HYDRA: Hybrid Deep Magnetic Resonance Fingerprinting

Purpose: Magnetic resonance fingerprinting (MRF) methods typically rely on dictio-nary matching to map the temporal MRF signals to quantitative tissue parameters. Such approaches suffer from inherent discretization errors, as well as high computational complexity as the dictionary size grows. To alleviate these issues, we propose a HYbrid Deep magnetic ResonAnce fingerprinting approach, referred to as HYDRA. Methods: HYDRA involves two stages: a model-based signature restoration phase and a learning-based parameter restoration phase. Signal restoration is implemented using low-rank based de-aliasing techniques while parameter restoration is performed using a deep nonlocal residual convolutional neural network. The designed network is trained on synthesized MRF data simulated with the Bloch equations and fast imaging with steady state precession (FISP) sequences. In test mode, it takes a temporal MRF signal as input and produces the corresponding tissue parameters. Results: We validated our approach on both synthetic data and anatomical data generated from a healthy subject. The results demonstrate that, in contrast to conventional dictionary-matching based MRF techniques, our approach significantly improves inference speed by eliminating the time-consuming dictionary matching operation, and alleviates discretization errors by outputting continuous-valued parameters. We further avoid the need to store a large dictionary, thus reducing memory requirements. Conclusions: Our approach demonstrates advantages in terms of inference speed, accuracy and storage requirements over competing MRF method

Recent Progress in Image Deblurring

This paper comprehensively reviews the recent development of image deblurring, including non-blind/blind, spatially invariant/variant deblurring techniques. Indeed, these techniques share the same objective of inferring a latent sharp image from one or several corresponding blurry images, while the blind deblurring techniques are also required to derive an accurate blur kernel. Considering the critical role of image restoration in modern imaging systems to provide high-quality images under complex environments such as motion, undesirable lighting conditions, and imperfect system components, image deblurring has attracted growing attention in recent years. From the viewpoint of how to handle the ill-posedness which is a crucial issue in deblurring tasks, existing methods can be grouped into five categories: Bayesian inference framework, variational methods, sparse representation-based methods, homography-based modeling, and region-based methods. In spite of achieving a certain level of development, image deblurring, especially the blind case, is limited in its success by complex application conditions which make the blur kernel hard to obtain and be spatially variant. We provide a holistic understanding and deep insight into image deblurring in this review. An analysis of the empirical evidence for representative methods, practical issues, as well as a discussion of promising future directions are also presented.Comment: 53 pages, 17 figure

A Joint Intensity and Depth Co-Sparse Analysis Model for Depth Map Super-Resolution

High-resolution depth maps can be inferred from low-resolution depth measurements and an additional high-resolution intensity image of the same scene. To that end, we introduce a bimodal co-sparse analysis model, which is able to capture the interdependency of registered intensity and depth information. This model is based on the assumption that the co-supports of corresponding bimodal image structures are aligned when computed by a suitable pair of analysis operators. No analytic form of such operators exist and we propose a method for learning them from a set of registered training signals. This learning process is done offline and returns a bimodal analysis operator that is universally applicable to natural scenes. We use this to exploit the bimodal co-sparse analysis model as a prior for solving inverse problems, which leads to an efficient algorithm for depth map super-resolution.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figure

Proceedings of the second "international Traveling Workshop on Interactions between Sparse models and Technology" (iTWIST'14)

The implicit objective of the biennial "international - Traveling Workshop on Interactions between Sparse models and Technology" (iTWIST) is to foster collaboration between international scientific teams by disseminating ideas through both specific oral/poster presentations and free discussions. For its second edition, the iTWIST workshop took place in the medieval and picturesque town of Namur in Belgium, from Wednesday August 27th till Friday August 29th, 2014. The workshop was conveniently located in "The Arsenal" building within walking distance of both hotels and town center. iTWIST'14 has gathered about 70 international participants and has featured 9 invited talks, 10 oral presentations, and 14 posters on the following themes, all related to the theory, application and generalization of the "sparsity paradigm": Sparsity-driven data sensing and processing; Union of low dimensional subspaces; Beyond linear and convex inverse problem; Matrix/manifold/graph sensing/processing; Blind inverse problems and dictionary learning; Sparsity and computational neuroscience; Information theory, geometry and randomness; Complexity/accuracy tradeoffs in numerical methods; Sparsity? What's next?; Sparse machine learning and inference.Comment: 69 pages, 24 extended abstracts, iTWIST'14 website: http://sites.google.com/site/itwist1

Sub-pixel Layout for Super-Resolution with Images in the Octic Group

13th European Conference, Zurich, Switzerland, September 6-12, 2014, Proceedings, Part IThis paper presents a novel super-resolution framework by exploring the properties of non-conventional pixel layouts and shapes. We show that recording multiple images, transformed in the octic group, with a sensor of asymmetric sub-pixel layout increases the spatial sampling compared to a conventional sensor with a rectilinear grid of pixels and hence increases the image resolution. We further prove a theoretical bound for achieving well-posed super-resolution with a designated magnification factor w.r.t. the number and distribution of sub-pixels. We also propose strategies for selecting good sub-pixel layouts and effective super-resolution algorithms for our setup. The experimental results validate the proposed theory and solution, which have the potential to guide the future CCD layout design with super-resolution functionality.United States. Air Force (Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research & Engineering Contract #FA8721-05-C-0002)SUTD-MIT International Design Centre (Joint Postdoctoral Programme)Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD StartUp Grant ISTD 2011 016)Singapore. Ministry of Education (MOE Academic Research Fund MOE2013-T2-1-159