Version-1.27.0

Release Date : February 2026

Major Features

Projection Traces - GMM Fitting Support

  • Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) Fitting: Revolutionary new fitting approach for complex peak patterns

    • GMMParameterEditorDialog: Interactive parameter editor with real-time preview

    • Support for multiple peaks with common sigma (shared width)

    • Per-parameter bounds management for precise control

    • Fixed parameter support to constrain specific values

    • Peak and sigma tolerance settings for robust fitting

    • Transactional rollback capability for safe parameter exploration

  • Enhanced Peak Management:

    • Peak mirroring functionality based on cache status

    • EditPeakDetailsDialog: Edit individual peak parameters with tolerance control

    • Peak labeling visualization for better identification

    • Peak bounds synchronization across the fitting process

    • Automatic peak position recalculation to prevent drift

  • Improved Box Processing:

    • Three-stage processing pipeline (histogram → peak detection → fitting)

    • Box-centric configuration format using JSON

    • ProcessingBox and ProcessingState dataclasses for structured data management

    • Image-level cache utilization for faster reprocessing

    • Hull range management with auto-zoom functionality

    • Overlay dragging and edge manipulation for interactive adjustments

Manual Calibration Enhancements

  • Advanced Optimization Methods:

    • ManualCalibrationDialog: Comprehensive calibration interface

    • Differential evolution for global optimization (escapes local minima)

    • MAD-based (Median Absolute Deviation) outlier rejection for robust fitting

    • Multi-start optimization for improved convergence

    • Objective-based refinement with configurable parameters

  • Calibration Workflow Improvements:

    • Point refinement for sub-pixel accuracy

    • CSV export of optimization history for analysis

    • Enhanced results display with detailed metrics

Architecture Refactoring

New Base Classes

  • BaseGUI: Minimal foundation class for all GUI components

    • Standard image tab creation using template method pattern

    • Floating widget positioning

    • Unified initialization flow

    • Status bar integration via navigator attribute

  • ImageNavigatorWidget: Integrated image viewing and file management component

    • Combines ImageViewerWidget with FileManager for unified file browsing

    • Image display with tools and interactions

    • Navigation controls (next/prev image, next/prev file)

    • File path display with auto-update

    • Background directory scanning with progress tracking

    • Scan completion tracking for accurate file counts

  • ProcessingWorkspace: Complete workspace for image processing modules (QF, PT, EQ)

    • Uses ImageNavigatorWidget for integrated image viewing and file management

    • Display panel integration with collapsible settings

    • Calibration settings management (center, rotation, blank/mask)

    • Settings persistence to JSON files

    • Delayed notifications for improved UI responsiveness

Data Management

  • ImageData Container: Structured image data management

    • Center and rotation handling

    • Quadrant folding state

    • Blank/mask image references

    • Factory method for consistent creation

Quadrant Folding Improvements

Terminology Update

  • “Blank Image” → “Empty Cell Image”: More accurate terminology throughout the application

Enhanced UI Components

  • ImageSettingsPanel: Centralized settings management

    • Center and rotation settings delegation

    • Coordinate handling improvements

    • Settings persistence across images

  • BlankMaskSettingsWidget: Dedicated widget for empty cell and mask configuration

  • Improved Dialogs:

    • SetCentDialog: Now uses ImageViewerWidget for better image display

    • SetAngleDialog: Integrated into ImageSettingsPanel

    • Support for negative rotation angles

Center and Rotation Management

  • Configuration Fingerprinting: Automatic cache validation

    • Cache invalidation when settings change

    • Preserved manual settings during cache operations

    • “Quick Center and Rotation Angle” tool for simultaneous setting

  • Mode Indicators: Visual feedback for center and rotation modes

    • Auto vs. manual mode display

    • Apply current center/rotation to subsequent images

    • Restore auto center/rotation with granular control (current image or all)

Collapsible UI

  • CollapsibleGroupBox and CollapsibleRightPanel for better space utilization

  • Streamlined quadrant options integration

  • Optimized result tab layout

X-Ray Viewer Enhancements

  • Slice Box Functionality: Enhanced slice visualization

  • Refactored Layout: Improved status bar handling

  • Intensity Range Handling: Better control over display ranges

  • Fitting Options Tab: Enabled after histogram update

Performance & Multiprocessing

Parallel Processing

  • EquatorWindow Multiprocessing: Significant speed improvements

    • ProcessPoolExecutor for concurrent image processing

    • Worker initialization with proper context (macOS compatibility)

    • Task cancellation support with real-time feedback

    • Stop process dialog with progress indication

    • Batch completion metrics and timing

  • Memory Management:

    • Automatic cleanup after batch processing

    • Release of large image data after UI updates

    • Optional memory usage monitoring

    • Better resource management

File Manager Enhancements

  • Cached Directory Scanning: Disk caching for faster loading

    • Multiprocessing for I/O-bound tasks

    • Two-phase loading (synchronous + background)

    • Provisional file selection during scanning

    • Asynchronous directory scanning with status updates

  • HDF5 Support Improvements:

    • Full HDF5 file processing across all GUIs

    • Frame count tracking instead of loading all images

    • Master file preference when both master and data files exist

    • Progress tracking for HDF5 processing

    • Proper handling of HDF5 frame ranges

UI/UX Improvements

Display Enhancements

  • DisplayOptionsPanel: Centralized display controls

    • Intensity value validation to prevent errors

    • Persist intensity values across sessions

    • Brightness, contrast, and zoom controls

  • ImageViewerWidget: Enhanced image display

    • Integrated tool support

    • Built-in zoom handling (mouse wheel, zoom rectangle)

    • Panning support

    • Axis management improvements

Zoom Functionality

  • DoubleZoomWidget: Advanced dual-view zoom

    • Dynamic crop radius adjustment

    • Improved intensity normalization

    • Red dot cursor tracking fix

    • Subpixel-level accuracy for calibration

Status and Progress

  • HDF5 processing progress display in all GUIs

  • Enhanced progress bar formatting with detailed status

  • File indices in status bar

  • Scan completion indicators

  • Confirmation dialog when closing with running tasks

Bug Fixes

Data Processing

  • Fixed pandas.errors.InvalidIndexError by removing duplicate “Meridian Sigma” column

  • Fixed center coordinate handling in multiple GUIs

  • Fixed blank/mask handling in QuadrantFolder

  • Clipped image values to [0, 255] range to prevent underflow/overflow

  • Fixed pixel threshold check for invalid pixels (≤ threshold)

  • Fixed zoom rectangle removal in ProjectionBoxTab

UI Issues

  • Fixed double zoom red dot not following mouse

  • Fixed zoom functionality in SetCentDialog

  • Fixed center display updates in QuadrantFoldingGUI and ImageSettingsPanel

  • Fixed background processing in QuadrantFoldingGUI

  • Fixed progress bar calculation in multiple GUIs

  • Fixed file manager name errors

  • Fixed notification handling when opening images

Processing Issues

  • Fixed rotation handling to use original coordinates

  • Fixed image size consistency after rotation

  • Fixed cache handling for quadrant folded images

  • Fixed geometric center display for quadrant folded images

  • Removed axis inversion issues

Code Quality & Architecture

Refactoring

  • Component Architecture: New modular GUI architecture with clear separation of concerns

    • BaseGUI provides unified initialization framework

    • ImageNavigatorWidget handles file management and navigation

    • ProcessingWorkspace integrates image processing workflows

  • Reorganized file structure following Python conventions (ui_widgets → ui/widgets)

  • Removed obsolete methods and unused attributes

  • Streamlined blank image and mask handling

  • Better separation of concerns across modules

  • Removed redundant center-related code

  • Deprecated unused methods (getRotatedImage, centerizeImage, movePeaks)

State Management

  • Configuration fingerprinting for cache validation

  • Improved state management in QuadrantFolder

  • Better handling of manual vs automatic settings

  • Cache persistence for processing state

  • Transactional updates with rollback support

Code Cleanup

  • Removed debug print statements

  • Removed commented-out code

  • Standardized naming conventions

  • Improved error handling and logging

  • Better resource cleanup

Development & Build

Documentation

  • Added comprehensive architecture SVG diagrams (v1.25-1.27)

  • GitHub Actions Build & Release Workflow documentation

  • Manual calibration circle-band objective documentation

  • Performance optimization and parallel processing guides

  • Build guides for Linux DEB packages

Build System

  • GitHub Actions Workflow: Automated multi-platform builds

    • Linux, macOS, and Windows support

    • Multi-architecture builds

    • Artifact management and release creation

    • DMG creation for macOS with quarantine attribute removal

    • Debian package handling

  • Packaging Updates:

    • Inno Setup installer script for Windows

    • Advanced Installer project (MuscleX-1.26.0.aip)

    • Windows icon support (AppIcon.ico)

    • Updated spec files with sklearn data and PySide6 imports

    • Source distribution creation in workflow

Development Tools

  • VSCode launch configurations for debugging

    • Multiple GUI modes

    • Headless mode support

    • Various functionality testing configs

  • Updated .gitignore:

    • venv, .idea directories

    • temp_files, docs/_build

    • test_guide directory

    • test.log files

Testing

New Test Cases

  • PT_FittingGaussians_Horizontal: GMM fitting validation

  • EIGER_PT_Convex_Hull_Vertical: EIGER detector support

  • MAR_PT_Convex_Hull_Vertical: MAR detector convex hull tests

  • Updated test suite for new box configuration format

  • Headless test enhancements for background processing

Test Infrastructure

  • Updated environment tester with latest package versions

  • Improved test result validation

  • Better test image organization

  • Enhanced test utilities

Known Issues & Future Work

  • Additional documentation needed for GMM fitting workflows

  • Continue performance optimization for very large HDF5 files

  • Further UI refinements based on user feedback

  • Extended testing on additional detector types

.. note:: Version 1.27.0 is a full release. This version has been tested on 3.10 on Ubuntu 22.04

Total Changes: 346+ commits since v1.26.1

Key Contributors: Development team continues to enhance MuscleX with focus on advanced fitting algorithms, performance optimization, and improved user experience.