The class imbalance problem in TLC image classification

Abstract

The paper presents the methodology developed to solve the class imbalanced problem that occurs in the classification of Thin-Layer Chromatography (TLC) images. The proposed methodology is based on resampling, and consists in the undersampling of the majority class (normal class), while the minority classes, which contain Lysosomal Storage Disorders (LSD) samples, are oversampled with the generation of synthetic samples. For image classification two approaches are presented, one based on a hierarchical classifier and another uses a multiclassifier system, where both classifiers are trained and tested using balanced data sets. The results demonstrate a better performance of the multiclassifier system using the balanced sets. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2006.