Normalized Difference Vegetation Index （NDVI） is a very useful feature for differentiating vegetation and non-vegetation in remote sensed imagery. In the light of the function of NDVI and the spatial patterns of the...Normalized Difference Vegetation Index （NDVI） is a very useful feature for differentiating vegetation and non-vegetation in remote sensed imagery. In the light of the function of NDVI and the spatial patterns of the vegetation landscapes, we proposed the lacunarity texture derived from NDVI to characterize the spatial patterns of vegetation landscapes concerning the ＂gappiness＂ or ＂emptiness＂ characteristics. The NDVI-based lacunarity texture was incorporated into object-oriented classification for improving the identification of vegetation categories, especially Torreya which was the targeted tree species in the present research. A three-level hierarchical network of image objects was defined and the proposed texture was integrated as potential sources of information in the rules base. A knowledge base of rules created by classifier C5.0 indicated that the texture could potentially be applied in object-oriented classification. It was found that the addition of such texture improved the identification of every vegetation category. The results demonstrated that the texture could characterize the spatial patterns of vegetation structures, which could be a promising approach for vegetation identification.展开更多
Osteoporosis represents one major health condition for our growing elderly population. It accounts for severe morbidity and increased mortality in postmenopausal women and it is becoming an emerging health concern eve...Osteoporosis represents one major health condition for our growing elderly population. It accounts for severe morbidity and increased mortality in postmenopausal women and it is becoming an emerging health concern even in aging men. Screening of the population at risk for bone degeneration and treatment assessment of osteoporotic patients to prevent bone fragility fractures represent useful tools to improve quality of life in the elderly and to lighten the related socio-economic impact. Bone mineral density(BMD) estimate by means of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry is normally used in clinical practice for osteoporosis diagnosis. Nevertheless, BMD alone does not represent a good predictor of fracture risk. From a clinical point of view, bone microarchitecture seems to be an intriguing aspect to characterize bone alteration patterns in aging and pathology. The widening into clinical practice of medical imaging techniques and the impressive advances in information technologies together with enhanced capacity of power calculation have promoted proliferation of new methods to assess changes of trabecular bone architecture(TBA) during aging and osteoporosis. Magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) has recently arisen as a useful tool to measure bone structure in vivo. In particular, high-resolution MRI techniques have introduced new perspectives for TBA characterization by non-invasive non-ionizing methods. However, texture analysis methods have not found favor with clinicians as they produce quite a few parameters whose interpretation is difficult. The introduction in biomedical field of paradigms, such as theory of complexity, chaos, and fractals, suggests new approaches and provides innovative tools to develop computerized methods that, by producing a limited number of parameters sensitive to pathology onset and progression, would speed up their application into clinical practice. Complexity of living beings and fractality of several physio-anatomic structures suggest fractal analysis as a promising approach to quantify mo展开更多
The spatial structure characteristics of landform are the foundation of geomorphologic classification and recognition.This paper proposed a new method on quantifying spatial structure characteristics of terrain surfac...The spatial structure characteristics of landform are the foundation of geomorphologic classification and recognition.This paper proposed a new method on quantifying spatial structure characteristics of terrain surface based on improved 3D Lacunarity model.Lacunarity curve and its numerical integration are used in this model to improve traditional classification result that different morphological types may share the close value of indexes based on global statistical analysis.Experiments at four test areas with different landform types show that improved 3D Lacunarity model can effectively distinguish different morphological types per texture analysis.Higher sensitivity in distinguishing the tiny differences of texture characteristics of terrain surface shows that the quantification method by 3D Lacu-narity model and its numerical integration presented in this paper could contribute to improving the accuracy of land-form classifications and relative studies.展开更多
AIMTo characterize the human retinal vessel arborisation in normal and amblyopic eyes using multifractal geometry and lacunarity parameters.METHODSMultifractal analysis using a box counting algorithm was carried out f...AIMTo characterize the human retinal vessel arborisation in normal and amblyopic eyes using multifractal geometry and lacunarity parameters.METHODSMultifractal analysis using a box counting algorithm was carried out for a set of 12 segmented and skeletonized human retinal images, corresponding to both normal (6 images) and amblyopia states of the retina (6 images).RESULTSIt was found that the microvascular geometry of the human retina network represents geometrical multifractals, characterized through subsets of regions having different scaling properties that are not evident in the fractal analysis. Multifractal analysis of the amblyopia images (segmented and skeletonized versions) show a higher average of the generalized dimensions (D<sub>q</sub>) for q=0, 1, 2 indicating a higher degree of the tree-dimensional complexity associated with the human retinal microvasculature network whereas images of healthy subjects show a lower value of generalized dimensions indicating normal complexity of biostructure. On the other hand, the lacunarity analysis of the amblyopia images (segmented and skeletonized versions) show a lower average of the lacunarity parameter Λ than the corresponding values for normal images (segmented and skeletonized versions).CONCLUSIONThe multifractal and lacunarity analysis may be used as a non-invasive predictive complementary tool to distinguish amblyopic subjects from healthy subjects and hence this technique could be used for an early diagnosis of patients with amblyopia.展开更多
This approach represents the relative susceptibility of the topography of the earth to active deformation by means of geometrical distinctiveness of the river networks. This investigation employs the fractal analysis ...This approach represents the relative susceptibility of the topography of the earth to active deformation by means of geometrical distinctiveness of the river networks. This investigation employs the fractal analysis of drainage system extracted from ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model (GDEM-30m resolution). The objective is to mark active structures and to pinpoint the areas robustly influenced by neotectonics. This approach was examined in the Hindukush, NE-Afghanistan. This region is frequently affected by deadly earthquakes and the modern fault activities and deformation are driven by the collision between the northward-moving Indian subcontinent and Eurasia. This attempt is based on the fact that drainage system is strained to linearize due to neotectonic deformation. Hence, the low fractal dimensions of the Kabul, Panjsher, Laghman, Andarab, Alingar and Kocha Rivers are credited to active tectonics. A comprehensive textural examination is conducted to probe the linearization, heterogeneity and connectivity of the drainage patterns. The aspects for these natural textures are computed by using the fractal dimension (FD), lacunarity (LA) and succolarity (SA) approach. All these methods are naturally interrelated, i.e. objects with similar FD can be further differentiated with LA and/or SA analysis. The maps of FD, LA and SA values are generated by using a sliding window of 50 arc seconds by 50 arc seconds (50" × 50"). Afterwards, the maps are interpreted in terms of regional susceptibility to neotectonics. This method is useful to pinpoint numerous zones where the drainage system is highly controlled by Hindukush active structures. In the North-Northeast of the Kabul block, we recognized active tectonic blocks. The region comprising, Kabul, Panjsher, Andrab, Alingar and Badakhshan is more susceptible to damaging events. This investigation concludes that the fractal analysis of the river networks is a bonus tool to localize areas vulnerable to deadly incidents influencing the Earth’s topography and conseque展开更多
This paper analyzes the possibility to discriminate between convective precipitation and stratiform precipitation. This study aims to improve the measurement of rainfall from teledetection data obtained both on the gr...This paper analyzes the possibility to discriminate between convective precipitation and stratiform precipitation. This study aims to improve the measurement of rainfall from teledetection data obtained both on the ground and in space. For this, two parameters, fractal dimension and fractal lacunarity, are considered. To calculate the fractal dimension, we use the approach of box-counting and show that the fractal dimension differs between convectives cells and stratiforms ones. And then the fractal lacunarity parameter is calculated by using the sliding boxes algorithm. The study for all the regions shows that precipitation cells can be described by different lacunarities whatever the scale of analysis. We deduce that the two parameters, fractal dimension and fractal lacunarity, can be used to classify precipitations in convective regime and stratiform regime.展开更多
Background: Benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) is the most common benign disease of the human prostate. The comparison between global versus local changes in spatial patterns of pathological lesions provoked a growing ...Background: Benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) is the most common benign disease of the human prostate. The comparison between global versus local changes in spatial patterns of pathological lesions provoked a growing interest in some fields such as neuropathology. To date, there is little data on this subject in prostatic pathology. Given the interest of local parameters to distinguish between normal and pathological structures, the present study will apply first and second order stereological tools to find out if the cytokeratin18 (ck18) immunoexpression shows relevant local changes in BPH compared to normal prostate, independently if global estimates were similar in both groups. Methods: To verify if the global and local changes in immuno-expression of ck18 are relevant to ascertain differences between normal (CTR) and BPH cases, the following parameters will be applied: Volume fraction of epithelium immunostained for ck18 (VV ck18), both in global and local estimates;dispersion indices of VV ck18;estimates of local variance of VV ck18 (positional and of scale) using wavelet analysis;and lacunarity analysis to measure the tissue heterogeneity. Then, the set of values from the parameters studied that show significant differences between CTR and BPH will be employed to perform stepwise linear discriminant analyses to determine if locally estimated parameters were able to classify accurately the cases in CTR and BPH groups. Results and Conclusions: The findings of the present study indicate that changes in the expression of ck18 by the hyperplastic prostatic epithelium are not homogeneous. This limits the use of a single biopsy based markers to predict biological behavior in BPH. On the other hand, the local changes in the expression of ck18 are more evident in terms of VV ck18 and its local variability, whereas other parameters that are useful in other pathologies, such as lacunarity, are less relevant In prostatic hyperplasia.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (30671212)
文摘Normalized Difference Vegetation Index （NDVI） is a very useful feature for differentiating vegetation and non-vegetation in remote sensed imagery. In the light of the function of NDVI and the spatial patterns of the vegetation landscapes, we proposed the lacunarity texture derived from NDVI to characterize the spatial patterns of vegetation landscapes concerning the ＂gappiness＂ or ＂emptiness＂ characteristics. The NDVI-based lacunarity texture was incorporated into object-oriented classification for improving the identification of vegetation categories, especially Torreya which was the targeted tree species in the present research. A three-level hierarchical network of image objects was defined and the proposed texture was integrated as potential sources of information in the rules base. A knowledge base of rules created by classifier C5.0 indicated that the texture could potentially be applied in object-oriented classification. It was found that the addition of such texture improved the identification of every vegetation category. The results demonstrated that the texture could characterize the spatial patterns of vegetation structures, which could be a promising approach for vegetation identification.
文摘Osteoporosis represents one major health condition for our growing elderly population. It accounts for severe morbidity and increased mortality in postmenopausal women and it is becoming an emerging health concern even in aging men. Screening of the population at risk for bone degeneration and treatment assessment of osteoporotic patients to prevent bone fragility fractures represent useful tools to improve quality of life in the elderly and to lighten the related socio-economic impact. Bone mineral density(BMD) estimate by means of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry is normally used in clinical practice for osteoporosis diagnosis. Nevertheless, BMD alone does not represent a good predictor of fracture risk. From a clinical point of view, bone microarchitecture seems to be an intriguing aspect to characterize bone alteration patterns in aging and pathology. The widening into clinical practice of medical imaging techniques and the impressive advances in information technologies together with enhanced capacity of power calculation have promoted proliferation of new methods to assess changes of trabecular bone architecture(TBA) during aging and osteoporosis. Magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) has recently arisen as a useful tool to measure bone structure in vivo. In particular, high-resolution MRI techniques have introduced new perspectives for TBA characterization by non-invasive non-ionizing methods. However, texture analysis methods have not found favor with clinicians as they produce quite a few parameters whose interpretation is difficult. The introduction in biomedical field of paradigms, such as theory of complexity, chaos, and fractals, suggests new approaches and provides innovative tools to develop computerized methods that, by producing a limited number of parameters sensitive to pathology onset and progression, would speed up their application into clinical practice. Complexity of living beings and fractality of several physio-anatomic structures suggest fractal analysis as a promising approach to quantify mo
基金Under the auspices of National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.40930531,41171320,41001301)
文摘The spatial structure characteristics of landform are the foundation of geomorphologic classification and recognition.This paper proposed a new method on quantifying spatial structure characteristics of terrain surface based on improved 3D Lacunarity model.Lacunarity curve and its numerical integration are used in this model to improve traditional classification result that different morphological types may share the close value of indexes based on global statistical analysis.Experiments at four test areas with different landform types show that improved 3D Lacunarity model can effectively distinguish different morphological types per texture analysis.Higher sensitivity in distinguishing the tiny differences of texture characteristics of terrain surface shows that the quantification method by 3D Lacu-narity model and its numerical integration presented in this paper could contribute to improving the accuracy of land-form classifications and relative studies.
文摘AIMTo characterize the human retinal vessel arborisation in normal and amblyopic eyes using multifractal geometry and lacunarity parameters.METHODSMultifractal analysis using a box counting algorithm was carried out for a set of 12 segmented and skeletonized human retinal images, corresponding to both normal (6 images) and amblyopia states of the retina (6 images).RESULTSIt was found that the microvascular geometry of the human retina network represents geometrical multifractals, characterized through subsets of regions having different scaling properties that are not evident in the fractal analysis. Multifractal analysis of the amblyopia images (segmented and skeletonized versions) show a higher average of the generalized dimensions (D<sub>q</sub>) for q=0, 1, 2 indicating a higher degree of the tree-dimensional complexity associated with the human retinal microvasculature network whereas images of healthy subjects show a lower value of generalized dimensions indicating normal complexity of biostructure. On the other hand, the lacunarity analysis of the amblyopia images (segmented and skeletonized versions) show a lower average of the lacunarity parameter Λ than the corresponding values for normal images (segmented and skeletonized versions).CONCLUSIONThe multifractal and lacunarity analysis may be used as a non-invasive predictive complementary tool to distinguish amblyopic subjects from healthy subjects and hence this technique could be used for an early diagnosis of patients with amblyopia.
文摘This approach represents the relative susceptibility of the topography of the earth to active deformation by means of geometrical distinctiveness of the river networks. This investigation employs the fractal analysis of drainage system extracted from ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model (GDEM-30m resolution). The objective is to mark active structures and to pinpoint the areas robustly influenced by neotectonics. This approach was examined in the Hindukush, NE-Afghanistan. This region is frequently affected by deadly earthquakes and the modern fault activities and deformation are driven by the collision between the northward-moving Indian subcontinent and Eurasia. This attempt is based on the fact that drainage system is strained to linearize due to neotectonic deformation. Hence, the low fractal dimensions of the Kabul, Panjsher, Laghman, Andarab, Alingar and Kocha Rivers are credited to active tectonics. A comprehensive textural examination is conducted to probe the linearization, heterogeneity and connectivity of the drainage patterns. The aspects for these natural textures are computed by using the fractal dimension (FD), lacunarity (LA) and succolarity (SA) approach. All these methods are naturally interrelated, i.e. objects with similar FD can be further differentiated with LA and/or SA analysis. The maps of FD, LA and SA values are generated by using a sliding window of 50 arc seconds by 50 arc seconds (50" × 50"). Afterwards, the maps are interpreted in terms of regional susceptibility to neotectonics. This method is useful to pinpoint numerous zones where the drainage system is highly controlled by Hindukush active structures. In the North-Northeast of the Kabul block, we recognized active tectonic blocks. The region comprising, Kabul, Panjsher, Andrab, Alingar and Badakhshan is more susceptible to damaging events. This investigation concludes that the fractal analysis of the river networks is a bonus tool to localize areas vulnerable to deadly incidents influencing the Earth’s topography and conseque
文摘This paper analyzes the possibility to discriminate between convective precipitation and stratiform precipitation. This study aims to improve the measurement of rainfall from teledetection data obtained both on the ground and in space. For this, two parameters, fractal dimension and fractal lacunarity, are considered. To calculate the fractal dimension, we use the approach of box-counting and show that the fractal dimension differs between convectives cells and stratiforms ones. And then the fractal lacunarity parameter is calculated by using the sliding boxes algorithm. The study for all the regions shows that precipitation cells can be described by different lacunarities whatever the scale of analysis. We deduce that the two parameters, fractal dimension and fractal lacunarity, can be used to classify precipitations in convective regime and stratiform regime.
文摘Background: Benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) is the most common benign disease of the human prostate. The comparison between global versus local changes in spatial patterns of pathological lesions provoked a growing interest in some fields such as neuropathology. To date, there is little data on this subject in prostatic pathology. Given the interest of local parameters to distinguish between normal and pathological structures, the present study will apply first and second order stereological tools to find out if the cytokeratin18 (ck18) immunoexpression shows relevant local changes in BPH compared to normal prostate, independently if global estimates were similar in both groups. Methods: To verify if the global and local changes in immuno-expression of ck18 are relevant to ascertain differences between normal (CTR) and BPH cases, the following parameters will be applied: Volume fraction of epithelium immunostained for ck18 (VV ck18), both in global and local estimates;dispersion indices of VV ck18;estimates of local variance of VV ck18 (positional and of scale) using wavelet analysis;and lacunarity analysis to measure the tissue heterogeneity. Then, the set of values from the parameters studied that show significant differences between CTR and BPH will be employed to perform stepwise linear discriminant analyses to determine if locally estimated parameters were able to classify accurately the cases in CTR and BPH groups. Results and Conclusions: The findings of the present study indicate that changes in the expression of ck18 by the hyperplastic prostatic epithelium are not homogeneous. This limits the use of a single biopsy based markers to predict biological behavior in BPH. On the other hand, the local changes in the expression of ck18 are more evident in terms of VV ck18 and its local variability, whereas other parameters that are useful in other pathologies, such as lacunarity, are less relevant In prostatic hyperplasia.
