Machine learning in oral squamous cell carcinoma: current status, clinical concerns and prospects for future-A systematic review

Background: Oral cancer can show heterogenous patterns of behavior. For proper and effective management of oral cancer, early diagnosis and accurate prediction of prognosis are important. To achieve this, artificial intelligence (AI) or its subfield, machine learning, has been touted for its potential to revolutionize cancer management through improved diagnostic precision and prediction of outcomes. Yet, to date, it has made only few contributions to actual medical practice or patient care. Objectives: This study provides a systematic review of diagnostic and prognostic application of machine learning in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and also highlights some of the limitations and concerns of clinicians towards the implementation of machine learning-based models for daily clinical practice. Data sources: We searched OvidMedline, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) databases from inception until February 2020 for articles that used machine learning for diagnostic or prognostic purposes of OSCC. Eligibility criteria: Only original studies that examined the application of machine learning models for prognostic and/or diagnostic purposes were considered. Data extraction: Independent extraction of articles was done by two researchers (A.R. & O.Y) using predefine study selection criteria. We used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) in the searching and screening processes. We also used Prediction model Risk of Bias Assessment Tool (PROBAST) for assessing the risk of bias (ROB) and quality of included studies. Results: A total of 41 studies were published to have used machine learning to aid in the diagnosis/or prognosis of OSCC. The majority of these studies used the support vector machine (SVM) and artificial neural network (ANN) algorithms as machine learning techniques. Their specificity ranged from 0.57 to 1.00, sensitivity from 0.70 to 1.00, and accuracy from 63.4 % to 100.0 % in these studies. The main limitations and concerns can be grouped as either the challenges inherent to the science of machine learning or relating to the clinical implementations. Conclusion: Machine learning models have been reported to show promising performances for diagnostic and prognostic analyses in studies of oral cancer. These models should be developed to further enhance explainability, interpretability, and externally validated for generalizability in order to be safely integrated into daily clinical practices. Also, regulatory frameworks for the adoption of these models in clinical practices are necessary.Peer reviewe

Combined forecast model involving wavelet-group methods of data handling for drought forecasting

Vigorous efforts to improve the effectiveness of drought forecasting models has yet to yield accurate result. The situation gives room on the use of robust forecasting methods that could effectively improve existing methods. The complex nature of time series data does not enable one single method that is suitable in all situations. Thus, a combined model that will provide a better result is then proposed. This study introduces a wavelet and group methods of data handling (GMDH) by integrating discrete wavelet transform (DWT) and GMDH with transfer functions such as sigmoid and radial basis function (RBF) to form three wavelet-GMDH models known as modified W-GMDH (MW-GMDH), sigmoid W-GMDH (SW-GMDH) and RBF W-GMDH. To assess the effectiveness of this approach, these models were applied to rainfall data at four study stations namely Arau and Kuala Krai in Malaysia as well as Badeggi and Duku-Lade in Nigeria. These data were transformed into four Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) known as SPI3, SPI6, SPI9 and SPI12. The result shows that the integration of DWT improved the performance of the conventional GMDH model. The combination of these models further improved the performance of each model. The proposed model provides efficient, simple, and reliable accuracy when compared with other models. The incorporation of wavelet to the study results in improving performance for all four stations with the Combined W-GMDH (CW-GMDH) and Combined Regression W-GMDH (CRW-GMDH) models. The results show that Duku-Lade station produced the lowest value of 0.0239 and 0.0211 for RMSE and MAE and highest value of 0.9858 for R respectively. In addition, CRW-GMDH model produce the lowest value of 0.0168 and 0.0117, and the highest value of 0.9870 for RMSE MAE, and R respectively. On the percentage improvement, Duku-Lade station shows improvement over other models with the reductions in RMSE and MAE by 42.3% and 80.3% respectively. This indicates that the model is most suitable for the drought forecasting in this station. The results of the comparison among the four stations indicate that the CW-GMDH and CRW-GMDH models are more accurate and perform better than MW-GMDH, SW-GMDH and RBFW-GMDH models. However, the overall performance of the CRW-GMDH model outweigh that of the CW-GMDH model. In conclusion, CRW-GMDH model performs better than other models for drought forecasting and capable of providing a promising alternative to drought forecasting technique