A Hybrid Approch Tomato Diseases Detection At Early Stage

 In traditional farming practice, skilled people are hired to manually examine the land and detect the presence of diseases through visual inspection, but the visual inspection method is ineffective. High accuracy of disease detection is one of the most important factors in crop production and reducing crop losses. Meanwhile, the evolution of deep convolutional neural networks for image classification has rapidly improved the accuracy of object detection, classification and system recognition. Previous tomato detection methods based on faster region convolutional neural network (RCNN) are less efficient in terms of accuracy. Researchers have used many methods to detect tomato leaf diseases, but their accuracy is not optimal. This study presents a Faster RCNN-based deep learning model for the detection of three tomato leaf diseases (late blight, mosaic virus, and leaf septoria). The methodology presented in this paper consists of four main steps. The first step is pre-processing. At the second stage, segmentation was done using fuzzy C Means. In the third step, feature extraction was performed with ResNet 50. In the fourth step, classification was performed with Faster RCNN to detect tomato leaf diseases. Two evaluation parameters precision and accuracy are used to compare the proposed model with other existing approaches. The proposed model has the highest accuracy of 98.6% in detecting tomato leaf diseases. In addition, the work can be extended to train the model for other types of tomato diseases, such as leaf mold, spider mites, as well as to detect diseases of other crops, such as potatoes, peanuts, etc

Risk-Based Maintenance Planning Model for Oil and Gas Pipelines

Oil and gas pipelines are the main means of transporting fossil fuels from the wellheads and processing facilities to the distribution centers. The 2013 US infrastructure report card assigned a grade of D+ to energy pipelines signifying they are in a poor condition. More than 10,000 incidents were reported on oil and gas pipelines during the last two decades, most of which resulted in considerable consequences. Recent failures and ruptures have raised concerns over the risk of failure of such pipes in Canada. The main objective of this research is to develop a risk-based maintenance planning model for oil and gas pipelines. The research develops a probability of failure (POF) and a consequence of failure (COF) prediction model and establishes a risk-based inspection and simulation-based rehabilitation planning models. The POF model develops a comprehensive index by applying the granular theory of uncertainty and the principles of probability theory to forecast the POF of oil and gas pipes. The neuro-fuzzy technique is employed to develop a model that forecasts the financial consequences of the potential failures of such pipes. An integrated fuzzy risk evaluation model is developed with 25 fuzzy rules to assess a pipeline’s risk index. A fuzzy expert system is developed to select the inspection tools and determine their run-frequency according to the failure risk of a pipeline. Regression analysis is applied to develop a risk growth profile to forecast the maximum failure risk of various inspection scenarios. Scenarios are ranked based on their risk-cost index, which integrates two main indices: 1) maximum risk of failure, and 2) life cycle cost of scenarios, computed by applying the Monte-Carlo simulation. Finally, a comprehensive maintenance model proposes the optimum maintenance plans with the lowest LCC, developing a third-degree risk-based deterioration profile of the pipelines. The POF model’s sensitivity results highlight that cathodic protection effectiveness and soil resistivity are the leading causes of external corrosion failures, while the depth of cover is an important factor of mechanical damages. The COF model attests that diameter, as well as the location properties are important factors for estimating the financial consequences. The developed risk assessment model is validated using a test dataset that proved the models are accurate with about 80% validity. The developed models are applied on a case study of a 24-inch pipe. The POF and COF of the pipe are computed, and the results suggest that the pipe’s risk index is above medium with an average index of 3.5. The study proposes the application of an inspection tool, which decreases the risk growth by 50% during the service life of the pipeline. The application of the maintenance planning model proposes a combination of recoat, repair, and replacement with a medium size of rehabilitation. The net present value of the proposed scenario of maintenance is estimated to cost around 1.7 million dollars over the life cycle of the pipeline, compared to the last-ranked alternative that costs over three million dollars. This research offers a framework to develop a comprehensive index to predict the failure risk of pipes using historical data that can be extended to the other infrastructure types. It develops a model to plan for the optimal pipeline maintenance, and provides an overall image of its service life. The developed models will help the operators predict the risk of failure and plan appropriately for the life cycle of their oil and gas pipelines

Surface and Sub-Surface Analyses for Bridge Inspection

The development of bridge inspection solutions has been discussed in the recent past. In this dissertation, significant development and improvement on the state-of-the-art in the field of bridge inspection using multiple sensors (e.g. ground penetrating radar (GPR) and visual sensor) has been proposed. In the first part of this research (discussed in chapter 3), the focus is towards developing effective and novel methods for rebar detection and localization for sub-surface bridge inspection of steel rebars. The data has been collected using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) sensor on real bridge decks. In this regard, a number of different approaches have been successively developed that continue to improve the state-of-the-art in this particular research area. The second part (discussed in chapter 4) of this research deals with the development of an automated system for steel bridge defect detection system using a Multi-Directional Bicycle Robot. The training data has been acquired from actual bridges in Vietnam and validation is performed on data collected using Bicycle Robot from actual bridge located in Highway-80, Lovelock, Nevada, USA. A number of different proposed methods have been discussed in chapter 4. The final chapter of the dissertation will conclude the findings from the different parts and discuss ways of improving on the existing works in the near future

Incremental Cluster Validity Index-Guided Online Learning for Performance and Robustness to Presentation Order

In streaming data applications, the incoming samples are processed and discarded, and therefore, intelligent decision-making is crucial for the performance of lifelong learning systems. In addition, the order in which the samples arrive may heavily affect the performance of incremental learners. The recently introduced incremental cluster validity indices (iCVIs) provide valuable aid in addressing such class of problems. Their primary use case has been cluster quality monitoring; nonetheless, they have been recently integrated in a streaming clustering method. In this context, the work presented, here, introduces the first adaptive resonance theory (ART)-based model that uses iCVIs for unsupervised and semi-supervised online learning. Moreover, it shows how to use iCVIs to regulate ART vigilance via an iCVI-based match tracking mechanism. The model achieves improved accuracy and robustness to ordering effects by integrating an online iCVI module as module B of a topological ART predictive mapping (TopoARTMAP)—thereby being named iCVI-TopoARTMAP—and using iCVI-driven postprocessing heuristics at the end of each learning step. The online iCVI module provides assignments of input samples to clusters at each iteration in accordance to any of the several iCVIs. The iCVI-TopoARTMAP maintains useful properties shared by the ART predictive mapping (ARTMAP) models, such as stability, immunity to catastrophic forgetting, and the many-to-one mapping capability via the map field module. The performance and robustness to the presentation order of iCVI-TopoARTMAP were evaluated via experiments with synthetic and real-world datasets

Environmental risk assessment in the mediterranean region using artificial neural networks

Los mapas auto-organizados han demostrado ser una herramienta apropiada para la clasificación y visualización de grupos de datos complejos. Redes neuronales, como los mapas auto-organizados (SOM) o las redes difusas ARTMAP (FAM), se utilizan en este estudio para evaluar el impacto medioambiental acumulativo en diferentes medios (aguas subterráneas, aire y salud humana). Los SOMs también se utilizan para generar mapas de concentraciones de contaminantes en aguas subterráneas simulando las técnicas geostadísticas de interpolación como kriging y cokriging. Para evaluar la confiabilidad de las metodologías desarrolladas en esta tesis, se utilizan procedimientos de referencia como puntos de comparación: la metodología DRASTIC para el estudio de vulnerabilidad en aguas subterráneas y el método de interpolación espacio-temporal conocido como Bayesian Maximum Entropy (BME) para el análisis de calidad del aire. Esta tesis contribuye a demostrar las capacidades de las redes neuronales en el desarrollo de nuevas metodologías y modelos que explícitamente permiten evaluar las dimensiones temporales y espaciales de riesgos acumulativos

Functional and structural MRI image analysis for brain glial tumors treatment

This Ph.D Thesis is the outcome of a close collaboration between the Center for Research in Image Analysis and Medical Informatics (CRAIIM) of the Insubria University and the Operative Unit of Neurosurgery, Neuroradiology and Health Physics of the University Hospital ”Circolo Fondazione Macchi”, Varese. The project aim is to investigate new methodologies by means of whose, develop an integrated framework able to enhance the use of Magnetic Resonance Images, in order to support clinical experts in the treatment of patients with brain Glial tumor. Both the most common uses of MRI technology for non-invasive brain inspection were analyzed. From the Functional point of view, the goal has been to provide tools for an objective reliable and non-presumptive assessment of the brain’s areas locations, to preserve them as much as possible at surgery. From the Structural point of view, methodologies for fully automatic brain segmentation and recognition of the tumoral areas, for evaluating the tumor volume, the spatial distribution and to be able to infer correlation with other clinical data or trace growth trend, have been studied. Each of the proposed methods has been thoroughly assessed both qualitatively and quantitatively. All the Medical Imaging and Pattern Recognition algorithmic solutions studied for this Ph.D. Thesis have been integrated in GliCInE: Glioma Computerized Inspection Environment, which is a MATLAB prototype of an integrated analysis environment that offers, in addition to all the functionality specifically described in this Thesis, a set of tools needed to manage Functional and Structural Magnetic Resonance Volumes and ancillary data related to the acquisition and the patient

Functional and structural MRI image analysis for brain glial tumors treatment

Cotutela con il Dipartimento di Biotecnologie e Scienze della Vita, Universiità degli Studi dell'Insubria.openThis Ph.D Thesis is the outcome of a close collaboration between the Center for Research in Image Analysis and Medical Informatics (CRAIIM) of the Insubria University and the Operative Unit of Neurosurgery, Neuroradiology and Health Physics of the University Hospital ”Circolo Fondazione Macchi”, Varese. The project aim is to investigate new methodologies by means of whose, develop an integrated framework able to enhance the use of Magnetic Resonance Images, in order to support clinical experts in the treatment of patients with brain Glial tumor. Both the most common uses of MRI technology for non-invasive brain inspection were analyzed. From the Functional point of view, the goal has been to provide tools for an objective reliable and non-presumptive assessment of the brain’s areas locations, to preserve them as much as possible at surgery. From the Structural point of view, methodologies for fully automatic brain segmentation and recognition of the tumoral areas, for evaluating the tumor volume, the spatial distribution and to be able to infer correlation with other clinical data or trace growth trend, have been studied. Each of the proposed methods has been thoroughly assessed both qualitatively and quantitatively. All the Medical Imaging and Pattern Recognition algorithmic solutions studied for this Ph.D. Thesis have been integrated in GliCInE: Glioma Computerized Inspection Environment, which is a MATLAB prototype of an integrated analysis environment that offers, in addition to all the functionality specifically described in this Thesis, a set of tools needed to manage Functional and Structural Magnetic Resonance Volumes and ancillary data related to the acquisition and the patient.openInformaticaPedoia, ValentinaPedoia, Valentin

Combining clustering and classification ensembles: A novel pipeline to identify breast cancer profiles

Breast Cancer is one of the most common causes of cancer death in women, representing a very complex disease with varied molecular alterations. To assist breast cancer prognosis, the classification of patients into biological groups is of great significance for treatment strategies. Recent studies have used an ensemble of multiple clustering algorithms to elucidate the most characteristic biological groups of breast cancer. However, the combination of various clustering methods resulted in a number of patients remaining unclustered. Therefore, a framework still needs to be developed which can assign as many unclustered (i.e. biologically diverse) patients to one of the identified groups in order to improve classification. Therefore, in this paper we develop a novel classification framework which introduces a new ensemble classification stage after the ensemble clustering stage to target the unclustered patients. Thus, a step-by-step pipeline is introduced which couples ensemble clustering with ensemble classification for the identification of core groups, data distribution in them and improvement in final classification results by targeting the unclustered data. The proposed pipeline is employed on a novel real world breast cancer dataset and subsequently its robustness and stability are examined by testing it on standard datasets. The results show that by using the presented framework, an improved classification is obtained. Finally, the results have been verified using statistical tests, visualisation techniques, cluster quality assessment and interpretation from clinical experts