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Fire detection and extinguishing systems are critical for safeguarding lives and minimizing property damage. These systems are especially vital in combating forest fires. In recent years, several forest fires have set records for their size, duration, and level of destruction. Traditional fire detection methods, such as smoke and heat sensors, have limitations, prompting the development of innovative approaches using advanced technologies. Utilizing image processing, computer vision, and deep learning algorithms, we can now detect fires with exceptional accuracy and respond promptly to mitigate their impact. In this article, we conduct a comprehensive review of articles from 2013 to 2023, exploring how these technologies are applied in fire detection and extinguishing. We delve into modern techniques enabling real-time analysis of the visual data captured by cameras or satellites, facilitating the detection of smoke, flames, and other fire-related cues. Furthermore, we explore the utilization of deep learning and machine learning in training intelligent algorithms to recognize fire patterns and features. Through a comprehensive examination of current research and development, this review aims to provide insights into the potential and future directions of fire detection and extinguishing using image processing, computer vision, and deep learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maize holds significant importance as a staple food source globally. Increasing maize yield requires the effective removal of weeds from maize fields, as they pose a detrimental threat to the growth of maize plants. In recent years, there has been a drive towards Precision Agriculture (PA), involving the integration of farming methods with artificial intelligence and advanced automation techniques. In the realm of PA, deep learning techniques present a promising solution for addressing the complex challenge of classifying maize plants and weeds. In this work, a deep learning method based on transfer learning and ensemble techniques is developed. The proposed method is implementable on any number of existing CNN models irrespective of their architecture and complexity. The developed ensemble model is trained and tested on our custom-built dataset, namely MaizeSet, comprising 3330 images of maize plants and weeds under varying environmental conditions. The performance of the ensemble model is compared against individual pre-trained VGG16 and InceptionV3 models using two experiments: the identification of weeds and maize plants, and the identification of the various vegetative growth stages of maize plants. VGG16 attained an accuracy of 83% in Experiment 1 and 71% in Experiment 2, while InceptionV3 showcased improved performance, boasting an accuracy of 98% in Experiment 1 and 81% in Experiment 2. With the proposed ensemble approach, VGG16 when combined with InceptionV3, achieved an accuracy of 90% for Experiment 1 and 80% for Experiment 2. The findings demonstrate that integrating a sub-optimal pre-defined classifier, specifically VGG16, with a more proficient model like InceptionV3, yields enhanced performance across various analytical metrics. This underscores the efficacy of ensemble techniques in the context of maize classification and analogous applications within the agricultural domain. • Classification of maize from weeds holds paramount importance for crop protection • Image dataset is crafted for weed detection and maize growth stage determination • Ensemble boosts low-rated classifiers by integrating them with stronger performers Keyword crop and [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marston's load theory is commonly used for understanding the soil–conduit interaction. However, there are no practical methods available which can estimate the Marston's soil prism (MSP) width ratio. Moreover, the advent of soft computing methods has made many traditional approaches antiquated. The main purpose of this work is to compare and evaluate the predictive abilities of several machine learning-based models in predicting the MSP width ratio for the reinforced concrete (RC) and corrugated steel (CS) conduits. By utilizing the finite element modelling, a large-scale dataset was generated for the width of the soil prism for both types of conduit material, when buried under sandy soils of varying stiffness. After preparing the required dataset, feature validity technique based on correlation-based feature selection was employed to find the most influential parameters affecting the MSP width. Thereafter, five regression-based data driven models namely artificial neural networks (ANN), least-square support vector regression, extreme learning machine, Gaussian process regression, and multiple linear regression were developed to forecast the MSP width ratio. The results showed that the ANN outperforms the other predictive models for both the conduit types. In addition, due to the excellent overall performance of the ANN, it was translated into functional relationship for predicting the MSP width ratio for RC and CS conduits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In this paper, a novel functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS)-based brain-computer interface (BCI) framework for control of prosthetic legs and rehabilitation of patients suffering from locomotive disorders is presented.Methods: fNIRS signals are used to initiate and stop the gait cycle, while a nonlinear proportional derivative computed torque controller (PD-CTC) with gravity compensation is used to control the torques of hip and knee joints for minimization of position error. In the present study, the brain signals of walking intention and rest tasks were acquired from the left hemisphere's primary motor cortex for nine subjects. Thereafter, for removal of motion artifacts and physiological noises, the performances of six different filters (i.e. Kalman, Wiener, Gaussian, hemodynamic response filter (hrf), Band-pass, finite impulse response) were evaluated. Then, six different features were extracted from oxygenated hemoglobin signals, and their different combinations were used for classification. Also, the classification performances of five different classifiers (i.e. k-Nearest Neighbour, quadratic discriminant analysis, linear discriminant analysis (LDA), Naïve Bayes, support vector machine (SVM)) were tested.Results: The classification accuracies obtained from SVM using the hrf were significantly higher (p < 0.01) than those of the other classifier/ filter combinations. Those accuracies were 77.5, 72.5, 68.3, 74.2, 73.3, 80.8, 65, 76.7, and 86.7% for the nine subjects, respectively.Conclusion: The control commands generated using the classifiers initiated and stopped the gait cycle of the prosthetic leg, the knee and hip torques of which were controlled using the PD-CTC to minimize the position error. The proposed scheme can be effectively used for neurofeedback training and rehabilitation of lower-limb amputees and paralyzed patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]