This dissertation contains the study of variational models for image restoration which address problems in auto-focusing for blind image deblurring, the blind recovery of blurred images that have been further degraded by occlusions, multiscale image decomposition, contrast and geometry preserving denoising, dynamics for standard denoising problems, staircase reduction in texture extraction problems, and high order duality based methods.

Abstract Biological vision is a rather fascinating domain of research. Scientists of various origins like biology, medicine, neurophysiology, engineering, math ematics, etc. aim to understand the processes leading to visual perception process and at reproducing such systems. Understanding the environment is most of the time done through visual perception which appears to be one of the most fundamental sensory abilities in humans and therefore a significant amount of research effort has been dedicated towards modelling and repro ducing human visual abilities. Mathematical methods play a central role in this endeavour. Introduction David Marr's theory v^as a pioneering step tov^ards understanding visual percep tion. In his view human vision was based on a complete surface reconstruction of the environment that was then used to address visual subtasks. This approach was proven to be insufficient by neuro-biologists and complementary ideas from statistical pattern recognition and artificial intelligence were introduced to bet ter address the visual perception problem. In this framework visual perception is represented by a set of actions and rules connecting these actions. The emerg ing concept of active vision consists of a selective visual perception paradigm that is basically equivalent to recovering from the environment the minimal piece information required to address a particular task of interest.

Blind deconvolution is a classical image processing problem which has been investigated by a large number of researchers over the last four decades. The purpose of this monograph is not to propose yet another method for blind image restoration. Rather the basic issue of deconvolvability has been explored from a theoretical view point. Some authors claim very good results while quite a few claim that blind restoration does not work. The authors clearly detail when such methods are expected to work and when they will not. In order to avoid the assumptions needed for convergence analysis in the Fourier domain, the authors use a general method of convergence analysis used for alternate minimization based on three point and four point properties of the points in the image space. The authors prove that all points in the image space satisfy the three point property and also derive the conditions under which four point property is satisfied. This provides the conditions under which alternate minimization for blind deconvolution converges with a quadratic prior. Since the convergence properties depend on the chosen priors, one should design priors that avoid trivial solutions. Hence, a sparsity based solution is also provided for blind deconvolution, by using image priors having a cost that increases with the amount of blur, which is another way to prevent trivial solutions in joint estimation. This book will be a highly useful resource to the researchers and academicians in the specific area of blind deconvolution.

Blind image deconvolution is constantly receiving increasing attention from the academic as well the industrial world due to both its theoretical and practical implications. The field of blind image deconvolution has several applications in different areas such as image restoration, microscopy, medical imaging, biological imaging, remote sensing, astronomy, nondestructive testing, geophysical prospecting, and many others. Blind Image Deconvolution: Theory and Applications surveys the current state of research and practice as presented by the most recognized experts in the field, thus filling a gap in the available literature on blind image deconvolution. Explore the gamut of blind image deconvolution approaches and algorithms that currently exist and follow the current research trends into the future. This comprehensive treatise discusses Bayesian techniques, single- and multi-channel methods, adaptive and multi-frame techniques, and a host of applications to multimedia processing, astronomy, remote sensing imagery, and medical and biological imaging at the whole-body, small-part, and cellular levels. Everything you need to step into this dynamic field is at your fingertips in this unique, self-contained masterwork. For image enhancement and restoration without a priori information, turn to Blind Image Deconvolution: Theory and Applications for the knowledge and techniques you need to tackle real-world problems.

The Handbook of Mathematical Methods in Imaging provides a comprehensive treatment of the mathematical techniques used in imaging science. The material is grouped into two central themes, namely, Inverse Problems (Algorithmic Reconstruction) and Signal and Image Processing. Each section within the themes covers applications (modeling), mathematics, numerical methods (using a case example) and open questions. Written by experts in the area, the presentation is mathematically rigorous. The entries are cross-referenced for easy navigation through connected topics. Available in both print and electronic forms, the handbook is enhanced by more than 150 illustrations and an extended bibliography. It will benefit students, scientists and researchers in applied mathematics. Engineers and computer scientists working in imaging will also find this handbook useful.