After spending the day doing fun image format conversions sarcasm I can now answer my own question.
You could optimize your program with mxGetDimensions and mxGetNumberOfDimensions to get the size of the image and use the mxGetClassID to determine the depth more accurately.
I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.