Objective imaging-based assessment of smoking behavior from used filters

描述(由申请人提供)：随着FDA实施其监管烟草产品的权力，特别是提出产品标准并考虑批准修改的危险产品，准确测量吸烟行为和暴露可能变得至关重要。近年来，数字图像分析系统已经发展起来，可以高精度地识别废烟滤嘴上的滤嘴堵塞，并可以估计吸烟者的补偿程度。这样的数字成像系统有很大的潜力可以不引人注目地推断吸烟者地形变量的丰富集合以及吸烟者接触毒素的情况。现有的基于过滤器的分析的文献基础正在增长，并指出这些方法在重要研究问题上的日益突出和适用性。我们建议修改现有的分析系统，并进行一系列研究，以测试其可靠性、有效性和适用性，以通过检查香烟滤嘴上的焦油污渍来确定口腔水平的香烟烟雾暴露。具体目的是为系统的效用提供严格的评估，从使用机器吸烟的香烟建立预测方程，到在人类吸烟样本中与其他既定的口腔水平暴露指标进行交叉验证。在该项目结束时，我们计划向研究界发布一套经过验证的软件，以支持吸烟相关研究的数字图像分析的外部验证。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Accurate measurement of smoking behaviors and exposures may become critical as FDA implements its authority to regulate tobacco products, and in particular proposes product standards and considers approval of modified risk products. Recently, digital image analysis systems have been developed that can identify the blocking of filter vents on spent cigarette filters with high accuracy and can also estimate the degree of smoker compensation. There is strong potential for such digital imaging systems to unobtrusively infer a rich set of smoker topography variables as well as a smoker's exposure to toxins. The existing literature base on filter-based assays is growing and points to growing prominence and applicability of these approaches to important research questions. We propose to modify existing analysis systems and conduct a series of studies to test their reliability, validity, and applicability for determining mouth- level cigarette smoke exposure by examining tar stains on cigarette filter butts. The Specific Aims are designed to provide rigorous evaluations of the utility of the systems, from establishing prediction equations using machine-smoked cigarettes to cross- validation in human-smoked samples against other established measures of mouth-level exposure. At the conclusion of this project, we plan to release a validated suite of software to the research community to support external verification of digital image analysis for smoking-related research.