A Novel ROI Extraction Method Based on the Characteristics of the Original Finger Vein Image

As the second generation of biometric technology, finger vein recognition has become a research hotspot due to its advantages such as high security, and living body recognition. In recent years, the global pandemic has promoted the development of contactless identification. However, the unconstrained finger vein acquisition process will introduce more uneven illumination, finger image deformation, and some other factors that may affect the recognition, so it puts forward higher requirements for the acquisition speed, accuracy and other performance. Considering the universal, obvious, and stable characteristics of the original finger vein imaging, we proposed a new Region Of Interest (ROI) extraction method based on the characteristics of finger vein image, which contains three innovative elements: a horizontal Sobel operator with additional weights; an edge detection method based on finger contour imaging characteristics; a gradient detection operator based on large receptive field. The proposed methods were evaluated and compared with some representative methods by using four different public datasets of finger veins. The experimental results show that, compared with the existing representative methods, our proposed ROI extraction method is 1/10th of the processing time of the threshold-based methods, and it is similar to the time spent for coarse extraction in the mask-based methods. The ROI extraction results show that the proposed method has better robustness for different quality images. Moreover, the results of recognition matching experiments on different datasets indicate that our method achieves the best Equal Error Rate (EER) of 0.67% without the refinement of feature extraction parameters, and all the EERs are significantly lower than those of the representative methods.

Clinical, imaginological and pathological aspects of umbilical panvasculitis in calves: case report

The diagnosis of umbilical infections in neonates can be obtained from clinical signs, but the intracavitary involvement of structures and associated complications can be underestimated, compromising the establishment of adequate therapeutic approaches or prognosis. This case report presents the clinical, imaging, pathological and microbiological aspects of an umbilical infection in calves. Physical examination of the animal identified apathy, low body score, increased volume in the umbilical region and joints. The abdominal palpation identified firm structures in topography of the arteries and umbilical vein. Imaging examinations of the abdomen and joints were performed. Multiple, hyperechogenic focal structures have been identified in the liver, as well as cylindrical and firm structures in topography of the arteries and umbilical vein. In the joints, osteolytic changes, periosteal reactions, subchondral sclerosis and formation of osteophytes were seen. Umbilical panvasculitis triggered arthritis and an infectious process in the liver, the case being assessed as having an unfavorable prognosis and the animal being referred for euthanasia. At necropsy, multifocal abscesses were observed in the pleura, ribs, omentum, spleen and liver. There was granulomatous exudate in the urinary vesicle. The affected joints presented thickening of the joint capsule with the presence of exudate. In the microbiological analysis of liver fragments, urinary vesicle content and joint exudate, Proteus mirabilis with resistance to antimicrobials was identified. Imaging studies collaborated with the establishment of the prognosis and conduct adopted, and must, whenever possible, be included in the clinical examination. In case of death, necropsy allows a correct association of clinical signs and imaging findings.

Competitive Real-Time Near Infrared (NIR) Vein Finder Imaging Device to Improve Peripheral Subcutaneous Vein Selection in Venipuncture for Clinical Laboratory Testing

In this study, near-infrared (NIR) technology was utilized to develop a low-cost real-time near infrared (NIR) guiding device for cannulation. A portable device that can be used by medical practitioners and also by students for their skills development training in performing cannulation. Methods. First, is the development of a reflectance type optical vein finder using three (3) light emitting diode (LED) lights with 960 nm wavelength, complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor-infrared (CMOS-IR) sensor camera with 1920 × 1080 UXGA (1080P), IR filter set for the given wavelength, and an open-source image processing software. Second, is the actual in-vitro human testing in two sites: the arm and dorsal hand of 242 subjects. The following parameters were included, such as gender, age, mass index (BMI), and skin tone. In order to maximize the assessment process towards the device, the researchers included the arm circumference. This augmented subcutaneous vein imaging study using the develop vein finder device compared the difference in the captured vein images through visual and digital imaging approaches. The human testing was performed in accordance with the ethical standards of the Trinity University of Asia—Institutional Ethics Review Committee (TUA—IERC). Results. The NIR imaging system of the developed vein finder in this study showed its capability as an efficient guiding device through real-time vein pattern recognition, for both sites. Improved captured vein images were observed, having 100% visibility of vein patterns on the dorsal hand site. Fourteen (5.79%) out of 242 subjects reported non-visible peripheral subcutaneous veins in the arm sites. Conclusions. The developed vein finder device with the NIR technology and reflected light principle with low-energy consumption was efficient for real-time peripheral subcutaneous vein imaging without the application of a tourniquet. This might be utilized as a guiding device in locating the vein for the purpose of cannulation, at a very low cost as compared to the commercially available vein finders. Moreover, it may be used as an instructional device for student training in performing cannulation.