This paper proposes a new method for simple, efficient, and robust removal of the non-brain tissues in MR images based on an irrational mask for filtration within a binary morphological operation framework. The proposed skull-stripping segmentation is based on two irrational 3 × 3 and 5 × 5 masks, having the sum of its weights equal to the transcendental number π value provided by the Gregory-Leibniz infinite series. It allows maintaining a lower rate of useful pixel loss. The proposed method has been tested in two ways. First, it has been validated as a binary method by comparing and contrasting with Otsu's, Sauvola's, Niblack's, and Bernsen's binary methods. Secondly, its accuracy has been verified against three state-of-the-art skull-stripping methods: the graph cuts method, the method based on Chan-Vese active contour model, and the simplex mesh and histogram analysis skull stripping. The performance of the proposed method has been assessed using the Dice scores, overlap and extra fractions, and sensitivity and specificity as statistical methods. The gold standard has been provided by two neurologist experts. The proposed method has been tested and validated on 26 image series which contain 216 images from two publicly available databases: the Whole Brain Atlas and the Internet Brain Segmentation Repository that include a highly variable sample population (with reference to age, sex, healthy/diseased). The approach performs accurately on both standardized databases. The main advantage of the proposed method is its robustness and speed.

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In the automatic detection framework, there have been many attempts to develop models for real-time melanoma detection. To effectively discriminate benign and malign skin lesions, this work investigates sixty different architectures of the Feedforward Back Propagation Network (FFBPN), based on shape asymmetry for an optimal structural design that includes both the hidden neuron number and the input data selection. The reason for the choice of shape asymmetry was based on the 5–10% disagreement between dermatologists regarding the efficacy of asymmetry in the diagnosis of malignant melanoma. Asymmetry is quantified based on lesion shape (contour), moment of inertia of the lesion shape and histograms. The FFBPN has a high architecture flexibility, which indicates it as a favorable tool to avoid the over-parameterization of the ANN and, equally, to discard those redundant input datasets that usually result in poor test performance. The FFBPN was tested on four public image datasets containing melanoma, dysplastic nevus and nevus images. Experimental results on multiple benchmark data sets demonstrate that asymmetry A2 is a meaningful feature for skin lesion classification, and FFBPN with 16 neurons in the hidden layer can model the data without compromising prediction accuracy.

Liver fibrosis accurate staging is vital to define the state of the Schistosomiasis disease for further treatment. The present work analyzed the microscopic liver images to identify and to differentiate between healthy, cellular, fibrocellular, and fibrous liver pathologies by proposing a fast, robust, and highly discriminative method based on texture analysis. The multiclass classification based on the "one-versus- all" method that built a voting rule approach to classify the liver images based on the liver state. Specifically, quantitative parameters, such as the anisotropy and laminarity are proposed based on the relative orientation of the pixel pairs in a global and local coherence of gradient vectors approach. Analysis of the tissue texture data using both gradient vector and gradient angle co-occurrence matrix approaches facilitated more definitive identification of the abnormal tissue. The experimental results established that the local anisotropy based texture measures are appropriated for the microtexture analysis in order to discriminate between pathologies. Macrotexture description using the global features provided only integral anisotropy coefficient that has a confidence level similar to those provided by the local feature.

(1) Background: An approach for skin cancer recognition and classification by implementation of a novel combination of features and two classifiers, as an auxiliary diagnostic method, is proposed. (2) Methods: The predictions are made by k-nearest neighbor with a 5-fold cross validation algorithm and a neural network model to assist dermatologists in the diagnosis of cancerous skin lesions. As a main contribution, this work proposes a descriptor that combines skin surface fractal dimension and relevant color area features for skin lesion classification purposes. The surface fractal dimension is computed using a 2D generalization of Higuchi’s method. A clustering method allows for the selection of the relevant color distribution in skin lesion images by determining the average percentage of color areas within the nevi and melanoma lesion areas. In a classification stage, the Higuchi fractal dimensions (HFDs) and the color features are classified, separately, using a kNN-CV algorithm. In addition, these features are prototypes for a Radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) classifier. The efficiency of our algorithms was verified by utilizing images belonging to the 7-Point, Med-Node, and PH2 databases; (3) Results: Experimental results show that the accuracy of the proposed RBFNN model in skin cancer classification is 95.42% for 7-Point, 94.71% for Med-Node, and 94.88% for PH2, which are all significantly better than that of the kNN algorithm. (4) Conclusions: 2D Higuchi’s surface fractal features have not been previously used for skin lesion classification purpose. We used fractal features further correlated to color features to create a RBFNN classifier that provides high accuracies of classification.

The current paper considers the enhanced Kudryashov’s technique to retrieve solitons with a governing model having cubic-quintic-septic-nonic and quadrupled structures of self-phase modulation. The results prove that it is redundant to extend the self-phase modulation beyond cubic-quintic nonlinearity or dual-power law of nonlinearity.

(1) Background: In this research, we aimed to identify and validate a set of relevant features to distinguish between benign nevi and melanoma lesions. (2) Methods: Two datasets with 70 melanomas and 100 nevi were investigated. The first one contained raw images. The second dataset contained images preprocessed for noise removal and uneven illumination reduction. Further, the images belonging to both datasets were segmented, followed by extracting features considered in terms of form/shape and color such as asymmetry, eccentricity, circularity, asymmetry of color distribution, quadrant asymmetry, fast Fourier transform (FFT) normalization amplitude, and 6th and 7th Hu’s moments. The FFT normalization amplitude is an atypical feature that is computed as a Fourier transform descriptor and focuses on geometric signatures of skin lesions using the frequency domain information. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and area under the curve (AUC) were employed to ascertain the relevance of the selected features and their capability to differentiate between nevi and melanoma. (3) Results: The ROC curves and AUC were employed for all experiments and selected features. A comparison in terms of the accuracy and AUC was performed, and an evaluation of the performance of the analyzed features was carried out. (4) Conclusions: The asymmetry index and eccentricity, together with F6 Hu’s invariant moment, were fairly competent in providing a good separation between malignant melanoma and benign lesions. Also, the FFT normalization amplitude feature should be exploited due to showing potential in classification.