Cellular Simultanous Recurrent Networks for Image Processing

Artificial neural networks are inspired by the abilities of humans and animals to learn and adapt. Feed-forward networks are both fast and powerful, and are particularly useful for statistical pattern recognition. These networks are inspired by portions of the brain such as the visual cortex. However, feed-forward networks have been shown inadequate for complex applications such as long-term optimization, reinforced learning and image processing. Cellular Neural Networks (CNNs) are a type of recurrent network which have been used extensively for image processing. CNNs have shown limited success solving problems which involve topological relationships. Such problems include geometric transformations such as affine transformation and image registration. The Cellular Simultaneous Recurrent Network (CSRN) has been exploited to solve the 2D maze traversal problem, which is a long-term optimization problem with similar topological relations. From its inception, it has been speculated that the CSRN may have important implications in image processing. However, to date, very little work has been done to study CSRNs for image processing tasks. In this work, we investigate CSRNs for image processing. We propose a novel, generalized architecture for the CSRN suitable for generic image processing tasks. This architecture includes the use of sub-image processing which greatly improves the efficacy of CSRNs for image processing. We demonstrate the application of the CSRN with this generalized architecture across a variety of image processing problems including pixel level transformations, filtering, and geometric transformations. Results are evaluated and compared with standard MATLAB® functions. To better understand the inner workings of the CSRN we investigate the use of various CSRN cores including: 1) the original Generalized Multi-Layered Perceptron (GMLP) core used by Pang and Werbos to solve the 2D maze traversal problem, 2) the Elman Simultaneous Recurrent Network (ESRN), and 3) a novel ESRN core with multi-layered feedback. We compare the functionality of these cores in image processing applications. Further, we introduce the application of the unscented Kalman filter (UKF) for training of the CSRN. Results are compared with the standard Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) training method of CSRN. Finally, implications of current findings and proposed research directions are presented

Safe Mutations for Deep and Recurrent Neural Networks through Output Gradients

While neuroevolution (evolving neural networks) has a successful track record across a variety of domains from reinforcement learning to artificial life, it is rarely applied to large, deep neural networks. A central reason is that while random mutation generally works in low dimensions, a random perturbation of thousands or millions of weights is likely to break existing functionality, providing no learning signal even if some individual weight changes were beneficial. This paper proposes a solution by introducing a family of safe mutation (SM) operators that aim within the mutation operator itself to find a degree of change that does not alter network behavior too much, but still facilitates exploration. Importantly, these SM operators do not require any additional interactions with the environment. The most effective SM variant capitalizes on the intriguing opportunity to scale the degree of mutation of each individual weight according to the sensitivity of the network's outputs to that weight, which requires computing the gradient of outputs with respect to the weights (instead of the gradient of error, as in conventional deep learning). This safe mutation through gradients (SM-G) operator dramatically increases the ability of a simple genetic algorithm-based neuroevolution method to find solutions in high-dimensional domains that require deep and/or recurrent neural networks (which tend to be particularly brittle to mutation), including domains that require processing raw pixels. By improving our ability to evolve deep neural networks, this new safer approach to mutation expands the scope of domains amenable to neuroevolution

Accelerating Pattern Recognition Algorithms On Parallel Computing Architectures

The move to more parallel computing architectures places more responsibility on the programmer to achieve greater performance. The programmer must now have a greater understanding of the underlying architecture and the inherent algorithmic parallelism. Using parallel computing architectures for exploiting algorithmic parallelism can be a complex task. This dissertation demonstrates various techniques for using parallel computing architectures to exploit algorithmic parallelism. Specifically, three pattern recognition (PR) approaches are examined for acceleration across multiple parallel computing architectures, namely field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and general purpose graphical processing units (GPGPUs). Phase-only filter correlation for fingerprint identification was studied as the first PR approach. This approach\u27s sensitivity to angular rotations, scaling, and missing data was surveyed. Additionally, a novel FPGA implementation of this algorithm was created using fixed point computations, deep pipelining, and four computation phases. Communication and computation were overlapped to efficiently process large fingerprint galleries. The FPGA implementation showed approximately a 47 times speedup over a central processing unit (CPU) implementation with negligible impact on precision. For the second PR approach, a spiking neural network (SNN) algorithm for a character recognition application was examined. A novel FPGA implementation of the approach was developed incorporating a scalable modular SNN processing element (PE) to efficiently perform neural computations. The modular SNN PE incorporated streaming memory, fixed point computation, and deep pipelining. This design showed speedups of approximately 3.3 and 8.5 times over CPU implementations for 624 and 9,264 sized neural networks, respectively. Results indicate that the PE design could scale to process larger sized networks easily. Finally for the third PR approach, cellular simultaneous recurrent networks (CSRNs) were investigated for GPGPU acceleration. Particularly, the applications of maze traversal and face recognition were studied. Novel GPGPU implementations were developed employing varying quantities of task-level, data-level, and instruction-level parallelism to achieve efficient runtime performance. Furthermore, the performance of the face recognition application was examined across a heterogeneous cluster of multi-core and GPGPU architectures. A combination of multi-core processors and GPGPUs achieved roughly a 996 times speedup over a single-core CPU implementation. From examining these PR approaches for acceleration, this dissertation presents useful techniques and insight applicable to other algorithms to improve performance when designing a parallel implementation

Deep Cellular Recurrent Neural Architecture for Efficient Multidimensional Time-Series Data Processing

Efficient processing of time series data is a fundamental yet challenging problem in pattern recognition. Though recent developments in machine learning and deep learning have enabled remarkable improvements in processing large scale datasets in many application domains, most are designed and regulated to handle inputs that are static in time. Many real-world data, such as in biomedical, surveillance and security, financial, manufacturing and engineering applications, are rarely static in time, and demand models able to recognize patterns in both space and time. Current machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) models adapted for time series processing tend to grow in complexity and size to accommodate the additional dimensionality of time. Specifically, the biologically inspired learning based models known as artificial neural networks that have shown extraordinary success in pattern recognition, tend to grow prohibitively large and cumbersome in the presence of large scale multi-dimensional time series biomedical data such as EEG. Consequently, this work aims to develop representative ML and DL models for robust and efficient large scale time series processing. First, we design a novel ML pipeline with efficient feature engineering to process a large scale multi-channel scalp EEG dataset for automated detection of epileptic seizures. With the use of a sophisticated yet computationally efficient time-frequency analysis technique known as harmonic wavelet packet transform and an efficient self-similarity computation based on fractal dimension, we achieve state-of-the-art performance for automated seizure detection in EEG data. Subsequently, we investigate the development of a novel efficient deep recurrent learning model for large scale time series processing. For this, we first study the functionality and training of a biologically inspired neural network architecture known as cellular simultaneous recurrent neural network (CSRN). We obtain a generalization of this network for multiple topological image processing tasks and investigate the learning efficacy of the complex cellular architecture using several state-of-the-art training methods. Finally, we develop a novel deep cellular recurrent neural network (CDRNN) architecture based on the biologically inspired distributed processing used in CSRN for processing time series data. The proposed DCRNN leverages the cellular recurrent architecture to promote extensive weight sharing and efficient, individualized, synchronous processing of multi-source time series data. Experiments on a large scale multi-channel scalp EEG, and a machine fault detection dataset show that the proposed DCRNN offers state-of-the-art recognition performance while using substantially fewer trainable recurrent units

Recurrent Neural Networks and Matrix Methods for Cognitive Radio Spectrum Prediction and Security

In this work, machine learning tools, including recurrent neural networks (RNNs), matrix completion, and non-negative matrix factorization (NMF), are used for cognitive radio problems. Specifically addressed are a missing data problem and a blind signal separation problem. A specialized RNN called Cellular Simultaneous Recurrent Network (CSRN), typically used in image processing applications, has been modified. The CRSN performs well for spatial spectrum prediction of radio signals with missing data. An algorithm called soft-impute for matrix completion used together with an RNN performs well for missing data problems in the radio spectrum time-frequency domain. Estimating missing spectrum data can improve cognitive radio efficiency. An NMF method called tuning pruning is used for blind source separation of radio signals in simulation. An NMF optimization technique using a geometric constraint is proposed to limit the solution space of blind signal separation. Both NMF methods are promising in addressing a security problem known as spectrum sensing data falsification attack

Learning and Transfer of Modulated Locomotor Controllers

We study a novel architecture and training procedure for locomotion tasks. A high-frequency, low-level "spinal" network with access to proprioceptive sensors learns sensorimotor primitives by training on simple tasks. This pre-trained module is fixed and connected to a low-frequency, high-level "cortical" network, with access to all sensors, which drives behavior by modulating the inputs to the spinal network. Where a monolithic end-to-end architecture fails completely, learning with a pre-trained spinal module succeeds at multiple high-level tasks, and enables the effective exploration required to learn from sparse rewards. We test our proposed architecture on three simulated bodies: a 16-dimensional swimming snake, a 20-dimensional quadruped, and a 54-dimensional humanoid. Our results are illustrated in the accompanying video at https://youtu.be/sboPYvhpraQComment: Supplemental video available at https://youtu.be/sboPYvhpra