Detecting a Cell Using

Image Segmentation
NAMAN DORA C009
SHREYASH GOYAL C014
ROHIN JOSHI C019

Introduction

image segmentationis the process of partitioning adigital imageinto

multiple segments (setsofpixels, also known as super-pixels).

Image segmentation is typically used to locate objects

andboundaries(lines, curves, etc.) in images.

More precisely, image segmentation is the process of assigning a label to

every pixel in an image such that pixels with the same label share certain
characteristics.[1]

The result of image segmentation is a set of segments that collectively

cover the entire image, or a set ofcontoursextracted from the image.

Each of the pixels in a region are similar with respect to some

characteristic or computed property, such ascolor,intensity, ortexture.
Adjacent regions are significantly different with respect to the same
characteristic(s).

Overview of Segmentation
Techniques

Edge detection technique

Region boundaries and edges are closely related, since there is often a
sharp adjustment in intensity at the region boundaries. Edge detection
techniques have therefore been used as the base of segmentation
technique.[2]

include foreground, object groups, objects and salient object parts.

The edges identified by edge detection are often disconnected. To

segment an object from an image however, one needs closed region
boundaries.

Discontinuities in image brightness are likely to correspond to:

discontinuities in depth,

discontinuities in surface orientation,

changes in material properties and

Variations in scene illumination.

In ideal case, the result of applying an edge detector to an image may

lead to a set of connected curves that indicate the boundaries of
objects

Significantly reduce the amount of data to be processed

Region-filling

Image Gradient

An image gradient is a directional change in the intensity

or color in an image. Image gradients may be used to
extract information from images.

Ingraphics softwarefordigital image editing, the term

gradient orcolor gradientis used for a gradual blend
ofcolorwhich can be considered as an
evengradationfrom low to high values.[3]

Mathematical Morphology

Mathematical morphology(MM) is a theory

and technique for the analysis and processing of
geometrical structures, based onset
theory,lattice theory,topology andrandom
functions.

MM is most commonly applied todigital images,

but it can be employed as well ongraphs,surface
mashes,solid, and many other spatial structures
.

[5]

MM is also the foundation of morphologicalimage

processing, which consists of a set of operators that
transform images according to the above
characterizations.[5]

Topological and geometrical continuous-space

concepts such as size, shape, convexity, connectivity,
and geodesic distance, were introduced by MM on
both continuous and discrete spaces.

Dilation

Dilation is one of the basic operations in

mathematical morphology. Originally developed for
binary images, it has been expanded first to
grayscale images, and then to complete lattices.

The dilation operation usually uses a structuring

element for probing and expanding the shapes
contained in the input image.[5]

Erosion

It is typically applied to binary images, but there are

versions that work on grayscale images. The basic
effect of the operator on a binary image is to erode
away the boundaries of regions of foreground pixels
(i.e. white pixels, typically).

Thus areas of foreground pixels shrink in size, and

holes within those areas become larger.[5]

Applications

Content-based image retrieval

Medical imaging

Object detection

Recognition Tasks

Video surveillance

Implementation

This example shows how to detect a cell using edge

detection and basic morphology.

An object can be easily detected in an image if the

object has sufficient contrast from the background. In
this example, the cells are prostate cancer cells.

Step 1: Read Image

Read in thecell.tifimage, which is an image of a prostate cancer cell. [4]

Step 2: Detect Entire Cell

Changes in contrast can be detected by operators that

calculate the gradient of an image.

We use the edge and the Sobel operator to calculate the

threshold value.[4]

Step 3: Dilate the Image

The binary gradient mask shows lines of high contrast in the image.

These linear gaps will disappear if the Sobel image is dilated using linear
structuring elements .[4]

Step 4: Fill Interior Gaps

The dilated gradient mask shows the outline of the cell quite nicely,
but there are still holes in the interior of the cell. [4]

Step 5: Remove Connected

Objects on Border

The cell of interest has been successfully segmented, but it

is not the only object that has been found. [4]

Step 6: Smoothen the Object

Finally, in order to make the segmented object look natural, we

smoothen the object by eroding the image twice.[4]

References

[1] Pham, Dzung L.; Xu, Chenyang; Prince, Jerry L. (2000). "Current Methods in Medical
Image Segmentation". Annual Review of Biomedical Engineering. 2: 315337.

[2] T. Lindeberg (1998) "Edge detection and ridge detection with automatic scale
selection", International Journal of Computer Vision, 30, 2, pages 117154.

[3] J. Canny (1986) "A computational approach to edge detection", IEEE Trans. Pattern
Analysis and Machine Intelligence, vol 8, pages 679714.

[4] https://in.mathworks.com/help/images/examples/detecting-a-cell-using-imagesegmentation.html?prodcode=ML

[5] Image Analysis and Mathematical Morphology, Volume 2: Theoretical Advances by

Jean Serra, ISBN 0-12-637241-1 (1988)

Thank you