6,780 research outputs found
Using the Natural Scenes’ Edges for Assessing Image Quality Blindly and Efficiently
Two real blind/no-reference (NR) image quality assessment (IQA) algorithms in the spatial domain are developed. To measure image quality, the introduced approach uses an unprecedented concept for gathering a set of novel features based on edges of natural scenes. The enhanced sensitivity of the human eye to the information carried by edge and contour of an image supports this claim. The effectiveness of the proposed technique in quantifying image quality has been studied. The gathered features are formed using both Weibull distribution statistics and two sharpness functions to devise two separate NR IQA algorithms. The presented algorithms do not need training on databases of human judgments or even prior knowledge about expected distortions, so they are real NR IQA algorithms. In contrast to the most general no-reference IQA, the model used for this study is generic and has been created in such a way that it is not specified to any particular distortion type. When testing the proposed algorithms on LIVE database, experiments show that they correlate well with subjective opinion scores. They also show that the introduced methods significantly outperform the popular full-reference peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) and the structural similarity (SSIM) methods. Besides they outperform the recently developed NR natural image quality evaluator (NIQE) model
No-reference image quality assessment through the von Mises distribution
An innovative way of calculating the von Mises distribution (VMD) of image
entropy is introduced in this paper. The VMD's concentration parameter and some
fitness parameter that will be later defined, have been analyzed in the
experimental part for determining their suitability as a image quality
assessment measure in some particular distortions such as Gaussian blur or
additive Gaussian noise. To achieve such measure, the local R\'{e}nyi entropy
is calculated in four equally spaced orientations and used to determine the
parameters of the von Mises distribution of the image entropy. Considering
contextual images, experimental results after applying this model show that the
best-in-focus noise-free images are associated with the highest values for the
von Mises distribution concentration parameter and the highest approximation of
image data to the von Mises distribution model. Our defined von Misses fitness
parameter experimentally appears also as a suitable no-reference image quality
assessment indicator for no-contextual images.Comment: 29 pages, 11 figure
Enhancing retinal images by nonlinear registration
Being able to image the human retina in high resolution opens a new era in
many important fields, such as pharmacological research for retinal diseases,
researches in human cognition, nervous system, metabolism and blood stream, to
name a few. In this paper, we propose to share the knowledge acquired in the
fields of optics and imaging in solar astrophysics in order to improve the
retinal imaging at very high spatial resolution in the perspective to perform a
medical diagnosis. The main purpose would be to assist health care
practitioners by enhancing retinal images and detect abnormal features. We
apply a nonlinear registration method using local correlation tracking to
increase the field of view and follow structure evolutions using correlation
techniques borrowed from solar astronomy technique expertise. Another purpose
is to define the tracer of movements after analyzing local correlations to
follow the proper motions of an image from one moment to another, such as
changes in optical flows that would be of high interest in a medical diagnosis.Comment: 21 pages, 7 figures, submitted to Optics Communication
Visualization of coronary arteries in paediatric patients using whole-heart coronary magnetic resonance angiography: comparison of image-navigation and the standard approach for respiratory motion compensation
Aims: To investigate the use of respiratory motion compensation using image-based navigation (iNAV) with
constant respiratory efficiency using single end-expiratory thresholding (CRUISE) for coronary magnetic resonance
angiography (CMRA), and compare it to the conventional diaphragmatic navigator (dNAV) in paediatric patients
with congenital or suspected heart disease.
Methods: iNAV allowed direct tracking of the respiratory heart motion and was generated using balanced steady
state free precession startup echoes. Respiratory gating was achieved using CRUISE with a fixed 50% efficiency.
Whole-heart CMRA was acquired with 1.3mm isotropic resolution. For comparison, CMRA with identical imaging
parameters were acquired using dNAV. Scan time, visualization of coronary artery origins and mid-course, imaging
quality and sharpness was compared between the two sequences.
Results: Forty patients (13 females; median weight: 44 kg; median age: 12.6, range: 3 months–17 years) were
enrolled. 25 scans were performed in awake patients. A contrast agent was used in 22 patients. The scan time was
significantly reduced using iNAV for awake patients (iNAV 7:48 ± 1:26 vs dNAV 9:48 ± 3:11, P = 0.01) but not for
patients under general anaesthesia (iNAV = 6:55 ± 1:50 versus dNAV = 6:32 ± 2:16; P = 0.32). In 98% of the cases,
iNAV image quality had an equal or higher score than dNAV. The visual score analysis showed a clear difference,
favouring iNAV (P = 0.002). The right coronary artery and the left anterior descending vessel sharpness was
significantly improved (iNAV: 56.8% ± 10.1% vs dNAV: 53.7% ± 9.9%, P < 0.002 and iNAV: 55.8% ± 8.6% vs dNAV:
53% ± 9.2%, P = 0.001, respectively). Conclusion: iNAV allows for a higher success-rate and clearer depiction of the mid-course of coronary arteries in
paediatric patients. Its acquisition time is shorter in awake patients and image quality score is equal or superior to
the conventional method in most cases.Medical Engineering at King’s College London WT 088641/Z/09/ZBHF Centre of Excellence RE/08/0
Real-time Assessment of Right and Left Ventricular Volumes and Function in Children Using High Spatiotemporal Resolution Spiral bSSFP with Compressed Sensing
Background: Real-time (RT) assessment of ventricular volumes and function
enables data acquisition during free-breathing. However, in children the
requirement for high spatiotemporal resolution requires accelerated imaging
techniques. In this study, we implemented a novel RT bSSFP spiral sequence
reconstructed using Compressed Sensing (CS) and validated it against the
breath-hold (BH) reference standard for assessment of ventricular volumes in
children with heart disease.
Methods: Data was acquired in 60 children. Qualitative image scoring and
evaluation of ventricular volumes was performed by 3 clinical cardiac MR
specialists. 30 cases were reassessed for intra-observer variability, and the
other 30 cases for inter-observer variability.
Results: Spiral RT images were of good quality, however qualitative scores
reflected more residual artefact than standard BH images and slightly lower
edge definition. Quantification of Left Ventricular (LV) and Right Ventricular
(RV) metrics showed excellent correlation between the techniques with narrow
limits of agreement. However, we observed small but statistically significant
overestimation of LV end-diastolic volume, underestimation of LV end-systolic
volume, as well as a small overestimation of RV stroke volume and ejection
fraction using the RT imaging technique. No difference in inter-observer or
intra-observer variability were observed between the BH and RT sequences.
Conclusions: Real-time bSSFP imaging using spiral trajectories combined with
a compressed sensing reconstruction is feasible. The main benefit is that it
can be acquired during free breathing. However, another important secondary
benefit is that a whole ventricular stack can be acquired in ~20 seconds, as
opposed to ~6 minutes for standard BH imaging. Thus, this technique holds the
potential to significantly shorten MR scan times in children
Evaluation of Psychoacoustic Sound Parameters for Sonification
Sonification designers have little theory or experimental evidence to guide the design of data-to-sound mappings. Many mappings use acoustic representations of data values which do not correspond with the listener's perception of how that data value should sound during sonification. This research evaluates data-to-sound mappings that are based on psychoacoustic sensations, in an attempt to move towards using data-to-sound mappings that are aligned with the listener's perception of the data value's auditory connotations. Multiple psychoacoustic parameters were evaluated over two experiments, which were designed in the context of a domain-specific problem - detecting the level of focus of an astronomical image through auditory display. Recommendations for designing sonification systems with psychoacoustic sound parameters are presented based on our results
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