We evaluate three link functions (square root, logit, and copula) and Matérn kernel in the kernel-based estimation of reflectance spectra of the Munsell Matte collection in the 400–700 nm region. We estimate reflectance spectra from RGB camera responses in case of real and simulated responses and show that a combination of link function and a kernel regression model with a Matérn kernel decreases spectral errors when compared to a Gaussian mixture model or kernel regression with the Gaussian kernel. Matérn kernel produces performance similar to the thin plate spline model, but does not require a parametric polynomial part in the model.

The behavior of light in biological tissues is governed by intrinsic fundamental and wavelength-dependent properties (optical properties), including absorption coefficient (${\mu }_a$), scattering coefficient (${\mu }_s$), extinction coefficient (${\mu }_t={\mu }_s+{\mu }_a$), scattering anisotropy factor ($g$), reduced scattering coefficient (${\mu }_s^{\prime }$), and refractive index ($n$).^{1 – 3} The key factors determining the optical properties of biological tissues are chemical composition, concentration, size, distribution, and alignment of the tissue matrix’s biomolecules.³ Since these vary between biological tissues and within the same tissue due to biological or pathological processes, this variation often leads to differences in optical properties between healthy and pathological tissues. Thus, the optical properties of biological tissues have been adopted as biomarkers for the non-invasive screening of tissue pathologies in multiple organs, including muscles, brain, skin, heart, and breast.¹

The aim of this work is automatic and efficient detection of medically-relevant features from oral and dental hyperspectral images by applying up-to-date deep learning convolutional neural network techniques. This will help dentists to identify and classify unhealthy areas automatically and to prevent the progression of diseases. Hyperspectral imaging approach allows one to do so without exposing the patient to ionizing X-ray radiation. Spectral imaging provides information in the visible and near-infrared wavelength ranges. The dataset used in this paper contains 116 hyperspectral images from 18 patients taken from different viewing angles. Image annotation (ground truth) includes 38 classes in six different sub-groups assessed by dental experts. Mask region-based convolutional neural network (Mask R-CNN) is used as a deep learning model, for instance segmentation of areas. Preliminary results show high potential and accuracy for classification and segmentation of different classes.

There is increasing research on the potential application of diffuse optical spectroscopy and hyperspectral imaging for characterizing the health of the connective tissues, such as articular cartilage, during joint surgery. These optical techniques facilitate the rapid and objective diagnostic assessment of the tissue, thus providing unprecedented information toward optimal treatment strategy. Adaption of optical techniques for diagnostic assessment of musculoskeletal disorders, including osteoarthritis, requires precise determination of the optical properties of connective tissues such as articular cartilage. As every indirect method of tissue optical properties estimation consists of a measurement step followed by a computational analysis step, there are parameters associated with these steps that could influence the estimated values of the optical properties. In this study, we report the absorption and reduced scattering coefficients of articular cartilage in the spectral band of 400-1400 nm. We assess the impact of the experimental setup parameters, including surrounding medium, sample volume, and scattering anisotropy factor on the reported optical properties. Our results suggest that the absorption coefficient of articular cartilage is sensitive to the variation in the surrounding medium, whereas its reduced scattering coefficient is invariant to the experimental setup parameters.

At the cost of added complexity and time, hyperspectral imaging provides a more accurate measure of the scene’s irradiance compared to an RGB camera. Several camera designs with more than three channels have been proposed to improve the accuracy. The accuracy is often evaluated based on the estimation quality of the spectral data. Currently, such evaluations are carried out with either simulated data or color charts to relax the spatial registration requirement between the images. To overcome this limitation, this article presents an accurately registered image database of six icon paintings captured with five cameras with different number of channels, ranging from three (RGB) to more than a hundred (hyperspectral camera). Icons are challenging topics because they have complex surfaces that reflect light specularly with a high dynamic range. Two contributions are proposed to tackle this challenge. First, an imaging configuration is carefully arranged to control the specular reflection, confine the dynamic range, and provide a consistent signal-to-noise ratio for all the camera channels. Second, a multi-camera, feature-based registration method is proposed with an iterative outlier removal phase that improves the convergence and the accuracy of the process. The method was tested against three other approaches with different features or registration models.