几种机器学习方法在黑色素瘤计算机辅助诊断中的性能比较

黑色素瘤的计算机辅助诊断是基于激光共聚焦扫描显微镜（CLSM）皮肤图像纹理特征, 并引入机器学习的技术, 为临床应用研发的一种能够准确、有效地识别在体恶性黑色素瘤新医学诊断方法, 将常用的基于机器学习的ID3、分类与回归树（CART）和AdaBoost三种算法应用于良恶性黑色素瘤图像的特征识别, 并对各种学习方法的性能进行比较。实验结果表明, AdaBoost算法具有较好的分类识别性能, 不但提高了恶性黑色素瘤早期诊断的准确度, 降低了良性黑色素瘤的误诊率, 而且为临床上早期发现和诊断提供了客观依据。     

Reprint of “Media reporting of traffic legislation changes in British Columbia (2010)”

IntroductionIn 2010, British Columbia (BC) introduced new traffic laws designed to deter impaired driving, speeding, and distracted driving. These laws generated significant media attention and were associated with reductions in fatal crashes and in ambulance calls and hospital admissions for road trauma.ObjectiveTo understand the extent and type of media coverage of the new traffic laws and to identify how the laws were framed by the media.MethodsWe reviewed a database of injury related news coverage (May 2010–December 2012) and extracted reports that mentioned distracted driving, impaired driving, or speeding. Articles were classified according to: (i) Type, (ii) Issue discussed, (iii) ‘Reference to new laws’, and (iv) ‘Pro/anti traffic law’. Articles mentioning the new laws were reread and common themes in how the laws were framed were identified and discussed.ResultsOver the course of the study, 1848 articles mentioned distraction, impairment, or speeding and 597 reports mentioned the new laws: 65 against, 227 neutral, and 305 supportive. Reports against the new laws framed them as unfair or as causing economic damage to the entertainment industry. Reports in favor of the new laws framed them in terms of preventing impaired driving and related trauma or of bringing justice to drinking drivers. Growing evidence of the effectiveness of the new laws generated media support.ConclusionsBC's new traffic laws generated considerable media attention both pro and con. We believe that this media attention helped inform the public of the new laws and enhanced their deterrent effect.     

Direct observation of spin-injection in tyrosinate-functionalized single-wall carbon nanotubes

In this work, we report on the interaction of a tyrosinate radical with single wall carbon nanotubes (CNT). The tyrosinate radical was formed from tyrosine (ester) by Fenton’s reagent and, reacted in situ with carbon nanotubes resulting in novel tyrosinated carbon nanotube derivatives. The covalent attachment of tyrosine on the external surface of the CNTs resulted in the appearance of a free radical, localized in the graphitic surface. The ‘electron injection’ (delocalization) of the free radical from the tyrosine ring onto the carbon nanotubes was studied and characterized by a combination of electron paramagnetic resonance, Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies, thermogravimetric analysis, as well as transmission electron and atomic force microscopies. The experiments, complemented by computer simulations, give insight into the formation process and structural details of the produced hybrid structures.     

The sensitivity of an NDT instrument based on the membrane resonance method

The sensitivity of a commercial instrument based on the membrane resonance method of nondestructive testing has been investigated. Tests have been carried out on aluminium plates with flat-bottomed holes and on structures with CFRP skins having aluminium and Nomex honeycomb cores with deliberately introduced skin-core disbonds. The results indicate that on conducting structures, using eddy current excitation, the instrument has greater sensitivity to deep defects than either the mechanical impedance or coin-tap methods, 50 mm diameter defects 7 mm deep being detectable in an aluminium structure, whereas with the other techniques, the margin of detectability is at depths between 3 and 5 mm. The results indicate that the sensitivity of the method to near-surface defects is comparable to that of the coin-tap technique, and that like the coin-tap method its reliability is maintained on flexible structures whereas that of the mechanical impedance method is severely reduced. The eddy current excitation system used in the tests reported here cannot be used on weakly conducting materials such as CFRP-skinned Nomex honeycomb. If an alternative piezoelectric exciter were to be used, the advantages of a non-contacting system would be lost.     

Study of Citrus taitensis and radical scavenger activity of the flavonoids isolated

The GC-MS study of the head space volatiles of Citrus taitensis Risso revealed that the main component, constituting 60% of the oil, is linalool. Three N-containing compounds, benzyl cyanide, indole and methyl anthranilate, constituted a considerable additional percentage of the volatiles (16.9%). Investigation of the flavonoids indicated that the two major components were dihydrorobinetin and genistein. Both compounds give a high percentage inhibition of the chemiluminescence in polymorphonuclear cells stimulated by N-formylmethionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine, but a much lower inhibition with stimulation by opsonized zymosan.     

A study on the reliability assessment methodology for pressure piping containing circumferential defects: II: reliability analysis method of a pressure piping system

The reliability of pressure piping containing circumferential defects often needs to be known in engineering. In this paper, the reliability analysis model and the reliability assessment procedure of pressure piping containing circumferential defects are established, and theoretical analysis of the correlation between failure events of the welded joints containing circumferential defects is carried out. Then the numerical method of computing failure probability of pressure piping containing circumferential defects is set up. In the end, an effective method of improving the reliability of pressure piping containing circumferential defects is proposed.     

Evaluation of sandwich panels with various polyurethane foam-cores and ribs

The objective of this study was to evaluate three potential core alternatives for glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) foam-core sandwich panels. The proposed system could reduce the initial production costs and the manufacturing difficulties while improving the system performance. Three different polyurethane foam configurations were considered for the inner core, and the most suitable system was recommended for further prototyping. These configurations consisted of high-density polyurethane foam (Type 1), a bidirectional gridwork of thin, interconnecting, GFRP webs that is in-filled with low-density polyurethane foam (Type 2), and trapezoidal-shaped, low-density polyurethane foam utilizing GFRP web layers (Type 3). The facings of the three cores consisted of three plies of bidirectional E-glass woven fabric within a compatible polyurethane resin. Several types of small-scale experimental investigations were conducted. The results from this study indicated that the Types 1 and 2 cores were very weak and flexible making their implementation in bridge deck panels less practical. The Type 3 core possessed a higher strength and stiffness than the other two types. Therefore, this type is recommended for the proposed sandwich system to serve as a candidate for further development. Additionally, a finite element model (FEM) was developed using software package ABAQUS for the Type 3 system to further investigate its structural behavior. This model was successfully compared to experimental data indicating its suitability for parametric analysis of panels and their design.     

Computational intelligence in control

This Milestone Report addresses first the position of the areas of computers, computational intelligence and communications within IFAC. Subsequently, it addresses the role of computational intelligence in control. It focuses on four topics within the Computational Intelligence area: neural network control, fuzzy control, reinforcement learning and brain machine interfaces. Within these topics the challenges and the relevant theoretical contributions are highlighted, as well as expected future directions are pointed out.