Improved revealing of hidden structures and defects for historic art sculptures using poisson image editing

[EN] Radiography is a non-destructive tool and offers the acquisition of detailed information on the internal features of sculptures as a cultural heritage. However, radiographs contain different levels of blurriness mainly caused by the detection of scattered X-rays. Reduction of image blurriness provides improved contrast in targeted areas which enhances the extraction of information from the selected regions and features of the radiographs. In this study, we applied a set of convolution methods to a group of radiographic images of historic sculptures. Radiographs of the objects were provided with the associated documentation from the collection of the Radiographic Inspection Laboratory of the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia. The selection of the particular objects was based on the difference in the materials used in their construction i.e. the objects were made of wood, paper, or wax. The Poisson Image Editing (PIE) based on L-2-norm was applied for image enhancement of digital radiography images. The results showed that the PIE method was effective in selective region enhancement of the radiographic image contrast enabling better visualization of the objects' internal structures. The application of the implemented algorithm enabled the conservators and radiographers involved in the study to improve the visualization of the sculptures' internal features and defects enhance the defects' evaluation.Madrid García, JA.; Yahaghi, E.; Mirzapour, M.; Movafeghi, A. (2022). Improved revealing of hidden structures and defects for historic art sculptures using poisson image editing. Journal of Cultural Heritage. 55:381-390. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.culher.2022.04.0023813905

Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in Military Personnel and their Families Referred to the Military Hospital in Tehran, Iran

Background: Toxoplasmosis is one of the world's most common infections in human and other warm-blooded vertebrates and has the most extensive universal spread. The purpose of this study is determining the seroprevalence of human Toxoplasma gondii infection, in the military personnel and their families referred to Baqiyatallah hospital, 2011-2015.Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the serum of 3370 person contain 770 men and 2600 women attending the laboratories were selected and after completing the questionnaires and also by implementing Chemiluminescence method, these serums were examined for the presence of IgM and IgG immunoglobulins of the Toxoplasma gondii.Results: The results were analyzed using the chi-square test. They showed that there were no statistical relationships between the prevalence of IgG and gender in 2011, 2013, (P>0.05) but there were significant relationships between them in 2012, 2014 and 2015 (P<0.05), also there were no statistical relationships between the prevalence of IgM and gender in all years (P>0.05). The results showed that there were statistical relationships among IgG and age (P<0.01) but there was no statistical relationships between IgM and age in all cases (P>0.05).Conclusion: The results showed high prevalence of Toxoplasmosis in the military personnel and their families in Baqiyatallah hospital. The prevalence of IgG was somehow in the range and positive IgG titer was somewhat higher than what was reported in other studies in the North-West of the country; this could be partly due to the sensitivity and specificity of Chemiluminescence method compared to other methods of serology in diagnosis of Toxoplasmosis

Convergence and Semi-Convergence of a Class of Constrained Block Iterative Methods

In this paper, we analyze the convergence properties of projected non-stationary block iterative methods (P-BIM) aiming to find a constrained solution to large linear, usually both noisy and ill-conditioned, systems of equations. We split the error of the kth iterate into noise error and iteration error, and consider each error separately. The iteration error is treated for a more general algorithm, also suited for solving split feasibility problems in Hilbert space. The results for P-BIM come out as a special case. The algorithmic step involves projecting onto closed convex sets. When these sets are polyhedral, and of finite dimension, it is shown that the algorithm converges linearly. We further derive an upper bound for the noise error of P-BIM. Based on this bound, we suggest a new strategy for choosing relaxation parameters, which assist in speeding up the reconstruction process and improving the quality of obtained images. The relaxation parameters may depend on the noise. The performance of the suggested strategy is shown by examples taken from the field of image reconstruction from projections

Identify Hidden Designs in Antique Paintings Using Industrial Radiography

[EN] Journal of Research on Archaeometry, 2020; 6 (2):127¿140 URL: http://jra-tabriziau.ir/DOI: 10.52547/jra.6.2.127 Accepted: 12/15/2020Received: 09/24/2020 Abstract In past centuries, to prevent exquisite paintings, new works of art were painted on them. To identify the hidden paintings on the board, using digital radiography as a non-destructive testing method is recommended. Some phenomenon such as photon scattering, different types of noises, etc. causes on the quality of output radiographs. In this paper, we use two pyramid-based techniques, i.e., the Gaussian pyramid method and the Laplacian pyramid method, to improve the quality of radiographs. The experimental results show the effectiveness of applied techniques for identifying the hidden paintingsMirzapour, M.; Yahaghi, E.; Ghiyasi Limanjubi, SM.; Madrid García, JA.; Movafeghi, A. (2020). Identify Hidden Designs in Antique Paintings Using Industrial Radiography. Journal of Research on Archaeometry. 6(2):127-140. https://doi.org/10.52547/jra.6.2.1271271406

Improved Utilization of Radiographs of Ancient Metal Objects under Heterogeneous Image Blurring

Availability of pertinent and detailed information for damaged ancient objects is vital for successful restorative, damage limitation intervention processes in archeology. Visual inspection and radiography testing (RT) constitute widely used non-destructive methods for conservators of such objects. Unfortunately, the quality of RT images is susceptible to blurring caused by the superimposed scattered X-rays. In this study, the no-black-pixel constraint (NBPC) algorithm on its own as well as in the form of an algorithm with the planar-scene assumption (NBPC + PA) was applied to RT images with a view to suppressing image blurring and enhancement of imaging contrast. The results of this study have shown, both qualitatively and quantitatively that the NBPC + PA and NBPC algorithms provide higher imaging contrast for identification and evaluation of damage in corroded ancient metallic relics than using unprocessed RT images alone. Contrast enhancement of up to about 120% and 78% was achieved in comparison with the original image by applying the NBPC+PA and NBPC algorithms, respectively. Practical application and effectiveness of using the processed images were evaluated by expert operators in the area and it was found that using the reconstructed images scored higher (on average by 88%) than the original RT images (on average by 73%) with the NBPC+PA scoring higher (on average by 91%) than the NBPC algorithm (on average by 85%). The operators have found utilizing the processed images leads to better inspection and evaluation of the object enabling better targeted informed for restorative intervention, damage limitation, and maintenance of such objects.</p

COVID-19 in pediatrics: The current knowledge and practice

International audienceIntroduction: SARS-CoV-2 is the novel coronavirus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome and could afflict individuals from all walks of life. Children are usually asymptomatic or represent non-specific mild to moderate symptoms; therefore, they often remain undiagnosed and could be potential reservoirs and silent carriers of the virus. Despite the global attention to COVID-19 and its importance in public health, some clinical and paraclinical aspects of this disease in children are still unclear. Thus, we conducted a comprehensive systematic review of available literature to reflect on the current knowledge and practice of the disease among children. Methods: This study was a systematic review of current evidence conducted in October 2020. We performed a systematic search using the keywords in online databases. The investigation adheres to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist to ensure the reliability and validity of extracted literature and results. Results: We selected and reviewed 23 most related studies out of 1744 identified paper in an initial online search based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria of the present review; of whom, 13 were original research studies, and 10 were a letter to the editors, commentaries, viewpoints, consensus statements, and perspectives. Although due to the origin of the current pandemic, China was the country with the most publications (14 articles), data from several countries have beenincluded in this review. Conclusion: COVID-19 can also affect children and cause systemic disease with several internal organ involvements. However, the prevalence, severity, and diversity of the symptoms in children are less than in adults. Cough and fever appear to be some of the most common symptoms, followed by other symptoms such as gastrointestinal manifestations. Comorbidities increase the risk of severe COVID-19 in children, and those without underlying conditions are very unlikely to suffer from severe disease. Mental health issues such as anxiety and depression due to the isolated situation caused by pandemics are common findings in children of early ages and should be seriously considered in current practice