Light invariant photometric stereo.

An imaging setup that enables unsynchronized photometric stereo (PS) for Lambertian objects based on modulated light sources is presented. Knowing the specific frequency of the modulated light source allows to filter out any other light in the scene. This creates an image that depends only on the particular light source while ignoring the ambient light.

A probabilistic approach to spectral graph matching.

Spectral Matching (SM) is a computationally efficient approach to approximate the solution of pairwise matching problems that are np-hard. In this paper, we present a probabilistic interpretation of spectral matching schemes and derive a novel Probabilistic Matching (PM) scheme that is shown to outperform previous approaches. We show that spectral matching can be interpreted as a Maximum Likelihood (ML) estimate of the assignment probabilities and that the Graduated Assignment (GA) algorithm can be cast as a Maximum a Posteriori (MAP) estimator.

Electric field stimulation integrated into perfusion bioreactor for cardiac tissue engineering.

We describe herein the features of a novel cultivation system, combining electrical stimulation with medium perfusion for producing thick, functional cardiac patches. A custom-made electrical stimulator was integrated via inserting two carbon rod electrodes into a perfusion bioreactor, housing multiple neonatal Sprague-Dawley rat cardiac cell constructs between two 96% open-pore-area fixing nets. The stimulator produced adjustable stimulation waveform (i.

Improving shape retrieval by spectral matching and meta similarity.

We propose two computational approaches for improving the retrieval of planar shapes. First, we suggest a geometrically motivated quadratic similarity measure, that is optimized by way of spectral relaxation of a quadratic assignment. By utilizing state-of-the-art shape descriptors and a pairwise serialization constraint, we derive a formulation that is resilient to boundary noise, articulations and nonrigid deformations.

Unsupervised speaker recognition based on competition between self-organizing maps.

We present a method for clustering the speakers from unlabeled and unsegmented conversation (with known number of speakers), when no a priori knowledge about the identity of the participants is given. Each speaker was modeled by a self-organizing map (SOM). The SOMs were randomly initiated.

Distinction of cervical cancer biopsies by use of infrared microspectroscopy and probabilistic neural networks.

Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy has shown alterations of spectral characteristics of cells and tissues as a result of carcinogenesis. The research reported here focuses on the diagnosis of cancer in formalin-fixed biopsied tissue for which immunochemistry is not possible and when PAP-smear results are to be confirmed. The data from two groups of patients (a control group and a group of patients diagnosed with cervical cancer) were analyzed.

Possible common biomarkers from FTIR microspectroscopy of cervical cancer and melanoma.

Detection of malignancy at early stages is crucial in cancer prevention and management. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy has shown promise as a non-invasive method with diagnostic potential in cancer detection. Studies were conducted with formalin-fixed biopsies of melanoma and cervical cancer by FTIR microspectroscopy (FTIR-MSP) to detect common biomarkers, which occurred in both types of cancer distinguishing them from the respective non-malignant tissues.

Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy as a quantitative diagnostic tool for assignment of premalignancy grading in cervical neoplasia.

The early diagnosis and proper identification of cervical squamous intraepithelial lesions plays an important role in a good prognosis for the patient. However, the present practice of screening based on PAP (Papanicolaou) smear and histopathology makes it tedious and prone to human errors. We assess the validity of FTIR microspectroscopy (FTIR-MSP) of biopsies as a method to properly assign the correct stage of premalignancy in patients with symptoms of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.

Studies on acute human infections using FTIR microspectroscopy and cluster analysis.

A novel methodology for the diagnosis of acute infections using FTIR microspectroscopy (FTIR-MSP) data on blood components and cluster analysis is presented. Blood samples were collected from 11 patients suffering from various infections and 16 age-matched healthy human controls. Blood components such as white blood cells, red blood cells, and plasma were isolated using standard procedures and FTIR-MSP of these components was utilized.

Monitoring and control of pullulan production using vision sensor.

The production of the polysaccharide pullulan by the yeast-like fungi, Aureobasidium pullulans, is accompained by cellular morphogenetic changes. High productivity and yield of the process have been found to correlate with high concentration of yeast-like cells in the culture. The morphogenetic changes of A.

Optimization of feeding profile for a fed-batch bioreactor by an evolutionary algorithm.

The optimal feeding profile of a fed batch process was designed by means of an evolutionary algorithm. The algorithm chromosomes include the real-valued parameters of a profile function, defined by previous knowledge. Each chromosome is composed of the parameters that define the feeding profile: the feed rates, the singular arc parameters and the switching times between the profile states.

Diagnostic potential of Fourier-transform infrared microspectroscopy and advanced computational methods in colon cancer patients.

Colon cancer is the third leading class of cancer causing increased mortality in developed countries. A polyp is one type of lesion observed in a majority of colon cancer patients. Here, we report a microscopic Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) study of normal, adenomatous polyp and malignant cells from biopsies of 24 patients.

FT-IR microscopic characterization of normal and malignant human colonic tissues.

Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) employs a unique approach to optical diagnosis of tissue pathology based on the characteristic molecular vibrational spectra of the tissue. In this study, we report infrared absorption spectra of formalin fixed, paraffin embedded normal and malignant human colonic tissues from ten different patients. Our method is based on microscopic infrared study (FT-IR-microscopy) of thin tissue specimens in parallel with normal histopathological analysis, which serves as a reference.

Hybrid model building methodology using unsupervised fuzzy clustering and supervised neural networks.

This paper suggests a model building methodology for dealing with new processes. The methodology, called Hybrid Fuzzy Neural Networks (HFNN), combines unsupervised fuzzy clustering and supervised neural networks in order to create simple and flexible models. Fuzzy clustering was used to define relevant domains on the input space.

Classification of brain-stem trigeminal evoked potentials in multiple sclerosis, minor head injuries and post-concussion syndrome pathologies by similarity measurements.

In this study measurements obtained from brain-stem trigeminal evoked potentials (BTEP) are applied to the problem of diagnosing Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Post-concussion syndrome (PCS). We present a simplistic model that depicts the BTEP waveform as the linear combination of a set of filters excited by a short stimulus. The relation between the BTEP latencies and the 1st to 4th harmonic components is shown.

Electrical properties of glucose-sensitive hydrogels: swelling and conductivity relationships.

The electrical characteristics of a glucose-sensitive polymeric hydrogel have been studied. The hydrogel matrices were prepared by radical polymerization of solutions containing 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, N,N-dimethyl aminoethyl methacrylate, tetraethylene glycol dimethacrylate, ethylene glycol, water, and glucose oxidase. The hydrogels displayed faster and higher swelling rates for lower levels of a crosslinking agent.

A comparison of neural network and Bayes recognition approaches in the evaluation of the brainstem trigeminal evoked potentials in multiple sclerosis.

This article describes the application of Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP), Probabilistic Neural Network and Kohonen's Learning Vector Quantization to the problem of diagnosing Multiple Sclerosis. The classification information is obtained from brainstem trigeminal evoked potential. The performance of the neural networks based classifiers is compared with that of the human experts and the Bayes classifier.

A self-tuning vision system for monitoring biotechnological processes: I. Application to production of pullulan by Aureobasidium pullulans.

A prototype of a self-tuning vision system (STVS) has been developed to monitor cell population in fermentations. The STVS combines classical image processing techniques, neural networks and fuzzy logic technologies. By combining these technologies the STVS is able to analyze sampled images of the culture.

Neural-network classifiers for automatic real-world aerial image recognition.

We describe the application of the multilayer perceptron (MLP) network and a version of the adaptive resonance theory version 2-A (ART 2-A) network to the problem of automatic aerial image recognition (AAIR). The classification of aerial images, independent of their positions and orientations, is required for automatic tracking and target recognition. Invariance is achieved by the use of different invariant feature spaces in combination with supervised and unsupervised neural networks.

A flat inclined modular photobioreactor for outdoor mass cultivation of photoautotrophs.

A flat inclined modular photobioreactor (FIMP) for mass cultivation of photoautotrophic microorganisms is described. It consists of flat glass reactors connected in cascade facing the sun with the proper tilt angles to assure maximal exposure to direct beam radiation. The optimal cell density in reference to the length of the reactor light path was evaluated, and the effect of the tilt angle on utilization of both direct beam as well as diffuse sunlight was quantitatively assessed.

Human chromosome classification using multilayer perceptron neural network.

A multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural network (NN) has been studied for human chromosome classification. Only 10-20 examples were required for the MLP NN to reach its ultimate performance classifying chromosomes of 5 types. The empirical dependence of the entropic error on the number of examples was found to be highly comparable to the 1/t function.

Infectious diseases of geriatric inmates.

The number of geriatric inmates is rapidly growing because of more frequent incarceration of older offenders as the number of the elderly in the general population increases nationally. The increase is also due to recent changes in sentencing patterns (e.g.

A macromodel for outdoor algal mass production.

A model describing growth of an outdoor algal (Spirulina platensis)culture was developed. The model can simulate biomass production, pH, growth rate, oxygen evolution, and CO(2) fixation rate. It was calibrated and validated against experimental data obtained by a novel automatic data logger/controller instrumentation which can number most vital parameters of the culture including on line estimation of oxygen production rate (OPR).

On-line optimization of biotechnological processes: I. Application to open algal pond.

A new on-line optimization and control procedure applicable to biotechnological systems for which a precise mathematical model is unavailable has been developed and tested. The proposed approach is based on an online search for optimum operating conditions by an automatic system using a modified simplex algorithm to which several features have been added to permit real time operation. The simplex algorithm is the upper level of a hierarchical software package in which the other levels are cost evaluation, control, data acquisition, and signal processing.

Automatic on-line growth estimation method for outdoor algal biomass production.

An on-line measuring procedure for estimating productivity in outdoor algal cultures was developed and tested experimentally. The procedure is based on a previously described method for on-line measuring net O(2) production rate (OPR). The data obtained by this method was found to correlate well with the conventional procedures for estimation productivity by measuring the changes in biomass concentration in the culture.