Clinical keratoconus (KCN) detection is a challenging and time-consuming task. In the diagnosis process, ophthalmologists must revise demographic and clinical ophthalmic examinations. The latter include slit-lamb, corneal topographic maps, and Pentacam indices (PI). We propose an Ensemble of Deep Transfer Learning (EDTL) based on corneal topographic maps. We consider four pretrained networks, SqueezeNet (SqN), AlexNet (AN), ShuffleNet (SfN), and MobileNet-v2 (MN), and fine-tune them on a dataset of KCN and normal cases, each including four topographic maps. We also consider a PI classifier. Then, our EDTL method combines the output probabilities of each of the five classifiers to obtain a decision based on the fusion of probabilities. Individually, the classifier based on PI achieved 93.1% accuracy, whereas the deep classifiers reached classification accuracies over 90% only in isolated cases. Overall, the average accuracy of the deep networks over the four corneal maps ranged from 86% (SfN) to 89.9% (AN). The classifier ensemble increased the accuracy of the deep classifiers based on corneal maps to values ranging (92.2% to 93.1%) for SqN and (93.1% to 94.8%) for AN. Including in the ensemble-specific combinations of corneal maps’ classifiers and PI increased the accuracy to 98.3%. Moreover, visualization of first learner filters in the networks and Grad-CAMs confirmed that the networks had learned relevant clinical features. This study shows the potential of creating ensembles of deep classifiers fine-tuned with a transfer learning strategy as it resulted in an improved accuracy while showing learnable filters and Grad-CAMs that agree with clinical knowledge. This is a step further towards the potential clinical deployment of an improved computer-assisted diagnosis system for KCN detection to help ophthalmologists to confirm the clinical decision and to perform fast and accurate KCN treatment.
This study is carried out to investigate the prevalence of Coxiella burnetii (C. burnetii) infections in cattle using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay targeting IS1111A transposase gene. A total of 130 lactating cows were randomly selected from different areas in Wasit province, Iraq and subjected to blood and milk sampling during the period extended between November 2018 and May 2019. ELISA and PCR tests revealed that 16.15% and 10% of the animals studied were respectively positive. Significant correlations (P<0.05) were detected between the positive results and clinical data. Two positive PCR products were analyzed phylogenetically, named as C. burnetii IQ-No.5 and C. burnet
... Show MorePersistence of antibiotics in the aquatic environment has raised concerns regarding their potential influence on potable water quality and human health. This study analyzes the presence of antibiotics in potable water from two treatment plants in Baghdad City. The collected samples were separated using a solid-phase extraction method with hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) cartridge before being analyzed. The detected antibiotics in the raw and finished drinking water were analyzed and assessed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), with fluorometric detector and UV detector. The results confirmed that different antibiotics including fluoroquinolones and
The Internet of Things (IoT) is an expanding domain that can revolutionize different industries. Nevertheless, security is among the multiple challenges that it encounters. A major threat in the IoT environment is spoofing attacks, a type of cyber threat in which malicious actors masquerade as legitimate entities. This research aims to develop an effective technique for detecting spoofing attacks for IoT security by utilizing feature-importance methods. The suggested methodology involves three stages: preprocessing, selection of important features, and classification. The feature importance determines the most significant characteristics that play a role in detecting spoofing attacks. This is achieved via two techniques: decision tr
... Show MoreIn recent years, the evolution of the community structure in social networks has gained significant attention. Due to the rapid and continuous evolution of real-world networks over time. This makes the process of identifying communities and tracking their topology changes challenging. To tackle these challenges, it is necessary to find efficient methodologies for analyzing the behavior patterns of dynamic communities. Several previous reviews have introduced algorithms and models for community detection. However, these methods have not been very accurate in identifying communities. Moreover, none of the reviewed papers made an apparent effort to link algorithms that can accurately detect dynamic communities. This review aims to present a ta
... Show MoreResearch Summary The aim of the search for knowledge of the effect generative learning strategy in: 1 - Achievement of the second grade. 2 - Systemic thinking for the second grade students when studying the biology. The study sample increased (60) students distributed into two equal experimental and control groups. Prepare the test of 40 pieces of multiple choice type and prepare a test for systematic thinking according to three skills 1. Understand the relationships between the parts of the systemic form and complement the sentences given 2 - complement the relationships between parts of the systemic form 3. Building the systemic form. It was a search result 1- There is a difference of statistical significance (at level 0.05) between th
... Show MorePurpose: Determining and identifying the relationships of smart strategic education systems and their potential effects on sustainable success in managing clouding electronic business networks according to green, economic and environmental logic based on vigilance and awareness of the strategic mind.
Design: Designing a hypothetical model that reveals the role and investigating audit and cloud electronic governance according to a philosophy that highlights smart strategic learning processes, identifying its assumptions in cloud spaces, choosing its tools, what it costs to devise expert minds, and strategic intelligence.
Methodology:
Background: Educational environment is one of the most important determinants of an effective curriculum. Students' perceptions of their educational environment have a significant impact on their behavior and academic progress. Objective: 1. To identify students’ perception to the educational environment.2. To identify any gender or class level differences in the students’ perception.Type of the study: This is a descriptive cross-sectional studyMethodology: The study was carried out on convenient sample of 150 students of 2nd and 5th grade. This study was done in Al Kindy Medical College, Baghdad, Iraq and conducted during the period from the 1st of October 2013 till the end of March 2014, by using DREEM questionnaire a validated uni
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