Abstract: A key aspect of digital mailroom processes is the extraction of relevant information from administrative documents. More often than not, the extraction process cannot be fully automated, and there is instead an important amount of manual intervention. In this work we study the human process of information extraction from invoice document images. We explore whether the gaze of human annotators during an manual information extraction process could be exploited towards reducing the manual effort and automating the process. To this end, we perform an eye-tracking experiment replicating real-life interfaces for information extraction. Through this pilot study we demonstrate that relevant areas in the document can be identified reliably through automatic fixation classification, and the obtained models generalize well to new subjects. Our findings indicate that it is in principle possible to integrate the human in the document image analysis loop, making use of the scanpath to automate the extraction process or verify extracted information.

Abstract: Despite the availability of accurate, commercial gaze tracker devices working with infrared (IR) technology, visible light gaze tracking constitutes an interesting alternative by allowing scalability and removing hardware requirements. Over the last years, this field has seen examples of research showing performance comparable to the IR alternatives. In this work, we survey the previous work on remote, visible light gaze trackers and analyze the explored techniques from various perspectives such as calibration strategies, head pose invariance, and gaze estimation techniques. We also provide information on related aspects of research such as public datasets to test against, open source projects to build upon, and gaze tracking services to directly use in applications. With all this information, we aim to provide the contemporary and future researchers with a map detailing previously explored ideas and the required tools.

Abstract: We introduce in this paper a novel polyp localization method for colonoscopy videos. Our method is based on a model of appearance for polyps which defines polyp boundaries in terms of valley information. We propose the integration of valley information in a robust way fostering complete, concave and continuous boundaries typically associated to polyps. This integration is done by using a window of radial sectors which accumulate valley information to create WMDOVA1 energy maps related with the likelihood of polyp presence. We perform a double validation of our maps, which include the introduction of two new databases, including the first, up to our knowledge, fully annotated database with clinical metadata associated. First we assess that the highest value corresponds with the location of the polyp in the image. Second, we show that WM-DOVA energy maps can be comparable with saliency maps obtained from physicians' fixations obtained via an eye-tracker. Finally, we prove that our method outperforms state-of-the-art computational saliency results. Our method shows good performance, particularly for small polyps which are reported to be the main sources of polyp miss-rate, which indicates the potential applicability of our method in clinical practice.

Abstract: Analysis of branching structures represents a very important task in fields such as medical diagnosis, road detection or biometrics. Detecting intersection landmarks Becomes crucial when capturing the structure of a branching pattern. We present a very simple geometrical model to describe intersections in branching structures based on two conditions: Bounded Tangency condition (BT) and Shortest Branch (SB) condition. The proposed model precisely sets a geometrical characterization of intersections and allows us to introduce a new unsupervised operator for intersection extraction. We propose an implementation that handles the consequences of digital domain operation that,unlike existing approaches, is not restricted to a particular scale and does not require the computation of the thinned pattern. The new proposal, as well as other existing approaches in the bibliography, are evaluated in a common framework for the first time. The performance analysis is based on two manually segmented image data sets: DRIVE retinal image database and COLON-VESSEL data set, a newly created data set of vascular content in colonoscopy frames. We have created an intersection landmark ground truth for each data set besides comparing our method in the only existing ground truth. Quantitative results confirm that we are able to outperform state-of-the-art performancelevels with the advantage that neither training nor parameter tuning is needed.

Abstract: We analyze the feasibility of a cheap eye-tracker where the hardware consists of a single webcam and a Raspberry Pi device. Our aim is to discover the limits of such a system and to see whether it provides an acceptable performance. We base our work on the open source Opengazer (Zielinski, 2013) and we propose several improvements to create a robust, real-time system which can work on a computer with 30Hz sampling rate. After assessing the accuracy of our eye-tracker in elaborated experiments involving 12 subjects under 4 different system setups, we install it on a Raspberry Pi to create a portable stand-alone eye-tracker which achieves 1.42° horizontal accuracy with 3Hz refresh rate for a building cost of 70 Euros.

Abstract: In this paper we present a novel polyp region segmentation method for colonoscopy videos. Our method uses valley information associated to polyp boundaries in order to provide an initial segmentation. This first segmentation is refined to eliminate boundary discontinuities caused by image artifacts or other elements of the scene. Experimental results over a publicly annotated database show that our method outperforms both general and specific segmentation methods by providing more accurate regions rich in polyp content. We also prove how image preprocessing is needed to improve final polyp region segmentation.

Abstract: We analyze the feasibility of a cheap eye-tracker where the hardware consists of a single webcam and a Raspberry Pi device. Our aim is to discover the limits of such a system and to see whether it provides an acceptable performance. We base our work on the open source Opengazer (Zielinski, 2013) and we propose several improvements to create a robust, real-time system. After assessing the accuracy of our eye-tracker in elaborated experiments involving 18 subjects under 4 different system setups, we developed a simple game to see how it performs in practice and we also installed it on a Raspberry Pi to create a portable stand-alone eye-tracker which achieves 1.62° horizontal accuracy with 3 fps refresh rate for a building cost of 70 Euros.

Abstract: In this study we propose amodular systemfor automatic rheumatoid arthritis assessment which provides a joint space width measure. A hand joint model is proposed based on the accurate analysis of a X-ray finger joint image sample set. This model shows that the sclerosis and the lower bone are the main necessary features in order to perform a proper finger joint characterization. We propose sclerosis and lower bone detection methods as well as the experimental setup necessary for its performance assessment. Our characterization is used to propose and compute a joint space width score which is shown to be related to the different degrees of arthritis. This assertion is verified by comparing our proposed score with Sharp Van der Heijde score, confirming that the lower our score is the more advanced is the patient affection.

Abstract: This work aims at the automatic polyp detection by using a model of polyp appearance in the context of the analysis of colonoscopy videos. Our method consists of three stages: region segmentation, region description and region classification. The performance of our region segmentation method guarantees that if a polyp is present in the image, it will be exclusively and totally contained in a single region. The output of the algorithm also defines which regions can be considered as non-informative. We define as our region descriptor the novel Sector Accumulation-Depth of Valleys Accumulation (SA-DOVA), which provides a necessary but not sufficient condition for the polyp presence. Finally, we classify our segmented regions according to the maximal values of the SA-DOVA descriptor. Our preliminary classification results are promising, especially when classifying those parts of the image that do not contain a polyp inside.

Abstract: In this paper we present our approach on real-time polyp detection in colonoscopy videos. Our method consists of three stages: Image Segmentation, Region Description and Image Classification. Taking into account the constraints of our project, we introduce our segmentation system that is based on the model of appearance of the polyp that we have defined after observing real videos from colonoscopy processes. The output of this stage will ideally be a low number of regions of which one of them should cover the whole polyp region (if there is one in the image). This regions will be described in terms of features and, as a result of a machine learning schema, classified based on the values that they have for the several features that we will use on their description. Although we are still on the early stages of the project, we present some preliminary segmentation results that indicates that we are going in a good direction.

Abstract: In this chapter we present tools that can be used to build intelligent systems for colonoscopy.
The idea is, by using methods based on computer vision and artificial intelligence, add significant value to the colonoscopy procedure. Intelligent systems are being used to assist in other medical interventions

Abstract: This work aims at detecting in which regions the objects in the image are by using information about the intensity of valleys, which appear to surround ob- jects in images where the source of light is in the line of direction than the camera. We present our depth of valleys accumulation method, which consists of two stages: first, the definition of the depth of valleys image which combines the output of a ridges and valleys detector with the morphological gradient to measure how deep is a point inside a valley and second, an algorithm that denotes points of the image as interior to objects those which are inside complete or incomplete boundaries in the depth of valleys image. To evaluate the performance of our method we have tested it on several application domains. Our results on object region identification are promising, specially in the field of polyp detection in colonoscopy videos, and we also show its applicability in different areas.

Abstract: An endoscopy system (1) comprises an endoscope (2) with a camera (3) at its tip. The endoscope extends through an endoscope guide (4) for guiding movement of the endoscope and for measurement of its movement as it enters the body. The guide (4) comprises a generally conical body (5) having a through passage (105) through which the endoscope (2) extends. A motion sensor comprises an optical transmitter (7) and a detector (8) mounted alongside the passage (105) to measure the insertion-withdrawal linear motion and also rotation of the endoscope by the endoscopist's hand. The system (1) also comprises a flexure controller (10) having wheels operated by the endoscopist. The camera (3), the motion sensor (7/8), and the flexure controller (10) are all connected to a processor (11) which feeds a display.

Abstract: Intestinal motility assessment with video capsule endoscopy arises as a novel and challenging clinical fieldwork. This technique is based on the analysis of the patterns of intestinal contractions shown in a video provided by an ingestible capsule with a wireless micro-camera. The manual labeling of all the motility events requires large amount of time for offline screening in search of findings with low prevalence, which turns this procedure currently unpractical. In this paper, we propose a machine learning system to automatically detect the phasic intestinal contractions in video capsule endoscopy, driving a useful but not feasible clinical routine into a feasible clinical procedure. Our proposal is based on a sequential design which involves the analysis of textural, color, and blob features together with SVM classifiers. Our approach tackles the reduction of the imbalance rate of data and allows the inclusion of domain knowledge as new stages in the cascade. We present a detailed analysis, both in a quantitative and a qualitative way, by providing several measures of performance and the assessment study of interobserver variability. Our system performs at 70% of sensitivity for individual detection, whilst obtaining equivalent patterns to those of the experts for density of contractions.

Abstract: One of the first usual steps in pattern recognition schemas is image segmentation, in order to reduce the dimensionality of the problem and manage smaller quantity of data. In our case as we are pursuing real-time colon cancer polyp detection, this step is crucial. In this paper we present a non-informative region estimation algorithm that will let us discard some parts of the image where we will not expect to find colon cancer polyps. The performance of our approach will be measured in terms of both non-informative areas elimination and polyps’ areas preserving. The results obtained show the importance of having correct non- informative region estimation in order to fasten the whole recognition process.

Abstract: A method and system cascade analysisi for intestinal contraction detection is provided by extracting from image frames captured in-vivo. The method and system also relate to the detection of turbid liquids in intestinal tracts, to automatic detection of video image frames taken in the gastrointestinal tract including a field of view obstructed by turbid media, and more particulary, to extraction of image data obstructed by turbid media.

Abstract: Wireless capsule endoscopy involves inspection of hours of video material by a highly qualified professional. Time episodes corresponding to intestinal contractions, which are of interest to the physician constitute about 1% of the video. The problem is to label automatically time episodes containing contractions so that only a fraction of the video needs inspection. As the classes of contraction and non-contraction images in the video are largely imbalanced, ROC curves are used to optimize the trade-off between false positive and false negative rates. Classifier ensemble methods and simple classifiers were examined. Our results reinforce the claims from recent literature that classifier ensemble methods specifically designed for imbalanced problems have substantial advantages over simple classifiers and standard classifier ensembles. By using ROC curves with the bagging ensemble method the inspection time can be drastically reduced at the expense of a small fraction of missed contractions.

Abstract: In this work, we address the study of intestinal contractions in a novel approach based on a machine learning framework to process data from Wireless Capsule Video Endoscopy. Wireless endoscopy represents a unique way to visualize the intestine motility by creating long videos to visualize intestine dynamics. In this paper we argue that to analyze huge amount of wireless endoscopy data and define robust methods for contraction detection we should base our approach on sophisticated machine learning techniques. In particular, we propose a cascade of classifiers in order to remove different physiological phenomenon and obtain the motility pattern of small intestines. Our results show obtaining high specificity and sensitivity rates that highlight the high efficiency of the selected approach and support the feasibility of the proposed methodology in the automatic detection and analysis of intestine contractions.

Abstract: This work tackles the categorization of general linear radial patterns by means of the valleys and ridges detection and the use of descriptors of directional information, which are provided by steerable filters in different regions of the image. We successfully apply our proposal in the specific case of automatic detection of tonic contractions in video capsule endoscopy, which represent a paradigmatic example of linear radial patterns.

Abstract: Intestinal motility assessment with video capsule endoscopy arises as a novel and challenging clinical fieldwork. This technique is based on the analysis of the patterns of intestinal contractions obtained by labelling all the motility events present in a video provided by a capsule with a wireless micro-camera, which is ingested by the patient. However, the visual analysis of these video sequences presents several im- portant drawbacks, mainly related to both the large amount of time needed for the visualization process, and the low prevalence of intestinal contractions in video.
In this work we propose a machine learning system to automatically detect the intestinal contractions in video capsule endoscopy, driving a very useful but not fea- sible clinical routine into a feasible clinical procedure. Our proposal is divided into two different parts: The first part tackles the problem of the automatic detection of phasic contractions in capsule endoscopy videos. Phasic contractions are dynamic events spanning about 4-5 seconds, which show visual patterns with a high variability. Our proposal is based on a sequential design which involves the analysis of textural, color and blob features with powerful classifiers such as SVM. This approach appears to cope with two basic aims: the reduction of the imbalance rate of the data set, and the modular construction of the system, which adds the capability of including domain knowledge as new stages in the cascade. The second part of the current work tackles the problem of the automatic detection of tonic contractions. Tonic contrac- tions manifest in capsule endoscopy as a sustained pattern of the folds and wrinkles of the intestine, which may be prolonged for an undetermined span of time. Our proposal is based on the analysis of the wrinkle patterns, presenting a comparative study of diverse features and classification methods, and providing a set of appro- priate descriptors for their characterization. We provide a detailed analysis of the performance achieved by our system both in a qualitative and a quantitative way.

Abstract: Dynamic tracking of heart moving is one relevant target in medical imag- ing and can be helpful for analyzing heart dynamics in the study of several cardiac diseases. For this aim, a previous segmentation problem of such structures is stated, based on certain relevant features (like edges or intensity levels, textures, etc.) Clas- sical active models have been used, but they fail when overlapping structures or not well-defined contours are present. Automatic feature learning systems may be a pow- erful tool. Discriminant active contours present optimal results in this kind of problem. They are a kind of deformable models that converge to an optimal object segmenta- tion that dynamically adapts to the object contour. The feature space is designed from a filter bank in order to guarantee the search and learning of the set of relevant fea- tures for optimal classification on each part of the object. Tracking of target evolution is obtained through the whole set of images, using information from the actual and previous stages. Feedback systems are implemented to guarantee the minimum well- separable classification set in each segmentation step. Our implementation has been proved with several series of Magnetic Resonance with improved results in segmenta- tion in comparison to previous methods.