A Robust Generic Method for Grid Detection in White Light Microscopy Malassez Blade Images in the Context of Cell Counting

AbstractIn biology, cell counting is a primary measurement and it is usually performed manually using hemocytometers such as Malassez blades. This work is tedious and can be automated using image processing. An algorithm based on Fourier transform filtering and the Hough transform was developed for Malassez blade grid extraction. This facilitates cell segmentation and counting within the grid. For the present work, a set of 137 images with high variability was processed. Grids were accurately detected in 98% of these images.

Texture, color and frequential proxy-detection image processing for crop characterization in a context of Precision Agriculture

Multispectral fluorescence sensitivity to acidic and polyphenolic changes in Chardonnay wines – The case study of malolactic fermentation

International audience; In this study, stationary and time-resolvedfluorescence signatures, were statistically and chemometrically analyzed among three typologies of Chardonnay wines (A, B and C) with the objectives to evaluate their sensitivity to acidic and polyphenolic changes. For that purpose, a dataset was built using Excitation Emission Matrices of fluorescence (N = 103) decomposed by a Parallel Factor Analysis (PARAFAC), andfluorescence decays (N = 22), mathematically fitted, using the conventional exponential modeling and the phasor plot representation. Wine PARAFAC component C4 coupledwith its phasor plot g and s values enable the description of malolactic fermentation (MLF) occur…

Robustness of texture parameters for color texture analysis

This article proposes to deal with noisy and variable size color textures. It also proposes to deal with quantization methods and to see how such methods change final results. The method we use to analyze the robustness of the textures consists of an auto-classification of modified textures. Texture parameters are computed for a set of original texture samples and stored into a database. Such a database is created for each quantization method. Textures from the set of original samples are then modified, eventually quantized and classified according to classes determined from a precomputed database. A classification is considered incorrect if the original texture is not retrieved. This metho…

Automatic Counting of Intra-Cellular Ribonucleo-Protein Aggregates in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Using a Textural Approach.

AbstractIn the context of microbiology, recent studies show the importance of ribonucleo-protein aggregates (RNPs) for the understanding of mechanisms involved in cell responses to specific environmental conditions. The assembly and disassembly of aggregates is a dynamic process, the characterization of the stage of their evolution can be performed by the evaluation of their number. The aim of this study is to propose a method to automatically determine the count of RNPs. We show that the determination of a precise count is an issue by itself and hence, we propose three textural approaches: a classical point of view using Haralick features, a frequency point of view with generalized Fourier…

Automatic Biological Cell Counting Using a Modified Gradient Hough Transform

AbstractWe present a computational method for pseudo-circular object detection and quantitative characterization in digital images, using the gradient accumulation matrix as a basic tool. This Gradient Accumulation Transform (GAT) was first introduced in 1992 by Kierkegaard and recently used by Kaytanli & Valentine. In the present article, we modify the approach by using the phase coding studied by Cicconet, and by adding a “local contributor list” (LCL) as well as a “used contributor matrix” (UCM), which allow for accurate peak detection and exploitation. These changes help make the GAT algorithm a robust and precise method to automatically detect pseudo-circular objects in a microscop…

Effect of oxidoreduction potential and of gas bubbling on rheological properties and microstructure of acid skim milk gels acidified with glucono-delta-lactone

Milk oxidoreduction potential was modified using gases during the production of a model dairy product and its effect on gel setting was studied. Acidification by glucono-delta-lactone was used to examine the physicochemistry of gelation and to avoid variations due to microorganisms sensitive to oxidoreduction potential. Four conditions of oxidoreduction potential were applied to milk: milk was gassed with air, nongassed, gassed with N(2), or gassed with N(2)H(2). The rheological properties and microstructure of these gels were determined using viscoelasticimetry, measurement of whey separation, and confocal laser scanning microscopy. It appeared that a reducing environment led to less-aggre…

Robust image analysis methods for the detection and the characterization of compact objects : application to biology

In the field of microbiology, many experiments are based on a fine observation of microorganisms. Because of their interest in the development of modern agri-food processes, it is important to study their development and survival rate under specific environmental conditions such as osmotic or thermal stress. Microscopic imaging is one of the most used tools for observing microorganisms. The manual interpretation of acquired images raises problems of subjectivity, cost and reproducibility. This thesis proposes the development of standardized image analysis tools allowing the interpretation of images at two scales:- At the scale of the observation slide: the use of specific counting slides (M…

Reliable Detection and Smart Deletion of Malassez Counting Chamber Grid in Microscopic White Light Images for Microbiological Applications

AbstractIn biology, hemocytometers such as Malassez slides are widely used and are effective tools for counting cells manually. In a previous work, a robust algorithm was developed for grid extraction in Malassez slide images. This algorithm was evaluated on a set of 135 images and grids were accurately detected in most cases, but there remained failures for the most difficult images. In this work, we present an optimization of this algorithm that allows for 100% grid detection and a 25% improvement in grid positioning accuracy. These improvements make the algorithm fully reliable for grid detection. This optimization also allows complete erasing of the grid without altering the cells, whic…