Abstract-Intensity inhomogeneities often occur in real-world images and may cause considerable difficulties in image segmentation. In order to overcome the difficulties caused by intensity inhomogeneities, we propose a region-based active contour model that draws upon intensity information in local regions at a controllable scale. A data fitting energy is defined in terms of a contour and two fitting functions that locally approximate the image intensities on the two sides of the contour. This energy is then incorporated into a variational level set formulation with a level set regularization term, from which a curve evolution equation is derived for energy minimization. Due to a kernel function in the data fitting term, intensity information in local regions is extracted to guide the motion of the contour, which thereby enables our model to cope with intensity inhomogeneity. In addition, the regularity of the level set function is intrinsically preserved by the level set regularization term to ensure accurate computation and avoids expensive reinitialization of the evolving level set function. Experimental results for synthetic and real images show desirable performances of our method.Index Terms-Image segmentation, intensity inhomogeneity, level set method, region-scalable fitting energy, variational method.
Gyrification is the process by which the brain undergoes changes in surface morphology to create sulcal and gyral regions. The period of greatest development of brain gyrification is during the third trimester of pregnancy, a period of time in which the brain undergoes considerable growth. Little is known about changes in gyrification during childhood and adolescence, although considering the changes in gray matter volume and thickness during this time period, it is conceivable that alterations in the brain surface morphology could also occur during this period of development. The formation of gyri and sulci in the brain allows for compact wiring that promotes and enhances efficient neural processing. If cerebral function and form are linked through the organization of neural connectivity, then alterations in neural connectivity, i.e., synaptic pruning, may also alter the gyral and sulcal patterns of the brain. This paper reviews developmental theories of gyrification, computational techniques for measuring gyrification, and the potential interaction between gyrification and neuronal connectivity. We also present recent findings involving alterations in gyrification during childhood and adolescence.
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