Enhancing Interoperability & Usability of BrainImageJava for Morphometric Imaging

描述（由申请人提供）：用于神经成像研究的软件工具使研究者能够为不断增长的人类大脑结构和功能科学数据库提供大量信息。尽管取得了这些成就，但与软件功能、方法、用户可访问性和应用人群相关的问题继续对加快当前信息获取的步伐施加限制。这些问题特别适用于关注发育中的（儿童）大脑的研究。为了解决这些限制，我们开发了一个软件工具，BrainImageJava (BIJ)，用于三维交互式图像处理，可视化和分析。BIJ的特殊和独特的功能包括简单和实时的ROI创建、多种文件格式、算法、可视化和图像编辑、拖放界面和快速数据库链接；基于java的框架带来了一般化、可扩展和可互操作的优势。为期一年的项目期间的主要目标是：(1)提高研究人员的可用性，完整记录BIJ程序功能，并满足NITRC互操作性标准；(2)分享充分分析的、独特的儿科数据集作为介绍方法的数据集和异常大脑的特定测试样本；(3)通过BIJ网站的下载和用户反馈，向科学界广泛分发BIJ、源代码和文档。为了实现这些目标，我们将与NITRC密切合作，协调当前和预期的互操作性标准，执行形态计量学分析，准备和共享异常大脑分析的样本程序。杰出的神经影像学研究人员将与我们的团队合作，利用BIJ，提供应用功能的系统反馈，并共享BIJ插件模块的源代码和编译程序。BIJ提供了独特的算法和交互式可视化工具，这些工具总是需要分析不寻常的MRI大脑数据-该软件包的利用已经产生了关于严重脑部疾病儿童神经结构和功能差异的重要见解。BIJ框架被设计为可扩展和可互操作的，可以使用现有的工具作为插件，具有增强的可视化功能的附加优势，可以对其他自动化或半自动成像管道中出现的任何结果进行全面的质量审查。因此，BIJ作为一种直接的研究工具和对其他神经成像包的有价值的补充都是有价值的。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Software tools for neuroimaging research have allowed investigators to contribute considerable information to the growing scientific database of human brain structure and function. Despite these achievements, issues related to software functionality, methodology, user-accessibility, and applied populations continue to impose limitations for accelerating the current pace of information acquisition. These issues are particularly applicable to studies focusing on the developing (pediatric) brain. To address these limitations, we have developed a software tool, BrainImageJava (BIJ), for three-dimensional interactive image processing, visualization and analysis. BIJ's special and unique functionalities include simple and real-time ROI creation, multiple file formats, algorithms, visualization and image editing, drag-and-drop interfaces, and fast database links; the Java-based framework has led to generalizable, extensible and interoperable advantages. The primary objectives of the one year project period are (1) to improve usability for investigators, completely document BIJ program features, and meet NITRC interoperability standards; (2) to share fully analyzed, unique pediatric data sets as introductory methods data sets and specific test samples of abnormal brains; and (3) to broadly distribute BIJ, source code and documentation to the scientific community with downloads and user feedback mediated by a BIJ web site. To accomplish these objectives, we will closely interact with NITRC to coordinate current and anticipated interoperability standards, perform morphometric analyses, prepare and share sample procedures for abnormal brain analysis. Prominent neuroimaging researchers will collaborate with our team by utilizing BIJ, providing systematic feedback on applied functionality, and sharing source code and compiled programs for BIJ plugin modules. BIJ provides unique algorithms and interactive visualization tools that will always be required to analyze unusual MRI brain data - utilization of the package has already yielded important insights about differences in neural structure and function in children with serious brain disorders. The BIJ framework is designed to be extensible and interoperable to use existing tools as plug-ins, with the added advantage that the enhanced visualization capabilities enable full quality review of any results that occur in other automated or semi-automated imaging pipelines. Thus, BIJ is valuable both as a direct research tool and as a valuable complement to other neuroimaging packages.