Automatic Recognition of Mammal Genera on Camera-Trap Images using Multi-Layer Robust Principal Component Analysis and Mixture Neural Networks

The segmentation and classification of animals from camera-trap images is due to the conditions under which the images are taken, a difficult task. This work presents a method for classifying and segmenting mammal genera from camera-trap images. Our method uses Multi-Layer Robust Principal Component Analysis (RPCA) for segmenting, Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) for extracting features, Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) for selecting features, and Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) or Support Vector Machines (SVM) for classifying mammal genera present in the Colombian forest. We evaluated our method with the camera-trap images from the Alexander von Humboldt Biological Resources Research Institute. We obtained an accuracy of 92.65% classifying 8 mammal genera and a False Positive (FP) class, using automatic-segmented images. On the other hand, we reached 90.32% of accuracy classifying 10 mammal genera, using ground-truth images only. Unlike almost all previous works, we confront the animal segmentation and genera classification in the camera-trap recognition. This method shows a new approach toward a fully-automatic detection of animals from camera-trap images

Feature selection in credit risk modeling: an international evidence

This paper aims to discover a suitable combination of contemporary feature selection techniques and robust prediction classifiers. As such, to examine the impact of the feature selection method on classifier performance, we use two Chinese and three other real-world credit scoring datasets. The utilized feature selection methods are the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS). In contrast, the examined classifiers are the classification and regression trees (CART), logistic regression (LR), artificial neural network (ANN), and support vector machines (SVM). Empirical findings confirm that LASSO’s feature selection method, followed by robust classifier SVM, demonstrates remarkable improvement and outperforms other competitive classifiers. Moreover, ANN also offers improved accuracy with feature selection methods; LR only can improve classification efficiency through performing feature selection via LASSO. Nonetheless, CART does not provide any indication of improvement in any combination. The proposed credit scoring modeling strategy may use to develop policy, progressive ideas, operational guidelines for effective credit risk management of lending, and other financial institutions. The finding of this study has practical value, as to date, there is no consensus about the combination of feature selection method and prediction classifiers

Prediction of progression in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis using CT scans atbaseline: A quantum particle swarm optimization - Random forest approach

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a fatal lung disease characterized by an unpredictable progressive declinein lung function. Natural history of IPF is unknown and the prediction of disease progression at the time ofdiagnosis is notoriously difficult. High resolution computed tomography (HRCT) has been used for the diagnosisof IPF, but not generally for monitoring purpose. The objective of this work is to develop a novel predictivemodel for the radiological progression pattern at voxel-wise level using only baseline HRCT scans. Mainly, thereare two challenges: (a) obtaining a data set of features for region of interest (ROI) on baseline HRCT scans andtheir follow-up status; and (b) simultaneously selecting important features from high-dimensional space, andoptimizing the prediction performance. We resolved the first challenge by implementing a study design andhaving an expert radiologist contour ROIs at baseline scans, depending on its progression status in follow-upvisits. For the second challenge, we integrated the feature selection with prediction by developing an algorithmusing a wrapper method that combines quantum particle swarm optimization to select a small number of featureswith random forest to classify early patterns of progression. We applied our proposed algorithm to analyzeanonymized HRCT images from 50 IPF subjects from a multi-center clinical trial. We showed that it yields aparsimonious model with 81.8% sensitivity, 82.2% specificity and an overall accuracy rate of 82.1% at the ROIlevel. These results are superior to other popular feature selections and classification methods, in that ourmethod produces higher accuracy in prediction of progression and more balanced sensitivity and specificity witha smaller number of selected features. Our work is the first approach to show that it is possible to use onlybaseline HRCT scans to predict progressive ROIs at 6 months to 1year follow-ups using artificial intelligence