Incremental Hierarchical Tucker Decomposition

We present two new algorithms for approximating and updating the hierarchical Tucker decomposition of tensor streams. The first algorithm, Batch Hierarchical Tucker - leaf to root (BHT-l2r), proposes an alternative and more efficient way of approximating a batch of similar tensors in hierarchical Tucker format. The second algorithm, Hierarchical Tucker - Rapid Incremental Subspace Expansion (HT-RISE), updates the batch hierarchical Tucker representation of an accumulated tensor as new batches of tensors become available. The HT-RISE algorithm is suitable for the online setting and never requires full storage or reconstruction of all data while providing a solution to the incremental Tucker decomposition problem. We provide theoretical guarantees for both algorithms and demonstrate their effectiveness on physical and cyber-physical data. The proposed BHT-l2r algorithm and the batch hierarchical Tucker format offers up to $6.2\times$ compression and $3.7\times$ reduction in time over the hierarchical Tucker format. The proposed HT-RISE algorithm also offers up to $3.1\times$ compression and $3.2\times$ reduction in time over a state of the art incremental tensor train decomposition algorithm.

Human Perception-Inspired Grain Segmentation Refinement Using Conditional Random Fields

Accurate segmentation of interconnected line networks, such as grain boundaries in polycrystalline material microstructures, poses a significant challenge due to the fragmented masks produced by conventional computer vision algorithms, including convolutional neural networks. These algorithms struggle with thin masks, often necessitating intricate post-processing for effective contour closure and continuity. Addressing this issue, this paper introduces a fast, high-fidelity post-processing technique, leveraging domain knowledge about grain boundary connectivity and employing conditional random fields and perceptual grouping rules. This approach significantly enhances segmentation mask accuracy, achieving a 79% segment identification accuracy in validation with a U-Net model on electron microscopy images of a polycrystalline oxide. Additionally, a novel grain alignment metric is introduced, showing a 51% improvement in grain alignment, providing a more detailed assessment of segmentation performance for complex microstructures. This method not only enables rapid and accurate segmentation but also facilitates an unprecedented level of data analysis, significantly improving the statistical representation of grain boundary networks, making it suitable for a range of disciplines where precise segmentation of interconnected line networks is essential.