Accelerating SAGE algorithm in PET image reconstruction by rescaled block-iterative method

A new method to accelerate the convergent rate of the space-alternatinggeneralized expectation-maximization (SAGE) algorithm is proposed. The new rescaled block-iterativeSAGE (RBI-SAGE) algorithm combines the RBI algorithm with the SAGE algorithm for PET imagereconstruction. In the new approach, the projection data is partitioned into disjoint blocks; eachiteration step involves only one of these blocks. SAGE updates the parameters sequentially in eachblock. In experiments, the RBI-SAGE algorithm and classical SAGE algorithm are compared in theapplication on positron emission tomography (PET) image reconstruction. Simulation results show thatRBI-SAGE has better performance than SAGE in both convergence and image quality.

OFDM blind channel estimation based on polynomial models

A two-dimensional （2-D） polynomial regression model is set up to approximate the time-frequency response of slowly time-varying orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing （OFDM） systems. With this model the estimation of the OFDM time-frequency response is turned into the optimization of some time-invariant model parameters. A new algorithm based on the expectation-maximization （EM） method is proposed to obtain the maximum-likelihood （ML） estimation of the polynomial model parameters over the 2-D observed data. At the same time, in order to reduce the complexity and avoid the computation instability, a novel recursive approach （RPEMTO） is given to calculate the values of the parameters. It is further shown that this 2-D polynomial EM-based algorithm for time-varying OFDM （PEMTO） can be simplified mathematically to handle the one-dimensional sequential estimation. Simulations illustrate that the proposed algorithms achieve a lower bit error rate （BER） than other blind algorithms.

EFFECTIVE IMAGE SEGMENTATION FRAMEWORK FOR GAUSSIAN MIXTURE MODEL INCORPORATING LOCAL INFORMATION

A new two-step framework is proposed for image segmentation. In the first step, the gray-value distribution of the given image is reshaped to have larger inter-class variance and less intra-class variance. In the sec- ond step, the discriminant-based methods or clustering-based methods are performed on the reformed distribution. It is focused on the typical clustering methods-Gaussian mixture model （GMM） and its variant to demonstrate the feasibility of the framework. Due to the independence of the first step in its second step, it can be integrated into the pixel-based and the histogram-based methods to improve their segmentation quality. The experiments on artificial and real images show that the framework can achieve effective and robust segmentation results.

Application of SAGE algorithm in PET image reconstruction using modified ordered subsets

A new method that uses a modified ordered subsets （MOS） algorithm to improve the convergence rate of space-alternating generalized expectation-maximization （SAGE） algorithm for positron emission tomography （PET） image reconstruction is proposed.In the MOS-SAGE algorithm,the number of projections and the access order of the subsets are modified in order to improve the quality of the reconstructed images and accelerate the convergence speed.The number of projections in a subset increases as follows：2,4,8,16,32 and 64.This sequence means that the high frequency component is recovered first and the low frequency component is recovered in the succeeding iteration steps.In addition,the neighboring subsets are separated as much as possible so that the correlation of projections can be decreased and the convergences can be speeded up.The application of the proposed method to simulated and real images shows that the MOS-SAGE algorithm has better performance than the SAGE algorithm and the OSEM algorithm in convergence and image quality.

Gaussian mixture model clustering with completed likelihood minimum message length criterion

An improved Gaussian mixture model （GMM）- based clustering method is proposed for the difficult case where the true distribution of data is against the assumed GMM. First, an improved model selection criterion, the completed likelihood minimum message length criterion, is derived. It can measure both the goodness-of-fit of the candidate GMM to the data and the goodness-of-partition of the data. Secondly, by utilizing the proposed criterion as the clustering objective function, an improved expectation- maximization （EM） algorithm is developed, which can avoid poor local optimal solutions compared to the standard EM algorithm for estimating the model parameters. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method can rectify the over-fitting tendency of representative GMM-based clustering approaches and can robustly provide more accurate clustering results.

EM-based detection scheme for differential unitary space-time modulation

The performance loss of an approximately 3 dB signal-to-noise ratio is always paid with conventional differential detection compared to the related coherent detection. A new detection scheme consisting of two steps is proposed for the differential unitary space-time modulation （DUSTM） system. In the first step, the data sequence is estimated by conventional unitary space-time demodulation （DUSTD） and differentially encoded again to produce an initial estimate of the transmitted symbol stream. In the second step, the initial estimate of the symbol stream is utilized to initialize an expectation maximization （EM）-based iterative detector. In each iteration, the most recent detected symbol stream is employed to estimate the channel, which is then used to implement coherent sequence detection to refine the symbol stream. Simulation results show that the proposed detection scheme performs much better than the conventional DUSTD after several iterations.

Row-action SAGE algorithm for PET image reconstruction

The one-block version of ordered subsets (OS) techniques was used to accelerate the convergent rate of the space-alternating generalized expectation-maximization (SAGE) algorithm. The new row-action SAGE (RA-SAGE) algorithm processed projections in sequentially orthogonal order which reduced the dependency among the projections and speeds up the convergences. Additionally, the over-relaxation parameter in the direction defined by the RA-SAGE algorithm was also applied to obtain fast convergence to a globally maximum likelihood (ML) solution. In experiments, the RA-SAGE algorithm and the classical SAGE algorithm were compared in the application to positron emission tomography (PET) image reconstruction. Simulation results showed that RA-SAGE had better performance than SAGE in both convergence and image quality.

TAVR in 2017-What we know？ What to expect？

1 Introduction Transcatheter aortic valve implantation （TAVI） or replacement （TAVR） represents nowadays a viable and established therapeutic option in patients with severe aortic stenosis （AS） who are considered high or prohibitive risk for conservative surgical treatment. It has been a long journey requiring almost ten years of preclinical research since the first in man TAVR in 2002. Five more years of clinical trials followed, before ＂Conformité Européene＂ （CE） mark- ing and clinical use initiation in Europe.

Clean Coal Technologies in China： Current Status and Future Perspectives

Coal is the dominant primary energy source in China and the major source of greenhouse gases and air pollutants. To facilitate the use of coal in an environmentally satisfactory and economically viable way, clean coal technologies （CCTs） are necessary. This paper presents a review of recent research and development of four kinds of CCTs： coal power generation; coal conversion; pollution control; and carbon capture, utilization, and storage. It also outlines future perspectives on directions for technology re search and development （R＆D）. This review shows that China has made remarkable progress in the R＆D of CCTs, and that a number of CCTs have now entered into the commercialization stage.

Noise estimation and filtering method of MEMS gyroscope based on EMMAP

Aiming at the problems of low measurement accuracy,uncertainty and nonlinearity of random noise of the micro electro mechanical system(MEMS)gyroscope,a gyroscope noise estimation and filtering method is proposed,which combines expectation maximum(EM)with maximum a posterior(MAP)to form an adpative unscented Kalman filter(UKF),called EMMAP-UKF.According to the MAP estimation principle,a suboptimal unbiased MAP noise statistical estimation model is constructed.Then,EM algorithm is introduced to transform the noise estimation problem into the mathematical expectation maximization problem,which can dynamically adjust the variance of the observed noise.Finally,the estimation and filtering of gyroscope random drift error can be realized.The performance of the gyro noise filtering method is evaluated by Allan variance,and the effectiveness of the method is verified by hardware-in-the-loop simulation.

Mapping of quantitative trait loci using the skew-normal distribution

In standard interval mapping (IM) of quantitative trait loci (QTL), the QTL effect is described by a normal mixture model. When this assumption of normality is violated, the most commonly adopted strategy is to use the previous model after data transformation. However, an appropriate transformation may not exist or may be difficult to find. Also this approach can raise interpretation issues. An interesting alternative is to consider a skew-normal mixture model in standard IM, and the resulting method is here denoted as skew-normal IM. This flexible model that includes the usual symmetric normal distribution as a special case is important, allowing continuous variation from normality to non-normality. In this paper we briefly introduce the main peculiarities of the skew-normal distribution. The maximum likelihood estimates of parameters of the skew-normal distribution are obtained by the expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm. The proposed model is illustrated with real data from an intercross experiment that shows a significant departure from the normality assumption. The performance of the skew-normal IM is assessed via stochastic simulation. The results indicate that the skew-normal IM has higher power for QTL detection and better precision of QTL location as compared to standard IM and nonparametric IM.

Efficient Recovery of Structured Sparse Signals via Approximate Message Passing with Structured Spike and Slab Prior

Due to limited volume, weight and power consumption, micro-satellite has to reduce data transmission and storage capacity by image compression when performs earth observation missions. However, the quality of images may be unsatisfied. This paper considers the problem of recovering sparse signals by exploiting their unknown sparsity pattern. To model structured sparsity, the prior correlation of the support is encoded by imposing a transformed Gaussian process on the spike and slab probabilities. Then, an efficient approximate message-passing algorithm with structured spike and slab prior is derived for posterior inference, which, combined with a fast direct method, reduces the computational complexity significantly. Further, a unified scheme is developed to learn the hyperparameters using expectation maximization(EM) and Bethe free energy optimization. Simulation results on both synthetic and real data demonstrate the superiority of the proposed algorithm.

Real-time reliability evaluation based on damaged measurement degradation data

A method was proposed to evaluate the real-time reliability for a single product based on damaged measurement degradation data.Most researches on degradation analysis often assumed that the measurement process did not have any impact on the product's performance.However,in some cases,the measurement process may exert extra stress on products being measured.To obtain trustful results in such a situation,a new degradation model was derived.Then,by fusing the prior information of product and its own on-line degradation data,the real-time reliability was evaluated on the basis of Bayesian formula.To make the proposed method more practical,a procedure based on expectation maximization (EM) algorithm was presented to estimate the unknown parameters.Finally,the performance of the proposed method was illustrated by a simulation study.The results show that ignoring the influence of the damaged measurement process can lead to biased evaluation results,if the damaged measurement process is involved.

On-line estimation of concentration parameters in fermentation processes

It has long been thought that bioprocess, with their inherent measurement difficulties and complex dynamics, posed almost insurmountable problems to engineers. A novel software sensor is proposed to make more effective use of those meas- urements that are already available, which enable improvement in fermentation process control. The proposed method is based on mixtures of Gaussian processes (GP) with expectation maximization (EM) algorithm employed for parameter estimation of mixture of models. The mixture model can alleviate computational complexity of GP and also accord with changes of operating condition in fermentation processes, i.e., it would certainly be able to examine what types of process-knowledge would be most relevant for local models’ specific operating points of the process and then combine them into a global one. Demonstrated by on-line estimate of yeast concentration in fermentation industry as an example, it is shown that soft sensor based state estimation is a powerful technique for both enhancing automatic control performance of biological systems and implementing on-line moni- toring and optimization.

Improved dark channel image dehazing method based on Gaussian mixture model

To solve the problem of color distortion after dehazing in the sky region by using the classical dark channel prior method to process the hazy images with large regions of sky,an improved dark channel image dehazing method based on Gaussian mixture model is proposed.Firstly,we use the Gaussian mixture model to model the hazy image,and then use the expectation maximization(EM)algorithm to optimize the parameters,so that the hazy image can be divided into the sky region and the non-sky region.Secondly,the sky region is divided into a light haze region,a medium haze region and a heavy haze region according to the different dark channel values to estimate the transmission respectively.Thirdly,the restored image is obtained by combining the atmospheric scattering model.Finally,adaptive local tone mapping for high dynamic range images is used to adjust the brightness of the restored image.The experimental results show that the proposed method can effectively eliminate the color distortion in the sky region,and the restored image is clearer and has better visual effect.

An evolutionary particle filter based EM algorithm and its application

In this paper, an evolutionary recursive Bayesian estimation algorithm is presented, which incorporates the latest observation with a new proposal distribution, and the posterior state density is represented by a Gaussian mixture model that is recovered from the weighted particle set of the measurement update step by means of a weighted expectation-maximization algorithm. This step replaces the resampling stage needed by most particle filters and relieves the effect caused by sample impoverishment. A nonlinear tracking problem shows that this new approach outperforms other related particle filters.

Digitalized Mirror Array and Its Application in Large Telescope:Principle and Case Studies

In this article, we report the principle and conceptual design of a fundamentally different technology in fabricating high precision aberration free optical devices. The tip-tilt of facet in a mirror array is produced by digitally controlled line-tilts of rows and columns. It has not only provided a cost-effective designing methodology in optical physics but also led to a much finer precision of 1 mili arc sec or less. As examples of the application of the proposed digitalised optics, two case studies have been given： a 10 m Schmidt telescope （off-axis） and an 8 m Cassegrain telescope （on-axis）.

Dysphagia: Thinking outside the box

Dysphagia is a common symptom that is important to recognise and appropriately manage, given that causes include life threatening oesophageal neoplasia, oropharyngeal dysfunction, the risk of aspiration, as well as chronic disabling gastroesophageal reflux(GORD). The predominant causes of dysphagia varies between cohorts depending on the interplay between genetic predisposition and environmental risk factors, and is changing with time. Currently in white Caucasian societies adopting a western lifestyle, obesity is common and thus associated gastroesophageal reflux disease is increasingly diagnosed. Similarly, food allergies are increasing in the west, and eosinophilic oesophagitis is increasingly found as a cause. Other regions where cigarette smoking is still prevalent, or where access to medical care and antisecretory agents such as proton pump inhibitors are less available, benign oesophageal peptic strictures, Barrett's oesophagus, adeno-as well as squamous cell carcinoma are endemic. The evaluation should consider the severity of symptoms, as well as the pretest probability of a given condition. In young white Caucasian males who are atopic or describe heartburn, eosinophilic esophagitis and gastroesophageal reflux disease will predominate and a proton pump inhibitor could be commenced prior to further investigation. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy remains a valid first line investigation for patients with suspected oesophageal dysphagia. Barium swallow is particularly useful for oropharyngeal dysphagia, and oesophageal manometry mandatory to diagnose motility disorders.

Monotone Iterative Technique for Duffie-Epstein Type Backward Stochastic Differential Equations

For Duffle-Epstein type Backward Stochastic Differential Equations, the comparison theorem is proved. Based on the comparison theorem, by monotone iterative technique, the existence of the minimal and maximal solutions of the equations are proved.

Perspectives and Challenges of Italian Catalogue of Herbage Varieties

In Mediterranean countries forage crops and temporary grasslands are the most important supply even if severe moisture stress is common. In Italy, forage systems are various and differently located from North to South of the mainland due to strong influence by rainfall distribution. Grasses and grazing cover 3.4 million ha of Italian utilized agricultural area （UAA） while alternated grassland and grass meadows cover 1.9 million ha. Most of grasslands are located in hilly and mountainous areas and are important for reducing erosion. Italy has a great longitudinal extension which accounts for a great variety of climate systems and soils： the northern regions have a humid subtropical climate and differ greatly from the south part that fits the Mediterranean climate profile. During the last 100/150 years the Italian climate has become warmer and drier showing an increase of erratic precipitation intensity. The future of breeding of forage grasses and legumes should be focused on higher nutrient use efficiencies and increased sustainability. New applications of genomics and bioinformatics will allow advanced breeding strategies. Over the past 15 years breeders have displayed a constant interest in forage species while a greater interest has risen in turfgrass varieties. Seed production of Italian herbages does not cover the requirements of the market. More specific value for cultivation and use （VCU） tests might be an effective means to improve the screening of candidate varieties. The goal is the selection of varieties able to withstand the stress of climate change, have better water and nitrogen use efficiency and resilience of vegetation cover.