Mixed Maximum Loss Design for Optic Disc and Optic Cup Segmentation with Deep Learning from Imbalanced Samples.

Glaucoma is a serious eye disease that can cause permanent blindness and is difficult to diagnose early. Optic disc (OD) and optic cup (OC) play a pivotal role in the screening of glaucoma. Therefore, accurate segmentation of OD and OC from fundus images is a key task in the automatic screening of glaucoma. In this paper, we designed a U-shaped convolutional neural network with multi-scale input and multi-kernel modules (MSMKU) for OD and OC segmentation. Such a design gives MSMKU a rich receptive field and is able to effectively represent multi-scale features. In addition, we designed a mixed maximum loss minimization learning strategy (MMLM) for training the proposed MSMKU. This training strategy can adaptively sort the samples by the loss function and re-weight the samples through data enhancement, thereby synchronously improving the prediction performance of all samples. Experiments show that the proposed method has obtained a state-of-the-art breakthrough result for OD and OC segmentation on the RIM-ONE-V3 and DRISHTI-GS datasets. At the same time, the proposed method achieved satisfactory glaucoma screening performance on the RIM-ONE-V3 and DRISHTI-GS datasets. On datasets with an imbalanced distribution between typical and rare sample images, the proposed method obtained a higher accuracy than existing deep learning methods.

Prediction of myelopathic level in cervical spondylotic myelopathy using diffusion tensor imaging.

PURPOSE: To investigate the use of a newly designed machine learning-based classifier in the automatic identification of myelopathic levels in cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In all, 58 normal volunteers and 16 subjects with CSM were recruited for diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) acquisition. The eigenvalues were extracted as the selected features from DTI images. Three classifiers, naive Bayesian, support vector machine, and support tensor machine, and fractional anisotropy (FA) were employed to identify myelopathic levels. The results were compared with clinical level diagnosis results and accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity were calculated to evaluate the performance of the developed classifiers. RESULTS: The accuracy by support tensor machine was the highest (93.62%) among the three classifiers. The support tensor machine also showed excellent capacity to identify true positives (sensitivity: 84.62%) and true negatives (specificity: 97.06%). The accuracy by FA value was the lowest (76%) in all the methods. CONCLUSION: The classifiers-based method using eigenvalues had a better performance in identifying the levels of CSM than the diagnosis using FA values. The support tensor machine was the best among three classifiers.

Spatiotemporal Transformation-Based Neural Network With Interpretable Structure for Modeling Distributed Parameter Systems.

Many industrial processes can be described by distributed parameter systems (DPSs) governed by partial differential equations (PDEs). In this research, a spatiotemporal network is proposed for DPS modeling without any process knowledge. Since traditional linear modeling methods may not work well for nonlinear DPSs, the proposed method considers the nonlinear space-time separation, which is transformed into a Lagrange dual optimization problem under the orthogonal constraint. The optimization problem can be solved by the proposed neural network with good structural interpretability. The spatial construction method is employed to derive the continuous spatial basis functions (SBFs) based on the discrete spatial features. The nonlinear temporal model is derived by the Gaussian process regression (GPR). Benefiting from spatial construction and GPR, the proposed method enables spatially continuous modeling and provides a reliable output range under the given confidence level. Experiments on a catalytic reaction process and a battery thermal process demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed method.

Robust Adaptive Fault-Tolerant Control for a Riser-Vessel System With Input Hysteresis and Time-Varying Output Constraints.

Recently, with the development of the marine economy, marine risers have garnered increasing attention as they present facile and reliable methods for oil and gas transportation. However, these risers are susceptible to vibrations, which can lead to system performance degradation and fatigue damage. Therefore, effective vibration control strategies are required to address this issue. In this study, a novel adaptive fault-tolerant control (FTC) strategy is adopted to suppress the vibrations of a 3-D riser-vessel system against the effects of actuator failures, backlash-like hysteresis, and external disturbances. A barrier-based Lyapunov function is merged to eliminate the time-varying output constraints of the system. Adaptive FTC laws with projection mapping operators are designed to compensate for parameter uncertainties and consider input nonlinearities to improve system robustness. Finally, a rigorous Lyapunov analysis and numerical simulations are performed to verify the validity of the proposed controller and guarantee uniformly bounded stability of the system.

Computation-Efficient Fault Detection Framework for Partially Known Nonlinear Distributed Parameter Systems.

Fault detection for distributed parameter systems (DPSs) generally requires the complete model information to be known so far. However, for numerous industrial applications, it is common that accurate first-principles physical models are extremely difficult to obtain. Hence, the applicability of traditional model-based methods is being restricted. To pave the way, an adaptive neural network (AdNN) is constructed to simultaneously estimate the state variable and the unknown nonlinearity for a class of partially known nonlinear DPSs. Moreover, considering that full-state measurement is unrealistic in applications, the proposed adaptive neural observer is based on a reduced-order model, which also increases the computation efficiency. Then, the residual generation and evaluation are conducted using the output estimation error of the proposed adaptive neural observer. Bearing the effects of the neglected fast dynamics in mind, a data-driven threshold generation scheme is proposed. Extensive experimental results are presented and analyzed to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Generative AI for brain image computing and brain network computing: a review.

Recent years have witnessed a significant advancement in brain imaging techniques that offer a non-invasive approach to mapping the structure and function of the brain. Concurrently, generative artificial intelligence (AI) has experienced substantial growth, involving using existing data to create new content with a similar underlying pattern to real-world data. The integration of these two domains, generative AI in neuroimaging, presents a promising avenue for exploring various fields of brain imaging and brain network computing, particularly in the areas of extracting spatiotemporal brain features and reconstructing the topological connectivity of brain networks. Therefore, this study reviewed the advanced models, tasks, challenges, and prospects of brain imaging and brain network computing techniques and intends to provide a comprehensive picture of current generative AI techniques in brain imaging. This review is focused on novel methodological approaches and applications of related new methods. It discussed fundamental theories and algorithms of four classic generative models and provided a systematic survey and categorization of tasks, including co-registration, super-resolution, enhancement, classification, segmentation, cross-modality, brain network analysis, and brain decoding. This paper also highlighted the challenges and future directions of the latest work with the expectation that future research can be beneficial.

Quantitative modeling of transcriptional regulatory networks by integrating multiple source of knowledge.

A key challenge in the post genome era is to identify genome-wide transcriptional regulatory networks, which specify the interactions between transcription factors and their target genes. In this work, a regulatory model-based binding energy is proposed to quantify the transcriptional regulatory network. Multiple quantities, including binding affinity, regulatory efficiency, and the activity level of transcription factor (TF) are incorporated into a general learning model. The sequence features of the promoter are exploited to derive the binding energy. Comparing with the previous models that only employ microarray data, the proposed model can bridge the gap between the relative background frequency of the observed nucleotide and the gene's transcription rate. Experimental results show that the proposed model can effectively identify the parameters and the activity level of TF. Moreover, the kinetic parameters introduced in the proposed model can reveal more biological sense than some previous models can do.

Spatial Decomposition-Based Fault Detection Framework for Parabolic-Distributed Parameter Processes.

Fault detection for distributed parameter processes (heat processes, fluid processes, etc.) is vital for safe and efficient operation. On one hand, the existing data-driven methods neglect the evolution dynamics of the processes and cannot guarantee that they work for highly dynamic or transient processes; on the other hand, model-based methods reported so far are mostly based on the backstepping technique, which does not possess enough redundancy for fault detection since only the boundary measurement is considered. Motivated by these considerations, we intend to investigate the robust fault detection problem for distributed parameter processes in a model-based perspective covering both boundary and in-domain measurement cases. A real-time fault detection filter (FDF) is presented, which gets rid of a large amount of data collection and offline training procedures. Rigorous theoretic analysis is presented for guiding the parameters selection and threshold computation. A time-varying threshold is designed such that the false alarm in the transient stage can be avoided. Successful application results on a hot strip mill cooling system demonstrate the potential for real industrial applications.

Fuzzy Control Under Spatially Local Averaged Measurements for Nonlinear Distributed Parameter Systems With Time-Varying Delay.

This paper introduces a fuzzy control (FC) under spatially local averaged measurements (SLAMs) for nonlinear-delayed distributed parameter systems (DDPSs) represented by parabolic partial differential-difference equations (PDdEs), where the fast-varying time delay and slow-varying one are considered. A Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy PDdE model is first derived to exactly describe the nonlinear DDPSs. Then, by virtue of the T-S fuzzy PDdE model and a Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional, an FC design under SLAMs, where the membership functions of the proposed FC law are determined by the measurement output and independent of the fuzzy PDdE plant model, is developed on basis of spatial linear matrix inequalities (SLMIs) to guarantee the exponential stability for the resulting closed-loop DDPSs. Lastly, a numerical example is offered to support the presented approach.

Basis Function Matrix-Based Flexible Coefficient Autoregressive Models: A Framework for Time Series and Nonlinear System Modeling.

We propose, in this paper, a framework for time series and nonlinear system modeling, called the basis function matrix-based flexible coefficient autoregressive (BFM-FCAR) model. It has very flexible nonlinear structure. We show that many famous nonlinear time series models can be derived under this framework by choosing the proper basis function matrices. Some probabilistic properties (the conditions of geometrical ergodicity) of the BFM-FCAR model are investigated. Taking advantage of the model structure, we present an efficient parameter estimation algorithm for the proposed framework by using the variable projection method. Finally, we show how new models are generated from the proposed framework.

Quantized Sampled-Data Synchronization of Delayed Reaction-Diffusion Neural Networks Under Spatially Point Measurements.

This article considers the synchronization problem of delayed reaction-diffusion neural networks via quantized sampled-data (SD) control under spatially point measurements (SPMs), where distributed and discrete delays are considered. The synchronization scheme, which takes into account the communication limitations of quantization and variable sampling, is based on SPMs and only available in a finite number of fixed spatial points. By utilizing inequality techniques and Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional, some synchronization criteria via a quantized SD controller under SPMs are established and presented by linear matrix inequalities, which can ensure the exponential stability of the synchronization error system containing the drive and response dynamics. Finally, two numerical examples are offered to support the proposed quantized SD synchronization method.

Architecture-dependent robustness and bistability in a class of genetic circuits.

Understanding the relationship between genotype and phenotype is a challenge in systems biology. An interesting yet related issue is why a particular circuit topology is present in a cell when the same function can supposedly be obtained from an alternative architecture. Here we analyzed two topologically equivalent genetic circuits of coupled positive and negative feedback loops, named NAT and ALT circuits, respectively. The computational search for the oscillation volume of the entire biologically reasonable parameter region through large-scale random samplings shows that the NAT circuit exhibits a distinctly larger fraction of the oscillatory region than the ALT circuit. Such a global robustness difference between two circuits is supplemented by analyzing local robustness, including robustness to parameter perturbations and to molecular noise. In addition, detailed dynamical analysis shows that the molecular noise of both circuits can induce transient switching of the different mechanism between a stable steady state and a stable limit cycle. Our investigation on robustness and dynamics through examples provides insights into the relationship between network architecture and its function.

Reinforcement Learning-Based Optimal Sensor Placement for Spatiotemporal Modeling.

A reinforcement learning-based method is proposed for optimal sensor placement in the spatial domain for modeling distributed parameter systems (DPSs). First, a low-dimensional subspace, derived by Karhunen-Loève decomposition, is identified to capture the dominant dynamic features of the DPS. Second, a spatial objective function is proposed for the sensor placement. This function is defined in the obtained low-dimensional subspace by exploiting the time-space separation property of distributed processes, and in turn aims at minimizing the modeling error over the entire time and space domain. Third, the sensor placement configuration is mathematically formulated as a Markov decision process (MDP) with specified elements. Finally, the sensor locations are optimized through learning the optimal policies of the MDP according to the spatial objective function. The experimental results of a simulated catalytic rod and a real snap curing oven system are provided to demonstrate the feasibility and efficiency of the proposed method in solving the combinatorial optimization problems, such as optimal sensor placement.

Incremental Reinforcement Learning in Continuous Spaces via Policy Relaxation and Importance Weighting.

In this paper, a systematic incremental learning method is presented for reinforcement learning in continuous spaces where the learning environment is dynamic. The goal is to adjust the previously learned policy in the original environment to a new one incrementally whenever the environment changes. To improve the adaptability to the ever-changing environment, we propose a two-step solution incorporated with the incremental learning procedure: policy relaxation and importance weighting. First, the behavior policy is relaxed to a random one in the initial learning episodes to encourage a proper exploration in the new environment. It alleviates the conflict between the new information and the existing knowledge for a better adaptation in the long term. Second, it is observed that episodes receiving higher returns are more in line with the new environment, and hence contain more new information. During parameter updating, we assign higher importance weights to the learning episodes that contain more new information, thus encouraging the previous optimal policy to be faster adapted to a new one that fits in the new environment. Empirical studies on continuous controlling tasks with varying configurations verify that the proposed method achieves a significantly faster adaptation to various dynamic environments than the baselines.

A galerkin/neural-network-based design of guaranteed cost control for nonlinear distributed parameter systems.

This paper presents a Galerkin/neural-network- based guaranteed cost control (GCC) design for a class of parabolic partial differential equation (PDE) systems with unknown nonlinearities. A parabolic PDE system typically involves a spatial differential operator with eigenspectrum that can be partitioned into a finite-dimensional slow one and an infinite-dimensional stable fast complement. Motivated by this, in the proposed control scheme, Galerkin method is initially applied to the PDE system to derive an ordinary differential equation (ODE) system with unknown nonlinearities, which accurately describes the dynamics of the dominant (slow) modes of the PDE system. The resulting nonlinear ODE system is subsequently parameterized by a multilayer neural network (MNN) with one-hidden layer and zero bias terms. Then, based on the neural model and a Lure-type Lyapunov function, a linear modal feedback controller is developed to stabilize the closed-loop PDE system and provide an upper bound for the quadratic cost function associated with the finite-dimensional slow system for all admissible approximation errors of the network. The outcome of the GCC problem is formulated as a linear matrix inequality (LMI) problem. Moreover, by using the existing LMI optimization technique, a suboptimal guaranteed cost controller in the sense of minimizing the cost bound is obtained. Finally, the proposed design method is applied to the control of the temperature profile of a catalytic rod.

A probabilistic wavelet system for stochastic and incomplete data-based modeling.

A probabilistic wavelet system (PWS) is proposed to model the unknown dynamic system with stochastic and incomplete data. When compared with the traditional wavelet system, the PWS uses a novel three-domain wavelet function to make a balance among the probability, time, and frequency domains, which achieves a robust modeling performance with poor data information. The definition, transformation, multiple-resolution analysis, and implementation of the PWS are presented to construct the whole theoretical framework. Simulation studies show that the performance of the proposed PWS is superior to the traditional one in a stochastic and incomplete data environment.

Probabilistic Regularized Extreme Learning Machine for Robust Modeling of Noise Data.

The extreme learning machine (ELM) has been extensively studied in the machine learning field and has been widely implemented due to its simplified algorithm and reduced computational costs. However, it is less effective for modeling data with non-Gaussian noise or data containing outliers. Here, a probabilistic regularized ELM is proposed to improve modeling performance with data containing non-Gaussian noise and/or outliers. While traditional ELM minimizes modeling error by using a worst-case scenario principle, the proposed method constructs a new objective function to minimize both mean and variance of this modeling error. Thus, the proposed method considers the modeling error distribution. A solution method is then developed for this new objective function and the proposed method is further proved to be more robust when compared with traditional ELM, even when subject to noise or outliers. Several experimental cases demonstrate that the proposed method has better modeling performance for problems with non-Gaussian noise or outliers.

Learning Rates of Regularized Regression With Multiple Gaussian Kernels for Multi-Task Learning.

This paper considers a least square regularized regression algorithm for multi-task learning in a union of reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces (RKHSs) with Gaussian kernels. It is assumed that the optimal prediction function of the target task and those of related tasks are in an RKHS with the same but with unknown Gaussian kernel width. The samples for related tasks are used to select the Gaussian kernel width, and the sample for the target task is used to obtain the prediction function in the RKHS with this selected width. With an error decomposition result, a fast learning rate is obtained for the target task. The key step is to estimate the sample errors of related tasks in the union of RKHSs with Gaussian kernels. The utility of this algorithm is illustrated with one simulated data set and four real data sets. The experiment results illustrate that the underlying algorithm can result in significant improvements in prediction error when few samples of the target task and more samples of related tasks are available.

Uncertain Data Clustering in Distributed Peer-to-Peer Networks.

Uncertain data clustering has been recognized as an essential task in the research of data mining. Many centralized clustering algorithms are extended by defining new distance or similarity measurements to tackle this issue. With the fast development of network applications, these centralized methods show their limitations in conducting data clustering in a large dynamic distributed peer-to-peer network due to the privacy and security concerns or the technical constraints brought by distributive environments. In this paper, we propose a novel distributed uncertain data clustering algorithm, in which the centralized global clustering solution is approximated by performing distributed clustering. To shorten the execution time, the reduction technique is then applied to transform the proposed method into its deterministic form by replacing each uncertain data object with its expected centroid. Finally, the attribute-weight-entropy regularization technique enhances the proposed distributed clustering method to achieve better results in data clustering and extract the essential features for cluster identification. The experiments on both synthetic and real-world data have shown the efficiency and superiority of the presented algorithm.

Finite-dimensional constrained fuzzy control for a class of nonlinear distributed process systems.

This correspondence studies the problem of finite-dimensional constrained fuzzy control for a class of systems described by nonlinear parabolic partial differential equations (PDEs). Initially, Galerkin's method is applied to the PDE system to derive a nonlinear ordinary differential equation (ODE) system that accurately describes the dynamics of the dominant (slow) modes of the PDE system. Subsequently, a systematic modeling procedure is given to construct exactly a Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy model for the finite-dimensional ODE system under state constraints. Then, based on the T-S fuzzy model, a sufficient condition for the existence of a stabilizing fuzzy controller is derived, which guarantees that the state constraints are satisfied and provides an upper bound on the quadratic performance function for the finite-dimensional slow system. The resulting fuzzy controllers can also guarantee the exponential stability of the closed-loop PDE system. Moreover, a local optimization algorithm based on the linear matrix inequalities is proposed to compute the feedback gain matrices of a suboptimal fuzzy controller in the sense of minimizing the quadratic performance bound. Finally, the proposed design method is applied to the control of the temperature profile of a catalytic rod.