Shujaat Khan

Shujaat Khan, Alishba Sadiq, Imran Naseem et al.

In this work, a new class of stochastic gradient algorithm is developed based on $q$-calculus. Unlike the existing $q$-LMS algorithm, the proposed approach fully utilizes the concept of $q$-calculus by incorporating time-varying $q$ parameter. The proposed enhanced $q$-LMS ($Eq$-LMS) algorithm utilizes a novel, parameterless concept of error-correlation energy and normalization of signal to ensure high convergence, stability and low steady-state error. The proposed algorithm automatically adapts the learning rate with respect to the error. For the evaluation purpose the system identification problem is considered. Extensive experiments show better performance of the proposed $Eq$-LMS algorithm compared to the standard $q$-LMS approach.

Tasawar Abbas, Shujaat Khan, Muhammad Sajid et al.

The aim of this article is to present and rigorously analyze topological sensitivity based algorithms for detection of diametrically small inclusions in an isotropic homogeneous elastic formation using single and multiple measurements of the far-field scattering amplitudes. A $L^2-$cost functional is considered and a location indicator is constructed from its topological derivative. The performance of the indicator is analyzed in terms of the topological sensitivity for location detection and stability with respect to measurement and medium noises. It is established that the location indicator does not guarantee inclusion detection and achieves only a low resolution when there is mode-conversion in an elastic formation. Accordingly, a weighted location indicator is designed to tackle the mode-conversion phenomenon. It is substantiated that the weighted function renders the location of an inclusion stably with resolution as per Rayleigh criterion.

Seongyong Park, Shujaat Khan, Abdul Wahab

Understanding E3 ligase and target substrate interactions are important for cell biology and therapeutic development. However, experimental identification of E3 target relationships is not an easy task due to the labor-intensive nature of the experiments. In this article, a sequence-based E3-target prediction model is proposed for the first time. The proposed framework utilizes composition of k-spaced amino acid pairs (CKSAAP) to learn the relationship between E3 ligases and their target protein. A class separable latent space encoding scheme is also devised that provides a compressed representation of feature space. A thorough ablation study is performed to identify an optimal gap size for CKSAAP and the number of latent variables that can represent the E3-target relationship successfully. The proposed scheme is evaluated on an independent dataset for a variety of standard quantitative measures. In particular, it achieves an average accuracy of $70.63\%$ on an independent dataset. The source code and datasets used in the study are available at the author's GitHub page (https://github.com/psychemistz/E3targetPred).

Shujaat Khan, Jaeyoung Huh, Jong Chul Ye

Ultrasound (US) is widely used for clinical imaging applications thanks to its real-time and non-invasive nature. However, its lesion detectability is often limited in many applications due to the phase aberration artefact caused by variations in the speed of sound (SoS) within body parts. To address this, here we propose a novel self-supervised 3D CNN that enables phase aberration robust plane-wave imaging. Instead of aiming at estimating the SoS distribution as in conventional methods, our approach is unique in that the network is trained in a self-supervised manner to robustly generate a high-quality image from various phase aberrated images by modeling the variation in the speed of sound as stochastic. Experimental results using real measurements from tissue-mimicking phantom and \textit{in vivo} scans confirmed that the proposed method can significantly reduce the phase aberration artifacts and improve the visual quality of deep scans.

Jaeyoung Huh, Shujaat Khan, Sungjin Choi et al.

In contrast to 2-D ultrasound (US) for uniaxial plane imaging, a 3-D US imaging system can visualize a volume along three axial planes. This allows for a full view of the anatomy, which is useful for gynecological (GYN) and obstetrical (OB) applications. Unfortunately, the 3-D US has an inherent limitation in resolution compared to the 2-D US. In the case of 3-D US with a 3-D mechanical probe, for example, the image quality is comparable along the beam direction, but significant deterioration in image quality is often observed in the other two axial image planes. To address this, here we propose a novel unsupervised deep learning approach to improve 3-D US image quality. In particular, using {\em unmatched} high-quality 2-D US images as a reference, we trained a recently proposed switchable CycleGAN architecture so that every mapping plane in 3-D US can learn the image quality of 2-D US images. Thanks to the switchable architecture, our network can also provide real-time control of image enhancement level based on user preference, which is ideal for a user-centric scanner setup. Extensive experiments with clinical evaluation confirm that our method offers significantly improved image quality as well user-friendly flexibility.

Abdul Wahab, Shujaat Khan, Imran Naseem et al.

Fractional learning algorithms are trending in signal processing and adaptive filtering recently. However, it is unclear whether the proclaimed superiority over conventional algorithms is well-grounded or is a myth as their performance has never been extensively analyzed. In this article, a rigorous analysis of fractional variants of the least mean squares and steepest descent algorithms is performed. Some critical schematic kinks in fractional learning algorithms are identified. Their origins and consequences on the performance of the learning algorithms are discussed and swift ready-witted remedies are proposed. Apposite numerical experiments are conducted to discuss the convergence and efficiency of the fractional learning algorithms in stochastic environments.

Shujaat Khan, Jaeyoung Huh, Jong Chul Ye

Recent proposals of deep beamformers using deep neural networks have attracted significant attention as computational efficient alternatives to adaptive and compressive beamformers. Moreover, deep beamformers are versatile in that image post-processing algorithms can be combined with the beamforming. Unfortunately, in the current technology, a separate beamformer should be trained and stored for each application, demanding significant scanner resources. To address this problem, here we propose a {\em switchable} deep beamformer that can produce various types of output such as DAS, speckle removal, deconvolution, etc., using a single network with a simple switch. In particular, the switch is implemented through Adaptive Instance Normalization (AdaIN) layers, so that various output can be generated by merely changing the AdaIN code. Experimental results using B-mode focused ultrasound confirm the flexibility and efficacy of the proposed methods for various applications.

Jaeyoung Huh, Shujaat Khan, Jong Chul Ye

Ultrasound imaging (US) often suffers from distinct image artifacts from various sources. Classic approaches for solving these problems are usually model-based iterative approaches that have been developed specifically for each type of artifact, which are often computationally intensive. Recently, deep learning approaches have been proposed as computationally efficient and high performance alternatives. Unfortunately, in the current deep learning approaches, a dedicated neural network should be trained with matched training data for each specific artifact type. This poses a fundamental limitation in the practical use of deep learning for US, since large number of models should be stored to deal with various US image artifacts. Inspired by the recent success of multi-domain image transfer, here we propose a novel, unsupervised, deep learning approach in which a single neural network can be used to deal with different types of US artifacts simply by changing a mask vector that switches between different target domains. Our algorithm is rigorously derived using an optimal transport (OT) theory for cascaded probability measures. Experimental results using phantom and in vivo data demonstrate that the proposed method can generate high quality image by removing distinct artifacts, which are comparable to those obtained by separately trained multiple neural networks.

Syed Muhammad Atif, Shujaat Khan, Imran Naseem et al.

A simple yet effective architectural design of radial basis function neural networks (RBFNN) makes them amongst the most popular conventional neural networks. The current generation of radial basis function neural network is equipped with multiple kernels which provide significant performance benefits compared to the previous generation using only a single kernel. In existing multi-kernel RBF algorithms, multi-kernel is formed by the convex combination of the base/primary kernels. In this paper, we propose a novel multi-kernel RBFNN in which every base kernel has its own (local) weight. This novel flexibility in the network provides better performance such as faster convergence rate, better local minima and resilience against stucking in poor local minima. These performance gains are achieved at a competitive computational complexity compared to the contemporary multi-kernel RBF algorithms. The proposed algorithm is thoroughly analysed for performance gain using mathematical and graphical illustrations and also evaluated on three different types of problems namely: (i) pattern classification, (ii) system identification and (iii) function approximation. Empirical results clearly show the superiority of the proposed algorithm compared to the existing state-of-the-art multi-kernel approaches.

Shujaat Khan, Jaeyoung Huh, Jong Chul Ye

Ultrasound (US) imaging is a fast and non-invasive imaging modality which is widely used for real-time clinical imaging applications without concerning about radiation hazard. Unfortunately, it often suffers from poor visual quality from various origins, such as speckle noises, blurring, multi-line acquisition (MLA), limited RF channels, small number of view angles for the case of plane wave imaging, etc. Classical methods to deal with these problems include image-domain signal processing approaches using various adaptive filtering and model-based approaches. Recently, deep learning approaches have been successfully used for ultrasound imaging field. However, one of the limitations of these approaches is that paired high quality images for supervised training are difficult to obtain in many practical applications. In this paper, inspired by the recent theory of unsupervised learning using optimal transport driven cycleGAN (OT-cycleGAN), we investigate applicability of unsupervised deep learning for US artifact removal problems without matched reference data. Experimental results for various tasks such as deconvolution, speckle removal, limited data artifact removal, etc. confirmed that our unsupervised learning method provides comparable results to supervised learning for many practical applications.

Shujaat Khan, Jawwad Ahmad, Alishba Sadiq et al.

Herein, we propose a spatio-temporal extension of RBFNN for nonlinear system identification problem. The proposed algorithm employs the concept of time-space orthogonality and separately models the dynamics and nonlinear complexities of the system. The proposed RBF architecture is explored for the estimation of a highly nonlinear system and results are compared with the standard architecture for both the conventional and fractional gradient decent-based learning rules. The spatio-temporal RBF is shown to perform better than the standard and fractional RBFNNs by achieving fast convergence and significantly reduced estimation error.

Shujaat Khan, Jaeyoung Huh, Jong Chul Ye

In ultrasound (US) imaging, various types of adaptive beamforming techniques have been investigated to improve the resolution and contrast-to-noise ratio of the delay and sum (DAS) beamformers. Unfortunately, the performance of these adaptive beamforming approaches degrade when the underlying model is not sufficiently accurate and the number of channels decreases. To address this problem, here we propose a deep learning-based beamformer to generate significantly improved images over widely varying measurement conditions and channel subsampling patterns. In particular, our deep neural network is designed to directly process full or sub-sampled radio-frequency (RF) data acquired at various subsampling rates and detector configurations so that it can generate high quality ultrasound images using a single beamformer. The origin of such input-dependent adaptivity is also theoretically analyzed. Experimental results using B-mode focused ultrasound confirm the efficacy of the proposed methods.

Shujaat Khan, Jaeyoung Huh, Jong Chul Ye

In ultrasound (US) imaging, individual channel RF measurements are back-propagated and accumulated to form an image after applying specific delays. While this time reversal is usually implemented using a hardware- or software-based delay-and-sum (DAS) beamformer, the performance of DAS decreases rapidly in situations where data acquisition is not ideal. Herein, for the first time, we demonstrate that a single data-driven adaptive beamformer designed as a deep neural network can generate high quality images robustly for various detector channel configurations and subsampling rates. The proposed deep beamformer is evaluated for two distinct acquisition schemes: focused ultrasound imaging and planewave imaging. Experimental results showed that the proposed deep beamformer exhibit significant performance gain for both focused and planar imaging schemes, in terms of contrast-to-noise ratio and structural similarity.

Shujaat Khan, Jaeyoung Huh, Jong Chul Ye

Ultrasound (US) imaging is based on the time-reversal principle, in which individual channel RF measurements are back-propagated and accumulated to form an image after applying specific delays. While this time reversal is usually implemented as a delay-and-sum (DAS) beamformer, the image quality quickly degrades as the number of measurement channels decreases. To address this problem, various types of adaptive beamforming techniques have been proposed using predefined models of the signals. However, the performance of these adaptive beamforming approaches degrade when the underlying model is not sufficiently accurate. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that a single universal deep beamformer trained using a purely data-driven way can generate significantly improved images over widely varying aperture and channel subsampling patterns. In particular, we design an end-to-end deep learning framework that can directly process sub-sampled RF data acquired at different subsampling rate and detector configuration to generate high quality ultrasound images using a single beamformer. Experimental results using B-mode focused ultrasound confirm the efficacy of the proposed methods.

Alishba Sadiq, Muhammad Usman, Shujaat Khan et al.

Channel estimation is an essential part of modern communication systems as it enhances the overall performance of the system. In recent past a variety of adaptive learning methods have been designed to enhance the robustness and convergence speed of the learning process. However, the need for an optimal technique is still there. Herein, for non-Gaussian noisy environment we propose a new class of stochastic gradient algorithm for channel identification. The proposed $q$-least mean fourth ($q$-LMF) is an extension of least mean fourth (LMF) algorithm and it is based on the $q$-calculus which is also known as Jackson derivative. The proposed algorithm utilizes a novel concept of error-correlation energy and normalization of signal to ensure high convergence rate, better stability and low steady-state error. Contrary to the conventional LMF, the proposed method has more freedom for large step-sizes. Extensive experiments show significant gain in the performance of the proposed $q$-LMF algorithm in comparison to the contemporary techniques.

Shujaat Khan, Imran Naseem, Roberto Togneri et al.

In extreme cold weather, living organisms produce Antifreeze Proteins (AFPs) to counter the otherwise lethal intracellular formation of ice. Structures and sequences of various AFPs exhibit a high degree of heterogeneity, consequently the prediction of the AFPs is considered to be a challenging task. In this research, we propose to handle this arduous manifold learning task using the notion of localized processing. In particular an AFP sequence is segmented into two sub-segments each of which is analyzed for amino acid and di-peptide compositions. We propose to use only the most significant features using the concept of information gain (IG) followed by a random forest classification approach. The proposed RAFP-Pred achieved an excellent performance on a number of standard datasets. We report a high Youden's index (sensitivity+specificity-1) value of 0.75 on the standard independent test data set outperforming the AFP-PseAAC, AFP\_PSSM, AFP-Pred and iAFP by a margin of 0.05, 0.06, 0.14 and 0.68 respectively. The verification rate on the UniProKB dataset is found to be 83.19\% which is substantially superior to the 57.18\% reported for the iAFP method.

Shujaat Khan, Imran Naseem, Alishba Sadiq et al.

The purpose of this paper is to indicate that the recently proposed Momentum fractional least mean squares (mFLMS) algorithm has some serious flaws in its design and analysis. Our apprehensions are based on the evidence we found in the derivation and analysis in the paper titled: \textquotedblleft \textit{Momentum fractional LMS for power signal parameter estimation}\textquotedblright. In addition to the theoretical bases our claims are also verified through extensive simulation results. The experiments clearly show that the new method does not have any advantage over the classical least mean square (LMS) method.

Yeo Hun Yoon, Shujaat Khan, Jaeyoung Huh et al.

In portable, three dimensional, and ultra-fast ultrasound imaging systems, there is an increasing demand for the reconstruction of high quality images from a limited number of radio-frequency (RF) measurements due to receiver (Rx) or transmit (Xmit) event sub-sampling. However, due to the presence of side lobe artifacts from RF sub-sampling, the standard beamformer often produces blurry images with less contrast, which are unsuitable for diagnostic purposes. Existing compressed sensing approaches often require either hardware changes or computationally expensive algorithms, but their quality improvements are limited. To address this problem, here we propose a novel deep learning approach that directly interpolates the missing RF data by utilizing redundancy in the Rx-Xmit plane. Our extensive experimental results using sub-sampled RF data from a multi-line acquisition B-mode system confirm that the proposed method can effectively reduce the data rate without sacrificing image quality.

Muhammad Usman, Irfan Ahmed, M. Imran Aslam et al.

The Internet of Things (IoT) being a promising technology of the future is expected to connect billions of devices. The increased number of communication is expected to generate mountains of data and the security of data can be a threat. The devices in the architecture are essentially smaller in size and low powered. Conventional encryption algorithms are generally computationally expensive due to their complexity and requires many rounds to encrypt, essentially wasting the constrained energy of the gadgets. Less complex algorithm, however, may compromise the desired integrity. In this paper we propose a lightweight encryption algorithm named as Secure IoT (SIT). It is a 64-bit block cipher and requires 64-bit key to encrypt the data. The architecture of the algorithm is a mixture of feistel and a uniform substitution-permutation network. Simulations result shows the algorithm provides substantial security in just five encryption rounds. The hardware implementation of the algorithm is done on a low cost 8-bit micro-controller and the results of code size, memory utilization and encryption/decryption execution cycles are compared with benchmark encryption algorithms. The MATLAB code for relevant simulations is available online at https://goo.gl/Uw7E0W.

Shujaat Khan, Muhammad Sohail Ibrahim, Kafeel Ahmed Khan et al.

In Wireless Sensor Networks, the sensor nodes are battery powered small devices designed for long battery life. These devices also lack in terms of processing capability and memory. In order to provide high confidentiality to these resource constrained network nodes, a suitable security algorithm is needed to be deployed that can establish a balance between security level and processing overhead. The objective of this research work is to perform a security analysis and performance evaluation of recently proposed Secure Force algorithm. This paper shows the comparison of Secure Force 64, 128, and 192 bit architecture on the basis of avalanche effect (key sensitivity), entropy change analysis, image histogram, and computational time. Moreover, based on the evaluation results, the paper also suggests the possible solutions for the weaknesses of the SF algorithm.

Mansoor Ebrahim, Shujaat Khan, Umer Bin Khalid

Information Security has become an important issue in modern world as the popularity and infiltration of internet commerce and communication technologies has emerged, making them a prospective medium to the security threats. To surmount these security threats modern data communications uses cryptography an effective, efficient and essential component for secure transmission of information by implementing security parameter counting Confidentiality, Authentication, accountability, and accuracy. To achieve data security different cryptographic algorithms (Symmetric & Asymmetric) are used that jumbles data in to scribbled format that can only be reversed by the user that have to desire key. This paper presents a comprehensive comparative analysis of different existing cryptographic algorithms (symmetric) based on their Architecture, Scalability, Flexibility, Reliability, Security and Limitation that are essential for secure communication (Wired or Wireless).

Mansoor Ebrahim, Shujaat Khan, UmerBin Khalid

P2P networking has become a promising technology and has achieved popularity as a mechanism for users to share files without the need for centralized servers. The rapid growth of P2P networks beginning with Kaza, Lime wire, Napsters, E-donkey, Gnutella etc makes them an attractive target to the creators of viruses and other security threats. This paper describes the major security issues on P2P networks (Viruses and worms) and presents the study of propagation mechanisms. In particular, the paper explores different P2P viruses and worms, their propagation methodology, outlines the challenges, and evaluates how P2P worms affect the network. The experimental results obtained will provide new direction in surmounting the security concerns in P2P Networks