Mathematical Morphology Analysis Research Articles

Applications of the image processing method on the structure measurements in porous GaN

Porous GaN films on sapphire (0001) prepared by ultraviolet-assisted electrochemical etching and their quantitative structural characteristics based on mathematical morphology analysis using scanning electron microscope (SEM) images are reported in this study. The evaluation of porous GaN quality can be performed through a non-destructive investigation of its nanostructures using adapting image analysis techniques to obtain rapid, objective and quantitative information. The algorithm used for this work was implemented using the MATLAB software. The distributions of the maximum, minimum and average radii of the pores were obtained. Moreover, the porosity of the structures was obtained by calculating the areas occupied by the pores. SEM micrographs indicated that the shapes of pores for all porous samples were nearly hexagonal. The quantitative results were obtained and related with the characteristics of the fabrication process, showing reliability and promise in the control of pores over the formation process.

Explanatory Reasoning for Image Understanding Using Formal Concept Analysis and Description Logics

In this paper, we propose an original way of enriching description logics with abduction reasoning services. Under the aegis of set and lattice theories, we put together ingredients from mathematical morphology, description logics, and formal concept analysis. We propose computing the best explanations of an observation through algebraic erosion over the concept lattice of a background theory that is efficiently constructed using tools from formal concept analysis. We show that the defined operators are sound and complete and satisfy important rationality postulates of abductive reasoning. As a typical illustration, we consider a scene understanding problem. In fact, scene understanding can benefit from prior structural knowledge represented as an ontology and the reasoning tools of description logics. We formulate model based scene understanding as an abductive reasoning process. A scene is viewed as an observation and the interpretation is defined as the best explanation, considering the terminological knowledge part of a description logic about the scene context. This explanation is obtained from morphological operators applied on the corresponding concept lattice.

A new approach to characterize the nanostructure of activated carbons from mathematical morphology applied to high resolution transmission electron microscopy images

A new characterization method of the nanoporous structure of activated carbons (ACs) is proposed, based on mathematical morphology analysis of high resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images. It produces refined statistics describing the shape, size and orientation of the defective graphene sheets seen edge on as individual fringes on TEM images. It also provides some quantitative information regarding their spatial arrangement. Especially, assemblages composed of 2–4 nearly parallel fringe fragments could be detected, which were relevant of some partial stacking of the defective graphene sheets. Such assemblages were possibly locally oriented along a common direction to form large continuous domains. To prove the ability of the image analysis tool to reveal distinctive features and degrees of disorder of the AC structures, a set of various commercial carbon adsorbents was characterized. The measured effective spaces separating the individual fringes, the stacks and the continuous domains were examined and compared with the porosity data derived from 77K–N2 adsorption isotherms. Consistency between the two sets of data was assessed and interpreted by considering the N2 diffusional limitations resulting from the micropore network connectivity.

On the Compatibility of Granulometry with Wavelet Analysis

In this paper, regular closed Jordan measurable sets are proposed as models of digital images, and it is shown, that these are precisely the sets that are well approximated by their family of granulometric openings in measure theoretic sense. Moreover, compatibility of mathematical morphology and wavelet analysis is established in the following sense: two sets, that are indistinguishable by wavelets (i.e. their symmetric difference is a Lebesgue zero set) have undistinguishable granulometric openings, and a finite resolution wavelet approximation to a Jordan measurable set is sufficient to determine its granulometric openings up to a specified margin of error.

Nano and micro porous GaN characterization using image processing method

This work reports the fabrication of porous N-GaN structures and their quantitative structural characteristic study based on mathematical morphology analysis using scanning electron microscope (SEM) images. The evaluation of N-GaN quality is carried out by performing a nondestructive investigation of its micro and nanostructures, which in turn is performed by adapting image analysis techniques to obtain rapid, objective, and quantitative information. The algorithm used in this work was implemented using the MATLAB software. Using the algorithm made obtaining the distribution of maximum, minimum, and average radius of the pores in the N-GaN structures possible. Calculating the area occupied by the pores allowed the porosity of the structures to be obtained. The quantitative results were obtained and related to the fabrication process characteristics, showing their reliability and potential to be used for controlling the pores in the formation process. Thus, this technique can provide a more accurate determination of pore sizes and pore distributions.

Breast cancer evaluation by fluorescent dot detection using combined mathematical morphology and multifractal techniques

BackgroundFluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) is very accurate method for measuring HER2 gene copies, as a sign of potential breast cancer. This method requires small tissue samples, and has a high sensitivity to detect abnormalities from a histological section. By using multiple colors, this method allows the detection of multiple targets simultaneously. The target parts in the cells become visible as colored dots. The HER-2 probes are visible as orange stained spots under a fluorescent microscope while probes for centromere 17 (CEP-17), the chromosome on which the gene HER-2/neu is located, are visible as green spots.MethodsThe conventional analysis involves the scoring of the ratio of HER-2/neu over CEP 17 dots within each cell nucleus and then averaging the scores for a number of 60 cells. A ratio of 2.0 of HER-2/neu to CEP 17 copy number denotes amplification. Several methods have been proposed for the detection and automated evaluation (dot counting) of FISH signals. In this paper the combined method based on the mathematical morphology (MM) and inverse multifractal (IMF) analysis is suggested. Similar method was applied recently in detection of microcalcifications in digital mammograms, and was very successful.ResultsThe combined MM using top-hat and bottom-hat filters, and the IMF method was applied to FISH images from Molecular Biology Lab, Department of Pathology, Wielkoposka Cancer Center, Poznan. Initial results indicate that this method can be applied to FISH images for the evaluation of HER2/neu status.ConclusionsMathematical morphology and multifractal approach are used for colored dot detection and counting in FISH images. Initial results derived on clinical cases are promising. Note that the overlapping of colored dots, particularly red/orange dots, needs additional improvements in post-processing.

Recent advances in the analysis of dairy product quality using methods based on the interactions of light with matter

As demonstrated by physicists in the past centuries, light interacting with matter contains information that may reveal the concentration or/and the structure of components of the investigated matter. The use of spectroscopy (absorption in the visible, infrared, fluorescence, Raman, etc.) in food science has increased tremendously in the last couple of decades as it has been demonstrated that the detection and content of a number of food constituents, as well measurement of food properties, may be achieved by measuring the radiations that is either absorbed or emitted at different wavelengths by the product. These developments have been made possible, thanks to multivariate chemometric methods that are appropriate and useful for the evaluation of fluorescence or infrared spectra exhibiting slight differences such as the ones recorded on dairy products, allowing the development of prediction models. Recently, imaging technology such as confocal laser scanning microscopy or hyperspectral imaging coupled to image analysis techniques has successfully been used to study highly heterogeneous products such as cheese. Indeed, image analysis techniques such as mathematical morphology or image texture analysis make it possible to quantify structures in the images and to show the influence of different manufacturing processes on the protein network microstructure of cheeses. The aim of this article is to summarise those aspects of spectroscopy and imaging methods that may have value for solving problems in dairy science and technology.

Determination of the Microstructure of an Adhesive-Bonded Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) using 3-D Sub-micrometer Computer Tomography

The microstructure of a medium density fiberboard (MDF) has attracted much interest, because it determines most of the properties during production as well as during use of this type of board. In this paper the sub-micrometer computer tomography (sub-μm-CT) with very high resolution was used in order to investigate an industrially produced MDF. The data obtained were analyzed using mathematical morphology and image analysis in order to obtain information on the distribution of voids and the fiber material. Resulting distributions were found to follow Γ-law which was confirmed using the maximum likelihood estimation. Eventually, good correlations between void distribution and local density as well as between the proportion of cell wall material and local density were found in this investigation.

Anodic porous alumina structural characteristics study based on SEM image processing and analysis

The present work reports the porous alumina structures fabrication and their quantitative structural characteristics study based on mathematical morphology analysis by using the SEM images. The algorithm used in this work was implemented in 6.2 MATLAB software. Using the algorithm it was possible to obtain the distribution of maximum, minimum and average radius of the pores in porous alumina structures. Additionally, with the calculus of the area occupied by the pores, it was possible to obtain the porosity of the structures. The quantitative results could be obtained and related to the process fabrication characteristics, showing to be reliable and promising to be used to control the pores formation process. Then, this technique could provide a more accurate determination of pore sizes and pores distribution.

A Combination of Mathematical Morphology and Thermal Analysis of Wear Debris Explaining Polymer Sliding Mechanisms

Polymer wear debris particles undergo a thermal and mechanical (shear) cycle since their generation and therefore contain information on the friction and wear processes, while it is often difficult to draw quantitative data from them relating to transitions in tribological behaviour. Results from thermal DTA/TGA analysis and morphological pattern spectra of debris are presented and related to a transition at 180°C sliding temperatures own to hydrolysis and imidisation.

Megakaryocytic features useful for the diagnosis of myeloproliferative disorders can be obtained by a novel unsupervised software analysis.

An unsupervised method for megakaryocyte detection and analysis is proposed, in order to validate supplementary tools which can be of help in supporting the pathologist in the classification of Philadelphia negative chronic myeloproliferative disorders with thrombocytosis. The experiment was conducted on high power magnification photomicrographs taken from hematoxylin-and-eosin 3 micrometer thick sections of formalin fixed, paraffin embedded bone marrow biopsies from patients with reactive thrombocytosis or chronic myeloproliferative disorders. Each megakaryocyte has been isolated in the photos through an image segmentation process, mainly based on mathematical morphology and wavelet analysis. A set of features (e.g. area, perimeter and fractal dimension of the cell and its nucleus, shape complexity via elliptic Fourier transform, and so on) is used to characterize the disorders and discriminate between essential thrombocythemia and idiopathic myelofibrosis. Features related to the general contour of the cell like cytoplasmic area and perimeter are good markers in distinguishing between normal or reactive and pathologic megakaryocytes while nuclear features and global circularity are helpful in the differential diagnosis between ET and prefibrotic IMF. The method proposed should be considered as a fast preprocessing tool for the diagnostic phase and its use can be extended to solve different object recognition problems.

A STATISTICAL MORPHOLOGICAL DETERMINATION OF THE GROWTH RATE OF THE INTERFACIAL DISTURBANCE OF AN EXCITED RAYLEIGH JET;

ABSTRACT : This article presents two different image processing techniques applied to a series of pictures of liquid jet disintegration. The first one is based on a mathematical morphological analysis. It extracts characteristics from the series which are linked to the growth rate of the jet disturbance thanks to a simple disintegration model. The second analysis shows the dynamics of the jet picture series thanks to the proper orthogonal decomposition applied to pictures. 1- Introduction The disintegration of a cylindrical liquid jet is studied in terms of a morphological characterization of the jet interface. As shown long ago by Lord Rayleigh (1879), the disintegration of the jet is governed by the growth rate of the disturbance. Numerous experimental studies on the stability of a liquid jet can be found in the literature. Recently, Adeline et al. (1999) have used a complex image analysis based on edge tracking and wavelet transform to determine experimentally the growth rate. In this paper, we present another way to determine the growth rate on an excited jet by a morphological analysis of the jet pictures. This analysis takes into account the length distribution of the vertical and horizontal lines that make up the two-level jet pictures. The interest of this original approach resides in its ability to provide statistical morphological information with a very simple image processing program. The next chapters will present the morphological analysis and its application to the Rayleigh jet. We will show that the principal hypothesis of the disintegration model is respected using a statistical filtering on the picture series given by the Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD).

Information extraction from very high resolution satellite imagery over Lukole refugee camp, Tanzania

This paper addresses information extraction from IKONOS imagery over the Lukole refugee camp in Tanzania. More specific, it describes automatic image analysis procedures for a rapid and reliable identification of refugee tents as well as their spatial extent. From the identified tents, the number of refugees can be derived and a map of the camp can be generated, which can be used for improving refugee camp management. Four information extraction methods have been tested and compared: supervised classification, unsupervised classification, multi-resolution segmentation and mathematical morphology analysis. The latter two procedures based on object-oriented classifiers perform best with a spatial accuracy above 85% and a statistical accuracy above 97%. These methods could be used for refugee camp information extraction in other geographical settings and on imagery with different spatial and spectral resolutions.

Convexity dependent morphological transformations for mode detection in cluster analysis

An approach to unsupervised pattern classification is discussed, based on both the mathematical morphology and convexity analysis of the underlying probability density function. The density function, which is estimated from the input data, is dilated when it is concave and eroded when it is convex. Iterations of these convexity dependent morphological transformations tend to enhance the modes and to enlarge the valleys of the underlying p.d.f., so that mode detection becomes trivial. Examples of the performance of the clustering scheme based on the so-detected modes are given using artificially generated data sets.

Tissue characterization by combination of mathematical morphology and texture analysis: A new method for recognition of rejection after heart transplantation

Tissue characterization by combination of mathematical morphology and texture analysis: A new method for recognition of rejection after heart transplantation

Monitoring the Water Bodies of the Mackenzie Delta by Remote Sensing Methods

In the Mackenzie Delta, Northwest Territories, the thousands of lakes, ponds, channels and waterways, connected in an apparently chaotic manner, present a major logistical problem for collecting information regarding the nature of this complex hydrologic system. The use of satellite images gives an economical and synoptic view of this isolated region, while special analysis techniques simplify the environmental appraisal. The use of (mathematical) morphological analysis of the surface waters imaged by the satellite allowed the authors to distinguish all water bodies, even when they were at the limit of the spatial resolution of the sensor. The technique further permitted the classification of these water bodies by their inter- and intra-connectivity. Another technique, termed chromaticity analysis, allows for the removal of atmospheric differences among images, which in turn enables the use of surface calibration data from one date to be used on images of other dates. This method was also used to generate quantitative maps of suspended sediment concentration levels. Together, these techniques permit the assessment of the hydrologic flow (or its hindrance) of sediment and nutrients for the sustenance of aquatic flora and fauna. They further supply a method for the mapping of access routes by water craft to all parts of the Delta.Key words: mathematical morphology, chromaticity analysis, remote sensing, Landsat, Mackenzie Delta, suspensdeeddi ment, hydrologic network