Biomedical subjects

Juan Gutiérrez

Publications and source records attributed to Juan Gutiérrez.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

V1 non-linear properties emerge from local-to-global non-linear ICA.

It has been argued that the aim of non-linearities in different visual and auditory mechanisms may be to remove the relations between the coefficients of the signal after global linear ICA-like stages. Specifically, in Schwartz and Simoncelli (2001), it was shown that masking effects are reproduced by fitting the parameters of a particular non-linearity in order to remove the dependencies between the energy of wavelet coefficients. In this work, we present a different result that supports the same efficient encoding hypothesis. However, this result is more general because, instead of assuming any specific functional form for the non-linearity, we show that by using an unconstrained approach, masking-like behavior emerges directly from natural images. This result is an additional indication that Barlow's efficient encoding hypothesis may explain not only the shape of receptive fields of V1 sensors but also their non-linear behavior.

Humans↗

PubMed2006

Regularization operators for natural images based on nonlinear perception models.

Image restoration requires some a priori knowledge of the solution. Some of the conventional regularization techniques are based on the estimation of the power spectrum density. Simple statistical models for spectral estimation just take into account second-order relations between the pixels of the image. However, natural images exhibit additional features, such as particular relationships between local Fourier or wavelet transform coefficients. Biological visual systems have evolved to capture these relations. We propose the use of this biological behavior to build regularization operators as an alternative to simple statistical models. The results suggest that if the penalty operator takes these additional features in natural images into account, it will be more robust and the choice of the regularization parameter is less critical.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2005

Perceptual adaptive insensitivity for support vector machine image coding.

Support vector machine (SVM) learning has been recently proposed for image compression in the frequency domain using a constant epsilon-insensitivity zone by Robinson and Kecman. However, according to the statistical properties of natural images and the properties of human perception, a constant insensitivity makes sense in the spatial domain but it is certainly not a good option in a frequency domain. In fact, in their approach, they made a fixed low-pass assumption as the number of discrete cosine transform (DCT) coefficients to be used in the training was limited. This paper extends the work of Robinson and Kecman by proposing the use of adaptive insensitivity SVMs [2] for image coding using an appropriate distortion criterion [3], [4] based on a simple visual cortex model. Training the SVM by using an accurate perception model avoids any a priori assumption and improves the rate-distortion performance of the original approach.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2005

Evaluation of the COBAS TaqMan 48 real-time PCR system for quantitation of hepatitis B virus DNA.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the usefulness of the new real-time PCR COBAS TaqMan 48 analyzer, comparing it to the existing COBAS AMPLICOR HBV MONITOR based on conventional PCR technology. The study used 104 samples from different patients. No differences were found in the sensitivity of the tests. There was an excellent correlation between the sample with a viral load within the dynamic range of the two tests (r = 0.938). The COBAS TaqMan test has a wider linear range, and this fact enables quantifying of the viral load without diluting the sample.

DNA, Viral↗