A multilevel image thresholding using the honey bee mating optimization

Image thresholding is an important technique for image processing and pattern recognition. Many thresholding techniques have been proposed in the literature. Among them, the maximum entropy thresholding (MET) has been widely applied. In this paper, a new multilevel MET algorithm based on the technology of the honey bee mating optimization (HBMO) is proposed. This proposed method is called the maximum entropy based honey bee mating optimization thresholding (MEHBMOT) method. Three different methods such as the particle swarm optimization (PSO), the hybrid cooperative-comprehensive learning based PSO algorithm (HCOCLPSO) and the Fast Otsu’s method are also implemented for comparison with the results of the proposed method. The experimental results manifest that the proposed MEHBMOT algorithm can search for multiple thresholds which are very close to the optimal ones examined by the exhaustive search method. In comparison with the other three thresholding methods, the segmentation results using the MEHBMOT algorithm is the best and its computation time is relatively low. Furthermore, the convergence of the MEHBMOT algorithm can rapidly achieve and the results validate that the proposed MEHBMOT algorithm is efficient.     

Segmentation of color lip images by optimal thresholding using bacterial foraging optimization (BFO)

Image segmentation is required as a very important and fundamental operation for significant analysis and interpretation of images. One of the most important applications of segmentation is for facial surgical planning. Thresholding method is so common in image segmentation, because it is simple, noise robustness and accurate. In this paper, we recognize and segment the area of lips using optimal thresholding based on bacterial foraging optimization. New color space (IHLS) is introduced in this paper, that it has good performance in facial image segmentation. In order to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm, we use three methods to measure accuracy. The proposed algorithm has less computational complexity and error and it is also efficient.     

Multi-Label Markov Random Fields as an Efficient and Effective Tool for Image Segmentation,Total Variations and Regularization

One of the classical optimization models for image segmentation is the well known Markov Random Fields (MRF) model. This model is a discrete optimization problem, which is shown here to formulate many continuous models used in image segmentation. In spite of the presence of MRF in the literature, the dominant perception has been that the model is not effective for image segmentation. We show here that the reason for the non-effectiveness is due to the lack of access to the optimal solution. Instead of solving optimally, heuristics have been engaged. Those heuristic methods cannot guarantee the quality of the solution nor the running time of the algorithm. Worse still, heuristics do not link directly the input functions and parameters to the output thus obscuring what would be ideal choices of parameters and functions which are to be selected by users in each particular application context.We describe here how MRF can model and solve efficiently several known continuous models for image segmentation and describe briefly a very efficient polynomial time algorithm, which is provably fastest possible, to solve optimally the MRF problem. The MRF algorithm is enhanced here compared to the algorithm in Hochbaum (2001) by allowing the set of assigned labels to be any discrete set. Other enhancements include dynamic features that permit adjustments to the input parameters and solves optimally for these changes with minimal computation time. Several new theoretical results on the properties of the algorithm are proved here and are demonstrated for images in the context of medical and biological imaging. An interactive implementation tool for MRF is described, and its performance and flexibility in practice are demonstrated via computational experiments.We conclude that many continuous models common in image segmentation have discrete analogs to various special cases of MRF and as such are solved optimally and efficiently, rather than with the use of continuous techniques, such as PDE methods, which restrict the type of functions used and furthermore, can only guarantee convergence to a local minimum.     

利用模拟退火遗传算法实现图像阈值分割

本文提出了一种利用模拟退火算法和遗传算法相结合的图像阈值分割算法,试验结果表明该算法增强了算法的全局收敛性,加快了算法的收敛速度,提高了图像阈值分割的效率.     

一个新的填充函数及其在数据拟合问题中的应用

填充函数法是求解全局优化问题的有效方法之一,针对无约束优化问题,提出一个新的连续可微的无参数填充函数,证明其相关性质并给出相应的算法,数值实验结果表明该算法是有效可行的.同时用此填充函数对切削温度实验数据这一拟合实例进行求解,与已有的最小二乘法和遗传算法的求解结果相比较,拟合效果较好.     

Segmentation of Pulmonary Nodule Images Using 1-Norm Minimization

Total variation minimization (in the 1-norm) has edge preserving and enhancing properties which make it suitable for image segmentation. We present Image Simplification, a new formulation and algorithm for image segmentation. We illustrate the edge enhancing properties of 1-norm total variation minimization in a discrete setting by giving exact solutions to the problem for piecewise constant functions in the presence of noise. In this case, edges can be exactly recovered if the noise is sufficiently small. After optimization, segmentation is completed using edge detection. We find that our image segmentation approach yields good results when applied to the segmentation of pulmonary nodules.     

基于亮度均衡化的图像阈值分割技术在黄河冰凌监测中的应用

一种基于亮度均衡化的图像阈值分割算法被提出.该算法将冰凌图像亮度数据均衡化,以类间方差最大为标准,求得最佳阈值,并将冰凌图像转化为二值图像,通过冰凌像素统计,最终确定冰凌密度.该算法被应用于黄河河道冰凌图像密度的计算中,取得较好的效果.     

Noisy image segmentation based on nonlinear diffusion equation model

This paper addresses the segmentation problem in noisy image based on nonlinear diffusion equation model and proposes a new adaptive segmentation model based on gray-level image segmentation model. This model also can be extended to the vector value image segmentation. By virtue of the prior information of regions and boundary of image, a framework is established to construct different segmentation models using different probability density functions. A segmentation model exploiting Gauss probability density function is given in this paper. An efficient and unconditional stable algorithm based on locally one-dimensional (LOD) scheme is developed and it is used to segment the gray image and the vector values image. Comparing with existing classical models, the proposed approach gives the best performance.     

一种改进的混沌序列产生方法

根据灰度图像的二维直方图的特点,在已有的二维Arnold混沌系统的基础上,结合Bernstein形式的Bézier曲线的生成算法,给出了一种基于生成Bézier曲线的de Casteljau算法构造伪随机序列的方法,实验结果表明生成的二维序列不仅具有伪随机性,而且还具有在近似圆盘中随机分布的性质,这使得该伪随机序列更适合对灰度图像的二维灰度直方图进行基于混沌优化的图像分割.在此基础上,给出了一种基于混沌优化的二维最大熵的灰度图像分割算法,该算法对于含噪图像取得了良好的分割效果.     

利用三角形及其九点圆的摄像机标定

提出基于三角形及其九点圆的摄像机标定方法.利用了三角形九点圆中其九个点的特殊性,并且利用透视投影变换保二次曲线不变性,得到其像点在像平面共椭圆,从而可以通过九点的映射关系将透视投影变换的非线性问题线性化.图像分割和角点提取的误差会直接影响标定的精度,在此三角形及其九点圆中的点特别是算法中的关键点三角形顶点和垂心都是三条直线的交点,减小图像分割与提取时造成的误差.DLT方法的不精确就源于图像分割和角点提取的误差,方法克服了DLT方法的不足.张的方法无法保证单应性矩阵的正交性,因此为了保证正交性和提高精度需要优化.与传统方法相比操作简单,应用九点圆定理,仿射变换的引入将透视投影非线性问题线性化,避免了参数之间的非线性方程求解,降低了参数求解的复杂性,因此其定标过程快捷,准确.模板的构造,减少了图像分割和交点提取误差,算法实现保证旋转矩阵的正交性.综合上述分析,理论上表明方法的有效性.同时实验表明,标定方法操作简单,不需要计算机视觉的专业知识,快速,精度高,鲁棒性好.     

Limit Theorems for Risk Estimate in Models with Non-Gaussian Noise

The problem of constructing an estimate of a signal function from noisy observations, assuming that this function is uniformly Lipschitz regular, is considered. The thresholding of empirical wavelet coefficients is used to reduce the noise. As a rule, it is assumed that the noise distribution is Gaussian and the optimal parameters of thresholding are known for various classes of signal functions. In this paper a model of additive noise whose distribution belongs to a fairly wide class, is considered. The mean-square risk estimate of thresholding is analyzed. It is shown that under certain conditions, this estimate is strongly consistent and asymptotically normal.     

多电极成像测井反演问题的数学模型和数学方法

多电极成像测井是一种新的电阻率测井技术,这一测井技术的电极系中包含有多个测量电极,可提供较多的测量信息,从而有助于用较高的分辨率确定地层电阻率参数。本文对这个问题建立了数学模型,且运用非线性优化等数学方法对多电极成像测井反演问题提出了数值求解方法。并利用一些数值结果证实了这些算法的有效性。     

Iterative Thresholding Meets Free-Discontinuity Problems

Free-discontinuity problems describe situations where the solution of interest is defined by a function and a lower-dimensional set consisting of the discontinuities of the function. Hence, the derivative of the solution is assumed to be a ‘small’ function almost everywhere except on sets where it concentrates as a singular measure. This is the case, for instance, in crack detection from fracture mechanics or in certain digital image segmentation problems. If we discretize such situations for numerical purposes, the free-discontinuity problem in the discrete setting can be re-formulated as that of finding a derivative vector with small components at all but a few entries that exceed a certain threshold. This problem is similar to those encountered in the field of ‘sparse recovery’, where vectors with a small number of dominating components in absolute value are recovered from a few given linear measurements via the minimization of related energy functionals. Several iterative thresholding algorithms that intertwine gradient-type iterations with thresholding steps have been designed to recover sparse solutions in this setting. It is natural to wonder if and/or how such algorithms can be used towards solving discrete free-discontinuity problems. The current paper explores this connection, and, by establishing an iterative thresholding algorithm for discrete free-discontinuity problems, provides new insights on properties of minimizing solutions thereof.     

Application of gradient descent method to the sedimentary grain-size distribution fitting

Existence of a least squares solution for a sum of several weighted normal functions is proved. The gradient descent (GD) method is used to fit the measured data (i.e. the laser grain-size distribution of the sediments) with a sum of three weighted lognormal functions. The numerical results indicate that the GD method is not only easy to operate but also could effectively optimize the parameters of the fitting function with the error decreasing steadily. Meanwhile the overall fitting results are satisfactory. As a new way of data fitting, the GD method could also be used to solve other optimization problems.     

基于混合单纯形算法的模糊均值图像分割

针对模糊C均值算法用于图像分割时对初始值敏感、容易陷入局部极值的问题,提出基于混合单纯形算法的模糊均值图像分割算法.算法利用Nelder-Mead单纯形算法计算量小、搜索速度快和粒子群算法自适应能力强、具有较好的全局搜索能力的特点,将混合单纯形算法的结果作为模糊C均值算法的输入,并将其用于图像分割.实验结果表明:基于混合单纯形算法的模糊均值图像分割算法在改善图像分割质量的同时,提高了算法的运行速度.     

生理药动学模型参数估计问题

根据生理药动学模型的特点,把非线性药动学模型转化为线性模型,并验证线性模型的精确性.在此基础上,构造估计药动学模型参数的目标函数,并利用非线性优化算法求解模型参数.仿真结果表明,我们的算法具有快速、精确和稳定的特点.给出了一种快速估计复杂生理药动学模型参数的方法,这为解决复杂生理药动学模型的参数估计问题提供了一种有效工具.     

基于小波多分辨率分析和改进窄带法的C-V水平集图像分割模型

本文研究了基于小波分析改进的C-V模型图像分割问题.利用小波多分辨率分析和改进的窄带水平集方法,获得了比传统C-V模型分割速度更快、准确度更高、算法复杂度更低的分割结果.推广了C-V水平集模型如何快速准确地分割灰度不均匀的图像和窄带水平集法等结果.     

Two-Phase Image Segmentation by Nonconvex Nonsmooth Models with Convergent Alternating Minimization Algorithms

Two-phase image segmentation is a fundamental task to partition an image into foreground and background. In this paper, two types of nonconvex and nonsmooth regularization models are proposed for basic two-phase segmentation. They extend the convex regularization on the characteristic function on the image domain to the nonconvex case, which are able to better obtain piecewise constant regions with neat boundaries. By analyzing the proposed non-Lipschitz model, we combine the proximal alternating minimization framework with support shrinkage and linearization strategies to design our algorithm. This leads to two alternating strongly convex subproblems which can be easily solved. Similarly, we present an algorithm without support shrinkage operation for the nonconvex Lipschitz case. Using the Kurdyka-Łojasiewicz property of the objective function, we prove that the limit point of the generated sequence is a critical point of the original nonconvex nonsmooth problem. Numerical experiments and comparisons illustrate the effectiveness of our method in two-phase image segmentation.     

Coordinate and subspace optimization methods for linear least squares with non-quadratic regularization

This work addresses the problem of regularized linear least squares (RLS) with non-quadratic separable regularization. Despite being frequently deployed in many applications, the RLS problem is often hard to solve using standard iterative methods. In a recent work [M. Elad, Why simple shrinkage is still relevant for redundant representations? IEEE Trans. Inform. Theory 52 (12) (2006) 5559–5569], a new iterative method called parallel coordinate descent (PCD) was devised. We provide herein a convergence analysis of the PCD algorithm, and also introduce a form of the regularization function, which permits analytical solution to the coordinate optimization. Several other recent works [I. Daubechies, M. Defrise, C. De-Mol, An iterative thresholding algorithm for linear inverse problems with a sparsity constraint, Comm. Pure Appl. Math. LVII (2004) 1413–1457; M.A. Figueiredo, R.D. Nowak, An EM algorithm for wavelet-based image restoration, IEEE Trans. Image Process. 12 (8) (2003) 906–916; M.A. Figueiredo, R.D. Nowak, A bound optimization approach to wavelet-based image deconvolution, in: IEEE International Conference on Image Processing, 2005], which considered the deblurring problem in a Bayesian methodology, also obtained element-wise optimization algorithms. We show that the last three methods are essentially equivalent, and the unified method is termed separable surrogate functionals (SSF). We also provide a convergence analysis for SSF. To further accelerate PCD and SSF, we merge them into a recently developed sequential subspace optimization technique (SESOP), with almost no additional complexity. A thorough numerical comparison of the denoising application is presented, using the basis pursuit denoising (BPDN) objective function, which leads all of the above algorithms to an iterated shrinkage format. Both with synthetic data and with real images, the advantage of the combined PCD-SESOP method is demonstrated.     

Subset simulation for unconstrained global optimization

Global optimization problem is known to be challenging, for which it is difficult to have an algorithm that performs uniformly efficient for all problems. Stochastic optimization algorithms are suitable for these problems, which are inspired by natural phenomena, such as metal annealing, social behavior of animals, etc. In this paper, subset simulation, which is originally a reliability analysis method, is modified to solve unconstrained global optimization problems by introducing artificial probabilistic assumptions on design variables. The basic idea is to deal with the global optimization problems in the context of reliability analysis. By randomizing the design variables, the objective function maps the multi-dimensional design variable space into a one-dimensional random variable. Although the objective function itself may have many local optima, its cumulative distribution function has only one maximum at its tail, as it is a monotonic, non-decreasing, right-continuous function. It turns out that the searching process of optimal solution(s) of a global optimization problem is equivalent to exploring the process of the tail distribution in a reliability problem. The proposed algorithm is illustrated by two groups of benchmark test problems. The first group is carried out for parametric study and the second group focuses on the statistical performance.