Application of nature-inspired optimization algorithms and machine learning for heavy-ion synchrotrons

Chemical heuristics have been fundamental to the advancement of chemistry and materials science. These heuristics are typically established by scientists using knowledge and creativity to extract patterns from limited datasets. Machine learning offers opportunities to perfect this approach using computers and larger datasets. Here, we discuss the relationships between traditional heuristics and machine learning approaches. We show how traditional rules can be challenged by large-scale statistical assessment and how traditional concepts commonly used as features are feeding the machine learning techniques. We stress the waste involved in relearning chemical rules and the challenges in terms of data size requirements for purely data-driven approaches. Our view is that heuristic and machine learning approaches are at their best when they work together.

Airport scheduling has an important optimization value in air transportation, and its complexity and multiple constraints make it difficult for existing methods to deal with it comprehensively. This paper is a review paper, that systematically summarizes the application of genetic algorithms and machine learning in the scheduling of flights, the scheduling of airport resource allocation, and the scheduling of airport external resource allocation. Through the analysis of many studies, this paper summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of different algorithms in various scheduling scenarios and points out the advantages of genetic algorithms in dealing with complex multi-objective optimization problems. In addition, this paper explores the potential of combining machine learning with genetic algorithms to further enhance the effect of scheduling optimization. This paper provides an important reference for future research and helps the innovation and practical application of methods in the field of airport scheduling.

Artificial intelligence has been applied in wildfire science and management since the 1990s, with early applications including neural networks and expert systems. Since then, the field has rapidly progressed congruently with the wide adoption of machine learning (ML) methods in the environmental sciences. Here, we present a scoping review of ML applications in wildfire science and management. Our overall objective is to improve awareness of ML methods among wildfire researchers and managers, as well as illustrate the diverse and challenging range of problems in wildfire science available to ML data scientists. To that end, we first present an overview of popular ML approaches used in wildfire science to date and then review the use of ML in wildfire science as broadly categorized into six problem domains, including (i) fuels characterization, fire detection, and mapping; (ii) fire weather and climate change; (iii) fire occurrence, susceptibility, and risk; (iv) fire behavior prediction; (v) fire effects; and (vi) fire management. Furthermore, we discuss the advantages and limitations of various ML approaches relating to data size, computational requirements, generalizability, and interpretability, as well as identify opportunities for future advances in the science and management of wildfires within a data science context. In total, to the end of 2019, we identified 300 relevant publications in which the most frequently used ML methods across problem domains included random forests, MaxEnt, artificial neural networks, decision trees, support vector machines, and genetic algorithms. As such, there exists opportunities to apply more current ML methods — including deep learning and agent-based learning — in the wildfire sciences, especially in instances involving very large multivariate datasets. We must recognize, however, that despite the ability of ML models to learn on their own, expertise in wildfire science is necessary to ensure realistic modelling of fire processes across multiple scales, while the complexity of some ML methods such as deep learning requires a dedicated and sophisticated knowledge of their application. Finally, we stress that the wildfire research and management communities play an active role in providing relevant, high-quality, and freely available wildfire data for use by practitioners of ML methods.

This paper presents a systematic literature review with respect to application of data science and machine learning (ML) to heart failure (HF) datasets with the intention of generating both a synthesis of relevant findings and a critical evaluation of approaches, applicability and accuracy in order to inform future work within this field. This paper has a particular intention to consider ways in which the low uptake of ML techniques within clinical practice could be resolved. Literature searches were performed on Scopus (2014-2021), ProQuest and Ovid MEDLINE databases (2014-2021). Search terms included ‘heart failure’ or ‘cardiomyopathy’ and ‘machine learning’, ‘data analytics’, ‘data mining’ or ‘data science’. 81 out of 1688 articles were included in the review. The majority of studies were retrospective cohort studies. The median size of the patient cohort across all studies was 1944 (min 46, max 93260). The largest patient samples were used in readmission prediction models with the median sample size of 5676 (min. 380, max. 93260). Machine learning methods focused on common HF problems: detection of HF from available dataset, prediction of hospital readmission following index hospitalization, mortality prediction, classification and clustering of HF cohorts into subgroups with distinctive features and response to HF treatment. The most common ML methods used were logistic regression, decision trees, random forest and support vector machines. Information on validation of models was scarce. Based on the authors’ affiliations, there was a median 3:1 ratio between IT specialists and clinicians. Over half of studies were co-authored by a collaboration of medical and IT specialists. Approximately 25% of papers were authored solely by IT specialists who did not seek clinical input in data interpretation. The application of ML to datasets, in particular clustering methods, enabled the development of classification models assisting in testing the outcomes of patients with HF. There is, however, a tendency to over-claim the potential usefulness of ML models for clinical practice. The next body of work that is required for this research discipline is the design of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) with the use of ML in an intervention arm in order to prospectively validate these algorithms for real-world clinical utility.

Machine learning applications for anomaly detection in Smart Water Metering Networks: A systematic review

Edge computing enables smart IoT-based systems via concurrent and continuous execution of latency-sensitive machine learning (ML) applications. These edge-based machine learning systems are often battery-powered (i.e., energy-limited). They use heterogeneous resources with diverse computing performance (e.g., CPU, GPU, and/or FPGA) to fulfill the latency constraints of ML applications. The challenge is to allocate user requests for different ML applications on the Heterogeneous Edge Computing Systems (HEC) with respect to both the energy and latency constraints of these systems. To this end, we study and analyze resource allocation solutions that can increase the on-time task completion rate while considering the energy constraint. Importantly, we investigate edge-friendly (lightweight) multi-objective mapping heuristics that do not become biased toward a particular application type to achieve the objectives; instead, the heuristics consider "fairness" across the concurrent ML applications in their mapping decisions. Performance evaluations demonstrate that the proposed heuristic outperforms widely-used heuristics in heterogeneous systems in terms of the latency and energy objectives, particularly, at low to moderate request arrival rates. We observed 8.9% improvement in on-time task completion rate and 12.6% in energy-saving without imposing any significant overhead on the edge system.

PurposeIn recent years, endocrinology research has increasingly focused on machine learning (ML) applications. ML offers the possibility of utilizing large data sets and extracting imperceptible patterns. It might contribute in optimizing healthcare outcomes and unveiling new understandings of the intricate mechanisms of endocrine disorders. This review covers the basic aspects of ML and highlights specific areas of endocrinology with potential of ML application.MethodsThis narrative review with a systematic literature search comprises studies on endocrine conditions with ML methods used in statistical analysis, published between January 2000 and December 2024.ResultsA total of 1130 studies were analyzed. Thyroid-related research was the most prevalent, followed by studies concerning the pituitary, adrenal and parathyroid glands. ML applications included medical imaging analysis, tumor classification, treatment response prediction, complication risk estimation and identification of molecular markers.ConclusionML has the potential to enhance the diagnosis, treatment and understanding of endocrine diseases. However, the use of ML is still limited by issues such as lack of model transparency, data imbalance and difficulties with clinical implementation. To enable safe and effective application of ML in endocrinology, further validation, interdisciplinary collaboration and standardized approaches are essential.

The oil and gas industry faces constant pressure to enhance operational efficiency, reduce costs, and minimize equipment downtime. Machine learning (ML) applications in predictive maintenance have emerged as a transformative approach to achieving these goals. This review explores the role of machine learning in predictive maintenance, highlighting its potential to revolutionize maintenance strategies and improve asset management across the industry. Predictive maintenance leverages advanced algorithms to analyze historical and real-time data from equipment and sensors, enabling the identification of patterns and anomalies that precede equipment failures. By utilizing techniques such as supervised learning, unsupervised learning, and reinforcement learning, organizations can forecast equipment malfunctions and schedule maintenance activities proactively, thereby reducing unexpected downtimes and extending asset lifecycles. The implementation of ML in predictive maintenance provides several key benefits. Firstly, it enhances operational efficiency by optimizing maintenance schedules and minimizing unplanned outages, which are critical in the capital-intensive oil and gas sector. Secondly, it enables cost savings through more efficient resource allocation and reduced labor costs associated with reactive maintenance strategies. Thirdly, machine learning algorithms can continuously learn from new data, refining their predictive capabilities and improving accuracy over time. Several case studies illustrate the successful application of machine learning in predictive maintenance within the oil and gas industry. For example, ML models have been employed to predict pump failures, optimize drilling operations, and improve pipeline integrity monitoring. These applications not only lead to significant financial savings but also enhance safety by reducing the risk of catastrophic failures. In conclusion, machine learning applications in predictive maintenance represent a crucial advancement for the oil and gas industry. By harnessing the power of data-driven insights, organizations can enhance operational efficiency, reduce costs, and ultimately drive sustainable growth. This review emphasizes the transformative potential of machine learning in predictive maintenance, establishing it as a key strategy for success in the ever-evolving oil and gas landscape.

A cost effective, easily scalable, and application independent FPGA cluster co-processing platform for machine learning (ML) applications is proposed. The work in this paper focuses on delivering an economical platform for the researchers and developers without the knowledge of FPGAs who seek budget friendly solutions to increase the performance of their ML applications without relying on the highly expensive solutions available in the today's FPGA market. The approach consists of two main parts, with a CPU based host machine learning application and the FPGA cluster sharing the heavy workload through an Ethernet protocol. An experiment was conducted using a perceptron layer implementation on the hardware and the test results show the execution time improvements due to the utilization of the proposed cluster approach. The solution proposed is easily scalable with any FPGA platform with an Ethernet support.

Application of machine learning in atmospheric pollution research: A state-of-art review

Purpose Although there are studies analyzing barriers related to new technological concepts, it turns out that there are only a few studies on barriers to machine learning (ML) applications, and none of them consider the implications for smart logistics. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to reveal and analyze the barriers to ML applications in smart logistics from both industry and academic perspectives. Design/methodology/approach To achieve this aim, first, various barriers to smart logistics activities based on the Industry 4.0 perspective are identified. Later, the relative importance of these barriers critical to the success of smart logistics activities is determined. Finally, the interval-valued fuzzy (IVF) DEMATEL method is used to analyze the cause-and-effect relationship between each barrier based on industry and academic perspective. Findings Eleven barriers related to ML applications in smart logistics were evaluated by seven experts who are working in different positions. Results show that, the most crucial cause-and-effect barriers are integration and connection problems with value chain/network systems (B6), requirements of adapting new infrastructures (B11) and lack of transparency, safety and security (B3). Originality/value There is no study about determining barriers with merging smart logistics activities with the Industry 4.0 perspective. It is expected that the results of this study will contribute to the use of ML in the logistics sector by revealing significant concepts to which businesses should pay attention to prevent these barriers and by suggesting practical solutions to these problems.

This study investigates the scientific development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) applications in Human Resource Management (HRM) through bibliometric analysis. To this end, 522 academic publications indexed in the Scopus database between 2020 and 2024 were analyzed using the R-based bibliometrix package and VOSviewer software. Descriptive analysis, scientific productivity metrics, and content analysis techniques were employed. The findings revealed three main patterns. First, research on AI and ML applications in HRM has grown significantly—particularly between 2022 and 2024—driven by post-pandemic digital transformation. Second, India, China, and the USA lead in research output, while the UK and France demonstrate strong citation impact, indicating a globally expanding research ecosystem. Third, the thematic focus of research is shifting from technical infrastructure toward more human-centered and ethical dimensions. Additionally, keyword co-occurrence network analysis identified three major thematic clusters: HRM functions, AI applications, and machine learning analytics, highlighting the field’s interdisciplinary nature. Compared to the previous studies, this research provides a more comprehensive bibliometric analysis of AI and ML applications in HRM. It is the first extensive study to map the intellectual evolution of the field from a multidisciplinary perspective. Furthermore, it charts research trends and collaboration networks, revealing a shift from technical implementations to strategic integration. In conclusion, this analysis offers new insights to the literature by illustrating the technological evolution in HRM and highlighting the growing significance of cutting-edge approaches such as AI and ML, reaffirming the field as a timely and impactful area of research.

The banking sector has been revolutionised by the rise of machine learning (ML) applications. The banking industry generates a tremendous amount of data, and ML has emerged as a useful tool for analysing this data to increased efficiency, better serve customers, and better manage risks. As such, this chapter's focus is on ML's applications in the banking and financial industries. Large amounts of information related to transactions may be analysed in real-time with the help of ML methods in the finance and banking sectors, allowing for the detection of fraudulent actions, the prevention of monetary losses, and the protection of customers. In general, ML has the potential to revolutionise the banking industry by helping financial institutions better cater to their customers' individual needs, streamline their risk management processes, and deliver superior service.

A lack of sufficient training data, both in terms of variety and quantity, is often the bottleneck in the development of machine learning (ML) applications in any domain. For agricultural applications, ML-based models designed to perform tasks such as autonomous plant classification will typically be coupled to just one or perhaps a few plant species. As a consequence, each crop-specific task is very likely to require its own specialized training data, and the question of how to serve this need for data now often overshadows the more routine exercise of actually training such models. To tackle this problem, we have developed an embedded robotic system to automatically generate and label large datasets of plant images for ML applications in agriculture. The system can image plants from virtually any angle, thereby ensuring a wide variety of data; and with an imaging rate of up to one image per second, it can produce lableled datasets on the scale of thousands to tens of thousands of images per day. As such, this system offers an important alternative to time- and cost-intensive methods of manual generation and labeling. Furthermore, the use of a uniform background made of blue keying fabric enables additional image processing techniques such as background replacement and image segementation. It also helps in the training process, essentially forcing the model to focus on the plant features and eliminating random correlations. To demonstrate the capabilities of our system, we generated a dataset of over 34,000 labeled images, with which we trained an ML-model to distinguish grasses from non-grasses in test data from a variety of sources. We now plan to generate much larger datasets of Canadian crop plants and weeds that will be made publicly available in the hope of further enabling ML applications in the agriculture sector.

Offloading footwear is a critical intervention for preventing and treating diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs), as it reduces plantar pressure (PP) and promotes healing. However, decision-making around its prescription remains fragmented, with variability in feature selection, limited personalization, and diverse evaluation approaches. While guidelines, knowledge-based systems, and machine learning (ML) applications have explored elements of decision-making, no clinical decision support system (CDSS) currently exists to provide feature-level prescriptions. We conducted a narrative review of 45 studies, including 12 guidelines/protocols, 25 knowledge-based systems, and eight ML applications. Studies published from inception to August 2025 were included. Studies were thematically analyzed by type of knowledge, decision logic, evaluation methods, and associated technologies. Guidelines emphasize PP thresholds (≤200 kPa or ≥25–30% reduction) but lack detailed outputs. Knowledge-based systems apply rule-based and sensor-driven logic, integrating PP monitoring, adherence tracking, and usability testing. ML applications introduce predictive classification, optimization, and generative models, achieving high computational accuracy but with limited explainability and clinical validation. Evaluation practices remain fragmented: biomechanical testing dominates protocols, usability and adherence assessments are common in knowledge-based systems, while ML studies emphasize technical accuracy without linking to long-term clinical outcomes. From this synthesis, we propose a five-component framework for CDSS development that discusses: (1) minimum viable dataset, (2) hybrid decision architecture combining rules, optimization, and explainable ML, (3) structured feature-level outputs, (4) continuous validation and evaluation, and (5) integration into clinical and telehealth workflows. The proposed framework presents a pathway to transform fragmented approaches into scalable, patient-centered CDSSs. Prioritizing interoperable datasets, explainable models, and outcome-driven evaluation will be critical for clinical adoption and improved DFU care.