In depth analysis and evaluation of saliency-based color image indexing methods using wavelet salient features

Nowadays, most of the research works in the area of image retrieval try to build an image signature by considering the image as a whole. In this paper, we proposed an alternative based on the detection of some salient points in the image. For this purpose, we propose a new efficient salient point detector based on a wavelet transform. The efficiency of our detector lies in the representation of the wavelet coefficients by a zerotree data structure and by a saliency formulation that does not favor any direction. Thus, the detected salient points are located on sharp region boundaries whatever their direction. From the detected salient points, we build a color/texture signature by using jointly the well-known color correlogram extended to salient features and rotated wavelet filter responses. Experimental results conducted by adopting a global salient approach and a local salient approach show the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.     

Subband effect of the wavelet fuzzy C-means features in texture classification

The wavelet transform is an important analysis used in the field of texture classification. It decomposes an image into subbands. Some of the subbands contain more significant coefficients than others. Based on this property, we propose a texture analysis and classification approach using a combination of the fuzzy C-means clustering method (FCM) and the wavelet transform. By taking the energy coefficients of two pairs of frequency channels resulting from 2D wavelet transform, and grouping the data into a specific number of clusters, we were able to build a feature list for each texture. The feature list is obtained by applying the FCM on each frequency channel pair. The centers obtained are used as the features for every combination of frequency channel pair; the partition matrix generated from the FCM is used as a method for determining the k-nearest neighbors of an unknown texture. The subband effect of the wavelet FCM features is studied by varying the number of decomposition levels of the wavelet tree. Optimal number of features was obtained by varying the number of clusters and the k-nearest neighbors of the FCM. Experiments show that this method outperformed other methods (linear regression model, Gabor transform).     

Document segmentation using polynomial spline wavelets

Wavelet transforms have been widely used as effective tools in texture segmentation in the past decade. Segmentation of document images, which usually contain three types of texture information: text, picture and background, can be regarded as a special case of texture segmentation. B-spline wavelets possess some desirable properties such as being well localized in time and frequency, and being compactly supported, which make them an effective tool for texture analysis. Based on the observation that text textures provide fast-changed and relatively regular distributed edges in the wavelet transform domain, an efficient document segmentation algorithm is designed via cubic B-spline wavelets. Three-means or two-means classification is applied for classifying pixels with similar characteristics after feature estimation at the outputs of high frequency bands of spline wavelet transforms. We examine and evaluate the contributions of different factors to the segmentation results from the viewpoints of decomposition levels, frequency bands and wavelet functions. Further performance analysis reveals the advantages of the proposed method.     

复小波域最大后验概率图像复原

提出了一种双树复小波变换域最大后验概率图像复原方法。该方法通过在最大后验概率图像迭代复原过程中构建噪声残差,并采用双树复小波变换零均值高斯模型对参差进行降噪处理,从而避免了原泊松最大后验概率图像复原过程中噪声放大的问题,实现了迭代复原的正则化目的。对比实验结果表明,该图像复原方法能很好解决恢复迭代中噪声放大的问题,同时,在视觉效果、PSNR、ISNR等指标上均比Wiener、Pisson-MAP等算法好。     

Adaptive singular value decomposition in wavelet domain for image denoising

Image denoising is an important issue in image preprocessing. Two popular methods to the problem are singular value decomposition (SVD) and wavelet transform. Various denoising algorithms based on these two methods have been independently developed. This paper proposes an approach for image denoising by performing SVD filtering in detail subbands of wavelet domain, where SVD filtering is adaptive to the inhomogeneous nature of natural images. Comparisons were made with respect to both SVD-based filtering methods and wavelet transform-based methods.     

基于Block-SVD的小波域彩色图像数字水印算法

提出了一种基于Arnold变换和分块奇异值分解（Block-SVD）的小波域彩色图像数字水印算法。该算法采用彩色图像作为载体,灰度图像作为水印,增加了嵌入的信息量。仿真结果表明,该算法具有时间效率高、水印不可见性好、抗攻击能力强等特点,在版权保护方面具有一定的应用价值。     

Texture classification and segmentation using wavelet packet frame and Gaussian mixture model

In this paper, we propose a scheme for texture classification and segmentation. The methodology involves an extraction of texture features using the wavelet packet frame decomposition. This is followed by a Gaussian-mixture-based classifier which assigns each pixel to the class. Each subnet of the classifier is modeled by a Gaussian mixture model and each texture image is assigned to the class to which pixels of the image most belong. This scheme shows high recognition accuracy in the classification of Brodatz texture images. It can also be expanded to an unsupervised texture segmentation using a Kullback-Leibler divergence between two Gaussian mixtures. The proposed method was successfully applied to Brodatz mosaic image segmentation and fabric defect detection.     

小波变换在水下图像处理中的应用

因水下信道的特殊性以及成像的复杂性,使得水下图像中的不确定因素给图像处理带来严重的影响。本文主要介绍了一种利用小波变换进行水下图像增强的方法。为降低对水下图像噪声增强程度,方法对不同尺度上的系数进行不同尺度的对比度增强。通过真实水下图像实验证明了该方法的有效性。     

Classification of multi class dataset using wavelet power spectrum

Data mining techniques are widely used in many fields. One of the applications of data mining in the field of the Bioinformatics is classification of tissue samples. In the present work, a wavelet power spectrum based approach has been presented for feature selection and successful classification of the multi class dataset. The proposed method was applied on SRBCT and the breast cancer datasets which are multi class cancer datasets. The selected features are almost those selected in previous works. The method was able to produce almost 100% accurate classification results. The method is very simple and robust to noise. No extensive preprocessing is required. The classification was performed with comparatively very lesser number of features than those used in the original works. No information is lost due to the initial pruning of the data usually performed using a threshold in other methods. The method utilizes the inherent nature of the data in performing various tasks. So, the method can be used for a wide range of data.     

小波域红外图像增强算法研究

由于红外图像成像机理及红外成像系统自身的原因,红外图像大多对比度低、细节信息不明显,视觉效果差,需要经过增强处理改善图像质量。提出一种基于小波的多分辨分析方法和Retinex图像增强算法相结合的红外图像增强方法。利用小波把红外图像分解成近似子图像和细节子图像,对近似子图像进行改进的Retinex增强算法处理,对细节子图像采用多策略小波阈值增强,最后小波重构得到增强的红外图像。实验结果表明,该算法对红外图像具有较好的增强效果。     

Multi-class supervised classification of electrical borehole wall images using texture features

Electrical borehole wall images represent micro-resistivity measurements at the borehole wall. The lithology reconstruction is often based on visual interpretation done by geologists. This analysis is very time-consuming and subjective. Different geologists may interpret the data differently. In this work, linear discriminant analysis (LDA) in combination with texture features is used for an automated lithology reconstruction of ODP (Ocean Drilling Program) borehole 1203A drilled during Leg 197. Six rock groups are identified by their textural properties in resistivity data obtained by a Formation MircoScanner (FMS). Although discriminant analysis can be used for multi-class classification, non-optimal decision criteria for certain groups could emerge. For this reason, we use a combination of 2-class (binary) classifiers to increase the overall classification accuracy. The generalization ability of the combined classifiers is evaluated and optimized on a testing dataset where a classification rate of more than 80% for each of the six rock groups is achieved. The combined, trained classifiers are then applied on the whole dataset obtaining a statistical reconstruction of the logged formation. Compared to a single multi-class classifier the combined binary classifiers show better classification results for certain rock groups and more stable results in larger intervals of equal rock type.     

基于Hilbert扫描和SVD的小波域图像水印算法

为了提高水印的安全性、鲁棒性和不可见性,提出了一种基于Hilbert扫描和SVD（Singular Value Decomposition,奇异值分解）的小波域图像水印技术。算法以一幅有意义的二值水印图像为水印信号。首先对原始图像进行一层小波变换,对低频分量进行图像分块,并对每一个图像块进行SVD。利用了SVD的单向非对称性和正交矩阵的性质,给出了一种自适应水印方案。同时,利用了Hilbert扫描能很好地保持图像空间局部连接性的特点。然后,利用图像的局部统计特征自适应地修改阈值,利用两个阈值严格控制系数的修改程度,使算法达到不可见性和鲁棒性之间的最优平衡。水印的提取无需原始图像的参与,达到了真正的盲水印。实验结果表明,该算法是有效的,对常见的图像处理操作具有较强的鲁棒性。     

Identification of linear systems using polynomial kernels in the frequency domain

In prior work we presented an identification algorithm using polynomials in the time domain. In this article, we extend this algorithm to include polynomials in the frequency domain. A polynomial is used to represent the imaginary part of the Fourier transform of the impulse response. The Hilbert transform relationship is used to compute the real part of the frequency response and hence the complete process model. The polynomial parameters are computed based on the computationally efficient linear least square method. The order of the polynomial is estimated based on residue decrement. Simulated and experimental results show the effectiveness of this method, particularly for short input/output data sequence with high signal to noise ratio. The frequency domain polynomial model complements the time domain methods since it can provide a good estimate of the time to steady state for time domain FIR (finite impulse response) models. Confidence limits in time or frequency domain can be computed using this approach. Noise rejection properties of the algorithm are illustrated using data from both simulated and real processes.     

基于SIFT特征的小波域数字图像鲁棒水印方法*

利用数字图像SIFT(scale invariant feature transform)特征的稳定性和小波变换的特性,提出了一种抗仿射变换和剪切的鲁棒水印算法。水印信息通过量化调制方法嵌在小波变换的低频域。水印检测时,利用匹配的SIFT关键点的位置信息计算仿射变换参数和边缘剪切参数,然后对被检测图像进行逆变换和重定位,恢复水印的同步信息。实验结果表明该算法可以抗击仿射变换和剪切攻击,对常见的图像处理也有很强的鲁棒性。     

Invariant image watermarking using multi-scale Harris detector and wavelet moments

Desynchronization attack is known as one of the most difficult attacks to resist, which can desynchronize the location of the watermark and hence causes incorrect watermark detection. It is a challenging work to design a robust image watermarking scheme against desynchronization attacks. Based on multi-scale Harris detector and wavelet moment theory, we propose a new content based image watermarking algorithm with low computational complexity, good visual quality and reasonable resistance toward desynchronization attacks in this paper. Firstly, the steady image feature points are extracted from the origin host by using multi-scale Harris detector, and the local feature regions (LFRs) are constructed adaptively according to the feature scale theory. Then, the LFRs are image normalized, and significant regions are obtained from the normalized LFRs by utilizing the invariant centroid theory. Finally, the digital watermark is embedded into the LFRs by modifying wavelet moment invariants of the significant regions. By binding the watermark with the geometrically invariant image features, the watermark detection can be done without synchronization error. Experimental results show that the proposed image watermarking is not only invisible and robust against common image processing operations as sharpening, noise adding, and JPEG compression etc, but also robust against the desynchronization attacks such as rotation, translation, scaling, row or column removal, cropping, and local random bend etc.     

An adaptive semi-supervised Fuzzy GrowCut algorithm to segment masses of regions of interest of mammographic images

According to the World Health Organization, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide, becoming one of the most fatal types of cancer. Mammography image analysis is still the most effective imaging technology for breast cancer diagnosis, which is based on texture and shape analysis of mammary lesions. The GrowCut algorithm is a general-purpose segmentation method based on cellular automata, able to perform relatively accurate segmentation through the adequate selection of internal and external seed points. In this work we propose an adaptive semi-supervised version of the GrowCut algorithm, based on the modification of the automaton evolution rule by adding a Gaussian fuzzy membership function in order to model non-defined borders. In our proposal, manual selection of seed points of the suspicious lesion is changed by a semiautomatic stage, where just the internal points are selected by using a differential evolution algorithm. We evaluated our proposal using 57 lesion images obtained from MiniMIAS database. Results were compared with the semi-supervised state-of-the-art approaches BEMD, BMCS, Wavelet Analysis, LBI, Topographic Approach and MCW. Results show that our method achieves better results for circumscribed, spiculated lesions and ill-defined lesions, considering the similarity between segmentation results and ground-truth images.     

Comparison of multiwavelet, wavelet, Haralick, and shape features for microcalcification classification in mammograms

We present an evaluation and comparison of the performance of four different texture and shape feature extraction methods for classification of benign and malignant microcalcifications in mammograms. For 103 regions containing microcalcification clusters, texture and shape features were extracted using four approaches: conventional shape quantifiers; co-occurrence-based method of Haralick; wavelet transformations; and multi-wavelet transformations. For each set of features, most discriminating features and their optimal weights were found using real-valued and binary genetic algorithms (GA) utilizing a k-nearest-neighbor classifier and a malignancy criterion for generating ROC curves for measuring the performance. The best set of features generated areas under the ROC curve ranging from 0.84 to 0.89 when using real-valued GA and from 0.83 to 0.88 when using binary GA. The multi-wavelet method outperformed the other three methods, and the conventional shape features were superior to the wavelet and Haralick features.     

平稳小波域红外图像增强的反正切变换法

针对红外图像噪声大、对比度低等特点,提出一种平稳小波域的红外图像增强方法。综合运用信息熵、信噪比和图像的标准差构造增强后图像的评价函数。结合红外图像的特点,利用反正切变换设计一种简单有效的非线性变换函数用于在平稳小波域内增强红外图像的对比度。该算法用差分演化算法结合构造的评价函数,寻找最优的非线性变换参数。实验结果表明,所提出的算法在有效增强红外图像对比度的同时又对噪声有较强的鲁棒性。所提出的算法综合性能优于两种传统的同类方法。     

An SVD-based image watermarking in wavelet domain using SVR and PSO

The paper presents a novel blind watermarking scheme for image copyright protection, which is developed in the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) and is based on the singular value decomposition (SVD) and the support vector regression (SVR). Its embedding algorithm hides a watermark bit in the low–low (LL) subband of a target non-overlap block of the host image by modifying a coefficient of U component on SVD version of the block. A blind watermark-extraction is designed using a trained SVR to estimate original coefficients. Subsequently, the watermark bit can be computed using the watermarked coefficient and its corresponding estimate coefficient. Additionally, the particle swarm optimization (PSO) is further utilized to optimize the proposed scheme. Experimental results show the proposed scheme possesses significant improvements in both transparency and robustness, and is superior to existing methods under consideration here.     

Age estimation using a hierarchical classifier based on global and local facial features

The research related to age estimation using face images has become increasingly important, due to the fact it has a variety of potentially useful applications. An age estimation system is generally composed of aging feature extraction and feature classification; both of which are important in order to improve the performance. For the aging feature extraction, the hybrid features, which are a combination of global and local features, have received a great deal of attention, because this method can compensate for defects found in individual global and local features. As for feature classification, the hierarchical classifier, which is composed of an age group classification (e.g. the class of less than 20 years old, the class of 20-39 years old, etc.) and a detailed age estimation (e.g. 17, 23 years old, etc.), provide a much better performance than other methods. However, both the hybrid features and hierarchical classifier methods have only been studied independently and no research combining them has yet been conducted in the previous works. Consequently, we propose a new age estimation method using a hierarchical classifier method based on both global and local facial features. Our research is novel in the following three ways, compared to the previous works. Firstly, age estimation accuracy is greatly improved through a combination of the proposed hybrid features and the hierarchical classifier. Secondly, new local feature extraction methods are proposed in order to improve the performance of the hybrid features. The wrinkle feature is extracted using a set of region specific Gabor filters, each of which is designed based on the regional direction of the wrinkles, and the skin feature is extracted using a local binary pattern (LBP), capable of extracting the detailed textures of skin. Thirdly, the improved hierarchical classifier is based on a support vector machine (SVM) and a support vector regression (SVR). To reduce the error propagation of the hierarchical classifier, each age group classifier is designed so that the age range to be estimated is overlapped by consideration of false acceptance error (FAE) and false rejection error (FRE) of each classifier. The experimental results showed that the performance of the proposed method was superior to that of the previous methods when using the BERC, PAL and FG-Net aging databases.