Insight into 3D micro‐CT data: exploring segmentation algorithms through performance metrics

Three‐dimensional (3D) micro‐tomography (µ‐CT) has proven to be an important imaging modality in industry and scientific domains. Understanding the properties of material structure and behavior has produced many scientific advances. An important component of the 3D µ‐CT pipeline is image partitioning (or image segmentation), a step that is used to separate various phases or components in an image. Image partitioning schemes require specific rules for different scientific fields, but a common strategy consists of devising metrics to quantify performance and accuracy. The present article proposes a set of protocols to systematically analyze and compare the results of unsupervised classification methods used for segmentation of synchrotron‐based data. The proposed dataflow for Materials Segmentation and Metrics (MSM) provides 3D micro‐tomography image segmentation algorithms, such as statistical region merging (SRM), k‐means algorithm and parallel Markov random field (PMRF), while offering different metrics to evaluate segmentation quality, confidence and conformity with standards. Both experimental and synthetic data are assessed, illustrating quantitative results through the MSM dashboard, which can return sample information such as media porosity and permeability. The main contributions of this work are: (i) to deliver tools to improve material design and quality control; (ii) to provide datasets for benchmarking and reproducibility; (iii) to yield good practices in the absence of standards or ground‐truth for ceramic composite analysis.     

Analysis and algorithms for a regularized cauchy problem arising from a non-linear elliptic PDE for seismic velocity estimation

In the present work we derive and study a non-linear elliptic PDE coming from the problem of estimation of sound speed inside the Earth. The physical setting of the PDE allows us to pose only a Cauchy problem, and hence is ill-posed. However, we are still able to solve it numerically on a long enough time interval to be of practical use. We used two approaches. The first approach is a finite difference time-marching numerical scheme inspired by the Lax–Friedrichs method. The key features of this scheme is the Lax–Friedrichs averaging and the wide stencil in space. The second approach is a spectral Chebyshev method with truncated series. We show that our schemes work because of (i) the special input corresponding to a positive finite seismic velocity, (ii) special initial conditions corresponding to the image rays, (iii) the fact that our finite-difference scheme contains small error terms which damp the high harmonics; truncation of the Chebyshev series, and (iv) the need to compute the solution only for a short interval of time. We test our numerical schemes on a collection of analytic examples and demonstrate a dramatic improvement in accuracy in the estimation of the sound speed inside the Earth in comparison with the conventional Dix inversion. Our test on the Marmousi example confirms the effectiveness of the proposed approach.     

Numerical simulation of non-viscous liquid pinch off using a coupled level set boundary integral method

The pinch off of an inviscid fluid column is described using a potential flow model with capillary forces. The interface velocity is obtained via a Galerkin boundary integral method for the 3D axisymmetric Laplace equation, whereas the interface location and the velocity potential on the free boundary are both approximated using level set techniques on a fixed domain. The algorithm is validated computing the Raleigh-Taylor instability for liquid columns which provides an analytical solution for short times. The simulations show the time evolution of the fluid tube and the algorithm is capable of handling pinch-off and after pinch-off events. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Operator algebras and a theorem of Dieudonne

LetA be aC*-algebra with second dualA″. Let (φ _n)(n=1,...) be a sequence in the dual ofA such that limφ _n(a) exists for eacha εA. In general, this does not imply that limφ _n(x) exists for eachx εA″. But if limφ _n(p) exists whenever p is the range projection of a positive self-adjoint element of the unit ball ofA, then it is shown that limφ _n(x) does exist for eachx inA″. This is a non-commutative generalisation of a celebrated theorem of Dieudonné. A new proof of Dieudonné’s theorem, for positive measures, is given here. The proof of the main result makes use of Dieudonné’s original theorem.     

Analysis and applications of the Voronoi Implicit Interface Method

We analyze a new mathematical and numerical framework, the “Voronoi Implicit Interface Method” (“VIIM”), first introduced in Saye and Sethian (2011) [R.I. Saye, J.A. Sethian, The Voronoi Implicit Interface Method for computing multiphase physics, PNAS 108 (49) (2011) 19498–19503] for tracking multiple interacting and evolving regions (“phases”) whose motion is determined by complex physics (fluids, mechanics, elasticity, etc.). From a mathematical point of view, the method provides a theoretical framework for moving interface problems that involve multiple junctions, defining the motion as the formal limit of a sequence of related problems. Discretizing this theoretical framework provides a numerical methodolology which automatically handles multiple junctions, triple points and quadruple points in two dimensions, as well as triple lines, etc. in higher dimensions. Topological changes in the system occur naturally, with no surgery required. In this paper, we present the method in detail, and demonstrate several new extensions of the method to different physical phenomena, including curvature flow with surface energy densities defined on a per-phase basis, as well as multiphase fluid flow in which density, viscosity and surface tension can be defined on a per-phase basis.We test this method in a variety of ways. We perform rigorous analysis and demonstrate convergence in both two and three dimensions for a variety of evolving interface problems, including verification of von Neumann–Mullins’ law in two dimensions (and its analog in three dimensions), as well as normal driven flow and curvature flow with and without constraints, demonstrating topological change and the effects of different boundary conditions. We couple the method to a second order projection method solver for incompressible fluid flow, and study the effects of membrane permeability and impermeability, large shearing torsional forces, and the effects of varying density, viscosity and surface tension on a per-phase basis. Finally, we demonstrate convergence in both space and time of a topological change in a multiphase foam.     

Radial oscillations of neutron stars in strong magnetic fields

The eigen frequencies of radial pulsations of neutron stars are calculated in a strong magnetic field. At low densities we use the magnetic BPS equation of state (EOS) similar to that obtained by Lai and Shapiro while at high densities the EOS obtained from the relativistic nuclear mean field theory is taken and extended to include strong magnetic field. It is found that magnetized neutron stars support higher maximum mass whereas the effect of magnetic field on radial stability for observed neutron star masses is minimal.