DAU-Net: Dual attention-aided U-Net for segmenting tumor in breast ultrasound images.

Breast cancer remains a critical global concern, underscoring the urgent need for early detection and accurate diagnosis to improve survival rates among women. Recent developments in deep learning have shown promising potential for computer-aided detection (CAD) systems to address this challenge. In this study, a novel segmentation method based on deep learning is designed to detect tumors in breast ultrasound images. Our proposed approach combines two powerful attention mechanisms: the novel Positional Convolutional Block Attention Module (PCBAM) and Shifted Window Attention (SWA), integrated into a Residual U-Net model. The PCBAM enhances the Convolutional Block Attention Module (CBAM) by incorporating the Positional Attention Module (PAM), thereby improving the contextual information captured by CBAM and enhancing the model's ability to capture spatial relationships within local features. Additionally, we employ SWA within the bottleneck layer of the Residual U-Net to further enhance the model's performance. To evaluate our approach, we perform experiments using two widely used datasets of breast ultrasound images and the obtained results demonstrate its capability in accurately detecting tumors. Our approach achieves state-of-the-art performance with dice score of 74.23% and 78.58% on BUSI and UDIAT datasets, respectively in segmenting the breast tumor region, showcasing its potential to help with precise tumor detection. By leveraging the power of deep learning and integrating innovative attention mechanisms, our study contributes to the ongoing efforts to improve breast cancer detection and ultimately enhance women's survival rates. The source code of our work can be found here: https://github.com/AyushRoy2001/DAUNet.

A Grouping Differential Evolution Algorithm Boosted by Attraction and Repulsion Strategies for Masi Entropy-Based Multi-Level Image Segmentation.

Masi entropy is a popular criterion employed for identifying appropriate threshold values in image thresholding. However, with an increasing number of thresholds, the efficiency of Masi entropy-based multi-level thresholding algorithms becomes problematic. To overcome this, we propose a novel differential evolution (DE) algorithm as an effective population-based metaheuristic for Masi entropy-based multi-level image thresholding. Our ME-GDEAR algorithm benefits from a grouping strategy to enhance the efficacy of the algorithm for which a clustering algorithm is used to partition the current population. Then, an updating strategy is introduced to include the obtained clusters in the current population. We further improve the algorithm using attraction (towards the best individual) and repulsion (from random individuals) strategies. Extensive experiments on a set of benchmark images convincingly show ME-GDEAR to give excellent image thresholding performance, outperforming other metaheuristics in 37 out of 48 cases based on cost function evaluation, 26 of 48 cases based on feature similarity index, and 20 of 32 cases based on Dice similarity. The obtained results demonstrate that population-based metaheuristics can be successfully applied to entropy-based image thresholding and that strengthening both exploitation and exploration strategies, as performed in ME-GDEAR, is crucial for designing such an algorithm.

A novel bio-inspired optimization model based on Yellow Saddle Goatfish behavior.

Several species of fish live in groups to increase their foraging efficiency and reproduction rates. Such groups are considered self-organized since they can adopt different cooperative actions without the presence of an apparent leader. One of their most interesting collaborative behaviors found in fish is the hunting strategy presented by the Yellow Saddle Goatfish (Parupeneus cyclostomus). In this strategy, the complete group of fish is distributed in subpopulations to cover the whole hunting region. In each sub-population, all fish participate collectively in the hunt considering two different roles: chaser and blocker. In the hunt, a chaser fish actively tries to find the prey in a certain area whereas a blocker fish moves spatially to avoid the escape of the prey. In this paper, we develop the hunting model of Yellow Saddle Goatfish, which at some abstraction level can be characterized as a search strategy for optimization proposes. In the approach, different computational operators are designed in order to emulate this peculiar hunting behavior. With the use of this biological model, the new search strategy improves the optimization results in terms of accuracy and convergence in comparison to other popular optimization techniques. The performance of this method is tested by analyzing its results with other related evolutionary computation techniques. Several standard benchmark functions commonly used in the literature were considered to obtain optimization results. Furthermore, the proposed model is applied to solve certain engineering optimization problems. Analysis of the experimental results exhibits the efficiency, accuracy, and robustness of the proposed algorithm.

A Multiobjective Approach to Homography Estimation.

In several machine vision problems, a relevant issue is the estimation of homographies between two different perspectives that hold an extensive set of abnormal data. A method to find such estimation is the random sampling consensus (RANSAC); in this, the goal is to maximize the number of matching points given a permissible error (Pe), according to a candidate model. However, those objectives are in conflict: a low Pe value increases the accuracy of the model but degrades its generalization ability that refers to the number of matching points that tolerate noisy data, whereas a high Pe value improves the noise tolerance of the model but adversely drives the process to false detections. This work considers the estimation process as a multiobjective optimization problem that seeks to maximize the number of matching points whereas Pe is simultaneously minimized. In order to solve the multiobjective formulation, two different evolutionary algorithms have been explored: the Nondominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II) and the Nondominated Sorting Differential Evolution (NSDE). Results considering acknowledged quality measures among original and transformed images over a well-known image benchmark show superior performance of the proposal than Random Sample Consensus algorithm.

An improved computer vision method for white blood cells detection.

The automatic detection of white blood cells (WBCs) still remains as an unsolved issue in medical imaging. The analysis of WBC images has engaged researchers from fields of medicine and computer vision alike. Since WBC can be approximated by an ellipsoid form, an ellipse detector algorithm may be successfully applied in order to recognize such elements. This paper presents an algorithm for the automatic detection of WBC embedded in complicated and cluttered smear images that considers the complete process as a multiellipse detection problem. The approach, which is based on the differential evolution (DE) algorithm, transforms the detection task into an optimization problem whose individuals represent candidate ellipses. An objective function evaluates if such candidate ellipses are actually present in the edge map of the smear image. Guided by the values of such function, the set of encoded candidate ellipses (individuals) are evolved using the DE algorithm so that they can fit into the WBCs which are enclosed within the edge map of the smear image. Experimental results from white blood cell images with a varying range of complexity are included to validate the efficiency of the proposed technique in terms of its accuracy and robustness.

White blood cell segmentation by circle detection using electromagnetism-like optimization.

Medical imaging is a relevant field of application of image processing algorithms. In particular, the analysis of white blood cell (WBC) images has engaged researchers from fields of medicine and computer vision alike. Since WBCs can be approximated by a quasicircular form, a circular detector algorithm may be successfully applied. This paper presents an algorithm for the automatic detection of white blood cells embedded into complicated and cluttered smear images that considers the complete process as a circle detection problem. The approach is based on a nature-inspired technique called the electromagnetism-like optimization (EMO) algorithm which is a heuristic method that follows electromagnetism principles for solving complex optimization problems. The proposed approach uses an objective function which measures the resemblance of a candidate circle to an actual WBC. Guided by the values of such objective function, the set of encoded candidate circles are evolved by using EMO, so that they can fit into the actual blood cells contained in the edge map of the image. Experimental results from blood cell images with a varying range of complexity are included to validate the efficiency of the proposed technique regarding detection, robustness, and stability.