Multiple graph matching and applications

En aplicaciones de reconocimiento de patrones, los grafos con atributos son en gran medida apropiados. Normalmente, los vértices de los grafos representan partes locales de los objetos i las aristas relaciones entre estas partes locales. No obstante, estas ventajas vienen juntas con un severo inconveniente, la distancia entre dos grafos no puede ser calculada en un tiempo polinómico. Considerando estas características especiales el uso de los prototipos de grafos es necesariamente omnipresente. Las aplicaciones de los prototipos de grafos son extensas, siendo las más habituales clustering, clasificación, reconocimiento de objetos, caracterización de objetos i bases de datos de grafos entre otras. A pesar de la diversidad de aplicaciones de los prototipos de grafos, el objetivo del mismo es equivalente en todas ellas, la representación de un conjunto de grafos. Para construir un prototipo de un grafo todos los elementos del conjunto de enteramiento tienen que ser etiquetados comúnmente. Este etiquetado común consiste en identificar que nodos de que grafos representan el mismo tipo de información en el conjunto de entrenamiento. Una vez este etiquetaje común esta hecho, los atributos locales pueden ser combinados i el prototipo construido. Hasta ahora los algoritmos del estado del arte para calcular este etiquetaje común mancan de efectividad o bases teóricas. En esta tesis, describimos formalmente el problema del etiquetaje global i mostramos una taxonomía de los tipos de algoritmos existentes. Además, proponemos seis nuevos algoritmos para calcular soluciones aproximadas al problema del etiquetaje común. La eficiencia de los algoritmos propuestos es evaluada en diversas bases de datos reales i sintéticas. En la mayoría de experimentos realizados los algoritmos propuestos dan mejores resultados que los existentes en el estado del arte.In pattern recognition, the use of graphs is, to a great extend, appropriate and advantageous. Usually, vertices of the graph represent local parts of an object while edges represent relations between these local parts. However, its advantages come together with a sever drawback, the distance between two graph cannot be optimally computed in polynomial time. Taking into account this special characteristic the use of graph prototypes becomes ubiquitous. The applicability of graphs prototypes is extensive, being the most common applications clustering, classification, object characterization and graph databases to name some. However, the objective of a graph prototype is equivalent to all applications, the representation of a set of graph. To synthesize a prototype all elements of the set must be mutually labeled. This mutual labeling consists in identifying which nodes of which graphs represent the same information in the training set. Once this mutual labeling is done the set can be characterized and combined to create a graph prototype. We call this initial labeling a common labeling. Up to now, all state of the art algorithms to compute a common labeling lack on either performance or theoretical basis. In this thesis, we formally describe the common labeling problem and we give a clear taxonomy of the types of algorithms. Six new algorithms that rely on different techniques are described to compute a suboptimal solution to the common labeling problem. The performance of the proposed algorithms is evaluated using an artificial and several real datasets. In addition, the algorithms have been evaluated on several real applications. These applications include graph databases and group-wise image registration. In most of the tests and applications evaluated the presented algorithms have showed a great improvement in comparison to state of the art applications

Activity recognition from videos with parallel hypergraph matching on GPUs

In this paper, we propose a method for activity recognition from videos based on sparse local features and hypergraph matching. We benefit from special properties of the temporal domain in the data to derive a sequential and fast graph matching algorithm for GPUs. Traditionally, graphs and hypergraphs are frequently used to recognize complex and often non-rigid patterns in computer vision, either through graph matching or point-set matching with graphs. Most formulations resort to the minimization of a difficult discrete energy function mixing geometric or structural terms with data attached terms involving appearance features. Traditional methods solve this minimization problem approximately, for instance with spectral techniques. In this work, instead of solving the problem approximatively, the exact solution for the optimal assignment is calculated in parallel on GPUs. The graphical structure is simplified and regularized, which allows to derive an efficient recursive minimization algorithm. The algorithm distributes subproblems over the calculation units of a GPU, which solves them in parallel, allowing the system to run faster than real-time on medium-end GPUs

Inexact Bayesian point pattern matching for linear transformations

PublishedArticleWe introduce a novel Bayesian inexact point pattern matching model that assumes that a linear transformation relates the two sets of points. The matching problem is inexact due to the lack of one-to-one correspondence between the point sets and the presence of noise. The algorithm is itself inexact; we use variational Bayesian approximation to estimate the posterior distributions in the face of a problematic evidence term. The method turns out to be similar in structure to the iterative closest point algorithm.This work was supported by the University of Exeter’s Bridging the Gaps initiative, which was funded by EPSRC award EP/I001433/1 and the collaboration was formed through the Exeter Imaging Network

Parallel computation in low-level vision

This thesis is concerned with problems of using computers to interpret scenes from television camera pictures. In particular, it tackles the problem of interpreting the picture in terms of lines and curves, rather like an artist's line drawing. This is very time consuming if done by a single, serial processor. However, if many processors were used simultaneously it could be done much more rapidly. In this thesis the task of line and curve extraction is expressed in terms of constraints, in a form that is susceptible to parallel computation. Iterative algorithms to perform this task have been designed and tested. They are proved to be convergent and to achieve the computation specified. Some previous work on the design of properly convergent, parallel algorithms has drawn on the mathematics of optimisation by relaxation. This thesis develops the use of these techniques for applying "continuity constraints" in line and curve description. First, the constraints are imposed "almost everywhere" on the grey-tone picture data, in two dimensions. Some "discontinuities" - places where the constraints are not satisfied - remain, and they form the lines and curves required for picture interpretation Secondly, a similar process is applied along each line or curve to segment it. Discontinuities in the angle of the tangent along the line or curve mark the positions of vertices. In each case the process is executed in parallel throughout the picture. It is shown that the specification of such a process as an optimisation problem is non-convex and this means that an optimal solution cannot necessarily be found in a reasonable time A method is developed for efficiently achieving a good sub-optimal solution. A parallel array processor is a large array of processor cells which can act simultaneously, throughout a picture. A software emulator of such a processor array was coded in C and a POP-2 based high level language, PARAPIC, to drive it was written and used to validate the parallel algorithms developed in the thesis It is argued that the scope, in a vision system, of parallel methods such as those exploited in this work is extensive. The implications for the design of hardware to perform low-level vision are discussed and it is suggested that a machine consisting of fewer, more powerful cells than in a parallel array processor would execute the parallel algorithms more efficiently

Energy Based Multi-Model Fitting and Matching Problems

Feature matching and model fitting are fundamental problems in multi-view geometry. They are chicken-&-egg problems: if models are known it is easier to find matches and vice versa. Standard multi-view geometry techniques sequentially solve feature matching and model fitting as two independent problems after making fairly restrictive assumptions. For example, matching methods rely on strong discriminative power of feature descriptors, which fail for stereo images with repetitive textures or wide baseline. Also, model fitting methods assume given feature matches, which are not known a priori. Moreover, when data supports multiple models the fitting problem becomes challenging even with known matches and current methods commonly use heuristics. One of the main contributions of this thesis is a joint formulation of fitting and matching problems. We are first to introduce an objective function combining both matching and multi-model estimation. We also propose an approximation algorithm for the corresponding NP-hard optimization problem using block-coordinate descent with respect to matching and model fitting variables. For fixed models, our method uses min-cost-max-flow based algorithm to solve a generalization of a linear assignment problem with label cost (sparsity constraint). Fixed matching case reduces to multi-model fitting subproblem, which is interesting in its own right. In contrast to standard heuristic approaches, we introduce global objective functions for multi-model fitting using various forms of regularization (spatial smoothness and sparsity) and propose a graph-cut based optimization algorithm, PEaRL. Experimental results show that our proposed mathematical formulations and optimization algorithms improve the accuracy and robustness of model estimation over the state-of-the-art in computer vision

Learning the Consensus of Multiple Correspondences between Data Structures

En aquesta tesi presentem un marc de treball per aprendre el consens donades múltiples correspondències. S'assumeix que les diferents parts involucrades han generat aquestes correspondències per separat, i el nostre sistema actua com un mecanisme que calibra diferents característiques i considera diferents paràmetres per aprendre les millors assignacions i així, conformar una correspondència amb la major precisió possible a costa d'un cost computacional raonable. Aquest marc de treball de consens és presentat en una forma gradual, començant pels desenvolupaments més bàsics que utilitzaven exclusivament conceptes ben definits o únicament un parell de correspondències, fins al model final que és capaç de considerar múltiples correspondències, amb la capacitat d'aprendre automàticament alguns paràmetres de ponderació. Cada pas d'aquest marc de treball és avaluat fent servir bases de dades de naturalesa variada per demostrar efectivament que és possible tractar diferents escenaris de matching. Addicionalment, dos avanços suplementaris relacionats amb correspondències es presenten en aquest treball. En primer lloc, una nova mètrica de distància per correspondències s'ha desenvolupat, la qual va derivar en una nova estratègia per a la cerca de mitjanes ponderades. En segon lloc, un marc de treball específicament dissenyat per a generar correspondències al camp del registre d'imatges s'ha modelat, on es considera que una de les imatges és una imatge completa, i l'altra és una mostra petita d'aquesta. La conclusió presenta noves percepcions de com el nostre marc de treball de consens pot ser millorada, i com els dos desenvolupaments paral·lels poden convergir amb el marc de treball de consens.En esta tesis presentamos un marco de trabajo para aprender el consenso dadas múltiples correspondencias. Se asume que las distintas partes involucradas han generado dichas correspondencias por separado, y nuestro sistema actúa como un mecanismo que calibra distintas características y considera diferentes parámetros para aprender las mejores asignaciones y así, conformar una correspondencia con la mayor precisión posible a expensas de un costo computacional razonable. El marco de trabajo de consenso es presentado en una forma gradual, comenzando por los acercamientos más básicos que utilizaban exclusivamente conceptos bien definidos o únicamente un par de correspondencias, hasta el modelo final que es capaz de considerar múltiples correspondencias, con la capacidad de aprender automáticamente algunos parámetros de ponderación. Cada paso de este marco de trabajo es evaluado usando bases de datos de naturaleza variada para demostrar efectivamente que es posible tratar diferentes escenarios de matching. Adicionalmente, dos avances suplementarios relacionados con correspondencias son presentados en este trabajo. En primer lugar, una nueva métrica de distancia para correspondencias ha sido desarrollada, la cual derivó en una nueva estrategia para la búsqueda de medias ponderadas. En segundo lugar, un marco de trabajo específicamente diseñado para generar correspondencias en el campo del registro de imágenes ha sido establecida, donde se considera que una de las imágenes es una imagen completa, y la otra es una muestra pequeña de ésta. La conclusión presenta nuevas percepciones de cómo nuestro marco de trabajo de consenso puede ser mejorada, y cómo los dos desarrollos paralelos pueden converger con éste.In this work, we present a framework to learn the consensus given multiple correspondences. It is assumed that the several parties involved have generated separately these correspondences, and our system acts as a mechanism that gauges several characteristics and considers different parameters to learn the best mappings and thus, conform a correspondence with the highest possible accuracy at the expense of a reasonable computational cost. The consensus framework is presented in a gradual form, starting from the most basic approaches that used exclusively well-known concepts or only two correspondences, until the final model which is able to consider multiple correspondences, with the capability of automatically learning some weighting parameters. Each step of the framework is evaluated using databases of varied nature to effectively demonstrate that it is capable to address different matching scenarios. In addition, two supplementary advances related on correspondences are presented in this work. Firstly, a new distance metric for correspondences has been developed, which lead to a new strategy for the weighted mean correspondence search. Secondly, a framework specifically designed for correspondence generation in the image registration field has been established, where it is considered that one of the images is a full image, and the other one is a small sample of it. The conclusion presents insights of how our consensus framework can be enhanced, and how these two parallel developments can converge with it

Inferring Geodesic Cerebrovascular Graphs: Image Processing, Topological Alignment and Biomarkers Extraction

A vectorial representation of the vascular network that embodies quantitative features - location, direction, scale, and bifurcations - has many potential neuro-vascular applications. Patient-specific models support computer-assisted surgical procedures in neurovascular interventions, while analyses on multiple subjects are essential for group-level studies on which clinical prediction and therapeutic inference ultimately depend. This first motivated the development of a variety of methods to segment the cerebrovascular system. Nonetheless, a number of limitations, ranging from data-driven inhomogeneities, the anatomical intra- and inter-subject variability, the lack of exhaustive ground-truth, the need for operator-dependent processing pipelines, and the highly non-linear vascular domain, still make the automatic inference of the cerebrovascular topology an open problem. In this thesis, brain vessels’ topology is inferred by focusing on their connectedness. With a novel framework, the brain vasculature is recovered from 3D angiographies by solving a connectivity-optimised anisotropic level-set over a voxel-wise tensor field representing the orientation of the underlying vasculature. Assuming vessels joining by minimal paths, a connectivity paradigm is formulated to automatically determine the vascular topology as an over-connected geodesic graph. Ultimately, deep-brain vascular structures are extracted with geodesic minimum spanning trees. The inferred topologies are then aligned with similar ones for labelling and propagating information over a non-linear vectorial domain, where the branching pattern of a set of vessels transcends a subject-specific quantized grid. Using a multi-source embedding of a vascular graph, the pairwise registration of topologies is performed with the state-of-the-art graph matching techniques employed in computer vision. Functional biomarkers are determined over the neurovascular graphs with two complementary approaches. Efficient approximations of blood flow and pressure drop account for autoregulation and compensation mechanisms in the whole network in presence of perturbations, using lumped-parameters analog-equivalents from clinical angiographies. Also, a localised NURBS-based parametrisation of bifurcations is introduced to model fluid-solid interactions by means of hemodynamic simulations using an isogeometric analysis framework, where both geometry and solution profile at the interface share the same homogeneous domain. Experimental results on synthetic and clinical angiographies validated the proposed formulations. Perspectives and future works are discussed for the group-wise alignment of cerebrovascular topologies over a population, towards defining cerebrovascular atlases, and for further topological optimisation strategies and risk prediction models for therapeutic inference. Most of the algorithms presented in this work are available as part of the open-source package VTrails

3D shape matching and registration : a probabilistic perspective

Dense correspondence is a key area in computer vision and medical image analysis. It has applications in registration and shape analysis. In this thesis, we develop a technique to recover dense correspondences between the surfaces of neuroanatomical objects over heterogeneous populations of individuals. We recover dense correspondences based on 3D shape matching. In this thesis, the 3D shape matching problem is formulated under the framework of Markov Random Fields (MRFs). We represent the surfaces of neuroanatomical objects as genus zero voxel-based meshes. The surface meshes are projected into a Markov random field space. The projection carries both geometric and topological information in terms of Gaussian curvature and mesh neighbourhood from the original space to the random field space. Gaussian curvature is projected to the nodes of the MRF, and the mesh neighbourhood structure is projected to the edges. 3D shape matching between two surface meshes is then performed by solving an energy function minimisation problem formulated with MRFs. The outcome of the 3D shape matching is dense point-to-point correspondences. However, the minimisation of the energy function is NP hard. In this thesis, we use belief propagation to perform the probabilistic inference for 3D shape matching. A sparse update loopy belief propagation algorithm adapted to the 3D shape matching is proposed to obtain an approximate global solution for the 3D shape matching problem. The sparse update loopy belief propagation algorithm demonstrates significant efficiency gain compared to standard belief propagation. The computational complexity and convergence property analysis for the sparse update loopy belief propagation algorithm are also conducted in the thesis. We also investigate randomised algorithms to minimise the energy function. In order to enhance the shape matching rate and increase the inlier support set, we propose a novel clamping technique. The clamping technique is realized by combining the loopy belief propagation message updating rule with the feedback from 3D rigid body registration. By using this clamping technique, the correct shape matching rate is increased significantly. Finally, we investigate 3D shape registration techniques based on the 3D shape matching result. Based on the point-to-point dense correspondences obtained from the 3D shape matching, a three-point based transformation estimation technique is combined with the RANdom SAmple Consensus (RANSAC) algorithm to obtain the inlier support set. The global registration approach is purely dependent on point-wise correspondences between two meshed surfaces. It has the advantage that the need for orientation initialisation is eliminated and that all shapes of spherical topology. The comparison of our MRF based 3D registration approach with a state-of-the-art registration algorithm, the first order ellipsoid template, is conducted in the experiments. These show dense correspondence for pairs of hippocampi from two different data sets, each of around 20 60+ year old healthy individuals

Clustering time series data by analysing graphical models of connectivity and the application to diagnosis of brain disorders

In this thesis we investigate clustering and classification techniques applied to time series data from multivariate stochastic processes. In particular we focus on extracting features in the form of graphical models of conditional dependence between the process components. The motivation is to use the techniques on brain EEG data measured from multiple patients and investigate whether it can be used in areas such as medical diagnosis. We look at both the case where the graphical model is estimated based on time series recorded on the scalp and also where the graphical model is estimated based on source signals within the brain. In the first case we use a multiple hypothesis testing approach to build the graphical models and a learning algorithm based on random forests to find patterns within multiple graphical models. In the second case we use independent component analysis (ICA) to extract the source time series and estimate the conditional dependence graphs using partial mutual information. It is of particular note that in this case due to the indeterminacy issues associated with ICA we only know the conditional dependence graphs up to some unknown permutation of the nodes. To solve this issue we use novel methods based on an extension of graph matching to multiple inputs in order to develop a new clustering algorithm. Finally, we show how this algorithm can be combined with further information obtained during the ICA phase contained in columns of the unmixing matrix, to create a more powerful method.Open Acces