Dynamic reconfiguration of the default mode network during narrative comprehension.

Does the default mode network (DMN) reconfigure to encode information about the changing environment? This question has proven difficult, because patterns of functional connectivity reflect a mixture of stimulus-induced neural processes, intrinsic neural processes and non-neuronal noise. Here we introduce inter-subject functional correlation (ISFC), which isolates stimulus-dependent inter-regional correlations between brains exposed to the same stimulus. During fMRI, we had subjects listen to a real-life auditory narrative and to temporally scrambled versions of the narrative. We used ISFC to isolate correlation patterns within the DMN that were locked to the processing of each narrative segment and specific to its meaning within the narrative context. The momentary configurations of DMN ISFC were highly replicable across groups. Moreover, DMN coupling strength predicted memory of narrative segments. Thus, ISFC opens new avenues for linking brain network dynamics to stimulus features and behaviour.

Synthetic aperture radar autofocus via semidefinite relaxation.

The autofocus problem in synthetic aperture radar imaging amounts to estimating unknown phase errors caused by unknown platform or target motion. At the heart of three state-of-the-art autofocus algorithms, namely, phase gradient autofocus, multichannel autofocus (MCA), and Fourier-domain multichannel autofocus (FMCA), is the solution of a constant modulus quadratic program (CMQP). Currently, these algorithms solve a CMQP by using an eigenvalue relaxation approach. We propose an alternative relaxation approach based on semidefinite programming, which has recently attracted considerable attention in other signal processing problems. Experimental results show that our proposed methods provide promising performance improvements for MCA and FMCA through an increase in computational complexity.

Synthetic aperture radar autofocus based on a bilinear model.

Autofocus algorithms are used to restore images in nonideal synthetic aperture radar imaging systems. In this paper, we propose a bilinear parametric model for the unknown image and the nuisance phase parameters and derive an efficient maximum-likelihood autofocus (MLA) algorithm. In the special case of a simple image model and a narrow range of look angles, MLA coincides with the successful multichannel autofocus (MCA). MLA can be interpreted as a generalization of MCA to a larger class of models with a larger range of look angles. We analyze its advantages over previous extensions of MCA in terms of identifiability conditions and noise sensitivity. As a byproduct, we also propose numerical approximations to the difficult constant modulus quadratic program that lies at the core of these algorithms. We demonstrate the superior performance of our proposed methods using computer simulations in both the correct and mismatched system models. MLA performs better than other methods, both in terms of the mean squared error and visual quality of the restored image.