X-Ray Image Processing and Visualization for Remote Assistance of Airport Luggage Screeners

X-ray technology is widely used for airport luggage inspection nowadays. However, the ever-increasing sophistication of threat-concealment measures and types of threats, together with the natural complexity, inherent to the content of each individual luggage make x-ray raw images obtained directly from inspection systems unsuitable to clearly show various luggage and threat items, particularly low-density objects, which poses a great challenge for airport screeners. This thesis presents efforts spent in improving the rate of threat detection using image processing and visualization technologies. The principles of x-ray imaging for airport luggage inspection and the characteristics of single-energy and dual-energy x-ray data are first introduced. The image processing and visualization algorithms, selected and proposed for improving single energy and dual energy x-ray images, are then presented in four categories: (1) gray-level enhancement, (2) image segmentation, (3) pseudo coloring, and (4) image fusion. The major contributions of this research include identification of optimum combinations of common segmentation and enhancement methods, HSI based color-coding approaches and dual-energy image fusion algorithms —spatial information-based and wavelet-based image fusions. Experimental results generated with these image processing and visualization algorithms are shown and compared. Objective image quality measures are also explored in an effort to reduce the overhead of human subjective assessments and to provide more reliable evaluation results. Two application software are developed − an x-ray image processing application (XIP) and a wireless tablet PC-based remote supervision system (RSS). In XIP, we implemented in a user-friendly GUI the preceding image processing and visualization algorithms. In RSS, we ported available image processing and visualization methods to a wireless mobile supervisory station for screener assistance and supervision. Quantitative and on-site qualitative evaluations for various processed and fused x-ray luggage images demonstrate that using the proposed algorithms of image processing and visualization constitutes an effective and feasible means for improving airport luggage inspection

Image processing and machine learning techniques used in computer-aided detection system for mammogram screening - a review

This paper aims to review the previously developed Computer-aided detection (CAD) systems for mammogram screening because increasing death rate in women due to breast cancer is a global medical issue and it can be controlled only by early detection with regular screening. Till now mammography is the widely used breast imaging modality. CAD systems have been adopted by the radiologists to increase the accuracy of the breast cancer diagnosis by avoiding human errors and experience related issues. This study reveals that in spite of the higher accuracy obtained by the earlier proposed CAD systems for breast cancer diagnosis, they are not fully automated. Moreover, the false-positive mammogram screening cases are high in number and over-diagnosis of breast cancer exposes a patient towards harmful overtreatment for which a huge amount of money is being wasted. In addition, it is also reported that the mammogram screening result with and without CAD systems does not have noticeable difference, whereas the undetected cancer cases by CAD system are increasing. Thus, future research is required to improve the performance of CAD system for mammogram screening and make it completely automated

High-resolution multipath channel parameter estimation using wavelet analysis

This thesis explores the novel use of wavelet analysis as a high-resolution digital signal processing algorithm for multipath channel parameter estimation. The results obtained from this research indicate that this wavelet-based digital signal processing algorithm overcomes the resolution limitation in conventional high-resolution algorithm. This may provide a more cost-effective means of implementing channel sounding equipments for very high-resolution measurements

Wavelet Analysis and Denoising: New Tools for Economists

This paper surveys the techniques of wavelets analysis and the associated methods of denoising. The Discrete Wavelet Transform and its undecimated version, the Maximum Overlapping Discrete Wavelet Transform, are described. The methods of wavelets analysis can be used to show how the frequency content of the data varies with time. This allows us to pinpoint in time such events as major structural breaks. The sparse nature of the wavelets representation also facilitates the process of noise reduction by nonlinear wavelet shrinkage , which can be used to reveal the underlying trends in economic data. An application of these techniques to the UK real GDP (1873-2001) is described. The purpose of the analysis is to reveal the true structure of the data - including its local irregularities and abrupt changes - and the results are surprising.Wavelets, Denoising, Structural breaks, Trend estimation