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Sample records for acquired fibular segmental

  1. Computer Simulation Surgery for Mandibular Reconstruction Using a Fibular Osteotomy Guide

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Woo Shik Jeong

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available In the present study, a fibular osteotomy guide based on a computer simulation was applied to a patient who had undergone mandibular segmental ostectomy due to oncological complications. This patient was a 68-year-old woman who presented to our department with a biopsy-proven squamous cell carcinoma on her left gingival area. This lesion had destroyed the cortical bony structure, and the patient showed attenuation of her soft tissue along the inferior alveolar nerve, indicating perineural spread of the tumor. Prior to surgery, a three-dimensional computed tomography scan of the facial and fibular bones was performed. We then created a virtual computer simulation of the mandibular segmental defect through which we segmented the fibular to reconstruct the proper angulation in the original mandible. Approximately 2-cm segments were created on the basis of this simulation and applied to the virtually simulated mandibular segmental defect. Thus, we obtained a virtual model of the ideal mandibular reconstruction for this patient with a fibular free flap. We could then use this computer simulation for the subsequent surgery and minimize the bony gaps between the multiple fibular bony segments.

  2. Fibular hemimelia: a case report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Byung Joon; Hong, Suk Joo; Kim, Kyung Min; Seol, Hae Young; Cha, In Ho; Song, Hae Ryong

    2006-01-01

    Fibular hemimelia is the most common congenital absence or hypoplasia of long bone. In addition to fibular absence or hypoplasia, this entity also includes various combined abnormalities of the lower limbs. We present here three cases of fibular hemimelia who underwent diagnosis and treatment in our hospital. We especially focus on the imaging findings of the plain radiographs, and we compare them with the findings found at another presentation

  3. Effect of hip and knee position on nerve conduction in the common fibular nerve.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Broadhurst, Peter Kaas; Robinson, Lawrence R

    2017-09-01

    The aim of this study was to measure the influence that hip and knee position have on routine fibular motor nerve conduction studies. Healthy subjects under age 40 were recruited (n = 24) to have fibular nerve conduction studies completed in various positions, using hip extension-knee extension as a control. A mean increase in conduction velocity of 2.5 m/s across the knee (P = 0.020) was seen during hip flexion compared with hip extension. A mean decrease in velocity of 1.6 m/s through the leg segment (P = 0.016) was seen during knee flexion compared with knee extension. This study shows that the optimal position of the leg during fibular nerve studies is with the hip in flexion and knee in extension, to more accurately reflect nerve length for velocity calculations. This may have implications for other peripheral nerves with respect to proximal joint position affecting calculated velocity. Muscle Nerve 56: 519-521, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  4. Bimalleolar ankle fracture with proximal fibular fracture

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Colenbrander, R. J.; Struijs, P. A. A.; Ultee, J. M.

    2005-01-01

    A 56-year-old female patient suffered a bimalleolar ankle fracture with an additional proximal fibular fracture. This is an unusual fracture type, seldom reported in literature. It was operatively treated by open reduction and internal fixation of the lateral malleolar fracture. The proximal fibular

  5. Tibial and fibular angles in homozygous sickle cell disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akamaguna, A.I.; Odita, J.C.; Ugbodaga, C.I.; Okafor, L.A.

    1986-01-01

    Measurements of the tibial and fibular angles made on ankle radiographs of 34 patients with sickle cell disease were compared with those of 36 normal Nigerians. Widening of the fibular angle, which is an indication of tibiotalar slant, was demonstrated in about 79% of sickle cell disease patients. By using fibular angle measurements as an objective method of assessing subtle tibiotalar slant, it is concluded that the incidence of this deformity is much higher among sickle cell disease patients than previously reported. The mean values of tibial and fibular angles in normal Nigerians are higher than has been reported amongst Caucasians. (orig.)

  6. Tibial and fibular developmental fields defects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khoury, N.J.; Haddad, M.C.; Hourani, M.H.

    1999-01-01

    Malformations of the lower limbs are rare and heterogeneous anomalies. To explain the diversity and complexity of these abnormalities, authors introduced the concept of tibial and fibular developmental fields. Defects in these fields are responsible for different malformations, which have been described, to our knowledge, in only one report in the radiology literature. We present a case of a newborn with femoral bifurcation, absent fibulae and talar bones, ankle and foot malformations, and associated atrial septal defect. Our case is an example of defects in both fibular and tibial developmental fields. (orig.)

  7. Vascularized fibular graft combined with vacuum assisted closure in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The flowthrough fibular graft combined with Vacuum Assisted Closure (VAC) controlled the infection, shortened the course of treatment, and effectively restored limb function when applied to the treatment of tibial defects. Keywords: Tibial defect, Flow-through fibular graft, Vacuum Assisted Closure, Chronic Osteomyelitis ...

  8. One-stage treatment and reconstruction of Gustilo Type III open tibial shaft fractures with a vascularized fibular osteoseptocutaneous flap graft.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhen, Ping; Hu, Yun-Yu; Luo, Zhuo-Jing; Liu, Xing-Yan; Lu, Hao; Li, Xu-Sheng

    2010-12-01

    This study evaluated the usefulness of a single-stage, free-fibular vascularized osteoseptocutaneous flap transfer for Type III open tibial shaft fractures with segmental bone loss for the reconstruction of combined bone and soft tissue defects. Nonrandomized retrospective study. University Level I trauma center. All Gustilo Type III open tibial shaft fractures with segmental bone loss that were treated at one institution between 2000 and 2007 were identified from a trauma registry. The study group consisted of 28 patients with Type III open tibial fractures: 27 were Gustilo-Anderson Type IIIB and one was Grade IIIC. The cause of tibial injury included eight industrial accidents, seven motor vehicle accidents, five crushing injuries caused by heavy objects, five falls from a height, and three motorcycle crashes. The lengths of the preoperative segmental tibial bone loss ranged from 9 to 17 cm and the size of the associated soft tissue defects ranged from 8 × 6 cm to 15 × 7 cm. The free fibular vascularized osteoseptocutaneous flap was used to graft and reconstruct combined bone and soft tissue defects. The radical wound débridement, soft tissue and bone revision, fracture stabilization, and early soft tissue coverage were achieved by this technique in a one-stage procedure. The average duration from injury to one-stage reconstruction was 15.8 hours (range, 5.3 hours to 6.5 days). Radiographic and functional evaluation of the lower extremity. All free fibular osteoseptocutaneous flaps survived completely. The average time to overall union for the entire group was 32 weeks after surgery (range, 26-41 weeks). None of the patients in this series had a nonunion. Acceptable radiographic alignment, defined as 5° of angulation in any plane, was obtained in 22 patients (78.6%). Malunion affected six (21.4%) fractures. According to the lower extremity functional assessment, excellent and good results were achieved for 82.1% (23 of 28), fair results were seen in 14

  9. Adult outcomes following amputation or lengthening for fibular deficiency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walker, Janet L; Knapp, Dwana; Minter, Christin; Boakes, Jennette L; Salazar, Juan Carlos; Sanders, James O; Lubicky, John P; Drvaric, David M; Davids, Jon R

    2009-04-01

    Fibular deficiency results in a small, unstable foot and ankle as well as a limb-length discrepancy. The purpose of this study was to assess outcomes in adults who, as children, had had amputation or limb-lengthening, commonly used treatments for fibular deficiency. Retrospective review of existing data collected since 1950 at six pediatric orthopaedic centers identified 248 patients with fibular deficiency who were twenty-one years of age or older at the time of the review. Excluding patients with other anomalies and other treatments (with the excluded group including six who had had lengthening and then amputation), we identified ninety-eight patients who had had amputation or limb-lengthening for the treatment of isolated unilateral fibular deficiency. Sixty-two patients (with thirty-six amputations and twenty-six lengthening procedures) completed several questionnaires, including one asking general demographic questions, the Beck Depression Inventory-II, the Quality of Life Questionnaire, and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Lower Limb Questionnaire including the Short Form-36. A group of twenty-eight control subjects completed the Beck Depression Inventory-II and the Quality of Life Questionnaire. There were forty men and twenty-two women. The average age at the time of the interview was thirty-three years. There were more amputations in those with fewer rays and less fibular preservation. Lengthening resulted in more surgical procedures (6.3 compared with 2.4 in patients treated with amputation) and more days in the hospital (184 compared with sixty-three) (both pemployment, income, public assistance or disability payments, pain or use of pain medicine, sports participation, activity restriction, comfort wearing shorts, dislike of limb appearance, or satisfaction with treatment. No patient who had been treated for fibular deficiency reported signs of depression. The only significant difference between treatment groups shown by the Quality of Life

  10. Molecular development of fibular reduction in birds and its evolution from dinosaurs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Botelho, João Francisco; Smith-Paredes, Daniel; Soto-Acuña, Sergio; O'Connor, Jingmai; Palma, Verónica; Vargas, Alexander O

    2016-03-01

    Birds have a distally reduced, splinter-like fibula that is shorter than the tibia. In embryonic development, both skeletal elements start out with similar lengths. We examined molecular markers of cartilage differentiation in chicken embryos. We found that the distal end of the fibula expresses Indian hedgehog (IHH), undergoing terminal cartilage differentiation, and almost no Parathyroid-related protein (PTHrP), which is required to develop a proliferative growth plate (epiphysis). Reduction of the distal fibula may be influenced earlier by its close contact with the nearby fibulare, which strongly expresses PTHrP. The epiphysis-like fibulare however then separates from the fibula, which fails to maintain a distal growth plate, and fibular reduction ensues. Experimental downregulation of IHH signaling at a postmorphogenetic stage led to a tibia and fibula of equal length: The fibula is longer than in controls and fused to the fibulare, whereas the tibia is shorter and bent. We propose that the presence of a distal fibular epiphysis may constrain greater growth in the tibia. Accordingly, many Mesozoic birds show a fibula that has lost its distal epiphysis, but remains almost as long as the tibia, suggesting that loss of the fibulare preceded and allowed subsequent evolution of great fibulo-tibial disparity. © 2016 The Author(s). Evolution published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of The Society for the Study of Evolution.

  11. Iris recognition: on the segmentation of degraded images acquired in the visible wavelength.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Proença, Hugo

    2010-08-01

    Iris recognition imaging constraints are receiving increasing attention. There are several proposals to develop systems that operate in the visible wavelength and in less constrained environments. These imaging conditions engender acquired noisy artifacts that lead to severely degraded images, making iris segmentation a major issue. Having observed that existing iris segmentation methods tend to fail in these challenging conditions, we present a segmentation method that can handle degraded images acquired in less constrained conditions. We offer the following contributions: 1) to consider the sclera the most easily distinguishable part of the eye in degraded images, 2) to propose a new type of feature that measures the proportion of sclera in each direction and is fundamental in segmenting the iris, and 3) to run the entire procedure in deterministically linear time in respect to the size of the image, making the procedure suitable for real-time applications.

  12. Ilizarov bone transport versus fibular graft for reconstruction of tibial bone defects in children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abdelkhalek, Mostafa; El-Alfy, Barakat; Ali, Ayman M

    2016-11-01

    The aim of this study was to compare the results of treatment of segmental tibial defects in the pediatric age group using an Ilizarov external fixator versus a nonvascularized fibular bone graft. This study included 24 patients (age range from 5.5 to 15 years) with tibial bone defects: 13 patients were treated with bone transport (BT) and 11 patients were treated with a nonvascularized fibular graft (FG). The outcome parameters were bone results (union, deformity, infection, leg-length discrepancy) and functional results: external fixation index and external fixation time. In group A (BT), one patient developed refracture at the regenerate site, whereas, in group B (FG), after removal of the external fixator, one of the FGs developed a stress fracture. The external fixator time in group A was 10.7 months (range 8-14.5) versus 7.8 months (range 4-11.5 months) in group B (FG). In group A (BT), one patient had a limb-length discrepancy (LLD), whereas, in group B (FG), three patients had LLD. The functional and bone results of the Ilizarov BT technique were excellent in 23.1 and 30.8%, good in 38.5 and 46.2, fair in 30.8 and 15.4, and poor in 7.6 and 7.6%, respectively. The poor functional result was related to the poor bone result because of prolonged external fixator time resulting in significant pain, limited ankle motion, whereas the functional and bone results of fibular grafting were excellent in 9.1 and 18.2%, good in 63.6 and 45.5%, fair in 18.2 and 27.2%, and poor in 9.1 and 9.1%, respectively. Segmental tibial defects can be effectively treated with both methods. The FG method provides satisfactory results, with early removal of the external fixator. However, it had a limitation in patients with severe infection and those with LLD. Also, it requires a long duration of limb bracing until adequate hypertrophy of the graft. The Ilizarov method has the advantages of early weight bearing, treatment of postinfection bone defect in a one-stage surgery, and the

  13. Evaluation of Fibular Fracture Type vs Location of Tibial Fixation of Pilon Fractures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Busel, Gennadiy A; Watson, J Tracy; Israel, Heidi

    2017-06-01

    Comminuted fibular fractures can occur with pilon fractures as a result of valgus stress. Transverse fibular fractures can occur with varus deformation. No definitive guide for determining the proper location of tibial fixation exists. The purpose of this study was to identify optimal plate location for fixation of pilon fractures based on the orientation of the fibular fracture. One hundred two patients with 103 pilon fractures were identified who were definitively treated at our institution from 2004 to 2013. Pilon fractures were classified using the AO/OTA classification and included 43-A through 43-C fractures. Inclusion criteria were age of at least 18 years, associated fibular fracture, and definitive tibial plating. Patients were grouped based on the fibular component fracture type (comminuted vs transverse), and the location of plate fixation (medial vs lateral) was noted. Radiographic outcomes were assessed for mechanical failures. Forty fractures were a result of varus force as evidenced by transverse fracture of the fibula and 63 were due to valgus force with a comminuted fibula. For the transverse fibula group, 14.3% mechanical complications were noted for medially placed plate vs 80% for lateral plating ( P = .006). For the comminuted fibular group, 36.4% of medially placed plates demonstrated mechanical complications vs 16.7% for laterally based plates ( P = .156). Time to weight bearing as tolerated was also noted to be significant between groups plated medially and laterally for the comminuted group ( P = .013). Correctly assessing the fibular component for pilon fractures provides valuable information regarding deforming forces. To limit mechanical complications, tibial plates should be applied in such a way as to resist the original deforming forces. Level of Evidence Level III, comparative study.

  14. Postoperative radiographic evaluation of vascularized fibular grafts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Manaster, B.J.; Coleman, D.A.; Bell, D.A.

    1989-01-01

    This paper reports on thirty-five patients with free vascularized fibular grafts examined postoperatively with plain radiography. Early graft incorporation is seen as a fuzziness of the cortex at the site of its insertion into the host bone. Causes of failure in grafting for bone defects include graft fracture, hardware failure, and infection. A high percentage of complications or at least delayed unions occurred when vascularized fibular grafts were used to fill defects in the lower extremity. Conversely, upper extremity defects bridged by vascularized grafts heal quickly and hypertrophy. Vascularized grafts placed in the femoral head and neck for a vascular necrosis incorporate early on their superior aspect. The osseous tunnel in which they are placed is normally wider than the graft and often becomes sclerotic; this appearance does not represent nonunion

  15. Novel management of distal tibial and fibular fractures with Acumed fibular nail and minimally invasive plating osteosynthesis technique: A case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Tie-Jun; Ju, Wei-Na; Qi, Bao-Chang

    2017-03-01

    Anatomical characteristics, such as subcutaneous position and minimal muscle cover, contribute to the complexity of fractures of the distal third of the tibia and fibula. Severe damage to soft tissue and instability ensure high risk of delayed bone union and wound complications such as nonunion, infection, and necrosis. This case report discusses management in a 54-year-old woman who sustained fractures of the distal third of the left tibia and fibula, with damage to overlying soft tissue (swelling and blisters). Plating is accepted as the first choice for this type of fracture as it ensures accurate reduction and rigid fixation, but it increases the risk of complications. Closed fracture of the distal third of the left tibia and fibula (AO: 43-A3). After the swelling was alleviated, the patient underwent closed reduction and fixation with an Acumed fibular nail and minimally invasive plating osteosynthesis (MIPO), ensuring a smaller incision and minimal soft-tissue dissection. At the 1-year follow-up, the patient had recovered well and had regained satisfactory function in the treated limb. The Kofoed score of the left ankle was 95. Based on the experience from this case, the operation can be undertaken safely when the swelling has been alleviated. The minimal invasive technique represents the best approach. Considering the merits and good outcome in this case, we recommend the Acumed fibular nail and MIPO technique for treatment of distal tibial and fibular fractures.

  16. Leg lengthening in patients with congenital fibular hemimelia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jasiewicz, Barbara; Kacki, Wojciech; Koniarski, Arkadiusz; Kasprzyk, Marcin; Zarzycka, Maja; Tesiorowski, Maciej

    2002-08-30

    Background. Anisomelia in patients with congenital fibular deficiencies is a difficult orthopedic problem due to concomitant deformities of the angle and knee. The goal of the present study was to analyze outcomes of tibia lengthening in these patients. Material and methods. In the period 1989-2001 we performed lengthening of 26 limbs in 21 patients with congenital fibular deficiency (11 female, 10 male, average age 10.1 years). Under the Achterman-Kalamchi classification, 8 tibiae were Type 1, 3 were Type 1b, and 10 were Type 2 (including one case with bilateral defect). The average baseline shortening was 4.6 cm, i.e. 15.3%. The Ilizarov method was used in 24 cases, chondrial lengthening in the others. We measured time of lengthening, time of stabilization, total healing time, amount of lengthening, and the lengthening index, as well as the range of ankle and knee movement, the positioning of the foot, and the axis of the tibia at each stage. Problems and complications were classified according to Paley. The average follow-up was 4.9 years Results. The mean time of lengthening was 101 days, stabilization time 177 days, total healing time 269 days, mean lengthening 5.6 cm (22.9%). As of the last examination only 7 patients did not require follow-up surgery, 6 with Type 1a and 1 with Type 1b. Conclusions. Tibia lengthening with axis correction constitutes an alternative to amputation in congenital fibular deficiency. It is a difficult procedure, however, encumbered by a significant risk of complications.

  17. Is Fibular Fracture Displacement Consistent with Tibiotalar Displacement?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van den Bekerom, Michel P. J.; van Dijk, C. Niek

    2010-01-01

    We believed open reduction with internal fixation is required for supination-external rotation ankle fractures located at the level of the distal tibiofibular syndesmosis (Lauge-Hanssen SER II and Weber B) with 2 mm or more fibular fracture displacement. The rationale for surgery for these ankle

  18. Vascularized fibular graft in infected tibial bone loss

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C Cheriyan Kovoor

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Background : The treatment options of bone loss with infections include bone transport with external fixators, vascularized bone grafts, non-vascularized autogenous grafts and vascularized allografts. The research hypothesis was that the graft length and intact ipsilateral fibula influenced hypertrophy and stress fracture. We retrospectively studied the graft hypertrophy in 15 patients, in whom vascularized fibular graft was done for post-traumatic tibial defects with infection. Materials and Methods : 15 male patients with mean age 33.7 years (range 18 - 56 years of post traumatic tibial bone loss were analysed. The mean bony defect was 14.5 cm (range 6.5 - 20 cm. The mean length of the graft was 16.7 cm (range 11.5 - 21 cm. The osteoseptocutaneous flap (bone flap with attached overlying skin flap from the contralateral side was used in all patients except one. The graft was fixed to the recipient bone at both ends by one or two AO cortical screws, supplemented by a monolateral external fixator. A standard postoperative protocol was followed in all patients. The hypertrophy percentage of the vascularized fibular graft was calculated by a modification of the formula described by El-Gammal. The followup period averaged 46.5 months (range 24 - 164 months. The Pearson correlation coefficient (r was worked out, to find the relationship between graft length and hypertrophy. The t-test was performed to find out if there was any significant difference in the graft length of those who had a stress fracture and those who did not and to find out whether there was any significant difference in hypertrophy with and without ipsilateral fibula union. The Chi square test was performed to identify whether there was any association between the stress fracture and the fibula union. Given the small sample size we have not used any statistical analysis to determine the relation between the percentage of the graft hypertrophy and stress fracture. Results : Graft

  19. Unilateral proximal focal femoral deficiency, fibular aplasia, tibial ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Rabah M. Shawky

    2014-04-30

    Apr 30, 2014 ... Peer review under responsibility of Ain Shams University. ... The fibular field of the limb bud controls the development of ... The mental and physical developments are ... deficiency, short tibia and absent fibula of the right lower limb compared ... brother has tetrameric transverse defect and a cyanotic con-.

  20. Reconstruction of congenital tibial pseudarthrosis by revascularized fibular transplants

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bos, K. E.; Besselaar, P. P.; van der Eyken, J. W.; Taminiau, A. H.; Verbout, A. J.

    1993-01-01

    Seven patients with congenital Boyd type II pseudoarthrosis of the tibia and fibula were treated with a revascularized osteocutaneous fibular graft from the contralateral side. Follow-up ranged from 20 to 96 months (mean 67 months). All patients had previously undergone major surgery (mean three

  1. An eye movement based reading intervention in lexical and segmental readers with acquired dyslexia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ablinger, Irene; von Heyden, Kerstin; Vorstius, Christian; Halm, Katja; Huber, Walter; Radach, Ralph

    2014-01-01

    Due to their brain damage, aphasic patients with acquired dyslexia often rely to a greater extent on lexical or segmental reading procedures. Thus, therapy intervention is mostly targeted on the more impaired reading strategy. In the present work we introduce a novel therapy approach based on real-time measurement of patients' eye movements as they attempt to read words. More specifically, an eye movement contingent technique of stepwise letter de-masking was used to support sequential reading, whereas fixation-dependent initial masking of non-central letters stimulated a lexical (parallel) reading strategy. Four lexical and four segmental readers with acquired central dyslexia received our intensive reading intervention. All participants showed remarkable improvements as evident in reduced total reading time, a reduced number of fixations per word and improved reading accuracy. Both types of intervention led to item-specific training effects in all subjects. A generalisation to untrained items was only found in segmental readers after the lexical training. Eye movement analyses were also used to compare word processing before and after therapy, indicating that all patients, with one exclusion, maintained their preferred reading strategy. However, in several cases the balance between sequential and lexical processing became less extreme, indicating a more effective individual interplay of both word processing routes.

  2. Patterns of astragalar fibular facet orientation in extant and fossil primates and their evolutionary implications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boyer, Doug M; Seiffert, Erik R

    2013-07-01

    A laterally sloping fibular facet of the astragalus (=talus) has been proposed as one of few osteological synapomorphies of strepsirrhine primates, but the feature has never been comprehensively quantified. We describe a method for calculating fibular facet orientation on digital models of astragali as the angle between the planes of the fibular facet and the lateral tibial facet. We calculated this value in a sample that includes all major extant primate clades, a diversity of Paleogene primates, and nonprimate euarchontans (n = 304). Results show that previous characterization of a divide between extant haplorhines and strepsirrhines is accurate, with little overlap even when individual data points are considered. Fibular facet orientation is conserved in extant strepsirrhines despite major differences in locomotion and body size, while extant anthropoids are more variable (e.g., low values for catarrhines relative to non-callitrichine platyrrhines). Euprimate outgroups exhibit a mosaic of character states with Cynocephalus having a more obtuse strepsirrhine-like facet and sampled treeshrews and plesiadapiforms having more acute haplorhine-like facets. Surprisingly, the earliest species of the adapiform Cantius have steep haplorhine-like facets as well. We used a Bayesian approach to reconstruct the evolution of fibular facet orientation as a continuous character across a supertree of living and extinct primates. Mean estimates for crown Primatomorpha (97.9°), Primates (99.5°), Haplorhini (98.7°), and Strepsirrhini (108.2°) support the hypothesis that the strepsirrhine condition is derived, while lower values for crown Anthropoidea (92.8°) and Catarrhini (88.9°) are derived in the opposite direction. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  3. Vascularised Fibular Graft for a Radial Defect following Tumour ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    HP

    The mass was located on the radial aspect of the distal right ... modification, internal or external fixation with bone grafting, structural grafts of ... Our index case report demonstrates that free vascularized fibular graft transfer is a feasible option ... structural support, the potential for graft hypertrophy, relative resistance to ...

  4. The anterolateral supra-fibular-head approach for plating posterolateral tibial plateau fractures: A novel surgical technique.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Sun-Jun; Chang, Shi-Min; Zhang, Ying-Qi; Ma, Zhuo; Du, Shou-Chao; Zhang, Kai

    2016-02-01

    The posterolateral (PL) tibial plateau quadrant is laterally covered by the fibular head and posteriorly covered by a mass of muscle ligament and important neurovascular structures. There are several limitations in exposing and fixing the PL tibial plateau fractures using a posterior approach. The aim of this study is to present a novel anterolateral supra-fibular-head approach for plating PL tibial plateau fractures. Five fresh and ten preserved knee specimens were dissected to measure the following parameters:1) the vertical distance from the apex of the fibular head to the lateral plateau surface, 2) the transverse distance between the PL platform and fibula collateral ligament (FCL), and 3) the tension of the FCL in different knee flexion positions. Clinically, isolated PL quadrant tibial plateau fractures were treated via an anterolateral supra-fibular-head approach and lateral rafting plate fixation. The outcome of the patients was assessed after a short to medium follow-up period. The distance from the apex of the fibular head to the lateral condylar surface was 12.2 ± 1.6 mm on average. With the knee extended and the FCL tensioned, the transverse distance between the PL platform and the FCL was 6.7 ± 1.1 mm. With the knee flexed to 60° and the FCL was in the most relaxed position, the distance increased to 21.1 ± 3.0 mm. Clinically, a series of 7 cases of PL tibial plateau fractures were treated via this anterolateral supra-fibular-head approach. The patient was placed in a lateral decubitus position with the knee flexed to approximately 60 degrees. After the posterior retraction of the FCL, the plate was placed more posteriorly to provide a raft or horizontal belt fixation of the PL tibial plateau fragment. After an average of 14.3 months of follow up, the knee range of motion(ROM) was 121.4° ± 8.8° (range: 105°-135°), the HSS score was 96.7 ± 2.6 (range: 90-100), and the SMFA dysfunction score was 22.4 ± 3.8 (range: 16-28) points. The

  5. Prosthetic Rehabilitation After Fibular Free Flap Surgery of Mandibular Defects in a Patient With Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoon, Hyung-In

    2016-10-01

    This report is to present the treatment procedure and clinical considerations of prosthodontic management of a patient who had undergone a partial mandibulectomy and fibular free flap surgery. A 59-year-old man with a squamous cell carcinoma received a partial mandibular resection. Microsurgical reconstruction with a fibular free flap surgery and implant-supported zirconia-fixed prosthesis produced by computer-aided manufacturing led to successful results for the oral rehabilitation of mandibular defects. The implant-supported zirconia-fixed prosthesis can be recommended for use in patients with mandibulectomy and fibular free flaps. Close cooperation between the surgeon and the prosthodontist is mandatory for the satisfaction of the patient.

  6. Robust Segmentation of Planar and Linear Features of Terrestrial Laser Scanner Point Clouds Acquired from Construction Sites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maalek, Reza; Lichti, Derek D; Ruwanpura, Janaka Y

    2018-01-01

    Automated segmentation of planar and linear features of point clouds acquired from construction sites is essential for the automatic extraction of building construction elements such as columns, beams and slabs. However, many planar and linear segmentation methods use scene-dependent similarity thresholds that may not provide generalizable solutions for all environments. In addition, outliers exist in construction site point clouds due to data artefacts caused by moving objects, occlusions and dust. To address these concerns, a novel method for robust classification and segmentation of planar and linear features is proposed. First, coplanar and collinear points are classified through a robust principal components analysis procedure. The classified points are then grouped using a new robust clustering method, the robust complete linkage method. A robust method is also proposed to extract the points of flat-slab floors and/or ceilings independent of the aforementioned stages to improve computational efficiency. The applicability of the proposed method is evaluated in eight datasets acquired from a complex laboratory environment and two construction sites at the University of Calgary. The precision, recall, and accuracy of the segmentation at both construction sites were 96.8%, 97.7% and 95%, respectively. These results demonstrate the suitability of the proposed method for robust segmentation of planar and linear features of contaminated datasets, such as those collected from construction sites. PMID:29518062

  7. Ground reaction vector re-adjustment-the secret of success in treatment of medial compartment knee osteoarthritis by novel high fibular osteotomy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xie, Wenjun; Zhang, Yu; Qin, Xiaodong; Song, Lijun; Chen, Qun

    2018-03-01

    High fibular osteotomy has been preliminarily proved to be an effective treatment of knee osteoarthritis by excising a segment of bone at the proximal part of fibula. This imaginative procedure is clinical validated by its instant and explicit knee pain resorption and eventually deformity correction. The rationale of this treatment is named non-uniform settlement of the tibial plateau and used to elucidate the cause of knee joint degeneration, but cannot illuminate the reason of prompt postoperative pain resorption faithfully. To assist in better understanding of this therapeutic method and raising alert to possible unexpected complications, we proposed a new theory to elucidate the pain relief mechanism.

  8. Surgical treatment of AVN of the fibular (lateral) sesamoid.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Waizy, Hazibullah; Jäger, Marcus; Abbara-Czardybon, Mona; Schmidt, Troy G; Frank, Daniel

    2008-02-01

    Despite the fact that the hallucal sesamoids play a crucial role in forefoot mechanics, disorders resulting from pathology of these structures are often overlooked or misdiagnosed. Avascular necrosis (AVN) of the hallucal sesamoids is a rare condition that must be differentiated from other pathologies, such as fractures, pseudarthrosis or osteomyelitis. We report on two patients with AVN of the fibular (lateral) hallucal sesamoid (Morbus Renander). In both patients the necrotic part of the fibular sesamoid was excised surgically after failed conservative therapy. The followup was 29 and 26 months. The clinical and radiological results showed a complete relief of pain in both patients without any complications or forefoot deformities. Recent literature and own experiences support non-operative initial management including anti-inflammatory medications, shoe modification and temporary limited weight bearing. If symptoms persist, surgical treatment with excision of the necrotic part of the sesamoid may be an alternative. Consideration by the surgeon should be given to protecting the neurovascular bundle and reattaching intrinsic tendons and ligaments if necessary. Satisfying results can be achieved by surgical removal.

  9. Treatment of osteonecrosis of the femoral head by free vascularized fibular grafting: an analysis of surgical outcome and patient health status

    Science.gov (United States)

    Louie, Brian E.; McKee, Michael D.; Richards, Robin R.; Mahoney, James L.; Waddell, James P.; Beaton, Dorcas E.; Schemitsch, Emil H.; Yoo, Daniel J.

    1999-01-01

    Objective To evaluate the limb-specific outcome and general health status of patients with osteonecrosis of the femoral head treated with vascularized fibular grafting. Design A retrospective review. Setting A single tertiary care centre. Patients Fifty-five consecutive patients with osteonecrosis of the femoral head who underwent fibular grafting (8 bilaterally). Intervention Vascularized fibular grafting. Outcome measures Limb-specific scores (Harris Hip Score, St. Michael’s Hospital Hip Score), general health status (Nottingham Health Profile, SF-36 health status survey) and radiographic outcome measures (Steinberg stage). Results Patients were young (mean age 34 years, range from 18 to 52 years) and 80% had advanced osteonecrosis (Steinberg stages IV and V). Fifty-nine hips were followed up for an average of 50 months (range from 24 to 117 months) after vascularized fibular grafting. Sixteen hips (27%) were converted to total hip arthroplasty (THA). To date, 73% of hips treated with vascularized fibular grafting have required no further surgery. Preoperative and postoperative Harris Hip Scores were 57.3 and 83.6 respectively (p < 0.001). As measured by patient-oriented health status questionnaires (SF-36, Nottingham Health Profile) and compared with population controls, patients had normal mental health scores and only slight decreases in physical component scores. Conclusions Free vascularized fibular grafting for osteonecrosis of the femoral head provides satisfactory pain relief, functional improvement and general health status and halts the progression of symptomatic disease. PMID:10459327

  10. Proximal fibular osteotomy: a new surgery for pain relief and improvement of joint function in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xiaohu; Wei, Lei; Lv, Zhi; Zhao, Bin; Duan, Zhiqing; Wu, Wenjin; Zhang, Bin; Wei, Xiaochun

    2017-02-01

    Objective To explore the effects of proximal fibular osteotomy as a new surgery for pain relief and improvement of medial joint space and function in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Methods From January 2015 to May 2015, 47 patients who underwent proximal fibular osteotomy for medial compartment osteoarthritis were retrospectively followed up. Preoperative and postoperative weight-bearing and whole lower extremity radiographs were obtained to analyse the alignment of the lower extremity and ratio of the knee joint space (medial/lateral compartment). Knee pain was assessed using a visual analogue scale, and knee ambulation activities were evaluated using the American Knee Society score preoperatively and postoperatively. Results Medial pain relief was observed in almost all patients after proximal fibular osteotomy. Most patients exhibited improved walking postoperatively. Weight-bearing lower extremity radiographs showed an average increase in the postoperative medial knee joint space. Additionally, obvious correction of alignment was observed in the whole lower extremity radiographs in 8 of 47 patients. Conclusions The present study demonstrates that proximal fibular osteotomy effectively relieves pain and improves joint function in patients with medial compartment osteoarthritis at a mean of 13.38 months postoperatively.

  11. The fibular head projection is of limited use as a radiographic landmark in preoperative planning of total knee arthroplasty

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Matziolis, Doerte; Meiser, Marius; Matziolis, Georg [University Hospital Jena, Orthopedic Department, Eisenberg (Germany); Sieber, Norbert [Radiology Practice Eisenberg, Eisenberg (Germany); Teichgraeber, Ulf [University Hospital Jena, Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Eisenberg (Germany)

    2017-10-15

    The projection of the fibular head is recommended as a quality indicator of a correct radiographic projection. However, this landmark has yet to be sufficiently validated. The MRIs of 334 knee joints were included. On the MRIs, the distance between the FH and lateral tibial cortical bone was simulated in projections parallel to surgically relevant axes. Then, the Pearson correlation coefficient between the distance of the FH to the lateral tibial cortical bone and the projection plane causing this was determined. A projection of the knee joint perpendicular to Akagi's line projected the center of the fibular head on average 4.8 ± 2.9 mm laterally of the tibial cortical bone, parallel to the maximum mediolateral axis of the tibia 7.5 ± 3.4 mm, parallel to the posterior condylar axis 5.6 ± 3.6 mm and parallel to the surgical epicondylar axis 6.1 ± 3.5 mm laterally of the tibial cortical bone. An almost linear correlation was seen, with 1.9 tilting of the projection plane per mm change in distance between the fibular head and tibial cortical bone. At the same time, the interindividual scatter was over 60 . The rule of thumb for a partial overlap of the fibular head by the tibia in the case of a correct antero-posterior projection plane was also confirmed. However, a considerable interindividual variability of the position of the FH was found, which limits a conclusion regarding the quality of the radiographic projection on the basis of the position of the fibular head. (orig.)

  12. A rare type of ankle fracture: Syndesmotic rupture combined with a high fibular fracture without medial injury.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Wessem, K J P; Leenen, L P H

    2016-03-01

    High fibular spiral fractures are usually caused by pronation-external rotation mechanism. The foot is in pronation and the talus externally rotates, causing a rupture of the medial ligaments or a fracture of the medial malleolus. With continued rotation the anterior and posterior tibiofibular ligament will rupture, and finally, the energy leaves the fibula by creating a spiral fracture from anterior superior to posterior inferior. In this article we demonstrate a type of ankle fracture with syndesmotic injury and high fibular spiral fractures without a medial component. This type of ankle fractures cannot be explained by the Lauge-Hansen classification, since it lacks injury on the medial side of the ankle, but it does have the fibular fracture pattern matching the pronation external rotation injury (anterior superior to posterior inferior fracture). We investigated the mechanism of this injury illustrated by 3 cases and postulate a theory explaining the biomechanics behind this type of injury. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. MINIMUM INCISION PERCUTANEOUS PLATE OSTEOSYNTHESIS FOR DISTAL FIBULAR FRACTURES: A PROSPECTIVE STUDY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ramkumar Reddy

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Distal fibular fractures are usually communitted and most of the times osteoporotic especially if they are occurring in females and in geriatric age group. These fractures are usu ally associated with other fractures, which necessitates them to be fixed accurately. Owing to the fact that distal fragment is subcutaneous with scanty soft tissue over bone, which pose these fracture fixations become difficult by open methods in view of wound healing. A prospective study of 26 patients with distal fibular fractures were treated with MIPPO with hook plate were healed with less complications and better outcome. With this background we suggest a minimally invasive incision over proximal frag ment where sufficient soft tissue cover is present. From there pushing the special hook plate subperiosteally to distal fragment, hooking the tip of fibula and fixing the proximal fragment after reduction gives a simple and effective stable fixation

  14. Grebe syndrome with bilateral fibular hemimelia and thumb duplication

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rao, Narasimha; Joseph, Benjamin

    2002-01-01

    Grebe syndrome is a rare recessively inherited form of short-limbed dwarfism. Among the skeletal anomalies reported in the past, complete fibular hemimelia and thumb duplication have not been documented. We report a case of Grebe syndrome with these associated anomalies and review the various skeletal anomalies reported in the literature related to this syndrome. Awareness of the skeletal anomalies that can occur in this syndrome should enable an accurate diagnosis. (orig.)

  15. Grebe syndrome with bilateral fibular hemimelia and thumb duplication

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rao, Narasimha; Joseph, Benjamin [Department of Orthopaedics, Kasturba Medical College, Karnataka State (India)

    2002-03-01

    Grebe syndrome is a rare recessively inherited form of short-limbed dwarfism. Among the skeletal anomalies reported in the past, complete fibular hemimelia and thumb duplication have not been documented. We report a case of Grebe syndrome with these associated anomalies and review the various skeletal anomalies reported in the literature related to this syndrome. Awareness of the skeletal anomalies that can occur in this syndrome should enable an accurate diagnosis. (orig.)

  16. Arteria Tibial Anterior Hipoplásica Asociada con la Continuación de la Arteria Fibular como Arteria Dorsal del Pié: Un Reporte de Caso

    OpenAIRE

    Shetty, Surekha D; Nayak, Satheesha; Kumar, Naveen; Abhinitha, P

    2013-01-01

    Arterial variations of distal parts of lower limb are well documented. However, continuation of fibular artery as dorsalis pedis artery is a rare finding. Unusual course and distribution of the anterior tibial artery and fibular artery were observed during routine anatomical dissection of the right lower limb of an approximately 40-year-old male cadaver. The arteries of the crural region arose from the popliteal artery, as usual. However the anterior tibial artery was hypoplastic. The fibular...

  17. Fracture line index of fibular stalk and the ankle joint bone in the classification of the ankle joint trauma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu Jun; Zhang Qiang

    2003-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the fracture line index of fibular stalk and the ankle joint bone in the classification of the ankle joint trauma. Methods: Measure fracture line index of fibular stalk and the ankle joint in 217 adult cases of fracture and dislocation of ankle joint. And the cases were classified by the results of the measurement. Results: Measurement was unavailable in 9 cases of tearing fracture. In 31 cases, the lesions could not be particularly classified. And in the rest 176 cases the trauma were precisely classified. The over all successful rate was 81.6%. Conclusion: Fracture line index of fibular stalk and the ankle joint bone are valuable in classification of the trauma of the angle joint. While the specificity of this method is low in differentiating the adducting and abducting fracture of the medial angle, in which a combined investigation is recommended

  18. Anterograde Intra-Arterial Urokinase Injection for Salvaging Fibular Free Flap

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dae-Sung Lee

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available We present a case of a 57-year-old male patient who presented with squamous cell carcinoma on his mouth floor with cervical and mandibular metastases. Wide glossectomy with intergonial mandibular ostectomy, and sequential reconstruction using fibular osteomyocutaneous free flap were planned. When the anastomosis between the peroneal artery of the fibular free flap and the right lingual artery was performed, no venous flow was observed at the vena comitans. Then re-anastomosis followed by topical application of papaverine and lidocaine was attempted. However, the blood supply was not recovered. Warm saline irrigation over 30 minutes was also useless. Microvascular thromboses of donor vessels were clinically suspected, so a solution of 100,000 units of urokinase was infused once through a 26-gauge angiocatheter inserted into the recipient artery just at the arterial anastomotic site, until the solution gushed out through the flap vena comitans. Immediately after the application of urokinase, arterial flow and venous return were restored. There were no complications during the follow-up period of 11 months. We believe that vibrating injuries from the reciprocating saw during osteotomies and flap insetting might be the cause of microvascular thromboses. The use of urokinase may provide a viable option for the treatment of suspicious intraoperative arterial thrombosis.

  19. Nonvascularized fibular grafting in nonunion of femoral neck fracture: A systematic review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sujit Kumar Tripathy

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Nonunion of femoral neck fractures following primary fixation and neglected femoral neck fracture in young adults is a challenging task. Every effort should be directed toward hip joint salvage in these patients. Among different available options of hip salvage, nonvascularized fibular graft (NVFG osteosynthesis is simple, easy to perform, and a successful technique. In this review, the available literature on NVFG in neglected and nonunion femoral neck fractures has been analyzed. After review of 15 articles on NVFG, the average nonunion rate was estimated to be 7.86% (range 0-31%. Six articles that evaluated the preoperative and postoperative osteonecrosis reported improvement in 50% patients. The clinical and/or functional outcome was good to excellent in 56-96% patients following fibular osteosynthesis. Few complications such as coxa vara deformity, limb shortening, and intraarticular penetration of the graft or hardware have been reported. However, there are minimal donor site morbidities such as mild ankle pain, transient loss of toe flexors and extensors and transient lateral popliteal nerve palsy.

  20. Total Maxillary Reconstruction With a Bi-Paddle Double-Barrel Osteocutaneous Fibular Flap and Arteriovenous Saphenous Loop After a Globe-Sparing Total Maxillectomy Due to Osteosarcoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tseng, Wan-Ling; Chang, Tzu-Yen; Hung, Kuo-Shu; Chen, Szu-Han; Hsiao, Jenn-Ren; Lee, Yao-Chou

    2017-01-01

    The titanium mesh or bone graft is usually used for orbital support after a globe-sparing total maxillectomy. However, its use can invite complications, such as infection, exposure, and absorption, especially for patients who require adjuvant radiotherapy. Here, the authors present a patient who received total maxillary reconstruction with an osteocutaneous fibular flap. A 53-year-old man with the diagnosis of maxillary osteosarcoma received a globe-sparing total maxillectomy. A bi-paddle double-barrel osteocutaneous fibular flap was used for orbital support, alveolar ridge recreation, and oro-sino-nasal separation. The short pedicle length inherent in the double-barrel design of the fibular flap was overcome by creating an arteriovenous saphenous loop. The postoperative recovery was uneventful. During the 9 months follow-up, the patient was tumor-free and satisfied with his appearance, speech, and intake functions. Reconstruction with a bi-paddle double-barrel osteocutaneous fibular flap after a globe-sparing total maxillectomy can achieve satisfactory aesthetic and functional results.

  1. Do stress fractures induce hypertrophy of the grafted fibula? A report of three cases received free vascularized fibular graft treatment for tibial defects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qi, Yong; Sun, Hong-Tao; Fan, Yue-Guang; Li, Fei-Meng; Lin, Zhou-Sheng

    2016-06-01

    The presence of large segmental defects of the diaphyseal bone is challenging for orthopedic surgeons. Free vascularized fibular grafting (FVFG) is considered to be a reliable reconstructive procedure. Stress fractures are a common complication following this surgery, and hypertrophy is the main physiological change of the grafted fibula. The exact mechanism of hypertrophy is not completely known. To the best of our knowledge, no studies have examined the possible relationship between stress fractures and hypertrophy. We herein report three cases of patients underwent FVFG. Two of them developed stress fractures and significant hypertrophy, while the remaining patient developed neither stress fractures nor significant hypertrophy. This phenomenon indicates that a relationship may exist between stress fractures and hypertrophy of the grafted fibula, specifically, that the presence of a stress fracture may initiate the process of hypertrophy.

  2. The vascularised fibular graft for limb salvage after bone tumour surgery A MULTICENTRE STUDY

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hilven, P. H.; Bayliss, L.; Cosker, T.; Dijkstra, P. D. S.; Jutte, P. C.; Lahoda, L. U.; Schaap, G. R.; Bramer, J. A. M.; van Drunen, G. K.; Strackee, S. D.; van Vooren, J.; Gibbons, M.; Giele, H.; van de Sande, M. A. J.

    2015-01-01

    Vascularised fibular grafts (VFGs) are a valuable surgical technique in limb salvage after resection of a tumour. The primary objective of this multicentre study was to assess the risk factors for failure and complications for using a VFG after resection of a tumour. The study involved 74

  3. Correction of axial deformity during lengthening in fibular hypoplasia: Hexapodal versus monorail external fixation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chalopin, A; Geffroy, L; Pesenti, S; Hamel, A; Launay, F

    2017-09-01

    Childhood fibular hypoplasia is a rare pathology which may or may not involve limb-length discrepancy and axial deformity in one or more dimensions. The objective of the present study was to compare the quality of the axial correction achieved in lengthening procedures by hexapodal versus monorail external fixators. The hypothesis was that the hexapodal fixator provides more precise correction. A retrospective multicenter study included 52 children with fibular hypoplasia. Seventy-two tibias were analyzed, in 2 groups: 52 using a hexapodal fixator, and 20 using a monorail fixator. Mean age was 10.2 years. Mean lengthening was 5.7cm. Deformities were analyzed and measured in 3 dimensions and classified in 4 preoperative types and 4 post-lengthening types according to residual deformity. Complete correction was achieved in 26 tibias in the hexapodal group (50%) and 2 tibias in the monorail group (10%). Mean post-correction mechanical axis deviation was smaller in the hexapodal group: 12.83mm, versus 14.29mm in the monorail group. Mean post-correction mechanical lateral distal femoral angle was 87.5° in the hexapodal group, versus 84.3° in the monorail group (P=0.002), and mean mechanical medial proximal tibial angle 86.9° versus 89.5°, respectively (P=0.015). No previous studies focused on this congenital pathology in lengthening and axial correction programs for childhood lower-limb deformity. The present study found the hexapodal fixator to be more effective in conserving or restoring mechanical axes during progressive bone lengthening for fibular hypoplasia. The hexapodal fixator met the requirements of limb-length equalization in childhood congenital lower-limb hypoplasia, providing better axial correction than the monorail fixator. IV. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  4. Infant bone age estimation based on fibular shaft length: model development and clinical validation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsai, Andy; Stamoulis, Catherine; Bixby, Sarah D.; Breen, Micheal A.; Connolly, Susan A.; Kleinman, Paul K.

    2016-01-01

    Bone age in infants (<1 year old) is generally estimated using hand/wrist or knee radiographs, or by counting ossification centers. The accuracy and reproducibility of these techniques are largely unknown. To develop and validate an infant bone age estimation technique using fibular shaft length and compare it to conventional methods. We retrospectively reviewed negative skeletal surveys of 247 term-born low-risk-of-abuse infants (no persistent child protection team concerns) from July 2005 to February 2013, and randomized them into two datasets: (1) model development (n = 123) and (2) model testing (n = 124). Three pediatric radiologists measured all fibular shaft lengths. An ordinary linear regression model was fitted to dataset 1, and the model was evaluated using dataset 2. Readers also estimated infant bone ages in dataset 2 using (1) the hemiskeleton method of Sontag, (2) the hemiskeleton method of Elgenmark, (3) the hand/wrist atlas of Greulich and Pyle, and (4) the knee atlas of Pyle and Hoerr. For validation, we selected lower-extremity radiographs of 114 normal infants with no suspicion of abuse. Readers measured the fibulas and also estimated bone ages using the knee atlas. Bone age estimates from the proposed method were compared to the other methods. The proposed method outperformed all other methods in accuracy and reproducibility. Its accuracy was similar for the testing and validating datasets, with root-mean-square error of 36 days and 37 days; mean absolute error of 28 days and 31 days; and error variability of 22 days and 20 days, respectively. This study provides strong support for an infant bone age estimation technique based on fibular shaft length as a more accurate alternative to conventional methods. (orig.)

  5. Infant bone age estimation based on fibular shaft length: model development and clinical validation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tsai, Andy; Stamoulis, Catherine; Bixby, Sarah D.; Breen, Micheal A.; Connolly, Susan A.; Kleinman, Paul K. [Boston Children' s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Department of Radiology, Boston, MA (United States)

    2016-03-15

    Bone age in infants (<1 year old) is generally estimated using hand/wrist or knee radiographs, or by counting ossification centers. The accuracy and reproducibility of these techniques are largely unknown. To develop and validate an infant bone age estimation technique using fibular shaft length and compare it to conventional methods. We retrospectively reviewed negative skeletal surveys of 247 term-born low-risk-of-abuse infants (no persistent child protection team concerns) from July 2005 to February 2013, and randomized them into two datasets: (1) model development (n = 123) and (2) model testing (n = 124). Three pediatric radiologists measured all fibular shaft lengths. An ordinary linear regression model was fitted to dataset 1, and the model was evaluated using dataset 2. Readers also estimated infant bone ages in dataset 2 using (1) the hemiskeleton method of Sontag, (2) the hemiskeleton method of Elgenmark, (3) the hand/wrist atlas of Greulich and Pyle, and (4) the knee atlas of Pyle and Hoerr. For validation, we selected lower-extremity radiographs of 114 normal infants with no suspicion of abuse. Readers measured the fibulas and also estimated bone ages using the knee atlas. Bone age estimates from the proposed method were compared to the other methods. The proposed method outperformed all other methods in accuracy and reproducibility. Its accuracy was similar for the testing and validating datasets, with root-mean-square error of 36 days and 37 days; mean absolute error of 28 days and 31 days; and error variability of 22 days and 20 days, respectively. This study provides strong support for an infant bone age estimation technique based on fibular shaft length as a more accurate alternative to conventional methods. (orig.)

  6. Comparison of four different nerve conduction techniques of the superficial fibular sensory nerve.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saffarian, Mathew R; Condie, Nathan C; Austin, Erica A; Mccausland, Katie E; Andary, Michael T; Sylvain, James R; Mull, Iian R; Zemper, Eric D; Jannausch, Mary L

    2017-09-01

    There are many different nerve conduction study (NCS) techniques to study the superficial fibular sensory nerve (SFSN). We present reference distal latency values and comparative data regarding 4 different NCS for the SFSN. Four different NCS techniques, Spartan technique, Izzo techniques (medial and intermediate dorsal cutaneous branches), and Daube technique, were performed on (114) healthy volunteers. A total of 108 subjects with 164 legs were included. The mean latency of the Spartan technique was longest (3.9 ± 0.3 ms) while the Daube technique was the shortest (3.6 ± 0.7 ms). The mean amplitude of the Daube technique displayed the highest (15.2 ± 8.2 μV) with the Spartan technique having the lowest (8.7 ± 4.2 μV). Among the absent sensory nerve action potentials (SNAPs), the Spartan technique was absent only twice (1.2%) and the Izzo Medial technique was absent more than the other techniques (2.9%). All 4 techniques were reliable methods for obtaining the superficial fibular nerve SNAP, present in 95% of individuals. Muscle Nerve 56: 458-462, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  7. Bilateral transverse (bowdler) fibular spurs with hypophosphatasia in an adolescent girl

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Uras, Ismail; Uras, Nurdan; Karadag, Ahmet; Yavuz, Osman Yuksel; Atalar, Hakan [Fatih University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara (Turkmenistan)

    2005-03-15

    Hypophosphatasia is a clinically heterogeneous inheritable disorder characterized by defective bone mineralization and the deficiency of serum and tissue liver/bone/kidney alkaline phosphatase activities. Due to the mineralization defect of the bones, various skeletal findings can be radiologically observed in hypophosphatasia. Bowing and Bowdler spurs of long bones are the characteristic findings. The Bowdler spurs reported on in the previous pertinent literature were observed in the perinatal aged patients and these lesions have rarely involved adolescents. We herein report on a 14-year-old girl with fibular Bowdler spurs.

  8. Bilateral transverse (bowdler) fibular spurs with hypophosphatasia in an adolescent girl

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uras, Ismail; Uras, Nurdan; Karadag, Ahmet; Yavuz, Osman Yuksel; Atalar, Hakan

    2005-01-01

    Hypophosphatasia is a clinically heterogeneous inheritable disorder characterized by defective bone mineralization and the deficiency of serum and tissue liver/bone/kidney alkaline phosphatase activities. Due to the mineralization defect of the bones, various skeletal findings can be radiologically observed in hypophosphatasia. Bowing and Bowdler spurs of long bones are the characteristic findings. The Bowdler spurs reported on in the previous pertinent literature were observed in the perinatal aged patients and these lesions have rarely involved adolescents. We herein report on a 14-year-old girl with fibular Bowdler spurs

  9. Success of dental implants in vascularised fibular osteoseptocutaneous flaps used as onlay grafts after marginal mandibulectomy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Y-M; Pan, Y-H; Shen, Y-F; Chen, J-K; ALDeek, N F; Wei, F-C

    2016-12-01

    We have evaluated the survival of dental implants placed in vascularised fibular flap onlay grafts placed over marginal mandibulectomies and the effects on marginal bone loss of different types of soft tissue around implants under functional loading. From 2001-2009 we studied a total of 11 patients (1 woman and10 men), three of whom had had ameloblastoma and eight who had had squamous cell carcinomas resected. A total of 38 dental implants were placed either at the time of transfer of the vascularised fibular ostoseptocutaneous flaps (nine patients with 30 implants) or secondarily (two patients with eight implants). Four patients were given palatal mucosal grafts to replace intraoral skin flaps around the dental implants (n=13), and the other seven had the skin flaps around the dental implants thinned (n=25) at the second stage of implantation of the osteointegrated teeth. All vascularised fibular osteoseptocutaneous flaps were successfully transferred, and all implants survived a mean (range) of 73 (33-113) months after occlusal functional loading. The mean (SD) marginal bone loss was 0.5 (0.3) mm on both mesial and distal sides in patients who had palatal mucosal grafts, but 1.8 (1.6) mm, and 1.7 (1.5) mm, respectively, on the mesial and distal sides in the patients who had had thinning of their skin flaps. This difference is significant (p=0.008) with less resorption of bone in the group who had palatal mucosal grafts. Palatal mucosa around the implants helps to reduce resorption of bone after functional loading of implants. Copyright © 2016 The British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Multi-fasciculated anterior talo-fibular ligament: reassessment of normal findings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Delfaut, E.M.; Boutry, N.; Cotten, A. [Department of Musculo-Skeletal Radiology, Roger Salengro Hospital, CHRU Lille, Bd du Professeur Jules Leclercq, 59037, Lille (France); Demondion, X. [Department of Musculo-Skeletal Radiology, Roger Salengro Hospital, CHRU Lille, Bd du Professeur Jules Leclercq, 59037, Lille (France); Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Roger Salengro Hospital, CHRU Lille, Place de Verdun, 59037, Lille Cedex (France); Cotten, H. [Pathology Laboratory, 128 Bd de la Liberte, 59000, Lille (France); Mestdagh, H. [Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Roger Salengro Hospital, CHRU Lille, Bd du Professeur Jules Leclercq, 59037, Lille Cedex (France)

    2003-08-01

    The aims of this study were to (a) provide an accurate description of the anterior talo-fibular ligament (ATFL) multifasciculated feature by means of cadaver study, and (b) to further delineate contour and signal variations on MR images related to this feature in a group of asymptomatic subjects. After MR imaging, three cadaveric feet were frozen and cut in the coronal plane. The ATFL were harvested and sent to pathology. Another cadaveric foot was dissected. The MR imaging was performed in 3 healthy volunteers and 19 patients without pathology of the ATFL. For both cadaveric feet and subjects, MR imaging protocol consisted of axial and coronal proton-density (PD) and T2-weighted turbo-spin-echo (TSE) sequences (TR/TE: 3500 ms/17-119 ms). On MR images, ATFL signal and fascicle numbers were assessed, respectively, in the axial and coronal planes. Gross anatomy and pathology confirmed the ATFL bifasciculated aspect. On cadaveric coronal MR images, 3 of 4 ATFLs were bifasciculated and one of four was striated. On patients' coronal MR images, 2 of 22 of the ATFL were monofasciculated, 12 of 22 bifasciculated, and 8 of 22 striated. On axial MR images, 16 of 22 of the ATFL demonstrated a low signal intensity and 8 of 22 an intraligamentous subtle increased signal intensity. Two of 22 of the ATFL had contour irregularities. Isolated anterior talo-fibular intraligamentous signal abnormalities or contour irregularities on axial PD and T2-weighted MR images with an otherwise normal ATFL aspect on coronal MR images and no other MRI criteria for ankle sprain may reflect normal anatomy. (orig.)

  11. Multi-fasciculated anterior talo-fibular ligament: reassessment of normal findings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Delfaut, E.M.; Boutry, N.; Cotten, A.; Demondion, X.; Cotten, H.; Mestdagh, H.

    2003-01-01

    The aims of this study were to (a) provide an accurate description of the anterior talo-fibular ligament (ATFL) multifasciculated feature by means of cadaver study, and (b) to further delineate contour and signal variations on MR images related to this feature in a group of asymptomatic subjects. After MR imaging, three cadaveric feet were frozen and cut in the coronal plane. The ATFL were harvested and sent to pathology. Another cadaveric foot was dissected. The MR imaging was performed in 3 healthy volunteers and 19 patients without pathology of the ATFL. For both cadaveric feet and subjects, MR imaging protocol consisted of axial and coronal proton-density (PD) and T2-weighted turbo-spin-echo (TSE) sequences (TR/TE: 3500 ms/17-119 ms). On MR images, ATFL signal and fascicle numbers were assessed, respectively, in the axial and coronal planes. Gross anatomy and pathology confirmed the ATFL bifasciculated aspect. On cadaveric coronal MR images, 3 of 4 ATFLs were bifasciculated and one of four was striated. On patients' coronal MR images, 2 of 22 of the ATFL were monofasciculated, 12 of 22 bifasciculated, and 8 of 22 striated. On axial MR images, 16 of 22 of the ATFL demonstrated a low signal intensity and 8 of 22 an intraligamentous subtle increased signal intensity. Two of 22 of the ATFL had contour irregularities. Isolated anterior talo-fibular intraligamentous signal abnormalities or contour irregularities on axial PD and T2-weighted MR images with an otherwise normal ATFL aspect on coronal MR images and no other MRI criteria for ankle sprain may reflect normal anatomy. (orig.)

  12. Scorpion image segmentation system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Joseph, E.; Aibinu, A. M.; Sadiq, B. A.; Bello Salau, H.; Salami, M. J. E.

    2013-12-01

    Death as a result of scorpion sting has been a major public health problem in developing countries. Despite the high rate of death as a result of scorpion sting, little report exists in literature of intelligent device and system for automatic detection of scorpion. This paper proposed a digital image processing approach based on the floresencing characteristics of Scorpion under Ultra-violet (UV) light for automatic detection and identification of scorpion. The acquired UV-based images undergo pre-processing to equalize uneven illumination and colour space channel separation. The extracted channels are then segmented into two non-overlapping classes. It has been observed that simple thresholding of the green channel of the acquired RGB UV-based image is sufficient for segmenting Scorpion from other background components in the acquired image. Two approaches to image segmentation have also been proposed in this work, namely, the simple average segmentation technique and K-means image segmentation. The proposed algorithm has been tested on over 40 UV scorpion images obtained from different part of the world and results obtained show an average accuracy of 97.7% in correctly classifying the pixel into two non-overlapping clusters. The proposed 1system will eliminate the problem associated with some of the existing manual approaches presently in use for scorpion detection.

  13. A rare type of ankle fracture : Syndesmotic rupture combined with a high fibular fracture without medial injury

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Wessem, K. J P; Leenen, L. P H

    High fibular spiral fractures are usually caused by pronation-external rotation mechanism. The foot is in pronation and the talus externally rotates, causing a rupture of the medial ligaments or a fracture of the medial malleolus. With continued rotation the anterior and posterior tibiofibular

  14. Ununited fracture neck of femur treated with closed reduction and internal fixation with cancellous screw and fibular strut graft

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Singh Daria

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Ununited fracture neck of femur in young adults has been tackled in various ways. Methods: Twenty five patients of ununited fracture neck of femur in age group 21-55 years were treated by closed reduction, cancellous screw fixation and fibular strut graft and followed up for 2-6 years. Time gap between injury and operation was 6 weeks to 58 weeks. Five cases were previously fixed with various fixation devices. Results: Osseous union was achieved in 24 cases with average time of 18.16 weeks. Main complication encountered in follow-up was avascular necrosis of femoral head, others were joint stiffness and shortening. Functional end results were good to excellent in 24 cases. Conclusion: Closed reduction with internal fixation by cancellous screw and fibular strut grafting is easy and useful procedure.

  15. Method to acquire regions of fruit, branch and leaf from image of red apple in orchard

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lv, Jidong; Xu, Liming

    2017-07-01

    This work proposed a method to acquire regions of fruit, branch and leaf from red apple image in orchard. To acquire fruit image, R-G image was extracted from the RGB image for corrosive working, hole filling, subregion removal, expansive working and opening operation in order. Finally, fruit image was acquired by threshold segmentation. To acquire leaf image, fruit image was subtracted from RGB image before extracting 2G-R-B image. Then, leaf image was acquired by subregion removal and threshold segmentation. To acquire branch image, dynamic threshold segmentation was conducted in the R-G image. Then, the segmented image was added to fruit image to acquire adding fruit image which was subtracted from RGB image with leaf image. Finally, branch image was acquired by opening operation, subregion removal and threshold segmentation after extracting the R-G image from the subtracting image. Compared with previous methods, more complete image of fruit, leaf and branch can be acquired from red apple image with this method.

  16. Ankle and pantalar arthrodeses using vascularized fibular grafts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yajima, Hiroshi; Kobata, Yasunori; Tomita, Yasuharu; Kawate, Kenji; Sugimoto, Kazuya; Takakura, Yoshinori

    2004-01-01

    From 1989 to 1998 ankle and pantalar arthrodeses using vascularized fibular grafts were performed for seven patients. The indications for surgery were chronic nonunion following fracture of the distal tibia in four patients, rheumatoid arthritis in two, and talus necrosis in one. The ankle joint was fused in the two patients with a pilon fracture, and in the other five patients, both the ankle and subtalar joints were fused. In one patient, additional bone grafting was required for delayed union. In the other six patients, the mean period required to obtain radiographic bone union was 6 months (range, 4-9 months). The time until the patients could walk without braces ranged from 6 to 20 months (mean, 12.3 months). Local infection was not encountered in any patients. This procedure represents a viable option for patients in whom a standard, less complicated arthrodesis cannot be performed.

  17. Maxillary reconstruction with a double-barrel osteocutaneous fibular flap and arteriovenous saphenous loop after a globe-sparing total maxillectomy-A Case Report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Szu-Han; Hung, Kuo-Shu; Lee, Yao-Chou

    2017-05-01

    Maxillary reconstruction using titanium mesh or bone grafts can invite unwanted complications, such as graft resorption, infection, and mesh exposure, especially for patients who require postoperative radiotherapy. Here, we reported a 58-year-old male patient who was diagnosed with maxillary sinus squamous cell carcinoma. The patient received cancer ablation by a globe-sparing total maxillectomy and was immediately reconstructed with a double-barrel osteocutaneous fibular flap to simultaneously restore the alveolar ridge, orbital support, and oro-sinonasal separation. The short pedicle length inherent in the double-barrel design of the fibular flap and the depletion of healthy recipient vessels in the midface after cancer ablation were overcome by creating an arteriovenous saphenous loop in the neck region. Though there was venous congestion on postoperative day 2, the postoperative recovery was uneventful after the revision of the venous anastomoses. During the 6-months follow-up, the outcome was functionally and aesthetically satisfactory. We believe that the double-barrel fibular osteocutaneous flap, which avoids using titanium mesh and bone grafts, may be a viable reconstructive option in cancer patients with globe-sparing total maxillectomy defects, especially for those who require postoperative radiotherapy. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microsurgery 37:334-338, 2017. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  18. [How to make your own custom cutting guides for both mandibular and fibular stair step osteotomies?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rem, K; Bosc, R; De Kermadec, H; Hersant, B; Meningaud, J-P

    2017-12-01

    Using tailored cutting guides for osteocutaneous free fibula flap in complex mandibular reconstruction after cancer resection surgery constitutes a substantial improvement. Autonomously conceiving and manufacturing the cutting guides within a plastic surgery department with computer-aided design (CAD) and three-dimensional (3D) printing allows planning more complex osteotomies, such as stair-step osteotomies, in order to achieve more stable internal fixations. For the past three years, we have been producing by ourselves patient-tailored cutting guides using CAD and 3D printing. Osteotomies were virtually planned, making the cutting lines more complex in order to optimize the internal fixation stability. We also printed reconstructed mandible templates and shaped the reconstruction plates on them. We recorded data including manufacturing techniques and surgical outcomes. Eleven consecutive patients were operated on for an oral cavity cancer. For each patient, we planned the fibular and mandibular stair-step osteotomies and we produced tailored cutting guides. In all patients, we achieved to get immediately stable internal fixations and in 10 patients, a complete bone consolidation after 6 months. Autonomously manufacturing surgical cutting guides for mandibular reconstruction by free fibula flap is a significant improvement, regarding ergonomics and precision. Planning stair-step osteotomies to perform complementary internal fixation increases contact surface and congruence between the bone segments, thus improving the reconstructed mandible stability. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  19. Biomechanical competence of six different bone screws for reconstructive surgery in three different transplants: Fibular, iliac crest, scapular and artificial bone.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pietsch, Arnold P; Raith, Stefan; Ode, Jan-Eric; Teichmann, Jan; Lethaus, Bernd; Möhlhenrich, Stephan C; Hölzle, Frank; Duda, Georg N; Steiner, Timm

    2016-06-01

    The goal of this study was to determine a combination of screw and transplantation type that offers optimal primary stability for reconstructive surgery. Fibular, iliac crest, and scapular transplants were tested along with artificial bone substrate. Six different kinds of bone screws (Medartis(©)) were compared, each type utilized with one of six specimens from human transplants (n = 6). Controlled screw-in-tests were performed and the required torque was protocolled. Subsequently, pull-out-tests were executed to determine the retention forces. The artificial bone substitute material showed significantly higher retention forces than real bone samples. The self-drilling screws achieved the significantly highest retention values in the synthetic bone substitute material. Cancellous screws achieved the highest retention in the fibular transplants, while self-drilling and cancellous screws demonstrated better retention than cortical screws in the iliac crest. In the scapular graft, no significant differences were found between the screw types. In comparison to the human transplant types, the cortical screws showed the significantly highest values in the fibula and the lowest values in the iliac crest. The best retention was found in the combination of cancellous screws with fibular graft (514.8 N + -252.3 N). For the flat bones (i.e., scapular and illiac crest) we recommend the cancellous screws. Copyright © 2016 European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Fluoroscopy-guided reduction and fibular nail fixation to manage unstable ankle fractures in patients with diabetes: a retrospective cohort study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ashman, B D; Kong, C; Wing, K J; Penner, M J; Bugler, K E; White, T O; Younger, A S E

    2016-09-01

    Patients with diabetes are at increased risk of wound complications after open reduction and internal fixation of unstable ankle fractures. A fibular nail avoids large surgical incisions and allows anatomical reduction of the mortise. We retrospectively reviewed the results of fluoroscopy-guided reduction and percutaneous fibular nail fixation for unstable Weber type B or C fractures in 24 adult patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. The re-operation rate for wound dehiscence or other indications such as amputation, mortality and functional outcomes was determined. Two patients developed lateral side wound infection, one of whom underwent wound debridement. Three other patients required re-operation for removal of symptomatic hardware. No patient required a below-knee amputation. Six patients died during the study period for unrelated reasons. At a median follow-up of 12 months (7 to 38) the mean Short Form-36 Mental Component Score and Physical Component Score were 53.2 (95% confidence intervals (CI) 48.1 to 58.4) and 39.3 (95% CI 32.1 to 46.4), respectively. The mean Visual Analogue Score for pain was 3.1 (95% 1.4 to 4.9). The mean Ankle Osteoarthritis Scale total score was 32.9 (95% CI 16.0 to 49.7). Fluoroscopy-guided reduction and fibular nail fixation of unstable ankle fractures in patients with diabetes was associated with a low incidence of wound and overall complications, while providing effective surgical fixation. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2016;98-B:1197-1201. ©2016 The British Editorial Society of Bone & Joint Surgery.

  1. Total Maxillary Reconstruction Using a Double-Barreled and Double Skin Paddle Fibular Flap after Total Maxillectomy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miguel de la Parra

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available Chondroblastomas are rare entities accounting for approximately 1% of all primary bone tumors. We describe a case of a 7-year-old girl with a giant chondroblastoma of the maxilla, treated with bilateral class III maxillectomy and reconstruction with a double-barreled and double skin paddle fibular free flap. We show evidence of an excellent aesthetic outcome at 6 months' follow up with no evidence of tumor recurrence.

  2. Total Maxillary Reconstruction Using a Double-Barreled and Double Skin Paddle Fibular Flap after Total Maxillectomy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanchez, Gerardo; Lopez, Jaime; Perez, Adrian; Naal, Norberto

    2013-01-01

    Chondroblastomas are rare entities accounting for approximately 1% of all primary bone tumors. We describe a case of a 7-year-old girl with a giant chondroblastoma of the maxilla, treated with bilateral class III maxillectomy and reconstruction with a double-barreled and double skin paddle fibular free flap. We show evidence of an excellent aesthetic outcome at 6 months' follow up with no evidence of tumor recurrence. PMID:24286054

  3. Management of non-traumatic avascular necrosis of the femoral head-a comparative analysis of the outcome of multiple small diameter drilling and core decompression with fibular grafting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohanty, S P; Singh, K A; Kundangar, R; Shankar, V

    2017-04-01

    The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical and radiological outcomes of multiple small diameter drilling and core decompression with fibular strut grafting in the management of non-traumatic avascular necrosis (AVN) of the femoral head. Outcomes of patients with AVN treated by multiple small diameter drilling (group 1) were compared retrospectively with patients treated by core decompression and fibular grafting (group 2). Harris hip score (HHS) was used to assess the clinical status pre- and postoperatively. Modified Ficat and Arlet classification was used to assess the radiological stage pre- and postoperatively. Forty-six patients (68 hips) were included in this study. Group 1 consisted of 33 hips, and group 2 consisted of 35 hips. In stages I and IIB, there was no statistically significant difference in the final HHS between the two groups. However, in stages IIA and III, hips in group 2 had a better final HHS (P < 0.05). In terms of radiographic progression, there was no statistical difference between hips in stages I, IIA and stage IIB. However, in stage III, hips belonging to group 2 had better results (P < 0.05). Kaplan-Meier survivorship analysis showed better outcome in group 2 in stage III (P < 0.05). Hips with AVN in the precollapse stage can be salvaged by core decompression with or without fibular grafting. Multiple small diameter drilling is relatively simple and carries less morbidity and hence preferred in stages I and II. However, in stage III disease, core decompression with fibular strut grafting gives better results.

  4. [Calcaneo-fibular ligament surgery for chronic lateral instability of the upper ankle : Broström technique with modification by Wille. Video article].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kosiol, J; Wille, M; Putzer, D; Biedermann, R

    2015-11-01

    An acute ligament rupture of the lateral ligament complex of the ankle joint is treated without surgery. Treatment failure may lead to a chronically unstable situation of the ankle joint, in which case surgery is an effective procedure for stabilizing the ruptured ligaments. Anatomical reconstruction is the best operative technique if the ligament tissue is of good quality. In our video we demonstrate a new possibility for the positioning of an anchor to tighten the calcaneo-fibular ligament. Modified Broström repairs are described in the literature in which the calcaneo-fibular ligament is released and reattached to the fibula to tighten it. We present the option to release the ligament at the calcaneus and reattach it using a suture anchor. This offers the advantage of preventing the possible dislocation of the peroneal tendons.

  5. Free fibular strut graft in neglected femoral neck fractures in adult

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Azam Md Quamar

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Neglected femoral neck fracture in adults still poses a formidable challenge. Existing treatment options varies from osteotomy (with or without graft to osteosynthesis using various implants and grafting techniques (muscle pedicle, vascularized, and nonvascularized fibula. The aim of this study was to assess outcome of nonvascularized fibular strut graft and cancellous screw fixation in neglected femoral neck fractures in the younger age group. Materials and Methods: Medical records of 32 patients of neglected femoral neck fracture, in the age group of 22-45 years (mean 37.8 years, operated between May 1994 to December 2001, were retrospectively reviewed. After the application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, 28 patients having three years minimum follow-up (mean 4.6 years were included. Delay between injury and operation varied from four weeks to 42 weeks (mean 16.4 weeks. Closed reduction was achieved in 17 patients; open reduction through Watson-Jones anterolateral approach was performed in the remaining 15 patients in whom closed reduction failed. The fracture was transfixed with three parallel guide wires. Appropriate sized cannulated lag screw (7 mm was then inserted in two of the wires. Selection of the third guide wire for fibula depended on the space available in both anteroposterior and lateral view. Results: Satisfactory bony union was obtained in 25 patients, of whom in four cases, the union occurred in 10-20° (mean 15° of varus. Nonunion occurred in three patients (9.37%, and aseptic necrosis occurred in another six patients (18.75%. Of the 25 patients where union was achieved, five patients showed excellent results; 14 good and six had poor functional result, as evaluated using modified Anglen criteria. Conclusion: Nonvascularized fibular strut graft along with cancellous screws provides a dependable and technically less-demanding alternative procedure for neglected femoral neck fractures in young adults. Fibula

  6. Neonatal Brain Tissue Classification with Morphological Adaptation and Unified Segmentation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Richard eBeare

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Measuring the distribution of brain tissue types (tissue classification in neonates is necessary for studying typical and atypical brain development, such as that associated with preterm birth, and may provide biomarkers for neurodevelopmental outcomes. Compared with magnetic resonance images of adults, neonatal images present specific challenges that require the development of specialized, population-specific methods. This paper introduces MANTiS (Morphologically Adaptive Neonatal Tissue Segmentation, which extends the unified segmentation approach to tissue classification implemented in Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM software to neonates. MANTiS utilizes a combination of unified segmentation, template adaptation via morphological segmentation tools and topological filtering, to segment the neonatal brain into eight tissue classes: cortical gray matter, white matter, deep nuclear gray matter, cerebellum, brainstem, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF, hippocampus and amygdala. We evaluated the performance of MANTiS using two independent datasets. The first dataset, provided by the NeoBrainS12 challenge, consisted of coronal T2-weighted images of preterm infants (born ≤30 weeks’ gestation acquired at 30 weeks’ corrected gestational age (n= 5, coronal T2-weighted images of preterm infants acquired at 40 weeks’ corrected gestational age (n= 5 and axial T2-weighted images of preterm infants acquired at 40 weeks’ corrected gestational age (n= 5. The second dataset, provided by the Washington University NeuroDevelopmental Research (WUNDeR group, consisted of T2-weighted images of preterm infants (born <30 weeks’ gestation acquired shortly after birth (n= 12, preterm infants acquired at term-equivalent age (n= 12, and healthy term-born infants (born ≥38 weeks’ gestation acquired within the first nine days of life (n= 12. For the NeoBrainS12 dataset, mean Dice scores comparing MANTiS with manual segmentations were all above 0.7, except for

  7. Acquired degenerative changes of the intervertebral segments at and suprajacent to the lumbosacral junction. A radioanatomic analysis of the nondiskal structures of the spinal column and perispinal soft tissues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jinkins, J R

    2001-01-01

    In earlier evolutionary times, mammals were primarily quadrupeds. However, other bipeds have also been represented during the course of the Earth's several billion year history. In many cases, either the bipedal stance yielded a large tail and hypoplastic upper extremities (e.g., Tyrannosaurus rex and the kangaroo), or it culminated in hypoplasia of the tail and further development and specialization of the upper extremities (e.g., nonhuman primates and human beings). In the human species this relatively recently acquired posture resulted in a more or less pronounced lumbosacral kyphosis. In turn, certain compensatory anatomic features have since occurred. These include the normal characteristic posteriorly directed wedge-shape of the L5 vertebral body and the L5-S1 intervertebral disk; the L4 vertebral body and the L4-L5 disk may be similarly visibly affected. These compensatory mechanisms, however, have proved to be functionally inadequate over the long term of the human life span. Upright posture also leads to increased weight bearing in humans that progressively causes excess stresses at and suprajacent to the lumbosacral junction. These combined factors result in accelerated aging and degenerative changes and a predisposition to frank biomechanical failure of the subcomponents of the spinal column in these spinal segments. One other specific problem that occurs at the lumbosacral junction that predisposes toward premature degeneration is the singular relationship that exists between a normally mobile segment of spine (i.e., the lumbar spine) and a normally immobile one (i.e., the sacrum). It is well known that mobile spinal segments adjacent to congenitally or acquired fused segments have a predilection toward accelerated degenerative changes. The only segment of the spine in which this is invariably normally true is at the lumbosacral junction (i.e., the unfused lumbar spine adjoining the fused sacrum). Nevertheless, biomechanical failures of the human spine

  8. [Effect of axial stress stimulation on tibial and fibular open fractures healing after Taylor space stent fixation].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ge, Qihang; Wan, Chunyou; Liu, Yabei; Ji, Xu; Ma, Jihai; Cao, Haikun; Yong, Wei; Liu, Zhao; Zhang, Ningning

    2017-08-01

    To investigate the effect of axial stress stimulation on tibial and fibular open fractures healing after Taylor space stent fixation. The data of 45 cases with tibial and fibular open fractures treated by Taylor space stent fixation who meet the selection criteria between January 2015 and June 2016 were retrospectively analysed. The patients were divided into trial group (23 cases) and control group (22 cases) according to whether the axial stress stimulation was performed after operation. There was no significant difference in gender, age, affected side, cause of injury, type of fracture, and interval time from injury to operation between 2 groups ( P >0.05). The axial stress stimulation was performed in trial group after operation. The axial load sharing ratio was tested, and when the value was less than 10%, the external fixator was removed. The fracture healing time, full weight-bearing time, and external fixator removal time were recorded and compared. After 6 months of external fixator removal, the function of the limb was assessed by Johner-Wruhs criteria for evaluation of final effectiveness of treatment of tibial shaft fractures. There were 2 and 3 cases of needle foreign body reaction in trial group and control group, respectively, and healed after symptomatic anti allergic treatment. All the patients were followed up 8-12 months with an average of 10 months. All the fractures reached clinical healing, no complication such as delayed union, nonunion, or osteomyelitis occurred. The fracture healing time, full weight-bearing time, and external fixator removal time in trial group were significantly shorter than those in control group ( P good in 6 cases, fair in 3 cases, and poor in 1 case in trial group, with an excellent and good rate of 82.6%; and was excellent in 5 cases, good in 10 cases, fair in 4 cases, and poor in 3 cases in control group, with an excellent and good rate of 68.2%, showing significant difference between 2 groups ( Z =-2.146, P =0

  9. Reconstructive procedures for segmental resection of bone in giant cell tumors around the knee

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aggarwal Aditya

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Segmental resection of bone in Giant Cell Tumor (GCT around the knee, in indicated cases, leaves a gap which requires a complex reconstructive procedure. The present study analyzes various reconstructive procedures in terms of morbidity and various complications encountered. Materials and Methods: Thirteen cases (M-six and F-seven; lower end femur-six and upper end tibia -seven of GCT around the knee, radiologically either Campanacci Grade II, Grade II with pathological fracture or Grade III were included. Mean age was 25.6 years (range 19-30 years. Resection arthrodesis with telescoping (shortening over intramedullary nail ( n=5, resection arthrodesis with an intercalary allograft threaded over a long intramedullary nail ( n=3 and resection arthrodesis with intercalary fibular autograft and simultaneous limb lengthening ( n=5 were the procedure performed. Results: Shortening was the major problem following resection arthrodesis with telescoping (shortening over intramedullary nail. Only two patients agreed for subsequent limb lengthening. The rest continued to walk with shortening. Infection was the major problem in all cases of resection arthrodesis with an intercalary allograft threaded over a long intramedullary nail and required multiple drainage procedures. Fusion was achieved after two years in two patients. In the third patient the allograft sequestrated. The patient underwent sequestrectomy, telescoping of fragments and ilizarov fixator application with subsequent limb lengthening. The patient was finally given an ischial weight relieving orthosis, 54 months after the index procedure. After resection arthrodesis with intercalary autograft and simultaneous lengthening the resultant gap (~15cm was partially bridged by intercalary nonvascularized dual fibular strut graft (6-7cm and additional corticocancellous bone graft from ipsilateral patella. Simultaneous limb lengthening with a distal tibial corticotomy was performed on an

  10. Harvesting the free fibular graft: A modified approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amitava Narayan Mukherjee

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: The conventional technique of free non-vascularized fibular grafting is attended with some amount of morbidity and a long scar. We report a technique with little interference to the surrounding soft tissues to harvest more than one-third of whole length fibula. Patients and Methods: Thirty four patients of average age 23.5 years (range 8 to 51 years having various pathologies like simple bone cysts (n=9, fibrous dysplasias (n=6, giant cell tumors (n=7, fracture non-union (n=10 and aneurysmal bone cysts (n=2 were taken up for the study. The fibula were harvested by two separate incisions, 1 cm each at proximal and distal extent of proposed donor site for taking out of graft after elevating the periosteum circumferentially using a periosteum stripper. Compression bandage and above knee plaster immobilization was applied to reduce the dead space collection . Results: The mean followup is 34 months. The patients were evaluated clinicoradiology. Thirty three patients showed good results. One patient had fair result due to delayed wound healing from hematoma which was treated surgically. Conclusion: The approach of harvesting fibula suggested by author reduces donor site morbidity and is safer than conventional approach.

  11. Ocular Manifestations of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Young Shin; Sun, Hae Jung; Kim, Tae Hyong; Kang, Kui Dong; Lee, Sung Jin

    2015-08-01

    To investigate the patterns and risk factors of the ocular manifestations of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and their correlation with CD4+ count in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). This retrospective study examined 127 AIDS patients who presented to Soonchunhyang University Hospital. Data were collected from patient interviews, clinical examinations, and laboratory investigations. Ophthalmologic examinations included the best-corrected visual acuity, intraocular pressure, anterior segment and adnexal examination, and dilated fundus examination. Of the 127 patients with AIDS, 118 were on HAART and 9 were not. The mean CD4+ count was 266.7 ± 209.1 cells/µL. There were ocular manifestations in 61 patients (48.0%). The incidence of anterior segment manifestations was higher than posterior segment manifestations at 28.3% and 19.7%, respectively. The mean CD4+ count was significantly (p AIDS. In this study, anterior segment and external ocular manifestations occurred more frequently than posterior segment manifestations. Also, the mean CD4+ count was significantly lower in patients with posterior segment ocular manifestations versus anterior segment ocular manifestations. We found that CD4+ count and age >35 years were independent risk factors for developing ocular manifestations.

  12. Prototype implementation of segment assembling software

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pešić Đorđe

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available IT education is very important and a lot of effort is put into the development of tools for helping students to acquire programming knowledge and for helping teachers in automating the examination process. This paper describes a prototype of the program segment assembling software used in the context of making tests in the field of algorithmic complexity. The proposed new program segment assembling model uses rules and templates. A template is a simple program segment. A rule defines combining method and data dependencies if they exist. One example of program segment assembling by the proposed system is given. Graphical user interface is also described.

  13. Use of latissimus dorsi flap pedicle as a T-junction to facilitate simultaneous free fibular flap inset in lower extremity salvage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hwang, Kyu Tae; Youn, Seungki; Kim, Jeong Tae; Lee, Seung Hoon; Ng, Siew-Weng; Kim, Youn Hwan

    2012-04-01

    Marjolin's ulcer is a very aggressive form of squamous cell carcinoma arising from chronic wounds or unstable scars. A resection margin of at least 2 cm with clear deep margin is required on removal. A 79-year-old male presented with chronic osteomyelitis of the left anterior tibial region with chronic ulceration. Biopsy revealed squamous cell carcinoma. The tumour, measuring 8 cm, was resected with surrounding unstable scar tissue including en bloc resection of the involved tibial bone, leaving the posterior cortex. Reconstruction was done with a fibular free flap from the contralateral side, but the pedicle length was too short to reach the anterior tibial vessels. To bridge the vascular gap, and to cover the soft-tissue defect, a latissimus dorsi free flap was harvested using the muscle-sparing method. The thoracodorsal vessels were used as an interpositional graft to anastomose the peroneal vessels of the fibular flap. The patient was ambulatory by 4 months, and complete bone union was seen after 6 months. During the 18-month follow-up period, there was no evidence of recurrence. Copyright © 2011 British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Reconstruction of the cervical spine with two osteocutaneous fibular flap after radiotherapy and resection of osteoclastoma

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kaltoft, Britta; Kruse, Anders; Jensen, Lisa Toft

    2012-01-01

    to C3. Two months later, rupture of the pharyngeal wall was noted with exposure of the anterior cage. A few days later, the posterior scar ruptured. The anterior cage was removed and the pharyngeal wall was sutured. Revision of the posterior wound was performed, leaving the implants in place. To secure...... stability of the spine, the patient was treated with a HALO. Once again, the pharyngeal wall ruptured. Reconstruction of the posterior pharyngeal wall and the anterior column of the spine was performed with an osteocutaneous fibular flap from the skull base to C3. Five months later, a computed tomography...

  15. Oral rehabilitation with dental implants and quality of life following mandibular reconstruction with free fibular flap.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jacobsen, Hans-Christian; Wahnschaff, Falko; Trenkle, Thomas; Sieg, Peter; Hakim, Samer G

    2016-01-01

    Bony reconstruction of jaw defects using the free fibular flap and dental rehabilitation mostly requires insertion of dental implants within the transferred fibula bone. The aim of this paper was to discuss results of the implant stability with data on the possible benefit for the patient's quality of life after such treatment. For clinical outcome of implants, we evaluated 26 patients with a total number of 94 dental implants after a follow-up period of 12 to 132 months. A group of 38 patients who underwent mandibular reconstruction with free fibular flap could be included in the life-quality study. Evaluation included 23 patients with and 15 patients without implant-borne restoration. The quality of life was assessed using the standard QLQ C-30 questionnaire and the H&N35 module of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC). Of implants, 94.7 % were stable at the time of investigation and could be used for prosthesis. Patients with dental implants reported improvement of life quality along with better scores in most function and symptom scales; however, only values for global health status (QL2), absence of dyspnea (DY) and absence of feeding tube (HNFE) were significantly better than in the control group. Dental implant insertion in fibula grafts along with implant-borne restoration is a proven concept and might lead to improved quality of life following ablative surgery of the jaw. The effect on the quality of life is not as predictable as on the implant stability. Patients with bony defects of the jaw require bony reconstruction. This allows further masticatory rehabilitation using dental implants and might lead to improved quality of life.

  16. Cerebral vessels segmentation for light-sheet microscopy image using convolutional neural networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Chaoen; Hui, Hui; Wang, Shuo; Dong, Di; Liu, Xia; Yang, Xin; Tian, Jie

    2017-03-01

    Cerebral vessel segmentation is an important step in image analysis for brain function and brain disease studies. To extract all the cerebrovascular patterns, including arteries and capillaries, some filter-based methods are used to segment vessels. However, the design of accurate and robust vessel segmentation algorithms is still challenging, due to the variety and complexity of images, especially in cerebral blood vessel segmentation. In this work, we addressed a problem of automatic and robust segmentation of cerebral micro-vessels structures in cerebrovascular images acquired by light-sheet microscope for mouse. To segment micro-vessels in large-scale image data, we proposed a convolutional neural networks (CNNs) architecture trained by 1.58 million pixels with manual label. Three convolutional layers and one fully connected layer were used in the CNNs model. We extracted a patch of size 32x32 pixels in each acquired brain vessel image as training data set to feed into CNNs for classification. This network was trained to output the probability that the center pixel of input patch belongs to vessel structures. To build the CNNs architecture, a series of mouse brain vascular images acquired from a commercial light sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) system were used for training the model. The experimental results demonstrated that our approach is a promising method for effectively segmenting micro-vessels structures in cerebrovascular images with vessel-dense, nonuniform gray-level and long-scale contrast regions.

  17. Osteocutaneous Free Fibular Flap for Anatomical Reconstruction of the Mandible Following Tumor Resection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amin, A.A.

    2003-01-01

    The development of microvascular free tissue transfer has revolutionized the current approaches for mandible reconstruction. It allowed one stage reconstruction of complex bony and soft tissue defects with high reliability. This study presents our experience using vascularized free fibular graft for reconstruction of different anatomical mandibular defects following tumor ablation. Methods: This study involves a total of 16 patients who were treated over 3-year period at the National Cancer Institute, Cairo University. All patients underwent mandibular resection and immediate reconstruction using free fibula osteocutaneous flap. Mandibular resections were performed due to either primary mandibular tumors, or tumors directly invading the mandible from adjacent areas. The extent of mandibular involvement by tumor was preoperatively assessed by X-ray panoramic view and CT scan. Mandibular defects were classified according to HCL system where H defects are lateral defect of any length including the condyle, L defects are the same without condyle and C defects represent the central segment between the mental foramina. The success rate, recipient vessels used, complications and functional as well as cosmetic outcome will be discussed. Results: Of sixteen patients, ten were males and 6 were females. The age ranged from 4 to 68 years. Five patients had preoperative chemotherapy; two had radiation therapy, while six patients received postoperative radiation therapy. All patients had preoperative histological diagnosis; squamous cell carcinoma was the most common histology. Mandibular defects consisted of central segment (3 C), lateral defect (9 L) and 4 patients with H defects. The skin island was used to provide inner mucosal lining in II patients and as external monitor in 5 patients. The free flap was successful in 13 patients. There were 3 complete free flap necrosis; all were due to venous thromboses. Salvage surgery was attempted in all failing flaps, however, it was

  18. Segmented slant hole collimator for stationary cardiac SPECT: Monte Carlo simulations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mao, Yanfei; Yu, Zhicong; Zeng, Gengsheng L

    2015-09-01

    This work is a preliminary study of a stationary cardiac SPECT system. The goal of this research is to propose a stationary cardiac SPECT system using segmented slant-hole collimators and to perform computer simulations to test the feasibility. Compared to the rotational SPECT, a stationary system has a benefit of acquiring temporally consistent projections. The most challenging issue in building a stationary system is to provide sufficient projection view-angles. A GATE (GEANT4 application for tomographic emission) Monte Carlo model was developed to simulate a two-detector stationary cardiac SPECT that uses segmented slant-hole collimators. Each detector contains seven segmented slant-hole sections that slant to a common volume at the rotation center. Consequently, 14 view-angles over 180° were acquired without any gantry rotation. The NCAT phantom was used for data generation and a tailored maximum-likelihood expectation-maximization algorithm was used for image reconstruction. Effects of limited number of view-angles and data truncation were carefully evaluated in the paper. Simulation results indicated that the proposed segmented slant-hole stationary cardiac SPECT system is able to acquire sufficient data for cardiac imaging without a loss of image quality, even when the uptakes in the liver and kidneys are high. Seven views are acquired simultaneously at each detector, leading to 5-fold sensitivity gain over the conventional dual-head system at the same total acquisition time, which in turn increases the signal-to-noise ratio by 19%. The segmented slant-hole SPECT system also showed a good performance in lesion detection. In our prototype system, a short hole-length was used to reduce the dead zone between neighboring collimator segments. The measured sensitivity gain is about 17-fold over the conventional dual-head system. The gate Monte Carlo simulations confirm the feasibility of the proposed stationary cardiac SPECT system with segmented slant

  19. Segmented slant hole collimator for stationary cardiac SPECT: Monte Carlo simulations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mao, Yanfei, E-mail: ymao@ucair.med.utah.edu [Department of Radiology, Utah Center for Advanced Imaging Research (UCAIR), University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84108 and Department of Bioengineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112 (United States); Yu, Zhicong [Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905 (United States); Zeng, Gengsheng L. [Department of Radiology, Utah Center for Advanced Imaging Research (UCAIR), University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84108 and Department of Engineering, Weber State University, Ogden, Utah 84408 (United States)

    2015-09-15

    Purpose: This work is a preliminary study of a stationary cardiac SPECT system. The goal of this research is to propose a stationary cardiac SPECT system using segmented slant-hole collimators and to perform computer simulations to test the feasibility. Compared to the rotational SPECT, a stationary system has a benefit of acquiring temporally consistent projections. The most challenging issue in building a stationary system is to provide sufficient projection view-angles. Methods: A GATE (GEANT4 application for tomographic emission) Monte Carlo model was developed to simulate a two-detector stationary cardiac SPECT that uses segmented slant-hole collimators. Each detector contains seven segmented slant-hole sections that slant to a common volume at the rotation center. Consequently, 14 view-angles over 180° were acquired without any gantry rotation. The NCAT phantom was used for data generation and a tailored maximum-likelihood expectation-maximization algorithm was used for image reconstruction. Effects of limited number of view-angles and data truncation were carefully evaluated in the paper. Results: Simulation results indicated that the proposed segmented slant-hole stationary cardiac SPECT system is able to acquire sufficient data for cardiac imaging without a loss of image quality, even when the uptakes in the liver and kidneys are high. Seven views are acquired simultaneously at each detector, leading to 5-fold sensitivity gain over the conventional dual-head system at the same total acquisition time, which in turn increases the signal-to-noise ratio by 19%. The segmented slant-hole SPECT system also showed a good performance in lesion detection. In our prototype system, a short hole-length was used to reduce the dead zone between neighboring collimator segments. The measured sensitivity gain is about 17-fold over the conventional dual-head system. Conclusions: The GATE Monte Carlo simulations confirm the feasibility of the proposed stationary cardiac

  20. Effect of fibular repositioning taping in adult basketball players with chronic ankle instability: a randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alves, Yanina; Ribeiro, Fernando; Silva, Anabela G

    2017-07-05

    Chronic ankle instability presents a high incidence and prevalence in basketbal players. It's important to develop strategies to reduce the functional and mechanical limitations resulting from this condition. To compare the effect of Mulligan ́s fibular repositioning taping with a placebo taping immediatly after application and after a running test (Yo-Yo IRT). 16 adult basketball players (10 male, 6 female) with chronic ankle instability and mean age 21.50 ± 2.76 years old. Assessment of static postural control (15 seconds of unipedal stance test with eyes closed in a force platform), functional performance (figure 8 hop test and lateral hop test) and neuromuscular control (peroneus longus latency time in sudden inversion) in two conditions: Mulligan and Placebo. No significant effect was found for the intervantion factor in both hop tests (p>0.170), but there was a significant effect for the time factor (p<0.03). For the peroneus longus latency time, there was a significant interaction between factors (p=0.028) and also for time (p=0.042). No significant effect was found for any of the static postural control variables (area, speed and total displacement) (p≥0.10). There was no differences between Mulligan's fibular repositioning taping and Placebo taping in postural control and functional performance in basketball players with chronic ankle instability. However, Mulligan's taping appears to reduce peroneus longus latency time after a running when compared with a placebo taping.

  1. Fetal brain volumetry through MRI volumetric reconstruction and segmentation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Estroff, Judy A.; Barnewolt, Carol E.; Connolly, Susan A.; Warfield, Simon K.

    2013-01-01

    Purpose Fetal MRI volumetry is a useful technique but it is limited by a dependency upon motion-free scans, tedious manual segmentation, and spatial inaccuracy due to thick-slice scans. An image processing pipeline that addresses these limitations was developed and tested. Materials and methods The principal sequences acquired in fetal MRI clinical practice are multiple orthogonal single-shot fast spin echo scans. State-of-the-art image processing techniques were used for inter-slice motion correction and super-resolution reconstruction of high-resolution volumetric images from these scans. The reconstructed volume images were processed with intensity non-uniformity correction and the fetal brain extracted by using supervised automated segmentation. Results Reconstruction, segmentation and volumetry of the fetal brains for a cohort of twenty-five clinically acquired fetal MRI scans was done. Performance metrics for volume reconstruction, segmentation and volumetry were determined by comparing to manual tracings in five randomly chosen cases. Finally, analysis of the fetal brain and parenchymal volumes was performed based on the gestational age of the fetuses. Conclusion The image processing pipeline developed in this study enables volume rendering and accurate fetal brain volumetry by addressing the limitations of current volumetry techniques, which include dependency on motion-free scans, manual segmentation, and inaccurate thick-slice interpolation. PMID:20625848

  2. Word segmentation with universal prosodic cues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Endress, Ansgar D; Hauser, Marc D

    2010-09-01

    When listening to speech from one's native language, words seem to be well separated from one another, like beads on a string. When listening to a foreign language, in contrast, words seem almost impossible to extract, as if there was only one bead on the same string. This contrast reveals that there are language-specific cues to segmentation. The puzzle, however, is that infants must be endowed with a language-independent mechanism for segmentation, as they ultimately solve the segmentation problem for any native language. Here, we approach the acquisition problem by asking whether there are language-independent cues to segmentation that might be available to even adult learners who have already acquired a native language. We show that adult learners recognize words in connected speech when only prosodic cues to word-boundaries are given from languages unfamiliar to the participants. In both artificial and natural speech, adult English speakers, with no prior exposure to the test languages, readily recognized words in natural languages with critically different prosodic patterns, including French, Turkish and Hungarian. We suggest that, even though languages differ in their sound structures, they carry universal prosodic characteristics. Further, these language-invariant prosodic cues provide a universally accessible mechanism for finding words in connected speech. These cues may enable infants to start acquiring words in any language even before they are fine-tuned to the sound structure of their native language. Copyright © 2010. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  3. Automatic segmentation of MR brain images with a convolutional neural network

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Moeskops, P.; Viergever, M.A.; Mendrik, A.M.; de Vries, L.S.; Benders, M.J.N.L.; Išgum, I.

    2016-01-01

    Automatic segmentation in MR brain images is important for quantitative analysis in large-scale studies with images acquired at all ages. This paper presents a method for the automatic segmentation of MR brain images into a number of tissue classes using a convolutional neural network. To ensure

  4. A-Frame free Vascularized Fibular Graft and Femoral Lengthening for Osteosarcoma Pediatric Patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cashin, Megan; Coombs, Christopher; Torode, Ian

    2018-02-01

    Pediatric limb reconstruction after resection of a malignant tumor presents specific challenges. Multiple surgical techniques have been used to treat these patients. This paper describes a staged surgical technique for the reconstruction of large distal femoral defects due to tumor resection in skeletally immature patients. Three pediatric patients with osteosarcoma of the distal femur underwent staged reconstruction. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy was followed by en bloc tumor resection and immediate reconstruction of the distal femoral defect with a vascularized free fibular autograft utilizing a unique A-frame construct combined with intramedullary nail fixation. The second stage was a planned gradual lengthening of the healed construct, over a custom-made magnetically driven expandable intramedullary nail. All patients achieved bony union and satisfactory length with minimal complications. The patients all returned to full, unlimited physical activities. The early results confirm that the described technique is a safe and reliable procedure for the reconstruction of large femoral defects in pediatric patients with osteosarcoma. Level IV-therapeutic.

  5. Sloped Terrain Segmentation for Autonomous Drive Using Sparse 3D Point Cloud

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seoungjae Cho

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available A ubiquitous environment for road travel that uses wireless networks requires the minimization of data exchange between vehicles. An algorithm that can segment the ground in real time is necessary to obtain location data between vehicles simultaneously executing autonomous drive. This paper proposes a framework for segmenting the ground in real time using a sparse three-dimensional (3D point cloud acquired from undulating terrain. A sparse 3D point cloud can be acquired by scanning the geography using light detection and ranging (LiDAR sensors. For efficient ground segmentation, 3D point clouds are quantized in units of volume pixels (voxels and overlapping data is eliminated. We reduce nonoverlapping voxels to two dimensions by implementing a lowermost heightmap. The ground area is determined on the basis of the number of voxels in each voxel group. We execute ground segmentation in real time by proposing an approach to minimize the comparison between neighboring voxels. Furthermore, we experimentally verify that ground segmentation can be executed at about 19.31 ms per frame.

  6. Failed vascularized proximal fibular epiphyseal transfer for hip reconstruction following infection in children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Debarge, Romain; Chotel, Franck; Gazarian, Aram; Viola, Jérémy; Berard, Jérôme

    2009-08-01

    Treatment of the sequellae of hip infection with epiphyseal destruction in children has had limited success to date. The aim of this study was to report mid-term results after hip epiphyseal reconstruction using a proximal vascularized fibular graft in three children presenting with massive epiphyseal destruction of the proximal femur following infection. Three children suffered from hip articular destruction type IVB according to the Choi classification after neonatal septic arthritis. The mean age at reconstruction was 4.3 years (range 3-6 years). The Hunka et al. criteria were used to evaluate the functional results, and the clinical evaluation was based on the Musculo-Skeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) score. Growth and fusion of the graft and hip morphology were evaluated on simple X-rays and by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A ratio between cephalic diameter and inter-acetabular gap was defined on the MRI scan as the "acetabular filling index". No intraoperative complication was reported. With a mean follow-up of 4.8 years (3-6 years), the MSTS score was 22.7/30 (range 20-26), while the average lower limb length discrepancy was 3 cm. Patient 1 required a secondary derotation osteotomy of the femur because of abnormal external rotation and a bad result due to the unexplained occurrence of a painful and stiff hip joint. A secondary distal transfer of the greater trochanter was performed in patient 2, and good results based on Hunka et al.'s criteria were achieved. The X-rays of patients 1 and 2 showed signs of bone growth and a major remodeling process; the MRI filling indices were 83 and 67%, respectively. Patient 3 developed an early slipped capital (fibular) epiphysis 1 month postoperatively, which was treated by percutaneous pinning; this early complication led to a bad result with full resorption of the graft. In contrast to its success in upper limb reconstruction, in this series of three patients with hip articular destruction, articular reconstruction

  7. Locking plate and fibular strut-graft augmentation in the reconstruction of unicameral bone cyst of proximal femur in the paediatric population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jamshidi, Khodamorad; Mirkazemi, Masoud; Izanloo, Azra; Mirzaei, Alireza

    2018-01-01

    Several therapeutic strategies have been used for managing unicameral bone cyst (UBC) of the proximal femur. However, there is insufficient evidence to support one treatment over another, and the optimal treatment is controversial. This study aims at describing our experience with surgical reconstruction of paediatric UBCs of the proximal femur using a proximal locking plate and fibular strut allograft. In total, 14 consecutive paediatric patients with Dormans types IB (four cases) and IIB (10 cases) UBC were assessed. Mean patient age was 8.6 ± 2.3 years, and mean follow-up period was 41.7 ± 29.8 months. Six patients (42.8%) were referred with a pathologic fracture. Clinical/radiological outcome and complication rates were evaluated at the final follow-up session. No cysts were Capanna's class III (recurrence) or IV (no response). Complete healing (Capanna's class I) was seen in ten cysts, while four other cysts healed with residual radiolucent areas (Capanna's class II). Mean healing period was 14.1 ± 5.1 (9-24 months). One patient had superficial infection, one heterotopic ossification, and one mild coxa vara, and mean Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) score was 99.5%. According to our results, locking plate and fibular strut graft in Dormans classification types IB and IIB results in a favorable outcome in managing UBC of the proximal femur in the paediatric population.

  8. An LG-graph-based early evaluation of segmented images

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsitsoulis, Athanasios; Bourbakis, Nikolaos

    2012-01-01

    Image segmentation is one of the first important parts of image analysis and understanding. Evaluation of image segmentation, however, is a very difficult task, mainly because it requires human intervention and interpretation. In this work, we propose a blind reference evaluation scheme based on regional local–global (RLG) graphs, which aims at measuring the amount and distribution of detail in images produced by segmentation algorithms. The main idea derives from the field of image understanding, where image segmentation is often used as a tool for scene interpretation and object recognition. Evaluation here derives from summarization of the structural information content and not from the assessment of performance after comparisons with a golden standard. Results show measurements for segmented images acquired from three segmentation algorithms, applied on different types of images (human faces/bodies, natural environments and structures (buildings)). (paper)

  9. An automated computerized methodology for the segmentation of in vivo acquired DSA images: application in the New Zealand hindlimb ischemia model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kagadis, G C; Daskalakis, A; Spyridonos, P; Nikiforidis, G C; Diamantopoulos, A; Samaras, N; Katsanos, K; Karnabatidis, D; Siablis, D; Sourgiadaki, E; Cavouras, D

    2009-01-01

    In-vivo dynamic visualization and accurate quantification of vascular networks is a prerequisite of crucial importance in both therapeutic angiogenesis and tumor anti-angiogenesis studies. A user independent computerized tool was developed, for the automated segmentation and quantitative assessment of in-vivo acquired DSA images. Automatic vessel assessment was performed employing the concept of image structural tensor. Initially, vasculature was estimated according to the largest eigenvalue of the structural tensor. The resulted eigenvalue matrix was treated as gray-matrix from which the vessels were gradually segmented and then categorized in three main sub-groups; large, medium and small-size vessels. The histogram percentiles, corresponding to 85%, 65% and 47% of prime eigenvalue gray-matrix were optimally found to give the thresholds T1, T2 and T3 respectively, for extracting vessels of different size. The proposed methodology was tested on a series of DSA images in both normal rabbits (group A) and in rabbits with experimental induced chronic hindlimb ischemia (group B). As a result an automated computerized tool was developed to process images without any user intervention in either experimental or clinical studies. Specifically, a higher total vascular area and length were calculated in group B compared to group A (p=0.0242 and p=0.0322 respectively), which is in accordance to the fact that significantly more collateral arteries are developed during the physiological response to the stimuli of ischemia.

  10. PETSTEP: Generation of synthetic PET lesions for fast evaluation of segmentation methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berthon, Beatrice; Häggström, Ida; Apte, Aditya; Beattie, Bradley J.; Kirov, Assen S.; Humm, John L.; Marshall, Christopher; Spezi, Emiliano; Larsson, Anne; Schmidtlein, C. Ross

    2016-01-01

    Purpose This work describes PETSTEP (PET Simulator of Tracers via Emission Projection): a faster and more accessible alternative to Monte Carlo (MC) simulation generating realistic PET images, for studies assessing image features and segmentation techniques. Methods PETSTEP was implemented within Matlab as open source software. It allows generating three-dimensional PET images from PET/CT data or synthetic CT and PET maps, with user-drawn lesions and user-set acquisition and reconstruction parameters. PETSTEP was used to reproduce images of the NEMA body phantom acquired on a GE Discovery 690 PET/CT scanner, and simulated with MC for the GE Discovery LS scanner, and to generate realistic Head and Neck scans. Finally the sensitivity (S) and Positive Predictive Value (PPV) of three automatic segmentation methods were compared when applied to the scanner-acquired and PETSTEP-simulated NEMA images. Results PETSTEP produced 3D phantom and clinical images within 4 and 6 min respectively on a single core 2.7 GHz computer. PETSTEP images of the NEMA phantom had mean intensities within 2% of the scanner-acquired image for both background and largest insert, and 16% larger background Full Width at Half Maximum. Similar results were obtained when comparing PETSTEP images to MC simulated data. The S and PPV obtained with simulated phantom images were statistically significantly lower than for the original images, but led to the same conclusions with respect to the evaluated segmentation methods. Conclusions PETSTEP allows fast simulation of synthetic images reproducing scanner-acquired PET data and shows great promise for the evaluation of PET segmentation methods. PMID:26321409

  11. Return to National Basketball Association Competition Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament and Fibular Collateral Ligament Injuries: A Case Report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    LaPrade, Robert F; O'Brien, Luke; Kennedy, Nicholas I; Cinque, Mark E; Chahla, Jorge

    2017-01-01

    Numerous outcome studies regarding anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction demonstrate the ability of athletes to return to a high level of play. However, to our knowledge, there is limited literature regarding return to play following injury to both the ACL and the fibular collateral ligament (FCL). We describe the case of a National Basketball Association (NBA) player who sustained a combined ACL and FCL knee injury and subsequently underwent surgical reconstruction of both affected ligaments. He was able to return to a preinjury level of competition at 9 months postoperatively. It is possible for athletes to return to competitive basketball and maintain a high production level following a single-staged reconstruction of both the ACL and the FCL.

  12. Feature-space transformation improves supervised segmentation across scanners

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    van Opbroek, Annegreet; Achterberg, Hakim C.; de Bruijne, Marleen

    2015-01-01

    Image-segmentation techniques based on supervised classification generally perform well on the condition that training and test samples have the same feature distribution. However, if training and test images are acquired with different scanners or scanning parameters, their feature distributions...

  13. Feasibility study of segmented-parallel-hole collimator for stationary cardiac SPECT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mao, Yanfei [Utah Univ., Salt Lake City, UT (United States). Center for Advanced Imaging Research (UCAIR); Utah Univ., Salt Lake City, UT (United States). Dept. of Bioengineering; Zeng, Gengsheng L. [Utah Univ., Salt Lake City, UT (United States). Center for Advanced Imaging Research (UCAIR)

    2011-07-01

    The goal of this research is to propose a stationary cardiac SPECT system using the segmented parallel-beam collimator and to perform some computer simulations to test the feasibility. A stationary system has a benefit of acquiring temporally consistent projections. The most challenging issue in building a stationary system is to provide sufficient projection view-angles. A 2-detector, multi-segment collimator system with 14 view-angles over 180 in the transaxial direction and 3 view-angles in the axial directions was designed, where the two detectors are configured 90 apart in an L-shape. We applied the parallel-beam imaging geometry and used segmented parallel-hole collimator to acquire SPECT data. To improve the system condition due to data truncation, we measured more rays within the field-of-view (FOV) of the detector by using a relatively small detector bin-size. In image reconstruction, we used the maximum-likelihood expectation-maximization (ML-EM) algorithm. The criterion for evaluating the system is the summed pixel-to-pixel distance that measures the discrepancy between the 3D gold-standard image and the reconstructed 3D region of interest (ROI) with truncated data. Effects of limited number of view-angles, data truncation, varying body habitus, attenuation, and noise were considered in the system design. As a result, our segmented-parallel-beam stationary cardiac SPECT system is able to acquire sufficient data for cardiac imaging and has a high sensitivity gain. (orig.)

  14. Spinal cord grey matter segmentation challenge.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prados, Ferran; Ashburner, John; Blaiotta, Claudia; Brosch, Tom; Carballido-Gamio, Julio; Cardoso, Manuel Jorge; Conrad, Benjamin N; Datta, Esha; Dávid, Gergely; Leener, Benjamin De; Dupont, Sara M; Freund, Patrick; Wheeler-Kingshott, Claudia A M Gandini; Grussu, Francesco; Henry, Roland; Landman, Bennett A; Ljungberg, Emil; Lyttle, Bailey; Ourselin, Sebastien; Papinutto, Nico; Saporito, Salvatore; Schlaeger, Regina; Smith, Seth A; Summers, Paul; Tam, Roger; Yiannakas, Marios C; Zhu, Alyssa; Cohen-Adad, Julien

    2017-05-15

    An important image processing step in spinal cord magnetic resonance imaging is the ability to reliably and accurately segment grey and white matter for tissue specific analysis. There are several semi- or fully-automated segmentation methods for cervical cord cross-sectional area measurement with an excellent performance close or equal to the manual segmentation. However, grey matter segmentation is still challenging due to small cross-sectional size and shape, and active research is being conducted by several groups around the world in this field. Therefore a grey matter spinal cord segmentation challenge was organised to test different capabilities of various methods using the same multi-centre and multi-vendor dataset acquired with distinct 3D gradient-echo sequences. This challenge aimed to characterize the state-of-the-art in the field as well as identifying new opportunities for future improvements. Six different spinal cord grey matter segmentation methods developed independently by various research groups across the world and their performance were compared to manual segmentation outcomes, the present gold-standard. All algorithms provided good overall results for detecting the grey matter butterfly, albeit with variable performance in certain quality-of-segmentation metrics. The data have been made publicly available and the challenge web site remains open to new submissions. No modifications were introduced to any of the presented methods as a result of this challenge for the purposes of this publication. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. A Parallel Distributed-Memory Particle Method Enables Acquisition-Rate Segmentation of Large Fluorescence Microscopy Images.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Afshar, Yaser; Sbalzarini, Ivo F

    2016-01-01

    Modern fluorescence microscopy modalities, such as light-sheet microscopy, are capable of acquiring large three-dimensional images at high data rate. This creates a bottleneck in computational processing and analysis of the acquired images, as the rate of acquisition outpaces the speed of processing. Moreover, images can be so large that they do not fit the main memory of a single computer. We address both issues by developing a distributed parallel algorithm for segmentation of large fluorescence microscopy images. The method is based on the versatile Discrete Region Competition algorithm, which has previously proven useful in microscopy image segmentation. The present distributed implementation decomposes the input image into smaller sub-images that are distributed across multiple computers. Using network communication, the computers orchestrate the collectively solving of the global segmentation problem. This not only enables segmentation of large images (we test images of up to 10(10) pixels), but also accelerates segmentation to match the time scale of image acquisition. Such acquisition-rate image segmentation is a prerequisite for the smart microscopes of the future and enables online data compression and interactive experiments.

  16. Automatic Segmentation of Vessels in In-Vivo Ultrasound Scans

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tamimi-Sarnikowski, Philip; Brink-Kjær, Andreas; Moshavegh, Ramin

    2017-01-01

    presents a fully automatic segmentation algorithm, for robustly segmenting the vessel lumen in longitudinal B-mode ultrasound images. The automatic segmentation is performed using a combination of B-mode and power Doppler images. The proposed algorithm includes a series of preprocessing steps, and performs......Ultrasound has become highly popular to monitor atherosclerosis, by scanning the carotid artery. The screening involves measuring the thickness of the vessel wall and diameter of the lumen. An automatic segmentation of the vessel lumen, can enable the determination of lumen diameter. This paper...... a vessel segmentation by use of the marker-controlled watershed transform. The ultrasound images used in the study were acquired using the bk3000 ultrasound scanner (BK Ultrasound, Herlev, Denmark) with two transducers ”8L2 Linear” and ”10L2w Wide Linear” (BK Ultrasound, Herlev, Denmark). The algorithm...

  17. Whole-body magnetic resonance angiography for presurgical planning of free-flap head and neck reconstruction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kramer, Manuel; Nkenke, Emeka; Kikuchi, Keiichi; Schwab, Siegfried A.; Janka, Rolf; Uder, Michael; Lell, Michael

    2012-01-01

    Objectives: Aim of the study was to evaluate if a whole-body magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) protocol meets the requirements to evaluate the donor and host site target vessels for planning of microvascular head and neck reconstructions. Patients and methods: In 20 patients, scheduled for reconstruction of the mandible with fibular free flaps, contrast-enhanced whole-body MRA was performed prior to surgery. 32-Channel 1.5-T MR angiograms were acquired using a 2-step contrast (gadobutrol) injection scheme to visualize the arterial vasculature from head to feet. Maximum intensity projection and multiplanar reconstruction technique was employed to visualize MRA data. For image evaluation the arterial tree was divided into 51 segments. The presence of artefacts impairing diagnostic quality was noted. Evaluable segments were assessed regarding the presence of stenoses >50% diameter reduction, occlusions or aneurysms. Results: No adverse reactions or complications occurred. Of 1020 vessel segments 1003 (98.3%) were evaluable. 36 stenoses >50%, 50 occlusions and one aneurysm were observed. In 21 of 40 lower limbs relevant atherosclerotic changes were depicted. Conclusion: Whole-body MRA proved to be a suitable three-dimensional, noninvasive, nonionising modality for preoperative evaluation of the entire arterial vasculature.

  18. Automatic labeling and segmentation of vertebrae in CT images

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rasoulian, Abtin; Rohling, Robert N.; Abolmaesumi, Purang

    2014-03-01

    Labeling and segmentation of the spinal column from CT images is a pre-processing step for a range of image- guided interventions. State-of-the art techniques have focused either on image feature extraction or template matching for labeling of the vertebrae followed by segmentation of each vertebra. Recently, statistical multi- object models have been introduced to extract common statistical characteristics among several anatomies. In particular, we have created models for segmentation of the lumbar spine which are robust, accurate, and computationally tractable. In this paper, we reconstruct a statistical multi-vertebrae pose+shape model and utilize it in a novel framework for labeling and segmentation of the vertebra in a CT image. We validate our technique in terms of accuracy of the labeling and segmentation of CT images acquired from 56 subjects. The method correctly labels all vertebrae in 70% of patients and is only one level off for the remaining 30%. The mean distance error achieved for the segmentation is 2.1 +/- 0.7 mm.

  19. A Parallel Distributed-Memory Particle Method Enables Acquisition-Rate Segmentation of Large Fluorescence Microscopy Images

    Science.gov (United States)

    Afshar, Yaser; Sbalzarini, Ivo F.

    2016-01-01

    Modern fluorescence microscopy modalities, such as light-sheet microscopy, are capable of acquiring large three-dimensional images at high data rate. This creates a bottleneck in computational processing and analysis of the acquired images, as the rate of acquisition outpaces the speed of processing. Moreover, images can be so large that they do not fit the main memory of a single computer. We address both issues by developing a distributed parallel algorithm for segmentation of large fluorescence microscopy images. The method is based on the versatile Discrete Region Competition algorithm, which has previously proven useful in microscopy image segmentation. The present distributed implementation decomposes the input image into smaller sub-images that are distributed across multiple computers. Using network communication, the computers orchestrate the collectively solving of the global segmentation problem. This not only enables segmentation of large images (we test images of up to 1010 pixels), but also accelerates segmentation to match the time scale of image acquisition. Such acquisition-rate image segmentation is a prerequisite for the smart microscopes of the future and enables online data compression and interactive experiments. PMID:27046144

  20. A Parallel Distributed-Memory Particle Method Enables Acquisition-Rate Segmentation of Large Fluorescence Microscopy Images.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yaser Afshar

    Full Text Available Modern fluorescence microscopy modalities, such as light-sheet microscopy, are capable of acquiring large three-dimensional images at high data rate. This creates a bottleneck in computational processing and analysis of the acquired images, as the rate of acquisition outpaces the speed of processing. Moreover, images can be so large that they do not fit the main memory of a single computer. We address both issues by developing a distributed parallel algorithm for segmentation of large fluorescence microscopy images. The method is based on the versatile Discrete Region Competition algorithm, which has previously proven useful in microscopy image segmentation. The present distributed implementation decomposes the input image into smaller sub-images that are distributed across multiple computers. Using network communication, the computers orchestrate the collectively solving of the global segmentation problem. This not only enables segmentation of large images (we test images of up to 10(10 pixels, but also accelerates segmentation to match the time scale of image acquisition. Such acquisition-rate image segmentation is a prerequisite for the smart microscopes of the future and enables online data compression and interactive experiments.

  1. [Tibia reconstruction using cross-leg pedicled fibular flaps: report of two cases].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Molski, M

    2000-01-01

    The paper presents the results of treatment of two children with cross-leg pedicle fibular flaps. A boy (10 years old) was operated because of an extensive defect of the proximal tibial shaft (15 cm) and soft tissue deficit due to osteosarcoma. He had been previously operated several times: tumor resection with chemiotherapy, bone reconstruction using allografts and two other procedures because of inflammatory complications. The second case was a 9-year old girl who underwent an extensive excision of congenital pseudoarthrosis of the tibia due to neurofibroma and reconstruction of the further fragment of the tibia. Vascularized fibula was nailed deep into the tibial shaft, beyond the previously implanted metal elements. This allowed to maintain a correct axis of the limb, a firm stabilization of the transplant and probably evoked a quick periosteal reaction of the tibia. Plaster of Paris was used to immobilize the limb. Postoperative course showed no complications. The flap pedicle was cut off after 3-4 weeks. Progressive bone healing followed by bony hypertrophy was observed after 8 weeks. The children were able to fully load the operated extremities and ambulate without crutches (the boys 12 months post-surgery and the girl 6 months post-surgery).

  2. Bayesian automated cortical segmentation for neonatal MRI

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chou, Zane; Paquette, Natacha; Ganesh, Bhavana; Wang, Yalin; Ceschin, Rafael; Nelson, Marvin D.; Macyszyn, Luke; Gaonkar, Bilwaj; Panigrahy, Ashok; Lepore, Natasha

    2017-11-01

    Several attempts have been made in the past few years to develop and implement an automated segmentation of neonatal brain structural MRI. However, accurate automated MRI segmentation remains challenging in this population because of the low signal-to-noise ratio, large partial volume effects and inter-individual anatomical variability of the neonatal brain. In this paper, we propose a learning method for segmenting the whole brain cortical grey matter on neonatal T2-weighted images. We trained our algorithm using a neonatal dataset composed of 3 fullterm and 4 preterm infants scanned at term equivalent age. Our segmentation pipeline combines the FAST algorithm from the FSL library software and a Bayesian segmentation approach to create a threshold matrix that minimizes the error of mislabeling brain tissue types. Our method shows promising results with our pilot training set. In both preterm and full-term neonates, automated Bayesian segmentation generates a smoother and more consistent parcellation compared to FAST, while successfully removing the subcortical structure and cleaning the edges of the cortical grey matter. This method show promising refinement of the FAST segmentation by considerably reducing manual input and editing required from the user, and further improving reliability and processing time of neonatal MR images. Further improvement will include a larger dataset of training images acquired from different manufacturers.

  3. Reconstrucción tibial: transferencia sóleo-peroné ipsilateral. Tibialización peroneal Tibial reconstruction: ipsilateral soleus-fibula transfer. Fibular tibialization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. Revelo Jiron

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available Las transferencias óseas peroneales en forma libre o ipsilateral han sido propuestas para la reconstrucción de grandes defectos tibiales. Están también descritas varias modificaciones al respecto, siendo una de ellas la constitución de un colgajo compuesto soleo-peroné realizado como transferencia libre. En este estudio presentamos nuestra experiencia con esta variante, pero en forma ipsilateral. logrando la reconstrucción del defecto tibial por medio de la tibialización peroneal. Escogimos realizar un colgajo compuesto soleo-peroné ipsilateral a flujo anterógrado o retrogrado para la reconstrucción de una serie personal de 14 pacientes consecutivos, 13 hombre y 1 mujer, con edad media de 30 años, y con amplios defectos tibiales y de tejidos blandos causados por accidentes de transito en 12 casos, 1 por proyectil balístico y 1 por artefacto explosivo artesanal. El promedio de tamaño del defecto tibial fue de 9.4 cm. Elegimos la forma ipsilateral por no disponer de infraestructura adecuada para realizar una transferencia libre. La serie de estudio se realizó durante el periodo comprendido entre Abril de 1995 y Abril del 2005. Todos los colgajos sobrevivieron. Dos pacientes desarrollaron pseudoartrosis. El apoyo completo y la marcha en 12 pacientes, se logró en un periodo promedio de 9 meses. El seguimiento postoperatorio ha sido de 3 a 6 años. Doce pacientes se han incorporado a la vida activa. Discutimos algunos aspectos prácticos de la técnica como resultado de la experiencia quirúrgica obtenida de esta serie personal. Consideramos que el método es fiable, fácil de realizar y proporciona excelentes resultados.Fibular flaps such as in there free form or as ipsilateral transfers have been proposed for reconstruction of large tibial defects. Several modifications have been described for the use of this flap. In this study we will present our experience using the ipsilateral transfer of an osteomuscular soleous fibular flap

  4. Dislocation of the fibular head in an unusual sports injury: a case report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmad Riaz

    2008-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Introduction One of the primary functions of the proximal tibiofibular joint is slight rotation to accommodate rotational stress at the ankle. Proximal tibiofibular joint dislocation is a rare injury and accounts for less than 1% of all knee injuries. This dislocation has been reported in patients who had been engaged in football, ballet dancing, equestrian jumping, parachuting and snowboarding. Case presentation A 20-year-old man was injured whilst playing football. He felt a pop in the right knee and was subsequently unable to bear weight on it. The range of movement in his knee joint was limited. Anterior-posterior and lateral X-rays of the knee revealed anterolateral dislocation of the proximal tibiofibular joint. Comparison views confirmed the anterolateral dislocation. He had a failed manipulation under anaesthesia and the joint needed an open reduction in which the fibular head was levered back into place. Operative findings revealed a horizontal type of joint. Conclusion An exceedingly rare dislocation of a horizontal type of proximal tibiofibular joint was presented following a football injury. This dislocation was irreducible by a closed method.

  5. Evaluating the impact of image preprocessing on iris segmentation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    José F. Valencia-Murillo

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available Segmentation is one of the most important stages in iris recognition systems. In this paper, image preprocessing algorithms are applied in order to evaluate their impact on successful iris segmentation. The preprocessing algorithms are based on histogram adjustment, Gaussian filters and suppression of specular reflections in human eye images. The segmentation method introduced by Masek is applied on 199 images acquired under unconstrained conditions, belonging to the CASIA-irisV3 database, before and after applying the preprocessing algorithms. Then, the impact of image preprocessing algorithms on the percentage of successful iris segmentation is evaluated by means of a visual inspection of images in order to determine if circumferences of iris and pupil were detected correctly. An increase from 59% to 73% in percentage of successful iris segmentation is obtained with an algorithm that combine elimination of specular reflections, followed by the implementation of a Gaussian filter having a 5x5 kernel. The results highlight the importance of a preprocessing stage as a previous step in order to improve the performance during the edge detection and iris segmentation processes.

  6. Cisto sinovial intraneural do nervo fibular: relato de caso Intraneural synovial cyst of the peroneal nerve: case report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roberto Sergio Martins

    1997-01-01

    Full Text Available Os autores apresentam um caso de um cisto sinovial intraneural ocorrendo no nervo fibular comum. O paciente apresentou-se com quadro de dor e dificuldade para a flexão dorsal e eversão do pé sendo submetido a exploração cirúrgica com exérese do cisto. Neste estudo são discutidos a patogênese, manifestações clínicas e tratamento desta rara lesão.The authors report the case of an intraneural synovial cyst of the peroneal nerve. The initial symptom was pain and weakness of dorsiflexion and eversion of the right foot. The patient was operated on and the cyst was totally resected. The authors discuss the pathogenesis, clinical diagnosis as well as the treatment of that uncommon lesion.

  7. Liver segmentation in contrast enhanced CT data using graph cuts and interactive 3D segmentation refinement methods

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Beichel, Reinhard; Bornik, Alexander; Bauer, Christian; Sorantin, Erich [Departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Internal Medicine, Iowa Institute for Biomedical Imaging, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242 (United States); Institute for Computer Graphics and Vision, Graz University of Technology, Inffeldgasse 16, A-8010 Graz (Austria); Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Iowa Institute for Biomedical Imaging, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242 (United States); Department of Radiology, Medical University Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 34, A-8010 Graz (Austria)

    2012-03-15

    Purpose: Liver segmentation is an important prerequisite for the assessment of liver cancer treatment options like tumor resection, image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT), radiofrequency ablation, etc. The purpose of this work was to evaluate a new approach for liver segmentation. Methods: A graph cuts segmentation method was combined with a three-dimensional virtual reality based segmentation refinement approach. The developed interactive segmentation system allowed the user to manipulate volume chunks and/or surfaces instead of 2D contours in cross-sectional images (i.e, slice-by-slice). The method was evaluated on twenty routinely acquired portal-phase contrast enhanced multislice computed tomography (CT) data sets. An independent reference was generated by utilizing a currently clinically utilized slice-by-slice segmentation method. After 1 h of introduction to the developed segmentation system, three experts were asked to segment all twenty data sets with the proposed method. Results: Compared to the independent standard, the relative volumetric segmentation overlap error averaged over all three experts and all twenty data sets was 3.74%. Liver segmentation required on average 16 min of user interaction per case. The calculated relative volumetric overlap errors were not found to be significantly different [analysis of variance (ANOVA) test, p = 0.82] between experts who utilized the proposed 3D system. In contrast, the time required by each expert for segmentation was found to be significantly different (ANOVA test, p = 0.0009). Major differences between generated segmentations and independent references were observed in areas were vessels enter or leave the liver and no accepted criteria for defining liver boundaries exist. In comparison, slice-by-slice based generation of the independent standard utilizing a live wire tool took 70.1 min on average. A standard 2D segmentation refinement approach applied to all twenty data sets required on average 38.2 min of

  8. Liver segmentation in contrast enhanced CT data using graph cuts and interactive 3D segmentation refinement methods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Beichel, Reinhard; Bornik, Alexander; Bauer, Christian; Sorantin, Erich

    2012-01-01

    Purpose: Liver segmentation is an important prerequisite for the assessment of liver cancer treatment options like tumor resection, image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT), radiofrequency ablation, etc. The purpose of this work was to evaluate a new approach for liver segmentation. Methods: A graph cuts segmentation method was combined with a three-dimensional virtual reality based segmentation refinement approach. The developed interactive segmentation system allowed the user to manipulate volume chunks and/or surfaces instead of 2D contours in cross-sectional images (i.e, slice-by-slice). The method was evaluated on twenty routinely acquired portal-phase contrast enhanced multislice computed tomography (CT) data sets. An independent reference was generated by utilizing a currently clinically utilized slice-by-slice segmentation method. After 1 h of introduction to the developed segmentation system, three experts were asked to segment all twenty data sets with the proposed method. Results: Compared to the independent standard, the relative volumetric segmentation overlap error averaged over all three experts and all twenty data sets was 3.74%. Liver segmentation required on average 16 min of user interaction per case. The calculated relative volumetric overlap errors were not found to be significantly different [analysis of variance (ANOVA) test, p = 0.82] between experts who utilized the proposed 3D system. In contrast, the time required by each expert for segmentation was found to be significantly different (ANOVA test, p = 0.0009). Major differences between generated segmentations and independent references were observed in areas were vessels enter or leave the liver and no accepted criteria for defining liver boundaries exist. In comparison, slice-by-slice based generation of the independent standard utilizing a live wire tool took 70.1 min on average. A standard 2D segmentation refinement approach applied to all twenty data sets required on average 38.2 min of

  9. Liver segmentation in contrast enhanced CT data using graph cuts and interactive 3D segmentation refinement methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beichel, Reinhard; Bornik, Alexander; Bauer, Christian; Sorantin, Erich

    2012-03-01

    Liver segmentation is an important prerequisite for the assessment of liver cancer treatment options like tumor resection, image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT), radiofrequency ablation, etc. The purpose of this work was to evaluate a new approach for liver segmentation. A graph cuts segmentation method was combined with a three-dimensional virtual reality based segmentation refinement approach. The developed interactive segmentation system allowed the user to manipulate volume chunks and∕or surfaces instead of 2D contours in cross-sectional images (i.e, slice-by-slice). The method was evaluated on twenty routinely acquired portal-phase contrast enhanced multislice computed tomography (CT) data sets. An independent reference was generated by utilizing a currently clinically utilized slice-by-slice segmentation method. After 1 h of introduction to the developed segmentation system, three experts were asked to segment all twenty data sets with the proposed method. Compared to the independent standard, the relative volumetric segmentation overlap error averaged over all three experts and all twenty data sets was 3.74%. Liver segmentation required on average 16 min of user interaction per case. The calculated relative volumetric overlap errors were not found to be significantly different [analysis of variance (ANOVA) test, p = 0.82] between experts who utilized the proposed 3D system. In contrast, the time required by each expert for segmentation was found to be significantly different (ANOVA test, p = 0.0009). Major differences between generated segmentations and independent references were observed in areas were vessels enter or leave the liver and no accepted criteria for defining liver boundaries exist. In comparison, slice-by-slice based generation of the independent standard utilizing a live wire tool took 70.1 min on average. A standard 2D segmentation refinement approach applied to all twenty data sets required on average 38.2 min of user interaction

  10. Automatic segmentation of MR brain images of preterm infants using supervised classification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moeskops, Pim; Benders, Manon J N L; Chiţ, Sabina M; Kersbergen, Karina J; Groenendaal, Floris; de Vries, Linda S; Viergever, Max A; Išgum, Ivana

    2015-09-01

    Preterm birth is often associated with impaired brain development. The state and expected progression of preterm brain development can be evaluated using quantitative assessment of MR images. Such measurements require accurate segmentation of different tissue types in those images. This paper presents an algorithm for the automatic segmentation of unmyelinated white matter (WM), cortical grey matter (GM), and cerebrospinal fluid in the extracerebral space (CSF). The algorithm uses supervised voxel classification in three subsequent stages. In the first stage, voxels that can easily be assigned to one of the three tissue types are labelled. In the second stage, dedicated analysis of the remaining voxels is performed. The first and the second stages both use two-class classification for each tissue type separately. Possible inconsistencies that could result from these tissue-specific segmentation stages are resolved in the third stage, which performs multi-class classification. A set of T1- and T2-weighted images was analysed, but the optimised system performs automatic segmentation using a T2-weighted image only. We have investigated the performance of the algorithm when using training data randomly selected from completely annotated images as well as when using training data from only partially annotated images. The method was evaluated on images of preterm infants acquired at 30 and 40weeks postmenstrual age (PMA). When the method was trained using random selection from the completely annotated images, the average Dice coefficients were 0.95 for WM, 0.81 for GM, and 0.89 for CSF on an independent set of images acquired at 30weeks PMA. When the method was trained using only the partially annotated images, the average Dice coefficients were 0.95 for WM, 0.78 for GM and 0.87 for CSF for the images acquired at 30weeks PMA, and 0.92 for WM, 0.80 for GM and 0.85 for CSF for the images acquired at 40weeks PMA. Even though the segmentations obtained using training data

  11. A toolbox for multiple sclerosis lesion segmentation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roura, Eloy; Oliver, Arnau; Valverde, Sergi; Llado, Xavier; Cabezas, Mariano; Pareto, Deborah; Rovira, Alex; Vilanova, Joan C.; Ramio-Torrenta, Lluis

    2015-01-01

    Lesion segmentation plays an important role in the diagnosis and follow-up of multiple sclerosis (MS). This task is very time-consuming and subject to intra- and inter-rater variability. In this paper, we present a new tool for automated MS lesion segmentation using T1w and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) images. Our approach is based on two main steps, initial brain tissue segmentation according to the gray matter (GM), white matter (WM), and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) performed in T1w images, followed by a second step where the lesions are segmented as outliers to the normal apparent GM brain tissue on the FLAIR image. The tool has been validated using data from more than 100 MS patients acquired with different scanners and at different magnetic field strengths. Quantitative evaluation provided a better performance in terms of precision while maintaining similar results on sensitivity and Dice similarity measures compared with those of other approaches. Our tool is implemented as a publicly available SPM8/12 extension that can be used by both the medical and research communities. (orig.)

  12. A toolbox for multiple sclerosis lesion segmentation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Roura, Eloy; Oliver, Arnau; Valverde, Sergi; Llado, Xavier [University of Girona, Computer Vision and Robotics Group, Girona (Spain); Cabezas, Mariano; Pareto, Deborah; Rovira, Alex [Vall d' Hebron University Hospital, Magnetic Resonance Unit, Dept. of Radiology, Barcelona (Spain); Vilanova, Joan C. [Girona Magnetic Resonance Center, Girona (Spain); Ramio-Torrenta, Lluis [Dr. Josep Trueta University Hospital, Institut d' Investigacio Biomedica de Girona, Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology Unit, Girona (Spain)

    2015-10-15

    Lesion segmentation plays an important role in the diagnosis and follow-up of multiple sclerosis (MS). This task is very time-consuming and subject to intra- and inter-rater variability. In this paper, we present a new tool for automated MS lesion segmentation using T1w and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) images. Our approach is based on two main steps, initial brain tissue segmentation according to the gray matter (GM), white matter (WM), and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) performed in T1w images, followed by a second step where the lesions are segmented as outliers to the normal apparent GM brain tissue on the FLAIR image. The tool has been validated using data from more than 100 MS patients acquired with different scanners and at different magnetic field strengths. Quantitative evaluation provided a better performance in terms of precision while maintaining similar results on sensitivity and Dice similarity measures compared with those of other approaches. Our tool is implemented as a publicly available SPM8/12 extension that can be used by both the medical and research communities. (orig.)

  13. Two-Segment Foot Model for the Biomechanical Analysis of Squat

    OpenAIRE

    Panero, E.; Gastaldi, L.; Rapp, W.

    2017-01-01

    Squat exercise is acquiring interest in many fields, due to its benefits in improving health and its biomechanical similarities to a wide range of sport motions and the recruitment of many body segments in a single maneuver. Several researches had examined considerable biomechanical aspects of lower limbs during squat, but not without limitations. The main goal of this study focuses on the analysis of the foot contribution during a partial body weight squat, using a two-segment foot model tha...

  14. Tertiary center experience with primary endoscopic laryngoplasty in pediatric acquired subglottic stenosis and literature review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jaber Alshammari

    2017-03-01

    Conclusion: Our study showed that primary endoscopic management was successful in 82.3% of cases of acquired subglottic stenosis including those with high grade stenosis and long segment of more than 12 mm in terms of the craniocaudal length. CO2 laser was an important tool to convert mature hard stenotic segment into a soft one. The latter yielded to the lateral pressure created by balloon dilatation better.

  15. Automatic lung segmentation in the presence of alveolar collapse

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Noshadi Areg

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Lung ventilation and perfusion analyses using chest imaging methods require a correct segmentation of the lung to offer anatomical landmarks for the physiological data. An automatic segmentation approach simplifies and accelerates the analysis. However, the segmentation of the lungs has shown to be difficult if collapsed areas are present that tend to share similar gray values with surrounding non-pulmonary tissue. Our goal was to develop an automatic segmentation algorithm that is able to approximate dorsal lung boundaries even if alveolar collapse is present in the dependent lung areas adjacent to the pleura. Computed tomography data acquired in five supine pigs with injured lungs were used for this purpose. First, healthy lung tissue was segmented using a standard 3D region growing algorithm. Further, the bones in the chest wall surrounding the lungs were segmented to find the contact points of ribs and pleura. Artificial boundaries of the dorsal lung were set by spline interpolation through these contact points. Segmentation masks of the entire lung including the collapsed regions were created by combining the splines with the segmentation masks of the healthy lung tissue through multiple morphological operations. The automatically segmented images were then evaluated by comparing them to manual segmentations and determining the Dice similarity coefficients (DSC as a similarity measure. The developed method was able to accurately segment the lungs including the collapsed regions (DSCs over 0.96.

  16. Image Mosaic Method Based on SIFT Features of Line Segment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jun Zhu

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper proposes a novel image mosaic method based on SIFT (Scale Invariant Feature Transform feature of line segment, aiming to resolve incident scaling, rotation, changes in lighting condition, and so on between two images in the panoramic image mosaic process. This method firstly uses Harris corner detection operator to detect key points. Secondly, it constructs directed line segments, describes them with SIFT feature, and matches those directed segments to acquire rough point matching. Finally, Ransac method is used to eliminate wrong pairs in order to accomplish image mosaic. The results from experiment based on four pairs of images show that our method has strong robustness for resolution, lighting, rotation, and scaling.

  17. Two-Level Evaluation on Sensor Interoperability of Features in Fingerprint Image Segmentation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ya-Shuo Li

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available Features used in fingerprint segmentation significantly affect the segmentation performance. Various features exhibit different discriminating abilities on fingerprint images derived from different sensors. One feature which has better discriminating ability on images derived from a certain sensor may not adapt to segment images derived from other sensors. This degrades the segmentation performance. This paper empirically analyzes the sensor interoperability problem of segmentation feature, which refers to the feature’s ability to adapt to the raw fingerprints captured by different sensors. To address this issue, this paper presents a two-level feature evaluation method, including the first level feature evaluation based on segmentation error rate and the second level feature evaluation based on decision tree. The proposed method is performed on a number of fingerprint databases which are obtained from various sensors. Experimental results show that the proposed method can effectively evaluate the sensor interoperability of features, and the features with good evaluation results acquire better segmentation accuracies of images originating from different sensors.

  18. Linked statistical shape models for multi-modal segmentation: application to prostate CT-MR segmentation in radiotherapy planning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chowdhury, Najeeb; Chappelow, Jonathan; Toth, Robert; Kim, Sung; Hahn, Stephen; Vapiwala, Neha; Lin, Haibo; Both, Stefan; Madabhushi, Anant

    2011-03-01

    We present a novel framework for building a linked statistical shape model (LSSM), a statistical shape model (SSM) that links the shape variation of a structure of interest (SOI) across multiple imaging modalities. This framework is particularly relevant in scenarios where accurate delineations of a SOI's boundary on one of the modalities may not be readily available, or difficult to obtain, for training a SSM. We apply the LSSM in the context of multi-modal prostate segmentation for radiotherapy planning, where we segment the prostate on MRI and CT simultaneously. Prostate capsule segmentation is a critical step in prostate radiotherapy planning, where dose plans have to be formulated on CT. Since accurate delineations of the prostate boundary are very difficult to obtain on CT, pre-treatment MRI is now beginning to be acquired at several medical centers. Delineation of the prostate on MRI is acknowledged as being significantly simpler to do compared to CT. Hence, our framework incorporates multi-modal registration of MRI and CT to map 2D boundary delineations of prostate (obtained from an expert radiation oncologist) on MR training images onto corresponding CT images. The delineations of the prostate capsule on MRI and CT allows for 3D reconstruction of the prostate shape which facilitates the building of the LSSM. We acquired 7 MRI-CT patient studies and used the leave-one-out strategy to train and evaluate our LSSM (fLSSM), built using expert ground truth delineations on MRI and MRI-CT fusion derived capsule delineations on CT. A unique attribute of our fLSSM is that it does not require expert delineations of the capsule on CT. In order to perform prostate MRI segmentation using the fLSSM, we employed a regionbased approach where we deformed the evolving prostate boundary to optimize a mutual information based cost criterion, which took into account region-based intensity statistics of the image being segmented. The final prostate segmentation was then

  19. Automatic segmentation of the glenohumeral cartilages from magnetic resonance images

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Neubert, A.; Yang, Z.; Engstrom, C.; Xia, Y.; Strudwick, M. W.; Chandra, S. S.; Crozier, S.; Fripp, J.

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging plays a key role in investigating early degenerative disorders and traumatic injuries of the glenohumeral cartilages. Subtle morphometric and biochemical changes of potential relevance to clinical diagnosis, treatment planning, and evaluation can be assessed from measurements derived from in vivo MR segmentation of the cartilages. However, segmentation of the glenohumeral cartilages, using approaches spanning manual to automated methods, is technically challenging, due to their thin, curved structure and overlapping intensities of surrounding tissues. Automatic segmentation of the glenohumeral cartilages from MR imaging is not at the same level compared to the weight-bearing knee and hip joint cartilages despite the potential applications with respect to clinical investigation of shoulder disorders. In this work, the authors present a fully automated segmentation method for the glenohumeral cartilages using MR images of healthy shoulders. Methods: The method involves automated segmentation of the humerus and scapula bones using 3D active shape models, the extraction of the expected bone–cartilage interface, and cartilage segmentation using a graph-based method. The cartilage segmentation uses localization, patient specific tissue estimation, and a model of the cartilage thickness variation. The accuracy of this method was experimentally validated using a leave-one-out scheme on a database of MR images acquired from 44 asymptomatic subjects with a true fast imaging with steady state precession sequence on a 3 T scanner (Siemens Trio) using a dedicated shoulder coil. The automated results were compared to manual segmentations from two experts (an experienced radiographer and an experienced musculoskeletal anatomist) using the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and mean absolute surface distance (MASD) metrics. Results: Accurate and precise bone segmentations were achieved with mean DSC of 0.98 and 0.93 for the humeral head

  20. Automatic segmentation of the glenohumeral cartilages from magnetic resonance images

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Neubert, A., E-mail: ales.neubert@csiro.au [School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia and The Australian E-Health Research Centre, CSIRO Health and Biosecurity, Brisbane 4029 (Australia); Yang, Z. [School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia and Brainnetome Center, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 (China); Engstrom, C. [School of Human Movement Studies, University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072 (Australia); Xia, Y.; Strudwick, M. W.; Chandra, S. S.; Crozier, S. [School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072 (Australia); Fripp, J. [The Australian E-Health Research Centre, CSIRO Health and Biosecurity, Brisbane, 4029 (Australia)

    2016-10-15

    Purpose: Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging plays a key role in investigating early degenerative disorders and traumatic injuries of the glenohumeral cartilages. Subtle morphometric and biochemical changes of potential relevance to clinical diagnosis, treatment planning, and evaluation can be assessed from measurements derived from in vivo MR segmentation of the cartilages. However, segmentation of the glenohumeral cartilages, using approaches spanning manual to automated methods, is technically challenging, due to their thin, curved structure and overlapping intensities of surrounding tissues. Automatic segmentation of the glenohumeral cartilages from MR imaging is not at the same level compared to the weight-bearing knee and hip joint cartilages despite the potential applications with respect to clinical investigation of shoulder disorders. In this work, the authors present a fully automated segmentation method for the glenohumeral cartilages using MR images of healthy shoulders. Methods: The method involves automated segmentation of the humerus and scapula bones using 3D active shape models, the extraction of the expected bone–cartilage interface, and cartilage segmentation using a graph-based method. The cartilage segmentation uses localization, patient specific tissue estimation, and a model of the cartilage thickness variation. The accuracy of this method was experimentally validated using a leave-one-out scheme on a database of MR images acquired from 44 asymptomatic subjects with a true fast imaging with steady state precession sequence on a 3 T scanner (Siemens Trio) using a dedicated shoulder coil. The automated results were compared to manual segmentations from two experts (an experienced radiographer and an experienced musculoskeletal anatomist) using the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and mean absolute surface distance (MASD) metrics. Results: Accurate and precise bone segmentations were achieved with mean DSC of 0.98 and 0.93 for the humeral head

  1. Evaluation of a segment-based LANDSAT full-frame approach to corp area estimation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bauer, M. E. (Principal Investigator); Hixson, M. M.; Davis, S. M.

    1981-01-01

    As the registration of LANDSAT full frames enters the realm of current technology, sampling methods should be examined which utilize other than the segment data used for LACIE. The effect of separating the functions of sampling for training and sampling for area estimation. The frame selected for analysis was acquired over north central Iowa on August 9, 1978. A stratification of he full-frame was defined. Training data came from segments within the frame. Two classification and estimation procedures were compared: statistics developed on one segment were used to classify that segment, and pooled statistics from the segments were used to classify a systematic sample of pixels. Comparisons to USDA/ESCS estimates illustrate that the full-frame sampling approach can provide accurate and precise area estimates.

  2. Modified Grice-Green subtalar arthrodesis performed using a partial fibular graft yields satisfactory results in patients with cerebral palsy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Güven, Melih; Tokyay, Abbas; Akman, Budak; Encan, Mehmet E; Altintaş, Faik

    2016-03-01

    The aim of this study was to report the experience with the use of a modified Grice-Green technique, which was performed using a partial subperiosteal fibular bone graft because of valgus unstable foot in children with cerebral palsy. Fifteen feet of 11 patients were evaluated on the basis of the appearance of the feet, clinical symptoms, and radiographic measurements. After an average follow-up duration of 24 (9-39) months, all feet showed satisfactory clinical and radiological results. Solid fusion and sustained correction took place in all feet. The gap at the donor site was bridged with new bone in all cases. No donor-site morbidity was detected. This modification of the Grice-Green technique can be used effectively in the correction of planovalgus foot in cerebral palsy.

  3. Novelty detection-based internal fingerprint segmentation in optical coherence tomography images

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Khutlang, Rethabile

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available present an automatic segmentation of the papillary layer method, from images acquired using contact-less 3-D swept source optical coherence tomography (OCT). The papillary contour represents the internal fingerprint, which does not suffer from the external...

  4. Fast and Sequence-Adaptive Whole-Brain Segmentation Using Parametric Bayesian Modeling

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Puonti, Oula; Iglesias, Juan Eugenio; Van Leemput, Koen

    2016-01-01

    the performance of a segmentation algorithm designed to meet these requirements, building upon generative parametric models previously used in tissue classification. The method is tested on four different datasets acquired with different scanners, field strengths and pulse sequences, demonstrating comparable...

  5. Automated segmentation of pigmented skin lesions in multispectral imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carrara, Mauro; Tomatis, Stefano; Bono, Aldo; Bartoli, Cesare; Moglia, Daniele; Lualdi, Manuela; Colombo, Ambrogio; Santinami, Mario; Marchesini, Renato

    2005-01-01

    The aim of this study was to develop an algorithm for the automatic segmentation of multispectral images of pigmented skin lesions. The study involved 1700 patients with 1856 cutaneous pigmented lesions, which were analysed in vivo by a novel spectrophotometric system, before excision. The system is able to acquire a set of 15 different multispectral images at equally spaced wavelengths between 483 and 951 nm. An original segmentation algorithm was developed and applied to the whole set of lesions and was able to automatically contour them all. The obtained lesion boundaries were shown to two expert clinicians, who, independently, rejected 54 of them. The 97.1% contour accuracy indicates that the developed algorithm could be a helpful and effective instrument for the automatic segmentation of skin pigmented lesions. (note)

  6. Anterior versus posterior approach in reconstruction of infected nonunion of the tibia using the vascularized fibular graft: potentialities and limitations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amr, Sherif M; El-Mofty, Aly O; Amin, Sherif N

    2002-01-01

    The potentialities, limitations, and technical pitfalls of the vascularized fibular grafting in infected nonunions of the tibia are outlined on the basis of 14 patients approached anteriorly or posteriorly. An infected nonunion of the tibia together with a large exposed area over the shin of the tibia is better approached anteriorly. The anastomosis is placed in an end-to-end or end-to-side fashion onto the anterior tibial vessels. To locate the site of the nonunion, the tibialis anterior muscle should be retracted laterally and the proximal and distal ends of the site of the nonunion debrided up to healthy bleeding bone. All the scarred skin over the anterior tibia should be excised, because it becomes devitalized as a result of the exposure. To cover the exposed area, the fibula has to be harvested with a large skin paddle, incorporating the first septocutaneous branch originating from the peroneal vessels before they gain the upper end of the flexor hallucis longus muscle. A disadvantage of harvesting the free fibula together with a skin paddle is that its pedicle is short. The skin paddle lies at the antimesenteric border of the graft, the site of incising and stripping the periosteum. In addition, it has to be sutured to the skin at the recipient site, so the soft tissues (together with the peroneal vessels), cannot be stripped off the graft to prolong its pedicle. Vein grafts should be resorted to, if the pedicle does not reach a healthy segment of the anterior tibial vessels. Defects with limited exposed areas of skin, especially in questionable patency of the vessels of the leg, require primarily a fibula with a long pedicle that could easily reach the popliteal vessels and are thus better approached posteriorly. In this approach, the site of the nonunion is exposed medial to the flexor digitorum muscle and the proximal and distal ends of the site of the nonunion debrided up to healthy bleeding bone. No attempt should be made to strip the scarred skin off

  7. Asymmetric similarity-weighted ensembles for image segmentation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cheplygina, V.; Van Opbroek, A.; Ikram, M. A.

    2016-01-01

    Supervised classification is widely used for image segmentation. To work effectively, these techniques need large amounts of labeled training data, that is representative of the test data. Different patient groups, different scanners or different scanning protocols can lead to differences between...... the images, thus representative data might not be available. Transfer learning techniques can be used to account for these differences, thus taking advantage of all the available data acquired with different protocols. We investigate the use of classifier ensembles, where each classifier is weighted...... and the direction of measurement needs to be chosen carefully. We also show that a point set similarity measure is robust across different studies, and outperforms state-of-the-art results on a multi-center brain tissue segmentation task....

  8. Comparison of the effects of dexketoprofen trometamol, meloxicam and diclofenac sodium on fibular fracture healing, kidney and liver: an experimental rat model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Inal, Sermet; Kabay, Sahin; Cayci, M Kasim; Kuru, H Isa; Altikat, Sayit; Akkas, Gizem; Deger, Aysenur

    2014-03-01

    Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are particularly used in patients with bone fractures, but there are limited studies on whether one NSAID is superior to another. In this study, we used histopathological and biochemical parameters to determine whether there are differences between the effects of the administration of clinical doses of dexketoprofen trometamol (DEXT), meloxicam (MEL) and diclofenac sodium (DIC) on the healing of closed fibular fractures and the toxicity of both the liver and kidney. Twenty-eight male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups of seven each. Closed diaphyseal fractures were formed in the left fibulas of all of the rats. The NSAIDs dexketoprofen trometamol (DEXT) (Arveles(®)), meloxicam (MEL) (Melox(®)) and diclofenac sodium (DIC) (Voltaren(®)) were intramuscularly administered to Groups I, II, and III, respectively, for a period of 10 days after the fibular fractures were performed. No pharmacological agents were administered to Group IV (Control group). Blood samples were collected from all of the rats after the fractures were performed, and the rats were sacrificed on day 28. The histopathological findings were compared, and the blood samples were evaluated to determine any differences between the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and malondialdehyde (MDA). Our results suggest that DEXT and MEL impair the healing of bone fractures and that DIC does not histopathologically affect the healing process of bone fractures. We also found that DEXT, MEL, and DIC impaired the renal histopathology compared with the control group. However, the liver histopathological analysis showed that DEXT and MEL caused a higher degree of parenchymal necrosis compared with DIC. Based on our results, DIC can be considered a relatively safe medication in patients with fractures. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Dual-fibular reconstruction of a massive tibial defect after Ewing's sarcoma resection in a pediatric patient with a vascular variation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saridis, Alkis G; Megas, Panagiotis D; Georgiou, Christos S; Diamantakis, Georgios M; Tyllianakis, Minos E

    2011-01-01

    In the management of malignancies of the extremities, limb salvage procedures have recently taken on greater significance. For those patients under intense adjuvant chemotherapy and with massive bone loss, free vascularized fibular grafting is currently advocated as a reliable reconstructive option, maybe because of the controversial results of bone transport in similar situations. However, when there is a vascular abnormality of either the recipient or donor extremity, microsurgical procedures are not feasible, further limiting potential reconstructive alternatives. We present the case of a 13-year-old female patient with Ewing's sarcoma of the right tibia. Preoperative angiography showed that vascularity of the affected side depended totally on a single peroneal artery. The patient was treated initially with multiagent chemotherapy, followed by an excision of 23 cm. The defect was bridged by a gradual medial transportation of the ipsilateral fibula with the Ilizarov technique and strengthened by nonvascularized transfer of the contralateral fibula. Total external fixation time was 162 days. After the removal of the Ilizarov frame a walking cast was applied for another month. At 5 years postoperatively there was no recurrence of the malignancy. The patient had full weight-bearing ability on the affected limb, with preservation of the ankle and knee joints motion and without any limb length discrepancy or axial deformity. The functional outcome that was visible was graded excellent. Transverse distraction osteogenesis of the ipsilateral fibula performed well under chemotherapy, showing unproblematic callus formation. Supplemented with nonvascularized transfer of the contralateral fibula, provided a reconstructive option with biological affinity, sufficient biomechanical strength and durability, and with a decreased complication rate. This case report presents a viable option, especially in cases in which vascular abnormalities of either the donor or the recipient

  10. 3D segmentation of liver, kidneys and spleen from CT images

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bekes, G.; Fidrich, M.; Nyul, L.G.; Mate, E.; Kuba, A.

    2007-01-01

    The clinicians often need to segment the abdominal organs for radiotherapy planning. Manual segmentation of these organs is very time-consuming, therefore automated methods are desired. We developed a semi-automatic segmentation method to outline liver, spleen and kidneys. It works on CT images without contrast intake that are acquired with a routine clinical protocol. From an initial surface around a user defined seed point, the segmentation of the organ is obtained by an active surface algorithm. Pre- and post-processing steps are used to adapt the general method for specific organs. The evaluation results show that the accuracy of our method is about 90%, which can be further improved with little manual editing, and that the precision is slightly higher than that of manual contouring. Our method is accurate, precise and fast enough to use in the clinical practice. (orig.)

  11. Automatic 2D segmentation of airways in thorax computed tomography images

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cavalcante, Tarique da Silveira; Cortez, Paulo Cesar; Almeida, Thomaz Maia de; Felix, John Hebert da Silva; Holanda, Marcelo Alcantara

    2013-01-01

    Introduction: much of the world population is affected by pulmonary diseases, such as the bronchial asthma, bronchitis and bronchiectasis. The bronchial diagnosis is based on the airways state. In this sense, the automatic segmentation of the airways in Computed Tomography (CT) scans is a critical step in the aid to diagnosis of these diseases. Methods: this paper evaluates algorithms for airway automatic segmentation, using Neural Network Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) and Lung Densities Analysis (LDA) for detecting airways, along with Region Growing (RG), Active Contour Method (ACM) Balloon and Topology Adaptive to segment them. Results: we obtained results in three stages: comparative analysis of the detection algorithms MLP and LDA, with a gold standard acquired by three physicians with expertise in CT imaging of the chest; comparative analysis of segmentation algorithms ACM Balloon, ACM Topology Adaptive, MLP and RG; and evaluation of possible combinations between segmentation and detection algorithms, resulting in the complete method for automatic segmentation of the airways in 2D. Conclusion: the low incidence of false negative and the significant reduction of false positive, results in similarity coefficient and sensitivity exceeding 91% and 87% respectively, for a combination of algorithms with satisfactory segmentation quality. (author)

  12. Stochastic Modelling as a Tool for Seismic Signals Segmentation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel Kucharczyk

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available In order to model nonstationary real-world processes one can find appropriate theoretical model with properties following the analyzed data. However in this case many trajectories of the analyzed process are required. Alternatively, one can extract parts of the signal that have homogenous structure via segmentation. The proper segmentation can lead to extraction of important features of analyzed phenomena that cannot be described without the segmentation. There is no one universal method that can be applied for all of the phenomena; thus novel methods should be invented for specific cases. They might address specific character of the signal in different domains (time, frequency, time-frequency, etc.. In this paper we propose two novel segmentation methods that take under consideration the stochastic properties of the analyzed signals in time domain. Our research is motivated by the analysis of vibration signals acquired in an underground mine. In such signals we observe seismic events which appear after the mining activity, like blasting, provoked relaxation of rock, and some unexpected events, like natural rock burst. The proposed segmentation procedures allow for extraction of such parts of the analyzed signals which are related to mentioned events.

  13. Thalamus segmentation from MP2RAGE: a comparative study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Eskildsen, Simon Fristed; Næss-Schmidt, Erhard; Blicher, Jakob

    RAGE sequence on a Siemens Magnetom Skyra 3T MRI system with a 32 channel head coil. Parameters were TR=5 s, TI1=0.7 s, TI2=2.5 s, α1=4°, α2=5° and acquired at a nominal, isotropic, resolution of 1mm (acquisition matrix: 240x256, 176 sagittal slices). An experienced neuro-radiologist manually traced......, increasing the number of training images in the library of SNIPE improves segmentation accuracy (Figure 4). Even though the DSI seems to plateau around a library size of 10-11 images, increasing the library may improve the accuracy even further. Conclusions: Widely used atlas based segmentation methods...

  14. Improving cerebellar segmentation with statistical fusion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Plassard, Andrew J.; Yang, Zhen; Prince, Jerry L.; Claassen, Daniel O.; Landman, Bennett A.

    2016-03-01

    The cerebellum is a somatotopically organized central component of the central nervous system well known to be involved with motor coordination and increasingly recognized roles in cognition and planning. Recent work in multiatlas labeling has created methods that offer the potential for fully automated 3-D parcellation of the cerebellar lobules and vermis (which are organizationally equivalent to cortical gray matter areas). This work explores the trade offs of using different statistical fusion techniques and post hoc optimizations in two datasets with distinct imaging protocols. We offer a novel fusion technique by extending the ideas of the Selective and Iterative Method for Performance Level Estimation (SIMPLE) to a patch-based performance model. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our algorithm, Non- Local SIMPLE, for segmentation of a mixed population of healthy subjects and patients with severe cerebellar anatomy. Under the first imaging protocol, we show that Non-Local SIMPLE outperforms previous gold-standard segmentation techniques. In the second imaging protocol, we show that Non-Local SIMPLE outperforms previous gold standard techniques but is outperformed by a non-locally weighted vote with the deeper population of atlases available. This work advances the state of the art in open source cerebellar segmentation algorithms and offers the opportunity for routinely including cerebellar segmentation in magnetic resonance imaging studies that acquire whole brain T1-weighted volumes with approximately 1 mm isotropic resolution.

  15. Determination of the impact of RGB points cloud attribute quality on color-based segmentation process

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bartłomiej Kraszewski

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available The article presents the results of research on the effect that radiometric quality of point cloud RGB attributes have on color-based segmentation. In the research, a point cloud with a resolution of 5 mm, received from FAROARO Photon 120 scanner, described the fragment of an office’s room and color images were taken by various digital cameras. The images were acquired by SLR Nikon D3X, and SLR Canon D200 integrated with the laser scanner, compact camera Panasonic TZ-30 and a mobile phone digital camera. Color information from images was spatially related to point cloud in FAROARO Scene software. The color-based segmentation of testing data was performed with the use of a developed application named “RGB Segmentation”. The application was based on public Point Cloud Libraries (PCL and allowed to extract subsets of points fulfilling the criteria of segmentation from the source point cloud using region growing method.Using the developed application, the segmentation of four tested point clouds containing different RGB attributes from various images was performed. Evaluation of segmentation process was performed based on comparison of segments acquired using the developed application and extracted manually by an operator. The following items were compared: the number of obtained segments, the number of correctly identified objects and the correctness of segmentation process. The best correctness of segmentation and most identified objects were obtained using the data with RGB attribute from Nikon D3X images. Based on the results it was found that quality of RGB attributes of point cloud had impact only on the number of identified objects. In case of correctness of the segmentation, as well as its error no apparent relationship between the quality of color information and the result of the process was found.[b]Keywords[/b]: terrestrial laser scanning, color-based segmentation, RGB attribute, region growing method, digital images, points cloud

  16. Atlas-based liver segmentation and hepatic fat-fraction assessment for clinical trials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yan, Zhennan; Zhang, Shaoting; Tan, Chaowei; Qin, Hongxing; Belaroussi, Boubakeur; Yu, Hui Jing; Miller, Colin; Metaxas, Dimitris N

    2015-04-01

    Automated assessment of hepatic fat-fraction is clinically important. A robust and precise segmentation would enable accurate, objective and consistent measurement of hepatic fat-fraction for disease quantification, therapy monitoring and drug development. However, segmenting the liver in clinical trials is a challenging task due to the variability of liver anatomy as well as the diverse sources the images were acquired from. In this paper, we propose an automated and robust framework for liver segmentation and assessment. It uses single statistical atlas registration to initialize a robust deformable model to obtain fine segmentation. Fat-fraction map is computed by using chemical shift based method in the delineated region of liver. This proposed method is validated on 14 abdominal magnetic resonance (MR) volumetric scans. The qualitative and quantitative comparisons show that our proposed method can achieve better segmentation accuracy with less variance comparing with two other atlas-based methods. Experimental results demonstrate the promises of our assessment framework. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. A software tool for automatic classification and segmentation of 2D/3D medical images

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Strzelecki, Michal; Szczypinski, Piotr; Materka, Andrzej; Klepaczko, Artur

    2013-01-01

    Modern medical diagnosis utilizes techniques of visualization of human internal organs (CT, MRI) or of its metabolism (PET). However, evaluation of acquired images made by human experts is usually subjective and qualitative only. Quantitative analysis of MR data, including tissue classification and segmentation, is necessary to perform e.g. attenuation compensation, motion detection, and correction of partial volume effect in PET images, acquired with PET/MR scanners. This article presents briefly a MaZda software package, which supports 2D and 3D medical image analysis aiming at quantification of image texture. MaZda implements procedures for evaluation, selection and extraction of highly discriminative texture attributes combined with various classification, visualization and segmentation tools. Examples of MaZda application in medical studies are also provided

  18. A software tool for automatic classification and segmentation of 2D/3D medical images

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Strzelecki, Michal, E-mail: michal.strzelecki@p.lodz.pl [Institute of Electronics, Technical University of Lodz, Wolczanska 211/215, 90-924 Lodz (Poland); Szczypinski, Piotr; Materka, Andrzej; Klepaczko, Artur [Institute of Electronics, Technical University of Lodz, Wolczanska 211/215, 90-924 Lodz (Poland)

    2013-02-21

    Modern medical diagnosis utilizes techniques of visualization of human internal organs (CT, MRI) or of its metabolism (PET). However, evaluation of acquired images made by human experts is usually subjective and qualitative only. Quantitative analysis of MR data, including tissue classification and segmentation, is necessary to perform e.g. attenuation compensation, motion detection, and correction of partial volume effect in PET images, acquired with PET/MR scanners. This article presents briefly a MaZda software package, which supports 2D and 3D medical image analysis aiming at quantification of image texture. MaZda implements procedures for evaluation, selection and extraction of highly discriminative texture attributes combined with various classification, visualization and segmentation tools. Examples of MaZda application in medical studies are also provided.

  19. Two-Phase and Graph-Based Clustering Methods for Accurate and Efficient Segmentation of Large Mass Spectrometry Images.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dexter, Alex; Race, Alan M; Steven, Rory T; Barnes, Jennifer R; Hulme, Heather; Goodwin, Richard J A; Styles, Iain B; Bunch, Josephine

    2017-11-07

    Clustering is widely used in MSI to segment anatomical features and differentiate tissue types, but existing approaches are both CPU and memory-intensive, limiting their application to small, single data sets. We propose a new approach that uses a graph-based algorithm with a two-phase sampling method that overcomes this limitation. We demonstrate the algorithm on a range of sample types and show that it can segment anatomical features that are not identified using commonly employed algorithms in MSI, and we validate our results on synthetic MSI data. We show that the algorithm is robust to fluctuations in data quality by successfully clustering data with a designed-in variance using data acquired with varying laser fluence. Finally, we show that this method is capable of generating accurate segmentations of large MSI data sets acquired on the newest generation of MSI instruments and evaluate these results by comparison with histopathology.

  20. Multi-atlas segmentation for abdominal organs with Gaussian mixture models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burke, Ryan P.; Xu, Zhoubing; Lee, Christopher P.; Baucom, Rebeccah B.; Poulose, Benjamin K.; Abramson, Richard G.; Landman, Bennett A.

    2015-03-01

    Abdominal organ segmentation with clinically acquired computed tomography (CT) is drawing increasing interest in the medical imaging community. Gaussian mixture models (GMM) have been extensively used through medical segmentation, most notably in the brain for cerebrospinal fluid / gray matter / white matter differentiation. Because abdominal CT exhibit strong localized intensity characteristics, GMM have recently been incorporated in multi-stage abdominal segmentation algorithms. In the context of variable abdominal anatomy and rich algorithms, it is difficult to assess the marginal contribution of GMM. Herein, we characterize the efficacy of an a posteriori framework that integrates GMM of organ-wise intensity likelihood with spatial priors from multiple target-specific registered labels. In our study, we first manually labeled 100 CT images. Then, we assigned 40 images to use as training data for constructing target-specific spatial priors and intensity likelihoods. The remaining 60 images were evaluated as test targets for segmenting 12 abdominal organs. The overlap between the true and the automatic segmentations was measured by Dice similarity coefficient (DSC). A median improvement of 145% was achieved by integrating the GMM intensity likelihood against the specific spatial prior. The proposed framework opens the opportunities for abdominal organ segmentation by efficiently using both the spatial and appearance information from the atlases, and creates a benchmark for large-scale automatic abdominal segmentation.

  1. Patient-specific reconstruction plates are the missing link in computer-assisted mandibular reconstruction: A showcase for technical description.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cornelius, Carl-Peter; Smolka, Wenko; Giessler, Goetz A; Wilde, Frank; Probst, Florian A

    2015-06-01

    Preoperative planning of mandibular reconstruction has moved from mechanical simulation by dental model casts or stereolithographic models into an almost completely virtual environment. CAD/CAM applications allow a high level of accuracy by providing a custom template-assisted contouring approach for bone flaps. However, the clinical accuracy of CAD reconstruction is limited by the use of prebent reconstruction plates, an analogue step in an otherwise digital workstream. In this paper the integration of computerized, numerically-controlled (CNC) milled, patient-specific mandibular plates (PSMP) within the virtual workflow of computer-assisted mandibular free fibula flap reconstruction is illustrated in a clinical case. Intraoperatively, the bone segments as well as the plate arms showed a very good fit. Postoperative CT imaging demonstrated close approximation of the PSMP and fibular segments, and good alignment of native mandible and fibular segments and intersegmentally. Over a follow-up period of 12 months, there was an uneventful course of healing with good bony consolidation. The virtual design and automated fabrication of patient-specific mandibular reconstruction plates provide the missing link in the virtual workflow of computer-assisted mandibular free fibula flap reconstruction. Copyright © 2015 European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Color Segmentation Approach of Infrared Thermography Camera Image for Automatic Fault Diagnosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Djoko Hari Nugroho; Ari Satmoko; Budhi Cynthia Dewi

    2007-01-01

    Predictive maintenance based on fault diagnosis becomes very important in current days to assure the availability and reliability of a system. The main purpose of this research is to configure a computer software for automatic fault diagnosis based on image model acquired from infrared thermography camera using color segmentation approach. This technique detects hot spots in equipment of the plants. Image acquired from camera is first converted to RGB (Red, Green, Blue) image model and then converted to CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key for Black) image model. Assume that the yellow color in the image represented the hot spot in the equipment, the CMYK image model is then diagnosed using color segmentation model to estimate the fault. The software is configured utilizing Borland Delphi 7.0 computer programming language. The performance is then tested for 10 input infrared thermography images. The experimental result shows that the software capable to detect the faulty automatically with performance value of 80 % from 10 sheets of image input. (author)

  3. Fast prostate segmentation for brachytherapy based on joint fusion of images and labels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nouranian, Saman; Ramezani, Mahdi; Mahdavi, S. Sara; Spadinger, Ingrid; Morris, William J.; Salcudean, Septimiu E.; Abolmaesumi, Purang

    2014-03-01

    Brachytherapy as one of the treatment methods for prostate cancer takes place by implantation of radioactive seeds inside the gland. The standard of care for this treatment procedure is to acquire transrectal ultrasound images of the prostate which are segmented in order to plan the appropriate seed placement. The segmentation process is usually performed either manually or semi-automatically and is associated with subjective errors because the prostate visibility is limited in ultrasound images. The current segmentation process also limits the possibility of intra-operative delineation of the prostate to perform real-time dosimetry. In this paper, we propose a computationally inexpensive and fully automatic segmentation approach that takes advantage of previously segmented images to form a joint space of images and their segmentations. We utilize joint Independent Component Analysis method to generate a model which is further employed to produce a probability map of the target segmentation. We evaluate this approach on the transrectal ultrasound volume images of 60 patients using a leave-one-out cross-validation approach. The results are compared with the manually segmented prostate contours that were used by clinicians to plan brachytherapy procedures. We show that the proposed approach is fast with comparable accuracy and precision to those found in previous studies on TRUS segmentation.

  4. SEGMENTATION OF POLARIMETRIC SAR IMAGES USIG WAVELET TRANSFORMATION AND TEXTURE FEATURES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Rezaeian

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (PolSAR sensors can collect useful observations from earth’s surfaces and phenomena for various remote sensing applications, such as land cover mapping, change and target detection. These data can be acquired without the limitations of weather conditions, sun illumination and dust particles. As result, SAR images, and in particular Polarimetric SAR (PolSAR are powerful tools for various environmental applications. Unlike the optical images, SAR images suffer from the unavoidable speckle, which causes the segmentation of this data difficult. In this paper, we use the wavelet transformation for segmentation of PolSAR images. Our proposed method is based on the multi-resolution analysis of texture features is based on wavelet transformation. Here, we use the information of gray level value and the information of texture. First, we produce coherency or covariance matrices and then generate span image from them. In the next step of proposed method is texture feature extraction from sub-bands is generated from discrete wavelet transform (DWT. Finally, PolSAR image are segmented using clustering methods as fuzzy c-means (FCM and k-means clustering. We have applied the proposed methodology to full polarimetric SAR images acquired by the Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR L-band system, during July, in 2012 over an agricultural area in Winnipeg, Canada.

  5. Segmentation of Polarimetric SAR Images Usig Wavelet Transformation and Texture Features

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rezaeian, A.; Homayouni, S.; Safari, A.

    2015-12-01

    Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (PolSAR) sensors can collect useful observations from earth's surfaces and phenomena for various remote sensing applications, such as land cover mapping, change and target detection. These data can be acquired without the limitations of weather conditions, sun illumination and dust particles. As result, SAR images, and in particular Polarimetric SAR (PolSAR) are powerful tools for various environmental applications. Unlike the optical images, SAR images suffer from the unavoidable speckle, which causes the segmentation of this data difficult. In this paper, we use the wavelet transformation for segmentation of PolSAR images. Our proposed method is based on the multi-resolution analysis of texture features is based on wavelet transformation. Here, we use the information of gray level value and the information of texture. First, we produce coherency or covariance matrices and then generate span image from them. In the next step of proposed method is texture feature extraction from sub-bands is generated from discrete wavelet transform (DWT). Finally, PolSAR image are segmented using clustering methods as fuzzy c-means (FCM) and k-means clustering. We have applied the proposed methodology to full polarimetric SAR images acquired by the Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) L-band system, during July, in 2012 over an agricultural area in Winnipeg, Canada.

  6. A spatiotemporal-based scheme for efficient registration-based segmentation of thoracic 4-D MRI.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Y; Van Reeth, E; Poh, C L; Tan, C H; Tham, I W K

    2014-05-01

    Dynamic three-dimensional (3-D) (four-dimensional, 4-D) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is gaining importance in the study of pulmonary motion for respiratory diseases and pulmonary tumor motion for radiotherapy. To perform quantitative analysis using 4-D MR images, segmentation of anatomical structures such as the lung and pulmonary tumor is required. Manual segmentation of entire thoracic 4-D MRI data that typically contains many 3-D volumes acquired over several breathing cycles is extremely tedious, time consuming, and suffers high user variability. This requires the development of new automated segmentation schemes for 4-D MRI data segmentation. Registration-based segmentation technique that uses automatic registration methods for segmentation has been shown to be an accurate method to segment structures for 4-D data series. However, directly applying registration-based segmentation to segment 4-D MRI series lacks efficiency. Here we propose an automated 4-D registration-based segmentation scheme that is based on spatiotemporal information for the segmentation of thoracic 4-D MR lung images. The proposed scheme saved up to 95% of computation amount while achieving comparable accurate segmentations compared to directly applying registration-based segmentation to 4-D dataset. The scheme facilitates rapid 3-D/4-D visualization of the lung and tumor motion and potentially the tracking of tumor during radiation delivery.

  7. Segmentation of ribs in digital chest radiographs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cong, Lin; Guo, Wei; Li, Qiang

    2016-03-01

    Ribs and clavicles in posterior-anterior (PA) digital chest radiographs often overlap with lung abnormalities such as nodules, and cause missing of these abnormalities, it is therefore necessary to remove or reduce the ribs in chest radiographs. The purpose of this study was to develop a fully automated algorithm to segment ribs within lung area in digital radiography (DR) for removal of the ribs. The rib segmentation algorithm consists of three steps. Firstly, a radiograph was pre-processed for contrast adjustment and noise removal; second, generalized Hough transform was employed to localize the lower boundary of the ribs. In the third step, a novel bilateral dynamic programming algorithm was used to accurately segment the upper and lower boundaries of ribs simultaneously. The width of the ribs and the smoothness of the rib boundaries were incorporated in the cost function of the bilateral dynamic programming for obtaining consistent results for the upper and lower boundaries. Our database consisted of 93 DR images, including, respectively, 23 and 70 images acquired with a DR system from Shanghai United-Imaging Healthcare Co. and from GE Healthcare Co. The rib localization algorithm achieved a sensitivity of 98.2% with 0.1 false positives per image. The accuracy of the detected ribs was further evaluated subjectively in 3 levels: "1", good; "2", acceptable; "3", poor. The percentages of good, acceptable, and poor segmentation results were 91.1%, 7.2%, and 1.7%, respectively. Our algorithm can obtain good segmentation results for ribs in chest radiography and would be useful for rib reduction in our future study.

  8. An automated, high-throughput plant phenotyping system using machine learning-based plant segmentation and image analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Unseok; Chang, Sungyul; Putra, Gian Anantrio; Kim, Hyoungseok; Kim, Dong Hwan

    2018-01-01

    A high-throughput plant phenotyping system automatically observes and grows many plant samples. Many plant sample images are acquired by the system to determine the characteristics of the plants (populations). Stable image acquisition and processing is very important to accurately determine the characteristics. However, hardware for acquiring plant images rapidly and stably, while minimizing plant stress, is lacking. Moreover, most software cannot adequately handle large-scale plant imaging. To address these problems, we developed a new, automated, high-throughput plant phenotyping system using simple and robust hardware, and an automated plant-imaging-analysis pipeline consisting of machine-learning-based plant segmentation. Our hardware acquires images reliably and quickly and minimizes plant stress. Furthermore, the images are processed automatically. In particular, large-scale plant-image datasets can be segmented precisely using a classifier developed using a superpixel-based machine-learning algorithm (Random Forest), and variations in plant parameters (such as area) over time can be assessed using the segmented images. We performed comparative evaluations to identify an appropriate learning algorithm for our proposed system, and tested three robust learning algorithms. We developed not only an automatic analysis pipeline but also a convenient means of plant-growth analysis that provides a learning data interface and visualization of plant growth trends. Thus, our system allows end-users such as plant biologists to analyze plant growth via large-scale plant image data easily.

  9. Automated vessel segmentation using cross-correlation and pooled covariance matrix analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Du, Jiang; Karimi, Afshin; Wu, Yijing; Korosec, Frank R; Grist, Thomas M; Mistretta, Charles A

    2011-04-01

    Time-resolved contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (CE-MRA) provides contrast dynamics in the vasculature and allows vessel segmentation based on temporal correlation analysis. Here we present an automated vessel segmentation algorithm including automated generation of regions of interest (ROIs), cross-correlation and pooled sample covariance matrix analysis. The dynamic images are divided into multiple equal-sized regions. In each region, ROIs for artery, vein and background are generated using an iterative thresholding algorithm based on the contrast arrival time map and contrast enhancement map. Region-specific multi-feature cross-correlation analysis and pooled covariance matrix analysis are performed to calculate the Mahalanobis distances (MDs), which are used to automatically separate arteries from veins. This segmentation algorithm is applied to a dual-phase dynamic imaging acquisition scheme where low-resolution time-resolved images are acquired during the dynamic phase followed by high-frequency data acquisition at the steady-state phase. The segmented low-resolution arterial and venous images are then combined with the high-frequency data in k-space and inverse Fourier transformed to form the final segmented arterial and venous images. Results from volunteer and patient studies demonstrate the advantages of this automated vessel segmentation and dual phase data acquisition technique. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Segmentation and Quantitative Analysis of Epithelial Tissues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aigouy, Benoit; Umetsu, Daiki; Eaton, Suzanne

    2016-01-01

    Epithelia are tissues that regulate exchanges with the environment. They are very dynamic and can acquire virtually any shape; at the cellular level, they are composed of cells tightly connected by junctions. Most often epithelia are amenable to live imaging; however, the large number of cells composing an epithelium and the absence of informatics tools dedicated to epithelial analysis largely prevented tissue scale studies. Here we present Tissue Analyzer, a free tool that can be used to segment and analyze epithelial cells and monitor tissue dynamics.

  11. OASIS is Automated Statistical Inference for Segmentation, with applications to multiple sclerosis lesion segmentation in MRI.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sweeney, Elizabeth M; Shinohara, Russell T; Shiee, Navid; Mateen, Farrah J; Chudgar, Avni A; Cuzzocreo, Jennifer L; Calabresi, Peter A; Pham, Dzung L; Reich, Daniel S; Crainiceanu, Ciprian M

    2013-01-01

    Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be used to detect lesions in the brains of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and is essential for diagnosing the disease and monitoring its progression. In practice, lesion load is often quantified by either manual or semi-automated segmentation of MRI, which is time-consuming, costly, and associated with large inter- and intra-observer variability. We propose OASIS is Automated Statistical Inference for Segmentation (OASIS), an automated statistical method for segmenting MS lesions in MRI studies. We use logistic regression models incorporating multiple MRI modalities to estimate voxel-level probabilities of lesion presence. Intensity-normalized T1-weighted, T2-weighted, fluid-attenuated inversion recovery and proton density volumes from 131 MRI studies (98 MS subjects, 33 healthy subjects) with manual lesion segmentations were used to train and validate our model. Within this set, OASIS detected lesions with a partial area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for clinically relevant false positive rates of 1% and below of 0.59% (95% CI; [0.50%, 0.67%]) at the voxel level. An experienced MS neuroradiologist compared these segmentations to those produced by LesionTOADS, an image segmentation software that provides segmentation of both lesions and normal brain structures. For lesions, OASIS out-performed LesionTOADS in 74% (95% CI: [65%, 82%]) of cases for the 98 MS subjects. To further validate the method, we applied OASIS to 169 MRI studies acquired at a separate center. The neuroradiologist again compared the OASIS segmentations to those from LesionTOADS. For lesions, OASIS ranked higher than LesionTOADS in 77% (95% CI: [71%, 83%]) of cases. For a randomly selected subset of 50 of these studies, one additional radiologist and one neurologist also scored the images. Within this set, the neuroradiologist ranked OASIS higher than LesionTOADS in 76% (95% CI: [64%, 88%]) of cases, the neurologist 66% (95% CI: [52%, 78

  12. Benchmark for license plate character segmentation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonçalves, Gabriel Resende; da Silva, Sirlene Pio Gomes; Menotti, David; Shwartz, William Robson

    2016-09-01

    Automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) has been the focus of many researches in the past years. In general, ALPR is divided into the following problems: detection of on-track vehicles, license plate detection, segmentation of license plate characters, and optical character recognition (OCR). Even though commercial solutions are available for controlled acquisition conditions, e.g., the entrance of a parking lot, ALPR is still an open problem when dealing with data acquired from uncontrolled environments, such as roads and highways when relying only on imaging sensors. Due to the multiple orientations and scales of the license plates captured by the camera, a very challenging task of the ALPR is the license plate character segmentation (LPCS) step, because its effectiveness is required to be (near) optimal to achieve a high recognition rate by the OCR. To tackle the LPCS problem, this work proposes a benchmark composed of a dataset designed to focus specifically on the character segmentation step of the ALPR within an evaluation protocol. Furthermore, we propose the Jaccard-centroid coefficient, an evaluation measure more suitable than the Jaccard coefficient regarding the location of the bounding box within the ground-truth annotation. The dataset is composed of 2000 Brazilian license plates consisting of 14000 alphanumeric symbols and their corresponding bounding box annotations. We also present a straightforward approach to perform LPCS efficiently. Finally, we provide an experimental evaluation for the dataset based on five LPCS approaches and demonstrate the importance of character segmentation for achieving an accurate OCR.

  13. Hydatid disease of scapula and upper third of humerus treated by en bloc excision and fibular bone grafting

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chari P

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available 35-year-old male patient presented with gradually increasing painful swelling of the right shoulder, which was incised and drained and wound persisted as a discharging sinus on the anterolateral aspect of the deltoid region with seropurulent discharge. A clinical diagnosis of tuberculosis of the shoulder was made. Plain skiagram of the right shoulder revealed multicystic lesion involving the entire scapula and upper third of the humerus with loss of joint space and pathological fracture at the junction of upper one-third and lower two-thirds of the humerus. A clinico-radiological diagnosis of hydatid disease was made. In view of the extensive involvement of the scapula with stiff shoulder and an active sinus, a two-stage surgical procedure was performed. Stage 1 consisted of en bloc excision of the scapula, upper half of the humerus and lateral end of the clavicle. Stage II surgery, consisting of fibular bone grafting. Tablet albendazole (400 mg, thrice daily was given as systemic scolicidal agent. This case is reported in view of it′s rarity and to highlight the management.

  14. Robust automatic high resolution segmentation of SOFC anode porosity in 3D

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jørgensen, Peter Stanley; Bowen, Jacob R.

    2008-01-01

    Routine use of 3D characterization of SOFCs by focused ion beam (FIB) serial sectioning is generally restricted by the time consuming task of manually delineating structures within each image slice. We apply advanced image analysis algorithms to automatically segment the porosity phase of an SOFC...... anode in 3D. The technique is based on numerical approximations to partial differential equations to evolve a 3D surface to the desired phase boundary. Vector fields derived from the experimentally acquired data are used as the driving force. The automatic segmentation compared to manual delineation...... reveals and good correspondence and the two approaches are quantitatively compared. It is concluded that the. automatic approach is more robust, more reproduceable and orders of magnitude quicker than manual segmentation of SOFC anode porosity for subsequent quantitative 3D analysis. Lastly...

  15. Automatic segmentation for brain MR images via a convex optimized segmentation and bias field correction coupled model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Yunjie; Zhao, Bo; Zhang, Jianwei; Zheng, Yuhui

    2014-09-01

    Accurate segmentation of magnetic resonance (MR) images remains challenging mainly due to the intensity inhomogeneity, which is also commonly known as bias field. Recently active contour models with geometric information constraint have been applied, however, most of them deal with the bias field by using a necessary pre-processing step before segmentation of MR data. This paper presents a novel automatic variational method, which can segment brain MR images meanwhile correcting the bias field when segmenting images with high intensity inhomogeneities. We first define a function for clustering the image pixels in a smaller neighborhood. The cluster centers in this objective function have a multiplicative factor that estimates the bias within the neighborhood. In order to reduce the effect of the noise, the local intensity variations are described by the Gaussian distributions with different means and variances. Then, the objective functions are integrated over the entire domain. In order to obtain the global optimal and make the results independent of the initialization of the algorithm, we reconstructed the energy function to be convex and calculated it by using the Split Bregman theory. A salient advantage of our method is that its result is independent of initialization, which allows robust and fully automated application. Our method is able to estimate the bias of quite general profiles, even in 7T MR images. Moreover, our model can also distinguish regions with similar intensity distribution with different variances. The proposed method has been rigorously validated with images acquired on variety of imaging modalities with promising results. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Acquisition and automated 3-D segmentation of respiratory/cardiac-gated PET transmission images

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reutter, B.W.; Klein, G.J.; Brennan, K.M.; Huesman, R.H.

    1996-01-01

    To evaluate the impact of respiratory motion on attenuation correction of cardiac PET data, we acquired and automatically segmented gated transmission data for a dog breathing on its own under gas anesthesia. Data were acquired for 20 min on a CTI/Siemens ECAT EXACT HR (47-slice) scanner configured for 12 gates in a static study, Two respiratory gates were obtained using data from a pneumatic bellows placed around the dog's chest, in conjunction with 6 cardiac gates from standard EKG gating. Both signals were directed to a LabVIEW-controlled Macintosh, which translated them into one of 12 gate addresses. The respiratory gating threshold was placed near end-expiration to acquire 6 cardiac-gated datasets at end-expiration and 6 cardiac-gated datasets during breaths. Breaths occurred about once every 10 sec and lasted about 1-1.5 sec. For each respiratory gate, data were summed over cardiac gates and torso and lung surfaces were segmented automatically using a differential 3-D edge detection algorithm. Three-dimensional visualizations showed that lung surfaces adjacent to the heart translated 9 mm inferiorly during breaths. Our results suggest that respiration-compensated attenuation correction is feasible with a modest amount of gated transmission data and is necessary for accurate quantitation of high-resolution gated cardiac PET data

  17. Segmentation: Identification of consumer segments

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Høg, Esben

    2005-01-01

    It is very common to categorise people, especially in the advertising business. Also traditional marketing theory has taken in consumer segments as a favorite topic. Segmentation is closely related to the broader concept of classification. From a historical point of view, classification has its...... origin in other sciences as for example biology, anthropology etc. From an economic point of view, it is called segmentation when specific scientific techniques are used to classify consumers to different characteristic groupings. What is the purpose of segmentation? For example, to be able to obtain...... a basic understanding of grouping people. Advertising agencies may use segmentation totarget advertisements, while food companies may usesegmentation to develop products to various groups of consumers. MAPP has for example investigated the positioning of fish in relation to other food products...

  18. Segmentation of Synchrotron Radiation micro-Computed Tomography Images using Energy Minimization via Graph Cuts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meneses, Anderson A.M.; Giusti, Alessandro; Almeida, André P. de; Nogueira, Liebert; Braz, Delson; Almeida, Carlos E. de; Barroso, Regina C.

    2012-01-01

    The research on applications of segmentation algorithms to Synchrotron Radiation X-Ray micro-Computed Tomography (SR-μCT) is an open problem, due to the interesting and well-known characteristics of SR images, such as the phase contrast effect. The Energy Minimization via Graph Cuts (EMvGC) algorithm represents state-of-art segmentation algorithm, presenting an enormous potential of application in SR-μCT imaging. We describe the application of the algorithm EMvGC with swap move for the segmentation of bone images acquired at the ELETTRA Laboratory (Trieste, Italy). - Highlights: ► Microstructures of Wistar rats' ribs are investigated with Synchrotron Radiation μCT imaging. ► The present work is part of a research on the effects of radiotherapy on the thoracic region. ► Application of the Energy Minimization via Graph Cuts algorithm for segmentation is described.

  19. Development of optimized segmentation map in dual energy computed tomography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamakawa, Keisuke; Ueki, Hironori

    2012-03-01

    Dual energy computed tomography (DECT) has been widely used in clinical practice and has been particularly effective for tissue diagnosis. In DECT the difference of two attenuation coefficients acquired by two kinds of X-ray energy enables tissue segmentation. One problem in conventional DECT is that the segmentation deteriorates in some cases, such as bone removal. This is due to two reasons. Firstly, the segmentation map is optimized without considering the Xray condition (tube voltage and current). If we consider the tube voltage, it is possible to create an optimized map, but unfortunately we cannot consider the tube current. Secondly, the X-ray condition is not optimized. The condition can be set empirically, but this means that the optimized condition is not used correctly. To solve these problems, we have developed methods for optimizing the map (Method-1) and the condition (Method-2). In Method-1, the map is optimized to minimize segmentation errors. The distribution of the attenuation coefficient is modeled by considering the tube current. In Method-2, the optimized condition is decided to minimize segmentation errors depending on tube voltagecurrent combinations while keeping the total exposure constant. We evaluated the effectiveness of Method-1 by performing a phantom experiment under the fixed condition and of Method-2 by performing a phantom experiment under different combinations calculated from the total exposure constant. When Method-1 was followed with Method-2, the segmentation error was reduced from 37.8 to 13.5 %. These results demonstrate that our developed methods can achieve highly accurate segmentation while keeping the total exposure constant.

  20. Phase contrast image segmentation using a Laue analyser crystal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kitchen, Marcus J; Paganin, David M; Lewis, Robert A; Pavlov, Konstantin M; Uesugi, Kentaro; Allison, Beth J; Hooper, Stuart B

    2011-01-01

    Dual-energy x-ray imaging is a powerful tool enabling two-component samples to be separated into their constituent objects from two-dimensional images. Phase contrast x-ray imaging can render the boundaries between media of differing refractive indices visible, despite them having similar attenuation properties; this is important for imaging biological soft tissues. We have used a Laue analyser crystal and a monochromatic x-ray source to combine the benefits of both techniques. The Laue analyser creates two distinct phase contrast images that can be simultaneously acquired on a high-resolution detector. These images can be combined to separate the effects of x-ray phase, absorption and scattering and, using the known complex refractive indices of the sample, to quantitatively segment its component materials. We have successfully validated this phase contrast image segmentation (PCIS) using a two-component phantom, containing an iodinated contrast agent, and have also separated the lungs and ribcage in images of a mouse thorax. Simultaneous image acquisition has enabled us to perform functional segmentation of the mouse thorax throughout the respiratory cycle during mechanical ventilation.

  1. Segmentation of confocal Raman microspectroscopic imaging data using edge-preserving denoising and clustering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alexandrov, Theodore; Lasch, Peter

    2013-06-18

    Over the past decade, confocal Raman microspectroscopic (CRM) imaging has matured into a useful analytical tool to obtain spatially resolved chemical information on the molecular composition of biological samples and has found its way into histopathology, cytology, and microbiology. A CRM imaging data set is a hyperspectral image in which Raman intensities are represented as a function of three coordinates: a spectral coordinate λ encoding the wavelength and two spatial coordinates x and y. Understanding CRM imaging data is challenging because of its complexity, size, and moderate signal-to-noise ratio. Spatial segmentation of CRM imaging data is a way to reveal regions of interest and is traditionally performed using nonsupervised clustering which relies on spectral domain-only information with the main drawback being the high sensitivity to noise. We present a new pipeline for spatial segmentation of CRM imaging data which combines preprocessing in the spectral and spatial domains with k-means clustering. Its core is the preprocessing routine in the spatial domain, edge-preserving denoising (EPD), which exploits the spatial relationships between Raman intensities acquired at neighboring pixels. Additionally, we propose to use both spatial correlation to identify Raman spectral features colocalized with defined spatial regions and confidence maps to assess the quality of spatial segmentation. For CRM data acquired from midsagittal Syrian hamster ( Mesocricetus auratus ) brain cryosections, we show how our pipeline benefits from the complex spatial-spectral relationships inherent in the CRM imaging data. EPD significantly improves the quality of spatial segmentation that allows us to extract the underlying structural and compositional information contained in the Raman microspectra.

  2. Automatic segmentation of lumbar vertebrae in CT images

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kulkarni, Amruta; Raina, Akshita; Sharifi Sarabi, Mona; Ahn, Christine S.; Babayan, Diana; Gaonkar, Bilwaj; Macyszyn, Luke; Raghavendra, Cauligi

    2017-03-01

    Lower back pain is one of the most prevalent disorders in the developed/developing world. However, its etiology is poorly understood and treatment is often determined subjectively. In order to quantitatively study the emergence and evolution of back pain, it is necessary to develop consistently measurable markers for pathology. Imaging based measures offer one solution to this problem. The development of imaging based on quantitative biomarkers for the lower back necessitates automated techniques to acquire this data. While the problem of segmenting lumbar vertebrae has been addressed repeatedly in literature, the associated problem of computing relevant biomarkers on the basis of the segmentation has not been addressed thoroughly. In this paper, we propose a Random-Forest based approach that learns to segment vertebral bodies in CT images followed by a biomarker evaluation framework that extracts vertebral heights and widths from the segmentations obtained. Our dataset consists of 15 CT sagittal scans obtained from General Electric Healthcare. Our main approach is divided into three parts: the first stage is image pre-processing which is used to correct for variations in illumination across all the images followed by preparing the foreground and background objects from images; the next stage is Machine Learning using Random-Forests, which distinguishes the interest-point vectors between foreground or background; and the last step is image post-processing, which is crucial to refine the results of classifier. The Dice coefficient was used as a statistical validation metric to evaluate the performance of our segmentations with an average value of 0.725 for our dataset.

  3. Analysis on the use of Multi-Sequence MRI Series for Segmentation of Abdominal Organs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Selver, M A; Selvi, E; Kavur, E; Dicle, O

    2015-01-01

    Segmentation of abdominal organs from MRI data sets is a challenging task due to various limitations and artefacts. During the routine clinical practice, radiologists use multiple MR sequences in order to analyze different anatomical properties. These sequences have different characteristics in terms of acquisition parameters (such as contrast mechanisms and pulse sequence designs) and image properties (such as pixel spacing, slice thicknesses and dynamic range). For a complete understanding of the data, computational techniques should combine the information coming from these various MRI sequences. These sequences are not acquired in parallel but in a sequential manner (one after another). Therefore, patient movements and respiratory motions change the position and shape of the abdominal organs. In this study, the amount of these effects is measured using three different symmetric surface distance metrics performed to three dimensional data acquired from various MRI sequences. The results are compared to intra and inter observer differences and discussions on using multiple MRI sequences for segmentation and the necessities for registration are presented

  4. Fully convolutional neural networks improve abdominal organ segmentation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bobo, Meg F.; Bao, Shunxing; Huo, Yuankai; Yao, Yuang; Virostko, Jack; Plassard, Andrew J.; Lyu, Ilwoo; Assad, Albert; Abramson, Richard G.; Hilmes, Melissa A.; Landman, Bennett A.

    2018-03-01

    Abdominal image segmentation is a challenging, yet important clinical problem. Variations in body size, position, and relative organ positions greatly complicate the segmentation process. Historically, multi-atlas methods have achieved leading results across imaging modalities and anatomical targets. However, deep learning is rapidly overtaking classical approaches for image segmentation. Recently, Zhou et al. showed that fully convolutional networks produce excellent results in abdominal organ segmentation of computed tomography (CT) scans. Yet, deep learning approaches have not been applied to whole abdomen magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) segmentation. Herein, we evaluate the applicability of an existing fully convolutional neural network (FCNN) designed for CT imaging to segment abdominal organs on T2 weighted (T2w) MRI's with two examples. In the primary example, we compare a classical multi-atlas approach with FCNN on forty-five T2w MRI's acquired from splenomegaly patients with five organs labeled (liver, spleen, left kidney, right kidney, and stomach). Thirty-six images were used for training while nine were used for testing. The FCNN resulted in a Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) of 0.930 in spleens, 0.730 in left kidneys, 0.780 in right kidneys, 0.913 in livers, and 0.556 in stomachs. The performance measures for livers, spleens, right kidneys, and stomachs were significantly better than multi-atlas (p < 0.05, Wilcoxon rank-sum test). In a secondary example, we compare the multi-atlas approach with FCNN on 138 distinct T2w MRI's with manually labeled pancreases (one label). On the pancreas dataset, the FCNN resulted in a median DSC of 0.691 in pancreases versus 0.287 for multi-atlas. The results are highly promising given relatively limited training data and without specific training of the FCNN model and illustrate the potential of deep learning approaches to transcend imaging modalities. 1

  5. Segmentation of Synchrotron Radiation micro-Computed Tomography Images using Energy Minimization via Graph Cuts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Meneses, Anderson A.M. [Federal University of Western Para (Brazil); Physics Institute, Rio de Janeiro State University (Brazil); Giusti, Alessandro [IDSIA (Dalle Molle Institute for Artificial Intelligence), University of Lugano (Switzerland); Almeida, Andre P. de, E-mail: apalmeid@gmail.com [Physics Institute, Rio de Janeiro State University (Brazil); Nuclear Engineering Program, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil); Nogueira, Liebert; Braz, Delson [Nuclear Engineering Program, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil); Almeida, Carlos E. de [Radiological Sciences Laboratory, Rio de Janeiro State University (Brazil); Barroso, Regina C. [Physics Institute, Rio de Janeiro State University (Brazil)

    2012-07-15

    The research on applications of segmentation algorithms to Synchrotron Radiation X-Ray micro-Computed Tomography (SR-{mu}CT) is an open problem, due to the interesting and well-known characteristics of SR images, such as the phase contrast effect. The Energy Minimization via Graph Cuts (EMvGC) algorithm represents state-of-art segmentation algorithm, presenting an enormous potential of application in SR-{mu}CT imaging. We describe the application of the algorithm EMvGC with swap move for the segmentation of bone images acquired at the ELETTRA Laboratory (Trieste, Italy). - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Microstructures of Wistar rats' ribs are investigated with Synchrotron Radiation {mu}CT imaging. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The present work is part of a research on the effects of radiotherapy on the thoracic region. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Application of the Energy Minimization via Graph Cuts algorithm for segmentation is described.

  6. Body Segment Kinematics and Energy Expenditure in Active Videogames.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Böhm, Birgit; Hartmann, Michael; Böhm, Harald

    2016-06-01

    Energy expenditure (EE) in active videogames (AVGs) is a component for assessing its benefit for cardiovascular health. Existing evidence suggests that AVGs are able to increase EE above rest and when compared with playing passive videogames. However, the association between body movement and EE remains unclear. Furthermore, for goal-directed game design, it is important to know the contribution of body segments to EE. This knowledge will help to acquire a certain level of exercise intensity during active gaming. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the best predictors of EE from body segment energies, acceleration, and heart rate during different game situations. EE and body segment movement of 17 subjects, aged 22.1 ± 2.5 years, were measured in two different AVGs. In randomized order, the subjects played a handheld-controlled Nintendo(®) Wii™ tennis (NWT) game and a whole body-controlled Sony EyeToy(®) waterfall (ETW) game. Body segment movement was analyzed using a three-dimensional motion capture system. From the video data, mean values of mechanical energy change and acceleration of 10 body segments were analyzed. Measured EE was significantly higher in ETW (7.8 ± 1.4 metabolic equivalents [METs]) than in NWT (3.4 ± 1.0 METs). The best prediction parameter for the more intense ETW game was the energy change of the right thigh and for the less intense hand-controlled NWT game was the energy change of the upper torso. Segment acceleration was less accurate in predicting EE. The best predictors of metabolic EE were the thighs and the upper torso in whole body and handheld-controlled games, respectively. Increasing movement of these body segments would lead to higher physical activity intensity during gaming, reducing sedentary behavior.

  7. 3D automatic segmentation method for retinal optical coherence tomography volume data using boundary surface enhancement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yankui Sun

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available With the introduction of spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT, much larger image datasets are routinely acquired compared to what was possible using the previous generation of time-domain OCT. Thus, there is a critical need for the development of three-dimensional (3D segmentation methods for processing these data. We present here a novel 3D automatic segmentation method for retinal OCT volume data. Briefly, to segment a boundary surface, two OCT volume datasets are obtained by using a 3D smoothing filter and a 3D differential filter. Their linear combination is then calculated to generate new volume data with an enhanced boundary surface, where pixel intensity, boundary position information, and intensity changes on both sides of the boundary surface are used simultaneously. Next, preliminary discrete boundary points are detected from the A-Scans of the volume data. Finally, surface smoothness constraints and a dynamic threshold are applied to obtain a smoothed boundary surface by correcting a small number of error points. Our method can extract retinal layer boundary surfaces sequentially with a decreasing search region of volume data. We performed automatic segmentation on eight human OCT volume datasets acquired from a commercial Spectralis OCT system, where each volume of datasets contains 97 OCT B-Scan images with a resolution of 496×512 (each B-Scan comprising 512 A-Scans containing 496 pixels; experimental results show that this method can accurately segment seven layer boundary surfaces in normal as well as some abnormal eyes.

  8. Status of the segment interconnect, cable segment ancillary logic, and the cable segment hybrid driver projects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Swoboda, C.; Barsotti, E.; Chappa, S.; Downing, R.; Goeransson, G.; Lensy, D.; Moore, G.; Rotolo, C.; Urish, J.

    1985-01-01

    The FASTBUS Segment Interconnect (SI) provides a communication path between two otherwise independent, asynchronous bus segments. In particular, the Segment Interconnect links a backplane crate segment to a cable segment. All standard FASTBUS address and data transactions can be passed through the SI or any number of SIs and segments in a path. Thus systems of arbitrary connection complexity can be formed, allowing simultaneous independent processing, yet still permitting devices associated with one segment to be accessed from others. The model S1 Segment Interconnect and the Cable Segment Ancillary Logic covered in this report comply with all the mandatory features stated in the FASTBUS specification document DOE/ER-0189. A block diagram of the SI is shown

  9. Colgajo libre osteoseptocutáneo de peroné en la reconstrucción primaria de la radionecrosis masiva mandibular Fibular osteoseptocutaneous free flap in the primary reconstruction after massive radionecrosis of the mandible

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. Infante Cossío

    2004-06-01

    Full Text Available Resumen: Una de las complicaciones más serias del uso de la radioterapia en el tratamiento del carcinoma epidermoide de la cavidad oral, es la osteorradionecrosis. En este trabajo, presentamos cuatro pacientes afectos de osteorradionecrosis masiva de la mandíbula que habían fracasado inicialmente con medidas conservadoras y que fueron tratados con resección radical y reconstrucción primaria con un colgajo libre osteoseptocutáneo de peroné. El defecto mandibular tras la resección ósea midió una media de 10 cm e incluyó mucosa intraoral, piel o ambos. En dos casos de reconstrucción, se empleó el colgajo libre de peroné con doble paleta para reconstruir defectos extensos intra y extraorales. Se realizaron osteotomías en el peroné vascularizado en todos los casos para recrear el contorno mandibular. Todos los colgajos sobrevivieron completamente. Tres pacientes curaron primariamente con buenos resultados estéticos y funcionales. Una paciente falleció en el primer mes tras la operación por una pancreatitis aguda y fallo renal. En un paciente se han insertado implantes osteointegrados. En nuestra experiencia, el colgajo libre osteoseptocutáneo de peroné puede ser una opción ideal para la reconstrucción en un solo tiempo de defectos complejos mandibulares compuestos en pacientes afectos de osteorradionecrosis masiva.Abstract: Osteoradionecrosis is one of the most serious complications after radiation therapy of squamous carcinoma of the oral cavity. In this article, we report four cases of massive osteoradionecrosis of the mandible, all of whom had failed initial conservative management and treated with radical resection and primary reconstructed with fibular osteoseptocutaneous free flap. Mandible defects after radical resection were around 10 cm long and included intraoral mucosa, skin or both. A doubled-paddle peroneal tissue transfer was used in two cases for reconstruction of an extensive extra- or intraoral defects. The

  10. Deep venous thrombosis and agenesis of the intrahepatic segment of inferior vena cava

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Velasco, J.; Fernandez, M.M.; Manzanares, R.; Hernando, A.

    1997-01-01

    We present a case of agenesis of the intrahepatic segment of inferior vena cava (IVC) with drainage through the azygos and hemiazygos systems. The presenting sign was deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in both lower extremities. The different imaging studies led to the diagnosis of both the congenital and acquired venous abnormalities, which are discussed. (Author) 14 refs

  11. Active contour segmentation in dynamic medical imaging: application to nuclear cardiology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Debreuve, Eric

    2000-01-01

    In emission imaging, nuclear medicine provides functional information about the organ of interest. In transmission imaging, it provides anatomical information whose goal may be the correction of physical phenomena that corrupt emission images. With both emission and transmission images, it is useful to know how to extract, either automatically or semi-automatically, the organs of interest and the body outline in the case of a large field of view. This is the aim of segmentation. We developed two active contour segmentation methods. They were implemented using level sets. The key point is the evolution velocity definition. First, we were interested in static transmission imaging of the thorax. The evolution velocity was heuristically defined and depended only on the acquired projections. The segmented transmission map was computed w/o reconstruction and could be advantageously used for attenuation correction. Then, we studied the segmentation of cardiac gated sequences. The developed space-time segmentation method results from the minimization of a variational criterion which takes into account the whole sequence. The computed segmentation could be used for calculating physiological parameters. As an illustration, we computed the ejection fraction. Finally, we exploited some level set properties to develop a non-rigid, non-parametric, and geometric registration method. We applied it for kinetic compensation of cardiac gated sequences. The registered images were then added together providing an image with noise characteristics similar to a cardiac static image but w/o motion-induced blurring. (author)

  12. Towards dense volumetric pancreas segmentation in CT using 3D fully convolutional networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roth, Holger; Oda, Masahiro; Shimizu, Natsuki; Oda, Hirohisa; Hayashi, Yuichiro; Kitasaka, Takayuki; Fujiwara, Michitaka; Misawa, Kazunari; Mori, Kensaku

    2018-03-01

    Pancreas segmentation in computed tomography imaging has been historically difficult for automated methods because of the large shape and size variations between patients. In this work, we describe a custom-build 3D fully convolutional network (FCN) that can process a 3D image including the whole pancreas and produce an automatic segmentation. We investigate two variations of the 3D FCN architecture; one with concatenation and one with summation skip connections to the decoder part of the network. We evaluate our methods on a dataset from a clinical trial with gastric cancer patients, including 147 contrast enhanced abdominal CT scans acquired in the portal venous phase. Using the summation architecture, we achieve an average Dice score of 89.7 +/- 3.8 (range [79.8, 94.8])% in testing, achieving the new state-of-the-art performance in pancreas segmentation on this dataset.

  13. Twelve automated thresholding methods for segmentation of PET images: a phantom study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prieto, Elena; Peñuelas, Iván; Martí-Climent, Josep M; Lecumberri, Pablo; Gómez, Marisol; Pagola, Miguel; Bilbao, Izaskun; Ecay, Margarita

    2012-01-01

    Tumor volume delineation over positron emission tomography (PET) images is of great interest for proper diagnosis and therapy planning. However, standard segmentation techniques (manual or semi-automated) are operator dependent and time consuming while fully automated procedures are cumbersome or require complex mathematical development. The aim of this study was to segment PET images in a fully automated way by implementing a set of 12 automated thresholding algorithms, classical in the fields of optical character recognition, tissue engineering or non-destructive testing images in high-tech structures. Automated thresholding algorithms select a specific threshold for each image without any a priori spatial information of the segmented object or any special calibration of the tomograph, as opposed to usual thresholding methods for PET. Spherical 18 F-filled objects of different volumes were acquired on clinical PET/CT and on a small animal PET scanner, with three different signal-to-background ratios. Images were segmented with 12 automatic thresholding algorithms and results were compared with the standard segmentation reference, a threshold at 42% of the maximum uptake. Ridler and Ramesh thresholding algorithms based on clustering and histogram-shape information, respectively, provided better results that the classical 42%-based threshold (p < 0.05). We have herein demonstrated that fully automated thresholding algorithms can provide better results than classical PET segmentation tools. (paper)

  14. Incremental and Enhanced Scanline-Based Segmentation Method for Surface Reconstruction of Sparse LiDAR Data

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Weimin Wang

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available The segmentation of point clouds is an important aspect of automated processing tasks such as semantic extraction. However, the sparsity and non-uniformity of the point clouds gathered by the popular 3D mobile LiDAR devices pose many challenges for existing segmentation methods. To improve the segmentation results of point clouds from mobile LiDAR devices, we propose an optimized segmentation method based on Scanline Continuity Constraint (SLCC in this work. Unlike conventional scanline-based segmentation methods, SLCC clusters scanlines using the continuity constraints in terms of the distance as well as the direction of two consecutive points. In addition, scanline clusters are agglomerated not only into primitive geometrical shapes but also irregular shapes. Another downside to existing segmentation methods is that they are not capable of incremental processing. This causes unnecessary memory and time consumption for applications that require frame-wise segmentation or when new point clouds are added. In order to address this, we propose an incremental scheme—the Incremental Recursive Segmentation (IRIS, that can be easily applied to any segmentation method. IRIS is achieved by combining the segments of newly added point clouds and the previously segmented results. Furthermore, as an example application, we construct a processing pipeline consisting of plane fitting and surface reconstruction using the segmentation results. Finally, we evaluate the proposed methods on three datasets acquired from a handheld Velodyne HDL-32E LiDAR device. The experimental results verify the efficiency of IRIS for any segmentation method and the advantages of SLCC for processing mobile LiDAR data.

  15. Fast Edge Detection and Segmentation of Terrestrial Laser Scans Through Normal Variation Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Che, E.; Olsen, M. J.

    2017-09-01

    Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) utilizes light detection and ranging (lidar) to effectively and efficiently acquire point cloud data for a wide variety of applications. Segmentation is a common procedure of post-processing to group the point cloud into a number of clusters to simplify the data for the sequential modelling and analysis needed for most applications. This paper presents a novel method to rapidly segment TLS data based on edge detection and region growing. First, by computing the projected incidence angles and performing the normal variation analysis, the silhouette edges and intersection edges are separated from the smooth surfaces. Then a modified region growing algorithm groups the points lying on the same smooth surface. The proposed method efficiently exploits the gridded scan pattern utilized during acquisition of TLS data from most sensors and takes advantage of parallel programming to process approximately 1 million points per second. Moreover, the proposed segmentation does not require estimation of the normal at each point, which limits the errors in normal estimation propagating to segmentation. Both an indoor and outdoor scene are used for an experiment to demonstrate and discuss the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed segmentation method.

  16. Sequential segmental classification of feline congenital heart disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scansen, Brian A; Schneider, Matthias; Bonagura, John D

    2015-12-01

    Feline congenital heart disease is less commonly encountered in veterinary medicine than acquired feline heart diseases such as cardiomyopathy. Understanding the wide spectrum of congenital cardiovascular disease demands a familiarity with a variety of lesions, occurring both in isolation and in combination, along with an appreciation of complex nomenclature and variable classification schemes. This review begins with an overview of congenital heart disease in the cat, including proposed etiologies and prevalence, examination approaches, and principles of therapy. Specific congenital defects are presented and organized by a sequential segmental classification with respect to their morphologic lesions. Highlights of diagnosis, treatment options, and prognosis are offered. It is hoped that this review will provide a framework for approaching congenital heart disease in the cat, and more broadly in other animal species based on the sequential segmental approach, which represents an adaptation of the common methodology used in children and adults with congenital heart disease. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Robust finger vein ROI localization based on flexible segmentation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Yu; Xie, Shan Juan; Yoon, Sook; Yang, Jucheng; Park, Dong Sun

    2013-10-24

    Finger veins have been proved to be an effective biometric for personal identification in the recent years. However, finger vein images are easily affected by influences such as image translation, orientation, scale, scattering, finger structure, complicated background, uneven illumination, and collection posture. All these factors may contribute to inaccurate region of interest (ROI) definition, and so degrade the performance of finger vein identification system. To improve this problem, in this paper, we propose a finger vein ROI localization method that has high effectiveness and robustness against the above factors. The proposed method consists of a set of steps to localize ROIs accurately, namely segmentation, orientation correction, and ROI detection. Accurate finger region segmentation and correct calculated orientation can support each other to produce higher accuracy in localizing ROIs. Extensive experiments have been performed on the finger vein image database, MMCBNU_6000, to verify the robustness of the proposed method. The proposed method shows the segmentation accuracy of 100%. Furthermore, the average processing time of the proposed method is 22 ms for an acquired image, which satisfies the criterion of a real-time finger vein identification system.

  18. Robust Finger Vein ROI Localization Based on Flexible Segmentation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dong Sun Park

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available Finger veins have been proved to be an effective biometric for personal identification in the recent years. However, finger vein images are easily affected by influences such as image translation, orientation, scale, scattering, finger structure, complicated background, uneven illumination, and collection posture. All these factors may contribute to inaccurate region of interest (ROI definition, and so degrade the performance of finger vein identification system. To improve this problem, in this paper, we propose a finger vein ROI localization method that has high effectiveness and robustness against the above factors. The proposed method consists of a set of steps to localize ROIs accurately, namely segmentation, orientation correction, and ROI detection. Accurate finger region segmentation and correct calculated orientation can support each other to produce higher accuracy in localizing ROIs. Extensive experiments have been performed on the finger vein image database, MMCBNU_6000, to verify the robustness of the proposed method. The proposed method shows the segmentation accuracy of 100%. Furthermore, the average processing time of the proposed method is 22 ms for an acquired image, which satisfies the criterion of a real-time finger vein identification system.

  19. Robust Finger Vein ROI Localization Based on Flexible Segmentation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Yu; Xie, Shan Juan; Yoon, Sook; Yang, Jucheng; Park, Dong Sun

    2013-01-01

    Finger veins have been proved to be an effective biometric for personal identification in the recent years. However, finger vein images are easily affected by influences such as image translation, orientation, scale, scattering, finger structure, complicated background, uneven illumination, and collection posture. All these factors may contribute to inaccurate region of interest (ROI) definition, and so degrade the performance of finger vein identification system. To improve this problem, in this paper, we propose a finger vein ROI localization method that has high effectiveness and robustness against the above factors. The proposed method consists of a set of steps to localize ROIs accurately, namely segmentation, orientation correction, and ROI detection. Accurate finger region segmentation and correct calculated orientation can support each other to produce higher accuracy in localizing ROIs. Extensive experiments have been performed on the finger vein image database, MMCBNU_6000, to verify the robustness of the proposed method. The proposed method shows the segmentation accuracy of 100%. Furthermore, the average processing time of the proposed method is 22 ms for an acquired image, which satisfies the criterion of a real-time finger vein identification system. PMID:24284769

  20. Segmented block copolymers with monodisperse aramide end-segments

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Araichimani, A.; Gaymans, R.J.

    2008-01-01

    Segmented block copolymers were synthesized using monodisperse diaramide (TT) as hard segments and PTMO with a molecular weight of 2 900 g · mol-1 as soft segments. The aramide: PTMO segment ratio was increased from 1:1 to 2:1 thereby changing the structure from a high molecular weight multi-block

  1. Segmentation of consumer's markets and evaluation of market's segments

    OpenAIRE

    ŠVECOVÁ, Iveta

    2013-01-01

    The goal of this bachelor thesis was to explain a possibly segmentation of consumer´s markets for a chosen company, and to present a suitable goods offer, so it would be suitable to the needs of selected segments. The work is divided into theoretical and practical part. First part describes marketing, segmentation, segmentation of consumer's markets, consumer's market, market's segments a other terms. Second part describes an evaluation of questionnaire survey, discovering of market's segment...

  2. 3D segmentation of kidney tumors from freehand 2D ultrasound

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahmad, Anis; Cool, Derek; Chew, Ben H.; Pautler, Stephen E.; Peters, Terry M.

    2006-03-01

    To completely remove a tumor from a diseased kidney, while minimizing the resection of healthy tissue, the surgeon must be able to accurately determine its location, size and shape. Currently, the surgeon mentally estimates these parameters by examining pre-operative Computed Tomography (CT) images of the patient's anatomy. However, these images do not reflect the state of the abdomen or organ during surgery. Furthermore, these images can be difficult to place in proper clinical context. We propose using Ultrasound (US) to acquire images of the tumor and the surrounding tissues in real-time, then segmenting these US images to present the tumor as a three dimensional (3D) surface. Given the common use of laparoscopic procedures that inhibit the range of motion of the operator, we propose segmenting arbitrarily placed and oriented US slices individually using a tracked US probe. Given the known location and orientation of the US probe, we can assign 3D coordinates to the segmented slices and use them as input to a 3D surface reconstruction algorithm. We have implemented two approaches for 3D segmentation from freehand 2D ultrasound. Each approach was evaluated on a tissue-mimicking phantom of a kidney tumor. The performance of our approach was determined by measuring RMS surface error between the segmentation and the known gold standard and was found to be below 0.8 mm.

  3. Segmentation Scheme for Safety Enhancement of Engineered Safety Features Component Control System

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Sangseok; Sohn, Kwangyoung; Lee, Junku; Park, Geunok

    2013-01-01

    Common Caused Failure (CCF) or undetectable failure would adversely impact safety functions of ESF-CCS in the existing nuclear power plants. We propose the segmentation scheme to solve these problems. Main function assignment to segments in the proposed segmentation scheme is based on functional dependency and critical function success path by using the dependency depth matrix. The segment has functional independence and physical isolation. The segmentation structure is that prohibit failure propagation to others from undetectable failures. Therefore, the segmentation system structure has robustness to undetectable failures. The segmentation system structure has functional diversity. The specific function in the segment defected by CCF, the specific function could be maintained by diverse control function that assigned to other segments. Device level control signals and system level control signals are separated and also control signal and status signals are separated due to signal transmission paths are allocated independently based on signal type. In this kind of design, single device failure or failures on signal path in the channel couldn't result in the loss of all segmented functions simultaneously. Thus the proposed segmentation function is the design scheme that improves availability of safety functions. In conventional ESF-CCS, the single controller generates the signal to control the multiple safety functions, and the reliability is achieved by multiplication within the channel. This design has a drawback causing the loss of multiple functions due to the CCF (Common Cause Failure) and single failure Heterogeneous controller guarantees the diversity ensuring the execution of safety functions against the CCF and single failure, but requiring a lot of resources like manpower and cost. The segmentation technology based on the compartmentalization and functional diversification decreases the CCF and single failure nonetheless the identical types of controllers

  4. Segmentation Scheme for Safety Enhancement of Engineered Safety Features Component Control System

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Sangseok; Sohn, Kwangyoung [Korea Reliability Technology and System, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Junku; Park, Geunok [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2013-05-15

    Common Caused Failure (CCF) or undetectable failure would adversely impact safety functions of ESF-CCS in the existing nuclear power plants. We propose the segmentation scheme to solve these problems. Main function assignment to segments in the proposed segmentation scheme is based on functional dependency and critical function success path by using the dependency depth matrix. The segment has functional independence and physical isolation. The segmentation structure is that prohibit failure propagation to others from undetectable failures. Therefore, the segmentation system structure has robustness to undetectable failures. The segmentation system structure has functional diversity. The specific function in the segment defected by CCF, the specific function could be maintained by diverse control function that assigned to other segments. Device level control signals and system level control signals are separated and also control signal and status signals are separated due to signal transmission paths are allocated independently based on signal type. In this kind of design, single device failure or failures on signal path in the channel couldn't result in the loss of all segmented functions simultaneously. Thus the proposed segmentation function is the design scheme that improves availability of safety functions. In conventional ESF-CCS, the single controller generates the signal to control the multiple safety functions, and the reliability is achieved by multiplication within the channel. This design has a drawback causing the loss of multiple functions due to the CCF (Common Cause Failure) and single failure Heterogeneous controller guarantees the diversity ensuring the execution of safety functions against the CCF and single failure, but requiring a lot of resources like manpower and cost. The segmentation technology based on the compartmentalization and functional diversification decreases the CCF and single failure nonetheless the identical types of

  5. 3D exemplar-based random walks for tooth segmentation from cone-beam computed tomography images

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pei, Yuru, E-mail: peiyuru@cis.pku.edu.cn; Ai, Xingsheng; Zha, Hongbin [Department of Machine Intelligence, School of EECS, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Xu, Tianmin [School of Stomatology, Stomatology Hospital, Peking University, Beijing 100081 (China); Ma, Gengyu [uSens, Inc., San Jose, California 95110 (United States)

    2016-09-15

    Purpose: Tooth segmentation is an essential step in acquiring patient-specific dental geometries from cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images. Tooth segmentation from CBCT images is still a challenging task considering the comparatively low image quality caused by the limited radiation dose, as well as structural ambiguities from intercuspation and nearby alveolar bones. The goal of this paper is to present and discuss the latest accomplishments in semisupervised tooth segmentation with adaptive 3D shape constraints. Methods: The authors propose a 3D exemplar-based random walk method of tooth segmentation from CBCT images. The proposed method integrates semisupervised label propagation and regularization by 3D exemplar registration. To begin with, the pure random walk method is to get an initial segmentation of the teeth, which tends to be erroneous because of the structural ambiguity of CBCT images. And then, as an iterative refinement, the authors conduct a regularization by using 3D exemplar registration, as well as label propagation by random walks with soft constraints, to improve the tooth segmentation. In the first stage of the iteration, 3D exemplars with well-defined topologies are adapted to fit the tooth contours, which are obtained from the random walks based segmentation. The soft constraints on voxel labeling are defined by shape-based foreground dentine probability acquired by the exemplar registration, as well as the appearance-based probability from a support vector machine (SVM) classifier. In the second stage, the labels of the volume-of-interest (VOI) are updated by the random walks with soft constraints. The two stages are optimized iteratively. Instead of the one-shot label propagation in the VOI, an iterative refinement process can achieve a reliable tooth segmentation by virtue of exemplar-based random walks with adaptive soft constraints. Results: The proposed method was applied for tooth segmentation of twenty clinically captured CBCT

  6. Robust Machine Learning-Based Correction on Automatic Segmentation of the Cerebellum and Brainstem.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Jun Yi; Ngo, Michael M; Hessl, David; Hagerman, Randi J; Rivera, Susan M

    2016-01-01

    Automated segmentation is a useful method for studying large brain structures such as the cerebellum and brainstem. However, automated segmentation may lead to inaccuracy and/or undesirable boundary. The goal of the present study was to investigate whether SegAdapter, a machine learning-based method, is useful for automatically correcting large segmentation errors and disagreement in anatomical definition. We further assessed the robustness of the method in handling size of training set, differences in head coil usage, and amount of brain atrophy. High resolution T1-weighted images were acquired from 30 healthy controls scanned with either an 8-channel or 32-channel head coil. Ten patients, who suffered from brain atrophy because of fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome, were scanned using the 32-channel head coil. The initial segmentations of the cerebellum and brainstem were generated automatically using Freesurfer. Subsequently, Freesurfer's segmentations were both manually corrected to serve as the gold standard and automatically corrected by SegAdapter. Using only 5 scans in the training set, spatial overlap with manual segmentation in Dice coefficient improved significantly from 0.956 (for Freesurfer segmentation) to 0.978 (for SegAdapter-corrected segmentation) for the cerebellum and from 0.821 to 0.954 for the brainstem. Reducing the training set size to 2 scans only decreased the Dice coefficient ≤0.002 for the cerebellum and ≤ 0.005 for the brainstem compared to the use of training set size of 5 scans in corrective learning. The method was also robust in handling differences between the training set and the test set in head coil usage and the amount of brain atrophy, which reduced spatial overlap only by segmentation and corrective learning provides a valuable method for accurate and efficient segmentation of the cerebellum and brainstem, particularly in large-scale neuroimaging studies, and potentially for segmenting other neural regions as

  7. Improving graph-based OCT segmentation for severe pathology in retinitis pigmentosa patients

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lang, Andrew; Carass, Aaron; Bittner, Ava K.; Ying, Howard S.; Prince, Jerry L.

    2017-03-01

    Three dimensional segmentation of macular optical coherence tomography (OCT) data of subjects with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a challenging problem due to the disappearance of the photoreceptor layers, which causes algorithms developed for segmentation of healthy data to perform poorly on RP patients. In this work, we present enhancements to a previously developed graph-based OCT segmentation pipeline to enable processing of RP data. The algorithm segments eight retinal layers in RP data by relaxing constraints on the thickness and smoothness of each layer learned from healthy data. Following from prior work, a random forest classifier is first trained on the RP data to estimate boundary probabilities, which are used by a graph search algorithm to find the optimal set of nine surfaces that fit the data. Due to the intensity disparity between normal layers of healthy controls and layers in various stages of degeneration in RP patients, an additional intensity normalization step is introduced. Leave-one-out validation on data acquired from nine subjects showed an average overall boundary error of 4.22 μm as compared to 6.02 μm using the original algorithm.

  8. An Image Matching Algorithm Integrating Global SRTM and Image Segmentation for Multi-Source Satellite Imagery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiao Ling

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a novel image matching method for multi-source satellite images, which integrates global Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM data and image segmentation to achieve robust and numerous correspondences. This method first generates the epipolar lines as a geometric constraint assisted by global SRTM data, after which the seed points are selected and matched. To produce more reliable matching results, a region segmentation-based matching propagation is proposed in this paper, whereby the region segmentations are extracted by image segmentation and are considered to be a spatial constraint. Moreover, a similarity measure integrating Distance, Angle and Normalized Cross-Correlation (DANCC, which considers geometric similarity and radiometric similarity, is introduced to find the optimal correspondences. Experiments using typical satellite images acquired from Resources Satellite-3 (ZY-3, Mapping Satellite-1, SPOT-5 and Google Earth demonstrated that the proposed method is able to produce reliable and accurate matching results.

  9. NeuroBlocks – Visual Tracking of Segmentation and Proofreading for Large Connectomics Projects

    KAUST Repository

    Al-Awami, Ali

    2015-08-12

    In the field of connectomics, neuroscientists acquire electron microscopy volumes at nanometer resolution in order to reconstruct a detailed wiring diagram of the neurons in the brain. The resulting image volumes, which often are hundreds of terabytes in size, need to be segmented to identify cell boundaries, synapses, and important cell organelles. However, the segmentation process of a single volume is very complex, time-intensive, and usually performed using a diverse set of tools and many users. To tackle the associated challenges, this paper presents NeuroBlocks, which is a novel visualization system for tracking the state, progress, and evolution of very large volumetric segmentation data in neuroscience. NeuroBlocks is a multi-user web-based application that seamlessly integrates the diverse set of tools that neuroscientists currently use for manual and semi-automatic segmentation, proofreading, visualization, and analysis. NeuroBlocks is the first system that integrates this heterogeneous tool set, providing crucial support for the management, provenance, accountability, and auditing of large-scale segmentations. We describe the design of NeuroBlocks, starting with an analysis of the domain-specific tasks, their inherent challenges, and our subsequent task abstraction and visual representation. We demonstrate the utility of our design based on two case studies that focus on different user roles and their respective requirements for performing and tracking the progress of segmentation and proofreading in a large real-world connectomics project.

  10. Reproducible segmentation of white matter hyperintensities using a new statistical definition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Damangir, Soheil; Westman, Eric; Simmons, Andrew; Vrenken, Hugo; Wahlund, Lars-Olof; Spulber, Gabriela

    2017-06-01

    We present a method based on a proposed statistical definition of white matter hyperintensities (WMH), which can work with any combination of conventional magnetic resonance (MR) sequences without depending on manually delineated samples. T1-weighted, T2-weighted, FLAIR, and PD sequences acquired at 1.5 Tesla from 119 subjects from the Kings Health Partners-Dementia Case Register (healthy controls, mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's disease) were used. The segmentation was performed using a proposed definition for WMH based on the one-tailed Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. The presented method was verified, given all possible combinations of input sequences, against manual segmentations and a high similarity (Dice 0.85-0.91) was observed. Comparing segmentations with different input sequences to one another also yielded a high similarity (Dice 0.83-0.94) that exceeded intra-rater similarity (Dice 0.75-0.91). We compared the results with those of other available methods and showed that the segmentation based on the proposed definition has better accuracy and reproducibility in the test dataset used. Overall, the presented definition is shown to produce accurate results with higher reproducibility than manual delineation. This approach can be an alternative to other manual or automatic methods not only because of its accuracy, but also due to its good reproducibility.

  11. A Regions of Confidence Based Approach to Enhance Segmentation with Shape Priors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Appia, Vikram V; Ganapathy, Balaji; Abufadel, Amer; Yezzi, Anthony; Faber, Tracy

    2010-01-18

    We propose an improved region based segmentation model with shape priors that uses labels of confidence/interest to exclude the influence of certain regions in the image that may not provide useful information for segmentation. These could be regions in the image which are expected to have weak, missing or corrupt edges or they could be regions in the image which the user is not interested in segmenting, but are part of the object being segmented. In the training datasets, along with the manual segmentations we also generate an auxiliary map indicating these regions of low confidence/interest. Since, all the training images are acquired under similar conditions, we can train our algorithm to estimate these regions as well. Based on this training we will generate a map which indicates the regions in the image that are likely to contain no useful information for segmentation. We then use a parametric model to represent the segmenting curve as a combination of shape priors obtained by representing the training data as a collection of signed distance functions. We evolve an objective energy functional to evolve the global parameters that are used to represent the curve. We vary the influence each pixel has on the evolution of these parameters based on the confidence/interest label. When we use these labels to indicate the regions with low confidence; the regions containing accurate edges will have a dominant role in the evolution of the curve and the segmentation in the low confidence regions will be approximated based on the training data. Since our model evolves global parameters, it improves the segmentation even in the regions with accurate edges. This is because we eliminate the influence of the low confidence regions which may mislead the final segmentation. Similarly when we use the labels to indicate the regions which are not of importance, we will get a better segmentation of the object in the regions we are interested in.

  12. Saliency-aware food image segmentation for personal dietary assessment using a wearable computer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Hsin-Chen; Jia, Wenyan; Li, Yuecheng; Sun, Mingui; Sun, Xin; Li, Zhaoxin; Fernstrom, John D; Burke, Lora E; Baranowski, Thomas

    2015-01-01

    Image-based dietary assessment has recently received much attention in the community of obesity research. In this assessment, foods in digital pictures are specified, and their portion sizes (volumes) are estimated. Although manual processing is currently the most utilized method, image processing holds much promise since it may eventually lead to automatic dietary assessment. In this paper we study the problem of segmenting food objects from images. This segmentation is difficult because of various food types, shapes and colors, different decorating patterns on food containers, and occlusions of food and non-food objects. We propose a novel method based on a saliency-aware active contour model (ACM) for automatic food segmentation from images acquired by a wearable camera. An integrated saliency estimation approach based on food location priors and visual attention features is designed to produce a salient map of possible food regions in the input image. Next, a geometric contour primitive is generated and fitted to the salient map by means of multi-resolution optimization with respect to a set of affine and elastic transformation parameters. The food regions are then extracted after contour fitting. Our experiments using 60 food images showed that the proposed method achieved significantly higher accuracy in food segmentation when compared to conventional segmentation methods. (paper)

  13. Saliency-aware food image segmentation for personal dietary assessment using a wearable computer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Hsin-Chen; Jia, Wenyan; Sun, Xin; Li, Zhaoxin; Li, Yuecheng; Fernstrom, John D.; Burke, Lora E.; Baranowski, Thomas; Sun, Mingui

    2015-02-01

    Image-based dietary assessment has recently received much attention in the community of obesity research. In this assessment, foods in digital pictures are specified, and their portion sizes (volumes) are estimated. Although manual processing is currently the most utilized method, image processing holds much promise since it may eventually lead to automatic dietary assessment. In this paper we study the problem of segmenting food objects from images. This segmentation is difficult because of various food types, shapes and colors, different decorating patterns on food containers, and occlusions of food and non-food objects. We propose a novel method based on a saliency-aware active contour model (ACM) for automatic food segmentation from images acquired by a wearable camera. An integrated saliency estimation approach based on food location priors and visual attention features is designed to produce a salient map of possible food regions in the input image. Next, a geometric contour primitive is generated and fitted to the salient map by means of multi-resolution optimization with respect to a set of affine and elastic transformation parameters. The food regions are then extracted after contour fitting. Our experiments using 60 food images showed that the proposed method achieved significantly higher accuracy in food segmentation when compared to conventional segmentation methods.

  14. SU-E-J-168: Automated Pancreas Segmentation Based On Dynamic MRI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gou, S; Rapacchi, S; Hu, P; Sheng, K

    2014-01-01

    Purpose: MRI guided radiotherapy is particularly attractive for abdominal targets with low CT contrast. To fully utilize this modality for pancreas tracking, automated segmentation tools are needed. A hybrid gradient, region growth and shape constraint (hGReS) method to segment 2D upper abdominal dynamic MRI is developed for this purpose. Methods: 2D coronal dynamic MR images of 2 healthy volunteers were acquired with a frame rate of 5 f/second. The regions of interest (ROIs) included the liver, pancreas and stomach. The first frame was used as the source where the centers of the ROIs were annotated. These center locations were propagated to the next dynamic MRI frame. 4-neighborhood region transfer growth was performed from these initial seeds for rough segmentation. To improve the results, gradient, edge and shape constraints were applied to the ROIs before final refinement using morphological operations. Results from hGReS and 3 other automated segmentation methods using edge detection, region growth and level set were compared to manual contouring. Results: For the first patient, hGReS resulted in the organ segmentation accuracy as measure by the Dices index (0.77) for the pancreas. The accuracy was slightly superior to the level set method (0.72), and both are significantly more accurate than the edge detection (0.53) and region growth methods (0.42). For the second healthy volunteer, hGReS reliably segmented the pancreatic region, achieving a Dices index of 0.82, 0.92 and 0.93 for the pancreas, stomach and liver, respectively, comparing to manual segmentation. Motion trajectories derived from the hGReS, level set and manual segmentation methods showed high correlation to respiratory motion calculated using a lung blood vessel as the reference while the other two methods showed substantial motion tracking errors. hGReS was 10 times faster than level set. Conclusion: We have shown the feasibility of automated segmentation of the pancreas anatomy based on

  15. Restoring a functional and mobile shoulder following reconstruction of the sternoclavicular joint with a free vascularized fibular flap

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abby Choke

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available Infection of the sternoclavicular joint (SCJ is rare and often missed at early stage. In extensive disease with bony and soft tissue destruction, radical excision is indicated. The loss of SCJ results in exposure of vital structures of the anterior mediastinum and instability of the shoulder girdle. SCJ reconstruction using locoregional muscle flaps like the pectoralis major or latissimus dorsi flap has been well described. While these options can provide soft tissue coverage, they do not restore the structural framework of the SCJ which is important for shoulder excursion and chest wall movement. We describe a case of SCJ reconstruction using a free vascularized fibular flap following the resection of sternoclavicular tubercular osteomyelitis. The fibula bone was used to restore the clavicular strut by anchoring it to the remaining manubrium with a steel wire and by plating the lateral end to the remnant clavicle. The steel wire served as a “defunctioning” cerclage that allowed motion of the joint to induce fibrous union. A strict post-operative rehabilitation protocol keeping the shoulder adducted at the initial phase was prescribed. At one year follow up, the patient achieved good shoulder function with 140 degrees of shoulder abduction and 110 degrees flexion.

  16. Segmentation of multiple heart cavities in 3-D transesophageal ultrasound images.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haak, Alexander; Vegas-Sánchez-Ferrero, Gonzalo; Mulder, Harriët W; Ren, Ben; Kirişli, Hortense A; Metz, Coert; van Burken, Gerard; van Stralen, Marijn; Pluim, Josien P W; van der Steen, Antonius F W; van Walsum, Theo; Bosch, Johannes G

    2015-06-01

    Three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is an excellent modality for real-time visualization of the heart and monitoring of interventions. To improve the usability of 3-D TEE for intervention monitoring and catheter guidance, automated segmentation is desired. However, 3-D TEE segmentation is still a challenging task due to the complex anatomy with multiple cavities, the limited TEE field of view, and typical ultrasound artifacts. We propose to segment all cavities within the TEE view with a multi-cavity active shape model (ASM) in conjunction with a tissue/blood classification based on a gamma mixture model (GMM). 3-D TEE image data of twenty patients were acquired with a Philips X7-2t matrix TEE probe. Tissue probability maps were estimated by a two-class (blood/tissue) GMM. A statistical shape model containing the left ventricle, right ventricle, left atrium, right atrium, and aorta was derived from computed tomography angiography (CTA) segmentations by principal component analysis. ASMs of the whole heart and individual cavities were generated and consecutively fitted to tissue probability maps. First, an average whole-heart model was aligned with the 3-D TEE based on three manually indicated anatomical landmarks. Second, pose and shape of the whole-heart ASM were fitted by a weighted update scheme excluding parts outside of the image sector. Third, pose and shape of ASM for individual heart cavities were initialized by the previous whole heart ASM and updated in a regularized manner to fit the tissue probability maps. The ASM segmentations were validated against manual outlines by two observers and CTA derived segmentations. Dice coefficients and point-to-surface distances were used to determine segmentation accuracy. ASM segmentations were successful in 19 of 20 cases. The median Dice coefficient for all successful segmentations versus the average observer ranged from 90% to 71% compared with an inter-observer range of 95% to 84%. The

  17. Hypertrophy and pseudohypertrophy of the lower leg following chronic radiculopathy and neuropathy: imaging findings in two patients

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Beuckeleer, L. de; Schepper, A. de; Vanhoenacker, F.; Schepper, A. Jr. de; Seynaeve, P.

    1999-01-01

    Enlargement of the ipsilateral muscle compartment is an exceptional finding in patients with chronic radiculopathy, peripheral nerve injury, anterior horn cell diseases, or acquired peripheral neuropathy. We report radiographic, ultrasonographic, CT and MRI findings in a patient with chronic S1 radiculopathy and another with chronic neuropathy of the common fibular nerve (L4-S2), both presenting with painless enlargement of the calf muscles. (orig.)

  18. Consistent interactive segmentation of pulmonary ground glass nodules identified in CT studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Li; Fang, Ming; Naidich, David P.; Novak, Carol L.

    2004-05-01

    Ground glass nodules (GGNs) have proved especially problematic in lung cancer diagnosis, as despite frequently being malignant they characteristically have extremely slow rates of growth. This problem is further magnified by the small size of many of these lesions now being routinely detected following the introduction of multislice CT scanners capable of acquiring contiguous high resolution 1 to 1.25 mm sections throughout the thorax in a single breathhold period. Although segmentation of solid nodules can be used clinically to determine volume doubling times quantitatively, reliable methods for segmentation of pure ground glass nodules have yet to be introduced. Our purpose is to evaluate a newly developed computer-based segmentation method for rapid and reproducible measurements of pure ground glass nodules. 23 pure or mixed ground glass nodules were identified in a total of 8 patients by a radiologist and subsequently segmented by our computer-based method using Markov random field and shape analysis. The computer-based segmentation was initialized by a click point. Methodological consistency was assessed using the overlap ratio between 3 segmentations initialized by 3 different click points for each nodule. The 95% confidence interval on the mean of the overlap ratios proved to be [0.984, 0.998]. The computer-based method failed on two nodules that were difficult to segment even manually either due to especially low contrast or markedly irregular margins. While achieving consistent manual segmentation of ground glass nodules has proven problematic most often due to indistinct boundaries and interobserver variability, our proposed method introduces a powerful new tool for obtaining reproducible quantitative measurements of these lesions. It is our intention to further document the value of this approach with a still larger set of ground glass nodules.

  19. Automated vessel shadow segmentation of fovea-centered spectral-domain images from multiple OCT devices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Jing; Gerendas, Bianca S.; Waldstein, Sebastian M.; Simader, Christian; Schmidt-Erfurth, Ursula

    2014-03-01

    Spectral-domain Optical Coherence Tomography (SD-OCT) is a non-invasive modality for acquiring high reso- lution, three-dimensional (3D) cross sectional volumetric images of the retina and the subretinal layers. SD-OCT also allows the detailed imaging of retinal pathology, aiding clinicians in the diagnosis of sight degrading diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and glaucoma.1 Disease diagnosis, assessment, and treatment requires a patient to undergo multiple OCT scans, possibly using different scanning devices, to accurately and precisely gauge disease activity, progression and treatment success. However, the use of OCT imaging devices from different vendors, combined with patient movement may result in poor scan spatial correlation, potentially leading to incorrect patient diagnosis or treatment analysis. Image registration can be used to precisely compare disease states by registering differing 3D scans to one another. In order to align 3D scans from different time- points and vendors using registration, landmarks are required, the most obvious being the retinal vasculature. Presented here is a fully automated cross-vendor method to acquire retina vessel locations for OCT registration from fovea centred 3D SD-OCT scans based on vessel shadows. Noise filtered OCT scans are flattened based on vendor retinal layer segmentation, to extract the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) layer of the retina. Voxel based layer profile analysis and k-means clustering is used to extract candidate vessel shadow regions from the RPE layer. In conjunction, the extracted RPE layers are combined to generate a projection image featuring all candidate vessel shadows. Image processing methods for vessel segmentation of the OCT constructed projection image are then applied to optimize the accuracy of OCT vessel shadow segmentation through the removal of false positive shadow regions such as those caused by exudates and cysts. Validation of segmented vessel shadows uses

  20. Bias atlases for segmentation-based PET attenuation correction using PET-CT and MR.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ouyang, Jinsong; Chun, Se Young; Petibon, Yoann; Bonab, Ali A; Alpert, Nathaniel; Fakhri, Georges El

    2013-10-01

    This study was to obtain voxel-wise PET accuracy and precision using tissue-segmentation for attenuation correction. We applied multiple thresholds to the CTs of 23 patients to classify tissues. For six of the 23 patients, MR images were also acquired. The MR fat/in-phase ratio images were used for fat segmentation. Segmented tissue classes were used to create attenuation maps, which were used for attenuation correction in PET reconstruction. PET bias images were then computed using the PET reconstructed with the original CT as the reference. We registered the CTs for all the patients and transformed the corresponding bias images accordingly. We then obtained the mean and standard deviation bias atlas using all the registered bias images. Our CT-based study shows that four-class segmentation (air, lungs, fat, other tissues), which is available on most PET-MR scanners, yields 15.1%, 4.1%, 6.6%, and 12.9% RMSE bias in lungs, fat, non-fat soft-tissues, and bones, respectively. An accurate fat identification is achievable using fat/in-phase MR images. Furthermore, we have found that three-class segmentation (air, lungs, other tissues) yields less than 5% standard deviation of bias within the heart, liver, and kidneys. This implies that three-class segmentation can be sufficient to achieve small variation of bias for imaging these three organs. Finally, we have found that inter- and intra-patient lung density variations contribute almost equally to the overall standard deviation of bias within the lungs.

  1. Interactive vs. automatic ultrasound image segmentation methods for staging hepatic lipidosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weijers, Gert; Starke, Alexander; Haudum, Alois; Thijssen, Johan M; Rehage, Jürgen; De Korte, Chris L

    2010-07-01

    The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that automatic segmentation of vessels in ultrasound (US) images can produce similar or better results in grading fatty livers than interactive segmentation. A study was performed in postpartum dairy cows (N=151), as an animal model of human fatty liver disease, to test this hypothesis. Five transcutaneous and five intraoperative US liver images were acquired in each animal and a liverbiopsy was taken. In liver tissue samples, triacylglycerol (TAG) was measured by biochemical analysis and hepatic diseases other than hepatic lipidosis were excluded by histopathologic examination. Ultrasonic tissue characterization (UTC) parameters--Mean echo level, standard deviation (SD) of echo level, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), residual attenuation coefficient (ResAtt) and axial and lateral speckle size--were derived using a computer-aided US (CAUS) protocol and software package. First, the liver tissue was interactively segmented by two observers. With increasing fat content, fewer hepatic vessels were visible in the ultrasound images and, therefore, a smaller proportion of the liver needed to be excluded from these images. Automatic-segmentation algorithms were implemented and it was investigated whether better results could be achieved than with the subjective and time-consuming interactive-segmentation procedure. The automatic-segmentation algorithms were based on both fixed and adaptive thresholding techniques in combination with a 'speckle'-shaped moving-window exclusion technique. All data were analyzed with and without postprocessing as contained in CAUS and with different automated-segmentation techniques. This enabled us to study the effect of the applied postprocessing steps on single and multiple linear regressions ofthe various UTC parameters with TAG. Improved correlations for all US parameters were found by using automatic-segmentation techniques. Stepwise multiple linear-regression formulas where derived and used

  2. Local appearance features for robust MRI brain structure segmentation across scanning protocols

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Achterberg, H.C.; Poot, Dirk H. J.; van der Lijn, Fedde

    2013-01-01

    Segmentation of brain structures in magnetic resonance images is an important task in neuro image analysis. Several papers on this topic have shown the benefit of supervised classification based on local appearance features, often combined with atlas-based approaches. These methods require...... a representative annotated training set and therefore often do not perform well if the target image is acquired on a different scanner or with a different acquisition protocol than the training images. Assuming that the appearance of the brain is determined by the underlying brain tissue distribution...... with substantially different imaging protocols and on different scanners. While a combination of conventional appearance features trained on data from a different scanner with multiatlas segmentation performed poorly with an average Dice overlap of 0.698, the local appearance model based on the new acquisition...

  3. Robust Machine Learning-Based Correction on Automatic Segmentation of the Cerebellum and Brainstem.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jun Yi Wang

    Full Text Available Automated segmentation is a useful method for studying large brain structures such as the cerebellum and brainstem. However, automated segmentation may lead to inaccuracy and/or undesirable boundary. The goal of the present study was to investigate whether SegAdapter, a machine learning-based method, is useful for automatically correcting large segmentation errors and disagreement in anatomical definition. We further assessed the robustness of the method in handling size of training set, differences in head coil usage, and amount of brain atrophy. High resolution T1-weighted images were acquired from 30 healthy controls scanned with either an 8-channel or 32-channel head coil. Ten patients, who suffered from brain atrophy because of fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome, were scanned using the 32-channel head coil. The initial segmentations of the cerebellum and brainstem were generated automatically using Freesurfer. Subsequently, Freesurfer's segmentations were both manually corrected to serve as the gold standard and automatically corrected by SegAdapter. Using only 5 scans in the training set, spatial overlap with manual segmentation in Dice coefficient improved significantly from 0.956 (for Freesurfer segmentation to 0.978 (for SegAdapter-corrected segmentation for the cerebellum and from 0.821 to 0.954 for the brainstem. Reducing the training set size to 2 scans only decreased the Dice coefficient ≤0.002 for the cerebellum and ≤ 0.005 for the brainstem compared to the use of training set size of 5 scans in corrective learning. The method was also robust in handling differences between the training set and the test set in head coil usage and the amount of brain atrophy, which reduced spatial overlap only by <0.01. These results suggest that the combination of automated segmentation and corrective learning provides a valuable method for accurate and efficient segmentation of the cerebellum and brainstem, particularly in large

  4. Associations Between Family Adversity and Brain Volume in Adolescence: Manual vs. Automated Brain Segmentation Yields Different Results

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hannah Lyden

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Associations between brain structure and early adversity have been inconsistent in the literature. These inconsistencies may be partially due to methodological differences. Different methods of brain segmentation may produce different results, obscuring the relationship between early adversity and brain volume. Moreover, adolescence is a time of significant brain growth and certain brain areas have distinct rates of development, which may compromise the accuracy of automated segmentation approaches. In the current study, 23 adolescents participated in two waves of a longitudinal study. Family aggression was measured when the youths were 12 years old, and structural scans were acquired an average of 4 years later. Bilateral amygdalae and hippocampi were segmented using three different methods (manual tracing, FSL, and NeuroQuant. The segmentation estimates were compared, and linear regressions were run to assess the relationship between early family aggression exposure and all three volume segmentation estimates. Manual tracing results showed a positive relationship between family aggression and right amygdala volume, whereas FSL segmentation showed negative relationships between family aggression and both the left and right hippocampi. However, results indicate poor overlap between methods, and different associations between early family aggression exposure and brain volume depending on the segmentation method used.

  5. Associations between Family Adversity and Brain Volume in Adolescence: Manual vs. Automated Brain Segmentation Yields Different Results.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lyden, Hannah; Gimbel, Sarah I; Del Piero, Larissa; Tsai, A Bryna; Sachs, Matthew E; Kaplan, Jonas T; Margolin, Gayla; Saxbe, Darby

    2016-01-01

    Associations between brain structure and early adversity have been inconsistent in the literature. These inconsistencies may be partially due to methodological differences. Different methods of brain segmentation may produce different results, obscuring the relationship between early adversity and brain volume. Moreover, adolescence is a time of significant brain growth and certain brain areas have distinct rates of development, which may compromise the accuracy of automated segmentation approaches. In the current study, 23 adolescents participated in two waves of a longitudinal study. Family aggression was measured when the youths were 12 years old, and structural scans were acquired an average of 4 years later. Bilateral amygdalae and hippocampi were segmented using three different methods (manual tracing, FSL, and NeuroQuant). The segmentation estimates were compared, and linear regressions were run to assess the relationship between early family aggression exposure and all three volume segmentation estimates. Manual tracing results showed a positive relationship between family aggression and right amygdala volume, whereas FSL segmentation showed negative relationships between family aggression and both the left and right hippocampi. However, results indicate poor overlap between methods, and different associations were found between early family aggression exposure and brain volume depending on the segmentation method used.

  6. Ultrasound Common Carotid Artery Segmentation Based on Active Shape Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Xin; Jin, Jiaoying; Xu, Mengling; Wu, Huihui; He, Wanji; Yuchi, Ming; Ding, Mingyue

    2013-01-01

    Carotid atherosclerosis is a major reason of stroke, a leading cause of death and disability. In this paper, a segmentation method based on Active Shape Model (ASM) is developed and evaluated to outline common carotid artery (CCA) for carotid atherosclerosis computer-aided evaluation and diagnosis. The proposed method is used to segment both media-adventitia-boundary (MAB) and lumen-intima-boundary (LIB) on transverse views slices from three-dimensional ultrasound (3D US) images. The data set consists of sixty-eight, 17 × 2 × 2, 3D US volume data acquired from the left and right carotid arteries of seventeen patients (eight treated with 80 mg atorvastatin and nine with placebo), who had carotid stenosis of 60% or more, at baseline and after three months of treatment. Manually outlined boundaries by expert are adopted as the ground truth for evaluation. For the MAB and LIB segmentations, respectively, the algorithm yielded Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC) of 94.4% ± 3.2% and 92.8% ± 3.3%, mean absolute distances (MAD) of 0.26 ± 0.18 mm and 0.33 ± 0.21 mm, and maximum absolute distances (MAXD) of 0.75 ± 0.46 mm and 0.84 ± 0.39 mm. It took 4.3 ± 0.5 mins to segment single 3D US images, while it took 11.7 ± 1.2 mins for manual segmentation. The method would promote the translation of carotid 3D US to clinical care for the monitoring of the atherosclerotic disease progression and regression. PMID:23533535

  7. Ultrasound Common Carotid Artery Segmentation Based on Active Shape Model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xin Yang

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Carotid atherosclerosis is a major reason of stroke, a leading cause of death and disability. In this paper, a segmentation method based on Active Shape Model (ASM is developed and evaluated to outline common carotid artery (CCA for carotid atherosclerosis computer-aided evaluation and diagnosis. The proposed method is used to segment both media-adventitia-boundary (MAB and lumen-intima-boundary (LIB on transverse views slices from three-dimensional ultrasound (3D US images. The data set consists of sixty-eight, 17 × 2 × 2, 3D US volume data acquired from the left and right carotid arteries of seventeen patients (eight treated with 80 mg atorvastatin and nine with placebo, who had carotid stenosis of 60% or more, at baseline and after three months of treatment. Manually outlined boundaries by expert are adopted as the ground truth for evaluation. For the MAB and LIB segmentations, respectively, the algorithm yielded Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC of 94.4% ± 3.2% and 92.8% ± 3.3%, mean absolute distances (MAD of 0.26 ± 0.18 mm and 0.33 ± 0.21 mm, and maximum absolute distances (MAXD of 0.75 ± 0.46 mm and 0.84 ± 0.39 mm. It took 4.3 ± 0.5 mins to segment single 3D US images, while it took 11.7 ± 1.2 mins for manual segmentation. The method would promote the translation of carotid 3D US to clinical care for the monitoring of the atherosclerotic disease progression and regression.

  8. Brookhaven segment interconnect

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morse, W.M.; Benenson, G.; Leipuner, L.B.

    1983-01-01

    We have performed a high energy physics experiment using a multisegment Brookhaven FASTBUS system. The system was composed of three crate segments and two cable segments. We discuss the segment interconnect module which permits communication between the various segments

  9. Social interaction facilitates word learning in preverbal infants: Word-object mapping and word segmentation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hakuno, Yoko; Omori, Takahide; Yamamoto, Jun-Ichi; Minagawa, Yasuyo

    2017-08-01

    In natural settings, infants learn spoken language with the aid of a caregiver who explicitly provides social signals. Although previous studies have demonstrated that young infants are sensitive to these signals that facilitate language development, the impact of real-life interactions on early word segmentation and word-object mapping remains elusive. We tested whether infants aged 5-6 months and 9-10 months could segment a word from continuous speech and acquire a word-object relation in an ecologically valid setting. In Experiment 1, infants were exposed to a live tutor, while in Experiment 2, another group of infants were exposed to a televised tutor. Results indicate that both younger and older infants were capable of segmenting a word and learning a word-object association only when the stimuli were derived from a live tutor in a natural manner, suggesting that real-life interaction enhances the learning of spoken words in preverbal infants. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Hypertrophy and pseudohypertrophy of the lower leg following chronic radiculopathy and neuropathy: imaging findings in two patients

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Beuckeleer, L. de; Schepper, A. de [Department of Radiology, University Hospital Antwerp, Edegem (Netherlands); Vanhoenacker, F. [Department of Radiology, University Hospital Antwerp, Edegem (Netherlands)]|[Department of Radiology, AZ St. Maarten, Campus Duffel, Duffel (Belgium); Schepper, A. Jr. de [Department of Radiology, University Hospital Antwerp, Edegem (Netherlands)]|[Department of Radiology, AZ Middelheim, Antwerpen (Belgium); Seynaeve, P. [Department of Radiology, AZ Middelheim, Antwerpen (Belgium)

    1999-04-01

    Enlargement of the ipsilateral muscle compartment is an exceptional finding in patients with chronic radiculopathy, peripheral nerve injury, anterior horn cell diseases, or acquired peripheral neuropathy. We report radiographic, ultrasonographic, CT and MRI findings in a patient with chronic S1 radiculopathy and another with chronic neuropathy of the common fibular nerve (L4-S2), both presenting with painless enlargement of the calf muscles. (orig.) With 2 figs., 7 refs.

  11. Differences in microbiological profile between community-acquired, healthcare-associated and hospital-acquired infections.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cardoso, Teresa; Ribeiro, Orquídea; Aragão, Irene; Costa-Pereira, Altamiro; Sarmento, António

    2013-01-01

    Microbiological profiles were analysed and compared for intra-abdominal, urinary, respiratory and bloodstream infections according to place of acquisition: community-acquired, with a separate analysis of healthcare-associated, and hospital-acquired. Prospective cohort study performed at a university tertiary care hospital over 1 year. Inclusion criteria were meeting the Centers for Disease Control definition of intra-abdominal, urinary, respiratory and bloodstream infections. A total of 1035 patients were included in the study. More than 25% of intra-abdominal infections were polymicrobial; multi-drug resistant gram-negatives were 38% in community-acquired, 50% in healthcare-associated and 57% in hospital-acquired. E. coli was the most prevalent among urinary infections: 69% in community-acquired, 56% in healthcare-associated and 26% in hospital-acquired; ESBL producers' pathogens were 10% in healthcare-associated and 3% in community-acquired and hospital-acquired. In respiratory infections Streptococcus pneumoniae was the most prevalent in community-acquired (54%) and MRSA in healthcare-associated (24%) and hospital-acquired (24%). A significant association was found between MRSA respiratory infection and hospitalization in the previous year (adjusted OR = 6.3), previous instrumentation (adjusted OR = 4.3) and previous antibiotic therapy (adjusted OR = 5.7); no cases were documented among patients without risk factors. Hospital mortality rate was 10% in community-acquired, 14% in healthcare-associated and 19% in hospital-acquired infection. This study shows that healthcare-associated has a different microbiologic profile than those from community or hospital acquired for the four main focus of infection. Knowledge of this fact is important because the existing guidelines for community-acquired are not entirely applicable for this group of patients.

  12. Active Segmentation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mishra, Ajay; Aloimonos, Yiannis

    2009-01-01

    The human visual system observes and understands a scene/image by making a series of fixations. Every fixation point lies inside a particular region of arbitrary shape and size in the scene which can either be an object or just a part of it. We define as a basic segmentation problem the task of segmenting that region containing the fixation point. Segmenting the region containing the fixation is equivalent to finding the enclosing contour- a connected set of boundary edge fragments in the edge map of the scene - around the fixation. This enclosing contour should be a depth boundary.We present here a novel algorithm that finds this bounding contour and achieves the segmentation of one object, given the fixation. The proposed segmentation framework combines monocular cues (color/intensity/texture) with stereo and/or motion, in a cue independent manner. The semantic robots of the immediate future will be able to use this algorithm to automatically find objects in any environment. The capability of automatically segmenting objects in their visual field can bring the visual processing to the next level. Our approach is different from current approaches. While existing work attempts to segment the whole scene at once into many areas, we segment only one image region, specifically the one containing the fixation point. Experiments with real imagery collected by our active robot and from the known databases 1 demonstrate the promise of the approach.

  13. Multiatlas segmentation of thoracic and abdominal anatomy with level set-based local search.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schreibmann, Eduard; Marcus, David M; Fox, Tim

    2014-07-08

    Segmentation of organs at risk (OARs) remains one of the most time-consuming tasks in radiotherapy treatment planning. Atlas-based segmentation methods using single templates have emerged as a practical approach to automate the process for brain or head and neck anatomy, but pose significant challenges in regions where large interpatient variations are present. We show that significant changes are needed to autosegment thoracic and abdominal datasets by combining multi-atlas deformable registration with a level set-based local search. Segmentation is hierarchical, with a first stage detecting bulk organ location, and a second step adapting the segmentation to fine details present in the patient scan. The first stage is based on warping multiple presegmented templates to the new patient anatomy using a multimodality deformable registration algorithm able to cope with changes in scanning conditions and artifacts. These segmentations are compacted in a probabilistic map of organ shape using the STAPLE algorithm. Final segmentation is obtained by adjusting the probability map for each organ type, using customized combinations of delineation filters exploiting prior knowledge of organ characteristics. Validation is performed by comparing automated and manual segmentation using the Dice coefficient, measured at an average of 0.971 for the aorta, 0.869 for the trachea, 0.958 for the lungs, 0.788 for the heart, 0.912 for the liver, 0.884 for the kidneys, 0.888 for the vertebrae, 0.863 for the spleen, and 0.740 for the spinal cord. Accurate atlas segmentation for abdominal and thoracic regions can be achieved with the usage of a multi-atlas and perstructure refinement strategy. To improve clinical workflow and efficiency, the algorithm was embedded in a software service, applying the algorithm automatically on acquired scans without any user interaction.

  14. GeoSegmenter: A statistically learned Chinese word segmenter for the geoscience domain

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Lan; Du, Youfu; Chen, Gongyang

    2015-03-01

    Unlike English, the Chinese language has no space between words. Segmenting texts into words, known as the Chinese word segmentation (CWS) problem, thus becomes a fundamental issue for processing Chinese documents and the first step in many text mining applications, including information retrieval, machine translation and knowledge acquisition. However, for the geoscience subject domain, the CWS problem remains unsolved. Although a generic segmenter can be applied to process geoscience documents, they lack the domain specific knowledge and consequently their segmentation accuracy drops dramatically. This motivated us to develop a segmenter specifically for the geoscience subject domain: the GeoSegmenter. We first proposed a generic two-step framework for domain specific CWS. Following this framework, we built GeoSegmenter using conditional random fields, a principled statistical framework for sequence learning. Specifically, GeoSegmenter first identifies general terms by using a generic baseline segmenter. Then it recognises geoscience terms by learning and applying a model that can transform the initial segmentation into the goal segmentation. Empirical experimental results on geoscience documents and benchmark datasets showed that GeoSegmenter could effectively recognise both geoscience terms and general terms.

  15. Segmentation of Drosophila Heart in Optical Coherence Microscopy Images Using Convolutional Neural Networks

    OpenAIRE

    Duan, Lian; Qin, Xi; He, Yuanhao; Sang, Xialin; Pan, Jinda; Xu, Tao; Men, Jing; Tanzi, Rudolph E.; Li, Airong; Ma, Yutao; Zhou, Chao

    2018-01-01

    Convolutional neural networks are powerful tools for image segmentation and classification. Here, we use this method to identify and mark the heart region of Drosophila at different developmental stages in the cross-sectional images acquired by a custom optical coherence microscopy (OCM) system. With our well-trained convolutional neural network model, the heart regions through multiple heartbeat cycles can be marked with an intersection over union (IOU) of ~86%. Various morphological and dyn...

  16. Radiographic manifestations of hypochondroplasia

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Heselson, N G; Cremin, B J [Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town (South Africa); Beighton, P

    1979-01-01

    Hypochrondroplasia is an inherited skeletal dysplasia that resembles achondroplasia in mild degree. Radiographic manifestations encountered in 12 affected individuals in South Africa include slight shortening of all segments of the tubular bones, moderate caudal diminution of the lumbar interpedicular distances, increased lumbar lordosis with cacral tilt and distal prolongation of the fibular. Hypochondroplasia can be distinguished from other osteochondrodystrophies such as achondroplasia, pseudo-achondroplasia and metaphyseal chondroplasia by the recognition of it clinical and radiographic manifestations.

  17. The radiographic manifestations of hypochondroplasia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heselson, N.G.; Cremin, B.J.; Beighton, P.

    1979-01-01

    Hypochrondroplasia is an inherited skeletal dysplasia that resembles achondroplasia in mild degree. Radiographic manifestations encountered in 12 affected individuals in South Africa include slight shortening of all segments of the tubular bones, moderate caudal diminution of the lumbar interpedicular distances, increased lumbar lordosis with cacral tilt and distal prolongation of the fibular. Hypochondroplasia can be distinguished from other osteochondrodystrophies such as achondroplasia, pseudo-achondroplasia and metaphyseal chondroplasia by the recognition of it clinical and radiographic manifestations. (author)

  18. Single-segment and double-segment INTACS for post-LASIK ectasia.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hassan Hashemi

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available The objective of the present study was to compare single segment and double segment INTACS rings in the treatment of post-LASIK ectasia. In this interventional study, 26 eyes with post-LASIK ectasia were assessed. Ectasia was defined as progressive myopia regardless of astigmatism, along with topographic evidence of inferior steepening of the cornea after LASIK. We excluded those with a history of intraocular surgery, certain eye conditions, and immune disorders, as well as monocular, pregnant and lactating patients. A total of 11 eyes had double ring and 15 eyes had single ring implantation. Visual and refractive outcomes were compared with preoperative values based on the number of implanted INTACS rings. Pre and postoperative spherical equivalent were -3.92 and -2.29 diopter (P=0.007. The spherical equivalent decreased by 1 ± 3.2 diopter in the single-segment group and 2.56 ± 1.58 diopter in the double-segment group (P=0.165. Mean preoperative astigmatism was 2.38 ± 1.93 diopter which decreased to 2.14 ± 1.1 diopter after surgery (P=0.508; 0.87 ± 1.98 diopter decrease in the single-segment group and 0.67 ± 1.2 diopter increase in the double-segment group (P=0.025. Nineteen patients (75% gained one or two lines, and only three, who were all in the double-segment group, lost one or two lines of best corrected visual acuity. The spherical equivalent and vision significantly decreased in all patients. In these post-LASIK ectasia patients, the spherical equivalent was corrected better with two segments compared to single segment implantation; nonetheless, the level of astigmatism in the single-segment group was significantly better than that in the double-segment group.

  19. Microscopy Image Browser: A Platform for Segmentation and Analysis of Multidimensional Datasets.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ilya Belevich

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Understanding the structure-function relationship of cells and organelles in their natural context requires multidimensional imaging. As techniques for multimodal 3-D imaging have become more accessible, effective processing, visualization, and analysis of large datasets are posing a bottleneck for the workflow. Here, we present a new software package for high-performance segmentation and image processing of multidimensional datasets that improves and facilitates the full utilization and quantitative analysis of acquired data, which is freely available from a dedicated website. The open-source environment enables modification and insertion of new plug-ins to customize the program for specific needs. We provide practical examples of program features used for processing, segmentation and analysis of light and electron microscopy datasets, and detailed tutorials to enable users to rapidly and thoroughly learn how to use the program.

  20. Segmentation of hepatic artery in multi-phase liver CT using directional dilation and connectivity analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Lei; Schnurr, Alena-Kathrin; Zidowitz, Stephan; Georgii, Joachim; Zhao, Yue; Razavi, Mohammad; Schwier, Michael; Hahn, Horst K.; Hansen, Christian

    2016-03-01

    Segmentation of hepatic arteries in multi-phase computed tomography (CT) images is indispensable in liver surgery planning. During image acquisition, the hepatic artery is enhanced by the injection of contrast agent. The enhanced signals are often not stably acquired due to non-optimal contrast timing. Other vascular structure, such as hepatic vein or portal vein, can be enhanced as well in the arterial phase, which can adversely affect the segmentation results. Furthermore, the arteries might suffer from partial volume effects due to their small diameter. To overcome these difficulties, we propose a framework for robust hepatic artery segmentation requiring a minimal amount of user interaction. First, an efficient multi-scale Hessian-based vesselness filter is applied on the artery phase CT image, aiming to enhance vessel structures with specified diameter range. Second, the vesselness response is processed using a Bayesian classifier to identify the most probable vessel structures. Considering the vesselness filter normally performs not ideally on the vessel bifurcations or the segments corrupted by noise, two vessel-reconnection techniques are proposed. The first technique uses a directional morphological operator to dilate vessel segments along their centerline directions, attempting to fill the gap between broken vascular segments. The second technique analyzes the connectivity of vessel segments and reconnects disconnected segments and branches. Finally, a 3D vessel tree is reconstructed. The algorithm has been evaluated using 18 CT images of the liver. To quantitatively measure the similarities between segmented and reference vessel trees, the skeleton coverage and mean symmetric distance are calculated to quantify the agreement between reference and segmented vessel skeletons, resulting in an average of 0:55+/-0:27 and 12:7+/-7:9 mm (mean standard deviation), respectively.

  1. A comparative study of automatic image segmentation algorithms for target tracking in MR‐IGRT

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feng, Yuan; Kawrakow, Iwan; Olsen, Jeff; Parikh, Parag J.; Noel, Camille; Wooten, Omar; Du, Dongsu; Mutic, Sasa

    2016-01-01

    On‐board magnetic resonance (MR) image guidance during radiation therapy offers the potential for more accurate treatment delivery. To utilize the real‐time image information, a crucial prerequisite is the ability to successfully segment and track regions of interest (ROI). The purpose of this work is to evaluate the performance of different segmentation algorithms using motion images (4 frames per second) acquired using a MR image‐guided radiotherapy (MR‐IGRT) system. Manual contours of the kidney, bladder, duodenum, and a liver tumor by an experienced radiation oncologist were used as the ground truth for performance evaluation. Besides the manual segmentation, images were automatically segmented using thresholding, fuzzy k‐means (FKM), k‐harmonic means (KHM), and reaction‐diffusion level set evolution (RD‐LSE) algorithms, as well as the tissue tracking algorithm provided by the ViewRay treatment planning and delivery system (VR‐TPDS). The performance of the five algorithms was evaluated quantitatively by comparing with the manual segmentation using the Dice coefficient and target registration error (TRE) measured as the distance between the centroid of the manual ROI and the centroid of the automatically segmented ROI. All methods were able to successfully segment the bladder and the kidney, but only FKM, KHM, and VR‐TPDS were able to segment the liver tumor and the duodenum. The performance of the thresholding, FKM, KHM, and RD‐LSE algorithms degraded as the local image contrast decreased, whereas the performance of the VP‐TPDS method was nearly independent of local image contrast due to the reference registration algorithm. For segmenting high‐contrast images (i.e., kidney), the thresholding method provided the best speed (<1 ms) with a satisfying accuracy (Dice=0.95). When the image contrast was low, the VR‐TPDS method had the best automatic contour. Results suggest an image quality determination procedure before segmentation and

  2. A comparative study of automatic image segmentation algorithms for target tracking in MR-IGRT.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feng, Yuan; Kawrakow, Iwan; Olsen, Jeff; Parikh, Parag J; Noel, Camille; Wooten, Omar; Du, Dongsu; Mutic, Sasa; Hu, Yanle

    2016-03-01

    On-board magnetic resonance (MR) image guidance during radiation therapy offers the potential for more accurate treatment delivery. To utilize the real-time image information, a crucial prerequisite is the ability to successfully segment and track regions of interest (ROI). The purpose of this work is to evaluate the performance of different segmentation algorithms using motion images (4 frames per second) acquired using a MR image-guided radiotherapy (MR-IGRT) system. Manual contours of the kidney, bladder, duodenum, and a liver tumor by an experienced radiation oncologist were used as the ground truth for performance evaluation. Besides the manual segmentation, images were automatically segmented using thresholding, fuzzy k-means (FKM), k-harmonic means (KHM), and reaction-diffusion level set evolution (RD-LSE) algorithms, as well as the tissue tracking algorithm provided by the ViewRay treatment planning and delivery system (VR-TPDS). The performance of the five algorithms was evaluated quantitatively by comparing with the manual segmentation using the Dice coefficient and target registration error (TRE) measured as the distance between the centroid of the manual ROI and the centroid of the automatically segmented ROI. All methods were able to successfully segment the bladder and the kidney, but only FKM, KHM, and VR-TPDS were able to segment the liver tumor and the duodenum. The performance of the thresholding, FKM, KHM, and RD-LSE algorithms degraded as the local image contrast decreased, whereas the performance of the VP-TPDS method was nearly independent of local image contrast due to the reference registration algorithm. For segmenting high-contrast images (i.e., kidney), the thresholding method provided the best speed (<1 ms) with a satisfying accuracy (Dice=0.95). When the image contrast was low, the VR-TPDS method had the best automatic contour. Results suggest an image quality determination procedure before segmentation and a combination of different

  3. Quantification and visualization of carotid segmentation accuracy and precision using a 2D standardized carotid map

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chiu, Bernard; Ukwatta, Eranga; Shavakh, Shadi; Fenster, Aaron

    2013-01-01

    This paper describes a framework for vascular image segmentation evaluation. Since the size of vessel wall and plaque burden is defined by the lumen and wall boundaries in vascular segmentation, these two boundaries should be considered as a pair in statistical evaluation of a segmentation algorithm. This work proposed statistical metrics to evaluate the difference of local vessel wall thickness (VWT) produced by manual and algorithm-based semi-automatic segmentation methods (ΔT) with the local segmentation standard deviation of the wall and lumen boundaries considered. ΔT was further approximately decomposed into the local wall and lumen boundary differences (ΔW and ΔL respectively) in order to provide information regarding which of the wall and lumen segmentation errors contribute more to the VWT difference. In this study, the lumen and wall boundaries in 3D carotid ultrasound images acquired for 21 subjects were each segmented five times manually and by a level-set segmentation algorithm. The (absolute) difference measures (i.e., ΔT, ΔW, ΔL and their absolute values) and the pooled local standard deviation of manually and algorithmically segmented wall and lumen boundaries were computed for each subject and represented in a 2D standardized map. The local accuracy and variability of the segmentation algorithm at each point can be quantified by the average of these metrics for the whole group of subjects and visualized on the 2D standardized map. Based on the results shown on the 2D standardized map, a variety of strategies, such as adding anchor points and adjusting weights of different forces in the algorithm, can be introduced to improve the accuracy and variability of the algorithm. (paper)

  4. Segmentation of Brain Lesions in MRI and CT Scan Images: A Hybrid Approach Using k-Means Clustering and Image Morphology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agrawal, Ritu; Sharma, Manisha; Singh, Bikesh Kumar

    2018-04-01

    Manual segmentation and analysis of lesions in medical images is time consuming and subjected to human errors. Automated segmentation has thus gained significant attention in recent years. This article presents a hybrid approach for brain lesion segmentation in different imaging modalities by combining median filter, k means clustering, Sobel edge detection and morphological operations. Median filter is an essential pre-processing step and is used to remove impulsive noise from the acquired brain images followed by k-means segmentation, Sobel edge detection and morphological processing. The performance of proposed automated system is tested on standard datasets using performance measures such as segmentation accuracy and execution time. The proposed method achieves a high accuracy of 94% when compared with manual delineation performed by an expert radiologist. Furthermore, the statistical significance test between lesion segmented using automated approach and that by expert delineation using ANOVA and correlation coefficient achieved high significance values of 0.986 and 1 respectively. The experimental results obtained are discussed in lieu of some recently reported studies.

  5. Software for hyperspectral, joint photographic experts group (.JPG), portable network graphics (.PNG) and tagged image file format (.TIFF) segmentation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bruno, L. S.; Rodrigo, B. P.; Lucio, A. de C. Jorge

    2016-10-01

    This paper presents a system developed by an application of a neural network Multilayer Perceptron for drone acquired agricultural image segmentation. This application allows a supervised user training the classes that will posteriorly be interpreted by neural network. These classes will be generated manually with pre-selected attributes in the application. After the attribute selection a segmentation process is made to allow the relevant information extraction for different types of images, RGB or Hyperspectral. The application allows extracting the geographical coordinates from the image metadata, geo referencing all pixels on the image. In spite of excessive memory consume on hyperspectral images regions of interest, is possible to perform segmentation, using bands chosen by user that can be combined in different ways to obtain different results.

  6. Hyperspectral image segmentation of the common bile duct

    Science.gov (United States)

    Samarov, Daniel; Wehner, Eleanor; Schwarz, Roderich; Zuzak, Karel; Livingston, Edward

    2013-03-01

    Over the course of the last several years hyperspectral imaging (HSI) has seen increased usage in biomedicine. Within the medical field in particular HSI has been recognized as having the potential to make an immediate impact by reducing the risks and complications associated with laparotomies (surgical procedures involving large incisions into the abdominal wall) and related procedures. There are several ongoing studies focused on such applications. Hyperspectral images were acquired during pancreatoduodenectomies (commonly referred to as Whipple procedures), a surgical procedure done to remove cancerous tumors involving the pancreas and gallbladder. As a result of the complexity of the local anatomy, identifying where the common bile duct (CBD) is can be difficult, resulting in comparatively high incidents of injury to the CBD and associated complications. It is here that HSI has the potential to help reduce the risk of such events from happening. Because the bile contained within the CBD exhibits a unique spectral signature, we are able to utilize HSI segmentation algorithms to help in identifying where the CBD is. In the work presented here we discuss approaches to this segmentation problem and present the results.

  7. Reconstruction of the Midfoot Using a Free Vascularized Fibular Graft After En Bloc Excision for Giant Cell Tumor of the Tarsal Bones: A Case Report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hara, Hitomi; Kawamoto, Teruya; Onishi, Yasuo; Fujioka, Hiroyuki; Nishida, Kotaro; Kuroda, Ryosuke; Kurosaka, Masahiro; Akisue, Toshihiro

    2016-01-01

    We report the case of a 32-year-old Japanese female with a giant cell tumor of bone involving multiple midfoot bones. Giant cell tumors of bone account for approximately 5% of all primary bone tumors and most often arise at the ends of long bones. The small bones, such as those of the hands and feet, are rare sites for giant cell tumors. Giant cell tumors of the small bones tend to exhibit more aggressive clinical behavior than those of the long bones. The present patient underwent en bloc tumor excision involving multiple tarsals and metatarsals. We reconstructed the longitudinal arch of the foot with a free vascularized fibular graft. At the 2-year follow-up visit, bony union had been achieved, with no tumor recurrence. Copyright © 2016 American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Dynamic Post-Earthquake Image Segmentation with an Adaptive Spectral-Spatial Descriptor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Genyun Sun

    2017-08-01

    , including the fractal net evolution approach (FNEA, as implemented in the eCognition software, Trimble Inc., Westminster, CO, USA, the J-value segmentation (JSEG method, the graph-based segmentation (GSEG method, and the statistical region merging (SRM approach. The experiments were conducted on six VHR subarea images captured by RGB sensors mounted on aerial platforms, which were acquired after the 2008 Wenchuan Ms 8.0 earthquake. Quantitative and qualitative assessments demonstrated that the proposed method offers high feasibility and improved accuracy in the segmentation of post-earthquake VHR aerial images.

  9. Automated synovium segmentation in doppler ultrasound images for rheumatoid arthritis assessment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yeung, Pak-Hei; Tan, York-Kiat; Xu, Shuoyu

    2018-02-01

    We need better clinical tools to improve monitoring of synovitis, synovial inflammation in the joints, in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) assessment. Given its economical, safe and fast characteristics, ultrasound (US) especially Doppler ultrasound is frequently used. However, manual scoring of synovitis in US images is subjective and prone to observer variations. In this study, we propose a new and robust method for automated synovium segmentation in the commonly affected joints, i.e. metacarpophalangeal (MCP) and metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joints, which would facilitate automation in quantitative RA assessment. The bone contour in the US image is firstly detected based on a modified dynamic programming method, incorporating angular information for detecting curved bone surface and using image fuzzification to identify missing bone structure. K-means clustering is then performed to initialize potential synovium areas by utilizing the identified bone contour as boundary reference. After excluding invalid candidate regions, the final segmented synovium is identified by reconnecting remaining candidate regions using level set evolution. 15 MCP and 15 MTP US images were analyzed in this study. For each image, segmentations by our proposed method as well as two sets of annotations performed by an experienced clinician at different time-points were acquired. Dice's coefficient is 0.77+/-0.12 between the two sets of annotations. Similar Dice's coefficients are achieved between automated segmentation and either the first set of annotations (0.76+/-0.12) or the second set of annotations (0.75+/-0.11), with no significant difference (P = 0.77). These results verify that the accuracy of segmentation by our proposed method and by clinician is comparable. Therefore, reliable synovium identification can be made by our proposed method.

  10. CellSegm - a MATLAB toolbox for high-throughput 3D cell segmentation

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-01

    The application of fluorescence microscopy in cell biology often generates a huge amount of imaging data. Automated whole cell segmentation of such data enables the detection and analysis of individual cells, where a manual delineation is often time consuming, or practically not feasible. Furthermore, compared to manual analysis, automation normally has a higher degree of reproducibility. CellSegm, the software presented in this work, is a Matlab based command line software toolbox providing an automated whole cell segmentation of images showing surface stained cells, acquired by fluorescence microscopy. It has options for both fully automated and semi-automated cell segmentation. Major algorithmic steps are: (i) smoothing, (ii) Hessian-based ridge enhancement, (iii) marker-controlled watershed segmentation, and (iv) feature-based classfication of cell candidates. Using a wide selection of image recordings and code snippets, we demonstrate that CellSegm has the ability to detect various types of surface stained cells in 3D. After detection and outlining of individual cells, the cell candidates can be subject to software based analysis, specified and programmed by the end-user, or they can be analyzed by other software tools. A segmentation of tissue samples with appropriate characteristics is also shown to be resolvable in CellSegm. The command-line interface of CellSegm facilitates scripting of the separate tools, all implemented in Matlab, offering a high degree of flexibility and tailored workflows for the end-user. The modularity and scripting capabilities of CellSegm enable automated workflows and quantitative analysis of microscopic data, suited for high-throughput image based screening. PMID:23938087

  11. Radiological findings in three acquired immunodeficiency syndrome patients with Rhodococcus equi pneumonia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Jinxin; Tang Xiaoping; Zhang Lieguang

    2011-01-01

    Objective: To study the imaging appearances of Rhodococcus equi pneumonia in three patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome ( AIDS). Methods: Thoracic imaging appearances of' Rhodococcus equi pneumonia in three patients with AIDS were retrospectively analyzed. Results: The chest radiograph showed patchy consolidations and small nodules (n=3), large consolidations with multiple cavitations (n=2). CT showed large lobar or segmental consolidations with multiple cavitations (n=2), patchy consolidations (n=2), bronchiectasis (n=1), multiple small centrilobular nodules (n=2) and tree-in-bud patterns (n=2). Conclusion: The most common radiological findings in AIDS patients with Rhodococcus equi pulmonary infection are large consolidations with multiple cavitations and multiple centrilobular nodules. (authors)

  12. A Survey of Kurdish Students’ Sound Segment & Syllabic Pattern Errors in the Course of Learning EFL

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jahangir Mohammadi

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper is devoted to finding adequate answers to the following queries: (A what are the segmental and syllabic pattern errors made by Kurdish students in their pronunciation? (B Can the problematic areas in pronunciation be predicted by a systematic comparison of the sound systems of both native and target languages? (C Can there be any consistency between the predictions and the results of the error analysis experiments in the same field? To reach the goals of the study the following steps were taken; 1.The sound systems and syllabic patterns of both languages Kurdish and English were clearly described on the basis of place and manner of articulation and the combinatory power of clusters. 2. To carry out a contrastive analysis, the sound segments (vowels, consonants and diphthongs and the syllabic patterns of both languages were compared in order to surface the similarities and differences.  3. The syllabic patterns and sound segments in English that had no counterparts in Kurdish were detected and considered as problematic areas in pronunciation. 4. To countercheck the acquired predictions, an experiment was carried out with 50 male and female pre-university students. Subjects were given some passages to read. The readability index of these passages ranged from 8.775 to 10.432 which are quite suitable in comparison to the readability index of pre-university texts ranging from 8.675 to 10.475. All samples of bound production were transcribed in IPA and the syllabic patterns were shown by symbols ‘V’ and ‘C’ indicating vowels and consonants respectively. An error analysis of the acquired data proved that English sound segments and syllabic patterns with no counterparts in Kurdish resulted in pronunciation errors.

  13. Accounting for segment correlations in segmented gamma-ray scans

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sheppard, G.A.; Prettyman, T.H.; Piquette, E.C.

    1994-01-01

    In a typical segmented gamma-ray scanner (SGS), the detector's field of view is collimated so that a complete horizontal slice or segment of the desired thickness is visible. Ordinarily, the collimator is not deep enough to exclude gamma rays emitted from sample volumes above and below the segment aligned with the collimator. This can lead to assay biases, particularly for certain radioactive-material distributions. Another consequence of the collimator's low aspect ratio is that segment assays at the top and bottom of the sample are biased low because the detector's field of view is not filled. This effect is ordinarily countered by placing the sample on a low-Z pedestal and scanning one or more segment thicknesses below and above the sample. This takes extra time, however, We have investigated a number of techniques that both account for correlated segments and correct for end effects in SGS assays. Also, we have developed an algorithm that facilitates estimates of assay precision. Six calculation methods have been compared by evaluating the results of thousands of simulated, assays for three types of gamma-ray source distribution and ten masses. We will report on these computational studies and their experimental verification

  14. Early detection of lung cancer from CT images: nodule segmentation and classification using deep learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, Manu; Bhatt, Jignesh S.; Joshi, Manjunath V.

    2018-04-01

    Lung cancer is one of the most abundant causes of the cancerous deaths worldwide. It has low survival rate mainly due to the late diagnosis. With the hardware advancements in computed tomography (CT) technology, it is now possible to capture the high resolution images of lung region. However, it needs to be augmented by efficient algorithms to detect the lung cancer in the earlier stages using the acquired CT images. To this end, we propose a two-step algorithm for early detection of lung cancer. Given the CT image, we first extract the patch from the center location of the nodule and segment the lung nodule region. We propose to use Otsu method followed by morphological operations for the segmentation. This step enables accurate segmentation due to the use of data-driven threshold. Unlike other methods, we perform the segmentation without using the complete contour information of the nodule. In the second step, a deep convolutional neural network (CNN) is used for the better classification (malignant or benign) of the nodule present in the segmented patch. Accurate segmentation of even a tiny nodule followed by better classification using deep CNN enables the early detection of lung cancer. Experiments have been conducted using 6306 CT images of LIDC-IDRI database. We achieved the test accuracy of 84.13%, with the sensitivity and specificity of 91.69% and 73.16%, respectively, clearly outperforming the state-of-the-art algorithms.

  15. Anatomical pulmonary magnetic resonance imaging segmentation for regional structure-function measurements of asthma

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Guo, F. [Robarts Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5B7 (Canada); Graduate Program in Biomedical Engineering, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5B9 (Canada); Svenningsen, S.; Eddy, R. L.; Capaldi, D. P. I.; Sheikh, K. [Robarts Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5B7 (Canada); Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5C1 (Canada); Fenster, A.; Parraga, G., E-mail: gparraga@robarts.ca [Robarts Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5B7 (Canada); Graduate Program in Biomedical Engineering, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5B9 (Canada); Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5C1 (Canada)

    2016-06-15

    Purpose: Pulmonary magnetic-resonance-imaging (MRI) and x-ray computed-tomography have provided strong evidence of spatially and temporally persistent lung structure-function abnormalities in asthmatics. This has generated a shift in their understanding of lung disease and supports the use of imaging biomarkers as intermediate endpoints of asthma severity and control. In particular, pulmonary {sup 1}H MRI can be used to provide quantitative lung structure-function measurements longitudinally and in response to treatment. However, to translate such biomarkers of asthma, robust methods are required to segment the lung from pulmonary {sup 1}H MRI. Therefore, their objective was to develop a pulmonary {sup 1}H MRI segmentation algorithm to provide regional measurements with the precision and speed required to support clinical studies. Methods: The authors developed a method to segment the left and right lung from {sup 1}H MRI acquired in 20 asthmatics including five well-controlled and 15 severe poorly controlled participants who provided written informed consent to a study protocol approved by Health Canada. Same-day spirometry and plethysmography measurements of lung function and volume were acquired as well as {sup 1}H MRI using a whole-body radiofrequency coil and fast spoiled gradient-recalled echo sequence at a fixed lung volume (functional residual capacity + 1 l). We incorporated the left-to-right lung volume proportion prior based on the Potts model and derived a volume-proportion preserved Potts model, which was approximated through convex relaxation and further represented by a dual volume-proportion preserved max-flow model. The max-flow model led to a linear problem with convex and linear equality constraints that implicitly encoded the proportion prior. To implement the algorithm, {sup 1}H MRI was resampled into ∼3 × 3 × 3 mm{sup 3} isotropic voxel space. Two observers placed seeds on each lung and on the background of 20 pulmonary {sup 1}H MR images

  16. Quantitative hepatic CT perfusion measurement: Comparison of Couinaud's hepatic segments with dual-source 128-slice CT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Xuan [The Department of Radiology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Dongcheng District, Beijing, 100730 (China); Xue, Hua-dan, E-mail: bjdanna95@hotmail.com [The Department of Radiology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Dongcheng District, Beijing, 100730 (China); Jin, Zheng-yu, E-mail: jin_zhengyu@163.com [The Department of Radiology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Dongcheng District, Beijing, 100730 (China); Su, Bai-yan; Li, Zhuo; Sun, Hao; Chen, Yu; Liu, Wei [The Department of Radiology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Dongcheng District, Beijing, 100730 (China)

    2013-02-15

    Purpose: To compare the quantitative liver computed tomography perfusion (CTP) differences among eight hepatic segments. Materials and methods: This retrospective study was based on 72 acquired upper abdomen CTP scans for detecting suspected pancreas tumor. Patients with primary or metastatic liver tumor, any focal liver lesions except simple cyst (<3 cm in diameter), history of liver operation or splenectomy, evidence of liver cirrhosis or invasion of portal vein were excluded. The final analysis included 50 patients (M:F = 21:29, mean age = 43.2 years, 15–76 years). Arterial liver perfusion (ALP), portal-venous perfusion (PVP), total hepatic perfusion (THP = ALP + PVP), and hepatic perfusion index (HPI) of each hepatic segment were calculated and compared by means of one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the Bonferonni correction method. Results: Compared to hepatic segments 5, 6, 7 and 8, segments 2 and 3 showed a tendency of higher ALPs, lower PVPs, and higher HPIs, most of which were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Hepatic segments 1 and 4 had higher mean values of ALP and HPI and lower mean values of PVP than segments 5, 6, 7 and 8 as well, although no significant differences were detected except for ALP and HPI for liver segments 1 and 7 (p = 0.001 and 0.035 respectively), and ALP for liver segments 1 and 5 (p = 0.039). Higher ALP and HPI were showed in hepatic segment 3 compared to segment 4 (p = 0.000 and 0.000 respectively). No significant differences were found for THP among eight segments. Conclusions: Intra-hepatic perfusion differences exist in normal hepatic parenchyma especially between lateral sector (segments 2 and 3) and right lobe (segments 5, 6, 7 and 8). This might have potential clinical significance in liver-perfusion-related protocol design and result analysis.

  17. Combining multiple FDG-PET radiotherapy target segmentation methods to reduce the effect of variable performance of individual segmentation methods

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    McGurk, Ross J. [Medical Physics Graduate Program, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27705 (United States); Bowsher, James; Das, Shiva K. [Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27705 (United States); Lee, John A [Molecular Imaging and Experimental Radiotherapy Unit, Universite Catholique de Louvain, 1200 Brussels (Belgium)

    2013-04-15

    Purpose: Many approaches have been proposed to segment high uptake objects in 18F-fluoro-deoxy-glucose positron emission tomography images but none provides consistent performance across the large variety of imaging situations. This study investigates the use of two methods of combining individual segmentation methods to reduce the impact of inconsistent performance of the individual methods: simple majority voting and probabilistic estimation. Methods: The National Electrical Manufacturers Association image quality phantom containing five glass spheres with diameters 13-37 mm and two irregularly shaped volumes (16 and 32 cc) formed by deforming high-density polyethylene bottles in a hot water bath were filled with 18-fluoro-deoxyglucose and iodine contrast agent. Repeated 5-min positron emission tomography (PET) images were acquired at 4:1 and 8:1 object-to-background contrasts for spherical objects and 4.5:1 and 9:1 for irregular objects. Five individual methods were used to segment each object: 40% thresholding, adaptive thresholding, k-means clustering, seeded region-growing, and a gradient based method. Volumes were combined using a majority vote (MJV) or Simultaneous Truth And Performance Level Estimate (STAPLE) method. Accuracy of segmentations relative to CT ground truth volumes were assessed using the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and the symmetric mean absolute surface distances (SMASDs). Results: MJV had median DSC values of 0.886 and 0.875; and SMASD of 0.52 and 0.71 mm for spheres and irregular shapes, respectively. STAPLE provided similar results with median DSC of 0.886 and 0.871; and median SMASD of 0.50 and 0.72 mm for spheres and irregular shapes, respectively. STAPLE had significantly higher DSC and lower SMASD values than MJV for spheres (DSC, p < 0.0001; SMASD, p= 0.0101) but MJV had significantly higher DSC and lower SMASD values compared to STAPLE for irregular shapes (DSC, p < 0.0001; SMASD, p= 0.0027). DSC was not significantly

  18. Hydrophilic segmented block copolymers based on poly(ethylene oxide) and monodisperse amide segments

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Husken, D.; Feijen, Jan; Gaymans, R.J.

    2007-01-01

    Segmented block copolymers based on poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) flexible segments and monodisperse crystallizable bisester tetra-amide segments were made via a polycondensation reaction. The molecular weight of the PEO segments varied from 600 to 4600 g/mol and a bisester tetra-amide segment (T6T6T)

  19. Spinal segmental dysgenesis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N Mahomed

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available Spinal segmental dysgenesis is a rare congenital spinal abnormality , seen in neonates and infants in which a segment of the spine and spinal cord fails to develop normally . The condition is segmental with normal vertebrae above and below the malformation. This condition is commonly associated with various abnormalities that affect the heart, genitourinary, gastrointestinal tract and skeletal system. We report two cases of spinal segmental dysgenesis and the associated abnormalities.

  20. Two-Segment Foot Model for the Biomechanical Analysis of Squat.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Panero, E; Gastaldi, L; Rapp, W

    2017-01-01

    Squat exercise is acquiring interest in many fields, due to its benefits in improving health and its biomechanical similarities to a wide range of sport motions and the recruitment of many body segments in a single maneuver. Several researches had examined considerable biomechanical aspects of lower limbs during squat, but not without limitations. The main goal of this study focuses on the analysis of the foot contribution during a partial body weight squat, using a two-segment foot model that considers separately the forefoot and the hindfoot. The forefoot and hindfoot are articulated by the midtarsal joint. Five subjects performed a series of three trials, and results were averaged. Joint kinematics and dynamics were obtained using motion capture system, two force plates closed together, and inverse dynamics techniques. The midtarsal joint reached a dorsiflexion peak of 4°. Different strategies between subjects revealed 4° supination and 2.5° pronation of the forefoot. Vertical GRF showed 20% of body weight concentrated on the forefoot and 30% on the hindfoot. The percentages varied during motion, with a peak of 40% on the hindfoot and correspondently 10% on the forefoot, while the traditional model depicted the unique constant 50% value. Ankle peak of plantarflexion moment, power absorption, and power generation was consistent with values estimated by the one-segment model, without statistical significance.

  1. Two-Segment Foot Model for the Biomechanical Analysis of Squat

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. Panero

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Squat exercise is acquiring interest in many fields, due to its benefits in improving health and its biomechanical similarities to a wide range of sport motions and the recruitment of many body segments in a single maneuver. Several researches had examined considerable biomechanical aspects of lower limbs during squat, but not without limitations. The main goal of this study focuses on the analysis of the foot contribution during a partial body weight squat, using a two-segment foot model that considers separately the forefoot and the hindfoot. The forefoot and hindfoot are articulated by the midtarsal joint. Five subjects performed a series of three trials, and results were averaged. Joint kinematics and dynamics were obtained using motion capture system, two force plates closed together, and inverse dynamics techniques. The midtarsal joint reached a dorsiflexion peak of 4°. Different strategies between subjects revealed 4° supination and 2.5° pronation of the forefoot. Vertical GRF showed 20% of body weight concentrated on the forefoot and 30% on the hindfoot. The percentages varied during motion, with a peak of 40% on the hindfoot and correspondently 10% on the forefoot, while the traditional model depicted the unique constant 50% value. Ankle peak of plantarflexion moment, power absorption, and power generation was consistent with values estimated by the one-segment model, without statistical significance.

  2. Intra-patient semi-automated segmentation of the cervix-uterus in CT-images for adaptive radiotherapy of cervical cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luiza Bondar, M.; Hoogeman, Mischa; Schillemans, Wilco; Heijmen, Ben

    2013-08-01

    For online adaptive radiotherapy of cervical cancer, fast and accurate image segmentation is required to facilitate daily treatment adaptation. Our aim was twofold: (1) to test and compare three intra-patient automated segmentation methods for the cervix-uterus structure in CT-images and (2) to improve the segmentation accuracy by including prior knowledge on the daily bladder volume or on the daily coordinates of implanted fiducial markers. The tested methods were: shape deformation (SD) and atlas-based segmentation (ABAS) using two non-rigid registration methods: demons and a hierarchical algorithm. Tests on 102 CT-scans of 13 patients demonstrated that the segmentation accuracy significantly increased by including the bladder volume predicted with a simple 1D model based on a manually defined bladder top. Moreover, manually identified implanted fiducial markers significantly improved the accuracy of the SD method. For patients with large cervix-uterus volume regression, the use of CT-data acquired toward the end of the treatment was required to improve segmentation accuracy. Including prior knowledge, the segmentation results of SD (Dice similarity coefficient 85 ± 6%, error margin 2.2 ± 2.3 mm, average time around 1 min) and of ABAS using hierarchical non-rigid registration (Dice 82 ± 10%, error margin 3.1 ± 2.3 mm, average time around 30 s) support their use for image guided online adaptive radiotherapy of cervical cancer.

  3. Segmentation of White Blood Cells From Microscopic Images Using a Novel Combination of K-Means Clustering and Modified Watershed Algorithm.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghane, Narjes; Vard, Alireza; Talebi, Ardeshir; Nematollahy, Pardis

    2017-01-01

    Recognition of white blood cells (WBCs) is the first step to diagnose some particular diseases such as acquired immune deficiency syndrome, leukemia, and other blood-related diseases that are usually done by pathologists using an optical microscope. This process is time-consuming, extremely tedious, and expensive and needs experienced experts in this field. Thus, a computer-aided diagnosis system that assists pathologists in the diagnostic process can be so effective. Segmentation of WBCs is usually a first step in developing a computer-aided diagnosis system. The main purpose of this paper is to segment WBCs from microscopic images. For this purpose, we present a novel combination of thresholding, k-means clustering, and modified watershed algorithms in three stages including (1) segmentation of WBCs from a microscopic image, (2) extraction of nuclei from cell's image, and (3) separation of overlapping cells and nuclei. The evaluation results of the proposed method show that similarity measures, precision, and sensitivity respectively were 92.07, 96.07, and 94.30% for nucleus segmentation and 92.93, 97.41, and 93.78% for cell segmentation. In addition, statistical analysis presents high similarity between manual segmentation and the results obtained by the proposed method.

  4. Automatic Melody Segmentation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rodríguez López, Marcelo

    2016-01-01

    The work presented in this dissertation investigates music segmentation. In the field of Musicology, segmentation refers to a score analysis technique, whereby notated pieces or passages of these pieces are divided into “units” referred to as sections, periods, phrases, and so on. Segmentation

  5. Clinical Evaluation of a Fully-automatic Segmentation Method for Longitudinal Brain Tumor Volumetry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meier, Raphael; Knecht, Urspeter; Loosli, Tina; Bauer, Stefan; Slotboom, Johannes; Wiest, Roland; Reyes, Mauricio

    2016-03-01

    Information about the size of a tumor and its temporal evolution is needed for diagnosis as well as treatment of brain tumor patients. The aim of the study was to investigate the potential of a fully-automatic segmentation method, called BraTumIA, for longitudinal brain tumor volumetry by comparing the automatically estimated volumes with ground truth data acquired via manual segmentation. Longitudinal Magnetic Resonance (MR) Imaging data of 14 patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma encompassing 64 MR acquisitions, ranging from preoperative up to 12 month follow-up images, was analysed. Manual segmentation was performed by two human raters. Strong correlations (R = 0.83-0.96, p < 0.001) were observed between volumetric estimates of BraTumIA and of each of the human raters for the contrast-enhancing (CET) and non-enhancing T2-hyperintense tumor compartments (NCE-T2). A quantitative analysis of the inter-rater disagreement showed that the disagreement between BraTumIA and each of the human raters was comparable to the disagreement between the human raters. In summary, BraTumIA generated volumetric trend curves of contrast-enhancing and non-enhancing T2-hyperintense tumor compartments comparable to estimates of human raters. These findings suggest the potential of automated longitudinal tumor segmentation to substitute manual volumetric follow-up of contrast-enhancing and non-enhancing T2-hyperintense tumor compartments.

  6. Oromandibular reconstruction with chimeric double-skin paddle flap based on peroneal vessel axis for synchronous opposite double oral cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Shih-Tsai; Liu, Wen-Chung; Chen, Lee-Wei; Yang, Kuo-Chung

    2015-05-01

    Synchronous double oral cancer represents the minority of cases of head and neck cancer. After tumor ablation, 2 separate oromandibular defects, even combined with a through-and-through oral defect, pose a serious reconstructive challenge. The ideal method for reconstruction remains controversial. Based on the peroneal vessel axis, a chimeric double-skin paddle peroneal fasciocutaneous or fibular osteomyocutaneous flap could be designed to accomplish the difficult reconstruction. Six male patients, each with 2 separate oromandibular defects after tumor ablation of synchronous double oral cancer, received double-skin paddle flap reconstruction with 3 peroneal fasciocutaneous and 3 fibular osteomyocutaneous flaps. All 6 flaps survived; however, complications included 1 skin paddle lost due to insufficient perfusion of a visible perforator, and 1 superficial necrosis occurring over the tip of a longer skin paddle. One postoperative intraoral infection and 1 donor site infection were also reported. During follow-up, 3 months later, 1 patient succumbed to local recurrence and bony metastasis. One patient developed a new cancer in the maxillary gingiva, and another had osteoradionecrosis 8 months later. Four patients gained acceptable cosmesis with good oral competence. A chimeric flap based on the peroneal artery could provide a segment of fibular bone, 1 or 2 skin paddles, and a cuff of the flexor hallucis longus muscle simultaneously. For 1-stage reconstruction of separate oromandibular defects after tumor ablation of synchronous double oral cancer, this design could provide all components at 1 transfer.

  7. Learning a constrained conditional random field for enhanced segmentation of fallen trees in ALS point clouds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Polewski, Przemyslaw; Yao, Wei; Heurich, Marco; Krzystek, Peter; Stilla, Uwe

    2018-06-01

    In this study, we present a method for improving the quality of automatic single fallen tree stem segmentation in ALS data by applying a specialized constrained conditional random field (CRF). The entire processing pipeline is composed of two steps. First, short stem segments of equal length are detected and a subset of them is selected for further processing, while in the second step the chosen segments are merged to form entire trees. The first step is accomplished using the specialized CRF defined on the space of segment labelings, capable of finding segment candidates which are easier to merge subsequently. To achieve this, the CRF considers not only the features of every candidate individually, but incorporates pairwise spatial interactions between adjacent segments into the model. In particular, pairwise interactions include a collinearity/angular deviation probability which is learned from training data as well as the ratio of spatial overlap, whereas unary potentials encode a learned probabilistic model of the laser point distribution around each segment. Each of these components enters the CRF energy with its own balance factor. To process previously unseen data, we first calculate the subset of segments for merging on a grid of balance factors by minimizing the CRF energy. Then, we perform the merging and rank the balance configurations according to the quality of their resulting merged trees, obtained from a learned tree appearance model. The final result is derived from the top-ranked configuration. We tested our approach on 5 plots from the Bavarian Forest National Park using reference data acquired in a field inventory. Compared to our previous segment selection method without pairwise interactions, an increase in detection correctness and completeness of up to 7 and 9 percentage points, respectively, was observed.

  8. Segmented trapped vortex cavity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grammel, Jr., Leonard Paul (Inventor); Pennekamp, David Lance (Inventor); Winslow, Jr., Ralph Henry (Inventor)

    2010-01-01

    An annular trapped vortex cavity assembly segment comprising includes a cavity forward wall, a cavity aft wall, and a cavity radially outer wall there between defining a cavity segment therein. A cavity opening extends between the forward and aft walls at a radially inner end of the assembly segment. Radially spaced apart pluralities of air injection first and second holes extend through the forward and aft walls respectively. The segment may include first and second expansion joint features at distal first and second ends respectively of the segment. The segment may include a forward subcomponent including the cavity forward wall attached to an aft subcomponent including the cavity aft wall. The forward and aft subcomponents include forward and aft portions of the cavity radially outer wall respectively. A ring of the segments may be circumferentially disposed about an axis to form an annular segmented vortex cavity assembly.

  9. Performance Analysis of Segmentation of Hyperspectral Images Based on Color Image Segmentation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Praveen Agarwal

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Image segmentation is a fundamental approach in the field of image processing and based on user’s application .This paper propose an original and simple segmentation strategy based on the EM approach that resolves many informatics problems about hyperspectral images which are observed by airborne sensors. In a first step, to simplify the input color textured image into a color image without texture. The final segmentation is simply achieved by a spatially color segmentation using feature vector with the set of color values contained around the pixel to be classified with some mathematical equations. The spatial constraint allows taking into account the inherent spatial relationships of any image and its color. This approach provides effective PSNR for the segmented image. These results have the better performance as the segmented images are compared with Watershed & Region Growing Algorithm and provide effective segmentation for the Spectral Images & Medical Images.

  10. Three-dimensional segmentation of the tumor mass in computed tomographic images of neuroblastoma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deglint, Hanford J.; Rangayyan, Rangaraj M.; Boag, Graham S.

    2004-05-01

    Tumor definition and diagnosis require the analysis of the spatial distribution and Hounsfield unit (HU) values of voxels in computed tomography (CT) images, coupled with a knowledge of normal anatomy. Segmentation of the tumor in neuroblastoma is complicated by the fact that the mass is almost always heterogeneous in nature; furthermore, viable tumor, necrosis, fibrosis, and normal tissue are often intermixed. Rather than attempt to separate these tissue types into distinct regions, we propose to explore methods to delineate the normal structures expected in abdominal CT images, remove them from further consideration, and examine the remaining parts of the images for the tumor mass. We explore the use of fuzzy connectivity for this purpose. Expert knowledge provided by the radiologist in the form of the expected structures and their shapes, HU values, and radiological characteristics are also incorporated in the segmentation algorithm. Segmentation and analysis of the tissue composition of the tumor can assist in quantitative assessment of the response to chemotherapy and in the planning of delayed surgery for resection of the tumor. The performance of the algorithm is evaluated using cases acquired from the Alberta Children's Hospital.

  11. Automatic MPST-cut for segmentation of carpal bones from MR volumes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gemme, Laura; Nardotto, Sonia; Dellepiane, Silvana G

    2017-08-01

    In the context of rheumatic diseases, several studies suggest that Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) allows the detection of the three main signs of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) at higher sensitivities than available through conventional radiology. The rapid, accurate segmentation of bones is an essential preliminary step for quantitative diagnosis, erosion evaluation, and multi-temporal data fusion. In the present paper, a new, semi-automatic, 3D graph-based segmentation method to extract carpal bone data is proposed. The method is unsupervised, does not employ any a priori model or knowledge, and is adaptive to the individual variability of the acquired data. After selecting one source point inside the Region of Interest (ROI), a segmentation process is initiated, which consists of two automatic stages: a cost-labeling phase and a graph-cutting phase. The algorithm finds optimal paths based on a new cost function by creating a Minimum Path Spanning Tree (MPST). To extract the region, a cut of the obtained tree is necessary. A new criterion of the MPST-cut based on compactness shape factor was conceived and developed. The proposed approach is applied to a large database of 96 T1-weighted MR bone volumes. Performance quality is evaluated by comparing the results with gold-standard bone volumes manually defined by rheumatologists through the computation of metrics extracted from the confusion matrix. Furthermore, comparisons with the existing literature are carried out. The results show that this method is efficient and provides satisfactory performance for bone segmentation on low-field MR volumes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. A Split-and-Merge-Based Uterine Fibroid Ultrasound Image Segmentation Method in HIFU Therapy.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Menglong Xu

    Full Text Available High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU therapy has been used to treat uterine fibroids widely and successfully. Uterine fibroid segmentation plays an important role in positioning the target region for HIFU therapy. Presently, it is completed by physicians manually, reducing the efficiency of therapy. Thus, computer-aided segmentation of uterine fibroids benefits the improvement of therapy efficiency. Recently, most computer-aided ultrasound segmentation methods have been based on the framework of contour evolution, such as snakes and level sets. These methods can achieve good performance, although they need an initial contour that influences segmentation results. It is difficult to obtain the initial contour automatically; thus, the initial contour is always obtained manually in many segmentation methods. A split-and-merge-based uterine fibroid segmentation method, which needs no initial contour to ensure less manual intervention, is proposed in this paper. The method first splits the image into many small homogeneous regions called superpixels. A new feature representation method based on texture histogram is employed to characterize each superpixel. Next, the superpixels are merged according to their similarities, which are measured by integrating their Quadratic-Chi texture histogram distances with their space adjacency. Multi-way Ncut is used as the merging criterion, and an adaptive scheme is incorporated to decrease manual intervention further. The method is implemented using Matlab on a personal computer (PC platform with Intel Pentium Dual-Core CPU E5700. The method is validated on forty-two ultrasound images acquired from HIFU therapy. The average running time is 9.54 s. Statistical results showed that SI reaches a value as high as 87.58%, and normHD is 5.18% on average. It has been demonstrated that the proposed method is appropriate for segmentation of uterine fibroids in HIFU pre-treatment imaging and planning.

  13. Mega alloprosthesis in limb-sparing surgery: a case illustration, Hospital Univ. Science of Malaysia (HUSM) experience

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aidura, M.; Zulmi, W.; Zulkefli, A.R.; Sukari Halim

    1999-01-01

    A case illustration of our early experience of limb-sparing surgery in muskuloskeletal tumors using a mega alloprosthesis was discussed. The presentation was of a 42 year olds Malay woman with a solitary pathological fracture in a metastatic lesion to the upper third of right femur. This was found to be histologically identical to the stromal component of malignant metastatic Cytosarcoma Phylloides of the breast. It represented the first reported histologically confirmed skeletal manifestation of rare breast pathology in HUSM. Cytosarcoma Phylloides of the breast appeared to encompass a diverse group of tumors with variable unpredictable behaviors. Although it accounted for 0.3-1.0% of all breast neoplasms, it could behave in a malignant fashion and metastasized hematogenously to the skeletal system. The solitary nature of the metastatic lesion and the pathological fracture which the patient sustained, warranted us to perform a surgical stabilization not only to alleviate the pain, to eradicate the tumor bulk, but also to restore loading capacity and preserving function and mobility. It had been achieved by wide excision of the metastatic lesion and the integration of a massive allograft, polymethylmethacrylate and an implant into a well-structured composite unit. Augmentation to revascularise the avascular allograft bone had also been done with an ipsilateral segmental free vascularised fibular composite graft, which also acted as a live bone strut for mechanical maintenance once resorption of the allograft commenced, and the fibular graft hypertrophied. Adjuvant chemotherapy had been administered to combat systemic micrometastasis. As the tumor margins were histologically confirmed to be free and the patient had passed the early graft rejection period, close monitoring was mandatory for an effective tumor control and avoidance of complications. This new technique of a massive allograft combined with an endoprosthesis and a segmental live fibular graft promises to

  14. Segmental Vitiligo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Geel, Nanja; Speeckaert, Reinhart

    2017-04-01

    Segmental vitiligo is characterized by its early onset, rapid stabilization, and unilateral distribution. Recent evidence suggests that segmental and nonsegmental vitiligo could represent variants of the same disease spectrum. Observational studies with respect to its distribution pattern point to a possible role of cutaneous mosaicism, whereas the original stated dermatomal distribution seems to be a misnomer. Although the exact pathogenic mechanism behind the melanocyte destruction is still unknown, increasing evidence has been published on the autoimmune/inflammatory theory of segmental vitiligo. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Learning-by-Being-Acquired

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Colombo, Massimo Gaetano; Moreira, Solon; Rabbiosi, Larissa

    2016-01-01

    In horizontal acquisitions, the post-acquisition integration of the R&D function often damages the inventive labor force and results in lower innovative productivity of acquired inventors. In this paper we study post-acquisition integration in terms of R&D team reorganization-i.e., the creation...... of new teams with both inventors of the acquiring and acquired firms-and assess the impact of this integration action in the period that immediately follows the acquisition. Drawing on social identity and self-categorization theories, we argue that R&D team reorganization increases the acquired inventors...

  16. Segmental vitiligo with segmental morphea: An autoimmune link?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pravesh Yadav

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available An 18-year old girl with segmental vitiligo involving the left side of the trunk and left upper limb with segmental morphea involving the right side of trunk and right upper limb without any deeper involvement is illustrated. There was no history of preceding drug intake, vaccination, trauma, radiation therapy, infection, or hormonal therapy. Family history of stable vitiligo in her brother and a history of type II diabetes mellitus in the father were elicited. Screening for autoimmune diseases and antithyroid antibody was negative. An autoimmune link explaining the co-occurrence has been proposed. Cutaneous mosiacism could explain the presence of both the pathologies in a segmental distribution.

  17. Market Segmentation in Business Technology Base: The Case of Segmentation of Sparkling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Valéria Riscarolli

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available A common market segmentation premise for products and services rules consumer behavior as the segmentation center piece. Would this be the logic for segmentation used by small technology based companies? In this article we target at determining the principles of market segmentation used by a vitiwinery company, as research object. This company is recognized by its products excellence, either in domestic as well as in the foreign market, among 13 distinct countries. The research method used is a case study, through information from the company’s CEOs and crossed by primary information from observation and formal registries and documents of the company. In this research we look at sparkling wines market segmentation. Main results indicate that the winery studied considers only technological elements as the basis to build a market segment. One may conclude that a market segmentation for this company is based upon technological dominion of sparkling wines production, aligned with a premium-price policy. In the company, directorship believes that as sparkling wines market is still incipient in the country, sparkling wine market segments will form and consolidate after the evolution of consumers tasting preferences, depending on technologies that boost sparkling wines quality. 

  18. The evaluation of single-view and multi-view fusion 3D echocardiography using image-driven segmentation and tracking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rajpoot, Kashif; Grau, Vicente; Noble, J Alison; Becher, Harald; Szmigielski, Cezary

    2011-08-01

    Real-time 3D echocardiography (RT3DE) promises a more objective and complete cardiac functional analysis by dynamic 3D image acquisition. Despite several efforts towards automation of left ventricle (LV) segmentation and tracking, these remain challenging research problems due to the poor-quality nature of acquired images usually containing missing anatomical information, speckle noise, and limited field-of-view (FOV). Recently, multi-view fusion 3D echocardiography has been introduced as acquiring multiple conventional single-view RT3DE images with small probe movements and fusing them together after alignment. This concept of multi-view fusion helps to improve image quality and anatomical information and extends the FOV. We now take this work further by comparing single-view and multi-view fused images in a systematic study. In order to better illustrate the differences, this work evaluates image quality and information content of single-view and multi-view fused images using image-driven LV endocardial segmentation and tracking. The image-driven methods were utilized to fully exploit image quality and anatomical information present in the image, thus purposely not including any high-level constraints like prior shape or motion knowledge in the analysis approaches. Experiments show that multi-view fused images are better suited for LV segmentation and tracking, while relatively more failures and errors were observed on single-view images. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Fluence map segmentation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rosenwald, J.-C.

    2008-01-01

    The lecture addressed the following topics: 'Interpreting' the fluence map; The sequencer; Reasons for difference between desired and actual fluence map; Principle of 'Step and Shoot' segmentation; Large number of solutions for given fluence map; Optimizing 'step and shoot' segmentation; The interdigitation constraint; Main algorithms; Conclusions on segmentation algorithms (static mode); Optimizing intensity levels and monitor units; Sliding window sequencing; Synchronization to avoid the tongue-and-groove effect; Accounting for physical characteristics of MLC; Importance of corrections for leaf transmission and offset; Accounting for MLC mechanical constraints; The 'complexity' factor; Incorporating the sequencing into optimization algorithm; Data transfer to the treatment machine; Interface between R and V and accelerator; and Conclusions on fluence map segmentation (Segmentation is part of the overall inverse planning procedure; 'Step and Shoot' and 'Dynamic' options are available for most TPS (depending on accelerator model; The segmentation phase tends to come into the optimization loop; The physical characteristics of the MLC have a large influence on final dose distribution; The IMRT plans (MU and relative dose distribution) must be carefully validated). (P.A.)

  20. Strategic market segmentation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maričić Branko R.

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Strategic planning of marketing activities is the basis of business success in modern business environment. Customers are not homogenous in their preferences and expectations. Formulating an adequate marketing strategy, focused on realization of company's strategic objectives, requires segmented approach to the market that appreciates differences in expectations and preferences of customers. One of significant activities in strategic planning of marketing activities is market segmentation. Strategic planning imposes a need to plan marketing activities according to strategically important segments on the long term basis. At the same time, there is a need to revise and adapt marketing activities on the short term basis. There are number of criteria based on which market segmentation is performed. The paper will consider effectiveness and efficiency of different market segmentation criteria based on empirical research of customer expectations and preferences. The analysis will include traditional criteria and criteria based on behavioral model. The research implications will be analyzed from the perspective of selection of the most adequate market segmentation criteria in strategic planning of marketing activities.

  1. A state-of-the-art review on segmentation algorithms in intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) images.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Katouzian, Amin; Angelini, Elsa D; Carlier, Stéphane G; Suri, Jasjit S; Navab, Nassir; Laine, Andrew F

    2012-09-01

    Over the past two decades, intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) image segmentation has remained a challenge for researchers while the use of this imaging modality is rapidly growing in catheterization procedures and in research studies. IVUS provides cross-sectional grayscale images of the arterial wall and the extent of atherosclerotic plaques with high spatial resolution in real time. In this paper, we review recently developed image processing methods for the detection of media-adventitia and luminal borders in IVUS images acquired with different transducers operating at frequencies ranging from 20 to 45 MHz. We discuss methodological challenges, lack of diversity in reported datasets, and weaknesses of quantification metrics that make IVUS segmentation still an open problem despite all efforts. In conclusion, we call for a common reference database, validation metrics, and ground-truth definition with which new and existing algorithms could be benchmarked.

  2. Object-based implicit learning in visual search: perceptual segmentation constrains contextual cueing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conci, Markus; Müller, Hermann J; von Mühlenen, Adrian

    2013-07-09

    In visual search, detection of a target is faster when it is presented within a spatial layout of repeatedly encountered nontarget items, indicating that contextual invariances can guide selective attention (contextual cueing; Chun & Jiang, 1998). However, perceptual regularities may interfere with contextual learning; for instance, no contextual facilitation occurs when four nontargets form a square-shaped grouping, even though the square location predicts the target location (Conci & von Mühlenen, 2009). Here, we further investigated potential causes for this interference-effect: We show that contextual cueing can reliably occur for targets located within the region of a segmented object, but not for targets presented outside of the object's boundaries. Four experiments demonstrate an object-based facilitation in contextual cueing, with a modulation of context-based learning by relatively subtle grouping cues including closure, symmetry, and spatial regularity. Moreover, the lack of contextual cueing for targets located outside the segmented region was due to an absence of (latent) learning of contextual layouts, rather than due to an attentional bias towards the grouped region. Taken together, these results indicate that perceptual segmentation provides a basic structure within which contextual scene regularities are acquired. This in turn argues that contextual learning is constrained by object-based selection.

  3. Why segmentation matters: Experience-driven segmentation errors impair "morpheme" learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Finn, Amy S; Hudson Kam, Carla L

    2015-09-01

    We ask whether an adult learner's knowledge of their native language impedes statistical learning in a new language beyond just word segmentation (as previously shown). In particular, we examine the impact of native-language word-form phonotactics on learners' ability to segment words into their component morphemes and learn phonologically triggered variation of morphemes. We find that learning is impaired when words and component morphemes are structured to conflict with a learner's native-language phonotactic system, but not when native-language phonotactics do not conflict with morpheme boundaries in the artificial language. A learner's native-language knowledge can therefore have a cascading impact affecting word segmentation and the morphological variation that relies upon proper segmentation. These results show that getting word segmentation right early in learning is deeply important for learning other aspects of language, even those (morphology) that are known to pose a great difficulty for adult language learners. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

  4. Automated segmentation of blood-flow regions in large thoracic arteries using 3D-cine PC-MRI measurements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Pelt, Roy; Nguyen, Huy; ter Haar Romeny, Bart; Vilanova, Anna

    2012-03-01

    Quantitative analysis of vascular blood flow, acquired by phase-contrast MRI, requires accurate segmentation of the vessel lumen. In clinical practice, 2D-cine velocity-encoded slices are inspected, and the lumen is segmented manually. However, segmentation of time-resolved volumetric blood-flow measurements is a tedious and time-consuming task requiring automation. Automated segmentation of large thoracic arteries, based solely on the 3D-cine phase-contrast MRI (PC-MRI) blood-flow data, was done. An active surface model, which is fast and topologically stable, was used. The active surface model requires an initial surface, approximating the desired segmentation. A method to generate this surface was developed based on a voxel-wise temporal maximum of blood-flow velocities. The active surface model balances forces, based on the surface structure and image features derived from the blood-flow data. The segmentation results were validated using volunteer studies, including time-resolved 3D and 2D blood-flow data. The segmented surface was intersected with a velocity-encoded PC-MRI slice, resulting in a cross-sectional contour of the lumen. These cross-sections were compared to reference contours that were manually delineated on high-resolution 2D-cine slices. The automated approach closely approximates the manual blood-flow segmentations, with error distances on the order of the voxel size. The initial surface provides a close approximation of the desired luminal geometry. This improves the convergence time of the active surface and facilitates parametrization. An active surface approach for vessel lumen segmentation was developed, suitable for quantitative analysis of 3D-cine PC-MRI blood-flow data. As opposed to prior thresholding and level-set approaches, the active surface model is topologically stable. A method to generate an initial approximate surface was developed, and various features that influence the segmentation model were evaluated. The active surface

  5. Fuzzy hidden Markov chains segmentation for volume determination and quantitation in PET

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hatt, M [INSERM U650, Laboratoire du Traitement de l' Information Medicale (LaTIM), CHU Morvan, Bat 2bis (I3S), 5 avenue Foch, Brest, 29609 (France); Lamare, F [INSERM U650, Laboratoire du Traitement de l' Information Medicale (LaTIM), CHU Morvan, Bat 2bis (I3S), 5 avenue Foch, Brest, 29609, (France); Boussion, N [INSERM U650, Laboratoire du Traitement de l' Information Medicale (LaTIM), CHU Morvan, Bat 2bis (I3S), 5 avenue Foch, Brest, 29609 (France); Turzo, A [INSERM U650, Laboratoire du Traitement de l' Information Medicale (LaTIM), CHU Morvan, Bat 2bis (I3S), 5 avenue Foch, Brest, 29609 (France); Collet, C [Ecole Nationale Superieure de Physique de Strasbourg (ENSPS), ULP, Strasbourg, F-67000 (France); Salzenstein, F [Institut d' Electronique du Solide et des Systemes (InESS), ULP, Strasbourg, F-67000 (France); Roux, C [INSERM U650, Laboratoire du Traitement de l' Information Medicale (LaTIM), CHU Morvan, Bat 2bis (I3S), 5 avenue Foch, Brest, 29609 (France); Jarritt, P [Medical Physics Agency, Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast (United Kingdom); Carson, K [Medical Physics Agency, Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast (United Kingdom); Rest, C Cheze-Le [INSERM U650, Laboratoire du Traitement de l' Information Medicale (LaTIM), CHU Morvan, Bat 2bis (I3S), 5 avenue Foch, Brest, 29609 (France); Visvikis, D [INSERM U650, Laboratoire du Traitement de l' Information Medicale (LaTIM), CHU Morvan, Bat 2bis (I3S), 5 avenue Foch, Brest, 29609 (France)

    2007-07-21

    Accurate volume of interest (VOI) estimation in PET is crucial in different oncology applications such as response to therapy evaluation and radiotherapy treatment planning. The objective of our study was to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm for automatic lesion volume delineation; namely the fuzzy hidden Markov chains (FHMC), with that of current state of the art in clinical practice threshold based techniques. As the classical hidden Markov chain (HMC) algorithm, FHMC takes into account noise, voxel intensity and spatial correlation, in order to classify a voxel as background or functional VOI. However the novelty of the fuzzy model consists of the inclusion of an estimation of imprecision, which should subsequently lead to a better modelling of the 'fuzzy' nature of the object of interest boundaries in emission tomography data. The performance of the algorithms has been assessed on both simulated and acquired datasets of the IEC phantom, covering a large range of spherical lesion sizes (from 10 to 37 mm), contrast ratios (4:1 and 8:1) and image noise levels. Both lesion activity recovery and VOI determination tasks were assessed in reconstructed images using two different voxel sizes (8 mm{sup 3} and 64 mm{sup 3}). In order to account for both the functional volume location and its size, the concept of % classification errors was introduced in the evaluation of volume segmentation using the simulated datasets. Results reveal that FHMC performs substantially better than the threshold based methodology for functional volume determination or activity concentration recovery considering a contrast ratio of 4:1 and lesion sizes of <28 mm. Furthermore differences between classification and volume estimation errors evaluated were smaller for the segmented volumes provided by the FHMC algorithm. Finally, the performance of the automatic algorithms was less susceptible to image noise levels in comparison to the threshold based techniques. The

  6. Acquired neuropathies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lozeron, Pierre; Trocello, Jean-Marc; Kubis, Nathalie

    2013-09-01

    Acquired neuropathies represent most of the neuropathies encountered in clinical practice. Hundreds of causes have been identified even though up to 41% of patients are still classified as idiopathic (Rajabally and Shah in J Neurol 258:1431-1436, 1). Routine evaluation relies on comprehensive medical history taking, clinical examination, nerve conduction studies and laboratory tests. Other investigations such as nerve biopsy or nerve or muscle imaging are performed in specific settings. This review focuses on recent advances in acquired neuropathies.

  7. Fully automatic segmentation of left atrium and pulmonary veins in late gadolinium-enhanced MRI: Towards objective atrial scar assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tao, Qian; Ipek, Esra Gucuk; Shahzad, Rahil; Berendsen, Floris F; Nazarian, Saman; van der Geest, Rob J

    2016-08-01

    To realize objective atrial scar assessment, this study aimed to develop a fully automatic method to segment the left atrium (LA) and pulmonary veins (PV) from late gadolinium-enhanced (LGE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The extent and distribution of atrial scar, visualized by LGE-MRI, provides important information for clinical treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF) patients. Forty-six AF patients (age 62 ± 8, 14 female) who underwent cardiac MRI prior to RF ablation were included. A contrast-enhanced MR angiography (MRA) sequence was acquired for anatomy assessment followed by an LGE sequence for LA scar assessment. A fully automatic segmentation method was proposed consisting of two stages: 1) global segmentation by multiatlas registration; and 2) local refinement by 3D level-set. These automatic segmentation results were compared with manual segmentation. The LA and PVs were automatically segmented in all subjects. Compared with manual segmentation, the method yielded a surface-to-surface distance of 1.49 ± 0.65 mm in the LA region when using both MRA and LGE, and 1.80 ± 0.93 mm when using LGE alone (P automatic and manual segmentation was comparable to the interobserver difference (P = 0.8 in LA region and P = 0.7 in PV region). We developed a fully automatic method for LA and PV segmentation from LGE-MRI, with comparable performance to a human observer. Inclusion of an MRA sequence further improves the segmentation accuracy. The method leads to automatic generation of a patient-specific model, and potentially enables objective atrial scar assessment for AF patients. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2016;44:346-354. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  8. Performance of an open-source heart sound segmentation algorithm on eight independent databases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Chengyu; Springer, David; Clifford, Gari D

    2017-08-01

    Heart sound segmentation is a prerequisite step for the automatic analysis of heart sound signals, facilitating the subsequent identification and classification of pathological events. Recently, hidden Markov model-based algorithms have received increased interest due to their robustness in processing noisy recordings. In this study we aim to evaluate the performance of the recently published logistic regression based hidden semi-Markov model (HSMM) heart sound segmentation method, by using a wider variety of independently acquired data of varying quality. Firstly, we constructed a systematic evaluation scheme based on a new collection of heart sound databases, which we assembled for the PhysioNet/CinC Challenge 2016. This collection includes a total of more than 120 000 s of heart sounds recorded from 1297 subjects (including both healthy subjects and cardiovascular patients) and comprises eight independent heart sound databases sourced from multiple independent research groups around the world. Then, the HSMM-based segmentation method was evaluated using the assembled eight databases. The common evaluation metrics of sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, as well as the [Formula: see text] measure were used. In addition, the effect of varying the tolerance window for determining a correct segmentation was evaluated. The results confirm the high accuracy of the HSMM-based algorithm on a separate test dataset comprised of 102 306 heart sounds. An average [Formula: see text] score of 98.5% for segmenting S1 and systole intervals and 97.2% for segmenting S2 and diastole intervals were observed. The [Formula: see text] score was shown to increases with an increases in the tolerance window size, as expected. The high segmentation accuracy of the HSMM-based algorithm on a large database confirmed the algorithm's effectiveness. The described evaluation framework, combined with the largest collection of open access heart sound data, provides essential resources for

  9. Automated bone segmentation from large field of view 3D MR images of the hip joint

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xia, Ying; Fripp, Jurgen; Chandra, Shekhar S; Schwarz, Raphael; Engstrom, Craig; Crozier, Stuart

    2013-01-01

    Accurate bone segmentation in the hip joint region from magnetic resonance (MR) images can provide quantitative data for examining pathoanatomical conditions such as femoroacetabular impingement through to varying stages of osteoarthritis to monitor bone and associated cartilage morphometry. We evaluate two state-of-the-art methods (multi-atlas and active shape model (ASM) approaches) on bilateral MR images for automatic 3D bone segmentation in the hip region (proximal femur and innominate bone). Bilateral MR images of the hip joints were acquired at 3T from 30 volunteers. Image sequences included water-excitation dual echo stead state (FOV 38.6 × 24.1 cm, matrix 576 × 360, thickness 0.61 mm) in all subjects and multi-echo data image combination (FOV 37.6 × 23.5 cm, matrix 576 × 360, thickness 0.70 mm) for a subset of eight subjects. Following manual segmentation of femoral (head–neck, proximal-shaft) and innominate (ilium+ischium+pubis) bone, automated bone segmentation proceeded via two approaches: (1) multi-atlas segmentation incorporating non-rigid registration and (2) an advanced ASM-based scheme. Mean inter- and intra-rater reliability Dice's similarity coefficients (DSC) for manual segmentation of femoral and innominate bone were (0.970, 0.963) and (0.971, 0.965). Compared with manual data, mean DSC values for femoral and innominate bone volumes using automated multi-atlas and ASM-based methods were (0.950, 0.922) and (0.946, 0.917), respectively. Both approaches delivered accurate (high DSC values) segmentation results; notably, ASM data were generated in substantially less computational time (12 min versus 10 h). Both automated algorithms provided accurate 3D bone volumetric descriptions for MR-based measures in the hip region. The highly computational efficient ASM-based approach is more likely suitable for future clinical applications such as extracting bone–cartilage interfaces for potential cartilage segmentation. (paper)

  10. Automated bone segmentation from large field of view 3D MR images of the hip joint

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xia, Ying; Fripp, Jurgen; Chandra, Shekhar S.; Schwarz, Raphael; Engstrom, Craig; Crozier, Stuart

    2013-10-01

    Accurate bone segmentation in the hip joint region from magnetic resonance (MR) images can provide quantitative data for examining pathoanatomical conditions such as femoroacetabular impingement through to varying stages of osteoarthritis to monitor bone and associated cartilage morphometry. We evaluate two state-of-the-art methods (multi-atlas and active shape model (ASM) approaches) on bilateral MR images for automatic 3D bone segmentation in the hip region (proximal femur and innominate bone). Bilateral MR images of the hip joints were acquired at 3T from 30 volunteers. Image sequences included water-excitation dual echo stead state (FOV 38.6 × 24.1 cm, matrix 576 × 360, thickness 0.61 mm) in all subjects and multi-echo data image combination (FOV 37.6 × 23.5 cm, matrix 576 × 360, thickness 0.70 mm) for a subset of eight subjects. Following manual segmentation of femoral (head-neck, proximal-shaft) and innominate (ilium+ischium+pubis) bone, automated bone segmentation proceeded via two approaches: (1) multi-atlas segmentation incorporating non-rigid registration and (2) an advanced ASM-based scheme. Mean inter- and intra-rater reliability Dice's similarity coefficients (DSC) for manual segmentation of femoral and innominate bone were (0.970, 0.963) and (0.971, 0.965). Compared with manual data, mean DSC values for femoral and innominate bone volumes using automated multi-atlas and ASM-based methods were (0.950, 0.922) and (0.946, 0.917), respectively. Both approaches delivered accurate (high DSC values) segmentation results; notably, ASM data were generated in substantially less computational time (12 min versus 10 h). Both automated algorithms provided accurate 3D bone volumetric descriptions for MR-based measures in the hip region. The highly computational efficient ASM-based approach is more likely suitable for future clinical applications such as extracting bone-cartilage interfaces for potential cartilage segmentation.

  11. Automated segmentation of synchrotron radiation micro-computed tomography biomedical images using Graph Cuts and neural networks

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Alvarenga de Moura Meneses, Anderson, E-mail: ameneses@ieee.org [Radiological Sciences Laboratory, Rio de Janeiro State University, Rua Sao Francisco Xavier 524, CEP 20550-900, RJ (Brazil); Giusti, Alessandro [IDSIA (Dalle Molle Institute for Artificial Intelligence), University of Lugano (Switzerland); Pereira de Almeida, Andre; Parreira Nogueira, Liebert; Braz, Delson [Nuclear Engineering Program, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Cely Barroso, Regina [Laboratory of Applied Physics on Biomedical Sciences, Physics Department, Rio de Janeiro State University, RJ (Brazil); Almeida, Carlos Eduardo de [Radiological Sciences Laboratory, Rio de Janeiro State University, Rua Sao Francisco Xavier 524, CEP 20550-900, RJ (Brazil)

    2011-12-21

    Synchrotron Radiation (SR) X-ray micro-Computed Tomography ({mu}CT) enables magnified images to be used as a non-invasive and non-destructive technique with a high space resolution for the qualitative and quantitative analyses of biomedical samples. The research on applications of segmentation algorithms to SR-{mu}CT is an open problem, due to the interesting and well-known characteristics of SR images for visualization, such as the high resolution and the phase contrast effect. In this article, we describe and assess the application of the Energy Minimization via Graph Cuts (EMvGC) algorithm for the segmentation of SR-{mu}CT biomedical images acquired at the Synchrotron Radiation for MEdical Physics (SYRMEP) beam line at the Elettra Laboratory (Trieste, Italy). We also propose a method using EMvGC with Artificial Neural Networks (EMANNs) for correcting misclassifications due to intensity variation of phase contrast, which are important effects and sometimes indispensable in certain biomedical applications, although they impair the segmentation provided by conventional techniques. Results demonstrate considerable success in the segmentation of SR-{mu}CT biomedical images, with average Dice Similarity Coefficient 99.88% for bony tissue in Wistar Rats rib samples (EMvGC), as well as 98.95% and 98.02% for scans of Rhodnius prolixus insect samples (Chagas's disease vector) with EMANNs, in relation to manual segmentation. The techniques EMvGC and EMANNs cope with the task of performing segmentation in images with the intensity variation due to phase contrast effects, presenting a superior performance in comparison to conventional segmentation techniques based on thresholding and linear/nonlinear image filtering, which is also discussed in the present article.

  12. Automated segmentation of synchrotron radiation micro-computed tomography biomedical images using Graph Cuts and neural networks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alvarenga de Moura Meneses, Anderson; Giusti, Alessandro; Pereira de Almeida, André; Parreira Nogueira, Liebert; Braz, Delson; Cely Barroso, Regina; Almeida, Carlos Eduardo de

    2011-01-01

    Synchrotron Radiation (SR) X-ray micro-Computed Tomography (μCT) enables magnified images to be used as a non-invasive and non-destructive technique with a high space resolution for the qualitative and quantitative analyses of biomedical samples. The research on applications of segmentation algorithms to SR-μCT is an open problem, due to the interesting and well-known characteristics of SR images for visualization, such as the high resolution and the phase contrast effect. In this article, we describe and assess the application of the Energy Minimization via Graph Cuts (EMvGC) algorithm for the segmentation of SR-μCT biomedical images acquired at the Synchrotron Radiation for MEdical Physics (SYRMEP) beam line at the Elettra Laboratory (Trieste, Italy). We also propose a method using EMvGC with Artificial Neural Networks (EMANNs) for correcting misclassifications due to intensity variation of phase contrast, which are important effects and sometimes indispensable in certain biomedical applications, although they impair the segmentation provided by conventional techniques. Results demonstrate considerable success in the segmentation of SR-μCT biomedical images, with average Dice Similarity Coefficient 99.88% for bony tissue in Wistar Rats rib samples (EMvGC), as well as 98.95% and 98.02% for scans of Rhodnius prolixus insect samples (Chagas's disease vector) with EMANNs, in relation to manual segmentation. The techniques EMvGC and EMANNs cope with the task of performing segmentation in images with the intensity variation due to phase contrast effects, presenting a superior performance in comparison to conventional segmentation techniques based on thresholding and linear/nonlinear image filtering, which is also discussed in the present article.

  13. The EADC-ADNI Harmonized Protocol for manual hippocampal segmentation on magnetic resonance: Evidence of validity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frisoni, Giovanni B.; Jack, Clifford R.; Bocchetta, Martina; Bauer, Corinna; Frederiksen, Kristian S.; Liu, Yawu; Preboske, Gregory; Swihart, Tim; Blair, Melanie; Cavedo, Enrica; Grothe, Michel J.; Lanfredi, Mariangela; Martinez, Oliver; Nishikawa, Masami; Portegies, Marileen; Stoub, Travis; Ward, Chadwich; Apostolova, Liana G.; Ganzola, Rossana; Wolf, Dominik; Barkhof, Frederik; Bartzokis, George; DeCarli, Charles; Csernansky, John G.; deToledo-Morrell, Leyla; Geerlings, Mirjam I.; Kaye, Jeffrey; Killiany, Ronald J.; Lehéricy, Stephane; Matsuda, Hiroshi; O'Brien, John; Silbert, Lisa C.; Scheltens, Philip; Soininen, Hilkka; Teipel, Stefan; Waldemar, Gunhild; Fellgiebel, Andreas; Barnes, Josephine; Firbank, Michael; Gerritsen, Lotte; Henneman, Wouter; Malykhin, Nikolai; Pruessner, Jens C.; Wang, Lei; Watson, Craig; Wolf, Henrike; deLeon, Mony; Pantel, Johannes; Ferrari, Clarissa; Bosco, Paolo; Pasqualetti, Patrizio; Duchesne, Simon; Duvernoy, Henri; Boccardi, Marina

    2015-01-01

    Background An international Delphi panel has defined a harmonized protocol (HarP) for the manual segmentation of the hippocampus on MR. The aim of this study is to study the concurrent validity of the HarP toward local protocols, and its major sources of variance. Methods Fourteen tracers segmented 10 Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) cases scanned at 1.5 T and 3T following local protocols, qualified for segmentation based on the HarP through a standard web-platform and resegmented following the HarP. The five most accurate tracers followed the HarP to segment 15 ADNI cases acquired at three time points on both 1.5 T and 3T. Results The agreement among tracers was relatively low with the local protocols (absolute left/right ICC 0.44/0.43) and much higher with the HarP (absolute left/right ICC 0.88/0.89). On the larger set of 15 cases, the HarP agreement within (left/right ICC range: 0.94/0.95 to 0.99/0.99) and among tracers (left/right ICC range: 0.89/0.90) was very high. The volume variance due to different tracers was 0.9% of the total, comparing favorably to variance due to scanner manufacturer (1.2), atrophy rates (3.5), hemispheric asymmetry (3.7), field strength (4.4), and significantly smaller than the variance due to atrophy (33.5%, P < .001), and physiological variability (49.2%, P < .001). Conclusions The HarP has high measurement stability compared with local segmentation protocols, and good reproducibility within and among human tracers. Hippocampi segmented with the HarP can be used as a reference for the qualification of human tracers and automated segmentation algorithms. PMID:25267715

  14. Bloqueio dos nervos tibial e fibular comum em fossa poplítea com punção única utilizando o estimulador percutâneo de nervos: considerações anatômicas e descrição ultrassonográfica

    OpenAIRE

    Rangel, Viviane de Oliveira; Carvalho, Raphael de Almeida; Mandim, Beatriz Lemos da Silva; Alves, Rodrigo Rodrigues; Ruzi, Roberto Araújo; Fonseca, Neuber Martins da

    2011-01-01

    JUSTIFICATIVA E OBJETIVOS: As técnicas de bloqueios de nervos periféricos têm ganhado popularidade nas últimas duas décadas, tornando-se crescente opção anestésica para a cirurgia de membros. Este estudo propõe uma técnica de abordagem dos nervos tibial e fibular comum na fossa poplítea por punção única e utilizando o estimulador percutâneo de nervos, considerando a correlação com estudo anatômico e ultrassonográfico. MÉTODO: Estudo prospectivo, observacional e aleatório realizado com 28 paci...

  15. Learning-based 3T brain MRI segmentation with guidance from 7T MRI labeling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deng, Minghui; Yu, Renping; Wang, Li; Shi, Feng; Yap, Pew-Thian; Shen, Dinggang

    2016-12-01

    Segmentation of brain magnetic resonance (MR) images into white matter (WM), gray matter (GM), and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is crucial for brain structural measurement and disease diagnosis. Learning-based segmentation methods depend largely on the availability of good training ground truth. However, the commonly used 3T MR images are of insufficient image quality and often exhibit poor intensity contrast between WM, GM, and CSF. Therefore, they are not ideal for providing good ground truth label data for training learning-based methods. Recent advances in ultrahigh field 7T imaging make it possible to acquire images with excellent intensity contrast and signal-to-noise ratio. In this paper, the authors propose an algorithm based on random forest for segmenting 3T MR images by training a series of classifiers based on reliable labels obtained semiautomatically from 7T MR images. The proposed algorithm iteratively refines the probability maps of WM, GM, and CSF via a cascade of random forest classifiers for improved tissue segmentation. The proposed method was validated on two datasets, i.e., 10 subjects collected at their institution and 797 3T MR images from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) dataset. Specifically, for the mean Dice ratio of all 10 subjects, the proposed method achieved 94.52% ± 0.9%, 89.49% ± 1.83%, and 79.97% ± 4.32% for WM, GM, and CSF, respectively, which are significantly better than the state-of-the-art methods (p-values brain MR image segmentation. © 2016 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

  16. SU-E-J-142: Performance Study of Automatic Image-Segmentation Algorithms in Motion Tracking Via MR-IGRT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Feng, Y; Olsen, J.; Parikh, P.; Noel, C; Wooten, H; Du, D; Mutic, S; Hu, Y; Kawrakow, I; Dempsey, J

    2014-01-01

    Purpose: Evaluate commonly used segmentation algorithms on a commercially available real-time MR image guided radiotherapy (MR-IGRT) system (ViewRay), compare the strengths and weaknesses of each method, with the purpose of improving motion tracking for more accurate radiotherapy. Methods: MR motion images of bladder, kidney, duodenum, and liver tumor were acquired for three patients using a commercial on-board MR imaging system and an imaging protocol used during MR-IGRT. A series of 40 frames were selected for each case to cover at least 3 respiratory cycles. Thresholding, Canny edge detection, fuzzy k-means (FKM), k-harmonic means (KHM), and reaction-diffusion level set evolution (RD-LSE), along with the ViewRay treatment planning and delivery system (TPDS) were included in the comparisons. To evaluate the segmentation results, an expert manual contouring of the organs or tumor from a physician was used as a ground-truth. Metrics value of sensitivity, specificity, Jaccard similarity, and Dice coefficient were computed for comparison. Results: In the segmentation of single image frame, all methods successfully segmented the bladder and kidney, but only FKM, KHM and TPDS were able to segment the liver tumor and the duodenum. For segmenting motion image series, the TPDS method had the highest sensitivity, Jarccard, and Dice coefficients in segmenting bladder and kidney, while FKM and KHM had a slightly higher specificity. A similar pattern was observed when segmenting the liver tumor and the duodenum. The Canny method is not suitable for consistently segmenting motion frames in an automated process, while thresholding and RD-LSE cannot consistently segment a liver tumor and the duodenum. Conclusion: The study compared six different segmentation methods and showed the effectiveness of the ViewRay TPDS algorithm in segmenting motion images during MR-IGRT. Future studies include a selection of conformal segmentation methods based on image/organ-specific information

  17. SU-E-J-142: Performance Study of Automatic Image-Segmentation Algorithms in Motion Tracking Via MR-IGRT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Feng, Y; Olsen, J.; Parikh, P.; Noel, C; Wooten, H; Du, D; Mutic, S; Hu, Y [Washington University, St. Louis, MO (United States); Kawrakow, I; Dempsey, J [Washington University, St. Louis, MO (United States); ViewRay Co., Oakwood Village, OH (United States)

    2014-06-01

    Purpose: Evaluate commonly used segmentation algorithms on a commercially available real-time MR image guided radiotherapy (MR-IGRT) system (ViewRay), compare the strengths and weaknesses of each method, with the purpose of improving motion tracking for more accurate radiotherapy. Methods: MR motion images of bladder, kidney, duodenum, and liver tumor were acquired for three patients using a commercial on-board MR imaging system and an imaging protocol used during MR-IGRT. A series of 40 frames were selected for each case to cover at least 3 respiratory cycles. Thresholding, Canny edge detection, fuzzy k-means (FKM), k-harmonic means (KHM), and reaction-diffusion level set evolution (RD-LSE), along with the ViewRay treatment planning and delivery system (TPDS) were included in the comparisons. To evaluate the segmentation results, an expert manual contouring of the organs or tumor from a physician was used as a ground-truth. Metrics value of sensitivity, specificity, Jaccard similarity, and Dice coefficient were computed for comparison. Results: In the segmentation of single image frame, all methods successfully segmented the bladder and kidney, but only FKM, KHM and TPDS were able to segment the liver tumor and the duodenum. For segmenting motion image series, the TPDS method had the highest sensitivity, Jarccard, and Dice coefficients in segmenting bladder and kidney, while FKM and KHM had a slightly higher specificity. A similar pattern was observed when segmenting the liver tumor and the duodenum. The Canny method is not suitable for consistently segmenting motion frames in an automated process, while thresholding and RD-LSE cannot consistently segment a liver tumor and the duodenum. Conclusion: The study compared six different segmentation methods and showed the effectiveness of the ViewRay TPDS algorithm in segmenting motion images during MR-IGRT. Future studies include a selection of conformal segmentation methods based on image/organ-specific information

  18. Contrast-based fully automatic segmentation of white matter hyperintensities: method and validation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thomas Samaille

    Full Text Available White matter hyperintensities (WMH on T2 or FLAIR sequences have been commonly observed on MR images of elderly people. They have been associated with various disorders and have been shown to be a strong risk factor for stroke and dementia. WMH studies usually required visual evaluation of WMH load or time-consuming manual delineation. This paper introduced WHASA (White matter Hyperintensities Automated Segmentation Algorithm, a new method for automatically segmenting WMH from FLAIR and T1 images in multicentre studies. Contrary to previous approaches that were based on intensities, this method relied on contrast: non linear diffusion filtering alternated with watershed segmentation to obtain piecewise constant images with increased contrast between WMH and surroundings tissues. WMH were then selected based on subject dependant automatically computed threshold and anatomical information. WHASA was evaluated on 67 patients from two studies, acquired on six different MRI scanners and displaying a wide range of lesion load. Accuracy of the segmentation was assessed through volume and spatial agreement measures with respect to manual segmentation; an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC of 0.96 and a mean similarity index (SI of 0.72 were obtained. WHASA was compared to four other approaches: Freesurfer and a thresholding approach as unsupervised methods; k-nearest neighbours (kNN and support vector machines (SVM as supervised ones. For these latter, influence of the training set was also investigated. WHASA clearly outperformed both unsupervised methods, while performing at least as good as supervised approaches (ICC range: 0.87-0.91 for kNN; 0.89-0.94 for SVM. Mean SI: 0.63-0.71 for kNN, 0.67-0.72 for SVM, and did not need any training set.

  19. Pore REconstruction and Segmentation (PORES) method for improved porosity quantification of nanoporous materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Van Eyndhoven, G., E-mail: geert.vaneyndhoven@uantwerpen.be [iMinds-Vision Lab, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610 Wilrijk (Belgium); Kurttepeli, M. [EMAT, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, B-2020 Antwerp (Belgium); Van Oers, C.J.; Cool, P. [Laboratory of Adsorption and Catalysis, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610 Wilrijk (Belgium); Bals, S. [EMAT, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, B-2020 Antwerp (Belgium); Batenburg, K.J. [iMinds-Vision Lab, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610 Wilrijk (Belgium); Centrum Wiskunde and Informatica, Science Park 123, NL-1090 GB Amsterdam (Netherlands); Mathematical Institute, Universiteit Leiden, Niels Bohrweg 1, NL-2333 CA Leiden (Netherlands); Sijbers, J. [iMinds-Vision Lab, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610 Wilrijk (Belgium)

    2015-01-15

    Electron tomography is currently a versatile tool to investigate the connection between the structure and properties of nanomaterials. However, a quantitative interpretation of electron tomography results is still far from straightforward. Especially accurate quantification of pore-space is hampered by artifacts introduced in all steps of the processing chain, i.e., acquisition, reconstruction, segmentation and quantification. Furthermore, most common approaches require subjective manual user input. In this paper, the PORES algorithm “POre REconstruction and Segmentation” is introduced; it is a tailor-made, integral approach, for the reconstruction, segmentation, and quantification of porous nanomaterials. The PORES processing chain starts by calculating a reconstruction with a nanoporous-specific reconstruction algorithm: the Simultaneous Update of Pore Pixels by iterative REconstruction and Simple Segmentation algorithm (SUPPRESS). It classifies the interior region to the pores during reconstruction, while reconstructing the remaining region by reducing the error with respect to the acquired electron microscopy data. The SUPPRESS reconstruction can be directly plugged into the remaining processing chain of the PORES algorithm, resulting in accurate individual pore quantification and full sample pore statistics. The proposed approach was extensively validated on both simulated and experimental data, indicating its ability to generate accurate statistics of nanoporous materials. - Highlights: • An electron tomography reconstruction/segmentation method for nanoporous materials. • The method exploits the porous nature of the scanned material. • Validated extensively on both simulation and real data experiments. • Results in increased image resolution and improved porosity quantification.

  20. Fast and Robust Segmentation and Classification for Change Detection in Urban Point Clouds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roynard, X.; Deschaud, J.-E.; Goulette, F.

    2016-06-01

    Change detection is an important issue in city monitoring to analyse street furniture, road works, car parking, etc. For example, parking surveys are needed but are currently a laborious task involving sending operators in the streets to identify the changes in car locations. In this paper, we propose a method that performs a fast and robust segmentation and classification of urban point clouds, that can be used for change detection. We apply this method to detect the cars, as a particular object class, in order to perform parking surveys automatically. A recently proposed method already addresses the need for fast segmentation and classification of urban point clouds, using elevation images. The interest to work on images is that processing is much faster, proven and robust. However there may be a loss of information in complex 3D cases: for example when objects are one above the other, typically a car under a tree or a pedestrian under a balcony. In this paper we propose a method that retain the three-dimensional information while preserving fast computation times and improving segmentation and classification accuracy. It is based on fast region-growing using an octree, for the segmentation, and specific descriptors with Random-Forest for the classification. Experiments have been performed on large urban point clouds acquired by Mobile Laser Scanning. They show that the method is as fast as the state of the art, and that it gives more robust results in the complex 3D cases.

  1. MIN-CUT BASED SEGMENTATION OF AIRBORNE LIDAR POINT CLOUDS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Ural

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Introducing an organization to the unstructured point cloud before extracting information from airborne lidar data is common in many applications. Aggregating the points with similar features into segments in 3-D which comply with the nature of actual objects is affected by the neighborhood, scale, features and noise among other aspects. In this study, we present a min-cut based method for segmenting the point cloud. We first assess the neighborhood of each point in 3-D by investigating the local geometric and statistical properties of the candidates. Neighborhood selection is essential since point features are calculated within their local neighborhood. Following neighborhood determination, we calculate point features and determine the clusters in the feature space. We adapt a graph representation from image processing which is especially used in pixel labeling problems and establish it for the unstructured 3-D point clouds. The edges of the graph that are connecting the points with each other and nodes representing feature clusters hold the smoothness costs in the spatial domain and data costs in the feature domain. Smoothness costs ensure spatial coherence, while data costs control the consistency with the representative feature clusters. This graph representation formalizes the segmentation task as an energy minimization problem. It allows the implementation of an approximate solution by min-cuts for a global minimum of this NP hard minimization problem in low order polynomial time. We test our method with airborne lidar point cloud acquired with maximum planned post spacing of 1.4 m and a vertical accuracy 10.5 cm as RMSE. We present the effects of neighborhood and feature determination in the segmentation results and assess the accuracy and efficiency of the implemented min-cut algorithm as well as its sensitivity to the parameters of the smoothness and data cost functions. We find that smoothness cost that only considers simple distance

  2. Automated Segmentation of the Parotid Gland Based on Atlas Registration and Machine Learning: A Longitudinal MRI Study in Head-and-Neck Radiation Therapy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yang, Xiaofeng [Radiation Oncology and Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia (United States); Wu, Ning; Cheng, Guanghui [Radiation Oncology, Jilin University, Chuangchun, Jilin (China); Zhou, Zhengyang [Department of Radiology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing (China); Yu, David S.; Beitler, Jonathan J.; Curran, Walter J. [Radiation Oncology and Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia (United States); Liu, Tian, E-mail: tliu34@emory.edu [Radiation Oncology and Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia (United States)

    2014-12-01

    Purpose: To develop an automated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) parotid segmentation method to monitor radiation-induced parotid gland changes in patients after head and neck radiation therapy (RT). Methods and Materials: The proposed method combines the atlas registration method, which captures the global variation of anatomy, with a machine learning technology, which captures the local statistical features, to automatically segment the parotid glands from the MRIs. The segmentation method consists of 3 major steps. First, an atlas (pre-RT MRI and manually contoured parotid gland mask) is built for each patient. A hybrid deformable image registration is used to map the pre-RT MRI to the post-RT MRI, and the transformation is applied to the pre-RT parotid volume. Second, the kernel support vector machine (SVM) is trained with the subject-specific atlas pair consisting of multiple features (intensity, gradient, and others) from the aligned pre-RT MRI and the transformed parotid volume. Third, the well-trained kernel SVM is used to differentiate the parotid from surrounding tissues in the post-RT MRIs by statistically matching multiple texture features. A longitudinal study of 15 patients undergoing head and neck RT was conducted: baseline MRI was acquired prior to RT, and the post-RT MRIs were acquired at 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up examinations. The resulting segmentations were compared with the physicians' manual contours. Results: Successful parotid segmentation was achieved for all 15 patients (42 post-RT MRIs). The average percentage of volume differences between the automated segmentations and those of the physicians' manual contours were 7.98% for the left parotid and 8.12% for the right parotid. The average volume overlap was 91.1% ± 1.6% for the left parotid and 90.5% ± 2.4% for the right parotid. The parotid gland volume reduction at follow-up was 25% at 3 months, 27% at 6 months, and 16% at 12 months. Conclusions: We have validated

  3. Deformable meshes for medical image segmentation accurate automatic segmentation of anatomical structures

    CERN Document Server

    Kainmueller, Dagmar

    2014-01-01

    ? Segmentation of anatomical structures in medical image data is an essential task in clinical practice. Dagmar Kainmueller introduces methods for accurate fully automatic segmentation of anatomical structures in 3D medical image data. The author's core methodological contribution is a novel deformation model that overcomes limitations of state-of-the-art Deformable Surface approaches, hence allowing for accurate segmentation of tip- and ridge-shaped features of anatomical structures. As for practical contributions, she proposes application-specific segmentation pipelines for a range of anatom

  4. Automated fetal brain segmentation from 2D MRI slices for motion correction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keraudren, K; Kuklisova-Murgasova, M; Kyriakopoulou, V; Malamateniou, C; Rutherford, M A; Kainz, B; Hajnal, J V; Rueckert, D

    2014-11-01

    Motion correction is a key element for imaging the fetal brain in-utero using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Maternal breathing can introduce motion, but a larger effect is frequently due to fetal movement within the womb. Consequently, imaging is frequently performed slice-by-slice using single shot techniques, which are then combined into volumetric images using slice-to-volume reconstruction methods (SVR). For successful SVR, a key preprocessing step is to isolate fetal brain tissues from maternal anatomy before correcting for the motion of the fetal head. This has hitherto been a manual or semi-automatic procedure. We propose an automatic method to localize and segment the brain of the fetus when the image data is acquired as stacks of 2D slices with anatomy misaligned due to fetal motion. We combine this segmentation process with a robust motion correction method, enabling the segmentation to be refined as the reconstruction proceeds. The fetal brain localization process uses Maximally Stable Extremal Regions (MSER), which are classified using a Bag-of-Words model with Scale-Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT) features. The segmentation process is a patch-based propagation of the MSER regions selected during detection, combined with a Conditional Random Field (CRF). The gestational age (GA) is used to incorporate prior knowledge about the size and volume of the fetal brain into the detection and segmentation process. The method was tested in a ten-fold cross-validation experiment on 66 datasets of healthy fetuses whose GA ranged from 22 to 39 weeks. In 85% of the tested cases, our proposed method produced a motion corrected volume of a relevant quality for clinical diagnosis, thus removing the need for manually delineating the contours of the brain before motion correction. Our method automatically generated as a side-product a segmentation of the reconstructed fetal brain with a mean Dice score of 93%, which can be used for further processing. Copyright

  5. MR/PET quantification tools: Registration, segmentation, classification, and MR-based attenuation correction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fei, Baowei; Yang, Xiaofeng; Nye, Jonathon A.; Aarsvold, John N.; Raghunath, Nivedita; Cervo, Morgan; Stark, Rebecca; Meltzer, Carolyn C.; Votaw, John R.

    2012-01-01

    Purpose: Combined MR/PET is a relatively new, hybrid imaging modality. A human MR/PET prototype system consisting of a Siemens 3T Trio MR and brain PET insert was installed and tested at our institution. Its present design does not offer measured attenuation correction (AC) using traditional transmission imaging. This study is the development of quantification tools including MR-based AC for quantification in combined MR/PET for brain imaging. Methods: The developed quantification tools include image registration, segmentation, classification, and MR-based AC. These components were integrated into a single scheme for processing MR/PET data. The segmentation method is multiscale and based on the Radon transform of brain MR images. It was developed to segment the skull on T1-weighted MR images. A modified fuzzy C-means classification scheme was developed to classify brain tissue into gray matter, white matter, and cerebrospinal fluid. Classified tissue is assigned an attenuation coefficient so that AC factors can be generated. PET emission data are then reconstructed using a three-dimensional ordered sets expectation maximization method with the MR-based AC map. Ten subjects had separate MR and PET scans. The PET with [11C]PIB was acquired using a high-resolution research tomography (HRRT) PET. MR-based AC was compared with transmission (TX)-based AC on the HRRT. Seventeen volumes of interest were drawn manually on each subject image to compare the PET activities between the MR-based and TX-based AC methods. Results: For skull segmentation, the overlap ratio between our segmented results and the ground truth is 85.2 ± 2.6%. Attenuation correction results from the ten subjects show that the difference between the MR and TX-based methods was <6.5%. Conclusions: MR-based AC compared favorably with conventional transmission-based AC. Quantitative tools including registration, segmentation, classification, and MR-based AC have been developed for use in combined MR

  6. MR/PET quantification tools: Registration, segmentation, classification, and MR-based attenuation correction

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fei, Baowei, E-mail: bfei@emory.edu [Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, 1841 Clifton Road Northeast, Atlanta, Georgia 30329 (United States); Department of Biomedical Engineering, Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30322 (United States); Department of Mathematics and Computer Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322 (United States); Yang, Xiaofeng; Nye, Jonathon A.; Raghunath, Nivedita; Votaw, John R. [Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30329 (United States); Aarsvold, John N. [Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30329 (United States); Nuclear Medicine Service, Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Atlanta, Georgia 30033 (United States); Cervo, Morgan; Stark, Rebecca [The Medical Physics Graduate Program in the George W. Woodruff School, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332 (United States); Meltzer, Carolyn C. [Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30329 (United States); Department of Neurology and Department of Psychiatry and Behavior Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30322 (United States)

    2012-10-15

    Purpose: Combined MR/PET is a relatively new, hybrid imaging modality. A human MR/PET prototype system consisting of a Siemens 3T Trio MR and brain PET insert was installed and tested at our institution. Its present design does not offer measured attenuation correction (AC) using traditional transmission imaging. This study is the development of quantification tools including MR-based AC for quantification in combined MR/PET for brain imaging. Methods: The developed quantification tools include image registration, segmentation, classification, and MR-based AC. These components were integrated into a single scheme for processing MR/PET data. The segmentation method is multiscale and based on the Radon transform of brain MR images. It was developed to segment the skull on T1-weighted MR images. A modified fuzzy C-means classification scheme was developed to classify brain tissue into gray matter, white matter, and cerebrospinal fluid. Classified tissue is assigned an attenuation coefficient so that AC factors can be generated. PET emission data are then reconstructed using a three-dimensional ordered sets expectation maximization method with the MR-based AC map. Ten subjects had separate MR and PET scans. The PET with [{sup 11}C]PIB was acquired using a high-resolution research tomography (HRRT) PET. MR-based AC was compared with transmission (TX)-based AC on the HRRT. Seventeen volumes of interest were drawn manually on each subject image to compare the PET activities between the MR-based and TX-based AC methods. Results: For skull segmentation, the overlap ratio between our segmented results and the ground truth is 85.2 ± 2.6%. Attenuation correction results from the ten subjects show that the difference between the MR and TX-based methods was <6.5%. Conclusions: MR-based AC compared favorably with conventional transmission-based AC. Quantitative tools including registration, segmentation, classification, and MR-based AC have been developed for use in combined MR/PET.

  7. MR/PET quantification tools: Registration, segmentation, classification, and MR-based attenuation correction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fei, Baowei; Yang, Xiaofeng; Nye, Jonathon A.; Raghunath, Nivedita; Votaw, John R.; Aarsvold, John N.; Cervo, Morgan; Stark, Rebecca; Meltzer, Carolyn C.

    2012-01-01

    Purpose: Combined MR/PET is a relatively new, hybrid imaging modality. A human MR/PET prototype system consisting of a Siemens 3T Trio MR and brain PET insert was installed and tested at our institution. Its present design does not offer measured attenuation correction (AC) using traditional transmission imaging. This study is the development of quantification tools including MR-based AC for quantification in combined MR/PET for brain imaging. Methods: The developed quantification tools include image registration, segmentation, classification, and MR-based AC. These components were integrated into a single scheme for processing MR/PET data. The segmentation method is multiscale and based on the Radon transform of brain MR images. It was developed to segment the skull on T1-weighted MR images. A modified fuzzy C-means classification scheme was developed to classify brain tissue into gray matter, white matter, and cerebrospinal fluid. Classified tissue is assigned an attenuation coefficient so that AC factors can be generated. PET emission data are then reconstructed using a three-dimensional ordered sets expectation maximization method with the MR-based AC map. Ten subjects had separate MR and PET scans. The PET with ["1"1C]PIB was acquired using a high-resolution research tomography (HRRT) PET. MR-based AC was compared with transmission (TX)-based AC on the HRRT. Seventeen volumes of interest were drawn manually on each subject image to compare the PET activities between the MR-based and TX-based AC methods. Results: For skull segmentation, the overlap ratio between our segmented results and the ground truth is 85.2 ± 2.6%. Attenuation correction results from the ten subjects show that the difference between the MR and TX-based methods was <6.5%. Conclusions: MR-based AC compared favorably with conventional transmission-based AC. Quantitative tools including registration, segmentation, classification, and MR-based AC have been developed for use in combined MR/PET.

  8. Speaker segmentation and clustering

    OpenAIRE

    Kotti, M; Moschou, V; Kotropoulos, C

    2008-01-01

    07.08.13 KB. Ok to add the accepted version to Spiral, Elsevier says ok whlile mandate not enforced. This survey focuses on two challenging speech processing topics, namely: speaker segmentation and speaker clustering. Speaker segmentation aims at finding speaker change points in an audio stream, whereas speaker clustering aims at grouping speech segments based on speaker characteristics. Model-based, metric-based, and hybrid speaker segmentation algorithms are reviewed. Concerning speaker...

  9. Optic Disc and Optic Cup Segmentation Methodologies for Glaucoma Image Detection: A Survey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmed Almazroa

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Glaucoma is the second leading cause of loss of vision in the world. Examining the head of optic nerve (cup-to-disc ratio is very important for diagnosing glaucoma and for patient monitoring after diagnosis. Images of optic disc and optic cup are acquired by fundus camera as well as Optical Coherence Tomography. The optic disc and optic cup segmentation techniques are used to isolate the relevant parts of the retinal image and to calculate the cup-to-disc ratio. The main objective of this paper is to review segmentation methodologies and techniques for the disc and cup boundaries which are utilized to calculate the disc and cup geometrical parameters automatically and accurately to help the professionals in the glaucoma to have a wide view and more details about the optic nerve head structure using retinal fundus images. We provide a brief description of each technique, highlighting its classification and performance metrics. The current and future research directions are summarized and discussed.

  10. Optic Disc and Optic Cup Segmentation Methodologies for Glaucoma Image Detection: A Survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Almazroa, Ahmed; Burman, Ritambhar; Raahemifar, Kaamran; Lakshminarayanan, Vasudevan

    2015-01-01

    Glaucoma is the second leading cause of loss of vision in the world. Examining the head of optic nerve (cup-to-disc ratio) is very important for diagnosing glaucoma and for patient monitoring after diagnosis. Images of optic disc and optic cup are acquired by fundus camera as well as Optical Coherence Tomography. The optic disc and optic cup segmentation techniques are used to isolate the relevant parts of the retinal image and to calculate the cup-to-disc ratio. The main objective of this paper is to review segmentation methodologies and techniques for the disc and cup boundaries which are utilized to calculate the disc and cup geometrical parameters automatically and accurately to help the professionals in the glaucoma to have a wide view and more details about the optic nerve head structure using retinal fundus images. We provide a brief description of each technique, highlighting its classification and performance metrics. The current and future research directions are summarized and discussed. PMID:26688751

  11. Multistage morphological segmentation of bright-field and fluorescent microscopy images

    Science.gov (United States)

    Korzyńska, A.; Iwanowski, M.

    2012-06-01

    This paper describes the multistage morphological segmentation method (MSMA) for microscopic cell images. The proposed method enables us to study the cell behaviour by using a sequence of two types of microscopic images: bright field images and/or fluorescent images. The proposed method is based on two types of information: the cell texture coming from the bright field images and intensity of light emission, done by fluorescent markers. The method is dedicated to the image sequences segmentation and it is based on mathematical morphology methods supported by other image processing techniques. The method allows for detecting cells in image independently from a degree of their flattening and from presenting structures which produce the texture. It makes use of some synergic information from the fluorescent light emission image as the support information. The MSMA method has been applied to images acquired during the experiments on neural stem cells as well as to artificial images. In order to validate the method, two types of errors have been considered: the error of cell area detection and the error of cell position using artificial images as the "gold standard".

  12. Segmentation of the Infant Food Market

    OpenAIRE

    Hrůzová, Daniela

    2015-01-01

    The theoretical part covers general market segmentation, namely the marketing importance of differences among consumers, the essence of market segmentation, its main conditions and the process of segmentation, which consists of four consecutive phases - defining the market, determining important criteria, uncovering segments and developing segment profiles. The segmentation criteria, segmentation approaches, methods and techniques for the process of market segmentation are also described in t...

  13. Pancreas and cyst segmentation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dmitriev, Konstantin; Gutenko, Ievgeniia; Nadeem, Saad; Kaufman, Arie

    2016-03-01

    Accurate segmentation of abdominal organs from medical images is an essential part of surgical planning and computer-aided disease diagnosis. Many existing algorithms are specialized for the segmentation of healthy organs. Cystic pancreas segmentation is especially challenging due to its low contrast boundaries, variability in shape, location and the stage of the pancreatic cancer. We present a semi-automatic segmentation algorithm for pancreata with cysts. In contrast to existing automatic segmentation approaches for healthy pancreas segmentation which are amenable to atlas/statistical shape approaches, a pancreas with cysts can have even higher variability with respect to the shape of the pancreas due to the size and shape of the cyst(s). Hence, fine results are better attained with semi-automatic steerable approaches. We use a novel combination of random walker and region growing approaches to delineate the boundaries of the pancreas and cysts with respective best Dice coefficients of 85.1% and 86.7%, and respective best volumetric overlap errors of 26.0% and 23.5%. Results show that the proposed algorithm for pancreas and pancreatic cyst segmentation is accurate and stable.

  14. Phasing multi-segment undulators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chavanne, J.; Elleaume, P.; Vaerenbergh, P. Van

    1996-01-01

    An important issue in the manufacture of multi-segment undulators as a source of synchrotron radiation or as a free-electron laser (FEL) is the phasing between successive segments. The state of the art is briefly reviewed, after which a novel pure permanent magnet phasing section that is passive and does not require any current is presented. The phasing section allows the introduction of a 6 mm longitudinal gap between each segment, resulting in complete mechanical independence and reduced magnetic interaction between segments. The tolerance of the longitudinal positioning of one segment with respect to the next is found to be 2.8 times lower than that of conventional phasing. The spectrum at all gaps and useful harmonics is almost unchanged when compared with a single-segment undulator of the same total length. (au) 3 refs

  15. Application of variable threshold intensity to segmentation for white matter hyperintensities in fluid attenuated inversion recovery magnetic resonance images

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoo, Byung Il; Han, Ji Won; Oh, San Yeo Wool; Kim, Tae Hui; Lee, Jung Jae; Lee, Eun Young; MacFall, James R.; Payne, Martha E.; Kim, Jae Hyoung; Kim, Ki Woong

    2014-01-01

    White matter hyperintensities (WMHs) are regions of abnormally high intensity on T2-weighted or fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Accurate and reproducible automatic segmentation of WMHs is important since WMHs are often seen in the elderly and are associated with various geriatric and psychiatric disorders. We developed a fully automated monospectral segmentation method for WMHs using FLAIR MRIs. Through this method, we introduce an optimal threshold intensity (I O ) for segmenting WMHs, which varies with WMHs volume (V WMH ), and we establish the I O -V WMH relationship. Our method showed accurate validations in volumetric and spatial agreements of automatically segmented WMHs compared with manually segmented WMHs for 32 confirmatory images. Bland-Altman values of volumetric agreement were 0.96 ± 8.311 ml (bias and 95 % confidence interval), and the similarity index of spatial agreement was 0.762 ± 0.127 (mean ± standard deviation). Furthermore, similar validation accuracies were obtained in the images acquired from different scanners. The proposed segmentation method uses only FLAIR MRIs, has the potential to be accurate with images obtained from different scanners, and can be implemented with a fully automated procedure. In our study, validation results were obtained with FLAIR MRIs from only two scanner types. The design of the method may allow its use in large multicenter studies with correct efficiency. (orig.)

  16. Application of variable threshold intensity to segmentation for white matter hyperintensities in fluid attenuated inversion recovery magnetic resonance images

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yoo, Byung Il; Han, Ji Won; Oh, San Yeo Wool; Kim, Tae Hui [Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Jung Jae; Lee, Eun Young [Kyungbook National University Chilgok Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Buk-gu, Daegu (Korea, Republic of); MacFall, James R. [Duke University Medical Center, Neuropsychiatric Imaging Research Laboratory, Durham, NC (United States); Duke University Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Durham, NC (United States); Payne, Martha E. [Duke University Medical Center, Neuropsychiatric Imaging Research Laboratory, Durham, NC (United States); Duke University Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Durham, NC (United States); Kim, Jae Hyoung [Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Department of Radiology, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do (Korea, Republic of); Seoul National University College of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Jongno-gu, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Ki Woong [Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do (Korea, Republic of); Seoul National University College of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Jongno-gu, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Seoul National University College of Natural Sciences, Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Gwanak-gu, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-04-15

    White matter hyperintensities (WMHs) are regions of abnormally high intensity on T2-weighted or fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Accurate and reproducible automatic segmentation of WMHs is important since WMHs are often seen in the elderly and are associated with various geriatric and psychiatric disorders. We developed a fully automated monospectral segmentation method for WMHs using FLAIR MRIs. Through this method, we introduce an optimal threshold intensity (I{sub O}) for segmenting WMHs, which varies with WMHs volume (V{sub WMH}), and we establish the I{sub O} -V{sub WMH} relationship. Our method showed accurate validations in volumetric and spatial agreements of automatically segmented WMHs compared with manually segmented WMHs for 32 confirmatory images. Bland-Altman values of volumetric agreement were 0.96 ± 8.311 ml (bias and 95 % confidence interval), and the similarity index of spatial agreement was 0.762 ± 0.127 (mean ± standard deviation). Furthermore, similar validation accuracies were obtained in the images acquired from different scanners. The proposed segmentation method uses only FLAIR MRIs, has the potential to be accurate with images obtained from different scanners, and can be implemented with a fully automated procedure. In our study, validation results were obtained with FLAIR MRIs from only two scanner types. The design of the method may allow its use in large multicenter studies with correct efficiency. (orig.)

  17. FRAMEWORK FOR COMPARING SEGMENTATION ALGORITHMS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. Sithole

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available The notion of a ‘Best’ segmentation does not exist. A segmentation algorithm is chosen based on the features it yields, the properties of the segments (point sets it generates, and the complexity of its algorithm. The segmentation is then assessed based on a variety of metrics such as homogeneity, heterogeneity, fragmentation, etc. Even after an algorithm is chosen its performance is still uncertain because the landscape/scenarios represented in a point cloud have a strong influence on the eventual segmentation. Thus selecting an appropriate segmentation algorithm is a process of trial and error. Automating the selection of segmentation algorithms and their parameters first requires methods to evaluate segmentations. Three common approaches for evaluating segmentation algorithms are ‘goodness methods’, ‘discrepancy methods’ and ‘benchmarks’. Benchmarks are considered the most comprehensive method of evaluation. This paper shortcomings in current benchmark methods are identified and a framework is proposed that permits both a visual and numerical evaluation of segmentations for different algorithms, algorithm parameters and evaluation metrics. The concept of the framework is demonstrated on a real point cloud. Current results are promising and suggest that it can be used to predict the performance of segmentation algorithms.

  18. Why segmentation matters: experience-driven segmentation errors impair “morpheme” learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Finn, Amy S.; Hudson Kam, Carla L.

    2015-01-01

    We ask whether an adult learner’s knowledge of their native language impedes statistical learning in a new language beyond just word segmentation (as previously shown). In particular, we examine the impact of native-language word-form phonotactics on learners’ ability to segment words into their component morphemes and learn phonologically triggered variation of morphemes. We find that learning is impaired when words and component morphemes are structured to conflict with a learner’s native-language phonotactic system, but not when native-language phonotactics do not conflict with morpheme boundaries in the artificial language. A learner’s native-language knowledge can therefore have a cascading impact affecting word segmentation and the morphological variation that relies upon proper segmentation. These results show that getting word segmentation right early in learning is deeply important for learning other aspects of language, even those (morphology) that are known to pose a great difficulty for adult language learners. PMID:25730305

  19. Segment-Tube: Spatio-Temporal Action Localization in Untrimmed Videos with Per-Frame Segmentation

    OpenAIRE

    Le Wang; Xuhuan Duan; Qilin Zhang; Zhenxing Niu; Gang Hua; Nanning Zheng

    2018-01-01

    Inspired by the recent spatio-temporal action localization efforts with tubelets (sequences of bounding boxes), we present a new spatio-temporal action localization detector Segment-tube, which consists of sequences of per-frame segmentation masks. The proposed Segment-tube detector can temporally pinpoint the starting/ending frame of each action category in the presence of preceding/subsequent interference actions in untrimmed videos. Simultaneously, the Segment-tube detector produces per-fr...

  20. Isotropic 3D cardiac cine MRI allows efficient sparse segmentation strategies based on 3D surface reconstruction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Odille, Freddy; Bustin, Aurélien; Liu, Shufang; Chen, Bailiang; Vuissoz, Pierre-André; Felblinger, Jacques; Bonnemains, Laurent

    2018-05-01

    Segmentation of cardiac cine MRI data is routinely used for the volumetric analysis of cardiac function. Conventionally, 2D contours are drawn on short-axis (SAX) image stacks with relatively thick slices (typically 8 mm). Here, an acquisition/reconstruction strategy is used for obtaining isotropic 3D cine datasets; reformatted slices are then used to optimize the manual segmentation workflow. Isotropic 3D cine datasets were obtained from multiple 2D cine stacks (acquired during free-breathing in SAX and long-axis (LAX) orientations) using nonrigid motion correction (cine-GRICS method) and super-resolution. Several manual segmentation strategies were then compared, including conventional SAX segmentation, LAX segmentation in three views only, and combinations of SAX and LAX slices. An implicit B-spline surface reconstruction algorithm is proposed to reconstruct the left ventricular cavity surface from the sparse set of 2D contours. All tested sparse segmentation strategies were in good agreement, with Dice scores above 0.9 despite using fewer slices (3-6 sparse slices instead of 8-10 contiguous SAX slices). When compared to independent phase-contrast flow measurements, stroke volumes computed from four or six sparse slices had slightly higher precision than conventional SAX segmentation (error standard deviation of 5.4 mL against 6.1 mL) at the cost of slightly lower accuracy (bias of -1.2 mL against 0.2 mL). Functional parameters also showed a trend to improved precision, including end-diastolic volumes, end-systolic volumes, and ejection fractions). The postprocessing workflow of 3D isotropic cardiac imaging strategies can be optimized using sparse segmentation and 3D surface reconstruction. Magn Reson Med 79:2665-2675, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

  1. An Accurate liver segmentation method using parallel computing algorithm

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Elbasher, Eiman Mohammed Khalied

    2014-12-01

    Computed Tomography (CT or CAT scan) is a noninvasive diagnostic imaging procedure that uses a combination of X-rays and computer technology to produce horizontal, or axial, images (often called slices) of the body. A CT scan shows detailed images of any part of the body, including the bones muscles, fat and organs CT scans are more detailed than standard x-rays. CT scans may be done with or without "contrast Contrast refers to a substance taken by mouth and/ or injected into an intravenous (IV) line that causes the particular organ or tissue under study to be seen more clearly. CT scan of the liver and biliary tract are used in the diagnosis of many diseases in the abdomen structures, particularly when another type of examination, such as X-rays, physical examination, and ultra sound is not conclusive. Unfortunately, the presence of noise and artifact in the edges and fine details in the CT images limit the contrast resolution and make diagnostic procedure more difficult. This experimental study was conducted at the College of Medical Radiological Science, Sudan University of Science and Technology and Fidel Specialist Hospital. The sample of study was included 50 patients. The main objective of this research was to study an accurate liver segmentation method using a parallel computing algorithm, and to segment liver and adjacent organs using image processing technique. The main technique of segmentation used in this study was watershed transform. The scope of image processing and analysis applied to medical application is to improve the quality of the acquired image and extract quantitative information from medical image data in an efficient and accurate way. The results of this technique agreed wit the results of Jarritt et al, (2010), Kratchwil et al, (2010), Jover et al, (2011), Yomamoto et al, (1996), Cai et al (1999), Saudha and Jayashree (2010) who used different segmentation filtering based on the methods of enhancing the computed tomography images. Anther

  2. Automatic 2D segmentation of airways in thorax computed tomography images; Segmentacao automatica 2D de vias aereas em imagens de tomografia computadorizada do torax

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cavalcante, Tarique da Silveira; Cortez, Paulo Cesar; Almeida, Thomaz Maia de, E-mail: tarique@lesc.ufc.br [Universidade Federal do Ceara (UFC), Fortaleza, CE (Brazil). Dept. de Engenharia de Teleinformatica; Felix, John Hebert da Silva [Universidade da Integracao Internacional da Lusofonia Afro-Brasileira (UNILAB), Redencao, CE (Brazil). Departamento de Energias; Holanda, Marcelo Alcantara [Universidade Federal do Ceara (UFC), Fortaleza, CE (Brazil). Fac. de Medicina

    2013-07-01

    Introduction: much of the world population is affected by pulmonary diseases, such as the bronchial asthma, bronchitis and bronchiectasis. The bronchial diagnosis is based on the airways state. In this sense, the automatic segmentation of the airways in Computed Tomography (CT) scans is a critical step in the aid to diagnosis of these diseases. Methods: this paper evaluates algorithms for airway automatic segmentation, using Neural Network Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) and Lung Densities Analysis (LDA) for detecting airways, along with Region Growing (RG), Active Contour Method (ACM) Balloon and Topology Adaptive to segment them. Results: we obtained results in three stages: comparative analysis of the detection algorithms MLP and LDA, with a gold standard acquired by three physicians with expertise in CT imaging of the chest; comparative analysis of segmentation algorithms ACM Balloon, ACM Topology Adaptive, MLP and RG; and evaluation of possible combinations between segmentation and detection algorithms, resulting in the complete method for automatic segmentation of the airways in 2D. Conclusion: the low incidence of false negative and the significant reduction of false positive, results in similarity coefficient and sensitivity exceeding 91% and 87% respectively, for a combination of algorithms with satisfactory segmentation quality. (author)

  3. WE-EF-210-08: BEST IN PHYSICS (IMAGING): 3D Prostate Segmentation in Ultrasound Images Using Patch-Based Anatomical Feature

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yang, X; Rossi, P; Jani, A; Ogunleye, T; Curran, W; Liu, T [Emory Univ, Atlanta, GA (United States)

    2015-06-15

    Purpose: Transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) is the standard imaging modality for the image-guided prostate-cancer interventions (e.g., biopsy and brachytherapy) due to its versatility and real-time capability. Accurate segmentation of the prostate plays a key role in biopsy needle placement, treatment planning, and motion monitoring. As ultrasound images have a relatively low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), automatic segmentation of the prostate is difficult. However, manual segmentation during biopsy or radiation therapy can be time consuming. We are developing an automated method to address this technical challenge. Methods: The proposed segmentation method consists of two major stages: the training stage and the segmentation stage. During the training stage, patch-based anatomical features are extracted from the registered training images with patient-specific information, because these training images have been mapped to the new patient’ images, and the more informative anatomical features are selected to train the kernel support vector machine (KSVM). During the segmentation stage, the selected anatomical features are extracted from newly acquired image as the input of the well-trained KSVM and the output of this trained KSVM is the segmented prostate of this patient. Results: This segmentation technique was validated with a clinical study of 10 patients. The accuracy of our approach was assessed using the manual segmentation. The mean volume Dice Overlap Coefficient was 89.7±2.3%, and the average surface distance was 1.52 ± 0.57 mm between our and manual segmentation, which indicate that the automatic segmentation method works well and could be used for 3D ultrasound-guided prostate intervention. Conclusion: We have developed a new prostate segmentation approach based on the optimal feature learning framework, demonstrated its clinical feasibility, and validated its accuracy with manual segmentation (gold standard). This segmentation technique could be a useful

  4. Segmentation of skin lesions in chronic graft versus host disease photographs with fully convolutional networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Jianing; Chen, Fuyao; Dellalana, Laura E.; Jagasia, Madan H.; Tkaczyk, Eric R.; Dawant, Benoit M.

    2018-02-01

    Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) is a frequent and potentially life-threatening complication of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) and commonly affects the skin, resulting in distressing patient morbidity. The percentage of involved body surface area (BSA) is commonly used for diagnosing and scoring the severity of cGVHD. However, the segmentation of the involved BSA from patient whole body serial photography is challenging because (1) it is difficult to design traditional segmentation method that rely on hand crafted features as the appearance of cGVHD lesions can be drastically different from patient to patient; (2) to the best of our knowledge, currently there is no publicavailable labelled image set of cGVHD skin for training deep networks to segment the involved BSA. In this preliminary study we create a small labelled image set of skin cGVHD, and we explore the possibility to use a fully convolutional neural network (FCN) to segment the skin lesion in the images. We use a commercial stereoscopic Vectra H1 camera (Canfield Scientific) to acquire 400 3D photographs of 17 cGVHD patients aged between 22 and 72. A rotational data augmentation process is then applied, which rotates the 3D photos through 10 predefined angles, producing one 2D projection image at each position. This results in 4000 2D images that constitute our cGVHD image set. A FCN model is trained and tested using our images. We show that our method achieves encouraging results for segmenting cGVHD skin lesion in photographic images.

  5. 3D fully convolutional networks for subcortical segmentation in MRI: A large-scale study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dolz, Jose; Desrosiers, Christian; Ben Ayed, Ismail

    2018-04-15

    This study investigates a 3D and fully convolutional neural network (CNN) for subcortical brain structure segmentation in MRI. 3D CNN architectures have been generally avoided due to their computational and memory requirements during inference. We address the problem via small kernels, allowing deeper architectures. We further model both local and global context by embedding intermediate-layer outputs in the final prediction, which encourages consistency between features extracted at different scales and embeds fine-grained information directly in the segmentation process. Our model is efficiently trained end-to-end on a graphics processing unit (GPU), in a single stage, exploiting the dense inference capabilities of fully CNNs. We performed comprehensive experiments over two publicly available datasets. First, we demonstrate a state-of-the-art performance on the ISBR dataset. Then, we report a large-scale multi-site evaluation over 1112 unregistered subject datasets acquired from 17 different sites (ABIDE dataset), with ages ranging from 7 to 64 years, showing that our method is robust to various acquisition protocols, demographics and clinical factors. Our method yielded segmentations that are highly consistent with a standard atlas-based approach, while running in a fraction of the time needed by atlas-based methods and avoiding registration/normalization steps. This makes it convenient for massive multi-site neuroanatomical imaging studies. To the best of our knowledge, our work is the first to study subcortical structure segmentation on such large-scale and heterogeneous data. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Joint shape segmentation with linear programming

    KAUST Repository

    Huang, Qixing

    2011-01-01

    We present an approach to segmenting shapes in a heterogenous shape database. Our approach segments the shapes jointly, utilizing features from multiple shapes to improve the segmentation of each. The approach is entirely unsupervised and is based on an integer quadratic programming formulation of the joint segmentation problem. The program optimizes over possible segmentations of individual shapes as well as over possible correspondences between segments from multiple shapes. The integer quadratic program is solved via a linear programming relaxation, using a block coordinate descent procedure that makes the optimization feasible for large databases. We evaluate the presented approach on the Princeton segmentation benchmark and show that joint shape segmentation significantly outperforms single-shape segmentation techniques. © 2011 ACM.

  7. Automatic optimal filament segmentation with sub-pixel accuracy using generalized linear models and B-spline level-sets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiao, Xun; Geyer, Veikko F; Bowne-Anderson, Hugo; Howard, Jonathon; Sbalzarini, Ivo F

    2016-08-01

    Biological filaments, such as actin filaments, microtubules, and cilia, are often imaged using different light-microscopy techniques. Reconstructing the filament curve from the acquired images constitutes the filament segmentation problem. Since filaments have lower dimensionality than the image itself, there is an inherent trade-off between tracing the filament with sub-pixel accuracy and avoiding noise artifacts. Here, we present a globally optimal filament segmentation method based on B-spline vector level-sets and a generalized linear model for the pixel intensity statistics. We show that the resulting optimization problem is convex and can hence be solved with global optimality. We introduce a simple and efficient algorithm to compute such optimal filament segmentations, and provide an open-source implementation as an ImageJ/Fiji plugin. We further derive an information-theoretic lower bound on the filament segmentation error, quantifying how well an algorithm could possibly do given the information in the image. We show that our algorithm asymptotically reaches this bound in the spline coefficients. We validate our method in comprehensive benchmarks, compare with other methods, and show applications from fluorescence, phase-contrast, and dark-field microscopy. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. FAST AND ROBUST SEGMENTATION AND CLASSIFICATION FOR CHANGE DETECTION IN URBAN POINT CLOUDS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    X. Roynard

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Change detection is an important issue in city monitoring to analyse street furniture, road works, car parking, etc. For example, parking surveys are needed but are currently a laborious task involving sending operators in the streets to identify the changes in car locations. In this paper, we propose a method that performs a fast and robust segmentation and classification of urban point clouds, that can be used for change detection. We apply this method to detect the cars, as a particular object class, in order to perform parking surveys automatically. A recently proposed method already addresses the need for fast segmentation and classification of urban point clouds, using elevation images. The interest to work on images is that processing is much faster, proven and robust. However there may be a loss of information in complex 3D cases: for example when objects are one above the other, typically a car under a tree or a pedestrian under a balcony. In this paper we propose a method that retain the three-dimensional information while preserving fast computation times and improving segmentation and classification accuracy. It is based on fast region-growing using an octree, for the segmentation, and specific descriptors with Random-Forest for the classification. Experiments have been performed on large urban point clouds acquired by Mobile Laser Scanning. They show that the method is as fast as the state of the art, and that it gives more robust results in the complex 3D cases.

  9. A workflow for the automatic segmentation of organelles in electron microscopy image stacks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perez, Alex J.; Seyedhosseini, Mojtaba; Deerinck, Thomas J.; Bushong, Eric A.; Panda, Satchidananda; Tasdizen, Tolga; Ellisman, Mark H.

    2014-01-01

    Electron microscopy (EM) facilitates analysis of the form, distribution, and functional status of key organelle systems in various pathological processes, including those associated with neurodegenerative disease. Such EM data often provide important new insights into the underlying disease mechanisms. The development of more accurate and efficient methods to quantify changes in subcellular microanatomy has already proven key to understanding the pathogenesis of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, as well as glaucoma. While our ability to acquire large volumes of 3D EM data is progressing rapidly, more advanced analysis tools are needed to assist in measuring precise three-dimensional morphologies of organelles within data sets that can include hundreds to thousands of whole cells. Although new imaging instrument throughputs can exceed teravoxels of data per day, image segmentation and analysis remain significant bottlenecks to achieving quantitative descriptions of whole cell structural organellomes. Here, we present a novel method for the automatic segmentation of organelles in 3D EM image stacks. Segmentations are generated using only 2D image information, making the method suitable for anisotropic imaging techniques such as serial block-face scanning electron microscopy (SBEM). Additionally, no assumptions about 3D organelle morphology are made, ensuring the method can be easily expanded to any number of structurally and functionally diverse organelles. Following the presentation of our algorithm, we validate its performance by assessing the segmentation accuracy of different organelle targets in an example SBEM dataset and demonstrate that it can be efficiently parallelized on supercomputing resources, resulting in a dramatic reduction in runtime. PMID:25426032

  10. Fully automated whole-head segmentation with improved smoothness and continuity, with theory reviewed.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yu Huang

    Full Text Available Individualized current-flow models are needed for precise targeting of brain structures using transcranial electrical or magnetic stimulation (TES/TMS. The same is true for current-source reconstruction in electroencephalography and magnetoencephalography (EEG/MEG. The first step in generating such models is to obtain an accurate segmentation of individual head anatomy, including not only brain but also cerebrospinal fluid (CSF, skull and soft tissues, with a field of view (FOV that covers the whole head. Currently available automated segmentation tools only provide results for brain tissues, have a limited FOV, and do not guarantee continuity and smoothness of tissues, which is crucially important for accurate current-flow estimates. Here we present a tool that addresses these needs. It is based on a rigorous Bayesian inference framework that combines image intensity model, anatomical prior (atlas and morphological constraints using Markov random fields (MRF. The method is evaluated on 20 simulated and 8 real head volumes acquired with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI at 1 mm3 resolution. We find improved surface smoothness and continuity as compared to the segmentation algorithms currently implemented in Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM. With this tool, accurate and morphologically correct modeling of the whole-head anatomy for individual subjects may now be feasible on a routine basis. Code and data are fully integrated into SPM software tool and are made publicly available. In addition, a review on the MRI segmentation using atlas and the MRF over the last 20 years is also provided, with the general mathematical framework clearly derived.

  11. Fully automated whole-head segmentation with improved smoothness and continuity, with theory reviewed.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Yu; Parra, Lucas C

    2015-01-01

    Individualized current-flow models are needed for precise targeting of brain structures using transcranial electrical or magnetic stimulation (TES/TMS). The same is true for current-source reconstruction in electroencephalography and magnetoencephalography (EEG/MEG). The first step in generating such models is to obtain an accurate segmentation of individual head anatomy, including not only brain but also cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), skull and soft tissues, with a field of view (FOV) that covers the whole head. Currently available automated segmentation tools only provide results for brain tissues, have a limited FOV, and do not guarantee continuity and smoothness of tissues, which is crucially important for accurate current-flow estimates. Here we present a tool that addresses these needs. It is based on a rigorous Bayesian inference framework that combines image intensity model, anatomical prior (atlas) and morphological constraints using Markov random fields (MRF). The method is evaluated on 20 simulated and 8 real head volumes acquired with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 1 mm3 resolution. We find improved surface smoothness and continuity as compared to the segmentation algorithms currently implemented in Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM). With this tool, accurate and morphologically correct modeling of the whole-head anatomy for individual subjects may now be feasible on a routine basis. Code and data are fully integrated into SPM software tool and are made publicly available. In addition, a review on the MRI segmentation using atlas and the MRF over the last 20 years is also provided, with the general mathematical framework clearly derived.

  12. Segmentation-DrivenTomographic Reconstruction

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kongskov, Rasmus Dalgas

    such that the segmentation subsequently can be carried out by use of a simple segmentation method, for instance just a thresholding method. We tested the advantages of going from a two-stage reconstruction method to a one stage segmentation-driven reconstruction method for the phase contrast tomography reconstruction......The tomographic reconstruction problem is concerned with creating a model of the interior of an object from some measured data, typically projections of the object. After reconstructing an object it is often desired to segment it, either automatically or manually. For computed tomography (CT...

  13. Fast, daily linac verification for segmented IMRT using electronic portal imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vieira, Sandra C.; Bolt, Rene A.; Dirkx, Maarten L.P.; Visser, Andries G.; Heijmen, Ben J.M.

    2006-01-01

    Purpose: Intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) requires dedicated quality assurance (QA). Recently, we have published a method for fast (1-2 min) and accurate linac quality control for dynamic multileaf collimation, using a portal imaging device. This method is in routine use for daily leaf motion verification. The purpose of the present study was to develop an equivalent procedure for QA of IMRT with segmented (static) multileaf collimation (SMLC). Materials and methods: The QA procedure is based on measurements performed during 3- to 8-month periods at Elekta, Siemens and Varian accelerators. On each measurement day, images were acquired for a field consisting of five 3 x 22 cm 2 segments. These 10 monitor unit (MU) segments were delivered in SMLC mode, moving the leaves from left to right. Deviations of realized leaf gap widths from the prescribed width were analysed to study the leaf positioning accuracy. To assess hysteresis in leaf positioning, the sequential delivery of the SMLC segments was also inverted. A static 20 x 20 cm 2 field was delivered with exposures between 1 and 50 MU to study the beam output and beam profile at low exposures. Comparisons with an ionisation chamber were made to verify the EPID dose measurements at low MU. Dedicated software was developed to improve the signal-to-noise ratio and to correct for image distortion. Results and conclusions: The observed long-term leaf gap reproducibility (1 standard deviation) was 0.1 mm for the Varian, and 0.2 mm for the Siemens and the Elekta accelerators. In all cases the hysteresis was negligible. Down to the lowest MU, beam output measurements performed with the EPID agreed within 1 ± 1% (1SD) with ionisation chamber measurements. These findings led to a fast (3-4 min) procedure for accurate, daily linac quality control for SMLC

  14. The utility of segmental analysis in cardiac I-123 MIBG SPECT in Parkinson's disease

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kwon, Soo Hyun; Yoon, Joon Kee; Yoon, Jung Han; Lee, Su Jin; Jo, Kyung Soo; Lee, Dong Hyun; An, Young Sil [Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-12-15

    Cardiac images using I-123 metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) are widely used to evaluate cardiac sympathetic denervation in Parkinson’s disease (PD). The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of segmental analysis on cardiac MIBG SPECT in PD patients. In total, 36 patients with PD (n = 26) or essential tremor (ET, n = 10) who underwent MIBG cardiac SPECT were enrolled. The heart-to-mediastinum (H/M) ratios of MIBG uptake were acquired on planar images. For the segmental analysis of SPECT images, we evaluated the summed defect score (SDS) using a 17-segment model. The diagnostic abilities of H/M ratios and segmental parameters on MIBG SPECT were assessed by ROC curve analysis. The H/M ratios were significantly lower in PD than in ET patients (p < 0.05). On segmental analysis, SDS was significantly higher in PD patients than in the ET group (7.04 ± 4.09 vs. 2.90 ± 2.80; p = 0.006). The defect score of the anteroseptal region showed a significant difference between the groups (p = 0.002). The ROC analysis suggested only SDS (AUC = 0.785, p = 0.0003) and defect scores in the anteroseptal (AUC = 0.800, p < 0.0001) and inferior (AUC = 0.667, p = 0.013) regions showed significant diagnostic ability to differentiate PD from ET. Segmental parameters from cardiac MIBG SPECT images can provide additional information to differentiate PD from ET patients. Beyond H/M ratios from planar images, we recommend an MIBG SPECT study to evaluate sympathetic denervation in PD.

  15. A gradient-based method for segmenting FDG-PET images: methodology and validation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Geets, Xavier; Lee, John A.; Gregoire, Vincent; Bol, Anne; Lonneux, Max

    2007-01-01

    A new gradient-based method for segmenting FDG-PET images is described and validated. The proposed method relies on the watershed transform and hierarchical cluster analysis. To allow a better estimation of the gradient intensity, iteratively reconstructed images were first denoised and deblurred with an edge-preserving filter and a constrained iterative deconvolution algorithm. Validation was first performed on computer-generated 3D phantoms containing spheres, then on a real cylindrical Lucite phantom containing spheres of different volumes ranging from 2.1 to 92.9 ml. Moreover, laryngeal tumours from seven patients were segmented on PET images acquired before laryngectomy by the gradient-based method and the thresholding method based on the source-to-background ratio developed by Daisne (Radiother Oncol 2003;69:247-50). For the spheres, the calculated volumes and radii were compared with the known values; for laryngeal tumours, the volumes were compared with the macroscopic specimens. Volume mismatches were also analysed. On computer-generated phantoms, the deconvolution algorithm decreased the mis-estimate of volumes and radii. For the Lucite phantom, the gradient-based method led to a slight underestimation of sphere volumes (by 10-20%), corresponding to negligible radius differences (0.5-1.1 mm); for laryngeal tumours, the segmented volumes by the gradient-based method agreed with those delineated on the macroscopic specimens, whereas the threshold-based method overestimated the true volume by 68% (p = 0.014). Lastly, macroscopic laryngeal specimens were totally encompassed by neither the threshold-based nor the gradient-based volumes. The gradient-based segmentation method applied on denoised and deblurred images proved to be more accurate than the source-to-background ratio method. (orig.)

  16. Generic method for automatic bladder segmentation on cone beam CT using a patient-specific bladder shape model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schoot, A. J. A. J. van de; Schooneveldt, G.; Wognum, S.; Stalpers, L. J. A.; Rasch, C. R. N.; Bel, A.; Hoogeman, M. S.; Chai, X.

    2014-01-01

    Purpose: The aim of this study is to develop and validate a generic method for automatic bladder segmentation on cone beam computed tomography (CBCT), independent of gender and treatment position (prone or supine), using only pretreatment imaging data. Methods: Data of 20 patients, treated for tumors in the pelvic region with the entire bladder visible on CT and CBCT, were divided into four equally sized groups based on gender and treatment position. The full and empty bladder contour, that can be acquired with pretreatment CT imaging, were used to generate a patient-specific bladder shape model. This model was used to guide the segmentation process on CBCT. To obtain the bladder segmentation, the reference bladder contour was deformed iteratively by maximizing the cross-correlation between directional grey value gradients over the reference and CBCT bladder edge. To overcome incorrect segmentations caused by CBCT image artifacts, automatic adaptations were implemented. Moreover, locally incorrect segmentations could be adapted manually. After each adapted segmentation, the bladder shape model was expanded and new shape patterns were calculated for following segmentations. All available CBCTs were used to validate the segmentation algorithm. The bladder segmentations were validated by comparison with the manual delineations and the segmentation performance was quantified using the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC), surface distance error (SDE) and SD of contour-to-contour distances. Also, bladder volumes obtained by manual delineations and segmentations were compared using a Bland-Altman error analysis. Results: The mean DSC, mean SDE, and mean SD of contour-to-contour distances between segmentations and manual delineations were 0.87, 0.27 cm and 0.22 cm (female, prone), 0.85, 0.28 cm and 0.22 cm (female, supine), 0.89, 0.21 cm and 0.17 cm (male, supine) and 0.88, 0.23 cm and 0.17 cm (male, prone), respectively. Manual local adaptations improved the segmentation

  17. Rediscovering market segmentation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yankelovich, Daniel; Meer, David

    2006-02-01

    In 1964, Daniel Yankelovich introduced in the pages of HBR the concept of nondemographic segmentation, by which he meant the classification of consumers according to criteria other than age, residence, income, and such. The predictive power of marketing studies based on demographics was no longer strong enough to serve as a basis for marketing strategy, he argued. Buying patterns had become far better guides to consumers' future purchases. In addition, properly constructed nondemographic segmentations could help companies determine which products to develop, which distribution channels to sell them in, how much to charge for them, and how to advertise them. But more than 40 years later, nondemographic segmentation has become just as unenlightening as demographic segmentation had been. Today, the technique is used almost exclusively to fulfill the needs of advertising, which it serves mainly by populating commercials with characters that viewers can identify with. It is true that psychographic types like "High-Tech Harry" and "Joe Six-Pack" may capture some truth about real people's lifestyles, attitudes, self-image, and aspirations. But they are no better than demographics at predicting purchase behavior. Thus they give corporate decision makers very little idea of how to keep customers or capture new ones. Now, Daniel Yankelovich returns to these pages, with consultant David Meer, to argue the case for a broad view of nondemographic segmentation. They describe the elements of a smart segmentation strategy, explaining how segmentations meant to strengthen brand identity differ from those capable of telling a company which markets it should enter and what goods to make. And they introduce their "gravity of decision spectrum", a tool that focuses on the form of consumer behavior that should be of the greatest interest to marketers--the importance that consumers place on a product or product category.

  18. TU-F-BRF-06: 3D Pancreas MRI Segmentation Using Dictionary Learning and Manifold Clustering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gou, S; Rapacchi, S; Hu, P; Sheng, K

    2014-01-01

    Purpose: The recent advent of MRI guided radiotherapy machines has lent an exciting platform for soft tissue target localization during treatment. However, tools to efficiently utilize MRI images for such purpose have not been developed. Specifically, to efficiently quantify the organ motion, we develop an automated segmentation method using dictionary learning and manifold clustering (DLMC). Methods: Fast 3D HASTE and VIBE MR images of 2 healthy volunteers and 3 patients were acquired. A bounding box was defined to include pancreas and surrounding normal organs including the liver, duodenum and stomach. The first slice of the MRI was used for dictionary learning based on mean-shift clustering and K-SVD sparse representation. Subsequent images were iteratively reconstructed until the error is less than a preset threshold. The preliminarily segmentation was subject to the constraints of manifold clustering. The segmentation results were compared with the mean shift merging (MSM), level set (LS) and manual segmentation methods. Results: DLMC resulted in consistently higher accuracy and robustness than comparing methods. Using manual contours as the ground truth, the mean Dices indices for all subjects are 0.54, 0.56 and 0.67 for MSM, LS and DLMC, respectively based on the HASTE image. The mean Dices indices are 0.70, 0.77 and 0.79 for the three methods based on VIBE images. DLMC is clearly more robust on the patients with the diseased pancreas while LS and MSM tend to over-segment the pancreas. DLMC also achieved higher sensitivity (0.80) and specificity (0.99) combining both imaging techniques. LS achieved equivalent sensitivity on VIBE images but was more computationally inefficient. Conclusion: We showed that pancreas and surrounding normal organs can be reliably segmented based on fast MRI using DLMC. This method will facilitate both planning volume definition and imaging guidance during treatment

  19. TU-F-BRF-06: 3D Pancreas MRI Segmentation Using Dictionary Learning and Manifold Clustering

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gou, S; Rapacchi, S; Hu, P; Sheng, K [UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA (United States)

    2014-06-15

    Purpose: The recent advent of MRI guided radiotherapy machines has lent an exciting platform for soft tissue target localization during treatment. However, tools to efficiently utilize MRI images for such purpose have not been developed. Specifically, to efficiently quantify the organ motion, we develop an automated segmentation method using dictionary learning and manifold clustering (DLMC). Methods: Fast 3D HASTE and VIBE MR images of 2 healthy volunteers and 3 patients were acquired. A bounding box was defined to include pancreas and surrounding normal organs including the liver, duodenum and stomach. The first slice of the MRI was used for dictionary learning based on mean-shift clustering and K-SVD sparse representation. Subsequent images were iteratively reconstructed until the error is less than a preset threshold. The preliminarily segmentation was subject to the constraints of manifold clustering. The segmentation results were compared with the mean shift merging (MSM), level set (LS) and manual segmentation methods. Results: DLMC resulted in consistently higher accuracy and robustness than comparing methods. Using manual contours as the ground truth, the mean Dices indices for all subjects are 0.54, 0.56 and 0.67 for MSM, LS and DLMC, respectively based on the HASTE image. The mean Dices indices are 0.70, 0.77 and 0.79 for the three methods based on VIBE images. DLMC is clearly more robust on the patients with the diseased pancreas while LS and MSM tend to over-segment the pancreas. DLMC also achieved higher sensitivity (0.80) and specificity (0.99) combining both imaging techniques. LS achieved equivalent sensitivity on VIBE images but was more computationally inefficient. Conclusion: We showed that pancreas and surrounding normal organs can be reliably segmented based on fast MRI using DLMC. This method will facilitate both planning volume definition and imaging guidance during treatment.

  20. Evaluation of an automatic brain segmentation method developed for neonates on adult MR brain images

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moeskops, Pim; Viergever, Max A.; Benders, Manon J. N. L.; Išgum, Ivana

    2015-03-01

    Automatic brain tissue segmentation is of clinical relevance in images acquired at all ages. The literature presents a clear distinction between methods developed for MR images of infants, and methods developed for images of adults. The aim of this work is to evaluate a method developed for neonatal images in the segmentation of adult images. The evaluated method employs supervised voxel classification in subsequent stages, exploiting spatial and intensity information. Evaluation was performed using images available within the MRBrainS13 challenge. The obtained average Dice coefficients were 85.77% for grey matter, 88.66% for white matter, 81.08% for cerebrospinal fluid, 95.65% for cerebrum, and 96.92% for intracranial cavity, currently resulting in the best overall ranking. The possibility of applying the same method to neonatal as well as adult images can be of great value in cross-sectional studies that include a wide age range.

  1. Automatic segmentation of abdominal organs and adipose tissue compartments in water-fat MRI: Application to weight-loss in obesity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shen, Jun; Baum, Thomas; Cordes, Christian; Ott, Beate; Skurk, Thomas; Kooijman, Hendrik; Rummeny, Ernst J; Hauner, Hans; Menze, Bjoern H; Karampinos, Dimitrios C

    2016-09-01

    To develop a fully automatic algorithm for abdominal organs and adipose tissue compartments segmentation and to assess organ and adipose tissue volume changes in longitudinal water-fat magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data. Axial two-point Dixon images were acquired in 20 obese women (age range 24-65, BMI 34.9±3.8kg/m(2)) before and after a four-week calorie restriction. Abdominal organs, subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) compartments (abdominal, anterior, posterior), SAT regions along the feet-head direction and regional visceral adipose tissue (VAT) were assessed by a fully automatic algorithm using morphological operations and a multi-atlas-based segmentation method. The accuracy of organ segmentation represented by Dice coefficients ranged from 0.672±0.155 for the pancreas to 0.943±0.023 for the liver. Abdominal SAT changes were significantly greater in the posterior than the anterior SAT compartment (-11.4%±5.1% versus -9.5%±6.3%, pabdominal adipose tissue and organ segmentation, and allowed the detection of SAT and VAT subcompartments changes during weight loss. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Left-ventricle segmentation in real-time 3D echocardiography using a hybrid active shape model and optimal graph search approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Honghai; Abiose, Ademola K.; Campbell, Dwayne N.; Sonka, Milan; Martins, James B.; Wahle, Andreas

    2010-03-01

    Quantitative analysis of the left ventricular shape and motion patterns associated with left ventricular mechanical dyssynchrony (LVMD) is essential for diagnosis and treatment planning in congestive heart failure. Real-time 3D echocardiography (RT3DE) used for LVMD analysis is frequently limited by heavy speckle noise or partially incomplete data, thus a segmentation method utilizing learned global shape knowledge is beneficial. In this study, the endocardial surface of the left ventricle (LV) is segmented using a hybrid approach combining active shape model (ASM) with optimal graph search. The latter is used to achieve landmark refinement in the ASM framework. Optimal graph search translates the 3D segmentation into the detection of a minimum-cost closed set in a graph and can produce a globally optimal result. Various information-gradient, intensity distributions, and regional-property terms-are used to define the costs for the graph search. The developed method was tested on 44 RT3DE datasets acquired from 26 LVMD patients. The segmentation accuracy was assessed by surface positioning error and volume overlap measured for the whole LV as well as 16 standard LV regions. The segmentation produced very good results that were not achievable using ASM or graph search alone.

  3. Reflection symmetry-integrated image segmentation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Yu; Bhanu, Bir

    2012-09-01

    This paper presents a new symmetry-integrated region-based image segmentation method. The method is developed to obtain improved image segmentation by exploiting image symmetry. It is realized by constructing a symmetry token that can be flexibly embedded into segmentation cues. Interesting points are initially extracted from an image by the SIFT operator and they are further refined for detecting the global bilateral symmetry. A symmetry affinity matrix is then computed using the symmetry axis and it is used explicitly as a constraint in a region growing algorithm in order to refine the symmetry of the segmented regions. A multi-objective genetic search finds the segmentation result with the highest performance for both segmentation and symmetry, which is close to the global optimum. The method has been investigated experimentally in challenging natural images and images containing man-made objects. It is shown that the proposed method outperforms current segmentation methods both with and without exploiting symmetry. A thorough experimental analysis indicates that symmetry plays an important role as a segmentation cue, in conjunction with other attributes like color and texture.

  4. Lung segment geometry study: simulation of largest possible tumours that fit into bronchopulmonary segments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Welter, S; Stöcker, C; Dicken, V; Kühl, H; Krass, S; Stamatis, G

    2012-03-01

    Segmental resection in stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has been well described and is considered to have similar survival rates as lobectomy but with increased rates of local tumour recurrence due to inadequate parenchymal margins. In consequence, today segmentectomy is only performed when the tumour is smaller than 2 cm. Three-dimensional reconstructions from 11 thin-slice CT scans of bronchopulmonary segments were generated, and virtual spherical tumours were placed over the segments, respecting all segmental borders. As a next step, virtual parenchymal safety margins of 2 cm and 3 cm were subtracted and the size of the remaining tumour calculated. The maximum tumour diameters with a 30-mm parenchymal safety margin ranged from 26.1 mm in right-sided segments 7 + 8 to 59.8 mm in the left apical segments 1-3. Using a three-dimensional reconstruction of lung CT scans, we demonstrated that segmentectomy or resection of segmental groups should be feasible with adequate margins, even for larger tumours in selected cases. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

  5. Skull segmentation of UTE MR images by probabilistic neural network for attenuation correction in PET/MR

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Santos Ribeiro, A. [Institute of Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering, Lisbon (Portugal); Forschungszentrum Juelich, INM4, Juelich (Germany); Rota Kops, E., E-mail: e.rota.kops@fz-juelich.de [Forschungszentrum Juelich, INM4, Juelich (Germany); Herzog, H. [Forschungszentrum Juelich, INM4, Juelich (Germany); Almeida, P. [Institute of Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering, Lisbon (Portugal)

    2013-02-21

    Aim: Due to space and technical limitations in PET/MR scanners one of the difficulties is the generation of an attenuation correction (AC) map to correct the PET image data. Different methods have been suggested that make use of the images acquired with an ultrashort echo time (UTE) sequence. However, in most of them precise thresholds need to be defined and these may depend on the sequence parameters. In this study an algorithm based on a probabilistic neural network (PNN) is presented requiring little user interaction. Material and methods: An MR UTE sequence delivering two images (UTE1 and UTE2) by using two different echo times (0.07 ms and 2.46 ms, respectively) was acquired. The input features for the PNN algorithm consist of two patches of MR intensities chosen in both the co-registered UTE1 and UTE2 images. At the end, the PNN generates an image classified into four different classes: brain+soft tissue, air, csf, and bone. CT and MR data were acquired in four subjects, whereby the CT data were used for comparison. For each patient co-classification of the different classified classes and the Dice coefficients (D) were calculated between the MR segmented image and the respective CT image. Results: An overall voxel classification accuracy (compared with CT) of 92% was obtained. Also, the resulting D with regard to the skull and calculated for the four subjects show a mean of 0.83 and a standard deviation of 0.07. Discussion: Our results show that a reliable bone segmentation of MRI images as well as the generation of a reliable attenuation map is possible. Conclusion: The developed algorithms possess several advantages over current methods using UTE sequence such as a quick and an easy optimization for different sequence parameters.

  6. Skull segmentation of UTE MR images by probabilistic neural network for attenuation correction in PET/MR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Santos Ribeiro, A.; Rota Kops, E.; Herzog, H.; Almeida, P.

    2013-01-01

    Aim: Due to space and technical limitations in PET/MR scanners one of the difficulties is the generation of an attenuation correction (AC) map to correct the PET image data. Different methods have been suggested that make use of the images acquired with an ultrashort echo time (UTE) sequence. However, in most of them precise thresholds need to be defined and these may depend on the sequence parameters. In this study an algorithm based on a probabilistic neural network (PNN) is presented requiring little user interaction. Material and methods: An MR UTE sequence delivering two images (UTE1 and UTE2) by using two different echo times (0.07 ms and 2.46 ms, respectively) was acquired. The input features for the PNN algorithm consist of two patches of MR intensities chosen in both the co-registered UTE1 and UTE2 images. At the end, the PNN generates an image classified into four different classes: brain+soft tissue, air, csf, and bone. CT and MR data were acquired in four subjects, whereby the CT data were used for comparison. For each patient co-classification of the different classified classes and the Dice coefficients (D) were calculated between the MR segmented image and the respective CT image. Results: An overall voxel classification accuracy (compared with CT) of 92% was obtained. Also, the resulting D with regard to the skull and calculated for the four subjects show a mean of 0.83 and a standard deviation of 0.07. Discussion: Our results show that a reliable bone segmentation of MRI images as well as the generation of a reliable attenuation map is possible. Conclusion: The developed algorithms possess several advantages over current methods using UTE sequence such as a quick and an easy optimization for different sequence parameters

  7. Sipunculans and segmentation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wanninger, Andreas; Kristof, Alen; Brinkmann, Nora

    2009-01-01

    mechanisms may act on the level of gene expression, cell proliferation, tissue differentiation and organ system formation in individual segments. Accordingly, in some polychaete annelids the first three pairs of segmental peripheral neurons arise synchronously, while the metameric commissures of the ventral...

  8. Community-acquired bacterial meningitis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van de Beek, Diederik; Brouwer, Matthijs; Hasbun, Rodrigo; Koedel, Uwe; Whitney, Cynthia G.; Wijdicks, Eelco

    2016-01-01

    Meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges and subarachnoid space that can also involve the brain cortex and parenchyma. It can be acquired spontaneously in the community - community-acquired bacterial meningitis - or in the hospital as a complication of invasive procedures or head trauma

  9. Acquired Methemoglobinaemia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adil Al-Lawati

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available Acquired methemoglobinaemia is a relatively rare condition and, therefore infrequently encountered in acute medical practice. Suspicion of the condition may be triggered when the measured PaO2 is ‘out of keeping’ with the oxygen saturations that are discovered with pulse oximetry. We describe two separate cases of acquired methemoglobinaemia secondary to the recreational use of alkyl nitrites (’poppers’. The patients presented at separate times to two different teaching hospitals in London, UK. The similarity of these cases has led the authors to conclude that a raised awareness of this potentially fatal condition, and its association with a widely-available recreational drug, is necessary to ensure a correct and timely diagnosis.

  10. Using Predictability for Lexical Segmentation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Çöltekin, Çağrı

    2017-09-01

    This study investigates a strategy based on predictability of consecutive sub-lexical units in learning to segment a continuous speech stream into lexical units using computational modeling and simulations. Lexical segmentation is one of the early challenges during language acquisition, and it has been studied extensively through psycholinguistic experiments as well as computational methods. However, despite strong empirical evidence, the explicit use of predictability of basic sub-lexical units in models of segmentation is underexplored. This paper presents an incremental computational model of lexical segmentation for exploring the usefulness of predictability for lexical segmentation. We show that the predictability cue is a strong cue for segmentation. Contrary to earlier reports in the literature, the strategy yields state-of-the-art segmentation performance with an incremental computational model that uses only this particular cue in a cognitively plausible setting. The paper also reports an in-depth analysis of the model, investigating the conditions affecting the usefulness of the strategy. Copyright © 2016 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

  11. Efficient graph-cut tattoo segmentation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Joonsoo; Parra, Albert; Li, He; Delp, Edward J.

    2015-03-01

    Law enforcement is interested in exploiting tattoos as an information source to identify, track and prevent gang-related crimes. Many tattoo image retrieval systems have been described. In a retrieval system tattoo segmentation is an important step for retrieval accuracy since segmentation removes background information in a tattoo image. Existing segmentation methods do not extract the tattoo very well when the background includes textures and color similar to skin tones. In this paper we describe a tattoo segmentation approach by determining skin pixels in regions near the tattoo. In these regions graph-cut segmentation using a skin color model and a visual saliency map is used to find skin pixels. After segmentation we determine which set of skin pixels are connected with each other that form a closed contour including a tattoo. The regions surrounded by the closed contours are considered tattoo regions. Our method segments tattoos well when the background includes textures and color similar to skin.

  12. Laboratory-acquired brucellosis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fabiansen, C.; Knudsen, J.D.; Lebech, A.M.

    2008-01-01

    Brucellosis is a rare disease in Denmark. We describe one case of laboratory-acquired brucellosis from an index patient to a laboratory technician following exposure to an infected blood culture in a clinical microbiology laboratory Udgivelsesdato: 2008/6/9......Brucellosis is a rare disease in Denmark. We describe one case of laboratory-acquired brucellosis from an index patient to a laboratory technician following exposure to an infected blood culture in a clinical microbiology laboratory Udgivelsesdato: 2008/6/9...

  13. Automated Slide Scanning and Segmentation in Fluorescently-labeled Tissues Using a Widefield High-content Analysis System.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poon, Candice C; Ebacher, Vincent; Liu, Katherine; Yong, Voon Wee; Kelly, John James Patrick

    2018-05-03

    Automated slide scanning and segmentation of fluorescently-labeled tissues is the most efficient way to analyze whole slides or large tissue sections. Unfortunately, many researchers spend large amounts of time and resources developing and optimizing workflows that are only relevant to their own experiments. In this article, we describe a protocol that can be used by those with access to a widefield high-content analysis system (WHCAS) to image any slide-mounted tissue, with options for customization within pre-built modules found in the associated software. Not originally intended for slide scanning, the steps detailed in this article make it possible to acquire slide scanning images in the WHCAS which can be imported into the associated software. In this example, the automated segmentation of brain tumor slides is demonstrated, but the automated segmentation of any fluorescently-labeled nuclear or cytoplasmic marker is possible. Furthermore, there are a variety of other quantitative software modules including assays for protein localization/translocation, cellular proliferation/viability/apoptosis, and angiogenesis that can be run. This technique will save researchers time and effort and create an automated protocol for slide analysis.

  14. Fold distributions at clover, crystal and segment levels for segmented clover detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kshetri, R; Bhattacharya, P

    2014-01-01

    Fold distributions at clover, crystal and segment levels have been extracted for an array of segmented clover detectors for various gamma energies. A simple analysis of the results based on a model independant approach has been presented. For the first time, the clover fold distribution of an array and associated array addback factor have been extracted. We have calculated the percentages of the number of crystals and segments that fire for a full energy peak event

  15. Intercalary bone segment transport in treatment of segmental tibial defects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iqbal, A.; Amin, M.S.

    2002-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the results and complications of intercalary bone segment transport in the treatment of segmental tibial defects. Design: This is a retrospective analysis of patients with segmental tibial defects who were treated with intercalary bone segment transport method. Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out at Combined Military Hospital, Rawalpindi from September 1997 to April 2001. Subjects and methods: Thirteen patients were included in the study who had developed tibial defects either due to open fractures with bone loss or subsequent to bone debridement of infected non unions. The mean bone defect was 6.4 cms and there were eight associated soft tissue defects. Locally made unilateral 'Naseer-Awais' (NA) fixator was used for bone segment transport. The distraction was done at the rate of 1mm/day after 7-10 days of osteotomy. The patients were followed-up fortnightly during distraction and monthly thereafter. The mean follow-up duration was 18 months. Results: The mean time in external fixation was 9.4 months. The m ean healing index' was 1.47 months/cm. Satisfactory union was achieved in all cases. Six cases (46.2%) required bone grafting at target site and in one of them grafting was required at the level of regeneration as well. All the wounds healed well with no residual infection. There was no residual leg length discrepancy of more than 20 mm nd one angular deformity of more than 5 degrees. The commonest complication encountered was pin track infection seen in 38% of Shanz Screws applied. Loosening occurred in 6.8% of Shanz screws, requiring re-adjustment. Ankle joint contracture with equinus deformity and peroneal nerve paresis occurred in one case each. The functional results were graded as 'good' in seven, 'fair' in four, and 'poor' in two patients. Overall, thirteen patients had 31 (minor/major) complications with a ratio of 2.38 complications per patient. To treat the bone defects and associated complications, a mean of

  16. Market segmentation in behavioral perspective.

    OpenAIRE

    Wells, V.K.; Chang, S.W.; Oliveira-Castro, J.M.; Pallister, J.

    2010-01-01

    A segmentation approach is presented using both traditional demographic segmentation bases (age, social class/occupation, and working status) and a segmentation by benefits sought. The benefits sought in this case are utilitarian and informational reinforcement, variables developed from the Behavioral Perspective Model (BPM). Using data from 1,847 consumers and from a total of 76,682 individual purchases, brand choice and price and reinforcement responsiveness were assessed for each segment a...

  17. Hindfoot Valgus following Interlocking Nail Treatment for Tibial Diaphysis Fractures: Can the Fibula Be Neglected?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Metin Uzun

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Purpose. We evaluated whether intramedullary nail fixation for tibial diaphysis fractures with concomitant fibula fractures (except at the distal one-third level managed conservatively with an associated fibula fracture resulted in ankle deformity and assessed the impact of the ankle deformity on lower extremity function. Methods. Sixty middle one-third tibial shaft fractures with associated fibular fractures, except the distal one-third level, were included in this study. All tibial shaft fractures were anatomically reduced and fixed with interlocking intramedullary nails. Fibular fractures were managed conservatively. Hindfoot alignment was assessed clinically. Tibia and fibular lengths were compared to contralateral measurements using radiographs. Functional results were evaluated using the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS and the Foot and Ankle Disability Index Score (FADI. Results. Anatomic union, defined as equal length in operative and contralateral tibias, was achieved in 60 fractures (100%. Fibular shortening was identified in 42 fractures (68%. Mean fibular shortening was 1.2 cm (range, 0.5–2 cm. Clinical exams showed increased hindfoot valgus in 42 fractures (68%. The mean KOOS was 88.4, and the mean FADI score was 90. Conclusion. Fibular fractures in the middle or proximal one-third may need to be stabilized at the time of tibial intramedullary nail fixation to prevent development of hindfoot valgus due to fibular shortening.

  18. Noise destroys feedback enhanced figure-ground segmentation but not feedforward figure-ground segmentation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Romeo, August; Arall, Marina; Supèr, Hans

    2012-01-01

    Figure-ground (FG) segmentation is the separation of visual information into background and foreground objects. In the visual cortex, FG responses are observed in the late stimulus response period, when neurons fire in tonic mode, and are accompanied by a switch in cortical state. When such a switch does not occur, FG segmentation fails. Currently, it is not known what happens in the brain on such occasions. A biologically plausible feedforward spiking neuron model was previously devised that performed FG segmentation successfully. After incorporating feedback the FG signal was enhanced, which was accompanied by a change in spiking regime. In a feedforward model neurons respond in a bursting mode whereas in the feedback model neurons fired in tonic mode. It is known that bursts can overcome noise, while tonic firing appears to be much more sensitive to noise. In the present study, we try to elucidate how the presence of noise can impair FG segmentation, and to what extent the feedforward and feedback pathways can overcome noise. We show that noise specifically destroys the feedback enhanced FG segmentation and leaves the feedforward FG segmentation largely intact. Our results predict that noise produces failure in FG perception. PMID:22934028

  19. ADVANCED CLUSTER BASED IMAGE SEGMENTATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. Kesavaraja

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents efficient and portable implementations of a useful image segmentation technique which makes use of the faster and a variant of the conventional connected components algorithm which we call parallel Components. In the Modern world majority of the doctors are need image segmentation as the service for various purposes and also they expect this system is run faster and secure. Usually Image segmentation Algorithms are not working faster. In spite of several ongoing researches in Conventional Segmentation and its Algorithms might not be able to run faster. So we propose a cluster computing environment for parallel image Segmentation to provide faster result. This paper is the real time implementation of Distributed Image Segmentation in Clustering of Nodes. We demonstrate the effectiveness and feasibility of our method on a set of Medical CT Scan Images. Our general framework is a single address space, distributed memory programming model. We use efficient techniques for distributing and coalescing data as well as efficient combinations of task and data parallelism. The image segmentation algorithm makes use of an efficient cluster process which uses a novel approach for parallel merging. Our experimental results are consistent with the theoretical analysis and practical results. It provides the faster execution time for segmentation, when compared with Conventional method. Our test data is different CT scan images from the Medical database. More efficient implementations of Image Segmentation will likely result in even faster execution times.

  20. Cluster Ensemble-Based Image Segmentation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaoru Wang

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available Image segmentation is the foundation of computer vision applications. In this paper, we propose a new cluster ensemble-based image segmentation algorithm, which overcomes several problems of traditional methods. We make two main contributions in this paper. First, we introduce the cluster ensemble concept to fuse the segmentation results from different types of visual features effectively, which can deliver a better final result and achieve a much more stable performance for broad categories of images. Second, we exploit the PageRank idea from Internet applications and apply it to the image segmentation task. This can improve the final segmentation results by combining the spatial information of the image and the semantic similarity of regions. Our experiments on four public image databases validate the superiority of our algorithm over conventional single type of feature or multiple types of features-based algorithms, since our algorithm can fuse multiple types of features effectively for better segmentation results. Moreover, our method is also proved to be very competitive in comparison with other state-of-the-art segmentation algorithms.

  1. Albedo estimation for scene segmentation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, C H; Rosenfeld, A

    1983-03-01

    Standard methods of image segmentation do not take into account the three-dimensional nature of the underlying scene. For example, histogram-based segmentation tacitly assumes that the image intensity is piecewise constant, and this is not true when the scene contains curved surfaces. This paper introduces a method of taking 3d information into account in the segmentation process. The image intensities are adjusted to compensate for the effects of estimated surface orientation; the adjusted intensities can be regarded as reflectivity estimates. When histogram-based segmentation is applied to these new values, the image is segmented into parts corresponding to surfaces of constant reflectivity in the scene. 7 references.

  2. Segmenting the Adult Education Market.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aurand, Tim

    1994-01-01

    Describes market segmentation and how the principles of segmentation can be applied to the adult education market. Indicates that applying segmentation techniques to adult education programs results in programs that are educationally and financially satisfying and serve an appropriate population. (JOW)

  3. Gamifying Video Object Segmentation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spampinato, Concetto; Palazzo, Simone; Giordano, Daniela

    2017-10-01

    Video object segmentation can be considered as one of the most challenging computer vision problems. Indeed, so far, no existing solution is able to effectively deal with the peculiarities of real-world videos, especially in cases of articulated motion and object occlusions; limitations that appear more evident when we compare the performance of automated methods with the human one. However, manually segmenting objects in videos is largely impractical as it requires a lot of time and concentration. To address this problem, in this paper we propose an interactive video object segmentation method, which exploits, on one hand, the capability of humans to identify correctly objects in visual scenes, and on the other hand, the collective human brainpower to solve challenging and large-scale tasks. In particular, our method relies on a game with a purpose to collect human inputs on object locations, followed by an accurate segmentation phase achieved by optimizing an energy function encoding spatial and temporal constraints between object regions as well as human-provided location priors. Performance analysis carried out on complex video benchmarks, and exploiting data provided by over 60 users, demonstrated that our method shows a better trade-off between annotation times and segmentation accuracy than interactive video annotation and automated video object segmentation approaches.

  4. SU-F-J-93: Automated Segmentation of High-Resolution 3D WholeBrain Spectroscopic MRI for Glioblastoma Treatment Planning

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schreibmann, E; Shu, H [Department of Radiation Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, Atlanta, GA (United States); Cordova, J; Gurbani, S; Holder, C; Cooper, L; Shim, H [Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA (United States)

    2016-06-15

    Purpose: We report on an automated segmentation algorithm for defining radiation therapy target volumes using spectroscopic MR images (sMRI) acquired at nominal voxel resolution of 100 microliters. Methods: Wholebrain sMRI combining 3D echo-planar spectroscopic imaging, generalized auto-calibrating partially-parallel acquisitions, and elliptical k-space encoding were conducted on 3T MRI scanner with 32-channel head coil array creating images. Metabolite maps generated include choline (Cho), creatine (Cr), and N-acetylaspartate (NAA), as well as Cho/NAA, Cho/Cr, and NAA/Cr ratio maps. Automated segmentation was achieved by concomitantly considering sMRI metabolite maps with standard contrast enhancing (CE) imaging in a pipeline that first uses the water signal for skull stripping. Subsequently, an initial blob of tumor region is identified by searching for regions of FLAIR abnormalities that also display reduced NAA activity using a mean ratio correlation and morphological filters. These regions are used as starting point for a geodesic level-set refinement that adapts the initial blob to the fine details specific to each metabolite. Results: Accuracy of the segmentation model was tested on a cohort of 12 patients that had sMRI datasets acquired pre, mid and post-treatment, providing a broad range of enhancement patterns. Compared to classical imaging, where heterogeneity in the tumor appearance and shape across posed a greater challenge to the algorithm, sMRI’s regions of abnormal activity were easily detected in the sMRI metabolite maps when combining the detail available in the standard imaging with the local enhancement produced by the metabolites. Results can be imported in the treatment planning, leading in general increase in the target volumes (GTV60) when using sMRI+CE MRI compared to the standard CE MRI alone. Conclusion: Integration of automated segmentation of sMRI metabolite maps into planning is feasible and will likely streamline acceptance of this

  5. Implant Utilization and Time to Prosthetic Rehabilitation in Conventional and Advanced Fibular Free Flap Reconstruction of the Maxilla and Mandible.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chuka, Richelle; Abdullah, Wael; Rieger, Jana; Nayar, Suresh; Seikaly, Hadi; Osswald, Martin; Wolfaardt, Johan

    Precisely designed jaw reconstruction rehabilitation (JRR) is important to the integrity of the jaw structure and oral functions. Advanced three-dimensional (3D) digital surgical design and simulation (SDS) techniques have the potential to reduce time to reconstructive and dental treatment completion, thereby promoting early functional oral rehabilitation. This study investigated the use of SDS in JRR procedures. A retrospective chart review was conducted on adult head and neck tumor (HNT) participants who completed JRR treatment with a fibular free flap (FFF) reconstruction. Two treatment approaches, advanced 3D SDS technique (with-SDS) and conventional, nondigitally planned technique (without-SDS), included the use of osseointegrated implants. Data were collected from adult patients treated between January 2000 and March 2014 at the Institute for Reconstructive Sciences in Medicine (iRSM). Participants were excluded if they underwent a bone-containing augmentation to the FFF reconstruction. The without-SDS group underwent a conventional, nonguided FFF reconstruction followed by nonguided implant placement. The with-SDS group underwent a guided FFF reconstruction with guided implant placement during the reconstructive surgery. The outcome measures included implant utilization (ratio of implants placed to connected) and time to prosthetic connection after FFF reconstruction. Mann-Whitney U test was used to analyze the data. The digital SDS technique (with-SDS) group completed prosthetic treatment with a significantly higher utilization of implants as well as a significantly shorter time to prosthetic delivery. SDS allows an interdisciplinary treatment team to work together to create a virtual plan that leads to greater efficiency in patient treatment time and utilization of dental implants.

  6. Reconstruction of juxta-articular huge defects of distal femur with vascularized fibular bone graft and Ilizarov's distraction osteogenesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lai, Davy; Chen, Chuan-Mu; Chiu, Fang-Yao; Chang, Ming-Chau; Chen, Tain-Hsiung

    2007-01-01

    We evaluate the effect of reconstructing huge defects (mean, 15.8 cm) of the distal femur with Ilizarov's distraction osteogenesis and free twin-barreled vascularized fibular bone graft (TVFG). We retrospectively reviewed a consecutive series of five patients who had cases of distal femoral fractures with huge defects and infection that were treated by the Ilizarov's distraction osteogenesis. After radical debridement, two of the five cases had free TVFG and monolocal distraction osteogenesis, and another two cases had multilocal distraction osteogenesis with knee fusion because of loss of the joint congruity. The other case with floating knee injury had bilocal distraction osteogenesis and a preserved knee joint. The mean defect of distal femur was 15.8 cm (range, 14-18 cm) in length. The mean length of distraction osteogenesis by Ilizarov's apparatus was 8.2 cm. The mean length of TVFG was 8 cm. The average duration from application of Ilizarov's apparatus to achievement of bony union was 10.2 months (range, 8-13 months). At the end of the follow-up, ranges of motion of three knees were 0 to 45 degrees, 0 to 60 degrees, and 0 to 90 degrees. Two cases had knee arthrodesis with bony fusion because of loss of the joint congruity. There were no leg length discrepancies in all five patients. In addition, three patients had pin tract infections and one case had a 10 degree varus deformity of the femur. Juxta-articular huge defect (>10 cm) of distal femur remains a challenge to orthopedic surgeons. Ilizarov's technique provides the capability to maintain stability, eradicate infection, restore leg length, and to perform adjuvant reconstructive procedure easily. In this study, we found that combining Ilizarov's distraction osteogenesis with TVFG results in improved patient outcome for patients with injuries such as supracondylar or intercondylar infected fractures or nonunion of distal femur with huge bone defect.

  7. U.S. Army Custom Segmentation System

    Science.gov (United States)

    2007-06-01

    segmentation is individual or intergroup differences in response to marketing - mix variables. Presumptions about segments: •different demands in a...product or service category, •respond differently to changes in the marketing mix Criteria for segments: •The segments must exist in the environment

  8. Poly(ether amide) segmented block copolymers with adipicacid based tetra amide segments

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Biemond, G.J.E.; Feijen, Jan; Gaymans, R.J.

    2007-01-01

    Poly(tetramethylene oxide)-based poly(ether ester amide)s with monodisperse tetraamide segments were synthesized. The tetraamide segment was based on adipic acid, terephthalic acid, and hexamethylenediamine. The synthesis method of the copolymers and the influence of the tetraamide concentration,

  9. Metric Learning for Hyperspectral Image Segmentation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bue, Brian D.; Thompson, David R.; Gilmore, Martha S.; Castano, Rebecca

    2011-01-01

    We present a metric learning approach to improve the performance of unsupervised hyperspectral image segmentation. Unsupervised spatial segmentation can assist both user visualization and automatic recognition of surface features. Analysts can use spatially-continuous segments to decrease noise levels and/or localize feature boundaries. However, existing segmentation methods use tasks-agnostic measures of similarity. Here we learn task-specific similarity measures from training data, improving segment fidelity to classes of interest. Multiclass Linear Discriminate Analysis produces a linear transform that optimally separates a labeled set of training classes. The defines a distance metric that generalized to a new scenes, enabling graph-based segmentation that emphasizes key spectral features. We describe tests based on data from the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer (CRISM) in which learned metrics improve segment homogeneity with respect to mineralogical classes.

  10. Market Segmentation for Information Services.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Halperin, Michael

    1981-01-01

    Discusses the advantages and limitations of market segmentation as strategy for the marketing of information services made available by nonprofit organizations, particularly libraries. Market segmentation is defined, a market grid for libraries is described, and the segmentation of information services is outlined. A 16-item reference list is…

  11. Probabilistic Segmentation of Folk Music Recordings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ciril Bohak

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents a novel method for automatic segmentation of folk music field recordings. The method is based on a distance measure that uses dynamic time warping to cope with tempo variations and a dynamic programming approach to handle pitch drifting for finding similarities and estimating the length of repeating segment. A probabilistic framework based on HMM is used to find segment boundaries, searching for optimal match between the expected segment length, between-segment similarities, and likely locations of segment beginnings. Evaluation of several current state-of-the-art approaches for segmentation of commercial music is presented and their weaknesses when dealing with folk music are exposed, such as intolerance to pitch drift and variable tempo. The proposed method is evaluated and its performance analyzed on a collection of 206 folk songs of different ensemble types: solo, two- and three-voiced, choir, instrumental, and instrumental with singing. It outperforms current commercial music segmentation methods for noninstrumental music and is on a par with the best for instrumental recordings. The method is also comparable to a more specialized method for segmentation of solo singing folk music recordings.

  12. Automated medical image segmentation techniques

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sharma Neeraj

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Accurate segmentation of medical images is a key step in contouring during radiotherapy planning. Computed topography (CT and Magnetic resonance (MR imaging are the most widely used radiographic techniques in diagnosis, clinical studies and treatment planning. This review provides details of automated segmentation methods, specifically discussed in the context of CT and MR images. The motive is to discuss the problems encountered in segmentation of CT and MR images, and the relative merits and limitations of methods currently available for segmentation of medical images.

  13. Prognostic validation of a 17-segment score derived from a 20-segment score for myocardial perfusion SPECT interpretation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berman, Daniel S; Abidov, Aiden; Kang, Xingping; Hayes, Sean W; Friedman, John D; Sciammarella, Maria G; Cohen, Ishac; Gerlach, James; Waechter, Parker B; Germano, Guido; Hachamovitch, Rory

    2004-01-01

    Recently, a 17-segment model of the left ventricle has been recommended as an optimally weighted approach for interpreting myocardial perfusion single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Methods to convert databases from previous 20- to new 17-segment data and criteria for abnormality for the 17-segment scores are needed. Initially, for derivation of the conversion algorithm, 65 patients were studied (algorithm population) (pilot group, n = 28; validation group, n = 37). Three conversion algorithms were derived: algorithm 1, which used mid, distal, and apical scores; algorithm 2, which used distal and apical scores alone; and algorithm 3, which used maximal scores of the distal septal, lateral, and apical segments in the 20-segment model for 3 corresponding segments of the 17-segment model. The prognosis population comprised 16,020 consecutive patients (mean age, 65 +/- 12 years; 41% women) who had exercise or vasodilator stress technetium 99m sestamibi myocardial perfusion SPECT and were followed up for 2.1 +/- 0.8 years. In this population, 17-segment scores were derived from 20-segment scores by use of algorithm 2, which demonstrated the best agreement with expert 17-segment reading in the algorithm population. The prognostic value of the 20- and 17-segment scores was compared by converting the respective summed scores into percent myocardium abnormal. Conversion algorithm 2 was found to be highly concordant with expert visual analysis by the 17-segment model (r = 0.982; kappa = 0.866) in the algorithm population. In the prognosis population, 456 cardiac deaths occurred during follow-up. When the conversion algorithm was applied, extent and severity of perfusion defects were nearly identical by 20- and derived 17-segment scores. The receiver operating characteristic curve areas by 20- and 17-segment perfusion scores were identical for predicting cardiac death (both 0.77 +/- 0.02, P = not significant). The optimal prognostic cutoff value for either 20

  14. TU-F-18A-03: Improving Tissue Segmentation for Monte Carlo Dose Calculation Using DECT Data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Di, Salvio A; Bedwani, S; Carrier, J

    2014-01-01

    Purpose: To develop a new segmentation technique using dual energy CT (DECT) to overcome limitations related to segmentation from a standard Hounsfield unit (HU) to electron density (ED) calibration curve. Both methods are compared with a Monte Carlo analysis of dose distribution. Methods: DECT allows a direct calculation of both ED and effective atomic number (EAN) within a given voxel. The EAN is here defined as a function of the total electron cross-section of a medium. These values can be effectively acquired using a calibrated method from scans at two different energies. A prior stoichiometric calibration on a Gammex RMI phantom allows us to find the parameters to calculate EAN and ED within a voxel. Scans from a Siemens SOMATOM Definition Flash dual source system provided the data for our study. A Monte Carlo analysis compares dose distribution simulated by dosxyz-nrc, considering a head phantom defined by both segmentation techniques. Results: Results from depth dose and dose profile calculations show that materials with different atomic compositions but similar EAN present differences of less than 1%. Therefore, it is possible to define a short list of basis materials from which density can be adapted to imitate interaction behavior of any tissue. Comparison of the dose distributions on both segmentations shows a difference of 50% in dose in areas surrounding bone at low energy. Conclusion: The presented segmentation technique allows a more accurate medium definition in each voxel, especially in areas of tissue transition. Since the behavior of human tissues is highly sensitive at low energies, this reduces the errors on calculated dose distribution. This method could be further developed to optimize the tissue characterization based on anatomic site

  15. TU-F-18A-03: Improving Tissue Segmentation for Monte Carlo Dose Calculation Using DECT Data

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Di, Salvio A; Bedwani, S; Carrier, J [CHUM - Notre-Dame, Montreal, QC (Canada)

    2014-06-15

    Purpose: To develop a new segmentation technique using dual energy CT (DECT) to overcome limitations related to segmentation from a standard Hounsfield unit (HU) to electron density (ED) calibration curve. Both methods are compared with a Monte Carlo analysis of dose distribution. Methods: DECT allows a direct calculation of both ED and effective atomic number (EAN) within a given voxel. The EAN is here defined as a function of the total electron cross-section of a medium. These values can be effectively acquired using a calibrated method from scans at two different energies. A prior stoichiometric calibration on a Gammex RMI phantom allows us to find the parameters to calculate EAN and ED within a voxel. Scans from a Siemens SOMATOM Definition Flash dual source system provided the data for our study. A Monte Carlo analysis compares dose distribution simulated by dosxyz-nrc, considering a head phantom defined by both segmentation techniques. Results: Results from depth dose and dose profile calculations show that materials with different atomic compositions but similar EAN present differences of less than 1%. Therefore, it is possible to define a short list of basis materials from which density can be adapted to imitate interaction behavior of any tissue. Comparison of the dose distributions on both segmentations shows a difference of 50% in dose in areas surrounding bone at low energy. Conclusion: The presented segmentation technique allows a more accurate medium definition in each voxel, especially in areas of tissue transition. Since the behavior of human tissues is highly sensitive at low energies, this reduces the errors on calculated dose distribution. This method could be further developed to optimize the tissue characterization based on anatomic site.

  16. NUCLEAR SEGMENTATION IN MICROSCOPE CELL IMAGES: A HAND-SEGMENTED DATASET AND COMPARISON OF ALGORITHMS

    OpenAIRE

    Coelho, Luís Pedro; Shariff, Aabid; Murphy, Robert F.

    2009-01-01

    Image segmentation is an essential step in many image analysis pipelines and many algorithms have been proposed to solve this problem. However, they are often evaluated subjectively or based on a small number of examples. To fill this gap, we hand-segmented a set of 97 fluorescence microscopy images (a total of 4009 cells) and objectively evaluated some previously proposed segmentation algorithms.

  17. Generalized pixel profiling and comparative segmentation with application to arteriovenous malformation segmentation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Babin, D; Pižurica, A; Bellens, R; De Bock, J; Shang, Y; Goossens, B; Vansteenkiste, E; Philips, W

    2012-07-01

    Extraction of structural and geometric information from 3-D images of blood vessels is a well known and widely addressed segmentation problem. The segmentation of cerebral blood vessels is of great importance in diagnostic and clinical applications, with a special application in diagnostics and surgery on arteriovenous malformations (AVM). However, the techniques addressing the problem of the AVM inner structure segmentation are rare. In this work we present a novel method of pixel profiling with the application to segmentation of the 3-D angiography AVM images. Our algorithm stands out in situations with low resolution images and high variability of pixel intensity. Another advantage of our method is that the parameters are set automatically, which yields little manual user intervention. The results on phantoms and real data demonstrate its effectiveness and potentials for fine delineation of AVM structure. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Robust shape regression for supervised vessel segmentation and its application to coronary segmentation in CTA

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schaap, Michiel; van Walsum, Theo; Neefjes, Lisan

    2011-01-01

    This paper presents a vessel segmentation method which learns the geometry and appearance of vessels in medical images from annotated data and uses this knowledge to segment vessels in unseen images. Vessels are segmented in a coarse-to-fine fashion. First, the vessel boundaries are estimated...

  19. Genetics in Ophthalmology III – Posterior Segment Diseases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Canan Aslı Utine

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Genetic diseases are congenital or acquired hereditary diseases that result from structural/functional disorders of the human genome. Today, the genetic factors that play a role in many diseases are being highlighted with the rapid progress in the field of genetics science. It becomes increasingly important that physicians from all disciplines have knowledge about the basic principles of genetics, patterns of inheritance, etc., so that they can follow the new developments. In genetic eye diseases, ophthalmologists should know the basic clinical and recently rapidly developing genetic characteristics of these diseases in order to properly approach the diagnosis and treatment and to provide genetic counseling. In this paper, posterior segment eye diseases of genetic origin are reviewed, and retinoblastoma, mitochondrial diseases, retinal dysplasia, retinitis pigmentosa, choroideremia, gyrate atrophy, Alström disease, ocular albinism, optic nerve hypoplasia, anophthalmia/microphthalmia and Leber’s congenital amaurosis are covered. (Turk J Ophthalmol 2012; 42: 386-92

  20. Structure-properties relationships of novel poly(carbonate-co-amide) segmented copolymers with polyamide-6 as hard segments and polycarbonate as soft segments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Yunyun; Kong, Weibo; Yuan, Ye; Zhou, Changlin; Cai, Xufu

    2018-04-01

    Novel poly(carbonate-co-amide) (PCA) block copolymers are prepared with polycarbonate diol (PCD) as soft segments, polyamide-6 (PA6) as hard segments and 4,4'-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) as coupling agent through reactive processing. The reactive processing strategy is eco-friendly and resolve the incompatibility between polyamide segments and PCD segments in preparation processing. The chemical structure, crystalline properties, thermal properties, mechanical properties and water resistance were extensively studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Thermal gravity analysis (TGA), Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), tensile testing, water contact angle and water absorption, respectively. The as-prepared PCAs exhibit obvious microphase separation between the crystalline hard PA6 phase and amorphous PCD soft segments. Meanwhile, PCAs showed outstanding mechanical with the maximum tensile strength of 46.3 MPa and elongation at break of 909%. The contact angle and water absorption results indicate that PCAs demonstrate outstanding water resistance even though possess the hydrophilic surfaces. The TGA measurements prove that the thermal stability of PCA can satisfy the requirement of multiple-processing without decomposition.

  1. NPOESS Interface Data Processing Segment Product Generation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grant, K. D.

    2009-12-01

    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Defense (DoD), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are jointly acquiring the next-generation weather and environmental satellite system; the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS). NPOESS replaces the current Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellites (POES) managed by NOAA and the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) managed by the DoD. The NPOESS satellites carry a suite of sensors that collect meteorological, oceanographic, climatological, and solar-geophysical observations of the earth, atmosphere, and space. The NPOESS design allows centralized mission management and delivers high quality environmental products to military, civil and scientific users. The ground data processing segment for NPOESS is the Interface Data Processing Segment (IDPS), developed by Raytheon Intelligence and Information Systems. The IDPS processes NPOESS satellite data to provide environmental data products to NOAA and DoD processing centers operated by the United States government. The IDPS will process environmental data products beginning with the NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP) and continuing through the lifetime of the NPOESS system. Within the overall NPOESS processing environment, the IDPS must process a data volume nearly 1000 times the size of current systems -- in one-quarter of the time. Further, it must support the calibration, validation, and data quality improvement initiatives of the NPOESS program to ensure the production of atmospheric and environmental products that meet strict requirements for accuracy and precision. This paper will describe the architecture approach that is necessary to meet these challenging, and seemingly exclusive, NPOESS IDPS design requirements, with a focus on the processing relationships required to generate the NPP products.

  2. NPOESS Interface Data Processing Segment (IDPS) Hardware

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sullivan, W. J.; Grant, K. D.; Bergeron, C.

    2008-12-01

    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Defense (DoD), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are jointly acquiring the next-generation weather and environmental satellite system; the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS). NPOESS replaces the current Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellites (POES) managed by NOAA and the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) managed by the DoD. The NPOESS satellites carry a suite of sensors that collect meteorological, oceanographic, climatological, and solar-geophysical observations of the earth, atmosphere, and space. The NPOESS design allows centralized mission management and delivers high quality environmental products to military, civil and scientific users. The ground data processing segment for NPOESS is the Interface Data Processing Segment (IDPS), developed by Raytheon Intelligence and Information Systems. IDPS processes NPOESS satellite data to provide environmental data products to NOAA and DoD processing centers operated by the United States government. IDPS will process environmental data products beginning with the NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP) and continuing through the lifetime of the NPOESS system. Within the overall NPOESS processing environment, the IDPS must process a data volume several orders of magnitude the size of current systems -- in one-quarter of the time. Further, it must support the calibration, validation, and data quality improvement initiatives of the NPOESS program to ensure the production of atmospheric and environmental products that meet strict requirements for accuracy and precision. This poster will illustrate and describe the IDPS HW architecture that is necessary to meet these challenging design requirements. In addition, it will illustrate the expandability features of the architecture in support of future data processing and data distribution needs.

  3. An optimized process flow for rapid segmentation of cortical bones of the craniofacial skeleton using the level-set method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Szwedowski, T D; Fialkov, J; Pakdel, A; Whyne, C M

    2013-01-01

    Accurate representation of skeletal structures is essential for quantifying structural integrity, for developing accurate models, for improving patient-specific implant design and in image-guided surgery applications. The complex morphology of thin cortical structures of the craniofacial skeleton (CFS) represents a significant challenge with respect to accurate bony segmentation. This technical study presents optimized processing steps to segment the three-dimensional (3D) geometry of thin cortical bone structures from CT images. In this procedure, anoisotropic filtering and a connected components scheme were utilized to isolate and enhance the internal boundaries between craniofacial cortical and trabecular bone. Subsequently, the shell-like nature of cortical bone was exploited using boundary-tracking level-set methods with optimized parameters determined from large-scale sensitivity analysis. The process was applied to clinical CT images acquired from two cadaveric CFSs. The accuracy of the automated segmentations was determined based on their volumetric concurrencies with visually optimized manual segmentations, without statistical appraisal. The full CFSs demonstrated volumetric concurrencies of 0.904 and 0.719; accuracy increased to concurrencies of 0.936 and 0.846 when considering only the maxillary region. The highly automated approach presented here is able to segment the cortical shell and trabecular boundaries of the CFS in clinical CT images. The results indicate that initial scan resolution and cortical-trabecular bone contrast may impact performance. Future application of these steps to larger data sets will enable the determination of the method's sensitivity to differences in image quality and CFS morphology.

  4. Segmentation and informality in Vietnam : a survey of the literature: country case study on labour market segmentation

    OpenAIRE

    Cling, Jean-Pierre; Razafindrakoto, Mireille; Roubaud, François

    2014-01-01

    Labour market segmentation is usually defined as the division of the labour markets into separate sub-markets or segments, distinguished by different characteristics and behavioural rules (incomes, contracts, etc.). The economic debate on the segmentation issue has been focusing in developed countries, and especially in Europe, on contractual segmentation and dualism.

  5. Segmentation by Large Scale Hypothesis Testing - Segmentation as Outlier Detection

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Darkner, Sune; Dahl, Anders Lindbjerg; Larsen, Rasmus

    2010-01-01

    a microscope and we show how the method can handle transparent particles with significant glare point. The method generalizes to other problems. THis is illustrated by applying the method to camera calibration images and MRI of the midsagittal plane for gray and white matter separation and segmentation......We propose a novel and efficient way of performing local image segmentation. For many applications a threshold of pixel intensities is sufficient but determine the appropriate threshold value can be difficult. In cases with large global intensity variation the threshold value has to be adapted...... locally. We propose a method based on large scale hypothesis testing with a consistent method for selecting an appropriate threshold for the given data. By estimating the background distribution we characterize the segment of interest as a set of outliers with a certain probability based on the estimated...

  6. Validation of automated supervised segmentation of multibeam backscatter data from the Chatham Rise, New Zealand

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hillman, Jess I. T.; Lamarche, Geoffroy; Pallentin, Arne; Pecher, Ingo A.; Gorman, Andrew R.; Schneider von Deimling, Jens

    2018-06-01

    Using automated supervised segmentation of multibeam backscatter data to delineate seafloor substrates is a relatively novel technique. Low-frequency multibeam echosounders (MBES), such as the 12-kHz EM120, present particular difficulties since the signal can penetrate several metres into the seafloor, depending on substrate type. We present a case study illustrating how a non-targeted dataset may be used to derive information from multibeam backscatter data regarding distribution of substrate types. The results allow us to assess limitations associated with low frequency MBES where sub-bottom layering is present, and test the accuracy of automated supervised segmentation performed using SonarScope® software. This is done through comparison of predicted and observed substrate from backscatter facies-derived classes and substrate data, reinforced using quantitative statistical analysis based on a confusion matrix. We use sediment samples, video transects and sub-bottom profiles acquired on the Chatham Rise, east of New Zealand. Inferences on the substrate types are made using the Generic Seafloor Acoustic Backscatter (GSAB) model, and the extents of the backscatter classes are delineated by automated supervised segmentation. Correlating substrate data to backscatter classes revealed that backscatter amplitude may correspond to lithologies up to 4 m below the seafloor. Our results emphasise several issues related to substrate characterisation using backscatter classification, primarily because the GSAB model does not only relate to grain size and roughness properties of substrate, but also accounts for other parameters that influence backscatter. Better understanding these limitations allows us to derive first-order interpretations of sediment properties from automated supervised segmentation.

  7. Segmenting CT prostate images using population and patient-specific statistics for radiotherapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Feng, Qianjin; Foskey, Mark; Chen Wufan; Shen Dinggang

    2010-01-01

    Purpose: In the segmentation of sequential treatment-time CT prostate images acquired in image-guided radiotherapy, accurately capturing the intrapatient variation of the patient under therapy is more important than capturing interpatient variation. However, using the traditional deformable-model-based segmentation methods, it is difficult to capture intrapatient variation when the number of samples from the same patient is limited. This article presents a new deformable model, designed specifically for segmenting sequential CT images of the prostate, which leverages both population and patient-specific statistics to accurately capture the intrapatient variation of the patient under therapy. Methods: The novelty of the proposed method is twofold: First, a weighted combination of gradient and probability distribution function (PDF) features is used to build the appearance model to guide model deformation. The strengths of each feature type are emphasized by dynamically adjusting the weight between the profile-based gradient features and the local-region-based PDF features during the optimization process. An additional novel aspect of the gradient-based features is that, to alleviate the effect of feature inconsistency in the regions of gas and bone adjacent to the prostate, the optimal profile length at each landmark is calculated by statistically investigating the intensity profile in the training set. The resulting gradient-PDF combined feature produces more accurate and robust segmentations than general gradient features. Second, an online learning mechanism is used to build shape and appearance statistics for accurately capturing intrapatient variation. Results: The performance of the proposed method was evaluated on 306 images of the 24 patients. Compared to traditional gradient features, the proposed gradient-PDF combination features brought 5.2% increment in the success ratio of segmentation (from 94.1% to 99.3%). To evaluate the effectiveness of online

  8. Segmenting CT prostate images using population and patient-specific statistics for radiotherapy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Feng, Qianjin; Foskey, Mark; Chen Wufan; Shen Dinggang [Biomedical Engineering College, South Medical University, Guangzhou (China) and Department of Radiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27510 (United States); Department of Radiation Oncology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599 (United States); Biomedical Engineering College, South Medical University, Guangzhou 510510 (China); Department of Radiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27510 (United States)

    2010-08-15

    Purpose: In the segmentation of sequential treatment-time CT prostate images acquired in image-guided radiotherapy, accurately capturing the intrapatient variation of the patient under therapy is more important than capturing interpatient variation. However, using the traditional deformable-model-based segmentation methods, it is difficult to capture intrapatient variation when the number of samples from the same patient is limited. This article presents a new deformable model, designed specifically for segmenting sequential CT images of the prostate, which leverages both population and patient-specific statistics to accurately capture the intrapatient variation of the patient under therapy. Methods: The novelty of the proposed method is twofold: First, a weighted combination of gradient and probability distribution function (PDF) features is used to build the appearance model to guide model deformation. The strengths of each feature type are emphasized by dynamically adjusting the weight between the profile-based gradient features and the local-region-based PDF features during the optimization process. An additional novel aspect of the gradient-based features is that, to alleviate the effect of feature inconsistency in the regions of gas and bone adjacent to the prostate, the optimal profile length at each landmark is calculated by statistically investigating the intensity profile in the training set. The resulting gradient-PDF combined feature produces more accurate and robust segmentations than general gradient features. Second, an online learning mechanism is used to build shape and appearance statistics for accurately capturing intrapatient variation. Results: The performance of the proposed method was evaluated on 306 images of the 24 patients. Compared to traditional gradient features, the proposed gradient-PDF combination features brought 5.2% increment in the success ratio of segmentation (from 94.1% to 99.3%). To evaluate the effectiveness of online

  9. Embryonic Heart Morphogenesis from Confocal Microscopy Imaging and Automatic Segmentation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hongda Mao

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Embryonic heart morphogenesis (EHM is a complex and dynamic process where the heart transforms from a single tube into a four-chambered pump. This process is of great biological and clinical interest but is still poorly understood for two main reasons. On the one hand, the existing imaging modalities for investigating EHM suffered from either limited penetration depth or limited spatial resolution. On the other hand, current works typically adopted manual segmentation, which was tedious, subjective, and time consuming considering the complexity of developing heart geometry and the large size of images. In this paper, we propose to utilize confocal microscopy imaging with tissue optical immersion clearing technique to image the heart at different stages of development for EHM study. The imaging method is able to produce high spatial resolution images and achieve large penetration depth at the same time. Furthermore, we propose a novel convex active contour model for automatic image segmentation. The model has the ability to deal with intensity fall-off in depth which is characterized by confocal microscopy images. We acquired the images of embryonic quail hearts from day 6 to day 14 of incubation for EHM study. The experimental results were promising and provided us with an insight view of early heart growth pattern and also paved the road for data-driven heart growth modeling.

  10. Novel whole brain segmentation and volume estimation using quantitative MRI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    West, J.; Warntjes, J.B.M.; Lundberg, P.

    2012-01-01

    Brain segmentation and volume estimation of grey matter (GM), white matter (WM) and cerebro-spinal fluid (CSF) are important for many neurological applications. Volumetric changes are observed in multiple sclerosis (MS), Alzheimer's disease and dementia, and in normal aging. A novel method is presented to segment brain tissue based on quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (qMRI) of the longitudinal relaxation rate R 1 , the transverse relaxation rate R 2 and the proton density, PD. Previously reported qMRI values for WM, GM and CSF were used to define tissues and a Bloch simulation performed to investigate R 1 , R 2 and PD for tissue mixtures in the presence of noise. Based on the simulations a lookup grid was constructed to relate tissue partial volume to the R 1 -R 2 -PD space. The method was validated in 10 healthy subjects. MRI data were acquired using six resolutions and three geometries. Repeatability for different resolutions was 3.2% for WM, 3.2% for GM, 1.0% for CSF and 2.2% for total brain volume. Repeatability for different geometries was 8.5% for WM, 9.4% for GM, 2.4% for CSF and 2.4% for total brain volume. We propose a new robust qMRI-based approach which we demonstrate in a patient with MS. (orig.)

  11. Novel whole brain segmentation and volume estimation using quantitative MRI

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    West, J. [Linkoeping University, Radiation Physics, Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linkoeping (Sweden); Linkoeping University, Center for Medical Imaging Science and Visualization (CMIV), Linkoeping (Sweden); SyntheticMR AB, Linkoeping (Sweden); Warntjes, J.B.M. [Linkoeping University, Center for Medical Imaging Science and Visualization (CMIV), Linkoeping (Sweden); SyntheticMR AB, Linkoeping (Sweden); Linkoeping University and Department of Clinical Physiology UHL, County Council of Oestergoetland, Clinical Physiology, Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linkoeping (Sweden); Lundberg, P. [Linkoeping University, Center for Medical Imaging Science and Visualization (CMIV), Linkoeping (Sweden); Linkoeping University and Department of Radiation Physics UHL, County Council of Oestergoetland, Radiation Physics, Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linkoeping (Sweden); Linkoeping University and Department of Radiology UHL, County Council of Oestergoetland, Radiology, Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linkoeping (Sweden)

    2012-05-15

    Brain segmentation and volume estimation of grey matter (GM), white matter (WM) and cerebro-spinal fluid (CSF) are important for many neurological applications. Volumetric changes are observed in multiple sclerosis (MS), Alzheimer's disease and dementia, and in normal aging. A novel method is presented to segment brain tissue based on quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (qMRI) of the longitudinal relaxation rate R{sub 1}, the transverse relaxation rate R{sub 2} and the proton density, PD. Previously reported qMRI values for WM, GM and CSF were used to define tissues and a Bloch simulation performed to investigate R{sub 1}, R{sub 2} and PD for tissue mixtures in the presence of noise. Based on the simulations a lookup grid was constructed to relate tissue partial volume to the R{sub 1}-R{sub 2}-PD space. The method was validated in 10 healthy subjects. MRI data were acquired using six resolutions and three geometries. Repeatability for different resolutions was 3.2% for WM, 3.2% for GM, 1.0% for CSF and 2.2% for total brain volume. Repeatability for different geometries was 8.5% for WM, 9.4% for GM, 2.4% for CSF and 2.4% for total brain volume. We propose a new robust qMRI-based approach which we demonstrate in a patient with MS. (orig.)

  12. Pavement management segment consolidation

    Science.gov (United States)

    1998-01-01

    Dividing roads into "homogeneous" segments has been a major problem for all areas of highway engineering. SDDOT uses Deighton Associates Limited software, dTIMS, to analyze life-cycle costs for various rehabilitation strategies on each segment of roa...

  13. Segmentation and analysis of mouse pituitary cells with graphic user interface (GUI)

    Science.gov (United States)

    González, Erika; Medina, Lucía.; Hautefeuille, Mathieu; Fiordelisio, Tatiana

    2018-02-01

    In this work we present a method to perform pituitary cell segmentation in image stacks acquired by fluorescence microscopy from pituitary slice preparations. Although there exist many procedures developed to achieve cell segmentation tasks, they are generally based on the edge detection and require high resolution images. However in the biological preparations that we worked on, the cells are not well defined as experts identify their intracellular calcium activity due to fluorescence intensity changes in different regions over time. This intensity changes were associated with time series over regions, and because they present a particular behavior they were used into a classification procedure in order to perform cell segmentation. Two logistic regression classifiers were implemented for the time series classification task using as features the area under the curve and skewness in the first classifier and skewness and kurtosis in the second classifier. Once we have found both decision boundaries in two different feature spaces by training using 120 time series, the decision boundaries were tested over 12 image stacks through a python graphical user interface (GUI), generating binary images where white pixels correspond to cells and the black ones to background. Results show that area-skewness classifier reduces the time an expert dedicates in locating cells by up to 75% in some stacks versus a 92% for the kurtosis-skewness classifier, this evaluated on the number of regions the method found. Due to the promising results, we expect that this method will be improved adding more relevant features to the classifier.

  14. Automatic segmentation of vertebrae from radiographs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mysling, Peter; Petersen, Peter Kersten; Nielsen, Mads

    2011-01-01

    Segmentation of vertebral contours is an essential task in the design of automatic tools for vertebral fracture assessment. In this paper, we propose a novel segmentation technique which does not require operator interaction. The proposed technique solves the segmentation problem in a hierarchical...... is constrained by a conditional shape model, based on the variability of the coarse spine location estimates. The technique is evaluated on a data set of manually annotated lumbar radiographs. The results compare favorably to the previous work in automatic vertebra segmentation, in terms of both segmentation...

  15. A combined segmenting and non-segmenting approach to signal quality estimation for ambulatory photoplethysmography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wander, J D; Morris, D

    2014-01-01

    Continuous cardiac monitoring of healthy and unhealthy patients can help us understand the progression of heart disease and enable early treatment. Optical pulse sensing is an excellent candidate for continuous mobile monitoring of cardiovascular health indicators, but optical pulse signals are susceptible to corruption from a number of noise sources, including motion artifact. Therefore, before higher-level health indicators can be reliably computed, corrupted data must be separated from valid data. This is an especially difficult task in the presence of artifact caused by ambulation (e.g. walking or jogging), which shares significant spectral energy with the true pulsatile signal. In this manuscript, we present a machine-learning-based system for automated estimation of signal quality of optical pulse signals that performs well in the presence of periodic artifact. We hypothesized that signal processing methods that identified individual heart beats (segmenting approaches) would be more error-prone than methods that did not (non-segmenting approaches) when applied to data contaminated by periodic artifact. We further hypothesized that a fusion of segmenting and non-segmenting approaches would outperform either approach alone. Therefore, we developed a novel non-segmenting approach to signal quality estimation that we then utilized in combination with a traditional segmenting approach. Using this system we were able to robustly detect differences in signal quality as labeled by expert human raters (Pearson’s r = 0.9263). We then validated our original hypotheses by demonstrating that our non-segmenting approach outperformed the segmenting approach in the presence of contaminated signal, and that the combined system outperformed either individually. Lastly, as an example, we demonstrated the utility of our signal quality estimation system in evaluating the trustworthiness of heart rate measurements derived from optical pulse signals. (paper)

  16. Rhythm-based segmentation of Popular Chinese Music

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Karl Kristoffer

    2005-01-01

    We present a new method to segment popular music based on rhythm. By computing a shortest path based on the self-similarity matrix calculated from a model of rhythm, segmenting boundaries are found along the di- agonal of the matrix. The cost of a new segment is opti- mized by matching manual...... and automatic segment boundaries. We compile a small song database of 21 randomly selected popular Chinese songs which come from Chinese Mainland, Taiwan and Hong Kong. The segmenting results on the small corpus show that 78% manual segmentation points are detected and 74% auto- matic segmentation points...

  17. Line Segmentation of 2d Laser Scanner Point Clouds for Indoor Slam Based on a Range of Residuals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peter, M.; Jafri, S. R. U. N.; Vosselman, G.

    2017-09-01

    Indoor mobile laser scanning (IMLS) based on the Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) principle proves to be the preferred method to acquire data of indoor environments at a large scale. In previous work, we proposed a backpack IMLS system containing three 2D laser scanners and an according SLAM approach. The feature-based SLAM approach solves all six degrees of freedom simultaneously and builds on the association of lines to planes. Because of the iterative character of the SLAM process, the quality and reliability of the segmentation of linear segments in the scanlines plays a crucial role in the quality of the derived poses and consequently the point clouds. The orientations of the lines resulting from the segmentation can be influenced negatively by narrow objects which are nearly coplanar with walls (like e.g. doors) which will cause the line to be tilted if those objects are not detected as separate segments. State-of-the-art methods from the robotics domain like Iterative End Point Fit and Line Tracking were found to not handle such situations well. Thus, we describe a novel segmentation method based on the comparison of a range of residuals to a range of thresholds. For the definition of the thresholds we employ the fact that the expected value for the average of residuals of n points with respect to the line is σ / √n. Our method, as shown by the experiments and the comparison to other methods, is able to deliver more accurate results than the two approaches it was tested against.

  18. LINE SEGMENTATION OF 2D LASER SCANNER POINT CLOUDS FOR INDOOR SLAM BASED ON A RANGE OF RESIDUALS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Peter

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Indoor mobile laser scanning (IMLS based on the Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM principle proves to be the preferred method to acquire data of indoor environments at a large scale. In previous work, we proposed a backpack IMLS system containing three 2D laser scanners and an according SLAM approach. The feature-based SLAM approach solves all six degrees of freedom simultaneously and builds on the association of lines to planes. Because of the iterative character of the SLAM process, the quality and reliability of the segmentation of linear segments in the scanlines plays a crucial role in the quality of the derived poses and consequently the point clouds. The orientations of the lines resulting from the segmentation can be influenced negatively by narrow objects which are nearly coplanar with walls (like e.g. doors which will cause the line to be tilted if those objects are not detected as separate segments. State-of-the-art methods from the robotics domain like Iterative End Point Fit and Line Tracking were found to not handle such situations well. Thus, we describe a novel segmentation method based on the comparison of a range of residuals to a range of thresholds. For the definition of the thresholds we employ the fact that the expected value for the average of residuals of n points with respect to the line is σ / √n. Our method, as shown by the experiments and the comparison to other methods, is able to deliver more accurate results than the two approaches it was tested against.

  19. Triple-combination treatment with oral α-lipoic acid, betamethasone injection, and NB-UVB for non-segmental progressive vitiligo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Li; Li, Lu; Wu, Yan; Gao, Xing-Hua; Chen, Hong-Duo

    2016-06-01

    Vitiligo is an acquired depigmenting disease with uncertain etiopathogenesis and the treatment modalities need to be consistently updated. To evaluate a triple-combination treatment with oral α-lipoic acid (ALA), betamethasone injection, and narrowband ultraviolet B (NB-UVB) on vitiligo. Patients with non-segmental and progressive vitiligo lesions were randomly assigned to two groups. The treatment group and the control group were respectively treated with oral ALA and placebo, in combination with betamethasone injection and NB-UVB. The effectiveness and adverse events were evaluated by investigators and patients before and after treatment. Fifty non-segmental progressive vitiligo patients were enrolled in the study. The treatment period was 6 months. In treatment group, over 40% patients achieved > 50% improvement and ≥ 5 satisfaction score by 3-month therapy (M3). This percentage increased to 90% at M6. Treatment group achieved better efficacy than control group at M3, while no difference was seen at M6. The combined treatment with oral ALA, betamethasone injection, and NB-UVB was effective and safe on non-segmental progressive vitiligo. ALA could accelerate the initial response of repigmentation.

  20. Unsupervised Performance Evaluation of Image Segmentation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chabrier Sebastien

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available We present in this paper a study of unsupervised evaluation criteria that enable the quantification of the quality of an image segmentation result. These evaluation criteria compute some statistics for each region or class in a segmentation result. Such an evaluation criterion can be useful for different applications: the comparison of segmentation results, the automatic choice of the best fitted parameters of a segmentation method for a given image, or the definition of new segmentation methods by optimization. We first present the state of art of unsupervised evaluation, and then, we compare six unsupervised evaluation criteria. For this comparative study, we use a database composed of 8400 synthetic gray-level images segmented in four different ways. Vinet's measure (correct classification rate is used as an objective criterion to compare the behavior of the different criteria. Finally, we present the experimental results on the segmentation evaluation of a few gray-level natural images.

  1. Methods of evaluating segmentation characteristics and segmentation of major faults

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Kie Hwa; Chang, Tae Woo; Kyung, Jai Bok [Seoul National Univ., Seoul (Korea, Republic of)] (and others)

    2000-03-15

    Seismological, geological, and geophysical studies were made for reasonable segmentation of the Ulsan fault and the results are as follows. One- and two- dimensional electrical surveys revealed clearly the fault fracture zone enlarges systematically northward and southward from the vicinity of Mohwa-ri, indicating Mohwa-ri is at the seismic segment boundary. Field Geological survey and microscope observation of fault gouge indicates that the Quaternary faults in the area are reactivated products of the preexisting faults. Trench survey of the Chonbuk fault Galgok-ri revealed thrust faults and cumulative vertical displacement due to faulting during the late Quaternary with about 1.1-1.9 m displacement per event; the latest event occurred from 14000 to 25000 yrs. BP. The seismic survey showed the basement surface os cut by numerous reverse faults and indicated the possibility that the boundary between Kyeongsangbukdo and Kyeongsannamdo may be segment boundary.

  2. Methods of evaluating segmentation characteristics and segmentation of major faults

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Kie Hwa; Chang, Tae Woo; Kyung, Jai Bok

    2000-03-01

    Seismological, geological, and geophysical studies were made for reasonable segmentation of the Ulsan fault and the results are as follows. One- and two- dimensional electrical surveys revealed clearly the fault fracture zone enlarges systematically northward and southward from the vicinity of Mohwa-ri, indicating Mohwa-ri is at the seismic segment boundary. Field Geological survey and microscope observation of fault gouge indicates that the Quaternary faults in the area are reactivated products of the preexisting faults. Trench survey of the Chonbuk fault Galgok-ri revealed thrust faults and cumulative vertical displacement due to faulting during the late Quaternary with about 1.1-1.9 m displacement per event; the latest event occurred from 14000 to 25000 yrs. BP. The seismic survey showed the basement surface os cut by numerous reverse faults and indicated the possibility that the boundary between Kyeongsangbukdo and Kyeongsannamdo may be segment boundary

  3. A new framework for interactive images segmentation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ashraf, M.; Sarim, M.; Shaikh, A.B.

    2017-01-01

    Image segmentation has become a widely studied research problem in image processing. There exist different graph based solutions for interactive image segmentation but the domain of image segmentation still needs persistent improvements. The segmentation quality of existing techniques generally depends on the manual input provided in beginning, therefore, these algorithms may not produce quality segmentation with initial seed labels provided by a novice user. In this work we investigated the use of cellular automata in image segmentation and proposed a new algorithm that follows a cellular automaton in label propagation. It incorporates both the pixel's local and global information in the segmentation process. We introduced the novel global constraints in automata evolution rules; hence proposed scheme of automata evolution is more effective than the automata based earlier evolution schemes. Global constraints are also effective in deceasing the sensitivity towards small changes made in manual input; therefore proposed approach is less dependent on label seed marks. It can produce the quality segmentation with modest user efforts. Segmentation results indicate that the proposed algorithm performs better than the earlier segmentation techniques. (author)

  4. Development of a system for acquiring, reconstructing, and visualizing three-dimensional ultrasonic angiograms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edwards, Warren S.; Ritchie, Cameron J.; Kim, Yongmin; Mack, Laurence A.

    1995-04-01

    We have developed a three-dimensional (3D) imaging system using power Doppler (PD) ultrasound (US). This system can be used for visualizing and analyzing the vascular anatomy of parenchymal organs. To create the 3D PD images, we acquired a series of two-dimensional PD images from a commercial US scanner and recorded the position and orientation of each image using a 3D magnetic position sensor. Three-dimensional volumes were reconstructed using specially designed software and then volume rendered for display. We assessed the feasibility and geometric accuracy of our system with various flow phantoms. The system was then tested on a volunteer by scanning a transplanted kidney. The reconstructed volumes of the flow phantom contained less than 1 mm of geometric distortion and the 3D images of the transplanted kidney depicted the segmental, arcuate, and interlobar vessels.

  5. Community-acquired pneumonia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Falguera, M; Ramírez, M F

    2015-11-01

    This article not only reviews the essential aspects of community-acquired pneumonia for daily clinical practice, but also highlights the controversial issues and provides the newest available information. Community-acquired pneumonia is considered in a broad sense, without excluding certain variants that, in recent years, a number of authors have managed to delineate, such as healthcare-associated pneumonia. The latter form is nothing more than the same disease that affects more frail patients, with a greater number of risk factors, both sharing an overall common approach. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. y Sociedad Española de Medicina Interna (SEMI). All rights reserved.

  6. International EUREKA: Initialization Segment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1982-02-01

    The Initialization Segment creates the starting description of the uranium market. The starting description includes the international boundaries of trade, the geologic provinces, resources, reserves, production, uranium demand forecasts, and existing market transactions. The Initialization Segment is designed to accept information of various degrees of detail, depending on what is known about each region. It must transform this information into a specific data structure required by the Market Segment of the model, filling in gaps in the information through a predetermined sequence of defaults and built in assumptions. A principal function of the Initialization Segment is to create diagnostic messages indicating any inconsistencies in data and explaining which assumptions were used to organize the data base. This permits the user to manipulate the data base until such time the user is satisfied that all the assumptions used are reasonable and that any inconsistencies are resolved in a satisfactory manner

  7. Image Segmentation Using Minimum Spanning Tree

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dewi, M. P.; Armiati, A.; Alvini, S.

    2018-04-01

    This research aim to segmented the digital image. The process of segmentation is to separate the object from the background. So the main object can be processed for the other purposes. Along with the development of technology in digital image processing application, the segmentation process becomes increasingly necessary. The segmented image which is the result of the segmentation process should accurate due to the next process need the interpretation of the information on the image. This article discussed the application of minimum spanning tree on graph in segmentation process of digital image. This method is able to separate an object from the background and the image will change to be the binary images. In this case, the object that being the focus is set in white, while the background is black or otherwise.

  8. Mild toxic anterior segment syndrome mimicking delayed onset toxic anterior segment syndrome after cataract surgery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Su-Na Lee

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Toxic anterior segment syndrome (TASS is an acute sterile postoperative anterior segment inflammation that may occur after anterior segment surgery. I report herein a case that developed mild TASS in one eye after bilateral uneventful cataract surgery, which was masked during early postoperative period under steroid eye drop and mimicking delayed onset TASS after switching to weaker steroid eye drop.

  9. Brain Tumor Image Segmentation in MRI Image

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peni Agustin Tjahyaningtijas, Hapsari

    2018-04-01

    Brain tumor segmentation plays an important role in medical image processing. Treatment of patients with brain tumors is highly dependent on early detection of these tumors. Early detection of brain tumors will improve the patient’s life chances. Diagnosis of brain tumors by experts usually use a manual segmentation that is difficult and time consuming because of the necessary automatic segmentation. Nowadays automatic segmentation is very populer and can be a solution to the problem of tumor brain segmentation with better performance. The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of MRI-based brain tumor segmentation methods. There are number of existing review papers, focusing on traditional methods for MRI-based brain tumor image segmentation. this paper, we focus on the recent trend of automatic segmentation in this field. First, an introduction to brain tumors and methods for brain tumor segmentation is given. Then, the state-of-the-art algorithms with a focus on recent trend of full automatic segmentaion are discussed. Finally, an assessment of the current state is presented and future developments to standardize MRI-based brain tumor segmentation methods into daily clinical routine are addressed.

  10. Colour application on mammography image segmentation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Embong, R.; Aziz, N. M. Nik Ab.; Karim, A. H. Abd; Ibrahim, M. R.

    2017-09-01

    The segmentation process is one of the most important steps in image processing and computer vision since it is vital in the initial stage of image analysis. Segmentation of medical images involves complex structures and it requires precise segmentation result which is necessary for clinical diagnosis such as the detection of tumour, oedema, and necrotic tissues. Since mammography images are grayscale, researchers are looking at the effect of colour in the segmentation process of medical images. Colour is known to play a significant role in the perception of object boundaries in non-medical colour images. Processing colour images require handling more data, hence providing a richer description of objects in the scene. Colour images contain ten percent (10%) additional edge information as compared to their grayscale counterparts. Nevertheless, edge detection in colour image is more challenging than grayscale image as colour space is considered as a vector space. In this study, we implemented red, green, yellow, and blue colour maps to grayscale mammography images with the purpose of testing the effect of colours on the segmentation of abnormality regions in the mammography images. We applied the segmentation process using the Fuzzy C-means algorithm and evaluated the percentage of average relative error of area for each colour type. The results showed that all segmentation with the colour map can be done successfully even for blurred and noisy images. Also the size of the area of the abnormality region is reduced when compare to the segmentation area without the colour map. The green colour map segmentation produced the smallest percentage of average relative error (10.009%) while yellow colour map segmentation gave the largest percentage of relative error (11.367%).

  11. Model studies on segmental movement in lumbar spine using a semi-automated program for volume fusion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Svedmark, P; Weidenhielm, L; Nemeth, G; Tullberg, T; Noz, M E; Maguire, G Q; Zeleznik, M P; Olivecrona, H

    2008-01-01

    To validate a new non-invasive CT method for measuring segmental translations in lumbar spine in a phantom using plastic vertebrae with tantalum markers and human vertebrae. One hundred and four CT volumes were acquired of a phantom incorporating three lumbar vertebrae. Lumbar segmental translation was simulated by altering the position of one vertebra in all three cardinal axes between acquisitions. The CT volumes were combined into 64 case pairs, simulating lumbar segmental movement of up to 3 mm between acquisitions. The relative movement between the vertebrae was evaluated visually and numerically using a volume fusion image post-processing tool. Results were correlated to direct measurements of the phantom. On visual inspection, translation of at least 1 mm or more could be safely detected and correlated with separation between the vertebrae in three dimensions. There were no significant differences between plastic and human vertebrae. Numerically, the accuracy limit for all the CT measurements of the 3D segmental translations was 0.56 mm (median: 0.12; range: -0.76 to +0.49 mm). The accuracy for the sagittal axis was 0.45 mm (median: 0.10; range: -0.46 to +0.62 mm); the accuracy for the coronal axis was 0.46 mm (median: 0.09; range: -0.66 to +0.69 mm); and the accuracy for the axial axis was 0.45 mm (median: 0.05; range: -0.72 to + 0.62 mm). The repeatability, calculated over 10 cases, was 0.35 mm (median: 0.16; range: -0.26 to +0.30 mm). The accuracy of this non-invasive method is better than that of current routine methods for detecting segmental movements. The method allows both visual and numerical evaluation of such movements. Further studies are needed to validate this method in patients.

  12. What are Segments in Google Analytics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Segments find all sessions that meet a specific condition. You can then apply this segment to any report in Google Analytics (GA). Segments are a way of identifying sessions and users while filters identify specific events, like pageviews.

  13. Segmentation-less Digital Rock Physics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tisato, N.; Ikeda, K.; Goldfarb, E. J.; Spikes, K. T.

    2017-12-01

    In the last decade, Digital Rock Physics (DRP) has become an avenue to investigate physical and mechanical properties of geomaterials. DRP offers the advantage of simulating laboratory experiments on numerical samples that are obtained from analytical methods. Potentially, DRP could allow sparing part of the time and resources that are allocated to perform complicated laboratory tests. Like classic laboratory tests, the goal of DRP is to estimate accurately physical properties of rocks like hydraulic permeability or elastic moduli. Nevertheless, the physical properties of samples imaged using micro-computed tomography (μCT) are estimated through segmentation of the μCT dataset. Segmentation proves to be a challenging and arbitrary procedure that typically leads to inaccurate estimates of physical properties. Here we present a novel technique to extract physical properties from a μCT dataset without the use of segmentation. We show examples in which we use segmentation-less method to simulate elastic wave propagation and pressure wave diffusion to estimate elastic properties and permeability, respectively. The proposed method takes advantage of effective medium theories and uses the density and the porosity that are measured in the laboratory to constrain the results. We discuss the results and highlight that segmentation-less DRP is more accurate than segmentation based DRP approaches and theoretical modeling for the studied rock. In conclusion, the segmentation-less approach here presented seems to be a promising method to improve accuracy and to ease the overall workflow of DRP.

  14. Segmentation, advertising and prices

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Galeotti, Andrea; Moraga González, José

    This paper explores the implications of market segmentation on firm competitiveness. In contrast to earlier work, here market segmentation is minimal in the sense that it is based on consumer attributes that are completely unrelated to tastes. We show that when the market is comprised by two

  15. SU-E-J-129: Atlas Development for Cardiac Automatic Contouring Using Multi-Atlas Segmentation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhou, R; Yang, J; Pan, T; Milgrom, S; Pinnix, C; Shi, A; Yang, J; Liu, Y; Nguyen, Q; Gomez, D; Dabaja, B; Balter, P; Court, L; Liao, Z

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: To develop a set of atlases for automatic contouring of cardiac structures to determine heart radiation dose and the associated toxicity. Methods: Six thoracic cancer patients with both contrast and non-contrast CT images were acquired for this study. Eight radiation oncologists manually and independently delineated cardiac contours on the non-contrast CT by referring to the fused contrast CT and following the RTOG 1106 atlas contouring guideline. Fifteen regions of interest (ROIs) were delineated, including heart, four chambers, four coronary arteries, pulmonary artery and vein, inferior and superior vena cava, and ascending and descending aorta. Individual expert contours were fused using the simultaneous truth and performance level estimation (STAPLE) algorithm for each ROI and each patient. The fused contours became atlases for an in-house multi-atlas segmentation. Using leave-one-out test, we generated auto-segmented contours for each ROI and each patient. The auto-segmented contours were compared with the fused contours using the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and the mean surface distance (MSD). Results: Inter-observer variability was not obvious for heart, chambers, and aorta but was large for other structures that were not clearly distinguishable on CT image. The average DSC between individual expert contours and the fused contours were less than 50% for coronary arteries and pulmonary vein, and the average MSD were greater than 4.0 mm. The largest MSD of expert contours deviating from the fused contours was 2.5 cm. The mean DSC and MSD of auto-segmented contours were within one standard deviation of expert contouring variability except the right coronary artery. The coronary arteries, vena cava, and pulmonary vein had DSC<70% and MSD>3.0 mm. Conclusion: A set of cardiac atlases was created for cardiac automatic contouring, the accuracy of which was comparable to the variability in expert contouring. However, substantial modification may need

  16. Chromosome condensation and segmentation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Viegas-Pequignot, E.M.

    1981-01-01

    Some aspects of chromosome condensation in mammalians -humans especially- were studied by means of cytogenetic techniques of chromosome banding. Two further approaches were adopted: a study of normal condensation as early as prophase, and an analysis of chromosome segmentation induced by physical (temperature and γ-rays) or chemical agents (base analogues, antibiotics, ...) in order to show out the factors liable to affect condensation. Here 'segmentation' means an abnormal chromosome condensation appearing systematically and being reproducible. The study of normal condensation was made possible by the development of a technique based on cell synchronization by thymidine and giving prophasic and prometaphasic cells. Besides, the possibility of inducing R-banding segmentations on these cells by BrdU (5-bromodeoxyuridine) allowed a much finer analysis of karyotypes. Another technique was developed using 5-ACR (5-azacytidine), it allowed to induce a segmentation similar to the one obtained using BrdU and identify heterochromatic areas rich in G-C bases pairs [fr

  17. Utilizing ZFS for the Storage of Acquired Data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pugh, C.; Henderson, P.; Silber, K.; Carroll, T.; Ying, K.

    2009-01-01

    Every day, the amount of data that is acquired from plasma experiments grows dramatically. It has become difficult for systems administrators to keep up with the growing demand for hard drive storage space. In the past, project storage has been supplied using UNIX filesystem (ufs) partitions. In order to increase the size of the disks using this system, users were required to discontinue use of the disk, so the existing data could be transferred to a disk of larger capacity or begin use of a completely new and separate disk, thus creating a segmentation of data storage. With the application of ZFS pools, the data capacity woes are over. ZFS provides simple administration that eliminates the need to unmount to resize, or transfer data to a larger disk. With a storage limit of 16 Exabytes (1018), ZFS provides immense scalability. Utilizing ZFS as the new project disk file system, users and administrators can eliminate time wasted waiting for data to transfer from one hard drive to another, and also enables more efficient use of disk space, as system administrators need only allocate what is presently required. This paper will discuss the application and benefits of using ZFS as an alternative to traditional data access and storage in the fusion environment.

  18. Track segment synthesis method for NTA film

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kumazawa, Shigeru

    1980-03-01

    A method is presented for synthesizing track segments extracted from a gray-level digital picture of NTA film in automatic counting system. In order to detect each track in an arbitrary direction, even if it has some gaps, as a set of the track segments, the method links extracted segments along the track, in succession, to the linked track segments, according to whether each extracted segment bears a similarity of direction to the track or not and whether it is connected with the linked track segments or not. In the case of a large digital picture, the method is applied to each subpicture, which is a strip of the picture, and then concatenates subsets of track segments linked at each subpicture as a set of track segments belonging to a track. The method was applied to detecting tracks in various directions over the eight 364 x 40-pixel subpictures with the gray scale of 127/pixel (picture element) of the microphotograph of NTA film. It was proved to be able to synthesize track segments correctly for every track in the picture. (author)

  19. Development of a vocabulary of object shapes in a child with a very-early-acquired visual agnosia: a unique case.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Funnell, Elaine; Wilding, John

    2011-02-01

    We report a longitudinal study of an exceptional child (S.R.) whose early-acquired visual agnosia, following encephalitis at 8 weeks of age, did not prevent her from learning to construct an increasing vocabulary of visual object forms (drawn from different categories), albeit slowly. S.R. had problems perceiving subtle differences in shape; she was unable to segment local letters within global displays; and she would bring complex scenes close to her eyes: a symptom suggestive of an attempt to reduce visual crowding. Investigations revealed a robust ability to use the gestalt grouping factors of proximity and collinearity to detect fragmented forms in noisy backgrounds, compared with a very weak ability to segment fragmented forms on the basis of contrasts of shape. When contrasts in spatial grouping and shape were pitted against each other, shape made little contribution, consistent with problems in perceiving complex scenes, but when shape contrast was varied, and spatial grouping was held constant, S.R. showed the same hierarchy of difficulty as the controls, although her responses were slowed. This is the first report of a child's visual-perceptual development following very early neurological impairments to the visual cortex. Her ability to learn to perceive visual shape following damage at a rudimentary stage of perceptual development contrasts starkly with the loss of such ability in childhood cases of acquired visual agnosia that follow damage to the established perceptual system. Clearly, there is a critical period during which neurological damage to the highly active, early developing visual-perceptual system does not prevent but only impairs further learning.

  20. Simultaneous segmentation of retinal surfaces and microcystic macular edema in SDOCT volumes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Antony, Bhavna J.; Lang, Andrew; Swingle, Emily K.; Al-Louzi, Omar; Carass, Aaron; Solomon, Sharon; Calabresi, Peter A.; Saidha, Shiv; Prince, Jerry L.

    2016-03-01

    Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a noninvasive imaging modality that has begun to find widespread use in retinal imaging for the detection of a variety of ocular diseases. In addition to structural changes in the form of altered retinal layer thicknesses, pathological conditions may also cause the formation of edema within the retina. In multiple sclerosis, for instance, the nerve fiber and ganglion cell layers are known to thin. Additionally, the formation of pseudocysts called microcystic macular edema (MME) have also been observed in the eyes of about 5% of MS patients, and its presence has been shown to be correlated with disease severity. Previously, we proposed separate algorithms for the segmentation of retinal layers and MME, but since MME mainly occurs within specific regions of the retina, a simultaneous approach is advantageous. In this work, we propose an automated globally optimal graph-theoretic approach that simultaneously segments the retinal layers and the MME in volumetric OCT scans. SD-OCT scans from one eye of 12 MS patients with known MME and 8 healthy controls were acquired and the pseudocysts manually traced. The overall precision and recall of the pseudocyst detection was found to be 86.0% and 79.5%, respectively.

  1. LIFE-STYLE SEGMENTATION WITH TAILORED INTERVIEWING

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    KAMAKURA, WA; WEDEL, M

    The authors present a tailored interviewing procedure for life-style segmentation. The procedure assumes that a life-style measurement instrument has been designed. A classification of a sample of consumers into life-style segments is obtained using a latent-class model. With these segments, the

  2. Segmented rail linear induction motor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cowan, Jr., Maynard; Marder, Barry M.

    1996-01-01

    A segmented rail linear induction motor has a segmented rail consisting of a plurality of nonferrous electrically conductive segments aligned along a guideway. The motor further includes a carriage including at least one pair of opposed coils fastened to the carriage for moving the carriage. A power source applies an electric current to the coils to induce currents in the conductive surfaces to repel the coils from adjacent edges of the conductive surfaces.

  3. Deformable segmentation via sparse shape representation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Shaoting; Zhan, Yiqiang; Dewan, Maneesh; Huang, Junzhou; Metaxas, Dimitris N; Zhou, Xiang Sean

    2011-01-01

    Appearance and shape are two key elements exploited in medical image segmentation. However, in some medical image analysis tasks, appearance cues are weak/misleading due to disease/artifacts and often lead to erroneous segmentation. In this paper, a novel deformable model is proposed for robust segmentation in the presence of weak/misleading appearance cues. Owing to the less trustable appearance information, this method focuses on the effective shape modeling with two contributions. First, a shape composition method is designed to incorporate shape prior on-the-fly. Based on two sparsity observations, this method is robust to false appearance information and adaptive to statistically insignificant shape modes. Second, shape priors are modeled and used in a hierarchical fashion. More specifically, by using affinity propagation method, our deformable surface is divided into multiple partitions, on which local shape models are built independently. This scheme facilitates a more compact shape prior modeling and hence a more robust and efficient segmentation. Our deformable model is applied on two very diverse segmentation problems, liver segmentation in PET-CT images and rodent brain segmentation in MR images. Compared to state-of-art methods, our method achieves better performance in both studies.

  4. Segmenting hospitals for improved management strategy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Malhotra, N K

    1989-09-01

    The author presents a conceptual framework for the a priori and clustering-based approaches to segmentation and evaluates them in the context of segmenting institutional health care markets. An empirical study is reported in which the hospital market is segmented on three state-of-being variables. The segmentation approach also takes into account important organizational decision-making variables. The sophisticated Thurstone Case V procedure is employed. Several marketing implications for hospitals, other health care organizations, hospital suppliers, and donor publics are identified.

  5. Review of segmentation process in consumer markets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Veronika Jadczaková

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Although there has been a considerable debate on market segmentation over five decades, attention was merely devoted to single stages of the segmentation process. In doing so, stages as segmentation base selection or segments profiling have been heavily covered in the extant literature, whereas stages as implementation of the marketing strategy or market definition were of a comparably lower interest. Capitalizing on this shortcoming, this paper strives to close the gap and provide each step of the segmentation process with equal treatment. Hence, the objective of this paper is two-fold. First, a snapshot of the segmentation process in a step-by-step fashion will be provided. Second, each step (where possible will be evaluated on chosen criteria by means of description, comparison, analysis and synthesis of 32 academic papers and 13 commercial typology systems. Ultimately, the segmentation stages will be discussed with empirical findings prevalent in the segmentation studies and last but not least suggestions calling for further investigation will be presented. This seven-step-framework may assist when segmenting in practice allowing for more confidential targeting which in turn might prepare grounds for creating of a differential advantage.

  6. 48 CFR 1845.502-70 - Contractor-acquired property.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 6 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 true Contractor-acquired... Possession of Contractors 1845.502-70 Contractor-acquired property. All contractor-acquired property must be... contractor-acquired. (2) Submission of DD Form 1419, DOD Industrial Plant Requisition, or equivalent format...

  7. Polyether based segmented copolymers with uniform aramid units

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Niesten, M.C.E.J.

    2000-01-01

    Segmented copolymers with short, glassy or crystalline hard segments and long, amorphous soft segments (multi-block copolymers) are thermoplastic elastomers (TPE’s). The hard segments form physical crosslinks for the amorphous (rubbery) soft segments. As a result, this type of materials combines

  8. Acquiring taste in home economics?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Stenbak Larsen, Christian

    Objective: To explore how home economics was taught in Denmark before the recent Danish school reform, which also revised the objectives and content of home economics, naming it Food Knowledge (Madkundskab) Methods: Participant observation was done in home economic lessons in two case schools...... appreciated by the group of boys, and others again learned to stick with their idiosyncrasies when pressured by the teacher. Conclusions: Children were acquiring taste in the home economic lessons, but not only the kind of tastes that the teacher had planned for. This leads to reflections on the very complex...... process of taste acquiring and to a call for further research into taste acquiring in complex real life contexts as home economics lessons....

  9. Acquired bleeding disorders

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    B one marrow aplasia ... Laboratory approach to a suspected acquired bleeding disorder. (LER = leuko- .... lymphocytic leukaemia, and lymphoma). ... cells), a bone marrow aspirate and trephine biopsy (BMAT) is not ..... transplantation.

  10. Unsupervised motion-based object segmentation refined by color

    Science.gov (United States)

    Piek, Matthijs C.; Braspenning, Ralph; Varekamp, Chris

    2003-06-01

    For various applications, such as data compression, structure from motion, medical imaging and video enhancement, there is a need for an algorithm that divides video sequences into independently moving objects. Because our focus is on video enhancement and structure from motion for consumer electronics, we strive for a low complexity solution. For still images, several approaches exist based on colour, but these lack in both speed and segmentation quality. For instance, colour-based watershed algorithms produce a so-called oversegmentation with many segments covering each single physical object. Other colour segmentation approaches exist which somehow limit the number of segments to reduce this oversegmentation problem. However, this often results in inaccurate edges or even missed objects. Most likely, colour is an inherently insufficient cue for real world object segmentation, because real world objects can display complex combinations of colours. For video sequences, however, an additional cue is available, namely the motion of objects. When different objects in a scene have different motion, the motion cue alone is often enough to reliably distinguish objects from one another and the background. However, because of the lack of sufficient resolution of efficient motion estimators, like the 3DRS block matcher, the resulting segmentation is not at pixel resolution, but at block resolution. Existing pixel resolution motion estimators are more sensitive to noise, suffer more from aperture problems or have less correspondence to the true motion of objects when compared to block-based approaches or are too computationally expensive. From its tendency to oversegmentation it is apparent that colour segmentation is particularly effective near edges of homogeneously coloured areas. On the other hand, block-based true motion estimation is particularly effective in heterogeneous areas, because heterogeneous areas improve the chance a block is unique and thus decrease the

  11. Market Segmentation from a Behavioral Perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wells, Victoria K.; Chang, Shing Wan; Oliveira-Castro, Jorge; Pallister, John

    2010-01-01

    A segmentation approach is presented using both traditional demographic segmentation bases (age, social class/occupation, and working status) and a segmentation by benefits sought. The benefits sought in this case are utilitarian and informational reinforcement, variables developed from the Behavioral Perspective Model (BPM). Using data from 1,847…

  12. Semiautomatic segmentation of aortic valve from sequenced ultrasound image using a novel shape-constraint GCV model

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Guo, Yiting [Multi-disciplinary Research Center, Hebei University, Baoding 071000 (China); Dong, Bin [Hebei University Affiliated Hospital, Hebei Baoding 071000 (China); Wang, Bing [College of Mathematics and Computer Science, Hebei University, Baoding 071000 (China); Xie, Hongzhi, E-mail: xiehongzhi@medmail.com.cn, E-mail: gulixu@sjtu.edu.cn; Zhang, Shuyang [Department of Cardiovascular, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing 100005 (China); Gu, Lixu, E-mail: xiehongzhi@medmail.com.cn, E-mail: gulixu@sjtu.edu.cn [Multi-disciplinary Research Center, Hebei University, Baoding 071000, China and School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030 (China)

    2014-07-15

    Purpose: Effective and accurate segmentation of the aortic valve (AV) from sequenced ultrasound (US) images remains a technical challenge because of intrinsic factors of ultrasound images that impact the quality and the continuous changes of shape and position of segmented objects. In this paper, a novel shape-constraint gradient Chan-Vese (GCV) model is proposed for segmenting the AV from time serial echocardiography. Methods: The GCV model is derived by incorporating the energy of the gradient vector flow into a CV model framework, where the gradient vector energy term is introduced by calculating the deviation angle between the inward normal force of the evolution contour and the gradient vector force. The flow force enlarges the capture range and enhances the blurred boundaries of objects. This is achieved by adding a circle-like contour (constructed using the AV structure region as a constraint shape) as an energy item to the GCV model through the shape comparison function. This shape-constrained energy can enhance the image constraint force by effectively connecting separate gaps of the object edge as well as driving the evolution contour to quickly approach the ideal object. Because of the slight movement of the AV in adjacent frames, the initial constraint shape is defined by users, with the other constraint shapes being derived from the segmentation results of adjacent sequence frames after morphological filtering. The AV is segmented from the US images by minimizing the proposed energy function. Results: To evaluate the performance of the proposed method, five assessment parameters were used to compare it with manual delineations performed by radiologists (gold standards). Three hundred and fifteen images acquired from nine groups were analyzed in the experiment. The area-metric overlap error rate was 6.89% ± 2.88%, the relative area difference rate 3.94% ± 2.63%, the average symmetric contour distance 1.08 ± 0.43 mm, the root mean square symmetric

  13. Semiautomatic segmentation of aortic valve from sequenced ultrasound image using a novel shape-constraint GCV model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guo, Yiting; Dong, Bin; Wang, Bing; Xie, Hongzhi; Zhang, Shuyang; Gu, Lixu

    2014-01-01

    Purpose: Effective and accurate segmentation of the aortic valve (AV) from sequenced ultrasound (US) images remains a technical challenge because of intrinsic factors of ultrasound images that impact the quality and the continuous changes of shape and position of segmented objects. In this paper, a novel shape-constraint gradient Chan-Vese (GCV) model is proposed for segmenting the AV from time serial echocardiography. Methods: The GCV model is derived by incorporating the energy of the gradient vector flow into a CV model framework, where the gradient vector energy term is introduced by calculating the deviation angle between the inward normal force of the evolution contour and the gradient vector force. The flow force enlarges the capture range and enhances the blurred boundaries of objects. This is achieved by adding a circle-like contour (constructed using the AV structure region as a constraint shape) as an energy item to the GCV model through the shape comparison function. This shape-constrained energy can enhance the image constraint force by effectively connecting separate gaps of the object edge as well as driving the evolution contour to quickly approach the ideal object. Because of the slight movement of the AV in adjacent frames, the initial constraint shape is defined by users, with the other constraint shapes being derived from the segmentation results of adjacent sequence frames after morphological filtering. The AV is segmented from the US images by minimizing the proposed energy function. Results: To evaluate the performance of the proposed method, five assessment parameters were used to compare it with manual delineations performed by radiologists (gold standards). Three hundred and fifteen images acquired from nine groups were analyzed in the experiment. The area-metric overlap error rate was 6.89% ± 2.88%, the relative area difference rate 3.94% ± 2.63%, the average symmetric contour distance 1.08 ± 0.43 mm, the root mean square symmetric

  14. Skip segment Hirschsprung disease and Waardenburg syndrome

    OpenAIRE

    Gross, Erica R.; Geddes, Gabrielle C.; McCarrier, Julie A.; Jarzembowski, Jason A.; Arca, Marjorie J.

    2015-01-01

    Skip segment Hirschsprung disease describes a segment of ganglionated bowel between two segments of aganglionated bowel. It is a rare phenomenon that is difficult to diagnose. We describe a recent case of skip segment Hirschsprung disease in a neonate with a family history of Waardenburg syndrome and the genetic profile that was identified.

  15. Study of mandible reconstruction using a fibula flap with application of additive manufacturing technology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsai, Ming-June; Wu, Ching-Tsai

    2014-05-06

    This study aimed to establish surgical guiding techniques for completing mandible lesion resection and reconstruction of the mandible defect area with fibula sections in one surgery by applying additive manufacturing technology, which can reduce the surgical duration and enhance the surgical accuracy and success rate. A computer assisted mandible reconstruction planning (CAMRP) program was used to calculate the optimal cutting length and number of fibula pieces and design the fixtures for mandible cutting, registration, and arrangement of the fibula segments. The mandible cutting and registering fixtures were then generated using an additive manufacturing system. The CAMRP calculated the optimal fibula cutting length and number of segments based on the location and length of the defective portion of the mandible. The mandible cutting jig was generated according to the boundary surface of the lesion resection on the mandible STL model. The fibular cutting fixture was based on the length of each segment, and the registered fixture was used to quickly arrange the fibula pieces into the shape of the defect area. In this study, the mandibular lesion was reconstructed using registered fibular sections in one step, and the method is very easy to perform. The application of additive manufacturing technology provided customized models and the cutting fixtures and registered fixtures, which can improve the efficiency of clinical application. This study showed that the cutting fixture helped to rapidly complete lesion resection and fibula cutting, and the registered fixture enabled arrangement of the fibula pieces and allowed completion of the mandible reconstruction in a timely manner. Our method can overcome the disadvantages of traditional surgery, which requires a long and different course of treatment and is liable to cause error. With the help of optimal cutting planning by the CAMRP and the 3D printed mandible resection jig and fibula cutting fixture, this all

  16. Multi-scale Modelling of Segmentation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hartmann, Martin; Lartillot, Olivier; Toiviainen, Petri

    2016-01-01

    pieces. In a second experiment on non-real-time segmentation, musicians indicated boundaries and their strength for six examples. Kernel density estimation was used to develop multi-scale segmentation models. Contrary to previous research, no relationship was found between boundary strength and boundary......While listening to music, people often unwittingly break down musical pieces into constituent chunks such as verses and choruses. Music segmentation studies have suggested that some consensus regarding boundary perception exists, despite individual differences. However, neither the effects...

  17. Evaluation and comparison of 3D intervertebral disc localization and segmentation methods for 3D T2 MR data: A grand challenge.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Guoyan; Chu, Chengwen; Belavý, Daniel L; Ibragimov, Bulat; Korez, Robert; Vrtovec, Tomaž; Hutt, Hugo; Everson, Richard; Meakin, Judith; Andrade, Isabel Lŏpez; Glocker, Ben; Chen, Hao; Dou, Qi; Heng, Pheng-Ann; Wang, Chunliang; Forsberg, Daniel; Neubert, Aleš; Fripp, Jurgen; Urschler, Martin; Stern, Darko; Wimmer, Maria; Novikov, Alexey A; Cheng, Hui; Armbrecht, Gabriele; Felsenberg, Dieter; Li, Shuo

    2017-01-01

    The evaluation of changes in Intervertebral Discs (IVDs) with 3D Magnetic Resonance (MR) Imaging (MRI) can be of interest for many clinical applications. This paper presents the evaluation of both IVD localization and IVD segmentation methods submitted to the Automatic 3D MRI IVD Localization and Segmentation challenge, held at the 2015 International Conference on Medical Image Computing and Computer Assisted Intervention (MICCAI2015) with an on-site competition. With the construction of a manually annotated reference data set composed of 25 3D T2-weighted MR images acquired from two different studies and the establishment of a standard validation framework, quantitative evaluation was performed to compare the results of methods submitted to the challenge. Experimental results show that overall the best localization method achieves a mean localization distance of 0.8 mm and the best segmentation method achieves a mean Dice of 91.8%, a mean average absolute distance of 1.1 mm and a mean Hausdorff distance of 4.3 mm, respectively. The strengths and drawbacks of each method are discussed, which provides insights into the performance of different IVD localization and segmentation methods. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Skip segment Hirschsprung disease and Waardenburg syndrome

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erica R. Gross

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Skip segment Hirschsprung disease describes a segment of ganglionated bowel between two segments of aganglionated bowel. It is a rare phenomenon that is difficult to diagnose. We describe a recent case of skip segment Hirschsprung disease in a neonate with a family history of Waardenburg syndrome and the genetic profile that was identified.

  19. Segmentation-Based And Segmentation-Free Methods for Spotting Handwritten Arabic Words

    OpenAIRE

    Ball , Gregory R.; Srihari , Sargur N.; Srinivasan , Harish

    2006-01-01

    http://www.suvisoft.com; Given a set of handwritten documents, a common goal is to search for a relevant subset. Attempting to find a query word or image in such a set of documents is called word spotting. Spotting handwritten words in documents written in the Latin alphabet, and more recently in Arabic, has received considerable attention. One issue is generating candidate word regions on a page. Attempting to definitely segment the document into such regions (automatic segmentation) can mee...

  20. Case report of a rarely seen long-segment middle aortic syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yakut, Kahraman; Erdoğan, İlkay

    2017-03-01

    Middle aortic syndrome (MAS) follows a course with distal thoracic and abdominal aorta stenosis. It is a rare disease that is usually diagnosed after the first decade of life. Clinical reflection of MAS is often in the form of hypertension and claudication in the lower extremities. Its etiology is unclear, but is known to be associated with congenital or acquired diseases. This pathology, which is accompanied by malignant hypertension, often does not respond to medical treatment. In patients with MAS, surgical treatment is first line recommendation to prevent complications such as hypertension, heart failure, intracranial bleeding, or aortic rupture. In order to draw attention to this disease, presently described is case of high blood pressure detected during routine examination of a child who had no complaint, and discovery of long-segment stenosis in the abdominal aorta identified with echocardiography and conventional angiography.

  1. Spine segmentation from C-arm CT data sets: application to region-of-interest volumes for spinal interventions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buerger, C.; Lorenz, C.; Babic, D.; Hoppenbrouwers, J.; Homan, R.; Nachabe, R.; Racadio, J. M.; Grass, M.

    2017-03-01

    Spinal fusion is a common procedure to stabilize the spinal column by fixating parts of the spine. In such procedures, metal screws are inserted through the patients back into a vertebra, and the screws of adjacent vertebrae are connected by metal rods to generate a fixed bridge. In these procedures, 3D image guidance for intervention planning and outcome control is required. Here, for anatomical guidance, an automated approach for vertebra segmentation from C-arm CT images of the spine is introduced and evaluated. As a prerequisite, 3D C-arm CT images are acquired covering the vertebrae of interest. An automatic model-based segmentation approach is applied to delineate the outline of the vertebrae of interest. The segmentation approach is based on 24 partial models of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar vertebrae which aggregate information about (i) the basic shape itself, (ii) trained features for image based adaptation, and (iii) potential shape variations. Since the volume data sets generated by the C-arm system are limited to a certain region of the spine the target vertebra and hence initial model position is assigned interactively. The approach was trained and tested on 21 human cadaver scans. A 3-fold cross validation to ground truth annotations yields overall mean segmentation errors of 0.5 mm for T1 to 1.1 mm for C6. The results are promising and show potential to support the clinician in pedicle screw path and rod planning to allow accurate and reproducible insertions.

  2. Monitoring fish distributions along electrofishing segments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miranda, Leandro E.

    2014-01-01

    Electrofishing is widely used to monitor fish species composition and relative abundance in streams and lakes. According to standard protocols, multiple segments are selected in a body of water to monitor population relative abundance as the ratio of total catch to total sampling effort. The standard protocol provides an assessment of fish distribution at a macrohabitat scale among segments, but not within segments. An ancillary protocol was developed for assessing fish distribution at a finer scale within electrofishing segments. The ancillary protocol was used to estimate spacing, dispersion, and association of two species along shore segments in two local reservoirs. The added information provided by the ancillary protocol may be useful for assessing fish distribution relative to fish of the same species, to fish of different species, and to environmental or habitat characteristics.

  3. Color image Segmentation using automatic thresholding techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Harrabi, R.; Ben Braiek, E.

    2011-01-01

    In this paper, entropy and between-class variance based thresholding methods for color images segmentation are studied. The maximization of the between-class variance (MVI) and the entropy (ME) have been used as a criterion functions to determine an optimal threshold to segment images into nearly homogenous regions. Segmentation results from the two methods are validated and the segmentation sensitivity for the test data available is evaluated, and a comparative study between these methods in different color spaces is presented. The experimental results demonstrate the superiority of the MVI method for color image segmentation.

  4. Process Segmentation Typology in Czech Companies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tucek David

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available This article describes process segmentation typology during business process management implementation in Czech companies. Process typology is important for a manager’s overview of process orientation as well as for a manager’s general understanding of business process management. This article provides insight into a process-oriented organizational structure. The first part analyzes process segmentation typology itself as well as some original results of quantitative research evaluating process segmentation typology in the specific context of Czech company strategies. Widespread data collection was carried out in 2006 and 2013. The analysis of this data showed that managers have more options regarding process segmentation and its selection. In terms of practicality and ease of use, the most frequently used method of process segmentation (managerial, main, and supportive stems directly from the requirements of ISO 9001. Because of ISO 9001:2015, managers must now apply risk planning in relation to the selection of processes that are subjected to process management activities. It is for this fundamental reason that this article focuses on process segmentation typology.

  5. Algorithms for Cytoplasm Segmentation of Fluorescence Labelled Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carolina Wählby

    2002-01-01

    Full Text Available Automatic cell segmentation has various applications in cytometry, and while the nucleus is often very distinct and easy to identify, the cytoplasm provides a lot more challenge. A new combination of image analysis algorithms for segmentation of cells imaged by fluorescence microscopy is presented. The algorithm consists of an image pre‐processing step, a general segmentation and merging step followed by a segmentation quality measurement. The quality measurement consists of a statistical analysis of a number of shape descriptive features. Objects that have features that differ to that of correctly segmented single cells can be further processed by a splitting step. By statistical analysis we therefore get a feedback system for separation of clustered cells. After the segmentation is completed, the quality of the final segmentation is evaluated. By training the algorithm on a representative set of training images, the algorithm is made fully automatic for subsequent images created under similar conditions. Automatic cytoplasm segmentation was tested on CHO‐cells stained with calcein. The fully automatic method showed between 89% and 97% correct segmentation as compared to manual segmentation.

  6. Detection and Segmentation of Small Trees in the Forest-Tundra Ecotone Using Airborne Laser Scanning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marius Hauglin

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Due to expected climate change and increased focus on forests as a potential carbon sink, it is of interest to map and monitor even marginal forests where trees exist close to their tolerance limits, such as small pioneer trees in the forest-tundra ecotone. Such small trees might indicate tree line migrations and expansion of the forests into treeless areas. Airborne laser scanning (ALS has been suggested and tested as a tool for this purpose and in the present study a novel procedure for identification and segmentation of small trees is proposed. The study was carried out in the Rollag municipality in southeastern Norway, where ALS data and field measurements of individual trees were acquired. The point density of the ALS data was eight points per m2, and the field tree heights ranged from 0.04 to 6.3 m, with a mean of 1.4 m. The proposed method is based on an allometric model relating field-measured tree height to crown diameter, and another model relating field-measured tree height to ALS-derived height. These models are calibrated with local field data. Using these simple models, every positive above-ground height derived from the ALS data can be related to a crown diameter, and by assuming a circular crown shape, this crown diameter can be extended to a crown segment. Applying this model to all ALS echoes with a positive above-ground height value yields an initial map of possible circular crown segments. The final crown segments were then derived by applying a set of simple rules to this initial “map” of segments. The resulting segments were validated by comparison with field-measured crown segments. Overall, 46% of the field-measured trees were successfully detected. The detection rate increased with tree size. For trees with height >3 m the detection rate was 80%. The relatively large detection errors were partly due to the inherent limitations in the ALS data; a substantial fraction of the smaller trees was hit by no or just a few

  7. Benchmarking of Remote Sensing Segmentation Methods

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Mikeš, Stanislav; Haindl, Michal; Scarpa, G.; Gaetano, R.

    2015-01-01

    Roč. 8, č. 5 (2015), s. 2240-2248 ISSN 1939-1404 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA14-10911S Institutional support: RVO:67985556 Keywords : benchmark * remote sensing segmentation * unsupervised segmentation * supervised segmentation Subject RIV: BD - Theory of Information Impact factor: 2.145, year: 2015 http://library.utia.cas.cz/separaty/2015/RO/haindl-0445995.pdf

  8. Unsupervised Retinal Vessel Segmentation Using Combined Filters.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wendeson S Oliveira

    Full Text Available Image segmentation of retinal blood vessels is a process that can help to predict and diagnose cardiovascular related diseases, such as hypertension and diabetes, which are known to affect the retinal blood vessels' appearance. This work proposes an unsupervised method for the segmentation of retinal vessels images using a combined matched filter, Frangi's filter and Gabor Wavelet filter to enhance the images. The combination of these three filters in order to improve the segmentation is the main motivation of this work. We investigate two approaches to perform the filter combination: weighted mean and median ranking. Segmentation methods are tested after the vessel enhancement. Enhanced images with median ranking are segmented using a simple threshold criterion. Two segmentation procedures are applied when considering enhanced retinal images using the weighted mean approach. The first method is based on deformable models and the second uses fuzzy C-means for the image segmentation. The procedure is evaluated using two public image databases, Drive and Stare. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed methods perform well for vessel segmentation in comparison with state-of-the-art methods.

  9. Automatic segmentation of psoriasis lesions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ning, Yang; Shi, Chenbo; Wang, Li; Shu, Chang

    2014-10-01

    The automatic segmentation of psoriatic lesions is widely researched these years. It is an important step in Computer-aid methods of calculating PASI for estimation of lesions. Currently those algorithms can only handle single erythema or only deal with scaling segmentation. In practice, scaling and erythema are often mixed together. In order to get the segmentation of lesions area - this paper proposes an algorithm based on Random forests with color and texture features. The algorithm has three steps. The first step, the polarized light is applied based on the skin's Tyndall-effect in the imaging to eliminate the reflection and Lab color space are used for fitting the human perception. The second step, sliding window and its sub windows are used to get textural feature and color feature. In this step, a feature of image roughness has been defined, so that scaling can be easily separated from normal skin. In the end, Random forests will be used to ensure the generalization ability of the algorithm. This algorithm can give reliable segmentation results even the image has different lighting conditions, skin types. In the data set offered by Union Hospital, more than 90% images can be segmented accurately.

  10. Somatically acquired structural genetic differences

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Magaard Koldby, Kristina; Nygaard, Marianne; Christensen, Kaare

    2016-01-01

    Structural genetic variants like copy number variants (CNVs) comprise a large part of human genetic variation and may be inherited as well as somatically acquired. Recent studies have reported the presence of somatically acquired structural variants in the human genome and it has been suggested t...... with age.European Journal of Human Genetics advance online publication, 20 April 2016; doi:10.1038/ejhg.2016.34....

  11. Simultaneous minimizing monitor units and number of segments without leaf end abutment for segmental intensity modulated radiation therapy delivery

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Kaile; Dai Jianrong; Ma Lijun

    2004-01-01

    Leaf end abutment is seldom studied when delivering segmental intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) fields. We developed an efficient leaf sequencing method to eliminate leaf end abutment for segmental IMRT delivery. Our method uses simple matrix and sorting operations to obtain a solution that simultaneously minimizes total monitor units and number of segments without leaf end abutment between segments. We implemented and demonstrated our method for multiple clinical cases. We compared the results of our method with the results from exhaustive search method. We found that our solution without leaf end abutment produced equivalent results to the unconstrained solutions in terms of minimum total monitor units and minimum number of leaf segments. We conclude that the leaf end abutment fields can be avoided without affecting the efficiency of segmental IMRT delivery. The major strength of our method is its simplicity and high computing speed. This potentially provides a useful means for generating segmental IMRT fields that require high spatial resolution or complex intensity distributions

  12. Hierarchical image segmentation for learning object priors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Prasad, Lakshman [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Yang, Xingwei [TEMPLE UNIV.; Latecki, Longin J [TEMPLE UNIV.; Li, Nan [TEMPLE UNIV.

    2010-11-10

    The proposed segmentation approach naturally combines experience based and image based information. The experience based information is obtained by training a classifier for each object class. For a given test image, the result of each classifier is represented as a probability map. The final segmentation is obtained with a hierarchial image segmentation algorithm that considers both the probability maps and the image features such as color and edge strength. We also utilize image region hierarchy to obtain not only local but also semi-global features as input to the classifiers. Moreover, to get robust probability maps, we take into account the region context information by averaging the probability maps over different levels of the hierarchical segmentation algorithm. The obtained segmentation results are superior to the state-of-the-art supervised image segmentation algorithms.

  13. Effect of the average soft-segment length on the morphology and properties of segmented polyurethane nanocomposites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Finnigan, Bradley; Halley, Peter; Jack, Kevin; McDowell, Alasdair; Truss, Rowan; Casey, Phil; Knott, Robert; Martin, Darren

    2006-01-01

    Two organically modified layered silicates (with small and large diameters) were incorporated into three segmented polyurethanes with various degrees of microphase separation. Microphase separation increased with the molecular weight of the poly(hexamethylene oxide) soft segment. The molecular weight of the soft segment did not influence the amount of polyurethane intercalating the interlayer spacing. Small-angle neutron scattering and differential scanning calorimetry data indicated that the layered silicates did not affect the microphase morphology of any host polymer, regardless of the particle diameter. The stiffness enhancement on filler addition increased as the microphase separation of the polyurethane decreased, presumably because a greater number of urethane linkages were available to interact with the filler. For comparison, the small nanofiller was introduced into a polyurethane with a poly(tetramethylene oxide) soft segment, and a significant increase in the tensile strength and a sharper upturn in the stress-strain curve resulted. No such improvement occurred in the host polymers with poly(hexamethylene oxide) soft segments. It is proposed that the nanocomposite containing the more hydrophilic and mobile poly(tetramethylene oxide) soft segment is capable of greater secondary bonding between the polyurethane chains and the organosilicate surface, resulting in improved stress transfer to the filler and reduced molecular slippage.

  14. Essays in international market segmentation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hofstede, ter F.

    1999-01-01

    The primary objective of this thesis is to develop and validate new methodologies to improve the effectiveness of international segmentation strategies. The current status of international market segmentation research is reviewed in an introductory chapter, which provided a number of

  15. Roentgenological diagnoss of central segmental lung cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gurevich, L.A.; Fedchenko, G.G.

    1984-01-01

    Basing on an analysis of the results of clinicoroentgenological examination of 268 patments roentgenological semiotics of segmental lung cancer is presented. Some peculiarities of the X-ray picture of cancer of different segments of the lungs were revealed depending on tumor site and growth type. For the syndrome of segmental darkening the comprehensive X-ray methods where the chief method is tomography of the segmental bronchi are proposed

  16. Influence of acquired obesity on coronary vessel wall late gadolinium enhancement in discordant monozygote twins

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Makowski, Marcus R.; Jansen, Christian H.P.; Ebersberger, Ullrich; Spector, Tim D.; Schaeffter, Tobias; Razavi, Reza; Mangino, Massimo; Botnar, Rene M.; Greil, Gerald F.

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of BMI on late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) of the coronary artery wall in identical monozygous twins discordant for BMI. Coronary LGE represents a useful parameter for the detection and quantification of atherosclerotic coronary vessel wall disease. Thirteen monozygote female twin pairs (n = 26) with significantly different BMIs (>1.6 kg/m2) were recruited out of >10,000 twin pairs (TwinsUK Registry). A coronary 3D-T2prep-TFE MR angiogram and 3D-IR-TFE vessel wall scan were performed prior to and following the administration of 0.2 mmol/kg of Gd-DTPA on a 1.5 T MR scanner. The number of enhancing coronary segments and contrast to noise ratios (CNRs) of the coronary wall were quantified. An increase in BMI was associated with an increased number of enhancing coronary segments (5.3 ± 1.5 vs. 3.5 ± 1.6, p < 0.0001) and increased coronary wall enhancement (6.1 ± 1.1 vs. 4.8 ± 0.9, p = 0.0027) compared to matched twins with lower BMI. This study in monozygous twins indicates that acquired factors predisposing to obesity, including lifestyle and environmental factors, result in increased LGE of the coronary arteries, potentially reflecting an increase in coronary atherosclerosis in this female study population. (orig.)

  17. Influence of acquired obesity on coronary vessel wall late gadolinium enhancement in discordant monozygote twins

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Makowski, Marcus R. [King' s College London, Division of Imaging Sciences and Biomedical Engineering, London (United Kingdom); Wellcome Trust and EPSRC Medical Engineering Centre, London (United Kingdom); King' s College London, BHF Centre of Excellence, London (United Kingdom); King' s College London, NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, London (United Kingdom); Charite-Universitaetsmedizin, Department of Radiology, Berlin (Germany); Jansen, Christian H.P. [King' s College London, Division of Imaging Sciences and Biomedical Engineering, London (United Kingdom); Ebersberger, Ullrich; Spector, Tim D. [Heart Center Munich-Bogenhausen, Department of Cardiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Munich (Germany); Schaeffter, Tobias; Razavi, Reza [King' s College London, Division of Imaging Sciences and Biomedical Engineering, London (United Kingdom); Wellcome Trust and EPSRC Medical Engineering Centre, London (United Kingdom); King' s College London, BHF Centre of Excellence, London (United Kingdom); King' s College London, NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, London (United Kingdom); Mangino, Massimo [King' s College London, Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, London (United Kingdom); National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at Guy' s and St. Thomas' Foundation Trust, London (United Kingdom); Botnar, Rene M. [King' s College London, Division of Imaging Sciences and Biomedical Engineering, London (United Kingdom); Wellcome Trust and EPSRC Medical Engineering Centre, London (United Kingdom); King' s College London, BHF Centre of Excellence, London (United Kingdom); King' s College London, NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, London (United Kingdom); Greil, Gerald F. [King' s College London, Division of Imaging Sciences and Biomedical Engineering, London (United Kingdom); Wellcome Trust and EPSRC Medical Engineering Centre, London (United Kingdom); King' s College London, BHF Centre of Excellence, London (United Kingdom); King' s College London, NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, London (United Kingdom)

    2017-11-15

    The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of BMI on late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) of the coronary artery wall in identical monozygous twins discordant for BMI. Coronary LGE represents a useful parameter for the detection and quantification of atherosclerotic coronary vessel wall disease. Thirteen monozygote female twin pairs (n = 26) with significantly different BMIs (>1.6 kg/m2) were recruited out of >10,000 twin pairs (TwinsUK Registry). A coronary 3D-T2prep-TFE MR angiogram and 3D-IR-TFE vessel wall scan were performed prior to and following the administration of 0.2 mmol/kg of Gd-DTPA on a 1.5 T MR scanner. The number of enhancing coronary segments and contrast to noise ratios (CNRs) of the coronary wall were quantified. An increase in BMI was associated with an increased number of enhancing coronary segments (5.3 ± 1.5 vs. 3.5 ± 1.6, p < 0.0001) and increased coronary wall enhancement (6.1 ± 1.1 vs. 4.8 ± 0.9, p = 0.0027) compared to matched twins with lower BMI. This study in monozygous twins indicates that acquired factors predisposing to obesity, including lifestyle and environmental factors, result in increased LGE of the coronary arteries, potentially reflecting an increase in coronary atherosclerosis in this female study population. (orig.)

  18. Method of manufacturing a large-area segmented photovoltaic module

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lenox, Carl

    2013-11-05

    One embodiment of the invention relates to a segmented photovoltaic (PV) module which is manufactured from laminate segments. The segmented PV module includes rectangular-shaped laminate segments formed from rectangular-shaped PV laminates and further includes non-rectangular-shaped laminate segments formed from rectangular-shaped and approximately-triangular-shaped PV laminates. The laminate segments are mechanically joined and electrically interconnected to form the segmented module. Another embodiment relates to a method of manufacturing a large-area segmented photovoltaic module from laminate segments of various shapes. Other embodiments relate to processes for providing a photovoltaic array for installation at a site. Other embodiments and features are also disclosed.

  19. Study of the morphology exhibited by linear segmented polyurethanes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pereira, I.M.; Orefice, R.L.

    2009-01-01

    Five series of segmented polyurethanes with different hard segment content were prepared by the prepolymer mixing method. The nano-morphology of the obtained polyurethanes and their microphase separation were investigated by infrared spectroscopy, modulated differential scanning calorimetry and small-angle X-ray scattering. Although highly hydrogen bonded hard segments were formed, high hard segment contents promoted phase mixture and decreased the chain mobility, decreasing the hard segment domain precipitation and the soft segments crystallization. The applied techniques were able to show that the hard-segment content and the hard-segment interactions were the two controlling factors for determining the structure of segmented polyurethanes. (author)

  20. Acquired ventricular septal defect due to infective endocarditis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Randi E Durden

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Acquired intracardiac left-to-right shunts are rare occurrences. Chest trauma and myocardial infection are well-known causes of acquired ventricular septal defect (VSD. There have been several case reports describing left ventricle to right atrium shunt after infective endocarditis (IE. We present here a patient found to have an acquired VSD secondary to IE of the aortic and tricuspid valves in the setting of a known bicuspid aortic valve. This is the first case reported of acquired VSD in a pediatric patient in the setting of IE along with literature review of acquired left-to-right shunts.

  1. Geomorphological and structural characterization of the southern Weihe Graben, central China: Implications for fault segmentation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Yali; He, Chuanqi; Rao, Gang; Yan, Bing; Lin, Aiming; Hu, Jianmin; Yu, Yangli; Yao, Qi

    2018-01-01

    The Cenozoic graben systems around the tectonically stable Ordos Block, central China, have been considered as ideal places for investigating active deformation within continental rifts, such as the Weihe Graben at the southern margin with high historical seismicity (e.g., 1556 M 8.5 Huaxian great earthquake). However, previous investigations have mostly focused on the active structures in the eastern and northern parts of this graben. By contrast, in the southwest, tectonic activity along the northern margin of the Qinling Mountains has not been systematically investigated yet. In this study, based on digital elevation models (DEMs), we carried out geomorphological analysis to evaluate the relative tectonic activity along the whole South Border Fault (SBF). On the basis of field observations, high resolution DEMs acquired by small unmanned aerial vehicles (sUVA) using structure-for-motion techniques, radiocarbon (14C) age dating, we demonstrate that: 1) Tectonic activity along the SBF changes along strike, being higher in the eastern sector. 2) Seven major segment boundaries have been assigned, where the fault changes its strike and has lower tectonic activity. 3) The fault segment between the cities of Huaxian and Huayin characterized by almost pure normal slip has been active during the Holocene. We suggest that these findings would provide a basis for further investigating on the seismic risk in densely-populated Weihe Graben. Table S2. The values and classification of geomorphic indices obtained in this study. Fig. S1. Morphological features of the stream long profiles (Nos. 1-75) and corresponding SLK values. Fig. S2. Comparison of geomorphological parameters acquired from different DEMs (90-m SRTM and 30-m ASTER GDEM): (a) HI values; (b) HI linear regression; (c) mean slope of drainage basin; (d) mean slope linear regression.

  2. Smart markers for watershed-based cell segmentation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Can Fahrettin Koyuncu

    Full Text Available Automated cell imaging systems facilitate fast and reliable analysis of biological events at the cellular level. In these systems, the first step is usually cell segmentation that greatly affects the success of the subsequent system steps. On the other hand, similar to other image segmentation problems, cell segmentation is an ill-posed problem that typically necessitates the use of domain-specific knowledge to obtain successful segmentations even by human subjects. The approaches that can incorporate this knowledge into their segmentation algorithms have potential to greatly improve segmentation results. In this work, we propose a new approach for the effective segmentation of live cells from phase contrast microscopy. This approach introduces a new set of "smart markers" for a marker-controlled watershed algorithm, for which the identification of its markers is critical. The proposed approach relies on using domain-specific knowledge, in the form of visual characteristics of the cells, to define the markers. We evaluate our approach on a total of 1,954 cells. The experimental results demonstrate that this approach, which uses the proposed definition of smart markers, is quite effective in identifying better markers compared to its counterparts. This will, in turn, be effective in improving the segmentation performance of a marker-controlled watershed algorithm.

  3. Smart markers for watershed-based cell segmentation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koyuncu, Can Fahrettin; Arslan, Salim; Durmaz, Irem; Cetin-Atalay, Rengul; Gunduz-Demir, Cigdem

    2012-01-01

    Automated cell imaging systems facilitate fast and reliable analysis of biological events at the cellular level. In these systems, the first step is usually cell segmentation that greatly affects the success of the subsequent system steps. On the other hand, similar to other image segmentation problems, cell segmentation is an ill-posed problem that typically necessitates the use of domain-specific knowledge to obtain successful segmentations even by human subjects. The approaches that can incorporate this knowledge into their segmentation algorithms have potential to greatly improve segmentation results. In this work, we propose a new approach for the effective segmentation of live cells from phase contrast microscopy. This approach introduces a new set of "smart markers" for a marker-controlled watershed algorithm, for which the identification of its markers is critical. The proposed approach relies on using domain-specific knowledge, in the form of visual characteristics of the cells, to define the markers. We evaluate our approach on a total of 1,954 cells. The experimental results demonstrate that this approach, which uses the proposed definition of smart markers, is quite effective in identifying better markers compared to its counterparts. This will, in turn, be effective in improving the segmentation performance of a marker-controlled watershed algorithm.

  4. An unsupervised strategy for biomedical image segmentation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roberto Rodríguez

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available Roberto Rodríguez1, Rubén Hernández21Digital Signal Processing Group, Institute of Cybernetics, Mathematics, and Physics, Havana, Cuba; 2Interdisciplinary Professional Unit of Engineering and Advanced Technology, IPN, MexicoAbstract: Many segmentation techniques have been published, and some of them have been widely used in different application problems. Most of these segmentation techniques have been motivated by specific application purposes. Unsupervised methods, which do not assume any prior scene knowledge can be learned to help the segmentation process, and are obviously more challenging than the supervised ones. In this paper, we present an unsupervised strategy for biomedical image segmentation using an algorithm based on recursively applying mean shift filtering, where entropy is used as a stopping criterion. This strategy is proven with many real images, and a comparison is carried out with manual segmentation. With the proposed strategy, errors less than 20% for false positives and 0% for false negatives are obtained.Keywords: segmentation, mean shift, unsupervised segmentation, entropy

  5. MOVING WINDOW SEGMENTATION FRAMEWORK FOR POINT CLOUDS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. Sithole

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available As lidar point clouds become larger streamed processing becomes more attractive. This paper presents a framework for the streamed segmentation of point clouds with the intention of segmenting unstructured point clouds in real-time. The framework is composed of two main components. The first component segments points within a window shifting over the point cloud. The second component stitches the segments within the windows together. In this fashion a point cloud can be streamed through these two components in sequence, thus producing a segmentation. The algorithm has been tested on airborne lidar point cloud and some results of the performance of the framework are presented.

  6. Acquired Inventors’ Productivity after Horizontal Acquisition

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Colombo, Massimo G.; Moreira, Solon; Rabbiosi, Larissa

    Effective integration of the R&D functions of the acquired and acquiring firms is essential for knowledge recombination after acquisition. However, prior research suggests that the post-acquisition integration process often damages the inventive labor force. We argue that an examination of the mu...

  7. Review of segmentation process in consumer markets

    OpenAIRE

    Veronika Jadczaková

    2013-01-01

    Although there has been a considerable debate on market segmentation over five decades, attention was merely devoted to single stages of the segmentation process. In doing so, stages as segmentation base selection or segments profiling have been heavily covered in the extant literature, whereas stages as implementation of the marketing strategy or market definition were of a comparably lower interest. Capitalizing on this shortcoming, this paper strives to close the gap and provide each step...

  8. Automated segmentation and geometrical modeling of the tricuspid aortic valve in 3D echocardiographic images.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pouch, Alison M; Wang, Hongzhi; Takabe, Manabu; Jackson, Benjamin M; Sehgal, Chandra M; Gorman, Joseph H; Gorman, Robert C; Yushkevich, Paul A

    2013-01-01

    The aortic valve has been described with variable anatomical definitions, and the consistency of 2D manual measurement of valve dimensions in medical image data has been questionable. Given the importance of image-based morphological assessment in the diagnosis and surgical treatment of aortic valve disease, there is considerable need to develop a standardized framework for 3D valve segmentation and shape representation. Towards this goal, this work integrates template-based medial modeling and multi-atlas label fusion techniques to automatically delineate and quantitatively describe aortic leaflet geometry in 3D echocardiographic (3DE) images, a challenging task that has been explored only to a limited extent. The method makes use of expert knowledge of aortic leaflet image appearance, generates segmentations with consistent topology, and establishes a shape-based coordinate system on the aortic leaflets that enables standardized automated measurements. In this study, the algorithm is evaluated on 11 3DE images of normal human aortic leaflets acquired at mid systole. The clinical relevance of the method is its ability to capture leaflet geometry in 3DE image data with minimal user interaction while producing consistent measurements of 3D aortic leaflet geometry.

  9. IFRS 8 – OPERATING SEGMENTS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    BOCHIS LEONICA

    2009-05-01

    Full Text Available Segment reporting in accordance with IFRS 8 will be mandatory for annual financial statements covering periods beginning on or after 1 January 2009. The standards replaces IAS 14, Segment Reporting, from that date. The objective of IFRS 8 is to require

  10. SU-E-J-208: Fast and Accurate Auto-Segmentation of Abdominal Organs at Risk for Online Adaptive Radiotherapy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gupta, V; Wang, Y; Romero, A; Heijmen, B; Hoogeman, M [Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, Rotterdam (Netherlands); Myronenko, A; Jordan, P [Accuray Incorporated, Sunnyvale, United States. (United States)

    2014-06-01

    Purpose: Various studies have demonstrated that online adaptive radiotherapy by real-time re-optimization of the treatment plan can improve organs-at-risk (OARs) sparing in the abdominal region. Its clinical implementation, however, requires fast and accurate auto-segmentation of OARs in CT scans acquired just before each treatment fraction. Autosegmentation is particularly challenging in the abdominal region due to the frequently observed large deformations. We present a clinical validation of a new auto-segmentation method that uses fully automated non-rigid registration for propagating abdominal OAR contours from planning to daily treatment CT scans. Methods: OARs were manually contoured by an expert panel to obtain ground truth contours for repeat CT scans (3 per patient) of 10 patients. For the non-rigid alignment, we used a new non-rigid registration method that estimates the deformation field by optimizing local normalized correlation coefficient with smoothness regularization. This field was used to propagate planning contours to repeat CTs. To quantify the performance of the auto-segmentation, we compared the propagated and ground truth contours using two widely used metrics- Dice coefficient (Dc) and Hausdorff distance (Hd). The proposed method was benchmarked against translation and rigid alignment based auto-segmentation. Results: For all organs, the auto-segmentation performed better than the baseline (translation) with an average processing time of 15 s per fraction CT. The overall improvements ranged from 2% (heart) to 32% (pancreas) in Dc, and 27% (heart) to 62% (spinal cord) in Hd. For liver, kidneys, gall bladder, stomach, spinal cord and heart, Dc above 0.85 was achieved. Duodenum and pancreas were the most challenging organs with both showing relatively larger spreads and medians of 0.79 and 2.1 mm for Dc and Hd, respectively. Conclusion: Based on the achieved accuracy and computational time we conclude that the investigated auto-segmentation

  11. SU-E-J-208: Fast and Accurate Auto-Segmentation of Abdominal Organs at Risk for Online Adaptive Radiotherapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gupta, V; Wang, Y; Romero, A; Heijmen, B; Hoogeman, M; Myronenko, A; Jordan, P

    2014-01-01

    Purpose: Various studies have demonstrated that online adaptive radiotherapy by real-time re-optimization of the treatment plan can improve organs-at-risk (OARs) sparing in the abdominal region. Its clinical implementation, however, requires fast and accurate auto-segmentation of OARs in CT scans acquired just before each treatment fraction. Autosegmentation is particularly challenging in the abdominal region due to the frequently observed large deformations. We present a clinical validation of a new auto-segmentation method that uses fully automated non-rigid registration for propagating abdominal OAR contours from planning to daily treatment CT scans. Methods: OARs were manually contoured by an expert panel to obtain ground truth contours for repeat CT scans (3 per patient) of 10 patients. For the non-rigid alignment, we used a new non-rigid registration method that estimates the deformation field by optimizing local normalized correlation coefficient with smoothness regularization. This field was used to propagate planning contours to repeat CTs. To quantify the performance of the auto-segmentation, we compared the propagated and ground truth contours using two widely used metrics- Dice coefficient (Dc) and Hausdorff distance (Hd). The proposed method was benchmarked against translation and rigid alignment based auto-segmentation. Results: For all organs, the auto-segmentation performed better than the baseline (translation) with an average processing time of 15 s per fraction CT. The overall improvements ranged from 2% (heart) to 32% (pancreas) in Dc, and 27% (heart) to 62% (spinal cord) in Hd. For liver, kidneys, gall bladder, stomach, spinal cord and heart, Dc above 0.85 was achieved. Duodenum and pancreas were the most challenging organs with both showing relatively larger spreads and medians of 0.79 and 2.1 mm for Dc and Hd, respectively. Conclusion: Based on the achieved accuracy and computational time we conclude that the investigated auto-segmentation

  12. The Hierarchy of Segment Reports

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Danilo Dorović

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available The article presents an attempt to find the connection between reports created for managers responsible for different business segments. With this purpose, the hierarchy of the business reporting segments is proposed. This can lead to better understanding of the expenses under common responsibility of more than one manager since these expenses should be in more than one report. The structure of cost defined per business segment hierarchy with the aim of new, unusual but relevant cost structure for management can be established. Both could potentially bring new information benefits for management in the context of profit reporting.

  13. Segmental dilatation of the ileum

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tune-Yie Shih

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available A 2-year-old boy was sent to the emergency department with the chief problem of abdominal pain for 1 day. He was just discharged from the pediatric ward with the diagnosis of mycoplasmal pneumonia and paralytic ileus. After initial examinations and radiographic investigations, midgut volvulus was impressed. An emergency laparotomy was performed. Segmental dilatation of the ileum with volvulus was found. The operative procedure was resection of the dilated ileal segment with anastomosis. The postoperative recovery was uneventful. The unique abnormality of gastrointestinal tract – segmental dilatation of the ileum, is described in details and the literature is reviewed.

  14. Techniques on semiautomatic segmentation using the Adobe Photoshop

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Jin Seo; Chung, Min Suk; Hwang, Sung Bae

    2005-04-01

    The purpose of this research is to enable anybody to semiautomatically segment the anatomical structures in the MRIs, CTs, and other medical images on the personal computer. The segmented images are used for making three-dimensional images, which are helpful in medical education and research. To achieve this purpose, the following trials were performed. The entire body of a volunteer was MR scanned to make 557 MRIs, which were transferred to a personal computer. On Adobe Photoshop, contours of 19 anatomical structures in the MRIs were semiautomatically drawn using MAGNETIC LASSO TOOL; successively, manually corrected using either LASSO TOOL or DIRECT SELECTION TOOL to make 557 segmented images. In a likewise manner, 11 anatomical structures in the 8,500 anatomcial images were segmented. Also, 12 brain and 10 heart anatomical structures in anatomical images were segmented. Proper segmentation was verified by making and examining the coronal, sagittal, and three-dimensional images from the segmented images. During semiautomatic segmentation on Adobe Photoshop, suitable algorithm could be used, the extent of automatization could be regulated, convenient user interface could be used, and software bugs rarely occurred. The techniques of semiautomatic segmentation using Adobe Photoshop are expected to be widely used for segmentation of the anatomical structures in various medical images.

  15. Microscope-Integrated Intraoperative Ultrahigh-Speed Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography for Widefield Retinal and Anterior Segment Imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Chen D; Waheed, Nadia K; Witkin, Andre; Baumal, Caroline R; Liu, Jonathan J; Potsaid, Benjamin; Joseph, Anthony; Jayaraman, Vijaysekhar; Cable, Alex; Chan, Kinpui; Duker, Jay S; Fujimoto, James G

    2018-02-01

    To demonstrate the feasibility of retinal and anterior segment intraoperative widefield imaging using an ultrahigh-speed, swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) surgical microscope attachment. A prototype post-objective SS-OCT using a 1,050-nm wavelength, 400 kHz A-scan rate, vertical cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) light source was integrated to a commercial ophthalmic surgical microscope after the objective. Each widefield OCT data set was acquired in 3 seconds (1,000 × 1,000 A-scans, 12 × 12 mm 2 for retina and 10 × 10 mm 2 for anterior segment). Intraoperative SS-OCT was performed in 20 eyes of 20 patients. In six of seven membrane peels and five of seven rhegmatogenous retinal detachment repair surgeries, widefield retinal imaging enabled evaluation pre- and postoperatively. In all seven cataract cases, anterior imaging evaluated the integrity of the posterior lens capsule. Ultrahigh-speed SS-OCT enables widefield intraoperative viewing in the posterior and anterior eye. Widefield imaging visualizes ocular structures and pathology without requiring OCT realignment. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2018;49:94-102.]. Copyright 2018, SLACK Incorporated.

  16. CT identification of bronchopulmonary segments: 50 normal subjects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Osbourne, D.; Vock, P.; Godwin, J.D.; Silverman, P.M.

    1984-01-01

    A systematic evaluation of the fissures, segmental bronchi and arteries, bronchopulmonary segments, and peripheral pulmonary parenchyma was made from computed tomographic (CT) scans of 50 patients with normal chest radiographs. Seventy percent of the segmental bronchi and 76% of the segmental arteries were identified. Arteries could be traced to their sixth- and seventh-order branches; their orientation to the plane of the CT section allowed gross identification and localization of bronchopulmonary segments

  17. Segmentation of liver tumors on CT images

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pescia, D.

    2011-01-01

    This thesis is dedicated to 3D segmentation of liver tumors in CT images. This is a task of great clinical interest since it allows physicians benefiting from reproducible and reliable methods for segmenting such lesions. Accurate segmentation would indeed help them during the evaluation of the lesions, the choice of treatment and treatment planning. Such a complex segmentation task should cope with three main scientific challenges: (i) the highly variable shape of the structures being sought, (ii) their similarity of appearance compared with their surrounding medium and finally (iii) the low signal to noise ratio being observed in these images. This problem is addressed in a clinical context through a two step approach, consisting of the segmentation of the entire liver envelope, before segmenting the tumors which are present within the envelope. We begin by proposing an atlas-based approach for computing pathological liver envelopes. Initially images are pre-processed to compute the envelopes that wrap around binary masks in an attempt to obtain liver envelopes from estimated segmentation of healthy liver parenchyma. A new statistical atlas is then introduced and used to segmentation through its diffeomorphic registration to the new image. This segmentation is achieved through the combination of image matching costs as well as spatial and appearance prior using a multi-scale approach with MRF. The second step of our approach is dedicated to lesions segmentation contained within the envelopes using a combination of machine learning techniques and graph based methods. First, an appropriate feature space is considered that involves texture descriptors being determined through filtering using various scales and orientations. Then, state of the art machine learning techniques are used to determine the most relevant features, as well as the hyper plane that separates the feature space of tumoral voxels to the ones corresponding to healthy tissues. Segmentation is then

  18. Efficient Algorithms for Segmentation of Item-Set Time Series

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chundi, Parvathi; Rosenkrantz, Daniel J.

    We propose a special type of time series, which we call an item-set time series, to facilitate the temporal analysis of software version histories, email logs, stock market data, etc. In an item-set time series, each observed data value is a set of discrete items. We formalize the concept of an item-set time series and present efficient algorithms for segmenting a given item-set time series. Segmentation of a time series partitions the time series into a sequence of segments where each segment is constructed by combining consecutive time points of the time series. Each segment is associated with an item set that is computed from the item sets of the time points in that segment, using a function which we call a measure function. We then define a concept called the segment difference, which measures the difference between the item set of a segment and the item sets of the time points in that segment. The segment difference values are required to construct an optimal segmentation of the time series. We describe novel and efficient algorithms to compute segment difference values for each of the measure functions described in the paper. We outline a dynamic programming based scheme to construct an optimal segmentation of the given item-set time series. We use the item-set time series segmentation techniques to analyze the temporal content of three different data sets—Enron email, stock market data, and a synthetic data set. The experimental results show that an optimal segmentation of item-set time series data captures much more temporal content than a segmentation constructed based on the number of time points in each segment, without examining the item set data at the time points, and can be used to analyze different types of temporal data.

  19. Segmentation of knee injury swelling on infrared images

    Science.gov (United States)

    Puentes, John; Langet, Hélène; Herry, Christophe; Frize, Monique

    2011-03-01

    Interpretation of medical infrared images is complex due to thermal noise, absence of texture, and small temperature differences in pathological zones. Acute inflammatory response is a characteristic symptom of some knee injuries like anterior cruciate ligament sprains, muscle or tendons strains, and meniscus tear. Whereas artificial coloring of the original grey level images may allow to visually assess the extent inflammation in the area, their automated segmentation remains a challenging problem. This paper presents a hybrid segmentation algorithm to evaluate the extent of inflammation after knee injury, in terms of temperature variations and surface shape. It is based on the intersection of rapid color segmentation and homogeneous region segmentation, to which a Laplacian of a Gaussian filter is applied. While rapid color segmentation enables to properly detect the observed core of swollen area, homogeneous region segmentation identifies possible inflammation zones, combining homogeneous grey level and hue area segmentation. The hybrid segmentation algorithm compares the potential inflammation regions partially detected by each method to identify overlapping areas. Noise filtering and edge segmentation are then applied to common zones in order to segment the swelling surfaces of the injury. Experimental results on images of a patient with anterior cruciate ligament sprain show the improved performance of the hybrid algorithm with respect to its separated components. The main contribution of this work is a meaningful automatic segmentation of abnormal skin temperature variations on infrared thermography images of knee injury swelling.

  20. Reliability of a Seven-Segment Foot Model with Medial and Lateral Midfoot and Forefoot Segments During Walking Gait.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cobb, Stephen C; Joshi, Mukta N; Pomeroy, Robin L

    2016-12-01

    In-vitro and invasive in-vivo studies have reported relatively independent motion in the medial and lateral forefoot segments during gait. However, most current surface-based models have not defined medial and lateral forefoot or midfoot segments. The purpose of the current study was to determine the reliability of a 7-segment foot model that includes medial and lateral midfoot and forefoot segments during walking gait. Three-dimensional positions of marker clusters located on the leg and 6 foot segments were tracked as 10 participants completed 5 walking trials. To examine the reliability of the foot model, coefficients of multiple correlation (CMC) were calculated across the trials for each participant. Three-dimensional stance time series and range of motion (ROM) during stance were also calculated for each functional articulation. CMCs for all of the functional articulations were ≥ 0.80. Overall, the rearfoot complex (leg-calcaneus segments) was the most reliable articulation and the medial midfoot complex (calcaneus-navicular segments) was the least reliable. With respect to ROM, reliability was greatest for plantarflexion/dorsiflexion and least for abduction/adduction. Further, the stance ROM and time-series patterns results between the current study and previous invasive in-vivo studies that have assessed actual bone motion were generally consistent.

  1. Market Segmentation: An Instructional Module.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wright, Peter H.

    A concept-based introduction to market segmentation is provided in this instructional module for undergraduate and graduate transportation-related courses. The material can be used in many disciplines including engineering, business, marketing, and technology. The concept of market segmentation is primarily a transportation planning technique by…

  2. Dual registration of abdominal motion for motility assessment in free-breathing data sets acquired using dynamic MRI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Menys, A; Hamy, V; Makanyanga, J; Taylor, S A; Atkinson, D; Hoad, C; Gowland, P; Odille, F

    2014-01-01

    At present, registration-based quantification of bowel motility from dynamic MRI is limited to breath-hold studies. Here we validate a dual-registration technique robust to respiratory motion for the assessment of small bowel and colonic motility. Small bowel datasets were acquired in breath-hold and free-breathing in 20 healthy individuals. A pre-processing step using an iterative registration of the low rank component of the data was applied to remove respiratory motion from the free breathing data. Motility was then quantified with an existing optic-flow (OF) based registration technique to form a dual-stage approach, termed Dual Registration of Abdominal Motion (DRAM). The benefit of respiratory motion correction was assessed by (1) assessing the fidelity of automatically propagated segmental regions of interest (ROIs) in the small bowel and colon and (2) comparing parametric motility maps to a breath-hold ground truth. DRAM demonstrated an improved ability to propagate ROIs through free-breathing small bowel and colonic motility data, with median error decreased by 90% and 55%, respectively. Comparison between global parametric maps showed high concordance between breath-hold data and free-breathing DRAM. Quantification of segmental and global motility in dynamic MR data is more accurate and robust to respiration when using the DRAM approach. (paper)

  3. Medical image segmentation using genetic algorithms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maulik, Ujjwal

    2009-03-01

    Genetic algorithms (GAs) have been found to be effective in the domain of medical image segmentation, since the problem can often be mapped to one of search in a complex and multimodal landscape. The challenges in medical image segmentation arise due to poor image contrast and artifacts that result in missing or diffuse organ/tissue boundaries. The resulting search space is therefore often noisy with a multitude of local optima. Not only does the genetic algorithmic framework prove to be effective in coming out of local optima, it also brings considerable flexibility into the segmentation procedure. In this paper, an attempt has been made to review the major applications of GAs to the domain of medical image segmentation.

  4. Remote sensing image segmentation based on Hadoop cloud platform

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Jie; Zhu, Lingling; Cao, Fubin

    2018-01-01

    To solve the problem that the remote sensing image segmentation speed is slow and the real-time performance is poor, this paper studies the method of remote sensing image segmentation based on Hadoop platform. On the basis of analyzing the structural characteristics of Hadoop cloud platform and its component MapReduce programming, this paper proposes a method of image segmentation based on the combination of OpenCV and Hadoop cloud platform. Firstly, the MapReduce image processing model of Hadoop cloud platform is designed, the input and output of image are customized and the segmentation method of the data file is rewritten. Then the Mean Shift image segmentation algorithm is implemented. Finally, this paper makes a segmentation experiment on remote sensing image, and uses MATLAB to realize the Mean Shift image segmentation algorithm to compare the same image segmentation experiment. The experimental results show that under the premise of ensuring good effect, the segmentation rate of remote sensing image segmentation based on Hadoop cloud Platform has been greatly improved compared with the single MATLAB image segmentation, and there is a great improvement in the effectiveness of image segmentation.

  5. Acquired intrathoracic kidney in thoracic kyphosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Murayama, Sadayuki; Kawashima, Akira; Ohuchida, Toshiyuki; Russell, W.J.

    1986-12-01

    Two cases of acquired intrathoracic kidney associated with thoracic kyphosis are reported, with emphasis on the radiographic manifestations. A search of the scientific literature disclosed that the acquired type of this abnormality is rare. The importance of recognizing this entity from a differential diagnostic standpoint is underscored. (author)

  6. Background based Gaussian mixture model lesion segmentation in PET

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Soffientini, Chiara Dolores, E-mail: chiaradolores.soffientini@polimi.it; Baselli, Giuseppe [DEIB, Department of Electronics, Information, and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, Milan 20133 (Italy); De Bernardi, Elisabetta [Department of Medicine and Surgery, Tecnomed Foundation, University of Milano—Bicocca, Monza 20900 (Italy); Zito, Felicia; Castellani, Massimo [Nuclear Medicine Department, Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, via Francesco Sforza 35, Milan 20122 (Italy)

    2016-05-15

    Purpose: Quantitative {sup 18}F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography is limited by the uncertainty in lesion delineation due to poor SNR, low resolution, and partial volume effects, subsequently impacting oncological assessment, treatment planning, and follow-up. The present work develops and validates a segmentation algorithm based on statistical clustering. The introduction of constraints based on background features and contiguity priors is expected to improve robustness vs clinical image characteristics such as lesion dimension, noise, and contrast level. Methods: An eight-class Gaussian mixture model (GMM) clustering algorithm was modified by constraining the mean and variance parameters of four background classes according to the previous analysis of a lesion-free background volume of interest (background modeling). Hence, expectation maximization operated only on the four classes dedicated to lesion detection. To favor the segmentation of connected objects, a further variant was introduced by inserting priors relevant to the classification of neighbors. The algorithm was applied to simulated datasets and acquired phantom data. Feasibility and robustness toward initialization were assessed on a clinical dataset manually contoured by two expert clinicians. Comparisons were performed with respect to a standard eight-class GMM algorithm and to four different state-of-the-art methods in terms of volume error (VE), Dice index, classification error (CE), and Hausdorff distance (HD). Results: The proposed GMM segmentation with background modeling outperformed standard GMM and all the other tested methods. Medians of accuracy indexes were VE <3%, Dice >0.88, CE <0.25, and HD <1.2 in simulations; VE <23%, Dice >0.74, CE <0.43, and HD <1.77 in phantom data. Robustness toward image statistic changes (±15%) was shown by the low index changes: <26% for VE, <17% for Dice, and <15% for CE. Finally, robustness toward the user-dependent volume initialization was

  7. Metrics for image segmentation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rees, Gareth; Greenway, Phil; Morray, Denise

    1998-07-01

    An important challenge in mapping image-processing techniques onto applications is the lack of quantitative performance measures. From a systems engineering perspective these are essential if system level requirements are to be decomposed into sub-system requirements which can be understood in terms of algorithm selection and performance optimization. Nowhere in computer vision is this more evident than in the area of image segmentation. This is a vigorous and innovative research activity, but even after nearly two decades of progress, it remains almost impossible to answer the question 'what would the performance of this segmentation algorithm be under these new conditions?' To begin to address this shortcoming, we have devised a well-principled metric for assessing the relative performance of two segmentation algorithms. This allows meaningful objective comparisons to be made between their outputs. It also estimates the absolute performance of an algorithm given ground truth. Our approach is an information theoretic one. In this paper, we describe the theory and motivation of our method, and present practical results obtained from a range of state of the art segmentation methods. We demonstrate that it is possible to measure the objective performance of these algorithms, and to use the information so gained to provide clues about how their performance might be improved.

  8. Incorporation of squalene into rod outer segments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Keller, R.K.; Fliesler, S.J.

    1990-01-01

    We have reported previously that squalene is the major radiolabeled nonsaponifiable lipid product derived from [ 3 H]acetate in short term incubations of frog retinas. In the present study, we demonstrate that newly synthesized squalene is incorporated into rod outer segments under similar in vitro conditions. We show further that squalene is an endogenous constituent of frog rod outer segment membranes; its concentration is approximately 9.5 nmol/mumol of phospholipid or about 9% of the level of cholesterol. Pulse-chase experiments with radiolabeled precursors revealed no metabolism of outer segment squalene to sterols in up to 20 h of chase. Taken together with our previous absolute rate studies, these results suggest that most, if not all, of the squalene synthesized by the frog retina is transported to rod outer segments. Synthesis of protein is not required for squalene transport since puromycin had no effect on squalene incorporation into outer segments. Conversely, inhibition of isoprenoid synthesis with mevinolin had no effect on the incorporation of opsin into the outer segment. These latter results support the conclusion that the de novo synthesis and subsequent intracellular trafficking of opsin and isoprenoid lipids destined for the outer segment occur via independent mechanisms

  9. Interactive segmentation techniques algorithms and performance evaluation

    CERN Document Server

    He, Jia; Kuo, C-C Jay

    2013-01-01

    This book focuses on interactive segmentation techniques, which have been extensively studied in recent decades. Interactive segmentation emphasizes clear extraction of objects of interest, whose locations are roughly indicated by human interactions based on high level perception. This book will first introduce classic graph-cut segmentation algorithms and then discuss state-of-the-art techniques, including graph matching methods, region merging and label propagation, clustering methods, and segmentation methods based on edge detection. A comparative analysis of these methods will be provided

  10. Market segmentation using perceived constraints

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jinhee Jun; Gerard Kyle; Andrew Mowen

    2008-01-01

    We examined the practical utility of segmenting potential visitors to Cleveland Metroparks using their constraint profiles. Our analysis identified three segments based on their scores on the dimensions of constraints: Other priorities--visitors who scored the highest on 'other priorities' dimension; Highly Constrained--visitors who scored relatively high on...

  11. Reduplication Facilitates Early Word Segmentation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ota, Mitsuhiko; Skarabela, Barbora

    2018-01-01

    This study explores the possibility that early word segmentation is aided by infants' tendency to segment words with repeated syllables ("reduplication"). Twenty-four nine-month-olds were familiarized with passages containing one novel reduplicated word and one novel non-reduplicated word. Their central fixation times in response to…

  12. Recognition Using Classification and Segmentation Scoring

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Kimball, Owen; Ostendorf, Mari; Rohlicek, Robin

    1992-01-01

    .... We describe an approach to connected word recognition that allows the use of segmental information through an explicit decomposition of the recognition criterion into classification and segmentation scoring...

  13. Multifractal-based nuclei segmentation in fish images.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reljin, Nikola; Slavkovic-Ilic, Marijeta; Tapia, Coya; Cihoric, Nikola; Stankovic, Srdjan

    2017-09-01

    The method for nuclei segmentation in fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) images, based on the inverse multifractal analysis (IMFA) is proposed. From the blue channel of the FISH image in RGB format, the matrix of Holder exponents, with one-by-one correspondence with the image pixels, is determined first. The following semi-automatic procedure is proposed: initial nuclei segmentation is performed automatically from the matrix of Holder exponents by applying predefined hard thresholding; then the user evaluates the result and is able to refine the segmentation by changing the threshold, if necessary. After successful nuclei segmentation, the HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) scoring can be determined in usual way: by counting red and green dots within segmented nuclei, and finding their ratio. The IMFA segmentation method is tested over 100 clinical cases, evaluated by skilled pathologist. Testing results show that the new method has advantages compared to already reported methods.

  14. Concurrent segmentation of the prostate on MRI and CT via linked statistical shape models for radiotherapy planning

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chowdhury, Najeeb; Toth, Robert; Chappelow, Jonathan; Kim, Sung; Motwani, Sabin; Punekar, Salman; Lin Haibo; Both, Stefan; Vapiwala, Neha; Hahn, Stephen; Madabhushi, Anant

    2012-01-01

    Purpose: Prostate gland segmentation is a critical step in prostate radiotherapy planning, where dose plans are typically formulated on CT. Pretreatment MRI is now beginning to be acquired at several medical centers. Delineation of the prostate on MRI is acknowledged as being significantly simpler to perform, compared to delineation on CT. In this work, the authors present a novel framework for building a linked statistical shape model (LSSM), a statistical shape model (SSM) that links the shape variation of a structure of interest (SOI) across multiple imaging modalities. This framework is particularly relevant in scenarios where accurate boundary delineations of the SOI on one of the modalities may not be readily available, or difficult to obtain, for training a SSM. In this work the authors apply the LSSM in the context of multimodal prostate segmentation for radiotherapy planning, where the prostate is concurrently segmented on MRI and CT. Methods: The framework comprises a number of logically connected steps. The first step utilizes multimodal registration of MRI and CT to map 2D boundary delineations of the prostate from MRI onto corresponding CT images, for a set of training studies. Hence, the scheme obviates the need for expert delineations of the gland on CT for explicitly constructing a SSM for prostate segmentation on CT. The delineations of the prostate gland on MRI and CT allows for 3D reconstruction of the prostate shape which facilitates the building of the LSSM. In order to perform concurrent prostate MRI and CT segmentation using the LSSM, the authors employ a region-based level set approach where the authors deform the evolving prostate boundary to simultaneously fit to MRI and CT images in which voxels are classified to be either part of the prostate or outside the prostate. The classification is facilitated by using a combination of MRI-CT probabilistic spatial atlases and a random forest classifier, driven by gradient and Haar features

  15. The Importance of Marketing Segmentation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin, Gillian

    2011-01-01

    The rationale behind marketing segmentation is to allow businesses to focus on their consumers' behaviors and purchasing patterns. If done effectively, marketing segmentation allows an organization to achieve its highest return on investment (ROI) in turn for its marketing and sales expenses. If an organization markets its products or services to…

  16. And the Winner is – Acquired

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Henkel, Joachim; Rønde, Thomas; Wagner, Marcus

    value in case of success—that is, a more radical innovation. In the second stage, successful entrants bid to be acquired by the incumbent. We assume that entrants cannot survive on their own, so being acquired amounts to a ‘prize’ in a contest. We identify an equilibrium in which the incumbent chooses...

  17. Boundary segmentation for fluorescence microscopy using steerable filters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ho, David Joon; Salama, Paul; Dunn, Kenneth W.; Delp, Edward J.

    2017-02-01

    Fluorescence microscopy is used to image multiple subcellular structures in living cells which are not readily observed using conventional optical microscopy. Moreover, two-photon microscopy is widely used to image structures deeper in tissue. Recent advancement in fluorescence microscopy has enabled the generation of large data sets of images at different depths, times, and spectral channels. Thus, automatic object segmentation is necessary since manual segmentation would be inefficient and biased. However, automatic segmentation is still a challenging problem as regions of interest may not have well defined boundaries as well as non-uniform pixel intensities. This paper describes a method for segmenting tubular structures in fluorescence microscopy images of rat kidney and liver samples using adaptive histogram equalization, foreground/background segmentation, steerable filters to capture directional tendencies, and connected-component analysis. The results from several data sets demonstrate that our method can segment tubular boundaries successfully. Moreover, our method has better performance when compared to other popular image segmentation methods when using ground truth data obtained via manual segmentation.

  18. Limb flexion-induced axial compression and bending in human femoropopliteal artery segments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poulson, William; Kamenskiy, Alexey; Seas, Andreas; Deegan, Paul; Lomneth, Carol; MacTaggart, Jason

    2018-02-01

    High failure rates of femoropopliteal artery (FPA) interventions are often attributed in part to severe mechanical deformations that occur with limb movement. Axial compression and bending of the FPA likely play significant roles in FPA disease development and reconstruction failure, but these deformations are poorly characterized. The goal of this study was to quantify axial compression and bending of human FPAs that are placed in positions commonly assumed during the normal course of daily activities. Retrievable nitinol markers were deployed using a custom-made catheter system into 28 in situ FPAs of 14 human cadavers. Contrast-enhanced, thin-section computed tomography images were acquired with each limb in the standing (180 degrees), walking (110 degrees), sitting (90 degrees), and gardening (60 degrees) postures. Image segmentation and analysis allowed relative comparison of spatial locations of each intra-arterial marker to determine axial compression and bending using the arterial centerlines. Axial compression in the popliteal artery (PA) was greater than in the proximal superficial femoral artery (SFA) or the adductor hiatus (AH) segments in all postures (P = .02). Average compression in the SFA, AH, and PA ranged from 9% to 15%, 11% to 19%, and 13% to 25%, respectively. The FPA experienced significantly more acute bending in the AH and PA segments compared with the proximal SFA (P < .05) in all postures. In the walking, sitting, and gardening postures, average sphere radii in the SFA, AH, and PA ranged from 21 to 27 mm, 10 to 18 mm, and 8 to 19 mm, whereas bending angles ranged from 150 to 157 degrees, 136 to 147 degrees, and 137 to 148 degrees, respectively. The FPA experiences significant axial compression and bending during limb flexion that occur at even modest limb angles. Moreover, different segments of the FPA appear to undergo significantly different degrees of deformation. Understanding the effects of limb flexion on axial compression and

  19. Liu et al., Afr J Tradit Complement Altern Med. (2015) 12(6):27-32 ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Proff.Adewunmi

    suffering from fibular fractures at the same side of the defects. ... Vascularized fibular graft was used to recover the integrity of grafting trunk vessel by ... area was located in the lower and middle tibia, the position of reaming bone marrow cavity ...

  20. Connecting textual segments

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Brügger, Niels

    2017-01-01

    history than just the years of the emergence of the web, the chapter traces the history of how segments of text have deliberately been connected to each other by the use of specific textual and media features, from clay tablets, manuscripts on parchment, and print, among others, to hyperlinks on stand......In “Connecting textual segments: A brief history of the web hyperlink” Niels Brügger investigates the history of one of the most fundamental features of the web: the hyperlink. Based on the argument that the web hyperlink is best understood if it is seen as another step in a much longer and broader...

  1. A comparative study on medical image segmentation methods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Praylin Selva Blessy SELVARAJ ASSLEY

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Image segmentation plays an important role in medical images. It has been a relevant research area in computer vision and image analysis. Many segmentation algorithms have been proposed for medical images. This paper makes a review on segmentation methods for medical images. In this survey, segmentation methods are divided into five categories: region based, boundary based, model based, hybrid based and atlas based. The five different categories with their principle ideas, advantages and disadvantages in segmenting different medical images are discussed.

  2. Distance measures for image segmentation evaluation

    OpenAIRE

    Monteiro, Fernando C.; Campilho, Aurélio

    2012-01-01

    In this paper we present a study of evaluation measures that enable the quantification of the quality of an image segmentation result. Despite significant advances in image segmentation techniques, evaluation of these techniques thus far has been largely subjective. Typically, the effectiveness of a new algorithm is demonstrated only by the presentation of a few segmented images and is otherwise left to subjective evaluation by the reader. Such an evaluation criterion can be useful for differ...

  3. Segmentation of complex document

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Souad Oudjemia

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available In this paper we present a method for segmentation of documents image with complex structure. This technique based on GLCM (Grey Level Co-occurrence Matrix used to segment this type of document in three regions namely, 'graphics', 'background' and 'text'. Very briefly, this method is to divide the document image, in block size chosen after a series of tests and then applying the co-occurrence matrix to each block in order to extract five textural parameters which are energy, entropy, the sum entropy, difference entropy and standard deviation. These parameters are then used to classify the image into three regions using the k-means algorithm; the last step of segmentation is obtained by grouping connected pixels. Two performance measurements are performed for both graphics and text zones; we have obtained a classification rate of 98.3% and a Misclassification rate of 1.79%.

  4. Hemorrhage Detection and Segmentation in Traumatic Pelvic Injuries

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davuluri, Pavani; Wu, Jie; Tang, Yang; Cockrell, Charles H.; Ward, Kevin R.; Najarian, Kayvan; Hargraves, Rosalyn H.

    2012-01-01

    Automated hemorrhage detection and segmentation in traumatic pelvic injuries is vital for fast and accurate treatment decision making. Hemorrhage is the main cause of deaths in patients within first 24 hours after the injury. It is very time consuming for physicians to analyze all Computed Tomography (CT) images manually. As time is crucial in emergence medicine, analyzing medical images manually delays the decision-making process. Automated hemorrhage detection and segmentation can significantly help physicians to analyze these images and make fast and accurate decisions. Hemorrhage segmentation is a crucial step in the accurate diagnosis and treatment decision-making process. This paper presents a novel rule-based hemorrhage segmentation technique that utilizes pelvic anatomical information to segment hemorrhage accurately. An evaluation measure is used to quantify the accuracy of hemorrhage segmentation. The results show that the proposed method is able to segment hemorrhage very well, and the results are promising. PMID:22919433

  5. SALIENCY BASED SEGMENTATION OF SATELLITE IMAGES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Sharma

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Saliency gives the way as humans see any image and saliency based segmentation can be eventually helpful in Psychovisual image interpretation. Keeping this in view few saliency models are used along with segmentation algorithm and only the salient segments from image have been extracted. The work is carried out for terrestrial images as well as for satellite images. The methodology used in this work extracts those segments from segmented image which are having higher or equal saliency value than a threshold value. Salient and non salient regions of image become foreground and background respectively and thus image gets separated. For carrying out this work a dataset of terrestrial images and Worldview 2 satellite images (sample data are used. Results show that those saliency models which works better for terrestrial images are not good enough for satellite image in terms of foreground and background separation. Foreground and background separation in terrestrial images is based on salient objects visible on the images whereas in satellite images this separation is based on salient area rather than salient objects.

  6. Acquiring and preprocessing leaf images for automated plant identification: understanding the tradeoff between effort and information gain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael Rzanny

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Automated species identification is a long term research subject. Contrary to flowers and fruits, leaves are available throughout most of the year. Offering margin and texture to characterize a species, they are the most studied organ for automated identification. Substantially matured machine learning techniques generate the need for more training data (aka leaf images. Researchers as well as enthusiasts miss guidance on how to acquire suitable training images in an efficient way. Methods In this paper, we systematically study nine image types and three preprocessing strategies. Image types vary in terms of in-situ image recording conditions: perspective, illumination, and background, while the preprocessing strategies compare non-preprocessed, cropped, and segmented images to each other. Per image type-preprocessing combination, we also quantify the manual effort required for their implementation. We extract image features using a convolutional neural network, classify species using the resulting feature vectors and discuss classification accuracy in relation to the required effort per combination. Results The most effective, non-destructive way to record herbaceous leaves is to take an image of the leaf’s top side. We yield the highest classification accuracy using destructive back light images, i.e., holding the plucked leaf against the sky for image acquisition. Cropping the image to the leaf’s boundary substantially improves accuracy, while precise segmentation yields similar accuracy at a substantially higher effort. The permanent use or disuse of a flash light has negligible effects. Imaging the typically stronger textured backside of a leaf does not result in higher accuracy, but notably increases the acquisition cost. Conclusions In conclusion, the way in which leaf images are acquired and preprocessed does have a substantial effect on the accuracy of the classifier trained on them. For the first time, this

  7. Segmentation precedes face categorization under suboptimal conditions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carlijn eVan Den Boomen

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Both categorization and segmentation processes play a crucial role in face perception. However, the functional relation between these subprocesses is currently unclear. The present study investigates the temporal relation between segmentation-related and category-selective responses in the brain, using electroencephalography (EEG. Surface segmentation and category content were both manipulated using texture-defined objects, including faces. This allowed us to study brain activity related to segmentation and to categorization. In the main experiment, participants viewed texture-defined objects for a duration of 800 ms. EEG results revealed that segmentation-related responses precede category-selective responses. Three additional experiments revealed that the presence and timing of categorization depends on stimulus properties and presentation duration. Photographic objects were presented for a long and short (92 ms duration and evoked fast category-selective responses in both cases. On the other hand, presentation of texture-defined objects for a short duration only evoked segmentation-related but no category-selective responses. Category-selective responses were much slower when evoked by texture-defined than by photographic objects. We suggest that in case of categorization of objects under suboptimal conditions, such as when low-level stimulus properties are not sufficient for fast object categorization, segmentation facilitates the slower categorization process.

  8. A Kalman Filtering Perspective for Multiatlas Segmentation*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Yi; Zhu, Liangjia; Cates, Joshua; MacLeod, Rob S.; Bouix, Sylvain; Tannenbaum, Allen

    2016-01-01

    In multiatlas segmentation, one typically registers several atlases to the novel image, and their respective segmented label images are transformed and fused to form the final segmentation. In this work, we provide a new dynamical system perspective for multiatlas segmentation, inspired by the following fact: The transformation that aligns the current atlas to the novel image can be not only computed by direct registration but also inferred from the transformation that aligns the previous atlas to the image together with the transformation between the two atlases. This process is similar to the global positioning system on a vehicle, which gets position by inquiring from the satellite and by employing the previous location and velocity—neither answer in isolation being perfect. To solve this problem, a dynamical system scheme is crucial to combine the two pieces of information; for example, a Kalman filtering scheme is used. Accordingly, in this work, a Kalman multiatlas segmentation is proposed to stabilize the global/affine registration step. The contributions of this work are twofold. First, it provides a new dynamical systematic perspective for standard independent multiatlas registrations, and it is solved by Kalman filtering. Second, with very little extra computation, it can be combined with most existing multiatlas segmentation schemes for better registration/segmentation accuracy. PMID:26807162

  9. Segmentation precedes face categorization under suboptimal conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Den Boomen, Carlijn; Fahrenfort, Johannes J; Snijders, Tineke M; Kemner, Chantal

    2015-01-01

    Both categorization and segmentation processes play a crucial role in face perception. However, the functional relation between these subprocesses is currently unclear. The present study investigates the temporal relation between segmentation-related and category-selective responses in the brain, using electroencephalography (EEG). Surface segmentation and category content were both manipulated using texture-defined objects, including faces. This allowed us to study brain activity related to segmentation and to categorization. In the main experiment, participants viewed texture-defined objects for a duration of 800 ms. EEG results revealed that segmentation-related responses precede category-selective responses. Three additional experiments revealed that the presence and timing of categorization depends on stimulus properties and presentation duration. Photographic objects were presented for a long and short (92 ms) duration and evoked fast category-selective responses in both cases. On the other hand, presentation of texture-defined objects for a short duration only evoked segmentation-related but no category-selective responses. Category-selective responses were much slower when evoked by texture-defined than by photographic objects. We suggest that in case of categorization of objects under suboptimal conditions, such as when low-level stimulus properties are not sufficient for fast object categorization, segmentation facilitates the slower categorization process.

  10. Improved document image segmentation algorithm using multiresolution morphology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bukhari, Syed Saqib; Shafait, Faisal; Breuel, Thomas M.

    2011-01-01

    Page segmentation into text and non-text elements is an essential preprocessing step before optical character recognition (OCR) operation. In case of poor segmentation, an OCR classification engine produces garbage characters due to the presence of non-text elements. This paper describes modifications to the text/non-text segmentation algorithm presented by Bloomberg,1 which is also available in his open-source Leptonica library.2The modifications result in significant improvements and achieved better segmentation accuracy than the original algorithm for UW-III, UNLV, ICDAR 2009 page segmentation competition test images and circuit diagram datasets.

  11. Apparatus For Laminating Segmented Core For Electric Machine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lawrence, Robert Anthony; Stabel, Gerald R

    2003-06-17

    A segmented core for an electric machine includes segments stamped from coated electric steel. The segments each have a first end, a second end, and winding openings. A predetermined number of segments are placed end-to-end to form layers. The layers are stacked such that each of the layers is staggered from adjacent layers by a predetermined rotation angle. The winding openings of each of the layers are in vertical alignment with the winding openings of the adjacent layers. The stack of layers is secured to form the segmented core.

  12. SEGMENTATION OF SME PORTFOLIO IN BANKING SYSTEM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Namolosu Simona Mihaela

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available The Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs represent an important target market for commercial Banks. In this respect, finding the best methods for designing and implementing the optimal marketing strategies (for this target are a continuous concern for the marketing specialists and researchers from the banking system; the purpose is to find the most suitable service model for these companies. SME portfolio of a bank is not homogeneous, different characteristics and behaviours being identified. The current paper reveals empirical evidence about SME portfolio characteristics and segmentation methods used in banking system. Its purpose is to identify if segmentation has an impact in finding the optimal marketing strategies and service model and if this hypothesis might be applicable for any commercial bank, irrespective of country/ region. Some banks are segmenting the SME portfolio by a single criterion: the annual company (official turnover; others are considering also profitability and other financial indicators of the company. In some cases, even the banking behaviour becomes a criterion. For all cases, creating scenarios with different thresholds and estimating the impact in profitability and volumes are two mandatory steps in establishing the final segmentation (criteria matrix. Details about each of these segmentation methods may be found in the paper. Testing the final matrix of criteria is also detailed, with the purpose of making realistic estimations. Example for lending products is provided; the product offer is presented as responding to needs of targeted sub segment and therefore being correlated with the sub segment characteristics. Identifying key issues and trends leads to further action plan proposal. Depending on overall strategy and commercial target of the bank, the focus may shift, one or more sub segments becoming high priority (for acquisition/ activation/ retention/ cross sell/ up sell/ increase profitability etc., while

  13. Anterior Overgrowth in Primary Curves, Compensatory Curves and Junctional Segments in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schlösser, Tom P C; van Stralen, Marijn; Chu, Winnie C W; Lam, Tsz-Ping; Ng, Bobby K W; Vincken, Koen L; Cheng, Jack C Y; Castelein, René M

    2016-01-01

    Although much attention has been given to the global three-dimensional aspect of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), the accurate three-dimensional morphology of the primary and compensatory curves, as well as the intervening junctional segments, in the scoliotic spine has not been described before. A unique series of 77 AIS patients with high-resolution CT scans of the spine, acquired for surgical planning purposes, were included and compared to 22 healthy controls. Non-idiopathic curves were excluded. Endplate segmentation and local longitudinal axis in endplate plane enabled semi-automatic geometric analysis of the complete three-dimensional morphology of the spine, taking inter-vertebral rotation, intra-vertebral torsion and coronal and sagittal tilt into account. Intraclass correlation coefficients for interobserver reliability were 0.98-1.00. Coronal deviation, axial rotation and the exact length discrepancies in the reconstructed sagittal plane, as defined per vertebra and disc, were analyzed for each primary and compensatory curve as well as for the junctional segments in-between. The anterior-posterior difference of spinal length, based on "true" anterior and posterior points on endplates, was +3.8% for thoracic and +9.4% for (thoraco)lumbar curves, while the junctional segments were almost straight. This differed significantly from control group thoracic kyphosis (-4.1%; P<0.001) and lumbar lordosis (+7.8%; P<0.001). For all primary as well as compensatory curves, we observed linear correlations between the coronal Cobb angle, axial rotation and the anterior-posterior length difference (r≥0.729 for thoracic curves; r≥0.485 for (thoraco)lumbar curves). Excess anterior length of the spine in AIS has been described as a generalized growth disturbance, causing relative anterior spinal overgrowth. This study is the first to demonstrate that this anterior overgrowth is not a generalized phenomenon. It is confined to the primary as well as the

  14. 7 CFR 1779.90 - Disposition of acquired property.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... Disposition of acquired property. (a) General. When the lender acquires title to the collateral and the final... 7 Agriculture 12 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Disposition of acquired property. 1779.90 Section... develop a plan to fully protect the collateral, and the lender must dispose of the collateral without...

  15. Mortality predictors in community-acquired pneumonia | Tanimowo ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    acquired pneumonia to themedicalwards of Ladoke Akintola University ofTeaching Hospital between Jan. 2003 andDec. 2005. The case notes of 65 patients admitted for community-acquired pneumoniawere studiedwith respect to their admission ...

  16. Determining the number of clusters for kernelized fuzzy C-means algorithms for automatic medical image segmentation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E.A. Zanaty

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we determine the suitable validity criterion of kernelized fuzzy C-means and kernelized fuzzy C-means with spatial constraints for automatic segmentation of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI. For that; the original Euclidean distance in the FCM is replaced by a Gaussian radial basis function classifier (GRBF and the corresponding algorithms of FCM methods are derived. The derived algorithms are called as the kernelized fuzzy C-means (KFCM and kernelized fuzzy C-means with spatial constraints (SKFCM. These methods are implemented on eighteen indexes as validation to determine whether indexes are capable to acquire the optimal clusters number. The performance of segmentation is estimated by applying these methods independently on several datasets to prove which method can give good results and with which indexes. Our test spans various indexes covering the classical and the rather more recent indexes that have enjoyed noticeable success in that field. These indexes are evaluated and compared by applying them on various test images, including synthetic images corrupted with noise of varying levels, and simulated volumetric MRI datasets. Comparative analysis is also presented to show whether the validity index indicates the optimal clustering for our datasets.

  17. A delayed presentation of ameloblastic fibrosarcoma in an African patient.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chauke, Nkhensani Yvonne; Sofianos, Chrysis; Liakos, Dimitri; Ndobe, Elias

    2017-08-01

    A 24-year-old womanpresented with ameloblastic fibrosarcoma arising from ameloblastic fibroma. The delayed presentation accounted for the extensive destruction of the mandible and complete occlusion of her oral cavity. This resulted in an inability to eat and maintain oral hygiene. A multidisciplinary team management approach involved nutritional optimisation, segmental mandibulectomy, reconstruction with a reconstructive plate and a free anterolateral thigh flap to line the the floor of mouth. Functional and aesthetic outcome was acceptable, and the patient is planned for secondary free fibular flap bony reconstruction. © BMJ Publishing Group Ltd (unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  18. Event segmentation ability uniquely predicts event memory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sargent, Jesse Q; Zacks, Jeffrey M; Hambrick, David Z; Zacks, Rose T; Kurby, Christopher A; Bailey, Heather R; Eisenberg, Michelle L; Beck, Taylor M

    2013-11-01

    Memory for everyday events plays a central role in tasks of daily living, autobiographical memory, and planning. Event memory depends in part on segmenting ongoing activity into meaningful units. This study examined the relationship between event segmentation and memory in a lifespan sample to answer the following question: Is the ability to segment activity into meaningful events a unique predictor of subsequent memory, or is the relationship between event perception and memory accounted for by general cognitive abilities? Two hundred and eight adults ranging from 20 to 79years old segmented movies of everyday events and attempted to remember the events afterwards. They also completed psychometric ability tests and tests measuring script knowledge for everyday events. Event segmentation and script knowledge both explained unique variance in event memory above and beyond the psychometric measures, and did so as strongly in older as in younger adults. These results suggest that event segmentation is a basic cognitive mechanism, important for memory across the lifespan. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Retina image–based optic disc segmentation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ching-Lin Wang

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available The change of optic disc can be used to diagnose many eye diseases, such as glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration. Moreover, retinal blood vessel pattern is unique for human beings even for identical twins. It is a highly stable pattern in biometric identification. Since optic disc is the beginning of the optic nerve and main blood vessels in retina, it can be used as a reference point of identification. Therefore, optic disc segmentation is an important technique for developing a human identity recognition system and eye disease diagnostic system. This article hence presents an optic disc segmentation method to extract the optic disc from a retina image. The experimental results show that the optic disc segmentation method can give impressive results in segmenting the optic disc from a retina image.

  20. Bone Gap Management Using Linear Rail System (LRS): Initial ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Background: Vascularized fibular grafting, free fibular graft, tibia profibula synostosis, amputation with a good prosthesis and Ilizarov technique are some of the suitable options for managing bone gaps that result from trauma or treatment of tumours, bone infection, congenital pseudoarthrosis and repeated failed ...