Gauge fields in pictorial space

“Pictorial space” is the mental structure that appears to be the scaffold for the visual awareness when looking “into” (as opposed to “at”) a picture. Its structure differs from the “visual space” that is the scaffold for the visual awareness when looking into the scene in front of the observer. The structure of pictorial space has been probed...

Semi-hidden target recognition in gated viewer images fused with traditional thermal IR images

Nowadays, for the defense and security community, it is of prior importance to classify threats that are merged in a background while at the same time understanding the context of the entire scene. Traditional TV and Infra-Red (IR) cameras allow for an easy context understanding by providing valuable background and scenery information....

Studying the relative impact of ghosting and noise on the perceived quality of MR images

In current magnetic resonance (MR) imaging systems, design choices are confronted with a trade-off between structured (i.e. artifacts) and unstructured noise. The impact of both types of noise on perceived image quality, however, is so far unknown, while this knowledge would be highly beneficial for further improvement of MR imaging systems. In...

Issues in the design of a no-reference metric for perceived blur

Developing an objective metric, which automatically quantifies perceived image quality degradation induced by blur, is highly beneficial for current digital imaging systems. In many applications, these objective metrics need to be of the noreference (NR) type, which implies that quality prediction is based on the distorted image only. Recent...

Interactions of visual attention and quality perception

Several attempts to integrate visual saliency information in quality metrics are described in literature, albeit with contradictory results. The way saliency is integrated in quality metrics should reflect the mechanisms underlying the interaction between image quality assessment and visual attention. This interaction is actually two-fold: (1)...

Image processing of optical coherence tomography for image guided dental drilling

In the past two decades, dental implants have been an essential component of the public health. However, lack of a reliable and safe dental surgery imaging modality remains a major problem. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an interferometic optical imaging modality that is somewhat similar to B-mode ultrasound but utilizes infrared light...

Issues in the design of a no-reference metric for perceived blur

Developing an objective metric, which automatically quantifies perceived image quality degradation induced by blur, is highly beneficial for current digital imaging systems. In many applications, these objective metrics need to be of the noreference (NR) type, which implies that quality prediction is based on the distorted image only. Recent...

An insect eye based image sensor with very large field of view

In this paper we discuss the design of a novel miniaturized image sensor based on the working principle of insect facet eyes. The main goals are to design an imaging system which captures a large field of view (FOV) and to find a good trade-off between image resolution and sensitivity. To capture a total FOV of 124°, we split up this FOV into 25...

The Effect of Task on Visual Attention and its Application to Image Quality Assessment Metrics

Determining the perceived quality of a digital image can be done by showing it to a large group of people and ask them to rate its quality. However, this method is too cumbersome and time-consuming for most applications. Therefore, automatic metrics have been developed, which are able to objectively predict the perceived image quality without...

No-Reference image quality assessment based on localized gradient statistics: Application to JPEG and JPEG2000

Studying the effect of optimizing the image quality in saliency regions at the expense of background content

Manufacturers of commercial display devices continuously try to improve the perceived image quality of their products. By applying some post processing techniques on the incoming image signal, they aim to enhance the quality level perceived by the viewer. Applying such techniques may cause side effects on different portions of the processed...

Comparing subjective image quality measurement methods for the creation of public databases

Improving Quality of Electron Microscopic Images Using Post-Processing Filters

Electron microscopy makes it possible to magnify samples at almost atom level by using electron beams to scan the sample. These images could be improved in terms of noise and sharpness. In this research we looked into the possibilities to use post-processing filters for improving the quality of electron microscopic images.

Image quality in context

An analysis of the ergonomic quality of the current standards for the visual display quality leads to a number of recommendations for the development of new international standards: - Separation for different types of users, esp. display designers, purchasers, and end users, -Independence of display technology to allow comparison, -Modular...

Performance evaluation of 3D-TV systems

The image quality circle is a commonly accepted framework to model the relation between the technology variables of a display and the resulting image quality. 3D-TV systems, however, go beyond the concept of image quality. Research has shown that, although 3D scenes are clearly more appreciated by subjects, the concept ’image quality’ does not...

Image Quality - Assessment in Diagnostoc Radiography: Resolution Characteristics in terms of Modulation Transfer Function (MTF)

In Search of an Objective Measure for the Perceptual Quality of Printed Images

This thesis is concerned with the topic of perceptual image quality. Our visual communication is mainly based on images, either natural or synthetic. Humans are able to judge whether an image is a good image. However, for many applications it would be faster and cheaper to estimate the quality of images using a computer. The major goal of this...