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This study focuses on impulsive Volterra-Fredholm integro-differential equations (VFIDEs) under specific order conditions, conducting a rigorous analysis involving fractional Caputo derivatives. By applying the Schauder fixed-point theorem, we prove the existence of solutions and examine the interaction between fractional Caputo derivatives and the equation's integro-differential structure. Furthermore, we explore the application of artificial neural networks (ANNs) to predict system states based on input features, demonstrating how these techniques enhance the understanding of control inputs and system responses. These findings improve the theoretical understanding of impulsive VFIDEs and demonstrate their applications in science and engineering, particularly regarding existence conditions and controllability.

AbstractDespite the gravitation toward Internet banking research in the information systems and information technology literature, scholars and practitioners, particularly in emerging and developing countries, have not fully explored the barriers affecting customers’ intention to engage in e-banking transactions, particularly from a sub-Saharan perspective. There is still a considerable gap in the research on how online risk and socio-economic factors influence customers’ intention to engage in Internet banking activities. To fill this gap, we took an online and socio-economic perspective on Internet banking adoption in an aspiring to-be IT-enabled economy. Our study adopted a quantitative research approach. Intercept surveys were conducted among 672 bank customers in Ghana. Seven hypotheses were developed, and partial-least square structural equation modelling was used to test the relationship between the variables. Our findings revealed that fear of financial loss, fear of reputation damage, avoidance motivation, price of digital devices, perceived knowledge gap, infrastructure gap, and perceived financial charge are significant barriers to e-banking adoption. The novelty of our research lies in the research framework, which is a unique conceptual model presenting online and socio-economic factors preventing e-banking adoption. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Effective energy management is crucial for sustainability, carbon reduction, resource conservation, and cost savings. However, conventional energy forecasting methods often lack accuracy, suggesting the need for advanced approaches. Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a powerful tool for energy forecasting, but its lack of transparency and interpretability poses challenges for understanding its predictions. In response, Explainable AI (XAI) frameworks have been developed to enhance the transparency and interpretability of black-box AI models. Accordingly, this paper focuses on achieving accurate household energy consumption predictions by comparing prediction models based on several evaluation metrics, namely the Coefficient of Determination (R2), Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE), Mean Squared Error (MSE), and Mean Absolute Error (MAE). The best model is identified by comparison after making predictions on unseen data, after which the predictions are explained by leveraging two XAI frameworks: Local Interpretable Model-Agnostic Explanations (LIME) and Shapley Additive Explanations (SHAP). These explanations help identify crucial characteristics contributing to energy consumption predictions, including insights into feature importance. Our findings underscore the significance of current consumption patterns and lagged energy consumption values in estimating energy usage. This paper further demonstrates the role of XAI in developing consistent and reliable predictive models.

Forecasting load is an integral part of the planning, operation, and control of power systems. This paper is part of a research effort aimed at developing better energy demand forecasting models for load dispatch centers (LDCs) in Indian states as part of an ambitious project utilizing artificial intelligence-based load forecasting models. In this paper, we present a half hourly load forecasting method for the energy management system of the project that will be used at 33 /11 kV and 0.415 kV substations with good accuracy. The paper uses the half-hourly load consumption dataset collected from MSEDCL for Maharashtra from July 1, 2020 through August 31, 2022. This paper evaluates 24 regression model-based half hourly based load forecasting algorithms for ALE PHATA load based on the load consumption dataset and the collected meteorological dataset. The 24 models in MATLAB Regression belong to five types of regression models: Linear Regression, Regression Trees, Support Vector Machines (SVM), Gaussian Process Regression (GPR), Ensemble of Trees, and Neural Networks. As a consequence of their nonparametric kernel-based probabilistic nature, the GPR family of models demonstrates the best load forecasting performance. Least squares estimation was used to determine the regression coefficients. There is a direct correlation between load in an electrical power system and temperature, due point, and seasons, as well as a correlation between load and previous load consumption. Therefore, the input variables are Wet Bulb Temperature at 2 Meters (C), Dew/Frost Point at 2 Meters (C), Temperature at 2 Meters (C), Relative Humidity at 2 Meters (%), Specific Humidity at 2 Meters (g/kg) and Wind Speed at 10 Meters (m/s). The mean absolute percentage error and the R squared are used to validate or verify the accuracy of the model, which is shown in the results section. Based on this study, two GPR models are recommended for load forecasting, the Rational Quadratic GPR and the Exponential GPR and Exponential GPR as final model.

A new bio-inspired metaheuristic algorithm named the Pufferfish Optimization Algorithm (POA), that imitates the natural behavior of pufferfish in nature, is introduced in this paper. The fundamental inspiration of POA is adapted from the defense mechanism of pufferfish against predators. In this defense mechanism, by filling its elastic stomach with water, the pufferfish becomes a spherical ball with pointed spines, and as a result, the hungry predator escapes from this threat. The POA theory is stated and then mathematically modeled in two phases: (i) exploration based on the simulation of a predator’s attack on a pufferfish and (ii) exploitation based on the simulation of a predator’s escape from spiny spherical pufferfish. The performance of POA is evaluated in handling the CEC 2017 test suite for problem dimensions equal to 10, 30, 50, and 100. The optimization results show that POA has achieved an effective solution with the appropriate ability in exploration, exploitation, and the balance between them during the search process. The quality of POA in the optimization process is compared with the performance of twelve well-known metaheuristic algorithms. The simulation results show that POA provides superior performance by achieving better results in most of the benchmark functions in order to solve the CEC 2017 test suite compared to competitor algorithms. Also, the effectiveness of POA to handle optimization tasks in real-world applications is evaluated on twenty-two constrained optimization problems from the CEC 2011 test suite and four engineering design problems. Simulation results show that POA provides effective performance in handling real-world applications by achieving better solutions compared to competitor algorithms.

In this paper, a new bio-inspired metaheuristic algorithm called Giant Armadillo Optimization (GAO) is introduced, which imitates the natural behavior of giant armadillo in the wild. The fundamental inspiration in the design of GAO is derived from the hunting strategy of giant armadillos in moving towards prey positions and digging termite mounds. The theory of GAO is expressed and mathematically modeled in two phases: (i) exploration based on simulating the movement of giant armadillos towards termite mounds, and (ii) exploitation based on simulating giant armadillos’ digging skills in order to prey on and rip open termite mounds. The performance of GAO in handling optimization tasks is evaluated in order to solve the CEC 2017 test suite for problem dimensions equal to 10, 30, 50, and 100. The optimization results show that GAO is able to achieve effective solutions for optimization problems by benefiting from its high abilities in exploration, exploitation, and balancing them during the search process. The quality of the results obtained from GAO is compared with the performance of twelve well-known metaheuristic algorithms. The simulation results show that GAO presents superior performance compared to competitor algorithms by providing better results for most of the benchmark functions. The statistical analysis of the Wilcoxon rank sum test confirms that GAO has a significant statistical superiority over competitor algorithms. The implementation of GAO on the CEC 2011 test suite and four engineering design problems show that the proposed approach has effective performance in dealing with real-world applications.

PurposeThis experimental study was conducted during the post-COVID-19 period to investigate the relationship between the quality of life 9 months after and the severity of the SARS-CoV-2 infection in two scenarios: hospitalization (with/without medical oxygen) and outpatient treatment.MethodsWe employed the EQ-5D-5L Quality of Life tests and the PSQI as a survey to evaluate respondents' quality of life 9 months after a previous SARS-CoV-2 infection of varying severity.ResultsWe identified a clear difference in the quality of life of respondents, as measured on the 100-point scale of the EQ-5D-5L test, which was significantly lower 9 months after a previous SARS-CoV-2 infection for Group 1 (n = 14), respondents who had received medical attention for SARS-CoV-2 infection in a hospital with oxygen treatment, compared to those with the SARS-CoV-2 infection who were treated without oxygen treatment (Group 2) (n = 12) and those who were treated on an outpatient basis (Group 3) (n = 13) (H = 7.08 p = 0.029). There were no intergroup differences in quality of life indicators between hospitalized patients (Group 2) and groups 1 and 3. PSQI survey results showed that “mobility,” “self-care,” “daily activities,” “pain/discomfort,” and “anxiety/ depression” did not differ significantly between the groups, indicating that these factors were not associated with the severity of the SARS-CoV-2 infection. On the contrary, the respondents demonstrated significant inter-group differences (H = 7.51 p = 0.023) and the interdependence of respiratory difficulties with the severity of clinically diagnosed SARS-CoV-2 infection. This study also demonstrated significant differences in the values of sleep duration, sleep disorders, and daytime sleepiness indicators between the three groups of respondents, which indicate the influence of the severity of the infection. The PSQI test results revealed significant differences in “bedtime” (H = 6.00 p = 0.050) and “wake-up time” (H = 11.17 p = 0.004) between Groups 1 and 3 of respondents. At 9 months after COVID-19, respondents in Group 1 went to bed at a later time (pp = 0.02727) and woke up later (p = 0.003) than the respondents in Group 3.ConclusionThis study is the first of its kind in the current literature to report on the quality of life of respondents 9 months after being diagnosed with COVID-19 and to draw comparisons between cohorts of hospitalized patients who were treated with medical oxygen vs. the cohorts of outpatient patients. The study's findings regarding post-COVID-19 quality of life indicators and their correlation with the severity of the SARS-CoV-2 infection can be used to categorize patients for targeted post-COVID-19 rehabilitation programs.

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of mortality among women. Early and accurate detection plays a crucial role in lowering its mortality rate. Timely detection and classification of breast cancer enable the most effective treatment. Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have significantly improved the accuracy of tumor detection and classification in medical imaging compared to traditional methods. This study proposes a comprehensive classification technique for identifying breast cancer, utilizing a synthesized CNN, an enhanced optimization algorithm, and transfer learning. The primary goal is to assist radiologists in rapidly identifying anomalies. To overcome inherent limitations, we modified the Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) technique with opposition-based learning (OBL). The Enhanced Ant Colony Optimization (EACO) methodology was then employed to determine the optimal hyperparameter values for the CNN architecture. Our proposed framework combines the Residual Network-101 (ResNet101) CNN architecture with the EACO algorithm, resulting in a new model dubbed EACO–ResNet101. Experimental analysis was conducted on the MIAS and DDSM (CBIS-DDSM) mammographic datasets. Compared to conventional methods, our proposed model achieved an impressive accuracy of 98.63%, sensitivity of 98.76%, and specificity of 98.89% on the CBIS-DDSM dataset. On the MIAS dataset, the proposed model achieved a classification accuracy of 99.15%, a sensitivity of 97.86%, and a specificity of 98.88%. These results demonstrate the superiority of the proposed EACO–ResNet101 over current methodologies.

A central conundrum enshrouds biocognition: almost all such phenomena are inherently unstable and must be constantly controlled by external regulatory machinery to ensure proper function, in much the same sense that blood pressure and the ‘stream of consciousness’ require persistent delicate regulation for the survival of higher organisms. Here, we derive the Data Rate Theorem of control theory that characterizes such instability via the Rate Distortion Theorem of information theory for adiabatically stationary nonergodic systems. We then outline a novel approach to building new statistical tools for data analysis based on those theorems, focusing on groupoid symmetry-breaking phase transitions characterized by Fisher Zero analogs.

Background: Data analysis and visualization are essential for exploring and communicating medical research findings, especially when working with COVID records. Results: Data on COVID-19 diagnosed cases and deaths from December 2019 is collected automatically from www.statista.com, datahub.io, and the Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI). We have developed an application for data visualization and analysis of several indicators to follow the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic using Statista, Data Hub, and MDPI data from densely populated countries like the United States, Japan, and India using R programming. Conclusions: The COVID19-World online web application systematically produces daily updated country-specific data visualization and analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic worldwide. The application will help with a better understanding of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic worldwide.