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Jody Williams' Path to the Nobel Peace Prize
Wednesday, March 06, 2013
Jody Williams, anti-landmine activist, and author of My Name is Jody Williams: A Vermont Girl's Winding Path to the Nobel Peace Prize, talks about her activism and her work on women's issues through the Nobel Women's Initiative.
*This live interview originally aired on March 6, 2013. An edited version re-aired on May 27, 2013 as part of a special Memorial Day show.
Guests:Jody Williams
Comments [2]
Drones and other weapons are not a way street.
Assassination and extrajudicial killings can also visit America.
Drones can be used for good as well. I envision drones flying over the African savannah monitoring poachers for instance. They are not only for assassination. They don't necessarily have to have missiles on them.
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The uniqueness of devotion rests on the truth that the yearning is for the highest bliss that far exceeds any finite object of enjoyment. True devotion transcends considerations such as learning, wealth, status, etc., and understands the Lord's supremacy and strives to gain access to His presence by humble and pure obeisance alone. When surrounded by an atmosphere of competition in this world, a Jivatma finds it difficult to fix his mind on God alone with absolute steadfastness.
But the Lord's penchant for true devotion is so strong that He comes forward to lift the Jivatma from the shackles of samsara, and this is symbolised in Krishna's fondness for butter, said Sri B. Sundarkumar in a discourse.
The epithet Navaneeta Chora — one who steals butter — only signifies the Lord's special fondness for those who show pure and unselfish love for Him. Like the butter that continues to remain and float in the curd from which it is obtained, maintaining its separate identity henceforth, the Jivatma whose devotion is pure and simple is dear to Him. The Lord Himself chooses to release those whose devotion to Him is strong even when worldly concerns may distract them from maintaining a detached state. Similarly the flute in His hands is also symbolic of the spirit of true devotion. A true devotee always wishes to bide by the Lord's command and be an instrument to do His bidding. Is not the flute privileged to be carried by Him and always ready to serve Him?
The Gopis represent the highest stage of devotion and their words reflect the state of mind of realised souls. Hearing the Lord's music, they run seeking Him. They are dissuaded by Krishna to get back to their immediate duties. This is what they tell Him: "The Supreme Lord accepts all those who go to Him seeking liberation. The Lord is the soul of the souls of all beings. He is the closest relative and the dearest object of love. We have abandoned all worldly concerns and have come to you as our succour. It does not behove you to spurn us thus."
Devotion alone promises release from samsara. One has to offer oneself to God and not desire anything else in this world except union with God.

subset: commoncrawl


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Edward Lewis email@example.com
August 19, 2013
PLYMOUTH — Police allege two people went on a burglary spree, stealing cigarettes, cellphones, a hair trimmer and in the process flooded the basement of one residence by turning on a garden hose.
Britany Lynn Suda, 22, of East Shawnee Avenue, and Marquise Rashid Brogdon, 20, of High Street, both in Plymouth, were arrested when police found them inside 64 E. Main St. at about 6:20 a.m. Saturday.
Police allege Suda and Brogdon forced open a basement door at the East Main Street residence and tried to hide when confronted by officers.
Suda and Brogdon were arraigned Saturday by District Judge Joseph Carmody in West Pittston.
Suda was charged with two counts each of burglary and criminal trespass, and one count each of receiving stolen property, loitering and prowling at night and public drunkenness. Brogdon was charged with three counts each of burglary and criminal trespass, two counts of criminal mischief, and one count each of theft, receiving stolen property, loitering and prowling at night, public drunkenness and purchase of alcohol by a minor.
Suda was jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $25,000 bail and Brodgon locked up for lack of $30,000 bail.
According to the criminal complaints:
A woman leaving her residence in Martz Manor was confronted by Suda and Brogdon early Saturday morning. The woman's husband stood outside and watched the pair walk toward 100 Martz Manor and a short time later toward East Main Street.
Police caught the pair inside 64 E. Main St. with cellphones, a cellphone charger, keys, a hair trimmer, two packs of cigarettes, cologne and food items.
After their arrests, another resident of Martz Manor told police his residence was burglarized while his family, including a 1-year-old girl, slept. The resident said his cellphone, food items and two packs of cigarettes were stolen, and a garden hose was turned on, whch caused substantial flooding in his basement, the complaints say.
A resident at 100 Martz Manor reported a storm door was forced open and hand prints were found near the door, according to the complaints.
Preliminary hearings are scheduled on Aug. 28.


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CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - The road that leads into the Peregrine Financial Group's location in Cedar Falls is as unassuming as just another country road. Yet, on Thursday afternoon, the financial world was locked in on the latest developments.
A satellite truck with a full news crew from the network CNBC was parked outside the closed gates at 1 Peregrine Way in rural Cedar Falls.
For days, the focus has been on what led to the collapse and eventual Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing by the Cedar Falls-based futures brokerage.
On Monday morning, investigators say PFG founder and CEO Russ Wasendorf Sr. tried to commit suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning in the company parking lot. That raised the attention of investigators and reporters as Wasendorf is being treated at an Iowa City hospital.
Multiple news reports, including MarketWatch.com, claim Peregrine Financial had stated, in recent weeks, the company had $225 million in the bank when the reality was that the number was only $5 million. Now, with Peregrine filing for bankruptcy, the FBI is looking into how the company reached this point.
The names "Wasendorf" and "Peregrine" are very prominent throughout Waterloo and Cedar Falls. The Peregrine Charities Triathlon event at George Wyth State Park is cancelled. Yet the foundation was well-known for its donations to area hospitals, especially for children's treatment. The Cedar Falls Public Library lists Wasendorf as a six-figure donor.
Yet, just across the street from the library, is MyVerona, an Italian restaurant that is owned by Wasendorf. Early this week, MyVerona closed without warning and dozens of employees had worked there.
The PFG collapse means about 125 workers will lose their jobs, between the Cedar Falls facility and Chicago-based employees. One Chicago employee, Ronald Kotulak, has filed legal action seeking "class action status" to bring in other PFG workers, including those in Cedar Falls. Kotulak claims that he was fired without the proper 60-day notice required under federal law.
Noting the situation at PFG, one local CEO is hoping some of these workers will stay in the region. Banno CEO Wade Arnold is openly courting former PFG employees. His 61-employee firm is tech-based and he wants the Cedar Valley to have the jobs to keep tech-savvy professionals in the area.
"With what is happening at PFG, that is an influx of really talented people for the market," said Arnold.
There is a PFGBest and My Verona Displaced Employees Assistance Meeting Scheduled for Wednesday, July 18. The meeting will be held at Hawkeye Community College, Tama Hall Rooms 107A/B, 1501 East Orange Road.
Representatives from area organiztions will be on hand to help people with unemployment Insurance, job assistance, educational opportunities, and food and utility assistance
Cedar Rapids, Iowa News, Sports, and Weather
Peregrine Financial Collapse Leaves Workers, Region Scrambling
By Chris Earl, Reporter
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Sometimes after a break up exes can become friends- something that Harry Styles and Taylor Swift won't being doing following their split.
Harry and Taylor no longer want anything to do with each other. Copyright [Splash]
The two stars apparently want nothing to do with each other since breaking up earlier this year.
A friend of the 'I Knew You Were Trouble' singer has revealed that neither party wants to know the other anymore, ruling out even the possibility of a friendship.
Taylor's friend told Hollywoodlife: "Concerning her and Harry, they don't talk to each other at all.
"The relationship is as over as possible. They want nothing to do with each other."
Well this could prove awkward later this month when the two come face-to-face at the BRIT awards.
Let's hope there is more than one entrance they can use.
Harry Styles, 19, may not be one of Taylor Swift's favourite people in the world right now but there is no doubt that there are others who have plenty of nice things to say about him.
And we're not talking about his loyal One Direction fan base.
Harry spent £3k on pizza for the homeless. Copyright [Wenn]
Close friend Ed Sheeran revealed the singer's charitable side after the two spent a day off together in LA a few months ago.
He told the Mirror: "We were in LA about three months ago and he had a day off.
"He spent two or three grand on Domino's pizza and drove around giving them out to homeless people. That's an amazing story.
"People write about Harry in a negative way because of his love life but he does stuff like that a lot. He's a pretty genuine guy."
Related Article: [Harry Styles and Taylor Swift split: Were the Directioners to blame?]
Related Article: [Harry Styles gets over Taylor Swift split with a bit of partying]


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05 September 2013 05:26 [Source: ICIS news]
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--India's Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) has sold by tender a 35,000 tonne naphtha cargo for loading from New Mangalore on 1-3 October, traders said on Thursday.
Japanese trading firm Idemitsu bought the cargo at a premium of $26/tonne (€20/tonne) to Middle East quotes FOB (free on board) pricing, they added.
MRPL previously sold by tender a 35,000 tonne naphtha cargo for loading from New Mangalore, to PetroDiamond.
The deal for the cargo was done at a premium of $27/tonne to Middle East quotes FOB for loading on 16-18 September.
($1 = €0.76)
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Narrow your search
The second generation of Apple's MacBook Air fixes many of our issues with the ambitious original, adding more USB ports, an SD card slot, and a more powerful processor.
Apple slightly revamps its basic MacBook with improvements under the hood, but keeps the design and price the same, which makes the new MacBook tough to beat as a back-to-school laptop.
The new 13-inch MacBook Pro uses a faster version of last year's processor, but a graphics chip upgrade and better battery life give it more value for the same price.
Apple's latest version of the popular $999 white MacBook gets an upscale makeover, while keeping the price the same. It's a strong alternative to the more expensive Pro line, if you can live without extras such as an SD card slot.
Available direct from Apple. Starting price $999.00
For $999, it's hard to beat this MacBook's nearly MacBook-Pro-level specs if you're in the market for a budget Apple laptop.
As Reviewed: $999
Check manufacturer's site for availability
Apple's 15-inch MacBook Pro makes only minor tweaks to the previous version, but cutting prices and swapping the ExpressCard slot for an SD card slot are enough to make it a solid improvement over its predecessor.
Apple's redesigned 13-inch MacBook is essentially a shrunken version of the more expensive 15-inch Pro line. With its new aluminum body, new trackpad, and Nvidia graphics, it's an even more attractive choice for mainstream laptop buyers than was the plastic model it replaces.
Apple MacBook (Core 2 Duo 2GHz
Apple MacBook Air (Core 2 Duo 1.86GHz
Apple's redesigned 15-inch MacBook Pro boasts a redesigned aluminum body that's stunning, thin, and sturdy; a new trackpad with expanded functionality; and a dual graphics setup for either longer battery life or better performance, but there's now less incentive to spend extra for it because its 13-inch mainstream cousin received a greater overhaul.


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We visited Borgo Sicelle now for the 8th time and everytime we feel if we are coming 'home'. Franco and Silvia are always willing to help and to advise us and all other guests regarding trips, special events, weather forecast, restaurants etc. This year we decided to stay for almost 3 weeks and it really was worth it! This summer (2012) was hot, so we spend every day several times in the swimming pool and saw the beautiful view over the mountains. Even after so many years we still enjoy every minute. Borgo Sicelle is located on top of the hills in the Chianti area, 25 km away from Florence and 35 km away from Siena. We saw a lot of other hotels, agriturismo etc. but Borgo Sicelle is one of the very few with this magnificent view. Besides that it is a very relaxed small area, and ok there is only one small restaurant at a walking distance, but that also means that you don't have all the noise of a crowded area. Again we explored the area with our mountainbikes. Especially between all the vine yards it is great cycling at the so-called 'strade bianche', rough roads but not (too) tough. For all admirors of cycling: you can find cycling roads in all sorts and yes, at times it can be slightly steep... The food & wines (visit the Enoteca at Panzano) are delicious, the culture and events in all cities and villages are fantastic and Borgo Sicelle is a great starting point for everything you want to do in the Tuscany. Next year we will return, because there is still so much to see and to discover. Arrivederci!
- Official Description (provided by the hotel):
- Borgo Sicelle, originally a small farm typical of the Chianti region, the perfect location for excursions to Florence (27 km), Siena (35 km), S.Gimignano (25 km) and pretty towns such as Castellina, Greve, Radda and Gaiole in Chianti. It is situated on the top of a hill in a panoramic position, a wonderful view of the surrounding hills and the incredible Tuscan sunsets.There are ten apartments, from 2 to 6 people. ... more less
- Reservation Options:
- TripAdvisor is proud to partner with Travelocity, Expedia, Hotels.com, Venere and Priceline so you can book your Borgo Sicelle reservations with confidence. We help millions of travelers each month to find the perfect hotel for both vacation and business trips, always with the best discounts and special offers.
- Also Known As:
- Borgo Sicelle Castellina In Chianti, Italy - Tuscany


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We are an Italian couple coming from London, we stayed at La meta Alghero Rugby the second week of September 2014. We were welcomed by Tony the night we arrived and we were given some infos about the area and showed our room. The place is very basic but you have everything you need for a lovely beach holiday. Everything... More
- Reservation Options:
- TripAdvisor is proud to partner with Booking.com, Expedia, Travelocity, Priceline, Odigeo, Venere and Hotels.com so you can book your La Meta Alghero Rugby reservations with confidence. We help millions of travelers each month to find the perfect hotel for both vacation and business trips, always with the best discounts and special offers.
- Also Known As:
- La Meta Alghero Rugby Sardinia


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(If applicable)
(eg. 1963)
We will publish your classnote in the earliest possible issue of the magazine.
**Please note that by choosing "no," your entry will not be included in the online list. However, your note will be included within the full magazine that we post online.
Due to space constraints, all photos may not be printed.


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Here is all the information you need to successfully raise chickens — from choosing breeds and hatching chicks to building coops, keeping the birds healthy, and protecting them from predators. This revised third edition contains a new chapter on training chickens and understanding their intelligence, expanded coverage of hobby farming, and up-to-date information on chicken health issues, including avian influenza and fowl first aid.
Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC (May 19, 2010)
Format: EPUB
File size: 11 MB
Protection: DRM
Language: English


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FMLY Fest assembles dozens of musicians for DIY weekend
By Emily Eveland
Hollow Boys embrace the dark on third album
By Sarah Stanley-Ayre
10 Thousand Sounds 2014: Behind the bands
By CP Staff
Black Market Brass delivers hip-shaking funk rhythms
By Zach McCormick
For the Love brings hip-hop festivities to Lowertown
By Jack Spencer
Kitty Cat Klub hosts Tourniquet Noise series
By Sarah Stanley-Ayre
Max Gremillion steps into the spotlight
By Rob van Alstyne
The world of Howler's sophomore album
By Zach McCormick
In the spring of 2001, the English soul singer Craig David had conquered Europe but hadn't even dented America, where the idea of a black man singing futuristic dance music lodged between R&B and pop is somewhat less mind-blowing. The suits at Atlantic Records realized they'd have to break David on a personal level, not a demographic one. So when I attended an invite-only showcase in Chicago for radio and press reps, the free food and drink weren't the only attraction: David sat on a stool next to another guy on a stool with an acoustic guitar and sang stripped-down versions of tunes from his high-tech debut, attempting to let us get to know the person behind the press kit.
There was no free food or drink the last time I saw thirtysomething New York-based singer-guitarist Raul Midón, but I'm fairly sure the suits at Manhattan Records would love to introduce Midón on a similarly personal level: The dude's blind, he's half-Argentine, and he has worked with a wide range of collaborators including Little Louie Vega, half of the house duo Masters at Work, and big-league old-school producer Arif Mardin. This is a much more vivid backstory than those of many of the Chardonnay-set crooners with whom Midón rubs demographic elbows, possibly excepting the surprisingly quiet fact that Norah Jones is Ravi Shankar's daughter.
Yet what's sort of great about State of Mind, Midón's major-label debut, is that it sounds as relaxed and low-key as David sounded at that Chicago gig, where the only weapon he had at his disposal was his voice and his songs. Midón is a tremendous guitar player, attacking the instrument with a percussive, syncopated fury that improbably makes perfect sense beneath his full, smoky tenor, whose Stevie-Donny-Marvin sinew he augments with seemingly improvisational flights à la his folk-soul predecessor Terry Callier. Lyrically, he takes cues from the wrong Wonder records: Turns out "everybody is free to make a difference," which is wonderful news. But Midón plays around his biographical baggage with style and aplomb here; he deserves every stool he sits on.
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Creatures came out of what seemed to be thin air. Animated and alive. They came without a warning and swept the world ...
Nov 9th, 2010 32 people agree 14 people don't
I just loved that game, the end was freaking awesome! PLEASE make a sequel 10/10.
PS, This was Valve quality work, good job. I smell a sequel. Please. Sequel
Nov 5th, 2010 9 people agree 2 people don't
I had really fun playing this mod, i found it original and challenging which made it great. Keep it up.
Feb 12th, 2011 7 people agree 1 person doesn't
Awesome, you haven't just made a mod, you've re-enginered a lot of the game and made it a new game experience. That must of taken a lot of work, and time so just letting you know, you're good.
Aug 28th, 2011 5 people agree 2 people don't
Great Mod!
Mar 8th, 2012 2 people agree 0 people don't
I loved this mod from beginning to end
Feb 21st, 2012 2 people agree 0 people don't
It's a very superb mod that pits you in frustration agaisnt new enemies. THE ONLY bad part that I can't get off my mind is the bad acting, but that didn't ruin the incredible story. John proves to be a fitting and friendly guy, which makes me feel like he's a friend.
Feb 5th, 2012
2 people agree
0 people don't
This review may contain spoilers
When I played the first 10 minutes of this mod. I never wanted it to end! Its the best mode i have played scince the Citizen or Nitmare House 2. It has a good story. Great zombies/monsters [expicele the one were you shoot it then it shoots like 5 headcrabs] It reminds me of.....COD and hl Together. I never stoped playing this unless i had to **** or eat or go to sleep [i finshed this in 2 days] I relly need you to make an Episode 2 PLEASE!!!
Jan 23rd, 2012 2 people agree 0 people don't
Very Good Mod!
Jan 14th, 2012 2 people agree 0 people don't


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KSwiss takes lightweight performance to a whole new level with the Big Shot Light, which it claims to be the lightest performance shoe ever. They are designed to replicate the look of their big sister, the Big Shot II, and they also share some similar performance technologies. The shoe is built on KSwiss' 180 degree Plantar Support Chassis for added mid-foot support. It also features lots of cushioning in the midsole for lots of comfort in the same area. The outsole is made of the same Aosta 7.0 rubber compound that is used in the Big Shot II for excellent durability. If you're a fan of light weight tennis shoes, give the Big Shot Light a try.
Hear about the newest women's footwear and apparel and specials as soon as they hit.
All email addresses are kept confidential and used soley by Tennis Warehouse for the above purpose.


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I just joined this community, and I wanted to share a bit about myself.
I'm Kyla, and I am an 18 year old (19 in a couple of months) first time mother to a beautiful 9 month old girl named Eleanor. I am not with Eleanor's biological father - it was an awful relationship and I got out of it as soon as I found out I was pregnant. I have been with my boyfriend during her entire life. They are very attached to one another, and he loves her very much.
We breastfeed, co-sleep, use the recommended vaccination schedule and disposable diapers.
I have joined this community to get new/more information on parenting, future education, etc and in an attempt to make friends with other moms.
Welcome to MDC, Kyla! Congratulations on your bundle of joy!
P.S. I wanted to congratulate you on getting out of a bad relationship as well. That is a huge accomplishment and you should be very proud of yourself!
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Christopher Heine | March 30, 2011 | Comments
Retailer purchases takeover ads for six markets while adding a dash of geo-social.
Macy's hopes that HopStop.com and Foursquare prove to be effective on-the-go marketing platforms for its 37th annual "Flower Show," which began Sunday and goes through April 10.
The department store has launched takeover ads on HopStop.com's public transportation search pages for New York, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Chicago, Minneapolis, and San Francisco. Macy's will be offering guided "Tower of Flowers" tours in each city. As part of a week-long buy running through Thursday, the retailer will also appear in a takeover ad on HopStop.com's general homepage.
The display ad creative reflects the different floral offerings for each metropolitan market. For instance, Macy's ads on the Washington, DC, page call out the capital's annual Cherry Blossoms Festival, which the retailer is partaking in for the first time. And the ads on HopStop.com's San Francisco page highlight the flowers show happening at the Macy's historic Union Square location. For each city page, half-page ads (300 X 600 pixels) and leader board banners (278 X 90 pixels) appear.
Martine Reardon, EVP of national marketing at Macy's, told ClickZ the main goal behind the HopStop.com initiative was to drive foot traffic to the flower shows. "People have a plan for what they want to do while visiting a city," Reardon said. "It's so easy with the way people are mobile these days for them to simply connect [to HopStop.com] with their mobile device or tablets and figure out how to get to certain locations. When they arrive on the site, they can see that Macy's has its flowers show."
Joe Meyer, CEO at HopStop.com, said his company had never sold a week-long takeover of several pages before. "It is the first time we've ever done anything like this with an advertiser," he said.
Meyer said his site averages more than two million monthly U.S. users while claiming a younger, middle-class demographic. According to his New York-based company, 50 percent of its users make $75,000-plus, 25 percent earn more than $100,000, and 65 percent are between 18 and 34 years old.
"Thirty percent of our overall usage is mobile," Meyer said. "It's conducive for people looking for directions while they are on the go."
There's a wedding season tie-in to Macy's HopStop.com ads. Click-throughs are taken to a landing page that pitches $20 off gift registry purchases of $100 or more. "Obviously, the March and April timeframe is a great opportunity to talk to brides," Reardon said.
Macy's will also be running a promotion on Foursquare throughout the flower show festivities. When geo-social users check in at a show, they will receive a tip on Foursquare that encourages them to take a picture of the floral scene and share the image via Twitter. They'll be instructed to utilize city-specific hash-tags, such as #MacysFlowerNY, #MacysFlowerPHI, and #MacysFlowerMIN. Macy's will monitor the hash-tags, while a limited number of gift cards will be given out daily to users who tweet an image. The retailer will reply to the winning users with the details of where to claim their card.
Meanwhile, display ads will appear on sites like MSN.com and Glam.com to push the Flower Show events. In addition, print ads for the campaign are appearing in the six target markets. As one example, Macy's bought a double-truck ad in The New York Times Sunday edition.
"Digital and print are the primary focuses of the campaign," Reardon said. On the historical importance of the Macy's flowers event, she said, "This is part of the DNA of the brand."
On the heels of a fantastic event in New York City, ClickZ Live is taking the fun and learning to Toronto, June 23-25. With over 15 years' experience delivering industry-leading events, ClickZ Live offers an action-packed, educationally-focused agenda covering all aspects of digital marketing. Register today!
Want to learn more? Join us at ClickZ Live San Francisco, Aug 10-12!
Educating marketers for over 15 years, ClickZ Live brings together industry thought leaders from the largest brands and agencies to deliver the most advanced, educational digital marketing agenda. Register today and save $500!
Christopher Heine was a senior writer for ClickZ through June 2012. He covered social media, sports/entertainment marketing, retail, and more. Heine's work has also appeared via Mashable, Brandweek, DM News, MarketingSherpa, and other tech- and ad-centric publications. USA Today, Bloomberg Radio, and The Los Angeles Times have cited him as an expert journalist.
June 23-25, 2015
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Gartner Magic Quadrant for Digital Commerce
This Magic Quadrant examines leading digital commerce platforms that enable organizations to build digital commerce sites. These commerce platforms facilitate purchasing transactions over the Web, and support the creation and continuing development of an online relationship with a consumer.
Paid Search in the Mobile Era
Google reports that paid search ads are currently driving 40+ million calls per month. Cost per click is increasing, paid search budgets are growing, and mobile continues to dominate. It's time to revamp old search strategies, reimagine stale best practices, and add new layers data to your analytics.
June 10, 2015
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Acquire the most recent information on Theresa Terry by searching PeopleFinders.com. There are myriad simple methods we provide that can help you find people within our thorough database of public records, which includes their age, year of birth, prior addresses, aliases, and more. Theresa Terry is 51 of age.
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A method for segmenting a small feature in a multidimensional digital array of intensity values in a data processor computes an edge metric along each ray of a plurality of multidimensional rays originating at a local intensity extreme (local maximum or minimum). A multidimensional point corresponding to a maximum edge metric on each said ray is identified as a ray edge point. Every point on each ray from the local extreme to the ray edge point is labeled as part of the small object. Further points on the feature are grown by labeling an unlabeled point if the unlabeled point is adjacent to a labeled point, and the unlabeled point has a more extreme intensity than the labeled point, and the unlabeled point is closer than the labeled point to the local extreme. The resulting segmentation is quick, and identifies boundaries of small features analogous to boundaries identified by human analysts, and does not require statistical parameterizations or thresholds manually determined by a user.
1. A method for segmenting a small feature in a multidimensional digital array of intensity values in a data processor, the method comprising:
computing an edge metric along each ray ate plurality af multidimensional rays originating at a local intensity extreme;
identifying a multidimensional edge paint corresponding to a maximum edge metric on each said ray;
labeling every point on each said ray from said local extreme to said edge point; and
labeling an unlabeled point if the unlabeled point is adjacent to a labeled point and the unlabeled paint has a more extreme intensity than the labeled point and the unlabeled point is closer Than the labeled point to the local extreme.
2. The method of
3. The method of
4. The method of
5. The method of
6. The method of
7. The method of
8. The method of
the local intensity extreme is a point with the maximum intensity among a subarray of the multidimensional digital array of intensity values, the subarray having a certain multidimensional size, and
the intensity of the local intensity extreme exceeds a bright threshold intensity.
9. The method of
10. The method of
the local intensity extreme is a point with the minimum intensity among a subarray of the multidimensional digital array of intensity values, the subarray having a certain multidimensional size, and
the intensity of the local intensity extreme is less than a dark threshold intensity.
11. The method of
12. The method of
13. The method of
14. The method of
15. The method of
16. The method of
17. The method of
18. A method for segmenting a small feature in a multidimensional digital array of intensity values in a dataprocessor, the method comprising:
computing an edge metric along each ray of plurality of multidimensional rays originating at a local intensity extreme:
identifying a multidimensional edge point corresponding to a maximum edge metric on each said ray:
labeling every point on each said ray from said local extreme to said edge point;
labeling an unlabeled point if the unlabeled point is adjacent to a Labeled point and the unlabeled point has a more extreme intensity than the labeled point and the unlabeled point is closer than the labeled point to the local extreme: and
additionally labeling an unlabeled point if the unlabeled point is adjacent to a labeled point and has a more extreme intensity than the labeled point and is no farther from the local extreme than the sum of a distance from the labeled point to the local extreme plus an expansive tolerance distance less than the spacing between adjacent points; wherein
an expected size of a small feature is twice an integral number N times a spacing distance between adjacent points in the array,
N is greater than 1,
the maximum value of the difference in distances between the labeled point and the unlabeled point to the local extreme (Gmax)=−N+√{square root over ((N2+2))}, and
the expansive tolerance distance is less than about Gmax.
19. A data processing apparatus for segmenting a small feature in a multidimensional digital array of intensity values comprising:
an input for a plurality of intensity values arranged along regular increments in each of a plurality of dimensions;
a memory medium for storing the plurality of intensity values as a multidimensional digital array;
a processor configured to detect a local intensity extreme in the multidimensional digital array, to identify points along a plurality of rays originating at the total intensity extreme, to identify one edge point on each ray of said plurality of rays, said edge point associated with a maximum edge metric along said ray, to label each point on each ray from the local intensity extreme to the edge point, and to label an unlabeled pent adjacent to a labeled point if the unlabeled point has a more extreme intensity than the labeled point and the unlabeled point is closer than the labeled point to the local extreme until no more unlabeled points can be labeled; and
an output for providing the labeled points for subsequent processing.
20. The apparatus of
21. The apparatus of
22. A computer program embodied in a computer readable medium for performing the steps of:
computing an edge metric along each ray of a plurality of multidimensional rays originating at a local intensity extreme, identifying multidimensional edge point corresponding to a maximum edge metric on each said ray, labeling every point on each said ray from said local extreme to said edge point, and labeling an unlabeled point if the unlabeled point is adjacent to a labeled point and the unlabeled point has a more extreme intensity than the labeled point and the unlabeled point is closer than the labeled point to the local extreme.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/305,018, filed May 4, 1999, now abandoned, which claims the benefit of provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/084,125 filed on May 4, 1998, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to data processing of intensity data arranged in a multidimensional array. More particularly, the invention relates to a method, an apparatus, and computer program products for rapidly segmenting multidimensional intensity data by which points in one or more small structures contained in the data are labeled.
Digital imagery and other multidimensional digital arrays of intensity are routinely collected using digital sensors and arrays of charge coupled devices (CCDs). The resulting data arrays are analyzed to determine patterns and detect features in the data. For example, color images of a battle scene are analyzed to detect targets, and radiographs and sonograms of human and animal bodies are examined to detect tumors and other indications of injury or disease. As the number and complexity of these digital data arrays to be analyzed increase or the time required to perform the analyses decreases, automated and machine assisted analysis becomes more critical. Some statistically based automated procedures for detecting features in a multidimensional array are adequate when the feature encompasses many points in the array, i.e. when the feature is large, but fail to perform well as the feature to be detected becomes small. Some procedures perform well when tuned to a particular problem through experimental adjustment of many parameters, but such tuning may place an undue burden on time limited or experience limited personnel. Typical problems encountered with such automated analysis of small structures in multidimensional arrays are illustrated for the case of automatic detection of microcalcification candidates in mammograms.
Breast cancer has the highest incidence among all cancer types in American women, causing 1 woman in 8 to develop the disease in her lifetime. Every year, about 182,000 new cases are diagnosed with breast cancer and about 46,000 women die of this disease. The 5-year survival for women with breast cancer improves significantly with early diagnosis and treatment. To enable early detection, the American Cancer Society (ACS) recommends a baseline mammogram for all women by the age of 40, a mammogram approximately every other year between the ages of 40 and 50, and a mammogram every year after the age of 50. It is possible that the volume of mammography will become one of the highest among clinical X-ray procedures since more than 30 million women in the U.S. are above the age of 50 and 41% are known to follow the ACS guidelines.
Besides the volume problem, an additional difficulty of early detection of breast cancer in mammograms is the subtlety of the early signal. A microcalcification cluster, an early sign of breast cancer that may warrant biopsy, is commonly defined as three or more microcalcifications present in 1 cm2 on a mammogram. These clusters are often difficult to detect due to their small size and their similarity to other tissue structures. The width of an individual microcalcification is less than 2 mm. The etiology of microcalcifications includes lobular, ductal or epithelial hyperplasia, secretion of calcium salts by epithelial cells, adenosis, as well as calcification of necrotic debris due to carcinoma. Up to 50% of breast cancer cases exhibit microcalcification clusters, and 20–35% of clusters in the absence of a mass are related to malignant growth. In many cases a cluster is the first and only sign that allows timely intervention.
The increasing pressure to interpret large numbers of mammograms and the subtlety of many early signs increase the likelihood of missing breast cancer. A reliable automated system that indicates suspicious structures in mammograms can allow the radiologist to focus rapidly on the relevant parts of the mammogram and it can increase the effectiveness and efficiency of radiology clinics. In the detection of breast cancer, false negatives may cause a delay in the diagnosis and treatment of the disease while false positives cause unwarranted biopsy examinations. Therefore, both sensitivity and specificity need to be maximized, with a relatively higher priority on sensitivity, which has a more vital role.
A common approach used for detecting microcalcifications in mammograms starts by segmenting candidate structures and subsequently applying feature extraction and pattern recognition to distinguish microcalcifications from background tissue among the candidates. In this process, segmentation plays an essential role since the quantitative features that represent each candidate structure, such as size, contrast, and sharpness, depend on the region indicated by segmentation. Furthermore, to process all possible candidate structures, a considerably large number of background structures need to be segmented, making fast segmentation desirable.
Several techniques for segmentation have been applied to microcalcifications. One segmentation technique is based on local thresholding for individual pixels using the mean pixel value and root mean square (rms) noise fluctuation in a selected region around the thresholded pixel. The threshold for a pixel is set as the mean value plus the rms noise value multiplied by a selected coefficient. A structure is segmented by connecting pixels that exceed the threshold. Both parameters that have to be selected, size of region and threshold coefficient, are critical to this method. If a microcalcification is close to another microcalcification or bright structure, the window used to compute the rms noise value around the first microcalcification will include the other bright structures, and the noise rms may be overestimated, thus setting the threshold too high. On the other hand, if the selected region is too small, it will not contain sufficient background pixels when placed on large microcalcifications.
Such a window size needs to be selected in a second segmentation algorithm as well, where local thresholding is used by setting a threshold for small square sub images. The threshold is based on an expected bimodal intensity distribution in a window of selected size that contains the sub-image to be segmented. If the distribution is not bimodal, then the threshold is set by using 5 different positions of the window each containing the sub-image to be segmented. The existence of a bimodal distribution in at least one window is essential for this algorithm.
Other segmentation methods start with seed pixels and grow a region by adding pixels. They also require selection of a window size and threshold parameters. The localized implementation of region growing depends on the selected window size and the threshold for absolute difference in gray level between the seed pixel and a pixel to be added to the region.
One segmentation algorithm uses several steps that include high-pass filtering, difference of Gaussinan filtering, four computations of the standard deviation of the image, a smoothing, an opening, as well as an iterative thickening process with two erosions, two intersections and a union operation in each iteration. More than ten parameters have to be selected, including widths of Gaussian distributions, threshold coefficients, and diameters of morphological filtering elements.
A segmentation algorithm that operates without parametric distribution models, local statistics windows, or manually adjustable thresholds is desirable.
A segmentation method that is fast is also important. Up to 400 films per day are routinely screened in busy radiology clinics. The automated analysis does not have to be applied on-line; however, it may be difficult to process large numbers of mammograms overnight if algorithms are not fast enough. Because the segmentation algorithm has to segment all candidate structures that may potentially be microcalcifications, its speed is especially relevant. Each film may have several thousand candidate structures that must be segmented.
The multi-tolerance segmentation algorithm of Shen et al. (L. Shen, et al. "Detection and Classifications of Mammographic Calcifications," International Journal of Pattern Recognition and Artificial Intelligence, vol. 7, pp. 1403–1416, 1993), does not use statistical models for local statistics, and its threshold is set automatically. This multi-tolerance, region growing approach uses a growth tolerance parameter that changes in a small range with a step size that depends on the seed pixel. The structure of interest is segmented multiple times with varying tolerance parameters, and in each segmentation, a set of three features is computed. The normalized vector differences in the feature set between successive segmentations are calculated and the segmentation with minimal difference is selected as the final one.
The active contours model of Kass et al. (Kass, M. et al. "Snakes: Active Contour Models," International Journal on Computer Vision, pp. 321–331, 1988), also provides segmentation without parametric statistical data models or windows for local statistics, but does rely on several user selected parameters that place some burden on the user. It has been used successfully to determine the boundaries of tissue structures in data such as ultrasound and MRI images of the heart, and MRI images of the brain, but it has not been applied to the segmentation of microcalcifications. The active contours model starts with an initial contour placed near the expected boundary and moves the contour iteratively toward the boundary by minimizing an energy function. The contour is modeled as a physical flexible object with elasticity and rigidity properties. Its dynamics, dictated by the balance between these internal properties and external forces that depend on the image data, satisfy the Euler equations and minimize the corresponding energy function. An active contour that is initiated as a closed curve remains so during iterations and its smoothness can be adjusted by the choice of parameters.
What is needed is a segmentation method and apparatus without statistical models, local statistics, or thresholds to be selected manually, and with significantly lower computational complexity compared to the multi-tolerance and active contours methods, for enhanced speed.
In particular, what is needed is a method and apparatus to segment pixels in an image, such as a mammogram, containing a plurality of extra dark or extra bright objects just a few pixels in extent, that gives edges similar to those selected by an expert, but does so with fewer computations and with fewer manually adjustable parameters than conventional segmentation methods and equipment.
Therefore it is an object of the present invention to provide segmentation for small features in multidimensional data which defines small feature edges that correspond closely to those selected by an analyst but does so with less complexity than the above known methods.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a data processing apparatus that more rapidly provides small feature edges that correspond closely to those selected by an analyst.
It is another object of the present invention to provide computer program products that more rapidly provide small feature edges that correspond closely to those selected by an analyst.
It is another object of the invention to identify microcalcifications in a mammogram.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention are provided by a method for segmenting a small feature in a multidimensional digital array of intensity values in a data processor. Each small feature includes a local intensity extreme, such as an intensity maximum. An edge metric is computed along each ray of a plurality of multidimensional rays originating at the local intensity extreme. A multidimensional edge point is identified corresponding to a maximum edge metric on each ray. Every point on each ray from the local extreme to the ray edge point is labeled as part of the small feature. The labeling is then spread to an unlabeled point following a hill climbing procedure requiring that the unlabeled point be adjacent to a labeled point, have a similar or more extreme intensity than the labeled point, and be closer than the labeled point to the local extreme.
In another embodiment, the multidimensional array is a digital image, and each point is a pixel. In another embodiment, the digital image is a digitized mammogram and the small feature is a microcalcification candidate. In the latter embodiment, microcalcification candidates are satisfactory segmented in fewer operations than with conventional segmentation methods.
In another aspect of the invention, a data processing apparatus segments a small feature in a multidimensional digital array of intensity values. The apparatus includes an input for inputting a plurality of intensity values arranged along regular increments in each of a plurality of dimensions and a memory medium for storing the plurality of intensity values as a multidimensional digital array. The apparatus includes a processor configured to detect a local intensity extreme in the multidimensional digital array, to identify points along a plurality of rays originating at the local intensity extreme, and to identify one ray edge point on each ray. The ray edge point is associated with a maximum edge metric along the ray. The processor is also configured to label the points in the array that are part of the small features. Each point on each ray from the local intensity extreme to the edge point is labeled, as is an unlabeled point adjacent to a labeled point if the unlabeled point has a more extreme intensity than the labeled point and the unlabeled point is closer than the labeled point to the local extreme. Labeling continues until no more unlabeled points can be labeled. The apparatus also includes an output for providing the labeled points for subsequent processing.
In another aspect of the invention, a computer program product is provided for segmenting a small feature in a multidimensional array of intensities using a computer. The computer program product includes computer controlling instructions for configuring a computer to compute an edge metric along each ray of a plurality of multidimensional rays originating at a local intensity extreme. The instructions also identify a ray edge multidimensional point corresponding to a maximum edge metric on each ray. The program also labels every point on each ray from the local extreme to the ray edge point, and then labels an unlabeled point if the unlabeled point is adjacent to a labeled point and the unlabeled point has a more extreme intensity than the labeled point, and the unlabeled point is closer than the labeled point to the local extreme. In one embodiment, the instructions are stored in a computer readable memory device. In another embodiment, the instructions are transmitted as electronic signals on a communications line.
The foregoing and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The preferred and example embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the Drawings in which:
The principles of the present invention will be described next, detailed in terms of preferred and example embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. Whenever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.
The explanations of the detailed embodiments are by way of example only and are not meant to limit the scope of the invention. The invention applies to identifying small structures in any multidimensional array of regularly spaced intensity values. Here intensity is used in a generic sense representative of measured data values in general, and is not confined to density of optical energy. Examples of such multidimensional arrays include gray-scale digital images in which intensity values are regularly spaced in two dimensions, often called rows and columns or y and x, such as the mammogram described in the preferred embodiment. In this kind of arrangement, each digital image element is a picture element called a pixel. Elevation maps are two dimensional arrays of height data, where height is the "intensity." Other examples of multidimensional arrays include color images which can be represented as three-dimensional arrays of intensity where the third dimension is color. Typically, the array would have intensity at only three points in the color dimension, for example, a red intensity, a blue intensity and a green intensity. Gray-scale video clips can also be considered three-dimensional arrays, where each video image frame is two-dimensional and the third dimension is time. By the same token, color video clips can be considered four-dimensional where the four dimensions are row, column, color and time. Other examples include medical imagery where two-dimensional cross sections of a human body are assembled at several positions from head to toe. In this case the third dimension is height through the subject. By extension, such three-dimensional looks can be repeated at uniform intervals of time, making time the fourth dimension. Thus the descriptions that follow apply not only to gray scale images of the preferred embodiment, but to multidimensional arrays of digital data.
A multidimensional point in a multidimensional digital array is located by the index of the point in each of the dimensions. Letting D represent the number of dimensions, the location of a multidimensional point P in a multidimensional array can be specified uniquely by a set containing D indexes as coordinates, {I1, I2, I3, . . . ID}. Where there are only two dimensions, it is common to refer to I1 as the x coordinate and to refer to I2 as the y coordinate. There is an implied limit to the number of allowed positions in each dimension of a finite array. Letting Li represent the maximum number of locations in the i-th dimension of the digital data array, each index can vary from one to Li, inclusive. That is:
The intensity, f, varies with position in the multidimensional array and may be represented by the symbol f(P). The intensity f at each multidimensional point can be a single value, also called a scalar quantity. Alternatively, the intensity can be a vector of several values, e.g., f(P)={f1(P), f2(P), f3(P)}. For example, the three-color image can be treated as a three-dimensional array or can be treated as a two dimensional image with a three element vector intensity. In this terminology, the vector elements of the intensity are not used in the calculation of distance using Equation 2. Instead, the magnitude of intensity at point P could be any vector magnitude convention such as the square root of the sum of the squares of the vector components or the sum of the absolute values of the vector components. Similarly, the difference in intensity between two points Pa and Pb would be given by the magnitude of the difference in the components using any conventional method.
Thus, though the preferred embodiment is described in which the digital data array is an image having two dimensional pixels, each pixel having a scalar image intensity, the method can readily be extended to multiple dimensions using the above relationships. In the following, each pixel P has a first coordinate represented by x and a second coordinate represented by y and an intensity represented by f(P) or f(x,y). Separate pixels are designated by separate subscripts.
Though the invention applies to any imagery, the preferred embodiments segment two-dimensional images with a gray-scale intensity representative of a mamnmogram. Other two dimensional imagery which the present invention can segment include imagery of military scenes in which the intensity is responsive to the presence of targets of a firing system, such as vehicles to be fired upon by a missile.
The invention is related to finding small objects in a multidimensional array. In this context small means objects affecting the intensity in several points in one dimension of the array but not many thousands of points in each dimension. Other, statistical and textural segmentation procedures, for example, are expected to be more useful as the number of points in a feature increases. It is characteristic of microcalcifications in mammograms and distant targets in military scenarios that only several pixels are contained in the object to be segmented. It is also anticipated that many other features to be detected in radiographs and sonograms of biological bodies also involve only several pixels. The present invention is expected to perform especially well for these applications.
The methods and procedures discussed herein are intended to be performed by data processing systems or other machines. Though described in terms that can be interpreted to be performed by a human operator, such performance is neither required nor likely to be desirable. Multiple tedious computations with high accuracy are required that are unsuitable for practical implementation by human beings. Also, the invention can be implemented in computer or other hardware, the structure of which is evident from the following descriptions.
Also herein, the procedures will be described as the manipulation of values, symbols, characters, numbers, or other such terms. Though such terms can refer to mental abstractions, herein they are used as convenient expressions for physical signals such as controllable chemical, biological, and electronic and other physical states that can be used to represent the values, symbols, characters, numbers, or other such terms.
In general, small objects in images may have an intensity level that is either lower or higher than a surrounding background. An intensity maximum with levels higher than the background is called a local maximum, and an intensity minimum with intensity levels below the background is called a local minimum. Both maximum and minimum are encompassed by the term intensity extreme. Thus, in general, the target objects in an image or multi-dimensional array encompass intensity extremes. Both are capable of being segmented according to the present invention. For the sake of serving as an example, the following description generally considers the preferred embodiment in which microcalcifications are evident as local maxima in intensity, and the method will be called a hill climbing method; however, segmenting a local minimum is also anticipated using the hill climbing method. In the following discussion, when a first point has an intensity equaling the intensity of the local extreme or between the intensity of the local extreme and the intensity of a second point, the first point is said to have a more extreme intensity than the second point.
According to the present invention, the segmentation is based on the experience that, in a given array, the edge of a small feature to be segmented is a closed contour around a local intensity extreme pixel P0. In the preferred embodiment, the local intensity extreme is selected as the pixel with an extreme intensity (maximum or minimum) in a region the size of the expected size of the small feature or object. The region should have the same number of dimensions as the data array, just fewer pixels. In other words, the region is defined as a sub-array of the multidimensional size equal to the expected size of the feature. In the case of mammograms, this sub-array is a square that is about 100 pixels in x and 100 pixels in y when the resolution of the image is about 25 microns per pixel. To avoid selecting local extremes that are insignificant, the extreme is also required to achieve a certain absolute value—above a pre-set bright threshold in the case of a local maximum, or below a pre-set dark threshold in the case of a local minimum.
A pixel P on a ray is considered to be on the edge of a small object if it provides a maximum edge metric in a line search on a ray originating from the local extreme pixel and moving in a direction k. The edge metric may be defined as the change in intensity with each succeeding pixel in the direction k or by a Sobel operator centered on the pixel, or by any known edge metric. However, in the preferred embodiment with a local maximum, a ray edge pixel is found that more closely corresponds to that selected by expert analysis when the edge metric is a slope defined according to equation 3.
To identify all pixels lying within a contour including the edge points e(k), the region should grow essentially on pixels with more extreme intensity (e.g., increasing intensity) and toward the local extreme (e.g., local maximum). From any labeled pixel taken as a reference point, the region can grow to an adjacent unlabeled pixel if this new pixel satisfies some particular conditions. In the case of data arrays with more than two dimensions, adjacent points to a labeled point are those whose indices are all within one of the corresponding indices of the labeled point. Referring to
IF f(P)≧f(Pr) then P must be in a position that constitutes a step from Pr toward P0.
IF f(P)<f(Pr), then P should be closer to P0 than Pr is to P0 by more than a minimum distance called an inclusion tolerance distance.
All pixels labeled during the process are used as reference pixels. The method stops when no pixel can be appended as shown in step 270 of
The intensity and distance criterion referred to in step 260 are now described with reference to
Most microcalcifications have an intensity that decreases monotonically from the local maximum toward the edges. However, in some cases, this may not be true, and the growth toward the local maximum may need to include new pixels that have lower values or less extreme values than their labeled referenced pixels. As long as this is done strictly toward the local extreme, growth in an unwanted direction is avoided. That is, if the unlabeled pixel P is much closer to the local maximum (or minimum) than is the labeled referenced pixel Pr, then the unlabeled pixel P is considered engulfed by the object and is labeled even if its intensity f(P) is less extreme than f(Pr). The distance by which the unlabeled point must be closer than the labeled point to be engulfed by the object is called the inclusion tolerance distance. In this and the following discussions, the difference in distances between the labeled and unlabeled points to the local maximum P0 is represented by G given in Equation 4.
The other branch from step 262 in
The first criterion, Criterion 1, is indicated in
As an alternative for the constraint C1 described above and summarized in Table 1, Constraint 2 can be used to determine whether a neighboring pixel should be labeled. Constraint 2 is more readily extensible to more than two dimensions. Referring to Equation 4 defining the distance difference G, most allowable pixels described by Criterion 1 yield a negative G value. However, some pixels generate a positive G value. These positive G pixels are the pixels that provide a step, from the reference pixel Pr, approximately parallel to the reference line. This type of growth through pixels is especially desirable around the edge of the small structure. The largest values of G are associated with diagonal pixels and occur at the edge of the smallest features to be segmented. Furthermore, among all possible pixel configurations, the value of G is maximal when the reference line angle θ is 45� or 135� and the new pixel P is diagonally connected to the referenced pixel Pr. This maximal value is also obtained for other homologous arrangements of the three pixels. A positive threshold Gt for G can be used instead of Criterion 1. Consider an approximately circular object 2N pixels wide. On the edge of such an object, the highest value for G, called Gmax, will equal (√(N2+2))−N. The smaller N, the larger Gmax will be. An appropriate threshold for G can be set by using the width of the smallest object of interest. Therefore, an alternative way of constraining the expansion of pixels away from the local extreme is to allow only new pixels which provide a value of G of at most Gmax. That is, set Gt=Gmax. This threshold, Gt, can be considered an expansive tolerance distance. Criterion 2 can be stated as: G must be less than or equal to the expansive tolerance distance, Gt. For example, mammograms with pixels of 25 microns and microcalcification candidates having structures as small as 0.25 mm across, yield N=5; so, Gt=Gmax=0.196.
The preferred embodiment determines 16 ray edge pixels around the object, and segments with the hill climbing procedure described. As indicated in step 270 of
After every object has been segmented and its outer edge pixels defined, larger features may be discernable. The larger features can be constructed where the small features abut or overlap slightly. The step of joining small features together into a larger feature is depicted in step 285 of
To determine whether the results of the present invention provide edges of small features that are useful in interpreting mammograms and in doing so with fewer computations than other methods, several experiments were performed with actual mammograms. The correctness of the edge determined by the present invention is measured by its similarity to the edges determined by an analyst, and its ability to discriminate among the candidate microcalcifications in subsequent processing. Other advantages of the preferred embodiment are measured using the complexity or number of computations involved in the procedure, and the time required to execute the procedure on a computer.
Five mammograms containing subtle microcalcification clusters were used to evaluate the algorithms for data that would warrant the use of an automated system. Mammograms without magnification were used; and the breast images covered an area that ranged between 12 cm�6 cm and 21 cm�11 cm. The location of individual microcalcifications was indicated by an experienced mammographer. These 5 mammograms contained 15 clusters with a total of 124 microcalcifications, yielding about 8 microcalcification per cluster. The number of microcalcifications per cluster ranged between 3 and 18. The size of microcalcifications ranged between 0.25 mm and 1 mm wide, with more than 90% being smaller than 0.5 mm. Mammograms were digitized with a Howtek D4000 drum scanner using a spatial resolution of 25 microns per pixel and 12-bit A/D conversion, with an optical dynamic range of 0–3.5 optical depths (O.D.).
The multi-tolerance region growing procedure grows a region around a seed pixel by appending 4-connected pixels P that satisfy:
The segmentation outcome of the multi-tolerance region growing procedure on 5 subtle microcalcification candidates depended partly on the intensity structure of the microcalcification. When the intensity transition from the edge to the background was relatively abrupt, the segmented region coincided closely to the visually perceived edge. When the intensity at the edge decreased gradually toward the background level, this algorithm generally produced a relatively large region. Nevertheless, the growth was consistently contained, i.e. it did not grow to an unacceptable size and it generated boundaries that can be used as an estimate of the immediate background around the microcalcification.
The active contours model represents the contour points as v(s)=(x(s),y(s)) The contour is obtained by minimizing the energy functional:
The active contour that minimizes E(v) satisfies the Euler-Lagrange equation:
The numerical solution was implemented using finite differences and the iterative evolution as suggested:
The initial position of the contour was set automatically for each structure to be segmented. Since each structure of interest is a local intensity extreme, pixels were selected that were local maxima across the entire image. Each local maximum was used to segment a region around it. The width of the smallest microcalcifications considered in this study was about 0.25 mm and the majority of the microcalcifications in our database had widths in the range 0.3 to 0.5 mm. A circle of 0.2 mm diameter around the local maximum pixel was used as the initial position of the active contour. The initial contour points were 248-connected pixels forming this circle.
The selection of parameters for the active contour segmentation required some trial and error to obtain good segmentation. The segmentation of the same 5 subtle microcalcification candidates was performed using different active contours parameters. First, following the recommendations of Cohen (Cohen, L. D. "On Active Contour Models and Balloons," CV GIP: Image Understanding, vol. 53, pp. 211–218, 1991), we selected the values of w1 and w2 as a function of the spatial discretization step size h, such that w1 was of the order of h2 and w2 was of the order of h4(w1=6, w2=40). Then τ was also set to 0.1. When k1 and k2 were relatively small (2 and 4), the image force and the balloon force did not act sufficiently on the active contour, producing contours that were only slightly different than the initial position. When these two parameters were increased (14 and 16), the resulting segmentation was very close to that expected visually. Increasing these parameters further (24 and 26) increased the combined effect of image gradient and balloon forces, producing contours that extended beyond the expected edges. Within this range, segmentation with the active contour model was not very sensitive to the values of the other parameters. The effect of doubling w1 to 12, is that contours became slightly smaller due to the increased stiffness of the active contour model. Sensitivity to w2 was also low. When w2 was doubled to 80, the contours became slightly smoother due to the increased rigidity of the model.
The segmentation steps of the hill climbing approach of the present invention are illustrated in
The differences between the three methods are illustrated in
Segmentation of microcalcification candidates serves as an initial step for discriminating between the population of microcalcifications and that of background structures. The discrimination potential of each segmentation algorithm was quantified using features extracted from structures segmented around all the local maxima in the 5 mammograms. These structures consisted of the 124 microcalcifications mentioned above and 2,212 background structures segmented in the same mammograms. Four characteristics were used to assess the discrimination potential in this study.
1. Contrast was measured as the gray level difference between the local maximum pixel P0 in the structure, and the mean of pixels around its edge.
2. Relative contrast was computed as the ratio of the contrast to the value at the local maximum.
3. Area was computed as the number of labeled pixels in the grown region.
4. Edge sharpness was the mean of the gradient computed with a Sobel operator across all edge pixels. The Sobel operator is a mask which weights the eight neighbors of a pixel to compute a sum proportional to the gradient x, or the y gradient, or total gradient.
The discrimination ability of each feature was determined separately using the area under a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve obtained with that feature. The ROC curve pots the percentage of correctly detected microcalcifications against the percentage of detected background structures as a detection threshold is changed. The ROC curve area is higher when the feature has distributions that are more separable for a given property. When both populations overlap completely, the ROC curve area is 0.5. In general, effective discrimination power is indicated by a value above 0.8. Table 2 summarizes the results for all three procedures. The area feature had very low discrimination power for all three algorithms, indicating that the two types of structures cannot be discriminated well on the basis of their area segmented. However, the other
The significant advantage of the hill climbing algorithm is its speed. While the multi-tolerance algorithm provides a good solution to avoid the use of statistical models, local statistics estimators and the manual selection of threshold, its cost is multiple segmentations of the same structure and computation of features during the segmentation of each structure. Furthermore, in some cases, this algorithm segments regions that are somewhat larger than expected. Consequently, the time required for segmentation of a mammogram with this algorithm is high. The segmented regions were comparable to those of the other two algorithms in many cases. The differences were caused by the fact that the growth mechanism of this algorithm is constrained only by an intensity range criterion applied to a new pixel. In contrast, active contours are constrained by internal forces that regulate the growth away from the local maximum, and hill climbing has an inward growth mechanism based on edge points.
The active contours also circumvent the statistical and manual threshold selection issues for each mammogram, but the selection of the operational parameters for a set of mammograms requires some trial and error. However, when an appropriate set of parameters is determined, it appears to be valid for a wide range of microcalcifications so it need not be modified with each mammogram. The choice of negative squared gradient magnitude as the image energy function seems to be an appropriate one to segment microcalcifications.
The computational complexity cm of the multi-tolerance region growing algorithm is of the order O(4smo) where s is the number of steps in the tolerance search, m is the number of pixels in the region, and o is the number of operations per pixel. The factor 4 is included because the algorithm visits the 4-connected neighbors for each pixel in the region. Considering 125 to be an average intensity value for the local maximum, the average step size is 0.008 resulting on the average in about s=50 steps to cover the range 0.01 to 0.4. The average size of segmented structures is about 200 pixels. At each pixel the computations performed include intensity comparisons, update of Fmax and Fmin, and calculation of the center of gravity. Considering about 12 operations per pixel on the average, the numerical estimate for the average number of operations per segmentations is cm=480,000.
The computational complexity ca of the active contour model is O[2(n+n2)t] where n is the number of contour points, and t is the number of iterations. The factor of 2 is included due to the fact that the x and y coordinates of each contour point are computed separately, with identical operations. At each iteration, order n computations are needed to determine the normal vectors, and order 2n2 operations are needed to perform a matrix multiplication. In this study 24 contour points were used, and the number of iterations depended on the size of the structure. On the average however, the active contour model converged in about 20 iterations. This resulted in an average value of ca=47,040, a factor of ten improvement over the multi-tolerance method.
The complexity ch of the hill climbing method is O(KN+8 m) where K is the number of radial directions from the local maximum, N is the number of pixels searched in each direction, and m is the number of pixels in the grown region. A factor of 8 is included since all 8 neighbors of each pixel are visited. In this study K was 16 and N was 40, and considering an average structure size of m=200, the average estimate of the number of operations is ch=2,240, a factor of 20 improvement over the active contour methods, and 200 over the multi-tolerance method. The proportions of cm, ca and ch are approximately 214:21:1 respectively, with hill climbing far less complex than the other two methods.
The speed of the different methods was compared using a section of a mammogram containing 456 local maxima, 35 of which were in microcalcifications. The sizes of microcalcifications ranged between 0.25 mm and 0.5 mm. The times to complete the segmentation of this section of mammogram using the three algorithms implemented in C on a 10 million floating point operations per second (MFLOPS), IBM 6000 computer were 17 minutes 47 seconds for the multi-tolerance algorithm, 1 minute 47 seconds for the active contours, 7 seconds for hill climbing with spatial Constraint 1, and 5.4 seconds for hill climbing with spatial constraint 2.
Hill climbing with spatial Constraints 1 and 2 yielded practically identical segmentations; but the method was about 20% faster using spatial constraint 2, resulting in 11.8 ms on average for segmenting a structure, as opposed to 15.3 ms obtained with spatial Constraint 1.
A common technique to determine the edges of an object uses an edge enhancement algorithm such as the Sobel operator, thresholding to separate the pixels on edges, and pixel linking to string edge pixels that belong to the same object. Selection of the threshold is critical, and linking poses problems in segmenting microcalcifications because there are many closely spaced small structures in a background that are likely to produce considerable numbers of edge pixels. The hill climbing method of the preferred embodiment determines edge points that are on the edge of the same object by virtue of the radial line search emanating from the same local maximum. It does not require a threshold to separate edge pixels because the slope in Equation 3 is referred to the local maximum and is greatest at pixels that are on, or very near, the visually perceived edges. Finally, the hill climbing method avoids some pitfalls of the region growing mechanism by growing a region inward, toward the local maximum.
There has been disclosed a segmentation method and apparatus for data arranged in a multidimensional array which overcomes the problems of the prior art. Although the present invention has been described above by way of detailed embodiments thereof, it is clearly understood that variations and modifications may be made by one of ordinary skill in the art and still lie within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
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Naomi Campbell & Jourdan Dunn for Burberry Spring/Summer 2015 Campaign
Models Naomi Campbell and Jourdan Dunn co-star as the faces of Burberry for the brand's Spring/Summer 2015 campaign. Photographed by Mario Testino the ladies wear a mixture of pieces Burberry's fashion forward Prorsum collection as well as sporting some of the label's heritage plaid bags. Continue reading to view additional images from the shoot.
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Carthage Convention and Visitor's Bureau announces summer 2013 is packed with family events. With traditional opportunities available as well as special events, Carthage offers individuals and families a variety of opportunities for fun in and out of the sun. Check the Carthage CVB website for all the up to date information and events, Visit-Carthage.com. Red Oak II is a work in ... Read More »
Tag Archives: Missouri
We're Dry and Ready for the Fourth of July!
Here in St. Charles, we're all about events, especially given we played host in 2012 for more than 130 event days. By our last count, that breakdown comprised 18 parades, nine festivals, 29 sporting events and another 17 special events and activities of various shapes, sizes and duration. Recently we've been worried, as many folks have across the Midwest, about ... Read More »
Springfield Offers Fun Indoors, Outdoors and Underground
As Missouri's third-largest city, Springfield offers guests a variety of reasons to visit. You can catch a class AA Springfield Cardinals baseball game at Hammons Field, shop the "Granddaddy of all outdoors stores" at Bass Pro and experience unique Missouri flavors at places such as Askinosie Chocolate and Mother's Brewing Company. But that's just the beginning of a Springfield adventure. ... Read More »
Boomerang Brings More Coaster Fun to Six Flags
Missouri Division of Tourism staffers Ben and Elise recently had the opportunity to ride the new Boomerang roller coaster at Six Flags St. Louis. The ride, which is Six Flags' ninth coaster, opened just in time for the start of the summer travel season. Here's a video showcasing their inaugural adventure on Boomerang (note, the sound doesn't start until the ... Read More »
Lost and Found: The Search for Harry and Edna
Admittedly, until recently, I didn't know much about a collectors genre known as Lost Photos or Other People's Photos. Sure, I've visited my fair share of antique malls, and often wondered how old photos — framed or otherwise — came to lose their way and get beyond the grasp of familiar family circles. How does that happen, right? But the ... Read More »
Sailing the Mighty Mississippi with Twain
Growing up, if you asked me my favorite place to visit, I would have said the library. I loved to read everything, from Judy Blume to J.K. Rowling, and of course, being a Missouri girl, Mark Twain. I was fascinated with the way his novels and short stories offered a great adventure you could revel in – one that led ... Read More »
Farm Fresh Northwest: Agritourism in Rural Northwest Missouri
More and more often these days we hear about how it is more healthful to eat locally produced foods without additives, preservatives and growth hormones. Health professionals say eating foods with little to no additives reduces your risk of developing certain diseases, and improves your overall health. Fortunately, I live in the farm rich region of Northwest Missouri. Fruit, vegetables, ... Read More »
Pauley Takes Second on Pro Am Circuit
Consistency is the key. That's the message professional angler Scott Pauley drives home after finishing second in the Central Pro Am's Angler of the Year tournament circuit. Two top five finishes and one top 10 finish propelled Pauley toward the top of the leader board, and the second-place finish marks his best year on this bass-focused circuit's pro division. Pauley, ... Read More »
Discover Outdoor Adventure in Pulaski County
The Pulaski County Tourism Bureau & Visitors Center invites you to explore our gentle and undiscovered Big Piney and Gasconade rivers. Centrally located in the heart of Missouri, and the heartland of the USA, we are the perfect destination for your family fun getaway. Here's a letter from Larry Helms, president of the Pulaski County Outfitter Association, explaining why you ... Read More »
Let Travel Have a Positive Effect on You
I just returned from Joplin where I joined energetic, enthusiastic and authentic tourism leaders at the Missouri Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus Annual Conference. The individuals working at CVBs across our state have passion for people that correlates with their passion for travel and tourism. Those of us working in this industry don't need to talk about the eye-opening, ... Read More »


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16 April 2013 07:52 [Source: ICIS news]
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--China's Xinjiang Chemical Industrial Group plans to shut its 200,000 tonne/year soda ash plant at Hami in Xinjiang on 18 April for 30 days of maintenance, a company source said on Tuesday.
The facility can produce around 540 tonnes/day of soda ash at 100% of capacity, according to the source.
Light grade soda ash was offered by the producer at CNY1,150/tonne ($186/tonne) EXW (ex-works) on 16 April, unchanged from 12 April, added the source.
The local prices of soda ash are not expected to rise, because supply will remain ample, with product from Qinghai being sent to Xinjiang region, a local market player said.
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A bizarre plan by two senior nuclear reactor operators to rob an armored car—and then actually commit a carjacking—has led to federal sanctions against the U.S.'s top nuclear operator for la...
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Doctors Are Working At Healing Soldiers With PTSD
April 1, 2010
Recent war films have brought the real-life drama men and women of the armed forces face daily to the big screen. A reality many of them never escape when they return home.
Topics: War Conflict, Entertainment Culture, Health Medical Pharma, Clinical psychology, Psychology, Medicine, PTSD, War film, Posttraumatic stress disorder, Mood disorders, Stress, Anxiety disorders, Traumatology, Military personnel


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03 July 2012 16:01 [Source: ICIS news]
LONDON (ICIS)--PCC Exol has commenced an initial public offering (IPO) that it hopes will raise up to zlotych 45.2m ($13.7m, €10.8m) to finance expansion plans, ?xml:namespace>
Shares amounting to an 18.8% stake in PCC Exol, representing 11.3% of the general meeting voting rights, are on offer at a maximum sales price of Zl 1.29 each, it added.
Retail investors have until 4 July to place orders for shares, while institutional investors may order shares on 5 and 6 July, the company said.
PCC Exol currently produces around 80,000 tonnes/year of anionic surfactants and 30,000 tonnes/year of non-ionic surfactants, with its ouput used as intermediary products in the manufacture of household detergents, personal care products and textiles, paints, adhesives and varnishes.
A substantial amount of the proceeds raised by the IPO would be invested in boosting overall surfactants capacity by around 15%, with a specific sum of Zl 5m to be invested in upgrading a production line to manufacture amphoteric surfactants for use in high-grade personal hygiene products, it said.
The company's strategy is to establish surfactants market leadership in central and eastern Europe while targeting sales expansion in the Middle East, Africa and
PCC Exol is wholly owned by
($1 = €0.79)
(€1 = Zl 4.22)
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TSA uproar highlights national security balancing act
Tuesday - 11/23/2010, 1:03pm EST
The public uproar over the Transportation Security Authority's enhanced safety measures highlights the challenge the Obama administration faces in national security.
White House Press Secretary Robert Gates said the administration is "trying desperately" to strike a balance between security and individuals' privacy, The Washington Post reports.
"Everyone is a little bit surprised that less than one year after a suicide bomber was sent to the United States to blow up a plane over Detroit with a bomb in his underwear we would be having the debate that we're having right now," an administration official said in the Post.
Despite push back from the public, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said the new measures are needed for public security.
"Of course we will make adjustments or changes when called upon, but not changes or adjustments that will affect the basic operational capability that we need to have to make sure that air travel remains safe," Napolitano said in the Post.
The online outcry over the security measures lean strongly in favor of individual privacy. Online campaigns have waged war against the screenings that show the outlines of naked bodies and the aggressive pat-downs. Those campaigns have been spurred by specific stories of humiliation.
In one incident, a man told a TSA officer that the pat-down was too rough and would break his urostomy bag. The bag did break, leaving the man covered in urine and "weeping," Politico reports.
However, overall, the public doesn't seem to have a problem with the security measures. According to a Post poll, nearly two-thirds of Americans support the full-body scans. However, about half say the pat-downs go too far.
TSA said only three percent of travelers receive the pat-down.
And in the middle of the debate about security are the TSA officers themselves who are "just doing their jobs," said John Gage, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, in an interview with Federal News Radio.
"Everyone ought to cool down," Gage said.
Gage said TSA needed to do a better job of communicating the new procedures to passengers.
How can TSA get out of this mess? GovLoop is taking your ideas.
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Hosted by Jimmy Johnson, the "Leading Edge" Series Educates Viewers on Cystic Fibrosis
Advancements in Treatment and Research for Cystic Fibrosis
(PRWEB) September 17, 2013
Causing severe damage to the lungs and the digestive system, Cystic Fibrosis is a life threatening disorder affecting nearly 30,000 children and adults in the U.S. Those inflicted with the disorder have an inherited defective gene which converts the mucus, typically a thin substance surrounding the tissues, into a thick and sticky substance. The thick mucus blocks the lungs, leading to lung infection and obstructs the pancreas, hindering the body from breaking down and absorbing food.
Advancements in research and treatment have extended the lifespan and quality of life for individuals living with the disorder. In the 1950's, few children diagnosed with cystic fibrosis lived until Elementary School. Today, improvements in screening and treatment have made it possible for people to live into their 20's and 30's, and some living into their 40's and 50's.
"Leading Edge with Jimmy Johnson" has created a series for Public Television audience to educate the audience on Cystic Fibrosis and advancements in research and treatment for the life-threatening disorder. The "Leading Edge" Series will feature medical professionals working to treat patients and improve quality of life for those living with the disorder and organizations funding clinical trials for continued research.
The series is distributed to Public Television stations throughout the United States and is not distributed through PBS. Please visit the Leading Edge website at http://www.leadingedgeseries.com or email the producers at info(at)leadingedgeseries(dot)com for more information.
For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/9/prweb11126664.htm


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Jupiter Tonight
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See How Jupiter And Satellites Interact With Animations! Download this FREE App Today and discover how Jupiter rotates in animation so you can see the Great Red Spot moving as well as the satellites.
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