Modeling of Growth via Active Contour Models

We analyze the growth of biological specimens with the help of Active Contour Models known as Snakes. The Active Contour Model tracks the boundary of an object as it changes shape and can also predict how the object might change shape. The method presented here computes shape-change - especially when it is in the form of growth - better than techniques like optical flow, deformable templates, etc. The specimen data is segmented and an initial guess of the boundary is made by interpolating a set of control points with a cubic polynomial. The boundary of the specimen is then localized by minimizing the energy of the cubic in each image of a sequence. Thus the object's contour is characterized with a small number of points. Summary Shape-change models have been used to study the pumping of heart [1] and cell motility [2], but most of the above methods have not been able to model growth accurately enough. The shape-change method presented here is designed to model growth with the help of..

CdTe quantum dots as nanothermometers : towards highly sensitive thermal imaging

Universidad Autonoma de MadridComunidad Autónoma de MadridMinisterio de Educación y Ciencia (España)Banco Santander-CEAL-UAMCoordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPQ)Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Alagoas (FAPEAL)Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)Concordia UniversityDepto. de ÓpticaFac. de Ciencias FísicasTRUEpu