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Ultrasound elastography is a promising technique that can assist in diagnosis of thyroid cancer. However, the tissue movements generated by the freehand compression are complex and difficult to estimate. Therefore, the aim of this study was to propose a motion estimation technique adapted to our application. First, a parametric deformable block matching is introduced and shown to provide better results than classical block matching. Afterwards, the extension of this method to motion estimation with image sequences is presented. Moreover, motion analysis using a technique of compression orientation detection led us to introduce a new parameter based on the angle of estimated motion vectors. The accuracy of our methods was tested on simulated and in-vivo ultrasound images. The in-vivo data sets correspond to thyroid gland images acquired using freehand tissue compression by ultrasound probe of a clinical ultrasound scanner modified for research. Thus, we show how our method improves the contrast between the healthy part of the thyroid and the malignant tumor by a factor of 3 compared to ultrasound images and by a factor of 2 compared to classical strain images.

Technology transfer (TT) is a mechanism designed to accurately make knowledge, innovations, and advancements available to the general population. TT is conducted through scientific papers, educational and governmental initiatives, and the commercialization of technology. The TT process per se is complex, involving many stakeholders and factors that can impact implementation. Feasibility studies are needed to assess the types of technology that can be transferred, the economic options to be chosen, and to stimulate the receptive part, making understandable the whole transfer flow. Furthermore, TT involves a dynamic mechanism that has advanced with the development of technology, with different linear, non-linear, and alternative models being proposed and scientifically validated, and with the possibility of addressing different perceptions of the factors involved. The international TT level, as well as the level of innovation in the economic context, differs from nation to nation. The need for this paper is based on the lack of a comprehensive detailed presentation of the TT infrastructural concept, approached in a novel and in-depth way by assessing international TT, technology flow, technology distribution and expansion, collaborative networks, TT centers and TT models, regional operational programs etc., all of which are related to national/international legislation and sustainable development. The deficit of representation and implementation of this concept in Romania was also covered, the assessment providing the current status and suggesting the need to develop and optimize the implementation of TT in this country.

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