Feature-based registration of histopathology images with different stains: An application for computerized follicular lymphoma prognosis

Follicular lymphoma (FL) is the second most common type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Manual histological grading of FL is subject to remarkable inter- and intra-reader variations. A promising approach to grading is the development of a computer-assisted system that improves consistency and precision. Correlating information from adjacent slides with different stain types requires establishing spatial correspondences between the digitized section pair through a precise non-rigid image registration. However, the dissimilar appearances of the different stain types challenges existing registration methods.This study proposes a method for the automatic non-rigid registration of histological section images with different stain types. This method is based on matching high level features that are representative of small anatomical structures. This choice of feature provides a rich matching environment, but also results in a high mismatch probability. Matching confidence is increased by establishing local groups of coherent features through geometric reasoning. The proposed method is validated on a set of FL images representing different disease stages. Statistical analysis demonstrates that given a proper feature set the accuracy of automatic registration is comparable to manual registration.     

Buckling of symmetric cross-ply square plates with various boundary conditions

The buckling analysis of cross-ply laminated square plates subjected to three types of in-plane forces and various edge boundary conditions is presented on the basis of a unified five-degree-of-freedom shear deformable plate theory. The employment of the appropriate “shear deformation shape functions” in the theory leads to certain shear deformable plate theories developed previously, also, fulfills the requirement of the continuity conditions among the layers. The governing equations of buckling behaviour of completely simply supported cross-ply laminated plates are solved analytically. For the plates with different combinations of free, clamped and simply supported boundary conditions at their edges, the Ritz method is applied by assuming the displacement components as the double series of simple algebraic polynomials. The numerical results obtained on the basis of various plate theories for uniaxial, biaxial compression and compression–tension types of loading and different length-to-thickness ratios are presented and compared with the ones available in the literature.     

Sketched symbol recognition with auto-completion

Sketching is a natural mode of communication that can be used to support communication among humans. Recently there has been a growing interest in sketch recognition technologies for facilitating human–computer interaction in a variety of settings, including design, art, and teaching. Automatic sketch recognition is a challenging problem due to the variability in hand drawings, the variation in the order of strokes, and the similarity of symbol classes. In this paper, we focus on a more difficult task, namely the task of classifying sketched symbols before they are fully completed. There are two main challenges in recognizing partially drawn symbols. The first is deciding when a partial drawing contains sufficient information for recognizing it unambiguously among other visually similar classes in the domain. The second challenge is classifying the partial drawings correctly with this partial information. We describe a sketch auto-completion framework that addresses these challenges by learning visual appearances of partial drawings through semi-supervised clustering, followed by a supervised classification step that determines object classes. Our evaluation results show that, despite the inherent ambiguity in classifying partially drawn symbols, we achieve promising auto-completion accuracies for partial drawings. Furthermore, our results for full symbols match/surpass existing methods on full object recognition accuracies reported in the literature. Finally, our design allows real-time symbol classification, making our system applicable in real world applications.     

Approximate solutions for nonlinear oscillation of a mass attached to a stretched elastic wire

In this paper, the approximate solutions of the mathematical model of a mass attached to a stretched elastic wire are presented. At the beginning of the study, the equation of motion is derived in a detailed way. He’s max–min approach, He’s frequency–amplitude method and the parameter-expansion method are implemented to solve the established model. The numerical results are further compared with the approximate analytical solutions for both a small and large amplitude of oscillations, and a very good agreement is observed. The relative errors are computed to illustrate the strength of agreement between the numerical and approximate analytical results.     

Providing <Emphasis Type="Italic">k</Emphasis>-anonymity in data mining

In this paper we present extended definitions of k-anonymity and use them to prove that a given data mining model does not violate the k-anonymity of the individuals represented in the learning examples. Our extension provides a tool that measures the amount of anonymity retained during data mining. We show that our model can be applied to various data mining problems, such as classification, association rule mining and clustering. We describe two data mining algorithms which exploit our extension to guarantee they will generate only k-anonymous output, and provide experimental results for one of them. Finally, we show that our method contributes new and efficient ways to anonymize data and preserve patterns during anonymization.     

Global asymptotic stability analysis of bidirectional associative memory neural networks with time delays

This paper presents a sufficient condition for the existence, uniqueness and global asymptotic stability of the equilibrium point for bidirectional associative memory (BAM) neural networks with distributed time delays. The results impose constraint conditions on the network parameters of neural system independently of the delay parameter, and they are applicable to all continuous nonmonotonic neuron activation functions. It is shown that in some special cases of the results, the stability criteria can be easily checked. Some examples are also given to compare the results with the previous results derived in the literature.     

A hybrid multi-criteria decision-making model for personnel selection in manufacturing systems

This study described a hybrid model for supporting the personnel selection process in manufacturing systems. Personnel selection is a very important issue for an effective manufacturing system, since the improper personnel might cause many problems affecting productivity, precision, flexibility and quality of the products negatively. On the other hand, selecting the best personnel among many alternatives is a multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) problem. In this study, a hybrid model which employs analytic network process (ANP) and modified TOPSIS (Technique for Order Performance by Similarity to Idea Solution) together, is proposed for the personnel selection problem. The ANP is used to analyze the structure of the personnel selection problem and to determine weights of the criteria, and modified TOPSIS method is used to obtain final ranking. To illustrate how the approach is used for the personnel selection problem, an application of a real case in a company is conducted. The application has demonstrated the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed model. Company management found the application and results satisfactory and implementable in their personnel selection process.     

Ripple reduction at speed and torque of step motors used on a two-axis robot arm

This paper presents the control of two axis robot arm. The system is consisted of two step motors, robot arm, computer and PIC16F84A. One of them controls the robot arm via parallel port of the computer. The other one controls end element on the arm by PIC16F84A. PIC16F84A drives the motor by the designed circuit drive. Although the control of the step motor is very easy, they work choppily. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce the ripples occurred at the speed and torque of the step motor. In this study, proportional–integral–derivative (PID) controller is used to reduce the ripples. The obtained results show the proposed method is very successful.     

Enhanced dynamic range analog filter topologies with a notch/all-pass circuit example

The signal handling capability of the filters is called dynamic range. In this paper, a topological form for the synthesis of filters with high dynamic range is proposed. A biquad notch/all-pass filter is shown in conformity with the given topological form. It is shown that there is a trade-off between dynamic range and high input impedance property. The presented circuit is compared with other notch filters in the literature. It has less number of components, better high-frequency response and dynamic range compared to others. Since the circuit includes a minimum number of resistors, it can easily provide electronically tunable circuits through resistor/controlled current conveyor replacement. Simulations are performed to verify the theoretical results. Routh-Hurwitz stability analyses are also given.     

Canonical inductor simulators with grounded capacitors using DCCII

Differential current conveyor (DCCII) can be defined as a second-generation current conveyor with current differencing capability. In this article, a BJT implementation of the DCCII is introduced. Also, to emphasise the advantage of this active element, two new inductance simulator circuits are proposed as application examples. Furthermore, the presented inductor simulator circuits employ a minimum number of elements and they enjoy having grounded capacitors. Experimental and simulation results are given to verify theoretical analyses.