As illustrated in Fig. 4.59, combining high-frequency emphasis and histogram equalization...

As illustrated in Fig. 4.59, combining high-frequency emphasis and histogram equalization is an effective method for achieving edge sharpening and contrast enhancement.

(a) Show whether or not it matters which process is applied first.

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(b) If the order does matter, give a rationale for using one or the other method first.

FIGURE 4.59 (a) A chest X-ray image. (b) Result of highpass filtering with a Gaussian filter. (c) Result of high-frequency-emphasis filtering using the same filter. (d) Result of performing histogram equalization on (c). (Original image courtesy of Dr. Thomas R. Gest, Division of Anatomical Sciences, University of Michigan Medical School.)