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Numerous research based on offline Tamil recognition deals only with few Tamil characters since it becomes extremely complicated in distinguishing small variations in large handwritten document. The writer's complexity affects the overall formation of the characters. Such types of complexities are due to discontinuation of structures, unnecessary over loops, variation in shapes as well as irregular curves. This complex issue results in enhanced error value rate. Therefore, to conquer such issues, this paper proposes a novel approach to enhance the offline Tamil handwritten character recognition by utilizing four principal steps: pre-processing, segmentation, feature extraction and classification. For optimal segmentation of Tamil characters, this paper utilizes the Tsallis entropy approach-based atom search (TEAS) optimization algorithm. Then a Newton algorithm based deep convolution extreme learning (DELM) approach is utilized for the extraction and classification of input images. Finally, experiments are carried out for numerous Tamil handwritten recognition-based approaches. The proposed Tamil character recognition utilizes the datasets of isolated Tamil handwritten characters established by HP lab India to evaluate the efficiency of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is aggressive and fatal. It is a thin layer of tissue that covers the majority of the patient's internal organs. The treatments are available; however, a cure is not attainable for the majority of patients. So, a lot of research is being done on detection of mesothelioma cancer using various different approaches; but this paper focuses on optimization techniques for optimizing the biomedical images to detect the cancer. With the restricted number of samples in the medical field, a Relief-PSO head and mesothelioma neck cancer pathological image feature selection approach is proposed. The approach reduces multilevel dimensionality. To begin, the relief technique picks different feature weights depending on the relationship between features and categories. Second, the hybrid binary particle swarm optimization (HBPSO) is suggested to automatically determine the optimum feature subset for candidate feature subsets. The technique outperforms seven other feature selection algorithms in terms of morphological feature screening, dimensionality reduction, and classification performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid growth of electric vehicles in India necessitates more power to energize such vehicles. Furthermore, the transport industry emits greenhouse gases, particularly SO2, CO2. The national grid has to supply an enormous amount of power on a daily basis due to the surplus power required to charge these electric vehicles. This paper presents the various hybrid energy system configurations to meet the power requirements of the electric vehicle charging station (EVCS) situated in the northwest region of Delhi, India. The three configurations are: (a) solar photovoltaic/diesel generator/battery-based EVCS, (b) solar photovoltaic/battery-based EVCS, and (c) grid-and-solar photovoltaic-based EVCS. The meta-heuristic techniques are implemented to analyze the technological, financial, and environmental feasibility of the three possible configurations. The optimization algorithm intends to reduce the total net present cost and levelized cost of energy while keeping the value of lack of power supply probability within limits. To confirm the solution quality obtained using modified salp swarm algorithm (MSSA), the popularly used HOMER software, salp swarm algorithm (SSA), and the gray wolf optimization are applied to the same problem, and their outcomes are equated to those attained by the MSSA. MSSA exhibits superior accuracy and robustness based on simulation outcomes. The MSSA performs much better in terms of computation time followed by the SSA and gray wolf optimization. MSSA results in reduced levelized cost of energy values in all three configurations, i.e., USD 0.482/kWh, USD 0.684/kWh, and USD 0.119/kWh in configurations 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Our findings will be useful for researchers in determining the best method for the sizing of energy system components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wildfires are one of the most destructive disasters on the planet. They also significantly impact the land surface. Satellite data have been widely used to detect the outbreak and monitor the expansion of fire incidents for damage assessment and disaster management. Polar-orbiting satellite data have been used for several decades but data from geostationary satellites, which can provide observations with a high temporal resolution, have received much less attention. This paper utilizes data from FengYun-2G, a Chinese geostationary satellite, to detect wildfires in two selected research regions in January 2016. The detection algorithm systemizes image-based analysis to filter out obvious nonfire pixels and temporal analysis to confirm the true detections. Fire detection is based on comparisons between predicted and observed values. The results show that the proposed method has some advantages compared with the use of polar-orbiting satellite data, including early detection and continuous observation. The validation work is conducted based on the collection 6.1 Global Monthly Fire Location Product generated from fire detections by Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensors. The average accuracy within the target time is 56%, while the omission error rate is over 78%. In detail, the algorithm has a lower omission error rate in Australia while it fails in detecting most of the fire pixels in India. The dominance of small fire incidents, as well as low spatial resolution greatly limit the detection ability. Many small fires were beyond the ability of Stretched Visible and Infrared Spin Scan Radiometer (S-VISSR) data when no significant fire characteristics could be captured. Future development of the algorithm will focus on improving the results by enhancing the adaption to different regions, as well as, including multisource data sets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to ascertain the awareness and use of cloud computing technologies among the library professionals in the Kerala University Library system, India. A survey was conducted using questionnaire among the 102 library professionals employed in the central and departmental libraries of the University of Kerala. The study revealed that 42.16% of the library professionals did not have much idea about cloud computing technology. Analysis showed that Facebook and Google Apps like Gmail, Google Doc etc are the cloud computing technologies used by majority of the respondents. It is also worth to note that the library professionals in Kerala University Library are using cloud computing technologies without being aware of doing so. Library professionals' awareness of cloud service models is relatively very low. Web OPAC and Journal Discovery Service are the areas known to the respondents in applying cloud computing technologies in libraries. Out of 102 respondents, 14.71% of the library professionals in the University of Kerala have average skill in using these technologies. The findings of the study throw lights into the need of providing training for the library professionals in handling technology enriched library services to the users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we examine patterns of self-reported diagnosis of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and prevalences of algorithm/measured test-based, undiagnosed, and untreated NCDs in China, Ghana, India, Mexico, Russia, and South Africa. Nationally representative samples of older adults aged ≥50 years were analyzed from wave 1 of the World Health Organization's Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (2007-2010; n = 34,149). Analyses focused on 6 conditions: angina, arthritis, asthma, chronic lung disease, depression, and hypertension. Outcomes for these NCDs were: 1) self-reported disease, 2) algorithm/measured test-based disease, 3) undiagnosed disease, and 4) untreated disease. Algorithm/measured test-based prevalence of NCDs was much higher than self-reported prevalence in all 6 countries, indicating underestimation of NCD prevalence in low- and middle-income countries. Undiagnosed prevalence of NCDs was highest for hypertension, ranging from 19.7% (95% confidence interval (CI): 18.1, 21.3) in India to 49.6% (95% CI: 46.2, 53.0) in South Africa. The proportion untreated among all diseases was highest for depression, ranging from 69.5% (95% CI: 57.1, 81.9) in South Africa to 93.2% (95% CI: 90.1, 95.7) in India. Higher levels of education and wealth significantly reduced the odds of an undiagnosed condition and untreated morbidity. A high prevalence of undiagnosed NCDs and an even higher proportion of untreated NCDs highlights the inadequacies in diagnosis and management of NCDs in local health-care systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Current practices and available resources for nutrition therapy in paediatric intensive care units (PICUs) in the Asia Pacific-Middle East region are expected to differ from western countries. Existing guidelines for nutrition management in critically ill children may not be directly applicable in this region. This paper outlines consensus statements developed by the Asia Pacific-Middle East Consensus Working Group on Nutrition Therapy in the Paediatric Critical Care Environment. Challenges and recommendations unique to the region are described.Methods and Study Design: Following a systematic literature search from 2004-2014, consensus statements were developed for key areas of nutrient delivery in the PICU. This review focused on evidence applicable to the Asia Pacific-Middle East region. Quality of evidence and strength of recommendations were rated according to the Grading of Recommendation Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach.Results: Enteral nutrition (EN) is the preferred mode of nutritional support. Feeding algorithms that optimize EN should be encouraged and must include: assessment and monitoring of nutritional status, selection of feeding route, time to initiate and advance EN, management strategies for EN intolerance and indications for using parenteral nutrition (PN). Despite heterogeneity in nutritional status of patients, availability of resources and diversity of cultures, PICUs in the region should consider involvement of dieticians and/or nutritional support teams.Conclusions: Robust evidence for several aspects of optimal nutrition therapy in PICUs is lacking. Nutritional assessment must be implemented to document prevalence and impact of malnutrition. Nutritional support must be given greater priority in PICUs, with particular emphasis in optimizing EN delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Many technological alternatives for wastewater treatment are available, ranging from advanced technologies to conventional treatment options. It is difficult to select the most appropriate technology from among a set of available alternatives to treat wastewater at a particular location. Many factors, such as capital costs, operation and maintenance costs and land requirement, are involved in the decision-making process. Sustainability criteria must also be incorporated into the decision-making process such that appropriate technologies are selected for developing economies such as that of India. A scenario-based multiple-attribute decision-making (MADM) methodology has been developed and applied to the selection of wastewater treatment alternative. The four most commonly used wastewater treatment technologies for treatment of municipal wastewater in India are ranked for various scenarios. Six scenarios are developed that capture the regional and local societal priorities of urban, suburban and rural areas and translate them into the mathematical algorithm of the MADM methodology. The articulated scenarios depict the most commonly encountered decision-making situations in addressing technology selection for wastewater treatment in India. A widely used compensatory MADM technique, TOPSIS, has been selected to rank the alternatives. Seven criteria with twelve indicators are formulated to evaluate the alternatives. Different weight matrices are used for each scenario, depending on the priorities of the scenario. This study shows that it is difficult to select the most appropriate wastewater treatment alternative under the “no scenario” condition (equal weights given to each attribute), and the decision-making methodology presented in this paper effectively identifies the most appropriate wastewater treatment alternative for each of the scenarios. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Increasing demand of bandwidth in communication satellites has forced satellite links to be designed in Ku bands and above. But at these frequencies, rain and other tropospheric elements result in large attenuation. To mitigate the tropospheric attenuation of microwave satellite signals above 10GHz using any standard Fade Mitigation Technique (FMT), it is essential to have a priori knowledge about the level of attenuation. Hence, short-term rain attenuation prediction models play a key role in maintaining the link in which necessary compensation can be applied depending on the early information of attenuation. This paper presents a method of attenuation prediction using Adaptive Artificial Neural Network. Here In situ Learning Algorithm (ILA) has been used to enable the system to track the non-stationary nature of the attenuation. To validate this, Ku Band data, collected at three different sites in India have been used for the purpose of prediction. The performance of the algorithm is determined through the estimation of prediction accuracy by comparing the predicted values with the measured data. Results obtained using the mentioned technique shows considerably good accuracy even up to 20s of prediction interval with acceptable ratio between the under and over predictions. The prediction performance is evaluated for different prediction intervals. Furthermore the present model is also compared with the persistence model and the relative performance is quantified. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, the parameter-wise optimization training process is implemented to achieve an optimal configuration of focused time lagged recurrent neural network (FTLRNN) models by embedding the gamma, laguarre, and multi-channel tapped delay line memory structure. The aim is to examine the prediction ability of the proposed models in order to predict one-day-ahead electric power load simultaneously as usual to oppose 1–24h forecast in sequel with a special emphasis on seasonal changes over a year. An improved delta-bar-delta algorithm is used to accelerate the training of neural networks and to improve the stability of the convergence. Experimental results indicate that the FTLRNN with time delay neural network (TDNN) clearly outperformed the gamma and laguarre based short-term memory structure in various performance metrics such as mean square error (MSE), normalized MSE, correlation coefficient (r) and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) during evaluation process. Empirical results show that the proposed dynamic NN model consistently performs well on daily, weekly, and monthly average basis in terms of prediction accuracy. It is noticed from the literature review that an optimally configured FTLRNN with multi-channel tapped delay line memory structure is not currently available to solve short-term electrical power load prediction. The proposed method gives acceptable errors in all seasons, months and on daily basis. The average prediction error on three weeks is obtained as low as 1.67%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an expert system approach to short-term expansion planning (STEP). The rules which drive STEP can be classified into MW, MVAR, and ampacity management rules. MW and ampacity management rules are for alleviating transmission line congestion. Reactive power management is required for voltage control at load busses, conformity to the capacity curve of the generators, and containing the MW losses within acceptable limits. Embedding reactive power management in STEP is a challenging task since ac load flow may not converge in absence of proper reactive power planning and load modeling. Therefore, we also propose enhancements to the fast decoupled load flow algorithm for on-the-fly reactive power management. The enhanced algorithm not only can detect divergent load flow scenarios but also self-correct it by restarting the whole process with greater degree of freedom in reactive power controls. The proposed approach leads to development of an automated tool for STEP which has the capability to work, even with incomplete information. A simple method for evaluating location and requirement of shunt reactor is also proposed. By analysis and comparative evaluation, we show that the proposed system can arrive at a solution which is close to optimal. Results on the Western Regional Grid of India with an approximate load of 28000 MW and 1200 nodes are presented to demonstrate effectiveness of the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports results on the LAI Retrieval and Validation Experiment (LRVE) that was conducted for two agricultural areas in Central India during the winter season of 2001–2002. The study aimed at relating field measurements of leaf area index (LAI) to spaceborne Indian Remote Sensing Satellite (IRS) Linear Imaging Self Scanning Sensor-III (LISS-III) data, preparation of site-level LAI maps, and validation of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) 1-km LAI global fields. Measurements of field-level LAI, aerosol optical thickness and water vapor were carried out on the day of LISS-III overpasses. Empirical models based on the site-specific LAI-vegetation index relation were developed and used to generate 23-m resolution LAI maps for two sites (Indore and Bhopal) covering 30 km × 30 km. These LAI images were degraded to 1-km spatial resolution and used for validation of the version 3 and 4 MODIS LAI products (MOD15A2). The results indicate a positive correlation (r = 0.78) between LAI derived from LISS-III data and MODIS data. However an overestimate by a factor of 1.6 to 2.5 in the version 3 MODIS product is observed with root mean square error (RMSE) ranging from 0.20 to 1.26. The factor of overestimation reduces significantly by 50% and RMSE by 40% when version 4 MODIS LAI was analyzed. The improvement in accuracy was observed to be associated with the change in algorithm path adopted for retrieving version 3 and 4 MODIS LAI. Analysis of the MODIS land cover product that is an input in the MODIS LAI retrieval algorithm indicated errors in assigning land cover classes for the study sites, which could be one of the sources of error in MODIS LAI product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Road traffic accidents are a major social concern as well as a crucial issue for the public in recent days due to the risk factors involved. Analysing and identifying the major risk factors of road accident is still a challenging task. In this paper, a fuzzy Context-free Grammar (FCFG)-based association rule mining (ARM) technique is proposed to categorize a heterogeneous road accident dataset into two categories based on the critical factors such as total number of accidents (TA), persons killed (PK) and persons injured (PI). The role of the fuzzy grammar in this paper is to govern the entire algorithm using the prescribed grammar rules to proceed further. The considered road accident dataset does not have class labels; hence there is a need to assign class labels for the available data instance. The accident data with assigned class labels are given as input to K-nearest neighbour (KNN) machine learning algorithm in order to train the classifier for testing purpose. Further, the collected test data from the user are utilized by the KNN classifier for carrying out the performance analysis of the proposed algorithm. The case study is conducted on the National Highway roads, India, to examine the proposed approach. The experimentations are executed for road accident records using MATLAB software and the analysis is made using the following performance measures: accuracy, recall or sensitivity, precision or specificity and F1 score. A comparative study is accomplished with existing algorithms in order to show that the proposed algorithm works with improved accuracy of more than 83%. The results suggested that the road users are responsible for the acceptance or rejection of safe or un-safe roads, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurately forecasting energy demand can better predict future changes in energy demand. This study is aimed to develop more accurate clean energy prediction model from two perspectives of the modeling mechanisms and improvements on the model structure. For this purpose, a novel Riccati–Bernoulli differential equation is established through social practice theory, supply–demand relationship, and the preference of consumption in the energy economy. Considering the limited information in observation data, this differential equation is then transformed into a grey Riccati–Bernoulli model (GRBM(1,1)) according to the differential information principle. With the response function solved on the basis of polynomial equation theory and the power exponent optimized combining the modified flower pollination algorithm, the main process of GRBM(1,1) can be summarized. The four validation examples are provided for confirming the effectiveness and reliability of the new model by comparing with other existing models. Finally, the proposed model is employed to estimate and forecast the clean energy consumption in China and India. The results show that the proposed model demonstrates better estimation in all cases and efficiency in short-term clean energy consumption forecasting. Therefore, by using this optimum model, China's preference coefficient in total energy consumption is 0.7103, lower than that of India (0.8799), and China's preference coefficient in clean energy consumption is 0.9665, higher than that of Indian (0.7155), which means China has less interest to increase total energy consumption but more interest in popularizing the clean energy. • This paper proposed a novel grey Riccati–Bernoulli model for energy consumption prediction. • A specific solution algorithm for this Riccati–Bernoulli equation is discussed in this research. • We compared the proposed novel grey model with other 12 exiting prediction models. • The novel model also reveals China's effort in popularizing the use of clean energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a new optimization technique known as Kho-Kho optimization (KKO) algorithm is presented. This proposed technique is a population based meta-heuristic method which is inspired from the strategies used by players in a well known tag-team game played in India, i.e. Kho-Kho. The performance and superiority of the proposed method with respect to other existing methods is evaluated using twenty nine benchmark functions and real-time optimization problems related to power system i.e. combined emission economic dispatch and combined heat and power economic dispatch problem. • This paper presents a new Kho-Kho optimization algorithm (KKO). • KKO is inspired by a well-known tag-team game played in India known as Kho-Kho. • KKO mimics the strategies used by a chasing team to catch the runners of a running team. • Twenty-nine benchmark functions are used to test the performance of the proposed algorithm. • Further, KKO is used to solve real-time optimization problems of power system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Develop an Optimal Resource Selection Framework on Internet-of-Things (ORSF-IoT). • It supports optimal resource selection through the proposed algorithms, namely, Resource Discovery and Improved Firefly Algorithms. • Propose an Iterative Agglomerative Fuzzy K-Means (IAFKM) Clustering Algorithm for selection of best resources by indexing and ranking them on the basis of matched resources. • The framework provides optimal solution for selecting the parametric value having exceeded limit as the brightest firefly in less time. • It helps in providing timely alarms to the system for corrective measurements and enhances system performancesignificantly. The fundamental requirement for communication and computation across distinct application areas on Internet-of-Things is the resource discovery that demands appropriate reasoning for the optimal selection. With exponential growth of resources and their produced huge amount of heterogeneous data, various activities with respect to foraging and sense-making loops face challenges due to interoperability. Hence, interoperability emerges as a major bottleneck for the requirement. Therefore, to eliminate the challenge, the paper has proposed an "Optimal Resource Selection Framework for Internet-of-Things" that deals with the interoperability and ease the resource discovery and selection. The framework facilitates formation of semantic knowledge base as Shared Virtual Composite Ontology for capturing dynamic IoT heterogeneous data. Moreover, it supports optimal resource selection through the proposed algorithms, namely , Resource discovery Algorithm and Improved Firefly Algorithm. Both algorithms target coordination and optimization with Shared Ontology, respectively. The feasibility of the framework is checked against data collected from Sutlej river, Ludhiana, Punjab, India. The proposed framework is evaluated using benchmark functions with respect to metrics such as mean, standard deviation, processing and execution time. The obtained results are compared with the existing Nature-Inspired algorithms to confirm the efficiency of the proposed framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]