Simulating flood risk in Tampa Bay using a machine learning driven approach

Analyzing the spatiotemporal dynamics of flood risk and its driving factors in a coastal watershed of southeastern China

This study focuses on using various machine learning (ML) models to evaluate the shear behaviors of ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) beams reinforced with glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars. The main objective of the study is to predict the shear strength of UHPC beams reinforced with GFRP bars using ML models. We use four different ML models: support vector machine (SVM), artificial neural network (ANN), random forest (R.F.), and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost). The experimental database used in the study is acquired from various literature sources and comprises 54 test observations with 11 input features. These input features are likely parameters related to the composition, geometry, and properties of the UHPC beams and GFRP bars. To ensure the ML models' generalizability and scalability, random search methods are utilized to tune the hyperparameters of the algorithms. This tuning process helps improve the performance of the models when predicting the shear strength. The study uses the ACI318M-14 and Eurocode 2 standard building codes to predict the shear capacity behavior of GFRP bars-reinforced UHPC I-shaped beams. The ML models' predictions are compared to the results obtained from these building code standards. According to the findings, the XGBoost model demonstrates the highest predictive test performance among the investigated ML models. The study employs the SHAP (SHapley Additive exPlanations) analysis to assess the significance of each input parameter in the ML models' predictive capabilities. A Taylor diagram is used to statistically compare the accuracy of the ML models. This study concludes that ML models, particularly XGBoost, can effectively predict the shear capacity behavior of GFRP bars-reinforced UHPC I-shaped beams.

Chronic pain around the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and masticatory muscles is a primary symptom of temporomandibular disorders (TMD). However, the clinical significance of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features in predicting TMD-related pain remains unclear. This study aimed to develop and interpret machine learning (ML) models based on MRI characteristics for predicting pain severity in patients with TMD. The present retrospective study included 584 patients with TMD between January 2022 and December 2024, yielding a total of 755 TMJ MRI data sets. Pain severity was classified using the visual analogue scale (VAS). Demographic variables (age, sex) and MRI features-including lesion side, disc position, disc morphology, disc signal, disc perforation, bilaminar zone tear, joint space, joint effusion, condylar movement, bony changes and morphology/signal of the lateral pterygoid muscle-were collected. Eleven ML models based on demographic and MRI features were developed: logistic regression (LR), support vector machine (SVM), random forest (RF), extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), light gradient boosting machine (LightGBM), adaptive boosting (AdaBoost), gradient boosting classifier (GBC), bagging classifier (BC), extremely randomised trees (ETC), decision tree classifier (DTC) and multilayer perceptron (MLP). Model performance was evaluated using multiple metrics, including the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), accuracy, sensitivity, specificity and F1 score. Precision-recall (PR) curves and calibration curves were plotted to assess discrimination and model calibration. Decision curve analysis (DCA) was conducted to evaluate the clinical net benefit across a range of threshold probabilities. Model interpretability was enhanced using Shapley Additive Explanations (SHAP), which quantified the contribution of each feature to individual predictions. Feature selection was conducted based on mean SHAP values, and separate LightGBM models were constructed using the Top 3, 5, and 9 most important features, as well as the full-feature set, for performance comparison. The data set was randomly divided into a training set (n = 604) and a test set (n = 151). Among the 11 ML models, the LightGBM model demonstrated the best predictive performance, with an AUC of 0.899, and was therefore identified as the optimal model. SHAP analysis identified age, disc position and condylar movement as the top three contributing features. Feature selection analysis indicated that selecting the top nine SHAP-ranked variables led to the highest diagnostic performance, with an AUC of 0.829. This study developed an interpretable, high-performing MRI-based ML model incorporating SHAP analysis to integrate imaging and clinical features for objective pain assessment, which may help identify high-risk TMD patients and guide personalised treatment strategies.

• ML models for predicting SCM concretes compressive strength developed • Multiple datasets devised from a global dataset were used for training • Multiple ML models used in conjunction with multiple datasets for best results • Accurate prediction results obtained for all SCM concrete types studied • Prediction uncertainty bounds established by conformal prediction analysis Supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) used as partial replacements of cement can reduce carbon emissions and construction costs. The amount and types of SCM used directly influence the compressive strength of concrete, which is a crucial indicator of concrete performance. However, predicting compressive strength is challenging for SCM-based concretes due to their complex compositions, especially when multiple types of SCM are used. This study used five machine learning (ML) models, namely artificial neural network (ANN), random forest (RF), extra trees (ET), extreme gradient boosting (XGB), and adaptive boosting (AdaBoost) to predict the 28-day compressive strength of SCM concretes incorporating fly ash (FA), silica fume (SF), and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS). Firstly, a global dataset comprising 1456 data points was organized into seven individual and six combined datasets for training of the five ML models. After this, the performances of the ML models’ predictions using individual and combined datasets were compared using root mean squared error (RMSE) and coefficient of determination (R 2 ) to identify the optimal ML model-dataset configurations for each type of SCM-based concrete. It is found that in general, XGB models developed using the combined datasets demonstrated superior prediction accuracy, achieving an R² value exceeding 0.8. Both Shapley Additive Explanation (SHAP) and partial dependence plots (PDPs) were employed to illustrate the effects of input variables on compressive strength. Finally, uncertainty quantification using the Jackknife method combined with a normalized nonconformity measure was employed to provide accurate uncertainty bounds for compressive strength predictions.

For effective management of water quantity and quality, it is absolutely essential to estimate the pollution level of the existing surface water. This case study aims to evaluate the performance of twelve machine learning (ML) models, including five boosting-based algorithms (adaptive boosting, gradient boosting, histogram-based gradient boosting, light gradient boosting, and extreme gradient boosting), three decision tree-based algorithms (decision tree, extra trees, and random forest), and four ANN-based algorithms (multilayer perceptron, radial basis function, deep feed-forward neural network, and convolutional neural network), in estimating the surface water quality of the La Buong River in Vietnam. Water quality data at four monitoring stations alongside the La Buong River for the period 2010–2017 were utilized to calculate the water quality index (WQI). Prediction performance of the ML models was evaluated by using two efficiency statistics (i.e., R2 and RMSE). The results indicated that all twelve ML models have good performance in predicting the WQI but that extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) has the best performance with the highest accuracy (R2 = 0.989 and RMSE = 0.107). The findings strengthen the argument that ML models, especially XGBoost, may be employed for WQI prediction with a high level of accuracy, which will further improve water quality management.

A study on road accident prediction and contributing factors using explainable machine learning models: analysis and performance

BACKGROUND Accurately assessing perioperative risk is critical for informed surgical planning and patient safety. However, current prediction models often rely on structured data and overlook the nuanced clinical reasoning embedded in free-text preoperative notes. Recent advances in large language models (LLMs) have opened opportunities for harnessing unstructured clinical data, yet their application in perioperative prediction remains limited by concerns about factual accuracy. Retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) offers a promising solution—enhancing LLM performance by grounding outputs in domain-specific knowledge sources, potentially improving both predictive accuracy and clinical interpretability. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to investigate whether integrating LLMs with RAG can improve the prediction of 30-day postoperative mortality and American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status classification using unstructured preoperative clinical notes. METHODS We conducted a retrospective cohort study using 24,491 medical records from a tertiary medical center, including preoperative anesthesia assessments, discharge summaries, and surgical information. To extract clinical insights from free-text data, we used the LLaMA 3.1-8B language model with RAG, using MedEmbed for text embedding and Miller’s Anesthesia as the primary retrieval source. We evaluated model performance under various configurations, including embedding models, chunk sizes, and few-shot prompting. Machine learning (ML) models, including random forest, support vector machines (SVM), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), and logistic regression, were trained on structured features as baselines. RESULTS A total of 520 (2.1%) patients experienced in-hospital 30-day postoperative mortality. The ASA physical status distribution was as follows: class I: 535 (2.2%); class II: 15,272 (62.4%); class III: 8024 (32.8%); class IV: 606 (2.5%); and class V: 54 (0.22%). For 30-day postoperative mortality prediction, the LLaMA‑RAG model achieved an <i>F</i><sub>1</sub>-score of 0.4663 (95% CI 0.4654-0.4672), versus 0.2369 (95% CI 0.2341-0.2397) without few‑shot prompting, 0.0879 (95% CI 0.0717-0.1041) without RAG, and 0.0436 (95% CI 0.0292-0.0580) without either few‑shot prompting or RAG. Among ML models, XGBoost scored 0.4459 (95% CI 0.4176-0.4742); random forest, 0.3953 (95% CI 0.3791-0.4115); logistic regression, 0.2720 (95% CI 0.2647-0.2793); and SVM, 0.2474 (95% CI 0.2275-0.2673). For ASA classification, LLaMA‑RAG achieved a micro <i>F</i><sub>1</sub>-score of 0.8409 (95% CI 0.8238-0.8551) versus 0.6546 (95% CI 0.6430-0.6796) without few-shot prompting, 0.6340 (95% CI 0.6157-0.6535) without RAG, and 0.4238 (95% CI 0.3952-0.4490) without either few‑shot prompting or RAG. In comparison, XGBoost achieved 0.8273 (95% CI 0.8209-0.8498); logistic regression, 0.7940 (95% CI 0.7671-0.7950); random forest, 0.7847 (95% CI 0.7637-0.7868); and SVM, 0.7697 (95% CI 0.7637-0.7697). Notably, the model demonstrated exceptional sensitivity in identifying rare but high-risk cases, such as ASA Class 5 patients and postoperative deaths. CONCLUSIONS The LLaMA-RAG model significantly improved the prediction of postoperative mortality and ASA classification, especially for rare high-risk cases. By grounding outputs in domain knowledge, retrieval-augmented generation enhanced both accuracy and prompt‑driven interpretability over ML and ablation models—highlighting its promise for real-world clinical decision support. CLINICALTRIAL

Summary A meticulous interpretation of steady-state or unsteady-state relative permeability (Kr) experimental data is required to determine a complete set of Kr curves. In this work, different machine learning (ML) models were developed to assist in a faster estimation of these curves from steady-state drainage coreflooding experimental runs. These ML algorithms include gradient boosting (GB), random forest (RF), extreme gradient boosting (XGB), and deep neural network (DNN) with a main focus on and comparison of the two latter algorithms (XGB and DNN). Based on existing mathematical models, a leading-edge framework was developed where a large database of Kr and capillary pressure (Pc) curves were generated. This database was used to perform thousands of coreflood simulation runs representing oil-water drainage steady-state experiments. The results obtained from these simulation runs, mainly pressure drop along with other conventional core analysis data, were used to estimate analytical Kr curves based on Darcy’s law. These analytically estimated Kr curves along with the previously generated Pc curves were fed as features into the ML model. The entire data set was split into 80% for training and 20% for testing. The k-fold cross-validation technique was applied to increase the model’s accuracy by splitting 80% of the training data into 10 folds. In this manner, for each of the 10 experiments, nine folds were used for training and the remaining fold was used for model validation. Once the model was trained and validated, it was subjected to blind testing on the remaining 20% of the data set. The ML model learns to capture fluid flow behavior inside the core from the training data set. In terms of applicability of these ML models, two sets of experimental data were needed as input; the first was the analytically estimated Kr curves from the steady-state drainage coreflooding experiments, while the other was the Pc curves estimated from centrifuge or mercury injection capillary pressure (MICP) measurements. The trained/tested model was then able to estimate Kr curves based on the experimental results fed as input. Furthermore, to test the performance of the ML model when only one set of experimental data is available to an end user, a recurrent neural network (RNN) algorithm was trained/tested to predict Kr curves in the absence of Pc curves as an input. The performance of the three developed models (XGB, DNN, and RNN) was assessed using the values of the coefficient of determination (R2) along with the loss calculated during training/validation of the model. The respective crossplots along with comparisons of ground truth vs. artificial intelligence (AI)-predicted curves indicated that the model is capable of making accurate predictions with an error percentage between 0.2% and 0.6% on history-matching experimental data for all three tested ML techniques. This implies that the AI-based model exhibits better efficiency and reliability in determining Kr curves when compared to conventional methods. The developed ML models by no means replace the need to conduct drainage coreflooding or centrifuge experiments but act as an alternative to existing commercial platforms that are used to interpret experimental data to predict Kr curves. The two main advantages of the developed ML models are their capability of predicting Kr curves within a matter of a few minutes as well as with limited intervention from the end user. The results also include a comparison between classical ML approaches, shallow neural networks, and DNNs in terms of accuracy in predicting the final Kr curves. The research presented here is an extension of the state-of-the-art framework proposed by Mathew et al. (2021). However, the two main aspects of the current study are the application of deep learning for the prediction of Kr curves and the application of feature engineering. The latter not only reduces the training/testing time for the ML models but also enables the end user to obtain the final predictions with the least set of experimental data. The various models discussed in this research work currently focus on the prediction of Kr curves for drainage steady-state experiments; however, the work can be extended to capture the imbibition cycle as well.

BackgroundSarcopenia is a common muscle disorder in older adults, and its early identification and management in middle-aged populations are essential for ensuring a healthier later life. Detecting sarcopenia at an earlier stage may reduce the future burden on health care systems and enhance the quality of life in older adults. Machine learning (ML) models can evaluate large datasets, identify essential variables, and find complicated correlations between input variables. However, using ML models to detect sarcopenia remains an unsatisfied need.ObjectiveThis study aimed to develop and externally validate an ML model to predict sarcopenia risk among middle-aged adults using a nationally representative dataset.MethodsWe analyzed data from 1926 participants aged 40 to 64 years and enrolled in the 2022 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). Sarcopenia was diagnosed and defined based on the 2019 Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia criteria, which incorporate both low muscle mass and reduced muscle strength. Muscle mass was assessed using bioelectrical impedance analysis with cutoffs of <7.0 kg/m² for men and <5.7 kg/m² for women. Muscle strength was measured via handgrip strength using a digital dynamometer with thresholds of <28 kg for men and <18 kg for women. Participants meeting both criteria were classified as those with sarcopenia. Four ML algorithms, random forest, support vector machine, extreme gradient boosting, and logistic regression, were used to identify risk factors of sarcopenia and predict its likelihood. The top-performing model was subsequently validated in an external cohort of 2247 middle-aged adults from the 2023 KNHANES. Model performance was assessed using the F2-score, area under the curve of a receiver operating characteristic curve, and sensitivity. All analyses were conducted using Python 3.13.2 (Python Software Foundation).ResultsAmong the 4 models, the logistic regression model demonstrated the strongest performance, yielding an area under the curve of 0.85, a sensitivity of 0.92, and an F2-score of 0.66. External validation using the 2023 KNHANES dataset confirmed the model’s robust performance, indicating its potential for widespread applications.ConclusionsThis study developed and externally validated an ML model that accurately identified sarcopenia in middle-aged adults. Leveraging data from a comprehensive national survey, our findings underscore the significance of early detection and customized interventions in midlife to mitigate sarcopenia risk and optimize long-term health outcomes.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a heterogeneous immune-mediated disorder of the central nervous system, and primary progressive MS (PPMS) is characterized by insidious injury independent of clinical relapses from disease onset. Predicting disease progression remains an unmet need across the MS disease spectrum. We evaluated statistical and machine learning (ML) models for predicting progression in 596 patients with PPMS from ORATORIO, a randomized, placebo (PBO)-controlled, phase 3 clinical study of ocrelizumab (OCR). Using baseline clinical, magnetic resonance imaging, and biomarker (neurofilament light chain [NfL]) data, we trained 6 ML models to predict a progression event (logistic regression, support vector machines, random forest, neural network, gradient boosting, and extreme gradient boosting) and the time to progression (Cox proportional hazards [PH]) on upper limb function, as measured by 20% confirmed worsening on the 9-hole peg test (9HPT). Predictive performance was similar across the six ML models (area under the curve = 0.63 to 0.67) and was modest using the Cox PH model (C-index = 0.76, an improvement over previous studies). In the Cox PH model, treatment arm, baseline 9HPT, neurologic functional system scores, and serum NfL levels were identified as factors associated with progression; model performance was similar across the OCR, PBO, and combined OCR + PBO treatment arms. Accounting for potential interactions with treatment arm resulted in similar predictive performance. To our knowledge, this is the first study to systematically evaluate ML models and statistical methods for predicting progression in PPMS using a well-characterized clinical trial cohort.

Undernutrition among children under the age of five is a major public health concern, especially in developing countries. This study aimed to use machine learning (ML) algorithms to predict undernutrition and identify its associated factors. Secondary data analysis of the 2017 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) was performed using R and Python. The main outcomes of interest were undernutrition (stunting: height-for-age (HAZ) < -2 SD; wasting: weight-for-height (WHZ) < -2 SD; and underweight: weight-for-age (WAZ) < -2 SD). Seven ML algorithms were trained and tested: linear discriminant analysis (LDA), logistic model, support vector machine (SVM), random forest (RF), least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), ridge regression, and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost). The ML models were evaluated using the accuracy, confusion matrix, and area under the curve (AUC) receiver operating characteristics (ROC). In total, 8564 children were included in the final analysis. The average age of the children was 926 days, and the majority were females. The weighted prevalence rates of stunting, wasting, and underweight were 17%, 7%, and 12%, respectively. The accuracies of all the ML models for wasting were (LDA: 84%; Logistic: 95%; SVM: 92%; RF: 94%; LASSO: 96%; Ridge: 84%, XGBoost: 98%), stunting (LDA: 86%; Logistic: 86%; SVM: 98%; RF: 88%; LASSO: 86%; Ridge: 86%, XGBoost: 98%), and for underweight were (LDA: 90%; Logistic: 92%; SVM: 98%; RF: 89%; LASSO: 92%; Ridge: 88%, XGBoost: 98%). The AUC values of the wasting models were (LDA: 99%; Logistic: 100%; SVM: 72%; RF: 94%; LASSO: 99%; Ridge: 59%, XGBoost: 100%), for stunting were (LDA: 89%; Logistic: 90%; SVM: 100%; RF: 92%; LASSO: 90%; Ridge: 89%, XGBoost: 100%), and for underweight were (LDA: 95%; Logistic: 96%; SVM: 100%; RF: 94%; LASSO: 96%; Ridge: 82%, XGBoost: 82%). Age, weight, length/height, sex, region of residence and ethnicity were important predictors of wasting, stunting and underweight. The XGBoost model was the best model for predicting wasting, stunting, and underweight. The findings showed that different ML algorithms could be useful for predicting undernutrition and identifying important predictors for targeted interventions among children under five years in Ghana.

Shale caprocks, often organic-rich, play a significant role in hydrogen sequestration, but their wettability is typically altered from water-wet to H2-wet due to the organic matter, compromising their sealing performance. Silica nanofluids can restore water-wet conditions, which is vital for effective containment of H2 in geological formations. However, laboratory experiments to test the effects of nanomaterials on wettability and interfacial tension (IFT) are resource-intensive and time-consuming. To address this challenge, data-driven machine learning (ML) models offer a promising alternative, allowing for the prediction of key UHS parameters—such as advancing and receding contact angles without the need for extensive laboratory testing. We have applied multiple ML models, including gradient boosting, extreme gradient boosting (XGboost), Catboost, random forest, and extra trees to predict the wettability of organic rich shale samples treated with silica nanofluids. The ML models were trained on a comprehensive dataset generated through laboratory experiments conducted under a wide range of pressure (0.5 – 1600psi) and temperature (298-323 K) conditions, using brine (1 wt.% KCl + 2 wt.% NaCl) and varying silica nanofluid concentrations (0.05–1.0 wt.%). Advanced visualization techniques, including swarm maps, box plots, and heatmap plots, were utilized to analyze the experimental dataset thoroughly. To enhance the generalization capabilities of the ML models, we employed Bayesian optimization for hyperparameter tuning, along with k-fold cross-validation and grid-search optimization techniques. Both statistical and graphical analyses were performed to show the reliability and performance of the models. The results demonstrated that the implemented ML models, particularly the XGboost and Catboost, accurately predicted the wettability behavior under various operating conditions. The training and testing average R² scores were above 0.998 and 0.949, respectively, confirming the high accuracy of the predictions. These findings highlight the reliability of the ML algorithms in predicting the complex interaction between shale, brine, and H2. Further investigation into the feature importance revealed that nanomaterials had the greatest influence on the wettability of the ternary system. The silica nanofluid concentrations played a key role in modifying wettability, with varying impacts on the receding contact angles, emphasizing the effect of nanomaterial treatment. The model's predictions were consistent with experimental results, suggesting that geological conditions, including pressure and temperature, have a profound influence on rock mineral wettability, directly impacting H2 geo-storage capacity. This study is the first to employ data-driven ML models to predict critical UHS parameters in organic-rich shales treated with silica nanofluids. The ability of the ML models to predict UHS parameters across a wide range of conditions provides a valuable tool for optimizing UHS system designs, offering a more efficient and scalable approach compared to traditional experimental methods.

Road crash prediction has proven to be an effective means of improving highway safety. In recent years, machine learning (ML) models have been embraced as efficient for the prediction of road accident frequency. This study applied two machine learning models for the prediction of road accident occurrence on selected South-West highway in Nigeria. Accident data were obtained for the period of 10 years from 2013 to 2022 from the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) of Nigeria on the road under study and the traffic operations were determined on site using manual counting and stopwatch approach. Machine Learning (ML) models including Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) were also used as the statistical model for safety prediction of the highway with consideration to identified contributing factors. The performance of the models was compared for both training and testing dataset using coefficient of determination (R2), Mean Absolute Error (MAE) and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE). The study showed consistency and effective performance in both ML models with R2 of 0.99 in SVM, 0.97 and XGBoost for training data, also 0.93 in SVM and 0.76 in XGBoost testing data. ML models are also easy and fast to implement. The result of this study supports the use of ML as a predictive tool for road safety evaluation. The knowledge attained from this study will benefit transportation planners, engineers, and policymakers to implement effective measures aimed at reducing the crash occurrence, thereby enhancing overall transportation safety and efficiency.

Background and aimsThe birth weight of a newborn is a crucial factor that affects their overall health and future well-being. Low birth weight (LBW) is a widespread global issue, which the World Health Organization defines as weighing less than 2,500 g. LBW can have severe negative consequences on an individual’s health, including neonatal mortality and various health concerns throughout their life. To address this problem, this study has been conducted using BDHS 2017–2018 data to uncover important aspects of LBW using a variety of machine learning (ML) approaches and to determine the best feature selection technique and best predictive ML model.MethodsTo pick out the key features, the Boruta algorithm and wrapper method were used. Logistic Regression (LR) used as traditional method and several machine learning classifiers were then used, including, DT (Decision Tree), SVM (Support Vector Machine), NB (Naïve Bayes), RF (Random Forest), XGBoost (eXtreme Gradient Boosting), and AdaBoost (Adaptive Boosting), to determine the best model for predicting LBW. The model’s performance was evaluated based on the specificity, sensitivity, accuracy, F1 score and AUC value.ResultsResult shows, Boruta algorithm identifies eleven significant features including respondent’s age, highest education level, educational attainment, wealth index, age at first birth, weight, height, BMI, age at first sexual intercourse, birth order number, and whether the child is a twin. Incorporating Boruta algorithm’s significant features, the performance of traditional LR and ML methods including DT, SVM, NB, RF, XGBoost, and AB were evaluated where LR, had a specificity, sensitivity, accuracy and F1 score of 0.85, 0.5, 85.15% and 0.915. While the ML methods DT, SVM, NB, RF, XGBoost, and AB model’s respective accuracy values were 85.35%, 85.15%, 84.54%, 81.18%, and 84.41%. Based on the specificity, sensitivity, accuracy, F1 score and AUC, RF (specificity = 0.99, sensitivity = 0.58, accuracy = 85.86%, F1 score = 0.9243, AUC = 0.549) outperformed the other methods. Both the classical (LR) and machine learning (ML) models’ performance has improved dramatically when important characteristics are extracted using the wrapper method. The LR method identified five significant features with a specificity, sensitivity, accuracy and F1 score of 0.87, 0.33, 87.12% and 0.9309. The region, whether the infant is a twin, and cesarean delivery were the three key features discovered by the DT and RF models, which were implemented using the wrapper technique. All three models had the identical F1 score of 0.9318. However, “child is twin” was recognized as a significant feature by the SVM, NB, and AB models, with an F1 score of 0.9315. Ultimately, with an F1 score of 0.9315, the XGBoost model recognized “child is twin” and “age at first sex” as relevant features. Random Forest again beat the other approaches in this instance.ConclusionsThe study reveals Wrapper method as the optimal feature selection technique. The ML method outperforms traditional methods, with Random Forest (RF) being the most effective predictive model for Low-Birth-Weight prediction. The study suggests that policymakers in Bangladesh can mitigate low birth weight newborns by considering identified risk factors.

Understanding the spatial distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) content over different climatic regions will enhance our knowledge of carbon gains and losses due to climatic change. However, little is known about the SOC content in the contrasting arid and sub-humid regions of Iran, whose complex SOC–landscape relationships pose a challenge to spatial analysis. Machine learning (ML) models with a digital soil mapping framework can solve such complex relationships. Current research focusses on ensemble ML models to increase the accuracy of prediction. The usual ensemble method is boosting or weighted averaging. This study proposes a novel ensemble technique: the stacking of multiple ML models through a meta-learning model. In addition, we tested the ensemble through rescanning the covariate space to maximize the prediction accuracy. We first applied six state-of-the-art ML models (i.e., Cubist, random forests (RF), extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), classical artificial neural network models (ANN), neural network ensemble based on model averaging (AvNNet), and deep learning neural networks (DNN)) to predict and map the spatial distribution of SOC content at six soil depth intervals for both regions. In addition, the stacking of multiple ML models through a meta-learning model with/without rescanning the covariate space were tested and applied to maximize the prediction accuracy. Out of six ML models, the DNN resulted in the best modeling accuracies, followed by RF, XGBoost, AvNNet, ANN, and Cubist. Importantly, the stacking of models indicated a significant improvement in the prediction of SOC content, especially when combined with rescanning the covariate space. For instance, the RMSE values for SOC content prediction of the upper 0–5 cm of the soil profiles of the arid site and the sub-humid site by the proposed stacking approaches were 17% and 9% respectively, less than that obtained by the DNN models—the best individual model. This indicates that rescanning the original covariate space by a meta-learning model can extract more information and improve the SOC content prediction accuracy. Overall, our results suggest that the stacking of diverse sets of models could be used to more accurately estimate the spatial distribution of SOC content in different climatic regions.