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Color Image Encryption Algorithm Based on a Chaotic Model Using the Modular Discrete Derivative and Langton’s Ant

2023 , Moya-Albor, Ernesto , Romero Arellano, Andrés Gabriel , Brieva, Jorge , Gomez-Coronel, Sandra L.

In this work, a color image encryption and decryption algorithm for digital images is presented. It is based on the modular discrete derivative (MDD), a novel technique to encrypt images and efficiently hide visual information. In addition, Langton’s ant, which is a two-dimensional universal Turing machine with a high key space, is used. Moreover, a deterministic noise technique that adds security to the MDD is utilized. The proposed hybrid scheme exploits the advantages of MDD and Langton’s ant, generating a very secure and reliable encryption algorithm. In this proposal, if the key is known, the original image is recovered without loss. The method has demonstrated high performance through various tests, including statistical analysis (histograms and correlation distributions), entropy, texture analysis, encryption quality, key space assessment, key sensitivity analysis, and robustness to differential attack. The proposed method highlights obtaining chi-square values between (Formula presented.) and (Formula presented.), entropy values between (Formula presented.) and (Formula presented.), PSNR values (in the original and encrypted images) between (Formula presented.) and (Formula presented.), the number of pixel change rate (NPCR) values between (Formula presented.) and (Formula presented.), unified average changing intensity (UACI) values between (Formula presented.) and (Formula presented.), and a vast range of possible keys (Formula presented.). On the other hand, an analysis of the sensitivity of the key shows that slight changes to the key do not generate any additional information to decrypt the image. In addition, the proposed method shows a competitive performance against recent works found in the literature. © 2023 by the authors.

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Video motion magnification for monitoring of vital signals using a perceptual model

2017 , Brieva, Jorge , Moya-Albor, Ernesto , Gomez-Coronel, Sandra L. , Ponce, Hiram

In this paper we present an Eulerian motion magnification technique using a spatial decomposition based on the Steered Hermite Transform (SHT) which is inspired in the Human Vision System (HVS). We test our method in one sequence of the breathing of a newborn baby and on a video sequence that shows the heartbeat on the wrist. We estimate the heart pulse applying the Fourier transform on the magnified sequences. Our motion magnification approach is compared to the Laplacian and the Cartesian Hermite decomposition strategies by means of quantitative metrics. © 2017 SPIE.

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Bio-Inspired Watermarking Method for Authentication of Fundus Images in Computer-Aided Diagnosis of Retinopathy

2024 , Moya-Albor, Ernesto , Gomez-Coronel, Sandra L. , Brieva, Jorge , Lopez-Figueroa, Alberto

Nowadays, medical imaging has become an indispensable tool for the diagnosis of some pathologies and as a health prevention instrument. In addition, medical images are transmitted over all types of computer networks, many of them insecure or susceptible to intervention, making sensitive patient information vulnerable. Thus, image watermarking is a popular approach to embed copyright protection, Electronic Patient Information (EPR), institution information, or other digital image into medical images. However, in the medical field, the watermark must preserve the quality of the image for diagnosis purposes. In addition, the inserted watermark must be robust both to intentional and unintentional attacks, which try to delete or weaken it. This work presents a bio-inspired watermarking algorithm applied to retinal fundus images used in computer-aided retinopathy diagnosis. The proposed system uses the Steered Hermite Transform (SHT), an image model inspired by the Human Vision System (HVS), as a spread spectrum watermarking technique, by leveraging its bio-inspired nature to give imperceptibility to the watermark. In addition, the Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) is used to incorporate the robustness of the watermark against attacks. Moreover, the watermark is embedded into the RGB fundus images through the blood vessel patterns extracted by the SHT and using the luma band of Y’CbCr color model. Also, the watermark was encrypted using the Jigsaw Transform (JST) to incorporate an extra level of security. The proposed approach was tested using the image public dataset MESSIDOR-2, which contains 1748 8-bit color images of different sizes and presenting different Diabetic Retinopathy (DR). Thus, on the one hand, in the experiments we evaluate the proposed bio-inspired watermarking method over the entire MESSIDOR-2 dataset, showing that the embedding process does not affect the quality of the fundus images and the extracted watermark, by obtaining average Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR) values higher to 53 dB for the watermarked images and average PSNR values higher to 32 dB to the extracted watermark for the entire dataset. Also, we tested the method against image processing and geometric attacks successfully extracting the watermarking. A comparison of the proposed method against state-of-the-art was performed, obtaining competitive results. On the other hand, we classified the DR grade of the fundus image dataset using four trained deep learning models (VGG16, ResNet50, InceptionV3, and YOLOv8) to evaluate the inference results using the originals and marked images. Thus, the results show that DR grading remains both in the non-marked and marked images. ©MDPI

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Authentication of medical images through a hybrid watermarking method based on Hermite-Jigsaw-SVD

2023 , Gomez-Coronel, Sandra L. , Moya-Albor, Ernesto , Pérez-Daniel, Karina Ruby , Brieva, Jorge , Cruz-Aceves, Ivan , Hernandez-Aguirre, Arturo , Soto-Alvarez, Jose Alfredo

This work presents a watermarking algorithm applied to medical images by using the Steered Hermite Transform (SHT), the Singular Value Decomposition (SVD), and the Jigsaw transform (JS). The principal objective is to protect the patient's information using imperceptible watermarking and preserve its diagnosis. Thus, the watermark imperceptibility is achieved using the high-order Steered Hermite coefficients, whereas the SVD decomposition and the JS ensure the watermark against attacks. We use the medicine symbol Caduceus as a watermark. The metrics employed to evaluate the algorithm's performance are the Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR), the Mean Structural Similarity Index (MSSIM), and the Normalized Cross-Correlation (NCC). The evaluation metrics over the watermarked image show that it does not suffer quantitative and qualitative changes, and the extracted watermark was recovered successfully with high PSNR values. In addition, several watermark extraction tests were performed against geometric and common processing attacks. These tests show that the proposed algorithm is robust under critical conditions of attacks, for example, against nonlinear smoothing (median filter), high noise addition (Gaussian and Salt & Pepper noise), high compression rates (JPEG compression), rotation between 0 to 180 degree, and translations up to 100 pixels.

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A perceptive watermarking approach applied to COVID-19 imaging data

2020 , Gomez-Coronel, Sandra L. , Moya-Albor, Ernesto , Brieva, Jorge , Ponce, Hiram

This work presents a watermarking algorithm applied to medical images of COVID-19 patients. The principal objective is to protect the information of the patient using an imperceptible watermarking and to preserve its diagnose. Our technique is based on a perceptive approach to insert the watermark by decomposing the medical image using the Hermite transform. We use as watermark two image logos, including text strings to demonstrate that the watermark can contain relevant information of the patient. Some metrics were applied to evaluate the performance of the algorithm. Finally, we present some results about robustness with some attacks applied to watermark images. © 2020 SPIE

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Optical Flow-Hermite and Fuzzy Q-Learning Based Robotic Navigation Approach

2021 , Moya-Albor, Ernesto , Brieva, Jorge , Ponce, Hiram , Gomez-Coronel, Sandra L.

The present paper presents a bio-inspired optical flow approach to autonomous robotics navigation. It uses a Fuzzy Q-Learning (FQL) method to take decisions in an unknown environment through a reinforcement signal. The proposed method was implemented in a virtual robotics system using the V-REP software and in communication con MATLAB. The preliminary results show that the robot was able to navigate successfully in unknown environments. © 2021 IEEE.

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Watermarked cardiac CT image segmentation using deformable models and the Hermite transform

2015 , Gomez-Coronel, Sandra L. , Moya-Albor, Ernesto , Escalante-Ramírez, Boris , Brieva, Jorge , Romero, Eduardo , Lepore, Natasha

Medical image watermarking is an open area for research and is a solution for the protection of copyright and intellectual property. One of the main challenges of this problem is that the marked images should not differ perceptually from the original images allowing a correct diagnosis and authentication. Furthermore, we also aim at obtaining watermarked images with very little numerical distortion so that computer vision tasks such as segmentation of important anatomical structures do not be impaired or affected. We propose a preliminary watermarking application in cardiac CT images based on a perceptive approach that includes a brightness model to generate a perceptive mask and identify the image regions where the watermark detection becomes a difficult task for the human eye. We propose a normalization scheme of the image in order to improve robustness against geometric attacks. We follow a spread spectrum technique to insert an alphanumeric code, such as patient's information, within the watermark. The watermark scheme is based on the Hermite transform as a bio-inspired image representation model. In order to evaluate the numerical integrity of the image data after watermarking, we perform a segmentation task based on deformable models. The segmentation technique is based on a vector-value level sets method such that, given a curve in a specific image, and subject to some constraints, the curve can evolve in order to detect objects. In order to stimulate the curve evolution we introduce simultaneously some image features like the gray level and the steered Hermite coefficients as texture descriptors. Segmentation performance was assessed by means of the Dice index and the Hausdorff distance. We tested different mark sizes and different insertion schemes on images that were later segmented either automatic or manual by physicians.

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Bio-inspired Optical Flow-based Autonomous Obstacle Avoidance Control

2019 , Moya-Albor, Ernesto , Gomez-Coronel, Sandra L. , Ponce, Hiram , Brieva, Jorge , Chávez Domínguez, Rodrigo , Guadarrama-Muñoz, Alexis E.

In this paper, we propose a new methodology for autonomous obstacle avoidance control using a bio-inspired optical flow estimation. The main difference with other methods is that we use an image model inspired by the human vision system to define the constraints in the optical flow formulation which includes a Hermite transform (HT) and a perceptive mask. We use a physical robot platform to test the control algorithm, where due to the structure of the chassis a forward, reverse and turn movements were defined. The robot has a RBG camera to capture images of the path and then calculate optical flow estimation. To define velocity and direction robot response we propose a fuzzy controller. Finally, we made some experiments to demonstrate the performance of control navigation, and how responds algorithm using HT and a perceptive mask. © 2019 IEEE.

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A Robust and Secure Watermarking Approach Based on Hermite Transform and SVD-DCT

2023 , Gomez-Coronel, Sandra L. , Moya-Albor, Ernesto , Brieva, Jorge , Romero Arellano, Andrés

Currently, algorithms to embed watermarks into digital images are increasing exponentially, for example in image copyright protection. However, when a watermarking algorithm is applied, the preservation of the image’s quality is of utmost importance, for example in medical images, where improper embedding of the watermark could change the patient’s diagnosis. On the other hand, in digital images distributed over the Internet, the owner of the images must also be protected. In this work, an imperceptible, robust, secure, and hybrid watermarking algorithm is presented for copyright protection. It is based on the Hermite Transform (HT) and the Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) as a spatial–frequency representation of a grayscale image. Besides, it uses a block-based strategy and a perfectibility analysis of the best embedding regions inspired by the Human Vision System (HVS), giving the imperceptibility of the watermark, and a Singular-Value Decomposition (SVD) approach improved robustness against attacks. In addition, the proposed method can embed two watermarks, a digital binary image (LOGO) and information about the owner and the technical data of the original image in text format (MetaData). To secure both watermarks, the proposed method uses the Jigsaw Transform (JST) and the Elementary Cellular Automaton (ECA) to encrypt the image LOGO and a random sequence generator and the XOR operation to encrypt the image MetaData. On the other hand, the proposed method was tested using a public dataset of 49 grayscale images to assess the effectiveness of the watermark embedding and extraction procedures. Furthermore, the proposed watermarking algorithm was evaluated under several processing and geometric algorithms to demonstrate its robustness to the majority, intentional or unintentional, attacks, and a comparison was made with several state-of-the-art techniques. The proposed method obtained average values of PSNR = 40.2051 dB, NCC = 0.9987, SSIM = 0.9999, and MSSIM = 0.9994 for the watermarked image. In the case of the extraction of the LOGO, the proposal gave MSE = 0, PSNR ≫ 60 dB, NCC = 1, SSIM = 1, and MSSIM = 1, whereas, for the image MetaData extracted, it gave BER = 0% and (Formula presented.). Finally, the proposed encryption method presented a large key space ((Formula presented.)) for the LOGO image. © 2023 by the authors. Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI).

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Modeling of the major temporal arcade using genetic algorithms and orthogonal polynomials

2023 , Soto-Alvarez, Jose Alfredo , Cruz-Aceves, Ivan , Hernandez-Aguirre, Arturo , Hernandez-Gonzalez, Martha Alicia , Lopez-Montero, Luis Miguel , Moya-Albor, Ernesto , Brieva, Jorge , Gomez-Coronel, Sandra L. , Pérez-Daniel, Karina Ruby

Nowadays eye diseases that are not treated in a timely manner can lead to blindness in the patient. Diabetic retinopathy and retinopathy of prematurity are a couple of conditions considered to be the main causes of blindness in both adults and children. The technique used to date to verify the status of the retina is a qualitative analysis by an ophthalmological expert of fundus images. However, this is entirely based on the experience acquired by the physician and being able to detect changes in the vascular structure of the retina is a great challenge which can be addressed through technology. This paper presents a novel method to carry out the numerical modeling of the major temporal arcade using orthogonal polynomials of Legendre, Chebyshev and Laguerre through a genetic algorithm that helps to determine the coefficients of the linear combination of each one. A set of twenty fundus images already outlined by an expert was used, which were processed by the algorithm, generating an adjustment curve on the set of pixels of the Major Temporal Arcade. The results obtained were compared with three existing methodologies in the literature by using two metrics, emerging the Legendre polynomials as the most suitable for modeling, as a consequence of the low values obtained in the metrics compared to the other methods. © 2023 SPIE.