Pneumonia and Eye Disease Detection using Convolutional Neural Networks

The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate the performance of a convolutional neural network (CNN) that uses a novel A-line based classification approach to detect cancer in OCT images of breast specimens. Deep learning algorithms have been developed for OCT ophthalmology applications using pixel-based classification approaches. In this study, a novel deep learning approach was developed that classifies OCT A-lines of breast tissue. De-identified human breast tissues from mastectomy and breast reduction specimens were excised from patients at Columbia University Medical Center. A total of 82 specimens from 49 patients were imaged with OCT, including both normal tissues and non-neoplastic tissues. The proposed algorithm utilized a hybrid 2D/1D convolutional neural network (CNN) to map each single B-scan to a 1D label vector, which were derived from manual annotation. Each A-line was labelled as one of the following tissue types: ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), adipose, and stroma. Five-fold cross-validation Dice scores across tissue types were: 0.82-0.95 for IDC, 0.54-0.75 for DCIS, 0.67-0.91 for adipose, and 0.61-0.86 for stroma. In a second experiment, IDC and DCIS were combined as a single tissue class (malignancy) while stroma and adipose were combined as a second tissue class (non-malignancy). In this setup, the experiment yielded five-fold cross-validation Dice scores between 0.89-0.93, respectively. Future work includes acquiring more patient samples and to compare the algorithm to previous works, including both deep learning and traditional automatic image processing methods for classification of breast tissue in OCT images.

We aimed to develop a model to predict visual field (VF) in the central 10 degrees in patients with glaucoma, by training a convolutional neural network (CNN) with optical coherence tomography (OCT) images and adjusting the values with Humphrey Field Analyzer (HFA) 24–2 test. The training dataset included 558 eyes from 312 glaucoma patients and 90 eyes from 46 normal subjects. The testing dataset included 105 eyes from 72 glaucoma patients. All eyes were analyzed by the HFA 10-2 test and OCT; eyes in the testing dataset were additionally analyzed by the HFA 24-2 test. During CNN model training, the total deviation (TD) values of the HFA 10-2 test point were predicted from the combined OCT-measured macular retinal layers’ thicknesses. Then, the predicted TD values were corrected using the TD values of the innermost four points from the HFA 24-2 test. Mean absolute error derived from the CNN models ranged between 9.4 and 9.5 B. These values reduced to 5.5 dB on average, when the data were corrected using the HFA 24-2 test. In conclusion, HFA 10-2 test results can be predicted with a OCT images using a trained CNN model with adjustment using HFA 24-2 test.

Plant leaf diseases pose significant challenges to agricultural productivity, necessitating early detection and intervention strategies. Recent research has increasingly turned to artificial intelligence (AI) techniques, particularly image processing and deep learning, to address these challenges. The paper provides a technical view of the application of Artificial Intelligence in plant leaf disease detection. Key aspects covered include datasets, image processing methodologies, deep learning algorithms, and evaluation metrics commonly utilized in this domain. An emphasis is placed on the important role of annotated datasets in the training of AI models, facilitating the development of accurate classification systems. Image processing techniques, encompassing tasks such as enhancement, segmentation, and feature extraction, are discussed for their role in preprocessing leaf images to extract salient features. Deep learning algorithms, notably convolutional neural networks (CNNs), are highlighted for their effectiveness in automatically learning discriminative features from input images and achieving high accuracy rates in disease classification tasks. The paper illuminates the significance of employing evaluation metrics such as accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 score as quantitative benchmarks to gauge the efficacy of model performance. It highlights the triumphs observed across diverse studies harnessing AI methodologies for the detection of plant leaf diseases, emphasizing their transformative capacity in reshaping agricultural management paradigms. Future research directions are outlined, including the exploration of transfer learning methods to capitalize on pre-trained models and the integration of additional sensing technologies like hyperspectral imaging and drones for enhanced disease detection capabilities. These advancements are poised to further refine the accuracy and efficiency of plant leaf disease detection systems, thereby offering substantial benefits to agriculture and food production sectors.

Microaneurysms (MAs) are pathognomonic signs that help clinicians to detect diabetic retinopathy (DR) in the early stages. Automatic detection of MA in retinal images is an active area of research due to its application in screening processes for DR which is one of the main reasons of blindness amongst the working-age population. The focus of these works is on the automatic detection of MAs in en face retinal images like fundus color and Fluorescein Angiography (FA). On the other hand, detection of MAs from Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) images has 2 main advantages: first, OCT is a non-invasive imaging technique that does not require injection, therefore is safer. Secondly, because of the proven application of OCT in detection of Age-Related Macular Degeneration, Diabetic Macular Edema, and normal cases, thanks to detecting MAs in OCT, extensive information is obtained by using this imaging technique. In this research, the concentration is on the diagnosis of MAs using deep learning in the OCT images which represent in-depth structure of retinal layers. To this end, OCT B-scans should be divided into strips and MA patterns should be searched in the resulted strips. Since we need a dataset comprising OCT image strips with suitable labels and such large labelled datasets are not yet available, we have created it. For this purpose, an exact registration method is utilized to align OCT images with FA photographs. Then, with the help of corresponding FA images, OCT image strips are created from OCT B-scans in four labels, namely MA, normal, abnormal, and vessel. Once the dataset of image strips is prepared, a stacked generalization (stacking) ensemble of four fine-tuned, pre-trained convolutional neural networks is trained to classify the strips of OCT images into the mentioned classes. FA images are used once to create OCT strips for training process and they are no longer needed for subsequent steps. Once the stacking ensemble model is obtained, it will be used to classify the OCT strips in the test process. The results demonstrate that the proposed framework classifies overall OCT image strips and OCT strips containing MAs with accuracy scores of 0.982 and 0.987, respectively.

Comparative study of IoT- and AI-based computing disease detection approaches

The conventional approach for diagnosing dental caries is clinical examination and supplemented by radiographs. However, studies based on the clinical and radiographic examination methods often show low sensitivity and high specificity. Machine learning and deep learning techniques can be used to enhance optical coherence tomography (OCT) to more accurately identify diseased and damaged tissue. In this paper, we present a novel approach combining OCT imaging modality and deep convolutional neural network (CNN) for the detection of occlusal carious lesions. A total of 51 extracted human permanent teeth were collected and categorized into three groups: Non-carious teeth, caries extending into enamel, and caries extending into dentin. In data acquisition and ex-vivo OCT imaging, the samples were imaged using spectral-domain OCT system operating at 1300nm center wavelength with a scan rate of 5.5-76kHz, and axial resolution of 5.5μm in air. To acquire images with minimum inhomogeneity, imaging was performed multiple times at different points. For deep learning, OCT images of extracted human carious and non-carious teeth were input to a CNN classifier to determine variations in tissue densities resembling the demineralization process. The CNN model employs two convolutional and pooling layers to extract features and then classify each patch based on the probabilities from the SoftMax classification layer. The sensitivity and specificity of distinguishing between carious and non-carious lesions were found to be 98% and 100%, respectively. This proposed deep learning-based OCT method can reliably classify the oral tissues with various densities, and could be extremely valuable in early dental caries detection.

BackgroundBanana (Musa spp.) is the most popular marketable fruit crop grown all over the world, and a dominant staple food in many developing countries. Worldwide, banana production is affected by numerous diseases and pests. Novel and rapid methods for the timely detection of pests and diseases will allow to surveil and develop control measures with greater efficiency. As deep convolutional neural networks (DCNN) and transfer learning has been successfully applied in various fields, it has freshly moved in the domain of just-in-time crop disease detection. The aim of this research is to develop an AI-based banana disease and pest detection system using a DCNN to support banana farmers.ResultsLarge datasets of expert pre-screened banana disease and pest symptom/damage images were collected from various hotspots in Africa and Southern India. To build a detection model, we retrained three different convolutional neural network (CNN) architectures using a transfer learning approach. A total of six different models were developed from 18 different classes (disease by plant parts) using images collected from different parts of the banana plant. Our studies revealed ResNet50 and InceptionV2 based models performed better compared to MobileNetV1. These architectures represent the state-of-the-art results of banana diseases and pest detection with an accuracy of more than 90% in most of the models tested. These experimental results were comparable with other state-of-the-art models found in the literature. With a future view to run these detection capabilities on a mobile device, we evaluated the performance of SSD (single shot detector) MobileNetV1. Performance and validation metrics were also computed to measure the accuracy of different models in automated disease detection methods.ConclusionOur results showed that the DCNN was a robust and easily deployable strategy for digital banana disease and pest detection. Using a pre-trained disease recognition model, we were able to perform deep transfer learning (DTL) to produce a network that can make accurate predictions. This significant high success rate makes the model a useful early disease and pest detection tool, and this research could be further extended to develop a fully automated mobile app to help millions of banana farmers in developing countries.

PurposeThe aim of this study was to analyse and review deep learning convolutional neural networks for detecting and diagnosing early-stage dental caries on periapical radiographs.Materials and MethodsIn order to conduct this review, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. Studies published from 2015 to 2021 under the keywords (deep convolutional neural network) AND (caries), (deep learning caries) AND (convolutional neural network) AND (caries) were systematically reviewed.ResultsWhen dental caries is improperly diagnosed, the lesion may eventually invade the enamel, dentin, and pulp tissue, leading to loss of tooth function. Rapid and precise detection and diagnosis are vital for implementing appropriate prevention and treatment of dental caries. Radiography and intraoral images are considered to play a vital role in detecting dental caries; nevertheless, studies have shown that 20% of suspicious areas are mistakenly diagnosed as dental caries using this technique; hence, diagnosis via radiography alone without an objective assessment is inaccurate. Identifying caries with a deep convolutional neural network-based detector enables the operator to distinguish changes in the location and morphological features of dental caries lesions. Deep learning algorithms have broader and more profound layers and are continually being developed, remarkably enhancing their precision in detecting and segmenting objects.ConclusionClinical applications of deep learning convolutional neural networks in the dental field have shown significant accuracy in detecting and diagnosing dental caries, and these models hold promise in supporting dental practitioners to improve patient outcomes.

Background: Memristor-based implementations of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) offer the potential to reduce power consumption and improve computational efficiency significantly. However, the non-ideal characteristics of memristive devices, such as variability and limited switching behavior, can introduce nonlinearity and degrade network performance. It is therefore essential to simulate memristor-based deep learning systems and evaluate the impact of these imperfections before proceeding with hardware-level deployment. Objective: This study aims to design a lightweight memristor-based MobileNetV2 model for smoking behavior detection and analyze the influence of memristor non-idealities on the network’s detection accuracy. Methods: A lightweight MobileNetV2 network was constructed and trained on a self-developed dataset for smoking behavior detection, achieving a peak accuracy of 92.25%. Based on the trained model, a memristor-based MobileNetV2 architecture was implemented using the Mem- Torch simulation framework. Two memristor models, VTEAM and Data-Driven Verilog-A RRAM, were employed to replace the convolutional and fully connected layers with memristor crossbar arrays. The impact of non-ideal memristor properties, including conductance variability and resistance state faults, was systematically evaluated. Results: Simulation results demonstrated that the memristor-based MobileNetV2 network achieved detection accuracies of 92.11% with the VTEAM model and 91.82% with the Verilog-A RRAM model. As device non-idealities increased, the detection accuracy declined significantly, indicating a strong correlation between memristor imperfections and the performance of CNN- based target detection tasks. Conclusion: Memristor non-idealities substantially affect the performance of neuromorphic CNNs. This study provides targeted analyses and proposes mitigation strategies, such as differential encoding and improved fabrication techniques, to support the practical deployment of memristor- based neural networks in energy-efficient AI applications.

– Domain: Artificial Intelligence Subdomain: Computer Vision Problem Statement: Plant diseases significantly reduce crop yield and quality. Traditional disease detection methods rely on manual observation, which is often slow, inaccurate, and not easily accessible to all farmers. There is a need for an automated system that can quickly and accurately detect plant diseases using technology. Solution: The Plant AI-Based Disease Detection System is a desktop web application that uses deep learning to identify plant leaf diseases. Users upload a leaf image, which is analyzed by a trained CNN model to detect the disease. The system then displays the disease name along with precautionary measures, helping users take timely action and improve crop productivity. Key Words: Plant Disease Detection, Artificial Intelligence, Computer Vision, Deep Learning, Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), Image Classification, Agriculture Technology, Machine Learning

Progression or Aging? A Deep Learning Approach for Distinguishing Glaucoma Progression From Age-Related Changes in OCT Scans

The agricultural sector is rapidly evolving through digital technologies, creating significant opportunities to apply Artificial Intelligence (AI) for improving crop productivity, reducing losses, and optimizing resource utilization. This review specifically examines two key challenges in modern agriculture: the timely and accurate detection of crop diseases and the generation of precise fertilizer recommendations. We present a structured analysis of recent deep learning advancements, focusing on computer vision techniques such as Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), Vision Transformers (ViTs), and Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) for image-based disease diagnosis, as well as NLP and knowledge-graph approaches for integrating agronomic information. Additionally, we evaluate data-driven fertilizer recommendation frameworks that incorporate soil characteristics, climatic factors, and crop growth patterns using hybrid deep learning and ensemble models. The review also explores the role of multimodal learning, IoT-based sensing, and cloud–edge computing in enabling real-time agricultural decision-making. Finally, we highlight current limitations—including dataset scarcity, generalization issues, explainability gaps, and scalability concerns—and outline future research directions for building intelligent, interpretable, and adaptive AI systems for sustainable agriculture.

Aims: This study aimed to explore the effect of training set diversity on the performance of deep learning models for predicting early gastric cancer (EGC) under endoscopy. Methods: Images of EGC and non-cancerous lesions under narrow-band imaging (ME-NBI) and magnifying blue laser imaging (ME-BLI) were retrospectively collected. Training set 1 was composed of 150 non-cancerous and 309 EGC ME-NBI images, training set 2 was composed of 1505 non-cancerous and 309 EGC ME-BLI images, and training set 3 was the combination of training set 1 and 2. Test set 1 was composed of 376 non-cancerous and 1052 EGC ME-NBI images, test set 2 consisted of 529 non-cancerous and 71 EGC ME-BLI images, and test set 3 was the combination of test set 1 and test set 2. Three deep learning models, convolutional neural network (CNN) 1, CNN 2 and CNN 3 (CNN 1, CNN 2 and CNN 3 were independently trained using training set 1, training set 2 and training set 3, respectively), were constructed, and their performances on each test set were respectively evaluated. One hundred and thirty-eight ME-NBI videos and 17 ME-BLI videos were further collected to evaluate and compare the performance of each model in real time. Results: On the whole, the performance of CNN 3 was the best. The accuracy (Acc), sensitivity (Sn), specificity (Sp) and area under the curve (AUC) of test set 1 in CNN 3 were 87.89% (1255/1428), 90.96% (342/376), 86.79% (913/1052) and 94.60%, respectively. The Acc, Sn, Sp and AUC of test set 2 in CNN 3 were 95% (570/600), 97.92% (518/529), 73.24% (52/71) and 90.93% respectively. The Acc, Sn, Sp and AUC of test set 3 in CNN 3 were 89.99% (1825/2028), 95.03% (860/905), 85.93% (965/1123) and 94.89%, respectively. The performance of CNN 3 was also the best in videos test set. The Acc, Sn and Sp of videos test set in CNN 3 were 91.03% (142/156), 90.58% (125/138) and 94.44% (17/18), respectively. Conclusions: The deep learning model with the most diverse training data has the best diagnostic effect.

The use of machine learning (ML) has been increasing rapidly in the medical imaging field, including computer-aided diagnosis (CAD), radiomics, and medical image analysis. Recently, an ML area called deep learning emerged in the computer vision field and became very popular in many fields. It started from an event in late 2012, when a deep-learning approach based on a convolutional neural network (CNN) won an overwhelming victory in the best-known worldwide computer vision competition, ImageNet Classification. Since then, researchers in virtually all fields, including medical imaging, have started actively participating in the explosively growing field of deep learning. In this paper, the area of deep learning in medical imaging is overviewed, including (1) what was changed in machine learning before and after the introduction of deep learning, (2) what is the source of the power of deep learning, (3) two major deep-learning models: a massive-training artificial neural network (MTANN) and a convolutional neural network (CNN), (4) similarities and differences between the two models, and (5) their applications to medical imaging. This review shows that ML with feature input (or feature-based ML) was dominant before the introduction of deep learning, and that the major and essential difference between ML before and after deep learning is the learning of image data directly without object segmentation or feature extraction; thus, it is the source of the power of deep learning, although the depth of the model is an important attribute. The class of ML with image input (or image-based ML) including deep learning has a long history, but recently gained popularity due to the use of the new terminology, deep learning. There are two major models in this class of ML in medical imaging, MTANN and CNN, which have similarities as well as several differences. In our experience, MTANNs were substantially more efficient in their development, had a higher performance, and required a lesser number of training cases than did CNNs. "Deep learning", or ML with image input, in medical imaging is an explosively growing, promising field. It is expected that ML with image input will be the mainstream area in the field of medical imaging in the next few decades.

The problems of plant leaf disease are rather serious in the world agricultural industry, leading to a significant decrease in crop quantity and quality, consequently, resulting in a huge loss in the economy and food insecurity. Detection and successful classification of plant diseases at the initial stage is essential to further agricultural output and the quality production of food. The recent improvements in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), specifically, machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL), have shown significant prospects in automating and enhancing methods of diagnosing plant leaf diseases by using a wide variety of ML and DL algorithms. This review article presents an in-depth analysis of thirty novel methods created by researchers to diagnose and classify plant leaf diseases. They are such conventional classifiers as Support Vector Machines (SVM), Random Forests (RF), and K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), along with some advanced DL architectures, such as Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), VGG16, ResNet50, InceptionResNetV2, EfficientNet, and various hybrids. The review analysis takes into consideration the methodologies applied, performance metrics, and insights in practice, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of both. The most crucial findings of the review show that deep learning models, and CNNs in particular, tend to be more accurate, robust, and feature extractors than traditional models of MLs. The performance of classification is also enhanced by numerous hybrid models that will use ML together with DL, and transfer learning has been an effective method to enhance the generalization using small datasets. Nevertheless, with all this progress, the issues of diversity of datasets, computational resource requirements and model interpretability are still to be explored in the future.