Artificial Intelligence in Recycling: Waste Management with Convolutional Neural Networks

Understanding the learning mechanism of convolutional neural networks in spectral analysis

Practical experience of solid domestic waste (MSW) management in Ukraine and developed countries is analyzed. Theoretical volumes of MSW accumulation taking into account statistical factors are studied. The generalized method of MSW accumulation volumes allows forecasting their formation from the factors and evaluating the morphological composition of MSW in the region. The system for optimizing community waste management at the collection and disposal stage with the quality of the optimality criterion has been proposed. The degree of recycling and the costs of collecting and transporting waste should be taken as a criterion for optimising the urban waste management system at the collection and disposal stage. The quality analysis of the waste management system in the Zhytomyr region made it possible to identify the main problems in municipal waste management and the main reasons for their occurrence. The survey shows that the main problem in the area of waste management is the low efficiency of the existing management system, accompanied by the introduction of outdated and inefficient management methods with the lack of effective interaction of all participants in the waste management process and, above all, the lack of public involvement in solving the problem. The authors concluded that at the present time Zhytomyr city and Zhytomyr Region faced the following problems in the area of solid waste management: the number of spontaneous landfills has increased; the number of modern waste collection bins is insufficient and there are no bins for separate waste collection; the quality of solid waste collection services is inadequate; there is no recycling plant in Zhytomyr; large amount of household waste in the city landfill and absence of monitoring of its impact on the environment.

Among the many deep learning methods, the convolutional neural network (CNN) model has an excellent performance in image recognition. Research on identifying and classifying image datasets using CNN is ongoing. Animal species recognition and classification with CNN is expected to be helpful for various applications. However, sophisticated feature recognition is essential to classify quasi-species with similar features, such as the quasi-species of parrots that have a high color similarity. The purpose of this study is to develop a vision-based mobile application to classify endangered parrot species using an advanced CNN model based on transfer learning (some parrots have quite similar colors and shapes). We acquired the images in two ways: collecting them directly from the Seoul Grand Park Zoo and crawling them using the Google search. Subsequently, we have built advanced CNN models with transfer learning and trained them using the data. Next, we converted one of the fully trained models into a file for execution on mobile devices and created the Android package files. The accuracy was measured for each of the eight CNN models. The overall accuracy for the camera of the mobile device was 94.125%. For certain species, the accuracy of recognition was 100%, with the required time of only 455 ms. Our approach helps to recognize the species in real time using the camera of the mobile device. Applications will be helpful for the prevention of smuggling of endangered species in the customs clearance area.

COVID-19 disease is known as a new disease caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variant. The initial symptoms of the disease commonly include fever (83-98%), fatigue or myalgia, dry cough (76-82%), and shortness of breath (31-55%). Given the prevalence of coughing as a symptom, artificial intelligence has been employed as a means of detecting COVID-19 based on cough sounds. This study aims to compare the performance of six different Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) models (VGG-16, VGG-19, LeNet-5, AlexNet, ResNet-50, and ResNet-152) in detecting COVID-19 using mel-spectrogram images derived from cough sounds. The training and validation of these CNN models were conducted using the Virufy dataset. Audio data was processed to generate mel-spectrogram images, which were subsequently employed as inputs for the CNN models. The AlexNet model, utilizing an input size of 227x227, exhibited the best performance with the highest Area Under the Curve (AUC) value of 0.930303. This study provides compelling evidence of the efficacy of CNN models in detecting COVID-19 based on cough sounds through the utilization of mel-spectrogram images. Furthermore, the study underscores the impact of input size on model performance. The primary contribution of this research lies in identifying the CNN model that demonstrates the best performance in COVID-19 detection based on cough sounds. Additionally, this study establishes the fundamental groundwork for selecting an appropriate CNN methodology for early detection of COVID-19.

Accurately identifying epileptogenic zone (EZ) using high-frequency oscillations (HFOs) is a challenge that must be mastered to transfer HFOs into clinical use. We analyzed the ability of a convolutional neural network (CNN) model to distinguish EZ and non-EZ HFOs. Nineteen medically intractable epilepsy patients with good surgical outcomes 2 years after surgery were studied. Five-minute interictal intracranial electroencephalogram epochs of slow-wave sleep were selected randomly. Then 5 s segments of ripples (80–200 Hz) and fast ripples (FRs, 200–500 Hz) were detected automatically. The EZs and non-EZs were identified using the surgery resection range. We innovatively converted all epochs into four types of images using two scales: original waveforms, filtered waveforms, wavelet spectrum images, and smoothed pseudo Wigner–Ville distribution (SPWVD) spectrum images. Two scales were fixed and fitted scales. We then used a CNN model to classify the HFOs into EZ and non-EZ categories. As a result, 7,000 epochs of ripples and 2,000 epochs of FRs were randomly selected from the EZ and non-EZ data for analysis. Our CNN model can distinguish EZ and non-EZ HFOs successfully. Except for original ripple waveforms, the results from CNN models that are trained using fixed-scale images are significantly better than those from models trained using fitted-scale images (p < 0.05). Of the four fixed-scale transformations, the CNN based on the adjusted SPWVD (ASPWVD) produced the best accuracies (80.89 ± 1.43% and 77.85 ± 1.61% for ripples and FRs, respectively, p < 0.05). The CNN using ASPWVD transformation images is an effective deep learning method that can be used to classify EZ and non-EZ HFOs.

Distinguishing pericarpium citri reticulatae of different origins using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy combined with convolutional neural networks

Development in Computer vision applications, most prominently in Artificial Intelligence (AI) over the past decade, has encouraged researchers to use computational algorithms. Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL) algorithms are getting attention in the biomedical area to early diagnosis and prognosis of lethiferous diseases with higher accuracy using statistical analysis. Cervical cancer is one of the predominant gynecological infectious forms of cancer in females ecumenically, generally transpiring in less-developed nations. DL algorithms are more optimized and convenient due to the automatic feature extraction in Cervical lesion detection at an early phase. Here we analyze the convolutional neural network (CNN) models' performance using variation in channels depth comprises in the convolution layers to classify multi-class liquid-based cytology (LBC) Whole slide images (WSI). We propose three CNN models having two convolution layers with the number of channels (4,8), (8,16), and (32,64) and two pooling layers. CNN model with the highest number of channels in the convolution layers gives the leading performance with an accuracy of 96.89%, precision of 93.38%, the sensitivity of 93.75%, and F-score of 94.15%.

Bone cancer is a significant health issue that leads to severe complications and deaths worldwide. Early detection can significantly improve patient outcomes, often resulting in a complete cure. Traditional approaches to managing bone cancer can be augmented with technology-driven methods, particularly those enabled by artificial intelligence. Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and their variants have proven effective in medical data analysis. However, deep learning techniques require enhancements to improve performance in cancer detection across various medical imaging modalities. In this paper, we propose a deep-learning framework that utilizes advanced CNN models for the automatic screening of bone cancer. We have enhanced both the CNN model and the ResNet-50 model, which are integral components of the proposed framework. Additionally, we introduced an algorithm called Learning-based Bone Cancer Detection (LbBCD), designed to optimize the utilization of these enhanced deep learning models to improve bone cancer detection efficiency. Our research emphasizes a Region of Interest (ROI) based approach to enhance the screening process for bone cancer. Using a benchmark dataset known as the Bone CT Scan dataset, our empirical study demonstrated that the proposed deep learning framework, integrated with enhanced CNN and ResNet-50 models, achieved remarkable performance. Specifically, the enhanced CNN model reached an accuracy of 90.90%, while the enhanced ResNet-50 model achieved an accuracy of 92.20%, outperforming state-of-the-art deep learning models. Therefore, this proposed system can be integrated into healthcare applications for automatically screening bone cancer, contributing to a clinical decision support system for healthcare professionals.

We intended to compare the doctors with a convolutional neural network (CNN) that we had trained using our own unique method for the Lateral Pillar Classification (LPC) of Legg–Calve–Perthes Disease (LCPD). Thousands of training data sets are frequently required for artificial intelligence (AI) applications in medicine. Since we did not have enough real patient radiographs to train a CNN, we devised a novel method to obtain them. We trained the CNN model with the data we created by modifying the normal hip radiographs. No real patient radiographs were ever used during the training phase. We tested the CNN model on 81 hips with LCPD. Firstly, we detected the interobserver reliability of the whole system and then the reliability of CNN alone. Second, the consensus list was used to compare the results of 11 doctors and the CNN model. Percentage agreement and interobserver analysis revealed that CNN had good reliability (ICC = 0.868). CNN has achieved a 76.54% classification performance and outperformed 9 out of 11 doctors. The CNN, which we trained with the aforementioned method, can now provide better results than doctors. In the future, as training data evolves and improves, we anticipate that AI will perform significantly better than physicians.

Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) have demonstrated impressive performance in complex machine learning tasks such as classification and regression problems. A reliable neural network structure plays a decisive role in CNN studies. Through comparing and analyzing the structure of neural networks, a model structure for better visualization performance has been discovered, and such a method supports the development of deep learning research. These studies are of particular importance in end-to-end systems for autonomous driving to imitate human driving, where the interpretability of the system is limited. Because of the uncertainty of the ground truth, for the determination of human steering in an image, it is difficult to accurately compare the visualization performance of different CNN models or different visualization methods. For practical applications, however, an objective and quantitative measure for assessing visualization performance is necessary. Therefore, a method to evaluate the visualization performance of CNN models using a driver model instead of human drivers is proposed, to generate a data set which can be used to determine the decisional point (ground truth) in the input image. Then, an exclusive method is also put forth, to quantitatively calculate the relationship between the decisional point (ground truth) and the visualization results produced by CNN models. In this paper, five CNN models as an autonomous steering controller are designed based on PilotNet, and the visualization abilities of each CNN models is compared by three evaluation indicators. By comparing the visualization performance of five different CNN models, it is shown that the proposed method can successfully assess the visualization level of the CNN model.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Outdoor ultrafine particles (UFP; 100 nm) and black carbon (BC) vary greatly within cities and may have adverse impacts on human health such as cardiovascular mortality and brain tumour incidence. Traditional regression methods for estimating spatial distributions of ambient air pollution depend on extensive, curated geospatial information system databases. This has resulted in a disparity wherein little is known about local air pollution in the data-sparse settings of low- and middle- income countries. We used a hybrid approach to develop new models to estimate within-city spatial variations in outdoor UFP and BC concentrations across Bucaramanga, Colombia. METHODS: We conducted a large-scale mobile monitoring campaign over twenty days in 2019. Land use regression (LUR) models were developed using land use parameters from curated and open-source databases. Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) models were developed using Google Maps satellite view and street view images. Combined models were developed by combining predictions from the LUR and CNN models. After training in the training and validation sets, predictions were generated in the test set and compared to measured values. RESULTS:The combined UFP model (R2=0.54) outperformed the CNN (R2=0.47) and land use regression (LUR) models (R2=0.47) on their own. Similarly, the combined BC model also outperformed the CNN and LUR BC models (R2 = 0.51 vs 0.43 and 0.45 respectively). Spatial variations in model performance were more stable for the CNN and combined models compared to the LUR models suggesting that the combined approach may be less likely to contribute to differential exposure measurement error in epidemiological studies. CONCLUSIONS:Estimates from these models can then be applied to population-based cohorts in order to evaluate population health risks. Additionally, our findings demonstrated that satellite and street-level images can be combined with a traditional LUR modelling approach to improve predictions of within-city spatial variations in outdoor UFP and BC concentrations. KEYWORDS: Ultrafine particles, Black Carbon, Deep learning, Images, Land use regression

This study leveraged Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) models to estimate canopy height in Southeast Australian forests before and after the 2019–2020 bushfire event, using inputs from Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2, spectral indices, and terrain features and GEDI canopy height (rh99) as target variables. Our research consisted of three primary objectives: (1) an evaluation of GEDI rh99 canopy height in relation to an nDSM derived from airborne LiDAR, (2) the development of two CNN models for pre- and post-fire scenarios, and (3) utilizing the trained CNN models to generate pre- and post-fire canopy height maps and canopy height change maps across the continuous landscape. GEDI rh99 accuracy analysis revealed R 2 = 0.85, RMSE = 7.25 m and nRMSE = 0.23 for pre-fire GEDI and R 2 = 0.78, RMSE = 10.1 m and nRMSE = 0.3 for post-fire GEDI. The pre-fire CNN model achieved R 2 = 0.75, RMSE = 7.29 m and nRMSE = 0.22, and post-fire CNN model achieved R 2 = 0.62, RMSE = 11.67 m, and nRMSE = 0.34 when validated against nDSM. Bias analysis was conducted, revealing that GEDI rh99 underestimated nDSM across all canopy height ranges, and slope has no significant impact on GEDI accuracy. Notably, post-fire GEDI rh99 exhibited significant underestimation in high to extreme fire severity. The CNN models’ prediction displayed overestimation in short forests < 20 m and increasing underestimation in taller forests > 20 m and underestimation in high and extreme fire severity. Subsequent investigation indicated that canopy layer thinning in high fire severity conditions resulted in weak GEDI waveform signals and consequent bias. Additionally, the GEDI rh99 bias was propagated to the CNN models, together with insensitivity of spectral band values to canopy height in dense and burnt forests potentially contributed to models’ bias. Finally, we demonstrated CNN models’ ability to monitor forest recovery by generating canopy height maps spanning East Gippsland from 2019 to 2023.

Excessive withdrawal of groundwater for agricultural irrigation can cause seawater intrusion into coastal aquifers. Such a case will in turn results in deterioration of irrigation water quality. Determination of irrigation water quality with traditional methods is a time-consuming and costly process. However, machine learning algorithms can be useful tools for modeling and estimating groundwater quality used for irrigation water purposes. In this study, TDS, PS, SAR, and Cl parameters of groundwater were estimated with models based on EC and pH variables. For this purpose, prediction performances of two different deep learning methods (convolutional neural network (CNN) and deep neural network (DNN)) and two different classical machine learning (Random Forest (RF) and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost)) methods were compared. In addition, predictive uncertainty of the models was determined by quantile regression (QR) analysis. Performance criteria and results of uncertainty analysis revealed that CNN (in testing phase, NSE = 0.95 for TDS, NSE = 0.96 for PS, NSE = 0.67 for SAR and NSE = 0.93 for CI) and DNN (in testing phase, NSE = 0.91 for TDS, NSE = 0.91 for PS, NSE = 0.57 for SAR and NSE = 0.94 for Cl) models had quite a close performance in estimation of TDS, PS, SAR, and Cl parameters and higher than the other two classical machine learning methods. As a result, the CNN model can be considered the best performing model in estimating all quality parameters due to the highest NSE and lowest RMSE values. In addition, the Taylor diagram showed that the values estimated using the CNN model had the highest correlation with the measured data. It was determined that the model with the lowest uncertainty based on the PICP statistics was DNN, followed by the CNN model. However, the CNN model has predicted outliers more accurately. Present findings proved that deep learning models could offer efficient tools for predicting irrigation water quality parameters.

The main goal of this research was to accurately diagnose diseases in pepper plants using convolutional neural network (CNN) models and visual parameters features. Thus, we aimed to build a computing system that can utilise visual cues to identify plant diseases with almost 100% reliability. A total of 2,200 images were trained and tested on a dataset, which was divided into healthy leaves and those with bacterial ailments. The images were preprocessed, resized to 300x300 pixels, and then segmented to extract the relevant traits from them. This CNN model, in a word, is accurate because it detects diseases with 99.65% accuracy. If we want to speak of a high accuracy rate, that's the CNN model. It learns to identify the intricate patterns and features in pepper plants that are associated with diseases. CNN can make revolutionary changes to the identification of plant diseases and help prevent crop damage through timely treatments. Automatic identification of the disease makes life easier for both agriculturists and scientists. The results underscore the importance of image preprocessing, segmentation, and feature extraction in improving the ability of CNN models to locate diseases. Additionally, the performance of the CNN model was compared with other machine learning models such as KNN, Decision Tree, ANN, and Random Forest. It was found that the developed CNN model can predict the response with greater accuracy than the others. Modern high-tech precision farming systems might utilise proposed CNN models for plant disease diagnosis.

With increasing global attention on environmental protection and carbon neutrality goals, waste management has become a crucial component of achieving sustainability. Traditional waste disposal methods, such as manual sorting, identification, and crushing, often suffer from low efficiency and inconsistency. This study proposes a waste management system that integrates Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of waste treatment through automation. The proposed system addresses waste classification, recognition, and fragmentation, utilizing advanced AI technologies like Graph Neural Networks (GNN), Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), Visual Transformers (ViT), and Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL). To optimize the waste management process, the study used the KTH-TIPS dataset, which contains 800 high-resolution images of various material types. Robust model training was ensured through a series of preprocessing and data augmentation techniques. The experimental results demonstrated that CNN and Transformer architectures, including MobileNet, ResNet, and ViT, achieved high accuracies of 100.00%, 100.00%, and 96.91%, respectively. While the GNN and VGG architectures had slightly lower accuracies of 82.88% and 84.57%, they still demonstrated competitive performance. The experimental results illustrate the variation in training and testing losses across different models over the training cycles, revealing the learning dynamics and efficiency of each model.