Digital image analysis technique for measuring railway track defects and ballast gradation

Abstract In order to guarantee safety and driving comfort and to maintain an efficient railway infrastructure, the first step is to carefully monitor the track geometry and wear level of the materials constituting the superstructure. To that end diagnostic trains are widely used on main lines, in that they can detect several geometric track parameters and rail wear, but under no circumstances they can yet detect ballast gradation. Due to the practical implications for the planning of maintenance operations on the railway network, this article presents a “DIP” digital image processing technique for measuring the transverse profile and corrugations of the rails as well as ballast gradation. T…

Image analysis for detecting aggregate gradation in asphalt mixture from planar images

Abstract The mechanical properties of bituminous mixture strongly depend on the gradation of the aggregate that represents the mineral skeleton of the mixture, since for open and gap-graded mixtures, stresses due to vehicles in movement on the pavement are mainly transmitted through their contacts. Internal structure of bituminous mixture is, therefore, of great interest for road and infrastructure engineering and it is appropriate to study it with recently developed image analysis method. The purpose of this study was to finalize an effective analysis of asphalt section image for automatically extracting aggregate gradation without the need of separation of the bitumen from the aggregate. …

UNA PROCEDURA AUTOMATIZZATA PER LA DETERMINAZIONE DELLE CURVE MAESTRE DI BITUMI PER USO STRADALE

IMAGE ANALYSIS FOR DETECTING THE TRANSVERSE PROFILE OF WORN-OUT RAILS

Abstract — Over its useful life a railway track is subject to many mechanical and environmental stresses which gradually lead to its deterioration. Monitoring the wear condition of the railway superstructure is one of the key points to guarantee an adequate safety level of the railway transport system; in this field, the use of high-efficiency laser techniques has become consolidated and implemented in diagnostic trains (e.g. the “Archimede train” and the “Talete train” ) which allow to detect the track geometric parameters (gauge, alignment, longitudinal level, cross level, superelevation defect, etc.) and the state of rail wear (vertical, horizontal, 45-degree etc.) with very high accurac…

Tramway Track: A New Approach for Measuring the Transverse Profile of Worn-Out Rails

Abstract Monitoring the wear condition of the tramway superstructure is one of the key points to guarantee an adequate safety level of the light rail transport system. The purpose of this paper is to suggest a new non-conventionalprocedure for measuring the transverse profile of rails in operation by means of image-processing technique. This methodological approach is based on the “information” contained in high-resolution photographic images of tracks and on specific algorithms which allow to obtain the exact geometric profile of the rails and therefore to measure the state of the rail-head extrados wear.

Analysis of Kinematic Parameters and Driver Behavior at Turbo Roundabouts

This study focuses on both vehicle kinematic parameters (speed and acceleration) and behavior parameters (critical interval and follow-up time) of drivers at turbo-roundabouts. Empirical evaluations of such parameters can be helpful in calibrating traffic microsimulation models or assigning behavior parameters to closed-form capacity models in turbo-roundabouts (gap-acceptance capacity models) and are also related to evaluation of vehicles pollutant emissions. The research was based on traffic process observed in the first turbo-roundabout implemented in the city of Maribor in Slovenia. In 2016 a great number of traffic samples were taken with high-frame-rate video recordings [>50 frames pe…

Feasibility in routine clinical setting of combined resting-state fMRI and DTI-tractography for surgical planning of brain tumors

Purpose Methods and materials Results Conclusion Personal information and conflict of interest References

ELABORAZIONE DELLE IMMAGINI DIGITALI. STUDIO DELLE CONDIZIONI OPERATIVE DELLE INTERSEZIONI STRADALI URBANE

Reducing Air Pollutants through Road Innovative Intersections

Road pollutant emissions are correlated mainly to infrastructural capacity and to traffic intensity and typology. With the aim to improve road intersections performances in the last years was designed many new geometric layouts, like turbo roundabouts and flower roundabouts. The main objective of this paper is carried out a comparative analysis between conventional and innovative roundabouts in terms of CO, CO2, NO and PM2,5 vehicular emissions, evaluated by means of COPERT Software which is developed as a European tool for the calculation of emissions from the road transport sector.

IMAGE PROCESSING FOR ROAD SIGNS INVENTORY

Applicazioni dell’image processing nel campo delle infrastrutture viarie. il caso della viabilità in esercizio

Nel settore delle infrastrutture di trasporto, si stanno sempre più sviluppando specifiche tecniche di rilievo automatico, ad alto rendimento, utilizzate per il monitoraggio dei parametrici caratteristici del traffico e di quelli geometrici dell’infrastruttura. Di particolare interesse per la loro semplicità, flessibilità d’uso, economia ed affidabilità sono le tecniche basate sull’image processing, che prevedono l’impiego sinergico di un sistema di monitoraggio e di elaborazione delle sequenze video registrate con strumentazioni digitali o analogiche. In questo ambito, le molteplici esperienze di ricerca già maturate hanno dimostrato la versatilità di tali procedure in numerose applicazion…

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BRAIN ATROPHY AND NATALIZUMAB THERAPY IN THE TREATMENT OF MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

Determinazione dell’usura di rotaie tranviarie mediante analisi delle immagini con tecniche mono e stereoscopiche

La misura dei valori assunti dai parametri geometrici del binario e lo stato di usura delle rotaie, ormai da diversi anni viene effettuata con tecniche laser ad alto rendimento e con treni diagnostici (come ad esempio i treni Archimede e Talete per le ferrovie ordinarie). Nel presente lavoro viene descritta una nuova procedura per la stima dell’usura del profilo trasversale di rotaie tranviarie in esercizio mediante la tecnica dell’image processing; tale approccio metodologico si basa sulle “informazioni” contenute in immagini fotografiche ad alta risoluzione delle rotaie e su specifici algoritmi che permettono di ottenere l’esatto profilo geometrico delle rotaie stesse e quindi di poter mi…

Automated Railway Signs Detection. Preliminary Results

Abstract Nowadays safety in railways is mostly achieved by automated system technologies such as ERTMS/ETCS. Nevertheless, on local railways (suburban and regional lines) several tasks still depend on the choices and actions of a human crew. With the aim to improve safety in such type of railways, this research proposes a system for the automatic detection and recognition of railway signs by means of the digital image processing technique. First field applications, carried out on the Italian railway network, show that the proposed system is very accurate (the percentage of correctly detected railway signs is about 97%), even at high train speeds.

A New High-Efficiency Procedure for Aggregate Gradation Determination of the Railway Ballast by Means Image Recognition Method

Abstract The mechanical characteristics of the railway superstructure are related to the properties of the ballast, and especially to the particle size distribution of its grains. Under the constant stress-strain of carriages, the ballast can deteriorate over time, and consequently it should properly be monitored for safety reasons. The equipment which currently monitors the railway superstructure (like the Italian diagnostic train Archimede) do not make any “quantitative” evaluation of the ballast. The aim of this paper is therefore to propose a new methodology for extracting railway ballast particle size distribution by means of the image processing technique. The procedure has been teste…

Traffic Flow Variables Estimation: An Automated Procedure Based on Moving Observer Method. Potential Application for Autonomous Vehicles

Abstract The estimation of traffic flow variables (flow, space mean speed and density) plays a fundamental role in highways planning and designing, as well as in traffic control strategies. Moving Observer Method (MOM) allows traffic surveys in a road, or in a road network. This paper proposes a novel automated procedure, called MOM-AP based on Moving Observer Method and Digital Image Processing (DIP) Technique able to automatically detect (without human observers) and calculate flow q, space mean speed vs and density k in case of stationary and homogeneous traffic conditions. In order to evaluate how reliable is the MOM-AP, an experiment has been carried out in a segment of one two-lane si…

Resting-State Functional Connectome in Patients with Brain Tumors Before and After Surgical Resection

Purpose: High-grade glioma surgery has evolved around the principal belief that a safe maximal tumor resection improves symptoms, quality of life, and survival. Mapping brain function has been recently improved by resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rest-fMRI), a novel imaging technique that explores networks connectivity at “rest.” Methods: This prospective study analyzed 10 patients with high-grade glioma in whom rest-fMRI connectivity was assessed both in single-subject and in group analysis before and after surgery. Seed-based functional connectivity analysis was performed with CONN toolbox. Network identification focused on 8 major functional connectivity networks. A v…

Applicazioni dell’image processing nel campo delle infrastrutture viarie. Il monitoraggio della viabilità in esercizio

Nel settore delle infrastrutture di trasporto, si stanno sempre più sviluppando specifiche tecniche di rilievo automatico, ad alto rendimento, utilizzate per il monitoraggio dei parametrici caratteristici del traffico e di quelli geometrici dell’infrastruttura. Di particolare interesse per la loro semplicità, flessibilità d’uso, economia ed affidabilità sono le tecniche basate sull’image processing, che prevedono l’impiego sinergico di un sistema di monitoraggio e di elaborazione delle sequenze video registrate con strumentazioni digitali o analogiche. In questo ambito, le molteplici esperienze di ricerca già maturate hanno dimostrato la versatilità di tali procedure in numerose applicazion…

Mono and Stereoscopic Image Analysis for Detecting the Transverse Profile of Worn-Out Rails

AbstractThe purpose of this paper is to suggest a new procedure for reconstructing the transverse profile of rails in operation by means of image-processing technique. This methodological approach is based on the “information” contained in high-resolution photographic images of tracks and on specific algorithms which allow to obtain the exact geometric profile of the rails and therefore to measure the state of the rail-head extrados wear. The analyses and the results concern rails taken from railway lines under upgrading by means of mono- and stereoscopic methods which are appropriate to be employed in laboratory applications or in high-efficiency surveys in situ.

Improved Traffic Signal Detection and Classification via Image Processing Algorithms

An image analysis technique for automatic traffic sign detection and classification is proposed. This analysis makes it possible, after proper training, to detect, recognize and classify vertical road signs from video frames acquired on a moving vehicle equipped with cameras, as well as to identify anomalies with respect to road sign regulations (positioning and visibility). The experimental results show that this technique allows one to correctly detect and classify almost all vertical signs and, mainly in extra-urban environment, it can be considered as highly reliable, apart from being really versatile and user-friendly for road inventory and road maintenance purposes.

Resting-State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Surgical Neuro-Oncology Planning: Towards a Standardization in Clinical Settings

Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rest-f-MRI) is a neuroimaging technique that has demonstrated its potential in providing new insights into brain physiology. rest-f-MRI can provide useful information in pre-surgical mapping aimed to balancing long-term survival by maximizing the extent of resection of brain neoplasms, while preserving the patient’s functional connectivity. Rest-fMRI may replace or can be complementary to task-driven fMRI (t-fMRI), particularly in patients unable to cooperate with the task paradigm, such as children or sedated, paretic, aphasic patients. Although rest-fMRI is still under standardization, this technique has been demonstrated to be feasible…

Resting-State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Brain Tumor Surgical Planning: Feasibility in Clinical Setting.

The aim of this study was to introduce resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rest-fMRI) capability for brain tumor surgical planning. rest-fMRI is an emerging functional neuroimaging technique potentially able to provide new insights into brain physiology and to provide useful information regarding brain tumors in preoperative and postoperative settings. rest-fMRI evaluates low-frequency fluctuations in the blood oxygen level–dependent signal while the subject is at rest during magnetic resonance imaging examination. Multiple resting-state networks have been identified, including the somatosensory, language, and visual networks, which are of primary importance for surgical pl…

IL RITARDO ALLE INTERSEZIONI SEMAFORIZZATE. UN APPROCCIO PROBABILISTICO

UNA PROCEDURA AUTOMATIZZATA PER LA DETERMINAZIONE DELLE CARATTERISTICHE MICROSTRUTTURALI DELLE SABBIE MEDIANTE ANALISI DI IMMAGINI DI SEZIONI SOTTILI

È ben noto che il comportamento meccanico microscopico delle sabbie - e in generale dei terreni granulari - trae origine dalle loro caratteristiche microstrutturali, quali, per esempio, il numero di coordinazione dei singoli grani, l’indice di contatto intergranulare (grain contact ratio) e l’indice di addensamento dei grani (packing density index). Appare, quindi, di notevole importanza la determinazione degli indici predetti con alto grado di affidabilità e di ripetibilità. Lo studio dell’assetto dei contatti intergranulari e il calcolo degli indici che lo caratterizzano, viene condotta comunemente su immagini piane dell’insieme di grani mediante esame visuale e restituzione grafica assis…

Brain magnetic resonance imaging radiomics features associated with hepatic encephalopathy in adult cirrhotic patients.

Abstract Purpose Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a potential complication of cirrhosis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may demonstrate hyperintense T1 signal in the globi pallidi. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of MRI-based radiomic features for diagnosing and grading chronic HE in adult patients affected by cirrhosis. Methods Adult patients with and without cirrhosis underwent brain MRI with identical imaging protocol on a 3T scanner. Patients without history of chronic liver disease were the control population. HE grading was based on underlying liver disease, severity of clinical manifestation, and number of encephalopathic episodes. Texture analysis was perfo…

An automated procedure for computing the packing properties of dense and locked sands by image analysis of thin sections

The macroscopic mechanical behaviour of dense sands originates to a great extent from their microstructural characteristics such as the coordination number, the grain contact and the packing density indexes. The study of intergranular contacts and the reckoning of these indexes may be carried out on planar images of the grains either by means of time-consuming visual inspection assisted by CAD or by automatic image analysis. An innovative method for the automatic determination of microstructural characteristics of sands based on image analysis of thin section is proposed. Tests performed on a locked sand show that the proposed method is much more effective, convenient and faster than the us…