Dopamine dysregulation in Parkinson's disease flattens the pleasurable urge to move to musical rhythms.

The pleasurable urge to move to music (PLUMM) activates motor and reward areas of the brain and is thought to be driven by predictive processes. Dopamine in motor and limbic networks is implicated in beat-based timing and music-induced pleasure, suggesting a central role of basal ganglia (BG) dopaminergic systems in PLUMM. This study tested this hypothesis by comparing PLUMM in participants with Parkinson's disease (PD), age-matched controls, and young controls. Participants listened to musical sequences with varying rhythmic and harmonic complexity (low, medium and high), and rated their experienced pleasure and urge to move to the rhythm. In line with previous results, healthy younger participants showed an inverted U-shaped relationship between rhythmic complexity and ratings, with preference for medium complexity rhythms, while age-matched controls showed a similar, but weaker, inverted U-shaped response. Conversely, PD showed a significantly flattened response for both the urge to move and pleasure. Crucially, this flattened response could not be attributed to differences in rhythm discrimination and did not reflect an overall decrease in ratings. For harmonic complexity, PD showed a negative linear pattern for both the urge to move and pleasure while healthy age-matched controls showed the same pattern for pleasure and an inverted U for the urge to move. This contrasts with the pattern observed in young healthy controls in previous studies, suggesting that both healthy aging and PD also influence affective responses to harmonic complexity. Together, these results support the role of dopamine within cortico-striatal circuits in the predictive processes that form the link between the perceptual processing of rhythmic patterns and the affective and motor responses to rhythmic music.

Multidimensional regularity processing in music: an examination using redundant signals effect.

Music is based on various regularities, ranging from the repetition of physical sounds to theoretically organized harmony and counterpoint. How are multidimensional regularities processed when we listen to music? The present study focuses on the redundant signals effect (RSE) as a novel approach to untangling the relationship between these regularities in music. The RSE refers to the occurrence of a shorter reaction time (RT) when two or three signals are presented simultaneously than when only one of these signals is presented, and provides evidence that these signals are processed concurrently. In two experiments, chords that deviated from tonal (harmonic) and acoustic (intensity and timbre) regularities were presented occasionally in the final position of short chord sequences. The participants were asked to detect all deviant chords while withholding their responses to non-deviant chords (i.e., the Go/NoGo task). RSEs were observed in all double- and triple-deviant combinations, reflecting processing of multidimensional regularities. Further analyses suggested evidence of coactivation by separate perceptual modules in the combination of tonal and acoustic deviants, but not in the combination of two acoustic deviants. These results imply that tonal and acoustic regularities are different enough to be processed as two discrete pieces of information. Examining the underlying process of RSE may elucidate the relationship between multidimensional regularity processing in music.

Social disharmony, inauthenticity and patriarchy: an Ubuntu perspective on the practice of female genital mutilation.

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a universal issue which affects girls in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and South America, and immigrant communities in Western Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand. FGM is a cultural practice in approximately 29 countries in Africa, affecting over 140 million girls. FGM is practiced as a rite of passage, where girls are initiated into womanhood. This practice is promoted as a means for incorporation, thus ascribing personhood, and belonging for girls to their communities. African scholars hold conflicting positions about FGM, with some arguing that it is essential for relational fullness and harmony. While others believe FGM is unjustified because of the health and social risks associated with the practice. We argue, applying sustainable social harmony and Gyekye's views on cultural revitalization, that FGM is morally unjustified and should be prohibited. We believe the claims that FGM fosters harmony, a value of Ubuntu, are fallacious, and this perceived harmony is pretentious and unsustainable. We claim that FGM is inauthentic, unjust and steeped in patriarchal underpinnings that are unsustainable, thus it is a disharmonious practice. Cultural practices that are disharmonious should be refined and pruned and must be dynamic and responsive to current realities.

Self-attention-based generative adversarial network optimized with color harmony algorithm for brain tumor classification.

This paper proposes a novel approach, BTC-SAGAN-CHA-MRI, for the classification of brain tumors using a SAGAN optimized with a Color Harmony Algorithm. Brain cancer, with its high fatality rate worldwide, especially in the case of brain tumors, necessitates more accurate and efficient classification methods. While existing deep learning approaches for brain tumor classification have been suggested, they often lack precision and require substantial computational time.The proposed method begins by gathering input brain MR images from the BRATS dataset, followed by a pre-processing step using a Mean Curvature Flow-based approach to eliminate noise. The pre-processed images then undergo the Improved Non-Sub sampled Shearlet Transform (INSST) for extracting radiomic features. These features are fed into the SAGAN, which is optimized with a Color Harmony Algorithm to categorize the brain images into different tumor types, including Gliomas, Meningioma, and Pituitary tumors. This innovative approach shows promise in enhancing the precision and efficiency of brain tumor classification, holding potential for improved diagnostic outcomes in the field of medical imaging. The accuracy acquired for the brain tumor identification from the proposed method is 99.29%. The proposed BTC-SAGAN-CHA-MRI technique achieves 18.29%, 14.09% and 7.34% higher accuracy and 67.92%,54.04%, and 59.08% less Computation Time when analyzed to the existing models, like Brain tumor diagnosis utilizing deep learning convolutional neural network with transfer learning approach (BTC-KNN-SVM-MRI); M3BTCNet: multi model brain tumor categorization under metaheuristic deep neural network features optimization (BTC-CNN-DEMFOA-MRI), and efficient method depending upon hierarchical deep learning neural network classifier for brain tumour categorization (BTC-Hie DNN-MRI) respectively.

This paper proposes a novel approach, BTC-SAGAN-CHA-MRI, for the classification of brain tumors using a Self-Attention based Generative Adversarial Network (SAGAN) optimized with a Color Harmony Algorithm. Brain cancer, with its high fatality rate worldwide, especially in the case of brain tumors, necessitates more accurate and efficient classification methods. While existing deep learning approaches for brain tumor classification have been suggested, they often lack precision and require substantial computational time. The proposed method begins by gathering input brain MR images from the BRATS dataset, followed by a pre-processing step using a Mean Curvature Flow-based approach to eliminate noise. The pre-processed images then undergo the Improved Non-Sub sampled Shearlet Transform (INSST) for extracting radiomic features. These features are fed into the SAGAN, which is optimized with a Color Harmony Algorithm to categorize the brain images into different tumor types, including Gliomas, Meningioma, and Pituitary tumors. This innovative approach shows promise in enhancing the precision and efficiency of brain tumor classification, holding potential for improved diagnostic outcomes in the field of medical imaging.

Excellent efficacy and beneficial safety during observational 5-year follow-up of rapid steroid withdrawal after renal transplantation (Harmony FU study).

BACKGROUND: We previously reported excellent efficacy and improved safety aspects of rapid steroid withdrawal (RSWD) in the randomized controlled 1-year "Harmony" trial with 587 predominantly deceased-donor kidney transplant recipients randomized either to basiliximab or rabbit antithymocyte globulin induction therapy and compared with standard immunosuppressive therapy consisting of basiliximab, low tacrolimus once daily, mycophenolate mofetil and corticosteroids. METHODS: The 5-year post-trial follow-up (FU) data were obtained in an observational manner at a 3- and a 5-year visit only for those Harmony patients who consented to participate and covered clinical events that occurred from the second year onwards. RESULTS: Biopsy-proven acute rejection and death-censored graft loss rates remained low and independent of RSWD. Rapid steroid withdrawal was an independent positive factor for patient survival (adjusted hazard ratio 0.554, 95% confidence interval 0.314-0.976; P = .041).The reduced incidence of post-transplantation diabetes mellitus in RSWD patients during the original 1-year study period was not compensated by later incidences during FU. Incidences of other important outcome parameters such as opportunistic infections, malignancies, cardiovascular morbidity/risk factors, donor-specific antibody formation or kidney function did not differ during FU period. CONCLUSIONS: With all the limitations of a post-trial FU study, the Harmony FU data confirm excellent efficacy and beneficial safety aspects of RSWD under modern immunosuppressive therapy over the course of 5 years after kidney transplantation in an immunologically low-risk, elderly population of Caucasian kidney transplant recipients. Trial registration: Clinical trial registration number: Investigator Initiated Trial (NCT00724022, FU study DRKS00005786).

A Mindset for Communication for End of Life Care.

This communication model attempts to reconcile the unknowingness of death, with a deeper inner knowingness that supports End of Life patients in an empowered way, through a mindset that models both oneness and presence with the death and dying experience. Through 23 years of experienced EOL care, I feel it seems necessary to rethink the very one-dimensional idea of dying and to create a space for a multidimensional experience. This model of communication and perspective-taking, offers my patients an opportunity for a secure connection to their own inner resources of knowing how to die. As our bodies are each equipped in our own unique way to do it perfectly, as the return of self, from the experience of being. This communication model also includes perspectives and narratives that attempt to make communication and care in the EOL experience more effortless and intuitive for the provider. Further, the model explains and illustrates why perspectives matter, as they impact connection in the relationship of the provider to the patient and includes a multidimensional perspective to question our own perceptions of death as providers. This model also includes the theory of balance and harmony. As it relates to the relativity of the experience of self, through the connection of communication and perspectives, as the exchange of information that occurs in the relationship between providers and patients. This information as a model represents a new awareness approach in the field of EOL care. It's based on 23 years of EOL experience and is supported through research and a fundamental theory of our reality, which intuitively and logically approaches relativity in our human connection to our patients as providers.

Prediction errors arising from switches between major and minor modes in music: An fMRI study.

The major and minor modes in Western music have positive and negative connotations, respectively. The present fMRI study examined listeners' neural responses to switches between major and minor modes. We manipulated the final chords of J. S. Bach's keyboard pieces so that each major-mode passage ended with either the major (Major-Major) or minor (Major-Minor) tonic chord, and each minor-mode passage ended with either the minor (Minor-Minor) or major (Minor-Major) tonic chord. If the final major and minor chords have positive and negative reward values respectively, the Major-Minor and Minor-Major stimuli would cause negative and positive reward prediction errors (RPEs) respectively in a listener's brain. We found that activity in a frontoparietal network was significantly higher for Major-Minor than for Major-Major. Based on previous research, these results support the idea that a major-to-minor switch causes negative RPE. The contrast of Minor-Major minus Minor-Minor yielded activation in the ventral insula and visual cortex, speaking against the idea that a minor-to-major switch causes positive RPE. We discuss our results in relation to executive functions and the emotional connotations of major versus minor modes.

The meaning of love and its bittersweet nature.

Love is the core of human experience and central to our meaning in life and wellbeing, yet it is also a complex concept full of ambiguity and contradiction. The main purpose of this paper is fourfold: Firstly, we want to clarify questions such as 'What is the meaning of love?' and 'Why is meaning of love so important to us?' Secondly, we want to explain why love is both suffering and essential for our happiness and mental health. Thirdly, we identify the major types of love and clarify which types are constructive and which are destructive. We also identify the key dimensions of true love. Finally, we emphasise that love does not always mean happiness; rather, it is meant to be a school to teach us important lessons and to make us complete. Therefore, we need to embrace suffering and at the same time cultivate the constructive types of love to improve our mental health and to make the world a more compassionate place.

From Other Journals: A Review of Recent Articles by Our Editorial Team.

In this review, we provide a brief description of recently published articles addressing topics relevant to pediatric cardiologists. This review includes (1) Fetal diagnosis, associated anomalies, and factors affecting outcomes in fetal congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries (ccTGA), (2) The impact of Fontan-associated liver disease on heart and heart/liver transplant, (3) 1-year outcomes of the Harmony transcatheter pulmonary valve, (4) Risk factors associated with major adverse cardiac events in patients with pulmonary atresia and intact ventricular septum undergoing intervention, and (5) Benefits of pulmonary valve replacement in tetralogy of Fallot patients.

Percutaneous treatment of an iatrogenic femoral arteriovenous fistula from an accessory arterial branch: a case report and review of the literature.

Vascular access-related complications are an important consideration in patients undergoing cardiac catheterisation. Patients with CHD are increasingly undergoing percutaneous treatment for suitable procedures as an alternative, less invasive option to surgical intervention. As such, recognition and treatment of these complications are becoming increasingly important. We present a case of a patient with repaired Tetralogy of Fallot who developed a femoral arteriovenous fistula and femoral artery pseudoaneurysm arising from an accessory arterial branch following percutaneous Harmony valve implantation, both of which were treated endovascularly with placement of a stent.

Rhinoplasty with Simultaneous Autologous Full-Face Fat Transfer for Asian Facial Contouring Balance: A Retrospective Study.

BACKGROUND: The aesthetic facial contouring procedures have gained an increasing popularity in the Asian population. Nevertheless, currently, there are few specific literature assessments and studies on the outcomes of rhinoplasty combined with full-face fat graft contouring. To conduct an objective evaluation of the efficacy of Asian rhinoplasty combined with autologous facial fat transfer in terms of 3-dimensional measurement and patient-reported outcomes. METHODS: Patients who underwent rhinoplasty combined with full-face fat transfer for facial contouring between January 2016 and July 2019 were recruited in the study. The preoperative and postoperative clinical variables and 3-dimensional measurement of patients were also collected. The satisfaction outcome of surgeons and patients was assessed. RESULTS: Twenty patients completed rhinoplasty with full-face fat transfer. The average postoperative follow-up was 10.2 months (range 6-24 months). The nasal length, and the nasal protrusion rate were significantly increased (p < 0.05) after surgery, and the median number of nasolabial angles decreased from 106° to 101°, which was closer to the aesthetic standard of 90°-100°. The topographical projection images of whole face indicated that the volume of frontal, temporal, inner cheek and chin regions were increased obviously. All cases received satisfaction outcome based on surgeons' satisfaction scale, ROE scale, FACE-Q overall facial satisfaction scale, and FACE-Q Rhinoplasty scale. Additionally, no patients had intraoperative or postoperative complications. CONCLUSIONS: Rhinoplasty combined with full-face fat transfer is a reliable and effective method of augmenting and contouring the facial convexity in the Asian populations. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

The Association of Ethnic and American Identities with Psychological Well-Being among Latinx Emerging Adults: The Mediating Role of Bicultural Identity Integration.

Latinx emerging adults explore and commit to their ethnic and American identities which may influence their psychological well-being. However, it may not be the act of exploring and committing to their ethnic and American identities that influence emerging adults' psychological well-being; instead, it may be how they integrate both identities. To test this possibility, this study tested whether ethnic and American identity exploration and commitment were associated with psychological well-being by way of two bicultural identity integration processes (i.e., blendedness and harmony) among Latinx emerging adults. Data came from a year-long three-wave longitudinal study about stress and well-being among Latinx first-years (70% female; Mage = 18.20; SD = 0.51) with Wave 1 collected in Fall 2020, Wave 2 in Spring 2021, and Wave 3 in Fall 2021. Cross-sectional and longitudinal structural equation modeling suggest ethnic identity exploration and American identity commitment to be associated with psychological well-being by way of bicultural identity integration blendedness (i.e., perceived cognitive overlap between identities) and harmony (i.e., perceived affective conflict between identities). Results point to ethnic and American identity exploration and commitment being related with blendedness and harmony, which, in turn, were related with psychological well-being in the moment but not over time.

Cross-Cultural Psychometric Analysis of the Mature Happiness Scale-Revised: Mature Happiness, Psychological Inflexibility, and the PERMA Model.

The present study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Mature Happiness Scale, a measure focused on inner harmony. Mature happiness is achieved when a person can live in balance between both positive and negative aspects of their life. A total sample of 2,130 participants from five countries (Canada: n = 390, United States: n = 223, United Kingdom: n = 512, Spain: n = 724, and Hungary: n = 281) responded to an online survey including the original Mature Happiness Scale, the PERMA-Profiler, and the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses yielded a one-factor solution with seven positive items (non-reversed). We called this new version of the questionnaire the Mature Happiness Scale-Revised (MHS-R). Measurement invariance was found across countries, age groups, gender, and mental disorder diagnosis. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were high. Older people, males, and people without a mental disorder diagnosis scored higher in mature happiness than younger ones, females, and those with a mental health disorder diagnosis, respectively. Mature happiness showed strong positive associations with various subscales of the PERMA-Profiler, specifically with positive emotions and meaning in life. In addition, mature happiness was strongly correlated with less negative affect and inner conflict and lower psychological inflexibility, whereas it was moderately correlated with lower loneliness. This validity evidence supports the cross-cultural use of the MHS-R in the aforementioned countries to reliably measure happiness among adults. With its holistic approach, the MHS-R may be a unique complement to other well-being measures, particularly to better predict mental health problems.

Detecting protein complexes with multiple properties by an adaptive harmony search algorithm.

BACKGROUND: Accurate identification of protein complexes in protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks is crucial for understanding the principles of cellular organization. Most computational methods ignore the fact that proteins in a protein complex have a functional similarity and are co-localized and co-expressed at the same place and time, respectively. Meanwhile, the parameters of the current methods are specified by users, so these methods cannot effectively deal with different input PPI networks. RESULT: To address these issues, this study proposes a new method called MP-AHSA to detect protein complexes with Multiple Properties (MP), and an Adaptation Harmony Search Algorithm is developed to optimize the parameters of the MP algorithm. First, a weighted PPI network is constructed using functional annotations, and multiple biological properties and the Markov cluster algorithm (MCL) are used to mine protein complex cores. Then, a fitness function is defined, and a protein complex forming strategy is designed to detect attachment proteins and form protein complexes. Next, a protein complex filtering strategy is formulated to filter out the protein complexes. Finally, an adaptation harmony search algorithm is developed to determine the MP algorithm's parameters automatically. CONCLUSIONS: Experimental results show that the proposed MP-AHSA method outperforms 14 state-of-the-art methods for identifying protein complexes. Also, the functional enrichment analyses reveal that the protein complexes identified by the MP-AHSA algorithm have significant biological relevance.

Relationship between early neural responses to syntactic and acoustic irregularities in music.

Humans can detect various anomalies in a sound sequence without attending to each dimension explicitly. Event-related potentials (ERPs) have been used to examine the processes of auditory deviance detection. Previous research has shown that music-syntactic anomalies elicit early right anterior negativity (ERAN), whereas more general acoustic irregularities elicit mismatch negativity (MMN). Although these ERP components occur in a similar latency range with a similar scalp topography, the relationship between the detection processes they reflect remains unclear. This study compared these components by manipulating music-syntactic (chord progression) and acoustic (intensity) irregularities orthogonally in two experiments. Non-musicians (Experiment 1: N = 39; Experiment 2: N = 24) were asked to listen to chord sequences, each consisting of 5 four-voice chords, as they watched a silent video clip. Standard, harmonic-deviant, intensity-deviant and double-deviant chords occurred at the final position in each sequence. Deviant stimuli were presented infrequently (p = .10) in Experiment 1 and equiprobably (p = .25) in Experiment 2. Regardless of deviance probability, both harmonic and intensity deviants elicited similar negativities, which were indistinguishable in terms of latency or scalp distribution. When the two deviant types occurred simultaneously, the negativity increased in an additive manner; that is, the amplitude of the double-deviant ERP was as large as the sum of the single-deviant ERPs. These findings suggest that the detection of music-syntactic and acoustic irregularities works independently, based on different regularity representations.

Ventricular arrhythmias following transcatheter pulmonary valve replacement with the harmony TPV25 device.

BACKGROUND: Transcatheter pulmonary valve replacement (TPVR) with the Harmony valve (Medtronic, Inc.) was recently approved to treat postoperative native outflow tract pulmonary regurgitation. While the 22 mm Harmony valve Early Feasibility Study demonstrated ventricular tachycardia (VT) in only 5% of patients, little is known about ventricular arrhythmias after TPVR with the larger 25 mm valve (TPV25). METHODS: A single center review was performed of patients with TPV25 implant from 2020 to 2021. Demographic, cardiac, procedural, and postimplant cardiac telemetry data were collected and compared between patients who did and did not have peri-implant ventricular arrhythmia. RESULTS: Thirty patients underwent TPV25 at a median age of 30 years. On postimplant telemetry, VT events were documented in 12 patients (40%); 11 nonsustained VT (NSVT) (median 3 episodes per patient and 6 beats per episode, maximum 157 episodes) and 1 sustained VT (3%), with Torsades de Pointes secondary to a short coupled premature ventricular contraction (PVC). VT events were associated with annular valve positioning (p < 0.001) and increased postimplant PVC burden (p < 0.0001), but there was no association between VT and other demongraphic, historical, or procedural factors. The frequency of NSVT events fell from 3/h from 0 to 12 h postimplant to 0.5/hr from 12 to 24 h (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: VT occurred commonly (40%) in the first 24 h after TPV25 implant, with self-limited NSVT in 11 of 12 patients and 1 patient with cardiac arrest secondary to Torsades de Pointes. VT only occurred with annular valve positioning. Larger, longer-term studies are needed to determine risk factors for and natural history of post-TPVR VT.

Multi-LiDAR Mapping for Scene Segmentation in Indoor Environments for Mobile Robots.

Nowadays, most mobile robot applications use two-dimensional LiDAR for indoor mapping, navigation, and low-level scene segmentation. However, single data type maps are not enough in a six degree of freedom world. Multi-LiDAR sensor fusion increments the capability of robots to map on different levels the surrounding environment. It exploits the benefits of several data types, counteracting the cons of each of the sensors. This research introduces several techniques to achieve mapping and navigation through indoor environments. First, a scan matching algorithm based on ICP with distance threshold association counter is used as a multi-objective-like fitness function. Then, with Harmony Search, results are optimized without any previous initial guess or odometry. A global map is then built during SLAM, reducing the accumulated error and demonstrating better results than solo odometry LiDAR matching. As a novelty, both algorithms are implemented in 2D and 3D mapping, overlapping the resulting maps to fuse geometrical information at different heights. Finally, a room segmentation procedure is proposed by analyzing this information, avoiding occlusions that appear in 2D maps, and proving the benefits by implementing a door recognition system. Experiments are conducted in both simulated and real scenarios, proving the performance of the proposed algorithms.

Integrating policy to achieve a harmonized sustainability model: A multidisciplinary synthesis and conceptual framework.

While the concept of environmental sustainability has steadily grown over the past thirty years, little progress has been made in unifying the efforts of the entities most involved: society, the environment, the economy, and governmental policy. This synthesis integrates across disciplines to outline the need for a harmonized sustainability model to align disparate environmental objectives. Specifically, this study highlights the disconnect between policy and capitalistic economies regarding environmental sustainability. We then provide a framework for an updated sustainability model and offer pathways toward an improved state of environmental sustainability. Notable contributions include the development of a dynamic, harmonized sustainability model derived from basic supply and demand curves that functions for both the consumption and disposal of resources at multiple scales.

Do sanctuary policies increase crime? Contrary evidence from a county-level investigation in the United States.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has rolled out a series of programs that leverage local and state resources to detain and deport undocumented immigrants. There is little understanding, however, about the public safety consequences of mobilizing local police to enforce immigration law. I use ICE administrative records, Uniform Crime Reports, and American Community Survey population estimates to investigate whether and under what circumstances local immigration enforcement is associated with property crime and violent crime. Results show that crime trends in sanctuary and non-sanctuary counties were not significantly different in the first decade of the 2000s. However, after the proliferation of sanctuary practices around 2014, both property crime and violent crime decreased more in sanctuary counties than non-sanctuary counties, net of other predictors of crime. Further, a pooled cross-sectional analysis of 2013-2016 data shows that sanctuary practices strengthen the inverse relationship between proportion foreign-born Latino and property crime, and reverse the positive relationship between proportion native-born Latino and property crime. I theorize that this occurs because sanctuary practices encourage immigrant political integration, have positive spillover effects to non-immigrant Latinx communities, and increase social harmony.

COVID-19 detection from CT scans using a two-stage framework.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It may cause serious ailments in infected individuals and complications may lead to death. X-rays and Computed Tomography (CT) scans can be used for the diagnosis of the disease. In this context, various methods have been proposed for the detection of COVID-19 from radiological images. In this work, we propose an end-to-end framework consisting of deep feature extraction followed by feature selection (FS) for the detection of COVID-19 from CT scan images. For feature extraction, we utilize three deep learning based Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). For FS, we use a meta-heuristic optimization algorithm, Harmony Search (HS), combined with a local search method, Adaptive ß -Hill Climbing (A ß HC) for better performance. We evaluate the proposed approach on the SARS-COV-2 CT-Scan Dataset consisting of 2482 CT scan images and an updated version of the previous dataset containing 2926 CT scan images. For comparison, we use a few state-of-the-art optimization algorithms. The best accuracy scores obtained by the present approach are 97.30% and 98.87% respectively on the said datasets, which are better than many of the algorithms used for comparison. The performances are also at par with some recent works which use the same datasets. The codes for the FS algorithms are available at: https://github.com/khalid0007/Metaheuristic-Algorithms.