Optimized Block-based Connected Components Labeling with Decision Trees

In this paper we define a new paradigm for 8-connection labeling, which employes a general approach to improve neighborhood exploration and minimizes the number of memory accesses. Firstly we exploit and extend the decision table formalism introducing OR-decision tables, in which multiple alternative actions are managed. An automatic procedure to synthesize the optimal decision tree from the decision table is used, providing the most effective conditions evaluation order. Secondly we propose a new scanning technique that moves on a 2x2 pixel grid over the image, which is optimized by the automatically generated decision tree.An extensive comparison with the state of art approaches is proposed, both on synthetic and real datasets. The synthetic dataset is composed of different sizes and densities random images, while the real datasets are an artistic image analysis dataset, a document analysis dataset for text detection and recognition, and finally a standard resolution dataset for picture segmentation tasks. The algorithm provides an impressive speedup over the state of the art algorithms

YACCLAB - Yet Another Connected Components Labeling Benchmark

The problem of labeling the connected components (CCL) of a binary image is well-defined and several proposals have been presented in the past. Since an exact solution to the problem exists and should be mandatory provided as output, algorithms mainly differ on their execution speed. In this paper, we propose and describe YACCLAB, Yet Another Connected Components Labeling Benchmark. Together with a rich and varied dataset, YACCLAB contains an open source platform to test new proposals and to compare them with publicly available competitors. Textual and graphical outputs are automatically generated for three kinds of test, which analyze the methods from different perspectives. The fairness of the comparisons is guaranteed by running on the same system and over the same datasets. Examples of usage and the corresponding comparisons among state-of-the-art techniques are reported to confirm the potentiality of the benchmark

Intersubject Regularity in the Intrinsic Shape of Human V1

Previous studies have reported considerable intersubject variability in the three-dimensional geometry of the human primary visual cortex (V1). Here we demonstrate that much of this variability is due to extrinsic geometric features of the cortical folds, and that the intrinsic shape of V1 is similar across individuals. V1 was imaged in ten ex vivo human hemispheres using high-resolution (200 μm) structural magnetic resonance imaging at high field strength (7 T). Manual tracings of the stria of Gennari were used to construct a surface representation, which was computationally flattened into the plane with minimal metric distortion. The instrinsic shape of V1 was determined from the boundary of the planar representation of the stria. An ellipse provided a simple parametric shape model that was a good approximation to the boundary of flattened V1. The aspect ration of the best-fitting ellipse was found to be consistent across subject, with a mean of 1.85 and standard deviation of 0.12. Optimal rigid alignment of size-normalized V1 produced greater overlap than that achieved by previous studies using different registration methods. A shape analysis of published macaque data indicated that the intrinsic shape of macaque V1 is also stereotyped, and similar to the human V1 shape. Previoud measurements of the functional boundary of V1 in human and macaque are in close agreement with these results

Connected Components Labeling on DRAGs

In this paper we introduce a new Connected Components Labeling (CCL) algorithm which exploits a novel approach to model decision problems as Directed Acyclic Graphs with a root, which will be called Directed Rooted Acyclic Graphs (DRAGs). This structure supports the use of sets of equivalent actions, as required by CCL, and optimally leverages these equivalences to reduce the number of nodes (decision points). The advantage of this representation is that a DRAG, differently from decision trees usually exploited by the state-of-the-art algorithms, will contain only the minimum number of nodes required to reach the leaf corresponding to a set of condition values. This combines the benefits of using binary decision trees with a reduction of the machine code size. Experiments show a consistent improvement of the execution time when the model is applied to CCL

The application of computational modeling to data visualization

Researchers have argued that perceptual issues are important in determining what makes an effective visualization, but generally only provide descriptive guidelines for transforming perceptual theory into practical designs. In order to bridge the gap between theory and practice in a more rigorous way, a computational model of the primary visual cortex is used to explore the perception of data visualizations. A method is presented for automatically evaluating and optimizing data visualizations for an analytical task using a computational model of human vision. The method relies on a neural network simulation of early perceptual processing in the retina and visual cortex. The neural activity resulting from viewing an information visualization is simulated and evaluated to produce metrics of visualization effectiveness for analytical tasks. Visualization optimization is achieved by applying these effectiveness metrics as the utility function in a hill-climbing algorithm. This method is applied to the evaluation and optimization of two visualization types: 2D flow visualizations and node-link graph visualizations. The computational perceptual model is applied to various visual representations of flow fields evaluated using the advection task of Laidlaw et al. The predictive power of the model is examined by comparing its performance to that of human subjects on the advection task using four flow visualization types. The results show the same overall pattern for humans and the model. In both cases, the best performance was obtained from visualizations containing aligned visual edges. Flow visualization optimization is done using both streaklet-based and pixel-based visualization parameterizations. An emergent property of the streaklet-based optimization is head-to-tail streaklet alignment, the pixel-based parameterization results in a LIC-like result. The model is also applied to node-link graph diagram visualizations for a node connectivity task using two-layer node-link diagrams. The model evaluation of node-link graph visualizations correlates with human performance, in terms of both accuracy and response time. Node-link graph visualizations are optimized using the perceptual model. The optimized node-link diagrams exhibit the aesthetic properties associated with good node-link diagram design, such as straight edges, minimal edge crossings, and maximal crossing angles, and yields empirically better performance on the node connectivity task

Labeling Color 2D Digital Images in Theoretical Near Logarithmic Time

A design of a parallel algorithm for labeling color flat zones (precisely, 4-connected components) of a gray-level or color 2D digital image is given. The technique is based in the construction of a particular Homological Spanning Forest (HSF) structure for encoding topological information of any image.HSFis a pair of rooted trees connecting the image elements at inter-pixel level without redundancy. In order to achieve a correct color zone labeling, our proposal here is to correctly building a sub- HSF structure for each image connected component, modifying an initial HSF of the whole image. For validating the correctness of our algorithm, an implementation in OCTAVE/MATLAB is written and its results are checked. Several kinds of images are tested to compute the number of iterations in which the theoretical computing time differs from the logarithm of the width plus the height of an image. Finally, real images are to be computed faster than random images using our approach.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad TEC2016-77785-PMinisterio de Economía y Competitividad MTM2016-81030-

A non-invasive technique for burn area measurement

The need for a reliable and accurate method for assessing the surface area of burn wounds currently exists in the branch of medicine involved with burn care and treatment. The percentage of the surface area is of critical importance in evaluating fluid replacement amounts and nutritional support during the 24 hours of postburn therapy. A noninvasive technique has been developed which facilitates the measurement of burn area. The method we shall describe is an inexpensive technique to measure the burn areas accurately. Our imaging system is based on a technique known as structured light. Most structured light computer imaging systems, including ours, use triangulation to determine the location of points in three dimensions as the intersection of two lines: a ray of light originating from the structured light projector and the line of sight determined by the location of the image point in the camera plane. The geometry used to determine 3D location by triangulation is identical to the geometry of other stereo-based vision system, including the human vision system. Our system projects a square grid pattern from 35mm slide onto the patient. The grid on the slide is composed of uniformly spaced orthogonal stripes which may be indexed by row and column. Each slide also has square markers placed in between time lines of the grid in both the horizontal and vertical directions in the center of the slide. Our system locates intersections of the projected grid stripes in the camera image and determines the 3D location of the corresponding points on the body by triangulation. Four steps are necessary in order to reconstruct 3D locations of points on the surface of the skin: camera and projector calibration; image processing to locate the grid intersections in the camera image; grid labeling to establish the correspondence between projected and imaged intersections; and triangulation to determine three-dimensional position. Three steps are required to segment burned portion in image: edge detection to get the strongest edges of the region; edge following to form a closed boundary; and region filling to identify the burn region. After combining the reconstructed 3D locations and segmented image, numerical analysis and geometric modeling techniques are used to calculate the burn area. We use cubic spline interpolation, bicubic surface patches and Gaussian quadrature double integration to calculate the burn wound area. The accuracy of this technique is demonstrated The benefits and advantages of this technique are, first, that we don’t have to make any assumptions about the shape of the human body and second, there is no need for either the Rule-of-Nines, or the weight and height of the patient. This technique can be used for human body shape, regardless of weight proportion, size, sex or skin pigmentation. The low cost, intuitive method, and demonstrated efficiency of this computer imaging technique makes it a desirable alternative to current methods and provides the burn care specialist with a sterile, safe, and effective diagnostic tool in assessing and investigating burn areas