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David Roche, Debora Gil, & Jesus Giraldo. (2014). "Mathematical modeling of G protein-coupled receptor function: What can we learn from empirical and mechanistic models? " In G Protein-Coupled Receptors – Modeling and Simulation Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology (Vol. 796, pp. 159–181). Springer Netherlands.
Abstract: Empirical and mechanistic models differ in their approaches to the analysis of pharmacological effect. Whereas the parameters of the former are not physical constants those of the latter embody the nature, often complex, of biology. Empirical models are exclusively used for curve fitting, merely to characterize the shape of the E/[A] curves. Mechanistic models, on the contrary, enable the examination of mechanistic hypotheses by parameter simulation. Regretfully, the many parameters that mechanistic models may include can represent a great difficulty for curve fitting, representing, thus, a challenge for computational method development. In the present study some empirical and mechanistic models are shown and the connections, which may appear in a number of cases between them, are analyzed from the curves they yield. It may be concluded that systematic and careful curve shape analysis can be extremely useful for the understanding of receptor function, ligand classification and drug discovery, thus providing a common language for the communication between pharmacologists and medicinal chemists.
Keywords: β-arrestin; biased agonism; curve fitting; empirical modeling; evolutionary algorithm; functional selectivity; G protein; GPCR; Hill coefficient; intrinsic efficacy; inverse agonism; mathematical modeling; mechanistic modeling; operational model; parameter optimization; receptor dimer; receptor oligomerization; receptor constitutive activity; signal transduction; two-state model
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Debora Gil, & Petia Radeva. (2006). "Inhibition of false landmarks " . Pattern Recognition Letters, 27(9), 1022–1030.
Abstract: Corners and junctions are landmarks characterized by the lack of differentiability in the unit tangent to the image level curve. Detectors based on differential operators are not, by their own definition, the best posed as they require a higher degree of differentiability to yield a reliable response. We argue that a corner detector should be based on the degree of continuity of the tangent vector to the image level sets, work on the image domain and need no assumptions on neither the image local structure nor the particular geometry of the corner/junction. An operator measuring the degree of differentiability of the projection matrix on the image gradient fulfills the above requirements. Because using smoothing kernels leads to corner misplacement, we suggest an alternative fake response remover based on the receptive field inhibition of spurious details. The combination of both orientation discontinuity detection and noise inhibition produce our inhibition orientation energy (IOE) landmark locator.
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Oriol Pujol, Debora Gil, & Petia Radeva. (2005). "Fundamentals of Stop and Go active models " . Image and Vision Computing, 23(8), 681–691.
Abstract: An efficient snake formulation should conform to the idea of picking the smoothest curve among all the shapes approximating an object of interest. In current geodesic snakes, the regularizing curvature also affects the convergence stage, hindering the latter at concave regions. In the present work, we make use of characteristic functions to define a novel geodesic formulation that decouples regularity and convergence. This term decoupling endows the snake with higher adaptability to non-convex shapes. Convergence is ensured by splitting the definition of the external force into an attractive vector field and a repulsive one. In our paper, we propose to use likelihood maps as approximation of characteristic functions of object appearance. The better efficiency and accuracy of our decoupled scheme are illustrated in the particular case of feature space-based segmentation.
Keywords: Deformable models; Geodesic snakes; Region-based segmentation
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Aura Hernandez-Sabate, Monica Mitiko, Sergio Shiguemi, & Debora Gil. (2010). "A validation protocol for assessing cardiac phase retrieval in IntraVascular UltraSound " In Computing in Cardiology (Vol. 37, pp. 899–902). IEEE.
Abstract: A good reliable approach to cardiac triggering is of utmost importance in obtaining accurate quantitative results of atherosclerotic plaque burden from the analysis of IntraVascular UltraSound. Although, in the last years, there has been an increase in research of methods for retrospective gating, there is no general consensus in a validation protocol. Many methods are based on quality assessment of longitudinal cuts appearance and those reporting quantitative numbers do not follow a standard protocol. Such heterogeneity in validation protocols makes faithful comparison across methods a difficult task. We propose a validation protocol based on the variability of the retrieved cardiac phase and explore the capability of several quality measures for quantifying such variability. An ideal detector, suitable for its application in clinical practice, should produce stable phases. That is, it should always sample the same cardiac cycle fraction. In this context, one should measure the variability (variance) of a candidate sampling with respect a ground truth (reference) sampling, since the variance would indicate how spread we are aiming a target. In order to quantify the deviation between the sampling and the ground truth, we have considered two quality scores reported in the literature: signed distance to the closest reference sample and distance to the right of each reference sample. We have also considered the residuals of the regression line of reference against candidate sampling. The performance of the measures has been explored on a set of synthetic samplings covering different cardiac cycle fractions and variabilities. From our simulations, we conclude that the metrics related to distances are sensitive to the shift considered while the residuals are robust against fraction and variabilities as far as one can establish a pair-wise correspondence between candidate and reference. We will further investigate the impact of false positive and negative detections in experimental data.
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Jaume Garcia, Debora Gil, Luis Badiella, Aura Hernandez-Sabate, Francesc Carreras, Sandra Pujades, et al. (2010). "A Normalized Framework for the Design of Feature Spaces Assessing the Left Ventricular Function " . IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging, 29(3), 733–745.
Abstract: A through description of the left ventricle functionality requires combining complementary regional scores. A main limitation is the lack of multiparametric normality models oriented to the assessment of regional wall motion abnormalities (RWMA). This paper covers two main topics involved in RWMA assessment. We propose a general framework allowing the fusion and comparison across subjects of different regional scores. Our framework is used to explore which combination of regional scores (including 2-D motion and strains) is better suited for RWMA detection. Our statistical analysis indicates that for a proper (within interobserver variability) identification of RWMA, models should consider motion and extreme strains.
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Aura Hernandez-Sabate, Debora Gil, Eduard Fernandez-Nofrerias, Petia Radeva, & Enric Marti. (2009). "Approaching Artery Rigid Dynamics in IVUS " . IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging, 28(11), 1670–1680.
Abstract: Tissue biomechanical properties (like strain and stress) are playing an increasing role in diagnosis and long-term treatment of intravascular coronary diseases. Their assessment strongly relies on estimation of vessel wall deformation. Since intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) sequences allow visualizing vessel morphology and reflect its dynamics, this technique represents a useful tool for evaluation of tissue mechanical properties. Image misalignment introduced by vessel-catheter motion is a major artifact for a proper tracking of tissue deformation. In this work, we focus on compensating and assessing IVUS rigid in-plane motion due to heart beating. Motion parameters are computed by considering both the vessel geometry and its appearance in the image. Continuum mechanics laws serve to introduce a novel score measuring motion reduction in in vivo sequences. Synthetic experiments validate the proposed score as measure of motion parameters accuracy; whereas results in in vivo pullbacks show the reliability of the presented methodologies in clinical cases.
Keywords: Fourier analysis; intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) dynamics; longitudinal motion; quality measures; tissue deformation.
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Debora Gil, Aura Hernandez-Sabate, Mireia Burnat, Steven Jansen, & Jordi Martinez-Vilalta. (2009). "Structure-Preserving Smoothing of Biomedical Images " In 13th International Conference on Computer Analysis of Images and Patterns (Vol. 5702, pp. 427–434). Springer Berlin Heidelberg.
Abstract: Smoothing of biomedical images should preserve gray-level transitions between adjacent tissues, while restoring contours consistent with anatomical structures. Anisotropic diffusion operators are based on image appearance discontinuities (either local or contextual) and might fail at weak inter-tissue transitions. Meanwhile, the output of block-wise and morphological operations is prone to present a block structure due to the shape and size of the considered pixel neighborhood. In this contribution, we use differential geometry concepts to define a diffusion operator that restricts to image consistent level-sets. In this manner, the final state is a non-uniform intensity image presenting homogeneous inter-tissue transitions along anatomical structures, while smoothing intra-structure texture. Experiments on different types of medical images (magnetic resonance, computerized tomography) illustrate its benefit on a further process (such as segmentation) of images.
Keywords: non-linear smoothing; differential geometry; anatomical structures segmentation; cardiac magnetic resonance; computerized tomography.
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Debora Gil, & Petia Radeva. (2003). "Curvature Vector Flow to Assure Convergent Deformable Models for Shape Modelling " In B. Springer (Ed.), Energy Minimization Methods In Computer Vision And Pattern Recognition (Vol. 2683, pp. 357–372). Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Lisbon, PORTUGAL: Springer, Berlin.
Abstract: Poor convergence to concave shapes is a main limitation of snakes as a standard segmentation and shape modelling technique. The gradient of the external energy of the snake represents a force that pushes the snake into concave regions, as its internal energy increases when new inexion points are created. In spite of the improvement of the external energy by the gradient vector ow technique, highly non convex shapes can not be obtained, yet. In the present paper, we develop a new external energy based on the geometry of the curve to be modelled. By tracking back the deformation of a curve that evolves by minimum curvature ow, we construct a distance map that encapsulates the natural way of adapting to non convex shapes. The gradient of this map, which we call curvature vector ow (CVF), is capable of attracting a snake towards any contour, whatever its geometry. Our experiments show that, any initial snake condition converges to the curve to be modelled in optimal time.
Keywords: Initial condition; Convex shape; Non convex analysis; Increase; Segmentation; Gradient; Standard; Standards; Concave shape; Flow models; Tracking; Edge detection; Curvature
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Sergio Vera, Debora Gil, Agnes Borras, F. Javier Sanchez, Frederic Perez, Marius G. Linguraru, et al. (2012). "Computation and Evaluation of Medial Surfaces for Shape Representation of Abdominal Organs " In H. Yoshida et al (Ed.), Workshop on Computational and Clinical Applications in Abdominal Imaging (Vol. 7029, 223–230). Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Berlin: Springer Link.
Abstract: Medial representations are powerful tools for describing and parameterizing the volumetric shape of anatomical structures. Existing methods show excellent results when applied to 2D
objects, but their quality drops across dimensions. This paper contributes to the computation of medial manifolds in two aspects. First, we provide a standard scheme for the computation of medial
manifolds that avoid degenerated medial axis segments; second, we introduce an energy based method which performs independently of the dimension. We evaluate quantitatively the performance of our
method with respect to existing approaches, by applying them to synthetic shapes of known medial geometry. Finally, we show results on shape representation of multiple abdominal organs,
exploring the use of medial manifolds for the representation of multi-organ relations.
Keywords: medial manifolds, abdomen.
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Carles Sanchez, F. Javier Sanchez, Antoni Rosell, & Debora Gil. (2012). "An illumination model of the trachea appearance in videobronchoscopy images " In Image Analysis and Recognition (Vol. 7325, pp. 313–320). Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Springer Berlin Heidelberg.
Abstract: Videobronchoscopy is a medical imaging technique that allows interactive navigation inside the respiratory pathways. This imaging modality provides realistic images and allows non-invasive minimal intervention procedures. Tracheal procedures are routinary interventions that require assessment of the percentage of obstructed pathway for injury (stenosis) detection. Visual assessment in videobronchoscopic sequences requires high expertise of trachea anatomy and is prone to human error.
This paper introduces an automatic method for the estimation of steneosed trachea percentage reduction in videobronchoscopic images. We look for tracheal rings , whose deformation determines the degree of obstruction. For ring extraction , we present a ring detector based on an illumination and appearance model. This model allows us to parametrise the ring detection. Finally, we can infer optimal estimation parameters for any video resolution.
Keywords: Bronchoscopy, tracheal ring, stenosis assesment, trachea appearance model, segmentation
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