• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.402-412
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• 2022

Objective: To evaluate the image quality and lesion detectability of lower-dose CT (LDCT) of the abdomen and pelvis obtained using a deep learning image reconstruction (DLIR) algorithm compared with those of standard-dose CT (SDCT) images. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study included 123 patients (mean age ± standard deviation, 63 ± 11 years; male:female, 70:53) who underwent contrast-enhanced abdominopelvic LDCT between May and August 2020 and had prior SDCT obtained using the same CT scanner within a year. LDCT images were reconstructed with hybrid iterative reconstruction (h-IR) and DLIR at medium and high strengths (DLIR-M and DLIR-H), while SDCT images were reconstructed with h-IR. For quantitative image quality analysis, image noise, signal-to-noise ratio, and contrast-to-noise ratio were measured in the liver, muscle, and aorta. Among the three different LDCT reconstruction algorithms, the one showing the smallest difference in quantitative parameters from those of SDCT images was selected for qualitative image quality analysis and lesion detectability evaluation. For qualitative analysis, overall image quality, image noise, image sharpness, image texture, and lesion conspicuity were graded using a 5-point scale by two radiologists. Observer performance in focal liver lesion detection was evaluated by comparing the jackknife free-response receiver operating characteristic figures-of-merit (FOM). Results: LDCT (35.1% dose reduction compared with SDCT) images obtained using DLIR-M showed similar quantitative measures to those of SDCT with h-IR images. All qualitative parameters of LDCT with DLIR-M images but image texture were similar to or significantly better than those of SDCT with h-IR images. The lesion detectability on LDCT with DLIR-M images was not significantly different from that of SDCT with h-IR images (reader-averaged FOM, 0.887 vs. 0.874, respectively; p = 0.581). Conclusion: Overall image quality and detectability of focal liver lesions is preserved in contrast-enhanced abdominopelvic LDCT obtained with DLIR-M relative to those in SDCT with h-IR.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.101-106
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• 1993

In order to assure safety of both patient and operator, and to provide uniform quality radiographs, it is necessary to perform periodic calibration of diagnostic X-ray equipment. A basic parameter of diagnostic equipment's and its image sharpness is the size(and shape the energy distribution) of the focal spot as viewed along the central X-ray beam. This size determines the resolution possible with the equipment and also determines the heat characteristics of an anode. A fine focus tube gives high resolution but causes high local heating of target. In past, the pin-hole and star pattern image measurement for evaluation of resolution have been widely used, but it produced blurring and inaccuracy of image. So newly inverted Ug-meter has advantage in more convenient measurement method and less out-put bias than other image measurement. The authors intended to compare measured focal size between Ug-meter and focal spot test tool, changed state from setting to now of units.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.122-131
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• 2008

For B-mode ultrasound images, we propose an image enhancement algorithm based on a multi-resolution approach, which consists of edge enhancing and noise reducing procedures. Edge enhancement processing is applied sequentially to coarse-to-fine resolution images obtained from wavelet-transformed data. In each resolution, the structural features of each pixel are examined through eigen analysis. Then, if a pixel belongs to an edge region, we perform two-step filtering: that is, directional smoothing is conducted along the tangential direction of the edge to improve continuity and directional sharpening is conducted along the normal direction to enhance the contrast. In addition, speckle noise is alleviated by proper attenuation of the wavelet coefficients of the homogeneous regions at each band. This region-based speckle-reduction scheme is differentiated from other methods that are based on the magnitude statistics of the wavelet coefficients. The proposed algorithm enhances edges regardless of changes in the resolution of an image, and the algorithm efficiently reduces speckle noise without affecting the sharpness of the edge. Hence, compared with existing algorithms, the proposed algorithm considerably improves the subjective image quality without providing any noticeable artifacts.

• The Journal of Korea Robotics Society
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.118-129
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• 2011

In this paper, we suggest a new camera capturing and synthesizing algorithm with the multi-captured left and right images for the better comfortable feeling of 3D depth and also propose 3D image capturing hardware system based on the this new algorithm. We also suggest the simple control algorithm for the calibration of camera capture system with zooming function based on a performance index measure which is used as feedback information for the stabilization of focusing control problem. We also comment on the theoretical mapping theory concerning projection under the assumption that human is sitting 50cm in front of and watching the 3D LCD screen for the captured image based on the modeling of pinhole Camera. We choose 9 segmentations and propose the method to find optimal alignment and focusing based on the measure of alignment and sharpness and propose the synthesizing fusion with the optimized 9 segmentation images for the best 3D depth feeling.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences
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• v.21 no.10
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• pp.2541-2551
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• 1996

Human visual systems are sensitive to noise on the flat intensity area. But it becomes less sensitive on the edge area. Recently, many types of spatially adaptive image restoration methods have been proposed, which employ the above mentioned huan visual characteristics. The present paper presents an adaptive image restoration method, which increases sharpness of the edge region, and smooths noise on the flat intensity area. For edge detection, the proposed method uses the visibility function based on the local variance on each pixel. And it adaptively changes the regularization parameter. More specifically, the image to be restored is divided into a number of steps from the flat area to the edge regio, and then restored by using the finite impulse response constrained least squares filter.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.7
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• pp.36-41
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• 2018

An image intensifying device is equipment that makes weak objects visible in a dark environment, such as making nighttime bright enough to let objects be visually observed. It is possible to obtain a clear image by amplifying the light in the presence of a certain amount of weak light. However, in an extremely low-light environment, where even moonlight is not present, there is not enough light to amplify anything, and the sharpness of the screen deteriorates. In this paper, a method is proposed to improve image quality by using multiple filters and anisotropic diffusion for output noise of the image-intensifying device in extreme low-light environments. For the experiment, the output of the image-intensifying device was obtained under extremely low-light conditions, and signal processing for improving the image quality was performed. The configuration of the filters for signal processing uses anisotropic diffusion after applying a median filter and a Wiener filter for effective removal of salt-and-pepper noise and Gaussian noise, which constitute the main noise appearing in the image. Experimental results show that the improvement visually enhanced image quality. Both peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) and SSIM, which are quantitative indicators, show improved values.

• KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS)
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• v.14 no.10
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• pp.4060-4079
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• 2020

Blur is an important type of image distortion. How to evaluate the quality of blurred image accurately and efficiently is a research hotspot in the field of image processing in recent years. Inspired by the multi-scale perceptual characteristics of the human visual system (HVS), this paper presents a no-reference image blur/sharpness assessment method based on multi-scale local features in the spatial domain. First, considering various content has different sensitivity to blur distortion, the image is divided into smooth, edge, and texture regions in blocks. Then, the Gaussian scale space of the image is constructed, and the categorized contrast features between the original image and the Gaussian scale space images are calculated to express the blur degree of different image contents. To simulate the impact of viewing distance on blur distortion, the distribution characteristics of local maximum gradient of multi-resolution images were also calculated in the spatial domain. Finally, the image blur assessment model is obtained by fusing all features and learning the mapping from features to quality scores by support vector regression (SVR). Performance of the proposed method is evaluated on four synthetically blurred databases and one real blurred database. The experimental results demonstrate that our method can produce quality scores more consistent with subjective evaluations than other methods, especially for real burred images.

• Korean Journal of Digital Imaging in Medicine
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.23-31
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• 2008

Computed radiography(CR) has been widely used in the field of diagnostic radiography since digital X-ray image was introduced. The imaging performance of CR system was studied by analyzing the digital image data of the CR images which are the outcomes of the whole imaging system composed of image plate(IP), laser digitizer, analoge-digital convertor, and a given image processing unit. In this study, we used a conventional CR system made by Agfa. From the flat field image of 150$\times$150 image pixels, signal-to-noise ratio(SNR) was calculated. SNR of the CR image increases in proportion to logarithm value of the X-ray exposure irradiated on the IP. SNR is less than about 6 at the exposure below 0.2mR and is more than 10 at the exposure above 0.54mR. In our study, most of images obtained by the smaller exposures less than 2.0mR can not be readable. In general, the minimum value of the SNR ranges from 3 to 5. We obtained modulation transfer function(MTF) by analyzing the bar pattern image which was made under conditions as follows: X-ray tube potential was 55kVp, the IP exposure was 0.54 mR, and the distance between X-ray source to IP was 2m, where bar pattern was located on the IP. MTF is 23% at 2.5lp/mm spatial frequency. Provided that the MTF of noise equivalent modulation is 10%, the CR system has the limiting spatial resolution of 3.2lp/mm. If the image sharpness is evaluated by the spatial frequency where MTF is 50%. the corresponding spatial frequency is 0.5$\sim$0.75lp/mm. MTFA(Modulation Transfer Function Area) is 1.0lp/mm. Compared with the Fuji CR whose MTFA is 1.1lp/mm, Agfa CR in this study shows almost same MTFA performance.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.44-52
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• 2016

Purpose: To quantitatively and qualitatively compare fat-suppressed MRI quality using iterative decomposition of water and fat with echo asymmetry and least-squares estimation (IDEAL) with that using frequency selective fat-suppression (FSFS) T2- and postcontrast T1-weighted fast spin-echo images of the head and neck at 3T. Materials and Methods: The study was approved by our Institutional Review Board. Prospective MR image analysis was performed in 36 individuals at a single-center. Axial fat suppressed T2- and postcontrast T1-weighted images with IDEAL and FSFS were compared. Visual assessment was performed by two independent readers with respect to; 1) metallic artifacts around oral cavity, 2) susceptibility artifacts around upper airway, paranasal sinus, and head-neck junction, 3) homogeneity of fat suppression, 4) image sharpness, 5) tissue contrast of pathologies and lymph nodes. The signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) for each image sequence were assessed. Results: Both IDEAL fat suppressed T2- and T1-weighted images significantly reduced artifacts around airway, paranasal sinus, and head-neck junction, and significantly improved homogeneous fat suppression in compared to those using FSFS (P < 0.05 for all). IDEAL significantly decreased artifacts around oral cavity on T2-weighted images (P < 0.05, respectively) and improved sharpness, lesion-to-tissue, and lymph node-to-tissue contrast on T1-weighted images (P < 0.05 for all). The mean SNRs were significantly improved on both T1- and T2-weighted IDEAL images (P < 0.05 for all). Conclusion: IDEAL technique improves image quality in the head and neck by reducing artifacts with homogeneous fat suppression, while maintaining a high SNR.

• Journal of Korea Multimedia Society
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• v.14 no.11
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• pp.1392-1400
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• 2011

In most digital imaging applications, high-resolution images or videos are usually desired for later image processing and analysis. The image signal obtained from general imaging system occurs image degradation during the process of image acquirement caused by the optics, physical constraints and the atmosphere effects. Super-resolution reconstruction, one of the solution to address this problem, is image reconstruction technique that produces a high-resolution image from several low-resolution frames in video sequences. In this paper, we propose an improved super-resolution method using Projection onto Convex Sets (POCS) method based on Shift & Add (S&A). The image using conventional algorithms is sensitive to noise. To solve this problem, we propose a fusion algorithm of S&A and POCS. Also we solve the problem using BLPF (Butterworth Low-pass Filter) in frequency domain as optical blur. Our method is robust to noise and has sharpness enhancement ability. Experimental results show that the proposed super-resolution method has better resolution enhancement performance than other super-resolution methods.