Affinity between Bitumen and Aggregate in Hot Mix Asphalt by Hyperspectral Imaging and Digital Picture Analysis

This study investigated the viability of quantifying the affinity between aggregate and bitumen by means of different imaging techniques. Experiments were arranged in accordance with the rolling-bottle test, as indicated in UNI EN 12697-11, “Test methods for hot bituminous conglomerates—Part 11”. Digital image processing (DIP) techniques have only recently been used for such quantification. The data gathered with a multi-sensor optical platform equipped with VIS–NIR and SWIR spectrometers were compared with DIP outcomes. Data were processed using the unsupervised ISODATA and the supervised parallelepiped algorithms. The exposed aggregate index (EAI) and the bitumen index (BIT) were calculated to retrieve the bitumen percentage coverage of different mixtures. The comparison with the results obtained employing the traditional 6, 24, 48 and 72 testing hours reveals the possibility to implement a standardized analysis methodology combining digital and hyperspectral imagery to highlight potential inaccuracies deriving from the visual interpretation.

Digital Picture Analysis as an Integral Part of the Information System for Experimental Oncopathology of the German Cancer Research Center

The information system of experimental pathology of the German Cancer Research Center serves to evaluate substantial amounts of data from animal experiments and to utilize the results in the study of the etiology, pathogenesis and therapy of experimental cancer. The system includes a registry of experimental tumors and programs for computer-supported diagnostics and digital picture analysis.The purpose of the digital picture analysis program is to obtain objective data in a form allowing comparisons. The aims of the program are to characterize early stages of pathological processes, to provide quantitatively defined subclasses of tumors which are related to their biology and to identify morphological features important for the diagnosis and prognosis of tumors. Because there are specific problems in digital analysis of histological sections, the authors modified the techniques of general purpose digital picture analysis and developed new methods. These utilize segmentation based on dividing images into segments or transforming the images into a polar-coordinate system, structural analysis of chromatin, and three-dimensional analysis of the images of cell nuclei.