Unified No-Reference Quality Assessment of Singly and Multiply Distorted Stereoscopic Images

Blind HDR image quality assessment based on aggregating perception and inference features

High Dynamic Range (HDR) images, with their expanded range of brightness and color, provide a far more realistic and immersive viewing experience compared to Low Dynamic Range (LDR) images. However, the significant increase in peak luminance and contrast inherent in HDR images often accentuates artifacts, thus limiting the effectiveness of traditional LDR-based image quality assessment (IQA) algorithms when applied to HDR content. To address this, we propose a novel blind IQA method tailored specifically for HDR images, which incorporates both the perception and inference processes of the human visual system (HVS). Our approach begins with multi-scale Retinex decomposition to generate reflectance maps with varying sensitivity, followed by the calculation of gradient similarities from these maps to model the perception process. Deep feature maps are then extracted from the last pooling layer of a pretrained VGG16 network to capture inference characteristics. These gradient similarity maps and deep feature maps are subsequently aggregated for quality prediction using support vector regression (SVR). Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves outstanding performance, outperforming other state-of-the-art HDR IQA metrics.

No-reference stereoscopic image quality assessment based on binocular collaboration

Stereoscopic images typically consist of left and right views along with depth information. Assessing the quality of stereoscopic/3D images (SIQA) is often more complex than that of 2D images due to scene disparities between the left and right views and the intricate process of fusion in binocular vision. To address the problem of quality prediction bias of multi-distortion images, we investigated the visual physiology and the processing of visual information by the primary visual cortex of the human brain and proposed a no-reference stereoscopic image quality evaluation method. The method mainly includes an innovative end-to-end NR-SIQA neural network with a picture patch generation algorithm. The algorithm generates a saliency map by fusing the left and right views and then guides the image cropping in the database based on the saliency map. The proposed models are validated and compared based on publicly available databases. The results show that the model and algorithm together outperform the state-of-the-art NR-SIQA metric in the LIVE 3D database and the WIVC 3D database, and have excellent results in the specific noise metric. The model generalization experiments demonstrate a certain degree of generality of our proposed model.

Exploring a novel HE image segmentation technique for glioblastoma: A hybrid slime mould and differential evolution approach

Glioblastoma is a primary brain tumor with high incidence and mortality rates, posing a significant threat to human health. It is crucial to provide necessary diagnostic assistance for its management. Among them, Multi-threshold Image Segmentation (MIS) is considered the most efficient and intuitive method in image processing. In recent years, many scholars have combined different metaheuristic algorithms with MIS to improve the quality of Image Segmentation (IS). Slime Mould Algorithm (SMA) is a metaheuristic approach inspired by the foraging behavior of slime mould populations in nature. In this investigation, we introduce a hybridized variant named BDSMA, aimed at overcoming the inherent limitations of the original algorithm. These limitations encompass inadequate exploitation capacity and a tendency to converge prematurely towards local optima when dealing with complex multidimensional problems. To bolster the algorithm's optimization prowess, we integrate the original algorithm with a robust exploitative operator called Differential Evolution (DE). Additionally, we introduce a strategy for handling solutions that surpass boundaries. The incorporation of an advanced cooperative mixing model accelerates the convergence of BDSMA, refining its precision and preventing it from becoming trapped in local optima. To substantiate the effectiveness of our proposed approach, we conduct a comprehensive series of comparative experiments involving 30 benchmark functions. The results of these experiments demonstrate the superiority of our method in terms of both convergence speed and precision. Moreover, within this study, we propose a MIS technique. This technique is subsequently employed to conduct experiments on IS at both low and high threshold levels. The effectiveness of the BDSMA-based MIS technique is further showcased through its successful application to the medical image of brain glioblastoma. The evaluation of these experimental outcomes, utilizing image quality metrics, conclusively underscores the exceptional efficacy of the algorithm we have put forth.

Fuzzy Medical Computer Vision Image Restoration and Visual Application

In order to shorten the image registration time and improve the imaging quality, this paper proposes a fuzzy medical computer vision image information recovery algorithm based on the fuzzy sparse representation algorithm. Firstly, by constructing a computer vision image acquisition model, the visual feature quantity of the fuzzy medical computer vision image is extracted, and the feature registration design of the fuzzy medical computer vision image is carried out by using the 3D visual reconstruction technology. Then, by establishing a multidimensional histogram structure model, the wavelet multidimensional scale feature detection method is used to achieve grayscale feature extraction of fuzzy medical computer vision images. Finally, the fuzzy sparse representation algorithm is used to automatically optimize the fuzzy medical computer vision images. The experimental results show that the proposed method has a short image information registration time, less than 10 ms, and has a high peak PSNR. When the number of pixels is 700, its peak PSNR can reach 83.5 dB, which is suitable for computer image restoration.

Industry 4.0 and Digitalisation in Healthcare

Industry 4.0 in healthcare involves use of a wide range of modern technologies including digitisation, artificial intelligence, user response data (ergonomics), human psychology, the Internet of Things, machine learning, big data mining, and augmented reality to name a few. The healthcare industry is undergoing a paradigm shift thanks to Industry 4.0, which provides better user comfort through proactive intervention in early detection and treatment of various diseases. The sector is now ready to make its next move towards Industry 5.0, but certain aspects that motivated this review paper need further consideration. As a fruitful outcome of this review, we surveyed modern trends in this arena of research and summarised the intricacies of new features to guide and prepare the sector for an Industry 5.0-ready healthcare system.

Learning to Predict Page View on College Official Accounts With Quality-Aware Features

At present, most of departments in colleges have their own official accounts, which have become the primary channel for announcements and news. In the official accounts, the popularity of articles is influenced by many different factors, such as the content of articles, the aesthetics of the layout, and so on. This paper mainly studies how to learn a computational model for predicting page view on college official accounts with quality-aware features extracted from pictures. First, we built a new picture database by collecting 1,000 pictures from the official accounts of nine well-known universities in the city of Beijing. Then, we proposed a new model for predicting page view by using a selective ensemble technology to fuse three sets of quality-aware features that could represent how a picture looks. Experimental results show that the proposed model has achieved competitive performance against state-of-the-art relevant models on the task for inferring page view from pictures on college official accounts.

Multi-strategy Gaussian Harris hawks optimization for fatigue life of tapered roller bearings

Bearing is one of the most fundamental components of rotary machinery, and its fatigue life is a crucial factor in designing. The design optimization of tapered roller bearing (TRB) is a complex design problem because various arrays of designing parameters and functional requirements should be fulfilled. Since there are many design variables and nonlinear constraints, presenting an optimal design of TRBs poses some challenges for metaheuristic algorithms. The Harris hawks optimization (HHO) algorithm is a robust nature-inspired method with unique exploitation and exploration phases due to its time-varying structure. However, this metaheuristic algorithm may still converge to local optima for more challenging problems such as the design of TRBs. Therefore, this study aims to improve the accuracy and efficiency of the shortcomings of this algorithm. The performance of the proposed algorithm is first evaluated for the TRB optimization problem. The TRB optimization design has nine design variables and 26 constraints because of geometrical dimensions and strength conditions. The productivity of the proposed method is compared with diverse metaheuristic algorithms in the literature. The results demonstrate the significant development of dynamic load capacity in comparison to the standard value. Furthermore, the enhanced version of the HHO algorithm presented in this study is benchmarked with various well-known engineering problems. For supplementary materials regarding algorithms in this research, readers can refer to https://aliasgharheidari.com.

The Method of Computing Diameter of Nano Wood Powder Based on Geometric Figure Fitting

Computing the diameter of nanometer wood powder is the key step of intelligently acquiring wood powder mesh during processing and production in the wood powder manufacturing industry. To obtain the micro image of nano wood powder, the method of hole filling is adopted to fill the binary image of wood powder particles. The contours of wood powder particles are extracted with the use of the edge detection operator, and the control experiment is carried out accordingly. The shape line method is adopted while fitting the geometric shape of wood powder particles, and the longest side or diameter of the figure is solved so as to obtain the diameter. In addition, based on the conversion standard, the mesh number of particles is calculated. The method presented in this study is expected to facilitate the automation of wood powder pellet processing industry, whereas the method is also found to have optimal applicability and reference significance for the measurement of other sorts of particles.

Automobile Driver Fatigue Detection Method Based on Facial Image Recognition under Single Sample Condition

Under the existing single sample condition, the fatigue detection method of an automobile driver has some problems, such as an improper camera calibration method, image denoising beyond the controllable range, low fatigue detection accuracy, and unsatisfactory effect. A fatigue detection method for drivers based on face recognition under a single sample condition is proposed. Firstly, the camera is calibrated by Zhang Zhengyou’s calibration method. The optimal camera parameters were calculated by linear simulation analysis, and the image was nonlinear refined by the maximum likelihood method. Then, the corrected image effect is enhanced, and the scale parameter gap in the MSRCR image enhancement method is adjusted to the minimum. The detection efficiency is improved by a symmetric algorithm. Finally, the texture mapping technology is used to enhance the authenticity of the enhanced image, and the face image recognition is carried out. The constraint conditions of fatigue detection are established, and the fatigue detection of car drivers under the condition of a single sample is completed. Experimental results show that the proposed method has a good overall detection effect: the fatigue detection accuracy is 20% higher than that of the traditional method, and the average detection time is over 30%. Compared with the traditional fatigue detection methods, this method has obvious advantages, can effectively extract more useful information from the image, and has strong applicability.

Industry 4.0: technology spillover impact on digital manufacturing industry

Purpose

Under the guidance of the concept of openness and development, the paper grasps the mechanism of technology spillover in developed countries and analyzes how to better absorb advanced manufacturing technology based on empirical analysis so as to point out the path for the transformation and development of China’s digital manufacturing industry.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper constructs the panel data model and further analyzes the impact of international technology spillovers on the transformation and development of the digital manufacturing industry.

Findings

This paper measures the level of technology spillover in the Yangtze River Delta region and finds that foreign direct investment (FDI) technology spillover and import trade technology spillover among four provinces and cities show a growth trend from 2010 to 2017. But after 2017, there is a certain degree of decline.

Originality/value

With the advent of industry 4.0, the digital manufacturing industry of all countries in the world is developing with a new attitude, the global technology spillover methods are diverse and the spillover channels have changed greatly, which will affect the transformation and upgrading of China's digital manufacturing industry.

Shape-Preserving Stereo Object Remapping via Object-Consistent Grid Warping

Viewing various stereo images under different viewing conditions has escalated the need for effective object-level remapping techniques. In this paper, we propose a new object spatial mapping scheme, which adjusts the depth and size of the selected object to match user preference and viewing conditions. Existing warping-based methods often distort the shape of important objects or cannot faithfully adjust the depth/size of the selected object due to improper warping such as local rotations. In this paper, by explicitly reducing the transformation freedom degree of warping, we propose an optimization model based on axis-aligned warping for object spatial remapping. The proposed axis-aligned warping based optimization model can simultaneously adjust the depths and sizes of selected objects to their target values without introducing severe shape distortions. Moreover, we propose object consistency constraints to ensure the size/shape of parts inside a selected object to be consistently adjusted. Such constraints improve the size/shape adjustment performance while remaining robust to some extent to incomplete object extraction. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves high flexibility and effectiveness in adjusting the size and depth of objects compared with existing methods.

Real‑time COVID-19 diagnosis from X-Ray images using deep CNN and extreme learning machines stabilized by chimp optimization algorithm

Real-time detection of COVID-19 using radiological images has gained priority due to the increasing demand for fast diagnosis of COVID-19 cases. This paper introduces a novel two-phase approach for classifying chest X-ray images. Deep Learning (DL) methods fail to cover these aspects since training and fine-tuning the model's parameters consume much time. In this approach, the first phase comes to train a deep CNN working as a feature extractor, and the second phase comes to use Extreme Learning Machines (ELMs) for real-time detection. The main drawback of ELMs is to meet the need of a large number of hidden-layer nodes to gain a reliable and accurate detector in applying image processing since the detective performance remarkably depends on the setting of initial weights and biases. Therefore, this paper uses Chimp Optimization Algorithm (ChOA) to improve results and increase the reliability of the network while maintaining real-time capability. The designed detector is to be benchmarked on the COVID-Xray-5k and COVIDetectioNet datasets, and the results are verified by comparing it with the classic DCNN, Genetic Algorithm optimized ELM (GA-ELM), Cuckoo Search optimized ELM (CS-ELM), and Whale Optimization Algorithm optimized ELM (WOA-ELM). The proposed approach outperforms other comparative benchmarks with 98.25 % and 99.11 % as ultimate accuracy on the COVID-Xray-5k and COVIDetectioNet datasets, respectively, and it led relative error to reduce as the amount of 1.75 % and 1.01 % as compared to a convolutional CNN. More importantly, the time needed for training deep ChOA-ELM is only 0.9474 milliseconds, and the overall testing time for 3100 images is 2.937 s.

Multilevel threshold image segmentation with diffusion association slime mould algorithm and Renyi's entropy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Image segmentation is an essential pre-processing step and is an indispensable part of image analysis. This paper proposes Renyi's entropy multi-threshold image segmentation based on an improved Slime Mould Algorithm (DASMA). First, we introduce the diffusion mechanism (DM) into the original SMA to increase the population's diversity so that the variants can better avoid falling into local optima. The association strategy (AS) is then added to help the algorithm find the optimal solution faster. Finally, the proposed algorithm is applied to Renyi's entropy multilevel threshold image segmentation based on non-local means 2D histogram. The proposed method's effectiveness is demonstrated on the Berkeley segmentation dataset and benchmark (BSD) by comparing it with some well-known algorithms. The DASMA-based multilevel threshold segmentation technique is also successfully applied to the CT image segmentation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The experimental results are evaluated by image quality metrics, which show the proposed algorithm's extraordinary performance. This means that it can help doctors analyze the lesion tissue qualitatively and quantitatively, improve its diagnostic accuracy and make the right treatment plan. The supplementary material and info about this article will be available at https://aliasgharheidari.com.

Deep convolution stack for waveform in underwater acoustic target recognition

In underwater acoustic target recognition, deep learning methods have been proved to be effective on recognizing original signal waveform. Previous methods often utilize large convolutional kernels to extract features at the beginning of neural networks. It leads to a lack of depth and structural imbalance of networks. The power of nonlinear transformation brought by deep network has not been fully utilized. Deep convolution stack is a kind of network frame with flexible and balanced structure and it has not been explored well in underwater acoustic target recognition, even though such frame has been proven to be effective in other deep learning fields. In this paper, a multiscale residual unit (MSRU) is proposed to construct deep convolution stack network. Based on MSRU, a multiscale residual deep neural network (MSRDN) is presented to classify underwater acoustic target. Dataset acquired in a real-world scenario is used to verify the proposed unit and model. By adding MSRU into Generative Adversarial Networks, the validity of MSRU is proved. Finally, MSRDN achieves the best recognition accuracy of 83.15%, improved by 6.99% from the structure related networks which take the original signal waveform as input and 4.48% from the networks which take the time-frequency representation as input.

Automatic Scaffolding Workface Assessment for Activity Analysis through Machine Learning

Scaffolding serves as one construction trade with high importance. However, scaffolding suffers from low productivity and high cost in Australia. Activity Analysis is a continuous procedure of assessing and improving the amount of time that craft workers spend on one single construction trade, which is a functional method for monitoring onsite operation and analyzing conditions causing delays or productivity decline. Workface assessment is an initial step for activity analysis to manually record the time that workers spend on each activity category. This paper proposes a method of automatic scaffolding workface assessment using a 2D video camera to capture scaffolding activities and the model of key joints and skeleton extraction, as well as machine learning classifiers, were used for activity classification. Additionally, a case study was conducted and showed that the proposed method is a feasible and practical way for automatic scaffolding workface assessment.

Vision-Based Pavement Marking Detection and Condition Assessment—A Case Study

Pavement markings constitute an effective way of conveying regulations and guidance to drivers. They constitute the most fundamental way to communicate with road users, thus, greatly contributing to ensuring safety and order on roads. However, due to the increasingly extensive traffic demand, pavement markings are subject to a series of deterioration issues (e.g., wear and tear). Markings in poor condition typically manifest as being blurred or even missing in certain places. The need for proper maintenance strategies on roadway markings, such as repainting, can only be determined based on a comprehensive understanding of their as-is worn condition. Given the fact that an efficient, automated and accurate approach to collect such condition information is lacking in practice, this study proposes a vision-based framework for pavement marking detection and condition assessment. A hybrid feature detector and a threshold-based method were used for line marking identification and classification. For each identified line marking, its worn/blurred severity level was then quantified in terms of worn percentage at a pixel level. The damage estimation results were compared to manual measurements for evaluation, indicating that the proposed method is capable of providing indicative knowledge about the as-is condition of pavement markings. This paper demonstrates the promising potential of computer vision in the infrastructure sector, in terms of implementing a wider range of managerial operations for roadway management.

Saliency Detection with Bilateral Absorbing Markov Chain Guided by Depth Information

The effectiveness of depth information in saliency detection has been fully proved. However, it is still worth exploring how to utilize the depth information more efficiently. Erroneous depth information may cause detection failure, while non-salient objects may be closer to the camera which also leads to erroneously emphasis on non-salient regions. Moreover, most of the existing RGB-D saliency detection models have poor robustness when the salient object touches the image boundaries. To mitigate these problems, we propose a multi-stage saliency detection model with the bilateral absorbing Markov chain guided by depth information. The proposed model progressively extracts the saliency cues with three level (low-, mid-, and high-level) stages. First, we generate low-level saliency cues by explicitly combining color and depth information. Then, we design a bilateral absorbing Markov chain to calculate mid-level saliency maps. In mid-level, to suppress boundary touch problem, we present the background seed screening mechanism (BSSM) for improving the construction of the two-layer sparse graph and better selecting background-based absorbing nodes. Furthermore, the cross-modal multi-graph learning model (CMLM) is designed to fully explore the intrinsic complementary relationship between color and depth information. Finally, to obtain a more highlighted and homogeneous saliency map in high-level, we structure a depth-guided optimization module which combines cellular automata and suppression-enhancement function pair. This optimization module refines the saliency map in color space and depth space, respectively. Comprehensive experiments on three challenging benchmark datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed method both qualitatively and quantitatively.

Deep Learning-Based Applications for Safety Management in the AEC Industry: A Review

Safety is an essential topic to the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry. However, traditional methods for structural health monitoring (SHM) and jobsite safety management (JSM) are not only inefficient, but also costly. In the past decade, scholars have developed a wide range of deep learning (DL) applications to address automated structure inspection and on-site safety monitoring, such as the identification of structural defects, deterioration patterns, unsafe workforce behaviors and latent risk factors. Although numerous studies have examined the effectiveness of the DL methodology, there has not been one comprehensive, systematic, evidence-based review of all individual articles that investigate the effectiveness of using DL in the SHM and JSM industry to date, nor has there been an examination of this body of evidence in regard to these methodological problems. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to disclose the state of the art of current research progress and determine the relevant gaps, challenges and future work. Methodically, CiteSpace was employed to summarize the research trends, advancements and frontiers of DL applications from 2010 to 2020. Next, an application-focused literature review was conducted, which led to a summary of research gaps, recommendations and future research directions. Overall, this review gains insight into SHM and JSM and aims to help researchers formulate more types of effective DL applications which have not been addressed sufficiently for the time being.

River Water Salinity Prediction Using Hybrid Machine Learning Models

Electrical conductivity (EC), one of the most widely used indices for water quality assessment, has been applied to predict the salinity of the Babol-Rood River, the greatest source of irrigation water in northern Iran. This study uses two individual—M5 Prime (M5P) and random forest (RF)—and eight novel hybrid algorithms—bagging-M5P, bagging-RF, random subspace (RS)-M5P, RS-RF, random committee (RC)-M5P, RC-RF, additive regression (AR)-M5P, and AR-RF—to predict EC. Thirty-six years of observations collected by the Mazandaran Regional Water Authority were randomly divided into two sets: 70% from the period 1980 to 2008 was used as model-training data and 30% from 2009 to 2016 was used as testing data to validate the models. Several water quality variables—pH, HCO3−, Cl−, SO42−, Na+, Mg2+, Ca2+, river discharge (Q), and total dissolved solids (TDS)—were modeling inputs. Using EC and the correlation coefficients (CC) of the water quality variables, a set of nine input combinations were established. TDS, the most effective input variable, had the highest EC-CC (r = 0.91), and it was also determined to be the most important input variable among the input combinations. All models were trained and each model’s prediction power was evaluated with the testing data. Several quantitative criteria and visual comparisons were used to evaluate modeling capabilities. Results indicate that, in most cases, hybrid algorithms enhance individual algorithms’ predictive powers. The AR algorithm enhanced both M5P and RF predictions better than bagging, RS, and RC. M5P performed better than RF. Further, AR-M5P outperformed all other algorithms (R2 = 0.995, RMSE = 8.90 μs/cm, MAE = 6.20 μs/cm, NSE = 0.994 and PBIAS = −0.042). The hybridization of machine learning methods has significantly improved model performance to capture maximum salinity values, which is essential in water resource management.

Predicting Coronary Atherosclerotic Heart Disease: An Extreme Learning Machine with Improved Salp Swarm Algorithm

To provide an available diagnostic model for diagnosing coronary atherosclerotic heart disease to provide an auxiliary function for doctors, we proposed a new evolutionary classification model in this paper. The core of the prediction model is a kernel extreme learning machine (KELM) optimized by an improved salp swarm algorithm (SSA). To get a better subset of parameters and features, the space transformation mechanism is introduced in the optimization core to improve SSA for obtaining an optimal KELM model. The KELM model for the diagnosis of coronary atherosclerotic heart disease (STSSA-KELM) is developed based on the optimal parameters and a subset of features. In the experiment, STSSA-KELM is compared with some widely adopted machine learning methods (MLM) in coronary atherosclerotic heart disease prediction. The experimental results show that STSSA-KELM can realize excellent classification performance and more robust stability under four indications. We also compare the convergence of STSSA-KELM with other MLM; the STSSA-KELM model has demonstrated a higher classification performance. Therefore, the STSSA-KELM model can effectively help doctors to diagnose coronary heart disease.

Going From RGB to RGBD Saliency: A Depth-Guided Transformation Model

Depth information has been demonstrated to be useful for saliency detection. However, the existing methods for RGBD saliency detection mainly focus on designing straightforward and comprehensive models, while ignoring the transferable ability of the existing RGB saliency detection models. In this article, we propose a novel depth-guided transformation model (DTM) going from RGB saliency to RGBD saliency. The proposed model includes three components, that is: 1) multilevel RGBD saliency initialization; 2) depth-guided saliency refinement; and 3) saliency optimization with depth constraints. The explicit depth feature is first utilized in the multilevel RGBD saliency model to initialize the RGBD saliency by combining the global compactness saliency cue and local geodesic saliency cue. The depth-guided saliency refinement is used to further highlight the salient objects and suppress the background regions by introducing the prior depth domain knowledge and prior refined depth shape. Benefiting from the consistency of the entire object in the depth map, we formulate an optimization model to attain more consistent and accurate saliency results via an energy function, which integrates the unary data term, color smooth term, and depth consistency term. Experiments on three public RGBD saliency detection benchmarks demonstrate the effectiveness and performance improvement of the proposed DTM from RGB to RGBD saliency.