Aziz Guergachi

Bio: Aziz Guergachi is an academic researcher from Ryerson University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Medicine & Computer science. The author has an hindex of 17, co-authored 60 publications receiving 867 citations. Previous affiliations of Aziz Guergachi include York University & Fields Institute.

Predictive models for diabetes mellitus using machine learning techniques

Abstract: Diabetes Mellitus is an increasingly prevalent chronic disease characterized by the body’s inability to metabolize glucose. The objective of this study was to build an effective predictive model with high sensitivity and selectivity to better identify Canadian patients at risk of having Diabetes Mellitus based on patient demographic data and the laboratory results during their visits to medical facilities. Using the most recent records of 13,309 Canadian patients aged between 18 and 90 years, along with their laboratory information (age, sex, fasting blood glucose, body mass index, high-density lipoprotein, triglycerides, blood pressure, and low-density lipoprotein), we built predictive models using Logistic Regression and Gradient Boosting Machine (GBM) techniques. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AROC) was used to evaluate the discriminatory capability of these models. We used the adjusted threshold method and the class weight method to improve sensitivity – the proportion of Diabetes Mellitus patients correctly predicted by the model. We also compared these models to other learning machine techniques such as Decision Tree and Random Forest. The AROC for the proposed GBM model is 84.7% with a sensitivity of 71.6% and the AROC for the proposed Logistic Regression model is 84.0% with a sensitivity of 73.4%. The GBM and Logistic Regression models perform better than the Random Forest and Decision Tree models. The ability of our model to predict patients with Diabetes using some commonly used lab results is high with satisfactory sensitivity. These models can be built into an online computer program to help physicians in predicting patients with future occurrence of diabetes and providing necessary preventive interventions. The model is developed and validated on the Canadian population which is more specific and powerful to apply on Canadian patients than existing models developed from US or other populations. Fasting blood glucose, body mass index, high-density lipoprotein, and triglycerides were the most important predictors in these models.

Applications of association rule mining in health informatics: a survey

Abstract: Association rule mining is an effective data mining technique which has been used widely in health informatics research right from its introduction. Since health informatics has received a lot of attention from researchers in last decade, and it has developed various sub-domains, so it is interesting as well as essential to review state of the art health informatics research. As knowledge discovery researchers and practitioners have applied an array of data mining techniques for knowledge extraction from health data, so the application of association rule mining techniques to health informatics domain has been focused and studied in detail in this survey. Through critical analysis of applications of association rule mining literature for health informatics from 2005 to 2014, it has been explored that, instead of the more efficient alternative approaches, the Apriori algorithm is still a widely used frequent itemset generation technique for application of association rule mining for health informatics. Moreover, other limitations related to applications of association rule mining for health informatics have also been identified and recommendations have been made to mitigate those limitations. Furthermore, the algorithms and tools utilized for application of association rule mining have also been identified, conclusions have been drawn from the literature surveyed, and future research directions have been presented.

A Systematic Machine Learning Based Approach for the Diagnosis of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Risk and Progression.

Abstract: Prevention and diagnosis of NAFLD is an ongoing area of interest in the healthcare community. Screening is complicated by the fact that the accuracy of noninvasive testing lacks specificity and sensitivity to make and stage the diagnosis. Currently no non-invasive ATP III criteria based prediction method is available to diagnose NAFLD risk. Firstly, the objective of this research is to develop machine learning based method in order to identify individuals at an increased risk of developing NAFLD using risk factors of ATP III clinical criteria updated in 2005 for Metabolic Syndrome (MetS). Secondly, to validate the relative ability of quantitative score defined by Italian Association for the Study of the Liver (IASF) and guideline explicitly defined for the Canadian population based on triglyceride thresholds to predict NAFLD risk. We proposed a Decision Tree based method to evaluate the risk of developing NAFLD and its progression in the Canadian population, using Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) by exploring novel risk factors for NAFLD. Our results show proposed method could potentially help physicians make more informed choices about their management of patients with NAFLD. Employing the proposed application in ordinary medical checkup is expected to lessen healthcare expenditures compared with administering additional complicated test.

Artificial neural networks

Abstract: Artificial neural networks (ANNs) constitute a class of flexible nonlinear models designed to mimic biological neural systems. In this entry, we introduce ANN using familiar econometric terminology and provide an overview of ANN modeling approach and its implementation methods. † Correspondence: Chung-Ming Kuan, Institute of Economics, Academia Sinica, 128 Academia Road, Sec. 2, Taipei 115, Taiwan; ckuan@econ.sinica.edu.tw. †† I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the editor, Professor Steven Durlauf, for his patience and constructive comments on early drafts of this entry. I also thank Shih-Hsun Hsu and Yu-Lieh Huang for very helpful suggestions. The remaining errors are all mine.

Applied Probability and Queues

Abstract: (1987). Applied Probability and Queues. Journal of the Operational Research Society: Vol. 38, No. 11, pp. 1095-1096.

Machine Learning: Algorithms, Real-World Applications and Research Directions

Abstract: In the current age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR or Industry 4.0), the digital world has a wealth of data, such as Internet of Things (IoT) data, cybersecurity data, mobile data, business data, social media data, health data, etc. To intelligently analyze these data and develop the corresponding smart and automated applications, the knowledge of artificial intelligence (AI), particularly, machine learning (ML) is the key. Various types of machine learning algorithms such as supervised, unsupervised, semi-supervised, and reinforcement learning exist in the area. Besides, the deep learning, which is part of a broader family of machine learning methods, can intelligently analyze the data on a large scale. In this paper, we present a comprehensive view on these machine learning algorithms that can be applied to enhance the intelligence and the capabilities of an application. Thus, this study’s key contribution is explaining the principles of different machine learning techniques and their applicability in various real-world application domains, such as cybersecurity systems, smart cities, healthcare, e-commerce, agriculture, and many more. We also highlight the challenges and potential research directions based on our study. Overall, this paper aims to serve as a reference point for both academia and industry professionals as well as for decision-makers in various real-world situations and application areas, particularly from the technical point of view.