19,119 research outputs found
Edge and Line Feature Extraction Based on Covariance Models
age segmentation based on contour extraction usually involves three stages of image operations: feature extraction, edge detection and edge linking. This paper is devoted to the first stage: a method to design feature extractors used to detect edges from noisy and/or blurred images. The method relies on a model that describes the existence of image discontinuities (e.g. edges) in terms of covariance functions. The feature extractor transforms the input image into a âlog-likelihood ratioâ image. Such an image is a good starting point of the edge detection stage since it represents a balanced trade-off between signal-to-noise ratio and the ability to resolve detailed structures. For 1-D signals, the performance of the edge detector based on this feature extractor is quantitatively assessed by the so called âaverage risk measureâ. The results are compared with the performances of 1-D edge detectors known from literature. Generalizations to 2-D operators are given. Applications on real world images are presented showing the capability of the covariance model to build edge and line feature extractors. Finally it is shown that the covariance model can be coupled to a MRF-model of edge configurations so as to arrive at a maximum a posteriori estimate of the edges or lines in the image
Automatic and semi-automatic extraction of curvilinear features from SAR images
Extraction of curvilinear features from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images is important for automatic recognition of various targets, such as fences, surrounding the buildings. The bright pixels which constitute curvilinear features in SAR images are usually disrupted and also degraded by high amount of speckle noise which makes extraction of such curvilinear features very difficult. In this paper an approach for the extraction of curvilinear features from SAR images is presented. The proposed approach is based on searching the curvilinear features as an optimum unidirectional path crossing over the vertices of the features determined after a despeckling operation. The proposed method can be used in a semi-automatic mode if the user supplies the starting vertex or in an automatic mode otherwise. In the semi-automatic mode, the proposed method produces reasonably accurate real-time solutions for SAR images
Detecting and localizing edges composed of steps, peaks and roofs
It is well known that the projection of depth or orientation
discontinuities in a physical scene results in image
intensity edges which are not ideal step edges but
are more typically a combination of steps, peak and
roof profiles. However most edge detection schemes
ignore the composite nature of these edges, resulting
in systematic errors in detection and localization. We
address the problem of detecting and localizing these
edges, while at the same time also solving the problem
of false responses in smoothly shaded regions with
constant gradient of the image brightness. We show
that a class of nonlinear filters, known as quadratic
filters, are appropriate for this task, while linear filters
are not. A series of performance criteria are derived
for characterizing the SNR, localization and multiple
responses of these filters in a manner analogous to
Canny's criteria for linear filters. A two-dimensional
version of the approach is developed which has the
property of being able to represent multiple edges at the
same location and determine the orientation of each
to any desired precision. This permits junctions to be
localized without rounding. Experimental results are
presented
Cell-cell communication enhances the capacity of cell ensembles to sense shallow gradients during morphogenesis
Collective cell responses to exogenous cues depend on cell-cell interactions.
In principle, these can result in enhanced sensitivity to weak and noisy
stimuli. However, this has not yet been shown experimentally, and, little is
known about how multicellular signal processing modulates single cell
sensitivity to extracellular signaling inputs, including those guiding complex
changes in the tissue form and function. Here we explored if cell-cell
communication can enhance the ability of cell ensembles to sense and respond to
weak gradients of chemotactic cues. Using a combination of experiments with
mammary epithelial cells and mathematical modeling, we find that multicellular
sensing enables detection of and response to shallow Epidermal Growth Factor
(EGF) gradients that are undetectable by single cells. However, the advantage
of this type of gradient sensing is limited by the noisiness of the signaling
relay, necessary to integrate spatially distributed ligand concentration
information. We calculate the fundamental sensory limits imposed by this
communication noise and combine them with the experimental data to estimate the
effective size of multicellular sensory groups involved in gradient sensing.
Functional experiments strongly implicated intercellular communication through
gap junctions and calcium release from intracellular stores as mediators of
collective gradient sensing. The resulting integrative analysis provides a
framework for understanding the advantages and limitations of sensory
information processing by relays of chemically coupled cells.Comment: paper + supporting information, total 35 pages, 15 figure
On the Analysis of Neural Networks for Image Processing
This paper illustrates a novel method to analyze artificial neural networks so as to gain insight into their internal functionality. To this purpose, we will show analysis results of some feed-forwardÂżerror-back-propagation neural networks for image processing. We will describe them in terms of domain-dependent basic functions, which are, in the case of the digital image processing domain, differential operators of various orders and with various angles of operation. Some other pixel classification techniques are analyzed in the same way, enabling easy comparison
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