Point Of Convergence Research Articles

Performance Influencing Factors of Convolutional Neural Network Models for Classifying Certain Softwood Species

This study aims to verify the wood classification performance of convolutional neural networks (CNNs), such as VGG16, ResNet50, GoogLeNet, and basic CNN architectures, and to investigate the factors affecting classification performance. A dataset from 10 softwood species consisted of 200 cross-sectional micrographs each from the total part, earlywood, and latewood of each species. We used 80% and 20% of each dataset for training and testing, respectively. To improve the performance of the architectures, the dataset was augmented, and the differences in classification performance before and after augmentation were compared. The four architectures showed a high classification accuracy of over 90% between species, and the accuracy increased with increasing epochs. However, the starting points of the accuracy, loss, and training speed increments differed according to the architecture. The latewood dataset showed the highest accuracy. The epochs and augmented datasets also positively affected accuracy, whereas the total part and non-augmented datasets had a negative effect on accuracy. Additionally, the augmented dataset tended to derive stable results and reached a convergence point earlier. In the present study, an augmented latewood dataset was the most important factor affecting classification performance and should be used for training CNNs.

Regime trajectories of Tunisia and Turkey: a comparative analysis

ABSTRACT Both Turkey and Tunisia have attracted significant attention regarding their democratization and religious politics. While Turkey was considered a successful case of blending Islam and democracy in the decade of 2000s, it plunged into autocratization in the following decade. Tunisia became the only Arab spring country to go through democratic transition between 2011 and 2015 but 6 years later, an elected president grabbed power over the democratic institutions. Inspired by the elite theories of democratization and combining the comparative method with a within-case analysis, this article evaluates the regime trajectories of the two countries, emphasizing the points of convergence and divergence. First, it argues that the emergence of a power symmetry between the elites representing the religious-secular cleavage constituted a critical juncture in each case, paving the way for democratic reforms. Second, it argues that the power symmetry was of an adversarial nature in Turkey and a consensual nature in Tunisia, which affected the elite choices to deal with the masses in different ways. The article concludes with a discussion of how the elite-mass interactions ultimately eroded the power symmetries and reversed the democratic processes in Turkey and Tunisia.

Spatiotemporal divergence and convergence test of green total factor productivity of grain in China: based on the dual perspective of carbon emissions and surface source pollution.

The topic of grain production and quality has always been a fundamental issue for the country's livelihood. With the purpose of contributing to high-quality grain development and ensuring national food security, this paper explores the spatial and temporal evolution, regional differences and convergence of grain green total factor productivity (GTFP) in the main grain-producing regions of China from the dual perspectives of carbon emissions and surface pollution with the help of EBM-GML model, kernel density function estimation and convergence methods. The results show that (1) Grain GTFP has generally shown a positive growth trend, although there exists obvious spatial differences. (2) In terms of decomposition indices, technological progress is the source of the increase in grain GTFP. (3) There are σ convergence, absolute β convergence and conditional β convergence in the main producing region as well as in the Yellow River basin and the Yangtze River basin; there are only absolute β convergence and conditional β convergence in the Songhua River basin. Grain GTFP has a single high-efficiency convergence point, and the grain GTFP is enhancing year by year in each province, and the inter-provincial gap is shrinking.

Embracing the Unknowable: Paradigm of Ineffability

Ineffability is a long-time partner of the philosophy of religion and mysticism. Through apophatic conceptions of the divine, it can act to guarantee the transcendence of the divine, elevate it to something beyond our conceptions. It has also held the central role in defining if not the nature, then at least the characteristics of mystical experience. Sometimes it is that which affirms the unique nature of mystical experience, and sometimes it is what challenges the concept of mysticism as incoherent and paradoxical. In this article, I will explore if there could be a Being Ineffable that unites both the mystical experience and its (purportedly) transcendent object, while acknowledging the problem of coherence that ineffability entails. I will do so by forming an argument for ineffability that attempts to both validate and define absolute ineffability as the point of convergence between three meanings of Being Ineffable: as a definition of absolute (ineffability), as a mystical experience of it, and finally, as the Ineffable, that is, the God/Absolute/Ultimate; all the meanings are held together by an argument from ineffability—a permeating and silently expressed attempt to turn ineffability from its usual role of a negation into a necessary affirmation.

Reading the relational local economy: Regional governance and the rescaling of local dynamics

The local is a critical scale in the organisation of spatial economy, but is often interpreted within regional arrangements and situated as component rather than distinctive unit of production. Employing a relational reading, this analysis reframes the interpretation of local economies by positioning the local as a point of convergence for economic activities and actors rather than a bounded unit. Focused on localities considered marginally represented through evolving regional policies, the analysis applies a case study of southern Staffordshire, UK to examine how the local converges embedded spaces of economic governance and economic production. It argues rescaling in these spaces has extended the spatial integration of the local. This integration can be understood through the dynamic convergence of centralised policy mechanisms, regional resource management, market patronage, and firm-level practices.

Exploration of T cell immune responses by expression of a dominant-negative SHP1 and SHP2.

SHP1 and SHP2 are SH2 domain-containing proteins which have inhibitory phosphatase activity when recruited to phosphorylated ITIMs and ITSMs on inhibitory immune receptors. Consequently, SHP1 and SHP2 are key proteins in the transmission of inhibitory signals within T cells, constituting an important point of convergence for diverse inhibitory receptors. Therefore, SHP1 and SHP2 inhibition may represent a strategy for preventing immunosuppression of T cells mediated by cancers hence improving immunotherapies directed against these malignancies. Both SHP1 and SHP2 contain dual SH2 domains responsible for localization to the endodomain of inhibitory receptors and a protein tyrosine phosphatase domain which dephosphorylates and thus inhibits key mediators of T cell activation. We explored the interaction of the isolated SH2 domains of SHP1 and SHP2 to inhibitory motifs from PD1 and identified strong binding of both SH2 domains from SHP2 and more moderate binding in the case of SHP1. We next explored whether a truncated form of SHP1/2 comprising only of SH2 domains (dSHP1/2) could act in a dominant negative fashion by preventing docking of the wild type proteins. When co-expressed with CARs we found that dSHP2 but not dSHP1 could alleviate immunosuppression mediated by PD1. We next explored the capacity of dSHP2 to bind with other inhibitory receptors and observed several potential interactions. In vivo we observed that the expression of PDL1 on tumor cells impaired the ability of CAR T cells to mediate tumor rejection and this effect was partially reversed by the co-expression of dSHP2 albeit at the cost of reduced CAR T cell proliferation. Modulation of SHP1 and SHP2 activity in engineered T cells through the expression of these truncated variants may enhance T cell activity and hence efficacy in the context of cancer immunotherapy.

Recognizing limits on the generalizability of findings of psychological science research.

The five commentaries on the target article "Generalizations: The Grail and the Gremlins" (Bauer, 2023) provide food for thought on the issue of generalizations in psychological science. Generally speaking, there seems to be agreement in the field that unrecognized limits on the generalizability of the findings of psychological science research are a matter of serious concern. This reply to the commentaries features elaboration of this basic point of agreement as well as discussion of other points of convergence with the arguments in the target article. The reply also addresses areas of divergence between the target article and the commentaries, and among the commentaries themselves. The reply develops suggestions for ways forward inspired by the commentaries. Echoing the target article, the reply calls for greater authenticity in psychological science research, movement toward which would strengthen efforts along the full range of inquiry, from basic to applied.

Managing Anemia: Point of Convergence for Heart Failure and Chronic Kidney Disease?

The pathologic triangle formed by chronic heart failure (HF), chronic kidney disease (CKD), and anemia carries high morbidity and mortality rates and decreases quality of life. Anemia represents a common condition in patients with advanced HF and CKD, with a total prevalence in cardiorenal syndrome (CRS) ranging from 5% to 55%. Searching for a pragmatic approach for these patients with guided and disease-specific recommendations beyond just targeted hemoglobin therapeutic behavior represents the core of research for ongoing clinical trials. It is well known that the prevalence of anemia increases with the advancement of CKD and HF. The physiopathological mechanisms of anemia, such as the reduction of endogenous erythropoietin and the decrease in oxygen transport, are leading to tissue hypoxia, peripheral vasodilation, stimulating neurohormonal activity, and maintenance of the progressive renal and cardiac dysfunction. Given the challenges with the treatment options for patients with cardiorenal anemia syndrome (CRSA), new therapeutic agents such as hypoxia-inducible factor-prolyl hydroxylase domain inhibitors (HIF-PH) or hepcidin antagonists are emerging in the light of recent research. This review summarizes the potential therapeutic tools for anemia therapy in the cardiorenal population.

Twentieth-Century Music and Mathematics ed. by Roberto Illiano (review)

Reviewed by: Twentieth-Century Music and Mathematics ed. by Roberto Illiano Paul Lombardi Twentieth-Century Music and Mathematics. Edited by Roberto Illiano. (Music, Science & Technology, vol. 1.) Turnhout: Brepols, 2019. [xxxiii, 382 p. ISBN 9782503585703 (hardcover), $156.] Music examples, illustrations, bibliography, abstracts, biographies, index. Twentieth-Century Music and Mathematics is a compilation of seventeen essays (and an introduction) in English, French, Italian, and Spanish. The first of its two parts, "Twentieth-Century Composers and Mathematics," focuses on specific composers—namely Olivier Messiaen, Iannis Xenakis, Franco Evangelisti, Pierre Boulez, Arvo Pärt, Steve Reich, and Philip Glass (but curiously not Milton Babbitt)—and the last chapter in this part covers a handful of contemporary Spanish composers. The second part, "Music and Mathematics: Theories, Practices, Future," focuses on recent theoretical trends. Although the book has "twentieth century" in its title, its topics are mostly from only the second half of the twentieth century and extend to the beginning of the twenty-first century. It is less of a book on music theory than on the history of music theory, which is by no means a drawback. In the introduction, Massimiliano Locanto explains: My aim, rather, is to put the relationships between mathematics and music into a historical-philosophical context by drawing attention to some crucial moments when the two disciplines adopted similar methodological strategies and were attracted to analogous paradigmatic concepts, thus finding a point of convergence on a fundamental epistemological level. (p. xi) The authors of the essays consider questions about mathematics and musical thought in that they "represent the increasing attraction to mathematical thought as a specific trend of twentieth-century musical modernism" (p. xi). The book in general takes the stance that the composers examined in it are not mathematicians and tend not to directly apply mathematics in their creative processes, but rather that mathematics informs their processes and aesthetics. The book takes a historical-philosophical approach to the mathematics of music. The mathematical details presented are not convoluted, so the layperson will not struggle reading this book. This review does not remark on every author and essay, as every contribution is of comparable merit. Rather, it offers comment on specific essays. Ronald Squibbs and Peter Hoffmann provide two chapters on processes given in Iannis Xenakis's Formalized Music ("Musique formelles," Revue musicale, nos. 253–54 [1963]; expanded English trans. as Formalized Music: Thought and Mathematics in Composition [Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1971]), the former on stochastic composition and the latter on symbolic composition. Squibbs writes, Xenakis provided a detailed account of the process … in his treatise, Formalized Music, but this account has proven to be difficult to understand by musicians who are not well-trained in mathematics and computer science. … The aim of this modest introduction to stochastic music is to pry that book open a little for musicians (such as myself) who have found Xenakis's description of the process of stochastic composition both tantalizing and difficult to comprehend. (p. 23) Hoffmann also writes, "We cannot be sure that all composers or researchers who have studied Formalized Music really grasped its essence" (p. 41). Both Squibbs and Hoffmann do an excellent job in deciphering the difficult concepts in Formalized Music in their [End Page 640] brief overviews of stochastic and symbolic composition. This volume, however, does not cover Xenakis's strategic composition. C. Catherine Losada has published extensively on the music of Pierre Boulez and, in this volume, shows how mathematical influences inspired Boulez to create "musical systems upon exclusively musical criteria," and define the nature and function of such criteria. In this way, it will yield insight into the music itself, as well as the relationship between the various works in Boulez's oeuvre, thus providing a more nuanced picture of the role of mathematical thinking in Boulez's compositional approach. (p. 91) She outlines how mathematics embodies Boulez's goal to "put contemporary musical thought on a completely and infallibly valid basis" (p. 97, quoting Boulez on Music Today, trans. Susan Bradshaw and Richard Rodney Bennett [Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1971], 29). Then, she applies her ideas by examining a series of Boulez's compositions from the late 1950s and 1960s. Moving on to...

História, fortuna e conflito na política

Pensar o lugar da fortuna nos negócios humanos e, consequentemente, refletir sobre a relação entre história e fortuna foi uma das tarefas que Francesco Guicciardini (1483-1540) e Nicolau Maquiavel (1469-1527) se propuseram. Diante desses dois discursos, vamos analisar seus pontos de convergência e de divergência a fim de delinear como é possível se estabelecer as relações políticas. Logo, o objetivo deste trabalho é examinar qual o papel da história na política e como o conflito é visto na teoria política republicana de Maquiavel e Guicciardini.

Evolution of the Competency Criteria of the Administrative Judge in Morocco

The identification of the area of competence of the administrative judge has historically constituted the main means of determining the scope of application of administrative law as an autonomous law. This study proposes to examine the criteria adopted by jurists to decide on the jurisdiction of the administrative judge in Morocco. Its purpose is to elucidate the position of doctrine and case law on this subject, via the presentation of jurisdictional decisions illustrating the temporal evolution and the socio-political context characterizing the choice of a given criterion in order to reconstruct its genesis, its historical context and its specificities. The work also tries to bring out the points of convergence and divergence between Morocco and France, exporting country of administrative law through colonial penetration, as to the elements which justified the competence of the administrative judge. The study revealed that the criteria adopted so that the administrative judge can rule on a specific case have known in Morocco an evolution varying between the use of the organic criterion: identification of the authority, of the person at the origin of the dispute, and recourse to the material criterion which consists of an examination of the situations encountered, the material facts or the legal acts at the origin of the dispute.

Longitudinal Associations of Clinical and Biochemical Head Injury Biomarkers With Head Impact Exposure in Adolescent Football Players

Consequences of subconcussive head impacts have been recognized, yet most studies to date have included small samples from a single site, used a unimodal approach, and lacked repeated testing. To examine time-course changes in clinical (near point of convergence [NPC]) and brain-injury blood biomarkers (glial fibrillary acidic protein [GFAP], ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase-L1 [UCH-L1], and neurofilament light [NF-L]) in adolescent football players and to test whether changes in the outcomes were associated with playing position, impact kinematics, and/or brain tissue strain. This multisite, prospective cohort study included male high school football players aged 13 to 18 years at 4 high schools in the Midwest during the 2021 high school football season (preseason [July] and August 2 to November 19). A single football season. The main outcomes were NPC (a clinical oculomotor test) and serum levels of GFAP, UCH-L1, and NF-L. Participants' head impact exposure (frequency and peak linear and rotational accelerations) was tracked using instrumented mouthguards, and maximum principal strain was computed to reflect brain tissue strain. Players' neurological function was assessed at 5 time points (preseason, post-training camp, 2 in season, and postseason). Ninety-nine male players contributed to the time-course analysis (mean [SD] age, 15.8 [1.1] years), but data from 6 players (6.1%) were excluded from the association analysis due to issues related to mouthguards. Thus, 93 players yielded 9498 head impacts in a season (mean [SD], 102 [113] impacts per player). There were time-course elevations in NPC and GFAP, UCH-L1, and NF-L levels. Compared with baseline, the NPC exhibited a significant elevation over time and peaked at postseason (2.21 cm; 95% CI, 1.80-2.63 cm; P < .001). Levels of GFAP and UCH-L1 increased by 25.6 pg/mL (95% CI, 17.6-33.6 pg/mL; P < .001) and 188.5 pg/mL (95% CI, 145.6-231.4 pg/mL; P < .001), respectively, later in the season. Levels of NF-L were elevated after the training camp (0.78 pg/mL; 95% CI, 0.14-1.41 pg/mL; P = .011) and midseason (0.55 pg/mL; 95% CI, 0.13-0.99 pg/mL; P = .006) but normalized by the end of the season. Changes in UCH-L1 levels were associated with maximum principal strain later in the season (0.052 pg/mL; 95% CI, 0.015-0.088 pg/mL; P = .007) and postseason (0.069 pg/mL; 95% CI, 0.031-0.106 pg/mL; P < .001). The study data suggest that adolescent football players exhibited impairments in oculomotor function and elevations in blood biomarker levels associated with astrocyte activation and neuronal injury throughout a season. Several years of follow-up are needed to examine the long-term effects of subconcussive head impacts in adolescent football players.

Raeesa Vakil, Review of Philipp Dann and Arun K. Thiruvengadam (eds). Democratic Constitutionalism in India and the European Union: Comparing the Law of Democracy in Continental Polities

Democratic Constitutionalism in India and the European Union: Comparing the Law of Democracy in Continental Polities is the culmination of an extended, deliberative project seven years in the making. The editors Philipp Dann and Arun K. Thiruvengadam gathered a group of scholars from the European Union and India in 2014 to examine, through workshops, conversations, and discussions, fundamental and conceptual points of convergence and difference between constitutional frameworks. The span of time covered by this project is fundamental to the aims of the book. In their introduction, Dann and Thiruvengadam establish a method they describe as “slow comparison,” characterized by “epistemological caution, a method of contextualized functionalism and an iterative process of collaboration” (at 5). Consequently, each of the nine chapters in the book presents, in turn, the European and Indian perspectives on both conceptual (equality, democracy, constitutionalism) and specific subjects (electoral systems, freedom of expression, social rights, political parties, and federalism).

Homeland, magnet, and refuge: Mecca in the travels and imaginaries of Chinese Muslims

AbstractMecca is often conceptualized as a destination for the ḥajj or a source of leverage for both western and Ottoman imperial states, and in the twentieth century, for Saudi national foreign policy and Islamist movements. While building on such transnational angles, this article views the city as a convergence point for diaspora populations, an intermediary site that has received and redirected the mobilities of sojourners, refugees, and exiles from different parts of Asia throughout the manifold turnovers of the twentieth century. The article focuses on a community of first- to third-generation settlers in the Hejaz who trace their other homes to different places in China proper. Using archival documents, travelogues, and ethnographic interviews, the article argues that the routes to Mecca, coupled with imaginaries of the city as a home place for Muslims worldwide, served as a rare constant orienting force that sustained two-directional mobilities of Chinese Muslim diasporas through the wars and revolutions of modern times.

RECOGNITION OF SR-BUSINESS RESPONSIBILITIES BASED ON THE IDENTIFICATION OF OWNERSHIP POWERS AS AN IMPERATIVE OF THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC MODEL OF FINANCIAL REPORTING

A great deal of research is focused on such issues as financial reporting theory, usefulness of information for investors, and optimisation of the reporting information field. The need for reporting information on ESG-behaviour of business in the context of socio-economic development paradigm makes these issues particularly acute. In this regard, the aim of the paper is to identify the criterion for recognising SR-business responsibilities as the basis of the socio-economic model of financial reporting and to develop an innovative approach to its preparation. To achieve the research objective, a three-stage algorithm has been developed according to which: 1) interpreted the concept of SR-business in the context of modern interpretation of associated ownership; 2) identified the point of convergence of economic and social concepts to recognize the results of ESG-behaviour as a business contribution to sustainable development; 3) assessed the current international trend in developing an approach to prepare information on ESG-business contribution to sustainable development. The solution to this problem is to establish a point of convergence between accounting methodology and the concept of social responsibility. The study has scientific relevance for the improvement of financial reporting theory and practical significance for the transition to a socio-economic model of accounting and reporting.&#x0D; The study concludes that an eclectic approach to financial reporting, combining an economic and social approach with elements of a legal approach, is needed to improve accounting methodology.

Voltage and propagation mapping: new tools to improve successful ablation of atrioventricular nodal reentry tachycardia

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background Ablation of atrioventricular nodal reentry tachycardia (AVNRT) has become the treatment of choice for AVNRT due to high success and low complication rate. A 3-D reconstruction of the atrial endocardial anatomy created by mapping system is useful because anatomic variances or unusual slow pathway locations may affect the effectiveness of classical anatomical approach. Voltage mapping is useful to identify a low voltage area in the Koch triangle (KT) called low-voltage-bridge (LVB); propagation mapping identifies the collision point (CP) of atrial wavefront convergence. These technique may be helpful to improve the localization of the slow pathway. Purpose Our purpose is to conduct a prospective study to evaluate the relationship of the propagation map to voltage mapping and successful site of ablation; moreover we would identify a cut-off value of LVB able to standardized the procedure. Methods Voltage maps of KT (at least 150 points) were obtained through the ablation catheter. Voltage values were adjusted until LVB was observed and classified in two types (Pic 1): Type I is a clear, large area; Type II is a narrow corridor or small areas. The collision point is the area in which the atrial wavefront during sinus rhythm collided on the propagation map indicating the area of slow pathway conduction. Ablation site was selected by LVB position or collision point, confirmed on anatomic position or AV ratio. Ablation of the slow pathway was performed using radio-frequency (RF) or cryotherapy. Results Eighteen consecutive patients were included; one patient was excluded because of inadequate voltage map. Ten patients were female. The median age was 51. In all patients inducible typical AVNRT was present. In 8 patients RF energy was used. Mean procedure time was 109 minutes; mean fluoroscopy time was 3,4 seconds (zero-fluoro procedure in 13 patients). Procedure success (no inducible AVNRT and no more than a single AV node echo beat) was achieved in all patient. No procedural complications were observed. No recurrence at 1 year follow up. The LVB was present in all patients; 9 patients had a type 1 LVB. Voltage map was created adjusting voltage high and low ranges in order to visualize LVB. Limited of LVB visualization is the leak of standard range of value for map creation. Post procedural evaluation identified standard cut-off of 0.3-1mv useful for LVB identification (only one patient had lower voltage range). The collision point was present in all patients. A correlation between LVB and CP was observed in 17/18 patients (Pic 2). In 16 patients successful ablation site was within 5mm of the wave collision. Conclusion In our prospective study, we found correlation between LVB and CP and the site of effective slow pathway ablation in most patients, and we identified a voltage range useful for standardized LVB identification during voltage mapping. Moreover, these techniques are useful to identify ablation site and minimize radiation exposure.

The Legacy of Leadership According to Imam Ali's Letter 53: A Comparative Perspective with the New Management

This comparative study examines the qualities of leadership from two distinct perspectives: Imam Ali's renowned Letter 53 and New Management. The goal of the study is to compare and contrast the two techniques, notwithstanding the distinct historical and cultural settings in which each methodology originated. Also, this essay describes the core values of the new management, which include maximizing efficiency, customer satisfaction, innovation, quality assurance, productivity growth, and employee empowerment. In the same spirit, Imam Ali's leadership principles—including delegation, active listening, informed decision-making, tolerance, empathy, and respect—are presented. After a comparison of the similarities and differences between the two methodologies, we study these traits in-depth and talk about their individual benefits and drawbacks in connection to the various scenarios. Also, we point out the parallels and discrepancies between these two leadership philosophies, notably in terms of delegating, judgment, and empathy. We finish this comparison research by reflecting on the article's application in the real world and discussing how managers and leaders may use both approaches to create their own leadership styles. We also discuss future directions for leadership research by taking Imam Ali's teachings into account. In light of this comparison, our study offers an in-depth analysis of two leadership methods and their points of convergence and divergence, with the aim of enriching contemporary leadership thinking and highlighting the legacy of Imam Ali.

Reduction of lighting power consumption through lighting control using the KNX/digital addressable lighting interface protocol in liquefied natural gas carrier accommodation mock-up

Lighting in ships is the main energy consumer in the overall power system and is closely associated with the creation of visual comfort and a safe work environment for the crew. A convergence point between the energy efficiency of ship lighting and a safe work environment for the crew can be achieved in various ways. This study applied the KNX and Digital Addressable Lighting Interface (DALI) systems to a mega-ship. A mock-up identical to an accommodation unit in an actual Liquefied Natural Gas Carrier in construction was developed, where the lighting for ships was installed and the KNX/DALI protocol, and occupancy sensors were applied as the lighting control system. The measurement of the 24 h power consumption with a conventional lighting arrangement design and the KNX/DALI system indicated that the lighting power consumption decreased from 12,935.2 to 2830.3 W h, implying a ≥80% reduction. This lighting solution involves control based on the traffic line of the crew at work, which plays a key role in enhancing the energy efficiency of the ship, promoting a safe work environment and visual comfort for the crew, and maximizing integration with other digital systems of the ship.

A comparison of two hybrid optimization techniques: the Taguchi-BBD-firefly and the Taguchi-regression-firefly methods on the IS 2062-E250 steel plates boring problem

The expanding proliferation of components for engineering applications requires greater optimisation of parameters, which consequently increases the need for more efficient boring practices. The Taguchi Pareto-Box Behnken design is an effective optimisation procedure for the process parametric optimisation of the IS 2062 E250 steel plates. However, the weakness of the Taguchi method in its inability to distinguish which parameters have greater effects on the boring process needs to be further suppressed. Consequently, this study investigates the coupling of the firefly algorithm to the Taguchi-Pareto-Box Behnken design method for the processing of the IS 2062 E250 steel plates during the boring operation. Linear programmes were developed for the problem formulation with two variants of the objective function definition. In the first variant, the Box Behnken design optimized parameters and the firefly-oriented optimisation procedure was addressed to attain optimal solutions. For the second variant, a regression equation was substituted as the objective function and the firefly procedure was implemented to obtain the optimal solutions. Based on a defined population for the problem, an initial test of convergence was actualized and 50 iterations were found as an effective convergence point for the iterations. Numerical simulation coupled with experimental data analysis was conducted to ascertain the effectiveness of the proposed method. Literature data on IS 2062 E250 steel plate processing on the CNC machine was used in the testing. The results revealed that the proposed method exhibits good performance for boring operations in machine shops. Using the Taguchi-Pareto-Box Behnken-firefly algorithm, the obtained results are promising. The application of this proposal would aid machining to better decisions that improve the quality of products and reduces the cost of production.

Smartphone Use on Accommodation and Vergence Parameters: A Systematic Review

Introduction: The frequency and the trend of smartphone use increase rapidly, and 85% of Malaysians owns a smartphone and spend an average of 187 minutes per day to use the smartphone. Aims: To evaluate the potential effects of smartphone use on Accommodation and Vergence of the users. Methods: A total of 18 articles were selected in this review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines, and the research question was formulated based on the population, intervention, control, and outcomes (PICO) method. This review was registered with PROSPERO (reference number: CRD42022293325). Data Sources: Databases namely PubMed, Web of Science, and Science-Direct were used in the article search using appropriate keywords, phrases, and Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) terms. The inclusion criteria of this review were journal articles published from January 2010 until December 2021 with full articles or abstract in English available. Results: Accommodative function has been reported to changed significantly with 20 minutes of smartphone use, with reduced amplitude, facility, relative and increased lag. In addition, vergence function has been reported to be altered significantly with receded near point of convergence. Conclusion: Smartphone use has an effect on the accommodation and vergence parameters among adults. Assessments of accommodation and vergence parameters need to be conducted in patients with the symptoms of Computer Vision Syndrome to prevent vision problems. Future reviews are required in younger cohorts with various smartphone features.