FPGA implementation of particle swarm optimization based on new fitness function for MRI images segmentation

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is considered as a key part in therapeutic procedures because it clearly defines the aim. It also avoids sensitive organs and it determines the desired paths. This phenomenon requires image processing operations such as segmentation to locate the tumor. Medical image segmentation is still an important topic in the field of brain tumor. In the present article, we propose a Hardware Architecture of segmentation based on a Modified Particle Swarm Optimization (HAMPSO) algorithm for MRI images segmentation. To achieve this, we use the Xilinx System Generator (XSG) to be implemented on a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). This architecture is based on a new variant of objective function. These performances of the proposed method are proved using a set of MRI images and were compared to the Hardware Architecture of segmentation based on Particle Swarm Optimization (HAPSO) in terms of either device utilization, execution time, qualitatively or quantitatively results.     

基于FCM和图割的交互式图像分割方法

为了提高在前景和背景颜色相似情况下图像的分割效果,提出了一种基于模糊C均值聚类(FCM)和图割的交互式图像分割方法。首先,利用分水岭算法对图像进行预处理,将图像分成多个小区域,用区域代替像素点进行分析。然后,采用模糊C均值算法对用户标记的前景区域和背景区域分别进行聚类分析,挖掘用户交互所提供的隐藏信息。用未标记区域的颜色分量到前景区域及背景区域类心的最小距离表示相似能量,用未标记区域与其相邻区域的相关性表示先验能量。最后,利用最大流/最小割算法求能量函数的全局最优解。与其他方法相比,该文方法具有较好的分割性能,能从前景背景相似的图像中较精确地提取感兴趣的物体,且用户操作简单。     

Object detetion and image segmentation using texture pressure energy in parametric active contour models

Abstract

In recent years, Active Contour Models (ACMs) have become powerful tools for object detection and image segmentation in computer vision and image processing applications. This paper presents a new energy function in parametric active contour models for object detection and image segmentation. In the proposed method, a new pressure energy called “texture pressure energy” is added to the energy function of the parametric active contour model to detect and segment a textured object against a textured background. In this scheme, the texture features of the contour are calculated by a moment based method. Then by comparing these features with texture features of the object, the contour curve is expanded or contracted in order to be adapted to the object boundaries. Experimental results show that the proposed method has more efficient and accurate segmenting functionality than the traditional method when both object and background have texture properties.     

Methods for automatic microarray image segmentation

This paper describes image processing methods for automatic spotted microarray image analysis. Automatic gridding is important to achieve constant data quality and is, therefore, especially interesting for large-scale experiments as well as for integration of microarray expression data from different sources. We propose a Markov random field (MRF) based approach to high-level grid segmentation, which is robust to common problems encountered with array images and does not require calibration. We also propose an active contour method for single-spot segmentation. Active contour models describe objects in images by properties of their boundaries. Both MRFs and active contour models have been used in various other computer vision applications. The traditional active contour model must be generalized for successful application to microarray spot segmentation. Our active contour model is employed for spot detection in the MRF score functions as well as for spot signal segmentation in quantitative array image analysis. An evaluation using several image series from different sources shows the robustness of our methods.     

Segmentation of brain MRI using active contour model

Alzheimer disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that impairs memory, cognitive function, and gradually leads to dementia, physical deterioration, loss of independence, and death of the affected individual. In this context, segmentation of medical images is a very important technique in the field of image analysis and Computer‐Assisted Diagnosis. In this article, we introduce a new automatic method of brain images’ segmentation based on the Active Contour (AC) model to extract the Hippocampus and the Corpus Callosum (CC). Our contribution is to combine the geometric method with the statistical method of the AC. We used the Caselle Level Set and added a learning phase to build an average shape and to make the initialization task automatic. For the step of contour evolution, we used the principle of Level set and we added to it the a priori knowledge. Experimental results are very promising. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol, 27, 3–11, 2017     

一种基于DA-GMRF的无监督图像分割方法

提出一种基于间断自适应高斯马尔可夫随机场(DA-GMRF)模型的无监督图像分割方法.针对MRF模型中的过平滑问题,利用边缘信息构造能量函数,定义了一种DA-GMRF模型.利用灰度直方图势函数自动确定分类数及分割阈值,进行多阈值分割,得到DA-GMRF模型中标记场的初始化,用Metroplis采样器算法进行标记场的优化,实现了图像的无监督分割.实验结果表明了该方法的有效性.     

HSI空间和改进 C-means的彩色人民币号码分割方法

针对采集到的人民币号码图像都是彩色图像并携带有噪声这一现象,本文提出基于 HSI空间和改进的 C-means算法的人民币彩色号码图像分割方法。选用 HSI颜色空间作为彩色分割空间,在 HSI空间内,将 HSI的 3-D搜索问题转化为 3个 1-D的搜索问题,求取图像在 3个 1-D方向上的灰度直方图,该方法根据图像当前点 3×3邻域内每个像素灰度值与当前点灰度值差值的大小情况,确定聚类算法中当前点的灰度值 p(m)的值,采用 C-means聚类算法分别确定文字和非文字的聚类中心,利用欧式距离进行人民币号码前景和背景的聚类判断。该方法直接对彩色人民币号码图像进行分割,考虑了当前点与邻域像素点之间的相互关系,具有一定的自适应性。实验结果表明,提出的号码图像分割方法不受图像噪声和局部边缘变化的影响,且变换后数据量减少,易于计算,该方法对字母和数字的分割都有效,鲁棒性较强。     

MRI brain segmentation in combination of clustering methods with Markov random field

Medical image segmentation is a preliminary stage of inclusion in identification tools. The correct segmentation of brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) images is crucial for an accurate detection of the disease diagnosis. Due to in‐homogeneity, low distinction and noise the segmentation of the brain MRI images is treated as the most challenging task. In this article, we proposed hybrid segmentation, by combining the clustering methods with Hidden Markov Random Field (HMRF) technique. This aims to decrease the computational load and improves the runtime of segmentation method, as MRF methodology is used in post‐processing the images. Its evaluation has performed on real imaging data, resulting in the classification of brain tissues with dice similarity metric. These results indicate the improvement in performance of the proposed method with various noise levels, compared with existing algorithms. In implementation, selection of clustering method provides better results in the segmentation of MRI brain images.     

A novel Markov random field model based on region adjacency graph for T1 magnetic resonance imaging brain segmentation

Tissue segmentation in magnetic resonance brain scans is the most critical task in different aspects of brain analysis. Because manual segmentation of brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images is a time‐consuming and labor‐intensive procedure, automatic image segmentation is widely used for this purpose. As Markov Random Field (MRF) model provides a powerful tool for segmentation of images with a high level of artifacts, it has been considered as a superior method. But because of the high computational cost of MRF, it is not appropriate for online processing. This article has proposed a novel method based on a proper combination of MRF model and watershed algorithm in order to alleviate the MRF's drawbacks. Results illustrate that the proposed method has a good ability in MRI image segmentation, and also decreases the computational time effectively, which is a valuable improvement in the online applications. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol, 27, 78–88, 2017     

Finger vein verification system based on sparse representation

Finger vein verification is a promising biometric pattern for personal identification in terms of security and convenience. The recognition performance of this technology heavily relies on the quality of finger vein images and on the recognition algorithm. To achieve efficient recognition performance, a special finger vein imaging device is developed, and a finger vein recognition method based on sparse representation is proposed. The motivation for the proposed method is that finger vein images exhibit a sparse property. In the proposed system, the regions of interest (ROIs) in the finger vein images are segmented and enhanced. Sparse representation and sparsity preserving projection on ROIs are performed to obtain the features. Finally, the features are measured for recognition. An equal error rate of 0.017% was achieved based on the finger vein image database, which contains images that were captured by using the near-IR imaging device that was developed in this study. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method is faster and more robust than previous methods.     

基于Tsallis广义散度的图像阈值分割

为了有效获取图像自动分割的最佳闽值,基于Tsallis广义散度概念,提出了一种新的图像阈值化方法.首先,对Tsallis广义散度公式进行化简,进而建立该简化公式的对称形式.接着,在简化公式的对称形式上构造阈值化前后图像前景与背景的散度和,然后对该和式求职极小值获取图像分割的最佳阈值.实验结果表明,新方法是可行的且能更好的适应复杂多样的图像,是一个有效的阈值分割方法.     

Anatomical region segmentation method from dermoscopic images of pigmented skin lesions

Melanoma tumor can cause a serious life threatening problem in humans, if left untreated for a long time without early diagnosis. For early diagnosis of melanoma, it is more significant to develop novel methods based on biophysics analyses, molecular targets recognitions, and new image analysis criteria. In this article, anatomical region segmentation and diameter identification is proposed to detect melanoma from dermoscopic images. Four main steps of the proposed system are as follows: In the first step, the preprocessing is performed to smooth the melanoma extraction process. The region segmentation is done in the second step using watershed segmentation and Sobel operator. In the third step, the postprocessing procedures like as morphological open, canny edge detection also applied to improve the region of interest. Finally, the melanoma region is identified using color symmetry features. The proposed method is tested with two data sets to prove the performance proposed method. The proposed method achieved an accuracy of 95.31% and specificity of 98.3%, which is better than other methods. Experimental results show that the effectiveness of the proposed method and illustrate viability of real-time clinical applications.     

Object-of-interest image segmentation based on human attention and semantic region clustering

We propose a novel object-of-interest (OOI) segmentation algorithm for various images that is based on human attention and semantic region clustering. As object-based image segmentation is beyond current computer vision techniques, the proposed method segments an image into regions, which are then merged as a semantic object. At the same time, an attention window (AW) is created based on the saliency map and saliency points from an image. Within the AW, a support vector machine is used to select the salient regions, which are then clustered into the OOI using the proposed region merging. Unlike other algorithms, the proposed method allows multiple OOIs to be segmented according to the saliency map.     

A fuzzy logic‐based meningioma tumor detection in magnetic resonance brain images using CANFIS and U‐Net CNN classification

This article develops a methodology for meningioma brain tumor detection process using fuzzy logic based enhancement and co‐active adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system and U‐Net convolutional neural network classification methods. The proposed meningioma tumor detection process consists of the following stages as, enhancement, feature extraction, and classifications. The enhancement of the source brain image is done using fuzzy logic and then dual tree‐complex wavelet transform is applied to this enhanced image at different levels of scale. The features are computed from the decomposed sub band images and these features are further classified using CANFIS classification method which identifies the meningioma brain image from nonmeningioma brain image. The performance of the proposed meningioma brain tumor detection and segmentation system is analyzed in terms of sensitivity, specificity, segmentation accuracy, and Dice coefficient index with detection rate.     

Double regularization control based on level set evolution for tablet packaging image segmentation

This paper proposes a novel double regularization control(DRC) method which is used for tablet packaging image segmentation.Since the intensities of tablet packaging images are inhomogenous,it is difficult to make image segmentation.Compared to methods based on level set,the proposed DRC method has some advantages for tablet packaging image segmentation.The local regional control term and the rectangle initialization contour are first employed in this method to quickly segment uneven grayscale images and accelerate the curve evolution rate.Gaussian filter operator and the convolution calculation are then adopted to remove the effects of texture noises in image segmentation.The developed penalty energy function,as regularization term,increases the constrained conditions based on the gradient flow conditions.Since the potential function is embedded into the level set of evolution equations and the image contour evolutions are bilaterally extended,the proposed method further improves the accuracy of image contours.Experimental studies show that the DRC method greatly improves the computational efficiency and numerical accuracy,and achieves better results for image contour segmentation compared to other level set methods.     

基于最小类内差和最大类间差的图像分割算法研究

针对现有二维Otsu图像分割算法未考虑到目标和背景这二类像素自身的内聚性,提出一种新的自适应二维Otsu算法。该算法通过待分割图像的二维直方图,分别统计类内的绝对差、类间总体离差以反映类内、类间的离散度,从而构造出新阈值判别函数。通过一种改进的遗传算法优化二维阈值判别函数,自动得到较理想的分割阈值。实验结果表明,与其它阈值判别函数相比,通过优化新的阈值判别函数得到的二维阈值,具有了较好的分割效果,能够更好地保留了目标物的轮廓,而且计算量小。     

Electrical Tree Image Segmentation Using Hybrid Multi Scale Line TrackingAlgorithm

Electrical trees are an aging mechanism most associated with partial discharge (PD) activities in crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE) insulation of high-voltage (HV) cables. Characterization of electrical tree structures gained considerable attention from researchers since a deep understanding of the tree morphology is required to develop new insulation material. Two-dimensional (2D) optical microscopy is primarily used to examine tree structures and propagation shapes with image segmentation methods. However, since electrical trees can emerge in different shapes such as bush-type or branch-type, treeing images are complicated to segment due to manifestation of convoluted tree branches, leading to a high misclassification rate during segmentation. Therefore, this study proposed a new method for segmenting 2D electrical tree images based on the multi-scale line tracking algorithm (MSLTA) by integrating batch processing method. The proposed method, h-MSLTA aims to provide accurate segmentation of electrical tree images obtained over a period of tree propagation observation under optical microscopy. The initial phase involves XLPE sample preparation and treeing image acquisition under real-time microscopy observation. The treeing images are then sampled and binarized in pre-processing. In the next phase, segmentation of tree structures is performed using the h-MSLTA by utilizing batch processing in multiple instances of treeing duration. Finally, the comparative investigation has been conducted using standard performance assessment metrics, including accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, Dice coefficient and Matthew’s correlation coefficient (MCC). Based on segmentation performance evaluation against several established segmentation methods, h-MSLTA achieved better results of 95.43% accuracy, 97.28% specificity, 69.43% sensitivity rate with 23.38% and 24.16% average improvement in Dice coefficient and MCC score respectively over the original algorithm. In addition, h-MSLTA produced accurate measurement results of global tree parameters of length and width in comparison with the ground truth image. These results indicated that the proposed method had a solid performance in terms of segmenting electrical tree branches in 2D treeing images compared to other established techniques.     

A Novel Steganography Algorithm Based on Instance Segmentation

Information hiding tends to hide secret information in image area where is rich texture or high frequency, so as to transmit secret information to the recipient without affecting the visual quality of the image and arousing suspicion. We take advantage of the complexity of the object texture and consider that under certain circumstances, the object texture is more complex than the background of the image, so the foreground object is more suitable for steganography than the background. On the basis of instance segmentation, such as Mask R-CNN, the proposed method hides secret information into each object's region by using the masks of instance segmentation, thus realizing the information hiding of the foreground object without background. This method not only makes it more efficient for the receiver to extract information, but also proves to be more secure and robust by experiments.     

Fuzzy entropy‐based MR brain image segmentation using modified particle swarm optimization

This article presents an image segmentation technique based on fuzzy entropy, which is applied to magnetic resonance (MR) brain images in order to detect brain tumors. The proposed method performs image segmentation based on adaptive thresholding of the input MR images. The image is classified into two membership functions (MFs) of the fuzzy region: Z‐function and S‐function. The optimal parameters of these fuzzy MFs are obtained using modified particle swarm optimization (MPSO) algorithm. The objective function for obtaining the optimal fuzzy MF parameters is considered to be the maximum fuzzy entropy. Through a number of examples, The performance is compared with existing entropy based object segmentation approaches and the superiority of the proposed method is demonstrated. The experimental results are compared with the exhaustive search method and Otsu's segmentation technique. The result shows the proposed fuzzy entropy‐based segmentation method optimized using MPSO achieves maximum entropy with proper segmentation of infected areas and with minimum computational time. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol, 23, 281–288, 2013