Image Processing Facility Research Articles

Medical Image Processor and Repository – MIPAR

Abstract Background and objectives The recent progress in medical image analysis has resulted in image-guided therapy, virtual reality, and augmented reality, other innovations that have greatly improved healthcare delivery, improved the quality of life, and saved lives. The advances in Internet and network technology have produced web technologies which make it possible to offer platform or software as a service via the web, making it possible for end users to access computer resources or specialized computer tools remotely. However, the high cost of image acquisition, the limited availability of medical image analysts, and the limited collaborative efforts between medical experts and scientists are major challenges for medical image analysis in the developing world. The aim of this project was to devise a medical image e-infrastructure called Medical Image Processor and Analysis (MIPAR) to contain a repository of medical images acquired from Africa and a platform for processing medical images. Methods The backend of MIPAR which is resident on a High-Performance Computing infrastructure was built using FutureGateway, a framework for building science gateway. The image upload and download module was built upon the framework of Open Access Repository with the front end developed using HTML, CSS and BootStrap. JavaScript and JQuery were used for scripting. User's access to the server is controlled with HTTP response and a Client-Server Architecture, while the image processing tools on the server side communicate with PHP using Representational State Architecture (REST) API. Results MIPAR was tested using brain MRI images. Images were submitted remotely via MIPAR's web interface and kept in the repository. A 3D image of approximately 43MB was uploaded within 43 seconds. Downloading of the same image took approximately 30 seconds. To test the image processing facility, our request for brain extraction of the same image was successfully completed within 60 seconds. Conclusion MIPAR allows users to donate, download and process medical images at no cost. It is our hope that such useful and unique tools will encourage collaboration, improve diagnosis, improve patient management, and promote open science in Africa.

Medical Image Processor and Repository – MIPAR

The recent progress in medical image analysis has given birth to image-guided therapy, virtual reality and augmented reality. These among other innovations have greatly improved healthcare delivery, improved quality of life and also saved lives.. The advances in Internet and network technology have produced web technologies which make it possible to offer platform or software as a service via the web, making it possible for end users to access computer resources or specialized computer tools remotely. However, the high cost of image acquisition, the limited availability of medical image analysts, and the limited collaborative efforts between medical experts and scientists are major challenges for medical image analysis in the developing world. The aim of this project was to develop a medical image e-infrastructure called Medical Image Processor and Analysis (MIPAR) to contain a repository of medical images acquired from Africa and a platform for processing medical images. The backend of MIPAR which is resident on a High-Performance Computing infrastructure was built using FutureGateway, a framework for building science gateway. The image upload and download module was built upon the framework of Open Access Repository with the front end developed using HTML, CSS and BootStrap. JavaScript and JQuery were used for scripting. User's access to the server is controlled with HTTP response and a Client-Server Architecture, while the image processing tools on the server side communicate with PHP using Representational State Architecture (REST) API. MIPAR was tested using brain MRI images. Images were submitted remotely via MIPAR's web interface and kept in the repository. Image processing facility of MIPAR was tested using the brain extraction module, a 3D image of approximately 43MB was successfully brain extracted within 60 s. MIPAR allows users to donate, download and process medical images at no cost. It is our hope that such useful and unique tool will encourage collaboration, improve diagnosis, improve patient management, and promote open science in Africa.

Construction and Implementation of Multiplatform Virtual Microscopy for Histology

For students studying tissue and organ microstructure, histology is an image‐based approach to understanding the relationship between form and function. Borne out of a collaborative effort between members of the Digital Histology Interest Group of the American Association of Anatomists, this project examined the conversion of specialized digitized images to a newer digitized open‐source format that would allow for compilation and delivery in a browser‐based environment in a cost‐efficient way. 214 images (76GB) were converted from the Bacus format to a format that is compatible with the Google Maps application programming interface (API) using high speed image processing and conversion facility at Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences (courtesy of J. Rhodes). Converted images were then compiled and assembled as a virtual microscopy application using the open‐source Google API code API, and deployed on servers at Tulane University. Implementation has involved the construction of image collections for lab as well as embedding into web‐driven html guides for use during and outside of interactive laboratory sessions in Histology. The outcomes following this implementation have included the introduction of interactive microscopy‐based sessions, the creation of single window viewing arising from integration of the virtual microscopy application with html‐driven lab guides, and enhanced accessibility on a range of desktop and mobile smart‐devices.

Smart Parking System with Image Processing Facility

Smart Parking Systems obtain information about available parking spaces, process it and then place the car at a certain position. A prototype of the parking assistance system based on the proposed architecture was constructed here. The adopted hardware, software, and implementation solutions in this prototype construction are described in this paper. The effective circular design is introduced here having rack-pinion special mechanism which is used to lift and place the car in the certain position. The design of rack pinion mechanism is also simulated using AUTODESK INVENTOR and COMSOL software.

Mobile tele-echography: user interface design

Ultrasound imaging allows the evaluation of the degree of emergency of a patient. However, in some instances, a well-trained sonographer is unavailable to perform such echography. To cope with this issue, the Mobile Tele-Echography Using an Ultralight Robot (OTELO) project aims to develop a fully integrated end-to-end mobile tele-echography system using an ultralight remote-controlled robot for population groups that are not served locally by medical experts. This paper focuses on the user interface of the OTELO system, consisting of the following parts: an ultrasound video transmission system providing real-time images of the scanned area, an audio/video conference to communicate with the paramedical assistant and with the patient, and a virtual-reality environment, providing visual and haptic feedback to the expert, while capturing the expert's hand movements. These movements are reproduced by the robot at the patient site while holding the ultrasound probe against the patient skin. In addition, the user interface includes an image processing facility for enhancing the received images and the possibility to include them into a database.

Experimental investigation on the history force acting on oscillating fluid spheres at low Reynolds number

This paper reports an experimental investigation of isolated fluid particles rising (or falling) in a quiescent viscous liquid placed in an oscillating frame. Our goal is to carry out the first quantitative analysis of the effect of the history force on clean and spherical drops and bubbles. The average terminal Reynolds number is less than 0.5, the Strouhal number ranges from 1 to 25, and the Weber number ranges from 0.006 to 0.5. The particle motion is tracked by using a high-speed video camera and an accurate image processing facility. The average terminal velocity, the oscillation magnitude, and the phase shift with the oscillating frame are measured and compared with theoretical predictions. The comparison is made by solving the equation of motion of the sphere with and without the history force. Agreement between experiments and theory is observed when the history force corresponding to the creeping flow limit is taken into account. This experimental setup provides credible results, which confirm the fact that the history force given by the creeping flow theory remains still valid in these conditions, and brings non-negligible contribution into the momentum balance of small fluid inclusions moving in unsteady flows.

RICHARDS, J. A. & JIA XIUPING. 1999. Remote Sensing Digital Image Analysis. An Introduction, 3rd revised and enlarged edition. xxi + 363 pp. Berlin, Heidelberg, New York, London, Paris, Tokyo, Hong Kong: Springer-Verlag. Price DM 139.00, Ös 1015.00, SFr 126.50, £53.30, US $89.95 (hard covers). ISBN 3 540 64860 7.

RICHARDS, J. A. & JIA XIUPING. 1999. Remote Sensing Digital Image Analysis. An Introduction, 3rd revised and enlarged edition. xxi + 363 pp. Berlin, Heidelberg, New York, London, Paris, Tokyo, Hong Kong: Springer-Verlag. Price DM 139.00, Ös 1015.00, SFr 126.50, £53.30, US $89.95 (hard covers). ISBN 3 540 64860 7. - Volume 137 Issue 3

An integrated system for the production of field shaping devices in radiotherapy

A system has been developed in our department that simplifies the production processes of field shaping devices in radiotherapy, integrating an image grabbing and processing facility at a radiotherapy simulator and an automated block cutter. The data acquisition subsystem captures images, processes and corrects them for pincushion distortions, creates a composite radiograph, records user defined contours of blocks and exports data to the block cutter controller. A robotic subsystem drives and controls the polystyrene cutting unit. The system has been experimentally evaluated. Errors in contour definition were found to be less than 1 mm for a broad range of gantry angles and not exceeding 1.5 mm for those gantry orientations that present maximum magnetic field related image intensifier distortion, while the automated block cutter is capable of cutting out contours in polystyrene with an accuracy comparable to that of commercially available systems. The system is expected to contribute to the overall improvement of radiotherapy processes, particularly in low budget radiotherapy departments, introducing improvements in accuracy and efficiency at minimum costs.

Volume imaging in fluoroscopy. A clinical prototype system based on a generalized digital tomosynthesis technique.

This work involves the development of a new digital tomosynthesis technique into a clinical prototype imaging system for the three-dimensional visualization of patient anatomy. The multiple projection algorithm (MPA) has been developed into a clinical prototype imaging system comprising a digital chain that is interfaced with an isocentric fluoroscopic unit to form an integrated DTS facility. Planes of varying orientations can be synthesized retrospectively on the basis of an acquired set of appropriate projection images extending over the whole volume of interest. The system provides an image reconstruction and processing facility that can effectively augment fluoroscopic examinations. Reconstruction times of a few seconds per plane have been achieved. The region of interest can be approached by tracking through cross-sections with user-selected orientations. Anatomical planes of particular interest can be identified and their reconstructed images can be stored. The characteristics of the image presentation modality have the potential to extend the field of current digital tomosynthesis applications to new areas in radiology and other clinical domains.

Shape decomposition and representation using a recursive morphological operation

This paper presents a recursive morphological operation developed in order to perform efficient shape representation. This operation uses a structuring element as a geometrical primitive to evaluate the shape of an object. It results in a set of loci of the translated structuring elements that are included in the object but which do not overlap. The analysis of its computational complexity shows that it is usually less time-consuming than morphological erosion. By using this operation, an object decomposition algorithm is then developed for shape representation. It decomposes an object into a union of simple and non-overlapping object components. The object is represented by the sizes and loci of its object components. This representation is information preserving, shift and scale invariant, and non-rebundant. It has been compared with skeletons, morphological decomposition, chain codes and quatrees in terms of compression ability and image processing facility. Experimental results shows that it is very compact, especially if information loss is allowed. Because of the non-overlap between object components, many image processing tasks can be easily performed by directly using this shape representation.

Stereotactic brain surgery

Describes an integrated MINERVA system which meets demanding robotic requirements. The system incorporates a CT scanner and has 5 motorized axes equipped with nonreversible gears. The image processing facility operates on a SUN sparc workstation.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>

Monochromatic CCD Images of Three Planetary Nebulae

We present monochromatic false-color images of three planetary nebulae obtained by means of a CCD camera at the f/13.5 focus of the 0.91m reflector of the Cerro Telolo Interamerican Observatory in August, 1985. The resultant image scale is 0.363 arcsec square per pixel. The objects, IC 1297, NGC 7009, and M2-9 were imaged through narrow band filters in the V band, [O III] λ5007, and Hα λ6563, respectively. The V band filter corresponds to the standeard Johnson V magnitude. The λ5007 filter has a FWHM of 14 Å. The Hα filter has a FWHM of 73 Å, thus including contributions from the [N II] λλ6548, 6584 lines. IC 1297 shows a double shell structure with a pronounced bright rim at the extreme edge of the faint outer envelope, suggesting that it is density bounded. NGC 7009 (the “Saturn” nebula), in addition to the well-known double shell and extended W-W ansae, also shows a faint large, circular outer halo which strongly suggests that NGC 7009 is a member of the rare class of triple-shell nebulae. The bipolar object M2-9 (the “Butterfly” nebula) shows a bright, non-stellar central core from which the wings extend in a nearly N-S direction. Condensations in the wings are seen particularly well for the [O III] λ5007 images. The CCD images were obtained by B. Schaefer at CTIO and were processed at the Goddard Image Processing Facility.

Mapping and Forecasting Soil Erosion Patterns from Landsat on a Microcomputer-based Image Processing Facility.

The paper summarises recent work in the development and implementation of broad scale conceptual and mathematical models of the soil erosion process in flat arid lands. The conceptual model is based on erosion cell behaviour. Its mathematical counterpart is the simultaneous autoregressive random field model recently developed for image modelling.The data used in the mathematical model are derived by transforming standard Landsat MSS data to produce a soil stability index. Practical application of the methods requires the appropriate computer software and an image processing facility. The erosion modelling routines have therefore been implemented as part of a user- friendly microcomputer based image processing package which is now available commercially. The package runs on an IBM XT or AT computer using a Vectrix graphics board and the hardware includes high resolution display and hard copy facilities. Both hardware and software cost less than $30,000 making it ~ossible to decentralise image processing technology to branch offices of government departments or to agricultural consultants.

Optical Processing of Lattice Images

An optical image processing facility designed specifically for the treatment of lattice images is described. A range of optical processing techniques for improving the interpretation of lattice images are outlined and illustrated with examples. These operations include methods of signal-to-noise enhancement and pseudocolour encoding of spatial frequencies.

A Digital Image Processing Facility for Human Factors Research

Digital image processing system capabilities and methods offer the experimentalist creative opportunities for exercising precise control over image quality and content parameters in the creation of visual stimuli. The Human Engineering Division of the Air Force Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory (AFAMRL) has established the Visual Image Processing, Enhancement, and Reconstruction (VIPER) facility to identify, develop, and apply digital image processing techniques against a variety of Air Force research objectives. This paper describes the VIPER facility and explores several current and planned areas of application.

Computer-aided speckle pattern interferometry

An on-line computer system for measuring the deformation of a diffuse object with a speckle interferometer is presented. Methods for evaluating a speckle interferogram using digital image processing techniques are also discussed. The system consists of an interferometric optical setup and a computer-TV image processing facility. A speckle interferogram is generated arithmetically between two digitized speckle patterns before and after deformation of the object. The information about the deformation is extracted by two procedures in analyzing the interferogram: (a) automatic analysis using digital image processing techniques such as gray scale modification, linear spatial filtering, thresholding, and skeletoning; (b) man-machine interactive method for simple high-speed processing of the interferogram using a light pen. The determined fringe order numbers are interpolated and differentiated spatially to give strain, slope, and bending moment of the deformed object. Some examples of processed patterns are presented.

An Educational Digital Image Processing Facility

The growth of digital image processing–from a few research centers 10 years ago to a number of large-scale facilities scattered throughout the world today–has created a need for educating people qualified to use the extremely sophisticated hardware and software that go into these facilities. This paper traces the development of a facility dedicated solely to the educational and research goals of students pursuing graduate degrees. Unlike most facilities currently in operation, this one experiences little–if any–production, but all users have hands-on access to rapidly processed digital imagery results.

Numerical image manipulation and display in solar astronomy

A scientist-oriented image processing facility at the Harvard College Observatory is described. The significanceof the system as a research tool at all post data collection states of an experiment is emphasized. Examplesare shown of various analyses of EUV observations of the sun from Skylab that are only possible withsuch a facility.