4,217 research outputs found
VFISV: Very Fast Inversion of the Stokes Vector for the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager
In this paper we describe in detail the implementation and main properties of
a new inversion code for the polarized radiative transfer equation (VFISV: Very
Fast inversion of the Stokes vector). VFISV will routinely analyze pipeline
data from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) on-board of the Solar
Dynamics Observatory (SDO). It will provide full-disk maps (40964096
pixels) of the magnetic field vector on the Solar Photosphere every 10 minutes.
For this reason VFISV is optimized to achieve an inversion speed that will
allow it to invert 16 million pixels every 10 minutes with a modest number
(approx. 50) of CPUs. Here we focus on describing a number of important
details, simplifications and tweaks that have allowed us to significantly speed
up the inversion process. We also give details on tests performed with data
from the spectropolarimeter on-board of the Hinode spacecraft.Comment: 23 pages, 9 figures (2 color). Submitted for publication to Solar
Physic
Structure Learning in Coupled Dynamical Systems and Dynamic Causal Modelling
Identifying a coupled dynamical system out of many plausible candidates, each
of which could serve as the underlying generator of some observed measurements,
is a profoundly ill posed problem that commonly arises when modelling real
world phenomena. In this review, we detail a set of statistical procedures for
inferring the structure of nonlinear coupled dynamical systems (structure
learning), which has proved useful in neuroscience research. A key focus here
is the comparison of competing models of (ie, hypotheses about) network
architectures and implicit coupling functions in terms of their Bayesian model
evidence. These methods are collectively referred to as dynamical casual
modelling (DCM). We focus on a relatively new approach that is proving
remarkably useful; namely, Bayesian model reduction (BMR), which enables rapid
evaluation and comparison of models that differ in their network architecture.
We illustrate the usefulness of these techniques through modelling
neurovascular coupling (cellular pathways linking neuronal and vascular
systems), whose function is an active focus of research in neurobiology and the
imaging of coupled neuronal systems
Solving ill-posed inverse problems using iterative deep neural networks
We propose a partially learned approach for the solution of ill posed inverse
problems with not necessarily linear forward operators. The method builds on
ideas from classical regularization theory and recent advances in deep learning
to perform learning while making use of prior information about the inverse
problem encoded in the forward operator, noise model and a regularizing
functional. The method results in a gradient-like iterative scheme, where the
"gradient" component is learned using a convolutional network that includes the
gradients of the data discrepancy and regularizer as input in each iteration.
We present results of such a partially learned gradient scheme on a non-linear
tomographic inversion problem with simulated data from both the Sheep-Logan
phantom as well as a head CT. The outcome is compared against FBP and TV
reconstruction and the proposed method provides a 5.4 dB PSNR improvement over
the TV reconstruction while being significantly faster, giving reconstructions
of 512 x 512 volumes in about 0.4 seconds using a single GPU
Capturing human category representations by sampling in deep feature spaces
Understanding how people represent categories is a core problem in cognitive
science. Decades of research have yielded a variety of formal theories of
categories, but validating them with naturalistic stimuli is difficult. The
challenge is that human category representations cannot be directly observed
and running informative experiments with naturalistic stimuli such as images
requires a workable representation of these stimuli. Deep neural networks have
recently been successful in solving a range of computer vision tasks and
provide a way to compactly represent image features. Here, we introduce a
method to estimate the structure of human categories that combines ideas from
cognitive science and machine learning, blending human-based algorithms with
state-of-the-art deep image generators. We provide qualitative and quantitative
results as a proof-of-concept for the method's feasibility. Samples drawn from
human distributions rival those from state-of-the-art generative models in
quality and outperform alternative methods for estimating the structure of
human categories.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, 1 table. Accepted as a paper to the 40th Annual
Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society (CogSci 2018
Age-related delay in information accrual for faces: Evidence from a parametric, single-trial EEG approach
Background: In this study, we quantified age-related changes in the time-course of face processing
by means of an innovative single-trial ERP approach. Unlike analyses used in previous studies, our
approach does not rely on peak measurements and can provide a more sensitive measure of
processing delays. Young and old adults (mean ages 22 and 70 years) performed a non-speeded
discrimination task between two faces. The phase spectrum of these faces was manipulated
parametrically to create pictures that ranged between pure noise (0% phase information) and the
undistorted signal (100% phase information), with five intermediate steps.
Results: Behavioural 75% correct thresholds were on average lower, and maximum accuracy was
higher, in younger than older observers. ERPs from each subject were entered into a single-trial
general linear regression model to identify variations in neural activity statistically associated with
changes in image structure. The earliest age-related ERP differences occurred in the time window
of the N170. Older observers had a significantly stronger N170 in response to noise, but this age
difference decreased with increasing phase information. Overall, manipulating image phase
information had a greater effect on ERPs from younger observers, which was quantified using a
hierarchical modelling approach. Importantly, visual activity was modulated by the same stimulus
parameters in younger and older subjects. The fit of the model, indexed by R2, was computed at
multiple post-stimulus time points. The time-course of the R2 function showed a significantly slower
processing in older observers starting around 120 ms after stimulus onset. This age-related delay
increased over time to reach a maximum around 190 ms, at which latency younger observers had
around 50 ms time lead over older observers.
Conclusion: Using a component-free ERP analysis that provides a precise timing of the visual
system sensitivity to image structure, the current study demonstrates that older observers
accumulate face information more slowly than younger subjects. Additionally, the N170 appears to
be less face-sensitive in older observers
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