A detector's nondestructive readout mode allows its pixels to be read multiple times during integration,enabling generation of a series of"up-the-ramp"images that continuously accumulate photons between ...A detector's nondestructive readout mode allows its pixels to be read multiple times during integration,enabling generation of a series of"up-the-ramp"images that continuously accumulate photons between successive frames.Because noise is correlated across these images,optimal stacking generally requires the images to be weighted unequally to achieve the best possible target signal-to-noise ratio(SNR).Objects in the sky present wildly varied brightness characteristics,and the counts in individual pixels of the same object can also span wide ranges.Therefore,a single set of weights cannot be optimal in all cases.To ensure that the stacked image is easily calibratable,we apply the same weight to all pixels within the same frame.In practice,results for high-SNR cases degraded only slightly when we used weights derived for low-SNR cases,whereas the low-SNR cases remained more sensitive to the weights.Therefore,we propose a quasi-optimal stacking method that maximizes the stacked SNR for the case where the RSN=1 per pixel in the last frame and use simulated data to demonstrate that this approach enhances the SNR more strongly than the equal-weight stacking and ramp fitting methods.Furthermore,we estimate the improvements in the limiting magnitudes for the China Space Station Telescope using the proposed method.When compared with the conventional readout mode,which is equivalent to selecting the last frame from the nondestructive readout,stacking 30 up-the-ramp images can improve the limiting magnitude by approximately 0.5 mag for the telescope's near-infrared observations,effectively reducing readout noise by approximately 62%.展开更多
Time-encoded imaging is useful for identifying potential special nuclear materials and other radioactive sources at a distance.In this study,a large field-of-view time-encoded imager was developed for gamma-ray and ne...Time-encoded imaging is useful for identifying potential special nuclear materials and other radioactive sources at a distance.In this study,a large field-of-view time-encoded imager was developed for gamma-ray and neutron source hotspot imaging based on a depth-of-interaction(DOI)detector.The imager primarily consists of a DOI detector system and a rotary dual-layer cylindrical coded mask.An EJ276 plastic scintillator coupled with two SiPMs was designed as the DOI detector to increase the field of view and improve the imager performance.The difference in signal time at both ends and the log of the signal amplitude ratio were used to calculate the interaction position resolution.The position resolution of the DOI detector was calibrated using a collimated Cs-137 source,and the full width at half maximum of the reconstruction position of the Gaussian fitting curve was approximately 4.4 cm.The DOI detector can be arbitrarily divided into several units to independently reconstruct the source distribution images.The unit length was optimized via Am-Be source-location experiments.A multidetector filtering method is proposed for image denoising.This method can effectively reduce image noise caused by poor DOI detector position resolution.The vertical field of view of the imager was(-55°,55°)when the detector was placed in the center of the coded mask.A DT neutron source at 20 m standoff could be located within 2400 s with an angular resolution of 3.5°.展开更多
Diagnosing various diseases such as glaucoma,age-related macular degeneration,cardiovascular conditions,and diabetic retinopathy involves segmenting retinal blood vessels.The task is particularly challenging when deal...Diagnosing various diseases such as glaucoma,age-related macular degeneration,cardiovascular conditions,and diabetic retinopathy involves segmenting retinal blood vessels.The task is particularly challenging when dealing with color fundus images due to issues like non-uniformillumination,low contrast,and variations in vessel appearance,especially in the presence of different pathologies.Furthermore,the speed of the retinal vessel segmentation system is of utmost importance.With the surge of now available big data,the speed of the algorithm becomes increasingly important,carrying almost equivalent weightage to the accuracy of the algorithm.To address these challenges,we present a novel approach for retinal vessel segmentation,leveraging efficient and robust techniques based on multiscale line detection and mathematical morphology.Our algorithm’s performance is evaluated on two publicly available datasets,namely the Digital Retinal Images for Vessel Extraction dataset(DRIVE)and the Structure Analysis of Retina(STARE)dataset.The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of our method,withmean accuracy values of 0.9467 forDRIVE and 0.9535 for STARE datasets,aswell as sensitivity values of 0.6952 forDRIVE and 0.6809 for STARE datasets.Notably,our algorithmexhibits competitive performance with state-of-the-art methods.Importantly,it operates at an average speed of 3.73 s per image for DRIVE and 3.75 s for STARE datasets.It is worth noting that these results were achieved using Matlab scripts containing multiple loops.This suggests that the processing time can be further reduced by replacing loops with vectorization.Thus the proposed algorithm can be deployed in real time applications.In summary,our proposed system strikes a fine balance between swift computation and accuracy that is on par with the best available methods in the field.展开更多
As a non-destructive testing technology,neutron imaging plays an important role in various fields,including material science,nuclear engineering,and fundamental science.An imaging detector with a neutron-sensitive ima...As a non-destructive testing technology,neutron imaging plays an important role in various fields,including material science,nuclear engineering,and fundamental science.An imaging detector with a neutron-sensitive image intensifier has been developed and demonstrated to achieve good spatial resolution and timing resolution.However,the influence of the working voltage on the performance of the neutron-sensitive imaging intensifier has not been studied.To optimize the performance of the neutron-sensitive image intensifier at different voltages,experiments have been performed at the China Spallation Neutron Source(CSNS)neutron beamline.The change in the light yield and imaging quality with different voltages has been acquired.It is shown that the image quality benefits from the high gain of the microchannel plate(MCP)and the high accelerating electric field between the MCP and the screen.Increasing the accelerating electric field is more effective than increasing the gain of MCPs for the improvement of the imaging quality.Increasing the total gain of the MCP stack can be realized more effectively by improving the gain of the standard MCP than that of the n MCP.These results offer a development direction for image intensifiers in the future.展开更多
Image captioning has gained increasing attention in recent years.Visual characteristics found in input images play a crucial role in generating high-quality captions.Prior studies have used visual attention mechanisms...Image captioning has gained increasing attention in recent years.Visual characteristics found in input images play a crucial role in generating high-quality captions.Prior studies have used visual attention mechanisms to dynamically focus on localized regions of the input image,improving the effectiveness of identifying relevant image regions at each step of caption generation.However,providing image captioning models with the capability of selecting the most relevant visual features from the input image and attending to them can significantly improve the utilization of these features.Consequently,this leads to enhanced captioning network performance.In light of this,we present an image captioning framework that efficiently exploits the extracted representations of the image.Our framework comprises three key components:the Visual Feature Detector module(VFD),the Visual Feature Visual Attention module(VFVA),and the language model.The VFD module is responsible for detecting a subset of the most pertinent features from the local visual features,creating an updated visual features matrix.Subsequently,the VFVA directs its attention to the visual features matrix generated by the VFD,resulting in an updated context vector employed by the language model to generate an informative description.Integrating the VFD and VFVA modules introduces an additional layer of processing for the visual features,thereby contributing to enhancing the image captioning model’s performance.Using the MS-COCO dataset,our experiments show that the proposed framework competes well with state-of-the-art methods,effectively leveraging visual representations to improve performance.The implementation code can be found here:https://github.com/althobhani/VFDICM(accessed on 30 July 2024).展开更多
Neutron resonance imaging(NRI)has recently emerged as an appealing technique for neutron radiography.Its complexity surpasses that of conventional transmission imaging,as it requires a high demand for both a neutron s...Neutron resonance imaging(NRI)has recently emerged as an appealing technique for neutron radiography.Its complexity surpasses that of conventional transmission imaging,as it requires a high demand for both a neutron source and detector.Consequently,the progression of NRI technology has been sluggish since its inception in the 1980s,particularly considering the limited studies analyzing the neutron energy range above keV.The white neutron source(Back-n)at the China Spallation Neutron Source(CSNS)provides favorable beam conditions for the development of the NRI technique over a wide neutron energy range from eV to MeV.Neutron-sensitive microchannel plates(MCP)have emerged as a cutting-edge tool in the field of neutron detection owing to their high temporal and spatial resolutions,high detection efficiency,and low noise.In this study,we report the development of a 10B-doped MCP detector,along with its associated electronics,data processing system,and NRI experiments at the Back-n.Individual heavy elements such as gold,silver,tungsten,and indium can be easily identified in the transmission images by their characteristic resonance peaks in the 1–100 eV energy range;the more difficult medium-weight elements such as iron,copper,and aluminum with resonance peaks in the 1–100 keV energy range can also be identified.In particular,results in the neutron energy range of dozens of keV(Aluminum)are reported here for the first time.展开更多
It is important to assess image quality, in order to ensure that the imaging system is performing optimally and also identify the weak points in an imaging system. Three parameters mostly leading to image degradation ...It is important to assess image quality, in order to ensure that the imaging system is performing optimally and also identify the weak points in an imaging system. Three parameters mostly leading to image degradation are contrast, spatial resolution and noise. There is always a trade-off between spatial resolution and signal to noise ratio, but in scintillating fiber array detectors spatial resolution is not as important as signal to noise ratio, so we paid more attention to contrast and SNR of the system. By using GEANT4 Monte Carlo detector simulation toolkit, some effec- tive parameters of the linear plastic scintillating fiber (PSF) array as an imaging detector were investigated. Finally we show that it is possible to use this kind of detector to take CT and DR (Digital Radiography) image under certain conditions.展开更多
CBCT scanners have been widely used in angiography,radiotherapy guidance,mammography and oral maxillofacial imaging.To cut detector size,reduce manufacturing costs and radiation dose while keeping a reasonable FOV,the...CBCT scanners have been widely used in angiography,radiotherapy guidance,mammography and oral maxillofacial imaging.To cut detector size,reduce manufacturing costs and radiation dose while keeping a reasonable FOV,the flat panel detector can be placed off-center horizontally.This scanning configuration extends the FOV effectively.However,each projection is transversely truncated,bringing errors and artifacts in reconstruction.In this paper,a simple but practical method is proposed for this scanning geometry based on truncation compensation and the modified FDK algorithm.Numerical simulations with jaw phantom were conducted to evaluate the accuracy and practicability of the proposed method.A novel CBCT system for maxillofacial imaging is used for clinical test,which is equipped with an off-center small size flat panel detector.Results show that reconstruction accuracy is acceptable for clinical use,and the image quality appears sufficient for specific diagnostic requirements.It provides a novel solution for clinical CBCT system,in order to reduce radiation dose and manufacturing cost.展开更多
Traditional spectral imagers require 2-dimensional detectors. We present a new method to implement spectral imagers with linear detector imager systems based on spectrum compressed. Using 1-dimension detectors instead...Traditional spectral imagers require 2-dimensional detectors. We present a new method to implement spectral imagers with linear detector imager systems based on spectrum compressed. Using 1-dimension detectors instead of 2-dimension detectors to get 3-dimensional data cubes, the spectral imagers could get both the spectral information and the spatial information of each ground object. By the method of characteristics decoupling, we make high precision reconstruction of compressed data. Theoretical analysis and simulations show that it not only ensures the imaging quality but also reduces the dimension of the detectors and complexity of imaging system greatly.展开更多
BACKGROUND Photon-counting detector(PCD)CT represents a transformative advancement in radiological imaging,offering superior spatial resolution,enhanced contrast-tonoise ratio,and reduced radiation dose compared with ...BACKGROUND Photon-counting detector(PCD)CT represents a transformative advancement in radiological imaging,offering superior spatial resolution,enhanced contrast-tonoise ratio,and reduced radiation dose compared with the conventional energyintegrating detector CT.AIM To evaluate PCD CT in oncologic imaging,focusing on its role in tumor detection,staging,and treatment response assessment.METHODS We performed a systematic PubMed search from January 1,2017 to December 31,2024,using the keywords“photon-counting CT”,“cancer”,and“tumor”to identify studies on its use in oncologic imaging.We included experimental studies on humans or human phantoms and excluded reviews,commentaries,editorials,non-English,animal,and non-experimental studies.Study selection followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines.Out of 175 initial studies,39 met the inclusion criteria after screening and full-text review.Data extraction focused on study type,country of origin,and oncologic applications of photon-counting CT.No formal risk of bias assessment was performed,and the review was not registered in PROSPERO as it did not include a meta-analysis.RESULTS Key findings highlighted the advantages of PCD CT in imaging renal masses,adrenal adenomas,ovarian cancer,breast cancer,prostate cancer,pancreatic tumors,hepatocellular carcinoma,metastases,multiple myeloma,and lung cancer.Additionally,PCD CT has demonstrated improved lesion characterization and enhanced diagnostic accuracy in oncology.Despite its promising capabilities challenges related to data processing,storage,and accessibility remain.CONCLUSION As PCD CT technology evolves,its integration into routine oncologic imaging has the potential to significantly enhance cancer diagnosis and patient management.展开更多
Neutron-induced gamma-ray imaging is a spectroscopic technique that uses characteristic gamma rays to infer the elemental distribution of an object.Currently,this technique requires the use of large facilities to supp...Neutron-induced gamma-ray imaging is a spectroscopic technique that uses characteristic gamma rays to infer the elemental distribution of an object.Currently,this technique requires the use of large facilities to supply a high neutron flux and a time-consuming detection procedure involving direct collimating measurements.In this study,a new method based on low neutron flux was proposed.A single-pixel gamma-ray detector combined with random pattern gamma-ray masks was used to measure the characteristic gamma rays emitted from the sample.Images of the elemental distribution in the sample,comprising 30×30 pixels,were reconstructed using the maximum-likelihood expectation-maximization algorithm.The results demonstrate that the elemental imaging of the sample can be accurately determined using this method.The proposed approach,which eliminates the need for high neutron flux and scanning measurements,can be used for in-field imaging applications.展开更多
For vision-based mobile robot navigation, images of the same scene may undergo a general affine transformation in the case of significant viewpoint changes. So, a novel method for detecting affine invariant interest p...For vision-based mobile robot navigation, images of the same scene may undergo a general affine transformation in the case of significant viewpoint changes. So, a novel method for detecting affine invariant interest points is proposed to obtain the invariant local features, which is coined polynomial local orientation tensor(PLOT). The new detector is based on image local orientation tensor that is constructed from the polynomial expansion of image signal. Firstly, the properties of local orientation tensor of PLOT are analyzed, and a suitable tuning parameter of local orientation tensor is chosen so as to extract invariant features. The initial interest points are detected by local maxima search for the smaller eigenvalues of the orientation tensor. Then, an iterative procedure is used to allow the initial interest points to converge to affine invariant interest points and regions. The performances of this detector are evaluated on the repeatability criteria and recall versus 1-precision graphs, and then are compared with other existing approaches. Experimental results for PLOT show strong performance under affine transformation in the real-world conditions.展开更多
In high-resolution cone-beam computed tomography （CBCT） using the flat-panel detector, imperfect or defect detector elements cause ring artifacts due to the none-uniformity of their X-ray response. They often distur...In high-resolution cone-beam computed tomography （CBCT） using the flat-panel detector, imperfect or defect detector elements cause ring artifacts due to the none-uniformity of their X-ray response. They often disturb the image quality. A dedicated fitting correction method for high-resolution micro-CT is presented. The method converts each elementary X-ray response curve to an average one, and eliminates response inconsistency among pixels. Other factors of the method are discussed, such as the correction factor variability by different sampling frames and nonlinear factors over the whole spectrum. Results show that the noise and artifacts are both reduced in reconstructed images展开更多
AIM: To compare the computed tomography(CT) dose and image quality with the filtered back projection against the iterative reconstruction and CT with a minimal electronic noise detector. METHODS: A lung phantom(Chest ...AIM: To compare the computed tomography(CT) dose and image quality with the filtered back projection against the iterative reconstruction and CT with a minimal electronic noise detector. METHODS: A lung phantom(Chest Phantom N1 by Kyoto Kagaku) was scanned with 3 different CT scanners: the Somatom Sensation, the Definition Flash and the Definition Edge(all from Siemens, Erlangen, Germany). The scan parameters were identical to the Siemens presetting for THORAX ROUTINE(scan length 35 cm and FOV 33 cm). Nine different exposition levels were examined(reference mAs/peek voltage): 100/120, 100/100, 100/80, 50/120, 50/100, 50/80, 25/120, 25/100 and 25 mAs/80 kVp. Images from the SOMATOM Sensation were reconstructed using classic filtered back projection. Iterative reconstruction(SAFIRE, level 3) was performed for the two other scanners. A Stellar detector was used with the Somatom Definition Edge. The CT doses were represented by the dose length products(DLPs)(mGycm) provided by the scanners. Signal, contrast, noise and subjective image quality were recorded by two different radiologists with 10 and 3 years of experience in chest CT radiology. To determine the average dose reduction between two scanners, the integral of the dose difference was calculated from the lowest to the highest noise level. RESULTS: When using iterative reconstruction(IR) instead of filtered back projection(FBP), the average dose reduction was 30%, 52% and 80% for bone, soft tissue and air, respectively, for the same image quality(P 【 0.0001). The recently introduced Stellar detector(Sd) lowered the radiation dose by an additional 27%, 54% and 70% for bone, soft tissue and air, respectively(P 【 0.0001). The benefit of dose reduction was larger at lower dose levels. With the same radiation dose, an average of 34%(22%-37%) and 25%(13%-46%) more contrast to noise was achieved by changing from FBP to IR and from IR to Sd, respectively. For the same contrast to noise level, an average of 59%(46%-71%) and 51%(38%-68%) dose reduction was produced for IR and Sd, respectively. For the same subjective image quality, the dose could be reduced by 25%(2%-42%) and 44%(33%-54%) using IR and Sd, respectively. CONCLUSION: This study showed an average dose reduction between 27% and 70% for the new Stellar detector, which is equivalent to using IR instead of FBP.展开更多
Hard X-ray Imager(HXI)is one of the three scientific instruments onboard the Advanced Spacebased Solar Observatory(ASO-S)mission,which is proposed for the 25th solar maximum by the Chinese solar community.HXI is desig...Hard X-ray Imager(HXI)is one of the three scientific instruments onboard the Advanced Spacebased Solar Observatory(ASO-S)mission,which is proposed for the 25th solar maximum by the Chinese solar community.HXI is designed to investigate the non-thermal high-energy electrons accelerated in solar flares by providing images of solar flaring regions in the energy range from 30 keV to 200 keV.The imaging principle of HXI is based on spatially modulated Fourier synthesis and utilizes about 91 sets of bi-grid sub-collimators and corresponding LaBr3 detectors to obtain Fourier components with a spatial resolution of about 3 arcsec and a time resolution better than 0.5 s.An engineering prototype has been developed and tested to verify the feasibility of design.In this paper,we present background,instrument design and the development and test status of the prototype.展开更多
Aiming at a novel missile-borne detector in the optional burst height proximity fuze, a self-adaptive high-resolution forward-looking imaging algorithm (SAHRFL-IA) is presented. The echo data are captured by the missi...Aiming at a novel missile-borne detector in the optional burst height proximity fuze, a self-adaptive high-resolution forward-looking imaging algorithm (SAHRFL-IA) is presented. The echo data are captured by the missile-borne detector in the target regions;thereby the azimuth angulation accuracy at the same distance dimension is improved dynamically. Thus, azimuth information of the targets in the detection area may be obtained accurately. The proposed imaging algorithm breaks through the conventional misconception of merely using azimuth discrimination curves under ideal conditions during monopulse angulation. The real-time echo data from the target region are used to perform error correction for this discrimination curve, and finally the accuracy of the azimuth angulation may reach the optimum at the same distance dimension. A series of experiments demonstrate the validity, reliability and high performance of the proposed imaging algorithm. Azimuth angulation accuracy may reach ten times that of the detection beam width. Meanwhile, the running time of this algorithm satisfies the requirements of missile-borne platforms.展开更多
In content-based image retrieval(CBIR),primitive image signatures are critical because they represent the visual characteristics.Image signatures,which are algorithmically descriptive and accurately recognized visual ...In content-based image retrieval(CBIR),primitive image signatures are critical because they represent the visual characteristics.Image signatures,which are algorithmically descriptive and accurately recognized visual components,are used to appropriately index and retrieve comparable results.To differentiate an image in the category of qualifying contender,feature vectors must have image information's like colour,objects,shape,spatial viewpoints.Previous methods such as sketch-based image retrieval by salient contour(SBIR)and greedy learning of deep Boltzmann machine(GDBM)used spatial information to distinguish between image categories.This requires interest points and also feature analysis emerged image detection problems.Thus,a proposed model to overcome this issue and predict the repeating pattern as well as series of pixels that conclude similarity has been necessary.In this study,a technique called CBIR-similarity measure via artificial neural network interpolation(CBIR-SMANN)has been presented.By collecting datasets,the images are resized then subject to Gaussian filtering in the pre-processing stage,then by permitting them to the Hessian detector,the interesting points are gathered.Based on Skewness,mean,kurtosis and standard deviation features were extracted then given to ANN for interpolation.Interpolated results are stored in a database for retrieval.In the testing stage,the query image was inputted that is subjected to pre-processing,and feature extraction was then fed to the similarity measurement function.Thus,ANN helps to get similar images from the database.CBIR-SMANN have been implemented in the python tool and then evaluated for its performance.Results show that CBIR-SMANN exhibited a high recall value of 78%with a minimum retrieval time of 980 ms.This showed the supremacy of the proposed model was comparatively greater than the previous ones.展开更多
The space environment background of various particle fluxes of the Hard X-ray Imager(HXI), one of the payloads of the Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory(ASO-S) spacecraft, is investigated and presented. Different ...The space environment background of various particle fluxes of the Hard X-ray Imager(HXI), one of the payloads of the Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory(ASO-S) spacecraft, is investigated and presented. Different approaches are used to obtain the input information on various space environment particles(protons, alpha particles, electrons, positrons, neutrons, and photons). Some special regions(SAA and radiation belt) are also taken into account. The findings indicate that electrons are the primary background source in the radiation belt. Due to the large background flux generated by electrons, HXI cannot effectively observe solar flares in the radiation belt.Outside the radiation belt, primary protons and albedo photons are the main sources of background at low and high magnetic latitudes respectively. The statistical analysis of the flare and background spectra shows that the errors of the flare energy spectrum observation are mainly concentrated in the high energy band, and the detector still has a certain spectrum observation capability for flares of C-class and below in the low energy band of the non-radiation belt. The imaging observation of flares of C-class and below is significantly affected by the accuracy of background subtraction. The energy band with the best signal-to-noise ratio is from 10 to 50 ke V, which can be used to monitor the formation and class of flares.展开更多
Image registration is an important research topic in the field of computer vision,in which the registration and mosaic of side-scan sonar images is the keypoints of underwater navigation.However,the image registration...Image registration is an important research topic in the field of computer vision,in which the registration and mosaic of side-scan sonar images is the keypoints of underwater navigation.However,the image registration method of keypoints is not suitable for sonar images which do not have obvious feature points.Therefore,a method of sonar-image registration and mosaic based on line segment extraction and triangle matching is proposed in this paper.Firstly,in order to extract features from sonar image,the LSD method is introduced to detect line feature from images,and line segments are filtered by the principle of attention;after that,triangles are formed from line segments,an image transformation matrix can be calculated through the heuristic greedy algorithm from these triangles;finally,images are merged based on the transformation information.On the basis of practical tests,it is found that,the feature extraction method used in this paper can better describe the outline of underwater terrain,and there is no obvious stitching gap between the result of sonar images stitched.Experimental results show that the proposed method is effective than the keypoints method of the registration and mosaic of sonar images.展开更多
Room-temperature terahertz （THz） detectors indicate a great potential in the imaging application because of their real-time, compact bulk, and wide spectral band responding characteristics. THz detectors with differ...Room-temperature terahertz （THz） detectors indicate a great potential in the imaging application because of their real-time, compact bulk, and wide spectral band responding characteristics. THz detectors with different dimensions based on a micro-bridge structure have been designed and fabricated to get optimized micro-bolometer parameters from the test results of membrane deformation. A nanostructured titanium （Ti） thin film absorber is integrated in the micro-bridge structure of the VOx micro-bolometer by a combined process of magnetron sputtering and reactive ion etching （RIE）, and its improvement of THz absorption is verified by an optical characteristics mesurement. Continuous-wave THz detection and imaging are demonstrated by using a 2.52 THz far infrared CO2 laser and a 320x240 vanadium oxide micro-bolometer focal plane array with an optimized cell structure. With this detecting system, THz imaging of metal concealed in a wiping cloth and an envelope is demonstrated, respectively.展开更多
基金supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (2022YFF0503400)the National Natural Science Foundation of China grant (U1931208)China Manned Space Program through its Space Application System.
文摘A detector's nondestructive readout mode allows its pixels to be read multiple times during integration,enabling generation of a series of"up-the-ramp"images that continuously accumulate photons between successive frames.Because noise is correlated across these images,optimal stacking generally requires the images to be weighted unequally to achieve the best possible target signal-to-noise ratio(SNR).Objects in the sky present wildly varied brightness characteristics,and the counts in individual pixels of the same object can also span wide ranges.Therefore,a single set of weights cannot be optimal in all cases.To ensure that the stacked image is easily calibratable,we apply the same weight to all pixels within the same frame.In practice,results for high-SNR cases degraded only slightly when we used weights derived for low-SNR cases,whereas the low-SNR cases remained more sensitive to the weights.Therefore,we propose a quasi-optimal stacking method that maximizes the stacked SNR for the case where the RSN=1 per pixel in the last frame and use simulated data to demonstrate that this approach enhances the SNR more strongly than the equal-weight stacking and ramp fitting methods.Furthermore,we estimate the improvements in the limiting magnitudes for the China Space Station Telescope using the proposed method.When compared with the conventional readout mode,which is equivalent to selecting the last frame from the nondestructive readout,stacking 30 up-the-ramp images can improve the limiting magnitude by approximately 0.5 mag for the telescope's near-infrared observations,effectively reducing readout noise by approximately 62%.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.11975121,12205131)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(No.lzujbky-2021-sp58)the Postgraduate Research&Practice Innovation Program of Jiangsu Province(No.KYCX22_0354)。
文摘Time-encoded imaging is useful for identifying potential special nuclear materials and other radioactive sources at a distance.In this study,a large field-of-view time-encoded imager was developed for gamma-ray and neutron source hotspot imaging based on a depth-of-interaction(DOI)detector.The imager primarily consists of a DOI detector system and a rotary dual-layer cylindrical coded mask.An EJ276 plastic scintillator coupled with two SiPMs was designed as the DOI detector to increase the field of view and improve the imager performance.The difference in signal time at both ends and the log of the signal amplitude ratio were used to calculate the interaction position resolution.The position resolution of the DOI detector was calibrated using a collimated Cs-137 source,and the full width at half maximum of the reconstruction position of the Gaussian fitting curve was approximately 4.4 cm.The DOI detector can be arbitrarily divided into several units to independently reconstruct the source distribution images.The unit length was optimized via Am-Be source-location experiments.A multidetector filtering method is proposed for image denoising.This method can effectively reduce image noise caused by poor DOI detector position resolution.The vertical field of view of the imager was(-55°,55°)when the detector was placed in the center of the coded mask.A DT neutron source at 20 m standoff could be located within 2400 s with an angular resolution of 3.5°.
文摘Diagnosing various diseases such as glaucoma,age-related macular degeneration,cardiovascular conditions,and diabetic retinopathy involves segmenting retinal blood vessels.The task is particularly challenging when dealing with color fundus images due to issues like non-uniformillumination,low contrast,and variations in vessel appearance,especially in the presence of different pathologies.Furthermore,the speed of the retinal vessel segmentation system is of utmost importance.With the surge of now available big data,the speed of the algorithm becomes increasingly important,carrying almost equivalent weightage to the accuracy of the algorithm.To address these challenges,we present a novel approach for retinal vessel segmentation,leveraging efficient and robust techniques based on multiscale line detection and mathematical morphology.Our algorithm’s performance is evaluated on two publicly available datasets,namely the Digital Retinal Images for Vessel Extraction dataset(DRIVE)and the Structure Analysis of Retina(STARE)dataset.The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of our method,withmean accuracy values of 0.9467 forDRIVE and 0.9535 for STARE datasets,aswell as sensitivity values of 0.6952 forDRIVE and 0.6809 for STARE datasets.Notably,our algorithmexhibits competitive performance with state-of-the-art methods.Importantly,it operates at an average speed of 3.73 s per image for DRIVE and 3.75 s for STARE datasets.It is worth noting that these results were achieved using Matlab scripts containing multiple loops.This suggests that the processing time can be further reduced by replacing loops with vectorization.Thus the proposed algorithm can be deployed in real time applications.In summary,our proposed system strikes a fine balance between swift computation and accuracy that is on par with the best available methods in the field.
基金Project supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (Grant Nos.2023YFC2206502 and 2021YFA1600703)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos.12175254 and 12227810)the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Joint Laboratory for Neutron Scattering Science and Technology。
文摘As a non-destructive testing technology,neutron imaging plays an important role in various fields,including material science,nuclear engineering,and fundamental science.An imaging detector with a neutron-sensitive image intensifier has been developed and demonstrated to achieve good spatial resolution and timing resolution.However,the influence of the working voltage on the performance of the neutron-sensitive imaging intensifier has not been studied.To optimize the performance of the neutron-sensitive image intensifier at different voltages,experiments have been performed at the China Spallation Neutron Source(CSNS)neutron beamline.The change in the light yield and imaging quality with different voltages has been acquired.It is shown that the image quality benefits from the high gain of the microchannel plate(MCP)and the high accelerating electric field between the MCP and the screen.Increasing the accelerating electric field is more effective than increasing the gain of MCPs for the improvement of the imaging quality.Increasing the total gain of the MCP stack can be realized more effectively by improving the gain of the standard MCP than that of the n MCP.These results offer a development direction for image intensifiers in the future.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.U22A2034,62177047)High Caliber Foreign Experts Introduction Plan funded by MOST,and Central South University Research Programme of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies(No.2023QYJC020).
文摘Image captioning has gained increasing attention in recent years.Visual characteristics found in input images play a crucial role in generating high-quality captions.Prior studies have used visual attention mechanisms to dynamically focus on localized regions of the input image,improving the effectiveness of identifying relevant image regions at each step of caption generation.However,providing image captioning models with the capability of selecting the most relevant visual features from the input image and attending to them can significantly improve the utilization of these features.Consequently,this leads to enhanced captioning network performance.In light of this,we present an image captioning framework that efficiently exploits the extracted representations of the image.Our framework comprises three key components:the Visual Feature Detector module(VFD),the Visual Feature Visual Attention module(VFVA),and the language model.The VFD module is responsible for detecting a subset of the most pertinent features from the local visual features,creating an updated visual features matrix.Subsequently,the VFVA directs its attention to the visual features matrix generated by the VFD,resulting in an updated context vector employed by the language model to generate an informative description.Integrating the VFD and VFVA modules introduces an additional layer of processing for the visual features,thereby contributing to enhancing the image captioning model’s performance.Using the MS-COCO dataset,our experiments show that the proposed framework competes well with state-of-the-art methods,effectively leveraging visual representations to improve performance.The implementation code can be found here:https://github.com/althobhani/VFDICM(accessed on 30 July 2024).
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.12035017)the Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation(No.2023A1515030074)。
文摘Neutron resonance imaging(NRI)has recently emerged as an appealing technique for neutron radiography.Its complexity surpasses that of conventional transmission imaging,as it requires a high demand for both a neutron source and detector.Consequently,the progression of NRI technology has been sluggish since its inception in the 1980s,particularly considering the limited studies analyzing the neutron energy range above keV.The white neutron source(Back-n)at the China Spallation Neutron Source(CSNS)provides favorable beam conditions for the development of the NRI technique over a wide neutron energy range from eV to MeV.Neutron-sensitive microchannel plates(MCP)have emerged as a cutting-edge tool in the field of neutron detection owing to their high temporal and spatial resolutions,high detection efficiency,and low noise.In this study,we report the development of a 10B-doped MCP detector,along with its associated electronics,data processing system,and NRI experiments at the Back-n.Individual heavy elements such as gold,silver,tungsten,and indium can be easily identified in the transmission images by their characteristic resonance peaks in the 1–100 eV energy range;the more difficult medium-weight elements such as iron,copper,and aluminum with resonance peaks in the 1–100 keV energy range can also be identified.In particular,results in the neutron energy range of dozens of keV(Aluminum)are reported here for the first time.
文摘It is important to assess image quality, in order to ensure that the imaging system is performing optimally and also identify the weak points in an imaging system. Three parameters mostly leading to image degradation are contrast, spatial resolution and noise. There is always a trade-off between spatial resolution and signal to noise ratio, but in scintillating fiber array detectors spatial resolution is not as important as signal to noise ratio, so we paid more attention to contrast and SNR of the system. By using GEANT4 Monte Carlo detector simulation toolkit, some effec- tive parameters of the linear plastic scintillating fiber (PSF) array as an imaging detector were investigated. Finally we show that it is possible to use this kind of detector to take CT and DR (Digital Radiography) image under certain conditions.
基金Supported by National Key Technology R&D Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology(No.2012BAI07B05)
文摘CBCT scanners have been widely used in angiography,radiotherapy guidance,mammography and oral maxillofacial imaging.To cut detector size,reduce manufacturing costs and radiation dose while keeping a reasonable FOV,the flat panel detector can be placed off-center horizontally.This scanning configuration extends the FOV effectively.However,each projection is transversely truncated,bringing errors and artifacts in reconstruction.In this paper,a simple but practical method is proposed for this scanning geometry based on truncation compensation and the modified FDK algorithm.Numerical simulations with jaw phantom were conducted to evaluate the accuracy and practicability of the proposed method.A novel CBCT system for maxillofacial imaging is used for clinical test,which is equipped with an off-center small size flat panel detector.Results show that reconstruction accuracy is acceptable for clinical use,and the image quality appears sufficient for specific diagnostic requirements.It provides a novel solution for clinical CBCT system,in order to reduce radiation dose and manufacturing cost.
文摘Traditional spectral imagers require 2-dimensional detectors. We present a new method to implement spectral imagers with linear detector imager systems based on spectrum compressed. Using 1-dimension detectors instead of 2-dimension detectors to get 3-dimensional data cubes, the spectral imagers could get both the spectral information and the spatial information of each ground object. By the method of characteristics decoupling, we make high precision reconstruction of compressed data. Theoretical analysis and simulations show that it not only ensures the imaging quality but also reduces the dimension of the detectors and complexity of imaging system greatly.
文摘BACKGROUND Photon-counting detector(PCD)CT represents a transformative advancement in radiological imaging,offering superior spatial resolution,enhanced contrast-tonoise ratio,and reduced radiation dose compared with the conventional energyintegrating detector CT.AIM To evaluate PCD CT in oncologic imaging,focusing on its role in tumor detection,staging,and treatment response assessment.METHODS We performed a systematic PubMed search from January 1,2017 to December 31,2024,using the keywords“photon-counting CT”,“cancer”,and“tumor”to identify studies on its use in oncologic imaging.We included experimental studies on humans or human phantoms and excluded reviews,commentaries,editorials,non-English,animal,and non-experimental studies.Study selection followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines.Out of 175 initial studies,39 met the inclusion criteria after screening and full-text review.Data extraction focused on study type,country of origin,and oncologic applications of photon-counting CT.No formal risk of bias assessment was performed,and the review was not registered in PROSPERO as it did not include a meta-analysis.RESULTS Key findings highlighted the advantages of PCD CT in imaging renal masses,adrenal adenomas,ovarian cancer,breast cancer,prostate cancer,pancreatic tumors,hepatocellular carcinoma,metastases,multiple myeloma,and lung cancer.Additionally,PCD CT has demonstrated improved lesion characterization and enhanced diagnostic accuracy in oncology.Despite its promising capabilities challenges related to data processing,storage,and accessibility remain.CONCLUSION As PCD CT technology evolves,its integration into routine oncologic imaging has the potential to significantly enhance cancer diagnosis and patient management.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.12105143 and 11975121)the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(No.2023M741453)+1 种基金the Engineering Research Center of Nuclear Technology Application(No.HJSJYB2020-1)the Key Laboratory of Ionizing Radiation Metering and Safety Evaluation for Jiangsu Province Market Regulation,and the Jiangsu Province Excellent Postdoctoral Program(No.JB23057).
文摘Neutron-induced gamma-ray imaging is a spectroscopic technique that uses characteristic gamma rays to infer the elemental distribution of an object.Currently,this technique requires the use of large facilities to supply a high neutron flux and a time-consuming detection procedure involving direct collimating measurements.In this study,a new method based on low neutron flux was proposed.A single-pixel gamma-ray detector combined with random pattern gamma-ray masks was used to measure the characteristic gamma rays emitted from the sample.Images of the elemental distribution in the sample,comprising 30×30 pixels,were reconstructed using the maximum-likelihood expectation-maximization algorithm.The results demonstrate that the elemental imaging of the sample can be accurately determined using this method.The proposed approach,which eliminates the need for high neutron flux and scanning measurements,can be used for in-field imaging applications.
基金Projects(61203332,61203208) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China
文摘For vision-based mobile robot navigation, images of the same scene may undergo a general affine transformation in the case of significant viewpoint changes. So, a novel method for detecting affine invariant interest points is proposed to obtain the invariant local features, which is coined polynomial local orientation tensor(PLOT). The new detector is based on image local orientation tensor that is constructed from the polynomial expansion of image signal. Firstly, the properties of local orientation tensor of PLOT are analyzed, and a suitable tuning parameter of local orientation tensor is chosen so as to extract invariant features. The initial interest points are detected by local maxima search for the smaller eigenvalues of the orientation tensor. Then, an iterative procedure is used to allow the initial interest points to converge to affine invariant interest points and regions. The performances of this detector are evaluated on the repeatability criteria and recall versus 1-precision graphs, and then are compared with other existing approaches. Experimental results for PLOT show strong performance under affine transformation in the real-world conditions.
基金Supported by the National Basic Research Program of China ("973"Program)(2006CB601201)~~
文摘In high-resolution cone-beam computed tomography （CBCT） using the flat-panel detector, imperfect or defect detector elements cause ring artifacts due to the none-uniformity of their X-ray response. They often disturb the image quality. A dedicated fitting correction method for high-resolution micro-CT is presented. The method converts each elementary X-ray response curve to an average one, and eliminates response inconsistency among pixels. Other factors of the method are discussed, such as the correction factor variability by different sampling frames and nonlinear factors over the whole spectrum. Results show that the noise and artifacts are both reduced in reconstructed images
文摘AIM: To compare the computed tomography(CT) dose and image quality with the filtered back projection against the iterative reconstruction and CT with a minimal electronic noise detector. METHODS: A lung phantom(Chest Phantom N1 by Kyoto Kagaku) was scanned with 3 different CT scanners: the Somatom Sensation, the Definition Flash and the Definition Edge(all from Siemens, Erlangen, Germany). The scan parameters were identical to the Siemens presetting for THORAX ROUTINE(scan length 35 cm and FOV 33 cm). Nine different exposition levels were examined(reference mAs/peek voltage): 100/120, 100/100, 100/80, 50/120, 50/100, 50/80, 25/120, 25/100 and 25 mAs/80 kVp. Images from the SOMATOM Sensation were reconstructed using classic filtered back projection. Iterative reconstruction(SAFIRE, level 3) was performed for the two other scanners. A Stellar detector was used with the Somatom Definition Edge. The CT doses were represented by the dose length products(DLPs)(mGycm) provided by the scanners. Signal, contrast, noise and subjective image quality were recorded by two different radiologists with 10 and 3 years of experience in chest CT radiology. To determine the average dose reduction between two scanners, the integral of the dose difference was calculated from the lowest to the highest noise level. RESULTS: When using iterative reconstruction(IR) instead of filtered back projection(FBP), the average dose reduction was 30%, 52% and 80% for bone, soft tissue and air, respectively, for the same image quality(P 【 0.0001). The recently introduced Stellar detector(Sd) lowered the radiation dose by an additional 27%, 54% and 70% for bone, soft tissue and air, respectively(P 【 0.0001). The benefit of dose reduction was larger at lower dose levels. With the same radiation dose, an average of 34%(22%-37%) and 25%(13%-46%) more contrast to noise was achieved by changing from FBP to IR and from IR to Sd, respectively. For the same contrast to noise level, an average of 59%(46%-71%) and 51%(38%-68%) dose reduction was produced for IR and Sd, respectively. For the same subjective image quality, the dose could be reduced by 25%(2%-42%) and 44%(33%-54%) using IR and Sd, respectively. CONCLUSION: This study showed an average dose reduction between 27% and 70% for the new Stellar detector, which is equivalent to using IR instead of FBP.
基金supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program on Space Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. XDA15320104)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 11427803, 11622327, 11703079, 11803093 and 11820101002)
文摘Hard X-ray Imager(HXI)is one of the three scientific instruments onboard the Advanced Spacebased Solar Observatory(ASO-S)mission,which is proposed for the 25th solar maximum by the Chinese solar community.HXI is designed to investigate the non-thermal high-energy electrons accelerated in solar flares by providing images of solar flaring regions in the energy range from 30 keV to 200 keV.The imaging principle of HXI is based on spatially modulated Fourier synthesis and utilizes about 91 sets of bi-grid sub-collimators and corresponding LaBr3 detectors to obtain Fourier components with a spatial resolution of about 3 arcsec and a time resolution better than 0.5 s.An engineering prototype has been developed and tested to verify the feasibility of design.In this paper,we present background,instrument design and the development and test status of the prototype.
基金supported by the Key Army Pre-research Projects of China(30107030803)
文摘Aiming at a novel missile-borne detector in the optional burst height proximity fuze, a self-adaptive high-resolution forward-looking imaging algorithm (SAHRFL-IA) is presented. The echo data are captured by the missile-borne detector in the target regions;thereby the azimuth angulation accuracy at the same distance dimension is improved dynamically. Thus, azimuth information of the targets in the detection area may be obtained accurately. The proposed imaging algorithm breaks through the conventional misconception of merely using azimuth discrimination curves under ideal conditions during monopulse angulation. The real-time echo data from the target region are used to perform error correction for this discrimination curve, and finally the accuracy of the azimuth angulation may reach the optimum at the same distance dimension. A series of experiments demonstrate the validity, reliability and high performance of the proposed imaging algorithm. Azimuth angulation accuracy may reach ten times that of the detection beam width. Meanwhile, the running time of this algorithm satisfies the requirements of missile-borne platforms.
文摘In content-based image retrieval(CBIR),primitive image signatures are critical because they represent the visual characteristics.Image signatures,which are algorithmically descriptive and accurately recognized visual components,are used to appropriately index and retrieve comparable results.To differentiate an image in the category of qualifying contender,feature vectors must have image information's like colour,objects,shape,spatial viewpoints.Previous methods such as sketch-based image retrieval by salient contour(SBIR)and greedy learning of deep Boltzmann machine(GDBM)used spatial information to distinguish between image categories.This requires interest points and also feature analysis emerged image detection problems.Thus,a proposed model to overcome this issue and predict the repeating pattern as well as series of pixels that conclude similarity has been necessary.In this study,a technique called CBIR-similarity measure via artificial neural network interpolation(CBIR-SMANN)has been presented.By collecting datasets,the images are resized then subject to Gaussian filtering in the pre-processing stage,then by permitting them to the Hessian detector,the interesting points are gathered.Based on Skewness,mean,kurtosis and standard deviation features were extracted then given to ANN for interpolation.Interpolated results are stored in a database for retrieval.In the testing stage,the query image was inputted that is subjected to pre-processing,and feature extraction was then fed to the similarity measurement function.Thus,ANN helps to get similar images from the database.CBIR-SMANN have been implemented in the python tool and then evaluated for its performance.Results show that CBIR-SMANN exhibited a high recall value of 78%with a minimum retrieval time of 980 ms.This showed the supremacy of the proposed model was comparatively greater than the previous ones.
基金supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program on Space Science,Chinese Academy of Sciences (No.XDA 15 320 104)National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC, Grant Nos. 11973097, 12173100 and 12022302)the Youth Innovation Promotion Association CAS (Nos.2021317 and Y2021087)。
文摘The space environment background of various particle fluxes of the Hard X-ray Imager(HXI), one of the payloads of the Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory(ASO-S) spacecraft, is investigated and presented. Different approaches are used to obtain the input information on various space environment particles(protons, alpha particles, electrons, positrons, neutrons, and photons). Some special regions(SAA and radiation belt) are also taken into account. The findings indicate that electrons are the primary background source in the radiation belt. Due to the large background flux generated by electrons, HXI cannot effectively observe solar flares in the radiation belt.Outside the radiation belt, primary protons and albedo photons are the main sources of background at low and high magnetic latitudes respectively. The statistical analysis of the flare and background spectra shows that the errors of the flare energy spectrum observation are mainly concentrated in the high energy band, and the detector still has a certain spectrum observation capability for flares of C-class and below in the low energy band of the non-radiation belt. The imaging observation of flares of C-class and below is significantly affected by the accuracy of background subtraction. The energy band with the best signal-to-noise ratio is from 10 to 50 ke V, which can be used to monitor the formation and class of flares.
文摘Image registration is an important research topic in the field of computer vision,in which the registration and mosaic of side-scan sonar images is the keypoints of underwater navigation.However,the image registration method of keypoints is not suitable for sonar images which do not have obvious feature points.Therefore,a method of sonar-image registration and mosaic based on line segment extraction and triangle matching is proposed in this paper.Firstly,in order to extract features from sonar image,the LSD method is introduced to detect line feature from images,and line segments are filtered by the principle of attention;after that,triangles are formed from line segments,an image transformation matrix can be calculated through the heuristic greedy algorithm from these triangles;finally,images are merged based on the transformation information.On the basis of practical tests,it is found that,the feature extraction method used in this paper can better describe the outline of underwater terrain,and there is no obvious stitching gap between the result of sonar images stitched.Experimental results show that the proposed method is effective than the keypoints method of the registration and mosaic of sonar images.
基金supported by the National Science Funds for Creative Research Groups of China under Grant No.61421002National High Technology Research and Development Program under Grant No.2015AA8123014
文摘Room-temperature terahertz （THz） detectors indicate a great potential in the imaging application because of their real-time, compact bulk, and wide spectral band responding characteristics. THz detectors with different dimensions based on a micro-bridge structure have been designed and fabricated to get optimized micro-bolometer parameters from the test results of membrane deformation. A nanostructured titanium （Ti） thin film absorber is integrated in the micro-bridge structure of the VOx micro-bolometer by a combined process of magnetron sputtering and reactive ion etching （RIE）, and its improvement of THz absorption is verified by an optical characteristics mesurement. Continuous-wave THz detection and imaging are demonstrated by using a 2.52 THz far infrared CO2 laser and a 320x240 vanadium oxide micro-bolometer focal plane array with an optimized cell structure. With this detecting system, THz imaging of metal concealed in a wiping cloth and an envelope is demonstrated, respectively.
