This paper proposes a novel meta-heuristic optimization algorithm called the fine-tuning meta-heuristic algorithm (FTMA) for solving global optimization problems. In this algorithm, the solutions are fine-tuned using the fundamental steps in meta-heuristic optimization, namely, exploration, exploitation, and randomization, in such a way that if one step improves the solution, then it is unnecessary to execute the remaining steps. The performance of the proposed FTMA has been compared with that of five other optimization algorithms over ten benchmark test functions. Nine of them are well-known and already exist in the literature, while the tenth one is proposed by the authors and introduced in this article. One test trial was shown t

In many video and image processing applications, the frames are partitioned into blocks, which are extracted and processed sequentially. In this paper, we propose a fast algorithm for calculation of features of overlapping image blocks. We assume the features are projections of the block on separable 2D basis functions (usually orthogonal polynomials) where we benefit from the symmetry with respect to spatial variables. The main idea is based on a construction of auxiliary matrices that virtually extends the original image and makes it possible to avoid a time-consuming computation in loops. These matrices can be pre-calculated, stored and used repeatedly since they are independent of the image itself. We validated experimentally th

The telecommunications industry has gone through series of development efforts to provide quality services to their consumers. Generally, telecommunication industry provides two main services such as telephony and internet which involved customer registration, billing and payment. However, the challenge confronting telecommunications industry is to meet the customer satisfaction in the billing system such as accuracy, easy to understand and unambiguous billing issue. In order to develop Customer Billing Telephony System,a user experience study is conducted to gather the user requirements. Hence, the CBTS was developed that takes into consideration user’s value experience that provides a support for managing and monitoring billing proce

Background: Helicobacters are motile curved, oxidase and catalase positive,
gram negative rods similar in morphology to vibrios. The cells have polar flagella
and are often attached at their ends given pairs "S" shapes or seagull
appearance.
Object i ves: The present study was undertaken to estimate the serodiffusion of
H. pylori and hepatitis A virus (HAV) in 300 patients attending two centers in
Baghdad.
Metthods:: HAV was determined by the detection of HAV-IgM in the serum samples. Detection of H. pylori was by ELISA and endoscopic examination.
Resul t s: The serodiffusion of H. pylori was 40% (n=120). Out of the 120
patients infected with H. pylori, 50(41 .6%) patients were diagnosed clinically to
have g

The Cassia glauca Lam. is the tree that belongs to the Fabaceae family and is native to India has many uses in indigenous systems of medicine, folk medicine, and traditional Brazilian medicine. Has many pharmacological activities such as anti-diabetic, antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, anti-hemolytic, anticancer, cardio-protective, and Hepato-protection.  The aim of study is to Isolation, identification, and quantification of some compounds from aerial parts of Cassia glauca since no phytochemical investigation had previously been done in Iraq for this plant. The aerial parts were defatted in n. hexane for 48 hours. The defatted materials were extracted in 85% ethanol using the hot method (soxhlet), then the extract was fra

The Skyrme–Hartree–Fock (SHF) method with MSK7 Skyrme parameter has been used to investigate the ground-state properties for two-neutron halo nuclei 6He, 11Li, 12Be and 14Be. These ground-state properties include the proton, neutron and matter density distributions, the corresponding rms radii, the binding energy per nucleon and the charge form factors. These calculations clearly reveal the long tail characterizing the halo nuclei as a distinctive feature.

The hydrological process has a dynamic nature characterised by randomness and complex phenomena. The application of machine learning (ML) models in forecasting river flow has grown rapidly. This is owing to their capacity to simulate the complex phenomena associated with hydrological and environmental processes. Four different ML models were developed for river flow forecasting located in semiarid region, Iraq. The effectiveness of data division influence on the ML models process was investigated. Three data division modeling scenarios were inspected including 70%–30%, 80%–20, and 90%–10%. Several statistical indicators are computed to verify the performance of the models. The results revealed the potential of the hybridized s

Permanent deformation, fatigue and thermal cracking are the three typical distresses of flexible pavement. Using hydrated lime (HL) into the conventional limestone mineral additive has been widely practiced, including in Europe, to improve the mechanical properties of hot mix asphalt (HMA) concrete and as the result the durability of the constructed pavement. Large number of experimental studies have been reported to find the optimum addition of HL for the improvement on HMA concrete mechanical properties, moisture susceptibility and fatigue resistance. Pavement in service is under complex thermomechanical stress-strain conditions due to coupled atmospheric and surrounding environment temperature variation and the traffic loading. To predic

Two new nonsymmetrical mesogenic homologous series of terminal substituent ether (series [Vn]) and carboxy (series [VIn]) incorporating azobenzene and 1,3,4-oxadiazole group were synthesized. Both series have been All compounds thus isolated were purified and characterized by elemental analysis, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, 1H NMR, along with thermal analysis and texture observation using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Polarizing Optical Microscopy (POM), respectively. All compounds of the first series exhibited liquid crystalline properties. The homologues [V1]-[V3] display a nematic mesophase, the compounds [V4]-[V7] exhibit a dimorphism behavior, nematic (N) and smectic A (SmA) mesophases, the compounds [V8] and

In this work the design and construction of optical pumping system was presented. The parameters of the pumping source to obtain discharge current density sufficient to shift the flash lamp spectrum towards uv portion of spectrum were measured.The current density was supplied to the flash lamp must be greater than 4000Amp./cm2 to obtain the spectral range wavelength lies between 0.2 and 0.35?m. The current density was obtained by a capacitor 50?F, at 7KV discharge voltage. The applied electrical energy to the flash lamp was more than 1200 J, and the current density was around 5000 Amp./cm2.The electrical parameters of the flash lamp were calculated. The impedance parameters(K0) from the voltage and the peak current pulse was measured in ran