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Abstract The article introduces an innovative approach to global optimization and feature selection (FS) using the RIME algorithm, inspired by RIME-ice formation. The RIME algorithm employs a soft-RIME search strategy and a hard-RIME puncture mechanism, along with an improved positive greedy selection mechanism, to resist getting trapped in local optima and enhance its overall search capabilities. The article also introduces Binary modified RIME (mRIME), a binary adaptation of the RIME algorithm to address the unique challenges posed by FS problems, which typically involve binary search spaces. Four different types of transfer functions (TFs) were selected for FS issues, and their efficacy was investigated for global optimization using CEC2011 and CEC2017 and FS tasks related to disease diagnosis. The results of the proposed mRIME were tested on ten reliable optimization algorithms. The advanced RIME architecture demonstrated superior performance in global optimization and FS tasks, providing an effective solution to complex optimization problems in various domains.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a prevalent sleep disorder that affects approximately 3–7% of males and 2–5% of females. In the United States alone, 50–70 million adults suffer from various sleep disorders. OSA is characterized by recurrent episodes of breathing cessation during sleep, thereby leading to adverse effects such as daytime sleepiness, cognitive impairment, and reduced concentration. It also contributes to an increased risk of cardiovascular conditions and adversely impacts patient overall quality of life. As a result, numerous researchers have focused on developing automated detection models to identify OSA and address these limitations effectively and accurately. This study explored the potential benefits of utilizing machine learning methods based on demographic information for diagnosing the OSA syndrome. We gathered a comprehensive dataset from the Torr Sleep Center in Corpus Christi, Texas, USA. The dataset comprises 31 features, including demographic characteristics such as race, age, sex, BMI, Epworth score, M. Friedman tongue position, snoring, and more. We devised a novel process encompassing pre-processing, data grouping, feature selection, and machine learning classification methods to achieve the research objectives. The classification methods employed in this study encompass decision tree (DT), naive Bayes (NB), k-nearest neighbor (kNN), support vector machine (SVM), linear discriminant analysis (LDA), logistic regression (LR), and subspace discriminant (Ensemble) classifiers. Through rigorous experimentation, the results indicated the superior performance of the optimized kNN and SVM classifiers for accurately classifying sleep apnea. Moreover, significant enhancements in model accuracy were observed when utilizing the selected demographic variables and employing data grouping techniques. For instance, the accuracy percentage demonstrated an approximate improvement of 4.5%, 5%, and 10% with the feature selection approach when applied to the grouped data of Caucasians, females, and individuals aged 50 or below, respectively. Furthermore, a comparison with prior studies confirmed that effective data grouping and proper feature selection yielded superior performance in OSA detection when combined with an appropriate classification method. Overall, the findings of this research highlight the importance of leveraging demographic information, employing proper feature selection techniques, and utilizing optimized classification models for accurate and efficient OSA diagnosis.