358 research outputs found
Beam scanning by liquid-crystal biasing in a modified SIW structure
A fixed-frequency beam-scanning 1D antenna based on Liquid Crystals (LCs) is designed for application in 2D scanning with lateral alignment. The 2D array environment imposes full decoupling of adjacent 1D antennas, which often conflicts with the LC requirement of DC biasing: the proposed design accommodates both. The LC medium is placed inside a Substrate Integrated Waveguide (SIW) modified to work as a Groove Gap Waveguide, with radiating slots etched on the upper broad wall, that radiates as a Leaky-Wave Antenna (LWA). This allows effective application of the DC bias voltage needed for tuning the LCs. At the same time, the RF field remains laterally confined, enabling the possibility to lay several antennas in parallel and achieve 2D beam scanning. The design is validated by simulation employing the actual properties of a commercial LC medium
Towards Object-Centric Scene Understanding
Visual perception for autonomous agents continues to attract community attention due to the disruptive technologies and the wide applicability of such solutions. Autonomous Driving (AD), a major application in this domain, promises to revolutionize our approach to mobility while bringing critical advantages in limiting accident fatalities.
Fueled by recent advances in Deep Learning (DL), more computer vision tasks are being addressed using a learning paradigm. Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) succeeded consistently in pushing performances to unprecedented levels and demonstrating the ability of such approaches to generalize to an increasing number of difficult problems, such as 3D vision tasks.
In this thesis, we address two main challenges arising from the current approaches. Namely, the computational complexity of multi-task pipelines, and the increasing need for manual annotations. On the one hand, AD systems need to perceive the surrounding environment on different levels of detail and, subsequently, take timely actions. This multitasking further limits the time available for each perception task. On the other hand, the need for universal generalization of such systems to massively diverse situations requires the use of large-scale datasets covering long-tailed cases. Such requirement renders the use of traditional supervised approaches, despite the data readily available in the AD domain, unsustainable in terms of annotation costs, especially for 3D tasks.
Driven by the AD environment nature and the complexity dominated (unlike indoor scenes) by the presence of other scene elements (mainly cars and pedestrians) we focus on the above-mentioned challenges in object-centric tasks. We, then, situate our contributions appropriately in fast-paced literature, while supporting our claims with extensive experimental analysis leveraging up-to-date state-of-the-art results and community-adopted benchmarks
Generalizable deep learning based medical image segmentation
Deep learning is revolutionizing medical image analysis and interpretation. However, its real-world deployment is often hindered by the poor generalization to unseen domains (new imaging modalities and protocols). This lack of generalization ability is further exacerbated by the scarcity of labeled datasets for training: Data collection and annotation can be prohibitively expensive in terms of labor and costs because label quality heavily dependents on the expertise of radiologists. Additionally, unreliable predictions caused by poor model generalization pose safety risks to clinical downstream applications.
To mitigate labeling requirements, we investigate and develop a series of techniques to strengthen the generalization ability and the data efficiency of deep medical image computing models. We further improve model accountability and identify unreliable predictions made on out-of-domain data, by designing probability calibration techniques.
In the first and the second part of thesis, we discuss two types of problems for handling unexpected domains: unsupervised domain adaptation and single-source domain generalization. For domain adaptation we present a data-efficient technique that adapts a segmentation model trained on a labeled source domain (e.g., MRI) to an unlabeled target domain (e.g., CT), using a small number of unlabeled training images from the target domain.
For domain generalization, we focus on both image reconstruction and segmentation. For image reconstruction, we design a simple and effective domain generalization technique for cross-domain MRI reconstruction, by reusing image representations learned from natural image datasets. For image segmentation, we perform causal analysis of the challenging cross-domain image segmentation problem. Guided by this causal analysis we propose an effective data-augmentation-based generalization technique for single-source domains. The proposed method outperforms existing approaches on a large variety of cross-domain image segmentation scenarios.
In the third part of the thesis, we present a novel self-supervised method for learning generic image representations that can be used to analyze unexpected objects of interest. The proposed method is designed together with a novel few-shot image segmentation framework that can segment unseen objects of interest by taking only a few labeled examples as references. Superior flexibility over conventional fully-supervised models is demonstrated by our few-shot framework: it does not require any fine-tuning on novel objects of interest. We further build a publicly available comprehensive evaluation environment for few-shot medical image segmentation.
In the fourth part of the thesis, we present a novel probability calibration model. To ensure safety in clinical settings, a deep model is expected to be able to alert human radiologists if it has low confidence, especially when confronted with out-of-domain data. To this end we present a plug-and-play model to calibrate prediction probabilities on out-of-domain data. It aligns the prediction probability in line with the actual accuracy on the test data. We evaluate our method on both artifact-corrupted images and images from an unforeseen MRI scanning protocol. Our method demonstrates improved calibration accuracy compared with the state-of-the-art method.
Finally, we summarize the major contributions and limitations of our works. We also suggest future research directions that will benefit from the works in this thesis.Open Acces
Neural function approximation on graphs: shape modelling, graph discrimination & compression
Graphs serve as a versatile mathematical abstraction of real-world phenomena in numerous scientific disciplines. This thesis is part of the Geometric Deep Learning subject area, a family of learning paradigms, that capitalise on the increasing volume of non-Euclidean data so as to solve real-world tasks in a data-driven manner. In particular, we focus on the topic of graph function approximation using neural networks, which lies at the heart of many relevant methods. In the first part of the thesis, we contribute to the understanding and design of Graph Neural Networks (GNNs). Initially, we investigate the problem of learning on signals supported on a fixed graph. We show that treating graph signals as general graph spaces is restrictive and conventional GNNs have limited expressivity. Instead, we expose a more enlightening perspective by drawing parallels between graph signals and signals on Euclidean grids, such as images and audio. Accordingly, we propose a permutation-sensitive GNN based on an operator analogous to shifts in grids and instantiate it on 3D meshes for shape modelling (Spiral Convolutions). Following, we focus on learning on general graph spaces and in particular on functions that are invariant to graph isomorphism. We identify a fundamental trade-off between invariance, expressivity and computational complexity, which we address with a symmetry-breaking mechanism based on substructure encodings (Graph Substructure Networks). Substructures are shown to be a powerful tool that provably improves expressivity while controlling computational complexity, and a useful inductive bias in network science and chemistry. In the second part of the thesis, we discuss the problem of graph compression, where we analyse the information-theoretic principles and the connections with graph generative models. We show that another inevitable trade-off surfaces, now between computational complexity and compression quality, due to graph isomorphism. We propose a substructure-based dictionary coder - Partition and Code (PnC) - with theoretical guarantees that can be adapted to different graph distributions by estimating its parameters from observations. Additionally, contrary to the majority of neural compressors, PnC is parameter and sample efficient and is therefore of wide practical relevance. Finally, within this framework, substructures are further illustrated as a decisive archetype for learning problems on graph spaces.Open Acces
Data-Driven Classification Methods for Craniosynostosis Using 3D Surface Scans
Diese Arbeit befasst sich mit strahlungsfreier Klassifizierung von
Kraniosynostose mit zusätzlichem Schwerpunkt auf Datenaugmentierung und auf
die Verwendung synthetischer Daten als Ersatz für klinische Daten.
Motivation: Kraniosynostose ist eine Erkrankung, die Säuglinge
betrifft und zu Kopfdeformitäten führt. Diagnose mittels strahlungsfreier 3D
Oberflächenscans ist eine vielversprechende Alternative zu traditioneller
computertomographischer Bildgebung. Aufgrund der niedrigen Prävalenz und
schwieriger Anonymisierbarkeit sind klinische Daten nur spärlich vorhanden.
Diese Arbeit adressiert diese Herausforderungen, indem sie neue
Klassifizierungsalgorithmen vorschlägt, synthetische Daten für die
wissenschaftliche Gemeinschaft erstellt und zeigt, dass es möglich ist,
klinische Daten vollständig durch synthetische Daten zu ersetzen, ohne die
Klassifikationsleistung zu beeinträchtigen.
Methoden: Ein Statistisches Shape Modell (SSM) von
Kraniosynostosepatienten wird erstellt und öffentlich zugänglich gemacht. Es
wird eine 3D-2D-Konvertierung von der 3D-Gittergeometrie in ein 2D-Bild
vorgeschlagen, die die Verwendung von Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) und
Datenaugmentierung im Bildbereich ermöglicht. Drei Klassifizierungsansätze
(basierend auf cephalometrischen Messungen, basierend auf dem SSM, und
basierend auf den 2D Bildern mit einem CNN) zur Unterscheidung zwischen
drei Pathologien und einer Kontrollgruppe werden vorgeschlagen und bewertet.
Schließlich werden die klinischen Trainingsdaten vollständig durch
synthetische Daten aus einem SSM und einem generativen adversarialen Netz
(GAN) ersetzt.
Ergebnisse: Die vorgeschlagene CNN-Klassifikation übertraf
konkurrierende Ansätze in einem klinischen Datensatz von 496 Probanden und
erreichte einen F1-Score von 0,964. Datenaugmentierung erhöhte den F1-Score
auf 0,975. Zuschreibungen der Klassifizierungsentscheidung zeigten hohe
Amplituden an Teilen des Kopfes, die mit Kraniosynostose in Verbindung stehen.
Das Ersetzen der klinischen Daten durch synthetische Daten, die mit einem SSM
und einem GAN erstellt wurden, ergab noch immer einen F1-Score von über
0,95, ohne dass das Modell ein einziges klinisches Subjekt gesehen hatte.
Schlussfolgerung: Die vorgeschlagene Umwandlung von 3D-Geometrie in
ein 2D-kodiertes Bild verbesserte die Leistung bestehender Klassifikatoren und
ermöglichte eine Datenaugmentierung während des Trainings. Unter Verwendung
eines SSM und eines GANs konnten klinische Trainingsdaten durch synthetische
Daten ersetzt werden. Diese Arbeit verbessert bestehende diagnostische
Ansätze auf strahlungsfreien Aufnahmen und demonstriert die Verwendbarkeit von
synthetischen Daten, was klinische Anwendungen objektiver, interpretierbarer,
und weniger kostspielig machen
Advances in flexible manipulation through the application of AI-based techniques
282 p.Objektuak hartu eta uztea oinarrizko bi eragiketa dira ia edozein aplikazio robotikotan. Gaur egun, "pick and place" aplikazioetarako erabiltzen diren robot industrialek zeregin sinpleak eta errepikakorrak egiteko duten eraginkortasuna dute ezaugarri. Hala ere, sistema horiek oso zurrunak dira, erabat kontrolatutako inguruneetan lan egiten dute, eta oso kostu handia dakarte beste zeregin batzuk egiteko birprogramatzeak. Gaur egun, industria-ingurune desberdinetako zereginak daude (adibidez, logistika-ingurune batean eskaerak prestatzea), zeinak objektuak malgutasunez manipulatzea eskatzen duten, eta oraindik ezin izan dira automatizatu beren izaera dela-eta. Automatizazioa zailtzen duten botila-lepo nagusiak manipulatu beharreko objektuen aniztasuna, roboten trebetasun falta eta kontrolatu gabeko ingurune dinamikoen ziurgabetasuna dira.Adimen artifizialak (AA) gero eta paper garrantzitsuagoa betetzen du robotikaren barruan, robotei zeregin konplexuak betetzeko beharrezko adimena ematen baitie. Gainera, AAk benetako esperientzia erabiliz portaera konplexuak ikasteko aukera ematen du, programazioaren kostua nabarmen murriztuz. Objektuak manipulatzeko egungo sistema robotikoen mugak ikusita, lan honen helburu nagusia manipulazio-sistemen malgutasuna handitzea da AAn oinarritutako algoritmoak erabiliz, birprogramatu beharrik gabe ingurune dinamikoetara egokitzeko beharrezko gaitasunak emanez
1-D broadside-radiating leaky-wave antenna based on a numerically synthesized impedance surface
A newly-developed deterministic numerical technique for the automated design of metasurface antennas is applied here for the first time to the design of a 1-D printed Leaky-Wave Antenna (LWA) for broadside radiation. The surface impedance synthesis process does not require any a priori knowledge on the impedance pattern, and starts from a mask constraint on the desired far-field and practical bounds on the unit cell impedance values. The designed reactance surface for broadside radiation exhibits a non conventional patterning; this highlights the merit of using an automated design process for a design well known to be challenging for analytical methods. The antenna is physically implemented with an array of metal strips with varying gap widths and simulation results show very good agreement with the predicted performance
Multi-modality cardiac image computing: a survey
Multi-modality cardiac imaging plays a key role in the management of patients with cardiovascular diseases. It allows a combination of complementary anatomical, morphological and functional information, increases diagnosis accuracy, and improves the efficacy of cardiovascular interventions and clinical outcomes. Fully-automated processing and quantitative analysis of multi-modality cardiac images could have a direct impact on clinical research and evidence-based patient management. However, these require overcoming significant challenges including inter-modality misalignment and finding optimal methods to integrate information from different modalities.
This paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of multi-modality imaging in cardiology, the computing methods, the validation strategies, the related clinical workflows and future perspectives. For the computing methodologies, we have a favored focus on the three tasks, i.e., registration, fusion and segmentation, which generally involve multi-modality imaging data, either combining information from different modalities or transferring information across modalities. The review highlights that multi-modality cardiac imaging data has the potential of wide applicability in the clinic, such as trans-aortic valve implantation guidance, myocardial viability assessment, and catheter ablation therapy and its patient selection. Nevertheless, many challenges remain unsolved, such as missing modality, modality selection, combination of imaging and non-imaging data, and uniform analysis and representation of different modalities. There is also work to do in defining how the well-developed techniques fit in clinical workflows and how much additional and relevant information they introduce. These problems are likely to continue to be an active field of research and the questions to be answered in the future
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LEARNING TO RIG CHARACTERS
With the emergence of 3D virtual worlds, 3D social media, and massive online games, the need for diverse, high-quality, animation-ready characters and avatars is greater than ever. To animate characters, artists hand-craft articulation structures, such as animation skeletons and part deformers, which require significant amount of manual and laborious interaction with 2D/3D modeling interfaces. This thesis presents deep learning methods that are able to significantly automate the process of character rigging.
First, the thesis introduces RigNet, a method capable of predicting an animation skeleton for an input static 3D shape in the form of a polygon mesh. The predicted skeletons match the animator expectations in joint placement and topology. RigNet also estimates surface skin weights which determine how the mesh is animated given the different skeletal poses. In contrast to prior work that fits pre-defined skeletal templates with hand-tuned objectives, RigNet is able to automatically rig diverse characters, such as humanoids, quadrupeds, toys, birds, with varying articulation structure and geometry. RigNet is based on a deep neural architecture that directly operates on the mesh representation. The architecture is trained on a diverse dataset of rigged models that we mined online and curated. The dataset includes 2.7K polygon meshes, along with their associated skeletons and corresponding skin weights.
Second, the thesis introduces Morig, a method that automatically rigs character meshes driven by single-view point cloud streams capturing the motion of performing characters. Compared to RigNet, MoRig\u27s rigging is \emph{motion-aware}: its neural network encodes motion cues from the point clouds into compact feature representations that are informative about the articulated parts of the performing character. These motion-aware features guide the inference of an appropriate skeletal rig for the input mesh. Furthermore, Morig is able to animate the rig according to the captured point cloud motion. Morig can handle diverse characters with different morphologies (e.g., humanoids, quadrupeds, toy characters). It also accounts for occluded regions in the point clouds and mismatches in the part proportions between the input mesh and captured character.
Third, the thesis introduces APES, a method that takes as input 2D raster images depicting a small set of poses of a character shown in a sprite sheet, and identifies articulated parts useful for rigging the character. APES uses a combination of neural network inference and integer linear programming to identify a compact set of articulated body parts, e.g. head, torso and limbs, that best reconstruct the input poses. Compared to Morig and RigNet that require a large collection of training models with associated skeletons and skinning weights, APES\u27 neural architecture relies on less effortful supervision from (i) pixel correspondences readily available in existing large cartoon image datasets (e.g., Creative Flow), (ii) a relatively small dataset of 57 cartoon characters segmented into moving parts.
Finally, the thesis discusses future research directions related to combining neural rigging with 3D and 4D reconstruction of characters from point cloud data and 2D video as well as automating the process of motion synthesis for 3D characters
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