Topological inference for EEG and MEG

Neuroimaging produces data that are continuous in one or more dimensions. This calls for an inference framework that can handle data that approximate functions of space, for example, anatomical images, time--frequency maps and distributed source reconstructions of electromagnetic recordings over time. Statistical parametric mapping (SPM) is the standard framework for whole-brain inference in neuroimaging: SPM uses random field theory to furnish $p$-values that are adjusted to control family-wise error or false discovery rates, when making topological inferences over large volumes of space. Random field theory regards data as realizations of a continuous process in one or more dimensions. This contrasts with classical approaches like the Bonferroni correction, which consider images as collections of discrete samples with no continuity properties (i.e., the probabilistic behavior at one point in the image does not depend on other points). Here, we illustrate how random field theory can be applied to data that vary as a function of time, space or frequency. We emphasize how topological inference of this sort is invariant to the geometry of the manifolds on which data are sampled. This is particularly useful in electromagnetic studies that often deal with very smooth data on scalp or cortical meshes. This application illustrates the versatility and simplicity of random field theory and the seminal contributions of Keith Worsley (1951--2009), a key architect of topological inference.Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/10-AOAS337 the Annals of Applied Statistics (http://www.imstat.org/aoas/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org

Estimating Epipolar Geometry With The Use of a Camera Mounted Orientation Sensor

Context: Image processing and computer vision are rapidly becoming more and more commonplace, and the amount of information about a scene, such as 3D geometry, that can be obtained from an image, or multiple images of the scene is steadily increasing due to increasing resolutions and availability of imaging sensors, and an active research community. In parallel, advances in hardware design and manufacturing are allowing for devices such as gyroscopes, accelerometers and magnetometers and GPS receivers to be included alongside imaging devices at a consumer level. Aims: This work aims to investigate the use of orientation sensors in the field of computer vision as sources of data to aid with image processing and the determination of a scene’s geometry, in particular, the epipolar geometry of a pair of images - and devises a hybrid methodology from two sets of previous works in order to exploit the information available from orientation sensors alongside data gathered from image processing techniques. Method: A readily available consumer-level orientation sensor was used alongside a digital camera to capture images of a set of scenes and record the orientation of the camera. The fundamental matrix of these pairs of images was calculated using a variety of techniques - both incorporating data from the orientation sensor and excluding its use Results: Some methodologies could not produce an acceptable result for the Fundamental Matrix on certain image pairs, however, a method described in the literature that used an orientation sensor always produced a result - however in cases where the hybrid or purely computer vision methods also produced a result - this was found to be the least accurate. Conclusion: Results from this work show that the use of an orientation sensor to capture information alongside an imaging device can be used to improve both the accuracy and reliability of calculations of the scene’s geometry - however noise from the orientation sensor can limit this accuracy and further research would be needed to determine the magnitude of this problem and methods of mitigation

Rapid Online Analysis of Local Feature Detectors and Their Complementarity

A vision system that can assess its own performance and take appropriate actions online to maximize its effectiveness would be a step towards achieving the long-cherished goal of imitating humans. This paper proposes a method for performing an online performance analysis of local feature detectors, the primary stage of many practical vision systems. It advocates the spatial distribution of local image features as a good performance indicator and presents a metric that can be calculated rapidly, concurs with human visual assessments and is complementary to existing offline measures such as repeatability. The metric is shown to provide a measure of complementarity for combinations of detectors, correctly reflecting the underlying principles of individual detectors. Qualitative results on well-established datasets for several state-of-the-art detectors are presented based on the proposed measure. Using a hypothesis testing approach and a newly-acquired, larger image database, statistically-significant performance differences are identified. Different detector pairs and triplets are examined quantitatively and the results provide a useful guideline for combining detectors in applications that require a reasonable spatial distribution of image features. A principled framework for combining feature detectors in these applications is also presented. Timing results reveal the potential of the metric for online applications. © 2013 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Comparison of different electrocardiography with vectorcardiography transformations

This paper deals with transformations from electrocardiographic (ECG) to vectorcardiographic (VCG) leads. VCG provides better sensitivity, for example for the detection of myocardial infarction, ischemia, and hypertrophy. However, in clinical practice, measurement of VCG is not usually used because it requires additional electrodes placed on the patient's body. Instead, mathematical transformations are used for deriving VCG from 12-leads ECG. In this work, Kors quasi-orthogonal transformation, inverse Dower transformation, Kors regression transformation, and linear regression-based transformations for deriving P wave (PLSV) and QRS complex (QLSV) are implemented and compared. These transformation methods were not yet compared before, so we have selected them for this paper. Transformation methods were compared for the data from the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) database and their accuracy was evaluated using a mean squared error (MSE) and a correlation coefficient (R) between the derived and directly measured Frank's leads. Based on the statistical analysis, Kors regression transformation was significantly more accurate for the derivation of the X and Y leads than the others. For the Z lead, there were no statistically significant differences in the medians between Kors regression transformation and the PLSV and QLSV methods. This paper thoroughly compared multiple VCG transformation methods to conventional VCG Frank's orthogonal lead system, used in clinical practice.Web of Science1914art. no. 307