Exploring artificial intelligence applications in construction using a black grey white box approach for predicting project schedule performance in India

In this study, we developed a prediction model for heavy metal concentrations using PM2.5 concentrations and meteorological variables. Data was collected from five sites, encompassing meteorological factors, PM2.5, and 18 metals over 2 years. The study employed four analytical methods: multiple linear regression (MLR), random forest regression (RFR), gradient boosting, and artificial neural networks (ANN). RFR was the best predictor for most metals, and gradient boosting and ANN were optimal for certain metals like Al, Cu, As, Mo, Zn, and Cd. Upon evaluating the final model’s predicted values against the actual measurements, differences in the concentration distribution between measurement locations were observed for Mn, Fe, Cu, Ba, and Pb, indicating varying prediction performances among sites. Additionally, Al, As, Cd, and Ba showed significant differences in prediction performance across seasons. The developed model is expected to overcome the technical limitations involved in measuring and analyzing heavy metal concentrations. It could further be utilized to obtain fundamental data for studying the health effects of exposure to hazardous substances such as heavy metals.

This paper presents a novel application of machine learning models to clarify the intricate behaviors of expansive soils, focusing on the impact of sand content, saturation level, and dry density. Departing from conventional methods, this research utilizes a data-centric approach, employing a suite of sophisticated machine learning models to predict soil properties with remarkable precision. The inclusion of a 30% sand mixture is identified as a critical threshold for optimizing soil strength and stiffness, a finding that underscores the transformative potential of sand amendment in soil engineering. In a significant advancement, the study benchmarks the predictive power of several models including extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), gradient boosting regression (GBR), random forest regression (RFR), decision tree regression (DTR), support vector regression (SVR), symbolic regression (SR), and artificial neural networks (ANNs and proposed ANN-GMDH). Symbolic regression equations have been developed to predict the elasticity modulus and unconfined compressive strength of the investigated expansive soil. Despite the complex behaviors of expansive soil, the trained models allow for optimally predicting the values of unconfined compressive parameters. As a result, this paper provides for the first time a reliable and simply applicable approach for estimating the unconfined compressive parameters of expansive soils. The proposed ANN-GMDH model emerges as the pre-eminent model, demonstrating exceptional accuracy with the best metrics. These results not only highlight the ANN’s superior performance but also mark this study as a groundbreaking endeavor in the application of machine learning to soil behavior prediction, setting a new benchmark in the field.

TFETs (Tunnel Field-Effects Transistors) are assumed to be ultra-low-power devices because they have steep subthreshold swing and a more favourable scaling characteristic. Their electrical characteristics, however, cannot be adequately simulated using extensive Technology Computer-Aided Design (TCAD) simulations, which are computationally intensive and time-consuming to analyze. In an attempt to overcome this bottleneck, a proposal for a machine learning (ML)-based surrogate modeling framework is provided where the prediction of the critical TFET properties of transfer curves, Ion, Ioff, threshold voltage (<tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$V_{\text{th}}$</tex>), and subthreshold swing (SS) is endeavored with the help of the Random Forest Regression (RFR) model. The data collected based on TCAD simulations and literature reports was processed, trained, and tested on various ML models such as the Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), Support Vector Regression (SVR) and RFR. The calculated R2 of the proposed RFR model was better than ANN and SVR, with a much smaller MSE (<tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$\mathbf{3. 2 1} \times \mathbf{1 0}^{-\mathbf{7}}$</tex>) and an RMSE (<tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$\mathbf{1. 7 9} \times \mathbf{1 0}^{-\mathbf{4}}$</tex>), showing that the model is robust and exhibits better generalization within the conditions of the devices used. Also, the ranking of intrinsic feature importance offered by RFR has a better interpretation rate and complies well with the previous findings on TCAD. These findings place RFR as a sound and efficient substitute for TFET modelling, with lower computational expense and intact physical stability, and thus add another facet and a practical approach to future device design optimization, assisted by a novel and powerful ML

PurposeThis study aims to emphasize utilization of Predictive Six Sigma to achieve process improvements based on machine learning (ML) techniques embedded in define, measure, analyze, improve, control (DMAIC). With this aim, this study presents selection and utilization of ML techniques, including multiple linear regression (MLR), artificial neural network (ANN), random forests (RF), gradient boosting machines (GBM) and k-nearest neighbors (k-NN) in the analyze and improve phases of Six Sigma DMAIC.Design/methodology/approachA data set containing 320 observations with nine input and one output variables is used. To achieve the objective which was to decrease the number of fabric defects, five ML techniques were compared in terms of prediction performance and best tools were selected. Next, most important causes of defects were determined via these tools. Finally, parameter optimization was conducted for minimum number of defects.FindingsAmong five ML tools, ANN, GBM and RF are found to be the best predictors. Out of nine potential causes, “machine speed” and “fabric width” are determined as the most important variables by using these tools. Then, optimum values for “machine speed” and “fabric width” for fabric defect minimization are determined both via regression response optimizer and ANN surface optimization. Ultimately, average defect number was decreased from 13/roll to 3/roll, which is a considerable decrease attained through utilization of ML techniques in Six Sigma.Originality/valueAddressing an important gap in Six Sigma literature, in this study, certain ML techniques (i.e. MLR, ANN, RF, GBM and k-NN) are compared and the ones possessing best performances are used in the analyze and improve phases of Six Sigma DMAIC.

Using machine learning models to predict the effects of seasonal fluxes on Plesiomonas shigelloides population density

A machine-learning-based model for predicting the effective stiffness of precast concrete columns

This study compares various machine learning models to determine the method with the highest accuracy rate to predict the equilibrium scour depth of bridge abutments. Unlike in previous studies, hyperparameter optimization is focused on increasing model performance in small datasets, and feature importance ranking is analyzed. This study employs Multiple Linear Regression (MLR), Support Vector Regression (SVR), Decision Tree Regressor (DTR), Random Forest Regressor (RFR), XGBoost, and Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) to predict the Dse. The dataset consists of 150 records with the following key hydraulic parameters: the flow depth (Y), abutment length (L), channel width (B), flow velocity (V), and median grain size (d50). The results show that DTR achieved the highest accuracy (R2 = 0.992, accuracy = 99.28%), followed by XGBoost (R2 = 0.990, accuracy = 99.21%) and ANNs (R2 = 0.981, accuracy = 98.77%). Traditional MLR exhibited lower accuracy (R2 = 0.806, accuracy = 81.14%), confirming the superiority of AI-based models. These findings highlight the effectiveness of machine learning in scour prediction, providing a reliable alternative to conventional methods. This study underscores the potential of AI in hydraulic engineering, facilitating efficient bridge design and maintenance strategies. Future research should explore real-time data integration and hybrid AI models for improved interpretability and robustness.

This study applies machine learning (ML) techniques to model and predict Assam’s agricultural Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP). Three predictive models—multiple linear regression, random forest regression, and gradient boosting—are evaluated. The random forest model achieved the best fit, exhibiting the highest R² and the lowest mean squared error (MSE) and Akaike information criterion (AIC), along with statistically significant coefficients. Ensemble methods (random forest and gradient boosting) markedly improve forecast accuracy of agricultural growth trends compared to traditional regression, yielding more reliable predictions of productivity and GSDP contributions. The findings underscore the vital role of agricultural productivity in driving economic growth, strengthening GSDP, and supporting food security and employment. Integrating advanced ML techniques with statistical analysis provides insights for policymakers to make data-driven decisions that foster sustainable agricultural development and economic prosperity in Assam. Objectives: Predict Assam’s agricultural sector performance using selected machine learning models. Evaluate and compare the effectiveness of these models in assessing the state’s agricultural economy. Methods: Data preprocessing involved handling outliers (using interquartile range and mean-max scaling) and feature selection via correlation heatmaps. Predictive models (multiple linear regression, random forest regression, and gradient boosting) were implemented in Python. Results: The gradient boosting model emerged as the most effective, achieving the highest accuracy and generalization (testing R² = 0.9867). Farm area, labour, maize yield, and autumn rice yield were the most significant positive contributors to GSDP. The random forest model performed similarly well (R² = 0.9867), while the multiple linear regression model was least accurate (R² = 0.9521), likely due to its inability to capture nonlinear relationships. Conclusions: Machine learning models offer transformative potential for Assam’s agricultural sector. Leveraging data-driven insights from these models can empower policymakers to design targeted interventions, promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth in the region.

It is key index of air-jet texturing yarn quality such as air-jet texturing yarn strength and so on. It can well control air-jet texturing yarn quality by predicting yarn strength and so on. Generally, it is normal used to predict yarn strength such as Multiple Linear Regression (MLR), Support Vector Regression (SVR) and shallow Artificial Neural Network (ANN). Because the processing of air-jet texturing yarn production has time sequence, the paper proposes a new deep neural network, it is Long Short-Term Memory neural network (LSTM). It used 1800 sets of data to train LSTM, SVR and ANN. It tested LSTM, MLR, SVR and ANN with 200 sets of data. Experimental results show that LSTM neural network is the best accuracy among these four algorithms.

In this work, four mainstream machine learning (ML) techniques are used to evaluate the bulk porosity and static elastic modulus of weathered Yungang Grottoes sandstone. Datasets are gathered from the experiments, which includes 432 groups effective experimental data including 8 inputs features. bulk porosity and static elastic modulus were considered as outputs to determine the weathering degrees of Yungang Grottoes sandstone. The 4 performance criteria were used to evaluate the ML models. Results demonstrate that the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) is the best-fitted models for estimating the bulk porosity and static elastic modulus compared to Multiple Linear Regression (MLR), Support Vector Regression (SVR), Gaussian Process Regression (GPR). The accuracy of the trained model for static elastic modulus is slightly higher than that of bulk porosity. The GPR and ANN model can accurately predict the bulk porosity and static elastic modulus in training stages. The ANN with multi-hidden layers developed is competent with high degree of precision and generalization ability for bulk porosity and static elastic modulus compared to other selected regression-based ML models (MLR, SVR, and GPR). The coefficient of determinations of ANN in the range of (0.9537–0.9641) during the testing stages is more stable and higher than that of (0.8883–0.9453) other built ML models. The prediction efficiency of pretrained ANN model was well adjusted for the actual and forecast datasets at the training and testing stages, and the error range was no more than 0.7% and 0.15 GPa at both stages of prediction for bulk porosity and static elastic modulus respectively. And the ANN based static elastic modulus prediction model’s error proportions significantly decreased and were confined to a modest range between + 10% and − 10%. The proposed surrogate models are valid for the bulk porosity ranging from 7 to 14% and the static elastic modulus ranging from 0.7 to 1.4 Gpa, which can be utilized for the accurate and fast prediction of the weathering degrees of Yungang Grottoes sandstone.

In order to test the applicability of support vector regression (SVR) in near-infrared (NIR) spectral analysis of tobacco,NIR calibration model for starch in tobacco were developed by processing NIR spectra and chemically determined starch content data of 187 tobacco samples with SVR,partial least square regression (PLS),multiplicative linear regression (MLR) and error back propagation artificial neural network (BP-ANN). The obtained model was tested through internal validation and external validation with leave-one-out cross validation (LOOCV) and independent sample set. The results showed that the accuracy of SVR model was slightly higher than that of BP-ANN,PLS and MLR models,it implied that SVR algorithm could be applied to NIR analysis of starch in tobacco.

A knowledge sharing framework for black, grey and white box supplier configurations in new product development

This work evaluates machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) models for Photovoltaic (PV) power output prediction based on two real-world datasets. Eight models – Support Vector Regression (SVR), K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), Linear Regression (LR), Random Forest Regression (RFR), Gradient Boosting Regression (GBR), Decision Tree (DT), one Dimensional Convolutional Neural Network (1DCNN) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) – were evaluated using Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE), R-squared (R²), Mean Absolute Error (MAE), and Mean Squared Error (MSE). For Dataset1 (region of Cacak) 1DCNN achieved the optimal performance, with the reduced errors and the largest R² values at three spatial locations, and it was closely followed by RFR and GBR. Likewise, in Dataset2 (region of Kraljevo), 1DCNN, ANN, and RFR give the best results. Conventional models, such as LR and DT, performed poorly in both data tribes. The results highlight the ability of state-of-the-art ensemble and DL models in learning nonlinear patterns in solar energy data and thus, the importance of choosing the right prediction tools to provide accurate and reliable PV power forecasts. &nbsp;

Artificial neural networks for infectious diarrhea prediction using meteorological factors in Shanghai (China)

The purpose of this study was to present a new strategy based on fusion at the decision level for modeling the crop residue. To this end, a set of satellite imagery and field data, including the Residue Cover Fraction (RCF) of corn, wheat and soybean was used. Firstly, the efficiency of Random Forest Regression (RFR), Support Vector Regression (SVR), Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) and Partial-Least-Squares Regression (PLSR) in RCF modeling was evaluated. Furthermore, to increase the accuracy of RCF modeling, different algorithms results were combined based on their modeling error, which is called the decision-based fusion strategy. The R2 (RMSE) between the actual and modeled RCF based on ANN, RFR, SVR and PLSR algorithms for corn were 0.83 (3.89), 0.86 (3.25), 0.76 (4.56) and 0.75 (4.81%), respectively. These values were 0.81 (4.86), 0.85 (4.22), 0.78 (5.45) and 0.74 (6.20%) for wheat and 0.81 (3.96), 0.83 (3.38), 0.76 (5.01) and 0.72 (5.65%) for soybean, respectively. The error of corn, wheat and soybean RCF estimating decision-based fusion strategy was reduced by 0.90, 0.96 and 0.99%, respectively. The results showed that by implementing the decision-based fusion strategy, the accuracy of the RCF modeling was significantly improved.