anatolian black pine)—dominated forests during 2020 and 2021 were selected as study sites.The results show that GeoCBI provided more reliable estimates of field—measured fire severity than CBI.While Sentinel-2 and Landsat-8/OLI images performed similarly well,MODIS performed poorly.Fire severity classification thresholds were determined for Sentinel-2 based RdNBR,dNBR,dSAVI,dNDVI,and dNDMI and Landsat-8/OLI based dNBR,dNDVI,and dSAVI.Among several spectral indices,the highest accuracy for fire severity classification was found for Sentinel-2 based RdNBR(72.1%)and Landsat-8/OLI based dNBR(69.2%).The results can be used to assess and map fire severity in forest ecosystems similar to those in this study.

Climatic Indices’ Analysis on Extreme Precipitation for Tanzania Synoptic Stations

Like other countries in East Africa, Tanzania has been affected by extreme precipitation incidences both socially and economically. Determining the trend and variability features of extreme precipitation in the country is crucial. This study used data from 28 meteorological stations for 1981-2020 period to give an annual and seasonal analysis of the patterns of 10 ETCCDI’s extreme precipitation indices over the regions. At annual scale, the results showed that increasing trends had high frequency percentage than the decreasing ones, collecting about 76% in total. The decreasing trend was approximately 24%, and most of the stations with increasing percentage in trend are concentrated in Northern coast, Central, West, North-eastern highlands and Lake Victoria Basin. Most of the stations depicted negative trend are concentrated over Southern region. This highlights that extreme precipitation events have increased over the country for the period 1981-2020. At seasonal scale, during October to December (OND);the patterns of extreme precipitation climatic indices except R99p, showed positive significant increasing trend over Lake Victoria Basin and some Western parts of the country. In general, spatial patterns indicate decrease of precipitation over most parts of the country during OND. The seasonal average time series depicted non-significant positive trend during March to April (MAM) season, except for Consecutive Wet Days (CWD) which showed non-significant decreasing trend. Over the highest mountain in Africa, Kilimanjaro;the study has revealed significant decrease in Annual total-wet Precipitation (PRCPTOT), the number of heavy (very heavy) days of precipitation R10 mm (R20 mm) and Consecutive Wet Days (CWD) during MAM season. While the maximum one-day precipitation amount (RX1 day) was observed to decrease significantly over the Mountain during OND season. The result is very important in risk assessment and preparedness perspective in planning climate change mitigation and adaptations for different sectors like Tourism, Agriculture, Water and Energy.

Assessment of forest dieback on the Moroccan Central Plateau using spectral vegetation indices

Cork oak forests in Morocco are rich in resources and services thanks to their great biological diversity,playing an important ecological and socioeconomic role.Considerable degradation of the forests has been accentuated in recent years by signifi cant human pressure and eff ects of climate change;hence,the health of the stands needs to be monitored.In this study,the Google Engine Earth platform was leveraged to extract the normalized diff erence vegetation index(NDVI)and soil-adjusted vegetation index,from Landsat 8 OLI/TIRS satellite images between 2015 and 2017 to assess the health of the Sibara Forest in Morocco.Our results highlight the importance of interannual variations in NDVI in forest monitoring;the variations had a signifi cantly high relationship(p<0.001)with dieback severity.NDVI was positively and negatively correlated with mean annual precipitation and mean annual temperature with respective coeffi cients of 0.49 and−0.67,highlighting its ability to predict phenotypic changes in forest species.Monthly interannual variation in NDVI between 2016 and 2017 seemed to confi rm fi eld observations of cork oak dieback in 2018,with the largest decreases in NDVI(up to−38%)in December in the most-aff ected plots.Analysis of the infl uence of ecological factors on dieback highlighted the role of substrate as a driver of dieback,with the most severely aff ected plots characterized by granite-granodiorite substrates.

Proposing a novel geo-structural model for Torbat-e-Jam-Fariman plain(Northeast of Iran),based on Geomorphic indices calculation,conjugating the field evidences

There are various faults in northern and southern margins of Torbat-e-Jam-Fariman plain which show the probability of enormous earthquake in the future.In present study the geomorphic indices contain Asymmetry Function(Af),Sinuosity of mountain front(Smf),Valley floor index(Vf),Hypsometric index(Hi),Mean Axial slope of channel index(MASC)and Drainage Basin Shape(Bs),have been utilized to determine the relative tectonic activity index(IAT)to recognize,eventually,the geo-structural model of the study area.Faults and folds control the geo-structural activities of the study area,and the geomorphic indices are being affected in consequence of their activities.The intensity of these activities is different throughout the plain.There are many geomorphic evidences,related to active transform fault which are detectable all over the study area such as deviated rivers,quaternary sediments transformation,fault traces.Therefore,recognition of geo-structural model of the study area is extremely vital.Field study,then,approved the results of geomorphic indices calculation in determining the geo-structural model of the study area.Results depicted that the geostructural model of the study area is a kind of Horsetail splay form which is in accordance to the relative tectonic activity of the study area.Based on the above mentioned results it can be predicted that the splays are the trail of Neyshabour fault.

Topological Evaluation of Certain Computer Networks by Contraharmonic-Quadratic Indices

In various fields,different networks are used,most of the time not of a single kind;but rather a mix of at least two networks.These kinds of networks are called bridge networks which are utilized in interconnection networks of PC,portable networks,spine of internet,networks engaged with advanced mechanics,power generation interconnection,bio-informatics and substance intensify structures.Any number that can be entirely calculated by a graph is called graph invariants.Countless mathematical graph invariants have been portrayed and utilized for connection investigation during the latest twenty years.Nevertheless,no trustworthy evaluation has been embraced to pick,how much these invariants are associated with a network graph or subatomic graph.In this paper,it will discuss three unmistakable varieties of bridge networks with an incredible capacity of assumption in the field of computer science,chemistry,physics,drug industry,informatics and arithmetic in setting with physical and manufactured developments and networks,since Contraharmonic-quadratic invariants(CQIs)are recently presented and have different figure qualities for different varieties of bridge graphs or networks.The study settled the geography of bridge graphs/networks of three novel sorts with two kinds of CQI and Quadratic-Contraharmonic Indices(QCIs).The deduced results can be used for the modeling of the above-mentioned networks.

Estimating Construction Material Indices with ARIMA and Optimized NARNETs

Construction Industry operates relying on various key economic indicators.One of these indicators is material prices.On the other hand,cost is a key concern in all operations of the construction industry.In the uncertain conditions,reliable cost forecasts become an important source of information.Material cost is one of the key components of the overall cost of construction.In addition,cost overrun is a common problem in the construction industry,where nine out of ten construction projects face cost overrun.In order to carry out a successful cost management strategy and prevent cost overruns,it is very important to find reliable methods for the estimation of construction material prices.Material prices have a time dependent nature.In order to increase the foreseeability of the costs of construction materials,this study focuses on estimation of construction material indices through time series analysis.Two different types of analysis are implemented for estimation of the future values of construction material indices.The first method implemented was Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average(ARIMA),which is known to be successful in estimation of time series having a linear nature.The second method implementedwas Non-LinearAutoregressive Neural Network(NARNET)which is known to be successful in modeling and estimating of series with non-linear components.The results have shown that depending on the nature of the series,both these methods can successfully and accurately estimate the future values of the indices.In addition,we found out that Optimal NARNET architectures which provide better accuracy in estimation of the series can be identified/discovered as result of grid search on NARNET hyperparameters.

Depolarizing metrics in the biomedical field:Vision enhancement and classification of biological tissues

Polarimetry encompasses a collection of optical techniques broadly used in a variety of fields.Nowadays,such techniques have provided their suitability in the biomedical field through the study of the polarimetric response of biological samples(retardance,dichroism and depolarization)by measuring certain polarimetric observables.One of these features,depolarization,is mainly produced by scattering on samples,which is a predominant efiect in turbid media as biological tissues.In turn,retardance and dichroic efiects are produced by tissue anisotropies and can lead to depolarization too.Since depolarization is a predominant efiect in tissue samples,we focus on studying difierent depolarization metrics for biomedical applications.We report the suitability of a set of depolarizing observables,the indices of polarimetric purity(IPPs),for biological tissue inspection.We review some results where we demonstrate that IPPs lead to better performance than the depolarization index,which is a well-established and commonly used depolarization observable in the literature.We also provide how IPPs are able to significantly enhance contrast between difierent tissue structures and even to reveal structures hidden by using standard intensity images.Finally,we also explore the classificatory potential of IPPs and other depolarizing observables for the discrimination of difierent tissues obtained from ex vivo chicken samples(muscle,tendon,myotendinous junction and bone),reaching accurate models for tissue classification.

Addressing the Issues and Developments Correlated with Envisaged 5G Mobile Technologies: Comprehensive Solutions

Fifth Generation(5G)communications are regarded as the cornerstone to household consumer experience improvements and smart manufacturing revolution from the standpoint of industries’objectives.It is anticipated that Envisaged 5G(E5G)mobile technology would be operational in certain developed countries by 2023.The Internet of Things(IoTs)will transform how humans live when combined with smart and integrated sensing devices,such as in-home sensing devices.Recent research is being carried out all over the world to produce a new technique that can be crucial in the success of the anticipated 5G mobile technology.High output,reduced latency,highly reliable,greater scalability,high performance,capacity,bandwidth efficiency,virtual open-air transmission,and efficient energy mobile wireless communications are all being investigated currently.In this work,a comprehensive path for addressing the difficulties and developments associated with 5G mobile technology is provided.The debate and description of a complete analysis of current situations,certain characteristics and prospective scenarios,important technologies,problems and advances,and spectrum allocation of envisioned 5G mobile technologies are provided.Furthermore,this paper analyzes the most notable elements of 5G mobile technology,such as Cognitive Radio(CR),flexibility,accessibility,and cloud-based service offers,which will assure 5G mobile technology’s dominance as the main protocol for international communication.Eventually,this paper provides a method for integrating CR with current wireless communication systems,the necessity for further evolution of the E5G network,and the need for comprehensive consideration of architecture evolution and function enhancement to enhance the E5G mobile technologies.