SkullGAN: Synthetic Skull CT Generation with Generative Adversarial Networks

Deep learning offers potential for various healthcare applications involving the human skull but requires extensive datasets of curated medical images. To overcome this challenge, we propose SkullGAN, a generative adversarial network (GAN), to create large datasets of synthetic skull CT slices, reducing reliance on real images and accelerating the integration of machine learning into healthcare. In our method, CT slices of 38 subjects were fed to SkullGAN, a neural network comprising over 200 million parameters. The synthetic skull images generated were evaluated based on three quantitative radiological features: skull density ratio (SDR), mean thickness, and mean intensity. They were further analyzed using t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE) and by applying the SkullGAN discriminator as a classifier. The results showed that SkullGAN-generated images demonstrated similar key quantitative radiological features to real skulls. Further definitive analysis was undertaken by applying the discriminator of SkullGAN, where the SkullGAN discriminator classified 56.5% of a test set of real skull images and 55.9% of the SkullGAN-generated images as reals (the theoretical optimum being 50%), demonstrating that the SkullGAN-generated skull set is indistinguishable from the real skull set - within the limits of our nonlinear classifier. Therefore, SkullGAN makes it possible to generate large numbers of synthetic skull CT segments, necessary for training neural networks for medical applications involving the human skull. This mitigates challenges associated with preparing large, high-quality training datasets, such as access, capital, time, and the need for domain expertise.

Knowledge Discovery In Nanophotonics Using Geometric Deep Learning

We present here a new approach for using the intelligence aspects of artificial intelligence for knowledge discovery rather than device optimization in electromagnetic (EM) nanostructures. This approach uses training data obtained through full-wave EM simulations of a series of nanostructures to train geometric deep learning algorithms to assess the range of feasible responses as well as the feasibility of a desired response from a class of EM nanostructures. To facilitate the knowledge discovery and reduce the computation complexity, our approach combines the dimensionality reduction technique (using an autoencoder) with convex-hull and one-class support-vector-machine (SVM) algorithms to find the range of the feasible responses in the latent (or the reduced) response space of the EM nanostructure. We show that by using a small set of training instances (compared to all possible structures), our approach can provide better than 95% accuracy in assessing the feasibility of a given response. More importantly, the one-class SVM algorithm can be trained to provide the degree of feasibility (or unfeasibility) of a response from a given nanostructure. This important information can be used to modify the initial structure to an alternative one that can enable an initially unfeasible response. To show the applicability of our approach, we apply it to two important classes of binary metasurfaces (MSs), formed by array of plasmonic nanostructures, and periodic MSs formed by an array of dielectric nanopillars. In addition to theoretical results, we show the experimental results obtained by fabricating several MSs of the second class. Our theoretical and experimental results confirm the unique features of this approach for knowledge discovery in EM nanostructures.

Winning Isn't Everything: Training Human-Like Agents for Playtesting and Game AI

Recently, there have been several high-profile achievements of agents learning to play games against humans and beat them. We consider an alternative approach that instead addresses game design for a better player experience by training human-like game agents. Specifically, we study the problem of training game agents in service of the development processes of the game developers that design, build, and operate modern games. We highlight some of the ways in which we think intelligent agents can assist game developers to understand their games, and even to build them. Our early results using the proposed agent framework mark a few steps toward addressing the unique challenges that game developers face.