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White blood cells (WBCs) constitute an essential part of the human immune system. The correct identification of WBC subtypes is critical in the diagnosis of leukemia, a kind of blood cancer defined by the aberrant proliferation of malignant leukocytes in the bone marrow. The traditional approach of classifying WBCs, which involves the visual analysis of blood smear images, is labor-intensive and error-prone. Modern approaches based on deep convolutional neural networks provide significant results for this type of image categorization, but have high processing and implementation costs owing to very large feature sets. This paper presents an improved hybrid approach for efficient WBC subtype classification. First, optimum deep features are extracted from enhanced and segmented WBC images using transfer learning on pre-trained deep neural networks, i.e., DenseNet201 and Darknet53. The serially fused feature vector is then filtered using an entropy-controlled marine predator algorithm (ECMPA). This nature-inspired meta-heuristic optimization algorithm selects the most dominant features while discarding the weak ones. The reduced feature vector is classified with multiple baseline classifiers with various kernel settings. The proposed methodology is validated on a public dataset of 5000 synthetic images that correspond to five different subtypes of WBCs. The system achieves an overall average accuracy of 99.9 % with more than 95 % reduction in the size of the feature vector. The feature selection algorithm also demonstrates better convergence performance as compared to classical meta-heuristic algorithms. The proposed method also demonstrates a comparable performance with several existing works on WBC classification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epilepsy is a life-threatening neurological brain disorder that gives rise to recurrent unprovoked seizures. It occurs due to abnormal chemical changes in our brains. For many years, studies have been conducted to support the automatic diagnosis of epileptic seizures for clinicians' ease. For that, several studies entail machine learning methods for early predicting epileptic seizures. Mainly, feature extraction methods have been used to extract the right features from the EEG data generated by the EEG machine. Then various machine learning classifiers are used for the classification process. This study provides a systematic literature review of the feature selection process and classification performance. This review was limited to finding the most used feature extraction methods and the classifiers used for accurate classification of normal to epileptic seizures. The existing literature was examined from well-known repositories such as MDPI, IEEE Xplore, Wiley, Elsevier, ACM, Springer link, and others. Furthermore, a taxonomy was created that recapitulates the state-of-the-art used solutions for this problem. We also studied the nature of different benchmark and unbiased datasets and gave a rigorous analysis of the working of classifiers. Finally, we concluded the research by presenting the gaps, challenges, and opportunities that can further help researchers predict epileptic seizures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For patients suffering from obstructive sleep apnea and sleep-related breathing disorders, snoring is quite common, and it greatly interferes with the quality of life for them and for the people surrounding them. For diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea, snoring is used as a screening parameter, so the exact detection and classification of snoring sounds are quite important. Therefore, automated and very high precision snoring analysis and classification algorithms are required. In this work, initially the features are extracted from six different domains, such as time domain, frequency domain, Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) domain, sparse domain, eigen value domain, and cepstral domain. The extracted features are then selected using three efficient feature selection techniques, such as Golden Eagle Optimization (GEO), Salp Swarm Algorithm (SSA), and Refined SSA. The selected features are finally classified with the help of eight traditional machine learning classifiers and two proposed classifiers, such as the Firefly Algorithm-Weighted Extreme Learning Machine hybrid with Adaboost model (FA-WELM-Adaboost) and the Capuchin Search Algorithm-Weighted Extreme Learning Machine hybrid with Adaboost model (CSA-WELM-Adaboost). The analysis is performed on the MPSSC Interspeech dataset, and the best results are obtained when the DWT features with the refined SSA feature selection technique and FA-WELM-Adaboost hybrid classifier are utilized, reporting an Unweighted Average Recall (UAR) of 74.23%. The second-best results are obtained when DWT features are selected with the GEO feature selection technique and a CSA-WELM-Adaboost hybrid classifier is utilized, reporting an UAR of 73.86%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brain tumors are a leading cause of death globally, with numerous types varying in malignancy, and only 12% of adults diagnosed with brain cancer survive beyond five years. This research introduces a hyperparametric convolutional neural network (CNN) model to identify brain tumors, with significant practical implications. By fine-tuning the hyperparameters of the CNN model, we optimize feature extraction and systematically reduce model complexity, thereby enhancing the accuracy of brain tumor diagnosis. The critical hyperparameters include batch size, layer counts, learning rate, activation functions, pooling strategies, padding, and filter size. The hyperparameter-tuned CNN model was trained on three different brain MRI datasets available at Kaggle, producing outstanding performance scores, with an average value of 97% for accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score. Our optimized model is effective, as demonstrated by our methodical comparisons with state-of-the-art approaches. Our hyperparameter modifications enhanced the model performance and strengthened its capacity for generalization, giving medical practitioners a more accurate and effective tool for making crucial judgments regarding brain tumor diagnosis. Our model is a significant step in the right direction toward trustworthy and accurate medical diagnosis, with practical implications for improving patient outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Skin cancer is a prevalent type of malignancy on a global scale, and the early and accurate diagnosis of this condition is of utmost importance for the survival of patients. The clinical assessment of cutaneous lesions is a crucial aspect of medical practice, although it encounters several obstacles, such as prolonged waiting time and misinterpretation. The intricate nature of skin lesions, coupled with variations in appearance and texture, presents substantial barriers to accurate classification. As such, skilled clinicians often struggle to differentiate benign moles from early malignant tumors in skin images. Although deep learning-based approaches such as convolution neural networks have made significant improvements, their stability and generalization continue to experience difficulties, and their performance in accurately delineating lesion borders, capturing refined spatial connections among features, and using contextual information for classification is suboptimal. To address these limitations, we propose a novel approach for skin lesion classification that combines snake models of active contour (AC) segmentation, ResNet50 for feature extraction, and a capsule network with a fusion of lightweight attention mechanisms to attain the different feature channels and spatial regions within feature maps, enhance the feature discrimination, and improve accuracy. We employed the stochastic gradient descent (SGD) optimization algorithm to optimize the model's parameters. The proposed model is implemented on publicly available datasets, namely, HAM10000 and ISIC 2020. The experimental results showed that the proposed model achieved an accuracy of 98% and AUC-ROC of 97.3%, showcasing substantial potential in terms of effective model generalization compared to existing state-of-the-art (SOTA) approaches. These results highlight the potential for our approach to reshape automated dermatological diagnosis and provide a helpful tool for medical practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer has affected many women worldwide. To perform detection and classification of breast cancer many computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) systems have been established because the inspection of the mammogram images by the radiologist is a difficult and time taken task. To early diagnose the disease and provide better treatment lot of CAD systems were established. There is still a need to improve existing CAD systems by incorporating new methods and technologies in order to provide more precise results. This paper aims to investigate ways to prevent the disease as well as to provide new methods of classification in order to reduce the risk of breast cancer in women's lives. The best feature optimization is performed to classify the results accurately. The CAD system's accuracy improved by reducing the false-positive rates.The Modified Entropy Whale Optimization Algorithm (MEWOA) is proposed based on fusion for deep feature extraction and perform the classification. In the proposed method, the fine-tuned MobilenetV2 and Nasnet Mobile are applied for simulation. The features are extracted, and optimization is performed. The optimized features are fused and optimized by using MEWOA. Finally, by using the optimized deep features, the machine learning classifiers are applied to classify the breast cancer images. To extract the features and perform the classification, three publicly available datasets are used: INbreast, MIAS, and CBIS-DDSM. The maximum accuracy achieved in INbreast dataset is 99.7%, MIAS dataset has 99.8% and CBIS-DDSM has 93.8%. Finally, a comparison with other existing methods is performed, demonstrating that the proposed algorithm outperforms the other approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a lethal blood cancer that is characterized by an abnormal increased number of immature lymphocytes in the blood or bone marrow. For effective treatment of ALL, early assessment of the disease is essential. Manual examination of stained blood smear images is current practice for initially screening ALL. This practice is time-consuming and error-prone. In order to effectively diagnose ALL, numerous deep-learning-based computer vision systems have been developed for detecting ALL in blood peripheral images (BPIs). Such systems extract a huge number of image features and use them to perform the classification task. The extracted features may contain irrelevant or redundant features that could reduce classification accuracy and increase the running time of the classifier. Feature selection is considered an effective tool to mitigate the curse of the dimensionality problem and alleviate its corresponding shortcomings. One of the most effective dimensionality-reduction tools is principal component analysis (PCA), which maps input features into an orthogonal space and extracts the features that convey the highest variability from the data. Other feature selection approaches utilize evolutionary computation (EC) to search the feature space and localize optimal features. To profit from both feature selection approaches in improving the classification performance of ALL, in this study, a new hybrid deep-learning-based feature engineering approach is proposed. The introduced approach integrates the powerful capability of PCA and particle swarm optimization (PSO) approaches in selecting informative features from BPI mages with the power of pre-trained CNNs of feature extraction. Image features are first extracted through the feature-transfer capability of the GoogleNet convolutional neural network (CNN). PCA is utilized to generate a feature set of the principal components that covers 95% of the variability in the data. In parallel, bio-inspired particle swarm optimization is used to search for the optimal image features. The PCA and PSO-derived feature sets are then integrated to develop a hybrid set of features that are then used to train a Bayesian-based optimized support vector machine (SVM) and subspace discriminant ensemble-learning (SDEL) classifiers. The obtained results show improved classification performance for the ML classifiers trained by the proposed hybrid feature set over the original PCA, PSO, and all extracted feature sets for ALL multi-class classification. The Bayesian-optimized SVM trained with the proposed hybrid PCA-PSO feature set achieves the highest classification accuracy of 97.4%. The classification performance of the proposed feature engineering approach competes with the state of the art. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiotocography (CTG), which measures the fetal heart rate (FHR) and maternal uterine contractions (UC) simultaneously, is used for monitoring fetal well-being during delivery or antenatally at the third trimester. Baseline FHR and its response to uterine contractions can be used to diagnose fetal distress, which may necessitate therapeutic intervention. In this study, a machine learning model based on feature extraction (autoencoder), feature selection (recursive feature elimination), and Bayesian optimization, was proposed to diagnose and classify the different conditions of fetuses (Normal, Suspect, Pathologic) along with the CTG morphological patterns. The model was evaluated on a publicly available CTG dataset. This research also addressed the imbalance nature of the CTG dataset. The proposed model has a potential application as a decision support tool to manage pregnancies. The proposed model resulted in good performance analysis metrics. Using this model with Random Forest resulted in a model accuracy of 96.62% for fetal status classification and 94.96% for CTG morphological pattern classification. In rational terms, the model was able to accurately predict 98% Suspect cases and 98.6% Pathologic cases in the dataset. The combination of predicting and classifying fetal status as well as the CTG morphological patterns shows potential in monitoring high-risk pregnancies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the Bosniak cysts classification is highly reader-dependent, automated tools based on radiomics could help in the diagnosis of the lesion. This study is an initial step in the search for radiomic features that may be good classifiers of benign–malignant Bosniak cysts in machine learning models. A CCR phantom was used through five CT scanners. Registration was performed with ARIA software, while Quibim Precision was used for feature extraction. R software was used for the statistical analysis. Robust radiomic features based on repeatability and reproducibility criteria were chosen. Excellent correlation criteria between different radiologists during lesion segmentation were imposed. With the selected features, their classification ability in benignity–malignity terms was assessed. From the phantom study, 25.3% of the features were robust. For the study of inter-observer correlation (ICC) in the segmentation of cystic masses, 82 subjects were prospectively selected, finding 48.4% of the features as excellent regarding concordance. Comparing both datasets, 12 features were established as repeatable, reproducible, and useful for the classification of Bosniak cysts and could serve as initial candidates for the elaboration of a classification model. With those features, the Linear Discriminant Analysis model classified the Bosniak cysts in terms of benignity or malignancy with 88.2% accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main aim of this paper is to optimize the output of diagnosis of Cardiovascular Disorders (CVD) in Photoplethysmography (PPG) signals by utilizing a fuzzy-based approach with classification. The extracted parameters such as Energy, Variance, Approximate Entropy (ApEn), Mean, Standard Deviation (STD), Skewness, Kurtosis, and Peak Maximum are obtained initially from the PPG signals, and based on these extracted parameters, the fuzzy techniques are incorporated to model the Cardiovascular Disorder(CVD) risk levels from PPG signals. Optimization algorithms such as Differential Search (DS), Shuffled Frog Leaping Algorithm (SFLA), Wolf Search (WS), and Animal Migration Optimization (AMO) are implemented to the fuzzy modeled levels to optimize them further so that the PPG cardiovascular classification can be characterized well. This kind of approach is totally new in PPG signal classification, and the results show that when fuzzy-inspired modeling is implemented with WS optimization and classified with the Radial Basis Function (RBF) classifier, a classification accuracy of 94.79% is obtained for normal cases. When fuzzy-inspired modeling is implemented with AMO and classified with the Support Vector Machine–Radial Basis Function (SVM–RBF) classifier, a classification accuracy of 95.05% is obtained for CVD cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer is one of the main causes of death among women worldwide. Early detection of this disease helps reduce the number of premature deaths. This research aims to design a method for identifying and diagnosing breast tumors based on ultrasound images. For this purpose, six techniques have been performed to detect and segment ultrasound images. Features of images are extracted using the fractal method. Moreover, k-nearest neighbor, support vector machine, decision tree, and Naïve Bayes classification techniques are used to classify images. Then, the convolutional neural network (CNN) architecture is designed to classify breast cancer based on ultrasound images directly. The presented model obtains the accuracy of the training set to 99.8%. Regarding the test results, this diagnosis validation is associated with 88.5% sensitivity. Based on the findings of this study, it can be concluded that the proposed high-potential CNN algorithm can be used to diagnose breast cancer from ultrasound images. The second presented CNN model can identify the original location of the tumor. The results show 92% of the images in the high-performance region with an AUC above 0.6. The proposed model can identify the tumor's location and volume by morphological operations as a post-processing algorithm. These findings can also be used to monitor patients and prevent the growth of the infected area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Feature extraction is an essential part of a Computer-Aided Diagnosis (CAD) system. It is usually preceded by a pre-processing step and followed by image classification. Usually, a large number of features is needed to end up with the desired classification results. In this work, we propose a novel approach for texture feature extraction. This method was tested on larynx Contact Endoscopy (CE)—Narrow Band Imaging (NBI) image classification to provide more objective information for otolaryngologists regarding the stage of the laryngeal cancer. Methods: The main idea of the proposed methods is to represent an image as a hilly surface, where different paths can be identified between a starting and an ending point. Each of these paths can be thought of as a Tour de France stage profile where a cyclist needs to perform a specific effort to arrive at the finish line. Several paths can be generated in an image where different cyclists produce an average cyclist effort representing important textural characteristics of the image. Energy and power as two Cyclist Effort Features (CyEfF) were extracted using this concept. The performance of the proposed features was evaluated for the classification of 2701 CE-NBI images into benign and malignant lesions using four supervised classifiers and subsequently compared with the performance of 24 Geometrical Features (GF) and 13 Entropy Features (EF). Results: The CyEfF features showed maximum classification accuracy of 0.882 and improved the GF classification accuracy by 3 to 12 percent. Moreover, CyEfF features were ranked as the top 10 features along with some features from GF set in two feature ranking methods. Conclusion: The results prove that CyEfF with only two features can describe the textural characterization of CE-NBI images and can be part of the CAD system in combination with GF for laryngeal cancer diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depression is a mental disorder characterized by recurrent sadness and loss of interest in the enjoyment of the positive aspects of life, in addition to fatigue, causing inability to perform daily activities, which leads to a loss of quality of life. To monitor depression (unipolar and bipolar patients), traditional methods rely on reports from patients; nevertheless, bias is commonly present in them. To overcome this problem, Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) reports have been widely used, which include data of the behavior, feelings and other types of activities recorded almost in real time through the use of portable devices and smartphones containing motion sensors. In this work a methodology was proposed to detect depressive subjects from control subjects based in the data of their motor activity, recorded by a wearable device, obtained from the "Depresjon" database. From the motor activity signals, the extraction of statistical features was carried out to subsequently feed a random forest classifier. Results show a sensitivity value of 0.867, referring that those subjects with presence of depression have a degree of 86.7% of being correctly classified, while the specificity shows a value of 0.919, referring that those subjects with absence of depression have a degree of 91.9% of being classified with a correct response, using the motor activity signal provided from the wearable device. Based on these results, it is concluded that the motor activity allows distinguishing between the two classes, providing a preliminary and automated tool to specialists for the diagnosis of depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]